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■ BEST BET
You bring the rice, Rhino has got the ultimate record collection.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show' is celebrating its 15th anniver
sary with the release of the box set album collection. It includes
rare and never released songs from the legendary cult film.
The Red and Black • Wednesday, September IS, 1990 • 9
A&E
Real star of ‘Postcards’ is director
Thousands attend Atlanta Arts Festival
By RAE CURRY
Entertainment Writer
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‘Postcards’: Clockwise: Meryl Streep, Carrie Fisher, and Shirley MacLaine
By NOEL MURRAY
Contributing Writer
“Postcards From the Edge” is a
prime example of what can be
done to enliven an overworked
Hollywood concept. What we
have here, basically, is a
“relationship between women”
story: mother-daughter division.
The daughter in question is an
actress and recovering drug ad
dict, played by Meryl Streep. The
mother is nn alcoholic ex-star,
played by Shirley MacClaine.
“Postcards From the Edge” is the
story of their struggles against
each other and their eventual
reconciliation. It’s pretty much
been done before.
But rarely has it been done so
well. This is a very entertaining,
uplifting and FUNNY movie in
the Hollywood tradition. Both the
movie and the book on which it is
based are written by Carrie
“Princess Leia” Fisher. While the
book is an anarchic and caustic
word-spree, the movie is more
conventional. It retains, however,
the bittersweet humor. The dia
logue is also every bit as snappy
as that in the book, and the plot
is tight ns twine. Watching “Post
cards From the Edge” is de
lightful and easy.
Much of this smoothness can
be attributed to the acting. The
cameos by Rob Reiner, Dennis
Quaid, Richard Dreyfus and
Gene Hackman are cooly profes
sional. Shirley MacLaine exudes
personality with her usual grace.
Even Meryl Streep, who usually
puts me off with her distant
acting style, is a winner here.
Her standard problem is that
there’s no center from which to
relate her characterizations, but
in this movie, that’s a plus. Her
character, Suzanne Vale, has dif
ficulty being “real” as well.
Streep is perfect.
But despite the crackling
script and the impeccable acting,
the real star of this movie is di
rector Mike Nichols. He fills the
movie with brilliant touches. Ro
mantic dialogue takes place in
front of idyllic scener> that is
slowly removed by prop men. A
beautiful desert sky is revealed to
be only a painting. The “reality”
of the scenes is constantly
shifting, reflecting the theme of
the movie.
Nothing about these charac
ters is real. Their problems are
slight. Their arguments are pa
thetic. Living in the public eye
has distorted their sense of
judgment. Mike Nichols plays
with these ideas in very subtle
ways.
It’s an interesting theme to ex
plore, and the fact that it is ex
plored very quietly beneath the
surface of a light entertainment
(let me re-emphasize — this is an
entertaining movie) makes it all
the more special. With “Post
cards From the Edge,” Mike
Nichols and Carrie Fisher give
Hollywood a gentle reminder
that even the simplest movies
need not be so simple.
HEWLETT
PACKARD
It was bright and breezy last
Saturday as The Arts Festival of
Atlanta ‘90 kicked ofT nine solid
days of activity-jammed fun.
Thousands of Atlantans showed
up at Piedmont Park in Midtown in
order to check out the variety of
events that will be taking place in
the park through Sept.23. The Fes
tival is celebrating it’s 37th anni
versary this year and boasts works
by over 600 national, regional and
local visual and performing artists.
The Artist’s Market, in which
hundreds of artists display their
crafts, is probably the most pop
ular feature of the Festival, but
there are many other things going
on that are sure to please all fes
tival goers.
The Performing Artists section
showcases music, dance and
theatre. The Kronus Quartet, Ac
tor’s Express and The Lost Angels
are just a few of the acts per
forming this week. “On the Rocks,”
a collaborative effort by modern
dance choroegrapher Robin Wil
liams and the Atlanta rock group
The Tone Poets, combines
rhythms, tempos and textures
reminiscent of Fifties rock, blues
and jazz.
The Visual Arts section includes
two indoor art exhibitions. Group
Exhibits features a variety of dif
ferent art groups displaying their
work.
For younger folks, there are nu
merous children’s activities every
day of the Festival. These include
finger painting, sand and plaster
casting and stick puppet creations.
There is also The Youth Exhibit,
a juried exhibition which consists
of works by high school students
around the Atlanta area.
Response to the Festival was
positive overall. From art vendors
to street performers to patrons,
most people seemed genuinely
pleased with the Festival.
Alan Jewitt, a tri-gold jewelery
salesman from Sausalito, Ca., sai-
d,“It’s a nice show. Believe me, I’ve
done a lot of shows and this one’s
nice.”
‘This festival is so complete.
Rarely do you find an event that
has art on so many different levels.
Everything here is so different
from the art on site to the formal
art exhibits,” said Yvonne Tucker,
a ceramics artist from Tallahassee.
Street performer Sandy
McMahn, who makes balloon ani
mals under the name of “Roxy,”
has been performing at the festival
Atlanta Arts Festival: visiting Piedmont this week
for the past three years. Wearing a
fuscia blouse and baggy royal blue
pants, McMahn maintains a jovial
attitude as she doles out balloon
figures to youngsters passing by.
“It’s been lots of fun so far. It’s
been a really good crowd,”she said
“People seem to be out here to have
a great time and the kids really
seem to enjoy the balloons.”
Peter Linz is a puppeteer who
has been performing at the Fes
tival for the past six years.
“I usually sit out there with a
trunk full of puppets and get a dia
logue going with the people
walking by,” said Linz. I don’t just
talk to kids. I try to get everyone
involved.”
Linz, who plays the title role in
The Atlanta Center for Puppetry
Arts’ upcoming touring production
of “Pinnochio,” is an ardent sup
porter of the Festival.
‘The stuff out there is really in
teresting. It’s expensive , but you
don’t have to buy anything to have
fun,” he said. “It’s the best place to
sit and people- watch.”
“I think it’s great. People are
here from all over the nation,” said
first time Festival visitor and Mar
ietta resident Jenny Sutherland.
The general consensus is that
The Arts Festival of Atlanta ‘90 is a
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