12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, June 7, 1995 'Mad Love'is By Sarah Rogacki Daily Arts Writer Long live teen romance! Admit it, we 20-something MTV babies were weaned on John Hughes induced teen angst. Even after years of mind-grilling college courses, many of us can still re- cite "The Breakfast Club" from begin- ning to end. Hot on the heels of the critically ac- claimed "Priest," British director Antonia Bird gives puppy love a '90s facelift with her new movie "Mad Love." Don't worry, the formula for the teen epic is still the same: a hip soundtrack, Ringwald-esque couture, deflowering sex and stolen cars. The cast is, indeed, different. Enter the buff Chris O'Donell and alterna-poster girl Drew Barrymore. O'Donnell plays the straight and narrow Matt Leland, a top student who takes care of his single- parent family after his mother leaves them. That is, until he meets Barrymore's Casey Roberts, a wild and woolly Chicagoan who moves to the Seattle area with her seemingly anal-repressive parents. After pulling some crazy stunts at school and romping in the hay with the virginal Matt, Casey lands herself in a mental ward due to a nasty fight with her father. Breaking her out of the joint proves a cake-walk for the newly liber- a crazy romp ated Matt, and the two take off on a cross-country adventure en route to Mexico. As the trip progresses, Corey spirals into the dark depths of clinical depression. Not your average tale of teenage hormonal imbalance. Mad LoVe Dirctd by Antni Bird with Chris O'Donnell and Drew Barrymoore At Showcase, State through Friday and Ann Arbor1&2 starting Friday. In all respects, let's just say that "Mad Love" gives an honest effort at being a good film. Pauline Milne's script is like a weird batch of batter that cooks up into an uneven, lumpy cake. But it still tastes good. The first hour of the film involves common-place ban- ter that tries to emotionally connect the two young lovers and falls flat; the highlight of Corey and Matt's mating dance manifests itself when the two at- tend a rowdy 7 Year Bitch show. The film really begins to gain mo- mentum as the couple set off for the open road. Some of Milne's best writing comes in staging the complexities of RECORDS Continued from page 10 Claw Hammer 11 '5" 1 '""" ' " ' "'"""" 1V Casey's mental illness. Bird follows suit by expressing the young woman's inner- torment from the outside-in through a series of close-ups and the subjective agitation of the soundtrack.. Not surprisingly, Drew Barrymore plays a great neurotic. Yet, her inability to carry on daily conversations without dropping monotone lines or, at the other extreme, giving a bouncy valley girl de- livery, really drags on the first half of the film. The second half of the film proves that Barrymore has the potential to emerge from the cocoon like the butter- flies Casey identifies with in the film. Barrymore's ability shines through in a midnight fit of hysteria and later in a res- taurant when she tries desperately to hold her mind together. Making the connection with Barrymore better late than never, O'Donnell is sent out on the "hug patrol" in this movie. Although many young women in the audience would love to be on the receiving end, Matt's character is never fully developed and he ends up being little more than Casey's crutch. Proven a fine young actor in "The Scent " " ". T.w+>fn.r /-a n ®r. irnt os Thank The Holder Upper Interscope Records Claw Hammer has been grating the ears of the California punk scene for a few years with its fiery wail of gut-pierc- ing guitar and dentist-drill vocals. Vocal-' ist/guitarist John Wahl and guitarist Christopher Bagarozzi are responsible for some of the most shrill rock sounds ever placed on a record, and "Thank The Holder Uppers" is no different. "So many sounds, so little time," should be Claw Hammer's motto, for the band crams every instrumental phrase into four-minute songs while using much har- monica. sparse piano, a little saxophone and even a trumpet. In other words, the band overburdens its sound. Your audio4 synapses will surely snap while listening to Claw Hammer's kinetic outburstings and you'll be left asphyxiating on the floor while desperately reaching for thejust-out- of-reach telephone to call the paramedics. Not necessarily a good thing. Every guitar break, every piano scale, every guitar solo and chord makes Claw Hammer's sound overly extended, and in the end you just don't want to hear any more. Coupled with this intense phrasing, Wahl's vocals exist as a curious enigma. He can't sing, and I know that this isn't necessarily a prerequisite for a great punk band but Wahl is simply annoying. Inter- esting, but annoying. -Matt Carlson aWest ie Book Shop since 1975 Used & Rare Books Bought & Sold 113 W. Liberty (1/2 block W. of Main St.) 995-1891 Lt's Worth the Trip! Be m Don't Panic! If youthink you're pregnant.L p calls u e listen, we care. CRaLEM PREGNANCY HELP 769-728013 Any. time, any day, 24 hous Fu y confidential. Srvin9 Students. since 197. Becom-e--@ a Part of the: Best Tam linTown Ehan Bouts, Karen Kennedy, Stphwaol Honung, Elliot leeo, communtication Communication Ceneal Studso Economics Pick up an application in the Senior Staff Office at 420 Maynard. Applications due June 16, 1995 " Job Starts 8121 Call 764-0662 for more info of a Woman and circie of Friends, * * usI u IgsU WI550ErhER4 EnDE USD *su , unsu . O'Donnell does manage to pull off an air When the Magic Hour were In town last November, they mystified a small but of knee-melting sensitivity mixed in with loyal following at Zoot's Coffeehouse with their mixture of noise and sheer bliss. a little J. Crew brawn. Now, with a new album out, which features the 20-minute rave-up ("Passing Words") that nearly blew the roof off of Zoot's, they'll attempt to shake Alvin's to its very foundations. Apart from the noise, though, you can expect to hear lots of their trademark spacey guitar solos, cymbal-crashing chaos, and some of the N ew sletters most beautiful bass guitar playing you're ever likely to hear. But hey, what else would you expect from a band made up of ex-members of Galaxle 500 and Newsletters Crystalized Movements? This show should not be missed. Newsletters Newsletters AI Big savings on newsletters for NoIlCowards Private Uves at theMeelssohn Theatre on Jue 7- 10.C all clubs, businesses, and 971-AACT for more io H Friy,June9. C 961-MELTf mor organizations.fRadlohead splysS. Andrew's H aller ida Jne 9 .Ca lT61-M oremo . En AM1 00 ~ Shaw-Blades playsth Rit on June 9. Cal1778-8150. Strol Couuthi n lavs th Shelter on June 9. Cal 961-MEYlILT for more info.