Page 8- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 19, 1989 0 Scandinavian film fest focuses on children BY MARK SHAIMAN Anyone who knows anything about film knows of Ingmar Bergman. And that he is from Scan- dinavia. And maybe they have seen all of Ingmar's films, but have they seen other Scandinavian films? Probably not, with the exception of My Life As A Dog,, which is an exceptional film. But for the next few Thursday nights there will be ample opportunity to see other films from that part of the world as part of a free series entitled "The Image Of the Child in Scandinavian Cinema," which is sponsored by the Scandina- vian Program in the University's Germanics Department. Like My Life As A Dog, the films in the series have children as the main or focal characters. The films are not necessarily for children, but instead the directors have chosen to explore the world through the eyes of children in order to provide a different view of the world. And the fact that these filmmakers are of a different culture adds another interesting level to the varying per- spective that is presented. Films included in the series are all shown with English subtitles: Jan 19 at MLB 4: Ake and His World , Swedish, directed by Allan Edwall, and Hugo and Josephine, Swedish, directed by Kjell Grede. Jan 26 at MLB 4: Little Ida, Norwegian, directed by Laila Mikkelsen. Feb 2 at Lorch Hall: Rubber Tarzan, Danish, directed by Soren Kragh Jacobsen, and I Am Maria, Swedish, directed by Karsten Wedel. Feb 9 at MLB 4: The Story of a Mother, Danish, directed by Klaus Weeke, and The Elephant Walk, Swedish, directed by M-L de Geer Bergenstrahle. Kevin Kline has gone from eating chips with fish to drinking coffee with parrots, and in The January Man, he's just as cuckoo as he was in Wanda. Man lacks rhym e, reason BY MARK SHAIMAN 30 days hath September/ April, June, and Novem- ber/ All the rest have 31/ Except February, which has 28. Something has always bothered me about that poem. Maybe it's because it doesn't rhyme, and it looks like it is going to; it undermines itself. That's the same problem with the film The January Man. Kevin Kline, hot from his role in A Fish Called jWanda, is back in another comedy. At least I think it's a comedy. But it's also a mystery. And the mystery parts were just as funny as the comedic parts. How- ever, the mystery parts were meant to be serious. November and 28 just don't rhyme! A serial killer has been stalking New York City for nearly a year, killing once every cycle of the moon, 7-bringing new meaning to the phrase "It's that time of the month again." After 11 months of this, the Mayor breaks down and reinstates Kline, who was kicked off the police force for allegedly taking a bribe. Kline is a veritable Sherlock Holmes and the only man who can solve the case. Along the way he falls for the mayor's daughter, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Color Of Money). And he also has his eye on tSusan Sarandon, who is married to the chief of police, Harvey Keitel (The Last Temptation of Christ). And it just so happens that Keitel and Kline are brothers. Lots of plot complications, which provides lots of humor. And lots of seriousness. Woody Allen got away with that in Hannah and Her Sisters, but director Pat O'Connor was not the Man for this job. The script was written by John Patrick Shanley, who picked up an Oscar for penning last year's Moon- struck. The January Man too has a great script, just not a great director. While the movie is funny on the whole, it suddenly becomes absurd as Kline, in just a few hours, figures out the method behind the killer's year-long madness. Fortunately, Kline knows his as- tral constellations and his Neil Sedaka songs just as well as the murderer does, and thus he can predict the exact location and date of the next murder. This would be a perfect parody on the deductive reasoning powers of such infamous detectives as Hercule Poirot or Charlie Chan, but the only thing it parodies is itself. One line often repeated in the film, understandably used for rationalization, is "In a hundred years we'll all be dead." Take that to heart, especially if you plan to be stuck in Purgatory, cause The January Man too is stuck in the limbo between comedy and seriosity, leaving it to be a tragedy of mediocrity. At least that rhymes. The Pursuit of Happiness Love Junk Chrysalis By now you might have heard "I'm An Adult Now." The lyrics grab you first - "I think I'll call my dad up and invite him," "Man tries to understand what the hell went wrong." (How does that guy know what I'm thinking?) On the third or fourth listen, the relentess power trio rhythms seize random extremities and get 'em moving; after a half dozen spins, the per- fect harmony vocals complete the best future sucks anthem since the totally unrelated Stooges classic "1969." An unusual quintuplet, The Pursuit of Happiness hail from Toronto. A standard g,b,d trio forms the core of the band; two female vocalists fill out the ranks. Front man Moe Berg handles the lead vocals, guitars, and the writing duties. So, is there more to TPOH