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"WEEKEND STAR" Soderbergh's second hit of 2000: The edgy Traffic SCREENING ROOM TRAFFIC PA Qh Qk Skike Directed by Steven Soderbergh Now in limited release THIRTEEN DAYS A gk ok gk ¢ Francis Ford Coppola, the godfather of ~modern American cinema, was the last director to be at the helm of two brilliant films in one year. In 1974 Coppola turned the trick with the Oscar-winning epic The Godfather Part II, arguably the greatest film ever made, and his low-budget masterpiece about paranoia, The Conversation. The great director, who has never since enjoyed the success he had in the 70s, found himself in the heady predicament of having two films competing against one another for the Academy Award for best picture, and he was a multiple nom- inee for director and screenplay honours. Steven Soderbergh, once the darling of the American independent film move- ment could very well find himself in the same position of Coppola (not a bad place to be) this year, with his previously released Erin Brockovich, which should By John Foote snag Julia Roberts an Oscar for best actress, and his new film, the heart-stop- ping Traffic. Combining many stories in a complex narrative, the film explores the impact of a drug cartel on the lives of those caught up in the world of fast, illegal money, and the police who are trying to bring it down. Among the characters we encounter in this briskly -paced epic are an ambiguous cop portrayed by Benicio del Toro, who intercepts a cocaine loaded plane in Tijuana and is faced with the decision of what to do; a Washington-appointed judge, brilliantly played by Michael Douglas, who is the president's personal war machine against drug cartels, but is fighting his own demons which concern his daughter's drug addiction; the wife of a jailed drug czar, essayed by Catherine Zeta Jones, who proves more than capa- ble of running her hubby's business, and Don Cheadle, as a fast-thinking federal agent who wants nothing more than to bring the business down. The performances in the film are noth- ing short of superb, with Oscar nomina- tions likely for Douglas and del Toro, and a shockingly brilliant piece of acting from Zeta-Jones, who has never before dis- played the depth she shows in this pow- erful performance. With the constantly moving camera and subtle editing, Soderbergh places the audience in the situation of having to experience the film as opposed to mere- ly watching it. He served as his own cine- matographer on the piece, using a hand- held camera to give the film its intensely busy energy. What I think is extraordinary about this director is the manner in which he draws performances from actors. Remember Out of Sight (1998) with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom have never been better? How about last year's revenge epic The Limey (1999), with Terence Stamp in the performance of his career? Earlier this year Soderbergh was said to have sold out to Hollywood in direct- ing a film starring Julia Roberts, yet he forged a taut, superb work of great intelli- gence, using Roberts' star power in a way it has never been used before. The result was a one of the year's best perfor- mances. My hunch is that he will be recognized more for Erin Brockovich than for Traffic, which is a shame because the latter is a stronger film. There is buzz building in the business for him already; Traffic recently collected best picture and direc- tor prizes from the New York Film Critics Circle, and Soderbergh has won every single directing award the various critics circles pass out. Without question one of the best films of the year, Traffic seems to make clear Soderbergh has finally arrived. THIRTEEN DAYS Directed by Roger Donaldson Had this film been released at any other time than the Christmas season, it is likely it would go on to become a major Oscar contender. Political films do not play well over the holiday season because they require far too much thought, and audiences are seeking escapism. Certainly fine dramatic films are released over the holiday season because they are headed to the Oscar cir- cles, but for a political film, and further, a film based on fact, the battle to find an audience is virtually impossible to win. Warren Beatty's Reds (1981) was the best film of its year, a masterpiece that richly deserved to be honoured with an Academy Award as best picture. But the film never found an audience and remains one of the great undiscovered movies of the 80s. The same is likely to happen to Thirteen Days, a tension-filled picture exploring the days surrounding the night- mare that was the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. For thirteen dark days, President John F. Kennedy was forced with the real- ity of having to make a decision that would impact on all mankind. Kennedy proved his mettle as president by not backing down, by forcing the Russians to stop arming Cuba in one of the most courageous moves an American presi- dent has made. Placing a blockade, Kennedy made it very clear to the Soviets that the missiles were to be removed, or the United States would take drastic, and immediate action. Was Kennedy prepared to go all the way? We will never really know because the Russians believed he was, and did what he demanded. Thirteen Days is a documentary-like reconstruction of the events that led to and the actual events of Kennedy's stand off with the Russians and Cubans. Please turn to page 28 nln eh i Ei is EIR FRXFFFR TORII RINT FTXT 188 MARY ST. HITTITE IR re - PORT PERRY - (905) 985-7383 sy. : ; i mpet c o d . aided compartment ovr pos me nd SEES ERE bil BN 0R y 985 SG a Rats a Re SU : EIS RRR NE BS SE RR 1 + High Speed Internet on Cable with Absolutely the Fastest Gateway in the area, up to 100 x's faster.®= 2 + Digital Coming in Summer 2001 + Competitively Priced - Great Value J Extra Outlets are Free J Free Service Calls + Local Company + Personal Service +" Local Programming like Chex Durham & Community Channel 10 J Fast Response Time J Saturday Appointments 247 Support + Supports your Community Compton Communications -8171 WWW. compton.net ELIVERS , FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2000-9