October 1, 1996, Page 2 |
Previous | 2 of 156 | Next |
|
|
This page
All
|
Loading content ...
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Tuesday, October 1,1996 Opinion Telephone: (209) 278-5732 '2 Days' delivers 'Pulp Fiction' style action By Jim Ward The Daily Collegian "2 days in the Valley" has a laby¬ rinth plot, with so many twists and turns, you never know what might happen next. Director/writer John Hertzfeld deftly weaves about a half-dozen plot elements into one of the most entertaining movies of the year. The plot centers around a sweet- natured hit man named Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Ailello). Dosmo, a low-rent button man who likes to cook pasta and is deathly afraid of dogs, is hired by Lee Woods (James Spader) as a partner in a murder- for-hire scheme. Woods is a sadistic creep who likes to give his victims 60 seconds to make amends with the stop watch he .carries. Together, the two men break into the home of Becky (Teri Hatcher), a star Olympic skier, drug her and kill her ex-husband (Peter Horton). At the same time the murder plot strand-is unwound we are intro¬ duced to Hooper (Gregg Crutwell). a prattish art collector and his much-abused, mousy secretary (Glenne Hedley), Teddy Peppers (Paul Mazursky). a suicidal, down- on-his-luck television director, and a vice cop named Wes (Eric Stoltz) who doesn't have the stomach to arrest the girls he runs into in his job. Wes, along with his bitter di¬ vorced partner Alvin (Jeff Daniels), stumble on the murder scene at Becky's house. Wes, who pines to be a homicide cop, starts his own investigation into the murder, while Alvin obsesses over his divorce. The problem with so many crime melodramas, especially ones with complicated plots, is that the writer and director of the film get too caught up in the structure of the story, not whether or not we care about what happens to the charac¬ ters. But Hertzfeld expertly weaves 2 Days in the Valley Rated R 104 minutes Written and directed by John Hertzfeld. Starring:Danny Aiello, James Spader and Paul Mazursky. Now showing:The Broadway Faire 10 and UA Northgate, Fresno; Regency 6, Clovis. both characterization and plot struc¬ ture, creating both a compelling plot and interesting characters. The most endearing of the char¬ acters in the movie is Peppers. Played by Mazursky, best known for directing "Moscow on the Hudson" and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." Peppers emerges as the quirkiest character. Peppers uses his Emmy for a toilet paper holder, and as the movie opens he plans to commit suicide, but puts it off when he can't find a home for his beloved pet dog. Part of the pleasure of the movie is trying to figure out how all di¬ verse story lines will intersect. The characters are fully written and de¬ veloped, so you care what happens to the various characters. You can't help but to get sucked into this world of double dealing and mur¬ der. Observant movie fans will rec¬ ognize elements of both Altaian's "Shortcuts" and Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in the movie. Like those films, "2 Days in the Valley" cre¬ ates a warped, yet believable, world. After watching all three of the films you get the distinct feel¬ ing that Hollywood types see life in Los Angeles as a dangerous and unpleasant place to live. Go fig¬ ure.... Conversationalist wanted By Ingemar Dahlberg Special to The Daily Collegian Chieko just called me. We talked quickly and quietly on the phone. She was a little nervous, tense. We spoke only for a minute or two. We made arrangements. Monday would not be good, but Tuesday would. Tuesday, 3:35pm, in Carl's Jr. We're not spies. We're not a couple of cheating hearts. We're Conversation Partners. We meet once a week, usually on campus, and just talk. Why would anyone arrange a conversation at Fresno State? Don't we all have about a thousand a day anyway? What's so special about this one? We're going to speak in English. Yep. I am going to talk to her in English and she is going to answer in English, and we're going to have an interesting conversation. Chieko is from Japan. She's only been in these har' states since this summer. She's come to learn En¬ glish from some of the best, so she enrolled at a little place called the American English Institute (or AEI for those in the know). AEI is an institution located back in the NE section of campus, that has been around since the early seventies. It started as a small pro¬ gram to teach English to a small group,of international students, and as interest grew and the word spread (literally throughout the world), it grew and grew. Chieko and* about 150 other in¬ teresting people from all corners of the globe have traveled to Fresno to learn English, with most of them hoping to learn it well enough to get into