Page 10 The Battalion Monday, May 1,1989
Reviews
‘CriminalLaw' brings
film-noir flair to tale
of crime, prosecution
“Criminal Law”
Starring Gary Oldman, Kevin
Bacon, and Karen Young
Directed by Martin Campbell
Rated R
★★★ V2
Now playing at Cinema Three
By John Righter
REVIEWER
Alfred Hitchcock would have
been proud. “Criminal Law”
serves up more suspense, sur
prise, and no/r-influenced direc
tion than even the potbellied Bri
ton himself could have handled.
Directed by Martin Campbell
(a Briton himself) and starring
Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon,
“Criminal Law” follows in the
footsteps of “Jagged Edge” as a
courtroom thriller in which a
Boston defense attorney, Ben
Chase (Oldman), gets his client,
Martin Theil (Bacon), off on
charges of rape and murder only
to discover that Theil had com
mitted the crime.
Within 48 hours of Bacon’s re
lease, two grisly murder/rapes oc
cur and Oldman knows who is re
sponsible. He is left with no
alternative but to do what any
self-respecting defense attorney
would — he goes after Bacon.
Well, at least that is what the pro
ducers would like us to believe.
As you can probably guess, the
film turns into a cat-and-mouse
game between Oldman and Ba
con in which Bacon consistently
gets the better of Oldman by tor
menting him with knowledge and
clues that Oldman cannot use as
admissible evidence.
The ending is a cliche. Oldman
befriends Ellen Faulkner (Karen
Young), a friend Bacon met on a
late-night excursion. Bacon then
goes after Young, but luckily Old
man is there to save the day (as all
good leading men should be).
Unfortunately for Oldman, he
must still face; Bacon in court,
which presents the most tense
and riveting scene of the movie,
in which Bacon rids us of peren
nial cop Joe Don Baker seconds
after Baker informs Oldman that
Bacon is “a crazy killer who you
can bet is crazy, and who will kill.”
Unfortunately, Joe Don was no
better at law enforcement than he
was at spouting out profane logic,
and all hell breaks loose.
I don’t want to give away the
whole ending, but I’ll just say that
it is predictable and that it did
nothing to alter my already pessi
mistic feelings for our legal sys
tem.
“Criminal Law” also plays ad
vocate for a number of other cur
rent and controversial issues,
none more prevalent than that of
abortion, a topic which is alluded
to throughout the film and which
finally resurfaces as the motiva
tion for Bacon’s rampage. With
the Supreme Court review of Roe
v. Wade upon us, it is much more
than a coincidence that “Criminal
Law” is being released now. If
you have already had enough of
the abortion issue, then you may
want to steer clear of Campbell
and company’s interpretation,
which gets pretty graphic at
times.
Speaking of graphic, Campbell
makes an excellent decision in
staying away from the exploita
tion of some potentially graphic
scenes involving abortions (both
the legal and the not-so-nice ma
tricide maniac kind), blowtorch
immolations (among Bacon’s rep
ertoire of nastiness was a strong
penchant for pyromania) and
rape.
Sex-crimes detective Tess
Harper provides us with all we
want to know when she informs
Oldman that the first victim had
been “raped, murdered and mu
tilated, and I don’t know which
came first.” Campbell replaces
the actual gore with an incredible
display of cinematography (Phil
lip Neheux, another Briton, de
serves credit) that channels the
movie’s settings and atmosphere
into a film-no/r tunnel of heavy
rains, black nights and bright, in
tense lights. One particular scene
breathes of Hitchcock, in which
Oldman is running down a dark
tunnel that seems to enclose upon
him faster and faster, a la Cary
Grant in “North by Northwest.”
Even though the storyline of
“Criminal Law” is wrought with
cliches and predictability, Camp
bell in making his first big screen
release, did an excellent job of re
focusing the direction of the film
through his excellent use of at
mosphere and photography and
his refusal to rely on blood and
guts. The producers knew what
they were doing in hiring a Brit
ish director for the noir feel, as
they did in hiring Neheux and
Oldman.
Oldman, who has recieved crit
ical acclaim for his roles as Sid Vi
cious (“Sid and Nancy”) and Joe
Orton (“Prick Up Your Ears”),
displays why he is arguably the
best actor around. He controls
and manipulates every scene with
his intensity and presence, and
actually makes you believe that
this London native is a Boston
lawyer.
Equally impressive is Kevin Ba
con who is so convincing as a ma
niac killer that I will never be able
to relish my copy of “Footloose”
in the same manner again. Old
man and Bacon play off each
other exceptionally well and fight
for control of every scene. They
smother everyone else and en
abled the producers to get away
with casting Joe Don Baker. Can
this guy do anything but play
gung-ho, incompetent detectives?
If you can get yourself to imag
ine that the lawyer/criminal-jus
tice idea is original and if you can
withstand some predictability,
then definitely go see “Criminal
Law,” especially if you are a noir
freak who likes a lot of intense
imagery and dark photography.
The direction and acting are
great, and nothing is wrong with
a little predictability now and
then. After all, its not like it’s as
blatant as “Friday The 13th, Part
12,” or anything that Sylvester
Stallone has ever been in.
Handbook offers hints
on cultivating Cannabis
By Wade See
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Hey all you botany professors and
marijuana growers, nave I got a
book for you!
The “Marijuana Grower’s Insid
er’s Guide” by Mel Frank is both a
notable work on the plant Cannabis
sativa and a great book on growing
weed.
The book takes the reader
through the process of setting up a
garden, growing marijuana and fi
nally harvesting the potent crop in a
brilliantly simple yet scientific man
ner.
Far from just another pot-head’s
ramblings, the Insider’s Guide is an
excellent compilation of apparently
extensive knowledge and research
into the subject.
The guide delves into subjects like
the plant’s botany and history, scien
tific descriptions of proper lighting
and light spectrums, how photope
riods affect the plant, a breakdown
of important nutrients the plant re
quires and the chemical properties
tnat constitute potent marijuana.
Frank’s book also addresses secu
rity, problems caused by thieves and
police.
“An unfortunate fact of life is thai
envy, revenge, greed and misplaced
morality has made thieves or in
formers of acquaintances and for
mer friends,” Frank says.
On one hand, Frank says,“Mari
juana growing is fun and more re
warding than you might imagine.
“Any experienced grower will
probably say, ‘There’s no place I’d
rather be and nothing I’d rather be
doing than sitting among my plants
giving them a little TLC.’ ”
On the other hand, Frank also
emphasizes that growing pot is ille
gal.
“In all states except Alaska, grow
ing is illegal, so take some time to
consider all of the consequences.
The purpose of this book is not to
encourage you to grow illegally, but
to report how growing is done le
gally, and how it may be done when
growing is decriminalized.”
He writes: “Warning: if your
propertv can be shown to have been
purchased with funds from illicit
drug sales, it can be confiscated; a
vehicle used to transport illegal
drugs or to transport materials used
in an illegal garden is also subject to
confiscation.”
This book can be read with inter
est and understanding by botany
professors, high school drop-outs
and everyone in between.
T
Country legend Jerry Jeff Walker
shows true Texas honky-tonk styli
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
Jerry Jeff Walker is still one of the
greatest singers in the state of Texas,
as his Saturday night performance at
the Bryan Civic Auditorium demon
strated.
Playing to an enthusiastic gather
ing, Walker and his band presented
an evening of honky-tonk music that
raised quite a ruckus from the crowd
present. He was backed up by a
quartet of musicians — Lloyd
Maines, steel guitar; Roland Den
ney, bass; Paul Pearcy, drums; and
Brian Piper, piano — all of whom
showed great talents during the
show. Maines’ steel guitar work was
especially impressive. At times, his
fingering of the strings made you
wonder if an electric guitarist wasn’t
playing backstage. Overall, it was a
spirited show from Walker and com
pany.
Touring to promote a new album,
Live at Gruene Hall, Walker’s per
formance leaned in favor of the
material on the recording. He began
the evening with the album’s open
ing track, “Lovin’ Makes Livin’
Worthwhile” and followed with
“The Pickup Truck Song.”
Other highlights of the show,
drawn from the album, were Walk
er’s tribute to his wife Susan on “Wo
man in Texas” and the Steve From-
holz-penned “Man With the Big
Hat.”
Of course, the show would not
have been complete without a help
ing of greatest hits material. It was
these songs that received the most
enthusiastic response from the audi
ence. Especially well-received were
Walker’s early hit, “Mr. Bojangles”
and his version of Ray Wylie Hub
bard’s “Redneck Mother,” during
which the audience clapped and
sang along.
At times the audience was a little
too enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is great,
but whoever it was who said you
can’t have too much of a good thing
Especially humorous was
a song that Wall described
as being about “the
cowboy’s real first love.”
No, it’s not his horse, his
pickup truck, or even his
woman. It’s his gun.
should have seen the audience Sat
urday night. Several annoying indi
viduals seated near the back of the
auditorium felt obligated to provide
a seemingly nonstop series of hoots
and hollers throughout the show.
“You learn that call in Animal
Husbandry?” Walker asked after a
prolonged round of noise from the
back of the auditorium.
Nevertheless, the show' continued
and was well-received. Among the
closing numbers were “L.A. Free
way” and Chris Wall’s “Trashy Wo
men.”
Wall, a Montana songwriter, was
Walker’s opening act Saturday
night. Wall’s music shows a strong
George Jones influence and lyrics
with a sense of humor. Especially
humorous was a song that Wall de
scribed as being about “the cowboy’s
real first love.” No, it’s not his horse,
his pickup truck, or even his woman.
