ARTS
The Michigan Daily Monday, September 14, 1992 Page 5

'Sneakers' is as stale as Dan Quayle

UMS Ushers - Fall
See concerts free! The
University Musical Society is
looking for ushers for the '92 -
'93 season today from 4 to 7 p.m.
and again tomorrow from 4 to 7
at the Hill Auditorium box office.
Call 764-2538 more info.
The Good Sephard
If you ever wondered what a
Sephardic Jew of Spain might
serve were you to drop in for
dinner, we recomend you stop by
Zingerman's Deli at 7 p.m., pay
$10, and get Copeland Marks
(Sephardic Cooking") to give you
an overview. He'll even explain
the culture and traditions of the
dishes while he cooks.
Woody dare?
You can decide for yourself
whether Woody Allen's "Hus-
bands and Wives" actually
pertains to the incredibly over-
publicized Allen-Farrow crack-
up. The story details the break-up
.......

by Sarah Weidman
As the election draws closer, ex-
pect Hollywood to have its say.
Government bashing is on the minds
of actors and directors - especially
Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of
Dreams"). His new film "Sneakers"
is more a demonstration than an en-
tertaining film.
The plot is boring. Robert Red-
ford leads a gang of computer
hackers which includes the talent of
Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, and
River Phoenix. The gang is hired by
Sneakers
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson;
written by Phil Alden Robinson and
Lawrence Lasker & Walter F. Parkes;
with Robert Redford -
companies to break into their own
facilities and determine building se-
curity. This time, the government
enlists the crew to steal a mysterious
black box which can decode any
message.
Sound interesting? Don't be
fooled. Although there's a lot of tal-
ent present, the characters become
tedious and predictable.
Redford stars as Martin Bishop, a
secretive, unemotional genius who,
as a young man, thought he could
change the world. Redford's only
problem is how old he looks. The
audience clings to its seats during
action sequences - but only to see
whether Redford's heart can with-
stand the drama, not because they
actually care what happens to
Bishop.
Poitier is generally annoying as
an uptight ex-CIA agent constantly
on edge about leaking secrets or
computer risks. He plays babysitter

to the team, and his clenched jaw is
tiring.
Aykroyd is an overweight anar-
chist called "Mother." His rantings
about the government are funny the
first few times, but get old quickly.
His cynicism excludes no topic -
most apparent in his belief that
Kennedy is still alive, and that who-
ever shot him also framed Pete
Rose.
The most pathetic role belongs to
Mary McDonnell ("Dances with
Wolves"). She is thrown in as
Redford's love interest. She provides
an apartment for the team's
escapades and the sexuality to lure
information from an unsuspecting
nerd. Sure, her role isn't necessary,
but Redford always has to have a
woman by his side, right? Inci-
dentally, she also ends up getting
them busted - leave it to the
woman.
The team's strength is how well
it works together. Redford's the
savvy leader, Poitier keeps them in
line, Aykroyd and Phoenix are the
clowns, and David Strathairn is
Whistler, a blind man whose acute
auditory sense helps direct the team.
Minus McDonnell, each member
makes a unique contribution.
OK - so it's election year. But
someone please tell Hollywood that
U.S. government bashing is getting
as stale as Dan Quayle jokes. It's
just not funny anymore. "Sneakers"
is a production with talented actors
who joined together to rip on the
U.S. for two hours, so it's no sur-
prise when the Republican National
Committee declares bankruptcy at
the end.
SNEAKERS is playing at Showcase
and Briarwood.

River Phoenix, an aging Bob Redford and the rest of the gang team up for some top-secret Tetris in 'Sneakers.

UAC MUSKET presents....

The

Baker's

Wife

Allen
of a married couple (played by
Allen and Farrow) after the
husband starts dating a young
student - definitely a finalist in
the truth is stranger than fiction
department. The free preview
starts at 9 p.m. in the Nat. Sci.
Auditorium, but a friend of ours
recommends getting in line
around 6:30 -just to be sure.
Channel Flipping
If you noticed a cheesy
Genesis video turn into a moto-
cross race Saturday night on
MTV, don't be alarmed. Colum-
bia Cable has added at least 20
channels. The new guide is on
channel 3, but all you need to
know is #52: Comedy Central.

The New Two-Story Cafe on South University
nFresidy Squeezedfluices
espressos andCappucinos
Sandwichtes andSahfs
Cafes and'Pastries
9fdagen-Dazs Ice-Cream

Book by Joseph Stein
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Based on the film "La Femme de Boulanger"
by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono
MASS MEETING
Wed., September 16,

Michigan

Union - Anderson Rm.
7.00 PM

Open until 3:00 AM Everyday
1110 S. University
761-8600

WORK SMARTER.
NOT HARDER.

I igineering student?
Smart.
Math or science
major? Also smart.
On tests, you probably run
equations over again to make
sure they're right. So you're
working harder.
You don't have to do that
anymore. Not when you use
the TL-68 Advanced Scientific
or TI-85 Graphics Calculator,
with their last equation replay
feature - and many other
smart functions.
We've spent years with
students like you

and educators like your profes-
sors to develop the TI-68 and
the TI-85. That's why they're
so highly recommended.
For engineering students, the
TI-68 solves up to five simul-
taneous equations, has complex
number functions and offers
formula programming.
The TI-85 builds on the
power of the TI-68 by adding a
wide range of graphing capabil-
ities. Math students can handle
calculus problems more easily.
And technical students can see
the functions for a better
understanding of problems.
The TI-85 also handles

complex numbers. Matrices.
Vectors. Lists. Strings. Plus, it
offers a powerful one-equation
SOLVER.
Try a TL-68 or TI-85 at
your local TI retailer today.
And start working smarter.
Instead of harder.
TEXAS
INSTRUMENTS