- a......n..Aa.. u, ..L.±A a.
No one can hear you scream ...
If you recognize that phrase, you don't need to be told what a brilliant
piece of sci-fi/horror Ridley Scott's "Allen," actually is. Yes, it is gross,
but not excessively. More importantly, it is genuinely scary and it earns its
right to be scary by building the suspense and not using cheap thrills.
Now, you can see it on the big screen. The Michigan Theater will be
showing "Alien" in 70mm tonight at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
Page 8
Thursday
April 13, 1995
,helton's 'Cobb' hits a home run
y Joshua Rich
raily Arts Writer
In the present era of inflated pay-
=necks, free agency, labor disputes
-nd home run kings, Ty Cobb, the
Georgia Peach," is often considered
:e greatest baseball player of all time.
.oming from a simpler, more care-
'ee era in baseball, Cobb stood out
'mong the Babe Ruths and the Jimmie
oxxes as the man solely responsible
for creating our modern, more ag-
:ressive style of the game.
But, as in most stories of legend,
is man had adark side which plagued
'nd haunted him for his entire life.
Jnlike most hero myths, however,
his negative part of the great Ty Cobb
was very well known by his fans,
teammates and family. He was an
,ngry man who played with a certain
arrogance that everyone around him
accepted but who shunned friendship
and respect with his rude behavior
md violent outbursts.
Directed by Ron Shelton ("White
Men Can't Jump"), "Cobb" is not the
,tory of Ty Cobb the baseball player,
ut of Ty Cobb the legend and Ty
Cobb the mortal. Through the eyes of
M Stump (Robert Wuhl), Cobb's bi-
3grapher, this film follows the antics
and exploits of the once-great
baseballer in 1960, the final year of
his life. Hampered by alcoholism, drug
addiction, loneliness and his trade-
mark egotism, the 70 year-old Cobb
(Tommy Lee Jones) presents himself
as a great man - like a victorious
Civil War general - while he is re-
ally hollow and injured inside.
Atone time the audience is amused
(EVW
Cobb
Directed by Ron
Shelton with
Tommy Lee Jones and
Robert Wuhl
At the Michigan Theater
adversaries than as friends. This
glimpse into one moment of Cobb's
non-baseball life allows us to see that
he was a man incapable of true love
and devotion. He thrived on the ha-
tred and envy of others.
Fresh from his Academy Award-
winning performance in "The Fugi-
tive," Tommy Lee Jones shines in this
striking portrayal of an old man who
spends his final days living off the
high status he had established years
before. Unlike few actors in cinema
today, Jones immediately shuns all
pretenses and expectations in order to
immerse himself in this complicated
and challenging role. He becomes
Cobb, and he succeeds immensely.
Like with his small parts in "Bull
Durham" and "Batman," Wuhl is a
non-dynamic, pathetic-looking man
who, with his boyish looks and sad
smile, plays the straight man opposite
Jones's tornado of emotion and vio-
lence. He nevertheless succeeds in
executing the simple role which he
was given - he is a writer torn be-
tween adding to Cobb's legend or
telling the truth.
Although relatively long and
drawn-out, Shelton's movie is a pow-
erful presentation of a man who hides
underneath his giant halo of great-
ness, afraid to face the surrounding
tly named 'Cobb.'
sustained his wealthy lifestyle and
health. Ultimately, however, Cobb
dies because when the pitchers stop
throwing, the fans stop cheering and
the women stop humming, all he has
to hold on to is his sorrow. And the
arrogant Ty Cobb was too great aman
to live with just that.
by the actions of this man who seeks
attention wherever he goes. We are
then disgusted by his racist, sexist
and anti-Semitic ramblings and his
belief that he may abuse (sexually,
physically or verbally) any person he
wishes simply because he is a rich and
famous man.
Interesting is the bond that grows
between Cobb and Stump, two men
who depend on each other - Cobb
wants eternal glory, Stump desires
the great American sports story -
even though they spend more time as
Though talented, Ty Cobb was a troubled man; his story is depicted in the ap
world that hates and is afraid of him.
This movie is not about baseball (the
game itself is only seen in a few
flashbacks). Rather, it shows the game
as a mechanism for a type of glory
that is long-lived yet artificial. Cobb
may spend his life thinking of himself
as a legend and expecting others to do
the same, but ultimately that does not
replace the family, friends and sanity
that he loses along the way.
