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Arts & Entertainment
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One Popcorn, Poor • Two Popcorns, Fair • Three Popcorns, Good • Four Popcorns, Excellent
By Michael S. Goldberger
Gone in 60 Seconds
Plot Missing In Action 2 & 1/ 2 popcorns
There was a time in my moviegoing life when I would have thought that Gone in 60 Seconds, an actionpacked, featurelength car chase that romanticizes the culture of auto thievery, was so cool. That would be in my American Graffiti period. College was still a far off adventure, an unknown waiting in the fall; my motion picture palate would be changed for good. But before that I wouldn’t think of crating Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest, hauling it to my filmcriticizing chop shop, and then dismantling it for the exploitative nonsense that it is. Such is the job of responsible fuddyduddies. Even if they are still car nuts.
For that 17yearold fellow, what wouldn’t there be to like? The rushing mixture of sights and sounds plays like the anthem of youthful rebellion. The screen spills with dozens of classic cars, new and old — gleaming in their majestic glory. There are more Ferraris and 60’s muscle cars than you can shake a gear shift at. The pounding, supercharged music, blended with the highrevving pandemonium of big horsepower engines, would prove an intoxicant. And the picaresque pals determined to acquire all this beautiful hardware at the expense of their rightful owners, with sobriquets like Memphis, Sway and Sphinx, might also capture our imaginations.
So a bunch of us, also with nicknames like Moose, Bear and Skip, would arrange an outing to the Bijou for just this sort of testosterone boost. But the movie was really little more than a catalyst. Rather, it was the ingredients of the adventure that would coalesce to make for a night of camaraderie and perhaps some lasting memories.
We grew up on Hollywood and television. Thus we’d surmise that somewhere in the plot machinations a builtin escape route would allow us to rationalize rooting for head honcho Nicolas Cage and his retinue of slick antiheroes. Surely they wouldn’t allow crime to pay. A plot twist would exonerate them as well as us. We knew that. We knew everything.
It’s unfortunate. Possessing no time machine with which to view director Dominic Sena’s update of former stunt man H. B. Halicki’s 1974 picture by the same name, I was unable to appreciate it on that level. Still, there’s something to be said for the audiovisual experience producer Bruckheimer (Con Air) unleashes in his latest assault on the senses.
But skip the story and just look at the shiny pictures if you want to preserve any semblance of selfrespect. It’s the old outlaw forcedoutofretirement ploy. The tale of a reformed car thief extraordinaire Cage who is blackmailed into stealing 50 exotics could apply for plot welfare. You see, if Cage’s Memphis Raines doesn’t do as car theft ring leader Raymond Calitri (Christopher Eccleston) says, then the bad man will flatten Memphis’s little brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) in one of those junkyard car crushers. Kip made the mistake of emulating his older brother without benefit of talent, let alone brains. Now he’s the head goon’s bait.
Screenwriter Scott Michael Rosenberg tries to shove a subplot about sibling rivalry/ brotherly love down our collective throat. Talk about pretense and chutzpah. But it almost seems inspired compared to the halfhearted love angle also foisted upon us. Memphis and Sara “Sway” Wayland (Angelina Jolie), a Ferrari mechanic and former sweetheart, stopped sharing the same ratchet set when they couldn’t agree on a timetable for going straight. Of course, this just may be their chance to patch things up.
It’s “The Magnificent Seven” do grand theft auto when Memphis reunites the old gang for one last big job.
While the description of Mr. Rosenberg’s boilerplate screenplay takes up only two paragraphs here, viewers who plan to see
Gone In 60 Seconds solely for its action quotient should be warned that the inanity sprawls throughout.
And if there were an agency that fought cruelty to actors, they’d surely have to prosecute this movie for its shameless waste of thespic talent. Completely squandered are Robert Duvall, Jolie and Ribisi. But most prominent among the victims is he of the hangdog expression.
Cage, fond of fashioning his characters as either darkly depressed leans toward the latter here. Watch his ecstatically tortured face as he reluctantly appraises and then dons his favorite carstealing jacket. The music rises and swells with Wagnerian import. If Mt. Olympus had a
god of car thievery who fell from grace and was then forced into mortality, this is him.
Alas, now he is reincarnated as Southern California’s answer to Jean Valjean, replete with Delroy Lindo as his very own Inspector Javert. Actually, the perennially grimacing gumshoe is Detective Roland Castlebeck, and he’s waiting for his arch nemesis to make just one false move. Who says the masses don’t care for opera? They’ve just cut out the singing to make room for the car crashes.