It’s his gun.
Country singer and guitarist Jerry Jeff Walker performs in Bryan
April 29.
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Live classic rock goes virtually unnoticed
By John Righter
REVIEWER
I Find it hard to believe that out of
nearly 40,000 students and the many
Bryan-College Station residents, that
the interest for live classic rock does
not extend beyond 30 people.
Unfortunately, that was the case
both Friday and Saturday night, as a
crowd that never exceeded 30 to 35
people was entertained by Gallery 13
and The Scroocs at Kay’s Cabaret in
the Post Oak Mall.
The band demonstrated that they
are rigid in style, but not in sub
stance, as they worked through clas
sics such as Pink Floyd’s “Comfor
tably Numb” and Bob Dylan’s
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” add
ing their own personal stamp to each
song.
I already had sampled a demo
tape from Gallery 13 and knew what
to expect from the Austin trio that
began by playing with The New Bo
hemians at the Prophet Bar and
Theatre Gallery in the Deep Ellum
section of Dallas.
Vocalist and guitarist Wayne Sut
ton and drummer Blake Murphy
formed the group three years ago
and completed the current lineup by
adding bassist Chance Waite earlier
this year.
Their sound is indicative of their
Dallas beginnings, reverting to the
slow rhythm and melodies of the late
‘60s and early ‘70s. Even in their own
material, from which the band drew
most of their set, they adhere to the
simple belief that classic is better.
Playing two sets, the band seemed
to gather momentum as the night
went along, relying more on their
own material and less on covers. Sut
ton pointed out that the covers are
only for the Bryan-College Station
crowds, and that their Austin and
Dallas sets are all original material.
Not that Sutton minds paying
tribute to his heroes. “They are why
we do it,” he says.
“We like to play some covers. Peo
ple like David Gilmour (Pink Floyd
guitarist) and Carlos Santana is the
whole reason why ”
They are the only band I’ve ever
heard slow down Bob Dylan, and
they turned “Comfortably Numb”
into a 20-minute exploration of
grunge and solos, culminating with
Sutton’s climbing on the bar and
playing behind his head.
If Sutton is the showman who
adds charisma, then drummer Blake
Murphy is the technician who con
trols the rhythm. Murphy didn’t in
dulge in any long and cumbersome
solos, but was instead content to pro
vide the tempo, leaving the floor to
Sutton and Waite.
It did not take long to see that
Murphy was the heart of this unit.
He excelled on the instrumentals
and stole the night with his effort on
“Afternoon in the Spring,” an origi
nal that showcased the band’s in
genuity and flair for repetitive melo
dies.
My main complaint with Gallery
13 is that they tend to fall too much
into a repetitive mode, making even
the most imaginative melody seem
long and cumbersome.
In paying homage to their roots,
they sometimes fall prey to a style
that worked in the slow, progressive
era of the early ’70s, but which is
outdated and even impratical for an
’80s college bar scene.
I have nothing against the sound,
but it is one that will be just as mem
orable in five minutes as it is in 15
minutes.
The band is in the market for a
new lead singer after firing their
original vocalist for “differences in
creativity.” But for now the band will
rely on Sutton, who fills in respect
ably, although he is not a long-range
answer.
But really, whoever sings is irrele
vant, because the strength of this
band is their music, a fact exempli
fied even in their cover songs. Sut
ton leads the group into a song and
then steps back to join the others
members in an excursion of melody
and solos that seems to break into
countless directions. Fifteen minutes
and six rhythm changes later, Sutton
returns to close out the number.
Blueshounds, agreed to fill in
regular drummer Will Nunt
Faddy f ought all night with acytri
stand and a broken stool, but uni!
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On the other hand, The Scroocs, a
local favorite of the early ’80s that
disbanded only to regroup earlier
this year, offered its own interpreta
tion of the '60s and ’70s. Shying
away from the influences of Pink
Floyd and Yes, guitarist and vocalist
Mark (Scrooc) Botke, bassist “Spider
Bob” Breefie and drummer Albert
Faddy instead worked through a cat
alogue that included The Grateful
Dead, The Rolling Stones and The
Kinks.
The Scroocs are strictly a covers
band, and as Spider Bob, a three
time Aggie (undergraduate, mas
ters, Ph.D. in entomology), points
out, “Don’t take us seriously. We are
a gigging band, nothing else, with no
aspirations for greatness. Just a good
dance band who has a lot of fun.”
The band’s enjoyment of per
forming was apparent. Culling re-
? [uests from the audience, the band
ound its niche in upbeat songs, add
ing a distinguished flair to Dead cov
ers. Mark Botke, alias Mark Scroocs,
is a complete “Dead-head,” even em
bossing the Scrooc logo in the Grate
ful Dead’s ring insignia.
