Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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mTTTi n » unriAnTr a ttr__»-? r_in n/t/in w I CONTACT US THEY SAID IT '' ' ' ‘ 1 ERNEST HEMINGWAY: “I like to listen. I have learned a great E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” Girls say ‘yes yes,’guys ‘no no’to ‘Ya-Ya’ PHOTO SPEICAL TO THE GAMECOCK Maggie Smith, Ellen Burstyn and Sandra Bullock star in the Warner Bros, film adaptation of “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” MOVIE REVIEW. DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd and Sandra Bullock ★★ out of for guys ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ for gals BY TUG BAKER THE GAMECOCK Women complain about action movies. Apparently, bad plots, horrible dialogue and excessive explosions (the three things that constitute an action movie) don’t appeal to them. While I have never loved action movies, I can understand why men enjoy them. It’s extremely mindless entertainment. What women don’t seem to realize is that they have their own version of the action movie. Men usually refer to them as “chick flicks.” These films are, contrary to popular belief, just as intellectually devoid as action movies. Replace the excessive explosions of action movies with rampaging sentimentality, and you have a “chick flick.” Sure, they know how to pluck just the right heartstrings, but where’s the substance? “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” is, most definitely, a “chick flick.” Based on the best selling book by Rebecca Wells, the film centers on Vivi (played in her 60s by Ellen Burnstyn, Ashley Judd in her 20s and 30s, and Caitlin Wachs as a child.) The film opens with the young Vivi and her three friends forming the secret “Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” Taking the audience to the present, the film then focuses on Vivi’s daughter, Sidda (who named these people?), played by Sandra Bullock. Sidda has made a name for herself on Broadway as a writer, but when an interviewer exaggerates her account of her mother’s bad parenting, Vivi writes her daughter out of her life. The rest of the Ya-Ya’s, played by Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, and Maggie Smith decide to intervene and bring the mother and daughter back together. They kidnap Sjdda and take her to a remote cabin in the Louisiana woods and proceed to tell her, little by little, why Vivi is the way she is. What ensues is a kaleidoscope of flashbacks, the most important of which seems to be too short while the least important are too long. The film suffers from all of the symptoms of a “chick flick.” It doesn’t seem to know what it is really about - friendship? Or maybe the connection between mothers and daughters? First-time director Callie Khouri (author of Thelma and Louise) probably doesn’t know either. This movie features some of the best female actresses in Hollywood, and the performances are first-rate: - only a great actor’s talent can make bad dialogue sound so good. The men in the film are also worthy of mention. Vivi’s husband and Sidda’s fiance, played by James Garner and Angus MacFayden, respectively, are two characters that the movie could have used more of. While it crams as much in about the women’s past as possible, it never convincingly explains why such great men would stay with such insufferable women. For all these shortcomings, “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” is a good “chick flick.” Fans of the book will delight in watching it come to life. Men have their “bad” action films, and women have their “bad” chick flicks. As long as neither gender expects the other to understand, we’ll all make it out alive. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@notmail.com CD REVIEW New Found Glory needs new sound “STICKS AND STONES" New Found Glory BY WILLIAM MILLS THE GAMECOCK New Found Glory’s latest album, “Sticks and Stones,” proves to be just what we would expect from these pop-punk crusaders. This is their third full-length release, and the sound of this album is unfortunately loyal to the previous ones. “Sticks and Stones” sounds like a continuation of the recording sessions of their last album. This new album has the same hook-filled choruses and catchy lyrics about high school crushes that made them synonymous with bubble-gum punk. Although all 12 songs are about a girl, it felt very uninspired. Although there are no outrageous hits on “Sticks and Stones” and the songs blend together into a 62-minute pop love song, there is a certain amount of superficial fun to be had when listening to this upbeat album. Since New Found Glory’s start in 1997, the group has towed the line between underground and mainstream while touring with bands like MxPx and Get Up Kids. However, after the release of “Hit or Miss” and a well-received album of movie cover songs (“From the Screen to Your Stereo”) New Found Glory was destined to sit on a pedestal only a few rungs down from Green Day and Blink 182. Even Mark Hoppus from Blink plays bass on “Something I Call Personality,” the fourth track on ♦ GLORY, SEE PAGE 8