Blind
date

The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 1, 1989 - Page 11
Winds of change revived

The Toxic Avenger
Part I1
dir. Michael Herz, Lloyd
Kaufman
BY MARK BINELLI
Unless you're stoned, drunk, or
just really obnoxious, you probably
won't enjoy The Toxic Avenger
Part III: The Last Temptation of
Toxie. However, since the majority
of the population of Ann Arbor falls
into one of the above categories on
your average Friday evening,
tonight's midnight showing of the
latest Troma Team epic at the
Michigan Theater should be a real
crowd-pleaser. And to add to this
gathering of the truly depraved and
disgusting, the event will feature a
special guest-appearance by Toxie
himself, who in real life is former
Dallas Cowboy Ron Fazio.
If you missed the first two in-
stallments of the Toxic Trilogy, you
might still hold a bit of skepticism
about the whole concept of a radioac-
tive, mop-wielding, hideously de-
formed super-creature that wears a tu-
tu. The series was started back in
1985 by Troma, Inc. co-founders
Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz,
the low-budget Lucas and Spielberg
responsible for such classics as Surf
Nazis Must Die and Bloodsucking
Freaks. Set in the small town of
Tromaville, the original Toxic
Avenger told the story of wimpy
Melvin Junko, atmuch-abused health
spa janitor who one day happens to
fall into a vat of toxic waste, after
which a startling metamorphasis oc-
curs. He is transformed into the
Toxic Avenger, a violent, repulsive
force of justice who is, poetically
enough, New Jersey's first super-
hero.
After cleaning up Tromaville in
the original, Toxie returned in The
Toxic Avenger Part II to fight evil
all over the globe. The film culmi-

BY SHERRILL L. BENNETT
"IT shrieked, it grunted... It was just a ribald out-
break of noise..." This was the review of the
premiere performance of Edgar Varese's Octandre.
The piece, written for conventional wind instru-
ments, sounds anything but conventional. Its type-
writer rhythms and whirling machine-like sound
clusters reflect the newly mechanized post-war world
of the 1920s. Tonight, the University Symphonic
Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony will transport
audiences back to that time, and to the frigid political
climate of Nazi Germany.
Composer Paul Hindemith was a victim of that
political climate, not because of his race or creed, but
because of his music. Hindemith's Kammermusik
No. 5, part of tonight's program, was boycotted by
the Kulturgeminde, a semi-official organization re-
sponsible for the spiritual welfare of the Nazi Party.

The party charged that Hindemith was a "non-Ger-
manic" composer whose work parodied Nazi military
music, and, most importantly, that he was associated
with Jewish composers. After the boycott, anything
Hindemith composed was immediately rejected. He
left his German homeland in 1937, never to return.
A student from the school of music also left her
homeland - but she will return to her native China
to share the training and cultural experiences she has
gained at the University. Tonight, flutist Lu Chang
of Beijing will perform Kennan's Night Soliloquoy,
a piece that captures much of the spirit of China it-
self.
Come to the concert and visit a post-war Europe,
Nazi Germany, and mystic China that the textbooks
can't show you.
THE UNIVERSITY SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEM-
BLE and WIND SYMPHONY perform tonight at hill
Auditorium at 8 p.m. Admission is free.

The fertile minds of Team Troma concocted this hommage to the Master
of Suspense. James Stewart was allergic to the makeup, so football stud
Ron Fazio was cast instead.

nated in a clash with Apocalypse,
Inc., the insidious multinational
conglomerate determined to turn
Tromaville into a toxic waste dump.
Of course, Toxie wins out in the
end, but this leads to some problems
in Toxic Avenger III. After all, once
there is no more crime to fight,
what's a superhero to do? Toxie
must resort to preventing old ladies
from cheating at cards and making
kids eat their lima beans. Sad and
disillusioned, he moans the film's
finest line, "I don't have a life - I
have a half-life."
Adding to his problems are finan-
cial pressures from his buxom blind
fianc6e Claire, played by singer
Phoebe Legere, who needs money to
pay for an expensive experimental
eye operation. Toxie eventually sells
out to Apocalypse, Inc., becoming a
spokesperson for them and, in effect,
a microwaved yuppie. Will Toxic
follow the lead of Batman and be-
come a lame corporate stooge, or

