Is Creativity's nothing .iew for Yo La Tengo By ANDY DOLAN Tonight, Hoboken, New Jersey's Yo La Tengo brings their experimental yet strangely accessible sound to the Blind Pig. Their latest album, "Painful," again showcases their amazing ability to create harsh, mysterious sounds and blend them effortlessly into the frame of gorgeously crafted pop songs. While their songs are often simple in a musical sense, Yo La Tengo clearly has an extraordinary talent for giving their songs a rich, impossibly complex atmo- spheric element through experimentation, a practice which has allowed them 'o defy comparison. Listening to their latest effort, it is clear the band - currently comprised of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew- knows when to sacrifice a few musical complexities for the sake of great overall sound. As songwriter Kaplan explained, "We went into the studio with preparation, but at the same time always wanting to be open to new ideas... I think it's abad idea to decide what you're going to do and then just go about doing it. It just doesn't sound like fun! It's between hard and impossible for me to hear something in my head and then do it. It's more amatterofjumping off a cliff and seeing where I land ... I like seeing where the sound goes and trying to steer it." Kaplan also gave some examples of how the band's sound evolved during ie recording of "Painful." "We mixed almost the whole record in January and decided we didn't like too much of it, so we went back in April and did it again," he recalled. "The most specific example is on the song 'Double Dare.' We mixed that in January and everybody was just unhappy with it. They thought I should redo the rhythm guitar part ... so I just went through and ...It's between hard and Impossible for me to hear something in my head and then do It. It's more a matter of jumping off a cliff and seeing where I land ...' * -Ira Kaplan played guitar noise for the whole thing. It created dynamics for the song, which makes different things jump out and sink in at different times," he explained. While Kaplan writes the majority of the band's songs, none of the band members have a specific role as far as the instruments they play, either in the studio or in a live situation. In fact, you'll see the band members smoothly pull off several instrument switches between guitar, bass, drums and organ within the course of a night, adding a dynamic edge to their show. "For each song, it just seems like the best way to do it!" he said. "I enjoy when bands do that, too, tt what I don't like is when it takes five minutes for them to do it. That won't ppen with us ... it just seems disrespectful, because, realistically, you don't really have to do it." "This will be our second appearance at the Blind Pig," Kaplan said, with a touch of sarcasm. "The first time was in 1987, opening for the Volcano Suns. The club made no mention that we were playing in their advertisements, so we were really steamed. So we ended up doing a three song set that was mostly just jamming. It was great, but we probably won't be doing that this time!" No matter how they decide to do things, Yo La Tengo are simply bursting with fresh sparks of creativity and adventurousness, things that desperately need to be thrown in the face of the often tired world of pop music. Tonight, u'll get to see exactly how Yo La Tengo plans to go about doing it. Sean Penn and Al Pacino star in the gangster tale, "Carlito's Way," directed by Brian DePalma. Hey, we wouldn't mind knockin' a few back with Al. cmFo o dit agan By MICHAEL THOMPSON About 10 years ago a talented filmmaker and terrific actor got together and made one of the most under-appreciated gangster films of the'80s. Now granted, "Scarface" was hardly any treasure, but it was far better than average. Well, it's the '90s now and Al Pacino and Brian DePalma are at it again. Only this time they did it a whole lot better. Carlito's Way Directed by Brian DePalma; written by David Koepp; with Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. "Carlito's Way" is a not so simple story of a gangster who wants to get out of the business. He's been in prison for five years and has learned the error of his ways. Now he just has to get $75,000 and he's out. But as with most gangster films starring Pacino, the people around him just keep pulling him back in. The story, adapted to the screen by David Koepp, doesn't really give us anything new in terms of the gangster tale, but that's a good thing here. The success of the movie rests in the players and the director. And they pull it off. Pacino is perfect as a man who really has to start dealing with the fact that he is a legend in the mind of the street. For as much as he'd like to get out, it also seems sort of cool to be worshipped by people you don't know. Pacino's Carlito is sad, sophisticated, frustrating and appealing all at the same time. It's hard not to feel for him even though he is what he is. Sean Penn, on the other hand, is scum personi- fied. His performance is so focused that as soon as he appears on screen you want to throw up. The evil lawyers on L.A. Law look like Santa's rein- deer compared to this punk. Thank goodness Penn came out of his self-imposed retirement to deliver a performance that will definitely earn him an Oscar nomination. Penelope Ann Miller is also good in that she and Pacino have a real chemistry that makes the clich6 romance of the film believable. The scene they have between the chainlock