4The Daily Tar HeelThursday, July 5, 1990
Cruise's 'Top Gun' on wheels glosses over weak plotline
Days of Thunder
Directed by Tony Scott
Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nichole
Kidman
Plaza, South Square
ooo
Can you say Top Gun on wheels?
Yes, Days of Thunder is an exact
replica of the fighter pilot film that
made Tom Cruise famous. At least, it
has the three key elements:
First, The Sage Teaches His Re
bellious Disciple How To Drive. Randy
Randy Basinger
Quaid brings Harry (Robert Duvall)
out of retirement on a farm in North
Carolina to build a car racing team. The
driver is, of course, Tom Cruise (alias
Cole Trickle). Cruise and Duvall banter
back and forth until their losing streak
forces some real conversation and a
friendship is born. Harry wins Trickle's
trust and Trickle then begins to win
races.
Second, The Friendship. Cole and
racer Rusty Burns are arch-rivals until
they crash at the Indianapolis 500 and
end up in the hospital. The result is
some hilarious scene; they do what ev
eryone old enough to drive has always
dreamed of doing: rent a car from one of
those car rental places and race it. Thus,
friendship becomes one of the central
themes of the movie.
Third, The Love Interest. The doc
tor conveniently happens to be female
and provides an excuse for the Tom-Cruise-Takes-Off-His-Shirt-In-Bed-
VVith-A-Girl-So-Those-In-The-Au-dience-Can-PIay-Out-Their-Fanta-
sies scene. This isn't even a relevant
part of the movie except that she does
have an Australian accent.
With these three parts, all the ingre
dients are here for a smash hit movie.
This should put NASCAR up there with
the Navy flight program as top things
guys my age want to become. I mean,
already I hear guys out there saying,
"Yeah, put me on the race track, I'll
pick up some girl with an Australian
accent and we'll ride into the winner's
circle of life."
Come on guys, get a life. We just
aren't Tom Cruise. We have to come to
that realization at some point in our
lives and say, hey, I like me. I like who
I am. I don't need to drive a car and do
a love scene with an Australian girl to
feel good about myself.
The plotline has holes galore. The
other problem is Randy Quaid's char
acter. Just who's side is he on anyway?
He switches loyalties more often than
Mr. Rogers changes shoes. With Quaid,
and Cole becoming friends with a guy
he hated that quickly, it just doesn't
work. Too many characters change at
titudes and loyalties. But then who came
for a serious drama anyway?
I guess that is what I'm really trying
to say about this movie. It all happens
too fast, but then in a movie about
racing cars, I guess that is the way you
want it to happen.
So, to sum up. For a fast-paced, good
time with plenty of suspense and ten
sion and laughs, Days of Thunder will
be the movie hit it has been predicted to
be. Besides, you and I both know that a
racing movie is good when some guy
leaves the theater parking lot pealing
out in his VW Bug.
Drama explores effect of AIDS on relationships
Longtime Companion
Directed by Norman Rene
Stephan Caffrey, Patrick Cassidy,
Bruce Davidson, John Dossett,
Mark Lamos, Dermot Mulroney,
Mary-Louise Parker,
Varsity
oooo
; A New York Times article "Rare
; Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals"
. identified Kaposi's Sarcoma - known
today as AIDS - as a disease striking
the homosexual community. Prog
nosticated to be a threat in the met
ropolitan areas of New York City and
San Francisco, the AIDS infection
rate was calculated at 2 persons out of
3 million.
Gigi Branch
The publication of this July 3, 1981
article marks the opening of director
Norman Rene's film Longtime Com
panion. With a cast of 8 actors (7 ho
mosexual males and 1 heterosexual fe
male), Rene shows how the disease
invades and transforms a close group of
friends over the course of nine years.
The story is a collage of moments
shared individually and collectively by
the characters. The screen's images
piece together a human portrait of the
day-to-day lives of the characters who
are affected directly and indirectly by
this disease. The scenes illuminate inti
mate conversations, walks on the beach,
crowded hospitals, the nursing of
helpless grown men, final goodbyes,
funeral eulogies, and AIDS volunteer
centers. The camera captures shots of
happiness, sadness, frustration, humor,
fear, guilt, shame, anger, hope, friend
ship and courage.
Far from a documental portrayal, this
film gives a fictional account of a drama
that is becoming increasingly repre
sentative of reality. We see how the
characters handle their own illnesses,
how they accept the illnesses and deaths
of their friends and lovers and how they
face a future with no cure in sight.
This film is one of the few examples
of the motion picture industry covering
the AIDS epidemic. I had the opportu-
nity to view Longtime Companion at
a benefit showing on its opening night
in Chapel Hill. The concerned audi
ence, who contributed to the cause by
their presence and their donations,
responded with moments of laughter,
silence and a final applause.
The story pulled me completely
into its fictional grasp, except for one
closing scene where the deceased are
reunited during a hallucination of one
of the remaining characters. The cam
era is revealing and the actors give
credible performances. The story pre
sented is realistic, informative and
touching.
The film limits itself to portraying
the effects of the disease in an isolated
group in the gay community. Therein
lies the very strength of this picture.
Changes in Modern English
make Tips' sound pidgin
Pillow Lips
Modern English
TVT Records
Brian Springer
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Our Italian and Chinese Chefs are arguing.. .Can
you help?
Chef Giovanni from Florence, Italy, insists that his Polio Alia
Sorrentina sauteed with eggplant, prosciutto & spinach in a
red sauce then topped with mozzerella cheese is the best
Italian dish in the Triangle area!
