The Star Press from Muncie, Indiana • Page 11

The Star Press Saturday, May 6, 2000 Page5B At the movies Rules you don't learn in school Doris club celebrates art of being Doris today MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL STAR TRIBUNE I r- J- 4 1 i Photo provided HEARTWARMING: Want to know Where the Heart Is? It's playing at Northwest Plaza Cinema, starring Ashley Judd (left) and Natalie Portman. Dear Ann Landers: I saw this editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal, and it reminded me of something I saw in your column a few years ago. The reader who sent it to you said it appeared in the bulletin of her church, SS. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church on Detroit's West Side.

It bears out the theory that young people today are being raised with no true sense of how the real world works. I believe this article is worth printing again, and I hope you agree. Mary in Wisconsin Dear Mary: I agree wholeheartedly, and am grateful to you for sending it on. The message is a good one, and well worth repeating. Ten Rules Kids Won't Learn in School 1.

Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 86 times a day. j2. The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as your school does.

This might come as a shock. 3. Sorry, you won't make $40,000 a year as soon as you get out of high school. And you won't be a vice president and have a car phone, either. You might even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a designer label.

4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. 'Guys and Dolls' first-rate SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE ERIN BROCKOVICH Julia Roberts beams her star-quality spirit into every pore of this bright and entertaining drama about a legal worker who helps win a huge settlement against a California utility that's contaminating the water of a small town. Credit Roberts with charm, charisma, pluck and cleavage that can be measured by the yard. Also credit director Steven Soderbergh Out of Sight) for avoiding the cliches that usually accompany docudramas based on true stories, as this one is.

Able support comes from Albert Finney as Brockovich's boss, an attorney who has scaled few legal heights, and Aaron Eck-hard, as the man in her life, a biker who offers help with her three children. Rated R. Playing at Northwest Plaza. FINAL DESTINATION The latest movie to dig for ghoulish pay dirt by pandering to the adolescent fascination with death. Devon Sawa leads a nondescript cast of young people in a movie that amounts to little more than a death machine.

Sawa portrays a high-school student about to leave on a field trip to Paris when he has a vision of the plane blowing apart. Sawa's character raises a fuss and is thrown off the plane with six of his fellow students. The rest of the passengers (including 39 high school kids) die when the plane explodes minutes after takeoff. After a tantalizing beginning, the movie quickly charts a new flight plan, bringing the survivors into contact with delayed death and teen horror. You'll find violence, gore and tension, but little to redeem a movie that's dour and distasteful.

Rated R. Playing at Muncie Mall Cinema. By DELONDA HARTMANN For The Star Press MUNCIE A standing ovation for an opening night performance must be a first, but that's what happened Thursday night at Muncie Civic Theatre. Guys and Dolls is full of rollicking good humor and glorious music, and the audience response proved how successful the combination can be. Director Judy Schroeder performed her usual magic by making the play into a delightful cartoon.

The simple sets blazed with color, and the costumes had the audience reaching for sunglasses. She assembled a cast of singers who act (or terrific actors who sing) and two musical directors, Matt DeLong and Mark Davisson, who filled the stage with energy and enthusiasm. Michelle Kinsey won hearts and got big laughs as Miss Adelaide, who has been engaged to Nathan Detroit for 14 years. Alan Craig as Nathan wore a wild plaid suit, sang, danced and pranced around the stage, using his incredibly mobile features to indicate emotions ranging from defiance to devotion. The chemistry between Adelaide and older than 20.

1 0. Your school might be "outcome-based," but life isn't In some schools, you're given as many chances as you want to get the answer right. Standards are set low enough so nearly everyone can meet them. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life as you will soon find out. Good luck.

You are going to need it. And the harder you work, the luckier you will get. Dear Readers: This is Ann again. To those of you who have pre-teenagers. I suggest that you cut this column out, because in a few years, you are going to wish you had.

Dear Ann Landers: I recently had some minor surgery, and was very pleased with the results. In fact, it has given me a new lease on life. I would like to show my appreciation to the surgeon by sending him a gift perhaps a bottle of good champagne along with a note of thanks. My daughter says a note would be fine, but a gift would be inappropriate. I told her I was going to write to you for your opinion.

What do you say, Ann? I'm going to follow your advice. Jerry in Montreal Dear Jerry: I say, send the note and the champagne. This would not be excessive. Both will give the doc a lift. production audience.

Jan Etchison added warmth to the role of Sarah's grandfather, wishing her love in a tender song. John Alberson made a threatening Big Jule with his white suit and loaded dice. John Young-El added his own menace as Angle the Ox. The costumes of the Hot Box Dolls gave clues to their characters without being offensive, including a modest version of Take Back Your Mink. There was a nice contrast when Miss Adelaide and Sarah sat on bundled newspapers to sing their duet Marry the Man Today (and change his ways tomorrow), with Adelaide wearing another satin dress and glittering spike heels and Sarah in her missionary uniform.

Community theater doesn't get any better than this: sound, lights, set and props integrated into a first-rate production, beautifully directed with outstanding musicians and actor. Guys and DoUs has it all. Guys and Dolls will continue at 8 p.m. today, Friday and next Saturday in Muncie Civic Theafre, 216 E. Main St.

Admission is $15, adults; $10, students. Information: 288-PLAY. describe a three-page excerpt from the 1997 book as "enough to ruin the innocence of any 14-year-old." Though the Kaniases' initial request was denied, Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Mega-Stardom will be reviewed at a hearing May 22. Screen 1 Erin Brockovich (R) Rules of Engagement (R) Screen 2 My Dog Skip (PG) Road To El Dorado (PG) Sat.Sun. Only: 1:30 FINAL El PFSTl NATION Sat.Sun.

Only: 2:30 2DAYS SNDR BllLOCK EH3 Sat.Sun. Only: 2:00 CENTER STAGE "Special sneak preview of "Center Stage" PG 13, tonight at 7:15 p.m. in place of the 7:15 p.m. showing of "28 Days." 4 Cinema. I DREAMED OF AFRICA Audiences watching Kim Basinger in I Dreamed of Africa might find themselves daydreaming about more interesting movies.

Based on a real-life woman's forays in Kenya, I Dreamed of Africa presents gorgeous panoramas of the harsh continent. So gorgeous that the landscape swallows the characters, who somnambulate their way through this bleak, tedious melodrama. There's plenty of action lion, buffalo and snake attacks, elephants slain for their ivory, highway robbery, a vicious windstorm. But it plays out tire-somely, one nasty turn piled on another. Director Hugh Hudson previously has turned dry material into gold Chariots of Fire).

That magic eludes him here, and his characters amount to little more than pinpricks against the majestic African horizon. Rated PG-13. Playing at Muncie Mall Cinema. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT A mostly sharp military courtroom drama that asks questions about the role "of warriors in a world in which old rules no longer apply. Director William Friedken (The French Connection and Tlie Exorcist) shows some verve in the early going, but the picture bogs down a bit when it resorts to familiar legal maneuvering.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a Marine colonel on trial for murdering civilians in a bloody incident at the. U.S. embassy in Yemen. Tommy Lee Jones signs on as the Vietnam war buddy who defends him.

The lead performances are strong, and the supporting cast (Guy Pierce, Blair Underwood, Philip Baker Hall and Ben Kingsley) makes vigorous contributions. In the end, though, the movie's march into formula is a little too precise, and for a drama about ambiguity, this one could have used more of it. Rated R. Playing at Northwest Plaza. 28 DAYS This bland movie mixed from equal parts comedy and drama seldom hits the right notes, and its sitcom quirky characters (the gang at a rehab center for alcoholics) are not especially interesting.

Sandra Bullock stars as a drunk who's sent to rehab after an automobile accident. She must learn to ignore her boyfriend (Dominic West), a guy who likes her hard-partying ways. She also must adjust to her fellow addicts, a group played by Azura Skye, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Reni Santoni. Bullock fares reasonably well, but the only truly credible performance is given by Steve Buscemi, who plays a counselor and former alcoholic who has heard every excuse in the book. Viggo Mortensen (as a professional baseball player with a cocaine habit) has little to do, and director Betty Thomas plumbs no depths.

Comic moments bump into dramatic moments, shaking loose anything that might have stuck. Rated PG-13. Play frig at Muncie Mall Cinema. WHERE THE HEART IS It's natural the movie has the elements of a novel strong characters, involved plot since it was adapted from a best-seller by Billie Letts. That source material is its best asset, providing strong roles for a primarily female cast: Natalie Portman, "Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing and Joan Cusack.

The drawback: The novel was so richly textured It seems hard to capsulize in a 2-hour movie. Natalie Portman, the queen in the Star Wars prequel, is a marvel as the pregnant Tennessee girl abandoned in Oklahoma by her boyfriend. The outpouring of help from the small-town citizens is heartwarming, PG-13. Playing at Northwest Plaza. Ann LANDERS 5.

Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it "opportunity." 6. It's not your parents' fault if you mess up. You're responsible.

This is the mirror image of "It's my life" and 'You're not my boss." 7. Before you were bom, your parents weren't boring. They got that way by paying bills and listening to you. 8. Life is not divided into semesters.

And you don't get summers off. Not even spring break. You are expected to show up every day for 8 hours, and you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. 9. Smoking does not make you look cool.

Watch an 1 1 -year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone Review Nathan added a fine touch, and every sneeze or cough had significance after her song A Person Could Develop a Cold. Equally good was the chemistry in the more serious love affair between the missionary Sarah Brown, played by Lisa Etchison, and the gambler Sky Masterson, played by Myles Ogea. Both are terrific singers. Ogea's rendition of Luck Be a Lady brought down the house.

Michael Pechman played Nicely-Nicely Johnson and drew laughs from his first appearance, eating a Twinkie, to his entrance at the crap game with a carrot dangling from his mouth. Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat has never been done better. Jason.Marsh and Peter Adamson as his sidekicks added to the fun. Sue Templin managed to give the role of Gen. Matilda B.

Cart-wright the right amount of heart, even as she threatened to close the mission. Her impassioned Hallelujah at the prayer meeting met with an echo from the School library, say parents who want Goldberg's biography removed. The blue shtick of Goldberg and former boyfriend Danson has parents Richard and Beth Kania seeing red. In a complaint filed with the Muskego-Norway School- District, the Kanias RECEIVE 5 COUPONS FOR A CHANCE TO Whfr the HEART it- 9:40 SatSun. Only: 1:20 SffZeMom GFTPEA0V r.

es 4 Only: 1:50 U-57I maun i lu; -mm I SatVSun. 1J Only: 2:10 Erin Roberts Brockovich lu Sat.Sun. Only: 1:10 r5t5i, tj i 1 AM Show iV: 1 Bafore 8 pm ''IP- Xd En Seniors BIRD ISLAND. Minn. First came Doris.

Then another Doris. And another. And then another. Last Wednesday was the day the Doris club met for lunch, and these Dorises from the southwestern Minnesota towns of Windom and Lakefield didn't want to be late. Twice a year for the past 5 years, several dozen Dorises have gathered for lunch in cafes and restaurants in the small towns of southwestern and south-central Minnesota, to meet old friends, make new ones and celebrate the simple fact that they're named Doris.

Doris Kolander, the oldest member, admits to being 80-something; Doris Margaret Konold Is just 4 and goes by the nickname Maggie, but nobody seemed to mind. This is a club in which the tie that binds doesn't go any deeper than a name. "It's just a social event," said Doris Olson, who helped organize the club in 1995. "We don't have officers or presidents or anything." Although members have gathered twice a year for the past 5 years, the club traces its roots to the fall of 1959, when Doris Olson, Doris Lerohl and Doris Nelson, all of Storden, sent children off to first grade. One of the school's teachers was named Doris, and several years later, a second teacher named Doris Doris Hal-versen was hired.

At one point, Olson said, Halversen suggested to the mothers that it might be fun for all the Dorises to meet over coffee. But it never happened until 5 years ago. With the exception of actress Doris Day, who joined as an honorary member, there's been no formal recruiting. New members show up after hearing of the club by word of mouth or seeing notices in local newspapers. Arts briefs STAR PRESS STAFF REPORT Final ASO concert to feature Latin singer ANDERSON Anderson Symphony Orchestra will close its 1999-2000 season with a Latin American Pops concert at 8 p.m.

next Saturday in Paramount Theatre, 1 124 Meridian St. Latin singer Paula Monsalve will be the featured guest artist. Monsalve will perform Latin American folks tunes, ballads and boleros, which are slow rhythmic love songs. Monsalve will be joined on stage by her brother, Roberto Monsalve, on piano, and Armando Alvarez on guitar. Tickets are 1 7, 1 5 and $13.

Student tickets are $5. Information: (765) 644-2111. Jordan bigger than life in new IMAX film INDIANAPOLIS Michael Jordan to the Max opened Friday at White River State Park's IMAX Theatre downtown. Midiael Jordan to the Max not only celebrates Jordan as a basketball champion but a hero who transcends geography, cultures, age and gender. The 45-minute film follows Jordan's 1998 championship run with the Chicago Bulls.

The film also provides a rare glimpse of Jordan's life off the court. The film will run daily through Oct. 31. Tickets are $7.50, adults; $7, seniors, and $4.50, kids 3 to 12. Information: (317) 233-IMAX.

Take Mom to annual art fair in Broad Ripple INDIANAPOLIS The Indianapolis Art Center's 30th annual Broad Ripple Art Fair is set for next Saturday and May 14 on the grounds of the center at 67th Street and College Avenue. The fair will feature more than 200 artist booths with paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry, sculptures and wearable art. There will also be live entertainment for all ages (including Jennie DeVoe and Dog Talk) and a gourmet food Hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. next Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 14.

Tickets are $10 at the gate ($8 in advance at Marsh supermarkets). Information: (317) 255-2464. Parents object to Whoopi Goldberg's bio in school libraries THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL MUSKEGO, Wis. The vulgarity-laced and racially charged comments from comic actors Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson might be fine for the stage and cinema but have no place in the Muskego High EACH NIGHT YOU PLAY BINGO, YOU WILL WIN A TRIP TO A LAS VEGAS MILLION DOLLAR BINGO GAME OR $760 CASHII SATURDAY, MAY 6 Arrive by 5:00 to receive Free Sheet to $1 ,000 Coverall SUNDAY, MAY 7 Arrive by 5:00 to receive Free Sheet to $1000 Coverall WINNER'S CHOICE DRAWING Variety of prizes to choose from. DOOR PRIZE DRAWINGS (5) $100 WINNERS 3 FREK NIGHTS OF BINGO GIVEN AWAY EVERY BINGO NIGHT IN MAY! OPEN 2:00, GAMES START 5:30 EVERYONE WELCOME AMVKTS SWOT 12 THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS Another live-action Flintstones flick? Sounds like a yabba-dabba-dumb time.

But surprise: The latest from Bedrock is cute and funny, with slapstick and cuddly creatures for the kids and enough wit to keep parents reasonably amused. This time out, it's the Flintstones and Rubbles' early days. Fred (Mark Addy) woos debutante Wilma (Kristen Johnston), and Barney (Stephen Baldwin) romances Betty (Jane Krakowski), a perky roller-skating waitress. The lovers head for Rock Vegas, where a rich rival for Wilma, Chip Rockefeller (Thomas Gibson), sets Fred up for a fall. Alan Cumming plays an alien sent to Earth to observe primitive mating.

Nice, cartoonish visuals, good support from Joan' Collins and Harvey Korman, plus a frisky baby Dino. PG. Playing at Northwest Plaza. FREQUENCY John Sullivan (Jim Cavaziel) has lived with despair since his father, a firefighter, was "killed in a. blazing warehouse 30 years ago.

Now he makes a shocking discovery: He can communicate with his young dad, living 30 years ago, through an old ham radio. By warning his father what's to come. John figures he might be able to save the old man's life and cure his own despair. Frequency is of, for and about guys. It has baseball, fire-fighting, homicidal maniacs and time travel.

But In its heart, it also cherishes those shaky old home movies of family barbecues and days at the beach. This makes for some unavoidable father-son heart-to-hearts, but they aren't too excruciating and are more than offset by action sequences that reek of adrenaline and testosterone. Rated R. Play-frig at Northwest Plaza. GLADIATOR Time for a little gladiatorial gore with your Milk Duds.

Gladiator is here, and it's big, glorious and eminently dumb. Director Ridley Scott fash-' ions an awesome spectacle, with a stunning computer-generated Colosseum that shows just how far Hollywood has come technically since the days of Ben-Hur and Spartacus. Despite Russell Crowe's glowering presence as Roman general Maximus, what Gladiator lacks Is the heart and humanity of those earlier Roman pageants. There's a promising story of a fallen general bent on revenge against a sniveling emperor in the gladiator ring. But Scott lets action and architecture overwhelm the characters and their leaden dialogue.

Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix and Oliver Reed co-star. Rated R. Playing at Northwest Plaza 2520 Kilgore (St. Rd. 32 West) 282-3481 741-8800 LIC.97B1 74194 605-02 vy.ai''iC HINT visit our website at www.kerflsoteg.com 10:05 SatSun.

Only: 2:00 FREQUENCY DCNNH OUAIO 9:50 SatSun. Only: 1:30 WHAT IF YOU COULD ftEACH SACK INTjMSt E3 aRIDLEYSCOTTfum GLADIATOR HERO WILL RISE DIGITAL LUI Sat.Sun. Only: More movies Also playing in Muncie but not reviewed: Dreamed of Africa at Muncie Mall Cinema. Love and Basketball at Muncie Mall Cinema. U-571 at Northwest Plaza.

Editor's note: Cinema 7 is closed for renovations. For more about movies in Muncie, check out the Kera-sotes movie link on The Star Press Web site: www.thestar press.com..