Arts & Entertainment
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Film lacks solid script, strong direction
By Mark Georgeff
Staff Reporter
In Ketan Mehta’s “Spices,” theme
is savored. In fact, it’s more thar
glorified by over-competent acting
artful cinematography and any sortol
adept direction. The result is a largcl)
hit-and-miss script.
~mdxmZT
Set during the 1940’s British oc
cupation of India, “Spices” follows
the sexual discrimination and vio
lence leveled against the women of
one particular town.
The women arc allowed neither
schooling nor any expression of an
ger toward their husbands, who arc
taking mistresses. The women are
locked into sexual, as well as social,
classes.
Societal and personal greed, not to
mention the fear of the local lax col
lector Subcdar (Nasccruddin Shah),
keep the weak-kneed, overtly chau
vinistic townsmen from their con
sciences.
Such chauvinistic acts arc brought
about by town beauty Sonbai’s (Sm ua
Patil) public denouncement of Subc
dar, who threatens that either Sonbai
visit his tent or he will destroy the
town.
Only the local teacher, a devout
Ghandi follower, and the town’s chile
factory guard, Abu Mian (Om Puri),
stake their honor and lives to save
Sonbai.
Town chieftain Mukhi (Surcsh
i Oberoi) won’t help Sonbai, whose
whining husband left her for the big
city. Even the townswomen would
prefer that Sonbai endure a one-night
stand rather than put their village at
risk.
At this point, viewers might cx
. peel Clint Eastwood’s “High Plains
Drifter' ’ character to ride in at the last
minute squinting, salivating and shoot
ing his way to victory, because the
entire movie heads along that route.
Even the soundtrack reminds one of
spaghetti westerns.
In all honesty, “Spices’’ isn’t a
whole movie. Its themes of freedom
from physical abuse and sexual dis
crimination amidst a caste system
obviously arc evident and desperately
portrayed in the movie.
The actors arc stiff, in fact they arc
cardboard cut-outs of every male
chauvinistic pig to slob across the
silver screen, devoid of any emo
tional depth.
The women in the movie don’t
stand by Sonbai, save for Mukhi's
wife, Sarasvali (Dcepti Naval). Her
private and public humiliation at the
hands of Mukhi lead her lo a stronger,
inner need for freedom, and thus, she
is willing to help Sonbai.
Film direction and cinematogra
phy rarely solidified the storyline with
the surrounding desert wasteland,
which film director David Lean and
his crew knew how to embellish in
“Lawrence of Arabia” and “A Pas
sage to India.”
Bui without a solid script, strong
direction and a lew more good per
formances, the thematic merits of
“Spices” can’t he saved.
“Spices” is showing at the Shel
don Film Theater tonight through
Sunday and July 19-22 al 7 and 9: IS
p.m. Matinees arc at 12:45 and 3 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:30 and 4:45 p.m. Sun
days. Tickets arc $4.50 and S3 for
students who present their UNL I.Dr
cards.
Courtesy Sheldon Film Theater
Smita Patil plays Sonbai, a persecuted young woman in Ketan Mehta s “Spices.”
Action flicks earn high marks
By John Payne
Senior lidilor
Time lor another blockbuster re
port card, kiddos. With a host of oth
ers earning only average marks, “Total
Recall” is still the best movie of the
summer. 11100; arc, however, two other
action flicks that stand out:
“Days of Thunder” (Douglas 3,
Edgewood 3). Yet another vocational
film for Tom Cruise, who should be
qualified for nearly any job should he
give up acting. (“1 see by your appli
cation. Mr. Cruise, that you have
previous experience as a jet pilot and
a professional pool player, and you
mix a mean daiquiri as well. Yes, I
believe that we can find something
for you.”)
As predictable as “Top Gun.”
“Days of Thunder” follows the stan
dard Cruise routine: Cocky but gifted
young rebel stirs things up in his new
profession (this time as a stock car
driver) to the chagrin of his older,
wiser mentor. Cocky but gifted young
rebel meets beautiful girl, loses girl,
but eventually gets girl back while
mastering his new profession.
But what “Days of Thunder” has
that many of Cruise’s others have
lacked is several good supporting roles,
including Robert Duvall’s good-olc
boy driving coach. As far as Cruise is
concerned, this flick is, shall we say,
no ordinary vehicle. (Grade:!))
“Die Hard 2: Die Harder”
(Stuart). Bruce Willis tempers this
thriller with the kind of clever quips
that have caused many to compare
“Die Harder” with the early James
Bond movies. And rightly so. This
follow-up to 1988’s enormously suc
cessful “Die Hard” wastes no lime
gelling to the action.
As a sophisticated army of merce
naries holds an entire airport hos
tage-pending the release of a Central
American drug lord with whom they
arc politically ahgned-Amcrica’s most
unlucky cop gels caught in middle.
Spectacular stunts and a compelling
storylin: help this movie a great dca!,
as do several humorous references to
the first movie. (Grade:!))
Bruce Willis gives another exhausting performance in “Die
Hard 2: Die Harder.”
‘And A Nightingale Sang
refreshing, well-performed
By Chris Schneider
Staff Reporter
In an age when family life is
pictured as something between the
Cosby’s and the Simpson’s, Ne
braska Repertory Theatre’s “And
A Nightingale Sang’’ gives a re
freshing, endearing look at comi
cal family life in Britain.
tEaK
The talented cast, which includes
both locals and those who have
acted in New York City and on
television, are placed in the heat of
World War II with German bombs
dropping all around them.
The location just adds to the
chaos that already exists in the
family, where everything happens,
from a surprise pregnancy to two
members of the family joining the
Communist Party.
However, the real bombs do
not drop on the family until after
the war has ended.
The main and most appealing
character in the show is Helen,
played masterfully by Leigh Dil
lon. Her narrations add sentimen
tality to the otherwise simple char
actcrs of the play. In addition, she
captures the audience’s heart with
her perpetual smile and unbreak
able positive attitude.
Much of the cast has direct lies
with the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, including Lori Ann Ed
wards, a sophomore theater major
who plays the naive but sexy daugh
ter Joyce. Others include William
Rhea Morgan, a former UNL pro
fessor, as the philosophical grand
father Andy, and Gary Sullivan as
the irresponsible soldier Eric.
Although it takes a little while
to get used to the watered-down
British accents and to hear the voices
over some of the loud sound ef
fects, the play is very well per
formed and is quite an enjoyable
way to spend an evening. Director
John Pynchon Holms has put to
gether one of the best Lincoln plays
of the summer.
“And A Nightingale Sang’’ is
playing at the Johnny Carson
Theater on 11 th and Q streets to
night, Friday and Satun..„y at 8
p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. It also
will run July 17-21 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, available at the box
office, arc $15 on Friday and Sat
urday nights. All other perform
ances are $12.(X).