Botke and Spider Bob conversed
frequently throughout the night,
coordinating their selections with sit-
in drummer Albert Faddy. Faddy, a
member of a local jazz band, The
the circumstances lent an admiral
hand.
On the w hole, The Scroocs aref
actly as Spider Bob described -
covers band — but they are an 8
joyable one that interacts wen rt
the audience. Botke is especiallycc
dial, and brandishes his Grate!
Dead influence throughouttheirst
even sounding qpite a bit like ft
Weir (not to mention looking a!
like him). If you like upbeat das
rock, especially The Grateful Dei
(although all Dead material is i*
upbeat), then you can’t beatpaitf
two bucks to sit back and listen t
band that adds enthusiasm andsM
to some already great music.
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The same can be said for Gab
13. 1 wo bucks spent supportiK
hard-working college band tl
loves what it is doing (even if!
from Austin), is money well
The lack of support of local mu*
Bryan-College Station makes fl
sick, which is why Gallery 13star
Austin to play most of their sho*
But as Sutton puts it, “Hey, ifp
is one person who catches what
say then it is worth it.”
I’m sure The Scroocs wo®
agree.
If there are any of you who at
tired of being a homebody, thf
suggest you check out Gallen
and The Scroocs the next timedl*
are in town. Gallery 13 should
back in a couple of weeks, and
Scroocs are scheduled to be part®'
three-band show at The Yank
Tavern in Somerville on May!
will also put in a nice little word
Kay’s Cabaret. Though it is s»
and a little cramped, the atmosph
is great.
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Guitarist Cockburn seeks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bruce Cockburn, who is on a
North American tour through May
promoting his Gold Castle album,
“Big Circumstance,” says: “People
coming to the shows are hearing the
record somewhere. The single is get
ting mainstream attention. That’s
unusual.”
Cockburn — whose name is pro
nounced “Coburn” with a long “o”
— is a 43-year-old Toronto resident
who is accustomed to being known
as a socially concerned singer-song
writer and phenomenal guitarist in
Canada, but unknown in the United
States.
His current single is “If a Tree
Falls,” about destruction of the
world’s tropical forests.
“We alwavs put singles out,” Cock
burn says. “I personally don’t expect
them to be played. The record com
pany has to pretend it expects it.
“I never wanted to be famous,” he
says. “I wouldn’t turn it down. At
one time I was afraid of being in the
public eye, afraid of having an image
foisted on me. I sort of got over that.
“More money means you can pay
the band better, stay in better ho
tels.” Cockburn is touring with two
musicians.
“Big Circumstance” is being
played on college radio stations,
which was the U.S. launching pad
for such other socially committed
musicians as U2 and Tracy Chap
man.
“I don’t write the songs to sell
causes to people,” Cockburn says. “I
write songs because I’ve been moved
by something and have to talk about
it.”
When he started, music came be
fore lyrics with a message.
Cockburn says: “I was aware of is
sues, for want of a better word, when
I was in high school. Friends and I
used to go for coffee after school.
We fancied ourselves intellectuals.
“The general consensus among us
at that time was that any kind of po
litical involvement wasn’t going to
change anything. I’ve since revised
‘lyrics with a
my thinking on that score.
“Music was the first thing I discov
ered I could get personally involved
in in a real way. I played clarinet a
year and trumpet for three years. It
wasn’t until I discovered guitar that
it started to happen. I w'as 14 and
looking for an out from the horrors
of adolescence in high school; the
guitar was it.”
Cockburn wanted to play rock ’n’
roll and says his parents were “horri
fied.” But he took lessons and
“learned to play properly. In their
minds, anybody who could play
properly wouldn’t play anything as
dumb as rock ’n’ roll.”
He attended the Berklee School
for a year and a half, learning to
write for big bands.
‘‘It doesn’t have mu c h
relationship to w hat I’m doing now,”
he says. “I never had the motivation
to get the chops you need to be a jazz
musician.”
Cockburn dropped out and
joined a rock ’n’ roll band in Ottaw'a,
where he grew up.
message
"It was made up of some M
I’d been hanging out with belt)
went to music school,” he says,
thought we were going to bf
next Beatles. We had no record
was a good thing, too. We were
rible.”
H is general idiom now is rock
from 1965 to ’69, Cockburn pl J '
in blues and rhythm ’n’ bluesb 1
and “a band that played some I
chedelic and some folk rock auj
fended everyone.”
He says: “Partly as a result of
depressed state of being in al
that level and because I lik
songs better the way I sang 11 ' 1
alone, at the end of 1969 I made 1
first album. I’d been doing the
solo thing, folk festivals and
houses.”
In 1979, his “Where the b
Are” was on the charts. “But i
when the ‘Stealing Fire’album
out, was the beginning of anyd 1
happening in the United State-!