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ast Starfkliters' humor efforts futile
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By Mark Dsvia end Scott Align Happel
Imagine, if you will, that certain video games with
their digital sounds and effects on which the space
wars of tomorrow are played out were actually
placed on thto planet by aliens; forces, perhaps,
whose sole intention is to prepare select players to
enter a step beyond the game and into an actual
inter-galactic sphere to be starfighters and space
warriors of now. Nice plot, huh?
Now imagine that this challenging plot is crammed
into 30 minutes of film, leaving the rest of the film to
be filled with futile efforts at humor and just plain
bad acting. And we were worried about nuclear
holocaust
The "Last Starfighter" 's story takes place in a
trailer park out in the middle of nowhere. Alex
(Lance Guest), an 18-year-old video game wizard, is
our hero. He is intent on thcever popular "get out of
this town and make something out of myself theme.
Alex gets a letter from the GSL folks which denies
him a loan, thus leaving him with nothing else to do
but leave his main squeeze (Cathleen Mary Stewart)
and go to Rylos to save the world single handedly.
Either that or go to city college (ugh).
For some very strange reason, the boy, intent on
getting out of his go-nowhere home town, has to be
convinced that he should take up the challenge.
Lucky for us, Grig, Alex's asthmatic iguana sidekick,
is able to talk Alex in to it 30 seconds before they
blow up the bad guys, which include some 50 or 60
gun ships and their command ship.
To be fair, this movie does have its good moments.
The trailer park in which Alex lives responds to
video game victories and interstellar travel in a
somewhat hokey, but just this side of genius manner.
Also, Robert Preston (The Music Man") adds some
needed laughs to this otherwise bad humor schtick.
But everything has a good side. Nuclear war would
ease the population explosion a bit.
Nightclubs exhibit
ocaOy-b
ased bands
By Scott Schiefelbein
The record that hasn't left your turntable for a
week is beginning to bore you. The repetition, the
jingles and advertisements on the radio just don't
hold your interest. You feel it's time to diversify. On
any given evening, a dozen or more sites in Lincoln
offer a chance to see and hear music performed by
locally-based bands.
If alcohol can legallypass through your lips, bars
and nightclubs are your best bet for enjoying musical
entertainment. Larry Boehmer, owner of the Zoo
Bar (136 N.,14th St.) said that the reason his bar
exists is the music. Boehmer said he tries to offer
bands that put on some sort of show as well as
performing good musical material The Zoo is best
known for the blues, but on occasion, almost any
genre, of music can be heard there. For original
music with more of a rockin' flavor, the Drumstick
(547 N. 48th St.), or Bill's Saloon (1020 P St.), pro
vide some of the most interesting bands and audiences
in town.
For those not of legal drinking age interested in
local music, shows have been organized in rented
warehouses and meeting halls. During the past year,
the "Brickyards," a warehouse on 16th & Y streets,
has been the home of shows to promote alternative
music and give minors access to live entertainment.
The success of any band or bar is dependent upon
the audience. Many of the same faces can be seen
night after night at the various musical hot spots
around town. One of these dedicated fans is Jim
Heydt. Heydt, a programmer at KZUM radio, finds
his way into clubs to see bands once or twice a week.
When he is short of money he often sits outside and
listens. -
The biggest problems with local music are that
there aren't enough original bands that can be seen
regularly and Lincoln is too dependent on bars for
an opportunity to hear local bands," Heydt said.
To aid one in finding out exactry what can be
expected at these shows, a number of periodicals
dealing with local entertainment and music are
available. These "fanzines" can be found in record
shops and bookstores throughout Lincoln. They
contain information about the bands themselves
and where and when they can be seen and heard.
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The last starfighter and hia navigator.
Photo courtesy UnlvtrtslLcrimar
By Sarah Sieler
A firefly flitted by: "
"Look!" I almost said,
But I was alone.
Taigi
The fleeting beauty of a firefly is just one pleasure
we miss when we glue our eyes to our books and
forget to look up. It is good to learn but it is not
good to get so involved in our course work that we
lose sight of the rest of the world.
This summer, take some time off from your stu
dies to look at the world around you. There is so
much to appreciate in nature, art, music and litera
ture. Just open your eyes and see!
