Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 15, 1996, edition 1 / Page 8
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8 Thursday, February 15,1996 Cheap Films Attempt to Re-Create Blockbusters BY BRENT SIMON STAFF WRITER I will begin with a confession of sorts: I am a movie whore. I freely admit that. But seek help? What are you, crazy? Movies are so much better than real life because they provide instant canned emotion. Any feeling you want, you can get. Life, on the other hand, is full of exams, campus elec tions and other irrelevancies. What a drag. Now, perhaps I’m not the best person to be bringing this problem to the fore (after all, I actually liked “Regarding Henry” and “Bebe’s Kids”), but the problem as I see it is that too many films these days are nothing but cheap, exploitive rehash and drivel that play upon the public’s stupidity and—oh, wait a second, that’s politics. At any rate, I wouldn’t be quite as bothered if movies were better disguised garbage, but recently, Hollywood has been treating pride like Macaulay Culkin “Home Alone,” baby. First off, there are the obvious prob lems, namely the large number of cheap, rip-off movies with eerily familiar titles that go straight to video and star people like Shannon Tweed, Michael Lorenzo and Harry Hamlin. All it takes is one hit like “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct” or (for argument’s sake) “Body ofEvidence.” This, in turn, launches the careers of hun dreds of non-talented, busty blondes (a rarity in California, I understand) in mov ies lie “Body of Instinct,” “Basic Attrac tion,” “Bodies of Evidence,” “Fatal In stinct,” “Basically It’s an Instinctive At traction With Some Fatal Evidence,” and of course, “Don’t Tell Mom, The Babysitter’s Dead.” You can also run into trouble when someone else is renting for you, because when you tell them to pick up “One Good Cop, ” you’ll end up with “Kin dergarten Cop” or “Cop-Out.” Second, in addition to all the movies with similar titles and plots, there are the actors and actresses who don’t help the situation by playing the same role in every movie in which they appear. For instance, what’s the name of the movie where Anne Archer plays an overshadowed wife and winces a lot? “Fatal Attraction”? “Patriot Games”? “Clear and Present Danger”? And what’s that movie where Melanie Griffith plays a spunky, independent bimbo? Where Harvey Keitel bares his ass, yells a lot, and makes you wonder if he’s mentally stable? Where Gene Hackman Bad Taste in Music Continues To Disturb Western Society Okay, I give up. Of all the possible candidates, of all the gifted individu als who could have contributed their not inconsiderable talents to the event, why her? Who the hell picked Diana Ross to sing at the Supetbowl? I mean, somewhere down the line, some onehadtoputhernameonthelist. “Mariah Carey? Nah she doesn’t look reptilian enough. Bruce Springsteen? Good idea, excepthe’shad a hit single within the last three decades. Weneed some one hideous and with abso lutely no fol lowingwhatso- ever ... Wait! I’ve got it!” I can just imagine the tension in the air as the half- BEN FISHER AND THEN I- MED time committee dialed up Diana’s man ager to see if she was still alive. And that’s just part of the problem. Bad judgment in musical selection has also spread to UNC’s campus (and no, I’m not talking about WXYC. The Armenian Kazoo Quartet performing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in Cantonese is a great musical selection, thank you very much). I’m talk ing about the artist (snicker) most recently chosen to play at the Smith Center. Again, rather than picking a band with a strong following, or at least a recent album, someone decided on Rod Stewart. The man, who’s last hit single was “Bro- (ARNAVAL BRASiIfIRO cf* ora) rtie Chapel Hill- Ay yff Saturday, February 17 the Brazilian version of Mardi Gras. Arts Center, Featuring traditional and new carnaval and 300 East Main Street, Carrboro SAMBA sounds, Cornoval gives you o $7.00 advance, SB.OO door chance to experience a truly Brazilian // J Tickets available at the Arts Center evening, complete with complimentary (9] 929-2787 black beans and rice. So, put on your wI/ O r . a ... MASKS, and a comfortable pair ct rhoerj**) V Capoeaa demaartratraa DANCE the night away. /j£ samba lessons at 9:30! <ol (919! 