Page 8 - The Behrend College Beacon - Thursday, January 21, 1999 ebsite of the week By Jon Stubbs features editor As if the Student Programming Council doesn’t do enough for the students here at Behrend, they have constucted a website designed to inform students of upcoming and current events located at <www.clubs.psu.edu/spo. At this colorful website, one will Find a menu of several venues and events, the first of which is entitled, simply enough, “Bruno’s.” Click ing on this link will allow the surfer to learn about what events are go ing on at “Behrend’s very own nightclub,” as the website puts it Another link, “movies,” will let the website user know exactly what ACROSS 1 Nuisance 5 Group of eight 10 Lincoln and Burrows 14 Writer Quindlen 15 Graph starter? 16 Do it alone 17 Weighty block 18 Like some kitchens 19 Usage charge 20 Tout's offering 21 Not organized in a league 23 Maligns 25 Lubricant 26 Flummoxed 27 With restraint 31 New World nat. 32 Hall in New York 33 "You __ There" 36 Struck, old-style 38 Caspian _ 39 Hit hard to a fielder 42 Rejuvenation center 45 Creating little whirlpools 46 Russia, once 50 Thousand bucks 51 Interval 52 Scattered amounts 56 Clique 57 Domesticate 58 Rental agreement 59 Tree stump 60 Surefire shots 61 Citrus fruit 62 Big-mouth pitcher 63 Head of the class 64 Evade by circumlocution 65 Picnic pests DOWN 1 Spaghetti, ziti, etc. 2 Join up 3 Brisk 4 Slot-filler 5 Hunting period 6 Irritated by rubbing SPC-sponsored films are playing in the Reed Union Building that par ticular week. The website even has a member directory (which is still under construction) where one can look up the names and e-mail adresses of anyone who belongs to SPC. And if a student wants to join, they may apply right over the internet via the SPC’s home page. Another section of the site that is under construction is the “President’s Corner,” where stu dents will have a chance to hear © 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All rights reserved. Carries Author Bagnold Pitch of a phrase “Roberta" star Makes illegal copies Fashion magazine Marketed “Trinity" author Horse shade Grounded bird Fri. follower Media rep Falsehood Affirmative vote Simple bed Pint drink Eliminate Final periods of play Sturdy cup Driver's license requirement 10 11 37 40 _ of Worms Kitchen utensils Craftsmanship 41 43 44 SPC president Terry Brand discuss upcoming events. Students will also be able to provide feedback to the Student Programming Council through the site. This website is useful now, and promises to become even more so in the days to come as it expands. The Beacon will be featuring a dif ferent website each week. SPC’s \ Homepage ) Tightening muscle Repudiate Brunch choice European measures Florida city 47 48 49 Features 1/21/99 Wild guess Mugger stopper Building add-ons Stink and then some “Golden Girls 1 star Arthur The Thin Red Line : takes forever to develop by Michael Coursey staff writer The Thin Red Line , director Terrence Malick’s first major movie in over twenty years, is a very sym bolic, poetic and philosophical movie about the angst and futility of war. It opens with two young U.S. Army infantry soldiers who were living on the Solomon Islands with a primitive tribal people. They experienced the joys of the simplicity of family life away from the war, and away from the technology and strife of the 20th Century. The movie intertwines the scenes of nature with scenes of war, and con stantly asks the question: “is nature or man is the ultimate ruler of the world?” The movie reminds one a great deal of the flow and tone of The English Patient in that it takes what seems like hours for the story to develop. The principle characters are Sean Penn as Ist Sergeant Welsh, a salty Sean Penn plays First Sergeant Welsh, the courageous and cynical NCO who runs C-for-Charlie Company in the Twentieth Century Fox release, The Thin Red Line. At First Sight is worth seeing Deanna Symoski staff writer Until last Saturday at 12:40 p.m,. there was just something about Val Kilmer that never appealed to me; maybe it was his gum-snapping arro gance in Top Gun or his overly-brood ing, haunted-by-more-than-just-a bad-script Batman. But in his most recent film, At First Sight, Kilmer drops the hero act and reveals a side of himself that really makes the ladies swoon. Based on a true story documented by the book, To See and Not See by Oliver Sacks, At First Sight is the story of Virgil Adamson, a massage therapist in the Adirondacks, who has lived a simple but content life since he went fully blind from an eye dis ease at the age of three. When “Amy,” played by Mira Sorvino, is