ARTS
The Michigan Daily Tuesday, April 16, 1985 Page7
'Academy 2'
oozes senseless
By James Mayes
P OLICE ACADEMY 2: Their First Assignment is a story
of pain and suffering, unfortunately none of it is actually
in the movie. Moviegoers suffer, careers suffer, theaters suf-
fer, and, of course, the critic suffers.
While we will someday forget this atrocity on film, few
directors will forget those who committed it. Only two
careers, those of Steve Guttengerg and Michael Winslow, are
unjustly subjected to torture. Guttenberg has numerous film
credits, including his role as Eddie in the movie Diner, and
will probably be able to weather this flop. Winslow, however,
is new to film (not counting the first Police Academy) and is
a highly talented individual. Sadly however, P oIice
Academy 2 will not be good resume material for him.
On the other side of the coin are those people who deserved
to be in this movie - Tim Kazurinsky and Bubba Smith.
Kazurinsky has always been a nobody on the screen, having
played such roles as the man with the tow truck in Neighbors.
He was also a regular on Saturday Night LIve, which used to
be something respectable, but that was before his time.
Perhaps Kazurinsky will go on to something more fitting a
man of his talents - horticulture. '
Bubba Smith, the ex-football player, has stunk in such
previous dogs as Blue Thunder and made guest appearances
bumbling
in prime-time favorites like The Misadventures of Sheriff
Lobo. Why doesn't Bubba just stick with the Lite Beer com-
mercials? We love you Bubba, but get the hell out of films.
This blunder of a film has all of the requirements of a
mega-flop: bad acting, bad directing, bad story (no story?),
and bad etc.
Yet it could possibly gross more money than any movie
released during this season. Why? - Who knows? The only
thing which is known is that the same foolish people who
patronized Police Academy will probably go see this one.
Unbelievably, the first movie has grossed (grossed out?) a
ridiculously high sum, somewhere around $150 million.
Police Academy 2 is heading in the same direction and may
even pass the first. The big bucks are arriving at Hollywood
faster than the filmmaker's talentless little hands can count
them.
In the future could be such classics as Police Academy 3 or
maybe there will be a branching into different occupations.
Imagine film greats like Fireman's Academy - a zany group
of fireman trainees use slapstick, and stupidity for
uproarious laughter while filmmakers bathe themselves in
your money. We must make a stand! Stay home! Walk
your dog! Do anything that doesn't include going to Police
Academy 2: Their First Assignment. With your help we can
make this their last assignment.
Madrigals rich in song
By Mike Gallatin
Though Michael Winslow's
chances at a career in film.
performance was satisfactory his connection with 'Police Academy II' may hurt his
Vinica ting the
The first is an all-star clarinet group
By Afaron Bergman from New York called The Licorice
Factory, which is also the name of
HE CLARINET is often and un- the album (Jazzmania 41206). It
deservedly maligned. In features six-time Downbeat Poll
c assical music, it is considered to winner Perry Robinson on b -flat
be an instrument that never had soprano, Mike Morgenstern on b flat
enough sense to develop into an bass, and Mark Whitecage on e flat
oboe. In jazz, it is often over- alto clarinet.
shadowed by the more glamorous The album is a hodge podge of
saxaphone. Ellington, novelty pieces, converted
It is an instrument of great sub- pop standards, orliginals, and even
tlety. It must be cajoled and an exceptionally clever tribute to
Benny Goodman,
The playing throughout is witty,
bright, and playful. These men,
however, are serious, dedicated
musicians, in love with their music.
With three of the same instruem-
nts playing at the same time, it is
possible to sound crowded. Each
person here, though, has 'plenty of
caressed, not wailed on. It brings a room to breathe. They give each
rd Iother, and their admirable rhythm
warmth and poignancy that can only section of Michael Fleming, Dave
be suggested by other instruments; Lalama, and Walter Perkins a lot of
it has coniplex overtones which space. They are raucous where
create intriguing possibilities, needed, such as "Laurel and Hardy
With this in mind, why don't more Meet the Three Stooges," or more
musicians play the clarinet? It is dif- subdued, as on "Always - on My
ficult to play well, requiring great Mind."
precision of tone and fingering, or Buddy DeFranco's newest record,
the music will sound ill-timed set of Mr. Lucky (Pablo 2310 906), is an
mistakes (unlike the interesting unexpected masterpiece, a gentle
mistakes a saxaphone can make). revelation of the beauty of jazz.
Two recent releases demonstrate On the surface, the album seems
the best of the clarinet's potential. to be a simple reworking of jazz
clarin et
standards. On closer inspection, this
is not the case. Though DeFranco
breaks no new ground, he exposes
the often neglected wonders of older
music in a fresh perspective.
He has assembled a brilliant band
consisting of Joe Cohn on guitar,
George Duvivier on bass, Ronnie
Bedford on drums, and Albert
Dailey, who turns in one powerful
solo after another, on piano.
DeFranco, though, is by far the vir-
tuoso of the group. He employs
technique that would break the
fingers of a lesser clarinetist, but he
never allows it to get in the way of
his artistry. He plays with all the
polish and assuredness that comes
with being in the business for forty
years, but never sounds tired or
cliched. He is a highly opinionated
man who knows what he likes, and
has the ability to present what he
loves. The music is' relaxed and of-
ten haunting, but it still swings hard.
