The Michigan Daily - March 20, 1995-9 'Isaiah' fights losing battle Moving adoption story can't overcome many flaws By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer Although many television mov- ies have been made concerning cus- tody battles between biological and surrogate parents, the issue has rarely been addressed by Holly- wood. However, "Losing Isaiah" approaches this topic from a new perspective, throwing in a racial twist to complicate the matter fur- ther. Yet despite having many strengths, the film at times seems too much like a TV movie that has somehow found its way onto the big screen. The plot begins with Khaila (Halle *Berry), a crack-addicted single mother, accidentally leaving her baby in a dumpster, after purchasing some ;drugs. Little Isaiah is found the next day by some garbage men who send him to the hospital. When Khaila re- alizes her error, and doesn't find the baby in the dumpster, she believes that Isaiah is dead. The child is eventually adopted Oby Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange), _a white social worker who can't resist him. Three years later, a re- formed, employed Khaila finds out that her son is still alive and living 'with a family in the suburbs. Decid- ing that she wants her child back, Khaila hires a lawyer (Samuel L. Jackson), and takes the Lewins to court on grounds that she was never properly notified of the adoption. The rest of the movie concerns it- self with resolving this case. Several aspects of the film make it fairly intriguing to the viewer. The custody fight quickly explodes into a battle over inter- Losing Isaiah Directed byj Stephen Gylleshaal with Jessica Lange! and Halle Berry At Briarwood and Showcase ased in presenting both sides of the issue. Lange's character doesn't accidentally expose racist thoughts, nor is Berry's Khaila an irresponsible, unfit mother. More than simply not favoring either side, the movie successfully docu- ments the emotions, thoughts and feelings involved in the case, of- fering positive views of the two perspectives. Following this, the movie, de- spite showing no bias towards ei- ther side, shockingly takes a stand on the issue. Unfortunately, after taking this stand, it is watered down by an ambiguous ending that will either have you fuming, or give you an appreciation of the complexity and difficulty of the whole situation. Yet despite all of its virtues, "Losing Isaiah" has many prob- lems that cannot be overlooked. Too many of the scenes are melo- dramatic to the point of laughter, or nausea. Also, the film spends too long focusing on the rehabili- tation of Berry's character, and not enough on the significant is- sues the movie addresses. Another glaring weakness is the terrible job of editing. There are an unac- ceptable number of insignificant Both Jessica Lange and Halle Berry are extremely talented actresses, but are ill-used in 'Losing Isaiah,' racial parenting. Khaila's lawyer seeks to prove that the upper middle-class, white family is not fit to parent Isaiah, because of their inability to teach the black child about his cultural heritage. Although the issue at hand truly does not concern race, this is what it turns into. In this sense, the conflict is illustrated in a fairly realistic manner. The film is surprisingly unbi- characters and scenes that simply do not contribute anything to the movie. Finally, the big name perform- ers involved in the film do not live up to their reputations. Halle Berry is extremely ordinary playing a reformed drug addict. She lacks the charm and warmth that she usually has, and the film suffers without it. But even more disap- pointing is Academy Award nomi- nee Jessica Lange (nominated for "Blue Sky"). She perpetually seems on the verge of tears, and simply overacts too often. How- ever, she does excel in scenes in- volving the interaction of Marga- ret and Khaila, creating a perfectly tense atmosphere, while maintain- ing a certain amount of compo- sure. Unfortunately for the viewer these scenes are few in number. In fact, the only actor who gives a noteworthy performance is Samuel L. Jackson. His portrayal of Khaila's cool, efficient lawyer with a slight trace of empathy in him is outstanding. He subtly dis- plays a warm side, without ever compromising his role of doing his job. It's a shame that the other performers did not learn anything from him. If you enjoy made for televi- sion films, or do not mind melo- drama and technical shortcom- ings, "Losing Isaiah" may be rather appealing. If not, skip it. McLachlan holds on to her audience's attention By Karl Jones , Daily Arts Writer "Hey, let's put on baby-doll dresses and plastic barrettes and sing like we're three years old!" In the past few years, this motto has crept into the sugary little hearts of so many female singers (the Murmurs, Angie Hart of Frente!, etc.) that it tends to give truly talented women a bad name. Fortunately, Sarah McLachlan and Paula Cole have banded together to change this "baby-doll" image. Cole started off the McLachlan show at Hill Auditorium last Thurs- day in a slinky black dress and com- bat boots. This outfit was a perfect representation of the sexuality and power of her vocals. At times she whispered, at times she wailed, and when she wasn't singing she was bang- ing on acookie tray or aplastic bucket. Cole toured with Peter Gabriel before releasing her solo debut "Har- binger," but even she seemed pleased with the fact that two fe- male power-hitters have banded to- gether in a sometimes male-domi- nated music industry. Sarah McLachlan Hill Auditorium March 16, 1995 "In this entertainment industry, it's very unusual for a woman to sup- port another woman," Cole said to- ward the end of her set. "And it's even more unusual for a woman to book another woman on her tour ... I'm very grateful." With this, she launched into "Bethlehem," the confessional tale of being 16 and awkward and trying to be class president. Perhaps due to the personal nature of her lyrics or the power of her vocals, an audience of people who may have originally come to the show to see McLachlan nearly shook Hill Auditorium with their ap- plause for Cole as she walked off stage. And then ... there was Sarah. It's almost difficult to find words to de- scribe her performance. As a music writer, I have a tendency to find my- self at concerts where watching the musician is secondary to fighting my way through the pit. Not this time. The entire audience was silent as McLachlan took the stage (except for a few rowdy college boys who con- tinuously screamed "I looooove you Sarah!"). Not one person ran into me or kicked me as she belted out "Fear," and, as strange as it sounds, the si- lence was a very moving experience. See McLACHLAN, page 10 II. ga vi.n briyars THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC ...haunting ' fantasy... ..experimental ambience... ...classical I1 "What I Did on My Spring Break" PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS aN . ^y ' f i4 Y '." '. O " .. " rC A t Hf WBetween Us and ~y -aerouse b' S hirleyvK aFrPing Lee :& D ve$ W aterhouse! w . l *1 ~Y 1,yr fl On April 14, 1912, the "unsinkable" luxury liner, the Titanic, struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the 2201 people on board, only, 711 survived. Personal accounts of this horrific event detail that the band continued to play even as the great ship was swallowed by the sea. British experimental composer Gavin Bryars wrote his interpretative work , "The Sinking of the Titanic" based+ this remarkable feat. He centered his startlingly beautiful impression around the idea of what happens to I- a