Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 11, 2003, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2003 ‘Dickie’ dumb on different levels BY NICK PARKER ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star” is pure deconstructive genius. By eliminating every shred of intelligence, stripping away every element of a good film, Paramount makes a flick so dumb it’s funny. The writing is elementary, trite and contrived despite how shal low the actual content is. The act ing is so bad it makes you wonder if director Sam Weisman pushed for crap on purpose. The plot is such a silly shot-in-the-dark it’s dismissable if you take any time to think about it your teeth will try to eat your brain. The emotion is so stretched and uncomfortable it’s laughable by itself. And it all works. At least on some level. It’s free of pretentions, it’s immature and it’s harmless. By setting the bar low, Weisman responsible for other stupid dis tractions like “The Out-of- Towners” and “George of the Jungle” achieves his goal. if you plan for a hurricane and all you get is rain, you’re doing pretty well. Just don’t expect a bright, sun shiny day. The basic premise of the film is about as ambitious as its director. Dickie Roberts (David Spade), a sickly-sweet blond booger gains fame in a sitcom television show by smiling a lot and spouting off his adorable catchphrase “this is nucking futs.” Thirty years later Dickie finds himself stuck in the Celebrity Boxing ring with the 4' 3”, 92 pound powerhouse Emanuel Lewis and no reason to live. “Webster,” apparent ly, entered his own downward spi ral after getting booted from the Hollywood heights. Ushered in by a band of 300 plus pound gansters and M.O.P.’s “Ante Up,” Lewis must have taken a much darker path. Sound stupid? That’s the whole gimmick. Unfortunately, “Dickie” could have garnered a lot more laughs if Spade was still on top of his game. When Chris Farrely was still kicking he and Spade formed a dynamic, sharp combo. Slap-stick physical stunts for the fat man; wry, dry wit for the weasely wuss. Now, Spade tries to fill the gap I |j £ Cosmic | % Cantina s i r * | Healthy Mexl Always fresh, juicy, big and healthy. i < ►, ► ..ry i 4 Bjz \i MENU SAMPLING: ~ various menu items $2 old school veggie burrito 2 veggie burrito deluxe 4 ►' mSkf chicken burrito 5 \ \ quesadilla 3 \ chicken quesadilla 4 \ JHr' ...and more plus... all mexican beers $2 i \\ CHAPEL HILL: 960-3955 DURHAM: 286-1875 \ < right across the street from the varsity theatre at on 9th street and perry street < < 128 franklin street [at the end of the halll [across from brueggersl a ■ | I| $ I©FF| $ 20FF| AMY ORDER OF $5 OR MORE I AMY ORDER OF $7 OR MORE !| 9 EXPIRES 9/18/oJ ■ EXPIRES 9/18/o3 MOVIE EViEW ‘DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR” ★★★ by steering a bike into a parked car and screeching across a dry Slip and Slide. No blubber, no fun. And his sacrasm has lost its bite too, without a big, dumb animal to bounce it off of. But Spade does spew a few stingng one-liners to save face. But, the real humor in “Dickie Roberts” is the running joke it plays on former child stars that they basically aren’t real people. Screech (Dustin Diamond), Greg Brady (Barry Williams), Danny Patridge (Danny Bonaduce) and Corey Feldman form part of Spade’s poker crew and spend the enire time in self pity and jealous resentment. Crown that with a marathon of child stars in a “We Are The World”-style ballad of self-degre dation, threats of violence and lewd language (Marsha Brady drops the f-bomb) and its clear they are just perpetuating the joke. With that in mind, this film works on avery 7 base level. But you just have to take it for what it is, a silly joke from Hollywood aimed at itself. If you try and make it into something more, your nucking futs. Contact theA&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu. i/* ■•••• 'ft*''**"- * 'gjt COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES David Spade plays a childhood TV star gone wrong (don’t they all), who tries to buy back his childhood in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." Diversions BY PHILIP MCFEE ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Remember 2002? The year David Spade wasn’t in