The Daily Tar HeelThursday, May 24, 1 9905
and FEffurra
ffli
Williams' car salesman hysterics
subdued in latest film offering
Cadillac Man
Robin Williams, Tim Robbins, Lori
Petty, and Pamela Reed
Directed by Roger Donaldson
oooo
Cadillac Man in one word: FRE
NETIC. Well, not at first.
The film starts out ludicrously, yet
calmly Joey O'Brien, a man who
lives to sell cars, attempts to push his
automobiles on a disraught widow
before her late husband has even been
interred.
Immediately thereafter, we meet
Joey's girlfriends (Joy and Lila), his
ex-wife, his co-workers, his bookie, his
customers at the car lot (Turgeon Auto),
the waitress from the Chinese restau
rant at which he dines.. .in short, we
meet the people who make up his life.
After several funny, touching scenes
with these "significant others" plus
a few narrative asides from Joey (Robin
Williams) we are all set for a soft,
sweet movie, sort of like Dead Poets
Society (Williams' last film).
Forget it.
Some strange upstart director, pre
sumably after the youthful, action-oriented
crowd, decided to incorporate the
suspense element: A psychotically,
jealous husband, Larry (Tim Robbins).
Larry, convinced that his wife (the
receptionist at Turgeon Auto) is sleep
ing with the various salesmen, crashes
into the showroom window with a
machine gun, holding everyone hos
tage until he can figure out who's sleep
ing with his wife.
Ordinarily, the average film would
have generated into a Lethal Weapon
esque melee of complete and total chaos;
one would fear that shots from Robocop
II might have been edited in by mis
take. Again forget it.
The atmosphere, once open and
friendly, becomes tight yet humor
remains, perhaps more so than before.
A human being, under extreme stress,
does one of two things: dissolves into
hysterics, or grins and bears it.
; Williams takes the latter option.
; Believe it or not, the film is much
more realistic because of this choice.
" The ensuing one-on-one scenes be-
MARKETING
WITH A MAJOR LONG
DISTANCE CARRIER
STUDENT
MARKETING MANAGER
Sales oriented student needed for
marketingpromotion position.
Responsible for hiring, coordinating
and managing campus organizations.
Opportunity to work as Promotions
Representative. Excellent pay. Flexible
hours. All work on campus. Must be
on campus and available 1-2 weeks
prior to start of classes.
STUDENTASSISTANT
MARKETING MANAGER
Student with strong salesorganiza
tional skills needed for campus
promotions. Must be on campus and
available 1-2 weeks prior to start of
classes.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Organized, outgoing salesmarketing
group needed to represent our
products and services during an on
campus fundraiser. Excellent pay.
Must be on campus and available 1-2
weeks prior to start of classes.
For more Information, send
resume to: American Passage
Media Corporation,
Long Distance Marketing
6211 West Howard Street
Chicago, IL 60648
or call (800) 727-6783.
14K
SEEING IS BELIEVING!
(01D
Says
Dare To Compare!
We Have Low
Prices Everyday!
GOLD CONNECTION In
" I 11111 A 1. I Ikl
upening in wiiiow ureex
This Summer
Mon.-Thurs. 10-5:30
Friday 10 6
Saturday 12-6
128 E. Franklin St.
967-G
AMEX, VISA & MC Accepted
LD
Beverley White
tween Williams and Robbins hover
between humor and tension, never quite
connecting with one option or the other.
The audience witnesses a couple of
attempted slayings, the injuring of a
police officer and a spunky waitress
preventing police from taking control
of her restaurant ("No eat, no seat," she
declares) but nothing so dramatic as
the private dialogues Williams and
Robbins have.
All through these dialogues, Wil
liams shows us something rather fright
ening: Car salesmen double as psycholo
gists or, rather, brainwashers.
Williams makes several "sales
pitches," taking advantage of Robbins'
vulnerable side: he doesn't want to hurt
anyone. Not a soul. He'd rather kiss and
make up with his wife.
One by one, Robbins is persuaded to
let the hostages loose, until Williams is
the only one remaining. To secure his
own freedom, Williams makes his last
pitch the wrong one.
Even the most invincible, the most
convincing salesman can make mistakes.
. J I i ft a.m. iWWOffly
Cadillac Man Williams makes a point with Tim (Nuke Laloosh) Robbins
Again, such is life.
While Cadillac Man is no Dead Poets
Society this is still a film that cannot
be replicated the talents of Robin
Williams, coupled with the lack of arti
ficial atmosphere (a welcome attribute
in a "hostage" comedy) leads us to
believe that we are seeing real, flesh-and-blood
people, in a life-threatening
situation.
