B - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 23, 1996
Animated shorts feature Park's wild creations
By Jon Petlinski
Daily Film Editor
Wallace, a middle-aged British in-
entor with a Wash 'n' Go Window
Cleaning Service, smiles at us with his
huge teeth, revealing an air of dumb-
founded ignorance. And we're think-
ing: Inspector Gadget, anyone?
His clever dog Gromit sits some-
where nearby, spending his quality time
knitting, rolling his eyes at Wallace's
schemes or reading books like "Crime
and Punishment."
Together, Wallace and Gromit bring
new meaning to that special man-dog
relationship in Nick Park's "A Close
Shave." Park's film features yet an-
other follow-up adventure with these
two lovable characters (previously seen
in 1991's "Grand Day Out" and 1993's
"The Wrong Trousers"). And as al-
ways, more like a married couple than
anything else, Wallace and Gromit are
at it again.
This time, however, their adventure
involves sheep. What?!? Wallace falls
for Wendolene Ramsbottom (oh ... the
implications behind this name), the
REVIEW
The Best of
Aardman Animation
Opening Friday at
The Michigan Theater
owner of a local wool shop, only to find
himself in the midst of a web of crime.
Preston, Wendolene's dog, is stealing
sheep from the fields. And who ends up
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in jail for it? Silent Gromit, of course!
For audiences, "A Close Shave" -
with its suspenseful background music,
its stop-motion animation and its atten-
tion to detail - is a real treat. This past
year's winner for Best Animated Short
at the Academy Awards, "Shave"is the
feature film in "Wallace and Gromit:
The Best of Aardman Animation," a
collection of 10 animated shorts open-
ing at the Michigan Theater this Friday.
So,just for two seconds, stop watch-
ing the $13.95 copy of "Babe" that you
haven't taken out ofyour VCR yet.;This
is where the action is.
Also showcased in "The Best of
Aardman Animation" is Park's 1990
Oscar-winner, "Creature Comforts."
In it, adorable polar bears and turtles,
among otheranimals, are interviewed.
A microphone is shoved in their faces,
and they comment seriously on the
living conditions and the atmosphere
of the zoo. We are drawn not only to
their irresistible faces, but also to the
heartwarming thoughts that they
share.
Another highlight from this animated
series is "Pib and Pog," the 1995
McLaren Award Winner for Anima-
tion. Pib and Pog (who bear more than
a vague resemblance to Mr. Potato
Head) start off as friendly playtime
buddies. By the end of the short, how-
ever, we can tell that they really-with
the emphasis on REALLY-don't like
each other. As we laugh, they take turns
basically trying to kill each other, using
everything from saws to acid to bullets.
Directed by Peter Peake, this film is
both a morbid and witty look at British
children's television.
Also featured are Peter Lord's "My
Baby Just Cares For Me," an animated
version of Nina Simone's classic song;
Richard Goleszowski's "Ident," a weird
look at masks, mirrors and mazes, and
"Rex the Runt"; Peter Lord's and David
Sproxton's "Early Bird," a glimpse at a
morning radio show; Lord's "Wat's
Pig," an amusing tale about two broth-
Wallace and Gromit go to town In "The Best of Aardman Animation."
Regular
Price'
SUPER CD
$899
ers who are separated at birth; and fi-
nally, Park's "Heat Electric Commer-
cials," featuring those adorable animals
from "Creature Comforts."
As an audience, we find these shorts
refreshing, and in an important way, a
nice change from the other animated
crap that's in most theaters right now.
Looking for an entertaining animated
movie? (Note that ENTERTAINING is
the key word here.) You might notice
that the current pickings - to say the
very least - are slim.
We've got:
1. "James and the Giant Peach"
Close, but - unlike "Nightmare Beg
fore Christmas"- no cigar.
2. "All Dogs Go To Heaven 2" -
yeah, right ... whatever.
Just by looking at what's available at
our local cinemas, we can see that
"Wallace and Gromit: The Best of
Aardman Animation" is the obvious
choice.
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By Emily Lambert
Daily Arts Writer
A marathon orchestral season ended
Thursday night with a thrilling perfor-
mance by the Israel Philharmonic Or-
chestra. Each of the six orchestras that
visited this year under University Mu-
sical Society auspices brought a unique
feel to Hill Auditorium, and the Israel
Philharmonic was no exception. In fact,
this concert felt downright different.
Take the temperature, for instance.