any movies? Yeah, that was great. Well, Hollywood’s resident miniscule blond wisecracker returns in “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.” Dickie Roberts is an “I Love the ’7os”-caliber, washed-up child star. Spade, as Roberts, is especially believeable in the role, portraying an out-of-work actor reeling from poor career decisions. No need to ask why. Following career advice from his similarly-fortuned agent, played by Jon Lovitz, Dickie decides to relive his childhood to increase his depth as an actor. Essentially, the premise makes it possible for David Spade to inter act with people his own height. The biggest insight in the whole film comes from the mother of the foster family Dickie falls in with. Heather Bolan (a vapidly earnest Ashley Edner) states: “You realize that this is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous endeavor anyone has every attempted." No arguments here. Even the Bolan children slip into a catatonic delivery' when car rying through their contrived scenes with Spade. It’s difficult to target the film’s downfall, which can be collective ly accredited to the writers, direc- MOVUHEVIEW ‘DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR” ★ tor and cast. The movie has writers. Two of them, in fact. One is David Spade. The other contributor, Fred Wolf, wrote “Joe Dirt.” The dialogue is laughable truly wretched stuff. “You’re my answer, Dickie. You’re the thing that’s going to make me happy.” Hey, it’s not that kind of movie. Although at one point a hor monally-charged middle schooler launches into a Pete Townshend quality dance routine that will turn heads away from the screen. Taste isn’t big for Dickie, this is a movie that has something for everyone, if offense is the aim. Homosexuals, blacks, women and rabbits the Dickie hit list keeps on rolling. Spade’s character utters the catchphrase of his youthful years enough “This is nucking futs!” to build up a genuine level of Dickie-resentment in the viewer. It’s generally a bad sign when viewers feel a cathartic release after a sympathetic main character gets hurt. Slapstick is Spade’s schtick, and he’s staying with it. It is nice to see Dickie pum meled by Emmanuel Lewis on celebrity boxing. The entire setup is a well-con structed farce, nucking futs to the last. When Dickie recalls his child hood “we were laughing, and I was really happy” moviegoers are reminded of their experience in the lobby before entering the theater. But, to leave the theater early would be a shame. The end credits feature a musi cal number by a collective of child stars. Once again, “I Love the ’7os” with singing. To prefer the washed up Re run over the grizzled golilocks playing lead is a sad thought, but, ultimately, a reality. So, once more, viewers remember 2002. A good vintage. David Spade is back. Just shoot me. Contact the At!)E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu HfTC-CPHDR 919-967-9053 SgOEjWtainSfreet-CaTrtoro ll TH TIM O BRIEN/SCOTT MILLER" (Sls) 12FR COSMIC CHARUE (2 sets Grateful Dead)" (SB/S10) I3SA MEUSSA FERRICK w/ Anne McCue" (SI2/SI4) 16TU ERASE ERRATA w/ Numbers. Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan" (S8) 17 WE BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB w/The Watocks" (SIO) IBTH TRAILER BRIDE CD Release parly w/ Unholy Trio 19 FR TRANS AM w/Ddek and The Movies 20 SA Pox World Empire Compilation Retoe Parly: Des Ark. Sames, Rosebuds, Norm Elementary 21 SU THE STARTING UNE, HOME GROWN. AUSTER, Senses Fall, more 23 TU EDWIN MCCAIN BAND" w/WlHoge" (sl6) 23 WE SQUEEZETOY 25 TH CURSIVE w/ Blood Brothers, Fin Fang Foom" (SlO/Sl2) 26 FR SISTER HAZEL" (sls) 27 SA RAINER MARIA w/ Denali" ($9/$10) 28 SU Canboro Music Festival (3PM-Mldniglit • 30 TU THE SEA AND CAKE w/Khgsbuy Manx" 2TH Seven Nations / Young Dubliners" (sl4) 3FR Reverend Horton Heat / S.C.O.T.S. / Throw Rag" ($18) 4SA HIEROGLYPHS TOUR w/ Dei, Souls Of Mischief, Casual, Pep Love, and special guests Utile Brother" 6MO BUILT TO SPILL." (sl4/515) 7TU JOAN BAEZ" ($35) BWE PAT GREEN" (sls) 9TH BURNINGSPEAR" ($lB/520) 11 SA EVAN DANDO. BETTIE SERVEERT. and VIC CHESNUTT" (sl2/514) 12 SU BEULAH w/John Vandersfce" ($8) 13 MO PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES 14 TU THE BIG WU w/ The