Though each selection is worth-
while, "Mar Descancado" and
"Your Smile" are particularly
noteworthy.
DeFranco does not indulge in false
modesty. He knows how good he and
his band are. He intends this album
to be an enduring classic. Coming
from a less skilled musician this
statement would sound pretentious,
but from DeFranco it sounds like the
simple truth.
THE Residential College Chamber
Ensemble and Madrigal Singers
gave their end of the term performance
this past Sunday evening at East Quad
auditorium. The program ranged from
16th century madrigals to a 20th cen-
tury trio written by Francis Poulenc.
"The challenge of both the small en-
semble players and the madrigal
singers is that of learning to listen to
one another," said Music Director Jane
Heirich. "The various trios, duet, quin-
tet and sextet featured are performed
without a conductor and therefore
demand a non-verbal communication of
tempo and unity from each individual
performer. Similarly the madrigals are
sung a cappella without the aid of
piano or harpsichord and thereby
depend on relative pitch for their effec-
tiveness."
Jane Heirich does a remarkable job
with limited resources, much like the
myth of Pygmalian and Galatea. The
groups are non-audition and open to
everybody, designed primarily not for
performance but as an opportunity to
gather together and share a similar in-
terest. In accordance with a certain
historical authenticity "pieces are
selected on the basis of whoever and
whatever instruments happen to be
present in their living room that
evening," explained Jane Heirich to the
audience.
For a welcome change of pace in this,
the year of Bach's 300th birthday, his
sons C.P.E. and J.C. Bach were
featured in the program as well as G.P.
Telemann, another Baroque titan.
Highlights of the concert included a
Vocalise transcription of a work by
Rachmaninoff with David Wu at piano
and Laura Chen at piano.
The Madrigal Singers performed
some lovely rounds and delightful songs
from the 16th century with texts as
charming as the music itself. Four Folk
Songs from 19th century Brahms
possessed rich harmonies and a warm
romanticism which makes them peren-
nial favorites with performers as well
as audiences.
Star Search it isn't but in times when,
as Beverly Sills says, "The state of the
arts depends as much on the devoted
amateur as well as the serious
professional," Jane Heirich's work, as
well as that of the players, is an in-
valuable contribution.
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3 ACADEMY AWARDS CHER SAM ELLIOT
"THE KILLING SAFIRSTN
FIELDS" (R) SHOW "MASK"(PG-13)
MON 4 F15 E 700,9:35 2.00 MON.5:00 7:209:40
SUN 100400 ,009:35 SUN.12:30,2:45,5:00720,9:40
Date:
APR. 17
Time:
7 P.M. &
9 P.M.
Place.
MLB-3
'-.1
-I .
4
I
7 HAIRCUTTERS
" NO WAITING
DASCOLA STYLISTS
Liberty off State ... 668-9329
Maple Village........ 761-2733
V3 '
4
r
Dance includes bizarre, erotic
Thiis
Week!'
iBy Susanne Baum
M OST MODERN dance concerts
"e have one or two main themes but
"Remants," a University student dan-
ce concert last Thursday, had nearly a
h half dozen, something almost unheard
of in the dance world. The show con-
tained the final thesis of a group of
-senior dance students, each with distin-
- ct, unique personalities, and thus the
diversity.
Zezel-Chavah O'Garra's interpreted
;+ modern dance as a means of telling a
story in her solo entitled, "Another
Place, Different Time." O'Garro dan-
,ced to a Duke Ellington song about the
p Negro's struggle and oppression of the
1930s, and expressed how this, op-
pression was passed on from one
-'generation to the next. O'Garra's
-beautiful flowing arms and never-
ending leg extensions shot energy bolts
out to the audience.
On the other hand, the meaning of
Alison Alexander's thesis was
* somewhat unclear. Her dance entitled
- "Bombs, Rats, Coke, Sex, and Meat"
had dancers with punked-out hair,
2costumes and streaked faces. I won-
dered if the streaked faces symbolized
something or whether it was just a
gimmick used to add a bizarre flavor to
the dance. What if a University student
walked into a lecture in MLB3 and the
professor was in his underwear? The
,effect would be the same; shocking but
F-
senseless. I can accurately describe
every minute detail of the streaked
faces, but I definitely missed Alexan-
der's theme if there was one.
The final dance, "Suite Dreams,"
brought down the house with its
hilarious plot of a conservative couple's
dreams. First the wife dreams that
punked-out freaks with sun glasses,
grey lips, claw-like hands, and pillows
are coming to get her. In contrast, the
husband dreams of a beautiful, seduc-
tive girl, danced by the charming Sandi
Sucsy.
The concert was immensely enter-
taining and exemplified the dynamic
qualities of the dance students at the
University.
SHAKESPEARE NEVER
KNEW PILOT PEN.
He wrote beautifully without our
Razor Point marker pen and Precise Rolling Doll.. .
but imagine what he might have written with them.
World Traveler Pack -
Convertible from luggo
HARD TO FIND TRAVEL ITEMS:
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-Light Weight Raingear
COMPLETE
age to backpack
i