forced to take a vacation from her architecture firm in New York City, she becomes one of his clients. In a scene likely to please both the girls and the guys they dragged to the theater, she receives the rub down of a lifetime. It’s not long before the two find a special fascination with each other. Then for reasons suggested by the script, though actually worth a bit of Health and Wellness Center Carriage House 898-6217 Announces Expanded Hours! Open Saturdays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Don’t put off ‘till Monday... the cough that’s bothering you on Saturday!!! Walk-In Nurse Clinic NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY! old guy who has been through the grinder and is just trying to lead his men through the horrors of war. Nick Nolle portrays Colonel Tall, and does an impressive job. The cen tral characters are Jim Caviezel as Pri vate Witt and Ben Chaplin as Private Bell. These two soldiers eventually go AWOL and become caught up be tween the knowledge, peacefulness and serenity in the safety of nature. The central figures were Sergeant Welsh and Private Witt. Private Witt was soul searching for humanity in all of the madness of war, while Ser geant Welsh represented the Army, the country, getting the mission accom plished and getting home. One of the key characters was Cap tain Stores, played by Elias Koteas. He is a lawyer by trade, but hesitant as a infantry officer; he’s always wor rying if the objective is worth his men’s lives. One comes away from the movie feeling that the director tried to show the futility of war by the endless skepticism, Amy contacts a leading eye surgeon and the opportunity for Virgil to gain his sight back seems at hand. With only one visual memory and the desire to see Amy’s work, Virgil agrees to surgery and under takes the hellacious task of relearn ing life with all five senses. Kilmer’s intelligent portrayal of innocence is, by far, his greatest tri umph as an actor. Without likening himself to Forrest Gump, he is able to find enchantment in the simplest of things—from listening to the rain to discovering cotton candy. Ever present in Kilmer’s face is a childlike enthusiasm coupled with a child’s desire to please. Seeing, it seems, is as much Virgil’s gift to Amy as it was her gift to him. So when obstacles arise and she be comes more of a tour guide than a girlfriend, Amy’s frustration gets the best of her. Sorvino, whose character is rather underdeveloped and a bit rigid, does her best to go from passion-inspired euphoria to condescending resent ment without really letting the audi ence hate her. She plays someone we can all relate to: someone with good intentions. At 128 minutes, the film moves story charge up the hill. Men come face to face in a life and death struggle, even tually realizing they’re just the pawns in a rich man’s game. A great deal was left out, histori cally. One example is, the fact that the U.S. used the power of oil embar goes on Japan forced them into some of their imperialistic motives. Wars have always been waged by rich powerful men, with greed and wonder-lust at heart, with the blood and intestines of young men spilled fighting the real battles. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anybody that doesn’t have an open mind or doesn’t want to really think. Therefore, many people probably won’t like this movie. I really enjoyed it except for the cameos by George Clooney and especially John Travolta, who portrayed a General, and was as lifelike as a mannequin. along steadily with supporting roles from Kelly McGillis (another Top Gun alumni) as Virgil’s overprotec - tive sister and childhood guardian, and Nathan Lane as a visual thera pist who makes the most of his lim ited screen time. This, however, is a wise choice by director Irwin Winkler. Although Lane is humorously en tertaining, he has a typical character run into the ground by almost any Robin Williams movie (see Good Will Hunting for example). Aided by a melancholy score sprinkled with favorites by jazz leg end Louis Armstrong, the soundtrack compliments the action rather than dictating it. In fact there are virtually no mo ments in the film that insult the audi ence with a shrewd play for tears the way some movie about a sinking boat did a couple years back ... what was the name of that one? Instead, the audience will be reach ing for the tissues because of a good story, not cheap tactics like overdramatization. At First Sight, though a bit over done at times, is a great reminder of what’s important in life and definitely worth “seeing.”
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