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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Item 1 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20
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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Item 2 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20
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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 20

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  • western ■ • • arolinian 'Phantoms' the . movie by Alex Esmon If it weren't for the absence of character development, a good script, solid plot construction and believable acting, "Phantoms" would be a pretty good movie. The film is based on a book of the same name, written by Dean Koontz. Jenny (played by Joanna Going) is the local doctor in the small Colorado town of Snowfield. In an effort to save her sister Lisa (played by Rose McGowan) from the perils of the inner city, Jenny brings her to Snowfield for a week of rest and a break from gang shootings. As the two arrive in town, they notice an absence of life. Dogs, cats, people— you name it, they're gone. The first clue they literally stumble across is the body of Jenny's housekeeper lying on the kitchen floor, looking as if her veins are about to burst (Scanners anyone?). From here, the two goose-skinned sisters stumble across a few stray hands, a couple of heads and a corpse or two. What killed all these people? That's the sixty-four dollar question! While creeping through an empty house, Jenny and Lisa run into the only other living beings in Snowfield: Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck), his deputy Stu (Liev Shreiber) and some other deputy who bears a striking resemblance to Mike Piazza and who we all know isn't going to live to the end of the next scene. The evil which has infected this small town is known as "The Ancient Enemy," the same evil which Dr. Timothy Flyte (Peter O'Toole) believes to be responsible for the disappearance of the entire Mayan civilization, as well as countless others throughout the course of history. "The Ancient Enemy" bears a striking resemblance to petroleum, so be careful the next time you're filling up your tank. This stuff gives a whole new meaning to "high octane." After catching wind of the action (or lack thereoO going on in Snowfield, the NS A ships Dr. Flyte to the danger zone in an attempt to stop the beast before it spreads. This film is genuinely scary for the first 30 minutes. Panoramic shots of the deserted Snowfield really go a long way in helping to accentuate how cut-off and isolated the characters are from the rest of civilization. There's a great scene in which the small group of survivors are walking through a deserted house. Suddenly the sounds of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" meanders down from the upstairs bedroom, shattering the stillness with an ironic twist, causing even greater tension in the already horrified listeners. Initially, the characters themselves seem interesting and there's lots of room for good solid development. But what happened?! The film trips up on a number of important parts. First, when we are introduced to the sheriff, we're supposed to believe that he's already graduated from Harvard, spent a number of years with the FBI and now is serving as sheriff. The problem is that Ben Affleck looks like he's about 15. He looks like some kid that won the Sheriff-for-a-Day contest when he puts his hat on! Secondly, by the end of the film I actually wanted the creature to get the character of Lisa played by Rose McGowan, of "Scream " and "The Doom Generation" fame. Lisa's big line: "The Devil's come to dance with us tonight." I wonder if that'll be the Hustle or the Electric Slide? Thirdly, the editors took a coffee break during the shooting of this film. Either that or they should find a new line of work, because boy, did they miss a lot! If you should choose to watch this film, take a piece of paper and write down the number of - places where a mistake was missed. It should be quite enlightening. "Phantoms" takes the same route as "Scream" did. Director Joe Chappelle (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers '95) cast a bunch of young up and comers in a horror flick to try and cash in on their enticing screen presence. The scheme may work. This film will most likely make 40 or 50 million dollars simply because it features a bunch of (barely) twenty something actors who can look frightened while blowing away a bad guy- There is one actor who does a decent job in "Phantoms" but surprisingly enough it isn't Peter O'Toole. Liev Shreiber, who shined in an independent film called "Denise Calls Up", does a very respectable job as the quirky Stu, a man who resents his boss and becomes a very important part of the film after he's consumed by the creature. Supposedly, the beast can absorb all the knowledge that its victims had and use that knowledge to wreak utter chaos. Stu had a lot of disturbing thoughts, which were accentuated by the creeping oil slick. After he caresses a corpse, it becomes pretty evident that Stu has problems. "Phantoms" doesn't flow from point to point: it leaps, leaving behind any credibility and becoming more and more predictable with each passing moment. My advice is to skip "Phantoms" and , instead, to go rent "Psycho," Even though, by today's standards "psycho" is pretty tame. "Phantoms" compensates for being scary by trying to overpower us with more exploding heads than I'd care to remember. "Phantoms" hits us with quantity, not quality. "Phantoms" is rated R for extreme gore, strong language and adult themes. ^features February 4,1998 'Wag the Dog' by Alex Esmon When you're watching "Wag the Dog," it's hard to differentiate between what's real and what's a lie. In this latest film from director Barry Levinson, whose previous work on such films as "Rain Man" and "Bugsy" has garnered him with widespread acclaim and even an Oscar or two, the film industry and the political industry are mercilessly satirized. Both politics and Hollywood are roasted on the same skewer. The President has made a major mistake. Apparently while a group of "Firefly Girls" were visiting the White House, one of the girls decided she really wanted to meet the President. He in turn showed her a little room behind the Oval Office (and a lot more!) for approximately three minutes. All of this happens just two weeks before the election. ...Houston, we have a problem. Enter one Conrad Brean (Robert DeNiro), problem solver extraordinaire. Mr. Brean is Washington's number one behind-the-scenes manipulator, but this time it's going to take a miracle. The election is only a few days off, and the President is at a conference in China with no idea of what awaits him when he returns home. Mr. Brean hatches a plan which is guaranteed to get the President out of this predicament, but in order to make it work, he's going to need the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman).Of course, the one thing Stanley can't do is tell anyone about this little charade. Mr. Brean is going to start a war with Albania—complete- with its own theme song( for which they require the services of Willie Nelson). The story will go as follows: a (nonexistent) group of Albanian dissidents have planted a (nonexistent) nuclear suitcase bomb on our Canadian border. Therefore the super secret (nonexistent) B-3 Bomber is going to be unleashed on the (nonexistent) Albanians in an effort to make a quick effective strike with resounding results, which will lead to the American public's forgetting the President's (REAL) sex scandal, and paying attention to the fact that he just won a (nonexistent) war. "Wag the Dog" is fraught with small touches which serve to tune us into the out- landishness of the two businesses and how similar they are. Washington produces a President and Hollywood produces films. According to this movie, if you were to combine the two, you'd get Wolf Blitzer live on special report from stage 13 at Warner Brothers studios with an update on the situation in Iraq with video footage provided by Dreamworks. The similarities between this film and the current state of affairs (no pun intended) in Washington is almost uncanny. As of Sunday, February 2, President Bill Clinton's approval rating is the highest it has ever been, cresting 70 percent. As "Wag the Dog" progresses, the President's approval rating does nothing but increase, at one point cresting 89 percent. Just one of many odd coincidences. Dustin Hoffman, who already owns a couple of little golden statues for his work in "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Rain Man", is most likely going to be a candidate for best actor this year for his role as the quirky Hollywood producer Stanley Motss. Hoffman gives life to the role, expertly written by David Mamet. As previously stated, this film is merciless in its satire. I don't want to give away all the best surprises and tidbits involved therein, so my advice to you is to go see "Wag the Dog" with an open mind and a sharp eye for understated genius on the part of the actors involved and the crew who produced this timely piece of (not quite) fiction. "Wag the Dog" co-stars Anne Heche ("Donnie Brasco"), William H. Macy ("Fargo"), Craig T. Nelson ("Coach"), Kirstin Dunst ("Interview with the Vampire"), and Denis Leary ("Two If by Sea"). "Wag the Dog" is rated R for strong language and mature themes.
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Western Carolina University Publications

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University’s student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolin...

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