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The Behrend Beacon
`Secondhand Lions' roars
"Secondhand Lions" tremendous trio Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment, and Robert Duvall
review by Daniel J. Stasiewski
Whenever my grandfather would tell me a story about his
life, most, if not all of it, seemed too fantastical to have been
true. I'll probably never know if the tall tales he narrated
with the passion of a bona fide participant ever happened,
but those stories have stuck with me all my life.
"Secondhand Lions" is told with the same adventurous
ardor as a grandfather's story, life's memories culminating
in one heroic ballad. It's a film that expresses the highest
regard for the storytelling and uses the ancient tradition to
expand upon its own heartwarming narrative. Despite the
film's flaws, the genuine compassion in the extraordinary
anecdotes gives "Secondhand Lions" an unexpected fairytale
appeal.
The film is told through two flashbacks. The first is comes
from an adult Walter's (Josh Lucas) reaction to learning his
uncles were in an accident. That scene flashes to his life
with his uncles, mixed with the stories the old men tell of
their past.
Back in the 19505, Walter's widowed mother Mae (Kyra
Sedgwick) was looking for a way to make a life for herself.
Once she discovers her two crazy uncles have appeared af
ter 40 years, she takes a young, timid Walter (Haley Joel
Osment) to her uncles' rural Texas home, hoping the boy
will get close enough to the old men to find their infamous
fortune. "They say these old men got millions," she tells
Walter, who already knows the abandonment routine.
The pair is naturally against the idea, especially Uncle
Hub (Robert Duvall), a macho, gunslinger with an aversion
to wimpy boys like Walter. Uncle Garth (Michael Caine) is
against it, as well, but more as response to Hub's reaction.
Eventually Mae is able to leave Walter, who is treated at
first as a nuisance. He lives in a small tower room at the top
of the house with a creaky bed and a lot of dust. Staying in
the room, however, leads to the discovery of a young
woman's bridal picture and a fascination with his uncles'
youth.
Walter tries to make inroads and the trio does find a spe
cial, albeit unlikely bond; they annoy the money hungry rela
tives together. The true moment of friendship, however, be
gins when Walter walks up on his Uncle Hub sleepwalking,
and Uncle Garth tells the boy not to wake him. Hub battles
Comedy awards rule
Emmy broadcast
by Brie Fleming
staff writer
Surprises and tributes were the high
light of Sunday night as the 55`" annual
Emmy Awards celebrated the outstand
ing events in from the last year of tele
vision.
Expected winners "Sex and the
City," "Friends," and "Six Feet Under"
were winless in the notable categories,
while tributes were made to icons and
celebrities like Bob Hope, John Ritter,
Gregory Hines, and Fred Rogers.
The comedy awards brought the
most upsets with Ray Romano losing
to "Monk's" Tony Shalhoub for Out
standing Lead Actor in a Comedy Se
ries. It was Shalhoub's first nomination
and first win. He also dedicated his
award to his nephew who died earlier
in the week.
The Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Comedy Series award was also a
shocker. Debra Messing, star of "Will
& Grace," broke her slump after three
previous losses, winning her first
Emmy.
a&e editor
Messing was the only member of the
four-person cast to not win an Emmy,
and this year she beat Sarah Jessica
Parker and Jennifer Aniston to do it.
Long-time Emmy nominee, "Every
body Loves Raymond" won its first tro
phy for Outstanding Comedy Series
just as the show begins its eighth and
most likely last season.
The show's success is attributed to
executive producer Phil Rosenthal,
who said the show did well because of
its "classic, old-fashioned values."
The sitcom is a widespread favorite,
and fellow cast members Brad Garrett
and Doris Roberts were acknowledged
in the supporting actor and actress cat
egories.
Doris Roberts won her third straight
Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Ac
tress in a Comedy Series, almost 20
years to the day after she won her first
for the drama "St. Elsewhere." It was
Brad Garrett's second win.
Perennial favorites, "The Sopranos"
and "The West Wing," dominated the
dramatic categories. Edie Falco and
James Gandolfini both won for their
t it tr A ! ,
••••
Friday, September 26, 2003
imaginary warriors, in his sleep, but also stares off into the
sky. Garth says he's looking for her, and Walter immedi
ately knows his uncle means the woman in the picture.
The story Garth tells is an unbelievable adventure with
war, assassins, and an evil sheik. Walter loves every mo
ment. He learns of Hub's past love, Jasmine, and the basis
of his uncle's stubbornness. The boy begins to love the old
men, their ridiculous ideas and all, and has a summer like no
other, that is until his mother comes back looking for her
dough.
I don't know what inspired writer/director Tim McCanlies
to create "Secondhand Lions," but McCanlies, with his
charming words and inspired direction, has established him
self as a premier storyteller here. There's a little bit of Rob
Riefler and a little bit of Spielberg in his work, but McCanlies,
a Texas native, brings uniquely soulful energy to his second
feature.
McCanlies' story is wonderful, and it's obvious in the per
formances of his A-list cast. Robert Duvall, Michael Caine,
and Haley Joel Osment are characteristically fantastic. Their
performances are as good as any actor would ever want to
give, but this time they are all outdone by the film's essence.
Not one of the three seems to be at their very best, but
McCanlies almost makes me believe there are.
