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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1989)
Paqe 12 The Battalion Monday, February 20,1989 Reviews Photography, script, acting create constant tension in ‘True Believer’ “True Believer” Starring James Woods and Robert Downey Jr. Directed by Joseph Ruben Rated R ★★★★ By S. Hoechstetter REVIEWER Today’s average mystery/detective film has a murder, several car chases, gun fights and one or more love scenes. “True Believer” is not the average film. Director Joseph Ruben creates a constant level of in tensity without using the old stand bys. This film has a murder but no car chases, no shootouts and no love scenes. So how can it be good? John W. Lindley’s photography and Wes ley Stride’s well-written script are the base for the strength of “True Be liever.” Lindley gives the audience a sense of entrapment by filming almost all of the scenes in small, dimly lit rooms. He makes the viewers feel terror as they watch a brutal knife ‘’Burbs’ wastes Hanks’ talents, audience’s time “The ’Burbs” Starring Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher Directed by Joe Dante Rated PG ** By Shane Hall REVIEWER Life in the suburbs becomes a life in hell for Tom Hanks in the “The ’Burbs,” a new comedy di rected by Joe Dante (“Gremlins”). Unfortunately, the film is not funny. In fact, after seeing it, it is easy to forget that Hanks is the funny and talented actor who re cently received an Academy Award nomination for his role in “Big.” Hanks stars as Ray Peterson, a man who decides to spend his week’s vacation from work sleep ing late, watching television and spending time with his wife, Carol (Carrie Fisher). His week of rest and relaxation is interrupted when curiosity arises about the Klopeks, the weird neighbors liv ing next door. It seems that nobody has ever met them or even seen them. They stay inside their crumbling house that sticks out like a sore thumb alongside the freshly- painted houses and manicured lawns around it. Ray and two friends, Art, an overweight clod (Rick Docum- mun) and Mark, a tightly-wound Vietnam veteran (Bruce Dern), decide to do some snooping when their curiosity about the mys terious neighbors rises. They find a human femur in a yard and no tice that something in the Klo peks’ basement spews jets of flame that light up the entire basement. The three begin to sus pect that the Klopeks are a family of satanists and psychotics. What we have here is a movie whose “creepy neighbors invade suburbia” plot is similar to the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd film, “Neighbors,” another dreadful film. Dante’s direction, with its constant use of the camera to zoom in on the characters’ faces, is an attempt at making “The ’Burbs” a horror-comedy film. However, nothing in the movie works. Hanks’ monologue toward the movie’s end about who the really crazy people in the suburbs are seems to be an attempt at giving this movie a message about sub urbanites, but it is a feeble at tempt that turns out to be too little, too late. The movie’s only humorous parts are mostly in what can be considered inside jokes. For ex ample, there is a box of Gremlins cereal in Ray’s house (Dante di rected “Gremlins”). When Dern’s character appears on the screen, the music we hear is a brief piece from “Patton.” Jerry Goldsmith, who did the music for “The ’Burbs,” also scored the music to “Patton.” Inside jokes, however, do not make an unfunny movie funny. Hanks is mostly reduced to the role of a straight man in this film. This is far from appropriate for the actor who was so hilarious in “Big.” The sterile, WASP-ish nature of suburban life is a perfect target for a satirical film. Too bad the film makers wasted the opportu nity to make one. fight in a prison chapel. Witnesses’ flashbacks during testimony are filmed in slow motion black and white, which suspends time and makes the rest of the action in the film that much more fast-paced. Lindley’s photography combined with the script, the editing and act ing electrify the audience. The audience at the sneak pre view of the film reacted vocally to the tension on the screen. When a witness’ testimony was in favor of the defense or when the antagonist got what he deserved, the audience whooped. James Woods gives a powerful performance of cynical lawyer Eddie Dodd who specializes in acquitting drug dealers on technicalities. Dodd gained fame in the 1970s as a maver ick with liberal 1960s ideals who won the cases other lawyers refused to take. Now he is a slave to his clients and the drugs they give him as pay ment for proving their “innocence.” Roger Baron (Robert Downey, i r.) is an aspiring young lawyer who as been an admirer of Dodd’s for many years. Baron, a recent law By Cray Pixley ENTERTAINMENT WRITER A disc ringed by five chairs pro vided the sole visual background in the exceptional and unusual produc tion of King Lear by the Alliance for Creative Theatre, Education and Research last weekend. Spectacle was not the goal for the five actors performing all of the roles in Shakespeare’s tragedy last weekend in Rudder Theater. Props and costume changes were left be hind in an attempt to bring the audi ence closer to the exhilarating text. Storm scenes were weathered without sound, and the blinding of the Duke of Gloucester was accom plished without bloodshed. The power of the production was in the text, not the set or costumes. The cast chose contemporary cos tumes in earth tones in place of regal period costumes. A simple shawl and a