y
** GLASSY
/t. EYE
Mark Baldridge
Television:
an artform
in infancy
I went an entire year, not too terri
bly long ago, without turning on my
tiny black-and-white TV more than
three times. I didn’t miss much—all
the thing picked up was Fox.— and
that badly.
But I still saw plenty of TV —
mostly silent, in crowded bars — or
blaring, in the apartments of friends
— sometimes wobbly and blue in
seedy motels or run-down Greyhound
stations.
I discovered that such a profoundly
chaotic and random access to TV had
a strange effect on me: Whenever I
actually came upon an active set, I sat
mesmerized. I mean, this had never
happened to me before.
It hardly mattered what was on. I
particularly like the ads. They’re
simple and vivid enough to be easily
followed with the sound off, while
someone else is talking. You just con
tinue to nod and smile as you secretly
slip away into Wall Street’s childish
world.
But when I say I was hypnotized by
TV, any TV, I mean something other
than what you might think. I’ve
watched people sit, glassy-eyed and
slack, in front ofthe tube. Murmuring,
every few minutes, “This sucks.”
But something else has happened
to me: I’ve gotten X-Ray eyes. I don’t
look at TV any more—I look into it,
through it — into its tiny, glowing
soulless soul.
Somehow my time not watching
TV worked a strange alchemy on my
TV-viewing eye — I wised up.
These days, no one will watch TV
with me. I fidget and chatter and try to
laxe tne tning apart. ino snow, no aa,
no music video is safe from my gaze
—because somewhere alongthe line,
TV stopped being entertainment for
me and became art.
Not great art, not immortal art nec
essarily, but a form of art—subject to
the the strength of criticism generally
reserved for art.
And if I’m right-—if TV is indeed
the newest artform going — then
people who think art goes unappreci
ated in these modem TV-watching
times are wrong.
If TV is art, even often mediocre or
bad art, then art historians will see our
epoch as a “boom time.”
More people are submerged in art
now than we imagine.
And it’s only the great expense of
the artform that keeps this from being
obvious.
Because, right now,only large cor
porations can afford to make TV art.
They compete against each other for
viewers to watch the ads which pay
enough for them to go on being large
corporations.
But one day there will be 500 chan
nels. There will be “meta” channels
carrying menus of programming.
Someone’s going to have to ride
that wave.
And ft might as well be us.
The Glassy Eye is a weekly column
deconstructing television for entertain
ment purposes. Send ideas or sugges
tions to Marie Baldridge, c/o the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400
R St., Uncoin, Neb. 68588. E-mail
dn@unlinfo.unl.edu.
- ^ Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Or. Jack Black, played toy Mark Harmon, expresses the rediscovery of his youth by building a sandcastle during a magical
vacation in “Magic in the Water.”
‘Magic’ rekindles childhood fantasy
By Brian Priesman
ran Critic “ “ ” ' ! •
A quirky, fun-filled fantasy, “Magic in the
Water” is a movie about compassion, love and
lost childhood.
“Magic in the Water” is the story of Dr. Jack
-. Black, a divorced hard-nosed
Movie radiopsychiatrist, his two chit-.
D . dren Josh and Ashley and a
KeVieW mysterious lake creature
known as Orky.
Director Rick Stevenson,
who makes his directing de
but with “Magic in the Wa
ter,” has assembled a top
notch cast to tell the story of
the magical lake creature Orky
and the family whose life he
cnanges. o
Mark Harmon (“Summer School,” “Wyatt
Earp”) is perfectly cast as the tough-as-nails
psychiatrist Jack Black who treats his children as
coldly as he treats his patients.
Harmon brings a tough-love approach to his
children until a freak run-in with the mysterious
Orky. After his encounter, Black is a changed
man, believing that he can dig a hole to China and
see pictures in the clouds.
