UM19 £tAiWMx atg See Tomas Gutierrez Alea's 1993 "Strawberry & Chocolate" in the Union's U-Club. The film follows the confrontation of two men - one gay and one straight -- in an ice-cream parlor in Cuba. A screening of "Wigstock: The Movie," a film about the celebration of drag will also be presented. Stop by the U-Club at 8 p.m. Admission is $1. Tuesday October 7, 1997 .Cynic G By Michael Zilberman Daily Arts Writer Janeane Garofalo, it seems, might do for romantic comedy what Christian Slater did for the '80s teen-romp genre: Bury it. And I'm fairly sure she'd be R nothing less than elated to hear this. The Remember how "Pump Up the Volume" and the At E like slammed the lid on the pretty-in-pink John Hughes universe -- an angry kiss-off and an amiable footnote at once? "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" has managed to back itself out of the Meg Ryan territo- ry in much the same way. And now, "The Matchmaker" enables us to start talking about a trend. At first sight, Garofalo appears to be just about the least likely contender for the Annie Hall of Fame, due not to the "untraditional" looks (she is astonish- ingly photogenic as well as just plain pretty) but the decidedly unromantic in- your-dreams scowl. Growing outward from a caustic stand-up persona, Janeane's screen image is that of a raven-haired Replacements fan in the back of, every class and of a smart woman scorned a irofalo lost in scenic Ireland 0 Big couple times too many; in both cases, the most comfortable defense is sarcas- tic distancing, and that's precisely what Garofalo's great at. It was also a minor miracle, and per- haps a sign of an A- E V IEWlist actress to come, that she reined in Matchmaker her image short of crossing into a shrill schtick a la arwood and showcase Rosie Perez: telling off a macho dork or doing a slow burn off a snobbish saleslady, Garofalo is still fundamental- ly likable in scenarios that would reduce hundreds of others to a bitchy one-note cipher. But a too-well defined screen per- sona invites a temptingly easy solution. The audience loves the character, now what do we do with it? Send it on a for- eign trip! "The Matchmaker" casts Garofalo as Marcy, a political aide dig- ging up a senator's family roots for a pre-election stunt, and the film feels part like a "Janeane goes to Ireland" HBO special, part like cashing in on a predecessor's success. Even a cute dog tags along as a sad-snouted reminder that our heroine used to be Abby Barnes from "The Truth About...." A huge part of that movie's pleasure, however, lay in seeing Abby's defenses gradually melt in the presence of Ben Chaplin's unibrowed photographer. "The Matchmaker" throws Garofalo into the arms of Sean, a barfly ex-jour- nalist played by David O'Hara, and man, is this a step down! Their fling, staged in various green and grey locales, is supposed to teach Boston girl Marcy a Big Lesson - and the lesson is to not give a damn. "Sometimes the easy way out is the right way out," notes jobless Sean, who evidently knows a thing or two about the subject. As a result, Marcy starts doubting her career choice - understandale. especialy when the end result of it is personified by Denis Leary (in a nice bit part of a shady spin doctor). The joke of the movie is, everybody in town is busy trying to set Marcy up with Sean anyway: She's landed in the middle of a rather strange matchmak- ing festival - it's never clear, by the way, whether the festival is a conven- tion of actual matchmakers, or the town simply turns into a giant singles bar. This, what appears to be the central plot of the film, becomes instead an odd throwaway sandwiched between a political caper and a love story. And hell, what kind of a love story hooks up its two heroes via a matchmaker anyway? Janeane Garofalo does what she can to save the proceedings, and almost suc- ceeds. Her idiosyncratically witty alter ego is fun to observe under any circum- stances: a lit major's pinup, a lover as an intellectual challenge. She deserves bet- ter material (she writes better material, in fact), and so do we. "The Matchmaker," meanwhile, proves its own philosophy wrong. Sometimes an easy way out is, well, just that. Garofalo and David O'Hara Janeane Garofalo stars as Marcy in Mark Joffe's latest, "The Matchmakerl Spiegelman to read at Shaman By Sarah Beldo Dly Arts Writerg Long before Art Spiegelman was a