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Joan Cusack, James Frain and Keith David. Starts Friday. (Mall) X-MEN (PG-13) Based on the popular Marvel Comics comic book series, director Bryan Singer’s (The Usual Suspects) is an entertaining but slightly unbalanced tirst entry iri what is certain to become a sci-fi superhero tranchise. The movie spends a lot ot time intro ducing its audience to each character and offers more than a few heavy- handed thematic overtures to the Holocaust, human evolution and neo- McCarthyism. The two main characters (out of the dozen or so) are misfit “mutants''—“superior" humans who. for some reason or other, have obtained and harnessed special powers such as telepathy, telekinesis, extraordinary physical strength or more violent tal ents. At the center ot the story are Rogue (Anna Paquin of The Piano, SheSAII That), a confused young woman afraid of her power to absorb the memories of others by touch and Wolverine (Aussie newcomer Hugh Jackman, looking very "Dirty Harry’), a qruff tough guy with a complicated past, keen senses and a skeleton enhanced by unbreakable metal. The good guys, led by Professor X (Patrick Stewart), include Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Cyclops (James Marsden), and Storm (Halle “Hit-And-Run" Berry). The vil lains—-also mutants- are led by Professor X's old friend-tumed-fiend Magneto (Ian McKellan), and include Toad (Ray Park), Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn- Stamos). Whew. The plot follows the X- Men as they try to thwart Magneto's attempt to take over the world during a UN summit on Ellis island. Much of the script is smart and brisk with few corny one-liners, and the story gradually builds great intensity, but the final scenes are a bil anticlimactic and rid dled with lame fight sequences. Fans of the series will love this. Others may frown in confusion. (Beechwood, Carmike) 20 X * 1 DOO DOO, PEE PEE, HEE HEE THE NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS (PG- 13) In such carefully naughty family comedies as the Nutty Professor series and Doctor Dolittle. Eddie Murphy knows how to tap his talent for mimicry and agility. Unfortunately, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps bets everything on Murphy's abilities and barely stays on track enough to set up each punch line and sight gag. The film stumbles, crumbles and fumbles from one subplot to another with enough recycled toilet humor between to make the Farrelly brothers blush. Disguised under layers of transformative makeup (applied by veteran makeup artist Rick Baker), Murphy, once again, plays several mem bers of the Klump family. Sherman, an award winning geneticist is the gentle genius of tiie family; Mama Klump is a God-fearing, loving wife with a thing for Billy Dee Whiiams; Papa Klump and his son, Ernie are gruff, somewhat lazy and balding and would rather chow down on ribs than discuss current events; Grandma Klump is a cranky but saucy ball of wrinkly libido. The story mostly follows Sherman as he ner vously deals with his mounting affection aimed at his colleague, Denise (Janet Jackson, picking up where Jada Pinkett left off in the original film). She and Sherman, for some weird reason, have been working on a "fountain of youth" formula that restores potency and vigor and, for some weird reason, have fallen in love. The main crisis of the story, however, involves Sherman's "uninhibited egotistic Id"—a horribly selfish and brash character known as Buddy Love who still exists inside him. Love jumps out from Sheiman's subconscious at the worst possible times and, thanks to an accident in the DNA laboratory, manifests himself in a slick, tacky human figure resembling "Ken Norton in Mandingo." Other side plots involve Sherman's work environment, his future in-laws, Buddy Love's canine tendencies (don't ask), and Grandma Klump's wacked sexual obsessions. Farts of the film are tremendously funny, but most of the story is meandering, weak and shockingly unfunny. It's as if Murphy and director Peter Segal (Tommy Boy) couldn't decide to make th’s more of a romp in the spirit of recent gross-out movies like There's Something About Mary and Big Momma's House (perhaps not to be out-done by them), or to concentrate on life at the Klump house. They should have detoured toward the latter. Murphy is affectionate and non-conde scending in his depiction of the vaiious Klumps, The viewers often forget that they're watching Murphy in four or five roles at once (several scenes of the entire Klump family gathered a.ound the television or arguing at the dinner table completely bring the house down). The film merely touches on the most intriguing and touching Klump story—the relationship between Mama and Papa Klump—who are dealing with the inevitable obstacles of old age and impotency. Murphy should dedicate an entire film to their story. Other comedy highlights include watching Janet Jackson, who really couldn't be more charming, attempt to lecture a class about "random nucleotide polymorphism;" a monster sized hamster on the make (comedian Larry Miller's best scenes); a queasy confrontation between Buddy Love and Grandma Klump; and a dream sequence borrowed from Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film almost screeches to a halt a number of times, however, bumbling through unneces sarily confusing scientific mumbo-jumbo, slog ging through relentlessly goofy symphonic music (was that the musical score leftover from FlubberV.), and low humor involving fiery farce, fellatio and bestiality. The film is driven as much by vulgarity as it is by charm. Too bad. Go for the numerous big laughs and stay for the outtakes, but be warned. Ballard Lesemann COMPARES Guaranteed Brunch Every Saturday k Sunday llam-ipm DOWNTOWN ON CLAYTON • 546-090 s I PARTY ON THE PATIO SUMMER MELTDOWN FIESTA THURSDAYS 8PM-UNTIL AMERICAN SOUND DJ LATINO, SALSA, MERENGUE AND CURRENT FAVORITES Try Our Meltdown Margarita Frozen ’Rita with Your Choice of Liqueur a £ ♦ £ a es 3 ♦ 8 36-10 Atlanta Ilwy. 343-2290 8 S K ETWIRLS AND MELTDOWN MARQAMTA! 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