Arts & Entertainment
Soldier
bombards
theaters
“Universal Soldier”
By Gerry Beltz
Staff Reporter
“Universal Soldier” (Plaza 4,12th
and P streets) is full of action and
stunts, but has holes in the plot that
Jean-Claude Van Damme could do
one of his infamous “triple pirouette
kicks" through.
Please don’t misunderstand what
is being said. Van Damme and Dolph
Lundgren fans alike will not be disap
pointed at this movie, unless they get
picky about things like plot develop
ment, realism and so forth.
The movie starts out in Vietnam,
wdh Lundgrcn as a psychotic ser
geant who has laid waste to an entire
village, believing all the villagers to
be the enemy.
Van Damme is done with his lour
of duly and just wants to go home.
But after Van Damme watches
Lundgrcn kill two more of the inhab
itants, Lundgrenand Van Damme end
up killing each other at point blank
range.
The incident is covered up and the
two bodies are listed as Missing In
Action, packed in ice and shipped off
to a secret installation.
The film then switches to today’s
setting, where both Lundgren and Van
Damme have become members of a
team of programmed supersoldicrs
used in last-resort situations dealing
with terrorism.
Unfortunately, Van Damme has
“deja vu” experiences that begin to
snap him back to free thought, and
Van Damme does a complete turn
around when Lundgrcn is about to
blow away a nosy reporter (newcomer
Ally Walker) as part of a cinemati
cally-rcquired military cover-up.
Van Damme then saves Walker
and abandons the Universal Soldier
detachment.
i ms snaps Lundgrcn out ol his
program, but his character is stillpsy
chotic (making necklaces out of hu
man cars, etc.) and wants to catch the
traitor, no matter what.
For the Van Damme fans, they
won’t be disappointed. One of his best
scenes puls him in a roadside cafe
cashing in heads for about 20 sec
onds, then munches a tuna salad sand
wich for a little bit, then starts up
again. His martial arts sequences arc
fairly infrequent, but decent.
For the ac lion/ad venture fans who
want their adrenaline pumping, “Uni
versal Soldier” is recommended. For
those seeking well-rounded plots and
acting, look elsewhere.
^ of Twentieth Century Fox
Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin star in “Prelude to a Kiss," an enchanting fable about the
immortality of true love.
Meg Ryan’s Kiss a smash
“Prelude to a Kiss”
By Stacie Hakel
Staff Reporter
True Love: a love without limi
tations, without haste— an uncon
ditional love. This is the basis for
the movie “Prelude to a Kiss,” in
which two young lovers find them
selves falling in love at first sight.
On a dark city night, Peter
Hoskins (Alee Baldwin) arrives at
a party his friend Taylor (Stanley
Tucci) is having. Upon arrival, he
meets the eccentric and interesting
Rita Boyle (Meg Ryan), who he
becomes immediately attracted to.
After finding out about her in
securities and fears, Hoskins asks
her for her hand in marriage, and
she accepts.
The wedding day arrives and a
strange happening occurs. A mys
terious elderly man (Sydney
Walker) pops up out of no where
and asks to kiss the bride.
Apparently, neither of them
were aware of the power of a kiss,
as the pair switch personalities fol
lowing their climatic kiss.
mo^-H
After his work for the Academy
Award-nominated “Longtime
Companion,” playwrighl/scrccn
writcr Craig Lucas has again
pleased his audience with “Pre
lude to a Kiss.”
Baldwin, who has been seen in
“The Hunt for Red October,” “The
Marrying Man” and “Bectlejuice,”
puis on a gentle show of affection
in this film, as Hoskin’s love for
Boyle is seen traveling further than
jusl looks.
Ryan, who has appeared in
“When Harry Mel Sally..."‘Top
Gun,” “Innerspace” and “The
Doors," has a unique and confus
ing character as Boyle, but plays
the character in such a lovable and
adorable manner that her eccen
tricities arc almost forgettable.
The movie also stars actress
Fatly Duke and actor Ned Beatty
as Boyle’s parents, and it is obvi
ous that Boyle has somehow inher
ited these eccentricities she ac
quires.
