The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 17

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1991 THE SUN TODAY 3C Dude, Rap and Brit words invade the mainstream This summer, several movies feature theme of redemption so much more conscious of using' them." he says. "It's like this big efv fort to show that you know the curv rent words. Like people have been? saying 'all meaning somethings is really cool. But now they're saying, 'all that and a bag of So people are putting their own twist on that" He laughs, and adds, "It's kinda stupid, but it's fun when people say it" "People around them began to pick up on that, but they dropped the 'Out the pack' part. So it was Just, 'We're going to be fresh' and that grew into what it Is now." These days, though, "fresh" is kind of stale as Rap words go.

After all. says Freddy, part of the fun of slang expressions and part of slang's appeal to teens is In being the first to use something. "When the words are new, you're iuj.iiimi -ammmmammmammmmm WESTVIEW 747-3800 NOW PLAYING UNITED ARTISTS GOLDEN RING 574 3333 LOEWS VALLEY CENTRE 363-4194 "But a9 a special language confined to the San Fernando Valley, 'Valspeak' is a media myth," writes Cralle. "The particular accent and vocabulary associated with Valspeak can be heard among many middle-class teen-agers in other suburban areas." As Surfspeak begat Val, so Val begat Dude. First personified by Jeff Spicoli, the Sean Penn-portrayed anti-hero of "Fast Times at Ridge-mont High," the typical Dude dude likes his music loud, his women fast (classic Dude babes think of thong bikinis as "formal and his parties nightly.

No wonder Dude caught on in a hurry! Rap, on the other hand, has been around since the mld-'70s, and that has lent a different dynamic to its use of language. "It's funny," says Fab 5 Freddy. "If a certain crowd uses a word almost any particular word and they keep using it, it then can become slang even when it still has its literal meaning." Take "fresh" rap for "cool" as an example. How did that get started? "There was a group back in the late '70s known as the Fantastic Romantic Five MCs," he says. "As a part of their routine, they used to say, 'We're fresh out the pack, you gotta stay backWe got one Puerto Rican and the rest are I would see the guys at shows, and they would go, 'Fab, man! Come to our next show, it's gonna be fresh out the pack! SLANG, from 1C But between Shore's nightly spot on MTV and films like "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey," dudes across the country have adapted this most excellent slang.

Likewise, the rise of rap has also added a slew of new words to the average teen's vocabulary. Between albums, MTV and movies like "Boyz the Hood," terms that otherwise would have only been understood by homies in the South Bronx are now tossed about by teens in Cedar Rapids and Boise. "There are certain words which I've said a lot on my show that I've seen take off," reports Fab 5 Freddy, the host of "Yo! MTV Raps." As one who follows trends in Rap language his Rap dictionary. "Fresh! Flyl Flavor! The Words and Phrases of the Rap Generation," is due out this fall he's amazed at the speed with which slang is accepted. "Nowadays, with rap and with video, it can be pretty instant," he says.

Some slang. In fact, is practically created by the media. As Trevor Cralle points out in "The Surfln'ary: A Dictionary of Surfing Terms and Surfspeak," bits of surf lingo have been filtering Into the American mainstream since the Gldget craze of the late '50s. When surfspeak was filtered through the mall culture of the San Fernando Valley the inspiration for the Frank Zappa hit "Valley Girl" it began to mutate into a new language. he's a protector in the new film, which promises redemption for the entire human race.

Even the characters of Bill and Ted, never known for searching their souls, get a chance to redeem themselves in the face of the Grim Reaper in "Bill Ted's Bogus Journey." Traditionally, Hollywood has favored crowd-pleasing endings that provide easy answers to complex questions. But not since the Depression and the early World War II years have films so resolutely insisted that the best things in life are (well, sometimes) free. Are filmmakers overcom-pensating for the excesses of the 1980s, in which movies such as 1981's "Arthur" and 1990's "Pretty Woman" (created and filmed at the end of the 1980s) equate financial privilege with extreme pleasure? But not all the films are having the desired effect. Despite the honorable decision of its protagonist, showings of "Boyz the Hood" have been accompanied by violence. More disturbing is the minor role of female characters in the midst of all this rebirth.

Elizabeth Perkins' cheerful, terminally ill cancer patient shows Mr. Hurt the way to inner peace in "The Doctor," but her character undergoes no major changes. And in "Regarding Henry," when Mr. Ford tells his wife, played by Annette Benlqg, that he wants to give up his law practice, she responds with, "Whatever you want, dear." She has UNITED ARTISTS MARLEY STATION 760-3300 LOEWS COLUMBIA 9 730-4600 UNITED ARTISTS HARBOR PARK 837-3500 LOEWS GLEN BURNIE 7 761-0300 By Philip Wuntch Dallas Morning News Is Hollywood re-thlnklng Its moral values? Do movie makers consider a clear conscience more desirable than a large bank account? Has everyone from the Terminator to the Valley teens In "Bill Ted" taken President Bush's "kinder, gentler" words to heart? Probably none of the above. But, as the late film historian Arthur Knight said, "Movies, like bananas, come In bunches." And, in the waning summer of 1 99 1 the biggest bunch of movies deals with redemption.

