- Page 8 --The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 12, 1986
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Weaver slaughters Slaughter,
but 'Half-Moon Street'still glows
By Wendy Jacobson,
Half Moon Street is a film
about a divorced Harvard Ph.D.
turned prostitute and her
involvement with a liberal British
Lord.
We find Dr. Lauren Slaughter,
played by Sigourney (Aliens,
Ghostbusters) Weaver working in
London, for a pittance, at a Middle
Eastern Studies Institute. Weaver
portrays the stereo-typical woman
craving success in what seems to be
a male-dominated field. She also
depicts the stereo-typical American
trying to prove her "liberty" in a
society of proper Brits.
In her quest for success, as well
as money, Dr. Slaughter is
continually defeated. She knows
that the 150 pounds that she is paid
weekly at the Institute will not
keep her going in London and she
feels the need to suppliment her
income.
Enter the "Jasmine Agency", a
posh escort agency for London's
VIPs. It is through her work as an
escort that Dr. Slaughter meets
Lord Bulbeck, convincingly played
by Michael Cain. Her working
involvement with the escort agency
and her growing personal
relationship with Lord Bulbeck,
leads Dr. Slaughter into a dangerous
entanglement in the world of the
high powered as well as the wealthy
Middle Eastern community in
London.
Although the intellectual escort
seems' finicky about who she
"services" after her duties as an
escort are complete, Dr. Slaughter
continually falls into bed with the
wrong (or are they the right?) men.
Sigourney Weaver's protrayal of
this complex character often seems
shallow. Intellectualism and anger
dominate her character even in
softer, more romantic scenes with
Michael Cain. I think that the
audience is left with a sense that
Weaver does not understand the
feelings of the character she is
portraying. I was often left
questioning Dr. Slaughter's actions
because Weaver's lines seemed
stilted and insincere.
However, Michael Cain delivers
his usual best as the soft-spoken
British liberal aristocrat. His
strong dependable performance was
no suprise, but gladly welcomed.
The film as a whole is well-
rounded. It is complete with drama,
mystery, suspense and nudity. The
plot is intriguing when not
confusing and offers a suspenseful
conclusion. If you are expecting to
see an outstanding film do not see
Half Moon Street, but if you want
to be throughly entertained, if not
by the plot, than by Sigourney
Weaver's breasts, go see Half Moon
Street.
Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY
Big Times
,Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians played to an overpacked Nectarine Ballroom proving that with every tour
their popularity grows by leaps and bounds. Despite the fact that their keyboardist Roger Jackson was absent
(due to illness) this time around, the crowds were undaunted in their appreciation. Hitchcock promised a
return in March . . . Where, we wonder? ...
Records
DRead andUse
Daily Classifieds
New Order
Brotherhood
Qwest
It's hard to imagine enjoying the
New Order album, Brotherhood,
just by listening to it. It can be
danced to or studied to but, except
for two tracks, but it lacks in some
way the variety and imagination
that mrked the previous two New
Order albums, Power, Corruption,
and Lies and Low-life.
One of those two exceptions is
"Every Little Counts," an odd but
striking piece that would fit
comfortably onLou Reed's Trans -
former. "Even though you're stu -
pid, I still follow you," chortles the
vocalist while the bass and drum
tap out a gentle shuffle. The merry-
go-round organ coda is an effective
addition, for whatever reason.
"Every Little Counts" does not
match the general character of the
record, it is an appreciated respite
from the otherwise constant disco-
hall beat.
That same rhythm that can
produce annoyance on most of
Brotherhood is presented effectively
on the single, "Bizzare Love
Triangle." An attractive keyboard
riff and complimentary asyntho-
violinsadd up to a winner in
Whether they will admit to it or
not, New Order is inextricably
woven into early punk history. An
earlier incarnation of the group was
Joy Division, a band that was
highly influential in the late 1970's
for its thrashing urgency. After the
suicide of that band's frontman, Ian
Curtis, New Order rose from the
ashes and headed for the less
dangerous dance charts. "Blue
Monday," "Perfect Kiss" and "Shell
Shock" (from the Pretty in Pink
soundtrack) were the impressive
results of the metamorphasis.
Brotherhood delves even further
onto the dance floor and abandons
even more of its punk roots. New
Order hasn't sold out yet, but let's
hope they know what they are
WRTH
doing.
-Mark Swartz
Dogmatics
Everybody Does It
Homestead -
Life sucks, then you listen to
some good tunes and forget about
it. If you agree with this statement
(and many people do after
midterms), then the Dogmatics new
record, Everybody Does It, is an
album for you.
The Dogmatics combine
elements of punk, garage band
sound, and metal, played by a
standard rock quartet. The result is
hard to define, yet it is a pretty
unique sound. Some keyboards
show up occasionally to good
effect, without becoming dominant.
Sometimes they are quite
indistinguishable, however, due to
the album's poor production. This
can become a drawback, as on
"Teenage Lament," where the
background vocals sound like extra
noise. But the production is only a
minor problem, as the band plays
solidly throughout the record.
To go with the energetic music,
.the band has written some funny
tunes. At first many of these sound
like throwaway lyrics, but there is
usually some sort of message. For
example, the introduction to
"Teenage Lament": "Been a useless
Bannanahead all of my days / Spend
my life in a drug induced haze /
Pick my head and eat all the bugs /
Why must I be a teenager on
drugs?" The singer goes on to
describe the paradox between the
guilt of drug use and the pleasure
received from it.
The most cryptic song is the last
and also the strongest overall tune,
"Thayer Street," which includes the
refrain "I don't wanna live on
Thayer Street." No, this song is
not about trying to. cross Huron
Street at rush hour. Rather, it is
either about urban blight, or
growing up and leaving home. It
combines these two topics and
remain listenable, too. "Thayer
Street" also showcases the band's
ability to play as a unit during an
instrumental break in the middle of
the song.
Judging from the album cover,
The Dogmatics appear to have an
average age of 20, and surprise.
surprise, most of their songs deal>
with the teen years
and teenage activities. The
Dogmatics seem to have enjoyed
their teenage years, and it's easy to
enjoy Everybody Does It. Having
conquered a difficult part of life,
both as people and as a band in
releasing a good sophomore album,
the Dogmatics are ready for more
success. Perhaps their next album
will be entitled The Dogmatics Go
to College.
-Brian Jarvinen
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Time
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November 13
Michigan Union - Kuenzel Room
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