The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 05, 2002, Page 7, Image 7
THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 5,2002 , 7
CONTACT US 1\/TTV ~ THEY SAID IT
E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com I I |"1 . \\l I I /\ DOUGLAS ADAMS: “I may not have gone where I intended to
_L -L -L 1 A -i_ T _L J- J. \_ go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Ben Affleck stars as CIA agent Jack Ryan in Paramount Pictures’ “The Sum of All Fears.
MOVIE REVIEW
“THE SUM OF ALL FEARS"
Staring Bet^Affleck, Morgan
Freeman
OUt of -Ciirtriii!
BY TUG BAKER
THE liAMECOCK
In an America that is so awash
in patriotism that the true
American spirit has become
deluged in a sea of American flags
car magnets for $14.95, a movie like
“The Sum of All Fears” is quite a
welcome change.
Based on the best-selling novel
by Tom Clancy, the film tells the
story of how Clancy’s famous CIA
agent Jack Ryan (originally played
by Harrison Ford, now played by
Ben Affleck) got into his thrill-ride
life of international crises. As
plots go, Clancy’s can be a bit
confounding for someone who
doesn’t keep up with current
affairs, and “The Sum of All
Fears” is no exception.
An Israeli nuclear bomb, lost
during a war with Syria and Egypt
in 1973, is recovered and sold to a
group of neo-Nazis who plan to use
the bomb to maneuver the US and
Russia into a full-blown nuclear
war. The choice of an
underground Fourth Reich is an
interesting one. While having a
current US enemy as the villain
wouldn’t be politically correct,
every nation in the world can come
to the simple agreement that
“Nazis are bad.”
The major players in this
nuclear chess game are US
President Fowler (James
Cromwell) and newly-elected
President of Russia Nemerov
(Cirian Hinds). As one of the first
big surprises of the film, Nemerov
is portrayed very sympathetically,
even though he must mvade
Chechnya to appease certain
military officials in order to keep
Russia from splitting apart.
Jack Ryan (Affleck) is a historian
specializing in Russian who is
brought in by presidential advisor
Bill Cabot (Morgan Freeman) to
give advice on Russia’s new leader.
However, as the plot to pit the world
powers against each other
advances, Ryan finds himself in a
much more active role in saving the
fate of the free world.
♦ FEARS, SEE PAGE 8
CD REVIEW
Eminem shows his
stuff on new album
“THE EMINEM SHOW”
Eminem
★ ★ ★ ★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
BY WILLIAM MILLS
THE HAMECOCK
Eminem's third major label
album, "The Eminem Show,” has
exploded with a bang, and there
isn’t much the censors and critics
can do about it. This album is
packed with the same controversy
and in-your-face lyrics that have
always made “Slim Shady” so
appealing. However, this album
seems a little less humor-oriented
and more emotional.
The record actually shows
Eminem to be more of a tortured
poet than anything else. The cool
beats are sewn together with
lyrics so deep that his pain
bubbles to the surface, and the
substance of “The Eminem Show"
is enough material for two
albums. The release contains 15
songs, five skits, one behind-the
scenes DVD, and countless
possibilities for singles.
All of this is done under the
watchful eye of Eminem’s mentor
and friend, executive producer Dr.
Dre. Dre also joins several other
artists, including Bizarre and
Nate Dogg, who will be featured
on a few tracks.
The passion and pain of the
album does justice to the hype
generated prior to the release.
“The Eminem Show” is much less
likely to make you giggle and
laugh than it is to make you clench
your fists and harden in the face of
sadness. The album deals with
important issues like suicide,
alienation, politics, and
relationships.
“Sing for the Moment” is one of
the most powerful songs on the
album. It is about the power of
music, and how it can be a warm
blanket for kids who need an
escape from all the bad things in
their lives.
“Sayin’ Goodbye to Hollywood"
expresses Eminem's problems
with being rich and famous. He
openly expresses how being so
popular makes him feel trapped,
and he wishes that he could go
back and choose another life.
Although the album isn't
bursting with humor, Eminem
still seems to insult
indiscriminately, the worst on this
album being toward Moby in the
song “Without Me.”
Throughout the rest of the
album he addresses everything
from terrorism to censorship, but
the most powerful theme in of
"The Eminem Show” is his wish
for a better life for his daughter
Hailie. Evidence of this is seen in
the lyrical tribute to his daughter -
“Hailie’s Song.”
It wouldn’t be surprising in the
least if Eminem made this album
his farewell to the music world, or
retreated to the underground after
this album: It would be difficult
for him to top “The Eminem
Show" in theme or overall sound.
And even if he stays, this album
will forever engrave him in the
heart of hip-hop.
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