"Secondhand Lions" has an old-fashioned storytelling side
that makes up for the film's flaws and melodramatic mo
ments. This film can't be called perfect by any stretch, but I
still loved every moment. Not since the "Princess Bride"
has a film told a story within its own story with so much
heart and imagination. I won't nitpick and say Hub's story
needs more screen time, or ask why the film isn't as epic as
it could be. "Secondhand Lions" may have other choices,
but I wouldn't change a thing.
"Secondhand Lions" di-
rected by Tim McCanlies,
starring Haley Joel
Osment, Robert Duvall,
Michael Caine, and Kyra
Sedgwick is now playing at
Tinsletown, West Erie
Plaza Cinemas, and
Eastwav Plaza Cinemas
lead roles in the HBO drama "The So
pranos," while "The West Wing" took
its fourth straight Emmy for Outstand
ing Drama Series.
TNT's television movie "Door to
Door," "Everybody Loves Raymond,"
and "The Sopranos" pulled in the most
awards.
HBO led the networks with 18
Emmys, followed by CBS with 16 and
NBC with 15.
"Bill Cosby, like Hope, has not only
made Americans laugh over a long ca
reer, but he has also used his stardom
to shine a light on strengthening the
family values which make our country
great," said Academy Chairman Bryce
Zabel. "He's the right man, at the right
time, to receive this year's award."
Cosby has received other honors
such as the Kennedy Center Honor in
1998 and the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2002. He was inducted into
the television Academy's Hall of Fame
in 1992.
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out of
4 stars
Bill Cosby received the Bob Hope
Humanitarian Award.
'Dead' Reckoning
review by Chris Hvizdak
contributing writer
I grew up about 35 miles from where
"Night of the Living Dead" was shot;
in fact a building not two blocks from
my home is named as a "Rescue Cen
ter" during an emergency news broad
cast in the film. Consequently, I've al
ways had a special place in my heart
for the first of George A. Romero's fea
ture films
The Roadhouse Theatre's stage pro
duction of "Night," I'm pleased to say,
is a thoroughly fantastic adaptation of
the cinematic classic, truly a frighten
ing and delightful experience, provid
ing a score of deep seated scares and
an adept performance of the desperate
and chaotic scenario of impending peril.
Theatrically the production shines via
ingenious touches such as complete
black and white make-up for all cast
members, a horde of zombies who wan
der the aisles throughout the program
and modern music cues, which amplify
the menacing ambiance.
Principally the plot follows Ben
(Doug Massey) and Barbara (Lara
Snaveley), two survivors of the devel
oping epidemic of murderous, reani
mated, recently dead persons, whom
after becoming trapped in a remote
farmhouse attempt to fend off their
undead assailants, cooperate with fel
low survivors and find means to escape
to civilization.
All of the actors involved in the pro
duction deliver exceptional perfor
mances, not only capturing the tension
of the source material, but eliciting the
extremity of emotion only live theater
can in an audience.
The masterful adaptation and direc
tion by Lori Allen Ohm is truly evident
in the escalating pace and occasional
moments of levity which constantly
hold the viewers attention until the
wrenching resolution. This is a particu
larly impressive feat when cpnsidpripg
the fluidity and spatial ponptrain4 pf:tbe
source work.
The captivating visual of live persons
in black and white make-up, as well as
the black and white set, result not only
in adhering to the visual style of the film
but also in creating a surrealistic atmo
sphere of severity, simultaneously con
trasting reality and heightening one's
internalization of the events. We are
treated to a diverse array of zombies of
all ages and walks of life. The zombie
make-up itself is intricate and convinc
ing, in certain instances even surpass
ing that of the film.
Moments of altercation and violence
are well staged and consistently tran-
Daniel J. Stasiewski, A&E Editor
He's coming to get you Barabara. A
zombie (Don Dombrowski) from the
first run of "Night of the Living Dead"
scend the guttural impact 2D images are
capable of conveying and effectively il
lustrate the severity of the situation in
which the protagonists are entrapped.
To detail sticklers, I can honestly pro
fess that in the rare instances where the
stage production differs from the film
it only gains and never loses, taking ad
vantage of the live medium to present
Romero's ideas in a surprising and in
genious fashion.
It is certainly invigorating to experi
ence such an expertly executed staging
of the work, which not only established
the parameters for much of modern hor
ror, but is fittingly rooted in Western-
Pennsylvania. Any person who enjoys
horror cinema, inspired theater or sim
ply the rush of a good fright will be ut
terly delighted by the performance. Per
sonally I hope to return for at least one
more "Night" this season.
"Night of the Living Dead" runs Fri
day and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and
closes on Halloween with a party fea
t4ring musical guest Black Rose Diary.
Tickets are $5 for 'Amin. ) For the tick
ets and other information call 814-456-
5656 or visit goerie.com/roadhouse.
The Roadhouse Theatre of Contempo
rary Art, 145 W. 11th St.
Chris Hvizdak spends a great deal of
his time sizing up potential zombie shel
ters (quite literally) and promoting
Bruce Campbell. He would like to thank
Mistress Xena of "N 2 Submission" for
the adequate spankingfollowing open
ing night's performance and can be
reached at toastmaster®iname.com or
via the web at http://viztron.tripod.corn
behrcolls@aol.com