Walker’s (“Love Story”) char
acter, as the mysterious old man, is
excellent, yet he jusl pops out of no
where.
“Pro lude to a K iss,” while some
what comical, is a heart-warming
film that shows more than just
passion. It brings across a message
of love, a love that will stretch to
all mrans
Disney film tops new video releases
By Gerry Bettz
Staff Reporter
The new releases ai video stores is
looking pretty slim this week, unless
you’re into Disney flicks, that is.
SylvcslcrStalloneandEsiclleGeity
kick off this week’s trio of new re
leases with “Slop! Or My Mom Will
Shoot!”
This is a droll comedy of a cop’s
mother coming into his life, turning it
upside down, then seeing something
she wasn’t supposed to.
Naturally, he gets to protect her
from anyone carrying a gun and the
movie runs downhill from the open
ing credits on (Available July 16).
Next, we have bad character acting
at its best in “Love Crimes.”
Here, Patrick Bcrgin portrays a
psycho with a camera, who entices
women to be photographed in com
promising situations and rapes them
after doing so.
moyfo !
However, his victims regularly
refuse to prosecute because of im
pending humiliation.
Dana Greenway (“A Kiss Before
Dying”) is the district attorney that
wants this “shutterbug psycho” be
hind bars. Unfortunately,Greenway’s
character has the emotional range of a
cheap water pistol.
“LoveCrimes” will beavailable in
both R-rated and unrated versions
(Available July 15).
Finally, there is a bright spot this
week — the release on video of “The
Great Mouse Detective” from Disney.
It is an adventure that could be
deemed “What If Sherlock Holmes
Was A Mouse?”
The animation is superb through
out the movie and is entertaining both
for the young and the old.
Christmas
begins in
Nebraska
By Stacie Hakel
Staff Reporter
If the summer’s heat is getting a bit
irritating, be sure and cool off with
winter ’ s “Season ’ s Greetings,” staged
by the Nebraska Repertory Theater.
The play takes place in the merry
atmosphere of Neville and Belinda
Bunker’s (Kevin Paul and Leigh
Dillon) home, in which their relatives
fight and complain while they scurry
around preparing for the arrival of
Christmas day.
During the play, Neville ignores
Belinda and puts off the few chores he
is assigned to.
Neville spends most of his time
with his friend Eddie (Devon
Schumacher). Eddie also has a poor
relationship with his wife, Pattic (Ann
Niergarth), who is pregnant for the *
fourth time and trying to control her
anxiety towards Eddie’s lazy behav
ior.
The oblivious doctor Bernard
(Stephen A. Gaines) who is concerned
only about his annual puppet show,
spends his time constantly bickering
with Harvey (Clifford Mason) the
ovcrzcalous veteran, who is obsessed
with guns and knives.
Phyllis (Liann Pauison), Bernard’s
ditzy and drunken wife, attempts to
cook Christmas dinner, and pulls it off
with only a few minorcuts and bruises.
Rachel (Jean Lyle), Bclinda’sscxu
ally deprived sister, digs for attention
and finds it in the novelist Clive (John
Lepard), who she has brought home to
celebrate this joyous occasion.
British author Alan Ayckbourn has
grasped the festive season of winter to
collaborate this splendid play.
“Season’s Greetings” is just one
more in addition to the excellent plays
he has written, such as “Mr. What
Not,” “Relatively Speaking” and “A
Case of Mistaken Identity.
After the opening his 37th play in
1989, Ayckbourn achieved equiva
lence— numerically— with William
Shakespeare.
“I hope my plays hold up in 400
years; that’s the real test,” Ayckbourn
said.
“Season’ Greetings” was excep
tionally appropriate, even for this
time of year, so everyone can prepare
themselves now for the joyous, yet
horrid Christmas season.
“Season’s Greetings” opened July
9 and will run through July 25 at the
Carson Theater in the Lied Center for
the Performing Arts. Performances
arc staged at 8 p.m. every Tuesday
through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on
Sundays.
