ARTS0ENTERTAINMENT
Nebraskan
TuMday. March 1,
Seagal’s directorial debut a flop;
acting has film on shaky ground
“On Deadly
Ground”
★ ★
By Gerry Beltz
Staff Reporter__
As far as actors-turncd-dircctors
go, Steven Seagal should quit while
he’s ahead. .
But hey, at least he’s staying with
his formula from the past: when in
doubt, put three words in the title.
Seagal’s debut directorial effort
“On Deadly Ground,” in which he
also stars, could have been a lot less
preachy and a little bit more ... some
thing. It lacked lilt, panache and sub
stance in general.
Seagal plays Forrest Taft, a spe
cialist in putting out oil-rig fires, hired
by the slimy, money-oriented presi
dent of Aegis Oil, Michael Jennings
(Michael Caine).
Taft is called in to put out a fire that
is blamed on faulty workers but is
really due to substandard equipment*
which was ordered byv Jennings to
open up the rig on time.
After stumbling onto what’s going
on, Taft confronts Jennings but agrees
to do one more job for him.
I’ve worn shoes that were smarter
than Seagal’s character. He’s just told
the bad guy that he’s on to his game
but agrees to help him anyway.
Can we all say “DUH?!?”
Anyway, our candidate for“chump
of-thc-ycar” is soon smoldering like a
used charcoal briquette and is left for
dead in the Alaskan wilderness but is
rescued by a tribe of Eskimos. Taft
heals up and heads back to kick some
butt and blow up the oil rig to save the
land.
Protecting the environment by
blowing up an oil rig. Docs anyone
else sec a problem with this?
Caine is actually fun to watch; he
makes Jennings ruthless but enjoy
able as he rips people up one side and
down the other. Granted, this role
isn’t anything that Caine will want to
remember in his old age. but he docs
bring a few laughs to the audience (as
opposed to Seagal’s putrid onc-lin
ers).
John C. McGinley (“Wall Street, ’
“Point Break”) plays MacGruder,
Jennings’ bodyguard/enforcer. His
performance is on par with Seagal’s
and has all the cinematic intensity of
a Pepsi machine.
The scenery is incredible and must
be enjoyed on the big screen, but other
than that, “On Deadly Ground’* is
nothing to write home about.
Overall, “On Deadly Ground” is
better than some of Seagal’s other
films. Granted, the acting is typical
(vyhat’s worse than “corpse-like?”),
but Seagal is finally getting back to
what he’s good at: hand-to-hand com
bat.
The man has a sixth-degree black
belt in aikido but has spent most of his
last two movies using automatic and
sem i-automatic weapons. Any twit can
pick up a gun and pull the trigger, but
Seagal has a gift that is amazing —
and sometimes painful — to watch.
A couple ofpersonal hints to Seagal:
When you made “Above the Law”
back in ’88, you were trim enough that
cameras didn’t have to avoid showing
you in profile for fear of scaring the
audience; lose a few pounds (when
you’re wearing a parka, you look like
an Ewok with a ponytail and an Uzi).
Also, drop the ego.
Your climactic battle scenes (with
exception to “Above the Law”) have
left you with nary a drop of blood or a
hint of sweat. Get hit once in a while;
prove to us all that even a mart ial artist
is capable of error.
Furthermore, perhaps you could
try playing a bad guy sometime, such
as die evil enforcer for a mob boss.
You would probably end up losing the
final fight (gasp!), but it is time to try
something new.
Courtesy Warner Bros
Steven Seagal and Joan Chen team up to star in the
action-thriller “On Deady Ground.”
Nylons stretch imagination
with a spectacular concert
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
From the youngest jeans-clad college stu
dent to the older women donning evening
gowns, everyone was dancing in their seats
this weekend to the Nylons during their
spectacular Lied Center performance.
With a vibrant mixture of jazzy rock
songs to symphonic ballads, they stretched
the limits of vocal gymnastics.
“It’s about love. It’s about laughter. It’s
about three minutes long,” joked singer
Claude Morrison as The Nylons supple
mented their energetic singing w ith a heal thy
dose of mischief and humor.
From the “land of the free, home of the
Jays," the quartet, composed of three native
Canadians, asked that the audience please
remove the tomatoes from the can before
throwing them in response to some of their
more cultinjg jokes.
Along with hassling the latecomers, chok
ingon the fog and cajoling the audience with
“tricky” choreography and occasional bits of
wry humor. The Nylons motivated the Lied
goers to clap and scream so much it was like
watching a high school basketball game led
by some very enthusiastic cheerleaders.
The N ylons performed 1 ike a well-orches
trated mixture of the Vienna Boys Choir and
the Three Stooges but with a much higher
level of vocal quality and talent.
Performing in front of three large nylon
tents, the group twisted old favorites like
“Happy Together” and“Little Red Corvette,”
along with a variety of innovative songs
mixing traditional, a cappella harmony with
a more rap-like spin.
In the dead silence of the Lied, basked in
om inous green 1 ights reflecting off the build
ing mist, wild animal sounds started creep
ing from the center of the stage. The sounds
built into a rocking rendition of “The Lion
Sleeps Tonight.”
The group’s vocal range and syncopated
harmony defy the need for any instrumental
backing. The Nylons could stand on their
own; however, they did have some help from
the audience.
