ftJiz Stym Iod Hopwood Awards Ceremony The Hopwood Awards will be presented today at Rackharn Auditorium. The esteemed award is given to top undergraduate writers. Best-sell- ing author Elmore Leonard will also read at the ceremony. The ceremo- ny begins at 3:30 p.m. and is free. For more information, call 764- 6296. Tuesday January 21, 1997 9A That Farley put to waste in 'Ninja' Kung-fu film doesn't utilize 'SNL' alum's vast talents By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer iIn what is becoming a familiar and ncreasingly decadent trend, "Beverly Hills Ninja" stars Chris Farley as a blnoering moron with a big heart who only wishes to be helpful to those R around him. Burdened by an Beverl expected lack of plot, and surpris- ingly inane comic *vriting, the film marginally manages to entertain solely due to the talents of the former "SAturday Night Live" cast member, who continues to display the appeal that hasnmade him an unlikely success story Farley is Haru, an orphan who arrives on the shores of Japan as a baby and is raised at a secluded ninjutsu dojo. At first believed by his adopted father and sensei to be the "Great White Ninja" of ,,egend, it is not long before this idea is ismissed. However, Haru, unable to come to grips with his inabilities, maintains hope that he is this figure, leading him to assist Alison (Nicolette Sheridan), an attractive young woman from California needing someone to spy on her criminally involved boyfriend. When a couple of people are murdered, a white ninja is seen at the crime's loca- gion and Alison is nowhere to be found, aru decides to travel to Beverly Hills toresolve the situation and come to the rescue of the American beauty, who may be in trouble. The major flaw of "Beverly Hills Ninja" is its use of physical comedy as the primary focus of the humor. While Farley appears to be the perfect individ- ual to carry this out, the film wastes his VIEW y Hills Ninja ** At Showcase talents by setting him up in absurdly con- trived situations that are continually repeated to mind- numbing exhaustion. When the actor's character starts showing off his ninjutsu skills to a lovely woman, what could possibly happen except for Haru to break impor- tant items a n d generally wreak havoc? And, how many times can we watch the star run into immovable objects and yell in pain? Apparently, the writers believe that if we see a fat man collide at full speed with a stationary truck, we can't help but laugh x Farley as a comic actor. He is at his fun- niest when his lovably inept character is combined with a sardonic, resentfu lackey who is forced to watch over him (like David Spade in "Tommy Boy") Both Farley and his partner feed off o each other, augmenting their own per- sonality traits, while at the same tim developing an odd bond. The anti-Farley actually does exist in "Beverly Hills Ninja" as Haru' brother Gobei, played by Robin Shou ("Morta Kombat"), who is sent to Californi k by their father tc make sure that all is well 4 Is the Great White Ninja in "Beverly Hills - However, Haru is unaware of his pres- s ence, and thus their interaction is mini- I mal. Haru is also helped out by Joey . (Chris Rock), a smart-mouthed bellhop, f seeking to become a ninja. Although Rock is extremely funny in a small role e that should have been expanded, the premise would have even been funnier n if Joey were a little more antagonistic s towards the white ninja. What ends up saving "Ninja" from J being a complete disaster is the last s third of the movie. The physical a humor, which is toned down and used o in more clever ways, gives way to e Farley, who is finally allowed to s improvise and bring his hilariously uncanny line delivery to the film. Consequently, the film moves from being painful to actually being funny. This movie goes a long way towards proving that Chris Farley cannot be too successful as a one-man show. Unlike his eccentric, former "SNL" cast-mate Adam Sandler, who is at his best when he doesn't share the spotlight, Farley requires a partner to tear down his sweet, everyman character. It is then that the actor is able to answer with simplistically clever replies that are made funnier by the manner in which he offers them. Unfortunately, "Beverly Hills Ninja" does not provide the actor with these opportunities, making it easy to see that his tal- ents are not properly utilized in a Ninja." kung-fu comedy. Tricky gave an interesting