0 i 6 f Page 10-The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition- --Thursday, September 5, 1991 The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursday, CINEMA Continued from page 9 Alas, such days are no more. Two of the commercial theaters have closed (although there is still hope for the old State, if someone decides that investing the money to get it up to code is worth their while; there is no hope, unfortunately, for the old Campus Theater: the spot where it used to stand now contains a mini- mall) and half of the local film groups have gone under. Even the Michigan Theater, having lost all of its state funding because of the Engler Cuts, is being forced to cut back. Fortunately, the sun has not completely set on the Ann Arbor film community. There are still several beacons of that pre-video and pre-cable era which promise to continue the legacy of alternative film for at least a couple of years. These are the film groups. Best of all, as nonprofit interest groups, they provide an instant community of people who are interested in film, a community that provides benefits which we all reap in the form of being able to see things that we would otherwise never have the chance to see anywhere. The three main self-supporting student film groups on campus are Cinema Guild, the Ann Arbor Film Cooperative and InFocus Filmworks. Each has its own character and its own unique history and each provides a different service to the community. Cinema Guild: At more than 40 years old, this is by far the oldest independent film society on campus. According to John Carlos Cantu, its treasurer, Cinema Guild is "the oldest independent film society east of the Mississippi river." Its survival has been due to its relatively conservative choice of films. It has always concentrated on more traditional film classics, at- tempting to show all of the films which the world considers important. As Cantu says, they're "archival: (they) show films going back all the way to the silent film era." As such, they provide one of the only places where you can see all of the great Hollywood classics on a big screen, as well as all of the classic European films. They also show stuff in CinemaScope (that's the really, really wide screen format popular in the '60s, and which looses all of its appeal when shown on-a TV) and films which are unavailable on video. The membership of the group is generally around 16, but this is "a very informal limit" and so new peo- ple are always welcome. Furthermore, being, as Cantu says, "the Coca Cola" of film societies on campus, CG has produced many people who are now distinguished members of the film community. One of these is the most famous, film-wise, graduate of the University: Lawrence Kasdan (the guy who wrote and directed, among many other things, both Body Heat and The Big Chill). "Any undergraduate, graduate, faculty member or staff member who has a general interest in film has an opportunity to apply for membership." The best thing, though, is that every member of the group has a say in what films are shown. Cantu describes the pro- cess as one where everyone writes down the films they want the group to show and makes copies for everyone else, then everyone marks everyone else's sheet with a score stating how much they want the film shown. The scores are tallied up and the films with the highest scores are shown. True democracy at work. Ann Arbor Film Cooperative: Celebrating its 20th birthday last year, the Film Co-op has a much dif- ferent bent to it than Cinema Guild. Founded as a source of funding for young filmmakers, with film showings on the side as a method for revenue produc- tion, the Co-op has had to abandon its original purpose and now only shows films. Fortunately, the original spirit that caused it to come into being still exists and it's showings are much more toward the gonzo end of the film tastes, with horror flicks, documentaries, avant garde and mainstream films all mixed to- gether in a typical schedule. "We push toward the new end of film" is how Erika Lindensmith, current eccentri c comm odity and down, digging for a cheap or rare book Theater for and hosts a multitude of 20% of the books that come in aren't worth buying," he says. OK, OK so the copy of Tess of the D'urbervilles that I bought there for 50 cents fell apart in a week, but David's can usually be counted on for quality. Of course, David's has a plethora of offerings, from ency- clopedia sets to used magazines, from show biz biographies to an old album of Roosevelt photographs. The used book business is full of challenges. Koster says he might travel all over Michigan to book fairs or specialty shops to find books that are in demand. Decisions must also be constantly made as to what goes on the shelves, what the books' values are, and what should be bought. The owner's judgement' on a book's worth is really what de- termines the flavor of store: Brian Case, the manager of Dawn Treader Used Books says that each store has its own specialties and personali- ties. Another challenge arises when people come in with stolen books and try to sell them and also, Koster jokes, in just trying to keep the place clean! So what about David? His por- trait adorns the front door, and the David's tote-bags. Well, he moved out to California and hasn't