Daily Bruin

Tomei, Downey shine in ‘Only You’

By Lael Loewenstein

The last time director Norman Jewison ventured into romantic
comedy, he hit paydirt with the Oscar-winning "Moonstruck."
Jewison’s current film about amore, "Only You," hopes to do for
Marisa Tomei what "Moonstruck" did for Cher.

Tomei plays Faith, a Pittsburgh schoolteacher. Having learned
the name of her phantom future husband ­ Damon Bradley ­
at age 11 from a Ouija board, Faith settles instead for her nerdy
podiatrist boyfriend. On the brink of her wedding, Faith receives a
call from Damon Bradley, at the airport bound for Venice, Italy.
Convinced of her destiny ­ though they’ve never met ­
Faith throws caution to the wind and, with her good friend Kate
(Bonnie Hunt), boards the next plane to Venice. Before you can
blink, Faith and Kate have followed the elusive Damon Bradley to
Rome, losing him in a desperate search.

Hunt and Tomei are both so likeable that you’re willing to
forgive them for almost anything. If you’re a stickler for details,
there’s a lot to overlook in "Only You" ­ like, how do Faith
and Kate manage to determine at what hotel Damon Bradley is
staying? How do they manage to pull so many gorgeous outfits, none
of which seem to need ironing, out of their tiny carry-on bags? And
why, after a nine-hour flight to Italy, does neither one of them
suffer from jet lag (save one remark to the contrary by Kate)?
Furthermore, how are they ever going to pay their VISA bills from
this insanely expensive weekend? Don’t they realize transatlantic
plane tickets bought 20 minutes before departure can cost a
thousand dollars?

But these nettlesome questions are brushed aside as soon as
Damon Bradley reappears, played by Robert Downey Jr. in his
characteristic unflappable fashion. Downey romances Faith with
poetry, roses and a sensual moonlit dance by the Trevi fountain as
a musician plays "Some Enchanted Evening."

The enchantment dissipates, however, when Downey reveals he’s
not Damon Bradley ­ he’s a shoe salesman named Peter Wright.
This is when things start to go awry. The film’s denouement, having
a number of surprises, will remain one in this review.

Improbable? Sure. But improbability is the stuff of which great
romantic comedies are made, from "Roman Holiday" to "Sleepless in
Seattle," both of which are referenced in this film. What makes
"Only You" worth watching are the fine performances from Downey and
Tomei as the star-crossed lovers. And Bonnie Hunt, as Kate,
sparkles with exquisite comic timing. Well directed by Jewison and
filmed in luscious colors by Sven Nykvist, Diane Drake’s quirky,
charming script makes some biting remarks about men and romance,
only to reverse them later ­ this is, after all, a comedy.

Although Faith complains at one point that "life isn’t like the
movies," ultimately, "Only You" seems to confirm that it is.

MOVIE: "Only You" Written by Diane Drake. Directed by Norman
Jewison. Starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. Now
playing.

"The Specialist" proves less than special

Although deliberately paced, movie doesn’t reach fullest
potential

By Michael Horowitz

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Yes, Sharon Stone gets naked and she’s still hot. Yes, Sylvester
Stallone bares his buttocks, has big muscles and he blows up stuff.
And for a die-hard action junkie in search of a fall fix, "The
Specialist" is like getting cheap speed when what you want is some
of Colombia’s finest. Beautifully photographed, deliberately paced
and sometimes entertaining, it’s never the movie the script might
have become.

The question of blame is a complicated one. It might even be the
names of the characters, as Ray Quick (Sly Stallone) and Ned Trent
(James Woods) show up in Bogota circa 1984 to destroy a truck for
the CIA. Quick rigs the explosives, Trent hits the trigger and
melodrama ensues. It’s the first time the film fritters away the
automatic intensity bomb situations create. But it won’t be the
last.

Fast forward to sparkling pink Miami, present-day. The sexy
voice of May Munro (Sharon Stone) over the receiver of a payphone
compels Quick to follow her around the city for days. Munro’s out
for vengeance, in a cheap kind of way. Clumsy flashbacks won’t let
her forget the brutal murder of her parents at the hand of Thomas
Leon (Eric Roberts.) She slinks around the Miami party scene as she
plots her revenge.

Quick is Munro’s weapon. He’s an explosive expert of the highest
caliber and he beats up people in the back of buses. At one point
Munro tells Quick that she can’t shoot Leon. He must be blown sky
high for reasons of accuracy. He declines for the rest of act one
but one can only say no to Sharon Stone for so long. He finally
goes in to kill the bad guys because he is ­ the
Specialist!

At this point the weakest sections of the film are over because
people stop using the phone for dialogue. Suffice it to say that
Stallone’s acting strengths, stop laughing, are not best employed
standing in a phone booth. Give him bad lines like, "You have no
mercy! And You have no code!" and the scene makes you laugh so hard
you forget what movie you’re watching.

Fortunately, Trent comes back to kill Quick because he has to
because he’s a bad guy. James Woods is a marvelous antidote to
Stallone’s tongue-tied monologues, and if there’s anything he’s got
down pat, it’s being a greaseball villain.

One wonders what Stone was thinking with this career move. In
need of a hit to go with her only other success, "Basic Instinct,"
she succumbed to a weak and exploited role in "The Specialist." At
least she out-acts Stallone.

This is actually a brilliant film selection for Sly. His Quick
gets to brood, wear cool shades and he gets to blow shit up without
consequence. It’s no "Cliffhanger," but they can’t all be directed
by Renny Harlin.

Which brings us to director Luis Llosa, who gets the lion’s
share of the blame. His fondness for slow motion and poor
understanding of dramatic tension reduces Stone and Stallone’s love
scenes to "Color of Night" outtakes: Unintentionally hilarious.

"The Specialist" will do decent business at the box office, but
that’s only a credit to Stallone and Stone’s drawing power.
"Specialist II: The Motivation" can’t be made until Sir LLosa sees
"Basic Direction 101."

‘Isn’t it awfully nice to have a penis?’

What’s ‘The Meaning of Life?’ If you ask Monty Python, it has
something to do with Spam, cross-dressing lumberjacks and the
Spanish Inquisition. After 25 years of offensive, vulgar and
flat-out hilarious material, the comedy troupe expands on their
feelings in the new ‘Instant Monty Python CD Collection.’

By Robert Stevens

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For some mindless listeners, the newly released "Instant Monty
Python CD Collection" may lose its appeal after the first 30
seconds. At the beginning of the first disc, there’s an all-
important warning:

"We apologize most sincerely to those of you who have bought
this record under the impression that it was in any way connected
with the television program ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus.’ This
was due to an error in the printing stage of the album cover. This
album is in fact called, ‘Pleasure of the Dance: A Collection of
Norwegian Carpenter’s Songs: Compiled by Oscar Tritt.’"

Fortunately, in tune with the biting sarcasm, cutting-edge wit
and classic hilarity of the Monty Python Troupe, a group
celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, this apology is nothing
but a minor flex of the comedy juggernaut’s muscle.

Monty Python, a group once only known among hip British circles,
has transcended fads, stereotypes, an international MTV attention
span and those who think the Beatles were the best thing to come
out of Great Britain, to become the premier comedy group of the
20th century.

Known in the public mainstream for three, low-budget films as
well as for a syndicated television show more than two decades ago,
Monty Python has put onto six compact discs practically everything
the group ever produced.

The title of the box set collection tells no lie. For the rookie
buyer, one purchase will in fact create an instant collection and
an entry-level opening into the worlds of "Monty’s Python’s Flying
Circus," and the feature-length films, "The Holy Grail," "The Life
of Brian" and "The Meaning of Life." For the hard-core fans, the
buy will be purely orgasmic. A warning to the reader: Over seven
hours of this unfiltered Monty Python joy could be too much for
listeners with heart conditions.

Not to mention that this set is beautifully handcrafted as
well.

"Congratulations on buying the executive version of this
record," a stately voice asserts at the start of disc four. "You
have chosen wisely and we value your discerning taste in deciding
to pay a few extra pence for a product of real quality. Everything
on this record has been designed to meet the exacting standards
that you have naturally come to expect. The record itself is made
from the very finest Colombian extruded poly-vinyl. The centerhole
has been created to fit exactly onto your spindle, with all the
precision of finest Swiss craftsmanship."

And what’s to be said about the actual material?

"The audio content has been quality graded, to give you the
finest in listening pleasure. There is little or no offensive
material, apart of four cunts, one clitoris and a foreskin. And as
they only occur in this opening introduction you’re past them now.
You can relax and enjoy this quality product."

In more ways than one, the term "quality product" describes not
only the box set, but it says a lot about the actual group as
well.

While fans oftentimes see them as brilliant, even those without
a taste for Monty Python have to concede to their originality.

In an April 12, 1993 interview with the Washington Post, charter
member Michael Palin commented of the group’s success: "It was kind
of a powerful drug, Python, when it really worked. It was six
people really sparking on all cylinders and it was a very good
feeling, this sort of manic elation. It wasn’t ‘Ah, we’ve got that
formula right,’ or ‘Yes, we’ve pleased so-and-so in the comedy
writing establishment."

Along with Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and
John Cleese rounded out the the group who premiered BBC’s "Monty
Python’s Flying Circus" on Oct. 5, 1969, replacing a Sunday
religious discussion. Eric Idle, the group’s sixth member, joined
later.

Implications of religious blasphemy and of a possible future in
hell aside, the show continued on for 45 episodes and had its last
original telecast in December of 1974.

It remains in syndication throughout the world – most often seen
on this side of the Atlantic on Comedy Central and video stores
outside of the Midwest.

As for this extensive amount of material, much of the more
famous, yet equally racy, bits can be found in the box set. Just
because the video portion is missing doesn’t make it any less
brilliant.

What exactly do these comedic scenes entail?

An ode to Spam, a quiz show for communist leaders, the
ever-popular penis song ("Isn’t it awfully nice to have a penis?")
and a modern-day operetta about a cross-dressing lumberjack.

"I cut down trees

I skip and jump

I like to press wild flowers

I put on women’s clothing

And hang around in bars,"

the stanzas proclaim. The lone error in this nearly flawless
set, six discs that also include the full soundtracks for every
Monty Python movie, is the poor separation of CD tracks. At an
average of three goliath tracks per disc, constantly returning to a
favorite skit is difficult. But since there are so many good ones,
it makes for pleasant dilemma.

And this problem may have never occurred had the boys on Monty
Python had their way.

In a Feb. 14, 1989 interview, Eric Idle explained to the New
York Times, "The only thing we ever agreed on was that the show
would never go to America."

Fortunately, they were wrong.

EDLOS comes from out of this world to UCLA

A capella quartet to showcase theatrics, antics at
Schoenberg

By Gaby Mora

Daily Bruin Staff

The EDLOS a capella group has come a long way to perform for
UCLA students ­ as far as outer space, the members claim.

"We come from the planet ‘A,’ which circles the star Capella in
the constellation Auriga," explains tenor singer Eric Morris. "We
were exiled from our planet for singing too loud, and came to earth
as refugees in 1232 A.D., when we crash landed outside of a
monastery in Arles, France."

The group, whose acronym stands for Excessive Decibel Levels
from Outer Space, actually formed six years ago while working
together in opera productions. With their opera background, Ed
Cohn, Larry Venza, Bill Davis and Morris have created a vocal
quartet that incorporates as much visual effect as audio. Their
sets involve heavy duty lighting, a wide array of costumes and
props, and the group’s naturally irreverent and comical
personality.

"As in opera, it’s an all-in-one experience, in that the
dramatic visual impact adds to the singing and our theatrics
enhance the music," Cohn says. "For example, we’ll use our props to
try and evoke the time period of a song, if it’s not an
original."

Past performances have included the group dressing as monks to
sing an Elizabethan quartet, then losing the robes to reveal nuns’
attire. The group’s version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" includes
caveman style tiger-skin costumes; they also perform songs as
varied as "Unchained Melody" to the "Duke of Earl" and some
Righteous Brothers tunes. No wonder Morris says it is impossible to
describe the group. It certainly doesn’t fit the traditional image
of an a capella group, and though the group claims opera as its
strongest foundation, EDLOS is far from being opera.

Understanding that the group’s show may be like nothing any UCLA
student has seen before, Cohn says he hopes the audience will leave
with a sense of appreciation of different styles of music. If not,
at least some sets will be sure to put any date in a romantic mood,
the group warns.

EDLOS is currently working on two new albums, one an
all-original and the other is a country western. The group promises
excerpts from both new albums, but points out that despite the
shift to country western, EDLOS should not be categorized as a
country western group.

"We wrote a few arrangements in that style," says Cohen, "and we
liked it, and thought it would be a marketable thing since we don’t
know of any other country western a capella group in the entire
world. But our act should be thought of as a pop thing, as rock ‘n’
roll."

The group will present a Center Stage lecture before performing,
during which the members will share some of the advanced vocal
techniques they will execute during the show. The "Hocket," for
example, is actually an old technique that was popular during the
middle ages and that EDLOS claims to bring back from modern times.
Instead of singing one long note, explains Cohn, he breaks up the
sound into many notes or long hiccups ­ which is where the
term "Hocket" actually originated.

Cohn also jokes that the group will reveal the secret to their
vocal talents, which may not be lost on UCLA students: "Lots of
heavy smoking and drinking, stay out late and lots of
shouting!"

Along with the costumes and vocal techniques, the group also
imitates instruments like horns, the electric guitar, drums and
synthesizers. "Because singing a capella is cheap ­ you don’t
need any darned instruments ­ everyone is doing it these
days," laughs Cohn.

But prospective audiences for EDLOS should not assume that the
quartet is like any other a capella group. Maybe like something
from outer space, but that’s something to leave for the EDLOS
autobiography.

MUSIC: The EDLOS at Schoenberg Hall, Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
Presented by UCLA Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets: $25, $9
(for students with valid I.D.) For more info. call: (310)
825-2101.