In The Doctor." William Hurt plays an aloof surgeon who, in the tradition of "physician, heal thyself," becomes a slightly self-righteous do-gooder after enduring treatment for throat cancer. In "Doc Hollywood," Michael J. Fox seems perfectly suitable for the occupation of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. However, after a visit to Grady, S.C., the "Squash Capital of the South." he's ready to give it all up for the serenity of small-town life. Harrison Ford is first a heartless attorney, a patronizing father and an indifferent husband in "Regarding Henry." After recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, he becomes a puppy-loving daddy and a thoughtful mate who no longer likes designer suits and opts for a house in the country.

The list of redeemed heroes goes on. In "Boyz the Hood." Cuba Gooding Jr. finally embraces the peaceful teachings of his honorable father rather than taking the violent, vindictive route selected by his friends. And virtually every critic has remarked on the change in moral fiber of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator 2." Schwarzenegger was a destroyer in the original movie, but LOEWS TOWSON TWIN 8232436 LOEWS GREENSPRING 3 486-4717 NO PASSES ACCEPTED AT THIS ENGAGEMENT THIS YEAR'S MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE!" been redeemed, too, but in the broadest form of emotional shorthand. But the moral redemption of the traditional money-hungry male is this summer's movie motif.

Hollywood failed at making a good film out of "The Bonfire of the Vanities," the ultimate yuppie comeuppance novel. Perhaps directors are going to try again, in various formats, until they finally get it right. Mike Clack, USA TODAY i-i i ii u.ij. "THESUMMER'S "--Sr BEST ROMANTIC COMEDY!" Mf Yu -Pat Collins, WWOR-TV ft DOC 0 t--T "ci I HURT I A THE DOCTOR Raitt rocks and grooves Thuchstone PG-13lg3L Pictures NOW SHOWING AT THESE THEATRES LOEWS YORKRIDGE York ft Rktaslv Rds. LOEWS VALLEY CENTRE 9 Owinos Mills 363-4194 ODE LOEWS COLUMBIA 9 730-4600 In Stereo LOEWS YORKRIDGE 252-2256 In Stereo GENERAL CINEMA SECURITY SQUARE 8 265-6911 one the drive Fataar's fatback lent the upbeat "Love Letter" as she did from the quietly prodding bass line Hutchinson placed behind the regretful "I Can't Make You Love Me." No wonder the capacity crowd kept demanding encores: if not for the noise curfew, it'd probably still be there.

GENERAL CINEMA Columbia City Wincopin Circle 997-9010 UA MARLEY STATION Gov. Ritchie Hwy ft Rts. 100 760-3300 nni.CTi- WESTVIEW CINEMAS 6026 Balto. Natl Pike 747-3800 rjrjtamgcsi- UNITED ARTISTS GOLDEN RING 574-3333 PERRY HALL MOVIES 5 256-6130 In Stereo LOEWS VALLEY CENTRE 9 363-4194 cn UNITED ARTISTS MARLEY STATION 760-3300 mis NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR COUPONS ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT MUSIC, from 1C the only real change is that she's dropped the acoustic blues and upped the number of new songs the energy level was almost double, thanks in large part to the efforts of her new band. Powered by the seemingly un-toppable team of bassist Hutch Hutchinson and drummer Ricky Fa-taar, the group dug deep into each groove, from the good-natured New Orleans rhythms of "Sugar Mama" to the frankly funky "Good Man, Good Woman." Even such relatively low-key material as "Luck of the Draw" or her cover of Mabel John's "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" seemed to build from the beat up.

Even better, the more her rhythm section pushed, the brighter Raltt's singing seemed to get. Raitt differs from Isaak in that her approach worked as well with rockers as with ballads, and she drew as much from "(HIE OF THE FU1IIEST MOVIES CHSOfl OF ALL TIME!" Norman Mark, WMAO-TV (NBC), CHICAGO mm tm tm. PQ-13gjgiS mSSjT 01991 TWENTIETH CENTUKY FOX GENERAL CINEMA COLUMBIA CITY Wincopin Circle NOW SHOWING SAVE 40 REUPHOLSTERY SAVE 25 SLIPCOVERS 997-9010 QENERAl CINEMA PERRINOMAZA LOEWS MTAR CINEMAS Relalerstown Rd. Plaza 358-6656 LOEWS VALLEY CENTRE 9 Owings Mills, MD 363-4194 Satyr Hill Road am ACHATS OMr J74-047I TRIPIE FEATURE THRU THURSDAY PERRY HALL MOVES Perry Hall. M0 25M130 UNITED ARTISTS GOLDEN RING Go Wen Ring Mai UNITED ARTISTS HARBOR PARK Market PI.

ft Lombard 837-3500 574-3333 lyo Thotchar "LITTLE DARLINGS" (xxx Dorothy lomay "WOMEN OF DESIRE" (xxx) III' 'IT 2 UNITED ARTISTS MARLEY STATION Ritchie Hwy. at Route 100 WESTVIEW CINEMA 6026 Baltimore Natl Pike 747-3800 NO PASSES OR COUPONS ACCEPTED II A Annotlo Havon 0 "SKINTIGHT" (xxx) H. Dmh OpMi A.M..1 1 P.M. Sim. 1 ML-I I M.

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