A RTS
'Think about how stupid the average
American is. By definition, half are
dumber.'
- Ypsilanti resident, quoting
the Church of the Sub-genius.
'Shadow' brightens summer movie stock
By John R. Rybock
"The Shadow" knows what evil lurks in the
hearts of men, but one has to wonder what evil was
lurking in the hearts of the filmmakers. It is not that
the new film starring Alec Baldwin is bad. It is
quiteeniovable. However, storv-wise, it falls short
in "Batman" and puts it to shame.
Along with the visual style, the filmmakers
have selected a nice, tongue-in-cheek approaci
with the rest of the film. Dialog often runs like this:
Dr. Tam: "I suppose you could call it an
imploding, explosive device."
Lamont: "Or 'atomic' bomb."
Dr. Tam: "Say, that's catchy."
It is the sort of approach where Kahn can talk
to Lamont about conquering the world, only to stop
in the middle and inquire where the protagonist
purchased his tie.
The filming itself reminds one heavily of old
pulp serials. When Lamont's Police Commissioner
uncle talks about setting up a task force to find The
Shadow, Lamont sits back into his chair, his face
falling into shadow. When he hypnotizes someone
in forgetting about him, he is totally encased in
darkness, save for a strip of light falling across his
eyes. Such corny shots work only because of the
un-serious nature of the rest of the film.
Along with the excellent selection of Baldwin
as the lead, the rest of the casting is, in a word,
perfect. John Lone's Kahn plays off of Lamont
extremely well, and Penelope Ann Miller makes
the perfect '30s dame - beautiful, headstrong and
smart enough to be a match for the hero. The rest of
the cast do well with their parts, from Tim Curry to
Ian McKellen, though they are saddled by pulp
caricatures rather than characters.
"The Shadow" won't make one think, nor teash
any moral other than good triumphing over evil. It
is stylish entertainment, pure and simple. Perfect
summer escapism.
THE SHADOW is playing at Showcase.
The bare bones of a plot which the film tries to
carry is minuscule by pulp fiction standards. In its
simplest form, which coincidently is also its most
complex, Shiwan Kahn (John Lone), The Shadow's
nemesis, gets a hold of an early atomic bomb and
plans to conquer the world.
But the film is not about story. It's about style.
Set in the '30s, the best age for fashion and style, an
age where men could wear hats, the film crams all
the style it can into each frame. It takes all the style
The Auteurs
Now I'm a Cowboy
ernonYardRecordings
4 The second release from this
quintessentiallyBritishgroupfindsthe
band miles away from a sophomore
slump;indeed"NowI'maCowboy" is
even better than their debut, and is
definitely oneofthebestalbums of the
year.
On"Cowboy"the Auteurs build on
the Beatles/Kinks inspired stylings of
the past, adding a harder edge to their
,lesofclass warsand beautiful losers.
enny Valentino," "Brainchild" and
"ChineseBakery"exemplify thiswhile
"NewFrenchGirlfriend"and"Daugh-
terofaChild" arejustclassicpopsongs
that are both catchy and poetic. With
"NowI'm aCowboy"the Auteurs seem
ready to hit it big in America, some-
thing they richly deserve.
-HeatherPhares
*he Auteurs will be at St. Andrew's
on Mondayforonly $5. Doors are at
8, and that is the only place you can
get tix. So get down there already,
you crazy whackadoo!
G. Love and Special
Sauce
G. Love and Special Sauce
OKeh Records
First there was the King. Then,
along came the New Kids on The
Block(oops, NKOTB). Now, wehave
G. Love and Special Sauce-two white
hoyz comin' atcha wit some Black
sounds. And, these two guys got it
goin' on.
From the beginning of the very
first song on this 14-cut CD until the
last song fades away, you will be
constantly fed some rhymes rapped
in a new and interesting way along-
side some hard, street sounding
See RECORDs, Page 10
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