Yes, there are wrecks aplenty. Not to worry, though — the really good stuff goes unscathed. Yet while too many of the automotive treasures lurk in the shadows of back alley garages and the secret warehouses where their “boosters” scheme future acquisitions, car enthusiasts will have a field day yelling out the marques. But for whatever reason, a special mystical eminence is bestowed on the 1967 Mustang Cobra GT 350. And Castlebeck calls it. He says Memphis won’t filch said silver beauty until last.
“Why?” asks his glibly pattering assistant, Detective Drycoff (Timothy Olyphant). “Because he’s afraid of it,” Castlebeck replies, hinting that is just one shard of voluminous lore surrounding his great white whale.
We groan in disbelief at such cartoonish dialogue. But hey — it sure doesn’t look like Memphis is afraid of that Cobra. He alludes the authorities through city street, interstate, and those concrete flood sluices at speeds of over 150 mph. Shades of The French Connection ... this is the best car chase scene in years. And while the highspeed insanity doesn’t equal in quantity the legendary 40 minutes it occupied in screenwriter Toby Halicki’s original film, it certainly makes up for it in breathtaking quality. It’s the only aspect worth remembering.
The rest of Gone in 60 Seconds will be forgotten in no time.
* * * * *
Gone in 60 Seconds, rated PG13, is a Touchstone Pictures release directed by Dominic Sena and stars Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie and Robert Duvall. Running time: 118 minutes.
Defying Gravity Production On Tap by Theater Project
CRANFORD – The Theater Project, located at the Roy Smith Theater at Union County College in Cranford, will present Defying Gravity, a fictionalized account of Christa MacAuliffe’s decision to join the space shuttle Challenger crew and the impact of her death upon the space program, her students and her family.
The production will open on Thursday, July 6, at 8 p. m. and
close on Sunday, July 23, at 3 p. m. Performances will be held on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p. m. and Sunday, July 16 and 23 at 3 p. m.
General admission will be $12 or $7 for students and senior citizens. Group discounts are available.
This production has been made possible by the UCC Foundation, a 2000 HEART Grant from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and by the generosity of Joseph Cecala.
For more information, please call the Box Office at (908) 6595189.
Hone Your Artistic Skills at UCC
CRANFORD – The Union County College (UCC) Office of Continuing Education will offer opportunities for artists to enhance their skills.
Throughout the summer, UCC’s Cranford campus will offer classes such as “Exploring Major Schools of Art,” “Oil and Acrylic Painting, “Drawing and Sketching,” “Watercolor,” “Portraiture/ Figure Drawing,” “Photography Fundamentals,” “Black and White Photography” and “Color Photography.” All courses will be offered in both summer sessions.
“Exploring Major Schools of Art” will explore many areas of art at one time. Students will create compositions using a variety of media including watercolor, acrylics, and craypas. This course will commence on Tuesday, July 11.
For more information, please contact the Office of Continuing Education at (908) 7097600.
Chinese American Music Performed at Hospital
Fanwood’s Chinese American Music Ensemble performs at Runnells Hospital FANWOOD – The Chinese American Music Ensemble (CAME) of Fanwood, consisting of youth, teen and adult choruses, performed recently for the residents and patients of Runnells Specialized Hospital of Union County, Berkeley Heights.
CAME, a member of the Chinese American Cultural Association (CACA) of New Jersey, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to promote the cultural exchange between Chinese and western cultures, to broaden and enrich the cultural horizons of their members through music training, and to provide community service through
concert performances. “CAME is just one of the many organizations and individuals who have received funding this year through the Union County HEART Grant Program,” reported Freeholder Deborah Scanlon, liaison to the Runnells Hospital Advisory Board of Managers.
“The HEART Grant Program was established by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1998 to further our county’s cadre of nonprofit organizations, artists and scholars, and to provide opportunities in the arts, humanities and science.
CAME sang in Chinese and English, performed baritone and soprano solos, baritone and soprano duets, performed Chinese plate and ribbon dances, and flute, piano and violin solos.