Recipe" (SB/$10) 15 WE CALEXICO w/The Frames" ($10) 16 TH SUPERCHUNK 17 FR Steep Canyon Rangers 18SA ROCK THE LEMURS 22 WE JOSH ROUSE w/ Leona Naess" (Tickets on sote s@pt 6) 23 TH WEAKERTHANS w / Maritime 8i Mico 25 SA BOUNCING SOULS w/Strike Anywhere 8r Tsunami Bomb" (sl2) iU BARBARtTO TORRES" (S2O/6:3OPM SHOW) 2SU DEATH CAB FOR CUTIEw/ MATES OF STATE" (sl2) 14 FR UMPHREYS MCGEE" (sl2) 16 SU BROADCAST w/Manitoba" 22 SA Appetite For Destruction" (SB/$10) 30 SU TWIZTIDw/Slaves On Dope" (sl6) SHOWS @ GO! Room 4 (100F Brewer Ln„ Carrboro 919-969-1400) 9/11: Dressy Bessy: 9/12: Shallow Be Thy Name, The Tooth; 9/13: Clientele; 9/18: Scene Creamers w/ Black Taj; 9/19: DJ Vadim: 9/23: Witty Porter; 9/27: Black Eyed Snakes; 10/3: Richard Buckner; 10/5; Qulntron And Miss Pussycat; 10/15: Holy GoSahtty; 10/12.10/19,10/26, and 11/2: CARBON LEAF; 11/22: Firewater @ Disco Rodeo 9/25: LUCINDA WILLIAMS w/ JAYHAWKS"; 10/13: INTERPOL w/ Elefant & The Occasion @ Lincon Theater 9/12: Jay Farrar @ Kings 9/26: QUASI w/ Hella and Pleasant" ($8): 10/4: Jonathan Richman (7PM show) g The Brewery 9/29 AVAIL Darkest Hour and Jericho'' ($lO The BEST live music - 18 & over admitted "Advance ticket sales at SchoolKids in Chapel Hill and Raleigh and Radio Free Records in Durham. For Credit Card orders CALL 919-967-9053 CYCLES FROM PAGE 5 “(Recent) films have been extremely gory and bloody," said Aris Christofides, editor of Critics, Inc. Web sites comprised of three sites, including Kids-In- Mind.com, the most popular inde pendent source for movie ratings. “For a short while everyone (was) showing sensitivity,” Christofides said. But, in 2003 it’s “back to business as usual. People still watch gory movies ... by our standards, they are more violent than they used to be.” Kids-in-Mind rates movies on sex/nudity, violence/ gore and pro fanity and receives 30 million plus hits a month. It gave the recent “Jeepers Creepers 2” a nine-out-of -10 in the latter two categories. “Jeepers Creepers 2” is but a sin gle example in a recent rash of R rated top-grossers. In 2002, one of the top-20 moneymaking films was rated R. In 2003, there are three R offenders in the top 10. Cristofides expressed concern that the Motion Picture Association of America, the lobby ing arm of Hollywood, was becom ing more lenient in its ratings. Ratings influence audiences. “They’re like brand names. They have connotations," he said. The brands are the same as when sensitivity was in vogue but now, the price is higher. In an early post Sept. 11 era, vio lence and action in the media was considered insensitive, but now the faux pas has been lifted. This summer’s box office was dominated by action blockbusters, and television is no different. In the fall of 2002 on CBS, the two “CSI: Crime Scene Investiga tors” series accounted for two hours a week. This year, “CSI” shows run five hours a week in primetime. The forensics-based show was created by Jerry Bruckheimer, whose R-rated “Bad Boys II” is ninth for total gross this year. The series that epitomizes the American television now is the FX Network’s graphic plastic surgery drama “Nip/l\ick.” “We make no bones about it,” said John Solberg, senior vice president of public relations for FX Networks. “What we’re doing is looking for adults who’re trying to reach programming that’s a lit tle more challenging.” FX doesn’t sugarcoat ads, either. TV spots for “Nip/T\ick” clearly reference the*’show’s TV MA rating and give glimpses of extreme content. Despite the sometimes shocking promos, Nip/Tuck still prospers. “(It’s) arguably one of the most critically acclaimed new series," Solberg said. “It’s the highest rated series to premiere on basic cable in 2003.” Competing with 63 other ad supported networks and graphic content, FX gets what it wants America is tuning in. Asa general trend, the 2003 debuts gravitate toward violence, but last year witnessed an influx of family comedies. Last September, T| ll> l * 620 Market St. Lllllllllil Take 15/501 South towards Pittsboro Exit Main St./Southern Village SEABISCUIT EQ I :I S-(4:05)-7:05-9:45 OPEN RANGE S1:00-(4:00)-7:00-9:50 DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR E351:05-3:05-{5:05)-7:20-9:35 FREAKY FRIDAY Si :30-(4:1 5)-7:15-9:30 M B ;,'r. n s □□[D°sy]| |tao, om >O.OO |P I O ITA l| SEATING 7:00. 