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6 • The Red and Black • Wednesday, November 7, 1990
A&E
“Roxy” is fresh and quirky
■ BEST BET
Shake your body down to the Georgia Theatre tonight for a night
of entertainment that will get your heart thumping. Local legend
Pylon will rock it up right with a show like no other. The show is
at 10 p.m. and tickets are $6. Be there or be square.
By NOEL MURRAY
Entertainment Writer
For all the complaining that
movie critics do about films that
don’t fully explore the depth of
their characters, sometimes it’s
nice to see a movie that merely
suggests that depth.
The inhabitants of Clyde, Ohio
in the new movie ‘'Welcome Home,
Roxy Carmichael” exist on the
fringe of the story, but the care put
into crafting their personalities
keeps the movie afloat.
The town is preparing for the re
turn of its most famous former res
ident, Roxy Carmichael, who left
town fifteen years earlier to seek
her fortune. She left behind a hus
band (Jeff Daniels), a lesbian lover
(Dinah ManofT), a premature baby
(identity unknown, but believed to
be Winona Ryder) and a thicket of
speculation about her wherabouts
and ambiguous sexuality.
The film tells the story of Clyde’s
Roxy Carmichael Week, and the
desire of the town misfit (Ryder) to
be reunited with her supposed
Mom.
Ryder plays Dinky Bossetti, a
fifteen-year-old caught in the out
cast’s contradiction of wanting to
be herself while wanting to be ac
cepted.
Winona Ryder is as charming as
always in her role as Dinky. She
manages to make her pain seem
very real and exudes a toughness
that few actresses can touch.
Ryder’s spirit is the driving force
of the movie.
Jeff Daniels is great as the man
who thought he could forget Roxy,
but finds her always dancing in the
peripheral.
In one of the more poignant
scenes, his new wife leaves him be-
Funny Business
is
Risky Business...
but
*|4*
iVtljA Touring
r|rM Company
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is funny like nobody's
business
University Union Variety Division fi
presents the Second City Touring *
n/wersity-j Company Mon., Nov. 12th @ 8:00pm (/Av/N
J in Georgia Hall at the Tate Center.
Admission is $3 for students, $5 genet- ^
al. For more into call
54-UNION
Win 2 FREE MOVIE PASSES! Watch for MO
VIE MADNESS every week, only in THE RED &
BLACK. Just match up the theatres with the mo
vie titles, clip your cot , jted entry, and turn it in
for the drawing. Only entries received by 5 p.m.
today will be eligible. A drawing will be held of
correct entries, and winners' names will appear
in tomorrow's paper! GOOD LUCK!
Free movie passes courtesy of your local theatres
All entries due by 5 p.m today at The Red & Black, 123 N. Jackson St.
All pnzes must be claimed by 5 p.m. tomorrow
cause he cannot let Roxy go. The
moment passes by quickly, but it
takes hold.
One of the strengths of the script
is its vagueness on just what it is
that makes Roxy Carmichael so
great.
Daniels explains that she had a
song written about her, but that
fact alone doesn’t seem to justify
the hoopla.
Basically, she has the spirit of
celebrity that has let everyone
from Charo to Charles Nelson
Reilly stand a while in the spot
light. By deemphasizing Roxy, the
film is free to explore Clyde.
And it is the look of Clyde, and
the interrelation of those afore
mentioned townspeople, that adds
warmth to what could’ve been a
routine teenflick.
In many ways, “Welcome Home,
Roxy Carmichael” still is a routine
teenflick, with the goofy romances,
stupid authority figures and caring
mentors that define the genre.
Again though, writer Karen Leigh
Hopkins has taken the time to
flesh out these archetypes -- not a
lot, but enough.
The one major fault of the movie
is that despite the depth of the
script, it lacks that certain pebble
... the one that should be tossed
into the well to make it resonate.
This is a serious problem. It’s what
keeps “Welcome Home, Roxy Car
michael” from really excelling.
Still and all, some films tread
that line and make it through onto
the positive side, and this is one of
them.
