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University Daily Kansan / Friday, January 17, 1992
ENTERTAINMENT
HAPPENINGS
BARS
Benchwarmer, 1601 W. 23rd St.
Friday: IPSO-FACTO, 10 p.m.-1.30 a.m., cover charge: $2
of the training of the KU Colorado game, 7 p.m.
S.D.I. immediately after the game; cover charge: $2
Saturday: Ricky Dean Sinatra,
9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
cover charge: $3
Bogart's of Lawrence, 611 Vermont
The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire
Friday: The Unknown/ Baghdad Jones, 10.p.m.-2.a.m. www.unknow.com $2
Saturday: Killing Drum/ Billy Goat, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
awwwwwwwwww
Sunday: Fang O' Love / Billy Goat, 10 p.m. -2 a.m. Ages 18 and over admitted; cover charge: $6
Monday: open mic, 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Fang O'Love; M.C. 900-
Foot Jesus, 10.p.m.-2.a. Mages 18
and over admitted;
power charge $7.
The Brass Apple, 3300 W. 15th St.
Saturday: 10 screens for viewing
the KU game, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Karaoke night, 9 p.m..
1.30 a.m., no cover charge
Flamingo Club, 501 N. 9th St.
Friday, Saturday; topple dancing,
noon-1.a.m.;
cover charge: $2 or a two-drink minimum
Monday: Poetry slam, time and cover charge TBA
Henry T's, 3520 W.6th St.
Henry I. s, 3520 w. st. E
Saturday: big-screen viewing of the KU game, 7 p.m.; no cover charge
Thursday: Karaokenight, 9 p.m.
2 a. m.
DO COVER
The Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts
Friday, Saturday; Nic Cosmos, 10
p.m.1-3 o.m. ack cover; charge $3
Thursday Room Full of Walters,
10 p.m.3-5 o.m. ack cover;
charge $3
Johnny's Tavern 401 N. 2nd St.
Saturday: Valentine. 9.30 p.m.-2
a.m.; cover charge:$1
Just a Playhouse, 806 W.24th St.
Friday, Saturday; Ace High, 7
charge $2. Thursday: free pool, 7p.m.-2a.m.
no cover charge
The Power Plant, 901 Mississippi
Ages 18 and over admitted.
Friday, Sunday: Alternative
night
Riverside Bar and Grill, 520 N.3rd St.
Friday: Badlands Band, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; cover charge: $2
Shiloh, 1003E. E 23rd St.
Friday, Blackwater 9 p.m.-1
morning charge $3
Saturday dance lessons, 7:45-
8:45 p.m.
Arnie Johnson with Midnight Special,
9 p.m.-1 a.m.;
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
ARTEXHIBITIONS
The Yacht Club, 530 Wisconsin
Tuesday: Karaoke night, 9 p.m.-1
a.m.; no cover charge
Dyche Hall "The Shell Game" Opens Saturday.Free.
White Gallery in the Spencer Museum of Art. Opening World: Japan Presents in the 20th Century. OpenSunday, ends Jan 31. Free
MUSIC
University of Kansas Opera Workshop, Inge Theatre in MurphyHall
Friday, Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday,
2:30 p.m.; "Riders to the Sea" and
Jury," Jury," $5 for public, $3
for KU students, $1 for senior citi-
zens and other students
Kansas Union
Ramanathan Cunney Worlds of Fun auditions for singers and dancers. Call 816-454-4545, ext. 1350 for information.
DANCING
Lawrence Barn Dance Association, Lawrence School of Ballet, 2051/2 W. Eighth St.
Saturday: Music by Ragged but
Right, caller Mike Rundle with
Square Trek Callers: The Next
Generation,$3
LITERARY READINGS
Lawrence Arts Center, 200 W. Ninth St.
Saturday: Performance Night
Series: readings from letters of
poet Gary Theure and music, 8
p.m., $2
Thursday: Literary Event Series:
Off the Road, A Celebration of
American Writing from the 1950s,
with William Burroughs' writings,
with music by the Ben Graham
Group, 8.p.m. $2
Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch" is no picnic
By Kris Belden
Welcome to a world where typewriters turn into giant talking beetles and people get high on powder. Welcome to the world of David Cronenberg's film "Naked Lunch," based on a novel by William Burroughs.
Kansan reviewer
"Naked Lunch" is an exploration of drug-induced hallucinations that seem to defy reality as well as challenge the audience to figure out just what is happening. The whole movie is difficult to follow.
The movie does not flow along conventional story lines. What plot it has goes like this:
An exterminator named William Lee is at work when he discovers that he is missing his roach powder. William comes home to find his wife
★★ Rent the video
Ratings:
* Buy a few beers instead
* Rent the video
* Decent entertainment
* Don't miss it
Joan injecting the yellow powder into her left breast to get high. William is arrested for possession of narcotics and is taken to the police station for interrogation.
The police dump out William's bug powder and leave him alone with a foot-and-a-half-long beetle. The beetle tells William to kill his wife because she is an evil agent from a strange land called the "Interzone." The bug also tells William he must come to the
William goes home to find his wife having sex with one of his friends on the couch while another friend is reading poetry in a monotone. He starts to believe what the beetle said about her and takes her into the bedroom. William asks his wife if she would like to play the "William Tell game" and she accepts. She balances a small glass on the top of her head for William to shoot. William misses and shoots her in the head.
"Interzone" as an "agent." William then comes to his senses and tries to squish the bug. He does and then escapes the police station.
creatures from the cantina in the movie "The Empire Strikes Back." They are called Mugwumps. These slimy, yellow-green folks with buggy eyes and udders on their heads are rivals of the beetles. Some of the more human-looking creatures in the "Interzone" suck on the udders to get high. It's not too difficult to see that getting high is an important motif of the movie.
William runs into a crowd of creatures in the "Interzone," including a gang of animals that resemble the
The next time we see William, he is in the "Interzone." Maybe he is hiding out from the police. We don't know.
The big beetles and Mugwumps reappear periodically, most of the time as vnewriters.
But the creatures also take part in the sex scenes of "Naked Lunch." William, a woman and one of the creatures have a threesome in one scene. In another scene, William's homosexual lover has sex with another man, who turns into a creature.
William is ever going to get back to
reality or if he wants to. At the end
of it, he will be back.
The "Interzone" embodied drug-induced hallucinations and being high. But the people in the "Interzone" were not thrilled to be there. Like a drug addiction, once one falls into the "Interzone," it's difficult to get out. Likewise, some people may feel that using drugs sets their minds free, when in reality, dependence on substances strips us of our freedom and control.
Although the movie was confusing, it did make some good points. "Naked Lunch" addresses issues of freedom, control and drug addiction.
This idea comes across in the film, which turns out to be more than a confusing mass of hallucinations if you give it a try.
NAKED Hungry for a taste of the LUNCH bizarre? Feast on this
Bv Kris Belden
Kansan staff writer
When William Burrowls first heard that David Cronenberg wanted to make Burroughs' book Naked Lunch into a movie, he had his doubts.
"The novel does not obviously lend itself to adaptation for the screen," Burroughs says in the introduction to the book "Everything is Permitted: the Making of Naked Lunch by Ira Silverberg." It is a novel with a great deal of talk, and the rule of film is that movies move, with minimal talk," says Burroughs, Lawrence resident.
Marnen Diertrich/KANSAN
Some reviewers in the gay press have complained that the homosexual aspects of your novel--or your life, for that matter- have not been faithfully incorporated into the film. How would you answer those criticisms?
Bugs like the ones in "Naked Lunch" don't stop Marc Wilson, Hiawatha junior, from buying a movie ticket.
Well, I can't answer those criticisms, because I didn't write the screenplay. It's another example of how little resemblance Lee bears to my own life. When I lived in Tangier, my sexual partners were almost exclusively Spanish boys, who, by the way, were very masculine and not at all like the Kiki character, who is rather effeminate, or gentle.
In an interview with a writer from the magazine American Film, Crönnberg said he needed to draw from all the different books because Naked Lunch had no real plot or character development. He said the book alternated from the natural to the surreal
But when Burroughs, 77, attended a private screening of the film about six weeks ago at Liberty Hall, he seemed pleased with Croneberg's interpretation, said Jeff Johnston, theater manager.
Cronenberg took parts from *Naked Lunch* and two of Burroughs' other books, *Exterminator!* and Queen, and combined them to write the screenplay, according to a statement from Burroughs.
The movie is about an exterminator named William Lee who is enlisted as an agent to live in the "Interzone," a land of bizarre creatures and hallucinatory experiences.
"He was going to leave it up to Croneberg to adapt it," Johnston said. "He was happy with it."
Q. What about the char-actor of Lee's wife Joan Lee? Doesn't she resemble your own common-law wife, Joan Vollmer, who died in 1851 before you went to Tangier?
I must tell you, my wma accidental shooting of my wife in 1831 has been a heavy, j 'inful burden to me for forty years. It was a horrible thing, and it still hurts to realize that someone should think I was so desperate deliberate. I've been bombarded about the circumstances - we were both very drunk and reckless, she dared me to shoot a glass off her head, and for God knows what reason, I took the dare. All my life I have regretted that day. If there is one apprehension I feel about this film coming out, it's that some viewers may think it's a re-creation of the historical facts, which it isn't, after all.
Cronenberg said he picked two characters who appeared and disappeared in the novel, William Lee and Dr., and
and disoriented.
developed them in the movie to give the film continuity.
In his statement, Burroughs denies that the character of William Lee, portrayed by Peter Weller, is completely biographical.
"I don't want to be so disingenuous to deny them are any parallels, but the point is that David Cronenberg made this movie," Burruggis said.
In the movie, William Lee plays a game of William Tell with his wife Joan. She places a glass on her head and then Lee purposely shoots her in the head.
Burroughs shot his wife Joan Vollmer in the head after a game of William Tell in 1951.
Burroughs was in Mexico at the time of the shooting, said James Grauerholz, director of William Burroughs Communications. After spending two weeks in a Mexican jail, Burroughs was released on bond, Grauerholz said. Burroughs was not convicted of any crime in relation to the shooting.
"When I saw the finished film, her (Judy Dawley) role as Lee's wife did not remind me of my wife. The personalities were entirely different. And certainly, when Lee shoots his wife, neither of those two scenes bears any similarity to my wife's death." Burroughs said.
Burroughs started the novel Naked Lunch in 1954 in Tangier, according to his statement. It was originally titled Interzone.
Naked Lunch was first printed in Paris in 1895, and is now in print in 16 languages, according to Burroughs' statement. The book first appeared in the United States in 1682 but not without controversy. On July 7, 1966, the
Q. What do you think of the finished film "Naked Lunch?"
It is a very good film,
as far as I can tell.
course. I am too close
course, I find the movie is a profoundly personal interpretation by David, and I think it works. It has a unified feel, and the story created by David moves in a miasma of paranoia that seems appropriate to the subject matter. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious.
Supreme Court of Massachusetts declared Naked lunch not to be obscene, removing the threat of a statewide ban on the book. Censorship action against the book was also taken in Los Angeles, where the novel was
cleared of all charges in 1965, according to the forward of Naked Lunch.
In 1970, two of Burroughs' friends, Brion Gysin and Antony Balch, tried to adapt the novel for film. They abandoned the project four years later.
Musician Frank Zappa also approached Burroughs in 1979 with ideas about making Naked Lunch into real, but the project was never pursued.
What are you doing,
and why do you live in
Lawrence, Kan.?
Lawrence is a university town of about 60,000 plus about A.
LAWRENCE ABUSTER-
town city of about
60,000 plus about
25,000 students, so it is big enough to be diverse. My privi-
cacy is respected and is easier to maintain than it would be in a big city. I've lived in Kansas for 10 years. I moved here to find a quiet life, in a place where I can keep my beloved cats and let them run in the yard, and I can indulge my pastime of target shooting.
Cronenberg, who directed The Fly and Dead Ringers, contacted Burroughs in 1981 to express his interest in making the novel into a movie. In 1984, Cronenberg met with Burroughs to discuss script ideas. "No one else of his caliber has ever asked to film Naked Lunch, and I didn't see why he shouldn't be allowed to give it a try." Burroughs said in his statement.
Cronenberg began filming in 1991. The script had to be altered because the movie was originally to be filmed in Morocco but that location was changed because of the Gulf War.
Cronenberg recreated a set in Toronto that resembled the streets in the Casbah of old Tangier.
Cronenberg's movie is the first full-length feature film to be made from one of Burroughs' books, Burroughs said. He said he expected it will not be the last.
"I hope that my readers will judge the film as something quite apart from my novel, and perhaps find some new readers thereby," he said.
Burroughs does not give interviews to local media. He retired from public performances two years ago and would like to live as privately as possible, he said in his statement.
"I enjoy a simple daily routine, which allows me to work at my painting and writing." "Burroughs said.
'The Q & A with Burroughs was provided by Burroughs's office.
New films are favorites in race for Academy Awards
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Now that the deadline for Oscar hopefuls is past, Hollywood faces the question: Can "The Silence of the Lambs," released in February, beat out movies released in December?
Of the 56 best-picture winners since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started giving awards on an annual basis (the first six were for split years: 1927-28), 44 were released in the second part of the year. An overwhelming 27 reached theaters in November and December.
Movie studios have heeded the odds, saving what they consider to be their prestige films for late in the year, when they would be fresh in the minds of the academy voters. "Driving Miss Daisy," winner for 1989, came out at Christmas of that year. "Dances With Wolves," last year's winner, was
History is against it.
released before Thanksgiving.
"The Silence of the Lamps" has been released in video and is one of the top 5 rentals. This might help keep the movie in voters' minds.
Orion Pictures released the movie on Valentine's Day, and the Jonathan Demme film was hailed by critics as a thriller of great originality, superbly acted by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. The film was named best of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review.
With Orion in bankruptcy court and therefore unable to launch an expensive ad campaign, and "Lambs" long out of release, the film faces competition from more recent movies such as "Bugsy," which won the Los Angeles Film Critics award, "The Prince of Tides." "JFK" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." The surprise spring hit "Thelma and Louise" and Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King" also are
possibilities.
Here's how the other big races are shaping up:
Best actress:
This year, Miss Foster, 1988 winner for "The Accused," will undoubtedly be nominated for "The Silence of the Lambs." Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis could be a tandem entry for "Thelma and Louise," though one critics' poll listed Davis as supporting
accesses.
Laura Dern seems a likely nominee for her ingenuous country girl in "Rambling Rose." Other possibilities: Bette Midler, "For the Boys"; Jessica Lange, "Cape Fear"; Annette Bening, "Bugsy"; Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Rush"; Kathy Bates, "Fried Green Tomatoes"; Isabelle Huppert, "Madame Bovary."
If voters overcome their resistance to Barba Streisand (her "Yeti" went unrewarded), she might be mentioned for "The Prince of Tides."
Best actor:
Supporting actress:
Supporting nominations customarily go to the big films; rarely does a lesser film draw recognition.
Best choice. Hopkin seems a sure thing as the man-eating doctor of "The Silence of the Lambs." The National Board of Review selected him as supporting actor, but Orion is entering him as best actor, and the nominating actors branch is likely to agree.
Mercedes Ruehlam Amanda Plummer seem likely nominees for "The
Warren Beatty, the charming killer of "Bugsy," appears to have the best chance of his career to win the big prize for acting (he was named best director for "Reds" in 1981). Robin Williams should again be in the running for "The Fisher King." Nick Nolte is a strong entry for "The Prince of Tides." The perennial nominee, Robert DeNiro, could be cited for "Cape Fear."
Supporting actor:
Fisher King." Other nominees could be Diane Ladd, "Rambling Rose"; Mary Stuart Masterson, "Fried Green Tomatoes"; Maggie Smith, "Hook"; Kate Nelligan, "Frankie and Johnny"; Mary McDonnell, "Grand Canyon"; Juliette Lewis, "Cape Fear".
Robert Duall, 1983 winner in best actor for "Tender Meres," is a prime choice for another Southern characterization in "Rambling Rose."
A sentimental favorite is Jack Palance, who stole the show as the leathery trail boss in "City Slickers." Alan Rickman's devilish Sheriff of Nottingham was the hit of "Robin Hood. Prince of Thieves."
other possibilities. Joe Pesi and Tommy Lee Jones, "JFK," Aidan Quinn, "At Play in the Fields of the Lord"; Ben Kingsley, "Bugsy"; Samuel Jackson, "Jungle Fever"; Michael Lerner, "Barton Fink"; and Steven Hill, "Billy Batgate."