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181 E. Broadway* 342-6107«Mon-Sat: 10-6, Sun: 11-5
COMING THIS SPRING
—SSSi
‘Blast’ defies low expectations
By Jack Clifford
Oregon Daily Emerald
Every moviegoer has experi
enced that phenomenon of feeling
totally jazzed to see some hot new
film, only to be bummed when it
falls short of expectations. “Sav
ing Private Ryan” — just about
every critic’s choice for this year’s
Best Picture Oscar — filled that
bill forme in 1998.
On the flip side, it’s always a
treat when an apparent dud turns
out to be a decent movie. Two
months into 1999, this year’s con
tender for sleeper is “Blast From
The Past,” director Hugh Wilson’s
newest offering, starring Brendan
Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.
“Blast From The Past” begins
during another conflict-dominat
ed era, the early 1960s. Wilson is
confident enough to bring levity
and a disjointed feel to the Cold
War, the Cuban missile crisis and,
more specifically, bomb shelters.
Two Los Angeles suburbanites,
Calvin and Helen, played su
perbly by Christopher Walken and
Sissy Spacek, are throwing a party
when an explosion forces them
into their backyard safety space.
Helen, who is pregnant, and her
eccentric husband are secure in
the Earth’s depths for 35 years.
Along comes baby, Adam, and
the two parents embark on a social
learning program for their only
son. Once Fraser makes his screen
Blast From The Past
DIRECTED BY: Hugh Wilson
STARRING: Brendan Fraser
and Alicia Silverstone
RATING:
appearance as a young adult,
Adam has been home-schooled,
he’s been taught how to dance and
he has impeccable manners, to
boot. By the time the shelter’s
alarm sounds, telling the family
that it’s OK to explore the outside
world, Adam is basically most
women’s dream guy.
Well, he’s not necessarily the
man for Silverstone’s character,
Eve. (Yes, the names are corny, but
they don’t distract from the plot.)
She is more attracted to the “mim
bo” types, those La-La hunks in
terested in buffing up and hair
styling. Eve’s initial avoidance
tactics with Adam are amusing,
but there’s never any doubt that
his innocent charm will sway her
by the movie’s end.
Adam’s mission above ground is
twofold: to gather more supplies
for an extended stay in the shelter
and, hopefully, to find a wife —
preferably from Pasadena—to ful
fill his mother’s wishes. He hires
Eve to help with the former, then
once she rebuffs him romantically,
he enlists her help with the latter.
Granted, this is a fairly thin ex
cuse for a plot, but surprisingly it
works. Fraser plays up the “fish
out of water” personality just
enough, and Silverstone ade
quately handles her role as the
hard-edged cynic with a heart of
gold. Nobody is going to mistake
this duo for Katherine Hepburn
and SpencerTracy anytime soon,
but the chemistry works well.
The screen presences of Walken
and Spacek work much better,
mainly because those two are
more seasoned actors. In addition,
they both string out some wacky
scenes with solid comic timing.
Dave Foley (from TV’s “News Ra
dio”) is hinny as Eve’s gay room
mate, and it's nice to see a Holly
wood flick stay away from the
stereotypical limp-wrist jokes.
The only aspect of this film that
doesn’t work at all is the cult that
is formed when Adam emerges
from underground and is pro
nounced the Messiah. Wilson
would have been wise to cut this
plot line and focus more attention
on Adam and his interaction with
L. A.’s other loonies.
Wilson’s directorial career has
come a long way since he debuted
in 1984 with the bomb “Police
Academy.” Fifteen years later, he
hits the target with “Blast From
The Past,” not an Oscar winner,
but nonetheless a surprisingly fun
time at the theater.
Theater
Continued from Page 7
supply voices and seem to direct the actors as they
progress through the play.
Director Jon Cole describes the content as “a really,
really intense down-and-dirty look at the dark side of
relationships, in a medium that you can’t escape.”
Although “Hot ‘n’ Throbbing” does not necessarily
confuse the audience, it may offend some with its mo
ments of violence, sex and incest. However, Cole does
a nice job of making his point — creating an environ
ment that questions the roles of women in society.
Again, the portrayals carry the play. With such ex
plicit material in a confined space so close to the au
dience, the cast members are very believable. As the
teen-age daughter who comes on to her brother and
her father, Hellesto delivers an enticing perfor
mance wearing blond pigtails and lime-green capri
pants.
“I’m basically like Kelly from ‘Married With Chil
dren,’” Hellesto says. “This is a play that touches on
physical and emotional issues.”
Both plays continue at 8 p.m. March 4-6 and 11-13
at the Arena Theatre in Villard Hall. Patron discre
tion is advised due to adult themes.
Band
Continued from Page 9
keeps a post office box in Georgia,
where he grew up.
Being on the road isn’t bad at ai 1,
though, Chandler says. He may
have a hard time getting his mail,
but, he adds, “it’s a lot harder for
the police to get in touch with me. ’’
“I don’t know any different, to
tell the truth,” says Chandler, who
has been a performer most of his
life. “1 spent the past two months
in New Orleans, and it was a new
life experience for me. I’ve been
on the road all my life.”
r
After their current run, the
Troubadours will head to Austin,
Texas, where they will record
their first CD together. Chandler
has recorded several CDs on his
own, including a recent release
called “Collaborations,” on which
he performs with a number of dif
ferent artists such as Yarrow, the
Austin Lounge Lizards and Trout
Fishing in America.
On the CD, the musicians play
their own songs and Chandler re
cites poetry over them. These col
laborations lie at the heart of what
Chandler loves about performing.
“I don’t feel whole unless I feel
like I’m contributing to some
thing, changing the T to ‘we,’” he
says. “The power of our creative
forces multiplies tenfold instead
of twofold.”
Chandler will sell copies of his
CD at the BUZZ tonight, and he
looks forward to performing at the
coffee house.
“We do a myriad of different
events,” he says. “We played in a
chapel last night. We’ll play any
where anybody will listen to us. ’’
Oregon Women's Basketball
Pairings Party
Sunday, March 7
1:00pm - Mac Court
FREE Admission!!!
) Come watch ESPN's LIVE announcement
of this year’s NCAA Tournament
pairings with the Ducks on the big screen.
V
jWin cool prizes from Sony and Burger King®
get photos and posters autographed,
party with the band, cheerleaders and The Duck,
buy your Stone Soup NCAA t-shirt,
and see the premiere of the
1998-99 highlight video.