monday, eprll 30, 1979
dally nebriskan
Completely average movie forces critic into apathy
By Peg Sheldrick
It is customary in movie reviews to either adore or de
plore the film in question, and it's usually fairly easy to
characterize a new release as being really good or really
bad. But once in a while a film comes along that is so
overwhelmingly average a reviewer is left speechless. Same
Time, Next Year falls into that category.
This romantic comedy is at times mildly funny, mildly
silly, mildly touching and mildly boring. The story comes
to the screen almost completely unaltered from its sue
essful stage run- there are even little pauses between
scenes where everything grinds to a halt for a minute or
so.
On stage, the pauses would allow time for the set to be
changed. On the screen, Instead of being eliminated they
are used for little photo essays about the passing years
while the audience is treated to yet another hearing of the
film's mildly pretty theme song.
Writer Bernard Slade and director Robert Mulligan
were evidently laboring under the misapprehension that
the best adaptation is no adaptation, and the result is only
mildly successful.
Doris Day approach
The charm of the movie rests on the audience's willing
ness to accept the premise that two people who are
Irresistably attracted to one another would be willing to
settle for an annual weekend fling with virtually no
contact in between. This Doris Day approach to adultery,
in this day and age, is novel, to say the least.
The location chosen for the film is certainly lovelier
than any set ever could have been, so the film does have
that advantage over the play. And one advantage both
have is Ellen Burstyn as the female half of the philander
ing pair. She is certainly what makes the turn worth
seeing, and it is clear that her acting does more to make
her character plausible than the writer did.
Alda only mediocre
Alan Alda, an excellent actor, turns in a performance
that is only mediocre. He rants and hams his way through
the first half and barely recaps his losses in the latter half.
The film as a whole is better when the characters reach
Film tickets go on sale
: Series tickets for the 1979-80 Foreign Film Series will
go on sale Tuesday in the Nebraska Union.
The Series contains 12 films, including one documen
tary, A Sense of Loss, which is directed by Marcel Ophuls.
Tickets may be purchased in the North Lobby next
week and the South Desk anytime. Student tickets are
$10, faculty and non-UNL student's tickets are $12 and
patron, tickets are $15.
middle age and beyond. They begin to behave more as real
people do; their dialogue is more like dialogue than ersatz
Neil Simon. Early scenes are afflicted with an overabun
dance of one liners).
To its credit, the film does show its female protagonist
growing and maturing from a complacent, uneducated
homebody to a competent business women. In fact,
Bursfyn's character is rather idealized. Alda's remains the
same lovable ninny to the end, though he does mellow
with age.
The script is one of the major problems in the film.
There are laughs from occasional flashes of wit and some
not all- of the gags. But there are also long pauses be
tween them. Part of what is meant to sustain the audi
ence's interest is watching the characters change from year
to year, but the changes are so sudden at times they be
come cheap gags.
For example. 1968 finds Burstyn in love beads and
headband attending Berkeley and Alda In a blue suit urg.
ina the use of the bomb in Vietnam. At times the people
don't seem to be developing so much as shifting from
archetype to archetype. 4
The film does 4iave Its moments, and soft hearts will
find themselves sniffling from time to time. For a film
about adultery the movie is remarkably pristine; the dia
logue is the most graphic aspect. The film could be a lot
more offensive- or a lot more obnoxious- for that
matter a lot more any thing As it is Same Time, Next Year
isn't bad, but it isn't much.
Same Time, Next Year is playing at the Cinema 2
Theatre.
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Photo courtMy of Univtrtal Studios
Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn embrace during a scene in Same Time, Next Year,
After 14 hours, jury finds Ellis guilty q
f manslaughter
By Vtl Swinton
A Lancaster County Court Jury late Sat
urday night found John R. Ellis guilty of
manslaughter in the death of t UNL
student, Debra A. Forycki.