942-5656 and James Earl Jones show up long enough to say wise things to the main character before disappearing again? Where Willem Dafoe looks like the missing link between present day man and Homo erectus? Where Kevin Bacon’s hair looks like he got drunk and went to Super Cuts? Then, in addition to these problems, you also have to watch out for the Baldwin brothers (Alec, William, Stephen and Daniel) and the Carradine clan (John, David, Keith, Robert and 0.J.). Just be cause one brother makes a name for him self, the others all think they can act, too. Suddenly, any schmuck with a cocky smirk and black hair is a Baldwin. In case you were thinking otherwise, this “plague of sameness” extends beyond families and the movie plots themselves to talented (see first example) or marginally decent (see second example) actors that have their own little trademark quirks. Just try to stroll into your local video store and ask for the movie where Harrison Ford gets to blink emphatically, twitch his mouth and switch into his best “shocked indigna tion” mode (“You... you find that man! He took everything from me!”). I think they have a huge rack with all his films, right next to the “Sylvester Stallone as a Super-Patriotic Moron” section. Ohh, and what’s the name of that movie where Julia Roberts is really annoying and stars with some wrinkled, tan, old guy who has more hair than all of Tibet? You want .“Pretty Woman,” but you’ll get “Sleeping With the Enemy” or “I Love Trouble.” And finally there’s Steven Seagal, who probably warrants an entire column of his own. He likes to confuse people even more by not only playing the same character in all of his films (a pseudo-sensitive, ponytailed psycho), but also by appearing in fiims that ail have three-word titles. You know how it goes (deep voice) Steven Seagal i5.... “Hard to Kill,” “Out for Jus tice,” “Above the Law” and “Short On Talent.” Therefore, it should be painfully obvious to even the most infrequent movie goer and the slowest of minds (see Mr. Seagal) that almost all movies are con nected by these twisted, if somewhat hid den, similarities. This weekend, when your significant other tells you to ran out and rent “Ghost” or “Terminator 2” for a nice evening athome, just pickup “Ghost in the Machine” or “D2: The Mighty Ducks” and tell them to deal with it. ken Arrow,” will soon be asking audience members who else will be bringing them bottles of rain. Now that I think about it, if my girl friend was to bring me a gift consisting of broken arrows and bottles of rain, I would probably—out of simple human compas sion for the handicapped —be forced to report her to Student Health (although not before ridiculing her in front of all her friends). And speaking ofthe handicapped, why do rednecks put bumper stickers de picting the rebel flag and the words “Keep it Flyin’” on their beat-up cars? The South lost the war pretty decisively, and it wasn’t exactly a fluke. The North spent the war developing better weapons and medicine while Southern leaders were still working on difficult concepts like indoor plumbing and domesticated livestock. But back to my point, bad taste in music is reaching a disturbing low in Western society. This is particularly frustrating, because we have very few musical alterna tives: Eastern Music How are these singers able to imitate the exact sounds produced by burning house cats? Are there various proficiency levels of cowbell play ing?\ Classic Rock The Beatles are grabbing hold of their instruments once again? I don’tthinkso. They’re so old, they can barely hold their bowels. No, it is up to us, as concerned citizens, to fight back against bad taste. If you listen to artists so old that some of their albums are on 8-track, throw them out. If someone you know was going to the Rod Stewart concert, mock them and sever all ties of friendship. Ifyou have country music CD’s, shoot yourself in the head. My work here is done. DIVERSIONS ‘Seagull’ Filled With Masterful Performances Play Makers Repertoiy Company’s pro duction of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” celebrates the 100th anniversary of the play which revolutionized theater for the twentieth century. First produced in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1896, “The Seagull” centers on the fric tion between a conceited actress, Irina Arkadina (Annalee Jefferies), and her lat- est lover, Boris Trigorin (Keir Dullea). The play also spot lights Irina’s son, Konstantin (Bo DEAN HAIR Theater Review The Seagull' Foxworth), who