Monday, January 13, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
DeLuca's Transylvania 6-5000'
a monster-movie horror story
By Charles Lieurance
Senior Reporter
When we were kids we played a game
called "movie." We'd give ourselves a
premise for a movie a western, a
space epic, knights in shining armor, a
monster movie and use our back
yards as Hollywood backlots. We never
scripted anything. We just started in on
the premise and let the plot take any
kind of twist it wanted to.
Movie Review
Usually we started at about 10 a.m.
and by 4 p.m. (with a break in the
studio commissary at my house) the
plot had become chaotic, usually a
fight had broken out and virtually
nothing was left of the original, very
promising premise. I had a habit of
lying to my friends, and told them my
parents had a movie camera and that
after we had practiced all of the movies
I would film them.
As I watched Rudy De Luca's "Tran
sylvania 6-5000" I thought about those
"movies" we made as children and
about how they would have looked on
film terrible, disordered, boring,
and unplanned, with some refreshing
glee here and there at the spontaneity
of it all. They would have been a lot like
"Transylvania 6-5000."
"Transylvania 6-5000" has a lot of
promise. It has a promising title (for
those of you without parents, it's a
takeoff of the Glenn Miller hit "Pen
nsylvania 6-5000"). It has a promising
troupe of actors, including Jeff Gold
blum ("The Big Chill"), Michael Ri
chards (ABC's now-defunct "Fridays")
and Ed Begley Jr. ("St. Elsewhere").
For all this promise, I sat through the
film a little like a groom stranded at
the altar after a long, trusting court
ship. The premise is simple. Two reporters
for a Weekly World News-style scandal
sheet set out for Transylvania to inves
tigate a recent sighting of the Franken
stein monster. The reporters are con
sistently referring to the monster as
Frankenstein. All literate, well-read
people should cringe. One of the repor
ters is naive (Begley) and the other
world-wise (Goldblum). Begley be
lieves in all the things the scandal
sheet prints while Goldblum is just
along for the ride.
Everything from here on out is ex
cruciatingly predictable, and when it
isn't exactly the way you thought it
would be, it's much worse.
Things start out on the right foot:
Begley and Goldblum verbally sparring,
Goldblum getting off some enjoyable
cheap shots and Begley not really
catching the drift.
Then things slow up and virtually
stop while the director tries to figure
out what he's doing and the scriptwri
ters get together and realize they forgot
to write a middle for the film.
Richards saves the day as the de
mented butler Fejo. This is the momen
tary glee of spontaneity I mentioned
earlier. What Richards does has noth
ing to do with the story, but his improvi
sations and pratfalls distract the
audience from the virtual absence of a
coherent plot.
Other distractions are less endear
ing. John Byner and Carol Kane as a
butler and a maid try to match
Richards mayhem for mayhem but
never get their schtick off the ground.
Goldblum and Begley stumble
through the manic manor meeting
vampires, werewolves, contortionists
and anything else the scriptwriters
could come up with instead of a plot.
"Transylvania 6-5000" could have
been another "Rocky Horror Picture
Show" had it burrowed its way further
into plotless mayhem. It's got the same
strings of non-sequiturs, the same easy-to-miss
details and the same absurdly
perverse characterizations, but the
writers obviously wanted to make a
"real" movie, and they get bogged down
in tying random strings together in the
last 10 minutes.
Don't spend any money on this, but
the next time Richards is on "Late
Night with David Letterman" watch for
clips of his performance in the movie.
They make no sense but as surrenl
humor they stand better alone than in
the context of "Transylvania 6-5000."
G.P.A. 2.00
Well Pay You To Come To Our
Blue Monday Party Tonight!
. ,
j Bring this ad and sav 50 cents off our normal door price
of $1 .50 and also receive one free drink.
I That means for $1 you'll see the Red Hot Blues of COCK-
TAIL SHORTY AND THE TABLEROCKERS and
receive a free drink as well.
I That's tonkjht from 9-10:00 at the 200 BAR, 136 No.
L1ili;
Tues., Wed.,
THE SWITCH
Thurs.-Sat.
THE BEL-AIRS
Page me
Paperback Book Exchange
We sell used paperbacks at
12 the rnvpr nrir.e. includina
' ' 7
books used in literature classes.
13th & XT (Gunny's) 474S316
1 1
'-ocoa
CJ
Applications available
for arts fund Droaram
w
Artists and art groups whose reaches
might exceed their budgets can take
heart the Lincoln Arts Council is
now accepting applications for its first
set of 1 986 grants from the "Arts in the
Aisles" fund.
The application deadline is Feb. 15.
The council guidelines state the
purpose of the grant program is to
"provide seed money for innovative, well
organized projects of quality which are
clearly focused in the performing and
visual arts."
For more information or to request
the application and guidelines contact
the Lincoln Arts Council, P.O. Box
83051, or call 474-ARTS from 1 to 4 p.m.
weekdays.
Come in from the COLD
to the EAST UNION
Try our Daily Specials!
THIS WEEK . . .
Breakfast Special
Ham & Cheese Omelet
Wtoast, Coffee or tea
$1.85
Grill Special
Beef Tenderlion Sandwich,
Tater Tots, Drink
$2.35
Pete Townshend-White City
Sun City
Fine Young Cannibals-Fine Young Cannibals
TS-Thc Dream of the Blue Turtles
" Dog Eat Dog
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V -rs-Sonas frthe Big Chair
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Temps"-Vouch Me
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iSbson TwinserQ to Future Ds
Elton JcOTceKa Fire If
Alarm-StrengtrWcJOQ
Loverboy-Lovin EvefytMM it
Night Ranger-7 Wishes
Grace Jones-Island Life
R.E.M.-Fables of the Reconstruction
Simple Minds-Once Upon A Time
'-; .
rLrv'UVA
J 1JVJ I Li
lip iy
was, vc'j ub vein died?
Valentino's new Welcome Back Pizza Pack
is required eating for every student body.
Just give us a call, and in minutes we'll
deliver a piping hot, scrumptiously
delicious pizza direct to your door. And, on
any order of $5.00 or more, we'll throw in a
liter of refreshing Coca Cola... FREE!
Our legendary pizza and ice cold Coke.
What better way to start off the year?
Round up the gang. Pick up the phone.
Then sit back and enjoy your Welcome
Back Pizza Pack. From Valentino's, of
course! Offer expires February 9, 1986.
35th & Holdrege 467-3611
Cazspas Delivery Only