The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 02, 1993, encore, Image 5
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ty of fine desserts. The Five Points
Gibson is
Every actor _
in Hollywood
seems to have a
story to RWPNMJH
Mel Gibson
is the latest
popular actor |)J jjltf l|||,*||
who has gradustatus.
His >111110
Face," is simul.
taneously a fairly complex character
study and a stupifyingly pre
dictable exercise in filmmaking.
Gibson plays the title character,
' Justin McCleod, a former teacher
who was severely burned in a car
. accident. He lives alone in a big
house by the sea where he paints,
) writes and keeps to himself.
Newcomer Nick Stahl plays
' Chuck, a boy with a short attention
span, learning disablities and an
all-too-unsympathetic family. He
desperately wants to escape and go
to a military school far away from
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hB <i . A
BA| v r -
Eric Glenn/The Gamecock
bar offers a wide selection
'Man With<
the madness of home.
It is not by accident that Chuck
meets McCleod. This mysterious
recluse is the talk of the town, and
Chuck is eager to catch a glimpse
of him. Upon meeting McCleod
Ul kr? r\ *^1 on?o/l
diiu uiiuiiig liiiu iu ut a untuitu
teacher, Chuck asks McCleod to
tutor him for an entrance exam for
the boarding school he wants to
attend.
The two become quick friends
as they go through each and every
piece of ritualistic cinematic bonding.
Chuck does not understand
how digging precisely measured
holes in the yard for McCleod will
help Chuck leam geometry. I guess
Chuck never saw Mr. Miyagi teach
The Karate Kid to paint fences.
Gibson the director has a keen
eye for capturing beauty on the
screen. He has crafted a magnificent
feast for the eyes, almost to a
fault.
Even Gibson's deformed character
is filmed in such a way that the
horror of his face is toned down,
hidden always in the shadows.
Hepcat
, ^ ,,,, Bv BRIAN POUSr
I "-.Si-:- HI Ctnff \A/ritor
I from Sherman Oak
However, Hepcat i:
cn im ska groups toda;
Pji||| believe that "Out
Jllll the band's debut CI
^ From the first
Wid' Me," Hepc<
mood that is sure I
The album flows through 13 songs
quake and Fire," "Police Woman" ai
Me" that one can't help but sing along
Other notable tracks are the version
and The Wailers' "Hooligans," "Skart
ful version of Duke Ellington's "Ca
Ethiopian's "Train to Skaville," wl
swear was a 1960s recording if you he
With the popularity of Madness a
some dozen years ago and with but
worldwide, it is certainly a breath of f;
band calling attention to the original
ruled the dance halls of Jamaica and I
out the 1960s.
Ska is a danceable predecessor to r
nated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and
on American Rhythm and Blues and J
TRACKS
TOP
20
Dut a Plot'
P * 11 h 1 o talant t n c\ o 11 n <T O
1 vi ail 1113 laiwm ill tivauii^ a
pleasing look for his picture, Gibson
fails in generating intrigue and
often falls victim to the sappiness
that plagued "Forever Young," his
most recent Film as an actor.
"The Man Without a Face" is
full of canned characters who have
been revisited in movies time after
time, especially McCleod's townsfolk
neighbors who can't perceive
the goodness within his grotesque
exterior. Uncanny parallels to the
current scandal involving the king
of pop music, Michael Jackson,
add to the uneven, unsettling mood
of the picture.
Gibson frames the narrative
well, and the screenplay yields
cp\;orol pninKonioc oKai t iKn tr..n
ovywiui vpipuaiuuo ai/vu I lilt- U ut
meaning of friendship.
With his latest film, Gibson has
delved into new emotional depths.
He is gifted, and traces of his
directorial talent certainly show.
For Gibson, it is a decent first
step. For audiences, it covers little
new ground.
** 1/2
ska'd 1
1 bined with IM
earlier
piece ska outfit Caribbean I
s, Calif.,is prob- musics such
?cause ot vocal- caiypso
Revision roles in and mento,
The Heights." which were
> one of the best made
/. It's hard to famous in
of Nowhere" is l^e late
D. 1970s by
track, "Dance English
it establishes a bands such
;o bring a smile. as Madness
such as "Earth- and The
id "Dance VVid' Specials.
; to. The early Jamai<
s of Bob Marley specializes in. The
tvan," a wonder- endary vocal group
travail," and the Maytals, Desmi
lich you would Wailers.
:ard it by itself. Hepcat accompli:
nd The Specials low jazz-influenced
Jding ska bands rhythm section and
rcsh air to hear a and have great hari
I ska sound that Motown groups sue
England through- Dearly departed
Bob Marley, Peter'
eggae that origi- nitely smiling dowi
is loosely based is any indication, 1
azz. It was com- ?ess.
The following are the top 20 S
albums sold at Tracks in Five
Points this week.
1. Blind Melon - "Blind Melon"
2. Cypress Hill - "Black Sunday"
3. Gin Blossoms "New
Miserable Experience"
4. Billy Joel - "River of Dreams"
5. Various Artists "Sleepless
in Seattle" soundtrack
6. U2 - "Zooropa"
7. Smashing Pumkins "Siamese
Dream"
8. Soul Asylum - 4
"Grave Dancers Union" 1
Quality home'
By ERIC
GLENN "-I,
Photo Editor
Every once
in a while, a
weekend comes
along that is
totally free. No /"N
homework, no v
wedding to I LLJ JfP
attend, no foot- /?s A
ball game to I?)
tailgate at. Two
pure, unattached
days.
Given the rarity and importance
of these days, they should be cherished,
not guarded and preserved.
With this in mind, it is important
to avoid the infinite number
of booby traps that lurk on the
shelf such as failed, made-forvideo
endeavors, features hoping
for new life in video release and
anything with a former playmate
or supermodel.
In the rows and rows of mundane
and boring work, there are a
lot of films deserving a view.
The first criteria is the story. If
?or life
^
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"* >;V - ' -*
~ jOL
* * i
EmHBHF J' *
^ ? ,;>
HP rfflr
can sound of ska is what Hepcat
band follows the footsteps of legs
such as The Paragons, Toots and
and Dekker and "the Aces, and the
dies its authenticity through a inelsound
that is accentuated by a hot
three vocalists who drip with soul
^ionization not at all unlike 1960s
h as The Four Tops,
ska and reggae legends such as
rosh and Don Drummond are defii
on Hepcat. If "Out of Nowhere"
lepcat might be destined for greatl.
Various Artists -
Last Action Hero soundtrack
0. Radiohead - "Pablo Honey"
1. Stone Temple Pilots - "Core"
2. James Taylor - "Live"
3. UB40 - "Promises and Lies"
14. Aerosmith - "Get a Grip"
15. Dr. Dre - "The Chronic"
16. Rod Stewart - "Unplugged"
17. Alice in Chains - "Dirt"
18. Various Artists "The
Bodyguard" soundtrack
19. Janet Jackson - "janet."
>0. Pearl Jam - "Ten"
videos scarce
you read the back of the box and
it's less than three nnraeranhs
move on. Also, if the film description
is overrun with lists of who is
in it, you're on your way to an
early nap.
In the past -few years, it has
been proven many times that you
need a strong story. Check out any
of Arnold's or Stallone's films for
proof.
, An example of a film with a
strong story is one that almost no
one born after 1970 viewed. "Mr.
Roberts" is about boredom on a
cargo ship in WWII. It stars Henry
Fonda, Jack Lemmon and
James uagney ana nas some 01
the most honest laughs ever
filmed.
A more recent quality film is
"Fried Green Tomatoes," based on
the book by Fanny Flagg. It's a
warm story of coming of age and
growing up. It touches across generations
and backgrounds.
These are but two of the movies
that are worth your time and money.
It's a shame to waste what little
free time we have on non-quality
films.