Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 November 2, 2001 f

Film Society: drugs are bad, but these films are good
JIM FLANAGAN
STAFF WRITER

Once again, the Film Society is doing what has become a tradition over the past few semesters--we are proudly presenting a series of films about drugs. Like I say every time we show movies like this, the Film Society does not endorse drug use; we just think it makes for great film subject matter. This weekend, come out to watch movies about people hopelessly addicted to horrible substances, and it will make your complaints about the long lines at Thorne seem trivial. The movies will be shown in Smith Auditorium, Sills Hall. And, unlike the habits they depict, these films are free and available to everyone.

Friday at 7 p.m.
Traffic
Steven Soderbergh helms this film that follows a number of stories about the American war on drugs. One story features Michael Douglas as the U.S. drug czar who discovers his daughter is addicted to heroin. Benicio Del Toro, who received the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance, plays a Mexican cop working with the U.S. border patrol. Finally, Catherine Zeta-Jones portrays a woman whose husband has, unbeknownst to her, been arrested for leading a large drug ring. Traffic also won Oscars for best editing, screenplay and direction. It features a terrific ensemble cast and is truly a great film.

Friday at 9:30 p.m.
The Man with the Golden Arm
This is Otto Preminger's 1955 classic, starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. "Ol' Blue Eyes" plays a card shark and former heroin addict who has been released from prison and is fighting his old drug habit. This film was not initially approved by the MPAA because it dealt so frankly with a serious drug addiction, and was instrumental in changing the movie production code.

Saturday at 7 p.m.
Trainspotting
This is a great U.K. film about four Scottish heroin addicts and the crazy lives they lead. I couldn't help but think of this film when I first saw Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Both have that "wild ride" feel to them, and feature a bunch of British guys (ok, they're Scottish in this film, but you know what I mean) pulling off amazing crimes. If you haven't seen this movie before, you should really check it out.

Saturday at 9 p.m.
Wonder Boys
Curtis Hanson, who previously made such gritty films as The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and L.A. Confidential, presents a different kind of movie this time. Michael Douglas plays Grady Tripp, a Carnegie-Mellon Professor who has some problems. He used to a great author, but now he is in year seven of completing his current book. His agent is pressuring him to finish, his wife has left him, and his mistress reveals she's pregnant (her husband is the chair of Tripp's department, by the way.) In addition, he has to deal with wild students who hit on his agent and who are search for a coat once owned by Marilyn Monroe. The only way Tripp can cope with this crazy weekend is to spend it in a marijuana-induced haze.