FEATURES/CALENDAR
By Nicole Burkholder
Capital Times Staff Writer
I actually felt sick when I left
the theater after seeing
American Psycho, and it wasn’t
because of the blood and guts.
The movie gushes with preten
sion to a nauseating degree. So
much in fact, that if preten
tiousness was measured in
money, the director, Mary
Harron, would be a millionaire.
American Psycho collabo
rates the efforts of the 80s post
modern explosion. Harron also
directed I Shot Andy Warhol.
John Cale of Velvet
Underground worked on the
film’s score and soundtrack and
regularly contributes to films
about the lost age when Warhol
was king and Nico was cool.
It seems a little ironic that
the pretentious “po-mo” art cir
cle of the 80s should be making
a movie about Wall Street. For
some reason, I don’t think that
this crew was hanging out with
the movers and shakers of the
corporate world.
The movie is supposed to
take you into the mind of a late
1980 s serial killer that also
happens to be a Wall Street
superman. Instead you get a
very boring, excessive social
documentary of Wall Street
egoists, probably due to the fact
NOW THROUGH MAY 5
In the Gallery Lounge is the PSH
Student Art Show. On display in
the library’s Morrison Gallery is
Ted T. Ellis’ “Bom in the Spirit.”
Work from local artist Gene Allen
Suchma is on display in the main
corridor of the Olmsted Building
through the end of June.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27
The State Capital Office of the
Pa. State data Center will spon
sor a discussion, “Exploring the
Commonwealth’s Trends in
Housing” at noon in the
Downtown Center.
A new Weight Watchers at Work
American Psycho Pretentious At Best
that the makers of the film
don’t have a clue about the
social world they attempted to
document.
Attempting humor can be the
fatal flaw of any movie.
American Psycho is no excep
tion to the rule.
I laughed at the jokes about
Genesis being “too artsy” and
Photo courtesy of Lions Gate Films Inc.
The Psycho Tans
the critical deconstruction of
Whitney Houston’s first album.
Other than that, f wasn’t'sure
what I was supposed to be
doing. Psycho Patrick Bateman
(Christian Bale) was so overly
uptight and yuppie-like that it
was hard to tell if the result was
program wil be held from 12:15
to 1 p.m. beginning today in
room 203 EAB. For more infor
mation, contact Barbara
Hundertmark at 948-6007.
A campus-wide forum will be
held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the
Gallery Lounge. The purpose of
the forum is to discuss core val
ues and the mission statement for
the college as well as provide an
update on the stategic planning
process to date.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Two representatives from the
Commission for Women will
meet from 2 to 4 p.m. in E3lO
intentional or just bad acting
Cale’s soundtrack seems
more “thrown together” than
some of the most experimental
Velvet Underground nonsense.
His score seemed like he lifted
it straight off an old Velvet’s
demo tape.
There were times, and they
were few, when his odd mixture
of screeching string instru
ments seemed relevant to the
psychotic mind of Patrick
Bateman. The rest of the film
was filled with a hodgepodge
of 80s ditties like Katrina &
The Waves’ “Walking on
Sunshine” and “Pump Up the
Volume” placed sporadically
throughout to remind you what
decade the movie takes place.
American Psycho is general-
ly just cheesy. I really hate
using that word, and I try to use
it sparingly. It’s just that the
Olmsted with anyone interested
in learning more about a Capital
College liaison group. For more
information, contact Marylou
Martz at x. 6015 or Bobbi
Bremer at x. 6362.
The Ist Annual Psychology and
Social Sciences Undergraduate
Poster Presentation will be held
in the Morrison Gallery in the
library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
MAY 1 TO 5
Final Exams
SATURDAY, MAY 13
Spring Commencement at 9:30
a.m. in Hersheypark Arena
movie doesn’t deserve a better
word. The plot attempts to fur
ther itself with the same tired
gags used incessantly. At least
five times during the movie, the
Wall Street crew have a busi
ness card competition. I guess
this is supposed to show who is
really the coolest guy on Wall
Street. The business cards all
Photo courtesy of Lions Gate Films, Inc.
Bale prepares his drill
look the same, I’m assuming
that is what is supposed to be so
funny. After the third time, I
just rolled my eyes and after the
fourth and fifth times I wanted
to scream, “Please make it
PENN D 0 T
TOM RiDSt. GOVERNOR
BUCKLE UP every time,
EVERY TIME. Everywhere.
stop!”
Scenes involving Willem
Dafoe and Christian Bale dis
cussing the merits of Huey
Lewis are hokey at best, and
likely to cause groans when the
supposedly ironic song “Hip to
Be Square” is played while
Bateman hacks up a competi
tive Wall Street cokehead.
Strangely enough, the movie
wasn’t very scary. I say this is a
little strange, because the
movie IS about a serial killer.
Not that I’m a sick voyeur that
likes to see people get hacked
to bits, but I would have appre
ciated a little something that
might indicate that this guy was
kind of, well, psycho.
I think there was one scene
that did cause me to do some
suspense-induced breath-hold
ing, but I’m not sure if it was
because, I was anticipating
something gory or if I was fear
ing another ridiculous line
about 80s music.
I should have known better
than to see another movie based
on a Bret Easton Ellis novel.
Less Than Zero wasn’t exactly
deeply moving or interesting
for that matter. But then again,
neither were the 80s.
Buckle
Because
every
crash
close WHAT DO YOU HAVE
to TO HOLD ON TO?
home.