is floating between the worlds of child and adulthood. Jefferies, who gave a mesmerizing per formance as Blanche Dußois in last season’s production ofTennesee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire, ” again proves she is master at portraying neurotic and eccentric women. Jefferies beautifully portrays Irina as a woman who loves the gallantry ofbeing an actress and greatly covets the attention of those around her. In fact, she desires the attention of her lover so intensely that she ignores her own son. What Konstantin needs and desires is that which he has been denied his entire life —the attention and affection ofhis mother. Jefferies’ Irina holds the characters of “The Seagull” together yet at the same time is the source of many of the family’s problems. Dullea, who is best known for his por trayal of Commander Bowman in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey, ” gives a captivatingperformance as Jefferies lover, the famous writer Trigorin, who destroys Arts & Entertainment Calendar <♦ MUSIC THURSDAY, FEB. 15 THE TROUT BAND. The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 968-9308. LEFTOVER SALMON. Cat’s Cradle. 300 E. Main St, Chapel Hill. 967-9053. THE UNCOLNS with SPAGETTY. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 929-2828. NC SYMPHONY CLASSICAL CONCERT. Williams High School Auditorium, Burlington. (910) 570-2027. FRIDAY, FEB. 16 GRAVITY’S PULL The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 968-9308. LILITH'S CRADLE. Ninth Street Bakery. 776 Ninth St, Durham. 286-0303. MARK BELK. Barnes & Noble, 5400 New Hope Commons, Durham. 489-3012. AQUARIUM RESCUE UNIT. Cat s Cradle. 300 E. Main St, Chapel Hill. 967-9053. NC SYMPHONY CLASSICAL CONCERT. Kenan Auditorium, UNC-Wilmington. 1-806 732-3643. SATURDAY, FEB. 17 THE TREMBLERS with THE TWO DOLLAR PISTOLS. The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 968-9308. QUEEN SARAH SATURDAY with ED CRAWFORD. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 929-2828. VELDT with PLUTOPIA. Cat’s Cradle. 300 E. Main St, Chapel Hill. 967-9053. SUSIE CRATE Ninth Street Bakery. 776 Ninth St, Durham. 2860303. HARPSICHORDIST ELAINE FUNARO. Chapel Hill Arts & Music in Progress. 229 S. Elliott Road, Village Plaza, Chapel Hill. NC SYMPHONY CLASSICAL CONCERT. Carolina Theatre, Durham. 560-3030. SUNDAY, FEB. 18 SCHLEIGHO with MERCY ME The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 9669308. ASS PONYS. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. ■ WINTER CLEARANCE Winter Items Dresses as low asssl2! Guess, Calvin Klein, Ann Taylor, soHURRy: The STOCK sa,e ™^ i,Fe "" ** rynu a vrpr £jawn/ii i vjJj 4 The c ° urtyard X ** XX± XX 1 vU Chape | H j|| NC 27516 Unique Clothing on Consignment (mst 9074035 life simply because he had nothing better to do with his time. Dullea intelligently portrays the charis matic Trigorin who seems to have every thing and nothing all at one time. While Jefferies and Dullea may receive top-billing, the play belongs to Foxworth. As the troubled and misunderstood son, Foxworth painfully portrays a young man who has never received love, though he freely gives it to those around him. Konstantin is a boy on the verge of man hood who seems to repeatedly fall short of all of his aspirations. Konstantin competes for the of Nina (Alyss Bresnahan), attempts to create a new kind of theater and vainly tries to capture the eye ofhis mother. Loving the aspiring Nina is Konstantin’s tragic flaw. Nina does not love people but the idea of people, desiring fame at any cost. Nina mirrors what Irina may have bee like in her youth. Bresnahan attempts to achieve a masterful performance but slightly falls short, seemingly bored with her own performance. Play Makers, as usual, employs an im pressive stage coupled with excellent cos tumes. Sand strewn across the stage with flowers and tables create a perfect country club atmosphere appropriate for the pro duction. Asa written work, “The Seagull” is a masterpiece and translates well from paper with such fine actors as Dullea, Jefferies and the outstanding Foxworth. Michael Wilson (director) carefully or chestrates and choreographs the scenes of “The Seagull” creating smooth transitions and clear, concise movements. Performances run through Feb. 25. For reservations and additional information all 962-PLAY. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 9262828. NC JAZZ SHOWCASE Arts Center. 