RTS
A 'Love Affair' to forget
i3eatty, Bening's remake of 1939 film lacks a heart
By SCOTT PLAGENHOEF
All of your expectations will likely
be fulfilled by "Love Affair."
That is to say, that if you were
looking forward to the film, you'll end
up in tears, but forget what you saw,
C
Love Affair
Directed by
Glenn Gordon Caron
with Warren Beatty,
Annette Bening.
for this story (fourth ifyou count"Sleep-
less in Seattle"). The first and second,
both directed by Leo McCarey, were
1939's "Love Affair," starring Irene
Dunne and Chales Boyer, which was
-presented more as comedy than ro-
mance, and the ultra-melodramatic
1957 Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr film,
"An Affair to Remember."
So the story goes, two already en-
gaged people meet on a boat, fall in
love, but agree to meet some time later
on the top of the Empire State Building
to see if they still feel the same about
each other. The shipboard romance is
sidetracked during the cooling-off pe-
riod and the one assumes the other has
gone AWOL on their agreement.
Despite the promise ofscreenwriter
RoberTowne ("Chinatown," "TheLast
Detail") the script is utterly flat. The
filmakers updated version of the al-
ready familiar tale provides little in the
way of innovation (OK, so Towne's
best work is twenty years behind him).
The film comes off as an exercise to
remind us that Warren Beatty and
Annette Bening are really.really beau-
tiful people.
Beatty's other previous pet projects
have either been hit ("Reds") or miss
("Heaven Can Wait") and unfortunately
this one falls into the latter. Possibly
after this attempt at psuedo-domestic
life, Beatty is trying to convince him-
self that he's still got it. His character
has been altered from sophisticated
and suave to ex-football star and play-
boy extrordianaiire. Beatty's face is lit
up like the Fourth of July giving him-
self a bright glow throughout the film
for maximum admiration.
The biggest innovation, or rather
coup, is in the casting of Katherine
Hepburn as the aged relative who as-
sures Beatty to listen to his heart. This
is Hepburn's first appearance in a fea-
ture film since her Oscar-winning per-
formance in 1981's "On Golden Pond."
In the end, however, Hepburn only
adds to the film what its two stars do
not: presence.
The only real delight amongst the
cast is "The Larry Sanders Show" star
Garry Shandling, who, despite playing
a requisite, tired role - the leading
Bch less that you were in a theater, an
Four later. If you are an unfortunate
who is dragged to the film by a signifi-
cant other you will catch up on your
sleep. Yet the film won't soothingly
lull you to sleep. It will be the quick,
painful kind that follows a strong blow
to the head.
This Warren Beatty-Anette Bening
"Love Affair" is the third go-around
Green Jelly
333
Zoo Entertainment
For a group that claims to be "The
World's Worst Band," Green Jelly has
got a long way to go to live up to that
title. Not to say that Green Jelly is a
o d band, because, yes, they are ter-
le. But, there will always be the
Wingers and Color Me Badds of the
music world thateven Beavis and Butt-
head know suck.
After making millions off of a fairy
tail, and having to change their name
from a green food product that feeds
groundpigs feet to little children, Green
Jelly has released their second album,
"333."
SSurprisinglyenough, the album isn't
That bad. With influences from punk,
metal and possibly even the B-52's,
"333" has lots of variety, and even
some interesting tracks.
Of course, the album has another
animal song that sounds verysimilar to
"Three Little Pigs." "The Bear Song"
is equally as inane, and very stupid.
However, songs like "Carnage
1ules" and "Fixation" are good thrash
etal songs. "Fixation" is one of the
few tracks with a female singer, and it
rocks, making the song sound like L7.
"Jump" is melodic and slower, and
is probably the best rack on the album.
Another surprise is "Slave Boy,"which
sounds just like any light and fun B-
52's song.
Althoughthe majority ofGreenJelly
songs are closer to White Zombie than
je B-52's, they still don't take their
music and also themselves very seri-
ously, and that is what makes them that
much more fun.
-.Brian A. Gnatt
Various Artists
Jason's Lyric Soundtrack
Mercury Records
Damn! Now this is a CD!
This whopping 20-cut LP is the
perfect complement to the movie. The
variety of musical styles and voices
that went into the production of this CD
defy all descriptive words.
"U Will Know," the first cut, is
sung by nearly 40 of the most well-
known Black males in the business
who collectively call themselves Black
Men United. Members include the
members of Boyz II Men, Intro, H-
06
... *:"""""" "" &s'"""" .~' v"s""""""""" *AC * t"so"m
It's great that Annette and Warren love each other, but do they have to torture us with movies about their romance?
man's wise-cracking sidekick - actu-
ally lends personality to the film rather
than simply posturing.
