Arts ^Entertainment
Monday, December 4, 1995 Page 9
Jeff Randall
Finicky college fogy
laments days gone by
of good o 1’ 80s rock
I’m getting old.
OK, I know that at the ripe age of
19, I hardly have the right to count
myself among the elderly. But I have
good reason to do so.
You see, I believe that the often
mentioned generation gap has settled
somewhere just behind me.
Now I function as just another one
of the crotchety old-timers who la
ments the “no-talents” that proliferate
in today’s music scene and waxes nos
talgic for the “good old days.”
Granted, my “good old days” may
differ from what most consider to be
worthy of nostalgia. For me, those
days aren’t too far back.
I remember the days when the Pix
ies were still together. Now that was a
band. Frank Black and the Breeders,
as far as I’m concerned, are mere
shadows of their former selves.
I remember when Michael Stipe
had hair, before R.E.M. began to rock
out. They used to be such a pleasant
ui u\jy a.
That’s right, I’ll admit it. I don’t
“get” a lot of the music on the radio
these days. As far as I’m concerned,
those “Lump” boys are in need of a
good whoopin’, and that Alanis
Morissette, I just don’t see the attrac
tion.
The most painful part of this expe
rience for me is that, up until a year or
so ago, I was often known to emphati
cally declare that I would not be like
my parents— I would accept the
music of future generations as openly
as I had my own.
But here I am, still in the middle of
the music of “my generation” and un
able to stomach most of it.
Sure, I like a few of the newer
records. Oasis is a fine band, for ex
ample. But that doesn’t change the
fact that most of my record purchases
in the last year have had “The Nice
Price” stickers on their covers—you
know, that sticker for pieces of music
no one who isn’t living in the past
would touch.
Dear God, I said it—I’m living in
the past.
But it’s not all bad, after all. If it
weren’t for the proli feration ofoverly
nostalgic baby boomers, we wouldn’t
have the Beatles or Elvis or even
Jefferson Airplane to listen to today,
we wouldn’t have “oldies” stations,
we wouldn’t have “Solid Gold Satur
day Night.”
remaps mat is my tunction.
It could be that I have been chosen
to carry on the legacy of the Pixies,
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and maybe even
Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
Who am I ladding? I’ll never play
a role in the preservation of the late
’80s/early ’90s musical legacy. I’m
just an embittered curmudgeon who is
attempting to deflect criticism of his
closed musical mind with a false pre
tense of historical significance.
But I still have time and hope.
Maybe I’ll turn on the radio right now,
turn the dial to the “modem rock”
station of my choice and have a listen.
Maybe I’ll actually like some of its
offerings. /
This could be my last chance to
salvage my desperate gasps for youth
and all its livelihood. This could be it.
Hootie and the what? Ewwww. Oh
well, back to the drawing board.
Randall is a sophomore news-editorial
major and a Daily Nebraskan senior re
porter.
Courtesy of Rysher Entertainment
John Travolta and Harry Belafonte share a moment in “White Man’s Burden,” a film in which the racial power balance is
reversed.
Film fails with mild approach to matter
By Jeff Randall
Film Critic
With “White Man’s Burden,” director/screen
writer Desmond Nakano has set up a film premise
that has a lot of potential.
—-s-He creates a world where
MOVie the racial power balance as
Rpuipur we know it in America has
ncVIBW been reversed — blacks are
me diuucm liiajuruy anu
whites are the poverty-stricken
minority.
With this “Twilight Zone”
styled situation,Nakano could
have made one of this year’s
most important films. But in
stead, he opted for the mildest
ui ajjjji uaciies <uiu me resuu is a n im mai lums oui
to be mostly premise with little content to back it.
For the most part, the film is filled with role
reversal situations of racial inequity that can be
seen coming from a mile away. The dialogue of
the characters seems to be played more for forced
laughter than serious social commentary.
John Travolta stars as Louis Pinnock, a hard
working factory employee who is hoping for a job
promotion that will allow him to support his
family.