Joshua Jackson, who plays Black’s son Josh,
fits well into the role of the doubtful and cynical
teenager. Jackson (“The Mighty Ducks,” “D2:
The Mighty Ducks,” “Andre”) is believable as
the unforgiving son ready to give up on his father
for good.
Harley Jane Kozak (“Necessary Roughness,”
“Arachnophobia,” “Parenthood”) plays the skep
tical psychiatrist trying to cure the town residents
of their belief in the lake creature. Kozak works
well as the mistrusting doctor who refuses to
believe in the existence of the lake creature.
The real star of the film, however, is Sarah
Wayne. Wayne, who plays Black’s daughter
Ashley, makes her film debut with “Magic in the
Water.” She brings an infectious delight of magic
and fantasy to the role, and steals every scene
she’s in. Ashley idolizes her father but is con
stantly being disappointed by him.
After one of these disappointments, Ashley
has a chance encounter with the lake monster, -.
Film: Magic in the Water
Stars: Mark Harmon, Harley Jane
Kozak, Sarah Wayne
Director: Rick Stevenson
Rating: PG
Grade: B -
Five Words: Magical movie about lake
creature
Orky. Orky is sick and dying from waste being
dumped into the lake by the villainous Mack
Miller, played by Morris Panych. Orky and Ashley
strike an unlikely friendship.
“Magic in the Water” is not so much about
Orky, but more about regaining a sense of fantasy
and belief in imagination.
See MAGIC on 13
Bistro offers pleasurable,
exquisite dining experience
By Albert Schmid
Restaurant Critic
If you’re looking for a special-occasion place,
make reservations at the Blue Heron Wine Bar
and Bistro, 5555 S. 48th St.
The bistro, which is open Monday through
---Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 pjn.,
and Friday and Saturday from
11 a.m. to 11 pjn., features
simple but elegant decor,
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enjoy a great meal prepared
under the direction of Chef
Dina Davis.
My dining companion and I
started with the olivada and
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off of an appetizer list that
included baked brie, shrimp cocktail, smoked
salmon spread, baked oysters and a fruit and
cheese platter.
To acconpany our picnic-style appetizer, we
each enjoyed a glass of wine from an extensive
wine list. My friend had a fruity 1993 Guenoc
chardonnay ($5.50), and I had a dry 1994 Benziger
fume blanc ($4.50). Both were excellent choices.
The owner, Ken Meier, helps the diner with a
Well-trained wait staff and a monthly “top 10” „
wine list. '
Meier, owner of Meier’s Cork ‘n’ Bottle,
takes every precaution to make a wine-inept
customer feel comfortaWe with what could be a .
confusing and frustrating experience.
The Blue Heron’s bar also is well-stocked
with many import and domestic beers.
Off of a balanced entree menu that offers a
choice of fish, pasta, beef, chicken and pork, with
items ranging from $10.95 to $14.95,1 chose the
grilled salmon fillet ($12.95).
It was served in a pool of basil butter sauce,
which was a crisp addition to the salmon’s grilled
flavor. A side of fresh angel hair pasta was served
with the fish, as well as mixed vegetables to round
out the meal.
My dining companion had the Pasta Raphael
($10.95), which had a bold tomato-artichoke
sauce to accent the cheese tortellini. The portion
See HERON on 13
• V '• ’ - - : ^4
Old favorites
‘strike back’ at
home viewers
By Gerry Beltz
film Critic
The new releases for the past two weeks—
two below-average last week and one above
average this week—are more than overshad
owed by the monumental re-release of three of
the most famous films of all time last Wednes
day.
“The Hunted” (R) — Christopher Lam
bert is in it. Need we say more about the
quality? ^ --
Actually, that wasn’t fair. Lambert’s early
work in films such as “Subway” and
“Greystoke” was good stuff, while “High
lander” is probably his most well-known role.
After that, however, camethe other “High
lander” flicks, and “The Sicilian,” and then
this...
Paul Racine (Lambert) is a mild-mannered
businessman who sleeps with a woman he met
See NEW VIDEO on 13