The Collegian : the weekly newspaper of Behrend College. (Erie, PA) 1989-1993, October 07, 1993, Image 8
Page 8 Undercover Blues: Turner and Quaid should stay undercover by Sarab Melebtore Collegian Sitqf Did you ever see a movie that was so stupid it was fun iy? satiny, you have to be ia a - good mood to burgh, right? ell, that's the gist of "Undercover Blum" "Undercover Blues" stars Kathleen Turner as Jane Blue and Dennis Quad as Jeff Blue. Both of these actors haven't been on the screen for awhile, and if yOtt actually pay to see this movie, you'll understand why. The Blues are a married spy team with a baby girl. The nil needs help on one last istifsiigetiexit which the Blues can't Pass aIL , • The. igot just <blip et end se and on end.... Th e se ppertieg doeutteitie* the best **lA** the O'er, thore a ll-110. police litateasnt For soother twist, the:, , throws in iii Mere WM W 4 411 *Mate 04 I* No*. Thew is ewe sliippommtk two by the ~oil "tip Mud& By far do best diiiS *cut movie is that I saw it festaiWWlt not sla SIC bis rd t caw mit on Witt if I • Needful Things: not as needful as This summer, Stephen King fans were happy to see another one of King's hair-raising novels turned movie. "Needful Things" takes place in Castle Rock, Maine, a small town in which King has used in several of his novels. Only this time, Castle Rock is destroyed forever. What causes this destruction? Leland Gaunt, a stranger who comes to the quiet town and starts his business, "Needful Things". At "Needful Things" there is something for everyone. Eleven- King thought by en Dugan Ca J Witten Staff year-old Brian Rusk is the first customer, and he finds what he's always wanted: a '56 Sandy Koufax baseball card. Brian gives Gaunt his 85 cents, but that's not enough. The prices are high at "Needful Things". Brian must do a small deed for Gaunt. That is the other half of your payment for purchases made at "Needful Things". As his business booms, Gaunt gets his kicks in seeing just how much people will pay for their secret dreams and desires. Who will save Castle Rock's people? They must pull together by the help of their The Age Of Innocence: high on nostalgia, low on interest by Dawn Anderson Colkeda Staff For all intents and purposes, Martin Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence" is a disappointment. What the film neglects to do, despite all of its fanciful nostalgia, is keep the audience's interest. Based on Edith Wharton's novel "The Age of Innocence," the film focuses on the turn-of the-century aristocratic New York, and it probes how the social morels and emotional confinement of that as affected and prevented two individuals having a chance at true happiness. The film concentrates on a time frame of forty years in the lives of three characters: Newland Archer (Daniel Day- Lewis), Ellen Olenska (Michelle Kieffer), and May Wellend (Winona Ryder). A complex love triangle develops as the reserved lawyer Archer becomes entangled with his fuince's cousin Ellen. Ellen is a Bohemian countess who seeks a divorce out of a bad marriage and is deemed an outcast by the upper-crust socialites. As the two slowly fall in love, they are forced to face the consequences of their "forbidden" actions. Archer fears that the society which accepts him will shun him. Through this relationship, the film explores the hypocricy and shrewd inner-working of back stabbing New Yorkers. "The Age of Innocence" is Thursday, October 7, 1993 sensible, brave sheriff, Alan Pangborn, in the battle between their will and Leland Gaunt. I was a little dissappointed when I saw "Needful Things." Overall, it has a very good story line, but the actual movie is dry. It isn't filled with King's famous twisted and demented gore, which leaves it to be a bit boring at times. I have never read the book, but I've heard that it has more characters, more detail, and more of what Stephen King usually offers us. Therefore, die-hard King fans may not find the movie as needful as a thing as they thought. made in much the same fashion as a Merchant-Ivory production. The film is a lavish piece of cinema, complete with a wonderful attention placed on period costume, authentic set design (including an elaborate opera scene), and a fitting score. If it sounds like I am praising it- I am. Scorcese, whose other credits include classics such as "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," and "Cape Fear," employs most of the same devices he has used before, namely, extreme close-ups and a penchant for extravagance. However, the director puts too much emphasis on these aesthetic elements and ultimately fails to entertain. There are no chase scenes or exploding buildings in "The Age of Innocence." The film has a PG rating and is essentially boring. The pace occasionally picks up but is frustrating because it never follows up on it. Even though the actors are competent, they never cease to be one-dimensioal portrayals. Day-Lewis is extremely bland and unbelievable as Archer. The role does not seem to require much except to give a longing look every now and then. Pfieffer gives the best performance, but then again hers is the only character who is the least bit interesting. "The Age of Innocence" has its good points but is overshadowed by the weak plot and its inability to maintain the audience's attention.