“B L,OW” Ever ask yourself what it would be like to live the life of a drug kingpin? Ted Demme's Blow takes you along for the ride. With all the recent drug related films (Traffic, Pulp Fiction, and Fear and Loathing inlas Vegas), Demme decided to tackle this subject in a . different light. This is the real-life story of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a quiet New Englander turned ambitious drug lord. Jung's family was always in financial trouble and this caused a lot of problems at home. Jung moves from New England look ing for some excitement and a way to make money on the west coast, and finds it in California. He gets caught up in the 60's drug culture and starts using drugs recreationally. Seeing that he can make a lot of money by supply ing the demand, he starts selling marijuana. He becomes a very materialistic person, never know ing when enough is enough, and only wanting more of everything. Jung eventually becomes partners with a hairstylist/ drug entrepre neur played by Paul Reubens (Pee —Wee Herman) and starts to make dealing drugs his full time job. When a deal goes bad and Spring Clubfest was held in the Gallery Lounge on the first floor of the Olmsted building from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 17. Clubfest offers clubs on campus the opportunity to formally recruit new member as part of the beginning of the semester activities. It also offers students the opportunity to see what clubs are available on cam pus and to be able to socialize with people that have the same common interests. Each club put forth a good effort to recruit new members, but few stu dents were found in attendance. Out of thirteen clubs, only thirty-two total new members were recruited. Halfway through Clubfest, most of the attendance could be attributed to club members working the event. Many clubs wondered about the lack of a crowd. Some felt that Spring Clubfest was poorly advertised. On the other hand, a portion of the students felt that Clubfest had been very well advertised. Some felt that the students that did attend were only looking for food (A free lunch of meatball sand wiches and veggie sandwiches were available at the activity). Many people By Christina Cambria For The Capital Times questioned why Clubfest was placed inside, in contrast to the outside loca tion to the Fall Clubfest. Other stu dents commented that Clubfest is geared to "New Students" that may not be familiar with the location of the Olmsted Gallery Lounge or may con fuse it with the Gallery located in the new library. Others speculated that many students just don't have the time or the motivation to get involved with on campus activities. The clubs offered a variety of interesting displays. XGI offered sta bility and heritage, as Penn State Harrisburg's oldest club. It was found ed in 1968. Lion Ambassador's laptop display offered potential members a look at their new website. lAA enticed visitors with a display that involved a plate of cookies. Capital Christian Fellowship gave out "Goodie Bags" to potential club members. Lastly, the Photo Club made a plea for member ship (many are not aware that we do in fact have a Photography Club). All campus clubs will continue to look for and recruit new members throughout the semester. Ti G • 0 By Justin N. Unton Jung is sent to prison, he learns from a fellow inmate that there is more money to be made in cocaine. He eventually meets up with Pablo Escobar, who was responsible for supplying the United States with most of its cocaine in the 70's and 80's. This movie does look for a way to show sympathy for drug use and drug dealers, and yet it shows the terrible, personal side to the way Jung pursues the American Dream. Depp gives a beautiful performance and has really shown that he can be much more of a serious actor than his previous roles (specifically Edward Scissorhands). His character and New England accent are very believ able. Penelope Cruz plays a shallow woman who is only interested in the fact that Jung supplies her with drugs and that he brings in a lot of money. The moral leader in this film has to be Ray Liotta (George Jung's father). He is never will ing to allow his son to be second best. He does not agree with the life his son has chosen and this has a big impact on the way the movie shows Jung's personal struggle between right and wrong. I recommend this movie to Johnny Depp fans, and those of you who enjoy movies like Traffic and Pulp Fiction. My rating: * * * 1/2
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers