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Wednesday, April 1, 1987 Daily Nebraskan Page 9 Aits 5 bwl 6TTD Tin n?H ttn r--9 11 ID) mill iiSilT Si JL(BMMlLy (U)M(eMsQ3 Unfunny script smothers the talent of Goldberg, Goldthwait By Kevin Cowan Staff Reviewer I t appears that the comerjydrama narrative has nudged itself into commercialized American cellu loid. This newborn genre relies on the comic attributes of one or more "big names" and hopes that the drama will carry its own weight. "Burglar" is a weak attempt at capturing this latest fashion. The film could have pulled it off if the dialogue had been up to par. As it turns out, screenwriter Joseph Loeb III and director Hugh Wilson throw the main characters into a film full of wooden and irrelevant dialogue laden with fully worn-out cliches. Movie Review Unironically, the film places Whoopi Goldberg (the burglar) and Bob Goldthwait (Goldberg's irregu lar cronie, of "Police Academy" fame) into a typical West Coast set ting trying to pass Goldberg off as a cat burglar with a Robin Hood code of ethics. The saintly thief gets caught up in a load of murder and counterfeit hoopla, forcing her to turn detective. The stage is set; the San Fran cisco police force is working "dou ble time" to try to apprehend the would-be murderess at the same time that she is looking for the real killer. . .Of course, she's too quick for the stereotypically dumbfounded police force. I think the smart cop dumb cop characters are due for a much-needed rest. Although setting the skeleton structure of this genre aside wouldn't hurt either. Goldberg and Goldthwait are, oddly enough, comedians by trade. Both have shown proficiency at pul ling anything from a snicker to an all-out belly laugh from their respec tive audiences; Goldberg has also shown the ability to pull tears, as well as laughter, in her recent stage "" f " ' ' it ; ); ' Courtesy of Warner Bros. Whoopie Goldberg and director Hugh Vilson on the set of "Burglar." efforts. The fatal flaw is that Loeb and Wilson give her only a few scenes in which she can put forth the comedic babble that makes her funny. The rest of the film is Goldberg's flip side version of Eddie Murphy. Out of context Goldthwait's character, on the other hand, is out of context. He's shown one and only one character since his exposure to public appeal. While the half-retarded nerdloonie portrayed by Goldthwait is seriously humorous, the character cannot be relied on to support a full-blown dramacomedy. Again, Goldthwait is only allowed to unleash his mono logue in a couple of scenes. Thus, since he is not really an actor but the film relies on him as a co-star, the comedy arrives with too little frequency to yank the laughter from the sedated audience. Wilson tries to pad the cast with big fish in an apparent effort to hide the beastly dialogue. He gets a seemingly out-of-work Lesley Ann Warren to play the co-heavy. Warren plays a greedy dentist who accepts "tax-free" cash from Hispanic resi dents for mediocre dental work. She too appears as her normal character of the bitch, coaxing Goldberg into lifting the proverbial jewels from her ex-husband. She is a potential suspect in this whodunit, though not a terribly convincing one. Her snotty and whining monologue is unnecessary and probably could have been written out. A happy ending Fear not, however. As with every American story, there is a happy ending. And after paragraph after paragraph of bad there has to be a bit of good. The good, in this case, is that the film has its moments. And those moments, though scarce, are truly laughable. The point remains that Goldberg and Goldthwait, given full bridle, act as a powerful comic duo. So if in throes of comedy with drawal the need to laugh pay two bucks and get a chuckle. "Burglar" is playing at the Plaza 4. 'Platoon, 'Newman win top Oscars LOS ANGELES "Platoon," a grim film about the brutalizing effects of the Vietnam War, won top honors Monday at Hollywood's glamour-filled 59th annual Academy Awards, while Paul Newman was a sentimental choice to claim his first acting Oscar. More than 300 diehard fans had gathered outside the Music Center by dawn to cheer their favorite stars when they arrived later for the nationally televised show, whose hosts this year were Paul Hogan, Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. Early arrivals were in a festive mood, despite the overnight ordeal in sleeping bags. The most enthusiastic was Denise Pfeiffer, 25, of Edison, NJ., who was the first to establish her position Thurs day morning. Why did she come so far to witness the Oscar hoopla? "Because I heard Tom Cruise was going to be a presenter," she said. "They lied. But I'm glad I came anyway. Especially since I will see William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy." 