The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 15, 2004, Page 6, Image 6
THEY SAID IT
"’’Money is better than poverty, if only
Page 6 for financial reasons.”
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
T LATIN AMERICAN FILMS
TAKE OVER LOCAL THEATER
By LINDSEY FLOWERS
THE GAMECOCK
It’s a sad fact that for
most the phrase “Latin
American films”
triggers either a blank
stare or some kind of
reference to Cheech
and Chong. A change
is in order.
The third annual
Latin American Film
Festival begins this
week at the
Nickelodeon
Theatre, located
on the corner of
Pendleton and Main
streets.
Expanding
on the five
day run
of past
E *
festivals, this year’s event runs from Friday
through Sept. 22 and then starts again Sept. 24
continuing through Sept. 27. Anne Ramen,
Nickelodeon Theatre director, said this year’s
festival would offer a broader variety of
programs that appeal to a larger audience than
past features.
Beginning with a reception at Tio’s Mexican
Cafe on Friday, the festival features several
films in both Spanish and English, along with a
Family Day on Sept. 27.
“This is the first time we will really be having a
program geared at families,” Ramen said, “but I
think the appeal will also go beyond families. We
have the tour of the art museum in Spanish ... as
well as a documentary ... and a guitar concert.”
Described as a Mexican version of a
Tarantino thriller, “Nicotina” will be the first of
three big films to be shown, followed by the
nationally acclaimed “Maria Full of Grace.” The
third feature will be the U.S.-produced comedy
“A Day Without a Mexican.” There will also be
select screenings of “Ballad of a Soldier.”
In choosing the films for the festival, Ramen
said, the theater’s Festival Planning Committee
tries to reflect the diversity of Latin Americans.
“There’s no monolithic Latin American
culture,” Ramen said. “There’s different
languages, different cultures, different
histories, and different political situations.”
This year’s features are from Mexico,
Colombia and the United States, and past years
have featured Brazilian films and a Cuban movie.
The reception kickoff runs from 8 p.m. to 10
p.m. Friday and each of the four films will play
for a couple of days at the Nickelodeon.
On Sept. 25, Family Day will take place from
noon until 4 p.m. and include a free tour of the
art museum, screenings of short’animated films, a
guitar ensemble and a documentary about Latino
musicians including Machito and Tito Puente.
For more information, call 254-8234 or visit
www.nickelodeon.org.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gatnecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE
GAMECOCK
“Maria Full of Grace,"
left, and “Nicotina,”
above, will play this
week at Nickelodeon
Theatre.
Third Annual Latin American Film Festival Movie Schedule
Opening Reception: Friday 8
10 p.m. Tio's, 928 Main St.
“Nicotina”: Friday 7 and 9
p.m., Saturday and Sunday 3, 7
and 9 p.m., Monday 7 and 9 p.m.
“Ballad of a Soldier”: Saturday,
1 p.m. and 11 p.m. (Tickets half
price)
“A Day Without a Mexican”:
Tuesday 7 and 9 p.m., Sept. 22
3, 7 and 9 p.m.
“Maria Full of Grace”: Sept.
24, 7 and 9 p.m., Sept. 25 and
26, 3, 7 and 9 p.m., Sept. 27, 7
and 9 p.m.
Overseas study gives
students perspective
By NATALIE NETZEL
THE GAMECOCK
Instead of the normal classroom
routine in South Carolina, imagine
studying and living in a place like
Italy, Limerick or Vienna. Study
abroad programs offer students just
that opportunity, but those anxious
to head overseas need to hurry —
the deadline for the spring 2005
semester is Oct. 1.
All eligible USC students still have
time to prepare an application —
applications are available online at
the university’s student affairs Web
site, www.sa.sc.edu/sa/index.htm.
Students can also pick one up at the
Byrnes building, across from the
Horseshoe.
Eligibility requirements are
simple. Students must be enrolled
full-time, have completed at least
two semesters of college, have
completed two years of a college
level foreign language if planning to
study in a non-English speaking
country, have a GPA of at least 3.0
and have met with an adviser.
