Show B4 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday July 31 2002 SHERMANS LAGOON ammmoLp-VIPfFROM TF£ 9 CaaDimailaBii’fe ujguu BnirSDljsir T09 a aaMiftiiDUg ' ‘ v- i j-'-- ' David Germain Movie Writer Atmosphere goes a long way in an M Night Shyamalan film even so far as to elevate a CATHY rather nebulous scenario — really more a situation than a story — into a yam r Shyamalan's "Signs" is the creepiest scariest movie to come out of Hollywood at least since last summer's ghost tale “The Others” maybe even since Shyamalan’s own "The Sixth Sense” three years ago Mel Gibson delivers one of nis best perfor- mances playing a recently widowed farmer and of the cloth duling with crop circles carved in his corn fields that portend the arrival of visitors from the skies Gibson gets excellent support from Joaquin Phoenix Cherry Jones and child acton Rory rip-roari- ng Writer-directo- REGULAR BREAKFAST: MUFFIN breakfast- UMrnroM - PANCAKES REGULAR LUNCH SALAD REGULAR DINNER: FISH VACATION LUNCH: HOT DOSS VACATION ttNAER- SOUP SALAD SAUSAGES FRIES SLURPEE FRUIT ICE CREAM EGGS ME ESCAPED nUATHE RAT RACE OWN 10 MIND UP Pi THE FAT RACE SURF'N'TURF BAKED POTATO CORN ROLL ' ex-m- an PIE AP Photo Everything that farmer Graham Hast pictured) assumed about the world Is changed when ha dacovera a message an Intricate pattern of drdei and Hnea - carved Into his M Night crops In the thriller from (Mel-Gibso- MOViO TOVieW BEETLE BAILEY n writer-direct- or ' HAGAR THE HORRIBLE I I GOING TO SETT WORL0 ON FIR e baseball washout whose home run records are offset by his records for striking out “It felt wrong not to swing” Merrill confesses a wry bit of foreshadowing that helps set up the film’s climax and Shyamalan’s intriguing exploration of fate divine intervention and the interconnectedness of seemingly random circumstances Jones is a sympathetic presence as a police officer who’s witness to tragic moments that befall the Hess family Shyamalan plays a neighbor who’s the catalyst for Graham’s foil from grace and potential resurrection Graham’s crisis of faith is a fairly affair without a great deal of nuance Shyamalan essentially knocks this decent man down then hurls a Armageddon scenario at him in the guise of a sci-- fi invasion that either will restore his belief or cost him all that he holds dear As in “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable” Shyamalan ladles on religious imagery black-and-whi- nail-biti- ng PEANUTS UNUSUMAJAM SHEStaMTINfiOUT I60IN6TOD07 THERE U)rm A FOOTBALL MD EXPECTS ME TO PO YOU THINK SUEto PUUIT AWAY UKE YDURSTVfWSSTER 60 RUNNIN6UP ANPIdOOT ALWAYS DOES? - (Phoenix) a minor-leagu- on-scre- en WHAT I WAS VOUNrX ) HAPPENED? WAS THOUGHT PwHGN Shyamalan “Signs" Culkin and Abigail Breslin Shyamalan — who cast himself in tiny roles in "lire Sixth Sense” and its follow-u- p “Unbreakable” — takes on a somewhat larger part in “Signs” and displays real dramatic chops But die real star is the muted sense of fore- boding Shyamalan musters from the start which he maintains and gradually intensifies as “Signs” unfolds in cloistered manner mainly within the confines of a farmhouse for from the nearest neighbor The hardest form of horror to create is the psychological kind where the fiimmairw implies tenor and imminent menace while a revealing only bits and pieces a limb a or a of glimpse shadowy figure scratch at the door or a bang on the other side of a wall Shyamalan continues to Stake his claim as a worthy successor to Alfred Hitchcock crafting suspense without resorting to the bombdst of explosions glitzy computer effects or other trappings of modem Hollywood And like Hitchcock Shyamalan infuses “Signs” with a healthy dose of droll dark humor Even James Newton Howard’s music is reminiscent of the ominous Hitchcock scores written by Bernard Herrmann Gibson plays Graham Hess a Pennsylvania farmer who recently hung up his minister's collar after his faith in God was shaken by his wife’s death in a car accident Graham now goes through die motions' still playing dutiful father to his children (Culkin and Breslin) but quietly bitterly rejecting his past role as a spiritual counseloE pr local townsfolk Hu spiritual limbo is mirrored by the psychological malaise of his brother Merrill in te “Signs” The notion of the purgative powers of water is especially prevalent While the Celestial intruders ostensibly are beings from another planet they realty are biblical demons sent to rekindle Graham’s lost conviction that goodness must prevail The film’s ctosing image while predictable is a quietly stirring affirmation that along with life’s cruelties comes hope of better things Signs’eleased by