Page 8 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 9, 1990 FILM Continued from page 5 commit his body to sexual fidelity. Tomas loves Teresa, but loves the entire female gender as well. He distinguishes between his sex drive and his need for monogamous true love. Set in a 1968 Czechoslovakia that is rapidly becoming a police state under the umbrella of communism, the movie turns the book's rambling style into a chronological study of a 30-year relationship. You might want to see this film with a significant other, as its eroticism may lead to later festivities. I really like Brother From Another Planet. Director John Sayles takes the cliched through-the-eyes-of-an-alien theme beyond its Alf contemporaries with a mute alien (Joe Morton) who also happens to be Black and incredibly sweet. His muteness eliminates the possibility of trite commentary on the deplorable state of American affairs. Instead, the film concentrates on the alien's relationships with the various Harlem residents he meets while being tracked by two mean (white) extra-terrestrial bounty hunters. His powers include eyeball removal, which comes in handy when he wants to case the street without being visible. Logically, he puts his eye in a flowerpot. Wouldn't you? --Jen Bilik Roger and Me is a cool movie and everything, but it's just about reached that Bat-level of media saturation. Do your part and check out some other documentaries this weekend, like the ones being shown in the Asian American Film Series. Arthur Dong's Sewing Woman was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary short. The film is a light, very personal portrait of the life of Dong's mother, shot powerfully in black-and-white. Loose Pages Bound is a series of interviews with several generations of immigrant and native- born Asian Americans on the subjects of work, marriage, and the family, directed by is Christine Choy (Who Killed Vincent Chin?). ,Both films are serious about the hardships that many Asian Americans had to and still have to deal with, but also very enjoyable because their subjects are easy to relate to. . The documentaries will be accompanied by a feature film, A Great Wall, about a computer executive who travels to China to find his heritage and becomes disillusioned by its Westernization. Straight Ahead plays serious BY CRAIG LaBAN S TRAIGHT Ahead's last set is about to start, and the club is still packed. The audience is silent as vio- linist Regina Carter steps into the downstage lights. Her braids fall across her face as she leans her head against her violin and plucks out the melody to Paul Desmond's "Take Five." Leaning against a bar stool behind Carter, Marian Hayden kicks in on the stand-up bass with a groovy pizzicato counter line. Her eyes close as her body sways from side to side in a sycopated trance, big Morroccan beads swinging around her neck. Gayelynn McKinney, rid- ing lightly on the cymbals, knocks a funky Latin swing into the roto- toms, as Eileen Orr slides into a heavy salsa-montuno comp' at the piano. From the back of the club it be- .comes almost impossible to see the bandstand through the myriad of heads bouncing in 6/4 time. But the band is so colorful, you want to see them. You've given up trying to crane your neck for a better view; but it doesn't matter, 'cause if you close your eyes it sounds just as good. And your body won't stop moving.. . This all-woman jazz quartet is no novelty. At least, not anymore. Originally, Straight Ahead was formed to back singer Miche Braden, who has since left the band, and the women were conscious of the curios- ity an all-female ensemble arouses. But the women have found a rare chemistry with each other, establish- ing themselves as one of Detroit's best jazz combos. As the crowds at- tending last summer's Montreux De- troit Jazz Festival could attest, these women play serious jazz. They play a wide variety of mainstream jazz - both standards and their own compositions - which reveal Latin, blues, and free jazz strains, often blending vocal harmonies with Carter, who uses her prodigious technique to stretch the dynamics of her violin, while resist- ing the synthesized sound often used by jazz violinists. Originally, Straight Ahead was formed to back singer Miche Braden, who has since left the band.... But the women have found a rare chemistry with each other, establishing themselves as one of Detroit's best jazz combos. More than anything, what has made Straight Ahead so special in Detroit is its members' commitment to the group. Their "deeply collec- 0 The Detroit jazz group Straight Ahead plays a gamut of mainstream jazz, with Latin, blues, and free jazz influences. tive feel," says Orr, is evident in their relaxed - and often humorous - manner on stage, their often co- ordinated costumes, and, most of all, their groove. Orr explains that the quartet owes its cohesiveness in part to the fact that they played together for almost eight months before actu- ally performing. Orr says that undoubtedly, being an all-woman ensemble has uniquely affected the group dynamics. In the jazz world, where virtually all women have traditionally been singers, the quartet has been an oasis for these women - all of whom play outside the group - facilitating uninhibited creativity. The band has been able to experiment with ideas like new age voice arrangements - wordless vocals that blend and har- monize with the other instruments. This technique, says Orr, has often met with resistance from many tradi- tional ensembles that wouldn't dare play anything but "hard macho bop tunes." STRAIGHT AHEAD will be playing this tonight and tomorrow at the Bird of Paradise, 207 S. Ashley, with sets starting at 9:30, 11:00, and 12:30. Cover is $S. .(S e Weekend Magazine for times and locations) -Mark Binelli SUNDAY DINNER SPECIAL 4 pm - 7 pm only at: AMERICAN SUBS Hamilton Square (Next to Supercuts and Alphagraphics) - 715 N. University Buy any sub at regular price, get second of equal value for $1.00O L Expires February 11, 1990 SPECIALTIES: Taco Sub, Fajfta, Beef Burrho, Super Sub BEST QUALITY MEATS & BREADS DELIVERY: STARTING SOON PHONE/FAX 663-0069 t,, r ". Living the Spoirts Exprience on North .Campus~ EARN $75-$150 ACNE The University of Michigan Department of Dermatology is seeking volunteers to test new therapies for Acne ... Office visits and medications are free to eli- gible participants. For further information please call .. 973-0699 0 For just five dollars a term you can be joining the fun in North Campus' own Intramural program. Members join in one of the foursports offered-that: last throughout the term: Volleyball, Basketball. Racquetball or Table Tennis. Students, Faculty, and Staff (as well as others) are highly encouraged to join no matter which part of the campus you - - University of Michigan Medical Center Saturday e March 10 Michigan Theater * 8 pm Advance tickets available at all T S-locations & at the Michigan Theater box office. Charge by phone: 645-6666 or 668-8397. For 24 hr. concert & club info, dial 99-MUSIC. To get on the Miller Genuine Draft Concertcard Mailing List, dial 99-MILLER, R come from. If you are interested in joining and have others who would like to join, we have re- duced rates for groups (as well as year and lifetime memberships). So give us a call to have some fun - JUST DO IT!! North Campus Rec Club 763-3821 or 763-2646 JOSTENS GOLD RING SALE IS COMING! Iw I ______________________________,, f I a ,Ar j : " 'h Gain valuable experience with an opportunity for advancement. Work for your school newspaper in the Clas- sified Department. Order your college ring NOW. Stop by and see a Jostens representative, ,arint4c. rk *ka m Frida, Fa 0 I f I