Arts ©Entertainment
Friday, April 5,1996 Page 12
• i _ _'_ _ .
Concerts
highlight
weekend
This week, in honor of the captur
ing of the Unabomber suspect, we here
at TGIF would like to salute the FBI by
presenting some entertainment opt ions
for this weekend.
Hey, get otT our backs, we really
couldn’t do much more than this.
At Knickerbockers, 901 O St., the
Bystanders and Remember Alice? from
New York City will play tonight. Sat
urday will sec the Wild Onions and
Chicago’s own Ignatius. Both shows
start at 10:30 p.m. and have a $3 cover
charge.
At the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.,
reggae will rock the house when Zelckc,
a band that comes “from Ethiopia via
Chicago” takes the stage tonight and
Saturday. Both shows start at 9 p.m.
and have a $5 cover charge.
Mudslide Slim’s, 1418 0 St., will
kick some local flavor tonight with
Sideshow and Opium Taylor. Hie show
will start about 10 p.m., and there is a
S3 cover charge.
At the Silk Cafe, 227 N. Ninth St.,
some rock for a good cause will be
goingon Saturday night. Plastik Trum
pet will headline the all-ages show,
which is a benefit for Bosnian rape
victims. The show also will feature
Pavlov’s Triangles, Pitchfork, Broken
Spindles, Think and Project Mercury.
The music starts at 6 p.m., and there is
a S2 cover charge.
The “Laser Fantasies” scries will
continue at the Mueller Planetarium
starting tonight, featuring the music of
Nine Inch Nails, a band that holds a
special place in Bob Dole’s heart. “La
ser Fantasies” shows run at 8 p.m.,
9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. today and Satur
day. Admission is $5 for adults and $4
for UNL students with identification.
It’s a slow week for new movies
opening up. In fact, no new movies
open up today, and only one movie is
coming back. Three movies, however,
did open this past Wednesday.
“Primal Fear” stars Richard Gere
as an attorney who is hungrier for
headlines than he is the truth. He finds
himself hip-deep in trouble concern
ing the death of an archbishop.
“A Thin Line Between Love and
Hate” stars Martin Lawrence, Lynn
Whit field and Bobby Brown, and looks
*’ at what happens when a fast-talking
ladies’ man crosses paths with the
wrong woman.
In the black comedy “Faith till,” Jack
(Ryan O’Neal) wants his wife Marga
ret (Cher) dead after 20 years of mar
riage, and he hires hit man Tony (Chazz
Palminteri) to do the job.
The only returning movie is “Happy
Gilmore,” starring Adam Sandler.
Sandler brings professional hockey to
the arena of professional golf. The
scene with Bob Barker is worth the
price of admission alone.
At the Mary Riepma Ross Film
Theater, the 23rd Annual Student
Academy Awards competition will be
running all weekend long. Complete
schedules for the competition are avail
able at the theater box office. Admis
sion to all screenings is free.
Have something to contribute to TGIF?
Send Information to “TGIF,” c/o Daily Ne
braskan Arts and Entertainment, 34 Ne
braska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb.
68588, or fax ns at 472-1761. TGIF Is com
piled by the arts and entertainment staff.
Matt Miller/DN
Wesley WiHis and the Wesley Willis Fiasco performed Wednesday night at Mudslide
Willis’ unique
character ignites
devoted crowds
A
By Jeff Randall
Senior Editor
Wesley Willisdoesn’t look like atypical sales
man.
He is about six feet tall and weighs in at 300
pounds, with a jagged scar on one check and a
half-dollar-sized welt on his forehead. His voice
is a bellowing rumble, and his slightly bloodshot
eyes roll around when he speaks. His pants hang
a bit t(X) low and his stretched T-shirt hangs a bit
too short.
But Willis has one thing that — as any good
salesman will tell you — is the good salesman’s
most valued trait.
He has the sales pitch.
“Buy my CD,” lie says, thrusting the jewel
case into the face of anyone who happens to be
near.
And whether people are prompted by Willis’
abrupt manner or genuinely afraid of the man
who stands before them, they usually buy.
It’s a Wednesday night, and Willis is in Lin
coln with his band, the Wesley Willis Fiasco, for
a show at Mudslide Slim’s, 1418 O St.
Willis has come to, as he puts it, “rock the'
place down like a cheese stick”—somethinghe’s
been doing for quite some time now. The Wesley
Willis Fiasco has been touring the United States
with a few short breaks since the year began.
The tour has included a big-time stop at the
South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin,
Texas, as well as an extensive tour with Califor
nia hard-core/reggae band Sublime and New
York rap artists Lordz of Brooklyn.
The Fiasco definitely rocked at Austin, and
they rocked in front of an audience that included
major record label representatives, music critics
and MTV, among others.
“We played it just like any other show; we had
fun with it,” says Dale Meincrs, lead guitarist and
founder of the Wesley Willis Fiasco.
“Then we get off stage and people are like
'Yeah, one of the editors from Rolling Stone was
here,’ and 'There’s a bunch of record label guys
in the crowd, and they really liked you guys.’”
Meiners smiles and shakes his head in disbe
lief.
“It was just bizarre.”
Now, after about 3 1 /2 months on the road, the
Fiasco is ready for at least a short break. Lincoln
will be the last stop before the band’s long
See FIASCO on 13
Lawrence’s directing debut misses mark
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
Martin Lawrence most certainly kept himself
busy with his latest film “A Thin Line Between
Love and Hate.”
Movie
_a
rNoi oniy uoes ne carry me
lead role as the womanizing
Darnell, but he also directed
and served as executive pro
ducer.
No wonder he couldn’t de
cide what kind of movie he was
making. Still, this is
Lawrence’s first shot at direct
ing, and for first films, this one
isn’t half bad, except for the
glaring indifference for film
style.
Looking back on his life as he floats in a
bloody heap in the pool of a mansion, Darnell
(Lawrence) shows us where he went wrong.
Darnell has more women than Bob Dole has
senior citizen discount cards, and he treats them
all like crap.
Enter Brandi Web (Lynn Whitfield, “The
Josephine Baker Story”), a tough-as-nails real
estate agent.
Darnell sets his sights, aims, and after some
well-placed comments and compliments, he wins
Brandi.
But when he tries to break things off to pursue
Mia (Regina King), the relationship—and movie
—enters the “Fatal Attraction” category, where
every facet of his li fe starts to go straight down the
toilet.
With that, the movie splits off. Sometimes it is
funny with Darnell’s reactions to what isgoingon
around him. Sometimes it is dramatic, watching
the damage Brandi inflicts in the name of re
venge.
Things escalate, Mia gets threatened and the
club that Darnell and best friend Tee (Bobby
Brown) work at gets firebombed. As usual, the
cops are as helpful as steel-tipped ballet shoes.
Lawrence is OK as the fast-talking Lothario,
and is showing growth beyond his past work.
Bobby Brown also turns in a splendid perfor
mance as the best friend trying to help a man who
is over his head, but who won’t ask for a rope
because of his pride.
Film: “A Thin Line Between Love and
Hate”
Stars: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield,
Bobby Brown
Director: Martin Lawrence
Rating: R (language, subject matter, nudity)
Grade: C+
Five Words: Womanizer falls into personal
nightmare
For a film billed as a “comedic-lhriller,”
Whitfield’s role is taken far too seriously, but for
a serious role, it is handled well; she’s a freshwa
ter fish stuck in a saltwater lake.
Overall, if “A Thin Line Between Love and
Hate” could have decided if it was a drama,
thriller or comedy, then it could have worked. As
it is, wait for cheap seats or a video release.
