Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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'(Che ffiamecock Special to The Gamecock Rate (Ben Affleck) says goodbye to his newfound love, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), before he heads overseas prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Tearl Harbor' hits, sinks in the water by Maryam Gharavi Daily Californian “Pearl Harbor” STARS: Ben Affleck, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Hartnett PLOT: Two friends find love as America goes to war with Japan OVERALL: This movie seems more painful than the actual bombing ☆ of ☆☆☆☆☆ BERKELEY, Calif. — Michael Bay’s biggest selling point for “Pearl Harbor” isn’t innovation. There isn’t really anything new about this film, though the self-image it projects in weepy trailers tries to prove otherwise. Chew on this: two childhood friends go on to become army pilots. Rafe (Ben Affleck) falls in love with Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale). He leaves to join the British brigade while Evelyn and his friend Danny (Josh Hartnett) are transferred to Hawaii’s temptation island, Pearl Harbor. Trouble brews when the two begin having feelings for each other (Rafe’s grave is still warm). We’re led to a surprise encounter and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The rest, as they say, is history. Bay and mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer are self-described “history buffs,” but their choice of plot and character development are questionable. The showdown at Pearl Harbor isn’t looked at in any sort of context, but as an event of some sort. We never even get to see the excruciating U.S. retaliation on Hiroshima. “Pearl Harbor’s” script is vapid, sappy, regurgitated — truly unsurprising because Bay and Bruckheimer hashed out a plot and got someone to script for them. And if action’s what you’re looking for, you can do better. Bay loves doing these arduous, overdone, mind numbing, spirit-sucking battle scenes. The war images — I don’t dare call it cinematography — are overly computerized, with matching synthetic noise. I question Bay’s consciousness as a filmmaker. At least Bruckheimer has the balls to admit he’s a businessman. By squeezing history into,a vacuum, “Pearl Harbor” is a bigamist marriage of the sentimental weepy, the testosterone infused action flick, and a flag-waving salute. The spotlight desk can be reached at gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Small film outdoes big blockbusters by Mackenzie Clements The Gamecock “Memento” STARS: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano PLOT: A man, suffering from short term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife’s killer OVERALL You won’t need help remembering this one — it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before ☆☆☆☆ of ☆☆☆☆☆ Isn’t it ironic that the overhyped huge summer blockbusters are ultimately trumped by smaller, seemingly out-of-nowhere films? This summer, the glory belongs to “Memento.” What “Pearl Harbor” sustained in budget, this movie actually sustains in substance. After witnessing his wife’s brutal murder, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) loses the ability to create new memories. To survive each day, Lenny uses photos, notes and tattoos to keep track of his life — with the ultimate, singular goal of tracking down his wife’s killer. There’s just one small hitch to the movie: It runs backward. Lenny can’t sustain more than 15 minutes of memory; each “clip” of the movie is no longer than 15 minutes. It leaves the audience feeling as disoriented and disgruntled as the man with no memory throughout his search for a murderer. Pearce (“L.A. Confidential”) is a surprisingly strong lead — backed up, of course, by supporting cast members Joe Pantoliano and Carrie Anne Moss (both of “The Matrix”). “Memento” has rightfully been likened to “The Sixth Sense.” The ending is a complete surprise that leaves you questioning the validity of memory and your own perception of reality. In addition, Lenny’s mantras of “Remember Sammy Jankis” and “I can’t create new memories” are comparable to “I see dead people.” All in all, “Memento” is a movie for people with open minds. Everyone who’s seen it has had radically different perceptions of what actually happened in the movie. Be prepared for much discussion after the credits role. “Memento” will definitely leave a lasting impression. The spotlight desk can be reached at gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Special to The Gamecock Because he’s lost his short-term memory abilities, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) uses notes, tattoos and Polaroids to hunt down his wife’s killer and to keep track of his daily life. Through the Looking Glass ■ It’s not quite freedom, but it could certainly be worse A prisoner, intent on escape from the medium-security dormitory at Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, Calif., broke through a skylight and got outside, but, once on the ground, he got confused and hopped the wrong fence. He ended up in the women’s jail next door. ■ Hey, come back, guys! Four men encountered a couple of lovely young ladies on a rural road near Matale, Sri Lanka, and, on a- whim, . dragged them into the bushes to have their way with them. They were soon to leam that one of their would-be victims was Dukia Sirisena, recent winner of the International Open Karate Championships. She immediately went on the attack, incapacitating two of the men by kicking them “below the belt.” The other two ran away. ■ Sooner than he expected After living in England for 40 years, Lascelles Gayle, 65, finally went home to Jamaica to die, telling friends that the island where he was bom should be his final resting place. A few hours after his plane landed, a gang of robbers shot him to death. ■ Depends on how one defines ‘unfortunate’ A substitute teacher at Francis Scott Key High School in Uniontown, Md., allegedly had sex with at least eight of her students. She was immediately fired and arrested. Though the boys weren’t complaining, school officials sent home a letter to parents calling the incident “an unfortunate event.” ■ Matter of supply, demand A man was arrested in Greenville, S.C., when he was caught selling his own urine to people who would otherwise have had trouble passing employer- or parole-mandated drug tests. He said he doubts what he was doing is even a crime. "■ “If you can’t sell urine, what can you sell?” he asked. ■ Hurry up! (cough, cough) Thieves broke into a warehouse in Shah Alam, Malaysia, and stole $526,000 worth of super-strong throat lozenges. They took nothing else. ■ Mike Pingree/College Press Exchange