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Spearhead rocks and rolls ann arbor
While you're waiting for the big Digable Planets / Spearhead concert,
follow the innovative rappers Spearhead, led by former Disposible Hero
Michael Franti, around town. At 12:30 theyll be on WCBN, After that,
they'll be performing at the Tap Room in the Union at 1:30. Next, the
group will be at Tower at 2:30. And if you have any energy left, the actual'
'concert is at Hill at 8 p.m.; tickets are $12 for students, $14 for others.
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Page 5
Tuesday,
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'Outbreak' has all the right svmDtOmS
*By Michael Zilberman
Daily Arts Writer
You go to a movie. Somebody
sneezes in your popcorn. You return
home, cough for a couple of hours,
and die.
"Outbreak," a new thriller from
director Wolfgang Petersen ("Das
Boot," "In The Line Of Fire"), builds
itself upon the queasiest premise pos-
*ble and taps into one of our greatest
collective fears. The result is, strangely
enough, a solid, pleasant movie with-
out a trace of occult or quasi-philo-
sophical bent of its numerous prede-
cessors.
The plot concerns the outbreak of
a fictional Matoba virus in Cedar
Creek, California. A team of military
doctors headed by Colonel Sam
*aniels (Dustin Hoffman) races
against time to find the virus' host and
produce a cure. Since it's Hollywood,
Daniels also has to battle evil authori-
ties that insist the town be simply
wiped from the face of the Earth, all
the while trying to reconcile with his
ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo of "In
The Line Of Fire").
"Outbreak" clearly rides the wave
f unhealthy public interest in the
abject, made apparent by the success
oflast year's "The Stand." If the movie
hits, it might just trigger an actual
outbreak of other silent-disaster mov-
- .... __ ..
ies (Ridley Scott's "Crisis In The Hot
Zone" is ready to shoot if they find a
replacement for Nell, I mean Jodie
Foster). Its script cleverly combines
anti-government paranoia, fear of
AIDS, usual end-of-century delusions
and our greatest phobia -- the horror
of being the only one to know what's
wrong with the world.
Outbreak
Directedb
Wolfgang Petersen
with Dustin Hoffman and
Rene Russo
At Briarwood and Showcase
system to give us a point-of-view shot
of the airborne virus. But what truly
makes "Outbreak" work is not its
sweep -in fact, it's something quite
opposite: almost sadistic touches of
domesticity, instantly recognizable
bits and pieces of our everyday exist-
ence masterfully scattered through-
out the movie. Scenes of the military
invading a sleepy all-American town
border on surrealism; then, in a blink-
and-you-miss-it shot, tanks roll by a
movie theater showing "Pulp Fiction."
One of the most striking sequences of
mass contagion is actually set in a
theater. It might be considered cheap
in a '50s B-movie way ("The Tingler
is in the theater!!! Run for your
lives!!!"), but it's too damn effective
to dismiss. The same could probably
be said about the rest of the film.
In the beginning, Hoffman's per-
formance as Col. Sam Daniels is some-
what puzzling. All Hoffman's roles,
from the graduate of "The Graduate"
to the hero of "Hero," required some
sort of molding into a different per-
son, and it eventually became half the
pleasure of watching Hoffman's work.
For an actor of this range, the part of
Sam Daniels seems oddly
unchallenging; for a while, all
Holtman apparently does is tlash his
grin a lot. Only when the movie is
over and the world is saved, do we
The movie unfolds in a way all
good large-scope pictures do, choos-
ing one face in the crowd, following it
for a while until we are hopelessly
attached to it emotionally, then losing
it in the general swirl of action and
jumping onto another one. It's a vi-
rus-like strategy, if you will.