performance at St. Andrew's Hall on Friday. Trcky tranCe Detroit au dien-ce1 over and over again. Unfortunately, the movie does not utilize the often-overlooked skills of Chris Farley 1 vita' X-Fes wn bi at Golden Globes Once called "Oscar's ugly stepsister," the 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards reared its newly glamorous and 'rr *espectable head Sunday night, doling out statuettes that honor excellence in film and television. Mostly unnecessary, yqt-sinfully enjoyable, this year's Golden Globes were made memorable by an odd, overlong tribute to Dustin Hoffman, r Jada Pinkett's cheerleader-like enthusiasm, Edward Norton's Milos Forman impression and Madonna's post-partum cleav- age. Still, nothing could compare to last year's "Kaopectate" speech, courtesy of Brad Pitt. -Bryan Lark ) By Use Harwin Daily Music Editor Tricky's Friday night show at St. Andrew's Hall proved that you can be anything but normal and still sell out a venue. Tricky was a non-standard per- former in every sense of the word; he performed in near blackness, brought along a live band R (rare for electronic music performers) and instead of St. working the crowd into a dancing frenzy, he had everyone entranced, heads nodding along with each number. Though the music may have been more conducive to a venue in which atten- dees could sit down, smoke, drink and just absorb, the audience at St. Andrew's seemed more than content with Tricky's outstanding talent and sheer trip-hop skills - despite the overcrowded main floor. With two albums under his belt, "Maxinquaye" and the new, critically acclaimed "Pre-Millennium Tension;" Tricky's show adeptly combined ele- ments and songs from each album while maintaining a cohesiveness throughout. Though neither Tricky or his female vocalist, Martina, were much for on-stage banter with the crowd (the most Tricky shared was "Thank you" and "Good-bye"), the audience was enraptured throughout the show's 16 songs. Tricky opened with "Ponderosa," off of "Maxinquaye," a trance-inducing atmospheric track highlighting the haunting vocals of Martina. Next came "Christiansands," the first release off "Pre-Millennium Tension," which, due to its intense futuristic reggae groove and rather unique video, can be spotted regularly on MTV. Following this, E Tricky alternated between the old and the new albums, highlighting tracks from "Maxinquaye" like "Overcome," "Strugglin"' and "Feed Me" as well as "Pre-Millennium Tension"'s "Sex Drive," "Tricky Kid," "Ghetto Youth" and "Bad Dream. Other standouts in the show were V I E Tricky's revamping Tricky of Eric B and Rakim's "Lyrics of Andrew's Hall Fury," Martina's Jan. 17. 1997 searing vocals on "Makes Me Wanna Die" and the last song before the encore, "Vent." Originally a 3 1/2 minute choked and frustrated rhythm, Tricky turned "Vent" into a striking 10- minute opus, during which he was shaking like a leaf- an artist in touch' with his own music. The encore consisted of three songs, two of which were from "Maxinquaye.' After the sonic melange of "Hell Is Around the Corner,' Tricky once again' paid homage to the roots of hip hop by' performing his own version of Public Enemy's "Black Steel' Overall, Tricky's show was an excel- lent way to relax and merely sit back and let the sounds take you away. There were no fancy lights to distract you from the reality of the music, and Tricky himself frequently turned his back to the audience when he wasn't performing. The performance seemed based on the theory that less is more - that the songs would carry themselves without the added elements of perfor- mance. Though some audience mem- bers may have been disappointed with the less-traditional show, Tricky reminded them that what is really important in a concert is the music. And. his came shining through in its own dark way. The recruiting seminar for the ancial Services will take place on January 21, 1997 from 6-8 p.m. in the Parker Room of the Michigan Union. Refreshments will be served " Dress is casual We are looking for all interested juniors and seniors to attend. All majors are considered. Applicants should Michigan Union Board of Representatives is accepting membership applications from interested students. UNION ' Applications are available at the Campus Information Center in- the Union and at the North Campus Information Center in Pierpont Commons. Applications due February 10 Return to Terri Petersen, at 5pm.