The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, December 09, 1992, Page 6, Image 6
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The best and worst of the past year
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Clockwise from above: Gary Oldman was looking for love in
Brant Stoker's Dractila, Daniel Day-Lewis explored the frontier
in Last of the Mohicans, Macaulay Culkin stumbled his way
through New York in Home Alone 2, and Jack Lemmon sold
worthless real estate in Glengarry Glen Ross.
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w ? I W VV the guitar in Scarred but Smarter,
B by Chris Muldrow some of the tracks sound like semi^
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and Mystery Road. lhe band ,n slower' more fo,ks>
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album to feature Kevn Kinney's mances antl the slow songs are
scratchy, high-pitched voice in a ve[y successful.
power punch that is the group's ega^ ^un 1S 311 uni)Sl)al son8
loudest, most intense offering. This heavy on instrumental punctuations
early tape features technical, high- ot 1yrics- Powerhouse brings a
wattage guitar coupled with smart whole new meaning to the term
%ht 0amecock
Haroli
BjP The
Year in
IS <U Movies
g ^ by Lee Clontz
To a large degree, movies took a turn for the
bland in 1992 with a wealth of over-budgeted,
under-talented losers filling up the multiplexes.
Still, as with any other year, there was some
action, comedy and a little scandal thrown in tor
good measure.
Here follows the best, the worst and the most
mediocre of 1992's cinematic offerings.
The Good
Wayne's World ? Despite the hype, this
one was as good as it looked. Perhaps the only
comedy of the year that truly lived up to its
potential, even surpassing it in such points of
comic genius as the "Scooby-Doo" ending. A
truly hilarious sampling of pop culture.
Basic Instinct ? Sure it was smut, but it was
high-energy, engrossing smut. Certainly, no one
fell asleep in the theater watching this one.
Marred by a ludicrous plot and a script that at
times edged toward gratuitousness, this one still
rode high with Paul Verhoeven's tight direction
and Sharon Stone's unbelievable sexual energy.
Last of the Mohicans ? Any film that could
make James Fenimore Cooper palatable to the
general public deserves some kind of recognition.
Daniel Day-Lewis performed admirably as
Hawkeye, a ranger who falls in love with the
woman he is trying to protect. The romance was
silly and forced, but the villains were effective
and performances were good all-around.
The Player ? An overrated but enjoyable
spin on Hollywood, even though the cameos
seemed like name-dropping. The film said many
of the right things about the movie industry,
packaged as a cynical comedy.
A League of Their Own ? Sappy but enjoy
able story about an all-women's baseball league
during World War II. Tom Hanks and Madonna
were underused, but Geena Davis' heartfelt performance
was terrific as was John Lovitz' brief
appearance. The film seemed to suffer from an
identity crisis: Was it a drama or a comedy? Not
even the viewer could tell for sure.
Unforgiven ? Clint Eastwood back where he
belongs: in the saddle. Good performances from
Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman make a
strong case for more '90s westerns.
Malcolm X ? While he will probably never
make as strong a statement as Do the Right
Thing, Spike Lee gave this one his best shot and
was right on target for two out of three hours.
The film is a well-paced, well-produced account
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3ep Southern roc
i "heavy metal"; it promises to fades into I
knock you off your chair. of "Toy N
All ol the slow songs are smooth group pays
and inventive. "Catch the Wind" days with
has a medium-tempo, catchy "Malt'uncti<
acoustic sound that conjures up everyone h
brisk Sunday afternoon rides left me, I'i
i through the South Carolina upstate, my dog," v
i "Good Day Everyday" is a happy "Straight tc
ode to the rain. "Check Your Tears Mystery
i at the Door" is the most touching come wil
, of the slow selections. Its speaker "Peacemak
I is a dead young man telling his help. "Witi
friends to "check their tears at the sage for th
door...and get on with their lives." "A leader
The group's masterpiece is then fall tx
Mystery Road. Where one album people."
was a little too heavy and another Drivin-a
went a little soft, this one features a Southern r
, perfect blend of songs. great mix <
[ "Ain't it Strange" has a boppy just waitin
t country and western sound that wail out an
ina!
of Malcolm X's life without the Perot-esque .
paranoia which clouded Oliver Stone's JFK.
Dracula ? Warts and all, Francis Ford
Coppola created a tremendous spectacle which
served as a powerful response to previous
Dracula offerings. Gary Oldman and Winona
Ryder were splendid as the Count and his resurrected
lover. Anthony Hopkins was underused
as Van Helsing, and even Keanu Reeves was
passable as Johnathan Harker. A worthy effort,
with striking visuals to boot.
Sneakers ? Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier
and Dan Ackroyd helped make this Wargamesish
story about a team of high-tech burglars
work. Sure, the premise is dumb, but for pure
adventure fun, it was hard to top this year.
The Bad
The Bodyguard ? Who died and made
Whitney Houston an actress? Apparently Kevin
Costner, who played the title role like he had
never read the lines before. Long enough to
make Malcolm X seem like a music video, this
attempt at melding action-adventure and
romance succeeded at neither. The racial difference
between Costner and Houston was handled
very well. It was simply never mentioned.
Cool World ? Quite possibly the worst
movie of the year, this debacle had horrible writing,
bland acting, Crayola-esque art and quite
possibly the worst animation ever produced.
Boomerang ? Despite a few amusing
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this one was simply an exercise in misogyny.
Raising Cain ? Somehow, casting John
Lithgow as a homocidal maniac was just a bad
idea on the part of Brian De Palma. This poor
excuse for a horror movie was just on overwritten,
pointless piece of babble.
