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« j THE GAMECOCK * Friday, January 16,2004 5 I i } 1% /1 I % / ‘The object of a new year is not PnnfQpt I-1 fl—^ % /I I that we should have a new year. contact I I 1 / ■ ■ ^ It is that we should have anew Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I I I i w I I / % soul.” ^ E-mail us at gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu B B B -A X f B B ^ m GK CHESTERTON ENGLISH POET AND AUTHOR _ The mwf^ommon New Ye p^'resolution is in full swing on c&mpus. Students participate in an aerobic step class at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center. Getting in shape is a popular New Year’s resolution that brings students to the gym with the start of the spring semester. PHOTO BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK CAITLIN COKER THE GAMECOCK The holiday season is a time of wildly depleting bank accounts and rapidly expanding waistlines. As capitalists, we seemingly just ^^an’t quit when it comes to con i unption. In accordance with this, it seems as if any festive occasion is saturated with dangerously de licious entrees and desserts, and this fact strikes hardest at the end of the year. From November through the end of December, we are hit with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, all in a row. The first two holidays are notorious for in spiring over-eating, and the last often welcomes over-drinking. But there is a chance for re demption. A New Year’s resolu tion is each person’s annual op portunity to set a productive goal for the next year in hopes of be coming a better person. Carrying 10 extra pounds during the winter is barely noticeable; that’s what winter coats are for. But spring break is coming, and Bobby and Susie want to look good in their swimsuits. Therefore, the New Year is the perfect time to dedicate oneself to the quest for a sleeker body line. Darrell Merrill, manager of strength and conditioning at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, is familiar with ex ercisers inspired by the coming year. “They’re trying to get their body toned for spring break,” said Merrill. '‘Think about it. New Year’s resolutions have just been made, and spring break is com ing up soon. That’s it; they want to get their body toned for the summer.” The resolution to lose weight has been popular with USC stu dents. Students flocked to the Fitness Center in droves on Monday, desperately filling the weight rooms and cardiovascular workout machines. “Let’s take a look at the log for Monday,” Merrill said. “There were 121 men in weight training room at 5 last Monday. And at 6, 87 women were upstairs in the car dio area. It’s crazy, but we knew it was going to be packed.” To meet the diverse needs of those looking to revamp their body images, the Fitness Center offers a variety of ways to get in shape. Recreational activities with friends are a fun way to exercise. The Fitness Center houses a soc cer gym, along with basketball, racquetball, squash and volleyball courts. Cardiovascular equip ment, strength training machines, a climbing wall, an indoor track and a pool are other popular op tions. For $20 a semester, a student can participate in the classes at the Fitness Center or at'the Blatt P.E. Center. The two centers of fer about 90 classes, including step, cardio funk, cycling, kick boxing and yoga, among many others. Kristy Lakin, an aerobics in structor at the Fitness Center,, has a basic routine that she pre scribes for starting an exercise routine. “Do two exercises with three sets of 10 at the most. Focus on your chest, thighs, shoulders and back on one day. On separate days, work on your biceps and legs. Plus, add cardio two other days of the (work) week,” said Lakin. Most of the students at the Fitness Center seem ready for the new year with an optimistic out look concerning their health ac tivities during the coming months. “My resolution is to work out at least two times a week on the el liptical and rowing machines,” said Shelly Fleming, a first-year mathematics student. “And I’m here today, for the second time this week!” Alessia Butler, a first-year psy chology student, has similar plans. “I want to lose 10 pounds and keep exercising about three to five times a week,” she said. She was at the Fitness Center exercising with her friend, Nakeiah Taylor, a second-year nursing student with goals of her own. “I want abs by the summer,” Taylor said. “I hope I get them, be cause I want to go to the beach.” Unfortunately, the rate of exer cise dropouts is typically high about a month after the new year begins. Merrill predicts that many students will forget their resolu tions. “It’ll start off strong the first week and maybe the first few weeks. But after spring break, it’s dead,” Merrill said. Likewise, those who just want to work off pounds from the holi days annoy the hardcore fitness enthusiasts like Marilyn Gartley, a fourth-year political science and philosophy student. “I wish the New Year’s resolu tions people will leave the gym -- I don’t have time to wait for use of the machines because of people who will do it for two weeks and then quit,” she said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu 6 4ovie. ‘Cold Mountain’climbs high, possibly to Academy Awards COLD MOUNTAIN ★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY GRAHAM CULBERTSON THE GAMECOCK Every year Miramax releases a movie that’s been designed, created and marketed for one purpose: to win Academy Awards. . This year, Anthony Minghella’s ^^ivil War epic “Cold Mountain” is the chosen film. Since the movie is a historical war epic featuring well known actors, a love story and a running time of more than two and a half hours, the executives at Miramax will probably once again win more than their fair share of Oscars. The only thing surprising about this movie is how good it ac tually is. “Cold Mountain” is set in a fic tional North Carolina town of the same name (although most of the movie was actually filmed in Romania), and the action takes place in North Carolina and South Carolina. Inman (Jude Law) has gone to fight in the Civil War af ter briefly but effectively