ARIS 2A Thursday, February 9,1984 Daily Nexus 'Reckless' Heads Toward Realm of Mediocrity By JONATHAN ALBURGER He’s a dark and sexy, anti-social high school outcast; she’s a blonde and sensuous high school conformist. When they discover each other, passions are unleashed and their chemistry explodes. They are Reckless. Sound familiar? Well, despite its all too familiar storyline (e.g., Baby, It’s You, Valley Girl, etc.), Reckless is an artful — if mediocre — statement on coming of age. With that comes a sexual identity and the realization that the ' world is bigger than one’s own back yard; part of this strange initiation is an irresistible urge to move around and break away from establishment and expectations, Rebel Without a Cause is the classic example. High school is a time of chicken dares and magical sexual feelings — of discovery and disillusionment. Reckless of­ fers us the familiar unscholastic jock, Johnny Rourke (Aidan Quinn) and the idealistic cheerleader, Tracey Prescott (Daryl Hannah). He comes from a broken family of violence and alcoholism; she, from a storybook family of fluffy bedspreads and chargecards. Their “worlds” don’t exactly “collide” —’ as the advertising would have you believe — but Johnny and Tracey do fall in love in a silly, Bradbury Brings Out opposites attract, forbidden love, against-all-odds sort of way ; it’s a stéel town Romeo and Juliet story, only she’s not The Best O f His Pulp . a welder. Director James Foley’s first feature film isn’t great, but A Memory of Murder . it does distinguish itself in the “I want you, I need you, I will By Ray Bradbury. have you” genre by giving the Johnny outsider guy brains Deli. $2.95. and tenderness. Newcomer Quinn is being groomed as the Reviewed by SCOTT LEWIS latest candidate in the who-will-replace-Jimmy-Dean I am far too young to remember the pulps, but pulp sweepstakes, and Quinn’s rough intensity and natural Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah in Reckless. magazines were a prime part of American popular en­ delivery gives him a certain advantage. Yet despite tertainment before they were killed off by the combined comparison making, Quinn is a very engaging and in­ onslaught of paperbacks and TV. Like TV, the pulps could telligent actor in his own right. He’s got the right com­ be good fun. Also like TV, the pulps tended toward trash — bination of blemish, boil and bravura. Installation/Competition At cardboard characters, cliched plots, and purple prose ran Hannah is far less interesting, but then Tracey Prescott is rampant. But they weren’t all bad. James Cain, Raymond really there to show off Johnny Rourke. Hannah’s got the Contemporary Arts Forum Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, to name just three, began rich-but-bored, whine-goddess down pat, although she in the pulps. So did Ray Bradbury. never opts for overblown caricature. Reckless is a far cry By KAREN ROSENQUIST Although best known for his science fiction and fantasy, from Summer Lovers, but her best asset is still her lips. Unlike most art exhibits, the current installation at Santa Bradbury published many of his first stories in such ’40s A good part of the reason we can believe Rourke and Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum discourages any detective pulps as Dime Mystery Magazine. He condemns Tracey’s eventual rip from “civilization” and ride off into subdued or passive reaction to the finished work on display. most of these beginning tales as “junk” and “walking the sunset is in the depiction of Ohio’s steel wasteland Artist Kim Adams, whose sculpture is on display until wounded,” but in all of them at least a promise of later skill mentality. Echoed in Michael Ballhaus’ beautifully gritty Feb. 19, encourages the public not only to touch it, but to sit peeks out. He has gathered the best of his early criminal images of suffocating, conservative suburbia and Weirton on and ride it. The sculpture, a rusted metal camper top efforts in the brand-new collection, A Memory of Murder. Mills is an emotional ambience greatly affected by grey, skeleton, extends spines along the floor which are actually Besides being that rarity of rarities, a new Bradbury red and black tones. The artful attention to detail in setting, metal track, supporting moveable platforms for riding on. collection, A Memory of Murder lovingly shows off the fine lighting and color (Ballhaus photographed some 16 pictures The short glide along one of the three tracks won’t raise flavor of the pulps — right down to the occasionally silly for Fassbinder) heightens the feel of smoke-puffing steel your heart rate (like sitting in the first seat of a roller titles, like “Corpse Carnival,” and the misleading cover mill stacks and bitter cold weather; familiar yet strange coaster car), but unlike so many art objects, participation picture, which bears but slight resemblance to any of the icons of the city câst imprisoning shadows across the by the public contributes one aspect necessary to the ar­ stories. The tales themselves range from horror to straight alienated faces of Rourke and Tracey. tist’s purpose. detection and rim the whole gamut from mediocre to ex­ Reckless does have its faults, such as its persistence in Adams feels that the space around the sculpture is the cellent. overlooking moral and legal consequences to the two’s second necessary aspect, so before he creates the sculpture (Please turn to pg.7A, col.l) defilement of the school and Rourke’s burning of his house. he visits each installation site to get a feeling for its own Occasionally, Chris Columbus’ script is plodding and unique space. predictable, and Foley gets too artsy-fartsy with absurd, Adams believes the space, the sculpture, and the public leaden symbolism (a black dyed white carnation to show are three essential parts; his purpose is to unite the three in anti-establishment rebelliousness). The chauvinistic in­ a harmony to show how integral each one is to the final dulgences (Tracey would never demand of Rourke that he product and experience. Indeed, while gliding along the ■ oanoooo aaaaaaaaaao fulfill her needs) and corny ending are real eye-rollers. tracks, you somehow feel as though the gallery walls are oooaooaa oaooaaoaaoa Not that they should be, but the title implies something the boundaries of a canvas, and you, along with the aoaaoaao aaaaaaaaaao the characters are not; a more fitting title would be sculpture, make the scene a finished piece. □ oooaooo aaaaaaaaaao Restless. The two are not thoughtless, nor do they crash much — they don’t" even come close to reckless, wild abandon. Only the sex scenes, which promise erotic In addition to the current exhibit, the Santa Barbara restraint, appeal to the more-is-better crowd. But the in­ Contemporary Arts Forum has announced a competition, terludes hardly present the lovers as reckless. a juried show open to artists who live in Santa Barbara County. Ultimately, Reckless is merely a star-making vehicle. It 706 State St. Santa Barbara, California begs the viewer to overlook its shortcomings and ap­ Entries will be accepted in the categories of Painting, preciate the images of Rourke’s world according to Quinn. Sculpture, Works on Paper, Installation, Performance and Video. N exus A rts The exhibition is scheduled for July 22 through Aug. 26, A n d 1984. Entry blanks may be picked up in person at the Contemporary Arts Forum, 7 West De la Guerra, Santa Entertainment Barbara, CA, 93101, beginning Jan. 28 or by sending a * ft * stamped self-addressed envelope to the above address. Deadline for entries is no later than March 1,1984. Ed ito r: For more information call, Teen Coxwell at 969-0327 or Hugh Haggerty 969-0525. A ssistan t: Katherine D. Zlm bert S sauta liarliaia THURS: LIVE SOUNDS OF ROYALTY/GEORGE THOMPSON. D.J. FRI: DOUG ALLAN DANCE PARTY '—I P l i l l MÄ ■^PacielY presents SAT: TWO DECADES OF MUSIC WITH TERRY HOWELL SU N : H A P P Y H O U R - A L L NITE W ITH D O U G ALLA N MILS MON: THE YOUNG ADULTS/GEORGE THOMPSON. D.J. TUES: LADIES NITE - LADIES NO COVER WITH TERRY HOWELL WED: OLDIES fr GOODIES WITH GERRY DEWITT SOMETHINGS ALWAYS HAPPENING > $ ! * AT De Thurs Only, 2 for 1 on cover charge ôp m Monday, February 13 for UCSB students Sound by |„;i C asti lit* Lll IblSESI w/ I.D. a (»01 E. A\»nlecito St. Tickets at the door 27w.Canon Perdido 965-7733 <{■*>:* vf.Tit’ Kt'.Vjl Daily Nexus Thursday, February 9,1984 3 A By KEYVAN BEHNIA is perhaps what The Clash BIG COUNTRY: “Won­ THE LOTUS EATERS: 1983 is behind us now. It SINGLES BAR had an excess of: per­ derland”— Apparently Big “You Don’t Need Someone was the year in which the sonality. This song is an Country is immune to New”— These guys are many new British bands anthem-like piece with sharp sophomore jinx. After their going to be big. They have a became commercially and valid lyrics; their sound critically acclaimed debut trendy sound, bubblicious successful in the U.S. But is driving and powerful and album, they are back with lyrics, hip looks and of across the ocean, this class the music seems to never this outstanding song. Stuart course a unique name. The of trendy bands are being lose its momentum. Adamson’s lyrics are of such Lettuce Eaters (more ap­ challenged by an increasing propriate) sing about what *$¿385 THOMPSON TWINS: vivid romantic and spiritual number of young groups “Doctor! Doctor!”— After images that with every listen every fifteen-year-old boy which place their music two albums and a number of one hears and feels more.