an American University. AEI is tops at that. Every semester, the school seems to grow, and as the school grows, the need for teachers grows, and the need for counselors grows, and apprentice teachers, and so on and so on and soon. But learning English and speak¬ ing it in an understandable way are two entirely different things. Read¬ ing a recipe does not ensure that you will cook like a gourmet. These stu¬ dents need people to practice their English on. They need an Ameri¬ can friend to explain to them just what means to be American, or why we wave our flags so often. That's where I come in. I'm a volunteer. Once a week, I meet Chieko and we talk English. There's no script, no nothing; just a Japanese student and an Ameri¬ can student talking about life or whatever is going on at the moment. It's a rather enjoyable hour or so. As far as volunteering goes, it's a piece of cake. It's convenient, fast, and easy (no heavy labor or expen¬ sive donations). And this is where you can come in. This semester in particular, the demand for Conversation Partners is immense. Can you spare an hour a week to talk football to a guy from Norway or explain why Americans Please see DAHLBERG page 4. Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno Sports Editor Tom Sepulveda Web Production Jason Maggini Production Manager Monica Stanford Editor in Chief jevon C. Swanson Managing Editor Robert Bilvado News Editor Jim Ward Ad Manager Paul McCauley Business Manager Kari L. Scott Photo Editor Paul Martinez Copy Editor Elena Langdon StafT Writers: Matt Kreamer. r~ Ruthie Longley, Matt Hart, Heather Hartman, Rosanne Tolosa, Hadi Yazdanpanah, Luis Mendoza,Stacy Harder Photographer: Ryan Weber Sports Writers: Luis Hernandez, Erik Pfeifle, Gary Chapla, Man Lievre, Woody Miner, Patrick Craig, David Childers Ad Reps ErinnReed. Circulation: The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of California State University. Fresno. Opinions expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity: To be considered for publication, letters must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. Telephone Directory: Editor: (209)278-5732 News: (209)278-2486 Sports: (209)278-5733 Advertising: (209)278-5731 FAX: (209)278-2679 Elena Langdon http://www.csufresno.edu/Collegian
Object Description
Title | 1996_10 The Daily Collegian October 1996 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1996 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | October 1, 1996, Page 2 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1996 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Full-Text-Search | THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Tuesday, October 1,1996 Opinion Telephone: (209) 278-5732 '2 Days' delivers 'Pulp Fiction' style action By Jim Ward The Daily Collegian "2 days in the Valley" has a laby¬ rinth plot, with so many twists and turns, you never know what might happen next. Director/writer John Hertzfeld deftly weaves about a half-dozen plot elements into one of the most entertaining movies of the year. The plot centers around a sweet- natured hit man named Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Ailello). Dosmo, a low-rent button man who likes to cook pasta and is deathly afraid of dogs, is hired by Lee Woods (James Spader) as a partner in a murder- for-hire scheme. Woods is a sadistic creep who likes to give his victims 60 seconds to make amends with the stop watch he .carries. Together, the two men break into the home of Becky (Teri Hatcher), a star Olympic skier, drug her and kill her ex-husband (Peter Horton). At the same time the murder plot strand-is unwound we are intro¬ duced to Hooper (Gregg Crutwell). a prattish art collector and his much-abused, mousy secretary (Glenne Hedley), Teddy Peppers (Paul Mazursky). a suicidal, down- on-his-luck television director, and a vice cop named Wes (Eric Stoltz) who doesn't have the stomach to arrest the girls he runs into in his job. Wes, along with his bitter di¬ vorced partner Alvin (Jeff Daniels), stumble on the murder scene at Becky's house. Wes, who pines to be a homicide cop, starts his own investigation into the murder, while Alvin obsesses over his divorce. The problem with so many crime melodramas, especially ones with complicated plots, is that the writer and director of the film get too caught up in the structure of the story, not whether or not we care about what happens to the charac¬ ters. But Hertzfeld expertly weaves 2 Days in the Valley Rated R 104 minutes Written and directed by John Hertzfeld. Starring:Danny Aiello, James Spader and Paul Mazursky. Now showing:The Broadway Faire 10 and UA Northgate, Fresno; Regency 6, Clovis. both characterization and plot struc¬ ture, creating both a compelling plot and interesting characters. The most endearing of the