December 15, 2003 The Lion's: Eye = “Page 5: Fve on Entertainment Lion’s paws: Places to go ... things to do MOVIES Timeline oe % A team of multi-talented archaeologists led by well- respected Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly) is exca- vating and studying the ruins of a 14th Century Castle in France. When Bill-Gates-like Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), head of International Technology Corporation and sponsor of the project, keeps clairvoyantly telling them where they should dig, Professor Johnston goes to ITC headquarters to investigate. Meanwhile, the archaeologists uncover a tunnel underneath the castle and discover a bifocal lens (bifo- cals hadn't been invented yet) and a distress note on parchment from the professor, both dated back to 1357. The bewildered archaeologists, led by Johnston's son Chris (Paul Walker) go to ITC for some answers. They discover the professor has gone through Doniger's "3-D fax" time machine and they must go back to the past to rescue him. This movie's dull tone left me somewhat cold. Performances by Gerard Butler, with his charming Scottish accent, as archaeologist Andre Marek and Anna Friel as Lady Claire Arnaut outshined the per- formances of stars Billy Connolly and Frances O'Connor. Although it is based upon Michael Crichton's best-selling book of the same name, it lacks the sparkle and depth of the book. Crichton meant to reveal a fear- some, barbaric France where the archaeologists get caught in a petty war between the lords of two castles and their knights and its pretty much every man for himself. In screenwriters George Nolfi and Jeff Maguire's rendition, the knights are gentler, nobler French and English men fighting the Hundred Years' War. In the book, the time machine is an exciting new discovery through quantum physics, while in the movie it is a wormhole accidentally discovered by ITC. Fourteenth Century France, a man's world, is de-masculinized in the movie. Archaeologist Kate Erickson (Frances O'Connor) need not cut her hair and dress like a man to avoid being raped as in Hollywood's medieval France where men practically ignore her. Crichton's book, rich in historical significance, is reduced to a dumbed-down version of itself by Hollywood's La La Land. Nevertheless, the movie is fast-paced with good act- ing and a catapult-flinging, fire-hurling battle between the French and English. You'll go back in time for some action-packed escapism. — RENEE BLISARD BANDS Speechwriters LLC They don't do tours ... and if they do, they're coffee- shop appearances for free. They don't even have a CD in stores. They encourage fans to download their music off of the Internet, and are a part of the "Yellow Open Music License," which legalizes the making of mix-tapes by allowing people to make copies of songs and albums for personal, nonprofit use. You also won't hear them on the radio ... ever. Speechwriters LLC: Possibly the most underground of underground bands. The two "Speechwriters," Dave and Misha, both play the guitar and split the singing on their album, "Satisfaction." They're real, and bring a new flavor to the table, singing about not only love and hate, but also everyday life. College students can, without a doubt, relate to the Speechwriters, their best songs being "Work Song," on which they talk about those days when nothing ever seems to go right no matter what, singing, "The hot water never seems to make it to the tap/The hot coffee always seems to make it to your lap... But the clock starts buzzing and it's back to your cell/Another 10 hours in your workaday hell." Or check out "Acetate," which may have the best lyrics on the entire album, the best line being, "And if he's the one that you want to go to bed with then I'm the one you want to wake up to." If you like Jump Little Children, Jason Mraz, Guster or Ben Folds, you should definitely check out the Speechwriters. But, to forewarn you, their album is going to be very difficult to find ... you might have to burn their songs off of their Web site, www.speech- writersllc.com. — KIM HICKEY EATERIES DAIRY COTTAGE It's been around since before you were born. You've probably driven past it or near it, but if you haven't been to the Dairy Cottage in Springfield, you should go soon. Located off Baltimore Pike about one or two min- utes down Rt.420, the Dairy Cottage is a relatively small restaurant, as the name would imply, but it serves up a wide variety of foods. You can get salads, cheesesteaks and chicken cheesesteaks, sandwiches, pizza, burgers, wraps and more. In addition to those, you can get milkshakes and ice cream. Anything you could want, the Dairy Cottage can make for you. I highly recommend the chicken cheesesteak, a generous serving topped with American cheese. Go with a friend while you're doing your holiday shopping. You can usually get out under $10 per person. — JEFF HUBER Trapshooting club taking aim at growth As of this semester, PSU Delco has a trapshooting club. What is trapshooting, you ask? If you ever played Duck Hunt for Nintendo back in the day, you'll know that trapshooting is like shooting those little clay discs with a gun. The real sport is more fun though, and much more challenging. No experience is necessary. Youll be taught everything you need to know at the club, except how to beat Jim Wawrzyniak (the club's faculty founder). Feel free to bring friends and family as well; they don't have to attend PSU to participate in the club. You can even borrow a gun. you just can't take it home with you. Plans for the club's future include developing an intercollegiate team. "We have many students who have the potential to be competitive in the sport," Wawrzyniak said. The PSU Trapshooting Club meets on a tentative schedule of every other Saturday at the Delaware County Sportsmen's Club in Media. The schedule will be posted on its Web site, which is under construc- tion. The club is in its offseason, so there will be only a few weather-permitting shoots until next semester. The season recently concluded with the First Annual Trapshooting Tourney. The winners were: m High 50 - Hiep Nguyen, senior IST major with 42 ® High 25 - Springer Wahl, freshman architectural engineering major with 23 m Special Event - Bob Heise, senior IST major All winners received a PSU portfolio as a prize. Not sure what all that means. Why not come out and see for yourself? - ADVERTISEMENT
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers