Higher Learning Helps Viewers Unlearn Prejudices
Jeff Wittmaier
Staff Writer
Fictitious Columbus University in
"Higher Learning," is a microcosm for America
in all its fractured multi-cultural diversity.
The college campus offers ripe possibilities,
throwing together unformed souls of every
possible class, race and ethnic background.
Mix these cultural collisions with the volatil
ity and confusion of kids whose identities are
still up for grabs, and there are enough explo
sive social issues for a half dozen dramas.
Writer, director and producer John Single
ton ("Boyz N the Hood," "Poetic Justice")
opens up the movie with a screen-filling image
of the American flag and closes it with the flag
again but with the word "unlearn" typed across
the screen, Between those two shots is a movie
filled with emotion, violence, peace, under
standing, misunderstanding and everything
else that goes along with a college campus. It
is up to the viewer to decide what needs to be
unlearned.
The three major players in the movie are:
Malik (Omar Epps), a runner on a partial
athletic scholarship who is not sure that he can
cut it in the classroom and feels that his worth
is measured only by his track performance;
Kristen (Kristy Swanson), who is date-raped
by a frat boy and then finds herself in sexual
confusion; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a
loner from Idaho who can't quite fmd his place
and is so desperate to fit in that he falls in with
a group of skinheads. Each one is lost and
looking for role models.
Malik, a chronic complainer, who feels
that he is being discriminated against , gets
little apparent sympathy from his political
science professor (Laurence Fishbume). The
professor is a stem mentor who rejects Malik's
cries of victimization and pushes him to use
his mind to discover his intellectual capabili
ties.
Another student, Fudge (Ice Cube), the
unofficial leader of the black students, senses
Malik's intellectual potential. Fudge chal
lenges him not to be a slave to the university,
but to learn to think for himself, because he
realizes that only through intellect can you be
free.
"Higher Learning" may take place on a
college campus, but Fishburne is the only
professor shown throughout the movie. The
movie is more centered around the struggle
students undergo to fit in, which may:be the
most challenging task in college, rather than
Demon Knight Features Gore,
Action for 'True Horror Fans
Frank Nieto
Staff Writer
A boarding house is turned into a battle
ground for the control of the earth in Demon
Knight. The film opens with a car chase
between the Collecter (Billy Zane) and Brayker
(William Sadler). The chase leads them to a
small southwestern town where Brayker finds
a boarding house to hide out in. Soon the
Collecter locates him and the battle begins.
The Collector is after an ancient kcy,
which Brayker has, that contains the blood of
Jesus and keeps the world from being overrun
by demons. The blood in the key is the only
thing that can protect Brayker and the six other
persons in the house from the Collecter and his
demons.
In order to get the key, the Collector preys
on the residents of the boarding house's inse
curities and wishes. The Collector realizes
that the residents' alliance with Brayker must
be broken so that he can get the key. Since he
can't physically get the key from Brayker, or
even touch it, he needs to use one or all of the
residents to take it from Brayker and give it to
him. This is where most of the action occurs,
j Area Movie Listings...
"Billy Madison" - Stars Adam Sandler, from "Saturday Night Live", as a man who has to
repeat his entire education, in order to receive the family fortune. Playing at the Hampden
Centre 8 and the United Artists Theatre at the Colonial Park Mall.
"Boys On The Side" - Three mismatched females (one's a lesbian, one is HIV Positive, and
the other might have killed her boyfriend) ride cross-country, in what will definitely be
classified a "chick movie." Playing at the United Artists Theatre at the Camp Hill Mall, and
at the Colonial Commons 9.
"Higher Learning" - Deals with race relations on a college campus. Playing at the Capital
City Mall Cinemas, and the Colonial Commons 9.
"Immortal Beloved" - The mysterious love affair of Beethoven is brought to life. Starring
Gary Oldman and Isabella Rossellini. Playing at the Hamden Centre 8.
"The Jerky Boys" - Two guys from New York get themselves in and out of trouble by
making crank phone calls. Playing at the Hampden Centre 8, and the Colonial Conunons 9.
"Legends of the Fall" - Sexy Brad Pitt plays in this nineteenth century story of three men
in love with the same woman. Also starring Anthony Hopkins. Playing at United Artists
Theatre at East Park and at the Hamden Centre 8.