'Platoon" won best picture. A placard promoted James Woods as best actor for his role in "Salvador." One maverick fan suggested evangelist Oral Roberts for "Best Actor." Oscars "Platoon's" competition for best picture of 1986 was Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," "A Room With a View," "The Mission" and "Children of a Lesser God." Oliver Stone has already won the Director's Guild prize for "Platoon," and that is almost always a precursor of the Oscar for best director. Stone won for "Best Director." Newman, who received his seventh nomination this year for "The Color of Money," won a special Oscar last year for his career achievements. He was one of the few top nominees who did not plan to attend the ceremonies. He won for "Best Actor." Other winners include: O Marlee Martin, awarded the "Best Actress" Oscar for her performance in "Children of a Lesser God." O Dianne Wiest, awarded the "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar for her per formance in "Hannah and Her Sisters." O Michael Caine, awarded the "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for "Hannah and Her Sisters." O "The Assault," a film from the Netherlands, won an Oscar for "Best Foreign Film." O "Take My Breath Away" won for "Best Song from a Film." O Steven Spielberg won the Irving Thalberg Oscar for his significant con tribution to the fijm industry in the past few years. v! Al Lj A Dl Your first workout L I Look better! Feet better! E m a a mji q irnroauciory uner: Uw! FREE workout I Call for details & appointment Dl E l w U in the April 2 and 3 Daily Nebraskan UNL Division of Continuing Studies 1987 Surnmor lending Couroo Prcgrcm Licking Pick up the Daily Nebraskan Thursday or Friday or call at 472-6255 for more information. Austin's Wild Seeds play progressive roots By Stew Magnuson Senior Reporter Three or four years ago, American music started returning to its roots; Maybe because it had nowhere else to go. That's a frightening and depressing thought. But the movement is also an exciting rediscovery of roots music by a new generation of music fans, too young to remember where the noise coming from their Walkmans came from. Concert Preview The problem is: How do we keep the music progressive? The Wild Seeds, playing tonight at the Zoo Bar, are walking the tightrope between their roots and the "cutting edge." After a few listens to their latest LP, "Brave, Clean, and Reverent," on Jungle Records, I still can't figure out which direction the band is going. All I know is that I love the album. It's not good to question things you love, just accept them for what they are. The Mid Seeds come from Austin, Texas. So what, you might say, so does everyone and their brother (the Vau ghns, for example). Being from Austin is becoming both a blessing and a curse, Michael Hall, lead singer-songwriter-guitarist, said in a phone interview. "Even whole bands are moving to Austin now," Hall said. "The competi tion is fierce. There aren't as many clubs for a town of 500,000. Unless you're the T-Birds or Timbuk 3, it's get ting hard to scrape together a crowd it's getting harder, to rise above the pack. Hall is also afraid of an Athens backlash hitting Austin. "For a while all the bands were coming out of Athens, Ga., until every one got tired of hearing about it. They might say, let's give other places a chance, like Lincoln, for example." The Wild Seeds seem to combine Athens' ear for progression with Austin's ear for the best of the past. Whatever the music is made of, it's still rock 'n' roll. Songs like "Sharlene" and "I Work Hard" are bouncy dance numbers with mean sax solos. The highlight of the album is the haunting "Heaven Bound," which tells the story of a poor family in turmoil after the mother gives birth to twins and dies. The narrator watches his father under pressure to sell the twins for adoption to a "rich man." The whole scene takes place in a train station. 4I was just over come by the story. It shows the truth is stranger than fiction.' Hall It's a true story, Hall said. The band played in St. Louis and visited a re novated train station. A local paper had asked for people's memories of the sta-t tion and had them displayed inside. "I was just overcome by the story," Hall said, "It shows that truth is stranger than fiction." If you want to find out where Ameri can music is going and where it's been at the same time, the Wild Seeds play tonight at the Zoo. Cover is $3 and the show starts at 9 p.m. ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE GRENADA ST. VINCENT Affiliated Hospitals in New York Stale New Jersey United Kingdom Approved February 4, 1987 by the New York Stale Education Department for the purpose of conducting a clinical clerkship program in New York teaching hospitals. St. George's received a similar approval in 1985 from the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners; this establishes St. George's as the only foreign medical school with instruction in English that has state-approved campuses in both New York and New Jersey. Over 700 students have transferred to U.S. medical schools. St. George's has graduated over 1,000 physicians: They are licensed in 39 states; They hold faculty positions in 20 U.S. medical schools 25 have been Chief Residents in 119 U.S. hospitals (according to a 1986 survey). St. George's is entering its second decade of medical education. In the first decade, we were cited by The Journal of the American Medical Association (January 1985) as ranking number one of all major foreign medical schools in the initial pass rate on the ECFMG exam. St. George's is one of the few foreign medical schools whose students qualify for Guaranteed Student Loans. Our students also qualify for the PLUS ALAS loans and, under certain conditions, VA loans. St. George's grants a limited number of loans and scholarships to entering students. For information please contact the Office of Admissions St. George's University School of Medicine 326 co The Foreign Medical School Services Corporation One East Main Street Bay Shore, New York 11706 (516) 665-8500 nooRran FOR WOMEN AND MEN 1219 Q STREET 477-0405 GLASS MENAGERIE we USS AMD RECOMMEND THS RRUL MITCHELL SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL SALON Pi-iOOUCTS VJ o (5) N " -flgur. Won j l Horn of th "no sweat" workout !' UNL is a nondiscriminatory institution. I Cartptss ft I