Until Williams tries to sell another
car, that is.
Baby Flies captivate
The Baby Flies
A Colorful View
Resonance
OOOi
The second release by The Baby
Flies, A Colorful View, is a captivat
ing mix of sparse instrumentation,
hook-filled melodies, and moody
tempos. The band's sound falls some
where between 10,000 Maniacs and
Wednesday Week, with a dash of
Cowboy Junkies thrown in for good
measure.
Vocalist Pat Waters dominates A
Colorful View with a delivery resem
bling that of Debbie Hatry or Natalie
Merchant. Chris Katris and chief
songwriter Jim Waters paint the in
strumental backdrop. Their self-produced,
atmospheric mix features in
ventive drumming up front with gui
tar, keyboards and bass popping
through.
The lead-off tune, "Let It Fall," is
the album's best cut, weaving a flow
ing melody with an utterly seductive
bassline. As the quiet verse changes
to the solid 44 of the chorus, Waters
relates the end of a relationship, sing
ing, "I took your picture off my wall
Let it fall."
"Washing Over Me" is the album's
hardest driving, most electric song
with a fast tempo and powerful rhythm
section. This contrasts with the title
track which features dueling acoustic
guitars by Waters and Katris.
"The Only One" juxtaposes jagged
electric guitar with delicate acoustic
sounds. The song is Blondie-esque,
with a million-dollar chorus. Waters
Brian Springer
sings, "You think you're the only
oneWho's ever been lonelyYou
think you're the only one alone . . .
And it's sadWhen you find you're
not the only one."
"Give Me the Light" is another
more aggressive track, with brittle
guitar work, hard drumming and
powerful bass. All hell breaks loose
as Waters sings of a "Hand like steel
Too numbToo numb to feel." A
Colorful View needs more mood
breakers like this, since it sometimes
becomes overly hypnotic.
"Coming Back to Haunt You" is
the song most resembling the 10,000
Maniacs sound, as it ebbs and flows
in a dark mood. Waters approaches a
whisper as she sings "Close your
eyesSee the world in dark disguise."
While The Baby Flies trades
musical excess for a sparse sound, at
points the band is too successful,
leaving tracks with a little too little of
. . . everything. Fortunately, only
three songs "Chains," "Where the
Creatures Call," and "Just the Begin
ning" fall into this category,
though nothing on the album is a
throwaway.
Although A Colorful View has its
flaws, it seems that the small Reso
nance label has yet another winner.
When The Baby Flies clicks, the band
displays irresistible charm..
we put the fun bach in dining out...
A Tradition in Chapel Hill Since 1977.
D
D
Q
C
D
ik Daily Lunch Specials
World Famous Charbroiled Burgers
Deli Sandwiches
Fresh Salads
Quiche
Homemade Soups
ir Dinner Specials
Fresh Chicken
Fresh Seafood
Blackened Specials
Fresh Salads
Sunday Brunch
Fresh Salads
Fabulous Desserts
Belgian Waffles w fruit 8c cream
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Late Night At Spanky's!
Lunch
Dinner-
Brunch-
Mon.-Sat.
Mon.-Thurs.
Fri.-Sat.
Sunday
Sunday
11:30-5:00
5:00-9:30
5:00-10:00
6:00-9:30
10:00-2:00
All Major Credit Cards Accepted
ODQ
NEWT-SHIRTS $1.00 OFF!
zvith this ad
Coming Soon!
Q
Q
D
17EDHESDAY
LIVE MUSIC!
Carter Miner & Andy Church
$1.75 Highballs
plus, for the summer
TUESDAY
Top Gun Tuesday
60p Drafts
900 Pints
s3.25 Pitchers
Liquor Fruit Drinks $2.50
THUDSDAY
Import Draft Night
50$ off glasses
75$ off pints
2. 00 off pitchers
f ii","n mi 111 'immsTi "fi
"
5
MAY 1
S-fl ThTh
I JL.WUI j :
3 oyer bQ
Lunch 11:30-5:00 Mon. Sat.
Dinner 5:00-10:00 Mon. Sat. 5:00-9:00 Sunday
Oyster Bar 11:30 until...
15-501 ByPass, Elliott :'Road
Chapel Hill 942-8757
Featuring Fresh Seafood from
around the world!
Mesquite grilled, broiled,
steamed, fried and sauteed.
Daily Oyster
Happy Hour 4-6 PM
COMING SOON!
Expanded Oyster Bar & Market!
Fresh Market
Get all the great seafood served
in our restaurant. We take
special orders.
Open Tues.-Sat. 11:30-7:00 PM