Courtesy
An aged Elvis Presley (‘Evil Dead' alumnus Bruce Campbell) and John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis) battle mummies in ‘Bubba Ho-Tep.’
‘Bubba’ goes beyond genre
‘Bubba HoTep/ opening
Friday at the Bijou, offers a
well-crafted horror story free
from cheap gimmicks
By Ryan Nyburg
Senior Pulse Reporter
Let's get this out of the way right
now: "Bubba Ho-Tep" is not a great
movie. The effects are marginal, the
supporting cast is hardly more than a
group of cardboard cut-outs and the
screenplay occasionally lacks focus.
But it is a good movie, and one of
such wonderful down-home absurd
ity that it's hard to feel any malice to
ward it for its faults.
The film _
stars Bruce
Campbell
as an elder
ly Elvis _
Presley,
who isn't dead but instead resides in
an east Texas nursing home along
with a man who claims to be John F.
Kennedy (played by Ossie Davis). All
of this feels like something ripped out
of the headlines of the Weekly World
News. And this is before the soul
sucking mummy arrives on the scene.
This is not standard fare for a hor
ror/comedy, and it comes as no sur
MOVIE
REVIEW
prise that the film is based on a short
story by Joe R. Lansdale. He's the sort
of writer whose work should be
adapted more frequently. His writing
has the tinge of a late-night movie
junkie mixed with the sun-baked hu
mor of a Texas native. Think of the
Butthole Surfers in prose form.
Another thing "Bubba" has going
for it is director Don Coscarelli, cre
ator of the "Phantasm" film series. His
direction is unobtrusive and devoid of
too many stylistic flares. This is a wel
come relief from the long stream of
recent horror films full of fancy cam
era tricks and cut-n'-gut editing, the
only purpose of which, it seems, is to
obscure the sloppiness of the produc
tion. Coscarelli seems more con
cerned with telling a story than show
ing off, and it is good to see that his
love of dark, murky corridors and
bizarre imagery hasn't faltered.
In the case of "Bubba Ho-Tep," the
murky corridors are those of the rest
home that Campbell and Davis inhab
it. In many ways the setting is similar to
the mortuaries in Coscarelli's "Phan
tasm" films, in that both are dark insti
tutional places that practically reek of
death. The way that the film captures
the monotony and small humiliations
of everyday nursing home life is rather
surprising, as it is not the sort of touch
ing detail that is usually associated with
films about the undead.
But this film has many surprising ele
ments, the best being Campbell's per
formance as the aging Presley. He hits
every note perfectly, playing it with a
straight face and never just going for
laughs. He creates an image of a forgot
ten rock star looking back on his wasted
life, concerned about all the things any
old man would be concerned with: his
children, bodily growths, making it to
the bathroom in time, etc.
Davis is also excellent as the man
who believes himself to be Kennedy.
He fills the role wonderfully, and there
is a subtle irony in the fact that he's as
much of a conspiracy buff as anyone
who has studied "that day in Dallas."
All of this adds up to intelligent,
character-based entertainment, some
thing that you see less and less of in
modern cinema. That such a thing
can turn up in a small genre film is a
reassuring sign. And although the
film never takes off the ground, the
ground is inhabited by such a won
derful mixture of enjoyable trash cul
ture that it doesn't feel too bad spend
ing some time there.
"Bubba 1 lo-tep" will open Friday at
the Bijou Art Cinemas, located on 492
E. 13thAve.
Contact the senior pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
New album has everything’
‘Everythingto Everyone/
the eighth release by the
Barenaked Ladies, is full
of variety and catchy tunes
By Natasha Chilingerian
Pulse Reporter
REVIEW
It seems like only yesterday when
the Barenaked Ladies' stream-of-con
sciousness hit "One Week" played
over and over on the radio. They have
since re
leased three -
albums,
and their
latest,
"Everything
to Every
one, " shows they can do more than
just vocalize a fast-paced string of ran
dom ideas.
"Everything to Everyone" makes a
total of eight albums for the Canadi
an quintet since their first release in
1992, including a greatest hits album.
The new record covers topics from the
pain of drug addiction to the joy of
shopping. The song styles are silly, se
rious, bright and thoughtful, with rich
vocals whether the lyrics are sung fast
or slow.
The album begins with the slightly
egotistical but catchy "Celebrity,"
which exposes the deepest thoughts
of a person who has become famous.
Next, the group covers girls in the
slightly psychedelic "Maybe Katie,"
examining the hesitation involved in
dating a single mother.
"Another Postcard" is a fun ballad
about going crazy after receiving a
large amount of postcards depicting
chimpanzees. The lyrics include the
group's trademark of quick-paced
verses with a slower chorus. That tune
is silly, but the album gets even sillier
with "Shopping," a goofy, pop-techno
tune that boasts, "Everything will al
ways be all right / When we go shop
ping." These last few songs are exam
ples of how far the Barenaked Ladies
take their songwriting — they know
that almost any obscure thought is
worthy of a song.
Some songs are based on more
concrete ideas than shopping, how
ever. "Unfinished" tells a fun story
about uncompleted tasks. Even the
lyrics are cut short, as shown in the
Courtesy
The Barenaked Ladies recently released
‘Everything to Everyone.'
chorus: "Everything is un / Every
thing is unfin / Everything is unfin
ished." Playing with words seems to
be the specialty of the group, and
they show that songwriting can be
successful even when it is casual and
light-hearted.
But the Barenaked Ladies can also
make the heart flutter. The last track,
"Have You Seen My Love?" is a sweet,
nostalgic tribute to a first lover and the
Turn to BARENAKED, page 11
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