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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1998)
The Battalion ?sday • March 10, 1998 A Psychotic Slip of the Tongue :ively autoc line,; Ik off tree; N age, uckf ficer ■ iherr- i/t" 6r Freudian Slip improv troupe presents audiences with igh-speed comedy By Chris Martin Staff writer I t’s 5:18 in the afternoon — a Sunday af ternoon — whose peaked remains of daylight are being swept away by a curi ous side effect of El Nino. Rumours Deli has shut down for the day, but a few students still linger in a line destined to not be served. One student scrambles behind their backs, waving his hands over their heads like he’s conducting a symphony, a symphony coming out of his subject’s mouths one phrase, sometimes one sylla ble at a time. The players seem to read each other’s minds, finishing each other’s thoughts at the whim of the conductor. No one is around to clap when they finish, but their reward is greater — they’ve made each other laugh. Freudian Slip is not only Texas A&M’s only improvisational comedy troupe, but if you can believe them, they’re “unofficially the most successful student improv group in the nation.’’ “Success, even though I’m failing my classes,” Dan Grimm, a senior theater arts major, said. The other members bust out laughing, like a joyous group mantra. No one wants to be on campus on a lazy Sunday af ternoon, but an outside observer to Freudi an Slip practice quickly gathers from the laughter that they don’t mind. Sure, they can make an audience of 700 people crack up, but what does it take to make seven other comedians laugh? Jason Parker, a senior psychology major, doesn’t have to go far for his favorite laughs. They’re right in the room. “Some movies can make me roll around, but mostly stories I hear with friends — es pecially these guys — make me laugh hard er than anything else,” Parker said. “I don’t like stand up, or catchphrases either, because it forces creativity to fall on the shoulders of a few writers. Stuff like ‘show me the money,’ or ‘got milk,’ or ‘don’t go there.’ People should come up with their own.” A disdain for stand up seems to be a trait shared by many of the members, in cluding Kyle Lawrence, a junior speech communication major. “I don’t buy into silly stand up guys, like ‘aren’t guys with comb-overs funny?’ Every one tells those kinds of jokes,” Lawrence said. “One of the funniest tilings on television today is The Simpsons. I like things with cul tural references and inside humor, like Mys tery Science Theater 3000.” Tyler Willmann, a senior management major, agreed with Lawrence, but admitted an appreciation for low-brow humour. “I like truthful, intelligent humor, with good characters that can drive scenes,” Will mann said. “If it’s crude, it has to be some thing new, not the same old fart jokes.” Emily Kryzak, a senior speech communi cation major, finds humor in the day to day drama of human life. “I like to people-watch and see funny things in everyday, humdrum things,” Kryzak said. “I can sit for hours in class and watch people instead of paying attention. I think the people in our audience can relate to that and enjoy the human connection.” It’s that human connection Freudian Slip will be aiming for Thursday for their Spring Break show in Rudder Forum. The small size of the Forum will afford the Slip members a unique opportunity to connect with the crowd. “It’s smaller and closer to the audience,” Willmann said. “They’re all around you, so you can cater to the audience more. It’s the only small venue show we do, and it’s almost more fun for ourselves than the crowd.” Lawrence, director of the troupe, said he likes to involve the crowd members in the smaller shows. “We performed there my first year, so it’s like getting back to my roots,” Lawrence said. “We get to be more intimate with the crowd. When you’re sitting in the front row you are almost on stage.” Lawrence also enjoys the artistic license and freedom he gets when performing. “I like the ‘Sphinx’ routine, because I get to be as rude and mean to the audience as I can and they love it,” Lawrence said. “It’s when I’m at my highest level of smartassness.” Parker described the ‘Sphinx’, one of his favorite performance games, as an exercise di Twilight Starring Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman Directed by Robert Benton Rated R Playing at Hollywood 16 Critique: A- in quick wit. “The audience really likes things like the ‘Sphinx’ or the ‘Five Minute Movie,”’ Parker said. “For the Sphinx, three people line up and answer questions from the audience, each person saying one word at a time, at a high pace.” One thing all the members agree on is their total trust and friendship in each other. “I think it’s amazing that although vari ous members graduate, we still thrive,” Will mann said. “We all get along. If we have problems we work it out, because people can see that tension. We hang out a lot, it’s become our life.” Kryzak agreed that Freudian Slip is more than performance — it’s a way of life. “These guys are not afraid to embarrass themselves, but they also have a serious side, like a good friend you can always talk to,” Kryzak said. “Once I ‘shot’ everyone on stage, and then realized I was all alone. I was thinking, ‘what do I do now?’ Luckily some one came and rescued me. Except for maybe that, you are never alone up there.” Whether it’s Rudder Forum, Disney- world, or their own bathroom, the Slip members never miss an opportunity to make each other laugh. “We learn to be uninhibited, and it makes us closer,” Kryzak said. “We connect onstage because we’ve learned to live with each other — even if they always leave the [toilet] seat up.” Fatal Attraction [mim - - i ■ iMT \X-2r- Mandy Cater opinion editor t the time just after sunset, there is twilight, a period between darkness -and light. The writers of Paul New man’s latest film, Tivilight, understand this connection can be a metaphor for human behavior, as well. Twilight features Newman as Harry Ross, an ex-private eye who finds himself living with Catherine and Jack Ames (Su san Sarandon and Gene Hackman) two ex actors who owe him a favor. The Ames couple are “beautiful people” — rich, famous and, in Catherine’s case, quite beautiful. Their outgoing personalities make them masters of manipulation, their dependency veiling their darker side. Ross, on the other hand, is less satisfied with life. He’s lost his investigator’s license, a daughter, a wife and more years than he cares to count. Life with the “beautiful people” eventually draws Ross back into his former profession, and the drama begins. From there, Twilight begins twisting an intelligent tale of loyalty, lies and seduction so intricate one still may not be sure who did what to whom and why when the house lights go back up. The numerous plot turns constantly keep viewers guessing. One thing is certain, though, Twilight \s an acting tour de force. All the performances are impressive — strong, yet understated. Although the all-star cast includes a number of veteran heavyweights, at no time does it feel as if anyone is trying to steal the spotlight. Try or not, the spotlight is stolen. Newman is as much a screen presence today as he was in Cool Hand Luke or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His tough-guy image finds new depth in his increasing age. The macho and bravado are strength ened by maturity and vulnerability that only increase his everyman appeal. Sarandon’s sultry siren-like performance is just as sexy as it was in the days of Bull Durham. Like Newman, Sarandon’s presence only gets better with age. Perhaps the most surprising moments in this film come from the powerful supporting performances. James Garner is moving and adds more than a few moments of comic relief. He and Newman play off each other like two old pals. His portrayal of a “clean-up man” disillusioned by his past is touching, and could easily be the first step to a late-in-his- career comeback. Extended cameos by independent poster boy Liev Schreiber and the ever-wonderful Stockard Channing again reinforce Twilight’s success using the script, not special ef fects, to make a great movie. Twilight is definitely a complex movie that gives a peek into the sometimes blurry boundary between good and evil. The use of sun-drenched lighting to illuminate the “beau tiful people” effectively contrasts the darker life of the down- on-their-luckers. While the film has confusing moments and difficult to fol low plot twists, it’s definitely worth the effort. And for those who are worried the age of this cast means another Grumpier Old Men remake is in the theaters, don’t fret. These actors use their age for mature, real-life portray als, not easy laughs and jokes about liver spots. Besides, the last thing one will notice about Paul Newman is liver spots — we should all look so good in our seventies. N ow that stalking laws and psychotic domestic violence have caught media attention, Fatal Attrac tion is even scarier than it was in the ’80s. Glenn Close and Michael Douglas star in this dramatic thriller that some of us were not allowed to see when it was re leased in theaters. There’s a rea son for that. Close plays a woman ob sessed after having a “two-night stand” with Douglas. What’s even scarier than Close slashing her wrists when Douglas leaves is her electric socket hair. It looks like she fried it, crimped it and blow dried it like it was going out of style. Well, Glenn, it never was in style. She seals off her look with frosty pink Wet ‘n’ Wild lip gloss. Scary. When an audience sees this movie for the second time, years after its release, new light is shed upon the storyline and acting. Although one knows what to expect, the movie still caus es screams and panic. And some of us will have to cover our faces during the yucky parts. This movie has not im proved with age; it has only become more realistic. — April Towery I f ever there was a film to make husbands regard their wives with the utmost re spect and treat them as the cherished human beings they promised life to at the altar, Fa tal Attraction makes the grade. Although Glenn Close and Michael Douglas appear in the film as the wrong-made-ex- tremely-wrong affair couple, the person who needs to be rec ognized is Anne Archer. Archer portrays Douglas’ de voted wife in the film. She loves him, takes care of their daugh ter when he’s not around and still finds a place in her heart to forgive and forget when she finds out he had an affair. Audiences may cheer on as Douglas and Close fight through out the film, but Archer steals the film when she tells Close she will kill her if she ever comes near her family ever again. So husbands beware: treat your wives as they deserve to be treated and watch out for rabbit boiling femme fatales. — James Francis ealth Professionals Symposium Tee! Meet over 50 Representatives from Medical, Dental, md Nursing Schools, Vet Medicine, and Allied Health, Vlilitary Scholarship, and Public Health Administration Programs. VLSC Flagroom III arch 10 0 a-irc - 3 p.m- Texas A&M University Executive Council of Health Organizations
