Megan Irvine, Manhattan sophomore, watches her lava lamp as it begins to bubble. She said the four-year-old lamp was one of her favorite room decorations because it helped her relax. Brian Hott, Wichita sophomore, brings a sense of patriotism to his room in Hashinger Hall. Brian Vandervliet / KANSAN Brian Vandervliet / KARBAI Pint Larivee, Taunton, Mass., freshman, uses original artwork to cover the walls of his room in McCollum residence hall. Homerooms Making an apartment or dorm room feel like home takes a little creativity. By Kevin Hoffmann Kansan staff writer There's something about a place called home. It's different for everyone but always special. For some people, home may be a place to relax and read a book by the fireplace. For others, home may be the place with the big, comfortable bed, slept in for years. Many KU students must create a home away from home while living in temporary housing. Brian Hott, Wichita sophomore, brought a little of his previous homes with him to Lawrence. Hott, who as a military child followed his father to a number of different countries, hung a collection of full-sized flags from the walls of his room on the fourth floor of Hashinger Hall. "There's one from Germany, France, Bavaria, and of course, the obvious," Hott said, pointing to a U.S. flag. "I try to get new stuff from each place." Brent Dummitt, St. Louis freshman, said his room at Ellsworth Hall contained many items from his room in his parents' house, right down to the cinder blocks where he keeps his shoes. "It's pretty much the same stuff from back home," Dunnitt said. "Except for the wallpaper." That wallpaper" consists of empty Natural Light and Budweiser 12-pack cartons. "We had a lot of help with those," Dummitt said. Laura Ortman tried to keep her home away from home more simple. The Godfrey, III., junior, who majors in painting, said she liked to keep her art work on her walls. "Wherever I've lived, I brought this stuff with me," she said, pointing to her paintings. "None of it is worth anything. I just don't want to throw any of it away." Ortman's decorations also included Christmas lights that hung from one wall to another and a big circular light in the middle of the ceiling. Ortman also stood a bed frame on end, on which she hangs items. Mark O'Connor, Hays junior, created his new home from scratch. "I left most of my belongings in Hays," he said. "I didn't really want to bother with moving all my stuff this far." O'Connor eventually acquired enough furnishings to make his Lawrence apartment resemble his Hays home, he said. "I got this couch, the T.V. and a few other things that's made it a lot like home," he said. O'Connor said that he did not try to emulate his parents' decorating style but that their tastes came out anyway. "My parents were always kind of conservative in their style, and you can see that here," he said. "I don't think anyone tries to copy exactly after their parents, but it's something that gets instilled in you." review 'Philadelphia' brings AIDS issue to forefront "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Matt, the serious film student and aspiring movie critic. My job every Thursday will be to lead the informed moviegoer to high-quality films, to films that speak with a creative and articulate voice. I will, simultaneously, dissuade those of taste from the crass, the uninspired and the base." Actually, he's just a smart-ass who thinks that he has all the answers. Hi, I'm Sludge. I'm just your average guy. I like ESPN and beer. Matt, on the other hand, has been known to sneak a glass of white zinfandel when no one is looking. "Now, Sludge," I enjoy a good brew just as much as the next guy, but I think that film is an excellent meter for measuring society's attributes and shortcomings and for gauging the social climate." Why not? It's your middle name. Listen folks, I'm not here to bore you with the tiny intellectual details. I'm here to tell you what's good, what's bad, what's fun and what isn't. I mean, let's be honest here. We're college students, we don't want to go to something where you have to read the bottom of the screen, and we don't want to talk about a movie for two hours after- Movies are for watching and for entertainment. People go to movies for dates and for hangin' out and stuff. Lighten up, Francis! "Don't call me that, Sludge!" Matt Gowen is a Lawrence senior major in journalism and film. Sludge is inspired by a real person. Look for this weekly review column every Thursday. No, I think it's that liquid butter stuff they put on it. wards. I'll show you where the good time is.I'll even tell you who makes the best corncorn. "That's a synecdoche, Sludge." "As you can probably see, Sludge doesn't exactly seek out thought-provoking cinema, although his favorite movie, 'Bull Durham,' was a quick-witted and interesting film. Though I find that independent, small-time films are often far superior to the Hollywood product, I'm not immune to big-time films that live up to their billing, such as last year's 'The Fugitive,' for example. "No, I mean that popcorn is a metaphor for the moviegoing experience." Whatever you say, Matt. Another film surrounded by plenty of hype and media fervor is the new Jonathan Demme picture, "Philadelphia," which Sludge and I saw this weekend. "Philadelphia" is a breakthrough, if for no other reason than it breaks the Hollywood barrier against AIDS and discrimination against homosexuals." All I know is, it's a good thing we brought dates to this movie or we would have had to sit a seat apart, right, so people wouldn't think, you know... I admit it, I've never seen a movie about gays before. "Exactly. Sludge. thank you." "I know what you meant, Slop." "That we were loser movie critics without dates?" No,no,I meant.. "I'm sure plenty of people feel a little threatened with the subject matter, Sludge, but the whole point of a movie like this is to make people more aware and sensitive. That's Sludge. Anyway, the film is definitely Hollywood. Tom Hanks plays Andrew Beckett, a young hot-shot lawyer who's fired from his erudite firm when they begin to suspect that he has AIDS. Denzel Washington plays ambulance chaser Joe Miller, who reluctantly takes Beckett's anti-discrimination suit when his conscience begins to get the better of him. No question about it, this is a powerful film. Demme, however, never quite gets a handle on the material. It's social statement. Now it's a courtroom drama. Now it's an artful statement about pain and suffering. We forget about that, however, when Hanks' numbing performance and the material's inherent significance take over. Washington is equally good as the prejudiced, strong-willed Miller. 'Philadelphia' does have its shortcomings, such as the characterization of Beckett. At times, he is a conglomeration of gay stereotypes, complete with an intense sensitivity to the opera. Beckett's love of opera is played out in his apartment while Miller and Beckett review his testimony for the next day. Red lights flash and the camera dances while Beckett acts out his favorite aria for Miller." That was weird. I felt like I was in the middle of that Bud Dry commercial where those guys are watching the Sad Clown of Death. You know, "Why are foreign films so foreign?" "That's a play on Fellini films, Sludge." I know. "Right" "That scene may have been taking itself too seriously. You're right." All I know is, it was about to turn into a Liberty Hall movie. "Also, Becket's family is too wohl supportive to be believable. With the social See PHILADELPHIA Page 8. Your guide to Entertainment in the Lawrence Area. calendar NIGHTLIFE 1601 W. 23rd St. Thirteenth Street, N.W. Benchwarmers Sports Bar and Grill 1601 W.23rd St. Mountain Clyde, tomorrow KU/Iowa State game and They Came in Droves, Saturday. Chiefs and Chili (Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills), Sunday Deep Blue Something, tonic Mountain Clvde, tomorrow KU/Oklahoma State game, Wednesday November, Thursday 737 New Hampshire St. U.K., 10 p.m. Tuesday (18 and over) Chubby Smith and The Lonesome Hound Common Ground, 10 p.m. Saturday Open Mic Night, 9:30 p.m. Monday The Millions, 10 p.m. tomorrow Season to Risk with Barkmarket and Cher U.K., 10 p.m. Tuesday (18 and over) Sinister Dame and John Brown's Underground 10 toult Chubby Smith and The Lonesome Hound Dogs_10 o.m. Wednesday The Thick with Possom Dickson, 10 p.m. Thursday (18 and over) The Crossing Arkansas White Trash Express, 9 p.m. Satur day Full Moon Cafe R03 Massachusetts St. 803 Massachusetts St. Tim Cross Jazz Group, 8:30 tonight Boys from the Prairie, 8:30 p.m. tomorrow Ashiklar, 8:30 p.m. Saturday Jay Keim, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday Tim Cross Jazz Group, 8:30 p.m. Thursday The Jazzhouse The Jazzhaus 926 1/2 Massachusetts St. Richard Johnson, 9:30 tonight O'Ryan Bank, 9:30 p.m. tomorrow O'Ryan Island, 9:30 p.m. tomorrow Morganå²›, 9:30 p.m. Saturday Mango Jam, 9:30 p.m. Saturday Poetry Slam, 7:30-10 p.m. Tuesday Monkey Meet, 9:30 p.m. Thursday monkey Meet, 9:30 p.m. Thursday The Forum The Granada Theater 1020 Massachusetts St. 1020 Massachusetts St. "Whack!" 9 tonight "Whack!" 9 tonight '70s, '80s and Alternative Music, 9 p.m. tomorrow Soushakers with Marqueel Jordan Sextet, 9 p.m. Saturday AFC and NFC Championship games, 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mondo Disco with D.J. Ray Velasquez, 9 p.m. Tuesday '80s Night, 9 p.m. Wednesday "Whack!" 9 p.m. Thursday Dos Hombres O2F New Nomhshire St 815 New Hampshire St. 615 New Hampshire ST Techno Night. 10 tonight Hockenbury's Tavern 1 See NIGHTLIFE Page 8.