stocking skull cap were the sole de tails used on the costumes. Just as the fugitive Edgar trans forms into the crazed Tom o’ Bed lam, the five actors masterfully moved smoothly from character to character while never leaving the stage. Changes in scenes were marked By Shane Hall REVIEWER MSC-OPAS’ Focus on the Per forming Arts week closed Friday night with a spectacular presentation of the Gershwin musical, “My One and Only.” The two-hour musical featured the music of George and Ira Gersh win, outstanding choreography and great performances by the entire cast. Abe Reybold shined as Capt. Billy Buck Chandler, a Texas hayseed with aspirations to be the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic to Paris, France. Reybold was enter taining from start to finish. Chandler’s dreams of fame are in terrupted when he falls for Edythe Herbert (Liz McCarthy),a former English Channel swimmer and cur rent water ballet star. Herbert, however, is managed by the nasty, jealous Russian prince, Nicolai Erraclyovitch Tchatchavadze (David J. Schuller). McCarthy, who has performed in such musicals as “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Oklahoma!” shines as Edythe Herbert. McCarthy’s singing and acting abilities made her performance a de light to watch. Schuller, as Prince Nikki, injected just the right amount of humor into the nasty character he plays to get a few laughs of his own. Other performances worth noting were Jorge Luis Abreu as the hila rious Rev. J.D. Montgomery and Claudia Lynne Miller as Mickey. Montgomery is a minister by day and a bar ownei" by night. The char acter is a minor part in the show, but Abreu makes him a memorable one. Mickey is Capt. Chandler’s foul- mouthed mechanic who turns out to be a federal agent in disguise. school graduate, gets a job in Dodd’s office so he can learn from his hero. But he is quickly disenchanted when he learns that Dodd smokes pot in his office and takes kickbacks from his clients. When a Korean woman comes to Dodd’s office pleading for him to defend her son for a murder he was accused of committing eight years earlier and a murder he committed in self-defense in prison, Dodd lends a deaf ear. Baron convinces him that her case is worth taking, and the ac tion is non-stop from there. Once Dodd decides to defend Shu Kai Kim (Yuji Okumoto) he is con stantly on the trail of the truth. But the trail is long and bumpy. Several powerful people do not want the truth known and they will do anything to keep Kim looking guilty. Every time Dodd takes one step forward something happens to make him take two steps back. The audience feels Dodd’s frustration ev ery time a key witness is murdered. Still, he is relentless in his quest to prove Kim’s innocence and his own self-worth. Dodd has to interrogate criminals, ex-cons, members of the by the sharp clap of hand boards used by the actors, and some seg ments of the play featured stylized movement. Those characters not in the scene being performed occupied the chairs outside the circular set, enter ing the realm of Lear’s ancient king dom as the script demanded. Some scenes demanded that the actor hold a conversation with him self while portraying the two charac ters in discussion. The opening scene in King Lear began with Clifford Rose swaying from side to side in the dual roles of the Duke of Gloucester and the Earl of Kent discussing Gloucester’s son Edmond. The actors’ carriage, voice and sometimes a ruffling of the hair brought about the transformation from character to character. While watching an actor change characters with lightening speed proved thrilling, members of the au dience who were unfamiliar with the play went diving for their programs. Many spectators kept their pro grams in hand throughout the night to help identify who was playing whom. Regardless of the confusion, the Tap dancing aficionados will love this show. “My One and Only” fea tures numerous tap dancing num bers, all of them beautifully choreo graphed by Daniel Pelzig. T he sets in the show are worth noting as well. Scenery designer James Bush gives the show some impressively de signed props. Part of what makes “My One and Only” so good is the scenery design and other behind the scenes work as well as what the audi ence sees on the stage. The audience, apparently enjoy ing what was on stage, responded with enthusiasm to the performance by the actors and to the music, which was played with precision through out the evening. Photo by Mike C. Mulvey Capt. Billy Buck Chandler and Edythe Herbert dance to “ ’S Wonderful” in the play “My One and Only” last Friday. American Nazi Party, and a man committed to an insane asylum. He gets beaten up and receives a few death threats. Understandably, he gets discouraged, but he is deter mined to save his client. Dodd gets help from his assistant, Baron, and a longtime lawyer friend, Kitty Greer (Margaret Colin). The trio acts more like detec tives than lawyers as they try to find competent witnesses who are still al ive. Dodd also has to do battle in the courtroom against the corrupt but smooth Manhattan district attorney. The two have locked horns in the past and the tension between them is obvious as they cross-examine and get into shouting matches in the courtroom. Even though such scenarios prob ably do not happen to every criminal lawyer, Woods’ performance makes the story seem realistic. His facial ex pressions relate his anguish, confu sion and frustration. His lines are quick and energetic, as are his ac tions. He holds nothing back. That