The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 27, 1995 - 11

Three Wishes' is full of empty promise

Three Wishes
Directed by Martha
Coolidge; with Patrick
Swayze and Mary Elizabeth
Mastrantonio
At Showcase
not very promising. Swayze, looking
more and more like the poster boy for
Chippendale's, rehashes the sensitive
man bit once again. The fact that he is
literally on the verge of tears in every
scene will make you roll your eyes
instead of feel sorry for him. The typi-
cal glimpse of Swayze's backside seems
like little more than an appeasement for
his die-hard fans. Than again, do hard-
core Swayze fans really exist?
Like a "Ghost" for kids, the film uses
some eye-catching special effects when
little Gunny experiences Betty Jane's
magical powers. While older viewers
might laugh at the close-up shot of
Gunny's grinning face as he flies
through the air, it is really kids' fare.
The antics of the brats on Tom's base-
ball team - such as their use of medi-
tation before games - may also amuse
young viewers.
The film falls short, however, in its
appeal for an older audience. You can

only see another slow-motion big catch
so much before it gets old. As it wrestles
with issues of conformity, which the
portrait ofsuburbia aptly depicts,"Three
Wishes" holds Jack up as the token
rebel. While Mazzello ("Jurassic Park")
does an admirablejob of playing out his
battle with peer pressure, Swayzewould
have us believe that sporting a beard is
anti-establishment.
Mastrantonio ("The Abyss") makes
a fine effort to make the most out of her
role, but the script limits her to a rela-
tivelytwo-dimensional character. Only
when Jeanne finds out that her Gunny
has cancer (surprise, surprise) does she
realize that her old flame Phil (David
Marshall Grant) is not marriage mate-
rial. By relying on such been-there,
done-that plot lines, "Three Wishes"
stunts any character development.
The message that love magically
solves all our problems might be suffi-
cient for kids, but not for adults. The
closing scene, in which an older, wiser
Tom finally shows appreciation forfam-
ily, comes off like a sappy long-dis-
tance telephone commercial more than
anything else. In spite of the film's
good intentions, it ends up vacillating
between something like an ABC
Afterschool Special and a made-for-
television movie. And just like with
those teary flicks: If the kids don't fall
asleep during the film first, you cer-
tainly will.

i

Toto and the Chippendales' poster boy rehash the magic dog/sensitive man bit.

Iomecoming Comedy Jam is packed with laughs
part of both the Homecoming and Black Homecoming festivities this weekend,
C Laughtrack and Black Folks Productions have teamed up to bring you the
xmecoming Comedy Jam. it will occur tonight. Emceed by University senior
race Sanders, the show will feature headliner Bruce Bruce and fellow comic
ontanna Taylor. The night will open with rapper Scarbrough featuring Rat Pack
10 will be releasing their first LP on an independent label later this year.
inders, whose Black Folks Productions has already featured one comedy night
Is semester and has produced many others in past semesters, is already well-
own for (almost) curse-less routine. Bruce Bruce has performed at Uptown
)medy Club and has recently toured with comic Chris Tucker. Montanna Taylor
s appeared on everything from BET's Comic View to Showtime at the Apollo to
30's Def Comedy Jam. Needless to say, Sanders has promised a riotous night fit
r cable-television exposure.
, for all you people out there who still have nothing to do tonight, come on
wn to the Mendellsohn Theatre and feast upon the buffet of laughter that will
served onstage. The Homecoming Comedy Jam takes place tonight at the
endejisohn Theatre, In the back of the Michigan League, at 8 p.m. Tickets are
iNhaEance and $8 at the door. All the smooth folks'li be there.

