Entertainment
T rilogy
Continued from Page 10
drama i.s focused on the charac
ters,
Fierstein's screenplay sea
sons (host? scenes with a liberal
close of humor and a few mo
ments of painful conflict.
The show ultimately belongs
to Fierstein. for his writing as
well as his performance He
doesn't merely hold his own
with Bancroft and Broderick,
he shines with warmth and wit.
Ultimately this is the strong
est aspect of Torch Song, the
honest, humorous, painful por
trayal of a human being just
like anyone else who happens
to be gay. Now there's un idea
whose time has come.
Earthweek *89 Events
A Time to Celebrate Earth
Friday. ApriUl
John Mulr'i Birthday, National Day of Outrage!
Rally and March to Downtown for Ancient Forests
12 Noon • Starts la EMU Courtyard
Saturday. April 22
Earth day! Riverfront Park Picnic
Food, music, frisbees, fun! Celebrate our riverfront, support
recreation and wildlife. No Riverfront Research Park!
11:00 AM - By Autzen Footbridge
Earthball '89
Willie Dee and Shakubuku playing reggae, rhythm and soul
Rarthsong, music from the Southern Siskiyous
8:00 PM • EMU Ballroom
Sunday. April 23
Earthrun '89
10:00 AM • Skinner's Butte, 1st and High
For more info call Survival Center at 686-4356
Hult Center for the
Performing Art*
III SO/M St All Sou
111«r * t i. ticket! o »
ult at Mull Center l»i
Ollier I all Mall Center
Oa 111 it * 111 - SIM
A Claal I I ratal! it*.
'Dead Calm' goes for the throat;
reality painted in 'Say Anything'
By Ken Nolan
Emerald Contributor
Dead Calm is a new thriller
which, through its limited
characters and simple plot,
throttles the viewer by the
throat and doesn't let go until
the last frame shines on the
screen.
A commander in the Austra
lian Navy. Sam Neill (A Cry in
iht' Dark) comes home from the
sea to discover his wife has
been seriously injured in a
_Movie Review
head-on auto accident Their
small toddler is killed after hur
tling through the windshield in
an incredible graphic and real
istic scene
From this shocking and hor
rific five-minute prelude, Dead
Calm then spends the rest of its
hour and a half on the awesome
and lonely emptiness of the Pa
cific ocean. In an attempt to re
cover from the loss of their son.
Neill and his wife (Nicole
Kidman) dot tde to spend weeks
in solace on u large sailboat,
sailing around aimlessly
Unfortunately, they come
upon a crippled schooner,
whose only occupant. Hilly
Zane, comes alxiard the cou
ple's sailboat 11.inning his five
shipmates have died of food
poisoning. When Neil rows to
the schooner to check out the
stranger's story, he makes a
horrifying discovery.
/.ane steals the couple's sail
boat, kidnaps Neill and leaves
him stranded alone on a sink
mg ship
The awesome expense anti
bloody sunsets of the Pacific
ocean make a perfect backdrop
for this thriller. The feelings of
helplessness, both of Neill's
failure to get the decrepit ship’s
motor running, and his wife's
inability to reason with her
psychopathic captor, are com
pounded by the fact that they
are all alone in the middle of
huge ocean.
This movie illustrates what
lengths people must go to in or
der tti stay alive. Dead ('aim
also proves to movie audiences
today that a film can be horrify
ing while also staying realistic.
There are no modern cliches
which seem to be the trademark
of current horror films; no de
mons. no Freddy Kruegers and
no poltergeists. Dead Calm re
turns to the basic plots which
used to make audiences scream
twenty years ago.
• • •
Moviegoers who love a good
scare and an excellent thriller
should rush out to see Dead
Calm, a simple, yet terrifying
nightmare of the sea.
Oh no. here comes another
dumb movie about teenagers,
one that adults will never enjoy
or even relate to. right? Wrong
Say Anything, a new film about
both teenagers and adults, is
out to utterly destroy this mis
conception through a refresh
ingly realistic portrayal of
youth
Starring John Cusack as a
nervous, oddball teenager who
believes that "kick boxing" is
the sport of the future. Say
Anythin# delivers an honest
plot with honest characters.
The dialogue is startlingly real
istic and entertaining, and the
screenplay never resorts to the
falling to the level of the con
trived Porky's-type humor seen
in most teen films
lone Skye plays Cusack's
new girlfriend, whose only
problem other than being a ge
nius is that she has never had a
chance to express her feelings
to anyone younger than her fa
ther. John Mahoney plays her
caring, seemingly honest father
who is willing to do anything
to protect his daughter's future
including wracking his own.
The promising aspect of Say
Anythin# lies in its characters
Too many movies about young
adults have stereotypical fa
thers who are cruel and insen
sitive to their daughter's wish
es. Most of these characters
come off as very unrealistic.
This film destroys the con
trived mold by giving an hon
est portrayal of real people in
real situations, and how these
relationships can change.
This ultimately honest depic
tion of three likable characters
makes Say Anythin# impossi
ble to dislike. It is a movie for
everyone who would enjoy a
funny and touching story
packed with emotion. And for
those who want to support the
continuing slop of inane term
age garbage films like License
to Drive and She's out of Con
trol. avoid Say Anythin# be
cause it is a movie with one
major difference — it’s good.
^lender continued from Page 8
THKATER/DANCE
Friday, April 21
Hanging by Our Fingernails
— performed by Springfield
Theater, 8 p.m., Springfield
High School auditorium, 875
N 7th St Tickets $2. available
at the door.
Friday, April 28
Master’s thesis dance con
cert with works by I.yn Nee
ley and lean Nelson, 8 p.m
Dougherty Dance Theatre in
Gerlinger Annex. Free adrnis
sion. Also playing Saturday.
April 29 at 8 p.m.
VISUAL ARTS
Continuing
Synaesthetic and
futurhythmic art by David
Zerrull. EMU Art Gallery dur
ing normal building hours.
Free admission.
MISCELLANEOUS
Friday. April 21
Shakespeare's Birthday Cel
ebration — sonnets, dances,
songs, fights, scenes, solilo
quys and competitions of wit, 1
Photo by Scott M«brn
Neil Toomie (Don Brady, left) and Dan Rittman (Dan Pegoda)
argue a point in University Theatre's “Ghost on Fire," play
ing tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Villard Hall's Arena
Theatre.
to 2:30 p m.. EMU Courtyard.
Saturday, April 22
Neil Gladstone — comedian.
8:30 p.m., WOW Hall. Tickets
$b advance. $7 DOS, available
at HMl) Main Desk. Balladeer
Music, Cat's Meow, Mouse of
Records. Record Carden and
the WOW Mall front desk. All
ages welcome.
TRACK TOWN PIZZA
*1.50 OFF
any Large or Giant Pizza
valid loi delivery • Offer expires 6/9/89
not valid with any other offer/one coupon per piira
484-2799 • 1809 Franklin Blvd.
COUPON
TRACK TOWN
PIZZA
484-2799
FREE DELIVERY
(limited «i««)