Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 54

Asbury Park PressFriday, May 19, 1989 D3 Tonight 'Road House' on wrong track PANORAMAENTERTAINMENT 1 By ELEANOR O'SULLIVAN Press Movie Writer The ultimate in male adolescent wish fulfillment, "Road House" is 107 minutes of brutal fights, explosions, fires, nubile female flesh flopping out of skin-tight clothes, dead-pan one-liners and a moral code that says it's OK for the good guys to slit throats. "Road House," starring Patrick Swayze as a modern-day John Wayne cum Bruce Lee vigilante, stretches the Western and kung fu genre to include raunchy language and explicit sex. Young males and men aging without grace will obviously adore this saga; it's aimed at males who feel rage at or are not ready to deal with authority, women and the constraints of society. As the best "cooler" meaning ,.30 tl -i i Can Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham really find true love on the brink of nuclear destruction? The end of world has to be better than 'Miracle Mile' Dalton (Patrick Swayze) and Doc (Kelly Lynch) are immediately attracted to each other in "Road House." Movie Review CONCERT8 BARRON ARTS CENTER "Take Five Jazz Series," Boo Doo, jazz group, 8 p.m., free; (201) 634-0413; 582 Rahway Wood bridge Township. CHRIST CONGREGATION CHURCH Princeton Folk Music Society, featuring Lorre Wyatt, 8 p.m.,$6, $5 Society members, students, $3 people 65 and older, children; (609) 799-0009; 55 Walnut Lane, Princeton.

COUNT BA8IE THEATRE New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Hugh Wolff, conductor, featuring Jeffrey Kahane, pianist, performing "La Valse," by Ravel, "Piano Concerto No. 3 In Major," by Prokofiev, and "Symphony No. 5 In E-flat major," by Sibelius, 8:30 p.m.,$9.50, $17, $22. $28, $5 rush tickets half-hour before performance (subject to availability) for people 60 and older, students; (201) 842-9000; 99 Monmouth Red Bank. CLUB BENE The Outlaws, 8 dinner, 10 p.m.

show, $25 dinner and show, $17.50 show only; (201) 727-3000; Route 35, Sayrevilie. MOUNT HEBRON SCHOOL Montclair State College OperaMusic Theatre Institute, staged scenes from "La Boheme," by Puccini, and "Don Carlo," by Verdi, 8 p.m.. free; (201) 596-0087; 173 Bellevue Montclair. NASSAU PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH "Spring Music Festival Weekend," vocal and instrumental recital 7 p.m., free; (609) 924-0103; 61 Nassau Princeton. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY South Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Samuel Muni, conductor, featuring Ellen Lang, soprano, performing songs from "Carousel," by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammersteln, and the "Emperor Waltz," by Johann Strauss, 8 p.m., $15; (609) 452-5707; (609) 683-5122; Richardson Auditorium.

DANCE NEWARK 8YMPHONY HALL The Alvln Alley Dance Theatre, program of modern dance, 8 p.m., $14, $18, (201) 643-8009; 1030 Broad Newark. THEATER BECTON THEATRE "Ed Linderman's Broadway Juke Box," American Stage Company production, 8 p.m., $16 and $18, $14 and $16 people age 65 and older, students; (201) 692-7744; Falrleigh Dickinson University, Route 4 and River Road, Teaneck Township. CIRCLE PLAYHOUSE "Catch Me If You Can," by Jack Welnstock and Willie Gilbert, 8:30 p.m., $8, $7 people 62 and older and students with ID; (201) 968- 7555; 416 Plscataway Piscataway Township. CLARKSBURG INN "1959 Pink Thunderblrd," by James McClure, 7 dinner, 8:30 p.m. show, $23.50 dinner and show; Routes 524 and 571, Millstone Township.

