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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1987)
344-2691 PHOTO FINISHING Coupon Specials! AGATE VIDEO (comor of 19th A Agate) Coupon oapkoa 3/16/17 1495 E. 19th 110-126 12 Exp. Developed ft Printed $-|99 Second Set of Print* At The Time of First Processing 15* EACH 135-24 Developed & Printed 3x5 $499 i YOUR CMOtCC 4x6 or 3x5 Developed A Printed 135*36 j s54* YOUR CHOICE 4x6 or 3x5 135*12 O«V0lop«d ft Printed $2^9 MAMMOTH MOVING SALE The Museum of Natural History is moving, and everything must go (no, we’re not selling our bones.). But we are selling everything else in our Gift Shop. We simply don’t have any more room on the truck (what with ail the bones and pottery). This may be your last chance to pick up a rare gift item from around the world at 30-50% off regular prices. The sale will Dc going on throughout the entire month of March. why not come by. We’re right on campus, under / / the breeze way between Science I and II and we’re open 12-5 Tuesday through Saturday. If you don’t buy it, we have to feed it to the hairy elephant. Graduating?... If so, you’re eligible to “Get A Piece Of The Walk” Now That you’ve graduated, you are eligible for a unique insurance plan that gives you tangible benefits right now. For a small premium, you can have your name and graduation date engraved on a brick that will be part of the paving in the new Thirteenth Avenue Renovation. The investment is the best insurance that you’ll be remembered at the Univer sity of Oregon. So “get a piece of the walk.” You’ll not only receive lifetime coverage for yourself, but for an entire street. U*'K >03 s’*0' Insure that you9II leave something behind to those who will follow in your footsteps. For more information call Student University Relations at 686-5555. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 'True Stories' void of substance in ridicule of fictional characters By Sean Axmalcer Of the EoMrald "True Stories." the credits inform us. "A film about a bunch of people in Virgil, Texas." Well, "True Stories" isn’t really about much of anything. (That isn’t totally true; actually it’s about 90 minutes.) Director/co-writer David Byrne, whose magnetism as a Talking Head doesn’t materialize in his lackluster ap pearance as roving nar rator/commentator, throws a bunch of vignettes into a nebulous plot that centers on the "Celebration of Specialness” in the mythical town of Virgil. The result is something akin to a long rock video. The characters are more like caricatures, which Byrne half ridicules and half appreciates. I*ouis (John Goodman), a panda shaped gentleman looking for a wife, is the most enjoyable of these characters, a nice guy and a sincere character but whose slightly offlx'at fashion sense (olive green suits?) is constantly used for laughs. Along with I,ouis are The Lazy Woman (Swoozie Kurtz), so rich she never has to leave her bed; Kay Culver (Annie McEnroe), a community organizer with a lacquered hair do and "house beautiful" sheen; her businessman hus band, Karl (Spalding Cray), who has dreams of turning Virgil in to a small business mecca; and a host of other odd characters. The narrative (as such) follows the activities leading up to the “Celebration” talent show, with side trips hosted by Byrne: a tour of a computer complex, dinner with the Culvers, a survey of tract hous ing. etc.... “True Stories" is a collection of odd, often silly bits of story, not consistently funny and not particularly perceptive, merely silly. Not that there aren’t any good scenes, mind you. There are a number of wonderful moments in the film. A preacher turns a sermon in to a gospel number called “Puzzling Evidence,” where he makes some interesting connec tions in the details of business and government. Louis interviews a prospec tive wife in a subdued, slightly awkward meeting that finds the human qualities of the characters’ idiosyncrasies, resulting in a genuinely tender scene. A night-club audience lip-syncs (in turn) to Talking Heads’ “Wild, Wild Life.” It isn't enough, though, and it isn’t consistent. In some respects “True Stories’* resembles the offbeat documen taries, “Gates of Heaven” and “Vernon, Florida,” deadpan works that discover the odd psyches of real people. These pictures do find the humor in these people, but they celebrate rather than ridicule them. Byrne fluctuates, seemingly trying to enjoy these characters for what they are but not able to hold back his little digs. This ambivalence toward his characters is accompanied by a greater ambivalence toward the film as a whole; he can’t decide what this picture is — a loosely defined story, a collection of skits, a character study or what. The final result is a spotty smorgasbord of vignettes, vary ing in quality and tone, but not adding up to much of a meal. “True Stories” is not without its merits, but as a whole it leaves much to be desired. State food drive collects one ton of food for poor Bags distributed to University employees for a food drive last week netted 2,006 pounds of donated food to help feed hungry people in Lane County. The food donation was an 11 percent increase over the amount of food donated a year ago for the annual State Employees Food Drive, spon sored by the governor’s office. In addition, four employees made financial donations total ing $55. Grocery bags for the food drive were donated by three local companies: Safeway Stores Inc., Albertson’s Food Centers and Fred Meyer One Stop Shopping Centers. Among the many county groups distributing the food is the Newman Emergency Center on campus. The PROBLErt yt^THE $Ki{ 4 FREE w. SESSIONS when you buy our package ) 8 Sessions for $29.95 offer expires 3/21/87 -other programs available The Solution!: S/L_vei^ sum center 2160 W. 11th — Eugene 484-5254 Convenient hours M-F 8-10 Sat 10-7 Sun 12-5 = silx^er' salariLim
