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Z COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) holds a creative meeting with Anna
Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), who always listens to men with crossbows.
‘Helsing’ unable to
rise from the grave
BY TANNER SLAYDEN
STAFF WRITER
" When a bland movie such as
-Van Helsing” comes out infest
ed with CGI money shots and
marketing ploys critics and
anal-retentive fans are in their ele
ment.
They say the
movie has a
weak plot, little
character devel
opment and
hum about how
the film was a
disappointment
ONLINE
Read Becca
■Moore's 4-star
review at
fivww.daily
tarheel.com.
•—as if they expected strong story
lines and complex characters.
Well, this “Monster Mash”
piovie lacks both. And if anyone
thinks that these two aspects
jvould be found in a summer
blockbuster, let alone a Stephen
Sommers one, then that is truly
scary.
Sommers, whose other projects
Include “The Mummy” and the
groundbreaking “The Mummy
‘Returns,” wrote and directed “Van
-Helsing” or “The Mummy
Returns Again.”
. Hugh Jackman plays Gabriel
.Van Helsing, a rugged, Byronic
hero who rids the world of evil,
supernatural beings with his
courage and confidence.
_ Helsing also gains the love of
the more conventional, endan
gered vixen —a fellow monster
slayer named Anna Valerious
(Kate Beckinsale).
They have different personali
ties and motives but find love
through saving the world, as Rick
O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan
did in the “Mummy” movies just
exchange Dracula with Imhotep
and cameo persona Mr. Hyde with
The Rock.
If this parallel is confusing,
iJLevin J. O’Connor’s character
■should be an easier stake to swal
low.
tin “The Mummy,” he played
eni, the comical servant of an
ndead master. In “Van Helsing,”
e plays Igor, the comical servant
J)f an undead master. If someone
“sees one Sommers movie, they
Tiave seen them all.
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MOVIEHEVIEW
■VAN HELSING’
The sad truth is this, though
original or not, the film will be
seen and possibly even re-seen by
movie-goers. CGI graphics and
one-dimensional characters will
sell and even be entertaining.
But don’t be misled the
movie is horrible. But if readers
need a clear, concrete reason, here
is one: Sommers is a horror-movie
moron.
And he demonstrates this in
atrociously obvious ways.
According to the storyline
developed by Sommers, vampires
can terrorize in daylight, there are
full moons every night and
Frankenstein can shoot out light
ening bolts.
Having someone like Sommers
revamp old horror villains is like
having Boris Karloff reinvent a
character on “Friends.”
“Van Helsing” will make critics
say the typical “it is less painful to
poke yourself in the eye” comment
and horror-geeks whine about
how their favorite characters have
been desecrated.
But are our comments like a sil
ver bullet and holy water?
The movie opened at number 1,
grossing $54.2 million. These
types of movies are bulletproof
monsters, so go waste your money
on “Van Helsing” just don’t say
no one warned you.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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News
Double plays doom UNC in loss
BY DANIEL BLANK
SPORTS EDITOR
After Sunday’s game, North
Carolina coach Mike Fox spoke in
a quiet, raspy voice that belied his
team’s frustrating performance in
its loss to Maryland.
After taking the first two games
of the weekend series 11-9 and 7-
1, UNC fell to the Terrapins 3-1 in
11 innings at Boshamer Stadium.
Although the Tar Heels (34-12,
13-8 in the ACC) won the series, a
sweep against the last-place
Terrapins (20-29, 4-17) would
have helped them keep pace with
the rest of the conference leaders
who have all swept Maryland.
“You can’t afford to take any
days off, and it appeared to me like
that’s what we did,” Fox said. “We
didn’t deserve to win.”
The loss was so frustrating for
UNC because it had plenty of
opportunities to win the game.
Freshman Andrew Miller had
another solid start, striking out six
while allowing one earned run in
6.1 innings of work.
But the offense could not come
through with timely hits to get
Miller run support.
UNC hit into five double plays
in the game, including one each in
the ninth, 10 and 11th innings.
UNC scored its lone run when
Mike Daniel hit into a bases-loaded
double play in the fourth inning.
UNC had its best opportunity to
win the game in the 10th.
With one out and leadoff hitter
Greg Mangum up, UNC had run
ners on first and third.
But Mangum hit a soft ground
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North Carolina junior Chris lannetta (right) is tagged out at home by Maryland catcher Jason Maxey in the first
inning of UNC’s 3-1 loss on Sunday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels won the first two games of the series.
ball to second baseman Dan Melvin
who turned the double play.
“We were one swing of the bat
away, but it just didn’t happen,” Fox
said.
In the top of the 11th, Maryland
finally got to the Tar Heel bullpen,
which had pitched 3.2 scoreless
innings. Four of the first five
Terrapins to bat reached base as
they plated two runs. 1
UNC attempted a rally in the
bottom of the 11th, but a Marshall
Hubbard double play and a Sammy
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Hewitt fly out to the warning track
in right field ended the threat.
“It would have been nice to get
one out of here,” Hewitt said. “It
seems like every time I hit the ball
hard these days, it’s going right at
somebody.”
UNC will need to put Sunday’s
result behind it quickly because the
upcoming week will be one of its
toughest this season although it
won’t face any ACC competition.
UNC lost to No. 7 South Carolina
9-4 in Fort Mill, S.C., on Tuesday.
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UNC will travel to Miami for a
weekend series with the third
ranked Hurricanes. The series will
be a preview of how much tougher
the ACC will be when Miami joins
the conference next year.
“I think it’s going to set the tone
for next year,” Hewitt said. “With
them having such a good team, it
will be a test for us to go down
there and play well.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
9