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Arts and Entertainment
The “Force” of the summer movies
May 19 George Lucas returns to the gallaxy far, far away....
Vin
Contributing Writer
A long time ago, in a
galaxy far, far away.. .well, not
that long ago (22 years) and not
that far away (your local
theatre), the modern summer
movie explosion began and
changed the face of summer
entertainment.
The summer months serve
as the major battle ground for
the so-called movie mega
companies. Billions are spent
producing complex motion
pictures in the strive for
summer supremacy. The big
hitters of 1999 cross the gamut
of genres from classic drama to
hardcore science fiction.
Mike Myers makes a big
return with Austin Powers -
The Spy Who Shagged Me,
which is already predicted to
be one of this year's "big
three". Even with it's comic
appeal it will face stiff
competition against Universal
Studios' release. The Mummy
(remake of the 60's cult classic)
starring Brendan Fraser
(Encino Man) is the second
most advanced CGI motion
picture of '99. Both movies will
have to contend heavily with
Will Smith's latest, flick: Wild,
Wild West, a sci-fi western co
staring Kevin Kline, and
Entrapment with Sean
Connery (Hunt For Red
October) and Catherine Zeta-
Jones (Mask of Zorro). A sure
sleeper hit to watch for will be
A Midsummer Night's
Dream., also starring Kevin
Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer
(One Fine Day).
In a world where the next
great titanic movie can cost
from $100,000 to $200 million,
the top movie of the summer
can only win if it has that
special magic; A type of
"Force" that lifts it beyond the
level of inclusion with the big
three. The king of all movies
will be waiting for that magic
to strike in '99 as it did in '77. .
On May 19, almost 22
years to the day of the first
release, Star Wars: Episode 1 -
The Phantom Menace opens
on more than 2,500 screens.
George Lucas returns to the
ring he dominated after a
seventeen-year hiatus. Like
Luke's return from Dagobah,
he's meaner, wiser, and the
Force flows strongly from
him. Skeptics believe that
the down time was
great for a "come-back"
but Lucas'
stats speak
themselves: Last
November
millions of fans
paid full price to
watch Episode
l's 2-min. trailer
(most leaving
the theatre
without
bothering to see the feature Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Anthony
presentation). At the same Daniels (C3P0), and Ian
time, Lucas Arts' Internet McDiarmid (Palpatine); as well
servers crashed for several as introduces SW newcomers
days while attempting to keep
up with millions of "hits".
The first chapter in
the Star Wars saga is set
thirty-two years prior to
A New Hope. It
heralds the return of
cult favorites
Frank Oz
( Y o d a ) ,
Jake Lloyd (Anakin
Skywalker), Natalie
Portman (Queen
Amidala), Liam
Neeson (Qui-
Gon Jinn),
Ray Park
( D a r t h
ul), and
Samuel
Jackson
(Mace
Windu). The
Photo illustration by Vin
$120 million epic will follow
venerable, even-tempered Qui-
Gon Jinn and his rebellious,
gifted apprentice, Obi-Wan
Kenobi on a sort of
interplanetary road trip. Their
mission is to save 14-year-old
Queen Amidala from the
forceful trade federation and a
vengeful Sith Order, led by
Darth Sideous and Darth
Maul. The heroes end up on
Tatooine where they encounter
a slave boy with extreme talent:
Anakin Skywalker. Before the
end credits roll, we'll be
introduced to the gigantic city-
planet of Coruscant and the
Jedi Council, led by Yoda and
Mace Windu.
Summer of 1999 promises
to be a key moment in movie
history. Fans of three
generations can come together
and enjoy the fruits of human
imagination. You, your mother,
and your grandmother can lay
down and imagine the man the
story-teller sitting at your
bedside, lowers the lights
starts from the
beginning: "A long time
ago, in a galaxy far, far
away..." [Once upon a
time, in your dreams... ].
Singing the praises of “The Sopranos”
Joe Carlos
Sports Editor
Over the years, HBO has
usually had a great line up of
shows. "The Larry Sanders
Show", "First and Ten" and
"Dream On" are a few of the
superb efforts by HBO. This
season, they've added a great
one to the list, "The Sopranos".
"The Sopranos" comes on
Sunday nights, and gives
America a weekly visit into the
life of Tony Soprano and his
crew of wiseguys. It quenches
that seemingly unquenchable
thirst that the American public
has for organized crime.
"The Sopranos" centers on
the life of Tony Soprano,
brilliantly played by James
Galdofini. Many of the
episodes deal with
involvement with organized
crime, federal indictments, but
also the home life that these
guys try very hard to live. '
At a time when it is
unpopular to be in the Mafia,
these guys are. In a time, when
ancient codes of silence like
omerta are broken, and the
witness protection program
seems to be the official
retirement plan for many
gangsters, the characters on
the show walk a very thin line.
Tony Soprano may be a
wiseguy and Mafia head by
day, but at night, he's a
husband and father of two. He
is a middle aged Italian-
American man with problems
like most middle aged men.
He has issues he's still dealing
with from his youth, he's on
medication (Prozac), he's
having an affair, and he's
seeing a psychiatrist. That may
sound a bit heavy and some
may see it as boring, but the
great thing about this show is
how realistic the whole thing
is. You really feel for the guy
when he's dealing with his son,
and at the same time problems
from his own youth. You
genuinely care that his
neighbors have crazy
stereotypes and say racist
things about him and his
family.
James Galdofini's
portrayals of Tony are scary,
and at the same time magnetic.
His moves and his presence in
each of his scenes, make the
viewer truly understand that
he's in control.
In one episode, he and a
friend are dining at a swank
Italian restaurant, when they
notice a "W.A.S.P."ish man
wearing a baseball cap at a
nearby table. Tony, consumed
by the disrespect the man is
showing, walks over to the
table and says, "They don't sell
hot-dogs here. Take off your
f@*%ing hat or I'm gonna
throw you out!" The man
defiantly looks at Soprano and
says he can do what he wants
to do. Soprano fixes a gaze on
him that jumps right through
the screen, and the man
removes his hat. Later, Soprano
sends him a bottle of wine.
Rounding out the
ensemble cast is Lorraine
Bracco, who plays Tony
Soprano's psychiatrist. She and
Galdofini have the most "one
on one" time on the show, and
she is truly his most trusted
advisor. He tells her
everything, which keeping in
the traditions of the old La
Cosa Nostra, 'Omerta' is
broken.
According to "The
Sopranos", modern day
gangsters have psychiatrists,
take Prozac and worry about
their kids' soccer team.
"The Sopranos" gives its
viewers a weekly dose of
realistic Mafia and gangster
life. More importantly it is a
show with fine acting and
brilliant writing that captivates
its audience and suspends
their belief. If Mulder and
Scully aren't doing it for you
like they used to on Sunday
nights, slide over to HBO and
check out Tony and his crew.