Culture _ October 16, 2002 Movie Review Moonlight Mile Dawn-Louise McLeod OP Contributor Imagine the hobbit Frodo in a love affair with Jodi Fosterfand you have the effect of pairing Jake “bub- ble boy” Gyllenhaal and Ellen Pompeo in a film that with its 70s setting alone will satisfy retro-freaks. Add director Silberling’s attention to time-honoured cinematic strategies, and you've got a film that will live in your mind’s eye long after you've gone home and flossed the popcorn out of your teeth. Moonlight Mile opens with the long-favoured but now passé device of a ringing phone, thrown imme- diately into contrast with a view of waves and a young man walking on them. The young man is Joe (Gyllenhaal)—hapless, dorky-looking, and (as my companion pointed out) ill-dressed. Motivated by guilt after the death of his fiancée, Joe strives to do the right thing by her parents, JoJo (Sarandon) and Ben (Hoffman), who draw Joe into an unlikely trio until he is virtually under house arrest. The grieving surrogate family is harried by well-wishers who phone constantly and send “self-help books as party favours,” as JoJo puts it. Curiously, there is no men- tion of Joe’s real parents. What were to be wedding photos become partner- ship photos, as Ben brings Joe into his business in an attempt to make him a family member. Going into business with Ben is only one of several “deals” pro- posed to Joe. Eventually, and he is pressed to make the right choice. In this film everything has purpose, and everything is either right or wrong. The secret of the film’s power to move us emerges Game Review firmored Core 3 By: Nick Hogg OP Game Boy from the director’s focus on using contrast and a handful of cinematic devices. Music, images, and words blend and build, allowing us to let go of crit- ical reserve and experience emotions wrought by the situation. And the contrasting comedic elements Silberling splices into the footage keep us on an emotional rollercoaster. Ben scrambling to get the ever-ringing phone, ECUs of peripherals like Joe’s hand as he pours Pepto-Bismol into the dog’s bowl before taking a swig, the buzz of a power razor at an inappropriate moment, and “I Want to Take you Higher” blasting over the radio as the characters get into a car and Hoffman announces, “We're sad.” This dark comedic colour is daubed liberally on the autumnal hues of the entire film, infusing it with energy and realism. Moonlight Mile is a drama that really does move, in every sense of the word. The large audience, not the usual popcorn crunch- ing, coke -belching, gum-snapping crowd anyway, was absolutely quiet. Not once did a non-cinematic cellphone ring. But the director’s vested interest in Moonlight Mile is occasionally too weighted and causes the viewer to move beyond the film at the expense of suspension of disbelief. For example, Silberling has Joe’s love- interest Bertie say, “I’m sorry we couldn't complete the postal cycle for you.” I’m sorry, but I’m old enough to know people weren't saying things like that back in the 70s. And at a formal dinner party given by the Faustian character played by Dabney the other pre Coleman, Joe breaks into a Judeo-slapstick routii in a scene that, although macabrely hilarious, wou be more at home in the NY Yiddish theatre than is in this film. And Silberling announces his presence in oth ways. He makes a point of viewing characters fro above—a God-like, or perhaps a dearly-departe point of view. He gives us clues about the characte motivation; we're allowed to add them up, but n without his guidance and socio/political philosop Speaking of the demise of small business and tl] inevitable rise of the huge corporation, for examp he has Coleman’s character say, “Ma and pa went sleep with the gas on.” But it’s JoJo who has most of the good lines. At wits’ end while trying to compose a eulogy, she sa “Filled with goodness’ actually passed through n mind today.” And, almost in response to my friend comments on Joe’s sartorial defects, JoJo uttd about her marriage the touchstone words of tf movie: “The colour’s off, the style’s wrong, b somehow it all fits.” My final verdict? Moonlight Mile has all the ill sion of reality, with the satisfaction of closure. “Td realistic,” said my friend. Too realistic? Oh, if onl reality were that simple. If only when the going gq tough, the tough get lucky, and never have to ans that damned phone. “Well, I wouldn't pay to wat it,” she said. But I would. PlayStation.c FROM SOFTWARE Armored Core 3 Publisher Agetec Developer from Software Genre Action Simulation Players 4 © page 10 This week I will take a look at the third installment of Agetec’s mech simulator in Armored Core 3. If you never played AC before, you are automatically cast in the role of a new Raven, a mercenary with a highly customizable robot. You partake in missions for cash, and basically get to wreak havoc with said robot. And with recycled missions, controls, and various other elements, the game plays out like stale bread. Unfortunately, the controls have not been changed much from previous AC titles; the extremely awkward targeting system is still in place from the PlayStation era. But thank- fully they added analog control, which finally makes use of the analog stick, but it would have been nice to see the aim- ing delegated to the right analog stick. But other than this, it's AC2 with some extras. There are over 50 missions to com- plete, and a large selection of arena opponents that rounds out at 70 competitors. The option of hiring a wingman on certain missions was added. This wingman is a mixed bless- ing. In the early missions they tend to absorb far too much of your paycheck, and in the later missions their usefulness comes into question. This is a fairly decent addition, but the missions you can use them on are few and far between. There is also the addition of extension parts, which basically clip 4 weapons that mount to the upper arm. I was extremd impressed with the “exceed orbit” parts, which float aroul and automatically target and fire upon enemies, inspiring to yell, “Go funnels” at my TV all afternoon. I also want mention the new part sets, mainly the addition of hover leg which I don’t expect to see in the expansion pack, becat they are extremely overpowered. The graphics are fairly sharp, and the game runs at a ni frame rate. The music is mostly non-descript and the sou] effects seemed dated, mostly because I think they’re the sa ones from the original Armored Core. Other than na changes and date changes it’s the same game plot—a suff computer called the controller rules society, and several e corporations struggle for power. The object is—you guess it—destroy the evil computer to save humanity. Overall Armored Core 3 is a good game; the let down is, far too close to the previous games. But with 70 oppone in the area, over 50 missions, and a new four-player mode you were ever going to buy an Armored Core game, this is