w w w w V V w U w ,qw w 14w,- mw "W W mw I mf C IC ............... .............. . . . ........ .. .. ........... ..................... ... ... . . ... ........ .. ........... ... ....... . .......... ........... .................... ....... ............ ..... Monkey' businesst Risky Business Starring: Tom Cruise and Rebecca DeMornay Directed by Paul Brickman Playing at Movies at Briarwood By Andrew Baron W HEN I SAW Risky Business I entered the theater expecting to confront good-hearted, juvenile delinquency. Instead, I came upon a film that transmits style and insight so much so that I can say only good things about it. Unfortunately, in the ads that I've seen for the movie, the promoters play up only the sleezy aspects of it (and this film definitely deals with sex in a direct manner). But if you can look past what little smut there is, you'll discover a movie that is true to life and is, as such, quite meaningful. The film is about a young man nam' Joel (Tom Cruise) who comes from extremely affluent family. He is about to end his high school career and seeks desperately to be accepted into a respected college - immediately, the University student finds himself assaulted by old memories. But in the opening dream sequence of the film, Joel enters a deserted house where he comes upon a beautiful woman in a steamy shower. As he approaches her through the fog, she gradually fades away. Later on, in another scene he describes to his friends how he was unable, psychologically, to have sex when a girl, baby-sitting nearby, awk- wardly propositioned him. Things become clearer in another dream sequence, where a S.W.A.T. team, Joel's parents, and the baby- sitter's father all spontaneously appear and surround the house as he begins to make love to her. It becomes a classic farce, when the girl's father yells through a bullhorn, "Get off of the girl, you punk!" What becomes obvious to Joel and his contemporaries is that sexual activity is taboo within the confines of suburbia. The solution for this is to find a girl from elsewhere - a callgirl. Hence, the premise for Risky Business is born. Joel's life begins to turn around when a Harvard-bound pal takes two impor- tant steps in being his 'brother's keeper.' So he tells Joel that he must adopt a newstance about theworld. First he must learn to say, "What the fuck." And second, he sets the ball rolling, rather indirectly, for Joel to meet Lana (Rebecca DeMornay). When Joel gets entangled with Lana and her world Risky Business really takes off. Problems first arise when she steals a valuable piece of art - an ab- stract sculpture, representing an egg. This act could be interpreted as being well grounded in Freud, where the egg represents Joel's mother (we learn that the egg is his mother's prized possession). So again, what seems to be a random act can really hold a lot of significance. Anyway, tension worsens as Joel falls into deeper trouble academically, and physically when he must confront Guido, Lana's so-called "manager." As the curtains begin to close over Joel's head, we grow more and more anxious with him. I attribute this to Tom Cruise's acting ability and to the overall unity of spirit that runs throughout the film. That is, every scene in this flick works - nothing is wasted. The script is excellent, the direction is stylish but not self- indulgent, and the actors- do what is required to contribute to this sense of "budding youth in turmoil." Some critics have compared this film to The Graduate. I, personally, see a lot of similarities. In both movies we have the hero caught between a desire to please and a desire that wants to say "What the fuck." I love to think about juxtaposing the character of Lana against the character of Joel's mother. In this way it looks a lot like The Graduate - Mrs. Robinson vs. her daughter. In either film, Freud would have had a ball. ON FAMOUS,-NAME WATCHES. iton revisited Too Low for Zero Elton John MCA Records By Michael Baadke ELTON JOHN'S latest release, Too Low For Zero, has a lot to recommend it even before the disc is removed from the sleeve. Together for the first time in eight years are the members of the original Elton John Band - Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Muray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums. This is the crew that backed Elton on over a dozen hit singles in the early '70s, in- cluding "Crocodile Rock" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." In addition, the songs on Too Low For Zero) were all co-written by Elton and Bernie Taupin, a reuniting of the team that shot Elton John to the undisputed top of the pop charts for a span of nearly five years. Just reading the in- ner sleeve of this LP is like taking a step back through time to 1975. This reconstruction of a proven suc- cess formula might well prove beneficial for Elton; his career took a shaky turn following the release of Blue Moves in 1976. He's only recently achieved a portion of his past popularity with the release of Jump Up! last year, which produced the singles "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" and "Blue Eyes." Too Low For Zero is a sedate album, almost cautious by Elton John's prevous standards. As might be expec- ted, the music is more reminiscent of the '70s Elton than anything he's done in recent years. His keyboard perfor-' mances, although tempered, are much more in the foreground on this album. Oddly enough, one of the most familiar sounds here is the vocal har- monization of four band members. It's a combination which never garnered much critical attention, but which con- tributed a great deal to Elton's distin- ctive sound. (Consider a song like "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," which showcased these smooth harmonies.) Nigel Olsson and Elton John: Reun Although there is a great deal on Too Low For Zero which is familiar, Elton has included some subtle changes to the sound to adapt to shifting musical tastes. "Crystal" features the trendy combination of synthesized drums resembling handclaps and a keyboard synthesizer put to minimal use. Much of the music has been minimized on this album; Elton indulges in strings on only one cut here, and they're tastefully arranged by an old associate, James Newton-Howard. There's a great deal of under- statement on Too Low For Zero, and it may be the album's sole weakness. To the outside observer it appears as though the old group has been assem- bled with great care, and no one wanted to jeopardize the outcome by going off the deep end. However, going off the deep end was always Elton John's trademark, whether it was manifested in his stage antics, his appeance or the songs he recorded. Although the band rocks on cuts like "I'm Still Standing" and "Kiss The Bride," it's a tightly con- trolled energy and nobody really cuts loose. One exception is "Whipping Boy," where the band cooks until the steam starts to rise. Lyrically this is far from a Taupin masterpiece, but who cares about lyrics when a song kicks you in the backside and demands that you get up and dance? Everyone works double- time on this cut, although unfortunately Elton doesn't add his piano this melee. Despite the seeming restraint on much of the album, the band works together impressively from start to finish. This smoothness culminates with the title cut, which effectively cap- tures every nuance of depression and exhaustion expressed in Taupin's lyrics. The album's sense of under- statement is most fitting here, magnifying the simplicity of the song's theme with a stoically persistant drum beat and Elton's toned down con- tributions on piano and synthesizer. Too Low For Zero sounds very much like a new beginning for Elton John, a hesitant step toward a sound that over- whelmed the world 10 years ago. It's not really nostalgia, but rather a return to the career he once had. In any case, it remains to be seen if Elton will stay with this formulation, and if the world is willing to pick up on it once again. Too Low For Zero is a very enjoyable album, and it's a little like seeing Elton John come back home. There's never been a better time to purchase the watch you've always wanted for yourself - or for someone special. Because for a limited time, Wright Kay in Ann Arbor is offering some of the world's finest watches at 20 % to 50 % off. Sports watches. Traditional watches. Dazzling elegance in precision timepieces. But hurry! At prices this low, you'll soon run out of time. Sale ends September 30, 1983. W~kt Ka A Fine Jeweler Since 1861 Briarwood Mall, Ann Arbor 9 663-4106 Merchandise subject to availability. 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