Page 10 Planet of the Arts IBS SS SEES Lethal Weapon Okay, the first scene in this film will probably raise a few eyebrows among the femjnists out there: a woman languishing on a bed in a hotel, her negligee undone. The scene is reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Psycho opening: a woman, on a bed in a hotel room, fully clothed. Yet some feminists object to that as well. There’s an old Hollywood rule that if you don’t grab your audience in the first 10 minutes of a film they are going to turn the channel or something. To make things really exciting for the theatre-going public, the open-negligee bed-languisher ‘does some coke and tries to play Superwoman off the balcony. Street pizza. Anyway, on with the film. First we see Roger Murtaugh. He’s happy, and why not? He’s got a wife, three kids, a cat, a beautiful house in the suburbs and a boat that he doesn’t know how to sail. He’s also a detective in the LAPD. Next we see Martin Riggs. He’s not so happy. He lives in a run-down trailer on the beach. His only company is his dog. And ever since his wife died in an automobile accident, he wakes up each morning and tries to find some reason for not blowing his brains out. Of course they get teamed up. Riggs has been labled a “crazy cop”: if he’s real, no one wants to work with him; if he’s faking it, no one wants to work with him. When they meet, Murtaugh has just dive-tackled Riggs, who has promptly flipped around and held a gun to his face. The start of a beautiful friendship. It turns out that the open-negligee bed-languisher jumper, was a small-time hooker and porn star who had been given some bad drugs which would have killed her anyhow. She was also the daughter of an old ‘Nam buddy of Murtaugh’s. As the plot unfolds we find a cadre of mercenaries from ‘Nam dealing heroin, old “buddies” of Riggs’ when he was in Special Forces. Funny how everybody in ’Nam was in some kind of special force group. Yeah, it’s a good guys versus bad guys story, but its a damn good one. The dialogue is great and the cinematography is at least above average, if not actually brilliant in some spots. There are some great scenes where a television is used as an ironic commentator, like when Riggs has a gun in his mouth while some Loony Toons cartoons are playing. And of course there’s action, a lot of it. It’s violent, but it’s not graphic. No Earl’s Bid Wish close-ups of heads exploding as in a famous Canadian film (which I won’t mention). I would definitely recommend seeing this film, though I don’t usually go to these kinds of movies to begin with. It’s fun, vacuous, and if it really bothers you, close your eyes for the first ten minutes. LETHAL WEAPON is playing at the Capitol Six, Park Royal, Richmond Square, Eagle Ridge 6, and the Guildford. @ Martin Stein art Joe Menabney “Gone to the Dogs” Some of the grads of this year may remember Joe Menabney; he attended school here in our Foundation year (1983). Having been a painter since 1975 Joe felt the Foundation program here was too confining. School was not for him and he didn’t complete that first year. A diversely talented man, Joe has played with “I Braineater” and ' toured Western Canada with “Last Sex on _ Earth”. He is most recently involved in doing the sound track for Mike ‘the drunken bastard’ Hill’s film, and a wee bit on Marcus Rogers’ most recent film. Joe’s show, entitled “Gone to the Dogs” is his third show since moving here from Montreal in 1983. Bruce Kalins, the operations manager of the Arts Club Lounge (Seymour St.) paid a visit to Joe’s studio at the suggestion of Jay Scott from “Cattle Prod” Music Promotions. Bruce saw the piece entitled “She’s No Bare Back Bitch”, the only piece in the studio at the time. Having seen some of Joe’s earlier pieces elsewhere, Bruce decided to book the first art show at the lounge. This show ended April 11 — sorry! The Arts Club Flyer and the Discorder both advertised the show under the name “John Menabney’. Now to get the name “Joe” wrong in the first place is quite a feat, but doubled with the fact that Joe’s uncle John Menabney had years ago committed suicide by hanging himself with an extension cord, the oversight is quite ironic. Of the 25 pieces showing, 5 were sold opening night and 5 more have sold to this date. Joe describes his work as “kitsch-en- sayings” and “new-negroism”. He combines familiar images with bright colours and words to make his statement. Some of the favourites of the folks there were “Buckwheats (My Sons)”, “Anti-Jemima (My Relative)”, “White Nigger (Self Portrait)”, “Blah, Blah, Blah (Importance circa 1985)”, and of course “She’s No Bare Back Bitch (English Style Saddle)”. The following weekend one patron of the theatre voiced a complaint to the manager of the Arts Club Granville Island (you remember them) — as a result the