10,- The Michigan Daily-- Wednesday, May 11, 1994
Arnold and Cameron 'True'to form in"True L.es." .

..By Michael Thompson
A little over a year ago Arnold
Schwarzenegger wasintrouble. He'd
True Lies
Written and directed by
James Cameron; with
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom
Arnold.
done what many didn't believe could
be done. He'd made a bad movie. And
not just a bad movie, but a bomb. So
what does the biggest action star in
film history do when he's in trouble?
The only thing he can do, return to the
man who started it all for him.
Arnold is back with super director
James Cameron, and their new film
"True Lies"isjust like the other films
they made together, simply great.
"True Lies" is the not-so-simple

tale of a man leading a double life.
Harry Tasker is a husband and father
sometimes, while making his living
as a spy. Problems arise when our
hero has to confront the fact that al-
thoughhe'sagreatspy, he's seriously
lacking as a family man. And even
more problems come up when the two
worlds collide.
The story of"True Lies" may seem
silly and even a little strained, but
Cameron injects it full of life. Harry
Tasker is not just a great spy, but a
great character. After so many films
containing old, burnt out, partially
insane cops, it's a relief to see a char-
acter who is relatively stable. Don't
worry, Arnold gets to kill a bunch of
people, but he's not the brooding psy-
chotic who has become an action
clich6. Harry Tasker is agenuine good
guy and for that he is so easy to like.
"True Lies" is also easy to like
because some of its most successful
scenes arenotnecessarily actionones.
This movie has genuinely funny mo-

ments that take place during and out-
side the action. James Cameron has
constructedafilm that's appealing on
many different levels. There's sex,
violence, comedy and great charac-
ters.
And Arnold is fine in his role. He
portray the jealous husband, con-
cerned father,super spy and bumbling
dope almost to perfection. Cameron
has always known howto use Arnold.
His acting ability isn't the best, but
it's come a long way sense the first
Terminator.CameronknowsArnold's
strengths and weaknesses and he uses
them all to his advantage.
But Arnold's not the only prize.
Jamie Lee Curtis keeps the strong
woman theme Cameron has in all of
his films. She starts out sort of weak,
but gradually takes form and it plays
out nicely.
The real surprise, however, has to
be the performance by Tom Arnold.
After watching any of his other roles,
it would be almost impossible to be-

Of course al-
most all the real 4
credit has to go
to Cameron who
conceived of this
over-the-top,
completely out-
of-control film.
He loves to plant
real people in in-
sane situations.
Whether it's
fighting aliensor
killer robots,
Cameron knows how to create real
characters. By placing people we can
relate to in situations that are totally
unbelievable Cameron accomplishes
a kind of realism that carries us away.
This is entertainment in one of its
purer forms.
Oh, and there is the action, of
course. Yeah, it's pretty great. Giant
flame throwers, fun with a Harrier
and a bathroom sequence that rivals
"Reservoir Dogs."
Of course the film is not perfect. It
is long and sometimes it feels a little
gratuitous. But so what, it is an action

fim.
After "Last Action Hero" and a
slew of other action losers, "True
Lies" is a breath of fresh air. But it's
also more than that.
TR UE LIES is playing at Briarwood
and Showcase.

lieve that Tom Arnold could be any
good. He can act. AND he's good!
T*'IL *"*" See the movie, you'll agree.
*New and used textbooks o'Office supplies DISINTEGRATION
' Medical books and ' Calculators Continued from page 9
equipment 'Computer supplies - instead of Rollins, we had
Soundgarden; instead of Buttholes,
* Law books ' Backpacks we had The Jesus and Mary Chain
' Art and Engineering e"Prints and posters (OK, sort of a stretch); instead of Ice-
supplies ' Greeting cards T, we had Ice Cube; instead of Nine
'School supplies 'Candy and snacks Inch Nails, we had Ministry; instead
of Living Colour, we had Pearl Jam;
' Photographic supplies 'Special orders instead of theBanshees, wehad Lush;
' U of M insignia clothing ' Supreme Course Transcripts and instead ofJane's, we had the Red
and gifts ' Book reservation service Hot Chili Peppers. This show reeked
of corporate rock with more than half
LAMi _ _ " _Mofthe bands beingcard-carrying mem-


bers of Sony Music. Less experimen-
tal and worse tasting.
DATELINE 1993
Even though the previous year's
concert had probably brought in a lot
of cash for Pine Knob, the manage-
ment decided not to invite the havoc-
wreaking tour back for a third straight
year. So the fun in the sun was moved
to the Milan Dragway. Huh? Yes, it
was as bad as it sounds. Little shade
and a cup of ice cost $1. By the end of
the day, all of the dehydrated youth
needed a handful of aspirin and a
week of sleep. Unfortunately, many

Michigan
Book & Supply

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had to wait an hour for a bus ride tot
cornfieldparking lots. The bandsOh
yeah, Babes In Toyland were the best
of a sorry collection of uninspired
selections.
So there you have it - a brief
synopsis of the Lollapalooza years.
With ticket sales escalating (four
shows in Detroit this year!) there ap-
pears to be no end in sight to Perry
Farrell's evil concoction. And unles
something changes to spice up t
festival, things will become more and
more bleak. Perhaps Farrell's return
to the front lines this year after aleave
of absence will help. He's added some
weird attractions this year like a Mist
Tent and a virtual reality game -
everything to divert your attention
from the music. If you're going this
year, have fun and tell me how it was
because I certainly won't be there.
ICIJGAN
Take a Reality Break.
Visit Sanctuary, a
medieval town where
brave knights and
powerful
sorcerors
41
battle cruel
tyrants and evil
necromancers and YOU
can be any of the above.
Cell (810)795-140'9
'We allthat You CanV Be"

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