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Groundhog Day:
A film about freedom,
love, redemption and
Punxsutawney Phil
by Eric Kesseiring
Collegian Staff
Nothing really changes for you
anymore. Everyday you get up
to endure another day just like the
last. You feel trapped.
Amazing, you have exactly the
same problem as Bill Murray in
his new film, Groundhog Day.
Well maybe not exactly the same
problem. You see, weatherman
Phil Conner (Murray) is actually
living the same day over and
over.
The story is set in
Punxsutawney, from where Phil,
the producer (Andie MacDowell),
and the cameraman (Chris Elliott)
will be covering the Groundhog
Day festivities. They do the story
but get stuck in town by a
blizzard. When Phil wakes up
for day two in Punxsutawney, he
finds that he is reliving
Groundhog Day again. You can
imagine how exciting he finds
the prospect of spending eternity
in Punxsutawney.
Phil is not the most agreeable
of folks to begin with, so being
trapped serves as a test of will
and character. lie remembers
everything while the rest of the
universe is flipped back to replay
Groundhog Day. Before long,
disbelief turns to joy. With no
real responsibility for his actions,
Phil can spend forever completely
enjoying his day.
Even this total freedom grows
tiresome after awhile. Phil
dedicates himself to capturing the
heart of the woman he has begun
to love, his producer, Rita. With
time he - learns about her likes and
dislikes in order to
. perfect his
romancing.
Unfortunately, she cannot learn
to love him in a single day.
Endless slappings eventually lead
Phil into a suicidal streak in
hopes of breaking out of his time
loop. One inspired attempt has
Phil groundhog-nap
Punxsutawney Phil and drive off
a cliff. There is something
intrinsically funny about having
a conversation with a groundhog
perched on a steering wheel.
Eventually Phil believes he has
become godlike. He knows
almost everything about
Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney
(poor man). Phil learns to ice
sculpt and to play piano. More
importantly he learns how he
can actually help people. When
Phil perfects his day with
kindness, Rita actually falls for
him. This combination of love
and consideration is all that is
needed to successfully end
Groundhog Day.
If nothing else, the local flavor
of Groundhog Day should drag
you into the theater. I can't tell
you if the movie was filmed in
Punxsutawney, but the sky in
grey and there is a Penn State
grad waiting tables in the local
diner. Western Pennsylvania has
been captured.
The quality of this movie will
surprise you. Though Bill
Murray is a comic institution, he
has recently fallen into the Eddie
Murphy pit. Everyone loves him
but they ignore his movies.
Groundhog Day will not go the
way of Scrooged, Quick Change.
and What about Bob?.
If you have fallen into a
movie-going rut, try Groundhog
Day. I hope to sec your shadow
there.
Entertainment
Who says Behrend
doesn't have Soul?
Code: Blue playing Bruno's Saturday night
Get ready. Code:Blue, a State
College-based rhythm and blues
outfit, will be performing
Saturday, February 20, at Penn
State Eric, The Behrend
College.
The band's repertoire includes
and the soulful sounds of Etta
James. In addition, Code:Blue
will perform original music
from their newly released debut
album which reflects the spirit
of New Orleans and Memphis
style rhythm and blues.
On the Verge, or
the Geography
of Yearning
New production from
the Matchbox Players
premiering tonight
An eight performance run of
On the Verge, or the Geography
of Yearning, "a funny, fanciful
testament to the strength of
both women and the English
language," begins at 8 p.m.
tonight at the Studio Theater.
On the Verge opened in 1888,
as three proper Victorian ladies
set out to exploie Terra
Incognita, a land that offers
jungles, cliffs, ice storms, and,
most surprisingly, strange
artifacts from the future. As the
trio ponders eggbeaters and "I
Like Ike" buttons, thoughts and
ideas from the future creep into
their heads--and out of their
mouths. They begin to crave
Cool Whip and fantasize about a
bar-be-quc, "the suburban
charred meat festival".
Yet they remain undaunted as
they traverse strange terrain and
encounter even stranger
characters, including a rock n'
roll troll, an apparition they
assume to be Mr. Coffee, and a
cannibal whose "occupational
hazard" is taking on the persona
A seasoned outfit, Code:Blue
has played numerous Central
Pennsylvania venues and has
been featured at the Central
Pennsylvania Festival of Arts,
and Penn State's annual
"Movin' On" spring festival.
Bchrend's non-alcoholic night
club located on the second floor
of the Reed Union Building. It
is free and open to the public.
For more information on the
event, call the, Office of Student
Activities at 898-6171.
of the last person he atc (in this
case, a German dirigible pilot).
The women fulfill their
longing from the future in 1955
at Nicky's Peligroso Paradise
Bar and Grill, where they must
decide to shoulder their packs
and move on, or continue to
enjoy the comforts of
congolcum, jacuzzis, and go go
boots.
"I'd liken it to a cross
between A Room with a View
and a Monty Python movie,"
Dr. Kathleen Campbell, director
of theater, said. "It's off-the
wall, but at the same time very
gentle and charming."
Students in the cast arc Ericha
Hagefibuch, Terri Evans, Glenn
McCall, and Susan Simmons.
Performances of On the Verge
will be at 8 p.m. February 18,
19, 20, 25, 26, and 27, and
matinees at 2:30 p.m. February
21 and 28. Cost is $4 for
general admission, $3 for
students. To reserve tickets,
call 898-6061.
Thursday, February 18, 1993
A sword,
a stone
and
song?
Camelot
sparkles at the
Erie Playhouse
Jim Gandolfo who plays
Arthur in the Erie Playhouse's
version of Lerner and Loewe?
Camelot says in the final
moments of the play, "We are
all len than a drop in the groat
blue motion of the Sunlit sea.
But some of> them sparkle.
Some of them <do sparkle."
In Camelot's case, it appears
some plays sparkle as well.
Camelot; for those unfamiliar
with the plot. it is about King
Arthur and Guenevere of
Lancelot and >the Knights of the
Round Table. Yet it's also
about hope, love, and renewal.
It's an uplifting play, and the
Erie Playhouse has combined
many elements together to put
on one of the finest
performances I have ever seen in
atom.
The production quality of
Cumeiot was very high-quidity.
Considering both tto. highly
detailed scenery by Joe Hassler
and the COStUMCS, by Richard
Paris, watching the play felt
like a view backwards In time.
The musical score by Allan
Jay Lamer Frederick law
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