Well deserving of their standing ovation
and enthusiastic shouts, Morrison, Garth
Mosbaugh, Micah Barnes and Arnold
Robinson left the Lied Center audience in a
wild frenzy with their closing song, “Kiss
Him Goodoye.”
Band s sound earns recognition
By Ann Stack
Staff Reporter_ _
There’s a new voice to be reckoned with in
the Lincoln band scene — and it’s not going
away.
Chronic formed nearly a year ago with gui
tarist Bob Spire, (formerly of Lie Awake) drum
mer Phil Judt, and bassist Brian Farr.
Singer Michael Thomas joined the band in
May 1993, just as the band had nearly given up
hope of finding a singer and was considering
becoming a three-piece.
“We were looking for a singer, and we kind
of found him (Thomas) out of the blue,” Spire
said. “We clicked well together. His lyric con
tent is great, and he’s very aggressive.”
Aggressive they are. In an age where every
band to break out must sound like Pearl Jam.
Chronic is refreshing in the fact that they don’t
sound like all the other bands around. To label
a band as musically diverse as Chronic is tough,
but comparisons range anywhere from King’s
X to Soundgardcn to the lighter side of Pantera.
Chronic’s hard-core, heavy sound is high
lighted on such rockers as “Hate Feeds Hate,”
“Mind," a punky, near-thrash tune, and the
Metallica-esque “So What.”
They also do an excellent job with ballads,
something some local bands have trouble with.
“Forgiveness" and “Are You Real" are just as
powerful, if not more so, than their harder
material.
Chronic has spent the past nine months
building up an impressive resume. They have
been playing the Lincoln and Omaha scene
regularly and have opened for national acts
such as Bad Brains, Mind Bomb, Prong, and
most recently, I Mother Earth.
Chronic, with opening acts Orange and
Karma, played at Cabanas, 226 S. 9th St., last
Wednesday night. The show was sponsored by
Cabanas and radio station KBZM 106.3, The
Blaze.
“We’ve been building up a good track record
with national acts,” Spire said.
This good track record has lead to the open
ing spot for Candlcbox, who will be at Cabanas
on April 6.
Chronic is also starting to receive some
national attention. They were recently chosen
as one of 20 bands nationwide to appear on a
compilation disk from Rodell Records, which
will be distributed to major record labels.
Thomas said the opportunity came about
when he saw an advertisement in a national
magazine. The Note, asking unsigned bands to
send in a tape of their material.
“They got thousands of tapes and from there
picked 40,” Thomas said. “They interviewed
those 40 and then cut that number to 20. We
were selected as one of those 20.”
Thomas said the disk should be out at the
beginning of summer. The song on the disk is
the hard-hitting, pure metal “I See You And
Me.”
Chronic’s tentatively self-titled EP will be
coming out towards the end of May. It will
consist of all originals, plus one cover — Jimi
Hendrix’s “Along the Watchtower.”
Chronic is a band that has definite staying
power. Like their name, they’re not going any
where.
—
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Bars
Tues. Zoo Bar-136 N. 14th: Acoustic Jam Wed
Zoo Bar: Jumpin’Kate Thurs. Zoo Bar:
Maurice John Vaughn Ed Knickerbockers -
901 O. St.: Straw Dog and Rosebud; Duggan’s
Pub - 11th & K: Home Cookin’; J. Ryans -
27th & Holdridge: Modestos; Zoo Bar: Yabba
and Traxx SflL Duggan’s Pub: Home Cookin’,
Owen Mutch and The Debtors; J. Ryans:
Modestos; Knickerbockers: No Left Stone and Beef
Curtans; Zoo Bar: Yabba and Traxx
Movies
Cinema Twin - 13th&P: Reality Bites, 8 Seconds
Douglas 3 -13th & P: Mrs. Doubtfire, I’ll Do Anything,
Blue Chips The Lincoln - 12th & P: Ace Ventura,
Philadelphia, In The Name Of The Father Plaza 4 - 12th
& P: Blank Check, My Father The Hero, The Getaway,
On Deadly Ground Ross Film Theater - Jewish Cinema:
A Reflection of Jewish Culture Star Ship 9 - 13th & Q:
3 Musketeers, Perfect World, Dazed and Confused, My
Life, Demolition Man, Beverly Hillbillies, Malice, Cool
Runnings, Jurassic Park *Coming Friday - The Fugitive
The Stuart - 13th & P: Schindler’s List
Dance
Fri. Pla-Mor Ballroom - 6600 West O: Whiskey River
Music
Tues. Romanovsky & Phillips Music and Comedy
Nebraska Union Ballroom - 8 p.m. Sat. UNL Wind
Ensemble, the sounds of John Phillip Sousa, 8 p.m.
Lied Center Sat. Craig & Co. Disney’s Rock’n
Toontown - Nebraska Union Centennial Room -
2:30 p.m. Sat. Crosby, Stills and Nash at the
Qrphsum in Omaha Theater Thurs - Sun. “The
Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Uni
verse,” Park Centers. 2608 Park Boulevard 8 p.m.
Readings Thurs. A Poetry Reading by Judith Minty
- English Department Library. 3:30 p.m.
Fun Stuff Celebrate Dr. Suess’ Birthday - Nebraska
East Union - Wed.
Event of the Week: Sun. “A Matter of Ghost and
Shadows” plus “The Hand of the Father'’- 2 p.m.
Temple Building Room 221
’Compiled By Sean Me Carthy
