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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1991)
Courtesy of Tri-Star TV weatherman Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) obeys a mysteriously communicative freeway sign and kisses Eng lish journalist Sara McDowel (Victoria Tennant) in the com edy ^L.A. Story.” Movie suffers from mood swings Martin film lacks focus By Matt Larsen Staff Reporter “L.A. Story” is like that crazy teacher you had in high school. It is funny, offbeat and entertaining, but it likes to wander off the sub ject for no reason. The story, written by Steve Mar tin, portrays the relationship be tween weird weatherman Harris K. Telemacher (Martin) and the City of Angels. Each one knows the other inti mately. When Harris separates trom his preening, bitchy girlfriend (played by Marilu Hcnner), the city comes to his rescue in the form of a talk ing freeway sign that asks “R U O K?” When confronted by traffic gri dlock, Telemacher takes his Chrys ler LeBaron across lawns, down stairs and over medians on his way to work. The city cooperates; no cops arrest him. But instead of merely concen trating on the relationship between a man and his city, the story also deals with the relationship between Harris and English journalist Sara McDowel (Lee Rcmick). McDowel is in town doing a cultural piece on Los Angeles when Harris meets her and thinks she could be the love of his life. On top of all this is another situation; Harris has a fling with a “L.A. Story” Starring Steve Martin, Lee Remick PG-13 Rating: bouncing, bubbly valley girl (Sarah Jessica Parker), whose idea of ther apy is a good enema. By this point, things arc a little bit confusing. Although the relationships are entertaining and thoughtful, they arc marred by director Mick Jackson ’ s mood sw ings. J usl when it looks like things are going to settle down and get interesting, something silly happens and ruins the feeling. A gunfighton the free way, cruel German bankers and a “full service”gas station are funny but they just don’t fit in. Many scenes seem like they belong in “Airplane!” or “The Naked Gun” and take aw ay from the mood of “L.A. Story” instead of adding to it. Also, “L.A. Story” gets a little too sentimental at times. Pano ramic shots of the city and over played love scenes are too serious and undermine the tone of the show. The movie loses direction and can’t decide if it wants to be silly or sophisticated. “L.A. Story” could have been an over-the-top social satire, or it could have been a neat romantic comedy. Instead of choosing one or the other, it tries to be both — but just can’t handle it. However, in spile of its many shortcomings, “L.A. Story” is an entertaining movie. Its clever paro dies of laid-back life in California are hilarious sendups of what passes for reality in California. Martin, Remick and Parker turn in great performances that keep the movie interesting. The film could have been made better by ditching director Mick Jackson and employing John (“Home Alone”) Hughes as director. Hughes, at least, has good control over seri ous/silly situations. “L.A. Story” might have been good with a more focused attitude and better direction. Perhaps if someone could have made Martin stick to one subject, his screen play wouldn’t have wandered off on so many tangents. As it is, “L.A. Story” is a light piece of entertainment that merits a couple hours of attention — but it could have been a lot better. “L.A. Story” is playing at the Fla/a 4 Theatres, 12th and P streets. f SPRING BREAK * Daytona Beach . i* High quality beachfront accommoda- \ tions tor 7 exciting nights X j • Round trip chartered motor coach | • Free pool deck parties, activities, & T promotions. • tT • Inter-Campus Programs I D /Discount £ y card J •On-location staff for complete \ Tv assistance fA I • All taxes, tips, & service charges | included jA Kristen ^ or Kathy ^ 435-3977 £ Issue Continued from Page 9 trouble/ and I know what you came here to do/1 ain’t lookin’ for trouble./ . And the kid said,/ ‘ Trouble’s looking " for you’,” sound like they came out of \ Ralph l Continued from Page 9 ^ acting ruin this idea. Next, Ralph has to start fulfilling ^ royal duties and functions, such as „ greeting an African king. Ralph cracks f under the pressure to perform royally , and reverts to his true common self, £ much to the dismay of the British r officials. Fortunately, Ralph and the ^ king have a great time with their spear-throwing contest, so all ends well. However, one member of parlia A group for individuals who have completed drug or alcohol treatment and : • Want a supportive environment for their sobriety • Want to attend a group on campus • Are finding aspects of college life difficult Meetings on Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. beginning Feb. 19th Burnett Hall Room 225 For More Info Call: AnnElizabeth Card at 472-2351 or 472-7440 No Fee Sponsored by University Health Center & FIPSE Alcohol Abuse Prevention Project UNL is a non-discriminatory institution a spaghetti western. The whole al bum is written like this. However, there is a glimmer of hope for this group. “Out Right Now,” the fifth cut, is a catchy dance tune, with an upbeat tempo. However, this song is, once again, about rejection. If the band can reconcile conflicts like this, its songs will get better. Perhaps Material Issue’s biggest problem right now is its members’ youth. The members sound like they want to be a meaningful alternative band, but they don’t have anything to say. They need to live a little. Some lines, such as, “if I were older, I’d go out drinkin imply that these would be songsmiths are fresh out of prep school, trying to rebel. They just don’t know what they are rebelling against. Maybe with time, these lads will stop the bad rhymes, learn more than three chords and find something meaningful to write about. Until then, don’t waste time or money on this album. mem, Lord Graves (John Hurl) is seeking to gel Ralph dclhroncd so he can ascend 10 ihe ihrone. Graves sets up a scheme lo creaie a scandal so Ralph will abdicate and the throne will go to the House of Stewart. Graves just happens to be next in line for the throne if that happens. OK, there arc a few bright spots in the film, but those five minutes against the rest of the film just don’t cut it. Hopefully, Goodman and O’Toole got paid really well for this film. That’s the only reason they should have done it. David Marks, who wrote and directed this effort, gave the actors nothing to work with. The dialogue is dull and predictable, along with die plot. Some of the English scenery is refreshing, but it’s nothing new. O’Toole, as Cedric Willingham, comes off too much as a pious, stodgy old coot to make his quick switch to sentimentality believable at the end. I'herc are also a few monologues where he comes off as more of a royal preacher than anything else. Goodman, as King Ralph, does marginally better, given what he has to work with. It would seem impos sible for anyone to be as oblivious to the significance of the position of King of England as Ralph is. This is the basis of most of the supposed humor, but it’s just not believable. The lone bright spot in the cast is John Hurt as Lord Graves. In his unsuccessful quest to dethrone Goodman, Hurt is conniving, cun ning, sneaky and delightfully slimy. It seems like he is the only actor who enjoys his role. Too bad the rest of the cast doesn’t follow suit. “King Ralph,” a comedy of majes tic proportions? Not. “King Ralph” is playing at the Plaza 4 Theatres, 201 N. 12th St. Lambs Continued from Page 9 Jonathan Demme docs an adequate job as director. There arc several scenes ✓ he enhances with his unique treat ments. Some of the special effects he employs seem fake, hut this isn’t a major distraction. Overall, ‘The Silence of the Lambs” is a better than-average film that will keep most people interested and ex cited throughout the movie. Squeam ish viewers might want to be careful, as there arc some graphic scenes. “The Silence of the Lambs” cur rently is playing at the Stuart Theatre, 13th and P St. The Computing Resource Center is offering I free microcomputer seminars to UNL students. The I seminars will feature Microsoft Word and Excel on I the Macintosh and WordPerfect on the IBM. I No reservations required B Advanced WordPerfect on the IBM I Tuesday, February 19 2:00-3:30 pm B Advanced Microsoft Word on the Macintosh B Wednesday, February 20 3:00*4:30 pm. B ■ Excel on the Macintosh I Thursday, February 28 3:00-4:30 pm. B Macintosh seminars will be held in the I Andrews microcomputer lab. B IBM seminars will be held in the Sandoz B microcomputer lab. fl Art Continued from Page 9 an underwater sea mine. Although the art is, for the most part, beautiful, the underlying issues are more serious and anything but beautiful. In a world where the prob lems of pollution and aggression seem to be out of hand, these artists are using the methods they know to try to reach people and make them aware of these concerns. Ruffo stressed that the purpose of the exhibit is not entirely symbolic. It is, in part, simply a narrative of the beauty of the land, he said. The program is supported in part by grants from Arts Midwest, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Nebraska Arts Council, the UNL Research Council and the Nebraska Art Association. The show runs through March 7 in the Gallery of the Department of Art and Art History in Richards Hall. Gallery hours are 9 am. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thurs day.