Judith Sornberger, an English teacher at UNL
whose poetry has been published in an ever-growing
number of publications, will give a poetry reading
Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room at Ben
nett Martin Public Library, 14th and N streets.
Lincoln's parks will come alive with the sounds of
a variety of music this week. Mark Lehl's music will
be featured at the concert in Foundation Garden,
Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. Take your lunch
and find some shade.
John Walker will play folk music Wednesday
evening in the first of four concerts this week in
Antelope Park. The Capitol City Czech Choralers
will sing Friday, the Suzuki Children will play Satur
day and the Municipal Band will perform Sunday.
All four concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the
bandshelL
Nebraska Repertory Theatre's musical "George
M!" continues to play at the Howell Theatre in the
Temple Building at 8 p.m. Thursday through Satur
day.
Orson Welles' movie adaption of The Trial" by
Franz Kafka, starring Welles, Anthony Perkins end
Jeanne Moreau, will be shown at the Sheldon Film
Theatre Wednesday through Sunday at 7 and 0:15
p.m. with weekend matinees at 3 p.m.
There are many places to view art in Lincoln. The
most well-known gall? ries are Sheldon Art Gallery,
UNL; Haymarket Art Gallery, 119 S. 9th; and Elev
enth Street Gallery, 305 S. 11th St.
Sheldon Art Gallery is now displaying "Art Since
Mid-Century:" Rothke, Raushenberg, Scholder, Eddy
and more, as well as photographs by Ansel Adams.
Gallery hours are 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 am. to 10
p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Satur
day. Haymarket Art Gallery is currently displaying a
variety of artwork, including impressionistic oils by
Hall Haloun, one-of-a-kind serigraphs by Tom Bar
tek, paintings of plants by Linda Benton, lan dscapes
by Dan Howard and bold watercolors by Susan Puelz.
Continued cn If?.e 9
Actor criticizes artistic comparison
I am continually dismayed by the school of
thought which suggests that in order to critique a
work of art, one only need link it to others which
seem like it. This proposes that if one juxtaposes a
couple oi simuiar elements in comparison, one may
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Guest
Opinion
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proceed to demand that the work return the same
type of satisflcation that the earlier work had
supplied. Thus to suggest that Beth Henly's "Crimes -of
the Heart" is bred out of some imaginary copulat
ion of Tennessee Williams and John Steinbeck (Daily
Nebraskan July 8) is alarming and unfair as well as
ridiculous and untrue.
Beth Henley has written a touching comedy with
qualities of its own, surely better handled by her
own personal style rather than trying to imitate a
bygone talent. Why concern oneself with what other
plays her play is like? Indeed, the strongest similar
ity I can find with Tennessee Williams is that the
characters speak in southern accents. And the
suggestion that "Henley's statement" is that "the best
made plans of mice and men..." is simply not the
case! The three protagonists's plans eventually suc
ceed. . Thus the similarities between the works are
extremely limited and to present them as otherwise
is not only sloppy journalism, but also does dam&ge
to several parties. First, and most evidently, the
producing organization is put at a disadvantage as
they suffer from erroneous comparison. Secondly;
the public is disserviced as they are given to expect a
differing product. Thirdly, the author is denied the
potential to develop a personal style as it will forever
be limited by stereotypical assumptions. Finally, the
objects of comparison themselves suffer as Williams
and Steinbeck become mere objects of aesthetic
association rather than creative artists in their own
right: no more, no less.
This entire attitude promotes a deadly perspect
ive of the theatre. By affixing one woz k of art to
another, we have frozen it locked it in t me, space,
and potential. We hide from art by afTixin I a label to
-it. We no longer go to the theatre for a s ncere, live
encounter with human beings so much as for the
manifestation of sterile concepts emuls ted by the
labels we have attached to them.
You may notice that I have not rebutted any of the
criticism of the performance itself. As a member of
the cast, I am in no position to assess that for a
public. It is the premise of criticism which I see as
dangerous and untrue. But if the premise is in
correct, how dependable can the criticism itself be?
Let's restore the integrity of artistic criticism as a
public service, rather than using it to prove to our
english teachers how well we were listening in class
last term.
Timothy Moon ey
Graduate, Theatre Arts
Pcga8
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, July 17, 1934