Pointless plot of Very Brady Sequel’
leaves audiences less than impressed
By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
Maybe last year’s “The Brady
Bunch” was such a big hit because no
one expected it to be.
It was fresh and innovative in its
satire. It parodied the squeaky-clean
’70s TV sitcom right down to the plat
form shoes and oversized belt buck
les. -
It didn’t take itself at all seriously,
and that’s what made it so dam funny.
It made all of us twenty-somethings
feel a bit nostalgic for the days when
the Bradys rocked our world.
That’s why it hurt so much to see
the sequel, aptly titled “A Very Brady
Sequel,” fall short.
Way short.
The sequel picks up with the cast
from the first movie reprising their
roles. Carol’s (Shelley Long) pre
sumed-dead first husband Roy (Tim
Matheson) shows up and moves in with
the bunch. The boys think he’s groovy
in a hip, happenin’ kind of way, and
y
the girls are glad to have daddy back.
Roy, of course, is an inposter and
scam artist who kidnaps Carol and
takes her to Hawaii. The family takes
off in hot pursuit after her, enjoying a
bit of that “Good Time Music” in the
aisles of the airplane.
The problem is, the plot (as it were)
isn’t the central force behind the movie.
In fact, it’s hard to tell exactly what the
force behind the sequel is'
Arlene Sanford, making her direc
torial debut, doesn’t seem to know ei
ther. There are plenty of lame sex j dees
the Bradys don’t get and plenty of bad
’70s fashions. But what’s missing here
is the interaction between ’90s culture
and the blissfully unaware Bradys the
first movie had.
Instead, we get tons of unfunny ref
erences to plots from the original TV
series, like Greg’s surfing accident, the
tiki doll, the tarantula, Tiger the fam
ily dog and even poor, misguided
cousin Oliver. But the jokes never hit
the mark-—not even a die-hard Brady
fanatiewould laugh.
The only thing the movie takes a
chance with is the burgeoning, twisted
Film: “A Very Brady Sequel”
Stan: Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Tim
Matheson
Director: Arlene Sanford
Rating: PG-13
Grade: C
Five Words: Groovy factor low in se
'V • ... , r.y,. : . •; . C
romance between Greg (Christopher'
Daniel Bames) and Marcia (Christine
Taylor).
Not one member of the original cast
makes a cameo appearance, only ca
reer-stagnant ’90s celebs like Zsa Zsa
Gabor, David Spade and RuPaul show
up.
On a positive note, Matheson has
some witty one-liners, and the cast does
a superb job of portraying the clueless
clan. If they could’ve played off some
’90s characters instead of each other,
maybe the movie wouldn’t be such s
waste.
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. _1
Bands featured at State Fair
- BANDS from page 18_
enjoy yourself,” he said. “We see a
lot of kids at our shows. Anyone with
an open mind will find something in
the songs theyTl like.”
UNL students can see that energy
live when Daniels performs at 8 pjn.
in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The
bonus is, for just $7, they can stay to
see Lincoln’s premier party band Lie
Awake.
Lie Awake, also known for its high
energy shows, performs at 9:30 pjn.
at the Grandstand.
They play many Tbp40 covers from
the 1980s, as well as some classic rock
tunes and alternative songs. Basically,
everything from the Violent Femmes
to Aerosmith is up for grabs.
For the die-hard music fans, The
Rumbles will {day in the open-air au
ditorium at 6 pjn. With $7 and some
energy, fair-goers could catch all three
acts.
That's not bad for the first day of
school.
Whether it’s for education, retirement or simply for the peace of mind
that comes from knowing your money will be there when you need it.
Ask your employer or banker about saving
sl with U.S. Savings Bonds.
jALlTQSMNGtld&b
BONDS
A pMk service of this newspqier
- ' ’ r ■ ' ' • • - ' ' * .
(Coffee Culture offers more than caffeine
By Michelle Delka
StaffReporter
Students returning to campus this
week have a pleasant surprise waiting
for them. A new coffee place, Coffee
Culture, 1311 O St., opened about a
month and a half ago. The friendly staff
of Coffee Culture appears ready to
serve the incoming UNL staff and fac
_ ulty with the freshest roasted coffee in
town.
Coffee Culture is an easy walk from
campus and has a great atmosphere,
perfect for studying or a much-needed
chat with a friend. It’s a refreshingly
hip new place that should do well in
Lincoln.
