The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 6, 1991 - Page 15


Summer (
seldom siz
Or, 50 reasons
to hit the beach

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by Michael John Wilson

Asummer movie is like candy: en-
gaging for a short while, but
quickly forgettable. With the sum-
mer over, it's now time to recall the
few treats we've savored, as well as
the rocks we've spewed.
The good. More expensive than
any film ever made, and more popu-
lar than any film of the season,
Terminator 2 offered the purest in
mindless entertainment. Featuring
big explosions, surprisingly im-
pressive special effects and a hilari-
ous Arnold in the role he was born
to play, T2 provided the perfect di-
version for those of us who chose to
put our brains away for the summer.
Yes, the kid was annoying and the
ending was too sappy, but who can
forget that wonderful liquid metal
guy?
Amid ridiculous protests,
Thelma and Louise succeeded as an
action-packed fantasy, the best
buddy picture since Midnight Run.
Much better than Mo' Better, Spike
fLee's Jungle Fever was self-con-
scious yet visually astounding and
tough to forget, especially with
Samuel L. Jackson's terrifying per-
formance as a crack addict. And Boyz
N the Hood gave us an honest look at
trying to survive in South Central
L.A.
Point Break bombed - Keanu
Reeves was far better in the over-
done yet fun Bill & Ted sequel, with
the help of Death (William Sadler,
;Die Hard 2's villain). Best line:
"Shut your hole, Ted!"
The Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker
team split up to make two comedies,
each about half as funny as their ear-
lier collaborations like Airplane.
Hot Shots and its bacon-on-skin rou-
tine made big bucks while avoiding
any biting satire of the military;
The Naked Gun 21/2 (and the
Police Squad reruns on TV) were
funnier, despite the film's semi-se-
rious environmental message.
Depending on where you were, a
few decent foreign and art films
Iprobably appeared. Around here,

in ema
zies
France's Anne Parillaud raged in the
hot, violent, Americanized action
flick, La Femme Nikita. In contrast,
French director Bertrand Taver-
nier's sensitive chamber piece Daddy
Nostalgia quietly portrayed a
father's final days. The intricate
Dutch thriller The Vanishing fea-
tured a psychopath as affable and
frightening as Hannibal the
Cannibal. And everybody enjoyed
the re-releases of Citizen Kane and
101 Dalmations. (Another restored
"classic," Spartacus, should have
been left in the vaults.)
The others. Pretty fires in
Opie's latest hit, Backdraft,
couldn't cover up a script with all
the complexity of a beer ad.
Preposterous and simplistic,
Regarding Henry suggested we'd all
be better persons after a little brain
damage. With a similar yet more re-
alistic plot, The Doctor worked
better, although it was 15 minutes
too long.
T2 provided the
perfect diversion for
those of us who chose
to put our brains
away for the
summer... who can
forget that wonderful
liquid metal guy?
Big-budget comic book movies
managed to make money on the
strength of their advertising. With
the self-conscious Kevin Costner
sadly miscast, the insomnia cure
Robin Hood was memorable only
for the preview's view from the ar-
row and Alan Rickman's few good
lines. That Bryan Adams song sticks
in your head, too.
If the rocket pack had appeared
more often than the close-ups of
Jennifer Connelly's breasts, The
Rocketeer might have been more
stirring. But the poster's cool.
Somehow City Slickers rose
above the pack to be the summer's
biggest comedy. Its talky, self-ab-
sorbed, psychotherapy-on-the-trail
See SUMMER, Page 20


Summer bummers
Unfortunately for us, the viewers,
most of the summer movie fare
ranged from the moronic to, well,
the moronic. Hunky Keanu Reeves
and Patrick Swayze (right) risk
their lives (but, unfortunately,
aren't killed) and their careers in
Point Break. Meanwhile, Kurt
Russell saves a small child in
Opie's latest opus, Backdraft
(below right), and Cruella De Vil
(below left), in one of the best
films of the season, 101
Dalmations, enrages animal rights
activists across the country.

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USHERS
University Musical Society
of The University of Michigan
Applications for the UMS volunteer
usher staff will be accepted:
Friday, September 6, 6-8 p.m.
and
Sunday, September 8, 2-5 p.m.
at the Hill Auditorium Box Office
Preference given to: (1) returning ushers, (2) townspeople and
graduate students, and (3) undergraduate students.
For further information, call the UMS office in
Burton Memorial Tower at 764-2538
1rkIVRSITY WSICAL 8CIETY

WE'VE
HUGI
OUT O01

JUST TAKE
I CHUNKS
TEXIBOD
RICES!M

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Discover Kinko's
and come in for
a quick byte.

If you've got something to say but
don't have the tools to make it
all happen, come into Kinko's
to work on our self-service
Macintosh 0
computers. You'll
have your hands
on a fast,
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publishing.
Come on in and
create a
masterpiece!
Open 24 Hours

We realize that it's no
picnic having to buy
textbooks. So, now through
September 21 , we're
offering our biggest
discounts ever! With 15% off
every new course-related
textbook, and an incredible

TEXTBOOK
SUPER SALE!
What s more, we're the on-
ly bookstore in town that ac-
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You'll also find big sav-
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sure that you find what you
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So stop by today - for sav-