guest in panel discus- sions with the likes of Elie Wiesel and Steven Spielberg, he was doing something that most self-respecting adults found despicable: helping create the much- revered Garbage Pail Kids. Luckily, con- temporary kids who don't know the plea- P R sures of collecting the vile stickers can be Ar introduced to the artist through his new book, "Open Me ... I'm a Dog." Today, there are few adults who would find Spiegelman despicable. In 1992, he merged visual and literary artforms and broke taboos when he won the Pulitzer Prize for his comic collections "Maus" and "Maus I." The intricate, powerful volumes are transcriptions of Spiegelman's conversations with his father, a Holocaust survivor. The text is what gives the story its weight, while the visual medium lets Spiegelman lend a witty and inventive twist; each group of people is por- trayed as a different animal - the Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, the Polish are pigs. Spiegelman had long been known for his edgy innovation. A Lesser- known fact is the cult roots of Spiegelman's own history. RU 1 The artist spent 20 years working for the Topps Gum Company to create the Garbage Pail Kids and other like-minded products. This start as an irreverent illustrator who indulged children's offbeat fas- cinations has never really left Spiegelman. His new children's book, "Open Me ... I'm a Dog" is a wacky tale about a dog who has a run-in with an evil witch. The witch turns him first into a shepherd in Germany E V I E W (as opposed to a German Shepherd), then into a frog, and finally into the book itself, i$piegelman which is sold connected to a leash. Today at 4 There is a subversive edge that emerges Shaman D u even in this, Spiegelman's first children's book. Born in Sweden and raised in New York, Spiegelman filled the early years of his career with avant-garde comics ventures. He is the co-founder and editor of "Raw" comix magazine and illustrated the cult clas- sic, "The Wild Party," by Joseph Moncure March. He's been a contributing editor and cover artist for "The New Yorker" since 1992 and currently edits the comics for Details magazine. As one of the most respected comic book artists and illustra- tors of our time, a chance to meet Spiegelman should be fasci- nating for adult fans ofhis acclaimed work. And, for those of us who remember the Garbage Pail Kids, it's a chance to thank him for adding a page to our own personal histories. Trueblood absurd 'Ma By Christopher Tkaczyk Campus Arts Editor Out of the American 1950s emerged an impudent school of thought. Home+ life embodied a male dominant society to feature They see the problems and reality that the 1950's husband and wife must.face. Through different scenes that relt one view of an everyday lifestyle the family of Bette and Boo is presented in which the woman was a wife and mother. Thankfully, this American tradition has since died in our contemporary society - where PREVIEW The Marriage of Bette and Boo Thurs-Sat., 8 p.m. at Trueblood Theater $7: call 764-0450 using major thepies of alcoholism, p s e u d o - Catholicism, and misogynism - a pretty distasteful combination. The humor derives from w.:. women are supposed to have an equal opportunity and co-dominance in the workplace and home. While violent feminists tend to disagree with that idea, we can say that we have come a long way since the 'SOs. "The Marriage of Bette and Boo," a play written by Christopher Durang, will open Thursday as part of the Department of Theater and Drama's 1997-98 season. The play, described as a dark satirical comedy, uses a 1980's mentality to poke fun at the backward lifestyle of the American home of the 'Ss. In a world where women are treat- ed as stupid feeble creatures and serve their husbands only as cooks, lovers, maids and baby factories, "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" strives to consciously educate its audience of the mishappenings of our past. "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" follows just that - the marriage of Bette and Boo. The lives of a man and a woman are followed and scrutinized under the eye of a suspicious audience. YOU DEMAND POWER, SPEED, AND MOBILITY. $300 cash back* Picture Perfect: Krista Braun and Joshua Parrott star as Bette and Boo in Christopher Durang's "The Marriage of Bette and Boo." 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