In one of his many philosophical,
narcissistic ramblings Cobb states,
"The desire for glory is not a sin." His
desires have propelled him to the
heights of legend and his glory has
Paint the town red with Mark KozeleK
No, the sensitive chap you see In front of you is not John Malkovich, it's
Mark Kozelek, leader of the critically acclaimed 4AD band Red House
Painters. However, the future of the Painters is uncertain right now;
Kozelek Is on a solo acoustic tour, and word has it that the rest of the
band has been fired. The good news Is that the Red House Painters'
latest album, 'Ocean Beach,' Is also their best. Songs like 'Cabezon' and
'Summer Dress,' are long, slow, winding acoustic pieces that take from
the likes of Nick Drake and Simon and Garfunkel. The band's other
albums, like 'Down Colorful Hill,' 'Red House Painters 1' and 'Red House
Painters 1I' are all insightful, melodic, intensely personal records as well,
highlighting the sorrow of the human condition. See Mark Kozelek tonight
at the Blind Pig, with folk-punk singer Lois and singer / songwriter
Stephen Budd. Tickets are $5 In advance; doors open at 9:30. Call 996-
8555 for more information.
Write for Summer Daily Arts! Our Mass Meeting
is Monday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Student
Publications Building (420 Maynard). Positions
on all Arts staffs (Music, Fine Arts, Film and
Theater) are open. For more information, call
763-0379 and ask for Heather or Scott"
Outrageous Cherry
Outrageous Cherry
Bar None
Finally, a local band with a record
deal that doesn't sound like played-
out grunge or 12th-generation Stooges
rip-offs, like Wig, Big Chief and (es-
pecially) Sponge. It's Outrageous
Cherry, a Detroit-area band with equal
penchants for heart-tugging
bubblegum pop and Velvet Under-
ground-style drone. Theireponymous
debut on BarNone contains two amaz-
ing songs: "Pale Frail Lovely One,"
which is a merry little tune about
unrequited love, and "Til I Run Out,"
a merry little tune about breaking up
with that special someone. "Outra-
geous Cherry" also contains the solid
efforts "If Someone Loves You,"
"Party's Over," "Withdrawal" and
"Overwhelmed." Singer / guitarist
Matthew Smith has a pleasant voice
and a knack for writing clever hooks,
and drummer Suzanna Mroz is the
most charismatic female performer
since Kim Deal's days in the Pixies.
All in all, Outrageous Cherry (the
band and the album) deliver pop mu-
sic as tasty as their name.
- Heather Phares
A.C.
Top 40 Hits
Earache
A.C. stands for Anal Cunt, which
might sound like a plea for attention
by a bunch of perverts ... until you
realize it's only as stupid as more
"subtle" monikers like Hole, Bush,
Deep Forest, Big Head Todd, Come,
Fudge Tunnel and Pearl Jam (use
your imagination on some of them).
A.C. is not about being subtle. A.C.
once had an album with 325 songs
on it, so we're not exactly talking
about a musical masterpiece here.
Or maybe we are. A.C. is to
alternative music as Russ Meyer
was to film, not technically great
but necessary to keep everyone sane
and on their toes. At it's best and
worst the band is death metal /
hardcore that sort of sounds like
Napalm Death, John Zorn and the
Boredoms spliced randomly over
40 half minute songs. But that's just
so little about what A.C. really rep-
resents: liberation.
In 40 songs they cover Elton
John, the Guess Who and the Bee
Gees with such a grating contorted
screech that it severs all connection
to the world of music as we know it.
Just when it seems like every song
is going to be a wacky cover or a
generic drum roll-vocal screech-
feedback-squirt they throw in some
mutated jazz or straight ahead punk.
Or just have a song title like
"Breastfeeding JM J. Bullock's Toe-
nail Collection," which makes the
album worth owning (on tape; if
you get this on CD, you're a mo-
ron.)
You will hate this.
I rarely admit that, being that I
secretly desire all people to worship
at the altar of Kirk's musical tastes,
but you will find A.C. so incredibly
annoying that you might think cen-
sorship got a bum rap. But I review
it for one reason: They make more
fun of Green Day in one track than
a roomful of hip alternative Daily
writers could in a year ("Mom, will
you drive me down to the mall so I
can get a Green Day shirt?").
- Kirk Miller
Blue Glass Morning
Dreams
Self-Released
This local quartet's brand of sound
flows somewhere in the space be-
tween ethereal bliss and straightfor-
ward rock. Like any developing band,
there's quite a few overly familiar.
ideas floating around the mix, from
the heavily reverbed guitar textures
to the improvisational guitar solos.
But Blue Glass Morning appear to be
quickly on the way to developing
their own sound and feeling.
"When We Were Happy" begins
their self-released album with an en-
trancing but familiar melody, but the
song's guitar solo doesn't quite gel
with the restof the song's atmosphere.
As the album progresses, however,
the songs become more fleshed out
and cohesive, climaxing with the
equally beautiful and powerful "Far
Away" and the unusual "Lothlorien."
However, the band never strays very
far from their formula, and it's clear
that the band might benefit from a bit
more diversity in their sound.
On the whole, though, "Dreams"
is a strong debut effort, and shows
thatBlue Glass Morning is a band that
will grow stronger as they continue to
develop and discover a sound that is
their own.
