Thursday, September 6, 1990
Men at Work doesn't work
Estevez film fails on all fronts
by Christi Luden
Collegian Staff Writer
What is wrong with this
picture?
Two wild men, Carl Taylor
(Charlie Sheen) and James St.
James (Emilio Estevez) dream
of owning a surf shop on the
sandy beaches of California.
While earning the money to
open that shop as garbage men,
they run into the dead body of
Jack Berger, a candidate for
mayor, and proceed to unravel a
scheme of dumping toxic waste
in the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way, an insane
Vietnam veteran, Louis, joins
their ranks. Due to Louis'
flashbacks from the war, he
kidnaps a pizza delivery boy and
runs around carrying a pellet
Sound confusing and maybe even stupid? This
film is just that and even more.
gun, tying up police officers in
compromising positions.
Taylor, looking for love and
Berger's killer, meets up with
Berger's campaign manager,
Susan Wilkins (Leslie Hope),
and the two of them end up
sealed in bright yellow toxic
waste containers and in love.
High speed chases and two
joking garbage men complicate
the intricate plot even more.
Sounds confusing and maybe
even stupid doesn't it? This
recently released film, entitled
Men At Work, is just that and
even more.
Writer, director and actor
Emilio Estevez just doesn't
accomplish much with this
corny and utterly fake movie
The List
This week's topic: Cover songs that are bad enough id
make you wish the original had never been matte.
10.) "Cant Find My Way Home,"
by House of Lords
9.) ”L. A. Woman,"
by Billy Idol
8.) "That’s Life,"
by David Lee Roth
7.) "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,"
by William Shatner
6.) "The Locomotion,"
by Kyiie Minogue
5.) "I Saw Him Standing There,"
by Tiffany
4.) "Satisfaction,"
by Justine Bateman
3.) "Rock On,"
by Michael Damion
2.) Anything by Joan Jett
1.) "Freebiid/Baby I Love Your Way" medley,
by WBI to Power
that docs nothing at all for me.
The individual acting isn't all
that bad, but could be better.
The main problem, though, is
the combination of many
diffferent characters from so
many different walks of life into
a storyline full of various
subplots. The whole thing is
senseless and not as funny as it
was meant to be.
Sheen (Carl) plays a peeping
tom who loses his live-in
girlfriend and by the end of the
movie miraculously finds a new
one. His acting is the best of
the bunch, but not as good as
some of his other works ( Major
League, Wall Street).
Estevez (St. James) surely
doesn't match up to his roles in
Young Guns 1&2, as he
portrays the brainless partner of
the two. The combination does
work at times and this is what
provokes a few moments of
laughter in the course of the
film. The other few moments
are due to crazy Louis and his
hate for police officers.
Maybe the film would have
looked a little better if it wasn't
for all the excellent releases this
summer offered. Total Recall
made you think and had some
action. Die Harder kept you on
the edge of your seat, while
Problem Child was a cute sort
of funny, and Ghost pricked
your emotions. Men at Work
just didn't do any of the above,
and for this reason it's just plain
bad.
The Collegian
Entertainment
Stevie Ray Vaughan lost in air crash
Blues guitarist, four others, die in helicopter accident
by Gary Nolan
Collegian Staff Writer
The music world met a grave
loss last Monday when guitar
virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan
was tragically killed in a
helicopter crash. Three other
passengers - agent Bobby
Brooks, bodyguard Nigel
Browne, and assistant tour
Manager Colin Smythe, as well
as pilot Jeff Brown - also
perished in the crash.
The helicopter attempted to
climb over a 1000 ft man-made
ski hill in the foggy conditions
when it disappeared off radar
screens. The musician was en
route from a concert featuring
himself, Robert Cray, Eric
Clapton, Buddy Guy, and
Vaughan's brother Jimmy.
The Alpine Valley show was
reportedly a stellar performance;
a fitting epitaph to a blue's
legend.
The 35-year-old musician
was certainly a master of the
electric guitar, signified by a
Grammy in 1985 for best
traditional blues recording, and
one in 1990 for contemporary
blues.
Vaughan was also named
Guitar Player magazine's best
electric blues player in 1983,
1984,1985. and 1988.
The tragedy of the loss is
magnified by the fact that the
musician's work had been
improving dramatically in the
past four years since recovering
Bo would know
Behrend, but he
doesn't read The
Collegian.
A LAST STRAW
Fresh flowers for all your
floral needs. Behrend
students - 10% discount
898-1879
ATTENTION:
FULL/PART
TIME WORK.
$7.50 TO START
Flexible scheduling. Resume/
Business experience with 40
year old company. All majors
may apply. Management
opportunity. College credits
and scholarships available.
Call 838-0752 for interview.
from a drug dependency. The
staggering addiction hit bottom
when the blues man collapsed
on stage in a 1986 London
performance.
Friends close to Vaughan
believe that his pre-addiction
attitude and lifestyle was on a
collision course wiath disaster.
They universally remark that
after recovery from drugs his life
was the best it had been in
years.
The Dallas-born Vaughan
Page
was slated for a September 25
release before the tragedy. It was
the first studio collaboration
with his brother Jimmie, who
gained stardom as a member of
the Fabulous Th underbirds.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
achieved his first commercial
success in 1984 with his second
album Couldn't Stand the
Weather, which sold one
million copies. Vaughan was
backed by his talented
background band Double
Trouble.
The aspect that separated
Vaughan from his collegues in
the blues world was his feel for
the music. Though unable to
read music, the music flowed
through his guitar with
incredible emotion. He
understood that the blues sound
was more than loud blistering
solos, but a feeling carried
through song.
Blues inspired many of
today's rock legends, but many
have seemed to abandon their
blues heritage in favor of the
glimmer of Rock and Roll.
Vaughan refused to give in; he
remained a blues musician
keeping the craft alive and in the
ears of listeners.
His talents will be missed on
all levels. The artists have lost a
spokesman. The producers have
lost a craftsman, but, most
importantly the listeners have
lost a legend. Unfortunately, the
day the music died has once
again arrived.