is why “True Believer” is exciting — even without car chases. performances were superb. Patti Love was electric as Goneril and Cordelia. Love moved from the poisonous Goneril to the pure Cor delia with a quick flick of her shawl. She put in triple time as Goneril’s devoted but cruel steward Oswald. Bernard Lloyd’s Lear was an aged king, full of wrath yet remarkably sprite. As madness overcame Lear, Lloyd fully reached his peak. Geoffrey Church seemed to relish his role as the malicious and sneaky Edmond, who was bent on destroy ing his brother and father in the name of greed. Church played through the added difficulty of killing one of the char acters he was playing while also standing victorious over the victim in his roles as the warring brothers. His portrayal of the mad beggar o’Bedlam served up a glass-eyed creature spouting both nonsense and wisdom. The crucial role of Lear’s fool was given an interesting twist with Vivien Heilbron taking the character past the male tradition into an asexual character. The st rength of all five actors’ cre ative performances made the pro duction of King Lear a fine one that rarely put a foot wrong. Aggie Cinema film preview By Shane Hall REVIEWER “Dona Flor and Her Two Hus bands,” made in 1977, is a Brazilian comedy that offers moviegoers the chance to see one of today’s best ac tresses in one of her early roles. Sonia Braga, memorable for her roles in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “The Milagro Beanfield War,” stars as Dona Flor, a woman who marries for the second time only to have the ghost of her first husband appear. Flor’s first husband, Vadinho, is an abusive drunk and a compulsive gambler. His only saving grace (as far as Flor is concerned) is that he is a good lover. Vadinho dies at the film’s beginning from excessive Car- naval revelry. We follow Flor’s mar riage to him through a long flash back. Midway through the film, Flor marries the town pharmacist. He is Vadinho’s opposite — successful, fi nancially responsible and attentive to his wife. However, Flor finds him less than satisfying in the bedroom. In fact, the bored look on her face suggests she is making love with the Pilsbury Doughboy. It is at this point that the ghost of Vadinho appears, seated on a dresser and laughing lecherously at the two. Director Bruno Barreto presents a view of marriage in this film sug gesting that a perfect spouse is not something one can find in one per son. Each husband was (unsatisfy ing in his own way. Her solution: keep both of them. Her cloddish second husband is un aware of Vadinho’s presence. He is visible only to Flor. “Dona Flor and Her Two Hus bands” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Rudder Theater as part of MSC Aggie Cinema’s Interntional Series. Admission is $2.50. Unusual production of ‘Lear 4 focuses on text, not packaging Set, choreography, cast make ‘One' great play IS \ Elvis is still alive! Elvis Costello Spike Warner Bros. Records ★★★★ By S. Hoechstetter REVIEWER Elvis IS alive! I just finished lis tening to that dark-haired croon er’s new album. His voice isn’t quite as smooth as it used to be, but he’s got a new look. He has lost weight and wears black- rimmed glasses. No more of those tight-fitting satin and fringe out fits either. His new musical style is interesting. Elvis, you sure have changed since “Jailhouse Rock,” but I still love you! What? This isn’t Elvis Presley? Elvis Costello?! Oh, I’m so embar rassed. OK, let’s start over. Elvis Costello is still alive! In fact, the eclectic rock-n-roll vet eran has been alive ever since his birth. Amazing. Anyway, his new album, Spike could be his best ef fort to date. He offers an interest ing variety of instrumentals and lyrics that most musicians avoid. Costello is an artist in the purest sense. He is not afraid to experi ment. Spike is a conglomerate of jazz, rock ’n’ roll and the blues. Cos tello uses instruments typically found in these musical styles to create the right sound for each song. He also gets help from mu sicians such as Paul McCartney on bass Chrissie Hynde’s vocals, Derek Bell, and T. Bone Burnett. “Let Him Dangle”, an anti-cap ital punishment song, is an exam ple of Costello’s swanky blues style. It is interesting to note that nowhere on the album can an electric keyboard be heard. In songs such as “Let Him Dangle”, if Costello wants a piano sound, he uses the conventional, but al most extinct practice, of using a real piano. Costello uses several unique items as instruments as well. In “Let Him Dangle,” Michael Blair plays a Chinese drum and an Oldsmobile hubcap. Other unique instruments heard on the album include a bouzouki, which is kind of like a flute, Uileann pipes, an accordion, mandolin, glockenspiel, a ship’s bell and a Martian-Dog Bark — whatever that is. Don’t let the foreign in struments scare you. They are just Costello’s way of creating unique sounds which separate him from other musicians. “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror’’ is a jazz tune featuring The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Their trum pets, saxophones and trombones bring an interesting big band jazz sound to a rock ’n’ roll album. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is also featured in the songs “Chew ing Gum” and “Stalin Malone.” “Stalin Malone” has no vocals, just the sounds of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. However, the album jacket has lyrics printed for “Stalin Malone,” a shady, an gry character who is personified in the music. “Chewing Cum” has some great trumpet and baritone sax in it played oy The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. But not all of the songs have such a heavy jazz in fluence. “Veronica” is fast-paced rock ’n’ roll, featuring Paul McCartney on Hofner bass and T. Bone Bur nett on acoustic guitar. McCart ney composed and arranged “Ve ronica” with D.P.A. MacManus. “Tramp the Dirt Down” is a bal lad that makes a sad comment on humans and life and death. “Pads, Paws and Claws” is a loud, boisterous and dirty song. If this were country and western it would be one of the most popu lar songs at The Dixie Chicken. T. Bone Burnett plays trigger bass in this song. He might share the same first name with Elvis “The King” Pres ley, but Costello has a style that is unmistakeably his own — a style that already has made him a leg end in his own time. There must be something magical about the, name Elvis. Arcade (Continued from page 11) has enough spare time. At his skill level, games can take a while. Lane also said she plays every day, simply because she loves computers. A direct opposite to Lane and Skinner is Chuck Thomas, a senior economics major, who said he spends at most $5 a year on video games because he has more impor tant things to do with his money. “There are some incredible games out there,” Thomas said. “ I love to play, but the problem is that some of the games I like to play cost 75 cents or a dollar. I can do a load of laun dry for that.” Skinner agrees with Thomas on that point, saying he never puts more than one quarter in a gamel “I’ve seen people spend $5 on a game (to keep it going) and not get any farther on it,” Skinner said. The most popular game ever on the A&M campus is Galaga, said Ross Todaro, Jr., who is a route manager for TAVS, Inc., the com pany that supplies the machines on campus. Since Galaga came out nearly eight years ago, he said it has been played at A&M more times than any other. Todaro also said the most popular game now is Quarterback, a video football game that has four quarters of playing time. At Bally’s Aladdin’s Castle, Price said Robocop, a game version of the movie, is the most popular game, but the racing game Final Lap and the machine gun shoot-em-up Opera tion Wolf are constantly played. “It’s fun to look at a friend andsav ‘I bet I can outscore you,’ ” hesaid Skinner said jokingly that he pre fers “violent, destructive games. “I do like action games, but I’m really a pretty happy camper, said. Violence and destruction areni what most females like to see in vi deo games, Price and Lane say. Both said that women prefer rac ing games such as Pole Position, space games like Galaga, or other subdued games such as the recently popular Paper Boy. The only explanation Lane of- ferred for women’s disinterest in warlike games is that they don't violence. “We’re not into fighting,” sht said. Unfortunately for female video game playuers, a multitude of such violent games have appeared on the market in recent years. Names such as Devastator. P.O.W., Time .Soldier and Bad speak for themselves. “I’d like to get away from war games,” Lane said in reference what she thinks the future of the deo game will hold. “I’d rather see manufacturers back and improve some of the older games, maybe make them 3-D." Lane isn’t the only one who would like to see 3-D — realistic 3-D —en ter the world of video games. Skinner said he would like to see) real 3-D game, although he added that he will probably have outgrown the machines by the time one is in vented. “I’ll be older and will have more important things to do with my mon ey,” he said. “I I’m usually really nervous before tests. Playing .. .helps me relax and takes the nervousness away.” —Christy Lane, Texas A&M student According to Beck, Cyberball, which depicts a 21st century football competition, is most popular at Time Out. What makes a good game? Ask several people, and you’ll get as many different answers. But most people agree that any game must require one thing to play it: skill. Lane says any game must “defini tely take a lot of skill.” She also says it must take time to get good at and “win” the game. “Once you win a game, it’s over,” she said. “There’s no use in playing it anymore.” Competition is more on Thomas’ mind. He says he likes to take a friend along to play doubles on a game. Thomas said he would like to see “more realistic games at more realis tic prices” in the future. What the average player wants and what he gets may be two differ ent things. Beck said he foresees more simu lator-type games, such as those ol After Burner, which resembles tilt cockpit of an F-14 jet. In the game the player sees the game as a pilol would. Todaro said 3-D is definitely J possiblity, but the main development he sees for the future of videogames is that they will become more sophis ticated. “They will become more user friendly,” he said. “They will give the player the feeling they heisactn ally in the game instead of justpla' ing it.” According to Todaro, that may!* accomplished by the addition more advanced controlling meclr anisms. For example, he said the games may include helmets that the player 5 wear to control the game in addition to the standard joystick and buttons The helmet would theoreticall' move the screen in conjunction will 1 the videogamer’s head movements giving a sense of reality to the game Who knows, if these new inno'J tions come about, the world may# the rise of the fourth conqueror ot the recreation industry. 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