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3Jijr Satly (Ear MM Dunst 'Beautiful;' Film 'Crazy' By Jonathan Miller Online Editor ! Cliched love stories come a dime a dozen. Check out TNT, Lifetime or jLJSA any night to see rehashed stories of Jove and love lost *. It's a timeless story ; maybe that’s why it gets repeated so much. Boy watches girl from afar. Boy falls for girl. Boy and girl have prob lems, etc. review crazy/beautiful" ★★★☆☆ Unoriginality can never help dramas; after all, they are solely based around a stories. Think “Braveheart,” then think “The Patriot” Which one is better and why? “Crazy/beautiful” flirts with falling into the same trap as all those films that few remember anyway. Borrowing heavily from both “West Side Story” and “Splendor in the Grass," the film chron icles the social and racial clash between Nicole Oakley (Kirsten Dunst) and East L.A. resident Carlos Nunez (Jay Hernandez). The only deviation from the standard 'Baby Boy' Deserves Spanking By Adrial Dale Staff Writer The newest John Singleton movie, “Baby Boy,” argues black people degrade themselves and their culture. It’s an interesting argument, but the message unfortunately gets lost and falls short amidst exaggerated sexuality and a bland plot Jody (Tyrese Gibson) is a 20- year-old thug with a dream to suc ceed in self /review "Baby Boy” employment, but who still lives with his mama, Juanita (AJ. Johnson). Asa habitual player in the “game of women,” Jody has two toddler children with two different mothers: Yvette (Taraji Henson) and Peanut (Tamara LaSeon Bass). At the same time, he feels the need to continue to sleep around. As the movie plays out, you are bombarded with the proposition that Jody is, as the title suggests, truly a baby boy as he is forced to deal with difficult and some times confrontational situations. The plot is acted out much like a ghetto soap opera, except without all of the captivating twists and turns for which real soap operas are known. There are no areas of suspense in the entire movie, which makes a pillow and A good book almost necessary theater materials for this anti-thriller. The plot was a straight shot from beginning to end without any subplots or redundancies. It focused mainly on the sex-centric relationship between Jody and his first “baby mama,” Yvette. This psuedo-romance ended up being dry and virtually emotionless, while the substan dard acting dragged it down even further. Apparendy, the film chose to value sex above acting. “Baby Boy” is so sex ually charged that one might feel embar rassed to be watching such graphic depictions of sex - many of which seem to come right from some tacky pom - with other moviegoers in the same room. Look Good Feel Good T* uoouric! ¥1 1 pump Downtown Chapel Hill 106 W. Franklin St. (next to He's Not Here) North Durham Northgate mall (next to Carousel) formula is that Carlos is the driven, clean-cut type trying to succeed in an trouble-plagued environment and Dunst is the self-destructive, neurotic half of the pair. Judging by the story, the film is in des perate need of help to avoid flopping. Enter Kirsten Dunst ex machina. Dunst’s performance redeems this film. Nicole Oakley is an affluent but delinquent teen who spends her days in a ritzy high school with no goals to strive for and a stepmother who does not understand her. This character is more dynamic and interesdng than the character she played in “Bring It On.” Instead of a preppy high school cheerleader, Dunst play" a troubled teen who has problems with loss and constandy competes for her father’s attention with his new wife. The depth of emotion that Dunst taps into in this film is unmatched. The role she undertakes is the most complex of any in her short but impressive career. Her performance is also her raciest to date (Who really wears bras nowadays anyway?). Though only 19, Dunst seems r ji Jody (Tyrese Gibson), Yvette (Taraji Henson) star in "Baby Boy," John Singleton's latest examination of black men in modern society. And all