A study abroad fair will be held
Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in
the Russell House second floor
lobby. Even procrastinators still
have a chance to find out
information and apply for study in
a far-flung locale.
The process really begins once
you receive your official acceptance
letter and complete an approval
form alongside your academic
adviser, dean and study abroad
adviser. Also, make sure you have a
passport and, if necessary, a student
visa. Paperwork aside, there is fun
to look forward to.
According to the study abroad
office, each year there are 250
undergraduates from USC that go
abroad for either a semester, full
year or during the summer. Eligible
students can study on any continent
in the world, including Antarctica.
With such basic eligibility
requirements, many
undergraduates on campus are able
to take advantage of study abroad
opportunities. Financial issues can
arise, but scholarships and financial
aid are available.
Students can also use their LIFE
or other approved University
scholarships toward approved
programs, and there are even
department-awarded scholarships
for studying abroad.
The cost of studying abroad can
be similar to a semester spent in
Columbia if students choose a USC
tuition exchange program. The
expected cost for one year of study,
personal expenses included, is
$12,048. There are also USC
affiliates and non-USC,
♦ Please see ABROAD, page 7
Amber Jones, a 1
fourth-year
advertising
student, looks
through a
brochure of
study abroad
options at the
Office of
International
Programs for
Students in the
Byrnes Building.
The deadline for
the spring 2005
semester is
Oct. 1.
Applications are
available at
http://www.sa.se
.edu/sa/forms/in
dex.htm
JENNI DILLARD/THE
GAMECOCK
MOVIE REVIEW
Obsessive lovers cross paths
in compelling Wicker Park’
‘WICKER PARK’
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By LESLIE DENNIS
THE GAMECOCK
A cross between a romantic
comedy and a dark thriller, “Wicker
Park” shies away from the cookie
cutter studio formula to encompass
many genres, appealing to a variety
of moviegoers.
While it stars Josh Hartnett and
Matthew Lillard, two actors
probably best known to teenagers
for their roles in “Pearl Harbor” and
“Scooby Doo,” respectively,
“Wicker Park” pleases all types of
audiences and does not purposefully
target a certain demographic — a
refreshing change considering the
film industry’s emphasis on
marketable products.
A remake of the French film
“L’Appartement,” “Wicker Park”
uses subtle filmmaking and strong
writing to create a movie that draws
the audience into the characters’
lives and emotional psyches.
Beginning in present time,
Matthew (played by Hartnett) seems
to have it all: a decent
girlfriend/fiancee, a well-paying job
and a comfortable lifestyle. But when
he thinks he sees his long-lost love
passing him in a restaurant, he finds
himself skipping his flight to China
and searching for clues to find the
love of his life, Lisa (played by Diane
Kruger, who also played Helen in
this year’s epic “Troy”).
Through flashbacks, the
relationship between Lisa and
Matthew is slowly revealed: Boy sees
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Josh Hartnett and Diane Kruger star in “Wicker Park," the romantic
thriller and remake of the French film, “L’Appartement.”
girl, boy stalks girl, girl finally goes
out with boy, girl leaves boy. Now,
two years later, he realizes his true
feelings for her and is determined to
get her back. Or at least talk to her.
While Hartnett and Kruger are
the film’s main characters and “the
couple to root for,” they are
outshone by Lillard, who plays
Matthew’s best friend, Luke, and
recently starred in the hokey
comedy, “Without A Paddle,” and
Rose Bryne, who plays Alex, Lisa’s
somewhat unstable friend.
Bryne uses every emotion in her
acting arsenal to portray her complex
character and believably becomes her
in every aspect. Lillard, the always
sweetly adolescent actor who seems
to have a Peter Pan complex, brings
bits of hi^mor to the film and aptly
portrays the somewhat goofy
sidekick to Hartnett’s serious lead.
Filmed in the now popular
technique of mixed chronology,
“Wicker Park” slowly unravels
through memories and reflections of
the past. By doing so, the film
succeeds on a different level than most
romance flicks, infused with extra
elements of mystery and suspense.
