The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, September 29, 1994 - 3 MelRose Place 'A River' runs and reveals Redford By ALEXANDRA TWIN It" (1991), the elegiac, oft-mentioned His soon-to-be-nationally released but barely seen memory piece that "Quiz Show" is a docu-drama about hasmostgently eased Robert Redford, the scandals and betrayed innocence of the director, into the same shoes that a score of disillusioned characters played by Robert Redford, the actor, have already worn for decades. Namely, that of insightful, if partial, observer and narrator. Drawing on the short novella by 's talent Norman MacClean of the same name, "A River Runs Through It" is an ex- pansive, if concise rendering of the childhood and early adulthood of the MacClean boys. Paul (Brad Pitt) is the rebellious one, mischievous and daring, never meaning to find himself in the inevitably unfortunate situa- tions that fate perpetually seems to See RIVER, Page 6 Hell on wheels Imagine my joy when last April 23rd I arrived home to find a new car *my garage. Topped off with a red, white and blue ribbon, a brand-spank- ing new 1994 Escort Sport, two-door, AM/FM stereo-cassette plus 10-disc CD changer, air conditioning and driver's side airbag - in "Brilliant Blue," that wonderful clearcoat me- tallic that sparkles like a diamond in the sunshine. My own car. (Well, according to the lease Ford Motor Credit's car, but W's not dwell on technicalities.) After three years of hoofing it around campus, there is nothing more liberating than your own car. Great, I thought: no more parents carting me back and forth between Lincoln Park and Ann Arbor; no more 15-minute walks home from the Daily at mid- night; and, most importantly, no more $7 cab rides to and from Briarwood. But in the last few weeks my new- Sfascination has dissipated; slowly t surely I have moved from bliss to despondency to outright indignation. Parking in this city is sheer hell. I am convinced that if there is an under- world you spend your time trying to park a car in a city like Ann Arbor. When I moved in on August 21,I figured I'd scrape up a parking spot somewhere. No rush; I always found a free spot on East Ann (where the eet parking is free). But then the sudents began moving back, and the people who lived in those houses were beating me to the spots on their street. I then began the search for a structure, and discovered that the nearest one with available leases was on Fourth and William. $60 a month and it's a 15-minute walk to my parking spot. Then I discovered meters. Free parking - as long as I arrived at ~oyd after 6 p.m. and left before 8 dThe problem is, that 8a.m. thing doesn't always work out. Even on days where I wake up at 9 a.m., it'sjst too much effort to wake up, shove a buck's worth of quarters in the meter and roll back into bed. That's a good 10 minutes of sleep. As I sit here, gazing at my stack of 10 parking tickets, I see the flaw in my logic. Yes, it's my own fault that sum of my monthly parking tick- outweighs my American Express bill. (And for those of you who know me, you know I could feed a handful of Haitian refugees on a good AmEx month.) But what kind of a yahoo spends his life ticketing cars? "Bill" was a little reluctant to talk with me, since on the likable scale he ranks just above Rush Limbaugh and just below Geraldo Rivera. But Bill, I S'd, you owe it to your public. Pic- e this exchange like a Frosted Flakes commercial: Bill with a black spot over his face, cowering with shame, and me as Tony the Tiger. MelRose: So, Bill, how did you become a parking officer? Bill: I drew the shortest straw. No one wanted the job, even all the other losers. MeRose: So you never had any bitions to be a parking officer? Bill: (Expletive) no! I wanted to be a vice cop. (Gestures to his End- less Summer tan, sockless feet and Don Johnson-like scruff.) I was headed for the top. I was the most driven, focused, clear-headed cop in Ann Arbor. I was somebody. MelRose: (A la Barbara Walters) Tell us what happened, Bill. Bill: Maybe it was thatcappucino. Maybe it was the lack of donuts. But day I just cracked. And they couldn't fire me, so they figured the only job I was fit to do was to crank tickets out of a little computer. And I've been doing it ever since. MelRose: That was how long ago? Bill: (sobbing) Seventeen years. MelRose: (A la Joyce Brothers) How does that make you feel, Bill? Bill: How would you like to be cursed and shunned? To know every- Shates you and what you represent. To be called - a meter maid. There you have it. At this point, Bill was too distraught to go on. My intuitive line of questioning appar- ently sent this already shell of a man tumbling into an oblivion of depres- Home Entertainment Center the 1950s. 1981's "Ordinary People" portrayed the dissolution of the arche- typal American family from within. Bestof all, it is "A RiverRunsThrough Used & Rare BOOKS Bought & Sold 113 W. Liberty (1/2 block W. of Main St.) 995-1891 It's Worth the Trip! Bookshop since 1975 Ann Arbor's own demolition man goes crazy over the I new releases at Libertv Street Video. Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt look pensively innocent as they gaze off into the distance in "A River Runs Through It." 4F 4F 4F NNNN NN N N NNNN N N NN NNA Looking for a good exchange rate to study abroad next semester? California Style Mexican Food Vol W" Fresh made everything! Casual dining atmosphere. Open for lunch and dinner. Catering Available. Phone Orders accepted. Delicious Food! cry :..................... 10% off - dinner with this coupon. . 4pm to Close EXP 10/15194 : 216 S. 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