Daily Staff Writer

“American History X”

Although Edward Norton was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor, many people missed this impressive piece.

Norton plays Derek, a young man who, under the guidance of a white supremacist, starts a white gang in a predominantly black community. After killing three black men who were attempting to break into his car, Derek is sent to prison.

While he is in prison, Derek’s brother Danny, played by Edward Furlong, is subjected to the same pressures that led to Derek’s downfall.

The film is set on the day that Derek is released from prison, with several flashbacks to the past.

Danny has been sent to see the principal (an impressive Avery Brooks) after writing a report on “Mein Kampf.” When Danny meets Derek later that day, he finds that Derek has changed.

The most chilling aspect of “American History X” is how it let’s us peek in at the world of organized hatred. Every character has a rationale for his actions, and though they may be disturbing and absurd, they are enough to motivate the characters to frightening actions.

This, coupled with extraordinary performances by Norton and Brooks, makes “American History X” well worth a couple hours of your time.

-Ben Godar

“Some Kind of Wonderful”

’80s romanticism may not begin and end with the films of John Hughes, but he certainly has cranked out his fair share of culture-defining, cinematic triumphs.

“Some Kind of Wonderful” is one of Hughes’s lesser known treatises on love. Eric Stoltz ( “Pulp Fiction,” “Two Days in the Valley”) plays Keith Nelson, a high school loner and artist who is in love with Amanda Jones played by an insouciant Lea Thompson (“Back to the Future,” “Howard the Duck”). Amanda is also from the poor part of town, but because she is slutty, she is very popular with the rich kids, especially Hardy Jenns played by Craig Sheffer (“Fire in the Sky,” “A River Runs Through It”).

Hardy is mostly just using her for sex and treats her like a poor piece of crap. Keith doesn’t like this much, but he has problems of his own. His dad wants him to go to college, but Keith is an artist and can’t tell his dad that he really doesn’t want to go. Keith’s best friend is Watts, played by the vivacious, talented and always charming Mary Stuart Masterson (“Benny and Joon”). Watts is in love with Keith, but she is a self-conscious tomboy and feels she cannot compete with the slinky and skanky Amanda Jones.

Much like “Pretty in Pink,” this film has a killer mid-80s soundtrack, simple romance and a rich vs. poor morality play which works itself out by the end of the flick to satisfy even the most unromantic.

-Greg Jerrett

“Waiting for Guffman”

This hilarious comedy has the observational genius of Christopher Guest to thank for its wit. Guest, best known as one of the lead guitarists of Spinal Tap, directed and starred in the film he co-wrote with Eugene Levy.

The film is a mock documentary of a small town community theater production. Guest plays the not-so-ambiguously gay director, who has recently returned to his hometown of Blaine, Missouri after failing to hit it big in New York.

He casts his play with a variety of local amateurs, from the shy dentist (played by Levy), to a couple of prima donna travel agents (Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara).

With “Guffman,” Guest has done with community theater what “This is Spinal Tap” did with the 70’s rock scene. He pokes fun at the small town community not from outside, but from within.

It is the attention to detail that makes the comedy work. It is truly parody at its finest.

-Ben Godar