char¬ acters in the movie is Peppers. Played by Mazursky, best known for directing "Moscow on the Hudson" and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." Peppers emerges as the quirkiest character. Peppers uses his Emmy for a toilet paper holder, and as the movie opens he plans to commit suicide, but puts it off when he can't find a home for his beloved pet dog. Part of the pleasure of the movie is trying to figure out how all di¬ verse story lines will intersect. The characters are fully written and de¬ veloped, so you care what happens to the various characters. You can't help but to get sucked into this world of double dealing and mur¬ der. Observant movie fans will rec¬ ognize elements of both Altaian's "Shortcuts" and Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in the movie. Like those films, "2 Days in the Valley" cre¬ ates a warped, yet believable, world. After watching all three of the films you get the distinct feel¬ ing that Hollywood types see life in Los Angeles as a dangerous and unpleasant place to live. Go fig¬ ure.... Conversationalist wanted By Ingemar Dahlberg Special to The Daily Collegian Chieko just called me. We talked quickly and quietly on the phone. She was a little nervous, tense. We spoke only for a minute or two. We made arrangements. Monday would not be good, but Tuesday would. Tuesday, 3:35pm, in Carl's Jr. We're not spies. We're not a couple of cheating hearts. We're Conversation Partners. We meet once a week, usually on campus, and just talk. Why would anyone arrange a conversation at Fresno State? Don't we all have about a thousand a day anyway? What's so special about this one? We're going to speak in English. Yep. I am going to talk to her in English and she is going to answer in English, and we're going to have an interesting conversation. Chieko is from Japan. She's only been in these har' states since this summer. She's come to learn En¬ glish from some of the best, so she enrolled at a little place called the American English Institute (or AEI for those in the know). AEI is an institution located back in the NE section of campus, that has been around since the early seventies. It started as a small pro¬ gram to teach English to a small group,of international students, and as interest grew and the word spread (literally throughout the world), it grew and grew. Chieko and* about 150 other in¬ teresting people from all corners of the globe have traveled to Fresno to learn English, with most of them hoping to learn it well enough to get into an American University. AEI is tops at that. Every semester, the school seems to grow, and as the school grows, the need for teachers grows, and the need for counselors grows, and apprentice teachers, and so on and so on and soon. But learning English and speak¬ ing it in an understandable way are two entirely different things. Read¬ ing a recipe does not ensure that you will cook like a gourmet. These stu¬ dents need people to practice their English on. They need an Ameri¬ can friend to explain to them just what means to be American, or why we wave our flags so often. That's where I come in. I'm a volunteer. Once a week, I meet Chieko and we talk English. There's no script, no nothing; just a Japanese student and an Ameri¬ can student talking about life or whatever is going on at the moment. It's a rather enjoyable hour or so. As far as volunteering goes, it's a piece of cake. It's convenient, fast, and easy (no heavy labor or expen¬ sive donations). And this is where you can come in. This semester in particular, the demand for Conversation Partners is immense. Can you spare an hour a week to talk football to a guy from Norway or explain why Americans Please see DAHLBERG page 4. Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno Sports Editor Tom Sepulveda Web Production Jason Maggini Production Manager Monica Stanford Editor in Chief jevon C. Swanson Managing Editor Robert Bilvado News Editor Jim Ward Ad Manager Paul McCauley Business Manager Kari L. Scott Photo Editor Paul Martinez Copy Editor Elena Langdon StafT Writers: Matt Kreamer. r~ Ruthie Longley, Matt Hart, Heather Hartman, Rosanne Tolosa, Hadi Yazdanpanah, Luis Mendoza,Stacy Harder Photographer: Ryan Weber Sports Writers: Luis Hernandez, Erik Pfeifle, Gary Chapla, Man Lievre, Woody Miner, Patrick Craig, David Childers Ad Reps ErinnReed. Circulation: The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of California State University. Fresno. Opinions expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity: To be considered for publication, letters must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. Telephone Directory: Editor: (209)278-5732 News: (209)278-2486 Sports: (209)278-5733 Advertising: (209)278-5731 FAX: (209)278-2679 Elena Langdon http://www.csufresno.edu/Collegian |