ARTS
The Michigan Doily
Friday, November 14, 1986
Page 7
'Something Wild' is untamed
By Bill McRoy_
What would happen if you took
an average guy, stable and content
in his niche, and suddenly threw
him into a world he only vaguely
knew existed? This is the premise
of Jonathan Demme's Something
Wild , and if the plot sounds
familiar, it's because the "walk on
the wild side" formula has become
one of the favorite trends in
American movies in the last few
years, from such movies as Risky
Business , last year's After Hours ,
to the current Blue Velvet.
In the beginning of Something
Wild , Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels
from Purple Rose of Cairo) is a
rather repressed tax consultant from
the suburbs whose idea of
excitement is occasionally stiffing a
restaurant bill. When he is
confronted by raven-wigged Lulu
Hankel (Melanie Griffith, Body
Double) he expects to pay up for
his bit of mischief. What he gets,
however, is a ride back to work that
turns into the adventure of a
lifetime.
Charlie realizes that something
is amiss when Lulu's 'shortcut'
leads them to a cheap motel in New
Jersey, where Lulu indulges Charlie
in an afternoon of good, clean,
kinky fun, complete with
handcuffs. From there it's on to
Pennsylvania, where her willing (if
not eager) captive poses as Lulu's
(now blonde Audrey) husband for
the benefit of her mother and former
classmates. She wants people to
see that once-rowdy Audrey has
done well for herself, even if she
has to stretch the truth a little to do
it. The game gets dangerous,
however, when Lulu/Audrey's
sadistic ex-con, ex-husband Ray
Sinclair (Ray Liotta) shows up to
reclaim his estranged wife,
regardless ofswhoever might stand
in the way.
As our hero explores "the other
side" he begins to see the other side
in himself. A "closet rebel" as
Lulu calls him, he merely restricts
his actions to swiping an
occasional newspaper or candy bar.
He discovers that he has his own
secrets and surprises, even things he
himself wasn't aware of. Slowly
he realizes that there is more to life
than a vice-presidency or healthy
stock portfolio. Charlie slowly
learns what the "real world" outside
his office is like. He eventually
holds his own in this alien
environment, even up against tough
guy Ray.
What really makes this film
stand out from its many peers is
that its "wild side" characters are
real people, rather than prof
the protagonist to act ar,
When Audrey's past begins to
up with her, she reveals hej
loneliness and vulnerability.
may be totally independen
unpredictable, but Audrey k
likes the thought of a husband
little house in the country.
even Ray, though he may
pure sleaze at first, is really c
fighter trying to fight bac
world that hasn't done hir
favors.
Producer-director Jon,
Demme successfully portra:
landscape of the area, even t
most of the location work wa
in Florida. Demme, maker o:
films as Melvin and Howar
Swing Shift as well as produ
the Talking Heads' Stop Mc
Sense concert film, seems tc
a knack for gently poking :
I Arts &
This Week at t
c
Nov. 20 Music
Joseph
12:15'
Pendlei
All Week Banne
Silkscr
The Ur
For furt
Americana, such as when Charlie
stops in a Virginia gas station and
buys some clothes: touristy T-
shirts and sunglasses. (Talking
Head's fans should notice Steve
Scales as Nelson, the gift shop
clerk.)
The music in Somthing Wild is
almost worth the price of admission
in itself. From countless versions
of "Wild Thing" to Timbuk 3's
"The Future's so Bright, I Gotta
Wear Shades" to David Byrne's
"Loco De Amor" the music in this
movie is some of the best music
for a film in a long time.
While the idea of this movie
may not be the most original to
come out of Hollywood, the
writing (screenplay is by first-timer
E. Max Frye) and acting is done so
well that the result is well worth
finding a way out to Briarwood to
catch Something Wild.
1V
Iv'
UNION
Programming
he Michigan Union.....
Michael Cooney:
Singer, musician, story-teller, and long-time Ann Arbor folk favorite
Michael Cooney plays Friday and Saturday nights at the Ark. Show time
is 8 p.m. for both evenings and tickets are $6.
Sho
Mic
Students for Ethiopian Jewry and
The U-M Department of Judaic Studies present
Ethiopia Today:
A First Hand Account of a
Jewish Village
Talk and Slides by Jack Edelstein
President of Michigan Association of Ethiopian Jewry
at Midday
Pratt, guitarist
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;ton Room
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higan Daily Personals
764-0557
rs
een Hangings of Sue Moran
niversity Club
Monday, November 17
7:30 p.m.
Hillel, 1429 Hill Street
Refreshments served
-UM
663-3336
her information, call 764-6498
CUSTOMER INFORMATION FROM GENERAL MOTORS
HOW TO HELP SAVE LIVES AND
REDUCE INJURIES AUTOMATICALLY
THREE-POINT PASSIVE SAFETY BELT SYSTEMS ARE AN EFFECTIVE
COMPLEMENT TO BELT-USE LAWS.
Ifno onewi111 ublish
your paper do it yourself.
00 U]Y
General Motors is
equipping 10% of its 1987
model cars with automatic
lap/shourder belt systems
for the driver and for the
right-hand front seat passen-
ger. It is the first step in
meeting a federal require-
ment to phase in passive
restraints.
The automatic sys-
tems will be standard
equipment on most 1987
models of the Pontiac Grand
Am and Bonneville, Buick
Somerset, Skylark, and
LeSabre, and Oldsmobile
Calais and Delta 88. By
1990 we plan to equip all
GM cars with passive
restraint systems.
The belts in the GM
system will be connected to
the car at three anchor points
-one toward the center of
the front seat, and two on
the front door.
Three-point automatic
lap/shoulder belt systems
offer the same advantages
as GM's current three-
point manual systems.
Lap and shoulder belts allow
you to "ride down" the crash
as the vehicle absorbs the
impact. They also help pre-
vent you from being thrown
from the car in an accident,
where you are more likely
to be killed or seriously
injured.
Safety belts have
proved effective in reduc-
ing injuries and fatalities.
That's why GM supports
belt-use laws. Automatic
lap/shoulder belt systems
will make it even easier for
people to comply with these
laws.
Opening the door pulls
the belts forward for entry.
Closing it brings the belts
into their operating position.
A single push button at the
center anchor point releases
the system in an emergency.
Retractors pull the released
belts into storage positions
on the door.
Extra attachment
points will be built into
cars equipped with these
systems so you can secure
most child restraint systems
with an auxiliary lap belt.
General Motors is pur-
suing other programs that
will heln redice the nimber
designing energy-absorbing
interiors. We are phasing in
rear-seat lap/shoulder belts,
beginning with some 1987
models-kits will be made
available through GM deal-
ers to retrofit most older cars
with these systems. And we
will be equipping some 1988
model cars with driver-side
air bags to supplement safety
belts.
General Motors has
been a leader in automotive
safety because we believe
that building safer cars is
good for you. And good for
us.
This advertisement is part of
our continuing effort to give
customers useful information
about their cars and trucks
and the company that builds
them.
MARK OF EXCELLENCE
Chevrolet - Pontiac
Oldsmobile *"Buick
Cadillac - GMC Truck
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20o'
By Steve Kessler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Education
May 26, 1986
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