4
It came from the
video store
WILL DODSON
staff writer
The selection process for
deciding which movie to re
view for each of these col
umns is very meticulous. If
the title and/or the cover box
looks cool, I rent it. Some
times, though, my little sys-
tem back
fires.
Over
winter
break I
was
browsing
through
my locai
video
store and
found (so
I thought)
a gem.
Judging
from the
title and
the box I
figured on
having a
very hu
morous
\\4* 1 I
f *'l *" v -
Good ol' Will
ninety or so minutes to serve
as my slasher movie fix.
I was wrong. A title like
"Cannibal Hookers" just
screams "Rent me!' REjNT
ME!" But with a script ob
viously written by a retarded
boll weevil, a budget of
$35.23, and actors who
couldn't land a part as an ex
tra in that talking pig movie,
it just didn't have a chance.
Slasher movies with the
word "massacre" in the title
almost, however, invariably
prove to be great. "Texas
Chainsaw Massacre," "Slum
ber Party Massacre," "Soror
ity House Massacre," these
are just a few of the classic
massacre movies. I always
check out the massacre mov
ies. This week I found
"Mountaintop Motel Massa
cre" and "Women's Prison
Massacre," two flicks with
title potential.
And, well, they were ter
rible.
No, they weren't funny,
intentionally or not.
"Mountaintop Motel Massa
cre," the story of a psycho
pathic old lady who kills re
ally ugly patrons at her mo
tel with a sickle, was worth
seeing only for one line: this
old black guy decides he's
The Guilfordian
leaving after seeing three
murders. He says, "I'm
leavin' right now. I'll sleep
in my truck! Done it befo'!
Thing is, though, truck don'
have no crapper." He then
pauses in his escape attempt
to use the facilities. I chuck
led at that. The rest was neg
ligible.
Much more offensive was
"Women's
Prison
Massa
cre." I
know
what
you're
thinking.
With a
title like
that, it's
impos
sible to
go
wrong.
See
above:
"Canni
b a 1
Hook
ers."
Classic
titles do not guarantee classic
movies. "Women's Prison
Massacre" brings to mind lots
of shower scenes, lots of
, scantily clad women, and a
particularly scantily clad
heroine who takes out all the
bad guys. Well, there are lots
of the above. But there's a
problem.
This is a foreign movie. I
have nothing against foreign
movies, except that they're
not in English. European
women don't shave. I don't
have a problem with that, ei
ther. I don't care if women
shave. If you look good, you
look good, whether your legs
are smooth or not.
But, and this is a huge but
(especially considering the
size of the ones shown in this
movie), if you've got more
hair on your body than, say, a
large bear, you should not gel
naked in a movie. Let me re
peat that: if you're disgust
ingly hairy, whether male or
female, and you're in a movie,
keep your clothes on. And
don't take a part in any movie
with "massacre" in the title.
Ratings: After I saw these,
I cried almost as much as I did
after "Old Yeller." At least the
director of that movie didn't
put Old Yeller in any shower
features
Monkey noir
WILL DODSON
staff writer
On Saturday, March 29, English
professor Jeff Jeske made a presen
tation in San Antonio at the Popular
Culture Association's national con
vention. The presentation, "What
Makes 12 Monkeys Film Noir," not
only demonstrated that the film fit
into the realm of film noir but also
explained why this is significant.
Film noir as a genre focuses on
bleak subjects and situations, rarely
featuring "happy endings." Though
Jeske noted that "purists" see film
noir as referring only to films from
1941-1958 which "generally ex
pressed post World War II despair
and alienation," he expanded the
term to encompass three periods.
"The first," he said, "was right
after World War 11, and focused on
cynicism and disillusionment
people were feeling then. The sec
ond, the neo-noir period, was in the
Back to the Roots
DANA HOLMER
staff writer
I didn't get into rap and hip hop
music until my junior year of high
school. But once I was introduced
to it, I was hooked. So when
friends asked if I wanted to go see
the Roots, a band I had heard of
but never heard from, I agreed.
The Roots were playing at
Ziggy's, in Winston-Salem. And
even though we had been to
Ziggy's twice'before, we got lost.
After two people in the gas station
confused us even more, we some
how managed to make it to Beaty
Street by 10 p.m.
A band was just finishing when
we walked in. They had a reggae/
rap sound but we had no idea who
they were. Later we found out
their name was the Nobodies. The
group seemed to be the opening act
for the opening band.
The Urge came out about half
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'7os, after Vietnam and Watergate,
and again focused on feelings of
cynicism and disillusionment, this
time towards the government. And
the third is going on right now." The
general mood of the current noir
films is pessimism involving urban
disintegration and moral break
down.
The significance of 12 Monkeys
as film noir, according to the pre
sentation, is that it "stretched the
noir genre profitably and has actu
ally clarified that genre's central in
tentions in a new way." That "new
way" removes the time period re
striction of 1941-1958 and estab
lishes science fiction as a worth
while site for noir.
But what about the Star Wars
factor? Many film critics feel that
the revamped trilogy will threaten
challenging films and filmmakers
like 12 Monkeys and its director
Terry Gilliam.
an hour later. Having never heard
their music before, I didn't know
what to expect. They were fairly
alternative, and had a strong bass
sound, complete with trombones.
The mosh pit was also a good in
dication of their talent.
Almost a full hour later, the
Roots came out. They played
some punk music in between the
sets. But when they made their
appearance on stage, we knew it
was well worth the wait.
The band got the crowd going
right away with what they said
about Philadelphia. Originating
from Philly, the band made this
well known, and my friend from
Philadelphia got excited when they
yelled out his area code.
After a few songs, the group
started doing some free- styling.
The lead singer's vocal range was
impressive.
The group also started mixing
up some old school rap and hip
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When asked if he shared that
feeling, Jeske answered, "No. I
think the tension [between empha
sis on special effects and on the
matic substance] will always be
there."
"Star Wars' popularity is a nec
essary consequence of what noir
films represent," he went on to say.
"It's a fairy tale, an archetypal quest.
People want that. We're looking for
the happier stories." He cited the
resurgence of Disney films as fur
ther indication.
Jeske also addressed the ques
tion of why so many current films
are falling within the film noir genre.
"I think there's a pretty widespread
notion that morals are declining and
eroding, combined with very real
physical threats, like ebola or AIDS.
We've lost our sense of purpose."
Perhaps, then, we can find it again
by watching gobs and gobs of mov
ies.
hop. Later they did remixes of
current songs, which the crowd
really got into.
There were also a couple of
instrumental solos. The drum solo
must have lasted fifteen minutes.
Then Leonard Herbert went
crazy on bass. His contorted face
impressed me as much as his play
ing. At one point he looked like
he was being stabbed, and at an
other he looked like he was hav
ing an orgasm.
They finished the show with
cine of their popular sbhgfc, "What
they do." Then they did some ma
terial "to the ladies" which in
cluded love songs.
The show was full of energy.
Everyone in that room was danc
ing and singing along to the mu
sic. The Roots really wanted their
audience to get involved. And
looking around, I saw Guilford stu
dents and strangers alike doing just
that.