Hie jury deliberated nearly 14 hours be
fore reaching the manslaughter verdict
Judge William Que, in his instructions
Friday, told the jury it could return a
verdict of first-degree murder, .second-
degree murder, manslaughter or not guilty, '
Manslaughter carries a one- to lOyear .
pdson term.
"It's not my place to feel pleased about
the verdict, County Attorney Ron Lah-'
cers Hid when asked about his reaction to
the jurya decision.
Lahners added he felt the verdict re
flected the evidence and said he felt "It's
ths totality of all die circumstances involv
ed? and cot one piece of evidence that led
the jury to its verdict. EHs orfchaUy was
charged with first-degree murder by the
county attorney's office.
Egtt4nostfc Investstloii
The iury! dedaon cdmLnates an eit
CKsath tevesttto into the death of For-"
ydJ, mto dppeared oa Oct 3, 1974
while on her way to work in downtown
Lincoln.
In her closing argument to the jury on
Friday, Lahners indicated that the evidence
eliminated all suspects but Ellis, with facts
including his familiarity with the Elmwood
area, where the Forycki skeleton was
found; the fact that blond hairs matching
those of Forycki were found in Ellis car;
and a statement he had made to a cellmate
fa Cass County that the wooded area near
Elm wood would be a good spot to hide a
body '
Defense attorney John Stevens Berry, in
his closing arguments, called the prosecut
ion's case fa paper chain ripped apart by
reasonable doubt, teCing the jury that the
state hid failed to prove a direct link be
tween Forycki and Ellis.
"As of seven minutes to six, oa April
27, 1979, the death of Debra Forycki is
still a mystery, he declared to the jurors.
Surprise witness
Shortly before dosing arguments, the
defense produced a surprise witness on Fri
day: Carrie Jenkins, friend of Forycki, said
she saw the victim oa Oct. 3, 1974, the day
Forycki disappeared, ia the MiHer and
tsint Tea Room, where Jenkins worked as
a waitress. She said she. saw Forycki in die
restaurant between 12 and 12:30 p.m. on
that day . Forycki reportedly had a lunch
eon engagement at 11:30 am. at the now
defunct St. George and the Dragon rest
aurant downtown. !
However, the prosecutioa provided
rebuttal witnesses, including a former
Miller and Paine employee , and Jenkins
husband, who testified that it may actually
have beea the day before her disappearance
that Forycki was seea by Jenkins at MHier
and Paine.
Satisfied wi3i verdict
After ih& verdict, jurors generally refus
ed comment oa how or why they had
reached the msnslauiter verdict, although
one juror saM she was very satisfied with
the verdict.
Lahners complimented the jury oa the
amount of time it took to reach a verdict,
saying that considering the amount of
evidence before them, 'about 14 houji of
deliheratioa time, I thought, was rather
tremendous.
"Ita sure the jury worked hard and rira
sure they tried to be fair, Berry said. "I
have always believed ia Joha Ellis inno
cence, so naturally I had hoped for a cot
pUtyverdfct,,, - -
Berry also pointed out a positive side to
the jury's decision: "Manslaughter is not as
bad a verdict as could have been reached.
He was convicted of the least serious crime
of which the judge instructed the jury."
More court appearances
Berry said he has worked without fee in
the case because of his belief ia Ellis inno
cence. He added that a Lincoln investigat
ing firm, the J.C. Security Firm.htdaho
worked freeofchirge investigating Fory
cki Y death and probably would continue
. th&investigation.
Ellis court appearances are not yet
over. Berry indicated an appeal probably
wCl be tied and said that this week, the
appropriate papers to reserve aS of Joha
Ellis ridits for further proceedings would
be filed with the court Expected among
those papers will be a motion for a new1
Also Judge Blue refused to rule Satur
day niit oa whether or not to grant EEis
bond, Indicating he would set a hearing
date today (Monday). He has beea held ia
the Lancaster County jail without bond.
EEis emerged from the courtroora
Saturday loosing composed, but oa the
advise of Berry, he refused to comment oa
hisconvictioa.