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12 thursday, february 7,2008 Latest Alba film an eyesore of a thriller BY DAVID BERNGARTT STAFf WRITER Jessica Alba fails to impress as the leading lady of the lackluster thriller “The Eye." Alba plays the role of Sydney Wells, a violinist who has been blind since the age of 5, until she's given sight by anew technique of retina transplant surgery, made possible by the wonders of stem cell research, (it's hard to say if “The Eye" means to comment on the issue.) As she learns how to see again, she is haunted by nightmares and vivid scenes of death. Her vision comes into focus, as do her ocular demons, and Alba realizes she can see the dead. This Hollywood version of Hong Kong's Mian Gui" is certainly eerie, as it’s impossible to tell where and when the next ghoul will appear. This terror, however, doesn’t work for long. The cheap scare tactics of “The Eye’ begin to lose their edge when the viewer realizes that there's nothing scary about this movie other than a bunch of "things jumping out’ moments. The acting in the film is predict ably feeble. Alba's mediocre talents, on display throughout the movie, are given a painful conclusion with a laughably campy “moral of the story" narration at the end. Parker Posey stars in a disap pointing supporting role as Alba's Two Pulitzer Prize Winners in Rotating Rep JANUARY 26 - MARCH 2 919.962. PLAY (7529) playmakersrep.org Vo. founder and prasidant of Carolina for Klbara Friday, Immediately followed February 8, 2008 by a networking 5:00 p.m. reception with alumni in Fed Ex Global Education international careers Center Auditonum from 6 _ 7:30 jn the BFed Ex Global Education Center Atrium. Barcott has been named one of ABC World News's "People of the Year" Carolina for Kibera (CFK) is an international, nongovernmental organization based in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya CFK is a 501 (cX3) charitable corporation and major affiliated entity of UNC based at the Center for Global Initiatives. Named a TIME Magazine and Gates Foundation "Hero of Global Health," CFK fights abiect poverty and helps prevent violence through community-based development in Kibera and beyond •assr MOVIE REVIEW THE EYE icirCrCrk sister. Posey has been brilliant in her campy, over-the-top roles in films such as “Best in Show" and “Superman Returns," but her attempt at being a down-to-earth, worried sister is just a waste of talent especially with the bad scripting. The movie could have been a mediocre Japanese-horror ripoff. with weak execution but an inter esting premise, if it weren't for its pointless and chaotic ending. Not to ruin it for you, but I’ll give you a hint it involves Mexico, a terrorist bomb scare and the biologi cal memory of cellular peptides. How does this thriller stray so far? It’s simply a weak attempt at a compelling story and what would be called a plot twist if it didn't feel more like a plot sprain. The best part of “The Eve" is the stellar display of contacts worn by Alba to show the different stages of her eyes’ healing. That isn’t a very good sign. Upon leaving the theater, all I really wanted to give to “The Eye" was the finger. Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@ unc.edu. Diversions Broadway’s Menzel falls down on pop LP BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN STAFF WRITER Idina Menzel has a lot going for her. She's got a Tony Award for "Wicked," the support of her hus band and “Rent" co-starThye Diggs, and Ls landing more prominent film roles (“Enchanted"). She has a tal ented voice —a little husky, like a Broadway version of Dolly Parton, but still good —and a shot at pop stardom with I Stand. Produced and co-written by Glen Ballard, who helped make Alanis Morissette a star with Jagged Little Pill, the album has all the compo nents of greatness. But then there's this thing called “songwTiting." As someone known for sing ing stage tunes written by others, Menzel is detached in tracks of her own. Her w ords underwhelm mast sixth-grade poetry, depending on sappy love songs cliches, including such crutches as“ It's the first day of the rest of my life," “if time stood still" and “my heart on my sleeve.’ She's been immersed in show tunes for so long that she knows only that brand of music. She incor porates these familiar stage situa tions into her songs, making for the kind of cheese that one would sing if one’s life w as a musical. It’s as if she locked herself in her room with an aisle of Hallmark cards, a few self-help books and her DEUVERY 919-968-3278 Warn OPEN LATE Wm. HOURS Mon-Wed: 4pm-3am Thuredey: 4pm-3:3oam 306A W. Franklin St. Fri & Sat: 11am-3 30am 3C OU HI I Sun: 11am-2am 1 S3T66OFF~~I II homeaionT" REGULAR MENU PRICE SMALL 1 -mEH PIZZA ANY SPECIALTY PIZZA TioSisS? or ANY 2-ITEM PIZZA | fi M mauiwn h.MM BELLY BUSTER 14 ” all ixed-up CHOOSI * FOB 17. M LARGE 1 -ITEM PIZZA CHOOSE 3 FOR tS.N + LARGE POKEY STIX CHOOSE AU. I:'. | .nOaSBKm JiZSuTEE MIC.SQO CMS ll WBIC rLLo- ZSf.sfH— j*i<" wptstp —■—awt 7 * 918-967-9053 R JT 300 E. Main Street ■ Carrboro | ' ' - " ‘ 'ii 1.