artist was requested to remove the piece. ““She’s No Bare Back Bitch” was the work in question. Joe, in compliance with the complaint, chose to censor it with a fitted sheet marked censored in passion pink. “The Official Joe Menabney Censor Sheet” can be yours for the small sum of $20.00. Viewers may remove this sheet to see the work but, kids, you must put it back when you are through! The Arts Club should now examine their motives. Do they want alternative art showing in their lounge? Bruce the manager does, but the “man upstairs” may not. We do and we encourage artists to continue to show their work there. There may be some compromises along the way, but we do have our foot in the door. m Katha NOChi nes Okay, there I was at the bank at 10:00 p-m., waiting in the line up for the banking machine. Now, these machines are great tools for measuring I.Q. Some customers just take forever to figure out what they’re doing there in the first place. : I love the ones who announce a personal vendetta on all machines after the banking machine reads “insufficient funds”. This is probably why most central data centres for these machines are always kept secret. They would undoubtedly have to deal with bomb threats all the time. Anyway, it was 10:00 p.m. and I was the next one up, when in waltzes a gorgeous woman with a pissy poodle on a chain. With this ultra sexy voice she asks if she could be next because she’s really in a rush. I, like a horny cockroach, stutter “sure”. She quickly takes her card out of her purse and walks over to the now vacant machine. As she puts her card in, she accidently slips the end of the dog chain in with the card. Trouble with a capital T begins. Realizing what she has done, her posture falls into a panic stance and she tries to yank the chain out of the mouth of the machine, but it does not give. The machine reads cracker yacks Wea wish my Sean Them a7 £: psen U A new par of bowling shoes! ~ tf ] —— V - : _— Special thanx To: Rick hockey fan, Pot the Ay M.K.,IN.; V-D-G-5 Speck) MomtDad y B., Gey TOpangas 9 Satan, K.o+ 9B. SS ‘ Sa : Reviews ~*~ f N ‘* Gs 5 Stes “Please enter code number”. She yanks at the chain again but the machine holds on tightly and reiterates, “Please enter code number.” Suddenly, the machine goes through some familiar clicking noises but instead of cancelling the transaction.it sucks in a bit more of the chain. The dog gags from the pull and starts barking frantically. The lady, of course, loses all her poise and in a panic tries to yank out the chain with all her might. The machine clicks yet again, “Please contact your branch. Funds unavailable.” With that, the machine sucks in more of the chain and now the poodle is hanging and gasping for air. The woman falls on all fours and makes herself into a platform for the dog to stand on. “Do something!” she screams to me. Of course I’m mesmerized by the whole scenerio but realize that some people don’t know what they’re doing at machines. “Ma’am all you have to do when this happens is untie the leash from the dog.” I say. “How silly of me” she says. I untie the dog collar and the dog jumps off the woman’s back and looks at her funny. She gets up and straightens her clothes. The machine eats the rest of the chain and reads, “Your chain has been accepted. Thank you for banking with us. Have a nice day.” “See. It worked.” I say “T wish I could get it straight just once. It does a real number on poopsie.” With this said, she gathers the dog and runs off. Finally it is my turn. I put my card in and punch my request. I always punch the numbers fast to show people behind me that I’m capable. “Please insert clothes into slot.” ; I strip down to my birthday suit and quickly shove my clothes in the slot. “Clothes have been accepted. Thank you. Have a nice day.” si I walk out into the world, naked and unafraid. You just really have to know how to work those machines. It makes life so much simpler. & Jerry Stochansky (continued from page 9) of constant marginalization has its price. There are too many battles to fight. The struggle for credibility and equality saps far too much energy; they should be givens. We | are pioneers and explorers breaking new territory and making new rules. We need a. change in the balance of power so that our differences as women and men, artists and_ art historians serve to enrich our creativity. None of us wants to shoulder the whole burden of being “The Woman Artist”. As women artists we are creating new identities for ourselves. Our reality is enforced by our obvious biological differences — a difference, just that, not a handicap. As artists, even as art historians, we are all marginal to society. Our aim is to allow women a place of quality within that marginal group rather than to continue placing women right at the bottom of the totem