Hill Auditorium was unexpectedly
warm for the first time this season.
Thanks to international affairs, there
were security guards checking audi-
ence members' bags.
And, possibly the evening's most
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noticeable difference from previous
orchestra concerts: The audience didn't
cough very much. The day's sun was a
cure-all.
The feeling from the stage was dif-
ferent, too. The sound wasn't as pol-
ished as that of the"
Boston Sym-
phony, and the
pieces weren't-as
new or exotic as Phif
those played by
the St. Louis Sym-
phony. But the
music was dy- H
namic. Conductor
Zubin Mchta was
intense and the musicians were en-
thused.
The orchestra's musicality became
evident seconds into "Don Quixote" by
Richard Strauss, the first piece on the
program. The musicians synchronized
musical lifts in the melody that would
impress the best gymnasts. Principal
soloists stood out from the orchestra's
texture throughout the evening, but the
mood was established with Mehta at the
helm.
Don Quixote is the 50-year-old Span-
ish hero of Miguel de Cervantes
Saavedra's 1605 novel, and Strauss'
tone poem chronicles his adventures.
After a long orchestral introduction and
with a clumsy start, cellist Marcel
Bergman entered with the solo repre-
senting the Don himself. Don's squire
is represented by the viola, ably played
by Yuril Gandelsman.
Bergman's singing sound comple-
mented that of the orchestra. His drama
developed as the ensemble made its
way through ten programmatic varia-
tions.
In the second variation, the brass
section sounded amazingly like a bleat-
ing herd of sheep. Their intention was
to represent the herd of sheep Don sees
as a great army. But sections of the
audience still giggled, whispered and
scampered for their program notes.
Solos weren't always in synch, but
there was plenty to admire. A brass
theme commanded attention before fad-
ing into the distance. A harp glissando
resonated. Two bassoons, representing
REVIEW
Israel
harmonic
Orchestra
ill Auditorium
April 18, 1996
that can easily fall
Timpani beats
led the orchestra
towards the endt
But it was the
cello, breathing
Don's last breath,
that cascaded
down to a pianis-
simo finale.
"Don Quixote"
is thekind ofpiece
flat. It's happened
this season with similar works. Bu
Mehta and the orchestra were dramati '
and convincing. "Don Quixote" was
not riveting, but certainly enjoyable.
It would have been an A-plus perfor-
mance if the last two chords hadn't
been as out of tune as they were. The
piccolo was the main culprit.
Tchaikovsky's rightfully famous
"Symphony No. 5" received a beautiful
rendition after intermission. Lyrical
phrases gained intensity, ther, calmed.
The bassoon solo of the "Andante" wa
elegant, and the horn player accompa-
nied as well as he soloed.
This is great music on the page, but
the Israel Philharmonic gave it life.
Agile fingers got the orchestra
through the third movement, and the
again-commanding brass catapulted the
orchestra to the finale.
"There have been performances
where some people mistakenly thought
that the piece was over and started a*,
plauding," read a statement in the pro-
gram notes. "The final resolution, how-
ever, is yet to come."
The deceptive ending still got some
applause, though - and more giggling
and whispering. But the drive to the real
end was followed closely by a standing
ovation.
The evening's performance wasn't
technically perfect. But the orchestra
played with drama, flair and chutzpaIj
The persistent audience earned two e-
cores, and the orchestra earned the ap-
plause.
peaceful monks, played a pleasant duct.
In Variation Seven, when Don
Quixote is tricked into believing he can
fly, a wind machine churned on stage.
This drew more giggles and whispers
from the audience.
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VELOCITY
Continued from Page 7B
work in the studio.
"This was the first time we got to
spend a really decent amount of time in
the studio," Moore said. "We spent a
total of seven weeks in the studio. The
guy who produced it, Clif Norrell was
really great and fun to work with too.
He's just a couple years older than us
and just a great guy to hang out with."
With apoppier feel than "Copacetic,"
surprised Velocity Girl fanswitha com-
pleteturnaround from thebandsearlier,
darker and more entangled material.
"A lot of people assumed that be-
cause 'Copacetic' was our first record,
that that was just how we sounded all
the time," Moore said. "But'C'opaceti-
was a reactionary record for us whel)
we were trying to shrug off all these
comparisons to bands like My Bloody
Valentine by making a rough sounding
record with a lot of rough edges and we
wanted it to sound almost live or some-
thing. We had a chip on our shoulders
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