is awesome. Fortunately, she's not a some by the numbers damsel in distress. Miller plays her character with style and grace. The real hero of the film, however, is Brian DePalma. The '90s haven't been so good to him. "Bonfire of the Vanities" was a mistake from every angle and "Raising Cain" was a rather large miscalculation. But here, in "Carlito's Way," the DePalma of "The Untouchables" and "Blow Out" is back. He builds the tension of the pool hall sequence to new, unbearable levels. He's in com- plete control of his subject matter and his actors are there to meet him. All the old stuff is still here too. So as the year winds down, we are given the real treats of the theater. "Carlito's Way" is one of the films that actually manages to be more than what it probably would have been in the wrong hands. It's the adventure of a real guy who is tired and wants to get out. It's wonderful to watch him trying to get there. And it's also great to see a good director like DePalma get back on track. Yo La engo and Tiger Trap will be appearing tonight at the Blind Pig. Tickets are just $6.50 plus service charge in advance, doors open at 9:30pm, and 19 and over are welcome. Call 996-8555 for more information. CARLITO'S WAY is playing at wease. ...ARLITO. .. . .. :WA Yva nlavi jsr v ii rvvA~ a.. Keaton's' MyLife'elicits sympathy and tears By SARAH STEWART Michael Keaton's newest film, "My Life," wastes no time cutting to the chase. The audience is pushed head first into a spiritual and realistic portrayal of a man battling the con- straints of both life and death. Almost My Ufa Directed and written by Bruce Joel Rubin; with Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman. immediately, it is revealed that this man, Bob Jones (Keaton), is dying of cancer and his wife Gail (Nicole Kidman) is pregnant with their first child. To the film's credit, there are no Hollywood doctors to serve as the liaison between Bob and the audi- ence, informing them of the tragedy of untimely death. Instead, Bob looks deeply into a video camera and tells his unborn child, and the audience too, that his life is coming to an end. In an effort to utilize every avail- able resource, Bob makes several vis- its to Chinese healer Mr. Ho (Haing S. Nor). The audience is reminded of the spiritualism behind "Ghost," also pro- duced by Jerry Zucker, which pre- vents Patrick Swayze's character from resting until his wife (Demi Moore) is safe from his killers. Similarly, Mr. Ho ultimately heals Bob into realiz- ing that the key to death is setting his life straight. It is this idea that occupies the majority of "My Life" and once again proves itself to be a successful con- cept. Although the time frame of the movie is confusing, Keaton's struggle to live long enough to witness the birth of his son is invigorating with- out becoming melodramatic. Simi- larly, his visit to Detroit, his child- hood home, serves as the film's real- ity check when Bob is unable to re- solve years of family conflict in a single visit. The only possible flaw in the resolution is his family's final gift to him, a circus in the backyard, which lacks the emotional impact it was undoubtedly meant to create. Regardless of this mishap, don't expect to leave with a dry eye; Keaton's performance makes this vir- tually impossible. While the situation is inherently devastating, the honesty and poignancy of Bob's video-taped monologues to his unborn son are a constant reminder that his death is more than the loss of a life; it is also the irreplaceable loss of a father's wisdom that Bob does his best to preserve for his son. Reminiscent of Keaton's fathering in "Mr. Mom," he teaches his son everything from how to make a lay-up to the merits of his beautiful mother. In fact, Bob's touching tales about Gail are almost more convincing than Kidman's performance as her. It is impossible for the character of Gail to attain a complexity equal to that of her dying husband, but nonetheless, Kidman could have been better. Throughout the film she seems un- able to maintain a balance between remaining stoic and displaying her own grief. There is often the feeling that a real person in the same situation would be either more uncontrollably emotional or less critical of her husband's way of dealing with his suffering. Not that the rest of the movie is perfect: the effects representative of Mr. Ho's healing do little to convey the meaning behind them, the time frame of the film, based on the pro- gression of Gail's pregnancy and the number of months until "death day" is blurry and perhaps not enough emphasis is placed on the baby once he is born, considering the large part he played while in his mother's uterus. Overall, though, "My Life" is well worth a few tears. MY LIFE is playing at Showcase. F Syracuse University Division of International Programs Abroad 119 Euclid Avenue Syracuse, New York 13244-4170 1-800-235-3472 * ,: tp , ,1 U EAR ti . , 4; F ° x S Y R A C U S E A B R O A D Something to write home about! (just ask Claire) "It's the most professional job you can get as a student. It's FUN, y you get to meet a rv~ N - Programs in Africa, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Poland, and Spain " Prior foreign language not always necessary " SU credit " Field trips/traveling seminars " Internships " Study for a semester, a year, or a summer " Home or limited apartment placements Applications for the Spring 1994 Semester are still being accepted. IN THE ARMY, I C CAD T EECT IM %IMAMI%