Michael Ballhaus uses his camera
as the ultimate weapon of a voyeur-
it dashes across rooms and hallways,
peeks into the tiniest holes and, for
three or four breathtaking seconds,
takes a plunge into the ventilating
realize that Hoffman's smart under- nicely: Rene Russo is determination
playing held the whole project to- incarnate, Donald Sutherland adds
gether. By basically playing himself another portrait to his infinite gallery
for the first time in years (ajoke about of jaded generals and Cuba Gooding
the size of his nose is included, and Jr. provides anotherreason to be taken
seems improvised on the spot), the seriously, "Lightning Jack" not with-
actor lends the film a vulnerable, hu- standing.
man center it wasn't even aiming for. Make no mistake, though, "Out-
Other actors assist Hoffman break" is still essentially a carousel
ride, a movie that is blissfully un-
apologetic about its purposes -- to
thrill you rather than warn or educate.
And, with the inevitable slew of such
movies to follow, you might be better
off catching the disease at its earliest
stage: seeing this competent, well-
acted thriller that, for once, doesn't
pretend to be anything else.
I
Ohisson articulates all of Chopin's voices
Hazel are another brilliant Portland band, which means they're cool. As If the fIREHOSE shirt wasn't enough ...
Hazel can't ight the 'e er eit r
By Matthew Steinhauser
For the Daily
Voices. Whispering, wailing,
shrieking, dancing, laughing voices
leapt from Garrick Ohlsson's piano
and stunned a packed Rackham Audi-
torium during his Sunday afternoon
recital. Ohlsson mercilessly gripped
the audience and whipped them along
an emotional roller coaster ride. With-
out any warnings, he deftly jerked the
audience through impassioned tran-
sitions and nuances in the music.
Delivering the second in a three-
part series solely devoted to the music
of the Polish composer Frederic
Chopin, Ohlsson manipulated and
tamed Chopin's raw, sensuous music
for two and a half hours.
Ohlsson sat down at the piano and
paused for a few moments of silence,
seemingly bracing the audience for
the onslaught of Chopin polonaises,
mazurkas, preludes, nocturnes and one
sonata.
The pianist's fingers masterfully
assaulted the keys as he opened the
program with "Two Polonaises, Op.
26." He fervently polished the fast
rhythms and runs, setting up delicate,
slower parts. Ohlsson perfectly timed.
the hesitations and inflections that
painfully hung in the air.
He barely paused between the
"Five Mazurkas, Op. 7," effectively
molding them into one saga. Like the
first encounter in a romance, Ohlsson
lured the audience in with the shy,
flirtatious "Mazurka No. 1 in B-flat
Minor." With "Mazurka No. 2 in A
Minor," he created a obstinate, fight-
ing mood that disintegrated into de-
pression, while in "Mazurka No. 3 in
F Minor," two lovers seemed to be
weaving the notes in the daring, pas-
sionate piece. The elegant and refined
"Mazurka No.4 in A-flat Major" gave
the audience a breather before the
final "Mazurka No. 5 in C Major," a
short, exhilarating, comic burst of lust.
Before a brief intermission,
Ohlsson confidently strode his way
through Chopin's beautiful, quirky
collection of "24 preludes, Op. 28."
In the final prelude, "No. 24 in D
Minor," he furiously showed off ev-
ery agitated run and splendid, grating
chord.
With the audience firmly rooted back
in their seats, Ohlsson continued the
program with "Three Nocturnes, Op.
9" and "Three Mazurkas, Op. 63." He
cast an entrancing spell with "Nocturne
No. 2 in E-flat Major," flaunting his
ability to tamper with moods and create
images with the notes. The gentle, grace-
ful melody touched the crowd with a
IEW
Garrick
Ohisson
Rackham Auditorium
March 12, 1995
tinge of sadness like a dignified, aged
man calmly walking through the latter
years of life.
With Ohlsson's final selection, the
stern "Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor,
Op. 35," he elegantly showcased all
of his technical skills. He emphasized
with a range of tones every note and
voice in the music. The first two move-
ments served as a countdown to the
looming "Marche funebre: Lento," in
which the magnificent chords ago-
nizingly marched in a eerie measured
rhythm from the piano, only pausing
in the middle for a tired, wasted quiet
second theme that slowly rolled like a
tear. In the presto movement, Ohlsson
speedily recounted the details of a life
and a death in a few moments, final-
izing the dread that pervaded through-
out the sonata.
