ARTS 'a Exhibit of Diane Lane loves her 'New Gun' " ancient Afncan art depicts tribal life by Charlotte Garry In a comer of the upper floor of the University Museum of Art, curator Sharon Patton is putting the last touches on an exhibition highlighting traditional African art, entitled "African Art from the Museum Collection: ACelebration." The exhibition, which opened Satur- day, is a multimedia display of over 100 works from sub-Saharan Africa. Patton, along with fellow guest cu- rator Nii Quarcoopome and Assistant Director for Programs Nan Plummer, has brought together masks, jewelry, textiles, containers, weapons, instru- by Alison Levy While it's no "Reservoir Dogs," "My New Gun" is the latest and greatest independent film since "Simple Men." Writer/director Stacy Cochran com- bines her quirky script with near-perfect perfor- mances to create this enjoyable screwball comedy with a dark side. My New Gun Written and directed by Stacy Cochran; with Diane Lane, James LeGros, Tess Harper, and Stephen Collins. The film starts with a dinner party hosted by yuppie couple Debbie and Gerald Bender (Diane Lane and Stephen Collins), to celebrate the engage- ment of their friend Irwin (Bruce Altman) and his teenage fiancee, Myra (Maddie Corman). To mark the event, Irwin gave Myra a .38, so Gerald soon follows suit, giving Debbie a gun as well. Having it in the house makes Debbie nervous, so her suspi- cious neighbor, Skippy (James LeGros) borrows the gun, her car, and eventually her house.. Cochran's first feature-length screenplay, concieved at Columbia University, takes the formu- laic Syd Field structure and incorporates little twists and turns to keep it moving and interesting. She effectively portrays the roundness of her characters with a few small scenes. When Gerald drops a pitcher of martinis at the party, he screams until Debbie enters to clean the mess. In just five seconds, the scope of their troubled, Gerald-dominated rela- tionship is evident. In another scene, Debbie takes Skippy to the market and complains about the gun. At the check- out counter, in his combat boots and rocker t-shirt, Skippy gently brushes a wisp of hair out of Debbie's face and then attempts to buy her a magazine, but is unable to because he's got nothing buthundreds. His obvious affection for Debbie is noted, but questions arise about his occupation and character. The film is full of telling moments like this, even when there is little or seemingly pointless dialogue. Similar to Hal Hartley, Cochran's meanings lie underneath what is being said. Unfortunately, toward the end, the script starts to wane and in the last few minutes it becomes vague, contrived and a little too silly. But the first-rate acting of the cast truly brings the script to life. Lane ("The Outsiders") gives her best performance to date as Debbie. Her modest, under- stated delivery keeps Debbie from being a stereo- typical wife caught in a bad marriage. Her constant fidgeting with her hands from hair to nails, changes between Skippy and Gerald to depict the different aspects of nervousness she feels around each one. As he does with the gun, LeGros steals the film with his charming turn as Skippy. While his obvious talents have been showcased in films such as "Drug- store Cowboy" and "Near Dark," he outdoes them all as Skippy. He's sort of like the grunge version of Cary Grant. With his goatee and cyprus hill t-shirt, Gerald pegs him as a "Satan-worshiping druggie," but underneath he really is a loveable romantic. Tess Harper ("Tender Mercies") is hilarious as Skippy's recluse country-singing mom, Kimmy. She acts high and creepy in every scene, especially when she tries on a wedding outfit. While their family ; pears a little eccentric, the rapport between LeGros and Harper is genuine and caring." Also, while they aren't in the film that much, Altman ("Regarding Henry") and Corman ("Some Kind of Wonderful") are perfect as Irwin and Myra. Altman's Irwin is the ultimate obnoxious yuppie, especially when he talks Gerald into buying a three- hundred dollar Gortex windbreaker because he ab- solutely needs it for the golf course. Unfortunately, Collins' Gerald is much too plastic and deters from the overall fabric of the film. As a first time director, Cochran also does inter- esting things with the camera, most notably, bring- ing a photograph to life. And, the set designs, espe- cially the smallness and closeness of the town houses and seemingly miniture furniture brilliantly portray the claustrophobia Debbie feels. MY NEW GUN is playing at the Michigan Theater through Thursday. African Art from the Museum Collection: A Celebration Museum of Art ments and sculptures in an attempt to depict how African art is completely enveloped by African daily life. One such piece is a statue from the "Ibo People; Nigeria" series, which powerfully depicts the figure ofa woman nursing a baby. Exclusive to the University's collection, this piece de- notes strength and spirit through its exaggerated, large features and the pure mass of the ceramic medium. Yet, in culmination with this brawn is a certain gracefulness or elegance portrayed in the rounded shoulders and curved lines. The tainted, marked surface ofthe small sculpture also gives the viewer a feeling of history and endurance, not only of the artwork, but