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Rugrats: The Movie (G) A shaky big-
saeen feature based on the moderately
tunny TV show (Alps)
Rushmore (R) This highly original
comedy Irom young director Wes
Anderson (Bottle Pocket) chronicles a
year in Ihe lite ol Max Fischer (Jason
Schwartzman), a 15-year-old student
who loves his prestigious prep school
When he belnends a first-grade teacher
(Olivia Williams) and graying alumnus
(Bill Murray), strange and tunny things
start to happen Brilliant film See p.18
for the soundtrack review (Beechwood)
She’s All That (PG-13) No she’s not
Freddie Prmze Jr. and Rachael Liegh
Cook star in this ott-balance
“Pygmalion* rip. (Mall Outside)
Shakespeare In Love (R) Apparently,
showbiz was as insane and unpre
dictable lor young Will Shakespeare in
the late 1500s as it is today. Joseph
Fiennes. Gwyneth Paltrow. Tom
Wilkinson. Colin Firth, Judi Dench, and
Rupert Everett star in this witty period
comedy Recommended (Beechwood)
A Simple Plan (R) Bill Pax'on and
Billy Bob Thornton star in this extremely
tense crime-thriller Irom director Sam
Raimi about a group ol men who Imd a
satchel stuffed with cash in the snowy
woods near their town Their "simple
plan’’ to keep the money immediately
falls apart, as suspicion, greed and jeal
ousy come into play Tense stuff Highly
recommended (Georgia Theatre)
200 Cigarettes (R) In this po.ntless
new comedy, a dozen young New
Yorkers stagger around the East Village
looking lor sex, booze and companion
ship and eventually wind up at Ihe same
parly Despite the talented cast (you'll
recognize 'em), there's way too much
going on in this nostalgic mess to hold
one's interest or otter any insight on the
era. It's a real mess ano not much tun
— even with an Elvis Costello cameo
(Mall Outside)
Wing Commander (PG-13) Based on
the video game ol the same name, this
lilm stars Freddie Prmze. Jr as a space
pilot gelling his space kicks With
Jurgen Prochnow Opens Friday (Mall
Inside)
Prometheus X Presents
In conjunction with AthFest Music Festival
June 24,1999 * Athens, Georgia * 40 Watt Club
$1000 In Cash Prizes
Music VideqShowcase
CALL FOR ENTRIES
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A,
Accepting professional & non-professional
VHS Format Music Videos
lications AvailaW
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uttp://www.i
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P.O. Box 1801 • Athens, Georgia 30603
PSYCHE OUT
ANALYZE THIS (R) Wouldn't it be funny if a
tough Mafia boss forced his way into a
shrink’s office at gun point? Possibly. That's
the central joke in this silly but successful
new comedy from director Harold Ramis
(Groundhog Day. Caddy shack). The premise
lacks originality (John Cusack’s hitman char
acter sought consultation in a similar
manner from Alan Arkin’s nervous psychia
trist in the recent Grosse Pointe Blank ). but
sharp comic performances from Robert De
Niro. Billy Crystal and character actor
Joseph Viterelli help keep the energy level
up and the laughs coming.
After an opening scene that parodies
Apalachin (the infamous 1957 organized
crime summit in upstate New York), the film
moves to present-day New York City.
Another meeting of Mafia bosses is about to
go down and it’s time for big-time, Gotti-
esque tough guy Paul Vitti (De Niro) to
assume the role of leader. As the meeting
approaches, Vitti suddenly starts having
panic attacks — he can’t sleep, he can’t
breathe, he’s nervous around his henchmen
pais and he can’t get it up with his mistress.
When his car is accidentally rear-ended in
Manhattan traffic by neurotic psychiatrist
Ben Sobol (a shaggy-looking Crystal), a solu
tion becomes clear. Vitti’s burly right-hand
man Jelly (Viterelli) dismisses the accident
(“Hey Doc, fuck the cops, right?" he huffs
with a smile), but takes Sobol’s business
card, it comes in handy the next day when
he decides to usher Vitti to Sobol's office
unannounced.
What follows is a series of tried-and-true
therapy gags (most of which wouldn’t seem
to out of place in a Woody Allen movie),
gangster cliches and some genuinely funny
bante* between shrink and patient.
Sobol tries his best to encourage Vitti to
open up about his feelings and his fears, but
gets nowhere. Attempts at analyzing Vitti’s
comments are met with profanity and smart
ass reactions: Sobol makes reference to
Freud’s theories concerning mothers and
their sons (“Hey Doc. Freud was a sick fuck
and so are you"), the classic Oedipus tale
(“Aw...the fucking Greeks") and keeps on
about getting in touch with feelings (“Hey,
don't you turn me into a fag. Doc").
After one of many misunderstandings,
Vitti and felly drag Sobol out to an East River
junkyard for a little elimination session (they
believe he’s snitching to the FBI and wearing
a wire). The execution goes awry after a rival
gang starts shooting the place up. “All right."
Vitti confesses. “Maybe f was gonna whack
ya, but I felt real conflicted about it."
Of course, the Doc has problems of his
own, including living in the shadow of his
popular and successful psychologist pop (Bill
Macy), and getting his high-strung fiancee
(Usa Kudrow) to the alter without any mob
shenanigans. Crystal returns to solid ground
here after a series of stinkers (Father's Day;
My Giant) with this underplayed straight-man
role — straight save for a hilarious final
scene in which he has to pose as a real gang
ster in front of Chaz Palminteri and two
dozen grizzled mob bosses.
De Niro can do the Italian gangster bit in
his sleep, but here he seems to be almost
spoofing that very talent. He looks like he’s
having fun with the role Ramis, as always,
maintains a steady pace and uses tasteful
music (a great Louis Prima tune opens the
film, for example) and just enough physical
comedy to keep things lively. De Niro and
Crystal have impeccable comic timing and
great chemistry on screen These surpris
ingly charming performances make this oth
erwise silly film an enjoyable comedy and a
solid matinee movie.
Ballard I esemann
MARCH 10, 1999 FLAGPOLE ED