New Issue

The Pharos announces the release of Vo. 98, Issue 3. The newspaper is now available in front of the post office and in many buildings around campus.

Please excuse some minor glitches as we continue to improve our paper. Namely, there are no page numbers and page 4 is on page 2. We apologize and hope that these problems are fixed next issue.

The Departed: A Movie Review by Chris Carton

The Departed, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, and Vera Farmiga. Directed by Martin Scorsese

Who it’s for: Fans of The Godfather, Donnie Brasco; people who like good acting, writing, and directing.

Who it’s not for: Those of you who deplore blood and violence, and get upset that there’s only one female character who is not portrayed as a sex toy.

Martin Scorsese, Godfather of the Mafia movie (no offense to Francis Ford Coppola), has finally recognized that the Irish can be mean as hell too (yeah, I know Gangs of New York was about the Irish. I didn’t see it. You got something to say about it?).

Based on the Hong Kong thriller Internal Affairs, The Departed is set in present day Boston and features Leonardo DiCaprio (a Scorsese favorite) in a stunning role as Billy Costigan, a young cop from a no good family who wants to do something useful with his life. He is offered a job undercover in the operation of Frank Costello (Nicholson), a brutal mob boss who the entire police force is looking to bring down. Costigan reports to two people and two people only, Sergeants Queenan and Dignam (Sheen and Wahlberg). Nobody else knows his true loyalties. Meanwhile, Colin Sullivan (Damon) is a young officer on the fast track up, with an impeccable record. He also happens to be an informant for Costello. So the stage is set for a ruthless game of cat and mouse, as each side tries to smoke out the other side’s rat.

This movie poses many interesting questions and moral dilemmas. Is there a difference between good and evil? While Costigan shakes down bookies, beats men unconscious, and acts as an accessory to murder in the name of taking down the organization, Sullivan acts from his office, tipping Costello off at every turn. Is it easy to see which one is the good guy and which one is the bad guy? The film also does a very good job at contrasting the lives of these two men. Costigan lives in fear for his life, horrified at the things he is witnessing. He’s a man constantly on the edge. Sullivan, on the other hand, has a comfortable job, a steady girlfriend, and a nice apartment. How is this fair? What incentive is there to be a good person, and to do the right thing? What is the right thing?

This movie drives home a fact that I believe many people have overlooked: DiCaprio can act. He is right up there with many of our finest actors, and this movie features many of our finest actors. Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen have already established themselves as some of the best of the best. In Nicholson’s case, I might go so far as to say he may be the best of the best. This movie doesn’t weaken my case. He has the ability to look incredibly intimidating (and crazy) without actually doing anything. Matt Damon is certainly one of the strongest actors of his generation, and all of his considerable talent is on display here.

Scorsese’s directing melts into the background. No flashy camera gimmicks here. No blow you away special effects. The Departed relies on character to hold your attention, and if these characters don’t make you snap to, you may want to seek professional help.

I want to say something about the soundtrack. Irish punk rock bagpipes. If they don’t get your blood pumping. . . maybe you’re not Irish.

I believe this to be a contender for Best Picture. Expect lots of nominations when awards season comes around. I give it five out of five stars. *****

Welcome, Josh Arthur.

The Pharos welcomes freshman Josh Arthur as our new Layout Editor.

Check the next issue of The Pharos for a look at Josh's handiwork. We're sure you'll be pleased.

The next issue of The Pharos will appear on stands October 18, 2006. Until then, we hope you enjoy our latest issue and continue to send your comments.

The Black Dahlia: A movie review by Chris Garton

The Black Dahlia, Starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Hillary Swank, and Mia Kirshner. Directed by Brian De Palma.

Who it’s for: Mystery buffs who don’t mind being confused.
Who it’s not for: Fans of the book will probably get mad.

There are several different ways to adapt a book to a movie, and most of them will leave at least some fans of the book disappointed. Most of the time, you can't fit everything from the book into the movie, so you're going to have to make cuts. The first way to accomplish this is to take a rough outline of the plot, and then rewrite the entire story, keeping the themes in mind. That way you have a movie that, while it may not follow the book exactly, is good in its own right, and follows the spirit of the original story. Some people will not like the changes, but so be it. The second way is to take the parts of the book where the key events happen, smoosh them together, and call it a movie adaptation. This will leave people who haven't read the book confused. People who have read the book will still be disappointed about the parts that were left out, but now also about the movie sucking.
Josh Friedman elected to use the second method when he adapted James Ellroy's darkly fascinating psychological study, The Black Dahlia. The result is a confusing movie whose only redeeming quality is some good atmosphere.
Set in the late 1940s, the plot concerns two LAPD police officers, Bucky Bleichert (Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Eckhart). They are partners in the Warrants division, and best buddies. Lee lives with a woman he met while working on a case, Kay Lake (Johansson), but they have a completely platonic relationship. When Bucky enters the picture, the trio become inseparable—a condition that can’t last. Shortly after New Year’s, the body of a young woman, Elizabeth Short, is found in an empty lot. She is horribly mutilated. Lee, for reasons that are not clear at the moment, becomes completely obsessed with the case. The press takes to calling the girl “The Black Dahlia.” Relating the rest of the plot would not only spoil some of the rather weak surprises, but it would also be tedious, as it gets complicated.
The best parts of this movie by far occur when you aren’t trying to figure out who did what to whom and why these two people are hitting each other. The casting videos found of the Dahlia are the most powerful scenes in the film. Mia Kirshner, whose acting credits include a character arc in “24” and a role in Showtime’s “The L Word,” brings a sophisticated pathos to the role of Elizabeth Short.
These scenes are shot in black and white, and the melancholy evident in her eyes during these scenes makes you forget the shortcomings of the rest of the movie for a moment.
Unfortunately, the film ends weakly, being wrapped up all too nicely, quickly, and dumbly. The acting wasn't bad, but the script moved from one plot point to the next so quickly (and without nearly enough explanation) that we never got a chance to really see them playing characters. They were just playing caricatures. Too bad really. I thought it had great potential. I give it two out of five stars.

The Pharos acts both as a source of news and as a forum of free expression for the West Virginia Wesleyan community. The Pharos and its staff operate with editorial freedom and responsibility. The views and editorials printed within the Pharos and its affiliated forms reflect the opinions of the individual writers and not the college or the Pharos staff as a whole.

Print Delay

Due to difficulties at our print source, this week's edition of the Pharos will not be available until Thursday, October 5 at the earliest. We apologize for the delay.