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Show CLASS ADS GET READ. TSC 105 Met Life Auto & Home Call Janet 752-4531 Get Back to Square One. •Business Forms •Fast • 630 West 200 North 753-8875 sou are one p r i n T i n E .Student Loans Get the best deal on your Stafford Loan |. b y designating USU Charter Credit Union as your lender of choice. Lendertt830146 guaranteed by UHEAA • payment for you of t n q on your loan • immediate interest rate reduction of' for repaying with direct withdrawal • 2% interest rate reduction after four years of on-time payments • Refund of your loan origination fees INCUAI USUdnu, CREDIT UNION itr're uilli \ti>u! ~D[versit Garner worth 'Catching/ but you'll probably want to 'Release' her afterwards When I heard there was a film coming out with this title, I thought it was going to be about the theme of my love life. Most of this film is just as perky and witty as its title. Jennifer Garner ("13 Going on 30") plays the ordinary leading lady who suffers from the death of her fiance and tries to rebuild her life. She soon finds out her fiance wasn't everything she thought he was. Is it possible to keep learning about the love of your life even after they're gone? Like the current of the steady Colorado River, Garner's character learns how to forge ahead through these rocky times and move forward with her life. "Catch and Release" brings a lot of heart to audiences. And with such potentially depressing subject matter, it manages to remain balanced between lightly fluffy and deeply meaningful. The light, fluffy side is mostly given through the performances of Kevin Smith ("Clerks II") as a wise-cracking slob, and Juliette Lewis ("Starsky & Hutch") as a fling from the past. Both give pleasing, but not uproarious, comeoic zing. The deep, meaningful side is held up mostly by Garner, who breezily injects And sometimes those selected pieces of the puzzle just don't fit into a film the way they should, which can make the audience's experience confusing. "Catch and Release" suffers from this crookedness somewhat, and it halts sympathies from growing and connecting the audience to the characters. Even in a romance film, the audience shouldn't have to be told how to feel. "Catch and Release" And a film shouldn't hold their hands Rated PG-13, Grade B too much either. A smart film, a great film, will get them to figure out and her charm and wincing facial expres- decide things on their own. "Catch and sions into the role. Timothy Olyphant Release" does not get high points for {"Deadwood") also helps with the seri- these things. But it works some magic as ous side of things here as an unassuming it keeps the audience smiling when the credits start to roll. ladies man. It's easy to figure out who will end Written and directed by Susannah up with whom before the end is over. Grant (who has written the touching And while this film sometimes loses its screenplays for "Erin Brockovich" and way with the storytelling, it has a few "In Her Shoes"), this film is a low-mainmoments of clever sweetness. These are tenance, lackadaisical journey about the moments that will get faces to smile loving your friends and learning who even when a person is not aware of it. you are. Although it gets strong points for Casey T, Allen is the Utah being so adorable, the film gets too bubStatesman movie critic. ble gum-ish at certain moments because Comments, questions of the blatant and crooked song choices. and concerns can be sent to Compiling a soundtrack is a tricky thing. him at caseyat@cc.usu.edu. Reel eviews Accustions of racism aside, 24 is still a good watch Confined to a of Jack Bauer. chair, thanks to a One of television's Mock Perry pair of handcuffs most compelling and and a few wellsuspenseful primeplaced cables, time dramas, "24," your hands and has been popping face swell with up all over the headpain after a few lines as of late in the excruciatingblows form of recognition from a guy by the for the show's critical name of Fayed. acclaim and popularTV Rots Your Never mind ity and for the conBrain? the fact that your troversy that many of mac kp@cc usu.edu entire body aches —^— the show's portrayals from nearly a year has created. Since of brutal torture in addition to "24" premiered on Nov. 6, a few of these fresh bruises. 