Page 10
Postcards heads
for the Oscars
Film documents negative
aspects of Hollywood life
r d J. Csir
by Flo;
The Collegian
Three Oscar nominations for
one film? Not a common
occurrence, but then again,
Postcards From The Edge isn’t
ordinary. It's outstanding.
What are the ingredients for a
three-Oscar film? Add plenty of
Meryl Streep as Suzanne Vale, a
pill-popping movie star in
desperate need of self
identification, pour in some
Shirley MacLaine as the aging
alcoholic singer gone jealous,
sprinkle in bits of Dennis Quaid
as the bedroom hopping
"Producer," and slices of Gene
Hackman, the rational father
figure "Director," and bake for an
hour and a half. You'll come out
Film Review
with a refreshing film experience.
Based on the life of actress
tumed-screenwriter Carrie Fisher,
Postcards displays "Life in
Working Hollywood" as less than
the glamorous grand illusion fans
believe it to be. This is a
Hollywood that has prematurely
lost so many talented performers
to drugs and alcohol that one
only wonders if Vale will be the
next to overdose.
The plot revolves around
Vale's drug rehabilitation, the
social stigma for recovering
addicts and her struggle to
establish her own identity. For
most of her life she has been
overshadowed by her mother's
success, and when Vale finally
gets her chance to shine, conflict
erupts.
"I want life to imitate art,"
says Vale, a uue reflection on her
life that had become as false as a
backdrop in some Hollywood
VYOUMNTTOPUQr Dtf MUSIC YOU GOTTI PUSH
THE RIGHT BUTTONS. (THE ONES ON YOUR PHONE!)
CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS’ LOCAL OFFICE TODAY!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL
studio lot. Even the name "Vale"
could represent a "veil" of
imagined personality and
purpose.
In one scene, Vale is coaxed
into singing. She chooses "You
Don't Know Me,” while her
mother upstages her performance
with "I'm Still Here." Each song
indicates a character's thinking
about her own life status. This
movie explores the idea of
parents letting their children grow
up and of adult children looking
after their maturing parents.
Director Mike Nichols
prevents Postcards from getting
bogged down with soap-box
morality and allows Streep to
unleash her tongue-in-cheek
humor. Without her comic wit,
this film wouldn't be as
enjoyable (Oscar Nominee #1).
Shirley MacLaine, portraying
Fisher’s famous mother, Debbie
Reynolds, balances her deceptions
between feigned friendliness and
resentment of her daughter, the
heir to her fame. And yet,
probably one of the best scenes
in the movie occurs when Streep
tenderly applies rouge, eyeliner,
and false eyelashes to MacLaine's
face (Oscar Nominee #2).
Mike Nichols, who hasn't
directed a commercially
successful film since The
Graduate, delivers Postcards with
palatable wit, conflict and
diversion. He has elicited
tremendous performances from
this inspired cast. (Oscar
Nominee #3).
So, if you're hungry for
something more than a turkey
like Rambo 111, go for the Three
Oscar Deal. Postcards is the stuff
great films are made of.
1-800-282-TAPE
Home Recording Rights Coafition
The Collegian
Entertainment
Dylan misses his mark
Talented guests fail to save release
by Gary L. Nolan
The Collegian
An air of excitement always
surrounds the album release of a
rock and roll legend. Certainly,
Bob Dylan commands this type
of respect. His current release,
Under the Red Sky was created
with the help of many musical
guests.
Dylan is accompanied by a
diverse list including George
Harrison, Slash, Bruce Homsby,
Elton John, and the late Stevie
Ray Vaughan. If one was to just
glance at the credits and guests,
the album looks excellent on
paper.
Unfortunately, no amount of
guests or rock and roll greats can
rescue this release. It seems that
through all the hype and
potential, the music has fallen
short.
Dylan has always had a great
talent for uniting and speaking
for an audience, while remaining
aloof himself. It was through his
incredible lyrical expression that
he set the stage for an entire
generation.
The nasal-throated singer was
never one to rest on his virtues
and appease fans. It always seems
that just when Dylan and his fans
Anally meet on common ground,
Dylan escapes to And a new form
of self-expression.
Critics are all too lenient on
Dylan, fearing that he always
remains several steps ahead of
them. They always seem afraid to
chastise him in any way,
expecting him to unite yet
another generation, despite their
words.
Therefore, their preconceived
notions guide them into an
uneasy lack of understanding.
Critics seem unwilling to admit
Unfortunately , no
line-up of rock and
roll greats can
rescue this release.
that Dylan has missed the mark.
Just as critics could never admit,
if by some stroke of luck, the
New Kids on the Block could
release an inspired single.
As unthinkable as it sounds,
if any inspiration would ever
befall a member of New Kids,
critics would dismiss it as blind
luck, and continue their bashing.
Dylan suffers from just the
opposite prejudice. Critics
The Colie
We're on top of it.
Thursday, October 4,1990
assume anything that he puts his
name on will be a classic. This
prejudice leads many to rate his
music highly on his name alone.
The Minnesota-born singer is
not without his share of recent
triumphs. His latest release, Oh
Mercy, was quite the acclaimed
work. Fans expected a new era of
Dylan forthcoming.
Dylan has, however, lost
touch with his audience on this
release. His lyrics remain boring
and uninspired. Typically,
Dylan's lyrics are both poignant
and masterful. They always seem
magnified by the inspired music
and delivered with passion. That
passion is missing on Under the
Red Sky.
Dylan's musical guests do
nothing to save this work; if
anything, they hinder the artist.
They prove to mask any inspired
moments. It seems that through
the myriad of musical guests on
this release too many cooks have
indeed spoiled the pot.
The only hope remains that
this is not a symbol of the
decline of another middle-aged
rocker. However, if Dylan had a
hit record for every time someone
suggested his inspiration is
waning, he would remain a
permanent part of Billboard’s
charts. But then again, Dylan
would never be comfortable with
that anyway.
ian