Disney's Touchstone Pictures is rated PG-1- 3 for some frightening moments Running time: 105 minutes Three ' stars out of four ed Now on vidooDVD By David Garmaln AP Movie Writer MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM Selected 91 THOSEAREfiERMAH home-vide-o releases: “Collateral Damage” Conan vs the terrorists Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a Los Angeles fire-fighter out for vengeance against the terrorist whose bomb killed his family Guess who wins? The movie’s release was delayed for months after the Sept 11 attacks In inter- ' views Schwarzenegger and director Andrew 'j Davis discuss why the movie was put on hold (‘‘The similarities were just too much” Schwarzenegger says) Davis also toudies on Sept ll in his audio commentary He notes that a friend who worked in emergency man- agement fin Mayor Rudolph Giuliani wept at the movie's funeral scene because it featured bagpipes perfonping “Amazing Grace” which was tried for many Sept 11 funerals DVD $2698 (Warner Bros) ‘ : FOXTROT YOOHOM FMJNTkERoY1 LOOK for WHAT XVt SOT vou buddy ' : A MCE 7UKY BoNE TO CHEW ONf SEE? XX NOT SO BAD' X aging promises “thrilling deleted scenes’’ but they must have been misplaced at the DVD factory because the 12 minutes of extra footage is chaff much of it lame dream and delusion sequences The disc includes an odd interview ' with author Betty Eadie on her works her (she experience way eventually around to giving an endorsement for the ' movie) Director Torn Shadyac provides audio DVD $2698 (Universal) commentary near-dea- th “Speed" “Speed 2” If foe bus drops belpw 50 mph it’ll explode - Welcome to rush hour in Los Angeles The Keanu Reeves-Sand- ra Bullock thriller “Speed” about a SWAT team guy and abus passenger stuck behind the wheel in a bomb plot by a madman (Dennis Hopper) hits DVD In a revved-u-p c set The best DVD extras deal with visual effects and stunts on staging Ihe notably a leap that Reeves’ character makes to board the ' speeding bus There also are cast interviews the foil screenplay and two commentaiy tracks “Dragonfly’ one by director Jan De Bont and the other by Kevin Costner is a doctor mourning his dead writer Graham Yost arid producer Mark Gm wife and experiencing supernatural portents don Oh and “Speed 2” also is available on a that suggest she might still be alive Meantime the audience is mounting its movie choice single DVD ’Nuff said “Speed” DVD set $26:98 “Speed 2” DVD $1998 DVD boxed This weepy melodrama u rental material at best for all but diehard Costner fans The pack- - set with both films $3998 (20th Century Fox) MEANT IMS GONE NOT MY TA two-dis- : ' - V REAL LIFE ADVENTURES Win CLOSE TO HOME iso uk : would if he could see around the club seven hoping declar'corners with a losing V 62002 NEA ' Defense as we aU know is y chib However disaster : Nartk veiy tough If only we could y' struck Declarer ruffed aid : ‘ hQ drew tnunps in time rounds look around Corners and see Q J Then because he was lacking declarer's hand! 10 I - ' a dummy entry hehadno If you really wish to test K X10 0 4 : younelf in today’s deal look ' choice but to cash foe heart fytgi ace The appearance of the A AK10I761 A 0 4 only the West and North hands B if you are in a V I 7 6 1 V K king wasa wonderfulught— for North-out- h at least 74 JOS hurry peek at all 52 cards' A AQ 0 0 v A 7J South is in five dianmnds Possibly yest should have ? dropped the diamond jabk on i Wfest start with his two fop V-OS:' tiie second round of trumps spades everyone following 1 4 10 0 i A V Whit should he lead it trick: ' but that wouldn’t work against A declarer a three?' Slightly 'if auspicious S' AFour spades is anoverbid ' npre likely to succeed is u trump shift at trick three: Sudespecially at adversevulnera-- : Wbverable:East-We-i denly in the dummy with the bility but these days no one diamond eight or Id maybe seems to care about thaL West Nartk Ei Swtfe ii a y declanvwouMbeteniptedto' South's fourno-tnmi-p A -- fhi fp ' tfllrc tfis heart untiuc But per tweniuited takeout bidSo PA whim Jte corrects five duba to ' luqri he wouldndtice the r 'Psw pas1 Ps Sif five diamonds he is known to strong scent of rodeqt and ' be id least 5 in titered suits ' i guessing what iras happetting Opening lead: A A At the table at trick three V woiild tbop die heart Ung y West understandably shifted tor anyway And South certainly By Phillip Alder I cant eeucve tfY cer war MaW at hridgo er was ''I-- - - ” THAT ' '' j ' : - ? s’ : i : : v:4 Ice cream anttMocWa are to much more fua Faced wWi sharp spending cuts rlnflOn OlllvMN : - mMaMaHHaaaam PiMOnS Iasi mwq DJ 5-- purehaajng vital equipment on eBay V’'-'- x " - KQ(i |