Voodoo Glow Skulls
Firme
Epitaph
Riverside, California skate punkers
the Voodoo Glow Skulls' awesome
blend off thrashing punk and wailing
horns has helped them to make their
thrilling latest release "Firme" one of
the best albums of the year.
For their Epitaph Records debut,
the Glow Skulls threw out all the
stops, with great songs and funky
rhythms to create a brilliant record.
With its pounding punk-ska combo
and unstoppable horns, "Firme"
comes across as a Cal-punk master-
piece. In what they call "nerdcore-
thick framed pocket protecting punk
rock ska in overdrive," the Glow
Skulls' energetic and upbeat messages
will keep your feet tappin' and booty
skankin.'
The album's opener "Shoot the
Moon" throws the band right into a
constant groove that doesn't stop un-
til the last beat of the disc. Slamming
through others like "Trouble Walk-
ing" and "Nicotine Fit," the Glow
Skulls show off their musical skills
over vocalist Frank Casillas' slick yet
biting lyrics.
On others like "Empty Bottles" and
"Method to the Madness," theirpunk-
ska roots show through with Mighty
Mighty Bosstones and Operation Ivy
sounding tracks.
The funky ska instrumental "Malas
Problemas" features the juicy Voo-
doo horns in yet another great unstop-
pable groove.
"Firme" proves that the Voodoo
Glow Skulls aren't just another
skankin' punk band, but a skankin'
punk band with an awesome,athick
and thrashing sound that makes up
one of the best records of the year.
- Brian A. Gnatt
The Voodoo Glow Skulls will be
playing an all ages show tonight at St.
Andrew 's Hall in Detroit with Shlong
and Ten Foot Pole. Doors open at
6:30 p.m. For more information, call
(313) 961-MELT.

Dash Rip Rock
Dash Rip Rock sings Get You
Some of Me
Sector 2 Records
Hooo-weee! Get thebarbecue grill fired
up and rev the engine on that Rusty S-10,
cause Dash Rip Rock is blastin' out ofthe
stereo and into your heart. Even if the
music were terrible, this album would
still get the big thumbs-up for the tasteful
cover photo of the band eating fried
chicken. Fortunately, the 16 country-rock
tunes on "Get You Some of Me" are
usually right on the money, and a couple
of songs even venture into great territory.
One of the great songs is "Shootin' Up
Signs," a pleasant little rocker that's all
about getting drunk, driving around, and
shooting holes in road signs. The song
starts out with one of the recuring themes
in Dash Rip Rock's music, "All the good
rock and rollers are dead/Most of them
got killed in airplane crashes." "Ridin'
Into Memphis," another great song, con-
tainsthe classic line, "Here comes Falwell
with a shady lady." Dash Rip Rock long
for the days when rockabilly ruled and
Elvis wouldhavebeatawusslike Michael
Jackson to a pulp for even attempting to
call himself King.
"Get You Some of Me" fails when the
band tries to get too serious, a malady
which plagues about five songs in the
middle ofthe album. "September" is their
version of the token Generation X girl
song, a convention which stop being hu-
morous sometime after Dead-Eye Dick
crawled out of the woodwork. Likewise,
"Houseboat" starts out with humorous
intentions, but ends up sounding eerily
similar to Spinal Tap's "Hell Hole" mi-
nus the irony.
Thankfully, the disc ends on a high
note, with "(Let's Go) Smoke Some Pot,"
a pro-drug song to the tune of "At the
Hop." This song reminds us that, even
though they follow a classic rockabilly
format, Dash Rip Rock is definitely a
band of the'90s. "Get You Some Of Me"
proves that the spirit of the heartland is
still alive and kickin'. The King would be
proud.
- Jeffrey Dinsmore

Go see If them Voodoo Glow Skulls are truly possessed, phosphorescent bones.
czet .m I G0 onlne

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de Lucia's flamenco fills the Power Center
icdrdeucia will bring his Master Guitar Sextet to the Power Center tonight for
evening of sensual, exciting flamenco music. The Spaniard will show off his
m brand of Spanish flamenco music, influenced by jazz and pop.
sce his debut in 1958, de Lucia has collaborated with many other well known
Iltarists, Including Al Dimeola, John Mclaughlin, Chick Corea, and Larry Coryeil
ter many years of touring, recording, and playing with some of the greatest
Itarists of different genres, de Lucia arrives in Ann Arbor with a reputation of
ing the finest Flamenco guitarist in the World.
1981, the guitarist created his sextet with his brothers Ramon de Algeciras
d Pepe de Lucia. Now after 15 years, the sextet has gelled into an awesome,
ssionate performing group that has found its place playing complex Spanish follk
isic seasoned with jazz and pop. The University Musical Society and the
Iversity's Power Center host Paco de Lucia's sextet at 8 p.m.; tickets range
m $18 to $30. Call 764-2538 for more information.


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