By ROBERT LEBZELTER
Special Sections Editor
If you are graduating this year, chances are, two shiny nickels from Aunt
Gertie won't cut it as a gift.
Nope, based on what survey respondents told Teen/Currents, they want EXPENSIVE
stuff.
A Hallmark card may say it all, but it won't get you to college. It won't
put a roof over your head or help you with a term paper. Heck, you can't
even trade it in for burgers and fries at Wendy's. (Don't even try it.)
But some of the graduation gifts kids are hoping, wishing for, crying out
in their sleep in the middle of the night for, can do some of that stuff.
Castella Maria Jones of Ashtabula High School wants "money and my own
car, so I can drive myself to college and back."
She's not the only one on the quest for wheels.
"My '87 Volkswagon Fox won't make it to college and back," said
Conneaut's Paul Kreger.
Dave Anthony, a salesman at Greg Sweet Chevrolet in Conneaut, said such
a vehicle will cost between $4,000 and $5,000. He speaks from experience.
"That's what I spent on my son," he said.
What's a good, reliable vehicle for a kid not only wanting to get to college,
but back?
"Cavaliers. Hondas. They are decent, I hate to say it," he said.
Sure, sure. But do people give cars as graduation gifts?
"Oh absolutely. It's a real busy time for us. People don't want to
be taking kids back and forth to college. It's a lot easier to buy them
a car. Cheaper in the long run, too," Anthony said.
(OK, kids, read the rest of this article before running to your parents
and shoving the previous paragraph in their faces. There may be more things
to show them later.)
Take the Conneaut kid who wants a computer, "so I can type papers and
play computer games."
Ditto the home schooler from Saybrook Township, except she wants a notebook
or laptop computer.
At 15, she has a ways to wait, but says, "I might just get my GED next
year and be done with it."
Scott Cline, who works in electronics at Office Max, says the costs of a
laptop and home computer are pretty much the same.
"It depends on what you want, (but laptops cost) between $999 and $1,600,"
he said.
The laptop is more portable and may be a better choice for up and coming
college kids, Cline said.
They're also easy to upgrade, he said.
"You just slap a chip in them and you're up and going," he said.
He said something with at least 16 megabytes of RAM and 166 megahertz is
"ideal for a student."
Now here's the kicker. Cline himself just graduated from Conneaut High School
himself. Could this be a hint?
Some kids are tired of sitting still in a classroom and want to be on the
move, traveling.
Aaron Stuetzer of Geneva High School wants to go to Wimbledon to see the
U.S. Open in person.
Yep, the crisp $5 bill with a Dollar General Store card won't impress Aaron.
Debbie McEndree, travel agent at Ashtabula Travel Agency, says tickets to
the open cost between $300 and $2,850. Again, those are the TICKETS only.
If you want to get their too - and not by swimming - you'll have to take
a plane. That's $800.
Laurie Beth Mraz of Grand Valley High School, best known for her singing
and acting in local productions, wants a trip to France.
"I've taken French since eighth grade and the culture really interests
me. It also has neat sights to see and good food to eat and drink."
A two-week grand tour of France, including flight, would be $8,566, plus
a departure tax of $50.
Do parents really send their kids off on expensive trips for graduation?
"Not really," said McEndree. "I think most people arrange
trips for teens to places like Myrtle Beach or Florida. Parents think of
places a little less expensive."
The most expensive gift request came from another Conneaut student. He wants
a house.
"I am going to start a family," he said.
Carole Stormer-Vaux of Miller Realty of Jefferson said a good starter home
in the Conneaut area would cost about $70,000.
"That gives you a three-bedroom, two-bath house on a slab," she
said.
Oh, and when you're ready to buy, Carole says come see her.
"I'll sell it to him," she said.
The cost of some gifts isn't easy to judge.
Sara Walbridge of Conneaut wants "a party, a big, big party. I just
want to see everyone a last time before I go off to school."
And another Conneaut grad, Lauren Simek, wants someone to give her a master's
degree.
Why? "Isn't it obvious?" she replied.
Yep. Get one of those and the car and computer and house will come a little
easier.
When violence
was milderThe year is 1967. The film is "Bonnie and Clyde."
Its' hard to believe that when it was first released, "Bonnie and Clyde"
made film history with its graphic violent scenes. It prompted one critic
to note, "It's blithe acceptance of the world of violence - an acceptance
which almost became a celebration. Compared to the films of today it might
have a PG or PG-13 level of violence, but in its day it made history."
Casting aside the controversy, "Bonnie and Clyde" is a classic
crime film. It takes place in the early 1930s as the Depression is beginning
to hit. Bonnie Parker (Fay Dunaway) is getting ready for her job as a waitress
in a small town when she sees a man trying to steal her mom's car. His name
is Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), and he's been in prison. Pretty soon they're
having a Coke together and not long after that he shows her his gun. "You
wouldn't use that," she challenges. He uses it to stick up the store
across the street and soon "Bonnie and Clyde" are off on one of
the most famous crime sprees our country knows.
The gang expands by adding a gas station attendant named C.W. Moss, who
knows about cars. Soon they add Clyde's brother, Buck (Gene Hackman), and
his reluctant wife, Blanche. As they travel from bank to bank, it becomes
clear that even bank robbers can't make a decent living in the Depression.
Several banks have no money to give and the ones that do don't have very
much.
It becomes clear in one scene that it's not the people's money they want,
it's the banks. As they are robbing a bank, a farmer is carrying some money.
"Is that your money or the banks?" Clyde asks. "It's mine,
sir," the man replies.
"Then keep it," Clyde says.
This gives some credibility to the work the gang is doing. It gives the
characters a heart and a reason for the audience to sympathize with them.
The Barrow gang keeps robbing banks, but tensions are beginning to strain
them. Bonnie doesn't feel like she has any privacy, and she's right. There
are also tensions between Bonnie and Blanche. The two women are opposites
and don't get along at all. Eventually there is a showdown involving the
gang and police.
The controversial violence in the film takes place during the chase scenes
and the showdown. They are much more mild than today's violence, but it
could be argued that this film opened the door for future violent films
such as 1969's "The Wild Bunch."
"Bonnie and Clyde" was the first film to use slow motion to depict
a violent scene. It is done in a tasteful manner and director Arthur Penn
knows where he wants the film to go.
The musical score is another well-integrated part of the film. The chases
are accompanied by a cheerful banjo giving it a carefree feeling. As the
banjo plays the audience knows that the barrow gang will once again elude
police. Later in the film it is the lack of music that brings a sense of
foreboding.
"Bonnie and Clyde" is a film that will live forever in film history.
It's brilliant use of a dream-like reunion scene and realistic portrayal
of the characters make it a true classic. Thirty-one years after its release
it still stands up as entertainment and on a deeper level as a social statement.
Dowler, Teen/Current's resident film critic, is also an expert on what
not to do after spilling Pepsi on a videotape. You don't put it in the VCR.