Jeanine Noce, A & E Editor behrco!ls @ aol.com The Mothman Prophecies’ by Daniel Stasiewski character building, however, soon cast members. Even with her short gives way to an onslaught of chills in screen time, Messing gives a ghostly Ever since the first promo for “The a creepy “X-Files-esque” tale, performance that never allows her to Mothman Prophecies” was released, There’s no reliance on the cheap be forgotten. the phrase “based on true events” has scares from a synthesizer boom in this While the cast does their best to been emphasized again and again, film. “The Mothman Prophecies” is work around Hatem’s unenviable For most films such a tagline wouldn’t able to provoke pure terror based on words, director Mark Pellington takes be very peculiar,but for this one it’s its premise alone. With this solid the creepy story and makes it staff writer re plays Mothman Prophecies.” another story. Based on paranormal occurrences in a small West Virginia town, “The Mothman Prophecies” asks for skepticism to be put aside in exchange for an above average sci-fi thriller. John Klein (Richard Gere) is the star reporter for the Washington Post. Two years after his wife Mary (Debra Messing) died of a rare form of cancer, John is mysteriously drawn to the small town of Point Pleasant, W. Va. There he discovers the citizens are witnessing a giant moth-like entity, which happens to be the same creature his wife saw before predicting her own death. One citizen named Gordon (Will Paton) starts to receive premonitions of disasters abroad from the mouth of the creature. Soon the premonitions turn into warnings of a catastrophe in their own town. With the help of Sgt. Connie Parker (Laura Linney), John hopes to determine the reason behind the enigmatic Mothman’s appearance before its predictions come true. At first, “The Mothman Prophecies” is an ambiguous slow mover. The over-extended initial is the surprising standout among the tin, a man foundation, the film is able to hold water in the face of a few major hindrances. Writer Richard Hatem causes a real setback with his dreadful stringing together of words that substitute for real conversation. Tremendous actors like Linney and Gere spew out Hatem’s mechanical dialogue so uneasily, it often feels like the film is completely told by a narrator. Occasionally, the dialogue doesn’t seem too distracting, but only during periods of tremendous suspense or superior acting. Without strong performances, Hatem’s words could have been the flame to this moth. Gere is unexpectedly impressive in his role as Klein. The psychological downward spiral portrayed by Gere is easily his best work since “Primal Fear.” His co-star Linney is fantastic only because she receives some of worst lines and manages to give an emotional performance in spite of them. Supporting actor Paton is extraordinary as he moves from abrasive to childlike. His pivotal role is played out to perfection. Messing discover Friday, February 1, 2002 particularly chilling. While his blurring of lights and objects is nothing new, the tricks Pellington plays on the eyes seem more appropriate in a film that thrives on the unseen. His control over the massive and unpredictable climax proves he not only has talent but also knows how to utilize it. Although some lighting techniques are irritatingly ordinary, Pellington’s achievements distract from any disappointments. Even if “The Mothman Prophecies” isn’t a brilliant film, its genuine thrills and chills make for a great popcorn movie. Entertainment may not be what the real Klein (John A. Keel) was hoping to accomplish, but Itie true story of “The Mothman Prophecies” is another spine-chilling escape from reality for the rest of us. ★ ★ ~k out of 4 avm a MKIw Vk ENT My Sister's Keener;' What is going on inside her head? This past Sunday an extremely intense and emotional movie aired on NBC, “My Sister’s Keeper.” This com pelling drama is based on the actual facts concerning a woman battling a mental illness. Millions of people in the United States deal with various types of mental ill nesses everyday and this movie allowed viewers to ana lyze and understand the complexity of the disease. The reality based drama dealt with two sisters, Chris tine and Judy, and their journey of discovery in life. The movie began with the two as young children. Christine is a chronically depressed and angry individual who con stantly hears voices and sounds in her mind. Helen Chapman, who plays Christine and Judy’s mother is a widow who never understood Christine’s problem. She was not very understanding and patient with her. Mrs. Chapman decided to enroll Christine in a board ing school to see if living with other young women would help her to become a happy individual. At the hospital, Dr. Bartolio discovered that Christine had a severe prob lem. Due to Christine’s illness she was not able to sleep or eat. She continuously heard loud muffled noises and became dizzy quite frequently. It was disturbing to see how her mother was not able to understand that her daugh ter was not mentally stable. Dr. Bartolio diagnosed Christine with schizo-effective disorder when she was 16 years old. This illness entails having thinking and feeling problems. It is extremely hard to watch her mother and sister begin to understand how to deal with her emotional battles, especially when they would attempt to speak to