will he regain his integrity and save
the day in the end?
Toxic Avenger III spoofs every-
thing from the Bible to Vertigo, and
it has its moments. But don't forget,
it's a really bad movie, not bad in a
cool way, like the original or the
Herve Villechaize classic The For-
bidden Zone, but just bad, period.
Prepare to be offended. Expect.
graphic toilet humor. Expect acts of
appalling violence. You know how
the hero always makes some idiotic
threat, like he's going to tear out the
villain's insides and plays jump rope
with them or something? Well
Toxie really does this, in the first
five minutes of the film. I think he
uses the guy's large intestine. In any
event, if you expect the very worst,
you're in for a real treat.
THE TOXIC AVENGER PART III:
TIlE LAST TEMPTATION OF
TOXIE plays tonight at midnight at
the Michigan Theater. Mops will
not be provided, but are permitted.


'Hallelujah'

heard at Hill

BY LYNNE COHN
"MAESTRO, begin!"
Attention classical music fans!
Christmas season is upon us and
with it comes intense music. Yes,
it's time once again for the Univer-
sity Musical Society's annual holi-
day performance of Handel's Mes-
siah.
This year, the combined musical
talents of the University Choral
Union and the Ann Arbor Sym-
phony take the Hill Auditorium
stage. Veteran soloists Kathryn
Bouleyn Day (soprano), Gail Dubin-
baum (mezzo-soprano), Carroll

Freeman (tenor), and Stephen Bryant
(bass) will beautify the Ann Arbor
Christmas season through Handel's
famous tale of the birth of Christ.
Conductor Donald Bryant will retire
his baton after Sunday's perfor-
mance. After 20 strong years of ser-
vice to the University of Michigan
and its Musical Society, Bryant is
ending his musical career.
Interest in singing choruses from
Messiah has been growing since the
very first Ann Arbor concert in De-
cember 1879 by The University
Choral Union's Messiah Club. 110
years later, the idea still holds. The
originally small group has assumed

immense proportions, as audiences
hungry for cultural satiation fill Hill
Auditorium every year for multiple
performances.
So come one, come all! Don't
miss the Messiah experience. Daz-
zle yourself and your Christmas seaa
son with the beauty of Handel.
Performances of Handel's MES-
SIAII take place Saturday at 8 p.m.
and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are
available at Burton Tower; student-
rush tickets should be available on
the days of the performances. -
Call the Daily: 764-0552'1

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Just In
Timne For
The Gift
Giving
Season.

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YOUR UNCLE WANTS TO PAY FOR COLLEGE.
BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH.
Army ROTC offers qualified students two-
year and three-year scholarships that pay
for tuition and required educational fees
and provide an allowance for textbooks
and supplies.
You'll also receive up to a $1000 grant
each school year the scholarship is in effect.
So find out today if you qualify.
AMW ROTC
THE SMARTEST COLLEGE
COURSE YOU CAN TAKE.

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Find Out More.
Visit 131 North

Call
Hall

Captain O'Rourke
or Call 764-2400


Ulrich's is having a
Clearance Sale on a
select grouping of
high quality items in
their Art Department.
30% OFF
AND MORE!
From Dec. 1st-23rd
Modeling Clay
Easels
Paints
Technical Pens
Hobby Supplies
Fine Art Papers
Pastels
Calligraphy Kits
Fingerpaints
And More!
Limited Quantities While Supplies Last
55 YEARS
MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE
Main Store: 549 E. University
Ulrich's Annex:1117 S. University
Electronics Store: 1110 S. University
662 -3201

Holiday
Cheer!'0
Michigan Telefund needs you to spread
Holiday Cheer among Michigan Alumni.
We are looking for spirited, enthusiastic
students who will speak aggressively about
the University and its needs.
Help raise money to support the University
by calling Michigan Alumni.

-Pd

AP
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Gain valuable communication skills
Plug into the University's alumni network
Build your resume
Flexible, evening hours
$6.00-$8.00/hour plus bonuses

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Call 998-7420

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