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6 ♦ The Red and Black « Friday, February 2, 1990
SCREEN
VIDEO RELEASES
Some new videos to check out next week. On Feb 8, Lethal
Weapon II (Mel Gibson looking hot as ever) will be released. On
Feb. 9 look for Halloween 5, Parenthood, Wired (the story of
John Belushl) and Rude Awakening.
‘Glory’ an ambitious view of the 54th
FILM REVIEW
By BILL KENYON
Contributing Writer
A Tri-Star release rated R. Now
showing at the Classic Triple.
“Glory" is a film about ambition.
The tale told by “Glory" is ambi
tious. For too long the history of
blacks in America has been denied
and overlooked. Now at last, some
of their history is disclosed in a
major feature film.
The 54th Union Regiment, the
first predominantly black regiment
to fight in the Civil War, was
formed from 1000 volunteers who
had fled North to freedom, leaving
their families behind. They gath-
ered under the leadership of Col.
Robert Gould Shaw and Degan to
learn the art of being soldiers.
In many ways, these soldiers
fought more than just Confederate
rebels.
They fought for shoes, for the
right to bear rifles and for pay
equal to white men. However, it
took time and a bit of blackmail on
the part of Shaw just to gain the
right to fight in an actual battle.
When they finally did, they dis
played heroism and skill for which
most white regiments couldn’t
even hope. It’s about time someone
made a movie about them.
“Glory" is ambitious for Mat
thew Broderick, who plays the
film’s lead character, Col. Shaw. It
marks Broderick’s first mature
role, a role that doesn’t remind one
of Ferris Bueller. At last, with a
little goatee, a mustache, a three
lay growth of beard and a look of
determination in his eyes, Brode
rick ceases altogether of looking or
acting anything like Ferris, a feat
he failed even with appearances in
‘Family Business" and “Torch
Song Trilogy."
It’s ambitious for Morgan
Freeman, who plays Sgt. Maj.
Denzel Washington (2nd from
Union troops in Edward Zwick
Rawlins, the only black officer of
the 54th Regiment. A decade ago,
Freeman starred on the PBS show
“Electric Company,” teaching pre
schoolers things like counting,
reading and writing. He has done
his time doing bit part and sup
porting lead actors like Michael
Keaton in “Clean and Sober.” This
year, he’s going for it as a lead
actor himself, with a role in the
movie “Driving Miss Daisy" and
now with “Glory.” If Freeman
left) restraines Morgan Freemen from jeering white
s ‘Glory’
doesn’t get recognition for his life
time of work somewhere, then
something’s wrong.
Lastly, the cinematography is
ambitious. From the first scene in
which Broderick learns the horrors
of war at Antietam, to the last in
which he leads an assault on the
Confederate outpost of Fort
Wagner. The audience is caught up
in the beauty of Edward Zwick’s di
rection.
Beautiful scenes such as the
54th’8 departure for Georgia are
intertwined with grotesqueness,
like the amputation of a soldier’s
leg. It gives the audience the ap
propriate feeling of disgust toward
war, yet also a feeling of intrigue at
the dignity and hope that the men
involved possessed.
Based on truth and filmed partly
in Georgia and Florida, Glory may
be the best war film made in long
time. It certainly is the most ambi
tious.
‘Tremors’ warrants a
whirl with the worms
By KEVAN WARD
Entertainment Writer
Directed by Rod Underwood star
ring Kevin Bacon. A Universal
Pictures release rated R. Now
showing at Georgia Square.
Wow! It is still possible to have
fun at the movies.
“Tremors” has neither a
statement to make, nor any par
ticular point to contemplate. It’s
not a star vehicle. It isn’t even a
showcase for spectacular special
effects, although the special ef
fects it sports are quite good.
‘Tremors” is just a whole heck
of a lot of fun. Nothing more,
nothing less.
Set in mythical Perfection, Ari
zona (pop. 17), the film drops
viewers into the lives of ne’er-do-
well handymen Val McKee and
Earl Basset (Kevin Bacon and
Fred Ward). About 10 minutes
into the movie, this duo decides
to leave the dead-end town in
search of better job opportunities.
As Val tells Earl while pumping
out a septic tank with a leaky
suction hose, “ We got to set
higher goals for ourselves.”
However, there’s worms in
them thar hills: giant people
eating worms that travel unaer-
ground at warp speed. These
“graboids,” as tne townsfolk so
name them, suddenly appear and
begin moving across tne valley,
eating everyone in their path. It
gives new meaning to the town’s
dead-end status and turns Val
and Earl’s exodus into a matter of
life and death.
‘Tremors” is a throwback to
the times when movie monsters
were real monsters and not just
psychotic men, a time when fear
less enemies eschewed the cover
of darkness, when just seeing the
bad guys coming didn’t do any
good. The 1954 epic ‘Them”
comes immediately to mind.
It’s also very funny. The script
does a wonderful job of mining
the fertile comic ground the situ
ation provides. When it doesn’t
have its viewers on the edge of
their seats in suspense, it has ’em
there in laughter.
Even theperformers are great.
Bacon (“Footloose,” “She’s
Having a Baby”) and Ward
(“Remo Williams,” “The Right
Stuff’) are likable and quite
funny ns the slightly dimwitted
heroes. Michael Gross, best-
known as the father on “Family
Ties,” is excellent as Burt, a sa
distic survivalist. Even country
music singer Reba McEntire, as
Burt’s wife, is passable.
On the negative side, the film
does lay on the hick atmosphere a
little too thick in the very begin
ning, but considering its consid
erable merits, that’s easily
forgiven and forgotten.
‘Tremors” certainly isn’t a film
event of earth-shaking propor
tions, but it is entertainment, in
the purest sense of the word.
Thar’s only one thang a person
kin do with a movie like this:
enjoy that sucker.
’90 TEXT BOOK PAYBACK
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DURHAM'S DOGS
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TUE. FEB. 6, 9:30
"LATE NIGHT WITH
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2000 DAVID LETTERMAN MASKS GIVEN OUT
AND STUPID PET TRICKS AT HALFTIME
WITH GERRY MARSHALL
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WORLD WIDE ®
TRAVEL SERVICE
HOW TO BECOME THE FONNIEST COLLEGE STUDENT
IN AMERICA IN THREE MINUTES:
• Prepare a hilarious three minute comedy roulino. (Clean, ol course!)
• Win Your Campus Competition (At the lime and place lisled below)
• Be judged the best in the U.S.A. by Jerry Seinfeld, National Judge
THE PRIZES ARE NOTHING TO LAUGH AT:
• Certs Minis will lake the regional winners on a Trip to Daytona Beach
during Spring Break to perform lor vacationing students, and that winner
rmiVerSltLn will go to New York City to perform al a famous comedy club.
I I rtlnn J • Get a U S. College Comedy T-Shirt.
IF YOU'RE NOT COMPETING, COME BY JUST FOR LAUGHS!
DATE: Friday, February 9 LOCATION: Georgia Hall, Tate Student Center
Competitors: Auditions begin—6:00pm Audience: Show begins—8:00pm
“Applications are available In the Union Oftlce and at the Tate Center Information Desk."
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