Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Christopher Lambert stars as a Western businessman fighting for his life in “The
Hunted.”
‘Hunted’ bloody slice of action
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
Lambert’s getting there, but he’s
still falling short.
The man can’t act. This is a fact
and he probably knows it. How
ever, in several scenes of “The
Hunted,” Lambert’s confused-but
determined look and attitude actu
ally work.
Jean-Claude Van Damme has
the same problem. However, one
movie with John Woo (“Hard Tar
get”) finds Van Damme doing what
he does best: entertain.
Perhaps that’s what Lambert
needs to do; go find Woo — who
got out of his three-picture con
tract and left the country after
working with egomaniac Van
Damme — and make an action
film that will have action junkies
on double overdose.
“The Hunted” already has a
slight feel of a-Woo film, where
some of the characters are outra
geously ridiculous, and the vio
lence levels are ludicrous. Perhaps
Lambert and Woo should team up
for “Highlander 4: The Final Apol
ogy.”
However, Woo films have tons
and tons of action, and action j unk
ies would barely get a slight buzz
from Lambert’s latest flick, “The
Hunted.”
Paul Racine (Lambert) is a busi
nessman who has just picked up
Kirina (Joan Chen, “On Deadly
Film: “The Hunted”
Director: J.F. Lawton
Stars: Christopher
Lambert, John Lone,
Joan Chen
Rating: R
Grade: C
Five words: Ninja and
samurai get nasty.
Ground”) at a bar and sleeps with
her within the movie’s first 10
minutes.
Being talented in a Lambert
flick can dramatically cut down
life expectancy. Racine leaves and
comes back only to find a ninja
named Kinjo (John Lone, “The
Shadow”) slicing off Kirina’s head.
(Maybe Kinjo thought he was
in a “Highlander” sequel.)
Racine sees Kinjo’s face, some
thing Kinjo doesn’t like. Racine
tries to escape, but Kinjo’s ninja
buddies poison and cut him up
before he can get out.
He lives, but is soon being
hunted again. He is eventually of
fered protection by Takeda (Yoko
Shimada), a samurai-type swords
man who has a personal beef with
Kinjo.
How convenient!
What starts out as a one-man
agamst-powerful-enemy movie
turns into a two-man-battle-of
skill-and-wits, or should we say
twits?
Lambert’s bad acting is a given.
But this film casts him as a man
who knows his limitations, not a
killing machine.
Lone’s portrayal of the ninja is
rather reserved, but that’s the way
it should be — controlled with
focused emotions. However, Kinjo
seems to oscillate between ancient
honor and a modem desire to win
at any cost, and that weakens the
character immensely.
The surprise is Shimada as
Takeda, supposedly a samurai who
is fighting a 200-year-old war with
Kinjo. However, his strike-and
pause swordfighting is deplorable,
even for a movie.
Still, the movie is not com
pletely void of merit. It’s nice to
see ninja movies where weapons
beyond the ninja-to and shuriken
are used (and used correctly). The
battle on the bullet train between
Takeda and about a billion stupid
ninjas is the high action point of
the film.
“The Hunted” is the directorial
debut of J.T. Lawson, who also
wrote the screenplay. Lawson’s
previous work includes the screen
plays for “Pretty Woman” and
“Under Seige.” From the looks of
“The Hunted,” he still has a lot to
learn, but at least he’s trying.
Ross Theater offers free screenings
By Jeff Randall
Staff Reporter
For those who complain about the
rising cost of big-screen entertain
ment, a long-standing but little-known
alternative exists.
The Mary Riepma Ross Film The
ater, located in the Sheldon Art Gal
lery, offers free-of-charge films ev
ery Tuesday and Wednesday until
April 26.
Dan Ladely, director of the Ross
Film Theater, said the films were
primarily shown for students in film
classes, but are open to anyone inter
ested.
Public turnout tends to be low for
the screenings, Ladely said, probably
because of the afternoon show times.
“It’s mainly a problem of accessi
bility,” he said. “I don’t think many
people are able to make it to see the
afternoon screenings because they
have jobs to go to.”
In the past, when there were
evening shows, too, Ladely said, the
public attended more film-studies
shows.
“We used to get quite a few people
who weren’t involved in the univer
sity at all who would just come to sec
good films,” he said.
The decision to move the screen
ings to the afternoon was made by the
university’s administration, Ladely
said, and was not related to public
attendance in any way.
“Anyone is welcome to attend,”
he said. “I think it’s a great opportu
nity and a good alternative to other
theaters.”
Weekly screening schedules can
be picked up in the Ross Film The
ater, and each week’s screening times
are included in the recorded phone
schedule.
This week’s films are “The Horror
of Dracula,” which is showing today
at 1 p.m. and Wednesday at 3:15
p.m., and “Mothra,” showing today
at 3:15 p.m. and Wednesday at 1 p.m.
