Arts & Entertainment
\Grown-up Bradys need realistic scenarios
This past weekend was a truly
amazing one. I’m still trying to catch
my breath from the whirlwind of
spectacular happenings that will make
Feb. 9-11, 1990, one of the most
memorable three-day spans in our
history as a species.
Among the impossibilities that
marked this once in a lifetime week
end:
•Nelson Mandela was released
from prison in South Africa.
•Mike Tyson was hit so hard in
the head that he feil over.
•The Brady family returned to
television in a two-hour series pre
miere.
And which of these astonishing
events will be the focus of this col
umn? The fcradys, of course.
The first installment of their new
TV series ran from 7-9 p.m. Friday. I
im
[anna
watched from about 7:30 to 8:30, and
for this, I am ashamed.
I admit that I loved the original
“Brady Bunch” series and still like
to watch it in reruns from lime to
time. I also must admit that 1 enjoy
watching reunions of long-dead TV
classics. It’s always fun to sec how
old the actors have become.
The Brady family, however, has
more than wom out its welcome. As I
remember it, they had a short-lived
reunion show in the late ’70s, “The
Brady Brides” in the early ’80s and
last year’s much heralded, but worth
less, “A Very Brady Christmas.”
The reunion shows have become
progressively more lame, and I sec no
reason why the new series should
disappoint any of my expectations in
that regard.
Here’s what I’ve gathered about
the Brady family of the ’90s. Mike
and Carol are still happily married
and living in the same house. Alice, if
memory serves, is happily married to
Sam the butcher and actually lives in
her own place. She even wears nor
mal clothes - no more blue uniforms.
Greg is an obstetrician and is happily
married. Marcia is happily married
and sponging off of Mike and Carol.
(She lives in their house with her
husband and children.) Jan is happily
married but is unable to conceive the
baby she wants so badly. Peter has
just been dumped and is now playing
the field. In fact, he has more women
than he knows what to do with. (Ha
ha, I’m laughing just thinking about
it.) Cindy is working at a radio sta
uuii, anu a rciaiiuiiNiup in sutrung
between her and her widowed boss.
And finally, Bobby is a race car driver.
The first epistxie dealt primarily
with Bobby’s struggle against partial
paralysis after a racing accident. Don’t
get the wrong idea, though. It’s not
the touching struggle for independ
ence and self-worth that you might
think it could be. Instead it’s a trite,
yet somehow self-important, gimmick
that docs not succeed on any level.
I finally had to turn my television
off when Bobby’s girlfriend arrived
on the scene about three-fourths of
the way through the show. Her name
is Vivian or Valerie or something.
She is played by MTV video jockey
Martha Quinn. Quinn added a surreal
element to this twisted program that
my already overtaxed brain simply
could not handle.
I often wish that 1 was a TV exccu
See HANNA on 10
I M IBBIUH_I
Brian Shellilo/Datly Nebraskan
Safe, happy ending typifies *Stanley & Iris’
By Lisa Stankus
Staff Reporter
“Stanley & Iris” is the kind of
movie the staunchest of critics hale to
love.
The movie has all the ingredients
of the proverbial “feel good” mov
ies. Its characters are happy in spile of
adversity. It has the underdog that
I triumphs. It reeks of home-spun val
ues and traditions. You just plain don’t
want the film to end.
This is one of those “feel good”
movies, and an extremely well-done
one at that
This film is about illiteracy and
the limitations it imposes on those
afflicted. It also portrays the relation
ship and bond that this shortcoming
inspires.
The cast list of “Stanley & Iris”
reads like this year’s invitation list to
the Academy Awards: Jane Fonda,
Robert DeNiro, Martha Plimpton,
Swoosie Kurtz. All are headliners in
their own venues, and all give terrific
performances in this story of heart
warming humanistic relationships.
We are first introduced to Iris (Jane
Fonda), who is a blue-collar worker
at a factory that produces bakery goods.