Leprechaun ? If you saw this thing free at
the Russell House, shame on you; you will want
those two hours back when you are on your
deathbed. A film which made Cool World positively
brilliant by comparison, this one really
made you hope that Star Wars IV will come out
soon so midget actor Warwick Davis can get his
Ewok job back. One of the worst films ever
made.
Passenger 57 ? Hopes were high for this
Die Hard wanna-be, but Wesley Snipes was
unable to save this dud. Beginning as a hijacking
movie, it ends up taking place in a fairground
? located oddly enough at the end of a
runway ? with Snipes being chased by podunk
policemen and...forget it.
Far and Away ? An overlong, overplayed
drama with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
wasting time in Ireland and America. As a
romance, Far and Away was a great comedy.
Prelude to a Kiss ? Another horrible
romance with Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin starring
in a film about people exchanging bodies
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las heard the "my wife Portfolio. Out Loud
n drunk and I just shot f?r ^ec- bas been
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> Hell." joint with the distribut
Rood's real high points magazines, and the wini
th two slow songs. been delayed," Portf
er" is a plaintive cry for juiie Frick said.
1 the People" has a mes- Portfolio: Out Loud
?se who would lead us: forum for students to
must start the march, original work,
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other hit.
Wednesday, December 9, 1992
with grotesque old men. Decent acting but a
lame story and a horrid ending.
The Babe ? John Goodman looked the part,
but this story of Babe Ruth's turbulent life was
marred by a basic silliness that robbed it of any
power.
Singles ? A bunch of whiny twentysomethings
complaining about how hard it is to be in
love nowadays. The soundtrack was great, but
the movie itself seemed hollow and sillv.
Complain about world peace, complain about
homelessness, but shut up about your failed
relationships.
The Rest
Under Siege ? A decent action flick starring
Steven Seagal with surprisingly effective military
footage. This is Seagal's best movie, which
is like saying drowning is the best way to die.
Glengarry Glen Ross ? The only thing
more confusing than the title was the movie
itself. The dialogue was excellent and the acting
was top-notch, but, for some reason, the actual
movie was not that good. David Mamet's
Pulitzer Prize-winning play feels like just that: a
play. Unfortunately, it was supposed to be a
movie.
Lethal Weapon 3 ? Supposedly, Danny
Glover was supposed to retire in this redundant
sequel. He should have. While the action had a
few prime moments, it was nothing new.
Batman Returns ? This one felt less like a
sequel to Batman than an attempt at a remake.
Sorry, but Tim Burton and Co. did better the
first time. Michael Keaton was underused, and
the movie was disappointing. Still, it had some
worthwhile moments, and was better than much
of the summer crop.
Sister Act ? Better than expected, the summer's
surprise hit was still only mediocre.
Whoopi Goldberg once again cashed in on her
dubiously-obtained reputation as a murder witness
relocated in a convent. Silly, but with
enough moments to make it worth a viewing.
Home Alone 2 ? John Hughes, Macaulay
Culkin and director Chris Columbus remake the
first movie, with many of the same jokes, stunts
and lines. The movie is funny in places as
Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci get beaten up, but a
surprise or two would have been nice...like the
two crooks catching the little brat and shooting
him between the eyes.
Well, for better or worse, that was 1992 at the
movies.
Much of the time, nothing seemed worth seeing.
Other times, like right now, with the imminent
releases of A Few Good Men, Hoffa and
Toys, there seems to be not enough time or
money to see everything.
Regardless, rumors are circulating about the
possibility of a Die Hard 3, so things cannot be
all bad now, can they?
> hosts can curb
at holiday parties
for the wise consumption of alco
Always serve food with alcohol.
gjiP High protein and carbohydrate
foods such as cheese and meat take
I longer to digest and slow alcohol
absorption in the body,
ind exams Do not mix alcohol with carbonis
is placed ated drinks. The body absorbs alcono
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lieve stress ation.
ays. Often, BDo not hurry to refill a guest's
ide copious alcoholic drink. They may want to
iting intoxi- take it easy, or you could suggest
linking and another nonalcoholic drink instead.
Stop serving alcohol at least two
party, you hours before the party is over,
e host and At all costs, it is your duty as a
: drinks as host to prevent intoxicated persons
rages. It is from driving. Find the person
ive of those another ride, or call a taxi,
to drink so If the person insists on driving,
ble at your take away the car keys. Perhaps it
le for all of would be better to let the person
sleep at your place than to allow
ditions are them to drive. If an intoxicated pering
because son is asleep, make sure the person
ortable and is not lying on his back because he
eir tension, could suffocate by vomiting while
ve dancing, sleeping.
played too Of course, the best way to avoid
nC r?nf mn. a bad hangover or tragedy is not to
ink to pass drink at all. A party can be just as
fun without alcohol. Consider have
alcohol at ing kegs of root beer, 'round-thehat
you, as world banana split parties or
responsible rib/wing-eating contests instead.
Out Loud' postponed
,S Frick also said anyone wishing
to participate in the forum can call
, scheduled the Portfolio office and schedule an
postponed appointment so they can be guaraneadings
are teed a reading time,
ion of new The ^ast Out Loud was held
fpr kc.ip hn? 0ct- 29> and there was a S??d
TuTZiZ turnout- Frick said 10 to 12 people
olio editor . . , , t , ?
were scheduled to read, and many
others read at the forum's "open
is a literary floor ?
' rea<t ttie'r "Anyone can come read or listen,"
Frick said. "It's more fun to
>f Out Loud |!ear something they've written
ivity," Frick instead of reading it in a magaicipate.
You zine."
ished in the Appointments can be made by
calling Portfolio at 777-5793.