However, our Chinese Chef Simon Chan thinks his General
Tao's Chicken looks, tastes a? smells just as good!
Chef Giovanni interrupts to add that his Gamberi Creole, which is created with fresh
clams, shrimp, prosciutto, sauteed with onion, green peppers and mushrooms over
a bed of rice, is delicious as well as the best value in town at only 5 10.95!
Chef Chan disagrees! He favors the Seafood Basket which has lobster meat, large
shrimp, scallops et king crab meat. This dish is served with crispy vegetables in a
unique potato basket and Chef Chan insists it is the freshest seafood dish ever created!
Whose dish is best is debatable, but the fact that these are the best
Italian & Chinese Chefs in town is certain!
iviurcu iruuj, we arc cuimnuicu iu fiuve guuu juuu w m gwu
service. Ask some of your friends who have been in Wlarco
Polo and they'll tell you we are totally dedicated to good food
in our 100 item menu. 1 guarantee that you'll be pleased
with our cuisines from the different countries of the world
Let i5 host your next party in our beautiful formal China Room. Beginning with cocktails, appetizers
and finish with a sit down dinner.
Please Bring Your Friends for a Lavish International Sunday Buffet
Eere Plant Parmisriana Beef Broccoli bhrimp Vegetables
Chicken Picante
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Fresh fruit &: dessert
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Six fresh & mixed salads
All You Can Eat $8.45
children under 1 0 half-price
Lunch: 11:30-2:30 (except Sat.)
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Dinner: 5:00-9:30 (Sun. - Thurs.)
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A courtesy van can pick up a small group of guests from the University and nearby hotelsmotels
1813 Durham-Ghapel Hill Blvd,
3 J?- & Chapel Hill
O miserable
OO mediocre
OOO enjoyable,
OOOO quite good
OOOOO unmissable
On Pillow Lips, its first album for
TVT Records, Modern English makes a
stab at some real changes, with mixed
results. The band's first three albums,
Mesh and Lace ( 1 98 1 ), After the Snow
(1982), and Ricochet Days (1982), es
tablished its distinctive mix of complex
drum patterns, slashing guitar, and thin-and-breathy-yet-irresistibly-melodic
vocals. With the loss of all but the
vocals, ME has been forced to tamper
with its sound.
A change in personnel prompted the
band's musical changes. Only lead vo
calistguitarist Robbie Grey and bassist
Mick Conroy have remained constant.
After Ricochet Days, drummer
extraordinaire Richard Brown and
keyboardist Stephen Walker left the
band, replaced only by keyboardist
guitarist Aaron Davidson. The result
ing album, Stop Start, attempted to
HE S
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Saturday, July 7
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beginning at 9 P.M.
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recreate the sound of Modern English
past and succeeded reasonably well with
the help of studio musicians.
With Pillow Lips, Modern English
attempts to forge ahead on the strengths
of Grey, Conroy, and Walker. Though
admirable, the band has lost some of the
charm that made its early LPs so essen
tial. The shift from the 4ADSire label
to TVT has perhaps pushed Modern
English in its current direction.
Jeers for the lead-off tune, a re-recording
of "I Melt With You" that is the
biggest disappointment on the album.
Almost to the extent of Real Life (how
many Real Life albums has "Send Me
An Angel" been on, anyway?). Modern
English has capitalized on this one song.
The current reading sounds much like
the original, only faster and with ac
centuated AOR-isms. The concept be
hind making progress is not to hold on
for dear life to the past. Trash this cut on
principle alone. End of sermon.
The other utter flop on Pillow Lips is ;
the overly-synthetic "Life's Rich Tap- '
estry." Obviously, Grey and company '
had soundtrack-on-the-brain syndrome "
here, with a generic dance beat and
keyboard lines. For a band that was
once on the cutting edge of the music
biz, on this ME sounds like the handle.
So much for the major shortcomings
The sound shift that serves best is the .
upbeat, bouncy sound a la Lloyd Cole
of "Beauty" and "You're Too Much."
This is a logical progression from the
ideas which fired "I Melt With You,"
and Grey hasn't lost his knack for catchy
melodies.
"Care About You" is the cut most
like "Melt With You" in structure and
sound. But it succeeds because of an
irresistible chorus, which allows one to
overlook a familiar drumacoustic gui
tar sound. It's paint-by-numbers ecstasy
for Modern English fans who only know
the one song.
"Beautiful People" uses some of the
same tools as "Care About You," but
gives them a shine by adding in a heavy
heartbeat bass and brittle guitarwork.
"Let's All Dream" marks another ME
innovation, adding violin and various
meter changes. The end result comes
across rather like the Pogues or early
Dexy's Midnight Runners.
While the mid-section of the album
is quite strong, the last few cuts fall
apart. "Coming Up for Air" is slick
slick slick, oozing George Michael from
every sebaceous pore. The title track,
"Pillow Lips," is an attempt at an aching
ballad that comes off like Wang Chung
singing Phil Collins. "Take Me Away"
fails in spite of an excellent fat drum
sound, largely due to a generic melody.
Without a doubt, Pillow Lips does
have its moments, but the ME still seems
to be looking for direction after the
crippling departure of Richard Brown.
This record may be more accessible to
the masses, but much of the band's
personality has diminished.
Summer Menu
Selections
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and Chicory s525
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Paella 1325
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Salmon 7S
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