■ Movie preview
Spring season promises devastating
cornucopia of box-office productions
'The Ring 2' and 'Miss Congeniality 2' are
among many sure-to-be cinematic failures
BY RYAN NYBURG
PULSE EDITOR
Afterthe doldrums of the post
Oscar rush winter season, the up
coming spring movie season prom
ises to be a breath of fresh airfor
cinemaphiles. Let's take a quick
look at the upcoming film mother
load that will be offered to us during
the next few months. Of course,
once people realize this is mere
subtle sarcasm, they will probably
be filled with an unbearable sense
of futility and sadness.
Spring break will seethe release
of the long awaited sequel to "The
Ring,” the cleverly titled "The Ring
2." Directed by Hideo Nakata, the
director of the original Japanese
"Ringu" series, the film promises to
offer Japanese horror fanatics an
other watered-down American
version of the movies they love.
Three cheers for Hollywood and
for a director who is literally
repeating himself.
March 25 brings us the latest
opus from Sandra Bullock, "Miss
Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabu
lous," a film in which the very con
cept is so banal it may very well slip
into nonexistence before the pro
jectors even start rolling. Also
opening is "Guess Who,” starring
that veritable acting juggernaut
Ashton Kutcher in a reworking of
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."
Modern race relations will never
again see a more sensitive and
thoughtful on-screen portrayal.
One of the mosttalked about films
of the year, "Sin City," offers a hard
hitting script and a dazzling visual
style that achieve the impossible by
making it look as if Bruce Willis is
actually acting. April 8 brings prom
ise to all of those who have begged
to see Steve Zahn as a lovable
sidekick in a cheesy action film, as
he stars alongside Matthew Mc
Conaughey in "Sahara," a film
that in no way was created to capi
talize on the success of"The Da
Vinci Code."
Another horror classic gets the
Michael Bay-and-whatever-former
music-video-director-he-hired treat
ment with the release of "The Ami
tyville Horror" on April 15. Should
play great in the automaton market.
April 22 has Nicole Kidman as the ti
tle character in "The Interpreter," in
which Sean Penn plays a detective
looking forthe mysterious origins of
Kidman's accent.
Fan boys across the world
will rejoice on April 29 with the re
lease of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy." The streets will be
filled with revelers chanting their
credo of "Dear God, Please Don't
Let It Suck." On the diminishing re
turns front is "XXX: State of the
Union," which stars a bunch of
people who apparently had nothing
bettertodo. Can Ice Cube fill Vin
Diesel's shoes? The world waits for
the answer.
May 6 brings us Orlando Bloom's
first attempt at a real acting career
with the release of "Kingdom of
Heaven." Director Ridley Scott
can be expected to bring all the
emotional depth and moving char
acter development that made
his "Gladiator" such a rousing suc
cess among the tasteless and va
cant-eyed. Forthose wishing to see
Paris Hilton dipped in a vat of boil
ing wax, "House of Wax" may
have the goods you have been
looking for, but may not be worth
the risk.
May 13 opens with the oh-so
cleverly titled "Monster-in-Law,"
which stars Jennifer Lopez, who
as an actress must suffer under
the stigma of being the bane of all
that is good and wholesome in
modern society. It also inexplicably
stars Jane Fonda, as well as an
some actor or other as the male
lead, though that might as well
be filled by a potted fern for all
anyone cares.
Simpering little geeks around the
world will explode in another joyous
fangasm on May 20 with the release
of the latest crappy "Star Wars"
movie, "Episode III: Return of the
Sith." It stars Ewan McGregor as a
man with no legitimate career left
and Hayden Christensen as a block
of wood.
Finally, May 27 gives us Adam
Sandler ruining a halfway decent
film from the 1970s asthe screeching
man-child clobbers his way through
"The Longest Yard."
ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com
Vacations: Cruises are an enticing alternative
to the stress and strain of airline traveling
Continued from page 11A
steep for a week-long trip, STA
Travel provides other services with
the cost.
"We offer special airfare, prima
rily for students underthe age of
26 and also for teachers," Werstuk
said. "We book the entire package
forthem, which includesthe
flight, the accommodations and the
transportation."
Planning ahead won't always
guarantee a smooth ride either.
"Last year, we had a group of high
school cheerleaders due to leave for
California right around spring break,
and there was a mechanical prob
lem (with the plane)," Kouba said.
"What was sad was that because it
was spring break, there was no
scheduled service that they could
r
get because all of the seats were
filled forthe next couple of days.
They ended up having to actually
bus it down there."
Flights to other states and coun
tries aren'tthe only way to getaway;
cruise ships, such as Carnival, are
just as popular. Prices start around
$500 for a five-day cruise to the
Western Caribbean, plus costs to get
to the closest available port, most
likely Vancouver, British Columbia.
Activities abound on a Carnival
cruise: a Las Vegas-style show,
complete with music, dancing,
lights and costumes; bars, night
clubs and live entertainment; casi
nos with roulette, poker, blackjack
and slot machines for passengers
18 years and older; spas for relax
ation; and "Shore Excursions,"
r*
which include white-water rafting
in Acapulco, swimming with dol
phins in the Bahamas and helicop
ter and ATV expeditions in Kauai,
Hawaii, among others.