300 E Main St. Chapel Hill. 9262787. CIOMPI QUARTET. N.C. Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 839-6262. MONDAY, FEB. 19 JIM SMITH. The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St. Chapel Hill. 9669308. HUM with MERCURY REV and JENNYANYKIND. Cat’s Cradle. 300 E. Main St. Chapel Hill. 967-9053. YETI with QUATRO. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 9262828. TUESDAY, FEB. 20 SONGWRITER'S ALLIANCE with JEFF HART and WES LACHOT. The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 9669308. MOPED with PAPA LUNA. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 926 2828. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 SOLUTION A.C. with THE DRAG. Cat s Cradle. 300 E. Main St, Chapel Hill. 967- 9053. TAZ HALLOWEEN'S CARNIVAL OF NIGHTMARES. The Cave. 452 1/2 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 9669308. DYSLEXICON. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 9262828. THURSDAY, FEB. 22 TODD JONES and THING. The Cave. 452 1/ 2 W. Franklin St. Chapel Hill. 9669308. KiCKBALi with SOLSTICE. Lizard and Snake Cafe. 110 N. Columbia St, Chapel Hill. 926 2828. EVERYTHING with ATHENAEUM. Cat’s Cradle. 300 E. Main St, Chapel Hill. 967- 9053. JOHN MCLAUGHLIN and THE FREE SPIRITS. Reynolds Auditorium, Winston- Salem. (910) 650-9522. LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS THE COMMUNIST PARTY: THE FIRST CONCEPTUAUST IN THE SOVIET UNION. Feb. 15. Duke University Museum of Art Durham. YOJIMATSUMURA, ARTIST. Feb. 16. City Gallery of Contemporary Art Raleigh. 836 2077. HARLEM HEYDAYS: ARTISTS OF THE jjjjKfjK M, ~ *.. , ~ - ■ '■■W , % . ~ tli—l a. oj m. wmm****^. Alyssa Bresnahan is Nina in Play Makers The Seagull." HARLEM RENAISSANCE Feb. 18. N.C. Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 8366262. WARREN BLANK: THE NINE NATURAL LAWS OF LEADERSHIP. Feb. 18. Barnes & Noble, Durham. 4863012. NADINE STROSSEN, PRESIDENT ACLU. Feb 19. Memorial Hall, UNC-CH. 962-1449. VISITING TEXTILE ARTISTS WORKSHOP. Feb. 1623. East Carolina School of Art 732- 1818. DR. RAYMOND MONELLE: TOPIC AS UNIVERSAL Feb. 22. Biddle Music Building, Duke University, Durham. 681-ARTS. PLENTY OF PORTRAITS. Feb. 24. N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 8366262. DAZZLING DOORS. Feb. 24. N.C. Museum of Art 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 836 6262. UNC HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ WORKSHOPS. Feb. 24. Hill Hall, UNGCH. 962-1449. ETC PINECONE HAMMERED DULCIMER JAM SESSION. Feb. 15. Burt Music, Shops of Kildaire, Cary. 9961900. BROADWAY MELODIES MUSICAL REVUE Feb. 1617. Student Union Cabaret UNC-CH. 962-1449. CONTRA DANCE Feb. 16. Carolina Friends School, Durham. 967-9948. READINGS FROM MADELINE Feb. 17. Barnes & Noble, Durham. 4863012. BRASILIAN CARNIVAL Feb 17. Arts Center. Chapel Hill. 9262787. THE ‘ROYAL' SHAKESPEARE CLUB/ DISCUSSION GROUP: RICHARD 111. Feb. 19. Barnes & Noble, Durham. 4863012. PINECONE BEGINNING IRISH JAM Monday & Thursday $1.75 Pitchers of Beer $7 Pitchers of Margaritas NO COVER! Ask About A free Mixer! 157 E. Rosemary Street • 967-1442 $ If* Satlg sar Heel SESSION. Feb. 20. Carolina Pines Recreation Center, Raleigh. 9961900. PINECONE STORYTELLING SWAP. Feb. 21. Pullen Arts Center, Raleigh. 9961900. AFTER HOURS: VODKA TASTTNG. Feb. 22. Duke University Museum of Art Durham. TRANSACTORS IMPROV COMEDY CO. Feb. 23. Arts Center, Chapel Hill. For information, call 9262787. KIDSCABERET: PLUTOPIA. Feb. 24. Arts Center, Chapel Hill. 9262787. PINECONE SHAPE NOTE SING. Feb. 25. St Mark’s Chapel at Mordecai Historic Park, Raleigh. 781-3596. ART EXHIBITS ‘GRADUATE STUDENT ART.' Main Gallery, Student Union, UNC-CH. Through today. *FABL£/FOREST.‘ Steinway Gallery. Through Feb 24. ‘IMPRESSIONISTIC WORKS.* Lilly Library Gallery, Duke University. Through March 2. ‘FAMILIAR ALIENS: ANOTHER LOOK AT ANIMALS.* Ackland Art Museum, UNGCH. Through March 17. ‘RUSSIAN CONCEPTUAL ART OF THE 1980S." Duke University Museum of Art Durham. Through March 31. ■INSTALLATION BY YOJI MATSUMURA.* City Gallery of Contemporary Art Raleigh. 8362077. THE STORY OF A PICTURE* N.C. Museum of Art Raleigh. Through June 2. ‘MOUNTAIN SPIRIT.’ Steinway Gallery. Feb. 26-March 30. Calendar compiled by Dean Hair and Melissa Milios. Calendar annoucements are due one week prior to the event
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 15, 1996, edition 1
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