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. v5 } ;i7 }i V~t ".,:.:.",{%____:{:';"::i}:;: v ..ti*.... :"{:i{'%".., * t[ rti'7":''.* ,}:' }}t%}::%;., m. ,?:{ .;:%r%... ":y .{"'" ;:4...i{ .$"?{i?{: , ::°:r:;;::}::: 76 -9 0 "'"{':ic'{"{ {*. :.{i*.":i*'.;:vi'.".. .:":%.:": {::"{:: ::+.:;{" .r ' ::'; 7 "{n,,}{: ^"v: i...*... **.COUPON'*1 wihthi I * F features- s entire ac ion. 1 or 2 thru 4/1f d $1.00 off any $4 001 tickets. Good all 8/85 ~t ru l i- A TT r 7 w;'!Rq":!.c:"T.:"!r:":ass-npr,;"vR"71.,".""m- ..; .-.... ..: x :. : sf:":i"Yi :7.'...ti h... if:Kf:"7%f:v:.;{a;{{{' 7X \'47 :f77:?1:Y:f4"v. v5 ... f. :":. ".:.t . ".. .. vk0:"; :. .7:;{p.:"7Yr.":ive"."":ik 7 " :::v};: f.".f. ....".". ..:.Y ::. :.. ;........ .... !7:v::.........'.:.."\y.".S":77X:!7.f :":: "'}x ::. . :.::tif}.: t,. s ......... ::.:.": :..:4:::.": M............ :::. ."7.Yl:S"."."'..... r. _........". ....... w._u ..:\. 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. 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