The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, December 04, 1991, Page 5, Image 5
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Addams
By JAMIE WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
Three years ago, when I first
A fLnf Tits* A r? T? /ItMI /m UfOC
BLOOD.
1.1 think I have
lumbago.
2. I'm type Z
negative.
3. I'm on the
grapefruit diet.
4.1 gave six
months ago.
5.1 just got back
from Monaco.
6. The lines are
thirteen blocks
long.
7. My mother won't
let me.
8.1 didn't sign up.
9. I'm going out
of town.
I 10.Asthma runs in
j my family.
' 11.1 forgot to eat
this morning.
12. I'm allergic to
flowering
magnolia.
Each one's a doozy,
but we're hoping you
won't use any of them.
Give blood through the
American Red Cross.
Please, don't chicken out.
EXCUSES DONT SAVE LIVES.
BLOOD DOES, p
American
Red Cross K
WISH
YOUR
ROOMMATE
A
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY!
TELL
YOUR
BEST
FRIEND
YOU
MISSED
HER
OVER
THE
SUMMER!
HOW?
THE
GAMECOCK'S
PERSONALS
COME BY
RUSSELL HOUSE
ROOM 323
OR
CALL 7-4249
AND
CHARGE IT
TO YOUR
VISA or MCARD.
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going to be brought to the big
screen, I moaned. "How could they
desecrate a classic TV show?"
But when I later heard that Raul
Julia and Angelica Huston were
cast as Gomez and Morticia, that
somewhat swayed my mind:
they're both duly capable of convincingly
playing the gothic leaders
of their sinister brood.
Then when tall, lanky Christopher
Lloyd was chosen to play
short, fat Uncle Fester, I nearly
had a coronary: Reverend Jim
from 'Taxi" as everyone's favorite
monk-like nut-case? Oh, well,
there goes a flop.
Surprise, surprise. Not only is
The Addams Family unexpectedly
good, but it also lives up to the
hype that has been building since
teasers of the movie began show
ing in theaters in mid-September.
After the delightfully wicked
opening of the family pouring a
vat of boiling tar onto a group of
carolers, we learn that Fester has
been missing,and presumed dead
for the last 25 years, and that his
TWEIVE I
IMPECCABLE
EXCUSES
FOR NOT GIVING
ky family goes big
; Family
family holds a seance once a year
in hopes of bringing him back. It
just so happens that Fester does
come back this year (from the Bermuda
Triangle, no less), but is it
11-. u: o
icany 111111:
As Gomez, the incredibly rich
son of a witch, Raul Julia is playfully
swashbuckling, approaching
everything as one big game. He
greets his lawyer by flinging a
sword at his head and missing by
only inches. And, true to the TV
show, he becomes aroused when
he hears his wife speak French.
Angelica Huston plays Morticia,
the sexy macabre matriarch of the
Addamses. With palid skin and
raven-like hair, Huston is simply
regal. At one point when she is being
tortured on the rack, she moans
in thorough delight. In the scenes
she has with Gomez, the electricity
between the two actors is so profound
that you can tell that they
are truly, deeply in love and passionate
about each other. Huston
should receive an Oscar nomination
for Morticia.
Contrary to my expectations,
Christopher Lloyd is surprisingly
good as Fester, mugging the camera
and stealing every scene in
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exclusive
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lives up
which he appears. Lloyd's character
is introduced as a thug for a
loan shark who later poses as Fester
to gain access to the Addams'
fortune. While initially calling the
family "demented freaks", his
heart begins to soften and he
grows to love them, and Lloyd
convincingly shows the emotional
change.
The most remarkable performance,
however, is by Christina
Ricci as Wednesday. Ricci never
cracks the first smile, but you
know she is happy, especially
when she is torturing Pugsley.
In one scene, Wednesday invites
Pugsley into an electric chair to
play a new game. As he is being
strapped in, he asks what the game
is called. Ricci cocks her left eyebrow
and drolly states, "The game
is called 'Is there a God?'" Ricci is
very focused and sensual for an
11-year-old. Huston should be
nominated for Best Actress, but
Ricci should win Best Supporting
Actress.
The usual gang from the series
shows up, of course. That ol' hairball
Cousin It makes his entrance
in the last 30 minutes. Maid/
chauffer Lurch is little more than a
tudent Newspaper
mi recycled paper, a
our paper to the nearnation.
USC's Drop-off
)ster on Sumter Street
V
How
helps yoi
I
ne a Student Cardmem
roundtrips on Contine
ily $129 or $189 each.
American Express? Card offers an exc
ly for students?including three roun
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to hype'
lumbering backdrop. Liberated
from his box, Thing, the hand,
scurries about the Addams' dilapidated
mansion, thanks to some
stunning special effects.
There are some problems with
the movie, though. The plot is
pedestrian and hardly original: a
morally corrupt lawyer discovers a
way to get his hands on a fortune
and elicits the help of equally corrupt
people.
The conclusion is also confusing.
I never really understood
whether Fester really was Fester,
even after seeing the movie twice.
But wonderful performances and
superb direction from director
Barry Sonnenfeld pull the film up
from its mediocre storyline.
The Addams Family is a dizzying
tidal wave of black humor, left
wide-open at the end for a sequel.
Wonderful performances, beautiful
sets and sinister music, along with
the novelty of it, make this film
one definitely not to miss.
Now if they'd only bring "Green
Acres" to the silver screen.
Grade: B.
< ?
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Sophomore Marilee Griswold and
olina Alive show choir sing Christr
USC sh<
to spreac
From Staff ReDorts
Carolina Alive, USC's show
choir, will be ringing in the holiday
season with a special mix of
festive events over the next few
days.
On December 5 at 4 p.m., Trolley
Tours of Columbia will shuttle
the choir to the Finlay House, a retirement
center in Five Points,
where the group will carol through
the halls. Afterward, they will
travel to the Carolina Children's
Home for a performance at a dinner
program.
"We wanted to nerform for the
retirement and children's homes
because both places seem .to appreciate
the Christmas cheer they
might not otherwise experience,"
said Pi nt Steve Thompson.
"It's an area where we get the
greatest satisfaction."
During the ride from one stop to
the next, Carolina Alive will carol
from the trolley's public announcement
system throughout Columbia.
Carolina Alive performs at dif
Express
>re territc
>ney
he maximum stay is 7 days/6 nights
light.
coming a Student Cardmember, you
m the American Express? Student F
:o 30 minutes** of MCI long-distance
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ut your certificates will be arriving soon.
assumes no liability for Conf^equi Airlines performance. &
-? MRV^w
Greg Rickabaugh/The Gamecock
senior Kyle Collins of USC's Carnas
carols.
3w choir
I 1
I cheer
ferent community events throughout
the Southeast, but Thompson
said this is the first year a program
of this kind has been done. He
added that they hope to get-the
"biggest smiles on everyone's
faces" with this new performance.
On December 8 at 4 p.m., the
annual Christmas Music Festival
will be held at the Coliseum, featuring
Carolina Alive, the USC
Concert Choir, the Carolina Band,
the Left Bank Jazz Band, as well
as other music groups. Admission
is free.
Also on December 8 at 6 p.m.,
Carolina Alive will be participating
in the University Tree Lighting
on the Horseshoe.
Carolina Alive is currently accepting
auditions for the spring
semester by appointment only. Students
can earn one hour credit by
performing with the choir. For
more information or to set up an
appointment, contact Dr. Richard
Conant at 777-3125. If you love to
perform, travel and have lots of
fun, Carolina Alive is the place for
you.
>ry
and must include
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1991 America -5