No film-studies films will be
shown during Spring Break.
Mirabel
Continued from Page 15
chest and say, ‘I’m going to educate
you,”’ he said. “I want people to see
me as an individual. That’s it.”
Rather than teach them or make
them feel guilty, Mirabal said, he’d
rather let people have fun and feel
good about themselves.
Mirabal will perform his unique
brand of “world music” March 11 at
Kimball Recital Hall. The concert,
“Native Beat,” will incorporate
Mirabal’s flute and traditional in
struments from around the world into
a contemporary rhythm.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are
$10 for the general public and $5 for
students, and are available at the Lied
Center Box Office. Net profits from
the concert will be given to the Ne
braska AIDS Project.
Mirabal’sresidency at UNL, which
began last spring and continued in
late February, has influenced him.
He said he enjoyed seeing new faces
and hearing new ideas in the many
lectures he has given.
Mirabal has lectured in classes
ranging from anthropology to law on
both City and East campuses. He
meets with three to four groups of 20
to 45 students each week from nearly
every UNL college.
Mirabal said his lecture methods
varied. Sometimes he has the stu
dents lie down while he plays flute
music for them.
“I... let them experienCe the life of
my tribe,” he said.
On March 8, Mirabal will give a
Great Plains Studies seminar entitled
“Music and Culture: A Taos Pueblo
Artist’s View.” The free seminar is at
3:30 p.m. in 205 Love Library.
Show to feature classics
By Josh Wimmer
Staff Reporter “
The Lincoln Symphony Orchestra
will perform a collection of “Ameri
can Classics” at the Lied Center to-s
night at 8. *
The performance will feature
works by American classical com
posers including Howard Hanson,
Samuel Barber, Morton Gould, Roy
Harris and Lukas Foss, said Jeth Mill,
the orchestra’s executive director.
.Foss will also appear tonight as
guest conductor of his pieces, Mill
said, titled “Three American Pieces”
for flute and strings.
“There are two works here by liv
ing composers, Lukas Foss and
Morton Gould, and to have one of
America’s notable composers con
ducting is a real honor,” Mill said.
The orchestra’s music director and
regular conductor, Yong-Yan Hu, will
also conduct tonight, Mill said.
Mill said the performance also
would feature two guest instrumental
soloists: Tricia Park, a 17-year-old
violinist; and flutist Marina Piccinini.
“It would be a treat to come and
hear either one of them alone,” Mill
said.
To hear them together will be es
pecially thrilling, he said. Park will
play during Barber’s “Violin Con
certo,” Mill said. Piccinini will per
form with the orchestra during Foss’
“Three American Pieces” and
"Sometimes I think
people are put off in
classical music because
they don’t feel they are
educated in it. You don't
need a course in film to
enjoy movies."
■
JETH MILL
Lincoln Symphony Orchestra
executive director
Hanson’s “Serenade for Flute, Harp
and Strings,” he said.
Hanson, a composer and educa
tor, was a Nebraska native, Mill said.
He headed the Eastman Conserva
tory of Music in Rochester, N. Y.
Mill emphasized that anyone could
come to this performance and enjoy
it, classical-music aficionado or not.
“Sometimes I think people are put off
in classical music because they don’t
feel they are educatedin it,” Mill
said. “You don’t need a course in
film to enjoy movies.”
Tickets will be on sale at the door,
or can be reserved in advance by
phoning the Lied Center box office.
Ticket prices are $ 18, $22 and $27,
and are half price for students.
THE ALPS
HISTORIC SITES
THE BLACK FOREST
MEDIEVAL CASTLES
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
SUMMER STUDY
IN GERMANY
Study Germany and its
Criminal Justice System this
summer - July 13 to August 7,
1995. Six hours of credit
possible: Instruction in English,
Field trips to criminal justice
facilities, historic sites,
medieval castles, and World
War II landmarks.
For information contact:
Professor Finn Esbensen
Department of Criminal Justice
472-6383
ICRIL^
BAR
Tic HayoMJikET
826 P Street
(402) 477-2171
/to renovate and expand
I the Nebraska Union or not?
N^VVhat do you think?
An Open Forum Discussion
sponsored by
Nebraska Student Union Board
Tuesday. February 28( 1995
12:30p.m. -1:30 p.m.
City Union Main Lounge
ASUN has placed this
question on the ballot
for the upcoming student
elections. Because this is
a current topic of Interest
to students, you may
want to attend this
information session and
discussion regarding the
proposed renovation and Nebraska Union Board
expansion Of the University of Nebraska-Lincoin
Nebraska Union 220 Nebraska Union
raeDraSKa union. Uncoln.NE 685854452
Give us your view at this
Open Forum and vote at
the March 8th ASUN election.
