The Michigan Daily- Friday, February 14,1992 - Page 11 Jubilee (1978) dir. Derek Jarman Punk is probably most familiar as a music genre, but the term actually refers to an entire counterculture born of suburban adolescent angst and teenagers' attempts to come to terms with life's adversities. And punk spawned not only a musical style, but also a sub-genre among cult film. Derek Jarman's Jubilee is a reflection and meditation on this counterculture. Queen Eliza- beth I (Jenny Runacre) travels 400 years into the future, only to find the youth troubled by unem- ployment, rising racial tensions and other mal- adies that imperil an empire in decline. Jarman's semi-documentary look at the punk sub-culture distinguishes itself from campy cult films. It contains the usual iconography such as multi-colored hair, but Jubilee also offers a sur- realistic view of events in the lives of its strug- gling youth, with such images as ballerinas danc- ing around a burning baby carriage. As Amyl Ni- rate (Jordan) states, "...fantasy is a substitute for reality..." The film's unusual amount of talk de- mands strict attention from the viewer. Jubilee is certainly not for everyone. This film definitely has its audience - aficionados of or even insiders to the punk scene - and mem- bers of that audience will appreciate it. Jubilee makes its Ann Arbor debut tomorrow at 7:30 and 9:30 in Angell Hall Aud A. -Michelle Phillip Children in Japan: Seven Films by Hiroshi Shimizu The Center for Japanese Studies, together with the Japan Society of New York, Cinema Guild, and the Kawakita Memorial Film Insti- tute, is sponsoring a series of films by acclaimed director Hiroshi Shimizu. Shimizu made over 150 films between 1924 and 1959, all without the help of a major studio. The film series features seven of Shimizu's works. His films are characterized by their use of nonprofessional actors, location shooting, a moving, voyeuristic camera and an episodic nar- rative. Like the neo-realists of post-World War II Italian cinema, Shimizu preferred to deal with realism, albeit in a lyrical, non-violent way. Shimizu, who died in 1966, was indepen- dently wealthy, and financed most of his films by himself. He owned an orphanage which sup- plied many of the children used in his films. Although many of Shimizu's films feature children, they are not intended for children's viewing. Shimizu shows a deep respect for the problems of his young characters, and is never condescending or overly romantic, dealing with adult subjects in a realistic way. The first film of the series, Mr. Thank You, which played February 7, is the story of a young bus driver, nicknamed Mr. Thank You for his habit of thanking, not only his passengers, but their animals as well. The film details Mr. Thank You's adventures on his route. Shimizu recognized the beauty of his natural settings, and in Mr. Thank You, the camera lovingly depicts the countryside of rural Japan. Tonight's film, A Star Athlete, chronicles the adventures of a squadron of cadets, focusing on the would-be hero, Seki. The Four Seasons of Childhood, which is being shown next Friday, is the delicate story of two brothers forced to deal with their father's death. The other films in the series, Children of the Beehive (March 6), Mr. Shosuke Ohara (March 13), A Mother's Love (March 20) and Tale of Jiro (March 27) are touching stories of people dealing with difficult times. A Mother's Love, for example, tenderly tells the story of a desti- tute woman who bears three children as the re- sult of three separate rapes. Shimizu manages to deal with such a subject with humor and love, while expressing the desperation with which the mother attempts to better her situation. The film series, entitled Children in Japan, takes place each Friday evening at 7 p.m. in the Lorch Hall auditorium. Admission is free. -Chris Lepley E. ty . . Go bowling for laughs at the Purple Rose More Fun Than Bowling dir. John Seibert The Purple Rose Theatre January 31, 1992 When I think of bowling, un- comfortable shoes come to mind. To playwright Steven Dietz, however, the concept of bowling becomes a vehicle for death metaphors. The power of More Fun Than Bowling results from the individual charac- ters and from Dietz, who never cheats on the humor. Jake Tomlinson (Philip Locker) is a goofy older guy who owns a bowling alley in a small town and lacks luck in marriages. Locker suc- ceeds in portraying Jake as a likable character and loving father, but loses some of Dietz's humor by playing the text for laughs. Bowling can't afford to miss humorous moments since there is neither a conflict nor a plot to move the story. The shadowy presence of Mister Dyson, who drifts along the edge of the set, offers the only ele- ment of unanswered intrigue. Director John Seibert says, "The best plays pose a question at the be- Theater review ginning that an audience wants to figure out. Dyson is mysterious and threatening, but we start to like him and want to know why he's there." Aaron Williams as Dyson piques viewers' interest with each sneaky step he takes. When he addresses the audience, he unintentionally elicits laughter through his unfaltering dedication to the character and his persistence at achieving his mission. Elizabeth Keiser portrays Jake's sixteen-year-old daughter, Molly. Keiser captures the uncertainty of youth, while at the same time ex- ploiting the character's strength. When Molly learns of her mother's death, Keiser's performance reaches its peak as she conveys the emo- tional impact of the