pole. Another aim has to do with how “we do it ourselves” with our minority sense of identity. There are no final conclusions to be drawn here, only many questions to be asked. The public stance of women artists in their own minds, is one that is crucial for the dialogue to continue, not just with women amongst women - a reinforcement of their minority position - but with men very much present and involved as well. @ Yvonne Singer . fe eerie a, Al 4\ Page 10 Planet ofthe Arts NovieS Lethal Weapon ‘Okay, the frst se probably raise afew eyebrows among the femjnists out there: a woman languishing on ‘abed in a hotel, her negligee undone. The scene is reminiscent of Hitehcock’s Psycho ‘opening: a woman, on a bed in a hotel room. fully clothed. Yet some that as well. There's an old Hollywood rule that if you don’t grab your audience in the first 10 minutes ofa film they are going 10 turn the channel or something. To make things really exciting forthe theatre-2 public, the open-negligee bed-languisher {does some coke and tries to play Superwoman ‘off the balcony. Street pizza. Anyway, on with the film First we sce Roger Murtaugh. He’s happy and why not? He's gota wife, three kids, a house in the suburbs and a He's also Martin Riggs. He’ run-down trailer on the beach. His only dog. And ever since his wife died in an automobile accident, he wakes up teach morning and tries to find some reason. for not blowi Of course been labled a “erazy cop”: if he’s real, no ‘one wants to work with him: if he's faking it, no one wants to work with him. When they meet, Murtaugh has just dive-tackled Riggs, who has promptly flipped around and held gun to his face. The start of a beautiful friendship. Itturns out that the open-negligee bed:-languisher jumper, was a small-time hhooker and porn star who had been given some bad drugs which would have killed her anyhow. She was also the daughter of an old ‘Nam buddy of Murtaugh’s ‘As the plot unfolds we find a cadre of ny how everybody in “Nam was in some kind of special force group. ‘sa good guys versus bad guys story, but its a damn good one. The dialogue is great and the cinematography is at above average, if not actually brilliant in some spots. There are some great scenes, Where television is used as an ironic commentator, ike when Riggs has a gun in his mouth while some Loony Toons cartoons are playing. And of course there's Totof it. Is violent, but t's not a Earl’s Bid Wish ce ~ FeVIRWS caps of hens exploding ss ina famous [aan finch t won't mention Dee ete fm though don sully goto these fipesot roves Obeiinw tn, sag eee te ore ist en minutes TETHAL WEAPON i playing atthe capitol Sx, Park Royal, Ricnond Square, tle Ridge 6 andthe Gin | art Joe Menabney Zone to the Dogs” | Some of the grads ofthis year may | remember Joe Menabney: he attended school there in our Foundation year (1983). Having | been a painter since 1975 Joe felt the | Foundation program here was too confining. School was not for him and he didn’t complete that first year. A diversely talented Joe has played with “I Braineater” and toured Western Canada with “Last Sex on. Earth”. He is most recently involved in ‘doing the sound track for Mike “the drunken | bastard” Hill's film, and a wee bit on Marcus | Rogers’ most recent film, Joe's show. entitled “Gone to the Dogs his third show since moving here from “Montreal in 1983. Bruce Kalins, the ‘operations manager of the Arts Club Lounge ‘Seymour St.) paid a visit to Joe's studio at | the suggestion of Jay Scott from “Cattle Prod” Music Promotions. Bruce saw the piece entitled “She's No Bare Back Bitch”, | the only piece in the studio at the time. Having seen some of Joe's earlier pieces elsewhere, Bruce decided t0 book the first fart show at the lounge. This show ended April 11 — sorry! The Arts Club Flyer and the Discorder both advertised the show under the name “John Menabney”. Now to get the name “Joe” wrong inthe first place is quite a feat, but doubled with the fact that Joe's uncle John Menabney had years ago committed suicide by hanging himself with an extension | cond, the oversight is quite ironic. (Of the 25 pieces showing, 5 were sold opening night and 5 more have sold to this date, Joe describes his work as “kitsch-en- sayings” and “new-negroism”. He combines familiar images with bright colours and. words to make his statement. Some of the favourites of the folks there were | sBuckwheats (My Sons)’ (My Relative)”, “White Nigger (Self Portrait)”, “Blah, Blah, Blah (Importance circa 1985)", and of course “She's No Bare Back Bitch (English Style Saddle)” “The following weekend one patron of the them) — as a result the artist was requested to remove the piece. “She’s No Bare Back Bitch” was the work in question. Joe, in ‘compliance with the complaint, chase to Censor Sheet” can be yours for the small sum of $20.00, Viewers may remove this sheet itback when you are through! ‘The Arts Club should now examine their motives, Do they want alternative art showing in their lounge? Bruce the manager does, but the “man upstairs” may not. We do and we encourage artists fo continue to show their work there. There may be some ‘our foot in the door. Katha NChi nes ‘Okay, there I was atthe bank at 10:00 ppam., waiting inthe line up for the banking machine, Now, these machines are great tools for measuring I.Q. Some customers just take forever to figure out what they're therein the first place Tove the ones who announce a personal sndetta on all machines after the banking ‘would undoubtedly have to deal with bomb threats all the time: next one up, when in waltzes a gorgeous ultra sexy voice she ask next because she's really ina rush. I, like a | horny cockroach, stuter“sure”. | She quickly takes her card out of her | purse and walks over tothe now vacant machine. As she puts her car in, she accidently slips the end ofthe dog chain in Realizing what she has done, her posture | the chain out of the mouth ofthe machine, | but it does not give. The machine reads Sean Thompsen 87 leracker ak ir with fe pm wo Nea [command !” ies IK new pair of WV, bowling shoes! Seis ye SW S Slee: {E iZ ral thanx Fos Bick Rechey tans PeF the Ay MK j 10 V-D-G-9 Specs Hem ¢bad y Bs Gr theatre voiced a complaint to the manager of the Arts Club Granville Island (youremember censor it with a fitted sheet marked censored in passion pink. “The Official Joe Menabney see the work but, kids, you must put compromises along the way, but we do have kept secret. They ‘Anyway, it was 10:00 p.m. and I was the | woman with a pissy poodle on a chain. With she could be | swith the card. Trouble with acapital T begins. falls into a panic stance and she tries to yank Tapanyaty Say TE “Please enter code number”. She yanks at the chain agin but the machine holds on tighily and reiterates, “Please enter code | number." Suddenly, the machine goes through some familiar cli instead of eancelling the tran ima bit more ofthe chin, The doe fromthe pull and sats barking frantically. ‘The lady of course, loses al her pose and ina panic tries to yank out the chin with all her might. The machine clicks yet again, “Please contact your branch, Fonds unavailable.” With ha, the machin sucks in more of the chain and now the pool is hanging and gasping for air. The woman falls onal fours and makes herself into a platform forthe dog to stand on Dp something! she steam to me Ofcourse I'm mesmerized by the whole scenerio but realize that some people don’t know what they're doing t machines. “Mata ll you have to do when this happens is unte the leash fom the dog.” 1 say. “How silly of me” she says. Luntethe dog collar and the dog. jumps | oft the woman's back and looks at her funy. She gets up and straighten her clothes. The ‘machine eats the rest of the chain and reads, “Your cain has been accepted, Thank you forbanking with ws, Haven nice day.” "Sec. I worked.” Tsay “Tish I could gt it straight ast once. I does teal number on poopsi.” With his ‘tid, she gathers the dog and runs of Finally itis my tum. {put my card in and pach my request. always punch the ‘umber ast to show people behind me that I'm capable "Please insert clothes into slot.” [strip down to my birthday suit and quickly shove my clothes inthe slot. “Clothes have been accepted. Thank you, Have nice day i I valk out into the word, naked and unafraid. You jst really have to know how to work those machines. It makes life so ach simpler. Jerry Stochansky ‘continued from page 9) ‘of constant marginalization ha There are too many battles to struggle for credibility and equality saps fa too much energy: they should be givens. We © pioneers and explorers breaking new itory and making new rules. We need a | change in the balance of power so. | differences as women and men, artists and) | att historians serve to enrich our creativ None of us wants to shoulder the whole burden of being “The Woman Artist” {As women artists we are creating new identities for ourselves. Our reality is enforced by our obvious biological differences — a difference, just thi handicap. As artists, even as art histor ‘we are all marginal to society. Our aim isto allow women a place of quality within that ‘marginal group rather than to continy placing women right atthe bottom of the totem pole. Another aim has to do with how “we do it ourselves" with our minority identity There are no final conclusions to be drawn here, only many questions to be asked. The public stance of women artists in their own. minds, is one tha is crucial for the dialogue to continue, not just with women amongst women - reinforcement of their minority position - but with men very much present ‘and involved as well. m ‘Yvonne Singer