The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 11

11- 'Cool as Ice' is as tepid as tapwater WW By Matthew Gilbert GLOBE STAFF i Because Vanilla Ice is so peculiar, his first feature vehicle, "Cool as Ice," has its strange fascinations. Hlnifi 800011118 fat town nunc on a yejow motor- RevieW cycle, and wearing 3s lit an orange jacket, i THE BOSTON GLOBE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19. 1991 mm he is a very blond white knight try- COOLASICE Directed by: David Kellogg Written by: David Stenn Starring: Vanilla Ice, Kristin Minter, Michael Gross, Dody Goodman Playing at Charles and suburbs Rated: PG (language) ing his best to act black and bad. "Hey yo! I was just chillin' in the 'hood," he tells his girlfriend, a goody-goody who's dying to dump her straight-laced boyfriend and dance dirty. "You axed me," he answers when she wakes to find him unexpectedly in her bed.

Ice's nerve is almost compelling. But curiosity wears thin fast, and "Cool as Ice" ends up seeming tired as well as twisted. The man whom promoters call the rap-era Elvis has negative charisma. The plot is that Ice and his three black traveling buddies have gotten stuck in a small town and are trying to bring life to the stuck-up white kids. Meanwhile, from behind a pair of arch sunglasses, Ice dully shares his be-true-to-yourself philosophy and saves the ''Oat 1 -sY Ah t.

mmmm fir i ft Vanilla Ice and Kristin Minter in "Cool as Ice." ments, wacky motorcycle mechanic Dody Goodman, best known as Mary' Hartman's mother, learns to dance. "Yo homey! How'm I doin'?" she yells to Ice. He better not complain. day for his girlfriend's family, whose witness-protection safety is being threatened. He flexes his vanity muscle repeatedly.

In one of the most resonant mo -WWe i'V -l Milium, yii', wvwt Serious fun from Hal Russell NRG Ensemble LOEWS SHOWCASE CINEMAS LOEWS LOEWS 1 LOEWS 1 GENERAL CINEMA If SHOWCASE CINEUASl I SHOWCASE CIHEUAsl I JT" CHERI REVERE NATICK SOMERVItLE JANUS CHESTHUT HILL DEDHflM WOBURN DAnVIrS MIMll UUUMMt lit. CI WUIBI KB. Ill Ow IMMIII WC410 MliilMim.lRll ,7 JKf n. CAMlllDOl ME. NAMMONO ST mi AIM lilt ISA niinuiM 536-2B70 286-1660 II 15) 5WS 117 SHU 628-7000 661 3737 277500 HtStsV 1 m.533cT m-isSiSZlm Late show tonight at all theatres except Chestnut Hill, Janus.

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS EXCEPTED. ByBobBlumenthal SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE while Williams blew bubbles. It also misses the visual contrast between the bearded, professorial Russell and the powerhouse Williams, who, dressed entirely in black, with a blond ponytail hanging below his black Stetson, looks like a refugee from the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Serious fun, then, and totally Have you seen The Globe today? Home delivery (617) 466-1818 HAL RUSSELL NRG ENSEMBLE At: Institute of Contemporary AH Theater, Thursday night in the two generous ICA sets indicating that the quintet enjoys interpreting the written compositions as much as cutting loose and blowing. The instrumental virtuosity of each member is also stunning.

NRG's most common set-up involves the leader on tenor or soprano sax, paired with the tenor of Mars Williams and supported by Brian Sand-strom (bass violin or electric guitar), Kent Kessler (bass violin or bass guitar) and Steve Hunt (drums); but Russell is just as likely to blow trumpet duets with Sandstrom, or share drum or vibes duty with Hunt. He is quite adept across his range of instruments, and the other band members also flashed obvious signs of virtuosity. NRG made a few obscure albums in the early '80s, and a new set is due shortly from ECM; but recordings 11 Amid frequent cacaphony and instrument shifting, the five members of Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble pre- Mucir sented one of the most detailed and Review coherent sam- plings of free jazz to be heard anywhere in its Boston debut NRG's music takes as many surprising twists as the career of its venerable leader. Russell, who is 65, spent most of his career as a drummer, first with several big bands in the '40s, then as a Chicago-based club musician supporting leading modern soloists. He discovered the avant-garde 30 years ago, organized his own group 10 years later, and began spending most of his performing time blowing saxophones and trumpets in 1977, when his present band began to take shape.

While Russell claims allegiance to "free" music, NRG's music is any thing but haphazard. Individual so- los and entire tunes are concise and cannot convey tne surreal numor oi meticulously paced, with the im- tunes like "Fly Holocaust, where provisational mayhem of the mo- the entire band stops playing to ment always part of a larger scheme, wield flyswatters, or a Bing Crosby Shifts in dynamics and voicings as homage that found Russell crooning thematic material was recapitulated obscenities through a megaphone UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA'S 3 STARRING IN HIS FIRST MOTION PICTURE Ail VANILLA When a girl lias a hear! of stone, there's only one way to melt it. Just add Ice. 1 James Befushi KeHy Lynch Alison Porter, 4 4 4 -v' JmBU. TSRW 1 4m 'L til 'A Bia lauahs come in small packages.

WAPMFR RPO; iff a JOHhf HUGHES ftim JAMES BELUSHI "CURLY SUE KELLY LYNCH ALISAtJ PORTER j. urigtnaf vus ocor V7twt-0 cxecuwe rroaucer imufun ff.K' Jf WtRNKRBROS-VjiW AttMfi'WRiaMWNV VlL mm mmm- -mm1? WFAK PRFVTFW Vjl 1 JL AV J-tf XJLtf II I LOEWS II GENERAL CINEMA 1 1 SHOWCASE CINEMA CINEMAS jFEATimWi MUSIC BY IQNE GORDON "GOWA CATCH YOU' I VANILLA ICS 'COOi AS ICE' SOMDrRACH QH 58H RtCOtiOS. CASSETTES AND CDs 1 CHARLES ckestkutk.il WOBURN 111. IM IXIT 33 1 TI. 31 Hi.

9 at HAMMOND ST. LOIWI KMOWCAH CINIMAt SHOWCAU CfNKMAS IHOWCASt CINFMAS LOEWS CHARLES DEDHAM REVERE WOBURN SOMERVItLE CAM IT NIAI OOV'T CTI TI. 1 131 IXII II 110. CI IOUIHI RO. ifl.

Ill IXH Jl Etl. AIIIMIIT 10 III 227-1330 1.326-4935 286-1660 933-5330 628-7000 f. TONIGHT CAMS ST. NIA GOVT OR. 227-1330 277-2500 933-5330 CI OPENS OCTOBER 25TH AT A THEATRE NEAR YOU! SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS ACCEPTED.