▶ entertainment
▶ events
▶ issues
▶ music
▶ art
hilltopics
the university
friday
9.10.99
ten.a
daily kansan
What's that noise...Is it a Stir of Echoes or just a Trick?
Audiences looking for a treat won't find one in
TRICK
By Brendan Walsh
Kansan movie critic
Four gay and lesbian movies opened at Kansas City's Manor Square Tivoli theater this month, and after a run at that art house, *Trick* opens in Lawrence this week.
It's about time that such a significant portion of the world gets an adequate representation on the big screen, but if you're only going to see one film about gay lifestyles this fall 'Trick' shouldn't be it.
Christian Campbell, brother to *Party of Five* the Neve Campbell, stars as Gabriel, a struggling showtime writer living in New York City. Gabriel looks for feedback from his buddies about a song he's working on about a first kiss. Perry (Steve Hayes), an older and wiser friend, tells Gabriel that the song misses the passion, energy and real excitement of a developing relationship. Gabriel blames his lack of life experience and seeks to rectify the situation by visiting gay bars to see what's shaking.
Film facts
Rating: R
Grade: C
Where: Plaza 6, 2339 S. Iowa St.
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
What's shaking is John Paul Pitoc's butt: He plays Mark, a male stripper. Gabriel and Mark run into each other outside the bar and decide to go back to Gabriel's place together. Gabriel's roommate won't let that happen, though, so the rest of the night is spent searching for a place where the two can be
alone. During the frantic night of rushing around looking for a place to hook up, the two decide they might want more out of each other than a one-night stand.
It's like any other romantic comedy out there: Two star-crossed lovers who would be incompatible in real life but are clearly perfect for each other overcome obstacles to find true love. While Trick has a slightly more intriguing premise and gay leads, it's still a crappy romantic comedy. The principals, Gabriel and Mark, never do find a place to be alone, so the audience never gets to see any of the chemistry the two lovers have. We are to understand that these two men have more than a sexual bond between them, but from what the audience sees, the only thing they have in common is that they're gay.
Tori Spelling's performances in this movie and The House of Yes indicate she may be on her way to becoming somewhat of an indie movie queen. In Trick she plays Gabriel's friend Katherine, a quirky musical actress trying to make it big. While her acting is fine and she conveys her character well. Katherine is such an annoying person that every scene she's in is annoying as well.
That's not to say the movie doesn't have its moments. There's a good deal of humor, and Gabriel's encounter with the drag queen in the bathroom is well done. All in all, the movie as a whole is a flop. Instead, the wonderful Better Than Chocolate opened a week ago at Tivoli, and Steam, Relax . . . It's Just Sex, and Edge of Seventeen all have gotten good reviews from critics on the coast. See one of those movies, and chances are you won't feel tricked out of your money.
By Stephanie Scipenza Kanson movie critic
The way I know a film deserves an "A" is that I have a hard time explaining why it was so good. *Stir of Echoes*, starring Kevin Bacon and Ileanna Douglas, is one of those elusive "A" films. Its elements were hard to pinpoint, which, in turn, means that the movie was so good that I forgot it had "elements." Here's the breakdown, more good than bad:
Kevin Bacon: Don't wince. He's come a long way since Tremors. Bacon stars as Tom, a hysterical man whose sister-in-law, Lisa (Douglas), has opened a door hypnotically in his mind, thus allowing him to become a "receiver." A ghost that inhabits his house contacts him and attempts to tell him something urgent. This drives most of the plot, as well as Bacon's descent into madness.
Zachary David Cope: This 5-year-old actor plays Jake. Tom's son in the
film. Jake is a natural "receiver" and really makes us believe he can see ghosts. The film opens with a very creepy sequence in which Jake is talking to the ghost, Samantha, while taking a bath. Looking right into the camera, he asks, "Can I ask you a question? Does it hurt to be dead?" I could hear goose bumps breaking out all over the audience.
Sound Design: This is the real hero of the film. No one really appreciates
Film facts
ting:
Rating: R
Grade: A
Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Where: South Wind 12,3433 Iowa St.
