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contemporary concerns. You can see it until Jan. 11.
The Red and Black » Wednesday, September 26, 1990 • 5
A&E
Mobster's are anything but good guys in Scorsese flick
By NOEL MURRAY
Contributing Writer
The first shot in the cinematic
gang wars of 1990 has been fired,
and the aim is true. “Goodfellas” is
a riveting and achingly realistic
portrayal of a life Bpent in orga
nized crime.
The tone is set in the opening
scene. Mobster Henry Hill (Ray
Liotta) is driving down the road
with his cohorts, James Conway
(Robert DeNiro) and Tommy De
Vito (Joe Pesci), when he hears
something that sounds like a flat
tire. The three-some pull over. As it
turns out, the corpse they’ve been
transporting in the trunk isn’t
quite dead and is knocking to be let
out. DeVito whips out his knife and
stabs the body repeatedly as Henry
Hill looks on, horrified. The
murder is as casual as it is brutal.
So is this movie.
What director Martin Scorsese has
set out to do here is to paint a rea
listic portrait of the mob, as far re
moved as possible from the
mandolin music and burning can
dles of weighty gangster pictures of
the past, as well as from the spa
ghetti slurping goons of gangster
parodies. The story of Henry Hill’s
rise and fall in the mob is told by
Ray Liotta in a voiceover narration
that lends sympathy to a profes
sion that hardly deserves it.
See the men argue with their
wives. See them sit around
drinking and playing poker. See
■ MOVIE REVIEW
them cook dinner and invite their
friends over. Most of all, see them
change ever so subtly from the be
ginning of the movie to the end.
The way the characters develop,
and the way seeing them perform
routine tasks, helps us watch them
develop. This is the biggest
strength of‘‘Goodfellas.’’ That, and
the acting.
Ray Liotta is spot-on as Henry
Hill, a man who shifts from wide-
eyed admiration of the “wiseguys,”
as he calls them, to a guarded dis
trust. Even toward the end of the
movie, when he’s betraying his
friends, he still wants to cling to
the ideals of the gangster lifestyle:
to take whatever you want in life,
because working is for suckers.
Robert DeNiro is outstanding,
mostly because of the fact that he
doesn’t control the screen. His per
formance as James Conway is
quiet, but effective. Conway is a
man of respect, but he’ll never be
“on the inside” because he isn’t a
pure Italian. As the film pro
gresses, his quiet desperation
turns into paranoia as he begins
murdering anyone who stands be
tween him and his fortune.
It is Joe Pesci, though, who gives
the sharpest performance, in a role
that practically mirrors the one
DeNiro played in Scorsese’s 1973
film “Mean Streets.” He is a man
constantly on the edge, and when
that edge becomes deadly, when he
begins to kill as naturally as he
breathes, the film pivots and the
good times represented in the first
half of the movie begin to disap
pear.
The downfall of trust and
friendship makes for great
material, and Scorsese, of course,
handles this material beautifully.
“Goodfellas” is more than two
hours long, but it moves at such a
pace that the length is negligible.
The film is full of flash and style
and above all, life. “Goodfellas”
bleeds life with every frame.
One minor complaint — the
music in the movie is handled
poorly. The songs on the sound
track usually predate the time pe
riod on the screen by about six
years. If the songs were consis
tently of one era, that would be one
thing, but instead they advance as
the years advance, and never quite
catch up. This is pretty annoying.
Still, this is one flaw in a movie
that is otherwise seamless. “Good
fellas” isn’t a feel-good movie in
any sense of the word. In fact, this
portrait of a world that fosters a
kill-or-be-killed mentality can be
downright depressing. But overall,
it is a compelling portrait, and if
you leave the theater watching
your back and feeling like you need
a bath, Scorsese has done his job
well.
Goodfellas: Robert DeNiro stars as Jimmy Conway, one of the most respected men in
organized crime. Ray Liotta is Henry Hill, a young man raised among mobsters and Paul
Cicero portrays a Mafia kingpin in this new Warner Bros, release.
‘Kerosene’ lights Wynn’s future
By JEFF GREEN
Contributing Writer
Steve Wynn: “Kerosene Man”
(Rhino)
Steve Wynn’s first solo efTort,
“Kerosene Man,” is far from ex
plosive, especially in comparison
to his past work with the Los An
geles-based, second-wave post
punk band Dream Syndicate.
“Kerosene Man” represents a
drastic change for Wynn, as he
exchanges much of the caustic
edge and screeching guitar that
was prominent in Dream Syndi
cate for a more downbeat sound
ALBUM REVIEW
with an occasional oountry flair.
Wynn’s venture into a solo ca
reer hi«s allowed him to escape
the constraints of the standard
two guitar, bass and drums
format. Wynn has taken full ad
vantage of his newly-found
freedom, incorporating a variety
of instruments ranging from a
wurlitzer and a dinosaur guitar
to an organ and a marimba, all of
which combine to form a rich mu
sical backdrop for his intriguing
lyrics.
Wynn’s instrument choice ere-
Steve Wynn: His new album shows great musical
diversity that may open the door for his solo career.
ates an album of varied
songs.“The Blues Drifter,” fea
turing baritone sax, has a smooth
jazz feel, while the slow rhythm
of guitar gives “Conspiracy of the
Heart,” a duet with Concrete
Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano, an
undeniable country flair.
