USTIN BREAKWATER ocal playwright Morris Panych is renowned for writing situational pieces. e largely ignores characters— les in his works are one- imensional, and painted with a ide brush. His newest play, ” wrence & Holloman, is just such a 1ece. Meet Lawrence. He's brash. e's opinionated. He's full of imself. He can't sHut up. He's the ind of guy who'll mispronounce ur name repeatedly, then ask hy you told him that was your ame if it was wrong. He'll assume u have a non-job, and use words ke ‘snatch’ in conversation. ntirely too familiar to anyone nlucky enough to have been cor- nly because people like this rarely ow more than one dimension ua ublicly anyway. Meet Holloman. He's mousey. e's tense. He's self-conscious. He 't get a word in edgewise. He's e kind of guy youd have a hard STIN BREAKWATER I went to a movie the other ight. No, I didn’t head out to the ancouver International Film stival; I decided after a few inge shows to skip the rest of e fests this year. No, I went to e Fifth Avenue Cinemas to check t Stanley Tucci’s The Impostors. I as not disappointed. This is the kind of movie that pical review phrases like ‘uproari- sly funny!’ and ‘unbridled hilari- !’ were invented to explain. If ly (ahem) newspaper chumps ~ Rammstein Setinsucht AAKCEL MARTIN t those people who miss Metallica, e Justice album by Rammstein is ing to bring back strong emotions. ammstein actually has a heavy bass esence. To Jason Newsted of etallica: wake up and tell Lars and es to include some bloody bass. Anyway, this review is about mstein’s Setinsucht album. ‘Du t’ is the first single released and is eiving steady airplay.on CFOX. is song kicks Bavarian ass. ristoff “Doom,” the lead singer, a really deep booming voice that y taise the dead. The song ‘Engel’ time describing to friends, because he doesnt really have any qualities that stand out to be observed. He's the quiet one in the back, who probably drove to the party and has to leave early. One's a pessimist, and one's the eternal optimist. Put them togeth- er, and whoa, baby, let the fun begin. No real plot, per se, just put ‘em together and watch ‘em run. Have the optimist hit a run of “bad luck,” and bwa ha ha, are we laughing yet? Normally, my reaction to such a trite, underworked ‘plot’ device would be to yawn, grimace, and ask what else was on television. In some ways, however, L&H man- aged to keep my attention and entertain me. First of all, the per- formers were excellent. Toronto thespian Richard Zeppieri pulled all the strings as the extroverted Lawrence. He originated the role at the Toronto premiere, and it Shows here. He's got Lawrence down to a science—and a note for you ladies out there, he's better looking than his promo shots say he is. Tucci follows up Big Night with big laughs Impostors is the real thing wouldn't lavish those terms on every piece of banal Hollywood crap that comes out, I could use them here with no lost conscience. Oliver Platt (Three Musketeers, Bulworth) and writer/director Stanley Tucci (Big Night, Deconstructing Harry) play out of work actors in the ’30s. Through some bad luck and their own big mouths, they end up accidentally stowing away on a cruise ship full of the most ridiculously entertain- ing characters you've ever seen. This film is loaded with boss char- acter actors, too: Platt and Tucci has a contrasting sweet voice named Bobo, who sings like an angel, then “ee , « « Doom’s” voice seizes control over the song. The other song titles are not pronouncable unless you are flu- ent in German, look at the cover art. Since Octoberfest is coming, eat your Bratwurst and Sauerkraut while listening to the booming pulses of Rammstein. anville Island Gary Jones is easily one of my favourite actors in town; his years trodding upon the TheatreSports boards have given him the chops to play just about anything. His nerv- x Watch...” ous, twitching Holloman was as good as the part allowed, but the character is aptly named: hollow man. One dimensional and unin- teresting, this was the weak part in Panych’s script. Sr are marvelous as Arthur and Maurice, and the ever-popular Steve Buscemi wrings scenes like a hanky as the terminally depressed singer Happy Franks. Billy Connolly devours scenes as the insatiable tennis pro Sparks. Campbell Scott steals scenes as JOCHEN BIERTUMPEL “Come on, Holloman, show the people what you’re packin’. Just do like me. Steve Buscemi gets attacked by an inanimate carbon rod n October the third, a the Vancouver Hotel's ballroom for the Vancouver - international Film Festival. The ballroom was decorated with pieces of clothing used by the movie called Central Station. Of course, this was all done to appease The Underground, the clothing company that produced them. gala party was held at » Throughout the production, I found myself hoping Panych’s vision for Holloman wouldn't be the predictable one. Lawrence's string of bad luck turns from File Photo comical to ridiculous, Holloman's stature increasing with each band- age and credit check. The inevitable ending was neither imag- inative nor important, nor was it satisfying. I wanted Jones to break - File Photo Meistrich, the lovelorn German Head Steward: “You poor thing, the danger of the chase has made you perspire. It has made me also... Moist.” In fact, every character in this picture is worthy of note, and worthy of quote. It’s a comedy in Film Fest Gala The room was spacious enough to not seem crowded with the large number of people attending the party. The Crantinis and pasta were free. The Giovini chocolate factory also used this party as a way to rid themselves of their free chocolates. I can’t, and won't, complain about the food. It was simply fantastic. They even had a live band playing in the ballroom. Strobe lights and other special effects Arts Club opens 35th season with palatable comedy free from Panych’s grasp, but with Morris doubleshifting as the play’s director, he wasn't given the oppor- tunity. There are some interesting spots, and some genuine laughs. By no means is this a bad show. And the set is an interesting conversa- tion piece. A huge, battle scarred elevator dial dominates the stage, surrounded by idyllic blue sky and puffy white clouds. The commen- tary about corporate structure, and personal identity, existing in the set was and is far more interesting than anything in Panych’s script. Panych’s work here needs some scissors. If you cut the script in half, Lawrence & Holloman would be an excellent Fringe play. As it is now, it’s worth admission to see Jones and Zeppieri’s chemistry. They're two talented performers, and transcend the material to make what's going on more interesting. And it’s that kind of onstage tal- ent, along with the knowledge that TheatreSports is still across the way, that keeps ‘em grinning on Granville Island. the style of Chaplin, the best Marx Brothers films, and the odd Monty Python sketch. Even though Platt and Tucci are ostensi- bly the lead actors, they're not any more important than any other role. The Impostors is an ensemble piece, from start to finish. I wont give any more of the picture away; and to build it up is simply a way of disappointing the viewer. I just recommend you hit the Fifth Ave Cinemas yourself. See it there, rather than renting the video; we don't laugh in public nearly enough anymore. And bring a friend, so together you can giggle about it afterwards. In a world of unfunny comedy, laughing out loud in a movie theatre is a wel- come ray of sunshine. were set up to reflect off the band and special screens, cut into weird shapes, showed continuous clips from the night’s movie. Everyone who was involved with this year’s film festival was invited, including people from Famous Players and similar com- panies. I talked to several actors who seemed rather content with the event. The event organizers commented that the evening went as well as they had hoped. The Other Press October 71998 Page 5