Home Fried Jen Swanston A psychotic mama’s boy, a manipulative mother, and a pregnant girl all make up the cast of characters of Home Fries. Not exactly what you would expect from a romantic comedy. Then again the screenplay was written by one of the X-Files’ brightest and some would say darkest comedic minds, Vince Gilligan. Gilligan is not the only X-Files alumnus in this film. Luke Wilson, who plays Dorion, the non-psychotic brother, played Sheriff Hartwell on what was voted the best X- Files episode ever. Which oddly enough was written by Gilligan. Luke Wilson’s real life girlfriend, Drew Barrymore, plays Sally Jackson. The story is actually about Sally. She finds herself pregnant and alone after her love, who just happens to be Dorion’s stepfather, is scared to death by his two stepsons. The plot just snowballs from there, getting more and more twisted as the movie progresses. Gilligan, who is famous in the X-Files world for writing darkly hysteri- cal, convoluted stories, does not disappoint. However, the chemistry between Dorion and Sally seems to be lacking, despite the fact that Wilson and Barrymore are living together. Home Fries is a cute movie that is worth catch- ing on video. PG-13 *** Varsity Blues; Pre-season Hamish Knox high school football team For all of you who can’t get enough of James Van Der Beek, otherwise known as Dawson on Dawson’s Creek, he’s coming to the big screen in Varsity Blues, the latest picture from MTV Films and Paramount Pictures. . Van Der Beek plays second string quarterback Jonathan Moxon on the West Canaan Coyotes, a in small-town Texas. Every Friday night, the entire town lives and dies as the team tries to complete a perfect season. When starting quarterback Lance Harbor goes down, the team turns to Moxon to lead them to a 23rd divi- sion title. As the season draws to a close, five seniors (including Van Der Beek) begin to feel mount- ing pressure from both coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) and their parents, who are living failed athletic dreams through their children. For anyone who enjoyed Friday Night Lights or The Program, Varsity Blues will be an excellent look into the sometimes overwhelming and dark world of Texas high school football. Star Trek: Half Erection Jen Swanston The run of odd numbered Trek films bombing has come to an end. Sort of. With some trepidation Star Trek fans went to see Insurrection when it opened on December 11. Insurrection is the ninth film in the on-going Star Trek saga, and all the previous Trek films that had an odd number tacked on to them have bombed. While Insurrection is by no means an epic that will change the way we view the world or each other, it was a fun ride. Jonathan Frakes, who plays Com- mander William T. Riker, demonstrated with Insur- rection that the success of First Contact, which he directed, was not a fluke. The camera work and special effects were stun- ning and kept the story moving along when the plot seemed to lag. The camera was almost always in constant motion, many scenes were shot from numerous angles. During one scene in a courtyard, the camera continuously panned around the speak- ers, enabling the audience to witness not only what was being said, but also how the other participants were reacting. At times the camera work was a bit too jarring and gave the impression of being in a plane experiencing high turbulence. Unlike the last Gen- eration film, Insurrection, was much lighter and filled with comedy, even though it dealt with a much weightier topic the last two Generation movies. At times the comedy was a little out there and un- wanted, but for the most part the one liners and slapstick fit right in. Even the musical number which features Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) was well pulled off. Both Stewart and Spiner come from strong musical and stage backgrounds and were given the chance to shine in a hearty rendition of a song from the musical HMS Pinafore. The cast said that they really enjoyed them- selves on set while filming and that fact came across clearly on the screen. The interplay between the characters has always been light yet the loyalty they have for each other has never been called into question. Picard chooses to go against the orders of an admiral rather then lose a member of the crew under his command. Another element of the Enterprise crew is that they must always save the day and come out victori- ous against the greatest Once Were Warriors Once Were Warriors is a f New Zealand film that tells the story of a Maori woman trying to keep her family together through the hell of domestic vio- lence. The film will be shown at a Women Only evening at the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective, 219-1675 West 8 Avenue (at Pine) Vancouver, on Thursday, January 21 at 7pm. The screening will be followed by a discussion JAMES VAN DER BEEK exploring issues surround- ing domestic violence in Canada. A volunteer from Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter will facilitate this discussion. Space is limited, so women should call Vancou- ver Women’s Health Collec- tive at 736-5262 to reserve seats as soon as possible. For more information call Kristin Campbell, movie night coordinator, at 736-5262. JON VOIGHT VARSITY BLUES Make your own rules. a eS odds. Insurrection is no exception. The evil alien race bent on exploiting those who are weaker than them are present. As is the beautiful woman, Anji (Donna Murphy), only this time she is for Picard not Riker. There is the big battle scene, which is wonder- fully done by a team of high tech computer anima- tors. Overall this is one of the better Trek movies and well worth seeing in the theatre. Po **1/2 SFU 659-2850 567 Seymour St, 659-2830 120 West Broadway, 659-2887 Owned and operated by the Canadian Federation of Students rly to London for $200! sn FRAVEL CUTS Plugged-in te Student Travel Now, for a limited time, you can fly to London for only $300 when you book selected Contiki Europe tours. Drop by Travel CUTS for details. Participants must have a valid International Student ID Card (ISIC). Tours must be paid in full by March 31, 1999. Valid on departures from Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Departure deadlines apply. Additional tours also available with flight to London for only $599! Full details available at Travel CUTS. HOLIDAYS for i8-35s the Other Press January 13 1999 i