“Welcome Home, Roxy Carmi
chael” is fresh, quirky and fun.
George Clinton, the master of
funk, once said, “Free your ass and
your mind will follow.”The group
Was (Not Was) wants to occupy
both your booty and your mind
with their newest release "Are You
Okay?”.
The band’s co-leader Don Was is
currently the hottest producer in
the music business. He was behind
the boards for half of the B-52s’
“Cosmic Thing” and Bonnie Raitt’s
Grammy-winnning “Nick of Time.”
His specialty is dance-your-behind-
off rhythms and funky musical ar
rangements.
Chrysalis’ desire for a hit record
from Was (Not Was) is obvious
from the overall commercial sound
of the record. Past releases were
funky but off center, but most of
the cuts on “Are You Okay?” will
probably get Top 40 airplay.
Nowhere is this desire clearer
than on the second cut on the
album, a cover of The Temptations’
“Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” Most
avant garde acts can’t enter the big
time of commercial radio these
days unless they do a cover of a
song you have heard millions of
times.
To make matters worse, they
added the prerequisite rap in the
middle. Admittedly, the rap is
good, but unnecessary.
But, just because the music
sounds like it could be heard on
Power 99, don’t think lyricist
David Was has lost any of his bite.
David Was, and Don Was: Members of Was (Not Was).
His savage sarcasm is still evident
on the cuts “I Feel Better Than
James Brown” and “You! You!
You!” The strongest, combination of
lyrics and music appears in side
two’s “I Blew Up the United
States” and “In K Mart Ward
robes.”
The Was’ penchant for offbeat
singers manifests itself in two
songs on this release. “Elvis’ Rolls
Royce” features the slow-bum
growl of Leonard Cohen and “You!
You! You!” is a duet between David
Was and former member of the
Golden Palominos, Syd Straw.
The album’s strong combination
of dance-happy grooves and sharp-
edged lyrics make me recommend
this album, especially to those who
love to shake their monevmakers
and think at the same time.
JjUM
TO THE FLORIDA - GEORGIA GAME
J1A Shuttle Buses from Downtown to Gator Bowl Continuous service from free parking lots.
Only $200 round top. EXACT FARE ONLY! Shuttle wall return to parking lots regularly.
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Shopping Center Pam N Rule Puses leave at smv. ' etl t mes and ren/-' to lots ONI
Roundtnp late is $ • < EXACT FARC ONLY lor
jhVENETIA SHOPPING CENTER (Roosevelt Blvd on the Westside)
-'Buses load in the parking lot across Irom Winn Dixie and leave al 11.00 A M
LAKEWOOD SHOPPING CENTER 1 on the Southside)
Buses load in the parkmq lot between Walgreens and the baseball park and leave at
•TOO AM
/^GATEWAY SHOPPING CENTER (Norwood Avenue on the Northside)
Buses load m the parking lot across from Ames and leave a! 11 00 A M
© ARLINGTON EXPRESSWAY MALL (Express Service Road in Arlington)
Buses load in the parking lot across trom Publix and leave at M.00 A M
Ncwnan &. Coastline
Liberty & Coastline
Bay & Julia
Hogan St. at Jax Landing L|
Round hip larc is *5 OO EXACT I ARE ONLY lor:
fc) BEACH PLAZA (Beach Blvd at the Reaches)
\£/ Buses load in the parking lot across Irom Winn Dixie at
and leave at 10 30 AM
SOUTH BEACH REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTER IAIASJ
l\U p • «■ n. .Ha. ni. — • is.* n*«-i.*-t
) Turner Butler Blvd. at the Beaches)
Buses load m the middle of the parking lot arid loavi
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Park at Skyway lots-Then Skyway to the Landing (Only 25* each way).
Party awhile and then take the Shuttle to the game.
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FREE Parking Lots
S Skyway Parking Lots*
0 Behind City Hall —
H Behind Courthouse
■ Behind Jail
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KICK-OFF AT 12:40
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For More Information Call: (904) 630-3 100
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