CROSSROADS THEATRE COMPANY "Spooks," by Don Evans, 8 p.m., $20; (201) 249-5560; 320 Memorial Parkway, New Brunswick. EDISON VALLEY PLAYHOUSE "A My Name Is Alice," a musical comedy created by a variety of composers and writers including Ann Meara, 8:30 p.m., i (201) 755-4654; 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison Township. FIR8T AVENUE PLAYHOUSE "Mass Appeal," by Starburst Productions, 8 p.m. dessert, 8:30 p.m. show, $15; (201) 291-7552; 42 First Atlantic Highlands.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH "Ten Little Indians," by Agatha Christie, 8 p.m., $6, $4 people age 60 and older, I students; (20 1 888-0805; Route 34 and Franklin Street, Matawan. FORUM THEATRE "Dream Girls," by Tom Eyen and Henry Krleger, 8:30 p.m., $16, $19.50, $14 people age 65 and older, students; (201) 548-0582; 314 Main Metuchen. KOBE JAPANESE RESTAURANT "Bus Movie Review bar bouncer in the business, Swayze's Dalton can command $5,000 upfront, $500 a night and free medical coverage (that's a joke, folks). Women slobber over him, but he maintains the coolness of Dirty Harry. There's a deep secret there.

Dalton may drive a Mercedes and have a degree from NYU but he's no yuppie. He's a loner living on the outside of society, decent and respectful, with simple rules to being a successful bouncer Never underestimate your opponent; take it (a fight) outside and be nice. Dalton is tested on a couple of levels when he accepts a job at the Double Deuce in the Missouri sticks. As its owner Tilghman (Kevin Tighe) says, "It used to be a sweet deal, but now it's the kind of place where eyeballs roll on the floor at closing time." How rough is the Double Deuce? It's so rough the band (actually the Jeff Healey Band) plays in a wire cage for protection. Dalton shapes up the place rather quickly, however, and it's one of the film's peculiarities that Tilghman manages to renovate the place into a spectacular showpiece without closing the bar or us seeing construction.

Dalton's real problem is with Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), the story's "ROAD HOUSE," starring Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott and Ben Gazzara, opens today at area theaters. Rowdy Herrington directed from a screenplay by David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin. Rated for violence, language, nudity, sex. A United Artists release. "MIRACLE MILE," starring Anthony Edwards, Mare Winningham and John Agar, opens today at area theaters.

Steve DeJarnatt directed from his screenplay. Rated for language, violence. A Hemdale release. Marshal Dillon and Kitty do it this way? Further, there is no chit-chat about love or commitment between Dalton and Doc another nod to the male desire for unencumbered sex. Are we meant to take anything in this film seriously? Dalton and his buddy, the legendary bouncer Wade Garrett (Sam Elliott) beat and are beaten to a pulp by Wesley's thugs but bounce back immediately and order another beer.

Wesley, with a long-time hankering for Doc, watches Dalton and Doc make love from his veranda, then sticks a mile-long cigar in his mouth. Uh, huh. There are reasons why brushing off the movie as just one big joke doesn't wash. The blond bimbos of "Road House" (all of the sexually attractive women of the movie are blonde) appear to enjoy themselves even when they're humiliated; where's the joke in that? And men destroying each other and property may be amusing to footloose youth but, in fact, it's morally repugnant "Road House" is a slick confection, but a sick one, too. supply, too, which makes for many complications when Dalton fires Wesley's nephew for skimming.

One complication is being knifed, but that is not without its compensations: Dalton is tended in the emergency room by Doc (Kelly Lynch of and there is immediate sexual attraction. Dalton and Doc (how's that for an inside joke?) make love in the way of male fantasies up against the wall, still clothed. Did By ELEANOR O'SULLIVAN Press Movie Writer This much can be said for "Miracle It reconciles one to the end of the world, if only because that couldn't be any worse than this film about it. Anthony Edwards "The Sure wildly miscast as a thoughtful, romantic trombone player, falls in love with boyish looking Mare Winningham Elmo's on sight. Before they can embark on their first date, Edwards' Glenn Miller ripoff answers a ringing telephone outside a coffee shop.