The title track has the upbeat
sound of an old honky-tonk Jerry
Lee Lewis tune with Robert
Lloyd on the piano, and a bit of
slide guitar thrown in for good
measure.
Dream Syndicate’s caustic
anger is resurrected on a couple
of tracks such as “Younger,” and
especially on “Something To Re
member Me By,” with lines such
as “You fed me the skin off my
back, and asked me if it tasted
good.”
The first two songs on “Ker
osene Man” are the ones most
likely to receive widespread col
lege radio recognition. Both
‘Tears Won’t Help At All,” the
first song on the album, and
“Carolyn” are effectively ac
cented by a cello.
As Wynn half-sings and half
talks his way through the album
it becomes quite evident that his
primary influence is, as he has
stated in the past, Lou Reed and
Velvet Underground. This isn’t to
say that Wynn hasn’t developed a
style of his own, but the listener
is bound to recognize other art
ists’ influence.
Strangely, in “Killing Time”
Wynn’s voice sounds frighte
ningly like a mix between Lou
Reed and Jimmy Buffet.
The revealing lyrics on “Ker
osene Man” are bound to strike a
nerve with all listeners in some
way. Wynn received assistance
from an extensive cast of accom
plished musicians on this album,
which hopefully won’t be the last
solo effort to come from Steve
Wynn.
This artist’s refusal to limit
himself musically has created
tremendous possibilities for his
future.
Marley’s mom bares her soul with
grieving lyrics about son’s death
By SHERELL SCARBRIEL
Contributing Writer
Cedella Marley Booker: “Awake
Zion" (Roir)
First there was Robert "Bob”
Marley. Then came Ziggy and his si
blings, the Melody Makers. This man
and five of his 11 children literally
reggae fed the world for the past two
decades.
Now, yet another Marley emerges
— Cedella Marley Booker. No, she's
not one of Bob’s married daughters.
Brace yourselves...she’s his mother.
Mrs. Booker is an accomplished
musician of great acclaim in her
country, St. Ann, located in central Ja
maica.
Booker had a musical upbringing.
Her father, Omeriah, played both the
violin and the accordian. His brother
was in a local quadrille band that
played at weddings and dances.
"Tiantic" and "Jane and Louisa"
were probably the first songs her son
Bob ever heard while growing up in
the Jamaican countryside.
Cedella was heavily influenced by
gospel. As a result, practice sessions
with her son were usually trans
formed into a gospel harmony.
Perhaps the event that had the
greatest effect on her musically was
her son's death in 1981, after a
seven year bout with cancer. Most of
the lyrics on "Awake Zion" have to do
with Bob Marley's passing.
Booker and her daughter, Pearl Liv
ingston, did a lot of singing to allay
their grief and mourning. Both "Re
demption Songs" and "He Is a Ras
taman” are based on songs Cedella
sang to Bob while he was undergoing
treatment during the final stages of
his illness.
"Stay Alive” is a song composed
by Mrs. Booker on the day her son
died — at what she calls her "darkest
hour.” It contains the message that
you should never give up, no matter
how tiresome your burdens may be.
The tape continues with "Mother
Don't Cry," which is based on some
of Bob's works.
The Wailers join Cedella in "Put It
0." "Don't Trouble Me Band" is a
spirited song, dealing with Cedella's
The Red & Black PROFILE:
'T'* 8 sag
’ V S3^ V ' -VV ’■ '"v™
R) Kim Basing*, StertUry of Stile May CMtnd, W. Htrrtt Dtucn. Jr
W. Harris Dalton, Jr.
: ; . ■ •
HOME: Douglasville, CA
AGE: 61
PROFESSION: Partner in graphic design/advertising agency,
Dalton Design Services, Inc.
HOBBY: Photography
LAST BOOK READ: Crown Oklahoma • james Lehrer
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT:
Getting the last job approved and delivered on deadline.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "journalism is like proslilulion; first you do it for
fun, then you do it just for fun, then you do it just for friends and finally
you do it just for money." - BobConsidine, syndicated columnist
PERSONALITY PROFILE:
The kind of fellow who keeps after his goal, no matter how elusive
and slippery it becomes.
HIS EXPERIENCE:
The Red & Black Newspaper.
Reporter, 1955-1956.
The Red & Black was truly a stepping stone. It taught me that it
takes teamwork to put out a major product, but it also takes indi
vidual initiative, courage and know-how to bring the necessary
ingredients together."
ALBUM REVIEW
plan to fight in the upcoming battle
over her son’s contested estate.
"Awake Zion" also contains the
song "Something Is a Something."
which concerns the problems in
volved in the disposition of the es
tate. The title of the song is derived
from a Jamaican expression that
means "we'll get to the bottom of
this, even if it takes forever.”
Throughout the tape, Cedella ad
equately portrays herself as the
grieving mother left to fight for the
portion of her son's estate that
Mrs. Booker is an
accomplished musician
of great acclaim in St.
Ann
should be “rightfully hers”.
Her songs lack joy, and with the ex
ception of “He Is a Rastaman," are
filled with pain and sorrow.
Unless you are totally into depres
sing tunes, this is one album that I
suggest you skip.
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For further information on
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Don Arnold or Mike Miller at
549-0123,11AM-7PM.