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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 1984)
ERS -inters NOW 499' .00 i 699 :er compuW .ast #102 .77840 ntertainment Thursday, August 9, 1984/The Battalion/Page 7 ©view: ‘Purple Rain’ effective ‘ally Slated Moraffir. I ‘necessan i nctims or ton would | Larry Neal ed that il ild issue a rive action ‘story has id enough natter hm | will believe | a\ of Dc “ gay com- ign began, icism upon eived Sow | gay rights cvas raised «np shod return the | md-raisiog as unaware s held but money had | mvemional By SHAWN BEHLEN Staff Reviewer “Purple Rain” is one of the most [usual and emotional movies to come around in a long time. It doesn’t have scintillating dialogue or a nind-boggling pleat, but it does have aact. The star of the film is, as everyone should know by now. Prince. In that its appeal. Prince is “Purple Kam” — without him there could be ho film. And, if you believe the cur rent story that this film is autobio graphical, then “Purple Rain” is Prince. The story revolves around a kning rock star, the Kid (Prince), who is trying to break into the big lime by playing with his band, The Revolution, at the hottest club in Minneapolis. He is not the only ris ing young star there, however. Also playing at the club is The Time, led fay Morris Day. The Kid and Day have an intense rivalry going and as the movie be gins, the Kid is beginning to slip. Ap- polonia Kotero then comes into town locaking for a way to get into show biz. She ends up at The First Avenue Club and Day and the Kid begin to compete for her attention as well. From there, the film touches on aspects of intense ambition, selfish and selfless love, marriage, frustra tion, sex roles, wife abuse, dreams, self-awareness, cooperation, success, etc. It does not believe in sticking to one part of the story or even in ex plaining everything fully. It’s more like a hit-and-run on emotions, giv ing just enough to intrigue or at least interest. Interspersed throughout these story lines are mesmerizing concert sequences by The Revolution and The Time. These are what make the movie powerful. Prinpe is a per former of unbelievable magnitude. That has been recognized for years. Day, on the other hand, is pure com edy and his hilarious gyrations are a nice counterpoint to Prince’s se riousness. The music is simply fantastic. The soundtrack album is now number one on the album chart and the sin gle, “When Doves Cry” is number ne$ s an eigty the FBI, i dice in At-; Houston.! have been 1 liferadonoll age parlors [ eir city. Po-I more pros-1 he crime is i studios and girl" open- f Pfince in ‘Purple Rain’ NOW HIRING Good benefits. Good pay! Free uniforms and food! Flexible hours. Apply now! WORK FOR NUMBER ONE! See a Manager for an application. 2420 TEXAS AVE., COLLEGE STATION 801 University Dr. College Station 825 Villa Maria Road Bryan McVoftafds &Uou Newly Remodeled Apartments Newly Redecorated Very Large 1 bedroom units Nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath units with split bedrooms. Huge walk-in closets Perfect for Roommates Laundry Facilities Pool Sun Deck 3200 PINFEATHER OFFICE HOURS 9-6 Mon .-Sat, 12-5 Sun Pinfeather Welborn 2* .2 Q> (0 2 > C m Near Shuttle Bus Club Room On-Site Security Phone 822-7321 one on four other charts. The music supplies the backbone of the film and gives it much of its emotional appeal. Aside from that, the movie makes many valid points about today’s so ciety. Prince is anything but femi nine, but spends much of his time looking in a mirror and applying makeup. Also, when Appolonia buys him a guitar, he reciprocates by giv ing her one of his earrings. This serves to raise the whole androgyny issue once again and after a movie such as this, it has to become more accepted. “Purple Rain” also makes a subtle statement on racial harmony. Two- thirds of The Revolution is white, Kotero is half Hispanic, half Ameri can native and the audience in the club consists of every racial combina tion imaginable. Put simply, race is not an issue. Whether this is a carry over from society or an example for society to look at remains to be seen, but it is a positive step. Another hopeful sign is the mov ie’s attitude towards drugs and li quor. Not one person is ever shown using drugs and only one person drinks — he is presented as an ex ample of a wasted life. In one scene Appolonia takes a drink and Prince gets angry and asks why she needs the stuff. This is definitely a new at titude for rock and roll movies and with Prince’s strong following, it could have an effect. That following can’t help but be come larger after this. Prince can ex ude the same sexual presence on film as he can on stage and a success ful film career is in the future. The other discovery of the film, as far as acting is concerned, is Morris Day. In the film, he mainly is just play ing himself — a true comedian. The man is fantastically funny and al most steals the entire film. In a true show of bravado, he even attempts a variation of the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on first?” routine. Surpris ingly enough, it is a success. As for the others, especially Ko tero, they should play it safe and stick with music. In other words, be sides Prince and Day, the rest just cannot act. Overall, Prince’s film is just like his music: sexy and emotional. Don’t expect “Gone With the Wind.” Do expect a view into the world of a highly creative and explosive musi cian. For musical performances alone, “Purple Rain” is a winner. Hagar hits it again Sammy Hagar VOA Geffen Records ★★★★ By PETER ROCHA Staff Reviewer If you’re looking for an album with deep socially significant themes and innovative instrumentations, this ain’t it. But if you’re looking for high-en ergy, hard-driving rock ’n’ roll, then look no further. Since his early days with Mon trose, Sammy Hagar has been writ ing and singing songs about those two great teenage dreams; fast cars and women. Hagar’s recipe for rock is easy. Start with a heavy rhythm section, add loads of guitar, and top it off with a howling voice. Throw in some Trans-ams and sex and people will be buying it up. “Rock is in my blood,” “Dick in the dirt,” “VOA” and “Burn’n down the city” all sound pretty much like ear lier Hagar except for the keyboards he added just a couple of years back. He uses them mainly for texture and depth with guitar still the dominant instrument. “Swept away,” “Two sides of love” and “Don’t make me wait” are more likely to get airplay. They’re all de cent love songs but they lack that rough edge that makes Hagar so en joyable. Though the name Sammy Hagar implies he is the singer/leader of the group it would be ridiculous to over look the other members — bassist Bill Church and guitarist Gary Pihl. Pihl is especially important in con cert since he frees up Hagar and plays some searing leads. If you’re already a Sammy Hagar fan you’ll no doubt enjoy it. If you’ve never heard him before, at least give it a try. You just might have some fun. Vt * r-IS schulMAn ThEATres LT'V *1 OFF ADULT TICKET 1*t show each day •xc#ot aremnnft 13 SCHULMAN 6 77»-24S3 770-2400 THE LAST ST ARFIGHTER 1 DOLBY 1 1 STEREO 1 2;45 5:05' 7:25 9:45 GREMLINS | DOLBY 1 btiAeoI 2:45 5:05 7:25 9:45 THEPHILIDELPHIA raPEKIMENT 2:40 5:00 7:20 9:40’ .PURPLE RAIN rranm STHIEOi 2:50 3:15~ •7:35 9:55! 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