ARTS Laugh at the title, but not at this film by Jon Altshul "The last uncontaminated man," wrote one turn-of-the- century anthropologist of Ishi, the only surviving memberof the Northern California Yahis. Forced to assimilate into the white man's world as his only means of survival, and without the most basic English communication skills, Ishi revolu- tionized stereotypes of Native Americans- from that of Wsh: The Last Yahi directed by Jed Rifle and Pamela Roberts narrated by Linda Hunt savage to that of gentleman. Pamela Roberts and Jed Riffe have made his experiences in Anglo culture from 1910 until his death five years later the subject of their latest documentary film "Ishi: The Last Yahi."Narrated by therobustvoice of Linda Hunt ("Yearof Living Dangerously," "Silverado"), the prject is both grip- ping and thoughtful. Ishi's sojourn in the white world coincides with the advent of contemporary anthropology. By 1910, scientists badbegun to move beyond "superiorrace" debates, and were now toying with a cultural relativist approach to examining Native American tribes. This historical occurrence legiti- mizes "Ishi". The film is clearly not the result of historical revisionism- cultural biases are never revealed and past injustices are never lambasted. Instead, Roberts and Riffe present a singularly objective, if not optimistic account of Ishi's post-tribal life. A small, though proud tribe through the mid-1800's, the were eventually devoured by post-civil war hunters and surveyors. Unable to defend themselves against the settler's guns, a tiny group of survivors went into hiding in 1871, living on aremote Northern Californian cliff. For forty years, the group struggled for survival, until a ruthless pack of surveyors unprovokedly murdered them and stole their animals. Only Ishi remained. Without food or family, Ishi was forced to enter a world he'd never even seen before. What follows is particularly touching and poignant. The white anthropologists quickly befriended him, never objectifying him or labeling him a savage. Despite communicating through the most rudimen- tary hand gestures and being exploited by the San Francisco press, he established himself as arevered and much beloved character in the white man's world. The film concerns itself primarily with the relationship between Ishi and young anthropologists Alfred Kroeber and T.T. Waterman. Their friendships are unique. As each side struggles to rationalize the civilizations of the other, curi- ously strong bonds are formed. Ishi becomes their riding partners, storyteller, and friend. He represents the last remnant of a forgotten and now extinct native tribe. Butultimately Ishi transcends the stigma of "lab rat" or museum spectacle. Rather, he helps the ethnocentric whites realize how human they actually are. The film is short- running under an hour- but both tremendously engaging and potentially disturbing. You may laugh at the title, but you certainly won't laugh at the film. "ISHI: THE AST YAHI" is playing at the Michigan Theater on Wednesday at 5:30 and Thursday at 7:30. John Woo shoots bullets at you by Michael Thompson Overdone,overblown,overdramatic andprimarily overkill. Congratulauions, you'vejustmadeitthroughthefistfive t ;minutes of a John Woo picture. And the fun has only just begun. While most films try to have an exciting beginning that will pull you in fast, Woo begins with utter chaos and then continues onto new, more unbe- lievable levels. But realism can take a back seat to fun any day. And that's what'shappeninghere,ladiesandgentle- men,goodold-fashioned, subtitled fun. "Bullet" tells the story of three bud- dies who make a critical mistake and must flee Hong Kong. They decide to head to Vietnam to make their fortune. The year is 1967 so the war is on. Get ready for the ride of your life. Woo explodes the screen from the furstmoment withaScorsesesquemon- tage of fun and violence. Like "Mean Streets," guns are very important in this film. One character says, "With agunin our hands we can have anything in the world." And he's almost right. These three buddies are just kids living in a very violent world and lov- ing it. They are young, carefree and, above all, stupid. They've been ex- posed to tremendous horrors since be- fore their voices started changing. But Woo takes them further into a world of violence where guns, violence and immorality are all part of daily life. Soundmelodramatic?Youbet. Woo has a wonderful time critiquing not only the action genre, but melodrama as well. His filmsbuildto tremendous, unbearable emotional crescendos only to push the envelope even further. The situations are so overdone that you can'thelp laughing. Woo is forcing his viewers to realize how silly movies are. But don't worry, this isn't one of those deep-into-theory films. It's