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Burton tells a whopper in ‘Big Fish’
BY TOM PREVITE
STAFF WRITER
Only Tim Burton blends fantasy
into film with such craftsmanship.
The director’s movies defy con
vention with absurd imagery, cre
ating gothic eye candy devoured by
audiences craving cinematic
nuances. The outlandish clayma
tion masterpiece “The Nightmare
Before Christmas” shows the
extent of Burton’s creativity.
“Big Fish” takes the same
approach, though a toned-down
one, in its visual storytelling, yet it
treads into territory outside
Burton’s repertoire: a heartwarming
analysis of the human condition.
Edward Bloom (played by Ewan
McGregor in his youth and Albert
Finney in his later years), a big fish
in the small pond of Alabama, is a
living legend. Or at least it seems
so from the tall tales he spins. For
years, Bloom has been charming
everyone around him with his
grandiose adventures everyone
excepthis son, Will (Billy Crudup).
After Edward alienates his son
at his wedding, a rift forms, result
ing in years of separation.
Only when Edward becomes ter
minally ill does Will return home to
learn the truth from his father. He
Lead roles
masters of
the ‘House’
BY MICHAEL PUCCI
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
More than anything else,
“House of Sand and Fog” suffers
from bad timing and a seemingly
bland premise.
Based on Andre Dubus Ill’s
Oprah-endorsed novel, the film
chronicles a desperate woman, an
Iranian immigrant and their fight
for a piece of real estate.
Unfortunately for the film, with
more bombastic epics such as “The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of
the King” and “Big Fish” now rul
ing the movie charts, this might
not seem like the most appealing
MOVIEItEIXEW
"HOUSE OF SAND AND FQG"
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subject material on which to drop
a few bucks.
But ignore this movie at your
own peril. Asa drama, it’s utterly
gripping, and it showcases acting
of the highest capacity.
Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi”) is
Massoud Amir Behrani, a former
colonel in the Shah’s air force. After
bringing his wife and teenage son
to the United States, he now works
less dignified jobs, such as a slot as
convenience store clerk, to support
them. They endure the prejudices
and misunderstandings many
immigrants must face.
Meanwhile, we meet Kathy
Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) at the
low point of her life. A recovering
alcoholic whose husband left her
months ago, she falls behind on
taxes and the government seizes
control of her house, which quick
ly is put up for auction.
Seeing an opportunity to
restore his family’s dignity,
Behrani purchases the house, leav
ing Kathy homeless and emotion
ally wrecked the house was
something of a family heirloom.
At the heart of “House of Sand
and Fog” is the protagonists’ con
stant search for identity. Both
Behrani and Kathy use the house
as life preservers. She needs it as
the last tie she has to her disinte
grating family (and life); he needs
it to restore the significance and
prestige his family once enjoyed.
Caught in the middle is Deputy
Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard). He
evicts Kathy from her home, and
in short order, sympathizes and
falls in love with her.
We sympathize with Behrani
and Kathy though they are adver
saries, and it’s to the film’s credit
that it doesn’t label one or the
other as hero and villain for us.
In one of the film’s most affect
ing moments, she makes a grave
decision that brings them togeth
er and allows one finally to under
stand the other. That understand
ing, however, is hard-earned.
Burdon’s intentions are far more
selfish, and it is his actions that
lead everyone to their tragic fate.
The climactic scene isn’t as sur
prising as it is ironic, as the impor
tance of identity is reinforced as
everything comes crashing down.
“House of Sand and Fog” is
Vadim Perelman’s directorial
debut, and it’s a promising one.
Before it becomes bogged down in
pretension, his story casts an
almost uncomfortably captivating
spell on the audience.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
MOVIEiIEVIEW
"BIG FISH"
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wants to sepa
rate the fantasy
from reality
to be able to tell
his children
what their
grandfather was
really like.
ONLINE
Read Tacque
Kirksey's
review at
www.daily
tarheel.com
The story in “Big Fish” revolves
around the idea of perceived real
ity. The audience is left to speculate
as to what is real and what is
make-believe, and the past and
present become intertwined as
Edward’s tales become the focus of
the film’s progression.
