Arts & Entertainment
Filmmaker should have waited in Brooklyn
“Straight Out of Brooklyn”
By Mark Baldridge
Staff Reporter
Matty Rich is the 19-ycar-old writer,
director and producer of “Straight
Out of Brooklyn,” the film playing at
the Ross (formerly the Sheldon) Film
Theater.
Spike Lee, move over!” shouts
the film’s flier, as if there were room
for only one young black director at
the top. It appears that Spike can keep
his spot a little longer, however; at
least he has little competition, at the
moment, from Rich.
Set in the Red Hook housing proj
ects where Rich spent the first 10
years of his life, “Straight Out of
Brooklyn” tells the story of one young
man’s struggle to escape a dead-end
future. He believes that with enough
money he could open the doors for
himself and his family. Buteven if his
plan were to succeed, the family would
still carry around its own personal
problems, a point not well recognized
in the film.
The boy, Dennis (Lawrence Gil
lard Jr.), is heir to a long line of
personal failures — men broken by
the “white man.” Dennis’ father Ray,
(well portrayed by George T. Odom)
is a heavy drinker, prone to violent
outbreaks. His wife (Ann D. Sanders)
sports a series of terrible bruises, scars
and bumps. Clearly, poverty can be
the sum of their difficulties only in
the minds of Dennis and Ray.
Any comparison, except physical,
between Matty Rich and Spike Lee
seems pointless but inevitable. True,
Rich appears in his own film and in a
character similar to the squeaky Mars
Blackmon — and others played by
Lee. But it is there that the similarity
ends. Matty Rich seems less influ
enced by the films of Lee than by the
moody, washed out dramas of the
1970s.
There is the same relentless gloom,
even the same sad violins in the sound
track. The acting is uneven, though it
has its moments. Worse is the dis
tracting editing: Scars move around
like caterpillars, people are in two
places at once. But these things should
not sink a film, given the right ele
ments.
What “Brooklyn” really lacks is
good writing, the major component
of any “talking” film. The actors arc
given nothing valuable to say for long
periods of lime, then they are given
stilted and empty speeches. They sound
written, certain death to dialogue. A
film that is realistic or issue-oriented
still must entertain. It still must cap
ture one’s attention. 11doesn’ t have to
be happy (this film is not); it does
have to be good.
The film lakes the easy road in
presenting us the issues. Drug dealers
are bullies, young men have big dreams,
little sisters arc innocent. The charac
See STRAIGHT on 13
Photo courtesy of the Samuel Goldwyn Company
Matty Rich is a 19-year-old who wrote, directed and co
starred in his debut movie, “Straight Out of Brooklyn.”
■ r-Photo courtesy of the Samuel Goldwyn Company
From left: Dennis (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Kevin (Mark Malone)
and Larry (Matty Rich) are three boyhood friends struggling
to escape ghetto life in Rich’s “Straight Out of Brooklyn.
Renaissance relived
Festival creates fantasy world
By Shannon Uehling
Staff Reporter
Kansas City, Mo., may be just
three hours away, but it includes a
fantasy world 800 years in the past.
The people of Kansas City arc
celebrating its 15th annual Renais
sance Festival, an event which has
seen nearly 2 million people walk
through its gates.
Walking into the Renaissance vil
lage is like walking out of the 20th
century and into a world inhabited by
kings, queens, jesters, jugglers, trolls,
robbers, jousters and swordsmen.
The event is a fund-raiser for the
Kansas City Art Institute, and for this
reason, nothing is cheap. But the
experience certainly is worth the
expense.
For example, where else can one
see a swordsmith making a blade, an
ugly troll moving from trectop to
trectop, a group of girls plaiting a
maypole and fighters jousting on
horseback?
Great pains are taken to make
everything seem authentic. The cos
tumes are fantastic. The actors stay in
character so well that average festi
val-goers must be careful to avoid
slipping into Cockney accents.
The Renaissance village contains
about 150 craftmakers and vendors.
Everything from wooden carvings and
leather goods to jewelry and clothing
can be found. Other booths house
psychics, tarot card readers, astrolo
gers and games of skill, such as arch
ery, knife-throwing and “Drench a
Wench.”
Of course, there arc also rows of
food vendors as well. No trip to the
festival iscomplele without sampling
a turkey drumstick, bringing visions
of King Henry VIII to mind. Depend
ing on your preference, you can wash
it down with a flask of soda, beer,
See FESTIVAL on 14
Those visiting the Renaissance Festival in Kansas City, Mo., can experience the full taste of
that era, including various musical performances.
Comedy to raise funds
I for Midwest homeless
By Wayne Price
Staff Reporter
Local headlining comedians will
gather to raise money lor the Lin
coln Action Program’s Emergency
Fund on Sunday at the Royal Grove
Nile Club, 340 West Cornhuskcr
Hwy.
Home Box Office, in connec
tion with Laff Trek Comedy, Lin
coln CableVision, Dietzc Music
House and the Royal Grove, will
sponsor the HBO Midwest Comic
Aid to the Homeless.
i.mcomue juu ourncy is among
six Midwest comedians, including
three from Lincoln, who will per
form in the show. Burney said she
is excited that the event is in Lin
coln.
Other comedians who will per
form include T. Marni Vos and
Gayle Beewar of Lincoln, Jck Kelly
of Omaha, Terry Wilkerson of
Kansas City and Johnny Wayne of
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Burney said local comedians had
discussed the idea of putting to
gether an event to help the commu
nity, but the event came together
when Ken Muller, a comedy agent
from Sioux City, Iowa, put out a
call for comedians to appear in
several fund-raisers around the
Midwest.
Burney said Muller and the Laff
Trek Comedy Circuit are organiz
ing such shows in Iowa and Illi
nois. All of the shows arc part of
HBO Midwest Comic Aid and will
feature comedians from Colorado
to Illinois.
“This local show is tied into the
nationally known Comic Relief
program that HBO presents,” she
said.
Taped segments from the Lin
coln show and other performances
in Iowa and Illinois may be used
during a live HBO special to air in
November, or on HBO’s Comedy
Central, Burney said. She said she
expa ts the performance to last three
hours.
Burney, who leaches theater and
speech at Doanc College in Crete,
said her comedy style is“relatable”
comedy. In her,routine, she in
cludes topics about daily life and
communication in relationships. Her
comedy has a sarcastic energy which
is often left-handed, she said.
I ms weekend s periormanee ai
the Royal Grove also will be broad
cast by CableVision on Public
Access Channel 14 in October or
November, said Dave Grooman,
CableVision public access coordi
nator. CableVision will donate
cameras and equipment for the show,
Grooman said.
Several local celcbriticsalsoarc
scheduled to appear, including
Nebraska state Sen. Dave Landis
and Joan Bumey, National Mother
of the Year.
Local businesses have donated
door prizes for the show, including
a 24-karat gold-plated golf putter,
a guitar, watches and dinner cer
tificates. During breaks in the show,
the Lincoln Action Program will
provide information about local
programs to help the homeless.
Tickets arc S10 in advance and
$12 the day of the show, with no
reserved seating. Tickets are avail
able at Dietze Music House the
Royal Grove and Community Flow
ers and Gifts. The show will be
open to all ages and will begin at
7:30 p.m.