When its all said and done, the
lights go up and you're left to wonder
as to why a remake of a film which
really isn't redone (except to delete any
of the interesting dialogue or the chem-
istry between the stars) was ever pro-
duced. The answers are:
a. Money (after all people will
come; Nora Ephron just provided a90-
minute comercial last summer)
b:.Ego-stroking
c. Annette leaning over in bed tell-
ing Warren how much she loves that
role and wishes she could play it
d. Money
e. All of the above
LOVE AFFAIR is playing at
Showcase.
Town, After 7 and Silk, as well as
Lenny Kravitz, Tevin Campbell, Gerald
Levert, Aaron Hall,D.R.S.and R. Kelly.
From there, the beats just keep
pumpin' nonstop.
K-Ci Haily (lead singer forJodeci)
gives us some of that old school funk
with "If You Think You're Lonely
Now," as does Buddy Guy in "This
City Needs Help."
The soundtrack also has a treat for
all you rap fans. G Funk Era performs
two cuts - one with The Five Footer
Crew ("Walk Away") and again with
The Twinz ("First Round Draft Pick").
Others featured include Scarface
("Jesse James"), Spice ("Nigga Sings
the Blues") and LSD ("Love is the
Key").
There isn't a lack of steamy, sexy
ballads and slow songs either. "Crazy
Love" (Brian McKnight), "Rodeo
Style" (Jamecia) and "Up and Down"
(J. Quest) merely hint atthe vocal prow-
ess found throughout this CD.
All in all this disc is an amazing
piece of musical engineering. It's da
bomb; that's all there is to it.
- Eugene Bowen
Kristen Hall
Be Careful What You Wish
For...
High Street Records
Kristen Hall really, really wants to
be anIndigoGirl."BeCareful" is chock-
full of the lovely folk-rock melodies
that Amy Ray and Emily Saliers per-
fected long ago. Hall's album lacks, of
course, the exquisite harmony between
Saliers' sweet soprano and Ray's gritty
alto - the very thing that gives that
successful duo their considerable emo-
tional depth.
"Be Careful" covers familiar lyri-
cal territory; broken-down relationships
and jilted lovers crowd the liner notes.
It's nice to listen to, but not terribly
clever. Hall plays afine acoustic guitar,
and she shines on the tracks "Heaven
Knows" and "Nothing." Her voice,
however, is just mediocre - slightly
raspy, but in a Lite-FM kinda way.
Indeed, the record's finest moment
occurs when Saliers lends her soaring
backup vocals to "Following My Com-
pass." Unfortunately, this only makes
the absence of the passionate Ray more
obvious. It shows a glaring lack of
balance, and it just doesn't work.
Neither do the other sweet but dull
songs on this uninspired effort. No
matter how much vocal help Hall gets,
be it from Saliers or from popmeister
Matthew Sweet (on the opener "Cry
Tomorrow"), nothing on this album
stands out as anything other than ordi-
nary.
If this effort is atrue measureof her
talents, perhaps Hall should be careful
what she wishes for. She just may end
up a second-rate Emily Saliers.
- Jennifer Buckley
Walk on Water
Carotid
Rustbelt Records
With a name like "Walk on Water,"
it's not surprising that this particular
Detroit area band has something to say
about religion and the state of the world
today on their EP "Carotid."
"I'm tired, I'm tired of wasting time
/ power fades and crumbles to the floor
/ I'm free, I pray, come rescue me /and
everyone who wants to believe," vo-
calist Mark Kahaian wails on "I'm
Tired."
As with any socially conscious
See RECORDS, Page 8
Quartet's show is exciting, surprising
By MATT CARLSON The Uptown began the evening club as she built suspense in the deeply
Fun is not an oft-used adjective with a dark yet rich piece that centered engaging piece. It was not until after
when describing string quartets. El- around both the repetition of a low- thesong wasoverthatit was announced
egant, perhaps, or even ornate are usu- scale melody on the cello and the that the piece was a Max Roach drum
ally more apt descriptions. But, the numerous clicks and clacks of strings solo arranged by his daughter, violist
Uptown String Quartet is not your typi- being pulled and hit. University alum Maxine.
Eileen Folson worked her cello like an At this point, the audience was re
upright bassist in a smoke-filled jazz
See UPTOWN, Page 8
w
r
The Uptown
String Quartet
Rackham Auditorium
October 21, 1994
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cal string ensemble. The four women
of the Uptown had a little fun on Friday
night at Rackham Auditorium, and their
joy was shared with all those fortunate
to be in attendance.
Playing from a program that was
announced to the audience before each
piece, the Uptown exhibited with char-
acteristic excellence their combination
of strong technical abilities as a string
quartet with their love for the musics of
African-American experience.
I
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Homcomng 94and "
present
Friday, October 28
anthony
clark
Show yours Itat the
pep rally
emceed by
judd.
w innick of_'sReal World
Show starts at 7pm
Hill Auditorium
Tickets: S5 students, S10 non-students
El _-_qimb dN An,.n nn-q'