fun ftm start to finish. Much like Woo's "The Killer," "Bullet" has amazing escape scenes and lots of violence. "Bullet," however, is harder to take than "The Killer." Woo sets this picture in a world that is too real.Wecan'tdistanceourselvesfromit like we could in "The Killer." In a sense, Woo is basically remak- ing "The Deer Hunter." His film shows the lives of three friends before, during and after the war.'They are, of course, forever changed, but that's okay be- cause it's a bell of a ride watching them get there. Woo once again redefines film whenhe takes the Russian Roulette sequence from "Deer Hunter" and makes it his own. It's silly, amazing, overbearing - in other words, great. So if you're fedup with midterms or just pissed off, go see "Bullet in the Head." Its excitement will keep your heart pumping for at least a week. And don't worry about the subtitles; people are too busy blowing holes through one another to really say anything. BULLETIN THE HEAD is playing Fri. & Sat. at 7& 9pmin AHAud A It's ironic that Soul Asylum is changing their sound from grunge to pop when grunge is just coming into vogue. Soul Asylum goeson MT V by Nima Hodael conscious effort to take what we were to sap some of the interaction the band Soul Asylum isn't as new as you doing and make it more exact." thrived on in more intimate settings. might think. The rock quartet out of This attention to exactness probably "We have a great light show," joked Minneapolis, featuring Dave Pirner explains the band's long overdue ac- Murphy. "With the theaters, we're get- (ead vocals / guitars), Dan Murphy ceptance, as illustrated by airtime on ting a little more comfortable doing (guitars /backing vocals), Grant Young MTV, college radio and TV appear- them. Hopefully a lot of times when we (drums)andKarlMueller(bass), sprang ances on shows like "Saturday Night play a theater, people will stand up, out of the same heartland of punk / Live." Songs off the new album, like eventhough thereareseatsaroundthea. garage roots with fellow groups like "SomebodytoShove"and"BlackGold" It'sjustalotmorefun that way.We'lldo Husker DO and the Replacements over are about the most straightforward pop this Europe tour with Guns N' Roses. 10 years ago. It's taken about that long, songs Soul Asylum has ever played. We'll play in front of 70,000 people though, for Soul Asylum's music to "Ideally, you want more people to every nightoutdoors.That'lltakealittle reach the ears of mainstream corporate find out about your band,"Murphy getting used to." rock whores. admitted. "You can'tbe selective about It would appear Soul Asylum is Ironically, as Murphy pointed out in your crowd. People always ask, 'What's poised to take over the world, right? a recent interview, just when "grunge it like being on MTV?' Better than not Well, not exactly. rock" (their former style) has gained being on MTV, I guess. We're pretty "I'd like to make maybe one more popularity, the band's new album, realistic about it." goodrecordandthenfigureoutwhatwe "Grave Dancers Union," is the most un- Soul Asylum's semi-rise to success want to do with our lives," said Murphy. "gnmge"-like of any of their previous hasn't been without its downsides. "I'm sure (SoulAsylum) will endsome- works. Murphy noted a tremendous decrease day for whatever reason. I'm kind of "Grave DancersUnion," as even the in older fans at their shows, along with sick of music. I don't like the business band won'targue, is definitely the most analmostexponentialgrowthofyounger or what goes with it at all." accessiblerecordin SoulAsylum's cata- fans who have just discovered the band You can almost hear their "Run- log. Acoustic guitars, and a generally through "GDU." away Train" whistling off in the dis- more toneddown style, comprisemany Amidstthecriesof"sell-out,"there's tance. It'll be a sad day for music, in- parts of the album. no denying that more people than ever deed. "I think the band kind of felt like we areawareof the group'sexistence, aided SOUL ASYLUM will perform at Hill were in a rut," explained Murphy. "It by seven months of continuous touring, Auditorium Thursday, March 25 with seems like if everything is so excessive including opening slots for awide range Goo Goo Dolls and Vic Chestnut. it goes right over people's heads a lot of of performers like Beastie Boys, Keith Tickets are $10 (students) and $15for the time. The whole spectacle of Soul Richards andan upcoming summer tour everyone else (p.e.s.c). Showtime is 8 Asylum was what everybody would in Europe with Guns N' Roses (!). p.m. Call 763-TKTS for info. focus on, not the songs. I was always Older fans will remember the days under the impression that Dave was a when Soul Asylum would pack a small pretty giftedsongwriterandnoone paid club like the Nectarine. However, on R iverrain attention