It’s a fitting environment for her
character — hard work, but not neces
sarily demeaning; difficult conditions,
but not hopeless.
Iris is likable, the epitome of the
single mother doing what it takes to
keep her household together in times
when finances are coming up short.
Stanley is the illiterate jack-of-all
trades. His condition causes his em
ployment situation to be a constant
struggle. His character is strong and
disciplined, but not without a softness
and sensitivity for the beauty in life,
both which DeNiro plays in spades. •
He meets Iris when he comes to
her aid after she gets her purse stolen.
Their relationship develops when they
begin to find themselves in common
situations. Chance meetings at the
shoe repair shop, the laundromat and
the bus stop forge a friendship that
ultimately leads to the revelation that
Stanley is illiterate.
The film’s subject matter is ap
proached with sensitivity and carried
off with dignity. Both DeNiro and
Fonda are believable opposite eacn
other. A solid script helped in this
matter, as the writing made their
characters come across as being true
to life.
We also see supporting relation
ships in the lives of both of the lead
characters.
Iris’s sister and her semi-violent
husband move into Iris’s house, due
to financial difficulties on their part.
Iris’s 16-year-old daughter gets preg
nant and eventually ends up quitting
schooi. And Iris herself is having
difficulty giving up the relationship
with her dead husband, rlill choosing
to wear her wedding band and dis
playing altars of photos of her late
spouse.
Stanley’s commitment is to his
father, an elderly gentlemen who
captures me auuicncc s nympiiuiiua
with his expressive eyes and optimis
tic nature.
It’s through the vehiclesof Stanley
and Iris’s relationship and interrela
tionships that director Matin Ritt al
lows his audience to laugh and cry
throughout the film, and grow through
their struggle to help Stanley learn to
read and write.
“Stanley & Iris’’ is for the film
goer who likes a happy ending - a
safe, happy ending.
It’s also an inspiring story of a man
who has been the victim of his envi
ronment and his struggle to better his
Jot in life. A typical theme, perhaps,
butcarriedoff with quality and under
stated dedication, both in acting and
See STAN on 10
[Blues-rock minimalism tills album; I
Scale’s release well worth price I
Iy Mark Bestul
tail Reporter_
Travel-log”
ilvertone
“Travel-log,” the latest release
rom J.J. Cale, is full of exceptional
ongs and is just a lot of fun to listen
Even though “Travel-Log’’ is
pale’s 10th album, It is still full of
Pagination and creativity.
Cale is probably test known for
pngs he has written that have been
lopulanzed by others. “Cocaine aiKi
[After Midnight,” both big Lric
[lap ton successes, were written by
I ‘ ‘Travel-Log’ ’ tells the talc of some
If Cale’s traveling experiences, de
Iribing observations and emotions
Cale felt at those places.
The album opens with “Shang
haid.” This song sounds almost rap
like at first, but soon breaks into a
very cool-sounding blues tunc.
“No time” makes this album worth
buying. Reeking of traditional blues
sounds, the guitar, vocals and beat
drive you straight home. This is the
kind of song that could make a blues
fan out of almost anyone.
Another song that adds to the al
bum is “Lady Luck.” The song
compares games of chance to feel
ings and emotion. The guitar is quick
and clean and sounds as if it is playing
on its own, making great-sounding
noise with a vast range of notes,
vast range of notes.
“End of the Line’ * is probably the
truest and closest to real, old-time
blues. This song has a plodding beat
with a guitar layered over it that seems
to flow by itself. The vocals have a
simple story-telling quality. This is
probably the best song on the album.
“Travel-Log” took six years to
record, and it is evident that those
years were well spent. The album is a
total success. Not one song is boring
or bad.
As a result of this album’s release,
Cale is planning a U.S. tour sometime
in the near future.
Anyone who likes energetic, blues
rock minimalism should enjoy the
album. The 14 great tunes make it
more than worth its price.