courting the daughter of the town’s new preacher (Nicole Kidman). The two barely know each other, but somehow remain passionately in love despite their separation. This is not a flaw in the movie but a source of confusion for the char acters themselves. After the first few minutes of the movie, both Inman and Kidman’s character, Ada Monroe, dominate separate narratives. Inman, wounded in battle and resting in a hospital, re ceives a letter from Ada begging him to return to her. Although leaving the hospital and thus the Confederate Army is treason, an offense punishable by death, Inman starts out on his quest to return to his beloved. From that point on, the movie plays like a Civil War-era version of “The Odyssey,” with Inman fac ing a variety of adventures and in teresting characters on his travels, and Ada attempting to fend off an unwelcome suitor and keep up her farm in Cold Mountain. When city girl Ada has completely let her farm fall to ruin, a wanderer named Ruby (Renee Zellweger) shows up and offers to help. As Inman slowly makes his way back to Cold PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Jude Law gives a low-key tone to the dramatic fote of Inman in “Cold Mountain.” Mountain, Ruby trans forms both Ada and her farm. Although Philip Seymour Hofiman, Giovanni Ribisi and Natalie Portman play characters in Inman's narra tive, and Brendan Gleeson and Ethan Suplee are excellent in brief roles from Ada’s story, the film de pends heavily on the performances of its leads. Surprisingly, each of them rises to the challenge, from Law’s laconic, low-key performance as Inman to Kidman’s surprising ly resilient Ada, to Zellweger’s heavy-accented Ruby. Zellweger’s performance strikes a perfect bal ance between righteous anger and much needed comic relief. If “Cold Mountain” does have a fault, it is the sheer seriousness of the entire movie. With the rare exception of Ruby and her drifter father, there are almost no comedic moments throughout the entire experience. Both traveling with Inman and staying at home with Ruby and Ada, there is a non stop barrage of death-dealing, evil men. Although this is probably true to the original source mate rial, a novel of the same name written by USC alumnus Charles Frazier, it makes for a difficult film to watch. Coupled with its lengtny running time, this con stant suspense occasionally makes “Cold Mountain” an op pressive experience. Anchored by impressive perfor mances by its three main charac ters, and supported by breathtaking cinematography and a compelling story, “Cold Mountain” manages to be a love story and a historical war epic, both personal in its treatment of the characters and strikingly knowing in its understanding of the South. Although the high intensity level can be somewhat disconcert ing, this is one Oscar-season film that is actually worthy of all the buzz. Comments c*n this story?E-mail ?amecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Game. Review ‘Sands of Time ’ marks trend to remake old game favorites name recogni tion to achieve suc cess. “Sands of Time” follows the story of a young prince who traveled to India with his father’s army to wage war. After conquering the people of this foreign land, the prince decides go treasure hunting in the fallen palace. In his quest, he comes “PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME” For XBox, PS2, Gamecube, PC ★ ★★★ OUtof'fr'fr'fr'fr^ BY BEN ANGSTADT THE GAMECOCK In the current generation of game systems, making new ver sions of older video game fran chises has become a leading trend. “Contra,” “Metroid,” “CastleVania” and many other classic games have all received 21st-century updates. With the huge popularity of the original “Prince of Persia,” it’s no surprise that it is one of the latest game series to receive a face-lift. But the best part is that “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is a top-notch-same on its own that does not simply rely on across a magi cal dagger and takes it as his own. However, a power-hungry ad viser to the conquered king tricks the prince into unleashing the Sands of Time, a deadly force that spreads throughout the palace and mutates all inside into hideous creatures, save for the prince and two others. To keep the Sands from over taking the world, the prince must destroy the creatures and find a way to recapture the Sands for good. Like the original “Prince of Persia,” “ Sands of Time” focuses mainly on crafty evasion of traps. Throughout the palace, spinning blades, swinging swords and deep pits make the prince’s quest much more diffi cult, and force him to rely on gravity-defying acrobatics to find a way to his destination. The prince’s acrobatics prove useful in the intense battle se quences as well. A few squarely placed attacks will down the prince for good, so he must vault over opponents, rebound off walls and evade blows with back-flips to survive the en counter. But even with the prince’s athletic supremacy, the most ex citing of his abilities are afford ed him through the magical dag ger and the Sands themselves. With each defeated enemy, the prince can use the dagger to cap ture a small amount of sand that allows him to manipulate time itself. He can freeze enemies, slow time down, increase his own speed and see briefly into the future. The greatest of the prince’s skills, however, is his ability to re verse the flow of time. There are few moments in video games more frustrating than those acci dental deaths that result from tak ing a miscalculated jump or walk ing into an obstacle. But as long as he has sand stored in the magi cal dagger, the prince can reverse time and essentially erase his mis takes, giving him another chance to continue on his quest. Despite some moments where the sound effects on the game seem awkward and muffled, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is an exciting game that stays true to its roots while tak ing the series in an innovative direction. It’s a perfect example for those looking to revive other series of how to turn the old school into the brand new. Comments on this story?E-mai: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu