Up & Coming Weekly

A Scientific Morality Play With Premodern Roots Splice (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS Wow! Splice (104 minutes) is easily the best science fiction thriller since Doomsday! I admit to keeping my expectations low, but I walked out of the theater unable to stop talking about this fantastic movie. Like all good science fiction, there is something for everyone ... allusions to classical Greek my- thology, next generation science, quality act- ing, believable characters, sexy sorta ladies, a touch of horror, a bit of mystery, a tension relieving chuckle and a complex set of moral gray areas. Much of the credit for this engrossing morality play goes to Canadian Director/Co- writer Vincenzo Natali. I was a bit puzzled when I looked him up until I got to the be- ginning section of his resume and realized he directed and wrote one of the best science fiction films of the nineties, Cube, and if you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? The audience is introduced to most of the main players early on. Relationships are developed throughout the film, which takes places on a fairly small canvas. Genetic engineers Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley...who looks positively gorgeous) are superstars in their field. In between smoldering looks and donning amusing t-shirts, the two explore the secrets of DNA and go boldly where no one has gone before. Along the way they lose sight of their moral guidepost and drift into danger- ously unexplored territory. The Pretty Police The cops look like supermodels in Rookie Blue TV by DEAN ROBBINS Tell me if ABC’s new Rookie Blue (Thursday, 9 p.m.) sounds familiar: A group of young cops who look like su- permodels graduate from po- lice academy and pair up with crotchety veterans. The veterans have little patience for the rook- ies’ mistakes, but the rookies try hard to redeem themselves. They succeed right before the last commercial break. No, Rookie Blue doesn’t offer many cop-show surprises, but it does pass the hour pleas- antly. As I mentioned, the young cops look like supermodels — ‘nuff said. The actors are ap- pealing, too, particularly Missy Peregrym as an eager beaver with a heart almost too big for her line of work. I hope that Rookie Blue has a long life, and that the new cops never learn from their experiences. Their mistakes are way too endearing. Top Chef D.C. Wednesday, 9 pm (Bravo) The cooking competition’s new season is off to a promising start. The setting is Washington, D.C., which doesn’t inspire the cheesy gimmicks that Las Vegas did last season. So far, the emphasis is simply on good cooking, with few distrac- tions from psycho contestants or overly high-concept challenges. In this context, the tiniest mistake at the cutting board or mixing bowl can have profound consequences. One contestant prepares a chicken-liver mousse, 20 UCW JUNE 23-29, 2010 tastes it, and cries out in anguish: “It’s grainy!” You can’t help but love a series in which an entire episode hinges on graininess. Peeping Tom sex tape. But it’s not funny and cute; it’s creepy and off-putting. I found myself rooting for the cop investigating the Wests’ criminal activity. I don’t think that’s what the producers intended. Daytime Emmy Awards Sunday, 9 pm (CBS) It’s vitally important that TV stars get trophies for their work, even those who appear in the morning and afternoon. The Daytime Emmy Awards makes fine distinctions between The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Live with Regis and Kelly (Outstanding Talk Show — Entertainment) and Dr. Phil and The Dr. Oz Show (Outstanding Talk Show — Informative). I see no significant differences, myself, but I’m grateful that the Hollywood folks who make these momentous decisions know what they’re doing. The Wall – A World Divided Monday, 10 pm (PBS) This documentary on the Berlin Wall both breaks and lifts your heart. It be- gins with archival footage from 1961, when the Soviets erected the wall down the middle of Berlin to keep East Germans from fleeing to the West. We see people risk their lives to breach the barrier, including jumping out of high windows in hopes of landing on the Western side. Despite the dangers, East Germans pushed for reform, organizing mass protests in the 1980s. When they finally broke down the wall in 1989, everyone stood up and cheered — everyone except then President George H.W. Bush, who is shown responding to the news with stone-faced, mumbling indifference. When a reporter asks him why he isn’t elated, he responds, “I’m just not an emotional kind of guy.” Do tell. But I’m guessing that normal Earthlings will find The Wall this week’s most moving hour of TV. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Their first questionable decision is the creation of new life forms without considering that life forms have rights, whether they were created in nature or in a lab. The very lack of this fundamental question within the movie causes the audience to develop their opinions towards the ethics of life early in the story. When the leads finally get around to realizing the effect of their ivory tower intellectualizing they are already living with the consequences. Not that the real- ization does them any good, of course. The narrative shifts inevitably to the classic Frankenstein tale, and rarely has the tale been told with such originality and skill. Unable to deal with reality and relationships as they occur out of the laboratory setting, it is Elsa and not Clive who emerges as the dangerously experimental scientist. In a brilliantly feminist twist, it is her neuroses that race down the path that result in the creation of Dren (Abigail Chu/Delphine Chaneac). The really great thing about Dren is wondering whether we can judge her with human morality, seeing as how she is not quite human. On the one hand, it is nice to see a woman (Elsa) placed in a powerful role as a dominant figure. She makes mistakes independent of masculine influence, and I am sure repeat viewings will yield an even more in-depth message about women and their place in the world. On the other hand, it is a shame to see her character arc end in a rather clichéd way. If the movie has a major flaw it lies in the unexplored back story of the two scientists. Most of the story focuses on Dren and her development from science experiment to autonomous individual. But can we get more detail on the psy- chology of Elsa? Can we hear more about Clive and the rationale for his actions? Talk of a possible sequel promises further illumina- tion, so knock on wood! HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com

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