______________________ 7_
A&E
T ñe CL ac I camas P rínt
WedNEsdAy, O ctoóer 17, 2001
He said...
Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche) and Josephine Muscat (Lena Olin) win over the
townspeople with their chocolate, which seems to have some special powers. (Below) Roux
(Johnny Depp), a wondering gypsy player, wins over Vianne heart with his mystery.
BEN WALKER
Staff Writer
The story of "Chocolat" is
quite simple; a woman and her
daughter set up a chocolate shop
in a small town in France, only to
find heavy opposition from the
narrow-minded mayor. For all my
initial foreboding, "Chocolat" ac
tually captivated me with its
beautiful filming. Every frame
would be a stunning photograph,
and the pastel colors and natural
beauty of France combine for
some of the most amazing, yet
simple, footage I have ever seen.
Johnny Depp appears late in the
film, and does a nice job of por
traying a drifter. A dramatic
change from the drug addict and
alcoholic he played in “Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas”.
“Chocolat” is the type of movie
you could tear apart and exam
ine in a philosophy class. The
Aries: (March 21 - April 19) -
A friend from your past will re
enter your life. This person will
reveal something that may
make you uncomfortable. If
they do this with a film crew in
tow, run. Movie to watch this
week: "Ringmaster," starring
Jerry Springer.
Taurus: (April 20 - May 20) -
Your eagerness to charge ahead
will come back to bite you. Play
it safe this week. Be sure to
keep your doors locked and
conduct extensive interroga
tions of everyone who wears
sunglasses. (Anyone who
wears sunglasses in Oregon
has got to be up to something.)
Movie to watch this week:
"Roadhouse," starring Patrick
Swayze.
Gemini: (May 21 - June 21) —
Your dual nature may turn oth
ers off, but use this time to cul
main character Vianne, chal
lenges older beliefs held by the
conservative townspeople. She
wears red high heels and later has
sex with the drifter. Sorry if I
spoiled the surprise for all of you
who were about to rent it based
on my description of its Aiming.
Are the red heels a sign of her se
ductiveness? (Believe me, she’s
hot, too.) I think yes. As far as the
mayor goes, I highly doubt he is
anything like a “typical” male, as
Chrissy seems to think. Rather,
he reminds me of my last non
existent girlfriend, who was con
trolling beyond all reason. But,
you can finish dissecting the
movie all you want on your own
time.
I would give “Chocolat” a go for
it if: you’re a girl, a guy with a girl,
several girls, or a guy with several
girls (good luck) or just don’t care
what the local Blockbuster clerk
thinks about your masculinity.
tivate a secret identity. Make
sure it’s something exciting,
not “Leroy the Garbage Man.”
Movie to watch this week:
"Blankman," starring Damon
Wayans.
CHRISTINA MCFARLAND
Staff Writer
"Chocolat", featuring
Johnny Depp,and Juliette
Binoche, wasn’t as mushy and
“lovey-dovey” as I had ex
pected. It was actually about
acceptance and change. The
main character, Vianne, arrives
in a new town during Lent. This
town is very religiously strict,
so for Vianne to open up a
chocolaterie was just unheard
of . The mayor of the town is
outraged by her rebellious na
ture. He does almost every
thing in his power to persuade
the town’s people to boycott
her new shop. He even uses
the Sunday sermons as a plat
form for his self-righteousness.
But Vianne’s kind words and
generous heart draw people
into her shop anyway, and her
underwear on a flagpole. “Viva
la Hanes!” Movie to watch this
week: "Very Bad Things," star
ring Christian Slater and Jon
Favreau
Virgo: (August 23 - Septem
Cancer: (June 22 - July 22) -
Your astrological sign is the
crab. You shouldn’t be too up
set by this though. Pisces is
stuck with a fish. You should
team up with a Piscean and form
a duo, like Simon and Garfunkel
or Mike and Ike. Not like Milli
Vanilli or Hall and Oates. Movie
to watch this week: "Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid," starring Paul Newman and
Robert Redford.
Leo: (July 23 - August 22) -
Leader of the pack. That’s you.
It’s your responsibility to make
sure things go smoothly. If
someone has a problem with
your leadership skills fly their
ber 22) - This week everything
will go your way. Lie on the wit
ness stand. No one will know.
Litter. There won’t be any cops
around. Just watch out for
Wednesday. Movie to watch
this week: Any Sean Connery-
era Bond film.
Libra: (September 23 - Octo
ber 22) - As someone who’s al
ways seeking a balance, you
will be torn between two
friends. You can’t please one
without alienating the other.
You should do your best to
play them off of each other and
make some money for yourself.
Movie to watch this week:
"State and Main," starring Wil
liam H. Macy.
Scorpio: (October 23 - Novem
ber 21) - Being a fiery indi
vidual, you can be counted on
to make almost any topic inter
esting, no matter how inane and
draining. Except for that “High
Five” show on Channel 12.
Nothing could save that thing.
Movie to watch this week:
"True Romance," starring
Christian Slater.
Sagittarius: (November 23 -
December 21)- Your week will
be mind-numbingly dull.
Chances are that you will end
up watching Judge Judy. If you
are lucky enough to meet a
Scorpio, stick to them like glue.
But stick to an appropriate
area, like a leg or shoulder.
Movie to watch this week:
Anything with Ed Harris in it.
Capricorn: (December 22 -
She said
chocolate keeps them coming
back for more. (And I can see
why, the chocolates looked ab
solutely delicious. So if you
decide to watch this film make
sure you have some chocolate
in the house). After time, the
mayor begins to see that Vianne
isn’t as horrible as he had origi
nally thought. But like a typi
cal male, he became so worried
about bruising his pride, he re
fused to relent. I think he truly
desired to be part of this “revo
lution,” but he was so intent on
being right, he missed out on
all the wonderful things that
were happening.
Whether you’re male or fe
male, “Chocolat” is worth
watching. For all you guys out
there, your girlfriend will love
you for watching this “chick
flick.” And for all you girls, if
you don’t care for the plot,
there is always Johnny Depp.
January 19) - Stay inside, and
don’t ask questions, trust me.
Movie to watch this week: "Sui
cide Kings," starring the incom
parable Christopher Walken.
Aquarius: (January 20 - Feb
ruary 18) - As you go about
your business this week be
aware of the troubles of those
around you. Don’t be afraid to
help, unless someone needs help
with something sticky. If so, tell
them you’re a germaphobe and
con someone else into helping.
Movie to watch this week:
"Nobody's Fool," starring Paul
Newman and Bruce Willis.
Pisces: (February 19 - March 20)
- Find time to reflect on your ac
tions toward people in general.
If you can’t remember any of
these actions, take a shower and
have a tic-tac.Movie to watch
this week: "Memento," starring
Guy Pierce.