of the African spirit. One almost wants the slit eyes of the solitary Moshambwooy Mask woman to open and reveal her inner soul. This desire to experience the spirit of the African art displayed within the exhibition coincides with Sharon Patton's concerns about the lack of con- text within the show. Patton has what she terms a "connoisseurship" of Afri- can art. She has a trained eye that is able to see the art not only for its beauty, but for its distinguishing style and function. For those of us without such context or "connoisseurship," she asks that we simply understand that the art does not exist in a vacuum. "Art in Africa is immersed in life," she said. "From a carving to a hairpin there is a certain amount of aesthetic concern. People of Africa strive to make the environment aesthetically beautiful. Art reflects the spiritual world and the world of the living. Both interconnect." This interconnection of worlds through the traditional African art form is precisely what makes this exhibition intriguing. The African spirit evoked by the art is exquisite and unparalleled. AFRICAN ART FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION: A CELEBRATION will be on display at the University Museum of Art through August 1. Diane Lane, who sparkled on television's "Lonesome Dove" is equally good in Stacy Cochran's debut film, "My New Gun," playing at the Michigan Theater. Blossoming 'King of the Playground' by Jody Frank Remember when you were a fifth- grader and you started having to deal with relationships for the first time? The boys that once before you thought were King of the Playground Basement Arts February 13, 1993 smelly and gross, and the girls you thought were weak and silly now held a new interest. "King of the Playground" was a cute musical directed by School of Music junior Eddie Sugarman, that showed the blossoming of a relation- ship in the fifth grade. The main situation to be resolved in the play was the relationship between Jennifer and William, (Colleen O'Shaughnessey and Jeffrey Shubart) butotherfifth grade issues were brought in to show how the whole class was affected by the romance. The biggest influence was the new kid, (Marc Kessler) who jumped right in to stir things up. He influenced the romance by giving William advice, and when "Miss Delphi" left the room, he con- vinced the other kids to "Forget About (Their) Books," and have fun; which they did, in a very well choreographed little dance. For a first time show, this one was admirable, but it just needed to be tight- ened up in certain areas. The music was catchy and the lyrics were cute, how- ever a few verged on "too cute." Also, some lines were inappropriate for fifth grade: lines like "Columbus started kill- ing Indians in1493; he was not P.C." Part of this inconsistency can be attrib- uted to the fact that it was Eddie Sugarman's first musical collaboration. While the majority of the songs were good, it was the dialogue that pulled the play back. At one point, William told thenew kid whathappens at their school carnival. But he just listed the things that you find at any carnival as if he were an anthropologist doing an eth- nographyreportfor someone who hadn't ever heard of a carnival. This was not effective because most people know what happens at a carnival, and it was unlikely that Richard, the new kid, who seemed to have moved around alot, was unaware of what happens there. The weakest part of the whole show dealt with the new kid issue. In a brief speech that seemed to come out of no- where, Richard was accused by Terri (Alli Steinberg) of jumping in every- where giving advice and basically try- ing to run things: to be "king of the. playground." The love triangle was the strongest aspect of the show. William liked Jenni- fer, Yvonne liked William and Jennifer and Yvonne were best friends. "Hit 'n Run" was a cute song that Yvonne (Miriam Shor) sang about liking Will- iam, who didn't seem to be interested in her. When William did something, like walk by without noticing her, she "hit him and ran." Shor was excellent; her expressions were great. This show brought back memories of the days when decisions were made simple by boxes. I'm not talking about those ovals that you fill in on SAT's and other multiple guess tests, but boxes- where you "Check this box if you like me, check this box if you don't." As in William's "Letter" to Jennifer asking if she liked him or not, her simple re- sponse was - "Yes." The Daily needs writers to review art exhibits, classical music and dance. Stop by 420 Maynard, or call 763-0379 for info. WE. FEB 1 ** o minte --Cu I U' .. .. r- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 AU 1 1 1 1 1 I A.T.T.E.N-T.I.O.N1 UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS AND STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS 1 Advertising your notice or event in The Michigan Daily can be easy when you have the following information:1 11 INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS BOSTON UNIVERSITY 11 DEADLINES: Advertising deadlines are 3 business days in advance at 2:30 p.m. Ads with special requirements I should be brought in earlier. The deadline for ads I requiring proofreading prior to publication, is 5 I business days prior to publication. 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