"Chopin wasn't always so
gloomy," joked Ohlsson to introduce
his first encore selection after the au-
dience responded with shouts and
claps of approval. He relieved the
somber, depressing mood left in the
air after the final sonata with an ami-
able sense of humor and three brighter
encore pieces.
Chopin's large collection of com-
positions for piano remains immor-
talized because of the clear voices
that erupt from his pieces - voices
that ooze passion, pain, frustration,
delicacy and melancholy. Garrick
Ohlsson's brilliance lies in his ability
to gather Chopin's distinct voices to-
gether and channel them to fulfill his
smallest whims. Sunday afternoon,
Ohlsson revealed his interpretations
of Chopin's emotional voices and
enraptured all in attendance.
By Jennifer Buckley
Daily Arts Writer
If you can't beat them, join them.
Tour the east coast with them. Be-
come friends with them. Then scare
*e hell out of all of their fans.
HAZEL
Where: St. Andrew's Hall
When: Tonight
Tickets: $12 In advance
Doors open at 8 p.m.
That's the plan the Portland four-
me Hazel adopts as they head out
on a month-long jaunt with Veruca
Salt, those seething photogenic Top-
40 Chicago kids.
Not that Hazel's latest Sub Pop
release "Are you Going to Eat That"
would frighten anyone away, bless
their hook-happy little punk-pop
hearts. The album brims with tight
hyper-pop songs based on hummable
elodies and the slightly-off key vo-
Iharmonies of guitarist Peter Krebs
and drummer Jodi Bleyle. Indeed,
Krebs, Bleyle, bassist Brady Smith
and the song they offer are most ac-
cessible and inviting.
But their full-time improvisational
dancer Fred Nemo should do the trick
nicely.
"Fred will probably freak a bunch
of them (Veruca Salt's fans) out,"
predicted Krebs, "which is fine with
me." Imagine for a moment a tall
bearded man in a tutu, moving wildly
throughout Hazel's set, totally disre-
garding amps, plugs and band mem-
bers in an inspired frenzy of interpre-
tive genius. Seether says WHOA!
"He's a very talented person," said
Krebs seriously of bandmate Nemo.
"Fred and I were friends before the
band started. We played our first show
on Valentine's Day three years ago.
Fred was there in a tutu, shooting
heart-shaped arrows at people and
sprinkling glittery hearts on the
crowd." Many fans found this strange,
admitted Krebs, "but it made perfect
sense to us." Hazel -and the unusual
contribution to alternative rock that is
Fred - were born.
After several singles and compila-
tion contributions, Sub Pop ap-
proached Hazel offering to release a
seven-inch single. The CD single
"Jilted" pricked up critical ear and
primed fans and press for Hazel's
brilliant 1993 debut "Toreador of
Love." The exquisite, watertight
power-pop of songs like "She's Su-
personic" and "Comet" just moved
the band to the forefront of a booming
Portland scene.
Normally, such deserved recogni-
tion would thrill a band. But then very
little connected with Hazel is normal,
anyway. "The acclaim that the first
record got was overshadowed by our-
selves into."
And so despite the success of "To-
reador," Hazel briefly broke up and
its members moved on to other
projects. Bleyle began drumming with
Team Dresch while founding her own
record label, Candy Ass. "We prac
See HAZEL, Page 8
U
s
U
U
Free. M0ic ro--wvOven
for New Tenants
We will provide a brand new microwave
oven FREE to the first 50 leases signed. *
Stop by to
view our
Apartments shown
Sat/Sun 12-5
536 S. Forest Ave.
761=2680Mention how you heard thi:
""6 0offer to qualify.
* some restrktions may apply
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COLLEGE STUDENTS...
:DES ERV E
A BREAK!
ISRAELBREAK!
Spring break ... Summer break ... Winter break..,
Now hereY the best breakofal:.ISRAELBREAWd Enjoy
UAC is looking for motivated individuals
for its programming chair positions
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