Dialogue: This is one of the film's few weak points. Attempts to be shockingly funny are awkward sometimes, as are most of the times that Tom's wife, Maggie (Kathryn Erbe), opens her mouth.
the value of a good sound designer to a film, especially in a sci-fi movie. Screeching trains, rumbling noise, inconsent whispers and silence all are used at the right times and places
■ Costumes: The people in this movie are just way too stylish. I felt like I was watching a Gap Kids commercial at some moments. I say Gap Kids, because Maggie and Lisa's wardrobes apparently got switched at some point with 5-year-old Jake's. Their t-shirts were so tight they usually didn't cover their abs.
- Hypnosis Scene: I saved the best for last. The scene in which Tom is hypnotized is the best in the film. The audience retains only Tom's viewpoint, and the experience is just as eerie for us. A grisly murder scene unfolds inside Tom's mind, which is played out through split-second, fast-motion flash cuts, a la Lost Highway, throughout the rest of the movie.
Stir of Echoes is squirm-in-your-seat stuff. With the combination of big-budget writer/director David Koepp (Jurrasic Park, Mission: Impossible) and independent film-savior Artisan Entertainment (The Blair Witch Project), I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised.
Contributed art.
Moby mixes styles mellows music sound
By Bryan Anderson Kansan music critic
Moby is not to be confused with the book about the whale. Moby is the premier American electronic music artist today. Richard Hall, a.k.a. Moby, is the master of his musical domain. That domain encompasses nearly every type of electronic music and other styles that are popular with the kids today.
Moby's catalogue is diverse and consistently good. 1991's Go, his 1991 album, was flat out techno. Everything Is Wrong, his critically acclaimed 1995 album, was a primer for ambient music with liner notes that provided essays on the failures of mainstream societies' ideology. 1996's Animal Rights saw Moby continuing the assault on theme, but with a completely different approach to the music. He ditched the samplers and keyboards and picked up a guitar and started playing rock music.
Moby's newest release, Play, covers all the territory of his previous releases while also moving in a new direction. Play contains all of the following: techno, ambient, house, trihop, disco, funk, rock and even a combination of gospel, blues and electronica.
Moby continues his work in the ambient on Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? It is a song that would have seamlessly fit on Everything Is Wrong, as would the gospel tinged Natural blues.
Instead of going for a completely post-millennial sound. Moby goes old-school, sampling and laying beats over old gospel and delta blues on some tracks. The opening track Honey is a surprisingly well-crafted amalgam of gospel and electronica. It contains a gospel sample with piano, acoustic slide guitar and beats. In other hands, like Fatboy Slim, this is ambitious. Moby has the talent and the self-confidence to make it work.
The first half of the album has the feel of a dance party, while the second half sounds as if everyone has gone home to relax after a hard night of mixing it up on the dance floor.
On Body Rock, it sounds as if the Beastie Boys have sneaked in and recorded an instrumental. With a cool sample from Love Rap by Spoony G and the Treacherous 3, it has a hip-hop feel with a disco/funk hybrid breakdown. Everloving starts off sounding like an acoustic guitar ballad but ends up sounding more like the ambient French duo Air. The last track is the achingly beautiful My Weakness. It is a symphonic combination of voices, strings and minimal piano.
Play is a slower, more mellow album than what we are used to from Moby. It is a slight departure in style, but not an unwelcome one. Many albums have moments when the listener pauses and says, "This is cool." These moments are usually few and far between. On Play they are a regular occurrence.
Album facts
Grade: A
Label: V2
Genre: Electronica
Billboard hits:
1. Fly The Dixie Chicks
2. Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera
3. Millennium Backstreet Boys
4. Supernatural Santana
5. Significant Other Limp Bizkit
6. ...Baby One More Time Brittney Spears
7. Devil Without A Cause Kid Rock
8. Forever Puff Daddy
9. Ricky Martin Ricky Marti
9. Ricky Martin Ricky Martin
10. Mary Mary J. Bilge
]
1