Newspaper Page Text
4B
t-THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1991
'Nothing but Trouble' scores nothing but
a four from movie critic Jackie Cooper
"Nothing But Trouble"
(Warner Brothers)
By JACKIE K. COOPER
HHJ Entertainment Critic
Dan Aykroyd wrote the screen
play for his new film "Nothing But
Trouble." He also directed and stars
in the film, so most of the blame
for its shortcomings as well as a
large amount of the credit for its
success must go to him. Sadly au
diences will be counting up more
blame than success for the movie.
There is a lot wrong with the
movie. It is silly in the extreme.
Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John
Candy and Aykroyd mug and hoot
and holler with glee. The more
manic they can be the happier they
appear. And Aykroyd's screenplay
gives them a chance to go way off
ihc deep end.
In the movie Chris Thorne
(Chase), Diane Lightston (Moore)
and two friends are on a drive to
Atlantic City. They decide to take a
ride through the countryside so they
get off the main highway and head
on to the backwoods' roads.
This results in their being picked
up by a highway patrolman (John
Candy) and taken to the city of
Valkenvania for prosecution of their
Tom Cruise movie 'Days of Thunder'
gets washed out with only a six rating
'Days of Thunder"
(Paramount)
By JACKIE K. COOPER
HHJ Entertainment Critic
Tom Cruise cruises like thunder
ihrough "Days of Thunder" and his
matinee idol good looks cause
hearts to swoon by the numbers.
And that will have to be enough to
sell this video to the girls cause
this is not "Rain Man" folks. For
the guys the racing scenes should
suffice for this is macho time at the
speedway.
The main problem is the film
should have just been called "Top
Car" and not tried to hide its blatant
roots in "Top Gun”. It isn't even
"Top Gun 2" but rather "Top Gun"
too. Everything that worked for
"Top Gun" has been brought back
one more time for this twin.
Tom Cruise gets writing credit
with Robert Towne for the story
line and well he should. He didn't
just write this story, he lived it in
the other movie. Every swaggering
step of the way.
Try this on for coincidences. A
young maverick wants to operate a
machine with ultimate speed. He is
great at it, a natural. Everyone is
overwhelmed by his charm and dar
ing. Then there is an accident and a
friend of his suffers for it. This robs
macho man of his steel will and
makes him afraid to operate the
machine again.
BUT a set of circumstances
makes it imperative that he perform
ONE CARAT T.W. DIAMOND
Tennis Bracelets
OH Your Choice
Financing Off
Available Mg '‘WT] /c Dll
— WiMl 1-6 CT T.W.
Available All Styles
Gifts Available in Patterns for:
Laurie Carpenter & Steve Aydelott 3/2/91
Cindy Florig & Raye Jones 3/9/91
Janet Arrington & Henry Bush 3/23/91
Janell Icard & Ira Hughes 3/30/91
Susan Luckie & Bill Youngblood 4/6/91
Elaine Kimball & David Hansard 4/20/91
Alice Armitage & Mark Fendley 4/20/91
Tammi Shay Lavender & Keith Edwin Thompson....4/20/91
Overton Jezoeters
905 Carroll Street • Perry, GA 31069 • 987-1392
/ N
Entertainment
S ,
traffic violations. The man in
charge there is an ancient judge
named Alvin Valkenheiser
( Aykroyd) who is just as likely to
put them to death as charge them a
line.
What saves their lives is the ro
mantic attraction Valkenheiser's
granddaughter Eldona (Candy again)
feels for Thorne. She wants him for
her own, and she is a big woman
who usually gets what she wants.
The movie has some really mean
spirited moments as the judge has
people fed into a machine that kills
them and then separates their bones
from their flesh. That didn't strike
me as entirely comical. Then there
are a pair of retarded overgrown
infants who seem to be the result of
a history of incestuous re
lationships.
Still even with these negative el
ements on view, you have to give
the movie credit for being inven
tive. This is not a comedy like any
other you have seen or are likely to
see in the future. The closest rela
tion it has in film history is "The
Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Chase can make comic gold out
of the most leaden lines. And with
his rubbery face to mug away with,
his heroic deeds once more for his
friend. Those deeds chase away his
fear in a climactic scene that gets
the old adrenaline pumping.
ADD a professional woman as
the love interest. She is at first put
off by the brashness of the young
man but soon learns to love his
manly ways. They share a brief
liaison and a ride on his bike. Then
he is back to his speed trip with her
cheering from the sidelines.
That synopsis could be "Top
Gun" or "Days of Thunder". And
everything described there happens
in both movies. Check out the
video and sec.
Still the point is who cares?
There are more closcups of Cruise
and his crinkly grin in this movie
than in "Top Gun". His entrance
into the film is like homage to the
king of the screen that he is. And
when Cruise turns on the charm,
well it stays turned on. Women
will grow weak.
For the men who don't like
Cruise there is the thrill of the
stock car racing sequences.
NASCAR will get as many con
veris to this sport as the Navy got
pilot applicants from "Top Gun".