been a part of his namesake for years. One illusion shattered perhaps, along with the recent death of one of the store's cats, but the store's intrinsic value remains unmarred. The most important aspect of a good used book store is "finding the right people to work with." Kastor says. People who know and value books can help newcomers make their way through the David's con- voluted categories or chit-chat with the people who've made David's their second home. Bonus: David's is discreet and ecologically aware at the same time. If you buy a stack of the old Playboys in the store's back corner, they'll give you a used gro- cery bag to carry them home in. Dawn Treader's two stores (at 525 E. Liberty and 1202 South University) each have distinct spe- cialties and personalities. Case, who works at the East Liberty store, in- troduced himself with an assess- ment of Ann Arbor. The used book stores reflect what Ann Arbor is all about, Case explains, while out- side investors who build things like "that accursed Galleria" (a mutant mini-mall that has been attempted twice in town, and has failed miser- ably each time) want to turn Ann Arbor into "a wild strain of Birmingham." "From a bookseller's point of view," Case says, "an Arbor is still pretty liberal and progres- sive." While some conservative strains lurked around during the '80s, says Case, liberalism is alive and well at Dawn Treader. Some by Sue Uselmann Feel you've exhausted all of the exciting possibilities for enter- tainment in Ann Arbor? Probably' not. That is, on a seemingly boring night, there will undoubtedly be creatively different offerings at the Michigan Theater, at 603"East Liberty. Whether your interests lie in a simple get-away to childish an- tics or"la haute couture" theater productions, Michigan Theater seems to cover it all. Renown for its palatial elegance, the Theater has been dominating Ann Arbor's artistic atmosphere for over 60 years. Established in 1928 as a community theater, it now repre- sents the historical development of the arts in Ann Arbor, beginning with the days of vaudeville and silent films. With its crystal chan- delier and spiral staircase, the Theateraexuded an atmosphere of palatial opulence which attracted many movie-goers. In contrast to the rather obscure fare that the Michigan Theater now offers, in the 1920s the Theater featured what the mainstream viewer would call risqu6 films. Continuing its popularity through 1979, it was sold to the newly-formed Michigan Theater Foundation, the non-profit organi- zation designed to help preserve the Theater. For five years, the Foundation struggled financially in attempts to determine what to do with the historically aesthetic the- ater. In the past six years, however, it has worked successfully to achieve the status it holds today. Russell Collins, executive direc- tor of the Theater, calls it "a multi- media performance menu, where you are al theate lized guabl countr citing tracti from about Collir has h high Natio zens is est where cent r Al Unive large vultui year s biance ing jo the at the the In Collir major make operau goal i is a b ganiza AN 622 L (U pst See BOOKS, Page 9 Director David Cronenberg, who made such cheeky sex-mutilation- mutation-postmodern farces as The Brood, Scanners, and Videodrome, is typical of someone whose work you're likely to see on campus. Wei wVvb president, describes their style. Matt Madden, another member of the group, adds "We're more recent independent stuff. We also try to cover different genres than the other film groups don't cover. More ex-' perimental stuff, shorts." They're also one of the last groups that's not afraid of films about sex, and a See CINEMA, page 11 RECORDS Continued from page 7 IUUIC UUII HUDSON'S TRAVEL SERVICE We Make All The Difference In The World Get to know us at Hudson's Travel: " Conveniently located in Hudson'ssBriarwood Mall. " Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday & Thursday. Closed Sunday. " Your Hudson's Shopping Card is welcome as well as American Express, Visa, Discover and MasterCard. Special cruise rates Special Honeymoon rates In Briarwood Mall, come in and meet Marci, Carol, Peggy, Gretchen, and Wayne.. or call us. Ann Arbor Briarwood Mall 998-5300 Other locations: Northland, Eastland, Southland, Westland, Oakland, and Summit Place. the best selection in town and a " Repairs staff ranging from painfully mel- Accessories low to ditzily neurotic, but always " Books helpful. GUI ST T U Lessons Wherehouse Records (1140 A Instruments South University): All of their al- 1 10 665;8001 new-used- bums are on CD or cassette, but if custom made you're looking for 12" versions of CLASSICAL "Gypsy Woman" or "Everybody Everybody," then head here or to BZJA Discount Records (300 South ROCKFOLKState). House music is woefully unm 0 ROCKA derrepresented in Tree Town, but SBLUEGRASSyour best bets are these two or the import 12" section at Schoolkid's. The mural outside of David's Books on Liberty is one Ann Arbor landmark everyone can't help but notice. Also note the used books on the tables outside and the picture of the long-gone David. ( CHARISMkA) YOUR HAIR & SKIN CARE PROFESSIONALS 995-0894 Downtown Ann Arbor " 315 East Liberty * Between Division and Fifth Mon 9.7. Tues Fri 9-9. 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