news, without resorting to a vaudevillian response. Terry Heck's interpretation of Jake's second wife, Lois, is as effec- tive as Keiser's. She reveals the cru- cial aspects of Lois: a down-to-earth character with a keen understanding of Jake's needs. When the play's ab- sent plot begins to slow the pace of the show, Heck's ability to articu- late and animate the rich story- telling keeps the audience engaged. Seibert succeeds at discreetly moving the characters about the set. However, in an attempt to liven the action, he has the characters resort to tedious stage business like raking graves and potting plants. This un- necessary activity takes the focus away from character interaction. Due to the nature of the three- sided theater, the backsides of characters occasionally block visi- bility for part of the audience, mak- ing it difficult to discern dialogue. On the staging, Seibert defends him- self: "It's a chore to keep aware of audience vantage point. But in a space like this someone will be cheated from time to time, and in a play we drop in on someone else's reality. In reality we don't always see a person's front." Even without a strong plot, the play touches on universal themes and has what Seibert calls "a sense of humanness and gentle humor." He recalls, "I heard a woman lean over to her husband and say, 'that sounds exactly like you.' " More Fun Than Bowling will play at the Purple Rose Theater Company in Chelsea through March 15. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sun- day at 2 and 7 p.m. For reserva- tions/tickets call 475-7902. -Vicki Briganti The Invisible Elephant opens tonight at the Pertormance NetworK. memora Elephant by Jenny McKee Think about the things that you normally do in a day. You take a shot/V, go to class, maybe go with some friends to the mall or to a basketball g th8 - nothing out of the ordinary. Now think about doing these things from a wheelchair, or if you c6 ld barely walk, or if you were blind. In such circumstances, the ordinarys- pects of everyday life become challenging and frustrating. Things tha e don't think twice about are a constant concern for people with disabilities The Diversability Theater, formed in 1989, is a troupe dedicated toaen couraging all people, especially those with handicaps, to use artistic e - pression to develop their talents. This weekend's production, "The Invis ble Elephant," got its name when a member of the group compared having a disability with owning an elephant -"having to get it through doors bM busy shopping centers ... and following you to the bedroom at night." 'The script was structured by this concept, and is based on the poetry of Loren Siegel as well. "The play is a series of monologues, dialogues, and conversations deAl' ing with the problems of having a disability," says director Deena DebiutW. "We have seven people that actually have disabilities and five that don't. The play covers a wide range of handicaps. "We have one person \& was diagnosed with Polio at age nine, two people that contracted M9-4iA their early thirties, three people with Cerebral Palsy -- which is a 916 defect, so they've had it since birth - one person with a visual defect, id the rest are what's called 'able-bodies.' These are people who proba& couldn't run as fast as you or throw a ball as far as you would be able te- All the members of the cast write the sketches themselves, and as th4 people in the troupe change, so do the presentations. In this way, the Vi never stops changing, improving, and growing. "The strength is the reality of the play ... it's very factual. The writing is very honest, straightforward, and factual. It's not like, you know, y me.' It's about having a disability and living with it." The concept of this play is especially intriguing, and it's been a time coming. We all see people with handicaps everyday, but we dpt often think about what life must be like from their perspective. 'sp Invisible Elephant" offers us a chance to understand how the people tl t have disabilities feel, and it also shows us the world through their eyes, THE INVISIBLE ELEPHANT will be at the Performance Network tonig'At through Saturday at 8 p.m., with a Sunday show at 6:30 p.m. Tickets ar$, $7 for students. Call 663-0681 for more information. U K IEY WEST! Jake Tomlinson (Phillip Locker) and his wife, Lois (Terry Heck) consult an orb of love in More Fun Than Bowling. For Reservations, call 1.800.69 35130 or 1- 305 -294 -3773 Channel Z They're here. They're here! It's the XVI Winter Olympic Games (8 p.m., CBS, CBC, TNT). Sports are strictly taboo on the Arts page, but ;we're making an exception because the Olympics qualify as entertain- ment - not so much for the Ice Dancing and Team Ski Jumping that you can check out tonight, but for those dorks, Zahn and McCarver. -1 In 1939, America was poised between an unforgettable past and an unbelievable future. The Time of Your Life Don't miss the excitement and the fun at the new Bombay Bicycle Club in Ann Arbor. We're having a celebration and you're invited to the red-hot Grand Re- Opening Week festivities February 16-22. Sample Bombay Bicycle Wings, Buffalo Shrimp, New Delhi Chicken Tenders and other delicious hors d'oeuvres from our free appetizer buffet. Enjoy fabulous drink specials. And, bask in a few minutes of fame as you sing with our Karaoke song machine. So come on Ann Arbor, join us and share in the excitement! It's hot! See the new Bombay Bicycle Club and find out what the excitement's all about! A I 1(11(0 xu h4 ate. I 1. . rU S.