It is curtains for the world, the caller says; he's a technician in a nuclear silo. The film desperately needs a rationale for why nuclear warheads have been dispatched from the silo in North Dakota to downtown Los Angeles. But the caller is hysterical and he's dialed the wrong number, he meant to call Dad in Orange County to apologize for an earlier transgression before the sun sets on Earth for good. Andrews can't get the caller to calm down to explain why the warheads were fired, but he's alarmed enough to alert everybody in sight about the apparent Doomsday 70 minutes hence. obligatory villain Wesley a super-rich thug who put the town on the map and extorts payoffs from the merchants.

Wesley controls the liquor Movie of Los Angeles there is looting, fornicating, car bombing and such unfortunately have all the impact of a Mad magazine layout. The film's tone shifts regularly is it a black comedy or dead serious? As the countdown to no tomorrow continues, DeJarnatt favors automobile carnage to show human behavior at its worst; perhaps he was inspired by the California freeways shootings. At one point, a black criminal drives a white policeman's car through a department store window; Ms. Winningham inexplicably follows the trail of destruction the car has left into the store. Is this what they mean when they say "Shop till you DeJarnatt is to be congratulated for raising the issue of nuclear proliferation and its potential for horrible consequences; he reportedly was concerned enough about the subject to spend 10 years working on this movie.

But he really ought to master the basics of story telling before he tries again and decide whether he means to be ironic or serious. Stop," by William Inge, by the Slmy irmauv i f.m. uimiioi, u.ou Failing to explain the whys of the attack, screenwriter-director Steven DeJarnatt merely takes us through the familiar motions of people acting horribly when faced with disaster. His scenes of Edwards and Ms. Winningham racing through the chaotic streets like coming out of left field with a completely different thing.

What could I do that was the opposite end of the spectrum from 'Dirty? 'Road It made sense to me, especially with Joel Silver, since he's the king of these types of movies." As for "Dirty 2," talks were stalled, Swayze said, because there was a movement to replace original contributors. Swayze said he balked. "Finally they got clear that no way they were going to get me in it unless Jennifer (Grey), or any one of us wasn't included. They wanted to hire another writer but Eleanor (Bergstein) is important. That makes me crazy.

"I made it clear that I will not play this movie without the team. If you don't have some kind of loyalty in your life, what do you have? You have nothing except Hollywood lies." Ben Gazzara said they tried to humanize their characters by making changes in the script. Swayze also said the script originally contained flagrant male chauvinism. "We tried to cut out as much as possible of the flagrant chauvinism. Oh goodness, we cut at least half of it.

I thought the women of the world would unite against it the way it was initially, and I would have united, too! That's the only way I said I would do it. It was a lot worse." Oddly enough, life was a lot worse for Swayze after "Dirty Dancing." "Everybody is expecting things from you and if you get caught up in it, it can drive you crazy. It almost did. I kept thinking, 'What do I do next, what do I do nextT I finally decided to just go back to the point of view that got me here. "I don't want to be pegged and I From page Dl start fighting among your friends." Swayze was asked if the tone of the movie was meant to be funny or serious lines such as his "Pain don't hurt" beg the question.

"That's tongue in cheek; the movie is meant to be fun, and to give you a good time. Now intellectually, I wouldn't agree with all of it, but so many people on this earth need to believe that if the chips were down, they could fight their way out." Of the movie's principals, only the screenwriters David Lee Henry and Hilary Henkin were not at the junket. All of the major actors Swayze, Sam Elliott, Kelly Lynch and Other Stages ers. All performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are free with reservations and are available by calling (609) 452-4241.

The musical comedy "Scrambled Feet" is scheduled to be presented at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through June 24 at the New Jersey Public Theatre, John E. Runnells Hospital, 1052A Plainfield Berkeley Heights Township. A music festival is scheduled through Sunday at the Frank E. Taplin '37 Auditorium in Fine Hall, Princeton University.