- Andy Dolan
quiet and loping. Unfortunately, it
seems more suited to either a housecat
or a mythical Arabian marketplace.
"TheDeadly Game" plays out over
a rather long period. It is, in fact,
extremely redundant, far beyond the
point of simply restating a theme.
This would seem to be endemic to
soundtrack music, however. Yet
"Tooth and Claw" actually displays
several traits of other Residents mate-
rial. The song never keeps going in
one direction for very long, and has
some interesting changes within it.
There is even a punctuated bass or
keyboard sound that recalls the clas-
sic "Sinister Exaggerator." It is much
better than the common TV inciden-
tal music.
Still, far too many of the songs fall
into constant restatement of music
territory they've already expressed.
This is true between tracks as well.
"The Dangerous Sea" and "Track of
the Cat" have some virtually identical
parts.
Ultimately, the music isn't all that
great for the Residents. And at the
same time, it is head and shoulders
above anything much of the sounds
that back up television shows. Call it
the limitation of the form imposed on
the greatness of the artists. Use as
wicked atmospheric music, or write
that film paper on "Jaws" to it.
- Ted Watts
Sharkboy
Matinee
Nude Records
Guitars, keys, cellos, trumpets and
saxophones sound off in Sharkboy's
debut album "Matinee," but instead
of playing the old staples of such
instrumentation, such as ska or trap
jazz, Sharkboy creates an ambient,
neo-spaghetti western soundscape.
Unfortunately, while there are traces
of unusual allure, the band generally
just comes across, through their nine
songs, sounding a bit too sterile.
If any one aspect is to blame for the
album's lack of poignancy, it is mono-
nomenclatured singer Avy. The great
majority of the album's songs lack sub-
stantial vocal melodies, and the lyrics,
penned by Avy, sound like second-rate
beat poetry. One begins to imagine that
the songs would be better off if she kept
her mouth shut, for there's some inter-
esting stuff going on with the actual
music, while the vocals scarcely rise
above a role of incidental accompani-
ment. It's unfortunate really, because
Avy has a decent voice (think Swing
Out Sister's Corinne Drewery). Sadly,
Swing Out Sister aping Kerouac in a
peyote trance does not approach inge-
nuity. "Matinee"exemplifies the bland-
ness of a singer forced to complement a
band, rather than vice versa
- Thomas Crowley
Patsy Moore
The Flower Child's Guide to
Love and Fashion
Warner Bros. Records
As time progresses, it is becoming
more common to see Black artists
releasing music works veering away
from the expected musical forms,
R&B and rap. However, the musical
world probably wasn't expecting the
complete U-turn performed by one
Ms. Patsy Moore. Patsy Moore is
driving in some very uncharted terri-
tory, and it will be interesting, to say
the least, to see where "The Flower
Child's Guide to Love and Fashion"
will take her.
With the picture of the big rose
on her CD, the picture of her hold-
ing flowers on both the front and
back covers, the CD's dedication to
"flower children everywhere" and
the flute introduction to "I've Got a
Million," the first song on the CD, it
quickly becomes apparent that we
are not about to hear music as usual.
And, if you give it a chance --if
you open your mind, your heart and
your soul to the power of her voice
and the music; if you allow each
song to fill you with its powerful
depth and richness - you'll find
yourself always reaching for "The
Flower Child."
Everything from the outback
sounds of "I Love a Boy" to the '80s
rock'n'roll sounds of"FlowerChild" *
attest to the beauty to be found in
Moore's vocal prowess. The enrap-
turing harmony between herand guest
singer, Rebecca Palmer, in "The State
I'm in" does no less.
Patsy Moore, who wrote all the
songs found on this CD, has inter-
woven a variety of musical narra-
tives in a storybook fashion, giving
both the ups and downs of living,
the joys and sadnesses of being,
while remaining positive and up-
beat about the unknowns which lie
ahead. The skill with which she does
this is only matched by how lovely
she sounds while doing this.
"The Flower Child" spouts a
truth that many people have been
blinded to. Music has no race or
ethnicity. No matter what music best
tickles your fancy, there exists a 0
linkage, however small with every
other musical form. Rap, heavy
metal, folk, opera and all other mu-
sical types in this broad and won-
derful sisterhood of sound share an
unbreakable thread of commonal-
ity. When it comes time to feast
upon the wide musical harvest avail-
able for your auditory consumption,
there's plenty for everyone to en-
joy. To concentrate solely on a few
musical choices would seriously
diminish the menu as a whole.
- Eugene Bowen
The Residents
Hunters Original Soundtrack
Recording
Milan
The ever bizarre Residents have
created a soundtrack for a Discovery
Channel series, "Hunters: The World
of Predators and Prey." The music is
Still scrambling for a job?
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