the sex, like most of the movie, fails to stimulate. Ultimately, “Baby Boy” is a simple “Boyz in the Hood” love story gone wrong that loses its capacity for interest after the first half-hour and con tinues to wander into poindessness throughout the remainder of the film. A more meaningful love story is one of the many ways the film could recov PASSPORT PHOTOS While you wait. Ist set $10.95 (WJi} C.O. COPIES 169 E. Franklin St. • Near the Post Office 933-9999 HE’S NOT HERE Friday... Codv Cods Saturday ...Life Dip Sunday... Karaoke Night WATCH FOR BEER SPECIALS DON’T FORGET TUESDAYS: BLUE CUP SPECIALS $3 DOMESTICS & $4 IMPORTS to have no trouble acting intimately with newcomer Jay Hernandez. Their sex scenes are tasteful and effective and illustrate the evolution of their relation ship This role is a marked change from her previous outings and a good sign of the mature roles that Dunst is capable of performing. Supporting actors help Dunst’s per formance shine. Hernandez, Dunst’s intelligent and highly motivated love interest, keeps up with the more experi enced Dunst reasonably well. Bruce Davison also provides a strong role as Dunst’s congressman father but does not really get to exercise his chops until the film is nearly finished. Despite appearing late in the film, Davison makes excellent use of his limited screen time to solidify an otherwise paltry sto ryline. Even though Dunst and company portray believable characters, good actors cannot save a mediocre story. Jonathan Miller can be reached at jlmiller@email.unc.edu. er. But the relationship between Jody and the girl he supposedly loves, Yvette, is not convincing enough to make the audience care, simultaneously creating a similar feeling toward the whole movie - the inability to care less. Adrial Dale can be reached at adrial@email.unc.edu. DURHAM ROOFING^ COMPANY Serving Durham and Chapel Hill Since 1963 AMiyyte* Residential & Commercial • Flat Roofs • Shingles • Slate • Tile Metal Roofing , ■r* ' li 682-8064 1511 Peace Street Durham, NC Arts J MmL „ , - v:: i Jay Hernandez and Kirsten Dunst star in "crazy/beautiful," a film that revisits the "star-crossed lovers" schtick. Not even high-quality acting from Dunst and the rest of the cast could save this film from itself. Film Chronicles Dot-Com Woes By Allyson Shaffer Staff Writer “Startup.com” may be a documen tary, but not in the National Geographic “this is how tiger’s mate” style of film. Instead, it has a strong story-like, voyeuristic feel. More than just the life of an Internet business, the film focuses on the co founders’ personal lives and the lifestyle the e- , .^mov/ey review "Startup.com” commerce imposes on them. It takes the how-to of creating and maintaining an Internet business and adds two actual people’s stories, making the documentary more engaging. The characters add a certain realistic and human flavor to the film, making what could be a tedious collection of facts much more interesting. The viewer still learns about the world of e-business as co-founders Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman try to create and maintain govworks.com, a Web site meant to allow citizens to pay fines like parking tickets online. As Herman and Tuzman scramble 300 E. Main Street • Carrboro JULY 6 FR DILLON FENCE w/ Hobex" ($10) 7 SA 'CHRONIC NIGHT' Commemorating 20 years of REM w/ Sorry About Dresden, The Ghost of Rock. Nikki Meets the Hibachi, Transportation. Shalini and The Mayflies USA" BSU BEATNUTS, THE ARSONISTS (Special Appearance By Greg Nice)" (sl2) 12 TH BURNING AIRLINES w/ Pines of Nowhere" ($8) 13 FR B-Sides, S&M&M&M, Kick Me Kate 14 SA LAKE TROUT" ($8) w/ Matt Swagger 19 TH Comas, Kingsbury Manx, Rodeo Boy ($3) 20 FR sorry about dresden, the scaries, campground effect, late night television 21 SA Happyland Gospel Night w/ Freddy Branch, Bishop Perry Williams and The Gospel Four 27 FR Patty Griffin" (Sl3/Sls) 28 SA El Centro Latino First Birthday Party w/ Grupo Cardi AUGUST I IWE COSMIC CHARLIE (Jerry Garcia Birthday Celebration!)" ($8) 