The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 11, 1990 - Page 9- Always raids empty fridge Always dir. Steven S ielber NY MIKE KUNIAVSKY William S. Burroughs writes, "You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal." If this is true, then Steven Spielberg's latest, Always, is about as appetiz- ing as a 49 cent taco or a pink rmarshmallow ball. Maybe a better metaphor would be one of those "custom made" cakes from Meijer's: sure it looks edible, but there's noth- ing of nutritional value inside. In any case, what this film has in terms cf production quality it completely lacks in terms of content. It's not that Spielberg commits some great evil in the creation of the film - on the contrary, the film's production values are amazing - ies just that there's very little mate- rial for him to work with. The film's plot (based on that of the 1943 Spencer Tracy flick A Guy Named Joe which, incidentally, plays at the MLB on January 20) is fairly simple: a guy named Pete (Richard Dreyfuss), a hotshot bomber pilot (in this version bomb- ing burning trees rather than Ger- mans) dies in "combat" saving the life of a buddy, Al (John Goodman), and leaving his love, Dorinda (Holly Hunter), to mourn. Before going to heaven, though, he is given a job by an angelic Hap (Audrey Hepburn) to look over the shoulder of a fledgling pilot, Ted (Brad Johnson). Unfortunately for Pete, who is a jealous, possessive, all-American male, Ted falls in love with Dorinda and Pete must wrangle with his conscience in order to "let Dorinda go." Okay, so this seems to be perfect for Spielberg. It's simple, it's cute, it's American, and it gives him the opportunity to play with his favorite objects, WWII planes. Well, that may be fine for Steve, but it's pretty boring for the rest of us. We've all seen much of the effects-laden action and heard much of the glib dialogue before (many, many times). Even this would be acceptable if there were some kind of twist to the story, or to the characters, or to something (like the freshness of Raiders of the Lost Ark). There isn't. The closest the film comes to originality is in its spectacular cin- ematography and special effects, but in a Spielberg film these are given; really there is nothing new here. Even the actors seem to know this and act 40 years behind the times (all except Goodman who, like in many of his films of late, acts circles around his peers). All in all, you just end up sitting there watching Pete struggle with his machismo,, Ted transform into the perfect Amer- ican male, Dorinda struggle to leave the protection of one man for an- other, and Al act as the (mostly) comic relief. Not what I'd call a nu- tritious, filling, or tasty two-and-a- Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss have both made the once-understandable mistake of thinking that working for Steven Spielberg would mean they would star in a film with some substance. Instead, they made Always. half hours. Sometimes it seems that Spiel- berg, if left on his own and with an unlimited budget, would just be con- tent to make films about model planes and cars flying around, blow- ing each other up, making for a wonderful play time. Though there is nothing really wrong with this, it doesn't seem like the most produc- tive way to spend tens of millions of dollars, or fix a satisfying meal. *ALWAYS is playing at Briarwood and Showcase. RECORDS Continued from page 8 sky are "...a wonderful treasure that can give for performance more than all the attainments of new music..." -Sharon Grimber The Ocean Blue The Ocean Blue Sire Records Welcome to the world of The Ocean Blue. A world where Morris- sey is president and Robyn Hitch- cock is vice-president. A world where R.E.M., XTC, and Erasure administer justice on the Supreme Court. A world where Echo and the Bunnymen have been declared na- tional treasures. A world where ev- eryone is either a pensive poet or an artist. A world where aggression is virtually unknown - indeed, electric guitars are extremely rare and distor- tion is all but forgotten. SWell, maybe that's a little ex- treme, but The Ocean Blue is a great record to use for playing "spot the influence." Almost every 120 Min- utes band is represented here as The Ocean Blue churns out perfect little pop tunes that appeal to everyone's mellow, thoughtful side. Of course, some of it may sound a little deriva- tive, but jangly guitars and swirling Don't write for The Michigan Daily You don't need the aggravation of interviewing important Univer- sityandgovernmentofficials. You just might find yourself uncover- ing a major controversy, which ucould leave you writing a number of widely-read articles and could really mess up your social calen- dar. Youmightfindyourselfcalled in at 9p.m. to write a late-breaking story the entire campus will be talking about the next day. And what if there's something good on TV that night? No, working for an entirely stu- dent-run and student-managed newspaper that's enjoyed editorial freedom since 1890 can only lead to trouble. It might start with one innocent article. But then you'll find yourself wanting to do an- other. And another. The next thing you know, you'll be doing layouts. Even