"Murder In The First" - True story of a man wrongfully convicted of murder, and tortured
while serving his sentence in Alcatraz. Stars Kevin Bacon and Christian Slater. Playing at
the Colonial Commons 9,and the Hampden Centre 8.
"The Quick and the Dead" - Sharon Stone plays the ultimate cowgirl, co-starring Gene
Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio. Playing at the United Artists Capital City Mall and at
Colonial Commons 9.
OR MOVIE TIMES: Contact the appropriate movie theatre. Colonial Commons: 540-0806;
tal Ci Theatres: 761-1084; Ham► • s Centre: 731-0734; Colonial Park Theatres: 652-0312.
'ro essor ' pps ( aurence • I ante) conso es •a I ( • mar pps) a ter a campus trag I y
classroom learning. privileges in college, and that because of
Remy, the outcast, can only fmd a place at affirmative action he will be unable :et a
the extremes: the campus skinheads. When job after college.
Singleton unfurls those swastikas you know
that there is trouble ahead, both for the charac
ters and for the movie.
For the first portion of the movie, "Higher
Learning" keeps you absorbed. It is accurate
about the tribal instincts of students, and the
way kids band together around music, style
and ideologies. But there is one big problem,
Singleton doesn't get inside these characters.
He doesn't give his actors much breathing
space and no buoyancy in the film making.
There is no spontaneity in his college kids.
After Remy falls in with the skinheads, he
falls apart. He starts believing all of the "white
power" hype that blacks are given special
with the Collector trying to lure the residents
away from their uneasy alliance with Brayker.
Demon Knight is like most of the Tales
from the Crypt episodes, a few twists and turns
but lots of action and gore. It also features
convincing performances by Zane and Sadler,
as well as Jada Pinkett as one of the residents,
Jeryline.
Demon Knight is unlike most other horror
movies because it has a plot that makes sense,
and wisecracks that are actually funny. And it
features real actors. (Some other horror mov
ies seem to pick the actors from behind the
counter of your local fast food restaurant.) It
isn't excessively bloody, and none of the truly
gory scenes are gratuitous. A lot of this can
probably be attributed to director Ernest
Dickerson, Spike Lee's protege and director
of Juice.
This is a movie for horror fans. If you like
the TV series, Tales from the Crypt, or horror
movies you'll probably like this. If you don't
like horror movies, you'll most likely want to
skip this one
Malik, meanwhile, is being challenged
by his professor to forget the prejudices that
he thinks might exist and just learn, knowing
that knowledge is the ultimate weapon against
hatred.
Kristen, after the date-rape, goes into a
time of sexual confusion: She's romanti
cally torn between a wise lesbian political
activist and a sensitive hunk, having sex with
both.
In order to make sense of the potentially
confusing themes, the viewer must pay at
tention carefully. This may be a conscious
decision on the part of Singleton who is
trying to get everyone to "Question the
Knowledge."
The message that Singleton is trying to send
is that kids need to question all premises, to find
their own answers, to "unlearn" the prejudices
built into the system.
When Singleton lets the movie go the
skinhead route, with fistfights, assassinations,
gay bashings, an innocent black victim and
vengeance, "Higher Learning" loses the focus
that it had earlier in the movie and becomes
overly dramatic.
Watching "Higher Learning" work itself
up into a frenzy, you can feel the burden that
Singleton's success has placed on him. He feels
he has to address so many burning social issues
and pump up a crowd pleaser, that he's left
himself no room as an artist. Singleton is too
young, and too talented, to trap himself in the
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robes of a spokesman. He is only a few years
removed from college himself and tries to take
on too many issues in one movie.
"Higher Learning" is definitely a movie
worth seeing. It may give you a better under
standing of the roots of violence and prejudice.
Overall, the movie is a definite winner,
and Laurence Fishburne, Omar Epps and Kristy
Swanson turn in great acting performances.
Ice Cube delivers what maybe the movie's
most memorable line.
While the blacks are celebrating after beat
ing up a group of skinheads, the Cube notes:
"One beat down will never compare to 439
years of captivity, never."
'ress ' oto
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