8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2003 ‘Creeper’ has audiences howling Fans fall to humor instead of horror BY TOM PREVITE STAFF WRITER A movie theater Ml of laughter was a bad sign. It wasn’t the kind of laughter one gets from campy moments in a horror film, like when a character gets squashed by a two-headed monster driving a truck. No, the audience laughed dur ing “Jeepers Creepers 2” because the movie was just that terrible. The plot is standard horror fare: a winged monster (known as The Creeper) awakens to feed for 23 days before it must sleep for 23 years. On the 23rd day, a group of high school basketball players, cheer leaders and coaches is returning home on a bus after winning the state championship. The Creeper blows out the tires of the bus and kills the coaches, leaving the kids alone to defend themselves from the seemingly invincible monster. It’s far from an Academy Award-winning script, but it sets the stage for a suspenseful, gory flick. CAROLINA UNION STORY BOARD CHICAGO Friday, Sept. 5 § 7:3opm & 9:3opm Saturday, Sept. 6 @ 7:3opm & 9:3opm rnrri withunc rnCiZ! one card Pick up the new Fall 2003 Film Schedule available at the films and at the Union desk. All movies shown in Carolina Union Auditorium. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 962-2285. “Studying Abroad Can Change Your Life” Come and find out about UNCYearat Montpellier (France) Programs Academic Year / Fall Semester Spring Semester / Summer Session Informational Meeting Date: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2003 Time: 3:00-5:00pm Place: Toy Lounge, Dey Hall UNC-Chapel Hill Since 1964, the Dept of Romance Languages has had a program in France, first in Lyon, then moving to Montpellier in 1976 Over 1000 students have participated in our programs. Videos and discussions withformer participants. For directions call (919) 962-0154 web: http://www. unc.edu/depts/mont email: mont@unc.edu MOVIEREVIEW “JEEPERS CREEPERS 2" Unfortunately, the movie self destructs before accomplishing much of anything. The sheer awkwardness of “Jeepers Creepers 2” left the audi ence gasping for breath from laughter. Imagine you’re watching a nature documentary' about the hunting habits of the hawk, and you’ll get a good idea of The Creeper, which plucks humans from the ground like wild mice. Nothing about that is remotely frightening. What’s sad is that you can tell that director Victor Salva wanted The Creeper to be scary. Salva uses the basic horror soundtrack, full of screeching vio lins, to emphasize what he believes to be scary. But the problem is the way Salva depicts The Creeper’s attacks. Nothing is happening when suddenly the music chimes in and The Creeper grabs a person Diversions H f TTW Jf PHOTO COURTESY OF UNITED ARTISTS Shocked and awed, Tom Tarantini falls to The Creeper, a beast which awakens to feed for 23 days, longer than its film will last in theaters. and flies off. End of story. It’s so brief the entire attack comes off more hokey than terrifying. Then there’s what might be one of the most bizarre scenes ever filmed. All the members of the team leave the bus at the same time to relieve themselves on the side of the road. Apart from the fact that they stand close enough to hug each other and take about two minutes to finish, one player mocks another by making homo sexual jokes in his direction. It might hold some kind of meaning if the fight didn’t sound like grade school name-calling. Now that’s dramatic. Finally, “Jeepers Creepers 2” takes the film industry' to anew low higher = test scores guaranteed or your money back Attend all required classes or make-up sessions, complete all scheduled tests, and do your homework. If your score doesn't improve on test day from your Kaplan diagnostic or a prior official test score, you can choose to repeat our program for free or get a full refund of your tuitionT“ It's that simple. Come see our expanded facilities and preview our World Leader in Test Prep materials! and Admissions fl 111 ..J 111 i l *To be eligible for this you must be enrolled in Kaplan's full classroom, tutoring. or online courses. In addition, you must 1 -800-KAP-TEST present a copy of your official score report and your course materials within 90 days. kaptest.com C °°^losH6R Domino’s Pizza Now Accepts Local COMPETITOR'S COUPONS Valid on comparable sizes and products. Not valid with any other offer. Carrbo’ro TJJSfC Look for the NEW PHILLY CHEESESTEAK PIZZA coming soon! by trying to sound intelligent with a commentary' on human instinct. The argument boils down to the idea that when it comes to survival, the terrible nature of humanity reveals itself. Characters in the movie attempt to sell each other out in an effort to appease the monster. A noble effort on the film's part, but it's completely trivialized because character development is nonexistent. So what the audience ends up with is “Jeepers Creepers 2,” a movie that simultaneously manages to be unscary, strange and pretentious. And you wonder why the audi ence laughs. Contact theA&EEditor at artsdesk@unc.edu. Freaks at ‘Camp’ prove irresistible BY GERALD JOHNSON STAFF WRITER The characters in “Camp” are of a special breed, though not neces sarily “special” meaning they’re freaks, social outcasts or plagued with mental issues although that’s all pretty true. But these characters aren’t just any freaks they’re performance freaks. They attend Camp Ovation, a summer haven for acting, singing and dance enthusiasts. Stephen Sondheim is their god and his end less collection of Broadway stan dards their Bible. The movie’s centerpiece is Vlad (Daniel Letterle), a doe-eyed guy with a guitar and a way with the ladies... and fellas? Vlad moves from sleeping with the blonde camp prima donna Jill (Alanna Allen) to courting the shy, talented Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat). His flirtatious personality even has Michael (Robin de Jesus), his gay roommate with a penchant for cross-dressing, developing a crush on him. The ambiguity of Vlad’s sexual ity throughout the film serves as a reminder of what we should be focusing on anyway: the music. Every two weeks, the kids per form show tunes onstage, and the film boasts a few remarkable num bers. Often the musical performanc es best allow the characters to come alive and express who they are. One comes from Fritzi (Anna Kendrick), a one-time servant of Jill who later exacts her revenge by psychotically stealing the per formance of “The Ladies Who Lunch.” The timid pushover trans forms into a trash-talking diva with such ease that it seems being a bitch was her true calling all Take 15/501 South towards Pittsboro Exit Main St./Southern Village seabiscuit etj ms-rosi-tomas OPEN RANGE ®1:00-(4:00)-7:00-9:50 UPTOWN GIRLS Esl:os-3:05-(5:05)-7:20-9:35 FREAKY FRIDAY EH2:3O-2:46-(5:00)-7:10-9:30 Matinees [ STA I $5.00 |PIGI TA L I SEATING CfiTMAADI* v vV