The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 7, 1994 - 11
Cheesy 'Scout' strikes out
By SHIRLEY LEE tric young baseball sensation, Steve immoral money-grabbing aspec
Cheesy films that take on trivial Nebraska. professional baseball. The sc
plots oftentimes mindlessly spin your Brought together by baseball, the events present themselves with1
brain around like debris scattered on perhaps dysfunctional traits of Percolo subtlety. Ritchie lacks the intu
a hurticane. They play with your and Nebraska evolve into a surpris- genius to fulfill his tediously w
t of
reen
little
itive
weak
C
The Scout
Directed by Michael
Ritchie; with Albert
Brooks and
Brendan Fraser
%motions and invite you into their
earless dark world, yet permit you to
xit with dissatisfaction and little gain.
e Scout" is one of these idle cin-
atic attempts.
The comedy bombards the audi-
Wce with a predictable storyline and
epetitive messages, propelling all
iscriminating viewers to simply slide
ack and doze on and off with an
mpty cup of double espresso be-
ween their fingers. Yet amidst all of
t$ trite action, movie commonalties
tnd somewhat childish plot, "The
;aut" delves deep into the psychol-
gy of immorality and moneymongers
vhile piercing into the dog-eat-dog
vorld of professional baseball.
Al Percolo (Albert Brooks) is the
ard-luck baseball scout who finds
imself at war with the corrupted base-
all jungle. As the world collapses
round him in a whirlwind of unethi-
al policies, he hunts for a miracle to
a ter his sagging career. Rescuing
he sinking Percolo from plunging
eeper, Brendan Fraser ("Encino
4an") stars as the thoroughly eccen-
ingly cogent, heart-warming friend-
ship; they are loyal beyond their pro-
fessional interests. Illustrative of this
odd twosome is the father-son rela-
tionship in "Of Mice and Men;" both
the elderly and the youth are incon-
gruous and lacking when apart from
one another. With Steinbeck, small
details take on a depth of meaning
much greater than the storyline itself.
Sadly to say, in "The Scout," atten-
tion to details is essentially wee if
nonexistent.
Trifling attempts at details paint
the film with a somewhat lacking hue.
Ritchie strives laboriously to juxta-
pose scenes of money-grabbing Yan-
kees owners with scenes of Nebraska's
childlike innocence. He does this in
the hopes of bringing humanity to the
connection between miracle boy Ne-
braska and big old King Kong, loom-
ing in front of the audience. But its
Ritchie, not Nebraska who misses the
pitch.
Despite all its deficiencies, the
film is cute but corny, accomplishing
little. With Fraser's fearless acting
and charismatic quality, this prehis-
toric "Encino Man" rescues the film
from evolving into a principally ac-
tion-filled sports film. Although, as
with most movies based around a
sports theme and little heart, "The
Scout" may be doomed to join the
Sunday matinee club. Regardless of
the speed Ritchie summons, "The
Scout" never leaves the ground.
THE SCOUT is playing at
Briarwood and Showcase.
Michael Nyman, the ground-breaking
and often controversial composer
who garnered rave reviews recently
for his soundtrack to the film "The
Piano," is bringing his 10-piece band
to the Michigan Theater tomorrow
night. But don't expect either a
typical classical composer or an
eccentric experimental artist.
Nyman, whose other soundtracks
include "The Draughtman's
Contract" and "The Cook, The Thief,
His Wife and Her Lover," is at once
both a student of the English
Baroque and a disciple of avant-
garde composer John Cage.
Nyman's genius belongs in a wholly
individual category however - he is
a minimalist, owing as much to '60s
pop music as to Mozart, yet his
works are entirely engaging in their
depth and degree of emotion.
The program for tomorrow's show
will encompass all of his work
including music from "The Piano"
and "The Draughtsman's Contract,"
and songs from his "Essential
Nyman." The show begins at 8 and
costs $12 to $22. Call 764-2538.
MICHAEL NYMAN, AND WE'RE NOT LYIN'
I I
DOLLY!
Continued from page 9
second ending she received a two-
minute standing ovation. Name one
other performer who could do that
before her curtain call.
And speaking of curtain calls,
Channing got a brand-new white
gown and hat, and even wilder ap-
plause than one could have imag-
ined. "You dear, dear people of De-
troit, Michigan and environs," she
began. She went on to thank Detroit
- the site of "Dolly!"'s pre-Broad-
way tryout - for being so support-
ive of her and her career. "You just
stand there listening to me! You
don't seem to be going anywhere!"
she marveled.
And who would want to leave
the entrancing Carol Channing; af-
ter all, we were watching a legend.
Carol Channing in "Hello, Dolly!"
is a theatrical institution, and this is
most likely your last chance to expe-
rience such theatrical luminescence.
HELODOLY! plays through-
Sunday at the Fox Theatre in
Detroit. Call (810) 645-6666 for
tickets.
a I1
A SOLO
PIANO CONCERT
THE WINTER SHOW
60z
TAEWINER HO
featuring selections from George's albums
Autumn and December
OCTOBER 14 8PM
HILL AUDITORIUM ANN ARBOR
PRESENTED BY MAJOR EVENTS/DIVISION OF UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN STUDENT AFFAIRS
79'2-_TI(TC 4ZD9:( IA1 DR1rg: IMA CTlinr-KIT TU-Vr-TC t
5TH AVE. AT IBERTY 6-90
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R G A IN LTLS TNS EREO 8E vNGS
BEFORE 6 PM GOODRICH UAITY THEATER FREQUENTMOVIEG
moons
I -JOHNNY DEPP
MARTIN LANDAU
A ROBERT REDFORD FiLm
UI ~
N
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PresentnThis Coupon
When Purchasing A
Large Popcorn & 1
Receive One /
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
& UM Major Events / Div. Student Affairs
* present
r
I*
r !'
Saturday
R ~October 15{
7:30pm
Mic~higan Union
Make a good
impression!
Bring a friend to
Don't Lower
YOUR
Standards -
Shoot for
the Best...
,r /
Music & Lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Mendelssohn Theatre
October 13- 15 at 8pm
October 16 at 2pm
with Piano and
Percussion
Tickets are $16 and $12
Charge by phone:
313.764.0450
Dollar Dill
C O P Y IN G
611 Church Street
(313)665-9200
Student seating is $6
with ID at the
League Ticket Office
Limit 2 tickets per ID
Theatre Program
UM SCHOOL OF MUSIC, Musical'
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