You don't just watch the races in
this movie, you experience them.
Cruise is fine as Cole Trickle,
race car driver of the first order.
Nicole Kidman (the new MRS.
Tom Cruise) is acceptable as his
love interest. Her love scenes with
Cruise arc a little unique as she
slings him around a good bit.
he pulls laughs oul of every situa
tion. The same is true for Candy.
Especially when he is playing the
love starved Eldona, he gets to
simper and purr in love starved hi
larity.
Even Demi Moore has fun with
her role of the efficient lawyer who
has wandered into wonderland. This
isn't the Demi we knew and loved
in "Ghost;" this is Demi with a
nutty twist to her personality.
The movie is rated PG-13 for
profanity and implied violence.
Your enjoyment of this movie
will depend totally on how wild
you like your comedy. In this one
Aykroyd looks for the comic in
subjects ranging from incest to
murder to senility. Some of it hits
a funny target and some doesn't but
you can tell there is a real effort
being made to entertain.
"Nothing But Trouble" is any
thing but ordinary. In parts it is
just awful while in others it is aw
fully good. Don't try to analyze it,
rather just sit back in your seat and
go with the flow. That way you
will find some unexpected fun in an
out of the ordinary movie,
I scored "Nothing But Trouble" a
trouble free 4 out of 10.
The best acting in the film is de
livered by Robert Duvall as
Cruise's pit boss and car maker. At
least that is what I think he was. It
is hard to follow what is happening
m ibis film if you are not a fol
lower of stock car racing. These
guys talk a different language and in
some instances just growl at each
other.
The movie is rated PG-13 for
profanity and race track violence.
"Days of Thunder" should draw
thundering herds of video renters.
All they will want is Tom, the
cars, and the excitement. But after
"Rain Man" you would think
Cruise's integrity would demand a
novel movie rather than a rip-off of
what he has already done. In this
case it is more than similarity, it is
sameness.
1 scored "Days of Thunder" a
flashy 6 out of 10.
Catch up on the
latest movies and
see what Jackie
Cooper thinks
i
If you suffer from sinus headaches, chronic sinus The R
infections, allergies, or polyps, you should know Rpct IQ
about sinus endoscopy: a new surgical procedure „ VJfll v 10
to restore more normal sinus function. It involves Q§o |jQ HOITKI i
| less surgery than previous procedures, is much more |3
comfortable, and usually allows you to go home E ll H
within 24 hours. Houston Medical Center continues E 9 H
its commitment to medical advancements-which Houston Medical Center E
| means you can breathe a sigh of relief. mi mtson Boulevard. warm Robins. 912-922-4281 E
»™ llM, ‘* || " ,|l| " lM||l||||lM||M|||l,|,| * ——■—
EHran iraftg
H| 8| ’A W a % 'A ill
8 1 B Ignssßl’ I H HHHI mm. | S«|JP fi H H F ZSLJSBm SLJyHP ls -SL«I mkMßim h I mm. \ W WJIBRIE*
f i ■ E EBB BE I BE ■BrjH m Wmß, E » SB 11 Han & wi
I 1 H fl H HHB 8| J 8H fflSgtry «H 8 » an §ll | eRH m&m »E | g, mSwi eHBB| SB | E m ¥& ISBaamilmM*
f •»■,-'■ f ' M' *** ''v :dS -
-4'" ' 1 v®? ; f' * C--: 4gv. y
-•* ■; r . *,' v ,* -Jt „ #i ■
{, -.-J V .-.>V<.. " •?< ■ a.*' , ■ |H|SSEft » *»• r t r 'J. 1 .« , *
a. jJ I j ' w
■
"The Learning Link" /r
| PERRY CENTER I
MERCER
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
SPRING SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
COURSE COURSE DESCRIPTION EVENING
BUSN 361 PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING MONDAY
BUSN 498 BUSINESS STRATEGY & POLICY MONDAY
COMM 171 PUBLIC SPEAKING TUESDAY
MATH 132 COLLEGE ALGEBRA TUESDAY
BUSN 335 INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY WEDNESDAY
PSYC 335 INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY WEDNESDAY
SPAN 111 SPANISH I WEDNESDAY
CSCI 110 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER USAGE THURSDAY
MUSCISI MUSIC APPRECIATION THURSDAY
PSYC 101 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY THURSDAY
ENVSIOI ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE I SATURDAY
PSYC 230 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY SATURDAY
SOCI 230 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY SATURDAY
SSSM 110 COLLEGE STUDY SKILLS SATURDAY
REGISTRATION MARCH 25, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
CLASSES BEGIN MARCH 26
Admission Is simple. Esenina and I Bachelor s Degrees In
SAT hot required lor weekend classes lor Business. Human
adults. busy, working adult Service, Communication
students. [ and Criminal Justice.
CALL NOW FOR A INFORMATION
987-1580 or isß 1-800-548-7115
L — W 'I
1