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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1987)
Monday, March 9, 1987 Daily Nebraskan Page 7 n 1- WeE-Mnadle film misleadliBg "Hoosie? 1s "predictable plot lacks award-winning material r ' By Kevin Cowan Staff Reporter f .. "I ' ' I , 3?' A"';.;"s e- teAi Ttr oi&c&fteiine By Stew Magnuson Senior Reporter ome of us don't want to drink sugar-free Tab with no caffeine and no sodium. Some of us rejoiced after seeing headlines last spring for a cola with "all the sugar and twice the caf feine." Hey, if you don't want caffeine, sugar and sodium in your drink, pour yourself a refreshing cup of carrot juice! Jolt Cola started on the East Coast last spring and slowly has made its way to Nebraska, sneaking in the grocery stores with little or no fanfare. Unlike other soft drinks whose advertising swears they never had and never v. ill have ar.y caffeine, Jolt Ccla has the maximum amount allowed ty the FDA, said Jim Beauchsmp- vice-president of the Jvlt Ccla Cer.T -rjt f.x..i his cff.ce c E33P: Tlie president cf th? cr.'::;v.r.y, CJ. Rapp. and his father, two employees cf the 7-Up cer.pr.y, wanted to cNvelop a predict to catch the public's eye. "All the products on the market f"""1 jw.t the me-too me too' loaded i products," Beauehamp said, "They're boring or following the same trend. We wanted to come up with some thing bold and counter-trend." 'It's the oppo site of what you're supposed to do with all the caf feine and suar . . .co the kids must like it.' BE3 Since Jolt's introduction 11 months ago, the cola has spread rapidly. Now, it's found in 41 states and three Canadian provinces. Dean champ said the soft-drink industry is shocked by the company's rapid growth. A fpet check cf Lincoln grocery stores ir.dier.Ud that JcJt is avail able in f ; proximately 75 pcrccr.t of 'the stores Store manners said the l "coL was1 scl'lr 3 . tm ' tit to ;vtry 1 Vj Krjri'jr, cv.;:r tf Is ' i: 2 r Li .Mi" , , n... f :X it's r.it tea h ;:- ktf'.t me wired for hcurs. TI.oc? studying for tests cr writirg p::p:rs late st r.ight mifht war.t to try it as an alternative to coffee. Cut if you're f;i"g to bed, den't drir.k this stuff, you might en J up starir.j t the ccillrg for hours. FinJiri Je'.t m:.y be CZali f:r on-campus students. University vending doesn't distrl!.ut2 it c.i h?s r.o i;r:r.M;d:ite p !.:": t C zi. Ethereal countryside. Dilapidated barns, fields flat as oceans feed themselves through the filter and onto the film. A 10-minute introduction. "Hoosiers," by consensus, appears to be a well-made film. Indeed, well made, with a big budget and some "big names" from Hollywood. But a bottom less budget, some good acting and a timely release during the state basket ball tournament are about the only things "Hoosiers" has going for it. Movie Review Now, before those of you who have seen "Hoosiers" begin to form a lynch ing committee, let me explain why I didn't really care for this movie. To the best of my knowledge, a film like this requires a couple of basic essentials before it can be called a "good film." It needs to have a plot and a moderate amount of character develop ment. Other than the development of the town drunk, played by Dennis Hopper, the characters progressed little, if at all. And if dogmatic nearly psychotic small towns with fundamentalist values and a near blood-lust for basket ball appeal to you, then so would the film. But frankly, I get tired of "Cinderella" stories where the outcome is always victory and everything in the world has to go wrong before the anticlimatic plot can reach its predetermined destination. Let's not kid ourselves, eveiyone who sees the movie knows that the little team from nowhere will win the tournament and the hero and heroine will fall in love. I don't see Academy Award material in that. So what, you may ask, is the plot? It's about a volatile coach who comes to a small town after being "removed" from a college basketball team for striking a member of his team. He then combines his flair for anger with a bit 10 lips from Boston weave notes of brass into graceful melodies By Jann Nyffeler and Joan Rezac Staff Reviewers Imagine an organ of brass. If you closed your eyes, that was the Empire Brass in Friday night's sold-out Kimball Hall concert. Ten lips that sounded like 10 fingers on the finest pipe organ. Concert Review In pieces like Bach's "Sleepers Wake," ' Copeland's rendition of "Simple Gifts" and "WTien the Saints Come Marching In," the five men from Boston trans cended ordinary performance. They took on the qualities of the instruments for which the music originally was written. In two toccatas, originally written by Alessandro Scarlatti and German baroque organist Johann Jacob Fro berger for keyboard, the quintet wove the melodies from one instrument to another so smoothly that it was impos sible to detect the seams. Even the tuba walked the pedal part with effort less deliberation. The three-part Tribute to Rafael Mendez in the second half of the show brought Empire Brass down to earth. The Rossini aria, "Una voce poco fa," from "The Barber of Seville," wasn't r. V w Courtesy of Orion Pictures Gene Hackmsn runs his team through practice drills in "Hoosiers." of humbled self-actualization and a team of red tag basketball players to form a winning team. Sound new? Not really. More like a less humorous version of the Bad News Bears. The plot "thickens" around a small town basketball demigod who says fewer than 200 words throughout the film. His only crucial line arrives via a town-council meeting called to dispense the new coach for, of all things, trying to coach the team "his way." Up to this time, Jimmy (Maris Valainis) had not said one word to Coach Dale (Gene Hackman), but for no logical reason he saves the coach from certain doom by telling the townspeople, "I'll play if he stays." Thus the tables start to turn and, with the help of the town's only liberal father and the town drunk, a team begins to emerge. You know the end. However, the film has its good points. For one, it was not shot on a sound stage, lending a devout realism to the final product. The cinematography, especially the shots of the country, is a little over dramatized by enjoyable. Empire supposed to be an instrumental. And when they played it, it still didn't sound like an instrumental. This time, it was sung by Rolf Smedvig's trumpet. Forgive a few missed notes; his fast fingers and faster lips satisfied. When J.S. Bach wrote "Sleepers Wake" for strings, he probably never imagined a brass quintet playing the notes. Yet it seemed natural because Empire Brass sounded as if it were pulling bows across the strings of the'instruments. The quintet played it flawlessly, note for note. The three-part Tribute to Rafaei Mendez in the second half of the show brought Empire Brass down to earth. That's when the quintet started having fun and interacting with the audience. "Romanza" was as smooth as Haagen Dazs ice cream; thanks to Smedvig's fV, J V-,, ' - 1, " ?: The main characters Gene Hack man, Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper all give highly commendable performances. Hopper is the film's best source of colorful acting. His first several en counters with Hackman are, to say the least, enjoyable. Hopper's character speaks with unusually interesting slang throughout most of the film. "They're a bunch of mites who'll run you off the boards . . . unless you make 'em chuck it from the cheap seats. Watch the purgatory they call a gym . . . no drives 12 feet in," Hopper tells Hackman on their first meeting. Hopper rambles out his dialogue with a pleasing meter. Technically, it's a good film. Only those who desire an active plot will be disappointed. Also, if you don't like to know the outcome of a film before it begins, don't waste the money. But for basketball fanatics or those who want to see a revamped version of "Cinderella," the film maybe your self proclaimed "best of the year." "Hoosiers" is showing at the Plaza 4. Courtesy of Columbia Artists Management Brass ... the quintet wove the melodies from one instru ment to another so smoothly that it was impossible to detect the seams. sensuous, expressive interpretation. The third part, "La Virgen de la Macarena," which introduces the bull at the bull fight, evoked Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises." ' See EMPIRE on 8