Programs include music performed by Princeton students and faculty members, the Princeton University Early Music Ensemble and Chorus, the Princeton University Chamber Winds, and the Princeton University Faculty Compos- astrologer palmists tarot cards psychic clairvoyants auras numarotogists metaphysical books May 23 thru May 28, Daily 1 1 am to 9 pm IWANALAPAN MALL ROUTE 9 SYMMES MANALAPAN, N.J. 1 am0y 1 anuw, uinirai aiiu oiiuot, biivw only; (201) 364-0936; Route 9, Howell Township. 1 MAGNOLIA INN "You're Nobody Till Somebody Kills You," by Rob Mandelberg, Murder on Cue Mystery Company production, 8 p.m., $44 dinner and show; (201) 583-9200; 227 Freneau Matawan. MC CARTER THEATRE "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," by Stephen Sondheim, 8 p.m., $23, $27, $32; (609) 683-8000; 91 University Place, Princeton. NAVESINK LIBRARY THEATER "Barefoot In the Park," by Neil Simon, 8:40 p.m., $6, $4 people 62 and cider, students, free for members; (201) 291-9211; Monmouth and Sears avenues, Middletown Township.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE "Showboat," 8 p.m., $25 and $31; (201) 376-4343; Brookslde Drive, Mlllburn Township. PLAYHOUSE 22 "Annie," by the East Brunswick Community Players, 8:30 p.m., $10, $5 people age 65 and older, students; (201) 252-3939; 210 Dunhams Corner Road, East Brunswick Township. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY "Herders," by Michael Schwartz, and "Wash Out," by Heide Arbltter, by the Ironbound Theatre, .8 p.m., $9, $5 people age 65 and older, students; (201) 792-3524; Bradley Hall Theatre, Newark. SPRING LAKE COMMUNITY HOUSE THEATRE "Barefoot In the Park," by Nell Simon, 8:30 p.m., $10, $8 people 62 and older, students; (201) 449-5107; Third and Madison avenues. Spring Lake.

TREETOP THEATRE "Glengarry Glen Ross," by David Mamet, 8 p.m., $8, $7 people 65 and older, students; (201) 462-7675; Route 524, Howell Township. ATLANTIC CITY BALLY'S GRAND HOTEL CASINO Gatsby's Lounge: Grand Trio, 9 and 1 1 p.m. and 1 a.m., (609) 340-7200; Boston and Pacific avenues. BALLY'8 PARK PLACE CA8IN0 HOTEL -Park Cabaret: "An Evening at LaCage," 9 and 11 p.m., $14 (one-drink minimum); Billy's Pub: Gerl Mlngori Pentagon, Leather and Lace, Julie Burton HI Fidelity, Lepore, Michaels Hart; (609) 340-2709; Park Place and Boardwalk. CAESARS HOTEL AND CASINO Circus Maxlmus Theater: "High Voltage," 10 p.m., (609) 343-2858; Arkansas Avenue and Boardwalk.

CLARIDQE CASINO HOTEL Celebrity Cabaret: Holly Llpton, 9 and 11 p.m., one-drink minimum; (609) 340-3700; Indiana Avenue and Boardwalk. HARRAH'S MARINA HOTEL CASINO Broadway-by-the-Bay Theater: "Can-' Can," 8 and 11:30 p.m., $15; Bay Cabaret: Pudgy, 9 p.m. and midnight, $10; (800) 242-7724; Brigantlne Boulevard. SANDS HOTEL AND CASINO -Punchbowl Lounge: Kathy and Tony, 11:30 p.m.; Players Lounge: Trieste, 9 p.m., one-drink minimum; (609) 441-4591; Indiana Avenue and Brighton SHOWBOAT HOTEL AND CASINO Mardl Gras Showroom: Phyllis Oilier, 9 p.m., $15; Pirates Cove: Julie Grant, Coast to Coast; daily, one-drink minimum; (609) 343-4003; 801 Boardwalk. TROP WORLD HOTEL CASINO Comedy Stop at the Trop: Paul Lyons, Angel Salazar, David Feldman, 9 and 1 1 p.m., (800) 526-2935.