Harry Belafonte also stars as Thaddeus Tho
mas, the wealthy businessman who owns the
company for which Pinnock works.
Thomas catches Pinnock sneaking an inad
vertent peek at Mrs. Thomas, who is in a state of
undress, and mentions the incident to Pinnock’s
supervisor.
Pinnock is subsequently fired, solely on the
basis of this incident, and is left without a job or
any other means to support his family.
Later, in a moment of desperation, Pinnock
takes Thomas hostage in the hopes of getting his
back pay, but instead is forced to hold his former
employer for an entire weekend.
Travolta makes a welcome break from his
current typecast as a slick, gangster character and
does a good job of it. His laid-back conversa
tional style and his role as underdog seem made
for the actor.
Belafonte is equally appealing as Thomas, a
pri vileged man whose racist tendencies ultimately
get him into the most frightening situation of his
life.
Nakano had the premise and the actors to
accomplish something much bigger. But he plays
it safe, avoiding even the mildest spark of contro
versy with a film that, given the right approach,
could have been a virtual powder keg.
By the film’s end, it is difficult to determine
what Nakano was really trying to accomplish
with this film. It seems to be more of a nudging
wake-up call for the culturally insensitive than a
seriously progressive effort.
If you’ve ever read a newspaper or watched
television (i.e. O.J.), this film has very little of
which to inform.
Renovated Elleven relaxing I
By Albert Schmid
Restaurant Critic
When Lincolnites think of the El leven, most
of them have images of black lacquer, impec
cable service, gourmet food and an incredible
view of Lincoln from the 11th floor of the Na
tional Bank of Commerce
building, 1248 O St.
This is something of the
past. The El leven closed its
doors early this year for an
overhaul. Now the El leven,
which re-opened Oct. 11, has
been split into several private
dining rooms and the Galaxy
Cafe, which is open Monday
thru Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
7116 Galaxy Cafe has a stel
lar name but the food is in every way Midwest
ern. This is not to be misinterpreted—the food
is good and it has a homey flavor. An example
of the daily specials are tater tot casserole,
liver and onions and au gratin potatoes with
ham.
The specials change daily and sell for about
$3.50. You can inquire about the specials by
calling the NBC “People-Line,” 434-4295.
The eatery also features sandwiches, salads,
breakfast items, drinks and desserts.
I enjoyed the au gratin potatoes with ham. I
was also allowed a roll and one side of my
choice, peas or corn, for $3.50. I chose the
peas.
I took a seat near one of the windows facing
north. It was a truly wonderful view—as I ate I
was able to enjoy watching planes take off from
the Lincoln Airport, activities at the UNL City
Campus and many other things going on down
town.
The staff was very friendly and helpful in this
cafeteria-style restaurant.
The private meeting rooms are available with
a separate, equally reasonable menu. The private
menu features, among other items, a cobb salad
($6.00), a Caesar salad ($5.75), the “El leven”
Club ($5.25) and beef tenderloin with a red wine
sauce ($7.75).
The private rooms’ names continue the “uni
versal” theme of the Galaxy Cafe. The Northstar
room, the Mercury room, the Gemini room, the
Apollo room and the Discovery room round out
the new El leven.
The decor includes very comfortable chairs
and varied bright colors.
Overall, the new El leven is a far cry from
the old El leven but the food and atmosphere
are still intact. The floor and wall colors lend
themselves to a more relaxed atmosphere for
eating.
Surplus plots
throw ‘Train’
off its track
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
Sometimes, even the chemistry of Wesley and
Woody just doesn’t cut it, and “Money Train”
proves just that.
Director Joseph Ruben
(“The Good Son,”
“Dreamscape”) follows too
many plotlines at once, devel
ops very little of anything be
yond his two lead characters,
but still manages to entertain
here and there with this action
flick.
John and Charlie (Wesley
and Woody, respectively) are
two los Angeies transit cops wno are also orotn
ers.
(Well, foster brothers.)
They each take turns being a decoy for subway
robbers while the other watches out, ready to
See MONEY on 10
