Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 9, 1987 'Platoon' scores a win Winter Jazz Lanny Austin (left) and Emil Moro are the co-leaders of the Austin/Moro Big Band, which will be appearing tomorrow night at the Farmer's Market Building in Ypsilanti's Depot Town. The concert is the first of the 1987 Depot Town Winter Jazz Series, sponsored by WEMU-FM and the Depot Town Association. The Series, which enters its sixth year, will continue with concerts in February and March. Showtime is set for 8 p.m., vocalist Harvey Thompson opens at 7. For more information call WEMU at 487-2229. By Kurt Serbus The concept of Platoon is beautiful in its simplicity. Instead of concentrating on the far-reaching effects of war on domestic life-like The Deer Hunter-or taking a sudden half-gainer into esoterica-like Apocalypse Now-- Platoon gives an engaging (and presumably accurate) picture of the Vietnam conflict by simply reworking that war movie standard, the platoon film. We all know the story-a bunch of young upstarts come in ready to kick some butt, we follow them through the multudinous horrors and occasional glories of war, some die, some grow stronger, and we leave the front only when they do. What writer-director Oliver Stone does is take this ancient formula and shoot about 20,000 volts through it, and the result is a grunt's eye-view picture that may be too good for its own good. Platoon is no Green Berets, but the inescapable fact that this movie is exciting and, yes, even fun, is bound to offend some. Personally,what offends me is bad movies, and, judging from the recent evidence, Stone doesn't even know how to make one of those. Stone, whose equally explosive Salvador was releasedearlier this year, has been slammed for being too preachy and political, and, indeed, Platoon's characters do occasionally wax poetic. Stone's penchant for throwing in the odd impassioned, theatrical speech never breaches the film's realism, however, and Platoon remains both gripping and-I know I'm going to get slammed for this one-basically apolitical. Without even trying to, it plays both sides of the fence to perfection: if you want a movie that exposes the Vietnam War as the horrible travesty and waste of life that it was, Platoon serves as a brutal LOS ANGELES 8,757 KM ' 0e i T A You can SEE the difference in MCAT Preparation Our MCAT Skills Program combines: ! 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American Express SHERWOOD COMPUTER DISK DRIVE SPECIALISTS 1214 EISENHOWER PLACE ANN ARBOR 973-1215 testimonial; if, on the other hand, you just want something to keep your adrenaline flowing while you await the release of Rambo III, Platoon's got some of the best edge-of-the-seat action to come out this year (some of it's even in slow-motion, which is really, really cool).f The excellent, if somewhat anonymous cast who make up Platoon''s platoon are led by three up-and-comers whose careers are bound to be kicked into overdrive by their appearances here. Tom Berenger proves he's not just another pretty face as the scarred and thoroughly satanic Sergeant Barnes. Willem DaFoe, who was so won - derfully repungnant as the villians in Streets Of Fire and To Live And Die In L.A., finally gets to don a: white hat, and pulls off the most: intriguing and likable character in, the film. And Charlie Sheen is, outstanding as the idealistic young student who naively volunteers for; duty hoping to find some; meaningful rite of passage, and: finds only a meaningless hell. Platoon is undoubtedly the best movie of the year, which, okay, isn't saying much considering the year is only about a week old. But; I've got a feeling it's going to stay. the best for some time to come, so you might as well see it now-when Oscar time rolls around and everyone is still talking about it, it may be too late. Actor Charlie Sheen: a minor flaw in a shining film. E PEL XTest Preparation I 1100 S. UNIVERSITY 996-1500 so is Brenda Lee)" has more of that to carry the record. Most of the (Continued from Page7) fine, easy roll, sounding something songs are slight, genial but neither engaging, enough so that undue like the Shadows gone country. clever nor strong enough to get past attention is not called to the lyrics. Yet, the undeniable virtues of this the band's basically thin sound. 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