When you first walk into the Cof
fee Culture, you might be surprised by
how narrow the shop is, but co-owner
Greg Looney says the design of the
shop is reminiscent of the older coffee
bars of Europe. Although seating looks
slim from the front of the shop, seat
ing is available in the back.
Coffee Culture has 11 espresso
drinks to choose from, including the
strong and flavorful pressed Viennese
and the chocolatey white mocha. They
also have four brewed coffee drinks
and several specialty drinks to choose
from. No matter what you are thirsting
for, the Coffee Culture will have it.
Near the back of the shop is a large
menu devoted to whole bean varieties
of coffee. I was amazed at all of the
coffee choices. Coffee Culture prides
itself on having coffees from all over
the globe.
Coffees are featured from Guate
mala, Eurasia, South America, Africa,
North America, the West Indies and the
Middle East. The staff seems knowl
edgeable about the various blends and
was helpful in explaining the differ
ences between the coffees.
Loose-leaf teas can also be found
for those wanting a milder treat.
Caffeinated and decaffeinated variet
ies will be sure to please even the picki
est tea lovers. You can even smell the
tea leaves and herbs before making
your selection to ensure that you are
satisfied.
I brought a friend for this assign
ment because I am not a coffee con
noisseur. He tried the yemen mocha
java, a blend of three different coffees.
He rated the yemen, served in a large
glass coffee mug, two thumbs up, a
high marie from my experienced cof
fee companion.
Keep in mind that this place isn’t
just for the coffee connoisseur. I
sampled the hot chocolate and it wasn’t
just your plain old cup. It was served
in a large mug with a dollop of whipped
cream and topped with hand-shaved
chocolate. It was just the right mixture
of chocolate and was the smooth treat
I was looking for. I gave it two thumbs
up and will be back for more. I might
even try the white hot chocolate next
time.
I recommend the Coffee Culture to
all. It is open from 6:30 am until mid
night Monday through Thursday, and
until 2 am on Friday and Saturday. It’s
a great place to stop on your way home
from the bars. Don’t wait until later in
the semester when you need a quick
caffeine fix to try this place. I recom
mend you experience it soon.
' '-~&rr
. Photo coukrsy op Paramount Pictures
THE BRADYS vacation in Hawaii in their latest groovy sequel, “A
Very Brady Sequel.”
Comics join Daily Nebraskan
COMICS from page 18
in Los Angeles.
“ft’s kind of like vomiting on pa
per,” he said. “I took the leap into mak
ing fun of how stupid I am rather than
how stupid other people are. That’s
when it started clicking.”
Jantze said he has already started
receiving fan mail at his home in San
Anselmo, Calif., but is surprised mail
is coming from people as young as 13,
since the syndicate told him they
wanted the strip to be geared toward
Generation Xers.
But Jantze said he’s not sure what
to make of the label, since at 34 he
doesn’t consider himselfa member of
either Generation X or the Baby
Boomers.
“Cutting edge humor just isn’t me,”
he said. “I’m not good at underground
comics. 'The Norm’ is a happy me
dium.”
Perhaps the most cutting edge of the
Daily Nebraskan’s new comics is Chad
Strawderman’s 'The Deep Bid.”
The Daily Nebraskan will be one
of only five papers in the country, all
college dailies, to cany the strip, which
Strawderman created this summer.
Strawderman said he takes an
“everyman” approach to the strip, not
even giving the main character a name
or revealing what his job is about.
“It could be anyone doing any
♦.
thing,” he said. “He’s out in the world
with no direction.”
Strawderman said the strip is a new
concept for him. For the past three
years, he said, he has written a differ
ent strip called “Big Fun” for the Daily
Wildcat at the University of Arizona
in T\icson where he is an art design
major.
He said he emphasizes the art of
“The Deep End” by drawing each
frame from a different point of view.
“That’s sometimes more work,” he
said. “But there’s no boredom factor
from drawing the same frame four
times. This is more exciting.”
The strip will probably be more
popular with college students, he said,
since there is often a dark feel to it.
He said the strip is not the type
that’s likely to be picked for syndica
tion, “but that’s not necessarily where
the best humor is. 7
“Newspaper comics are years be
hind what actual life is about,” he said.
He said he has tried to get into syn
dication before with “Big Fun” and
other strips, but now wants to see if
he can make a living selling “The
Deep End” to college newspapers and
alternative weeklies to avoid the syn- -
dication middle man.
“I really want to see if I can do this *|
on my own,” he said. “Approaching it
that way is better because you can be ,
truer to what you draw. If you like it
that’s what matters.”
I