than "I'm An Adult Now"? Happily, yes. Love Junk is one of the most solid Pop Rock Action Candy albums in a long time. The twelve effortless sounding tunes never miss. Sometimes rambling, sometimes tight, but always tasty solos, acoustic fills, classic chords and the odd harmonica part keep things interesting. Two elements of their sound do remain constant - the ace rhythm section and the excellent back- ground/harmony vocals. It's quite easy to lose yourself in either Johnny Sinclair's persistent Steve Kilbeyish bass playing or the refreshingly real, Bonhamesque pounding of drummer Dave Gilby. Vocalists Kris Abbott and Leslie Stanwyck supply plenty of their own highlights; they shine when they - too infre- quently - get a verse or chorus to themselves. How- ever the extra vocalists supply my one, minor critical nitpick with this album -- they could take a break once in a while. By the time you make it to the clos- ing cut, "Killed By Love," Berg is drowning a breakup: "The more I drink you know the worse that I+ feel / I'm talking to the floor and I'm soaking in my pee." Just when you think TPOH are gonna drop the. pop and hit you with a real blues song the happy harp, monies kick in, all too effectively distracting you from. Berg's plight. Love Junk neatly summarizes the song themes; Berg touches upon love's highs and lows, but healthy person that he is he keeps sex in the spotlight. The ti- tle "Looking For Girls" explains itself; "Beautiful, White" is a simultaneously depressing and warming strip song. Berg uses simple, direct, and thoughtful" lines effectively. "Walking In the Woods" supplies a, perfect example: "I wished I could walk over and just say hello / she's the kind of girl it would be nice to know / but that's not the kind of thing you're likely to do / on a subway train at eight a.m. /are you?" The Pursuit of Happiness have the hooks, the sound, the depth, and all that other mystical shit needed to avoid one-hit-wonder status and send them over the top. Love Junk's strength's should put them there. -Brian Jarvinen CAL A SS RINGS NORTH CAMPUS 10:30a.m.-3:00p.m. COMMONS BOOKSTORE $2500 Deposit Required History Continued from Page 7 however, is a convincing plot. The characters themselves are generally believable, but the story is pre- dictable and rather cliched. Halfway through the book, the reader can pick out in just what way the heroine wll be able to escape from whatever predicament corrupt aristocrats or her own foolishness has landed her. To Dance with Kings is much better if read for its images and slices of life than its story. Both of these novels tell the story of willful women struggling against their subordinate place in society. Although this theme is everpresent in the books, it is done with re- straint and style. Although there are, more so than today, many ex- ceptions, most of the male characters are able to shift their attitudes toward women in a believable manner when they are shown what an intelligent and determined woman can do. Neither A Vision of Light nor To Dance with Kings will ever be noted for depth, or theme, or hidden meaning, however. Both novels make for fun and interesting reading - the kind of relaxed enjoyment that doesn't require much concentra- tion or interpretation. If you have a long trip to make for spring break, or some free time at the beach, then give A Vision of Light or To Dance with Kings a try. The familiar yet alien settings of history seen through the eyes of women make. otherwise light plots interesting and enlightening. -Ian Campbell Avant Continued from Page 7 Tonight, another educator and ex- pert on the avant-garde, P. Adams Sitney, a professor of visual arts at Princeton University, will introduce the symposium with a lecture enti- tled, "The Poetics of Seeing." Ac- companying the lecture will be a va- riety of important short experimental works. In the coming weeks, Stan Brakhage (Feb. 16,17) and Ken Ja- cobs (March 16,17), the twonmost distinguished independent experimental film artists in the U.S., will present and discuss their works. Following them will be two of the most exciting new avant-garde tal- ents, Trinh T. Minh-Ha (March 30) and Su Friedrich (April 6). The audi- ence is invited to speak with the filmmakers after their presentations. The University used to be one of the most prolific and diverse film showing centers in the country, sec- ond only to Los Angeles and New York, but the number of local film screenings, especially those of non- mainstream films, has significantly* decreased in recent years. Fortunately, to quote the title of David Mamet's latest film, "Things Change," and Ann Arbor's ranking as a film com- munity is on the rise once again with tonight's symposium opening. So for a few nights, forget about movie stars and see some stars of your own - the avant-garde is intended to make your head spin. Tonight's tonight's lecture and showing will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Lorch Hall. Admission is free. #Rea DaW5ie Jan. 19 & 20 C i98NnCatved tis R. CLASSIFIED ADS! 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