Local Stars Shine At www. goleader. com
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
Mentorship Program Proves Fruitful for Azzara, Arlington
PROUD OF A WORK IN PROGRESS... Francesca Azzara looks on as Jocelyn Arlington pieces together her assemblage for the “Art Reach: The Exhibition VIII” sponsored by City Without Walls in Newark.
cate sketches and thumbnail drawings for the piece, Jocelyn explained that a plank with a red curtain and speakers which represent her eyes make up the artwork’s abstract quality.
When asked what the components represent, Jocelyn said, “My world clashes with the accepted reality. But, it depends upon what the viewer sees to decide if it clashes.”
Ms. Azzara interjected that the way Jocelyn crafted a visual spectrum of different images and hues for the background, she achieved a sense of “evening going to a sunrise – a birth into reality.”
Despite the work’s abstract nature, Ms. Azzara said she tried to help keep Jocelyn’s vision of a selfportrait on track.
“You got across what you were trying to say,” Ms. Azzara said, turning to a glowing Jocelyn with a smile.
Jocelyn said she was just in love with the idea of knowing she would have her own gallery space. “I have my own space!” she piped in.
When asked what three things Jocelyn acquired from her time with Ms. Azzara, she responded, “I’ve learned to budget your time. No waiting until the last minute!”
She continued thoughtfully, “I’ve learned selfexpression. Even if it means picking up a piece of paper and drawing all over it with a marker.”
Pointing to Ms. Azzara’s introduction of different mediums such as encaustic, a painting technique using wax infused with pigments, Jocelyn listed her third lesson, “I’ve learned about different uses and varieties of media.”
Turning to Ms. Azzara, she said of her experience with Jocelyn, “I’ve learned the joy of having a young, free mind with creative juices that just flow like a faucet.” She added that she is fascinated by how “astute” her young mentee has been.
“She has a great sense of line and color and I enjoyed observing her and watching her grow,” Ms. Azzara said.
City Without Walls Director Stephen Sennott told The Leader
and The Times that the ArtReach program is unique because “it doesn’t duplicate anything that students would get in a school. They have the opportunity to go to an artist’s workplace and learn how they make a living from art. It’s much more one on one.”
Mr. Sennott pointed out that Jocelyn’s piece for the Exhibition VIII was put on the event’s catalog cover.
“I think it was a very successful piece,” he said.
With such wonderful results from the ArtReach program, the question remains: Will it continue to be offered to students outside of Newark?
“It depends on the funding,” said Ms. Azzara. “I only hope that it continues.”
Mr. Sennott said that as long as the funding is in place, the collaborative program will continue to blossom through the years.
Aside from working on her exhibit’s piece, the duo took trips to gallery openings in New York City and shared some books on art topics. Jocelyn was also required to work as Ms. Azzara’s assistant.
“We also did sketches and we talked about the logistics of the piece,” said Ms. Azzara.
While Jocelyn would like to pursue a career as an interior designer, she would like to take as many art classes as possible. “There are many ways to take your art into any direction,” she said.
Ms. Azzara has already lined up students who would be interested in learning from her in the future.
“Exhibition VIII” will be held at City Without Walls, One Gateway Center, Street Level, Newark until Thursday, July 13.
ART ON THE GREEN… Scotch Plains and Fanwood Arts Association members recently displayed their work as participants in the Fanwood Cultural Arts Committee’s Season Finale on June 11. Pictured, left to right standing on the green, are: Ellen Renner, Christina Scott, Jocelyn Wong, Barbara Swindlehurst and Mary Hovanec.
Summer Concert Revealed By Westfield
Community Band
WESTFIELD – The Westfield Community Band, under the direction of Elias J. Zareva, will open its 88th season of Summer Concert performances in Mindowaskin Park in Westfield this evening, Thursday, June 22, at 8 p. m.
A featured number for the evening will be music from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway and movie musical The Sound of Music, highlighting the travels and life of the Austrian von Trapp family.
A band favorite scheduled for the evening will be Sousa’s “King Cotton March.” Additional selections for the evening will be “Procession of the Nobles,” “Carmen Suite,” and “Old Comrades.”
The Westfield Community Band’s Summer Concert series will continue next Thursday, June 29, July 6, July 13, and 20 in Mindowaskin Park. In the event of inclement weather, the rainsite will be the Westfield Community Room in the Municipal Building next to Mindowaskin.
All events are free to the public. It is suggested that the audience bring lawn chairs or blankets.
The Westfield Community Band’s Summer Concert Series is sponsored by the Westfield Recreation Commission, Glenn S. Burrell, Director.
For more information, please contact (908) 7894080.
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