RECENTLY OUR TV screens were inundated with coverage of the Olympics. Did you find the coverage interesting, or do you think sports aracter ouilty unti A YOUNG couple stops at the local pub for a nightcap. An overpower- ing blast of fight and sound knocks you back in your seat as the pub explodes into flames. Now the police are looking for somcone to blame. Imagine if that someone was you. By Craig Hashimcto ZAP! Contributor. In The Name, Of The Father is a story. of prejudice, social injustice, _fossand triumph. After the explusive opening, we are transported to Belfast, Ircland, 1974. This is a time of revolution and upheaval for Ireland, held in a grip of terror by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), whose goal is to liberate Ireland from British rule using any means possi- ble. © We find Gerry Conlon, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, fearing for his safety at the hands of the IRA and British troops. With the help of his father, Guiseppe Conlon, Gerry flees to London escaping British ’ persecution and IRA “justice.” . In London, Conlon meets and quickly befriends a group of “long- ‘haired, pot- -smoking hippies.” While he has a good time with his new-found friends, a pub in the Guildford area explodes, inspiring ‘fear, and anger in the British popu- lace. The police, i in a panic to calm “the people, arrest Conlon, his father Guiseppe, his new friends and most of his family. In a mockery of jus- tice they are all convicted of being the IRA terrorists responsible for the Guildford bombing. This movie evokes a full range ". of emotions from triumph to hatred, anger to Jy: The entire audience was on the edge of their seats in awe, biting their nails in suspense and gasping in surprise. The courageous portrayal of the Conlon family brought tears 10 many eyes, and several humorous moments served its teasion breakers throughout the film. This could quite possibly be Day-Lewis’ finest role. He provides us witha character that is powerful, charismatic and fully believable. He surpassed all my expectations; his performance was moving and unforgettable! it comes as no surprise that he has been nominated for an Academy Award, in the Best Actor ’ category. In my opinion he richly deserves to win. Emma Thompson, who plays Day- -Lewis’ energetic and enthusi- astic lawyer, also tums in an excel- lent performance. She, too, has been nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress. Her depiction of an aggressive no- nonsense lawyer is a refreshing change from the usual fluff pieces she is generally found performing. Based on a true story, /n The Name Of The Father had an enor- mous potential to be a truly magnif- icent film, and director/producer Jim Sheridan (who also directed My Left Foot) made sure it lived’ up to ‘that potential in the fullest. ‘ Add to that the cinematic skills of the director of photography, Peter Biziou, and you have a superb movie. With opening shots like the pub bombing and the hectic riot scene in Belfast, not to mention the highly dramatic courtroom scenes, we are presented with a testament to the skills of both Sheridan and Biziou. Although the film is exceedingly well done, I do have two minor - ~ Olympic’ S commercialism negates competitive spirit ‘THE. WINTER Olympics have come and gone, and they brought with them the usual controversy, poor losers, spectacular wipe-outs anda few pointless events. The Olympics — were held - ‘in Lillehammer, Norway, which seems to be a beautiful city, This is one of the few redeeming qualities ‘the winter games have going for them. | ‘By David Runte ZAP! Contributor To some -people, the Olympics are a chance to watch their coun- try’s greatest athletes compete in world-class events to attempt to - win a medal for the pride and honor _ of their country. To this 16-year-old they're nothing more than an elaborate joke. Let's start with the controversy that seems to erupt any lime a - major sporting event takes place. I’m sure by now everybody, and ‘their dog, has heard about the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding scandal and formed their own opinion as to whether or not Harding is guilty. My own opinion is that Harding is guilty and at the least should not have been allowed to compete in the Olympics. 1 also feel that the media has blown this story way out of proportion and that they should try focusing on the hundreds of’ other athletes competing in all the various Olympic events instead of just two figure skaters. - Enough about skating. Let's talk about some other Winter Olympic events. We'll start with skiing. The assorted skiing events are some of the few } actually enjoy watching. There's nothing more fulfilling than watching a-potential medal- winner fly through the snow at speeds in excess of 100/km an hour, catch an edge and tumble to his/her inevitable last-place finish. Hockey is another sport 1 like watching, but that’s probably because I’m Canadian, eh? ‘In my opinion, the Olympics have become more commercial than competitive, where athletes compete for endorsements and book deals instead of for their country. The media hasn’t helped the sit- uation any and should concentrate less on the down side of the Olympics and more on the positive side; especially for the athIetes who spend their whole lives training just to get there. This opinion piece was written by David Runte, who writes for the North Shore News as part of the North Vancouver School District's Media Technology career prepara: . tion course. complaints. First, during his impris- onment Gerry finally breaks down from the strain of his 30-year sen- tence and a guard is seen consoling him. My question is, when did the hostilities between an alleged IRA terrorist and a British prison guard break down? This particular ques- tion was the cause of a rather heat- ed debate between two of my class- mates, showing just how involved we all got in the film. Secondly, the heavy irish and British accents occasionally made it difficult to understand what was being said. Therefore, you had to listen very hard to follow the plot, which actually made you more attentive. All those with whom I spoke thought that /n The Name Of The Father was one of the best movies of the year, and I would have to agree. It grabs you right from the beginning and never lets go. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, this is-a definite must-see, a-10, two | Go0D have become too commercialized? Photo submitted . GERRY CONLON {Daniel Day-Lewis) finds an ally in attorney Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson) in the gripping drama In the Name of the Father. thumbs up... You get the idea. Craig Hashimoto is an 18-year-old WE'LL Just sraer ACTING LIKE FRIENDS. \ FRIENDS. “YoU know, my cat had the same symptoms, aes and what we did with him ... Grade 11 student at Argyle. He is into skiing and writing. « BUT MINE IS -\ SHOT IFT. DON'T. ’ © John Brundige -