Thursday, February 4, 1993
The sounds of Sweet W
New Seattle band is just a bit too saccharine
by Vince Smith
Collegian Ste
Unless they maybe live on
Mars, there isn't a person who
isn't aware of the rising music
scene from Seattle. Bands like
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and
Soundgarden have fronted a
blossoming music scene in
which the music is powerful
and especially loud, and the
lyrics are intelligent (even if
they're a bit psychotic).
One of the newer and less
famous bands from Seattle is
Sweetwater. Formed two years
ago, Sweetwater; Cole
Peterson, Adam Czeisler, Paul
K. Uhlir, Dudley Taft, and Rich
Credo have been selling out
clubs throughout the Northwest
of late. Being from Seattle,
they gained good press from right?
their live shows and a previous Wrong. Throughout the three
release. So you would think song maxi-single "Roads",
Nowhere to Run
Van Damme busts heads nicely
by Tamara Wiley hungry villains, played by
Collegian Staff Joss Ackland and Ted Levine.
In Nowhere To Run we
After a daring escape from are finally seeing a sensitive
a prison transport, Sam Gillen side to Van Damme. His
(Jean Claude Van Damme) character Sam, "is a bad guy
needs a place to lie low. who finds a tender side to
Clydie (Rosanna Arquette), a himself, much to his suprise,"
young widow with two small says producer Craig
childrer needs someone to Baumgarten. While the
fight what appears to be a audience must still sit through
losing battle against the those corny love scenes in
corrupt land developers who which the helpless maiden
are trying to drive her off her falls in love with her deliverer
land. Clydie's son Mookie from her harassers. Overall
(Keiran Culkin) discovers Sam Nowhere To Run is a good
on his mother's property and action-packed movie full of
befriends him. What ensues is; Jean Claude Van Damme
-scene after scene of Sam showing us a little bit of his
protecting Clydie, her family sensitive side in between his
and her land from the money punches.
their latest release, "Roads Life Sweetwater proves not bands the powerful and popular
Goes", would be original- everything that comes from bands they are. But at least
sounding and powerful music, Seattle is as smoking as most of them use a different pair
Entertainment
Nirvana. Two-chord guitar riffs of chords for each tune. I get
played repetitively are what the feeling they only know two
make many Seattle 'grunge' chords.
Sniper misses its mark
Great special effects nearly make new thriller watchable
by Sarah Melchiorre
Ever get in over your head? It
has happened to everyone.
Most people however wouldn't
kill other people to advance
their career. When Richard
Miller (Billy Zane of Dead
Calm fame) arrives in Panama,
to help Marine Sniper, Tom
Beckett (Tom Berenger who
played the catcher in Major
League), the only experience he
had was an Olympic silver
medal for sharp shooting.
Miller wants to impress his
Washington supervisors.
Sniper moves slow during the
first half and is only saved by
its awesome special effects.
Sniper isn't the usual buddy
movie. Beckett is really ticked
at the Washington Bureaucrats
for sticking him with an
amateur. There is a lot of
tension caused by Miller
because he is a young hot shot
who feels he has no room for
vement. Beckett is quick
Collegian Staff
to point out that Miller's naive
attitude will kill him.
Miller thought the mission
would be a fluff job - in and
out. The mission was to kill a
Columbian drug lord and rebel
leader. Miller however, is very
apprehensive about killing.
Sniper isn't solely about
killing. It is about the personal
trauma of the sniper and why he
kills. A sniper's life is put on
the line every time he's sent out
on a mission. Beckett does his
job and does it well. "We'll
wait for days for one shot, one
kill," Beckett explains to
Miller.
The best scene in the entire
movie is when Beckett is pitted
against a sniper he himself
trained. Innovative camera
techniques focus on the sniper
Becket trained as he searches for
his mentor. After a suspenseful
search in the dark for Beckeu,he
focuses on sounds from the
stream behind him. He raises
his scope in time to see Beckett
fire an incredible shot right
Page 9
ater
Also overrated are
Sweetwater's lyrics. The press
kit which comes with "Roads
Life Goes" state the lyrics are
"intelligent and intense,
avoiding the traps of over
simplicity and pretentiousness."
I beg to differ. Maybe some
few listeners might find lines
such as the chorus "I don't care
about the news of the world/ the
story's always the same/ I
won't ever change" really
profound, but I doubt it.
To end, maybe this is a sign
Seattle should be left alone for
awhile. After all, for every band
like, say Mother Lovebone,
there's bound to be bands like
Sweetwater. Not every new
band from the area is really
good, and Sweetwater has
proved it. If you're really
interested in a newer band from
Seattle, pick up Screaming
Trees' LP instead.
through the scope he's looking
through and into the eye he's
looking with!
Tom Berenger performs nicely
as Beckeu, but has done better
work. Billy Zane performs the
arrogant male role very well,
but no one stands out.
Zane's character sees Beckett
as a stone hard killer, but
Beckeu reminds Miller not to
judge character so quickly.
'After Miller begins to step into
Beckett's world he is frightened
by the change. Beckett is not
just a killer by trade, he feels he
is doing his country service by
killing enemies of the state.
Looking through Miller's
eyes at himself Beckeu declares,
"What you're feeling now isn't
the worst thing. It's when you
stop feeling that is."
Overall, the best thing about
the movie is Berenger and the
special effects. If you can sit
through the semi-dramatic and
semi-exciting filler, you may
find the end of the movie worth
the price of admission.