ARTS The Michigan Daily Saturday, January 19, 1985 Page 5 'Micki and Maude' sticky and flawed By Emily Montgomery T he reunion of Dudley Moore with Blake Edwards, his director for the hit comedy 10, fills one with expec- tations of something great. However, the pair's latest endeavor, Micki and Maude, falls far short of this. The film stars Moore, of course, as Rob Salinger, a newscaster for a small, yet insignificant, television station. Rob desperately wants to have children, yet his wife, Micki (played by Ann Reinking of All That Jazz) a successfull lawyer and newly appointed District Attorney, hasn't time to even attempt a conception with him, let alone the nine months the event would require. Rob has to make appointments just to talk with her and any plans they make Micki inevitably has to cancel. Rob starts looking elsewhere. He wanders into the bedroom of a concert cellist named Maude, (Amy Irving) who is more than willing to have his child, on the one condition that Rob gets a divorce and marries her. Rob agrees to this, but when he tries to break the news to Micki she has her own bit of news for him, which she blurts out first. She too is pregnant and she plans on quitting both her jobs in order to have the child, because she knows how much he wants one. She then eloquently adds, "I love you, Rob, and I want this baby." Thus, Rob finds himself in what one would call, "a situation." He hasn't the heart to ask Micki for a divorce and he can't go back on his proposal to Maude. He decides to marry Maude anyway, breaking the law, not to mention a few of the major commandments. And from here on in he begins living a double life, rushing from bedsided to bedside to fulfill the two expectant mothers' needs, whil trying to keep himself above suspicion. One thing about Micki and Maude is that, although the story seems ridiculous in print, Moore and company manage to pull it off. We believe the relationship between Rob and Micki. And we believe the relationship bet- ween Rob and Maude. Moore's charac- ter demonstrates a very real and honest caring for both these women. He does very well in a plot that's bound to evoke some skepticism. This factor, however, is simultaneously the film's main virtue and its major downfall as it draws away from the comedic element. So much of the movie is spent making the plot seem feasible that there isn't much time left to devote to the Dudley Moore, stum- bling, bumbling, mumbling, prat-fall humor that has made him such a favorite. Moore's best movies are the one's like 10 and Arthur, where a simple plotline allows him the freedom to do the unexpected. Micki and Maude is a "cute" film, which tells a "nice" story, but as a comedy it just doesn't com- pare. Learn to live with someone who's living with cancer. Call us. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY Little cuddly Dudley stars in the oh-so-cute Micki and Maude Records A Drop in the Gray-Certain Sculptures-Geffen Records Certain Sculptures, the astonishing debut album from A Drop in the Gray sweeps in like a refreshing burst of air upon the music scene. Honest and alive, this album reaches into some inner, haunting area of humanity. It is the ~"gray" that lies between the real and the unreal; clear and yet mysteriously obscure. Although it seems unfair to compare any band to another (especially one as original as this), to get some idea of what A Drop in the Gray sounds like, try imagining a cross between the Sim- ple Minds, U2 and the dB's. This L.A. based quartet, which is half American and half European, is made up of highly, skilled musicians with a folksy, new wave style. They have somehow found the perfect balance between natural and effected sound. The cuts have ex- cellent guitar parts that play well off of their often strong bass lines. Keyboards flutter, in and out, never on top of anything. Crystal clear, the textural layering is done in such a way that it nicely enhances the music. Songwriter Dan Phillips' voice is full of emotion and has a shakey vibrato that floats well over his lyrics. His songs focus on the barest elements through which humanity is manifested. Images such as letters, streets, rain, pictures, windows, and eyes keep pop- ping up in the pieces. His loosely jointed phrases say a lot in few words. "No Light" is one such example, "I see the rings upon your hands/You've collected through the years/Saving lies! And no goodbyes." Many of the tracks are especially moody, and speak of some time or place that is neither reality nor a dream. The eerie lyrics of "A Place For You" suggest this image, " The telephone poles are bending/The postman got the letter I'm sending/Out there/The wind is blowing/The clouds are falling down." One of the best pieces from Certain Sculptures is a simple, exquisitely touching ballad entitled, "Turn Me Round." Phillips' quavering voice is highly effective here, as he wails over the beautiful piano and cello duet that plays for the verses. Hillel season opens with Nicoll Certain Sculptures is a remarkably impressive album, especially as a debut. Cohesive and full of energy and warmth, it demands a great deal of at- tention. Watch out for A Drop in the Gray. They may very well be the suc- cess story of 1985. -Beth Fertig BLOOM COUNTY OH No. 0 Watch for itin hie mtrta eal SAT. &SUN. FIRST MATINEE ONLY$2.0 1.i adult evening admission. Coupon OFF good for purchase t one or two tickets. Good all features til 1124 JOHN SAYLES BEST FILM YET! FRI., MON. 8:30 SAT., SUN. 1:00, 3:00, 8:30 IN THESE wild days of mass consumption of fast food and pop art, it is relaxing, and indeed refreshing, to give oneself over to time-tested, traditional entertainment, something with real cultural substance. The Hillel Foundation's concert series, Celebration of Jewish Arts, represents just such an opportunity. The series begins this weekend with a performan- ce by singer-actress Fay Nicoll. Nicoll, a Broadway actress and club singer, will sing a blended potpourri of traditional favorites in English, Yid- dish, Hebrew, Chassidic, Russian, and Ladino. Her Yiddish folk favorites will include "Yossel, Yossel" and "A Yid- dish Madella." Songs in English from popular Broadway musicals can also be expected. Nicoll, an active member of the Hebrew Actors Union, brings her talen- ts to Ann Arbor for the first time. She will be accompanied by her regular pianist, Renee Solomon. dation's Festival Executive Commit- tee. On February 9, the second perfor- mance of the series will feature singer, dancer, and comedian Mike Burnstyne, also selected at the New York folk festival. The series closes with a production of "Gimpel the Fool", a classic Chaplinesque parable written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Nicoll's performance begins at 8:30 p.m. at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. -Marlene Roth The Celebration of the Arts concert series, in its fourth year, will present two concerts and a play this season. Two of this year's acts, including Nicoll, were chosen last spring at the annual Labor Day folk festival held in NicolloLong Island, New York. The talent was ... multilingual singer personally selected by the Hillel Foun- Sub~ekibeto The icicdag Dai4 4 CHANNEL DOLBY STEREO DIRECTED BY JONATHAN DEMME THE TALKING HEADS _m I FRI., MON. 5:00, 6:50,10:30 SAT., SUN. 3:10, 5:00, 6:50,10:30 - ~~v L~ a , TOGETHER THEY MAY FIND THE STRENGTH TO KEEP THEIR WAY OF LIFE ALIVE! SISSY SPACEK MEL GIBSON (PG-13) From the Director of "On Golden Pond" DOLBY STEREO FRI., MON. 5:00, 7:30, 9:45 SAT., SUN. 12:50, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 WIN .. 761-1 11 East Ann St. -*O_ K4 4 971-5555 Packard Georgetown Mall