I
Responsible
parentskeep
children out
ofadultfilms
It happens more and more frequently:
You go to an R-rated movie, and there are
children in attendance.
Parents, it seems, no longer care about
what their children see
at the movies, and
theater employees too
often fail to screen out
underage patrons.
The problem splits
into two groups: the
wee children brought
into late-night screen
ings of “Faces of
Death” and “Dangerous
Minds,” and the 10- to 16-year olds who
sneak into “Interview With a Vampire” and
“Pulp Fiction.”
All are fine movies, but not for such a
young movie-going crowd.
That young children are brought to
these movies is a problem with the parents,
pure and simple. More than the problem of
just how annoying these kids can be
(though a blessed few actually sleep
through the film), the fact that they are
CHILDREN should be troubling. Parents
seen taking their toddlers into R-rated
films like these should be flogged on
general principles.
Not only is taking kids into these
movies a potential problem for the other
theater patrons, but also it is a terrible thing)
to do to a child.
The AMC theater chain (there are none
in Lincoln, but a few screens in Omaha)
have a nice, little rule about admittance to
R-rated films: after 6 p.m., no one —
again, NO ONE — under the age of three
is allowed in.
Perhaps this idea could be looked into
by the Douglas Theater Co., which runs all
but two theaters in Lincoln, so it can better
serve its customers.
Parents bringing their children to R
rated movies is one thing, but the problem
of unattended children at R-rated films is a
two-fold issue.
Granted, if kids sneak into an R-rated
film (either by sneaking into the theater
itself or by buying tickets for a different
movie in a multiscreen theater complex),
simply reporting them to theater employ
ees more often than not will take care of
the problem.
But theaters are not always so respon
sive.
I ve witnessed on several occasions
where parents walking up to the ticket.
booth with their underage children arid
verbally approve for them for an R-rated
film.
Again, flogging on general principles.
Movie theaters should enforce the R
rating guideline a bit more strictly to cut
down on these potential problems.
Unlike alcohol purchases, where IDs
are generally required, theaters are less
discerning. Perhaps theater companies
should require that fewer “judgment calls”
be made and more requests for
indentification be issued instead.
Recently, at a showing of “Dangerous
Minds,” I was pleasantly surprised as I
watched youth after youth turned away at
the door because of their under-17 status. I
even had three grade-school kids ask me to
take them in with me. (I patted one on the
head and pointed them across the street to
“Pocahontas.”)
I have nothing against teen-agers. I find
it unfortunate that they will have to wait to
see this high-qualitv film, which focuses
on issues dealt with by their peer group.
This entire issue comes down to one
idea — responsibility. Parents need to ac
cept more responsibility for their children
and their upbringing, and theater compa
nies need to be more responsible in follow
ing guidelines set for movie-goers every
where.
I
. _a. . , _ . ' Tanna Kinnaman/DN
A
*
Grateful Dec
J «- * • r r f W VW W I W %/\SKj
By Jeff Randall
Senior Reporter 7" ■
For years, fans of the Grateful Dead had
known of Jerry Garcia’s battle with his failing
health. Still, news of the rock icon’sdeath Aug.
9 came as a shock to many.
Garcia, lead guitarist and vocalist for the
Grateful Dead, was in a drug rehabilitation
center at the time of his death. But for many
Nebraska fans who paid tribute to Garcia on
Friday and Saturday nights, his death was still a
surprise.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” said
Anthony Davidson, a Lincoln resident and a
long-time Grateful Dead fan. “The Dead were
the ... indestructible band, you know?”
With Garcia’s death, many Grateful Dead
fans have been left to wonder just what the
future will hold for the band that has long had
one of the world’s most loyal followings.
A number of those fans showed up at die
Mueller Planetarium for a laser light show trib
ute to Garcia and the Grateful Dead.
“It’s about as close to the actual concert
experience you can get in Lincoln at this point,”
said Davidson, who has attended three Grateful
Dead shows. “It’s a chance to get together with
other fans and celebrate the music.”.
Jerry may be gone, but his
songs aren't. His words aren't.
We'll have them until the day
we die."
■
JOAN HALLOWAY
Lincoln
But for some fans, the weekend show was the
closest they would ever get to Garcia and his
bandmates.
Andrea Hardy and Alyson Tredway, two
Lincoln Southeast juniors, were among those
Deadheads who never were able to see Garcia
and the Dead perform live.
“We were going to go see them next year,”
Tredway said. “But now... I guess we’ll never
get the chance.”
Those who had seen the Grateful Dead per
form had both music and memories to celebrate.
Joan Halloway of Lincoln said actually see
ing the Grateful Dead perform was an experi
ence that was too magnificent to re-create with
mere words.
“If you’ve never been there, I wouldn’t be
able to explain it to you, and you would prob
ably never be able to understand,” Halloway
said.
When asked about the Grateful Dead’s fu
ture, fans were divided in their opinions.
A number believed that with Garcia’s pass
ing the Grateful Dead became a thing of the
past.
Jack Leigh of Omaha said any plans by the
Grateful Dead to tour in the future should be
shelved, out of respect for both fans and the
band itself.
“It just wouldn’t be the same,” Leigh said.
“In a way, it would almost be insulting to the
memory of what the Dead were.”
But Hardy disagreed with Leigh’s vision of
the Grateful Dead’s future.
“I’d like to see them keep going,” she said.
“Because I think that’s what Jerry would have
wanted.”
No matter what the future holds for the
Grateful Dead, Halloway said, the fans will still
have the music to remember them.
“Jerry may be gone, but his songs aren’t. His
words aren’t. We’ll have them until the day we
die,” she said.
Reeves movie puts viewers on Cloud 9
By John Fulwider
Film Critic
Only in the movies would a guy marry a
woman who drops her suitcase on his toe, throws
up on his shoulder and gets him kicked off a bus
— all in the space of a day.
“A Walk in the Clouds,” starring Keanu
Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, is a 1 ittle far
fetched. But moviegoers won’t even notice
Hollywood’s touch when they become immersed
in this wonderful romantic tale of passion, sen
suality and tradition.
Paul Sutton (Reeves) meets Victoria
Aragon’s (Sanchez-Gijon) bag before he meets
her on a train bound for Sacramento. After an
extraordinary set of coincidences, Paul and
Victoria are alone on the road leading to the
Aragon family vineyard.
Paul, the ever understanding, sensitive gentle
man, listens while Victoria tells him that her
father is going to kill her because she is pregnant
and unmarried. After some painfully cheesy
dialouge (the only bad part of the movie), Paul
offers to pretend to be Victoria’s husband for
one night, then pretend to abandon her. He
cannot stay because he is already married.
Victoria’s surprise “marriage” is not at all
well-received by her domineering father, Alberto
Aragon (skillfully played by Giancarlo
Giannini). Alberto is a man of deeply held
convictions about family traditions, and he sus
pects from the start that something is not right.
And so the fun begins.
See CLOUDS on 20
Film: “A Walk in the Clouds”
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez
Gijon
Director: Alfonso Arau
Rating: PG-13
Grade: A
Five Words: Magical tale of love,
grapes.