-FOPC * aowDimsr 10MC LfSHEuNDEGEOCtLO BhRmSCSSI Steven fioce" (SIO/Sls) iim iwfYYKV'WYY rfnppt.ikvkv 9SA 808 MARIfYS BIRTHDAY 1 —, 1 CELEBRAHON: MICKEY MLS/ STEEL GWAJ BIG GONE. LVNN BLAKEYi EDO ■ .vjrc bene*-lira !cS - (BOBMCWD6CANCEUE) \ _ • Agtxtftomer. : 'MCTHEUNSEEN. AWLHELM SCREAM" -• 1 t H,' & Eve ofne Eloen. 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DtSiROVtS* AndeEnwr (sl2) l| ■fi *\ I :• '-E fNGJSH BEAT SY BANOTS*' I 28M0 MEATBEAJMANRSTO**(SIS/S18) I bMVTITHMri VV I CD RELEASE I PRESSURE BOYS Retnor.W" I J - F.-FWBOOYFtLDS(SI2'SIS) I 26MC CUNC** (Sl3/Sls) I Hf W jß|| * @ Bl il. f f 1 MH 6 2| shows eisegj jo* SNQHSJLDnAtnCfnHr (OaritMg) I rMr - &ACKUPS auMROh; PUSSYCAT 3/16 DAVD WICOX" (S2O/523) . JoMrrry hon“ (S2B/S3O) ■QSfIES&MISHESSHSSCSBi giow ftw,^ii !BM iajbetM 2 JASON CCXinr ' (S ; 2/5,5) MOW t The kwn fflatelohl SUM.9 WfirtCChqpolHHl) 3 ' u 3/6 JESSE MALM/ De Novo Di3k> Gartten. Cobeutt (SKJ/Sl2) I CD Aev (Chopei h>. cwy Recovas I I Buv ticßeh cvvtn* O www.ettx com S —— B Fot ends cord ovdere, col 91W467-9053 MUSIC ATfV/FW IDINA MENZEL I STAND TOF/VOUI high school diaries, and wrote the first words that came to mind. Then, there’s that thing called “arrangement." James Blunt, who co-wrote “Don’t Let Me Down" (the only track Menzel didn’t help write), is a perfect example of making mun dane lyrics listenable. His “You're Beautiful’ got old fast, but his voice and the backing music made the recycled words sound catchy. Without appealing production, the drudgery of Menzel s tired sub ject matter is exposed with nothing to distract from each song's emp tiness, a no-no that even the least talented pop successes avoid. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t have the charisma of a musical, so casual Broadway fans won’t be able to connect. The only remain ing audience is made up of super crazy musical fans; those who dig surface emotion and believe that Disney movies are real. Their hero. Menzel, makes no stand, other than stating that she's not qualified for recording fame. Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu. www.catscradle.com BEST ‘Over Her Dead Body’ a lifeless attempt at comedy BY RACHAEL OEHRING STAFF WRITER With the rising popularity of supematurally themed movies and television shows, it's natural that this theme would trickle down to poorly made romantic comedies. “Over Her Dead Body’ follows the pattern of having a cute girl talk to dead people, which works most of the time but falls totally flat in story and execution. Watching "Ghost Whisperer" on mute would be better than this. A movie so perplexingly point less that star Paul Rudd couldn't even bother showing up to the premiere, ‘Over Her Dead Body’ basically details the progression of Eva Longoria's fake tan. which is wonderfully offset by all the white she wears since she’s a ghost. A ghost who terrorizes the cute psychic/caterer (everyone loves foodies these davs) who's trying to date her (ex-)fiance (Paul Rudd). These obnoxiously forgettable “romantic" “comedies," which are quickly pooped out by Hollywood on the cheap (save for the ridicu lous salary of the top-billed semi celebrity who carries the movie), make you wish the writers' strike would never end. The movie offers no real laughs, and the whole redemption thing that’s supposed to happen in the end feels so insincere and tacked on, it’s as if the writers remembered at the last minute that, oh wait, the WORRIED ABOUT RAY? YOU ARE K& NOT ALONE! teMI &3| CAN HELPi^yJk WORRIEDABduTRAY.COM CALL 317-644-2064 (Ehr Srniii (Ear Brrl MOVIE REVIEW OVER HER DEAD BODY two romantic leads are supposed to end up together, and tacked on a lame scene in which he chases after her to win her back. The one and only thing that makes this movie at all bearable is Paul Rudd. Despite the fact that he seems like he really doesn’t want to be there the whole time, he man ages to muster a cute and funny performance. He's self-deprecating and pro vides the movie's only real laughs, but his lines seem mostly impro vised. It's hard to believe that the writers would be capable of muster ing any truly funny lines, since the rest of the movie and performances are so unfunny and over the top. This movie, like so many other subpar romantic comedies that come before it, is so bland and slapped together, it’s hard to dig nify- even with this many words. it's still a bit of an insult that those in charge of movies think that women (or anyone, for that matter) will be entertained by uninspired, unfunny, derivative crap. And it’s even more of an insult that we watch it. Contact the Diversions Editor atdive@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 7, 2008, edition 1
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