9:20, SAT-SUN 2 00. 4 30 . 'A* BRILLIANT! I /% * jTWY nJWYYS2ULT HAiTIKPiexX. 1 I f l^ 7:00, 9:20. SAT-SUN 2:00, 4:20 Ullfp SaUg (Ear “Its a moot point whether there s any envelope to push.” KEN WLASCHIN, CREATIVE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR FOR THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE ABC premiered “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” and “Life with Bonnie.” This fall, the network will experiment with new action shows “Threat Matrix” and “Karen Sisco.” The shocking face-value of “Nip/Tuck” is a far cry from the wholesome “American Dreams,” which hit the airwaves last year. The limits of decency are no longer sacred the American pub lic once more demands extreme content and gritty reality. In a way that's now becoming typical, “Nip/Tuck” is remaking the American Dream, one cut at a time. Ken Wlaschin, director of cre ative affairs for the American Film Institute, said America’s lust for reality programming in film and television is expanding. “A lot of people go to the movies to escape reality,” Wlaschin said, speaking of movies' power in America and their direction. “I don’t know how much more they can do. It’s a moot point whether there’s any envelope to push.” After a lull, caused by a “loss of innocence” or not, expansion of standards will inevitably occur. Such is the case for the music industry, which pushes for diversi ty in lieu of film and TV’s violence. Geoff Mayfield, director of charts and senior analyst for Billboard Magazine, likened the current music scene to the confu sion after the fall of disco in the early ’Bos . He noted that declining sales and an unclear direction don’t necessarily mean stifled creativity. “A lot of what happens in music is cyclical,” said Mayfield. The music scene, in the throes of the post 9-11 economic slump, still created a diverse blend of sounds. “It wasn’t all about flag-waving... it wasn’t all about right and wrong. There was a broad palette that came from that event,” Mayfield said. As the Polyphonic Spree adver tise an electronic-choral experi ence, 50 Cent continues to take his bold-faced lyricism to the American public. Opinions sway, but sonic expan sion is unimpeded. Looking into the future, two years after Sept. 11, it’s safe to say innocence has been lost, but. gazing forward, nothing is fully realized. Anti-war media sentiment has yet to reach a level akin to that at the end of the Beatles' generation. Anthony Swofford’s Gulf War memoir “Jarhead” and the un flinchingly violent, subversively anti-military film “Buffalo Soldiers” may be a glimpse of what lies in store for American media. But the media won’t be chan neled in an intentional direction. Christofides put it best, when speaking on the state of movies. “(The) MPAA should simply lobby and let the marketplace work." Mayfield echoed that senti ment, when looking at music’s direction: “The music industry will get back on course.” That’s the best part of the American arts scene. Quick peeks of the future pass by, but the final course is always a surprise. The rebuilding has begun. The industry is back on track the final destination is unknown. The Beatles know what to do. Let it be. Contact the AdE Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu. E EASTERN FEDERAL easternfederal.com Online Ticketing Available @ www.EASIERNFEDERAL.com f MOVIES AT TIMBERLYNE Weaver Dairy at Airport Rd. THE ORDER* K Daily 3:00,5:10,7:25,9:45 JEEPERS CREEPERS 2* fi Daily 2:55, 5:10, 7:30,9:50 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Daily 3:35,6:45,9:45 FREAKY FRIDAY IS Daily 2:50, 5:00, 7:20, 9:35 SEABISCUIT ES Daily 3:30,7:05,9:55 FREDDY VS. JASON i Daily 7:30,9:40 THE ITALIAN JOB M Daily 2:40, 5:05 nr [Qggg. j SHOWTIMES FOR TODAY ONLY! MATINEE, CHILD & SENIOR DISCOUNT ADVANCE TICKETING AVAILABLE * NO PASSES OR DISCOUNTS A MIGHTY WIND Friday, Sept. 12 § 7:3opm Saturday,Sept. 13 6 9:3opm FREE! ocard BEND IT UKE BECKHAM Friday, Sept. 12 @ 9:3opm Saturday, Sept 13 @ 7:3opm FREE! Sic cub I" All movies shown In Carolina UntonAudi!ortunr| _FOR24OREjNFORMATIOiNCAIi9^Kj
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 11, 2003, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75