her and she would not be able to comprehend anything. “My Sister’s Keeper” showed the different stages of the mental illness and what can happen to a person who forgets or neglects to take medication. The emotional ups and downs, as difficult as they may be, made Judy and her mother stronger people. [ fk Chris Fllx’s Video Picks s J A weekly entertainment guide | S to the current movie rentals ■ Once again, BehTend movie lot more than I can say for many other two-hour music video with a little bit ■ ■ watchers, Chris Flix returns on the movies. But don’t get me wrong; it was of drama thrown in to the mix. . ■ scene to give you this week’s movie a pretty bad movie. Carey plays Billie, Chris Flix Grade: D . I winner and stinker. a rising star with your typical rising star Now you movie watchers need to J I Right about now I’m sure many of problems that you can pull out of any get to the video store. Take my word I | you are starting to feel the weight of “Behind The Music” episode. This for it. This is Chris Flix, your number! | this semester’s classes. I know I am. movie had more cheese than one movie man, and I will see you | I That is why this week’s movie winner Wisconsin, and the acting was as next week. | ■is a movie that will add some comic believable as.. .well, let’s just say that Chris used to he a manager at a | [relief to your life. “Rat Race,” I doubt Da Brat will be picking up the movie theatre in Virginia and is. J starring the likes of Cuba Gooding, Best Supporting Actress Oscar. The currently an employee at Blockbuster . ■ Jr., Seth Green and Whoopi Goldberg movie had its brief moments, and Video. J lis a hilarious comedy about a bunch Carey looked good, but “Glitter” turns lof gamblers set out on a race to win out to be nothing but a slow, predictable | $2 million. If you have even the I slightest sense of humor, I promise ■ this movie will have you laughing out ■ loud. It has everything, from Lucy [ impersonators to a narcoleptic foreign J guy, and I won’t even begin to talk ■ about the hilarious Hitler incident. I Bottom line: any movie with | Newman from “Seinfeld,” John | Cleese, Jon Lovitz and good old Mr. I Bean is a guaranteed winner. I highly ■ recommended “Rat Race” if you want | a nice break from the spring semester [ blues. ■ Chris Flix Grade: B+ I I feel bad doing this because the | star of this week’s stinker has had a | rough couple of months, and I know I I won’t be the first person to give her ■ movie a bad review. “Glitter, ’’ | starring Mariah Carey and Da Brat, J in all total honesty was not as bad as I the world makes it out to be. 1 made lit through the whole thing, which is a win $2 million V _ by Jeanine Noce A & E editor Mostly everything was normal, due to the help of an assistant named Grace, until their mother had a severe stroke and died. Judy, who was an art director in New York City, was faced with the problem of how to care for her mentally ill sister who did not want to be cared for. The movie also showed the viewers how others being happy around a mentally ill person can make that person severely depressed. Christine was not able to accept oth ers being successful and happy. The thought of happiness made her even more depressed and unhappy and she would frequently have to admit herself to the hospital. At the end of the movie, Christine grows tremendously as an individual and begins to understand her problem. She eventually learns that medication is a needed step to helping her to stay clear of having a mental breakdown. Christine’s view on life is the same as thousands of oth ers. Her perception of the simplest things can be altered by her mind. This problem and many other mental disor ders can be treated with medication. This movie also al lowed viewers to see that the perception of the world is astronomically different daily for people with mental dis orders. Kathy Bates (Christine) was excellent at expressing her character’s full range of emotions. The struggle and pain were brought to life by her in this movie. Elizabeth Perkins (Judy) was a strong asset to the film. She showed how confusing and difficult it can be to have a mentally ill sis ter. Lynn Redgrave (Helen) showed the audience how a mother can overlook her own daughter’s illness, which occurs frequently in the United States. After viewing this film, many may become aware of a mental illness that they themselves or a close friend or relative may have. “My Sister’s Keeper” was a well de signed drama that can make an individual become more understanding of the problems people can face. The film ended with the website: www.thera-chat.com as a key to understanding the problem. Movie picks ★ Outstanding j s ■ Worthy effort j f So-so | B.®! o~Abomb i|j3j ! Oh j " V: Black Hawk Down (R) ... Monte Cristo (PG-13) I Am Sam (PG-13) Lantana (R) Mothman... (PG-13) Orange County (PG-13) Snow Dogs (PG) Walk to Remember (PG) j G All ages admitted PG All ages admitted, parental guidance suggested The Behrend Beacon O) c c ® : 2 ; :'5 ® ® S</1 5? C? ! ?2 • rt ! S»: 55 = 5 : 5S' “ Wm siisSilf izSioSjif: * f I’ll! !★! lrl ..Cl. #*[ il r '¥\ C PG-13 Parents strongly | R Restricted, under 17 cautioned, some | requires material I accompanying may be inappropriate for I parent or guardian children under 13 © 2002 KR' Page ■ ■ \ gr gr! ■■ ■ M i ■ <r ■ ■ gr r [
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers