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Show The Summer Chronicle - Page Eight No Wednesday, July 17, 1991 one can escape the disappointments in life disappointments Welcome to the world. Big and literary, to name a few. I'm sure all of you can come up with some of your own without a second thought. PERSONAL Personal disappointments begin for some of us as soon as we hit the doctor's hands. Here we have been living the life of Riley while we are fed and sheltered in a nice, warm womb. No sooner than you can say "Bob's your uncle," someone says it's time to greet the great big world, and out you come. You struggle for hours to get through an opening barely big once-in-awhi- le, someone checks on your progress and shines a light in your face not a nice thing to do to someone who's been swimming in darkness for 9 months. Good grief! You're forced to start breathing through your own lungs, then some idiot in a mask whacks you on your 'Boyz N Arlene M. was a girl, and even Calkins clear into young womanhood, There are all types of personal, disappointments: cinematic, political, professional enough for your foot. Every I my most painfully disappointing relationships were with other little bteprora my neighborhood dictated I should be. This never really worked well for me because I was a rather free and eccentric spirit. Consequently, all my friends were boys. The boys never really hassled me. I could be, say and do what I wanted and that was just fine. Fine, that is, until my junior year in high school. That's when everyone's hormones started running rampant (Okay, so I was a little slower than everyone else!). Sigh. I've got to say, relationships are not what they used to be. I finally ended my last one by telling him I couldn't see him any more there wasn't any give and take, just take. I finally told him, "It's too hard for me when we both love the same person. I went out and bought a unnecessary tests, and merchants who needlessly markup their wares are but a drop in the ocean of the projectionist flipped the switch. The opening was pretty flashy, warming up to exciting. Chronicle Feature Columnist girlfriends. I found I could never really be who I was I always had to be what female society in own Pepper and took our 12th-rocenter seats. The curtains parted, and w deal. When you through a battery of expensive, Vines, Milk Duds and Dr. backside. Disappointme nts are a common, every-da- y factor of life. Some are more intense than others, and some are more serious than others. Whatever the degree I absolutely hate to be disappointed. professional The head of the list has always been, and will always remain, the The only thing I really had trouble with was the female legal profession. Why do you think they call it "criminal law?" lead a whining, sniveling, annoying, well, you know. dog Kate, the hound from hell. The rest is history. CINEMA Cinematically speaking, sequels classic are of examples disappointments. Take the Indiana Jones trilogy, for instance. The first one knocked my socks off, I sat on the edge of my seat for the better part of two hours and was thoroughly entertained. I absolutely love being suspensed or scared to death. When it was over, I prayed for a sequel. When the sequel finally came, I camped on the theater doorstep with my three kids Sally and Emily were convinced I had lost the and one three peeries, two cat's-eye- s shooter that I had been using for brains. We loaded up on popcorn, Red LITERARY It went from bad to worse. Spielberg had nasty men torturing small children, strange menu items that made my kids sick, and a fellow with a temperament which allowed him to literally pluck the heart out of a fellow while he screamed. Not a good movie. Big disappointment. Other cinematic goof-up-s. Reading a good book during the summer, which is not on some professor's required list, is something many of us look forward to. Every summer, we put our pocket books on the line and shell out six bucks a pop for a paperback else has novel someone to cure the recommended letdowns summertime blahs. This year, I have chosen "The Burden of Proof," by Scott Turow. It's his sequel (that should have screamed something to me) to "Presumed Innocent" It started out well, but after the 338th page, I wanted to shout, "Get a clue!" You could sleep through this mother. There are ways to combat all of the disappointments that life and inconsiderate humans deal out The best way I have found is to just toss them off with an "Eat dirt, and die." include: The Two Jakes, Godfather m, Poltergeist E &-- EI, and anything after the first Rocky and the first Exorcist. The list could go on. POLITICAL On the political side, we have Dan Quayle. 'Nuff said. PROFESSIONAL Disappointing professionals are legion. Professors who give you a much lower grade than you know you deserve are one bi disappointment. Doctors who lea the Hood' realistic picture of hood life Movie misunderstood by most critics ; By Andrew Wade Chronicle Film Critic "one less nigger in the streets," director John Singleton offers some enlightened answers to the difficulties facing young black men in their urban battlegrounds. The first of which is educationknowledge in order to rebuke dangerous Boyz N the Hood Directed by John Singleton Distributed by Columbia Pictures Produced by Steve Nicolaides Starring Ice Cube film and Boyz N the Hood is a black urban coming-of-ag- e a modern-da- y version of the Robin Hood legend. The film opens in the mean streets of South Central Los Angeles in 1984 and charts the course of three young men Tre Styles (newcomer Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his friends, two brothers: Doughboy (portrayed by rapper Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut). We follow them from adolescence through young adulthood. These young men endure a life that would be considered a nightmare by most. Gang violence and drugs permeate the "hood." Your most viable future prospects are death, jail or alcoholism. While both Tre and Ricky intend to break the mold by going to college, Doughboy symbolizes most of his peers and seems content to just "hang" in the "hood." Through the dark sounds of hovering helicopters and local law enforcement espousing pessimistic remarks about the potential loss of one of the neighborhood's residents as ignorance and, more importantly, the presence and guidance of strong father figures. Singleton has successfully chosen Larry Fishburne as Furious Styles, Tre's father, to embody his vision of a ghetto patriarch. And the selection of other actors is just as competent, each believable in their respective roles. But most surprisingly is another rap artist making his acting debut. Earlier this year L.L. Cool J and Ice T became thespians. Now Ice Cube creates a credible performance as an angry youth. The Singleton, raised in South Central Los Angeles, has created a superlative work of realistic cinema. Casting aside the Spike Lee tradition of odd and unusual camera work, Singleton opted instead for an honest and style. Strong, hard-edgeoccasionally humorous, Boyz N the Hood has a palatable message in which compassion is the watch word. Recently there have been incidents of gang violence near theaters exhibiting this film. Critics have been quick to judge, blaming the film as the instigator. But anyone who has seen the film can clearly recognize a serious misconception. Boyz N the Hood in no way glorifies violence and in fact makes little use of it. In fact, the film's message is one of almost-documenta- ry d, anti-violenc- e. Alice Drake exhibit captures Doughboy (Ice Cube), who grow up in South Central Los Angeles, lives by the laws of the street in Boyz N the Hood. momemis real-lif- e beautiful stone farm house. The farmer pulled up as they were peeking in, and offered to show them the place. The chair lit up By Emily M. Cannon Chronicle Art Critic '"- i wixiij ..J Alice Drake travels with camera in hand, searching for an "opportunistic" moment, perfect 1 lighting and an object or subject to capture forever on film. The - f , ,', ' 1 W ZZj I majority of the photos currently on display at the Union Gallery, were beauty existent, stumbled upon by the artist. However, I couldn't stop the deja vu of the postcard racks in the park visitors center in most cases. This is not necessarily bad, if you plan to make a living selling postcards. She has definitely got the down. Possibly this is B due to her marketing skills, honed by years in the business world. There were a few photos in the Union Gallery exhibit that were "XXXX" and other photographs by Alice Drake will be on display at the Union Gallery through Aug. 2. approached from a new perspective. "Painter's Rocking Chair" pops out of a dark, mysterious background, sunlight choosing careful spots to rest its rays, what's not blessed by the sunset warmth fast fades to black to create a powerful contrast. Drake said this photo was taken on a spontaneous stop in the Shenandoah mountains at a with the rays of the setting sun as he g door. It was opened the one of those rare "opportunistic moments," when she was glad she had her camera with her. Another perfect opportunity arose on a backroad in New Hampshire, as she stumbled upon a sugar maple orchard, complete with a family sugaring house. After hearing the tales of the land, she recorded her down-hom- e experience with a of a beautiful old woman, portrait involved in her "sugaring-of- f deeply ' task. The woman's character is captured and enhanced with a grainy brown antique effect. "Penny Candy" was another favorite of mine, taken by the artist in Newfoundland. It features an store front, which might be just another postcard, if it weren't for the reflection of the old church in the glass, and the child watching as the store clerk reaches into a glass jar to retrieve the penny candy. The spontaneity, complex composition and reflection play make this photograph fine art. The show is worth seeing at the west-facin- old-fashion- ed Union Gallery, through Aug., 2. |