Iowa Avenue and Boardwalk. TRUMP CASTLE HOTEL AND CASINO -Kings Court Showroom: "Glitter," Ice and stage show, 8 and 11 p.m., $12.50 (one-" drink minimum); Viva's Dance Lounge: Band O'Fun, Cheers, Jacqueline Jones, Stan Hunter, one-drink minimum; (609) 441-8300. Huron Avenue and Brigantlne ou tevflrd TRUMP PLAZA HOTEL AND CASINO Plaza Theater: Paul Anka, 9 p.m., $35; (800) 523-2803. Boardwalk and Mississippi Avenue. rvr, 1Mb? fl 1 in the word I tlffl.lg.

Premiere of their I jTj'fflfttt) "west comedy I -WHAT THE BELLHOP Ln SAW starring GLENN MICHAEL ERIC SHERLE 3 JONES KROLL ANDERSON TALLENT MARY ANN MICHAEL MICHAEL JENNIFER I SMORRA TERZANO CHARTIER MILMORE and ART NEILL as "Babu" I MA.y32 27' 28 All Seats gf 1 JUNE 2. 3 I STARTS TODAY AT THESE SELECTED THEATRES ROCK AWAY TWELVE ROCKAWAY township 3280666' 3614000 LOEWS ROUTE 9 CINEMA 4 FREEHOLD 760 4436 LOEWS ROUTE 18 TWIN EAST BRUNSWICK 254 9000 3:00 pm Kwwvaiioni rasppra Call 758-1118 i UOfWS 1 1 1 -I I JrV1 1 1t 1 -Jf ITTM riogefielo park l.liJIIJJ kllB7'v 3 RIOGEFIELO PARK GENERAL CiNfMA SHREWSBURY TRIPLEX SHREWSBURY 542 5395 UNITED ARTISTS STATE QUARTET JERSEY CITY 6535200 UNitfD ARTISTS WAYNE WAYNE 694 4136 LOEWS WAYNE SIXPLEX WAYNE 1900505 UNITED ARTISTS MOVIES AT MIDDLETOWN MIDDLETOWN 671 1020 ONEPIEX OOEON MILLBURN TWIN MILL8URN 3760600 ONFPLf OOEON NEWPORT CENTRE CINEMAS JERSEVCITY 626 1201 NEWTON TWIN NEWTON 382390 GENERAL CINEMA OCEAN COUNTY MALL TRIPLEX BERQENFIELD TWIN BCflGENFIELD Mi 1600 GENERAL CINEMA BRIDQEWATER COMMONS 7 BRlDGEWATER tn 1161 CASTLE TWIN IRVINCTON 373 3419 CINEMA 206 TWIN Chester 679-4444 CINEMA 10 SIXPLEX SUCCASUNNA S64M60 LOEWS CINEMA CENTRE 4 HOWELL 364444 FRANKLIN TRIPLEX NUTLET 667 1777 HAWTHORNE QUAD HAWTHORNE 427 2628 AMC HEADQUARTERS 10 MORR'STOWN 292 0606 HOBOKEN TWIN HOBOKEN 6U2202 HUNTERDON FlEMINQTON 782 4615 LINCOLN TRIPLEX ARLINGTON 997 673 LINDEN QUAD LINDEN 925-9767 LOEWS CIRCLE 5 BfiCKTOWN 4M 5077 CLAIRIOQE TRIPLEX MONTCLAIR 746 64 CLIFTON QUAD CLIFTON 362021 C'NEPIE ODE ON CRANFORD TWIN CRANFORO 2761120 EMERSON OUAO EMERSON WOO FABIAN FIVEPLEX PATERSON 742600 FAtRVIEW CINEMA FAIRVIEW 941 2424 LOEWS ABBY QUAD WEST MILFOHD C'NfPLfX ODFON ROUTE 4 TENPLEX PARAMUS 487 7909 ROUTE 35 0.1. MA LET 26 2200 GENERAL CINEMA RUTGERS PLAZA SIXPLEX SOMERSET 8288767 NAT AMUSFMENTS tAMBOY MULTIPLEX CINEMAS9 CINEPLfx ODEON MOVIES NANUET NANUET 6230211 TOWN TWIN NEW City 614 S100 SAYREVILLE 30O TOMS RIVER 240 5095 RAMSEY CINEMA RAMSEY 625 2090 4 HQ fPOY STEREO.