As Will struggles to separate
fact from fiction, you’re immersed
in Edward’s stories.
The young adventurer travels
across the country in his larger
than-life story featuring a giant
named Karl (Matthew McGrory), a
witch (Helena Bonham Carter)
whose eye reveals how a person
dies and a traveling circus headed
by Danny DeVito.
And that’s just the beginning.
The main achievement in “Big
Epic ‘Mountain’ brings heights home
BY PHILIP MCFEE
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
North Carolina whether gen
uine or not has played backdrop
to some dubious silver-screen flops.
The timeless greatness of “Bull
Durham” is countered deftly by
“Patch Adams,” “Kiss the Girls” and
“Space Jam,” to name a few.
With Christmas came “Cold
Mountain,” a North Carolina
based Civil War epic featuring
sweeping drama, filmed in both
the Tar Heel State and Romania.
Central Europe might sound
like a misstep, but Crash Davis and
Nuke LaLoosh finally have compa
ny on the A-list: “Cold Mountain”
is a winner.
The resume of the film’s writer
director, Anthony Minghella, fea
tures both powerful scripts such as
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” and some
scrap paper (“The English Patient”).
“Cold Mountain” is an appended
RESUME & COVER LETTER DROP
(you will need cover letters for all organizations)
January 20, B:3oam-3:oopm, 239A Hanes Hall
For the NEW YORK RECRUITING ALLIANCE
(New York City interviews on March 1, 2004*)
Organizations Participating
Advertising/PR Consulting
• FCB • National Economic Research
Assistant Account Executive Associates**
Assistant Media Planner Research Associate (Econ, Stat, Math,
• Chandler Chicco Agency Comp Sci)
Account Management
• MediCom-Grey Global Grp.
tetont Media planner Healthcare/Research
• Ruder Finn • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
(extensive application process - see***) r nt 1
Executive Training Program
Summer Internship Research Positions (need life sciences)
• Saatchi and Saatchi Session Assistant (liaison between the patient,
Assistant Account Executive family & healthcare team)
Assistant Planner Research Study Assistant (need science, math,
• Grey Worldwide social services back 9 round )
Account Coordinator Physicians Office Assistant (liaison between
Assistant Account Executive patient and medical healthcare team - any
background)
Law (Legal Research)
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Corporate Legal Assistant Publishing -
Litigation Legal Assistant • Random House ?
• Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe Marketing Publicity 1
Legal Assistant Design Operations
• Sullivan and Cromwell** Editorial Sales
Legal Assistant** Contracts Production “
• White & Case Associate Prog. Sub-rights
Legal Assistant
Legal Assistant Clerk
Bring resumes and cover letters for all organizations
for which you wish to be considered plus one extra copy of resume.
*This program requires you to travel to New York at your expense. Further information
available in Hanes Hall or at http://careers.unc.edu/nyra.html*
**These positions require you also to submit an unofficial transcript
***See special requirements at http://sophia.smith.edu/cdo/NYC/page2.html
Information on all organizations is available in 242 Hanes Hall
The Wendy P. and Dean E. Painter Jr. Career Center
Division of Student Affairs • UNC-Chapel Hill
Visit us Mon-Fri Bafn-spm • 2nd Floor Hanes Hall • 919-962-6507 • http://careers.unc.edu • ua@unc.edu
Diversions
Fish” does not rest on its eccentric
characters, lush visuals or strange
surroundings prevalent through
out Edward’s stories.
This is a film with heart —a
look into people’s struggles with
accepting death, a reconciliation
between father and son and the
undying love of a family.
The casting is perfect. Jessica
Lange shines as Edward’s wife,
Sandra, who struggles with her
husband dying and at the same
time attempts to mend the rela
tionship between him and Will.
Crudup’s performance as the
determined, focused Will brings a
real magnitude to the role as he
searches through his father’s past.
But it’s Finney’s portrayal as the
elder Edward at the end of his days
that takes the movie to new
heights.
The aging man perfectly cap
tures the spirit of the nostalgic sto
ryteller while remaining reserved
within the confines of his illness.