to that because in our shows this headlining tour, the group brings we were always pretty drunk and flop- their antics to the more spacious Hill ping around. I think ('GDU') was a Auditorium.Abiggervenuewouldseem i t i Abby Fruc by Joshua Keldan "Are You Mine?," Abby Frucht's new novel, follows Cara and Douglas as they make decisions which shape their life. They deal with questions of birth, abortion and surgical contracep- tion. Frucht spoke about her choice of subject matter, "As I grow older, I real- ize that there are very important issues that face people who are in love with each other, and that physical intimacy carries with it a lot of responsibility." "I decided I wanted to really do a close examination of a particular child- birth the way I hadn't seen it done befor. I did that, and I liked it. It didn't seemtometobedonebecauseitseemed like there were all sorts of other ques- tions pertaining to adulthood and sexu- ality, and I wanted to see if I could address them all together in a single narrative." ht's Frucht, t novels, "Lic as acollectio the Month," ity withinher withbotham able world, a ingherwork unreality. Sh is necessary 1 averytangib like world, s on topof itat an emotiona physical sid explore that times it has a In her ne stay with a tion.;"Every1 of demands You Mine?," characters shape their he author of two earlier tional reality securely in the material to do was w rice," and "Snap," as well circumstances of their world," she said. instance, the n of short stories, "Fruit of In order to ground the novel in the tion withou creates a sort of dual-real- real world, Frucht had to present infor- have no re work,presentingthereader mation about each choice the couple nancial con inutely detailed, recogniz- faced. Informing, however, was not her known as a. nd at the same time infus- goal. Rather, she said, "I didn't think, have partic with moment of fugue-like for instance, that there was any real way decisions th e explained, "What I think of talking about abortion without really their heads to do in fiction is to create looking closely at what happens, and not informe le, concrete, documentary- what kind of conversations take place. Howeve o that the fiction can exist How is the decision made? How is the might be fr ad aroundit.I think there's procedure accomplished? I really stillallherw a reality that parallels the wanted to follow this couple so closely feel. Frucht b of reality, and when I that those decisions would be under- method. "A emotional reality some- stood on a sort of daily basis." shapes, andi a slightly surreal edge." "Are You Mine?"lacks expression- cal. I like tc ew novel Frucht opted to ist feel of Frucht's other work, and its shape early straightforward presente- characters are not as realistically de- stance, how book makes a different set tailed as in the others. "I realize that my ing to be i on its characters. In "Are characters are quite typical," she said, (these thing I wanted to keep the emo- "They'resupposedtobe.WhatIwanted ifIdon'tIf lives together unburden them, so that, for ey come to the abortion ques- t any preconceptions. They igious preconceptions, fi- straints, they are in what is good marriage, they don't ularly strong politics. The ey make are made solely in and in their hearts and are ed by the broader debate." rdifferent "AreYou Mine?" om Frucht's earlier books, oorkislinkedby its 'shaped' ascribes this to her general Xl my books have different they're all fairly symmetri- o be able to anticipate that on, so that I know, for in- many voices there are go- n the book. I like to know s) in the beginning, because ind that the writing becomes random and arbitrary," she said. This does notmean, though, that she knows where the novel's events lead. "They' rnotplotted, they're only rhyth- micallyplotted,"shesaid,'Forexample, in the one I'm writing now, I know (or think I know), that it's going to be told by five different women, but I don't even know who three of them are yet." AndFruchtrejects categorizing herstyle. She won't be held to any one method, "It's fine to have a shape in a book, but I like to have a sense of freedom, too." ABBY FR UCHT will readfrom her work today at 7:30p.m. at Border's on State Street. Admission is free. New Luxury Student Housing At Affordable Prices :: ".:"A:;.i}i i":; ':' .t .T 1.y " 'it".i1tin p 1 Wharton Center Presen ts Wednesday, March 31 8pm. THE PAUL WINTER CONSORT IN CONCERT Transcending categories, the CONSORT'S music reflects jazz, symphonic and new age musical traditions. Dedicated to peace and environmental preservation, they offer a rich and beautifully moving AiN 6iF1i I0 INCge ea C BRASS, STRINGS, BASS GUITARISTS, KEYBOARDS (Classical & Improv), DRUMMERS, FLUTISTS, VOCALISTS, LIGHT & SOUND TECHNICIANS, INTERPRETERS For The HEARING IMPAIRED