2001, the topical drama has You've got only a few min- grown from a cliffhangerutes to break free, get past Faden experiment in bringing the near-by guards (not to real-time storytelling to the mention past Fayed himself) television format to a gripand find a way to inform the ping, intricate examination of Los Angeles-based Counter the human condition during Terrorist Unit that the biggest times of crisis and the fear terrorist threat to the United that can drive people with States is not coming from the man they sacrificed life and good intentions to make morlimb (literally) to get. You see, ally ambiguous decisions. While viewership has flucthe president of the United tuated over the course of the States recently secured your release from Chinese impris- show's first four seasons, "24" finally became a breakout hit onment. with a fifth season that drew The only catch was that widespread acclaim for the your life was intended to series' stunning performancserve as a bargaining chip es, jaw-dropping twists and for the capture of infamous the ethical questions that it terrorist Hamri Al-Assad. But frequently posed. as it turns out, this trade-off The show was nominated was just a wdy to disguise for 12 Emmy awards in 2006 the real threat: Fayed and a and became the recipient for few recently acquired nuclear the award for Outstanding weapons left over from the Drama Series. Cold War. The man behind "24's" Just another day in the life grizzled American hero, "Go Nuts for Service" Institute Cultural Center 8:30 pm 'till done JESUj.CHWST Casey T. Allen Service and a Movie. Come see Ice Age 2 and "Go Nuts for Service." We will be making quilts, beanies, painting blocks, and toy cars. The Service will be benefiting local organizations in the valley. Kiefer Sutherland, also walked away with the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Despite the series' wellearned praise, "24" has often been subject to criticism not only for its portrayal of Muslims but also for the content of the drama's terrorismcentric storylines. During the show's fourth season, one of the series' principal characters was Behrooz Araz, a 17-year-old Muslim boy who rebelled against his family after they murdered his girlfriend for being seen at a compound that housed the terrorist operations of season antagonist Habib Marwan. Several Muslim groups protested the show for casting the only Muslim characters on the show in such a negative light. The problem appeared to be solved during the show's fifth season, which featured Russian revolutionaries as the villains and explored an elaborate web of corruption within the United States government that led all the way up to the president. The show's current season, however, once again features Muslim terrorists as the central villains, including a young conspirator (played by "Van Wilder" alum Kal Penn) that takes his friend's family hostage in order to prove himself to Fayed's troupe. Muslim groups are once again protesting the series' current direction, with organizations like the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee urging those offended to make their reservations about the show heard. News anchor and political commentator Keith Olbermann has even accused the series of having a rightwing agenda and serving as a tool to keep the fear of local terrorist attacks fresh in the minds of Americans to fuel support for the conservative War on Terror. Considering the "demonization" of the Muslim family and of anti-government activists that occurred during the show's fourth season in addition to the fact that the program vindicates the torture of prisoners under specific circumstances, Olbermann would appear to have a point. But for viewers to actually accept that "24" is conservative propaganda, they would have to ignore the moral and political complexity that has elevated the series from an empty, serialized diversion to a poignant, thought-provoking thriller. For examples of how "24" dives head first into the increasingly murky waters of the War on Terror, viewers should look no further than the show's current season. After 20 months of continual torture under the confinement of the Chinese government, Jack Bauer has emerged a broken man uncertain about his role in a world where the lines between right and wrong have become blurred. Despite strong disapproval from CTU agents Bill Buchanan and Curtis Manning, Jack sides with a redemptive former terrorist that now seeks political means to achieve his goals. Jack's new alliance puts him at odds with Manning, who harbors a deep-seated hatred for the former terrorist and forces Jack to make an impossible decision after Manning acts on his darkest impulses. Moral uncertainty also extends to the White House, where Chief of Staff Tom Lennox is trying to convince United States President Wayne Palmer that the recent string of suicide bombings has provided justification for the establishment of Muslim "detention camps," while Palmer's sister Sandra, an attorney for the Washingtonbased Islamic-American Alliance, must deal with the questionable actions of FBI agents that are using her husband Walid al-Rezani as a mole to infiltrate a local terrorist cell. Despite the controversy surrounding the show's portrayals, "24's" sixth day is shocking and provocative, and it represents one of the finest, most socially and politically relevant hours of television this season. It's also one hell of a way to spend Monday night. Mack Perry is one of The Utah Statesman's pop culture gurus. Send comments to him at mackp@cc.usu.edu. Religion in Life Tuesday February 6 Maryy Kaj/b j HiMtswAMV First lady 6f the State of Utah. Passionate advocate for the Youth Creating several help programs |