4 SA FVRC Benefit (B-Sides. Memphis) 7 TU Glenn Phillips (From Toad the Wet Sprocket) 18 SA DRI, SWORN ENEMY” ($10) 24 FR Hobex 31 FR BROTHER (From Australia) SEPTEMBER 14 FR ACOUSTIC SYNDICATE" (sl2) 16 SU UNWOUND" ($8) 24 MO BUILT TO SPILL" (Tickets on sale now!) |3O SU GILLIAN WELCH & DAVID RAWUNGS OCTOBER SFR JUNIOR BROWN" SHQW§,@ QOl Room 4: (100-F Brewer Ln., Carrboro 919-969-1400) 7/5 Union 13 7/6 The Locust, Orthrelm, Waiffle, If It Doesn't Kill You 7/8 Quintron, Miss Pussycat 7/10 Crooked Fingers w/ Lystra 7/11 Butchies 7/12 Shalini 7/14 Loners. Halifax. Varnalirre 7/20 Trailer Bride 7/23 Rebecca Gates 7/25 the Album Leaf, Helms 7/28 Pleasure Forever 8/1 Barbara Manning 8/5 Shai Hulud 8/15 Pinback 8/25 His Name is Alive ® The Carrboro ArtaCenter 7/7 MARK EITZEL" (sl2) w/ For Stars ©JtoßUZUßalfiigti) 9/5 BUJU BANTON w/ Morgan Heritage On Sale 7/18 The BEST live music 18 & over admitted •'Advance ticket sales at SchodKids (in Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh) For Credit Card orders CALL 919-967-9053 www.catscradle.com for financial backing, they struggle to create an effective and innovative ser vice and attempt to fend off dangerous competitors. And the pair’s troubles don’t stop there. After a long day at the office, Herman struggles to keep his energetic and very distracted 5-year-old in his lap long enough to brush her hair into pre sentable ponytails. Tuzman tries to deal with a girlfriend who demands either a puppy or a baby when he wants neither. And they both attempt to maintain a friendship that started when they were 15 and is now challenged everyday by their conflicting professional and per sonal spheres. Eventually the pair find success on their own terms. The mix of the entrepreneurial and the personal is interesting, but the film is far from perfect. Throughout the film, W <1 Wfr/i this coupon or *€ I (ft } Sp UNC Student ID, get j [ / JJ $1 OFF Dinner Buffet! iSw Offer Expires 7/12/01 I ' Come try the largest Chinese Buffet in the Triangle! 111 E CUfdHM Jigi Dine-in Buffet Only 968-3488 H || Vij University Square ff( ] I When your dinner plans the solution is only a few clicks away. tUe ore proud to introduce Chape! Hitfs first virtual dining experience delivered to your door vio cyberspare. Visit our menus and order online today. •Mention this od ond get 50% off deliveryl Tjiy ikaA is did ntfsa reii< *NOW WKfer MHf tMMy&R<!* wwwMßHmmmxoH a e, aat Do you suffer from major depression with atypical features such as overeating, oversleeping and feelings of rejection? • Depressed mood • Loss of interest in activities • Trouble with memory or concentration • Low self esteem • Low energy • Sleeping more than usual • Significant increase in appetite or weight gain • Over-reactive to life events • Stormy relationships Maybe we can help. The UNC-CH Psychiatry Department (under the direct supervision of Barbara Crockett MD) needs volunteers for a research study. We want to compare the effectiveness, safety, and sexual side effects of an investigational medicine with ’’ paroxetine and placebo. ihffwEßSi for more information, call Dr. Crockett at 843-8084. Thursday, July 5, 2001 the hand-held camera switches focus amateur-style, swooshing from one sub ject to the next After just 10 minutes, you’ll begin to wish the editor had spent more time making cuts. And after about an hour, you might get a headache and feel slightly sick. The goal is good, but the cine matography could stand to be a great deal smoother. The camera work becomes distracting; it could have achieved the same authentic feel with more editing. But ultimately the film is not eye candy. Focusing on Herman and Tuzman’s story rather than the film’s technical prowess, “Startup.com” insists on rising above the techno-babble. Allyson Shaffer can be reached at akshaffe@email.unc.edu. 5
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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July 5, 2001, edition 1
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