editing. And by the time you realize that you're enjoy- ing it, you'll be beyond help. The Michigan Daily- you've been warned! synths aren't exactly new. The first single, "Between Some- thing and Nothing" (the logical mu- sical extension of Echo's "Lips Like Sugar") highlights singer/guitarist David Schelzel's artistic tastes: "Words that form a sentence/ words that form a phrase... could not con- vey the meaning/ of what this man has done/ in a painting, on a can- vas." Other songs warn of the dan- gers of shallow people ("Vanity Fair"), extol the benefits of soul- searching ("Myron"), and speak of the inevitable subject of "Love Song." Sometimes these lyrics seem calculated to appeal to the same au- dience that likes Robert Smith's de- pressive tendencies, but it's pretty obvious that Schelzel means what he sings. To list the influences on the mu- sic would take up the rest of the pa- per as the band can sound like just about anyone they want. This could lead one to believe that The Ocean Blue has no mind of its own or that they're the biggest bunch of poseurs this side of the Atlantic. But after a few listenings, it becomes obvious that more is going on here than that. These are really first-class songs. Every one is a superbly crafted, hook-laden gem. The only problem with The Ocean Blue is that the band relies too heavily on its influences. If these guys keep up the great song- writing while taking the time to de- velop their own style, they'll have quite a future. But that doesn't mat- ter right now. This is still a great record. -Mike Molitor BORN Continued from page 7 awork and an unrelenting tendency to show all. A scene in an emergency medical center is especially harrow- ing; Kovic, shot once in the foot and twice in the chest, looks barely hurt amid all the shattered bodies. Also outstanding is the unpretty sequence in a filthy Bronx VA hospital, where huge rats abound and wartime cut- backs mean equipment shortages and an overworked staff. Unfortunately, the anti-war movement isn't given as much care (after all, Stone was on the other side of things at the time), basically amounting to long hair, classic rock, and a Kent State-style protest starring Abbie Hoffman. Born on the Fourth of July is by no means a bad film, and in fact has a lot of shining moments. It's too bad, then, that it could have easily been so much better. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY is playing at Briarwood and Show- case. WEiF$IDE WSlO PANAVISIONa TECHNICOLOR Re-released thru United Artists T H E A T R E 1/11 - 7:00 1/12 - 7:15 e 1/13 - 7:00 "...NOW MORE BREATHTAKING THAN EVER... A STIRRING AND SPECTACULARLY BEAUTIFUL EPIC" -Jna1 u. TE E )(f T N~ LAWRENCE OF ARABIA NEWLY RESTOR ED DIRECTORS CUT IN 70MM DOLBY, STEREO __ ; , ; __, o g a - ,, ... , : ~ . , : Y. 1120 - 7:30 + 1121 - 1:30 + 1124 - 7:00 * 1125 - 7:00 + 1/22 - 1126 - 7:00 * 1/23- 7:00 * 1127 - 7:00 3:00 Participate in. . . Talking about the Right Things Campus-wide dialogues organized by the Institute for Social Research Here at The University of Michigan, students of diverse racial and ethnic back- grounds attend the same classes, live in the same dorms, read in the same study halls and libraries, and cheer for the same teams. Yet they may only rarely talk with each other to share ideas, opinions, and perspectives. And the same is true of faculty and staff. Let's begin the dialogue.. . A group of us at the Institute for Social Research plan to observe Martin Luther King Day, January 15, 1990, by seeing and discussing Spike Lee's provocative new film ... Do the Right Thing Come see a free showing of this film, and... * talk about our divided society * hrrntip-n rnm'irnrnt o mmin How can you begin the dialogue? Observe Martin Luther King Day by seeing and discussing this film with a person of a different racial or ethnic background. * Attend one of three orientation sessions (place to be specified): Friday, January 12, at 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 12, at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 13, at 10:00 a.m. * See the film with your discussion partner at one of the special free showings at the Michigan Theater: Monday, January 15, 1:30 p.m. Monday, January 15, 4:30 p.m. * Talk about the film with your discus- sion partner * Share with others the ideas you and your discussion partner develop together -- and, if you wish, contribute those ideas to a special publication Talking about the Right Things Make your reservations now... Your name: Address: Telephone: Circle one. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate student, faculty, staff Your racial or ethnic background (to helpi partners): Your age: Sex: M F Do you need a discussion partner? Yes If you already have a partner: Partner's name: Partner's address and phone: match discussion No Partner is (circle one): freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate student, faculty, staff Partner's racial or ethnic background: Partner's age: Partner's sex: M F Please indicate which orientation session you think you will attend (check one): Friday, January 12, 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 12, 3:00 p.m. (anonymously, unless you wish ,