Combining the missed
opportunities and oh-so-close
encounters of “Serendipity” with
the frightening obsessions and
psychotic impulses of “Fatal
Attraction,” “Wicker Park” will
have viewers screaming at the screen
in an effort to help the characters
out of their maze-like web of deceit,
love and passion.
Comments art this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gvrm.sc. edu
Gospel cable networks
share faith through song
By KRISTEN WYATT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Growing up the son of
televangelist Rex Humbard,
Charles Humbard remembers
family suppers with gospel music
greats. Pat Boone. June Carter
Cash. The Gatlin Brothers.
Charles Humbard later chose a
career in cable television, not the
ministry, but he returns to bis
roots this fall as he launches the
Gospel Music Channel, the first
24-hour music network for
Christian music.
Set to launch in seven markets
this October, the Atlanta-based
cable network aims to be as
popular as MTV and a blessing for
gospel artists who find themselves
mostly ignored on television
despite selling millions of records.
“This is a music genre with a
large, undeserved, passionate
audience,” said Humbard, who
left a top post at the Discovery
Networks to start the Gospel
Music Channel along with Brad
Siegel, a former president of
Turner Entertainment Networks.
The channel will span all
Christian music styles, from rock
to rap to traditional gospel. A
different music style will be
featured each night of the week,
with an artist biography show
called “Faith 8c Fame” airing at 8
p.m. followed by videos or
concerts from that style.
“My perception of gospel music
was that it was mass choir, black
church music. It was what you saw
in ‘Sister Act,’” said Siegel, who
was approached by Humbard to
launch the new channel. “But
what I saw when I started looking
at it was that was not some small
niche. This was an enormous
chunk of the country, with a real
diversity of music.”
And the genre is growing. Album
sales have gone up 10 percent since
1998, accounting for 47 million
albums sold last year, according to
Nielsen SoundScan. During the
same five-year period, overall music
sales dipped 10 percent.
Despite its growing popularity,
gospel music videos only
intermittently run on television.
BET shows some gospel videos on
Sunday mornings.
Religious channels sometimes air
music blocks. Humbard and Siegel
think the time is right for & full-time
video channel, citing the success of
“The Passion of the Christ,” one of
the year’s top-grossing movies.
“It feels like the country has
gotten to a point where people s
faith is more a part of their lives.
It’s a lifestyle as much as it is a
religion,” Siegel said.
These two aren’t the only ones
who have noticed gospel’s growth.
Another gospel music channel is in
the works. Charlotte, N.C.-based
The MP Network — short for
music and praise — is trying to get
cable distribution for a launch by
December, with a focus on
Christian rock and pop.
“There is a huge market
potential here,” said Larry
Moore, president and CEO of
The MP Network Corp., which
will eventually include a gospel
music magazine and concert tour
series.
Despite gospel’s growing
popularity, a little divine help
might be required to get these two
channels into homes. Both are
independent, without the
distribution muscle of a multi
network cable giant such as Viacom
Inc. or Turner Broadcasting.
The president of the Gospel
Music Association, John Styll,
concedes the odds are long for the
Gospel Music Channel and MP
Network.
“We would love for them to do
for Christian music what MTV did
for rock music, but they’ve got to
do everything right,” said Styll,
who suggested that the startups
emphasize gospel’s popularity in
major television markets.
Surprising to some, gospel music’s
top-selling markets are New York
and Los Angeles.
“Cable companies would be
smart to realize this is a great way
to get Christian customers
without running programming
that is particularly religious,” Styll
said.
Humbard and Siegel say they’re
getting plenty of help from people
who want the Gospel Music j
Channel to launch, from Christian
bookstores offering to call cable
operators to gospel singers
offering free ad help. Already
Aretha Franklin and Travis Tritt
have posed free for Gospel Music
Channel ads, and Amy Grant
voiced a promotional video for
advertisers, saying, “It’s the music
that’s in all of us.”
“The artists are absolutely
embracing the idea of being all
together, with a place to showcase
their talents,” Humbard said.
“You can’t,! love music and not,
love some part of gospel.”