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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1993)
'Best Friend’ flick should be left for the dogs “Man’s Best Friend” Bad? Bad?? The word “bad” doesn’t even BEGIN to describe “Man’s Best Friend,” the lastcst “out-of-control-killer” flick to come to Lincoln movie theaters. This time, however, it isn’t a homicidal maniac orjilted political candidate,but a seem ingly harmless dog named Max. Ally Shecdy — whose “Wargames” and “Breakfast Club” residuals must have just run out—plays Lori Tanner, a television journalist that wants to break bigger stories than the latest fashion statements. She breaks into the local top-secret labora tory — whose security system is about as effective as adiet crouton—and findsjust what she suspected: animals that are being cruelly treated in the name of science. Enter Max. Of course. Max isn’t just your garden variety guard dog — who’s big enough to apply for statehood, but a genetically-enhanced pooch that is the product of DNA-splicing of dog, cheetah, chameleon and others, all courtesy ot Dr. Jarrct (Lance Hendrikscn, “Aliens”). Jarret doesn’t give a damn about cruelty to animals, has all the sensitivity of a milk bucket and has been performing these experiments in an attempt to put a bite into urban crime. The product is the hyper-intelligent, but mentally unbalanced, Max. Max latches onto Lori, who escapes with him and thus unknowingly unleashes a terror upon her neighbors unlike any they have ever known. Oh, can we stand the suspense? It’s not a question of suspense, but of an overdone grossfest. As the movie drudges along. Max munches the mailman, a mugger and a mechanic. He also sabotages the car of Lori’s husband Perry (Fredric Lehne) and swallows the neighborhood cat whole in a particularly gruesome scene. Max docs show a sense of good taste — no pun intended — when he decides to run down a couple of dog catchers that get their jollies by torturing dogs with shock sticks. Shcedy’s acting in “Man’s Best Friend” is a grade below melodramatic, and Henriksen again proves his best acting comes from the roles of jerks. Lehne isn’t around long enough for us to care about him. Some good work also comes courtesy of Frank Welker in the voice effects department. He provided the vocal sounds of the monkey in “Raiders ofthe Lost Ark” and Abu in “Aladdin.” A word of warning to the weak-stomached: there arc some very intense sequences in the laboratories that show the results of animal experimentation. Writcr/Dircctor John Laiia (“Child’s Play 2") leaves nothing to the imag ination. Hopefully, it goes without saying that “Man’s Best Friend” is one that the kiddies should definitely miss. An intensely gross film that could turn the most hard-core carnivore into a vegetarian, “Man’s Best Friend” should be skipped over in a big way. — Gerry Beltz 1—:---J Courtesy New Line Cinema Lori Tanner (Ally Sheedy) and MAX, the DNA-enaineered, state-of-the art guard dog in the science-fiction thriller “Man s Best Friend.’ EVERYONE SAW THIS AS A PROBLEM ONCE. Occasionally the pieces all fit, but you didn't know why. Eventually, it became obvious. Today, you have a new set of problems and again you may find yourself getting the solutions, but not knowing exactly why. Working with Schaum's Outlines takes the guesswork out of problem solving. The Outlines provide you with the questions and the solutions in order to show you how to solve problems. The more you work with Schaums, the more obvious the solutions become. Available in engineering, math, science, economics and computer science. Look for them in your college bookstore. Schaum’s _.a Outlines ffl New Vid Continued from Page 9 obvious.bul for F:ox fans, it’s prob ably worth renting. “Made in America” Another television star hits the big screen, but a splash it ain’t. Ted Danson is Hal Jackson, a car-dealing cowboy who’s always looking for love in all the wrong places. But one day a daughter he didn’t know he had shows up. It seemsoldHarsdonationtoasperm bank some years back resulted in a black female child (N 1a Long), now all grown up and looking for an swers. Afterthe initial shock wearsoff, Hal finds himselfl iking fatherhood and falling in love with his daugh ter’s mom (Whoopi Goldberg) the owner of an African-American bookstore. The movie doesn’t sound all that interesting, but the chemistry onscreen must have been right on target: During filming Danson and Goldberg embarked on a romance destined for National Enquirer headlines. “Match Factory Girl” Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki brings to life this tale of a lonely factory worker’s bleak, bleak life. Young Iris (Kati Outinen) lives with her drunken mother and alco holic stepfather. She lives a life of desolate loneliness. The one man who shows her any affection does so momentarily— he gets her preg nant and then treats her like trash. Not a bright subject, but buzz has been good. “Rising Sun” Another Michael Crichton novel hits the big screen, but this adaptation isn’t nearly as enthralling as the book. Sean Connery stars as Detective John Conner, a man with more than a working knowledge of the Japa nese. He’s called in to mediate between L.A. police and a Japa nese company when a woman is found murdered in the company’s board room. Wesley Snipes costars as the cop assigned to the case. Their relationship is tense from the be ginning as Conner's reputation on the force is fuzzy at best. Crichton’s novel is a terrific read, but the film version is tedious and takes a few liberties with the story. Connery and Snipes are both terrif ic. but the movie lacks the burning pulse necessary to make a thriller truly gripping. “Splitting Heirs” Monty Py thon alumnus Eric Idle stars in and directs this silly tale of intrigue and deception in Britain. When Rick Moran is becomes the 15th Duke of Bournemouth, his employee (Idle) discovers that he, not Morams, is the rightful heir and sets about to correct matters. Bar bara Hershey and John Cleese costar as Idle’s lascivious mother and a smarmy lawyer, respectively. — Anne Steyer TEST ANXIETY ? DO YOU DRAW A BLANK AT THE TEST? YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Many of us experience anxiety at different times in our lives. 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