No matter what is decided for
spring break 2005, it's never too early
to start planning spring break 2006,
and getting advice from a travel
agent is always helpful.
"The majority of students book
spring break plans within the last
one to two months, but some of the
best deals come out around six
months in advance," Werstuk said.
"You have to be very much ready
for crowds for higher prices be
cause of such demand, and you bet
ter plan early," Kouba said.
amylichty@dailyemerald.com
Nat: Baby steps will prevent
post-graduation anxiety
Continued from page 11A
companies, and atthe same time
search for an apartment for less
than $1,500 a month that isn't in
Hell's Kitchen.
A cross-country move seemed ex
citing but... overwhelming. For a
brief time last summer, I had a new
city on my mind: San Francisco. Hey,
it's not New York, but it's big enough. I
could drive there and Sunset maga
zine is close by! It would do.
During this school year, I juggled
thoughts of New York, San Francisco
and a new addition, Los Angeles, in
my head. As graduation time drew
closer, I began to wish I hadn't sworn
in stone that whichever plan was in
my mind atthe time HAD to happen
because having an all-or-nothing at
titude would likely lead to disappoint
ment. Especially when the "all" part
keeps changing.
After spring break, the one thing I
do know I'll be doing is spending
every spare minute I have on my re
sume, cover letters, clips,
craigslist.org, mediabistro.com and
the telephone. I could end up any
where, and somehow, that feels
more comforting than a specific plan.
Of course, I do have a No. 1 desired
destination, Southern California, and
a No. 1 non-desired destination, Ore
gon. But because I'm not set on one
spot now, I know I won't be judging
my happiness on whether I can see a
tall skyscraper, a palm tree, the
ocean or a fir tree from my window.
(Except maybe I'd be upset if I could
see rolling plains, because the Mid
west is pretty much out.)
So for all of you who were fans of
my Ask Nat column two years ago
(did you evertake any of the advice?
I sure didn't), here is my last sugges
tion: Dream big, work hard to
achieve those dreams, but have an
open mind. Graduation is scary if you
don't have anything lined up yet, but
focus on taking baby steps. And
don't lose those college feelings of
carefree joy while on your journey,
wherever it may take you.
natchilingerian@dailyemerald.com
Food: Bada Bings a welcome
substitute to campus eateries
Continued from page 11A
Guacamole and Bacon burger, an
"In Your Face Chili Burger" orthe
"How You Doin'" burger, which
comes with pepper jack cheese
topped with hot peppers.
And what Italian restaurant would
be complete without a wide variety
of classic Italian dishes? There's
Frank's Spaghetti, Jane's Cheese
Ravioli, Stella's Cheese Tortellini,
Steven's Linguine and Clams and
eggplant parmesan, all available for
around $12. Most come with garlic
bread and a salad as well, so even
the hungriest customer is sure to
leave pleasantly full.
Bada Bings also has classic en
trees such as BBQ pork ribs, a 6-oz.
rib-eye steak, country fried steak and
grilled chicken breasts. All entrees
come with a vegetable, cheese
bread, and a baked potato, garlic
mashed potatoes or fries. The cost
ranges anywhere from $8.95 to $12.95.
And forthose watching their
waists, Bada Bings offers wraps such
asthe Sesame Chicken wrap for less
than $8 and low-carb dishes for
around $10. But the food and cheap
prices aren'tthe only thing that will
bring customers back. There are eight
televisions throughout the restaurant,
including one on the heated smoking
deck. There's a large projector screen
—vital for Duck games — and lots of
games such as darts, arcades, pinball
and Cruis'n Exotica. In the bar, there
are also plenty of video-poker ma
chines and Kenoforthose who like to
gamble away their drinking money.
Luckily forthose gamblers, drinks
are cheap at the bar, which opens
at 11 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Fat Tire and
Hefeweizen are all on tap, and a
pint costs about $4. Daily Happy
Hour lasts from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.,
during which Bud and Bud Light
are $1.75. Specialty drinks vary
during the weekfor Happy Hour,
such asTequila Night on Tuesdays
and Long Island Ice Teas for $4.75
on Fridays.
There is also a selection of wines,
from Merlot and Cabernet to
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Bada
Bings also offers mixed drinks such
as the Beer Infused Vodka Martini,
the Vanilla-Razz Cocktail and the Anti
Freeze, which contains citrus vodka,
peach schnapps, melon liquor, lemon
ade and 7UP for $5.50 and under.
Although there weren't a lot of stu
dents on the night I went, when an im
portant game is going on, Bada Bings
is sure to be packed full of fans. But
Bada Bings is also a great placeto
take a date, meet with friends or get
away from the wild campus bars. The
friendly staff and family-oriented at
mosphere will keep customers com
ing back, and the cheap prices and
delicious food surely don’t hurt.
amylichty@dailyemerald.com
ftsinaiTBH 441] m t>
Oregon Daily Emerald/
ADVERTISING
CALL 346.3712
-j-.i » » . . i . . . . .