Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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8 THEY SAID IT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: “Love sought is good, but given CONTACT US unsought is better." Story ideas? Questions? Comments? Write us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Film director Kevin Smith strikes back BY TUG BAKER THE GAMECOCK In 1993, an aspiring film direc tor named Kevin Smith sold his entire comic book collection so he would have enough money to make his first movie. One year later, his debut movie blew audiences away at film festivals such as Sundance, and before long, Miramax want ed to distribute it for a small na tionwide release. An immediate hit in the underground film scene, Clerks was one of the films of the early ‘90s that made mainstream audiences take note of “indie” films. The movie even spawned a short-lived animated series. Smith used the money from the picture to buy back his comic book collection. Since that first movie, Smith has made four other films: Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and, released this weekend, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Each movie exists in what his fans call the “Askewniverse,” named after his production company, View Askew. The Askewniverse re volves around Red Bank, New Jersey, where Smith was born and raised. Fans now refer to Smith’s work as the Jersey Saga. While each Jersey movie fo cuses on different characters, the entire saga is sprinkled with ref erences to characters and events from the other movies. Smith also has a core of actors he uses time and again that includes Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. At the center of these inter weaving stories are Jay and Silent Bob, who appear in every one of ■ Smith’s movies. Silent Bob, played by Smith, and Jay, played by Smith’s real-life friend Jason Mewes, are drug dealers who hang out in front of the QuickStop convenience store introduced in Clerks. Jay makes up for Bob’s si lence with a constant stream of ex pletives, sexist remarks, gay jokes, drug tales and his own catch phrases, such as “Snootchie Bootchies!” Jay represents every thing wrong with a 13-year-old boy’s mind let loose in a man’s body. Silent Bob, on the other hand, true to his nickname, rarely ut ters a word. When he does, it’s usually sage advice or a quote from a Star Wars movie. He’s the sensitive half of the drug-dealing duo (and has even been known to cry at John Hughes movies). Speaking of John Hughes, an other element that makes Smith’s films so appealing is his constant homage to pop culture. You can’t watch a Kevin Smith movie with out hearing references to Star Wars films, any and all Spielberg films, comic books, hockey, and old TV shows such as Degrassi Junior High. Smith’s films gener ate a wide fan base by appealing to the recently renewed interest in the pop culture of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Now, ironically enough, Jay and Silent Bob have become pop culture icons them col tide For those of you who haven’t seen any of Smith’s films, I don’t recommend seeing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back without in dulging in at least one of its pre decessors. With one of the four un der your belt, you should catch more of the jokes in the saga’s fi nale (and be inflicted with the de sire to see all the othersl). Here are short descriptions of each film to help you decide what you would enjoy the most: Clerks (1994) Clerks is the low-budget black and-white film that started it all. Spanning a single day at the QuickStop in Red Bank, it follows Dante (Brian O’ Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), the em ployees of the QuickStop and its adjacent movie rental store. While the film showcases Smith’s talent for dialogue, Dante and Randal’s conversations (covering such top ics as whether independent con tractors were killed when the sec ond Death Star blew up in Return of the Jedi) can be a bit daunting for less attentive viewers. Clerks is, in many critics’ minds, a milestone in indepen dent filmmaking, and if you want to see the entire series, there’s no place to start like the beginning. Mallrats (1995) After the success of Clerks, Miramax hired Smith to create what it called “a smarter Porky's," a description that doesn’t do Mallrats justice. It features T.S. (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee), two friends who have been dumped by their girlfriends on the same day and decide to for get their sorrows with an after noon at the mall. With his inflated budget, Smith tried out some more action scenes, many taken straight out of Tim Burton’s Batman, and some special guest appearances, including one by comic book legend Stan Lee. Most critics loathed Mallrats because of what they considered crude humor. Fans of the series, though, will admit that, while Mallrats is no Godfather II, it’s probably more fun to watch over and over again. Chasing Amy (1997) Chasing Amy follows Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee), creators of a comic called Bluntman and Chronic, which they based on Jay and Silent Bob. Holden meets and falls in love with another comic creator named Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams). A bit of a problem emerges, though, when she turns out to be a lesbian. Chasing Amy was so ac claimed that critics almost for gave Smith for his Mallrats sins. Besides the wonderful script, the acting is some of the best Hollywood has seen in recent years. If you want to see the movie most related to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, check out Chasing Amy. Dogma (1999) Dogma caused such a stink that the studio was almost scared to release it. The Catholic Church boycotted the film even though Smith himself is Catholic. Why such a fuss? Well, it could have been because the story fol lowed two fallen angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) and a thirteenth apostle named Rufus (Chris Rock), who claimed that Jesus was black, had George Carlin play a Cardinal, and fea tured Alanis Morissette as, liter ally, God. Dogma, like all Smith’s movies, is likely to offend people. But if you see it as just good fun, the movie is part satire and part reflection on the foundation of faith. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Here, everything comes to gether. Jay and Silent Bob star, and almost all the main charac ters from the other four movies • JERSEY, SEE PAGE 10 t '■'iiinr_ Top: Jay and Silent Bob finally star in their own movie. Bottom: Will Farrell, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Eliza Dushku and Ali Larter are part of the all-star cast of Kevin Smith’s last installment in The Jersey Saga, special to the gamecock MOVIE REVIEW Summer Catch strikes out SUMMER CATCH Starring Freddie Prinze Jr. ★★ out of ☆☆☆☆ BY BROOK BRISTOW THE GAMECOCK Lately, it seems Hollywood is spoon-feeding moviegoers, espe cially teenagers, with predictable plots, mediocre and formulaic di recting and acting, flat characters and cliches. One thing Hollywood has always done well, however, 1 is baseball. With as rich a history as the grand old game itself, such classics as Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, Eight Men Out and The Natural have triggered a revival of sorts for fans of the lackluster, ego-centered, inflated corporate “game” known as baseball. Summer Catch not only doesn’t live up to the precedent set by other baseball films; it em braces a predictable story that sends it straight to strike three. Freddie Prinze Jr., king of typecasting, plays Ryan Dunne, a hometown blue-collar kid who dreams of becoming a major league pitcher, but has only one more chance to achieve his fanta sy. He gamers a spot in the pres tigious Cape Cod Baseball League, which allows college players to re fine their skills while being seen by professional scouts. Supporting Prinze is Jessica Biel, who plays Tenley Parrish, the silver spoon-fed love interest who provides the fodder for most of the movie’s cliches and enough physique to make the teenage tyoys go home happy. Matthew Ollard fills out the young Hollywood cast as the star catch er. Meanwhile, mature actors Brian Dennehy and Fred Ward seem out of place in this Bull Durham meets the WB. At times, the similarities be tween Summer Catch and Bull Durham are so obvious it’s nau seating. From the on-field rela tionship between Lillard and Prinze a la Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins to Beverly D’Angelo’s cheap knock-off of Susan Sarandon’s character, Summer Catch can’t hold a candle to thi’ superior film. First-time director Michael Tollin is lackadaisical, trying to depict such after-school special is sues as parental control, rich ver sus poor, coping with death, ri valry and what happens when worlds collide. Surprising to no one, he fails on every account. Summer Catch has its funny moments, but lacks the on-field action that could really make it a “baseball” movie. It’s just another teenybopper flick with nothing to say. Forget strike three — this movie hflis struck out. University schedules fellowship workshops BY KRISTEN THOMAS THE GAMECOCK Want to win a national schol arship or fellowship? Need help filling out the applications? The Office of Fellowship and Scholar Programs is offering a series of workshops to help students ap ply for national fellowships and scholarships. A fellowship is a national grant given to a univer sity student to advance his or her studies in a particular field. Most of the fellowships are offered to all students and others are for a specific field of study (see list be low). The Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs was launched in 1994 to help academically gift ed students pursue their dreams of receiving nationally acclaimed scholarships and fellowships. Since the office opened, univer sity students have received more than $3.5 million for advanced academic studies. Eighty faculty and staff members assist inter ested students with essay writing and the application process. All students are encouraged to attend any workshop in which they are interested. The sched uled workshops are as followed: RHODES/MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIP: This scholarship is for advanced study in Britain. The workshop will take place Monday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m. in the Groisette Room, Harper College FULBRIGHT GRANT: This grant is for graduate study or research abroad. The workshop will take place Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 4 p.m, in the Gressette Room, Harper College TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP: Attention Juniors: This scholarship is for graduate work leading to a career in public service or government. The workhop will take place Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. in the Harper College Conference Room NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP: This fellowship is for graduate study in science, math or engineering. The workshop will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m. in the Gressette Room, Harper College GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP: Attention Sophomores and Juniors: This scholarship is for undergraduates involved in research in math, science or engineering. The workshop will take place Monday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. in the Gressette Room, Harper College Additonal workshops are scheduled for late September and early October. For more infor mation, please contact the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs, located at Harper College 101. Call the office at 777 0958, visit the Web site at Recent USC Winners Rhodes Scholarship Caroline Parler, 2000 ^ Marshall Scholarship Nicholas Miller, 2001 Fulbright Grant Susan Langley, 2000 Brian Newsome, 2000 Shiva Vafai, 2000 Mary Wertz, 1999 Andrew Varner, 1999 Truman Scholarship Megan Hoffmann, 1998 NSF Research Felllowship David Butts, 2001 William Henley, 2000 Caroline Parler, 2000 Jason Bums, 1999 Sarah Creel, 1999 Amy Cronican, 1999 Jennifer Godbee, 1999 Taryn Jackson, 1999 Rebecca Kihslinger, 1999 Goldwater Scholarship Erin Flickinger, 2001 Brandon Fomwalt, 2001 Ripal Shaw, 2001 Mathew Parker, 2000 Sushupta Sudarshan, 1999 http://www.sc.edu/ofsp or e-mail uscfellovShips@gwm.sc.edu.