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Every time I finish a book, or emerge into the wet parking lot after a movie, I long for opportunity to wri te a review. I entertained such a fantasy last Friday evening after watching Michael Douglas in Black Rain. Twenty years ago I reviewed opening nights at Stratford. But those were reviews grown fromn ignorance, the way good reviews should be. I can't muster the saine kind of ignorance for Mfichael Douglas, nor for Black Rain, although both deserve exactly that. Let me explain. Michael Douglas is a handsome chap whose naine is instantly recognizable. This is because bis father was an actor. Michael must sometimes wish he were, too. Then he wouldn't have to get stuck in movies like Black Ramn. The inovie is about a cop in New York. He is tough. He is also, like ail New Yorkers, a»survivor. He steals from drug dealers to buy braces for his Id's teeth. So that's okay. He is not a nice person. But he is the good guy. He captures a bad guy and gets the job of taking the bad guy to Japan. Due te a con job, other bad guys pretend to be Japanese police, take the real bad guy from the bad cop. Michael Douglas gets mad that the Japanese made bim look like a fool. So be stays to, fight the Japanese underworld. And the police departinent. Single handed. Except for a dumb moment we'l mention later. If you get the idea that this movie is an American xenopbobic's dreain then I must be getting sometbing right. See, two ideas corne across: -tbat Ainericans (New Yorkers) have fashionod à society in ýwbich human beings can't live, and that ail foreigners (Japanese) look alike and are snoaky and mean. They are. either real bad crooks (worsc than American crooks or even American cops) or they are naive slaves to a rigid society. WIilIMY FIREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEfEMER 27, 1989, PAGE 5 WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan At the movies Before we go any further, let us romind readers that Michael Douglas, who stars in this movie, bas starred in other movies.1 One of, these was entitled Running. That was a movie about ruxming and serves te epitemize, in my mind, wbat Mfichael Douglas movies are ail about. But we camne not te vilily Douglas ovor past turkoys. And among turkeys, Black Lin stands on its own. Anyway, Douglas did learn somothing fromn Running, for he spends most of the movie running. For someone as pudgy as Douglas appears on the screen, he runs voxy well. Or bas great stand-mns. He runs down alleys after crooks. He runs aftor motorcycles. He runs after more mnotercycles. He runs afler a friond dumb enough te run after a motorcycle. See Michael run. Dumb, dumb Michael. But ho is Iearning. By the end of the movie ho knows enough ta, jump on a second motorcycle and even the odds. That's how he catches the bad guy. The movie's dumbest moment? Okay. For breaking laws "and killing three people, Douglas gots put on a plane back to- the States. 0f course, he escapes. So he gets Iýack te the Japanese cop who was supposed te keeçý him out of trouble. But the Japanose cop has been, suspended for dishonoring the department. Ho iilowed Douglas ta get rid of bis dead partner' gun. (Eon't ask.) HiEs Japanose buddy refuses. Says Douglas:' 'Sometines you have te go for it." Well, that's the American way. Sa Douglas bas ta go into the niidst of the Japanese mafia alone. The American way., And justefoý e es about te get stuck from behind (ho's beense .p you know) someone swilngs out Of nowhere ta save bis butt. Who? His old buddy, the Japanese cap, that's who.- His line: "Sonietimes you have 1to g or it. Hey, that's good. Remexnber Hans Solo in the original Star Wars? Now if you get the idea I did not like this movie, yau may bo onte sometbing. But the truth is,-many people will like Black Lin. Ites an adventure'story, its pace is fast, and if you can look past the unsubtie message that foreigners are ugly, savage, naïve and duil, well, you might have a good time. Somoone I know liked it. And after ail, it was ber wodding anmivers. Sa after the movie, dasbing tbrough Hugo rains, she turned to me and said: "How'd you like the movie?' I I had visions'of being a movie reviewer and started ta form phrases* of sharp, pithy comment. But it was, after ail, my anniversary tea. Sa I just said: It was okay." Dundas St. wi J plaza- receives approval Rozoning and site plan appli- cations bave been approved for tho Park Lane Devolopmonts commercial plaza on the South side of Dundas St. W., West of Annes St. At a receit planning commit- tee meeting, thie developer, Horb Frioberg, asked why brick would be required at the rear of the building. Whitby lanning staff had recommen e brick and a sloped roof, while Frieberg sug- gested architectural block since much of it would be covered by the roof. "Wo mado the school board use brick. I'm not going ta bond now," said councillor Joo Drumm, committoe chairman, as brick was rocommended. NO more room for expansion of lot Witb the addition of 550 new parking spacos, Wbitby GO Transits parýing lot now bas 1,600 spaoes, ~tird largest along the GO lino. "Only Oakville and Clarkson are larger,»n says Paul Johann- son, manager of special projocts for GO. The additional spaoes were Open house Lake Ontario Steel Cor- poration (Lasco) will hold an open house on its proposed bermi on Thursday, Oct. 26 froin 2 to 10 pm. ate OIenbouse will take place 416 Centre St. S. Lasco reprosentatives will be on hand ta answer questions relating ta the proposed berm and* the environmental assess- ment process. required because of the grear number of commuters using the service. Space had ta be ronted at the Iroquois Park rec facility on a temporary basis until the addi- tional spaoes were constructed. Johannson said the 1,600 spaoes are adequate for Whitby now and should handle the traf fic until the train- is extended ta Oshawa. Ho did not know haw long the extension will take. «We have used ail the property we have in Whitby now. 7%e lot is largo enough. We bave reached the spot REC YCLING ONE ITON 0F NEWSPAPEL7S *SA VES that 'if we were to go any furtber. people would not want ta walk that far ta the train,» said Johannson. M -mm-mmmmmVLIB VIAN i& TRU lAccessories & Installatkc A nearby residont, Dave Underbili of Calais St., stilI bad concerns that the garbage bin according ta the site plan, wouîd be placed bohind bis home. Despite learning that an enclo- sure would be placod around the bin, Underbili replied «I realize it's going to be built. I still don't want the bin bebind my bouse.» It was then noted that a six- foot fence, *witb lattice work, would separate the fflaza -pro- perty from nearby proporties. Freiberg and planning director Bob Short botb indicated that the property would be well- sreeby fonce and troos. mmm mmm mmm mmm q I I I I I I I I I *MANY MORE TRUCK & VAN ACCESSORIES Mon.-Wed. 9-6, Thurs. & Fr1. 9-9$ Sat. 10-3 L~-~A% \"~ 1670 SIMCOE ST. N., OSHAWA 579-6868 --- am "mm m mm m «It will be nice and somethin~ you'ro proud of," Frieberg toig committoe mombers. '«I hope I can lease it." Dont Iug a vacuum. PIug in a Beam.® The Works! oI l (3-nlet i onl ~698 sy'stem) S Installed, working and Iready te dlean with electric I powerhead and hose!! eWorks like no ordinary vacuum can!I *Beams workhorse power unit, Io16 I Clean-and-groom electric power- I heaI »Super convenîent current-carrying hose. 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