New Release Grease

By Laura Bond
Catalyst

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catalyst@wildcat.arizona.edu

Greasy Tony's Restaurant exists in a kind of vacuum. Patrons are sheltered from the outside world and its warnings about the health risks of a grease-soaked diet. The space is equal parts East Coast deli, rec-room basement, and homemade lemonade stand, with handwritten signs in a thick scrawl. It's also a low-rent screening room, of sorts.

Some things at Greasy Tony's never change. The smell of cheese and bacon grease. The greeting one receives at the counter, friendly, but hurried. And the eternally flickering TV.

Tony Martinez works days at Greasy Tony's. During slow hours, he can be found before the TV. Tony likes movies. He really likes movies.

We think Tony's qualified to be our critic of new video releases. Each week, he'll review three flicks from all genres, providing a glimpse of another side of the hardest working man in the pizza business.

This week Tony reviews the Japanese comedy Shall We Dance, by writer/director Masayuki Suo; Down and Out in America, writer/director Lee Grant's 1986 documentary about homelessness, recently released on video; and Starship Troopers, from Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven.

Laura: How many nights a week do you watch videos?

Tony: I usually watch at least one a night. But sometimes, after work, I just need to get a drink, you know?

Yes, I know... What are some of your favorite movies?

Each decade just gets better. I like Eastwood, DeNiro - those guys are good. I like Don Johnson movies. I like monster movies! Yeah! I like those!

What's the best movie you've seen recently?

I liked "Godzilla." That was a good one. I saw it twice.

Let's talk about "Shall We Dance."

I didn't like that one. It was in Japanese, with English subtitles! All these people going (making gestures which seem to signify the Japanese language) "dee-da-dee-da-dee!"

You don't like foreign films?

I do like them. I just didn't like this one. I don't know, some people dancing, the same old thing. It was boring.

What about "Starship Troopers?"

I liked that one! I watched it twice. At first I thought like, Ôthis is gonna be totally fake,' but it was good effects. I liked it when the bugs came, when that guy got that big whole in his head. The bugs were great! The first time really made me think.

About what?

The future.

Didn't it kind of seem like Melrose Place' in space?

Yeah, the acting was really bad! The girl was driving this spaceship, probably cost like a billion dollars, and she just had this big smile on her face, like a pretty zombie. I could act better than that!

What about "Down and Out in America?"

That was really sad. That one made me think, in a different way. It was real life - I can't rate real life. America doesn't give a shit about elderly people, homeless people. I think, someday I'll be there, you know, elderly. I hope I'm just sitting on the porch with my friends, playing instruments.

That movie won an Oscar in 1987. Do you think it deserved one?

I don't know. It was sad.

Greasy Tony's: 828 E. Speedway, 622-9089. Open 10 a.m.- 1 a.m. Tony's videos are generously loaned by Casa Video, the best video store in Tucson, perhaps even the world. Casa Video's two locations (1925 E Grant Rd., 325-1919; 2905 E. Speedway Blvd., 326-6314) are open daily from 10 a.m. - midnight.