Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 117

January 29, 1999 Section 7A PULLOUT GUIDE in." ft yy i iir--iniiinir-m 4J 1 ft 1 Inside: "HEALING BY KILLING" (left) is a sobering documentary, based on the book "The Nazi Doctors," on the horrors of the Holocaust; the Dalai Lama (left at right) with writer Rodger Kamenetz mm' 1 "1 -4f in "THE JEW IN THE LOTUS," based TV 1 1 -V- -si -m i wm rssi'J 3 "I i ikZ -v GeneSiske! Flicks Picks 'She's All That' a refreshing 'My Fair Lady' Our Flick of the Week is "She's All That" a high school drama that accurately reflects the intense pressures that 17-year-olds feel about their senior prom: from whom they are going with, to what direction their lives will take afterward. The extra gimmick here is a makeover bet that the studly Prom King hopeful (Freddie Prinze Jr.) makes with his friends. He claims he can transform a geeky artistic girl (Rachael Leigh Cook) into the Prom Queen. 'She's All That' Along the way, he falls in love with her and she develops a sense of self awareness. Sound familiar? "She's All That" is like a teenage version of "My Fair Lady." Fortunately, what's missing from this example of this generation of teenage romances is a dark element of mayhem or malevolence.

Refreshingly, no one dies. This then, is the sunniest high school picture since "Clueless," although it lacks that film's topical sense of humor. Rachael Leigh Cook, as Laney, the plain Jane object of the makeover, is forced to demonstrate the biggest emotional range as a character, and she is equal to the assignment. I look forward to seeing her in her next picture. Rated PG-13.

on Kamehetz's book that explores The top newspaper films. PageH right here at the Chicago Tribune. (Actually what we'll see is the Tribune re-created on soundstages: Most of the movie follows a romance in North Carolina between message-sender Kevin Cost-ner and Hollywood's idea of a Tribune staff researcher Robin Wright Penn.) Eastwood over Costner seems a good bet But, to tell the truth, the idea of a newspaper movie lacks the old sure thrill it had when I was See Newspaper, Page I J1 m.X Buddhism and Judaism. he's All Thatf puts a new spin on 'Pygmalion' By John Petrakis Special to the Tribune Take two cups "Pygma- lion," a pinch of "Cinderella" and a generous helping of "In the Company of Men," and you have "She's All That," the latest teen social comedy that tries to put a semi-serious spin on the rampant problem of how to be really popular in high school. As the L.A.-based fable begins, Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) are the numero-uno couple on campus.

She is beautiful, flashy and rich, with a perfect head for fashion; he is the handsome and book-smart 'She's All That1 senior class president and captain of the soccer team. Ah, but there is a snake slithering through paradise, in the form of Brock Hudson (Matthew Lillard), a quasi-celeb-rity from MTV's "Real World" who steals Taylor's chilly heart away. Zack is devastated. Worse, he is embarrassed. To have this happen to him, and so close to prom, no less.

So to prove that he is still "the man" and that Taylor is old news, he cruelly wagers that he can take any girl from school no matter how homely and transform her into the prom queen in a matter of See She's, Page rt Taylor (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) and Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) are headed for a breakup in the latest teen social comedy, "She's All That." iyT "w-'. fV 1 J.a vrm L. if 1 -tow. rf- in pw INcWbpdJt; nil i la uvcr ic ycciio. wii il lxiolvvaaj icil; ai iu jai i icg nwus i uic upwi i 13 w- 2.

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in 1940's "His Girl 3. Dustin Hoffman (left) and Robert Redford in 1976's "All the President's 4. Orson Welles (center) in 1941's "Citizen 5. Sally Field in 1981's "Absence of Malice." Pressing business With few exceptions, tne great newspaper movies are decades in the past. Why? Why do the movies, old and new, have such a continuing fascination for newspaper offices? For wisecracking reporters, tantrum-throwing editors and the race to beat the last deadline? Ever since movies started to talk in the 1920s, newspapers have been a favorite film subject or background as two soon-to-be released movies, "Message in a Bottle" (scheduled to open Feb.

12) and "True Crime" (scheduled to open March 19), may prove once again. How will those two stack Michael Wilmington Tribune movie critic up? Well, I look forward to "True Crime" a Clint Eastwood-directed thriller with Clint as an alcoholic journalist trying to spring an innocent man from execution much more than to "Message in a Bottle," even though it was supposedly partly shot A CIVIL ACTION. A stay based on Jonathan Harr's celebrated book. It tells the true story of a chemical-dumping lawsuit and the practical decisions that were made by the real-lite personal injury lawyer (thoughtfully played by John Travolta) who eventually took it on. Writer and director Steven Zaillian peels back a little-seen layer of the legal profession, showing how a law firm makes a decision to See Siskel, Page.