The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 28, 1991, Page 3, Image 3
Films depict
:;"From thelll
Video Vault
By BRIAN SHELTON
.Qtaff Writer
The Video Vault is a column devoted
to movies on videocasette. It
basically involves a handsome and
available reviewer who reviews all
kinds of movies from dramas to
comedies. My ultimate goal is to
direct you to what's worth renting
(or buying) on the shelves and to
steer you as far away as possible
from die nuclear bombs.
Talking about bombs, the Soviet
Union's latest coup comes to
mind. Soviet President Gorbachev
has about as much control of the
USSR as I do over my love life
and filling his void in power is
Democratic President Boris Yeltsin.
With, the efforts of Yeltsin, the
one "red devil" will likely become
a Democratic ally.
Even though the complexities of
the political world might change,
the thought of Communism nurtures
a certain kind of nostalgia. In
a way its like Darth Vader or
snmpthina mavhp. that's whv I sort
of wish the USSR wouldn't
change. But, change is a part of
life, so I should probably just accept
it and get on with this Video
Vault which is about what else, but
movies with Russians in them.
"Red Dawn"(1984): Before he
was dirty dancing, surfing and
coming back to life, Patrick
Swayze played a leader of teen
commandos formed to repel Soviet
commies from our own soil. Those
commies, deciding to forego nuclear
war, parachute into the United
States and turn the teen's town
into another Moscow. No one can
stop them except these whining
pubescents but throughout the movie,
I was wondering where the
National Guard was. Don't they
get paid to prevent stuff like this?
(C).
"Red Heat"(1988): Arnold
Schwarzeneggar, who this summer
played a kinder, gentler and totally
wussy Terminator, plays Ivan
Danko, a lockjawed Russian cop
who must enlist the aid of the nontalented
Belushi brother (James) in
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By the end, the two will be pals,
but the movie somewhat overcomes
its predictability by using
some humorous culture-clashes.
Schwarzeneggar has never heard
of Dirty Harry and Belushi thinks
Schwarzenegger looks like
"Gumby," but they overcome their
differences and realize their similarities.
For instance, neither one
can act worth a flap-doodle . . .
(B-)
"The Hunt for Red
October"(1989): I'm sensing a
color-scheme here. Is "red" in the
title of every movie related to the
Soviet Union? Actually, this is the
title of a book which the movie is
based on and, for my money, it's
one of the best of the genre. Alec
Baldwin plays a government intel
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whether a renegade Soviet submarine
captain (Sean Connery) is defecting
or not. The movie is full of
action and suspense as both the
Russians and Americans play "sink '
the sub" with Connery's boat and
the acting is top-notch. (A)
"Spies Like Us"(1985): An rT
underrated comedy starring Chevy I
Chase and Dan Ackroyd as spies. JL
Actually, they're just decoys sent
to detract attention away from the
two real spies. Chase and Ack- By ]
royd's misadventures are funny Staf
and while the movie drags at D
times, it always gets back its Dep
momentum. There are also tons of Dan
cameos, including one by Bob slag,
Hope, "I'm 108 and still doing
three specials a year." (B+) will
'The Experts"(1989): Did any- 5udj
body else see this movie besides Tho
me? If you haven't, you didn't Dep
miss much. John Travolta and Dan
Arye Gross play hip entrepreneurs "]
who are offered a nightclub by a exci
guy who happens to be a Soviet got
agent. In the movie, Travolta and fessi
Gross find themselves in a small had
town that looks like Nebraska but T
is really a KGB training site in mail
Moscow. Isn't that hilarious? The
What's more hilarious is the
townspeople act like they're in the
'50s. In short, you're lucky if you
find more than one laugh in this,
and truthfully, I'm surprised this
movie didn't end glasnost. (D-)
Well, that's the "Video Vault."
Be sure to tune in next time when
I'll probably discuss some other
notorious topic.
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respite budget cuts, the USC Jea
artment of Theatre, Speech and the
ce plans to present nine main
e performances this year. anl
We're in a real crisis right now
i our budget. Cuts in our bel
get have really hurt us," said Co
rn Compton, chairman of the 1
artment of Theatre, Speech and ch;
ce. Tir
But for all the difficulties, I'm sta
ted about this season. We've
the most talented group of pro- tab
ors, actors and designers we've be
in a long time," he said. av;
he theater department's next Lo
n stage performance will be 1
Lark, which will be at Drayton mu
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ak in the Russell House Gamei
i preset
11 Sept. 26 ? Oct. 6.
r/ie Larfc by French playwright
in Anouilh is an examination of
! life of Joan of Ark.
'This play is particularly relev1
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lich its hard to tell the difference
ween right and wrong choices,"
mpton said.
[n October, graduate student Riard
Gilman will direct Hard
nes at Longstreet Theatre. This
ging of Charles Dickens' novel
!1 feature undergraduate student
rnt. Auditions for this play will
Sept. 3?8. Scripts will be
ailable Thursday, Aug. 29 at
ngstreet Theatre.
Hard Times shows a boy who
ist mature after a terrible educa
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tion. "It's a wonderful satire and a
real indictment of education. It's
about how people are able to grow
through their childhood," Compton
said.
In November, Professor Jim Patterson
will direct Bernard Shaw's
Misalliance. This play is a comedy,
a social satire, Compton said.
The USC Dance Company will
present a concert in Longstreet
Theatre in December. The company
plans to have another concert
in April 1992.
Other plays tentatively scheduled
for the spring semester include
Romeo and Juliet, The
Frogs, The Diviners and Reckless.
Compton emphasized that the
theater department will be busy
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Keith Johnson/The Gamecock
I
f plays
with many performances that are
not mainstage. "A tremendous
amount of theater goes on around
here all the time," he said.
In particular, the improvisational
group We're Not Your Mother^
Players has attracted a loyal fo!
lowing in the Columbia area sine
it formed in the spring. Th? grou
usually performs late /flights ;
Trustus and the 50-s^at Bensc
Laboratory Theater ^near Batt
House.
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gime will be doing a productic
this fall, but the date and nature ?
this performance has not bet
settled.
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anal tedium so they can
nteract on a higher level''
j V. Stiff, a professor of math
at North Carolina State
< out the HP calculator line
ege bookstore or HP retailer.
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//
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