“Big Fish” is a two-fold achieve
ment for Burton an evolutionary
step as a storyteller and a picture
destined for the Academy Awards.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
MOVIEREiriEW
"COLD MOUNTAIN"
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adaptation of Charles Frazier’s
novel. Both the book and the film
find Inman (Jude Law) deserting
the Confederate Army to trek back
to his hometown of Cold Mountain
and his belle, Ada (Nicole Kidman).
Thrown into the mix is Ruby,
played with gusto by Renee
Zellwegger, a spunky guest who
uses her down-to-earth knowledge
to help the solitary Ada tend to her
father’s farm.
Where Minghella’s hand comes
into play is in the arena of minor
characters. He tampers with parts
such as those of Sara (Natalie
Portman), a grieving war widow,
and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s
self-pitying preacher.
The cameos are all suitably com
i
- OF COLUMBIA PICTURES
Ewan McGregor stars as Edward Bloom, a multitalented small-town
adventurer in "Big Fish," director Tim Burton's latest fantastical fable.
petent, with the actors adding ade
quate moxie to their minor roles.
Even Jack White (yes, that one)
does well as a traveling musician
with a soft spot for the fiery Ruby.
But it’s in Zellwegger’s perform
ance that the movie reaches a high
point. Her embattled, spark-plug
personality makes her an audience
favorite, not to mention an Oscar
shoo-in.
As sporadic as Kidman’s wailing
accent is, her portrayal of a dis
tressed Southern belle nicely com
plements Law’s shell-shocked, tac
iturn performance. The put-upon
pair provide a sense of romance
heightened to meet the caliber of
the cast.
“Cold Mountain” is no “Gone
With the Wind,” but it has enough
touching moments and broad
shots to win over most cynical the
ater crowds.
Matching the scope of the
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2004
romance is the film’s sweeping
sense of visuals. With the excep
tion of some creative geography,
the movie paints vivid portraits of
both the placid, rural South and
the raging battles of the Civil War.
As North Carolina movies go,
“Cold Mountain” errs more on the
rich, baroque side of “The Last of
the Mohicans” rather than in the
kitschy arena of “I Know What
You Did Last Summer.”
A production long in coming,
“Cold Mountain” finally brings Old
Hollywood to North Carolina’s old
hills.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@email.unc.edu.
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Unique jewelry and accessories
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Chapel Hill: 121 E. Franklin St.
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Cary Cdry TpwrTe Center
Greensborp: Four Seasons Town Centre
DIVEIJSCOMMENOS
"The Da Vinci Code,” Dan
Brown A fast-paced mystery-sci
ence-religion-art-thriller that has
been rocking the top of The New
York Times’ best-seller list for the
past 10 months.
The story focuses on a Harvard
University professor of symbology
who is pulled rapidly into a mur
der investigation that turns into
the search for the heart of an
ancient secret society that holds
the truth behind the life of Jesus
Christ and the true foundations of
Christianity.
Seem like a mouthful?
The 400-plus page novel is just
as fast-paced.
The Washington Post called it
“unputdownable.” It’s definitely
worth sitting down with for a few
hours.
"Pass The Mic: Beastie Boys
1991-1996,” Ari Marcopoulos.
Marcopoulos followed the rap
rock legends, the Beastie Boys,
through everything.
In the recording studio, on tour,
just kicking it in their everyday
lives Marcopoulos was there for
all of it.
The results are pictures that
offer more than just the standard
press photos and magazine shoots,
as Marcopoulos captures the pure
energy and excitement of the boys
and their fans.
Seeing the group behind the
scenes gives Beastie Boys fans the
feeling that they’re privy to an
inside joke.
It might not be more than a
book of photos to anyone else, but
to Beastie Boys enthusiasts, this is
a must-have.
The Postal Service, Give Up
Ben Gibbard and Jimmy
Tamborello team up to create what
has been referred to as “indie elec
tronica.” Fusing succinct beats and
Gibbard’s soft and unconfronting
voice creates an album that is
relaxing to listen to and makes you
feel surprisingly upbeat at the
same time.
A good album to pick up in this
frigid winter weather because,
baby, it’s cold outside, and we need
all the warm and fuzzy feelings we
can get.
Contact Becca Moore
at beccaam@email.unc.edu.
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