The Michigan Daily - Monday March 18, 1996 - 9A JEnding spoils a good EP.Kristin fang ~El 'ad Arts Writer w There's nothing like a movie that Executive 'Decision' keeps you on the edge of your seat, or gns that has you wanting to yell at the ,een, rooting for the characters in their time of woe. When elements like these combine with a flat ending, how- er, all you get is a film like "Execu- VeDecision." In this recent Warner Brothers cre- atiop, we have all the makings of a breathtaking thriller. It has terrorists, bombing and espionage - all thou- sids of feet above the ground. It cen- ters. around the hijacking of a 747 headed fdr Washington, D.C. The ter- Dec islon Directed by Stuart Baird with Kurt Russell and Halle Berry At Briarwood and Showcase rorists aboard plan to exchange the 400 passengers for the release of their leader, who is held captive by the Americans. The film follows the president's Cri- sis Management Team through their fight to restore peace in the friendly skies. This group struggles with the problem of handling the highly tem- peramental terrorists led byNagi Hassan (David Suchet); Hassan has the ability to destroy hundreds of Americans both in the air on the ground. They are placed in desperate cir- cumstances where the most obvious decision is not always the best. The complicated options allow the movie to follow an unusual pattern, making it not as predictable as many intense stories can be. Kurt Russell stars as David Grant, Ph.D., the intelligence expert on inter- national terrorism. Grant enlightens the government with his insight on the true intentions of the enemy; he knows that one wrong move destroys hundreds. Grant is one of those civilians/govern- ment employees who has the brains to help the government, but appears to lack the muscle to make any other ef- fort. Excitement builds in every scene of the flick. The amazing, yet frightening, aspects of modern technology are uti- lized by the government and computer whiz Cahill (Oliver Platt) to get the Special Forces aboard the plane. When only half the team completes the mis- sion, the men on the ground must rely on their intuition. The soldiers must compete, not only with the terrorists, but with their own government in order to survive. Halle Berry is the flight attendant who somehow has the knowledge to outwit the terrorists, while providing beverage service to her passengers. Although her role is brave and impressive, it is at times a bit unbelievable. She receives some comfort from the silent Marla Maples Trump, who, throughout the entire film, only nods and smiles, adding a humorous facet to all the tension. The might of the government's plan comes from the Special Forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis (Steven <:I "It's David Justice, he's coming after us. I'll save you, Halle!" Seagal). The group, including Rat (John Leguizamo), Cappy (Joe Morton), Louie (B.D. Wong) and Baker(Whip Hubley) aren't just a bunch of soldiers whose only role is to shoot and get shot; these guys are strong and stable throughout the entire flick.' "Executive Decision" has great ex- citement. It is amix between "Die Hard" and "Speed," but, at times, it is a little too much like both. The plot walks the line between reality and fantasy, and the parts that involve imagination re- quire a great stretch for our minds. "Executive Decision" has the audience in great anticipation, as they bite their nails and grasp the edge of their seats. It is one trial after another, and the middle hardly lags a bit. Unfortunately, for this stellar film, the ending dulls the thrill and action in the rest of its sequences. "1 lOve tne NiRA." i Shiny San Franicisc ras fires Up crowd By Stephanie Love tFor-the Daily. The San Francisco Symphony per- *ormed before a very appreciative audi- ence Friday night. In fact, the near-sell- out crowd at Hill Auditorium refused to let the orchestra stop after the official program- featuring Aaron Copland's Symphonic Ode and Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minorby Gustave Mahler- was over. Both works spotlighted the 'orchestra's brass, and after the opening notes of the Symphonic Ode, it was Ilearly evidenfvhich section would be running the show. Not only did Copland's work accentuate the brass, especially the trumpets and French horns, but it set the standard for the caliber of music and enthusiasm this group displayed. The work also gave thie rest of the orchestra a chance to show that they too were nothing to take REVIEW San Francisco Symphony .Hill Auditorium March 15, 1996 titly. ,,Music Director Michael Tilson ',,- mas's energy was captured and ear- -atly reproduced by the orchestra, sk ing the performance ofthe Copland the level of any other world-re- Owyned orchestra. Enjoying the dis- i7ct style of Copland, the audience's ,husiastic response at intermission :w a clear indication of the San Fran- R o Symphony's excellence. 'Z : he presentation of Mahler 5 was 'Yat the audience was waiting for Fri- y, and, judging from the intensity of heaudience throughout the perfor- Ex-Ann Arbor poet returns home By Jacob Kart For the Daily Lawrence Joseph is a professor oflaw at St. John's Univer- sity and an award-winning poet. As you might expect, Joseph's vast legal knowledge tends to work its way into his poetry, but he seems tired of the association. He describes law and poetry as "separate endeavors," each involving "a rci REVIEW Lawrence Joseph Rackham different way of thinking." When Joseph read from his most recent work, "Be- fore our Eyes," as well as 1988's "Curriculum Vitae" and 1983's "Shout- ing At No One" last Thursday at the received the Hopwood Award for Poetry and attended Cam- bridge University on a Powers Fellowship. "Ann Arbor is where I first began to think of myself as a poet," Joseph told the assembled crowd of students, teachers and friends. Joseph's grandparents were Lebanese and Syrian Catholic immigrants. His older work focuses on the political and religious conflicts he faced growing up as an Arab American in Detroit, here in Ann Arbor and in his present home in New York. But with "Before Our Eyes," he has taken a more meditative stance, described in the final line of the book's title poem- "For the time being let's just keep to what's before our eyes." And Joseph's eyes take in the world in minute details of color, emotion and introspection. "I try to bring the pressures of reality into the poem," Joseph said, and reality is ever-present in his work - a captivating descrip- tion of a sunrise could easily be followed by a sudden internal discourse on the world economy. "I like to bring in the range of language in society," he said. Joseph himself is not immune to the magnifying glass of his poetry, as poems such as "Some Sort of Chronicler I Am" examine his own faults with self-deprecating clarity. Joseph read his poetry in a friendly, conversational and sometimes sardonic style, always engaging the audience. He emphasized the importance of the text itself, saying "I like See JOSEPH, Page 1OA Amphitheatre March 14, 1996 Rackham Amphitheater, it was clear that he has no difficulty reconciling his two professions. Lawrence Goldstein, editor of the Michigan Quarterly Review and organizer of the University's visiting writers series, describes Joseph as "one of the University of Michigan's premier success stories." Joseph attended the University in the late '60s and early '70s, first as an under- graduate and then as a Law student. As an undergraduate, he Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas led the San Francisco symphony at Hill. mance and the response after the last chord, no one was disappointed. As impressive as the instrumentalists, Michael Tilson Thomas' performance was nothing less than amazing, as he conducted the entire symphony, one hour and 15 minutes of music, from memory. Once again, the caliber of playing was exceptional, and the emotional quality produced by the Symphony's interpretation kept the audience capti- vated. As before, the trumpet section shined, producing an incredible display of virtuosity, but the rest of the brass, especially the French horns, were also just as effective. This concert was definitely a brass player's dream, but the strings and woodwinds were equally as impres- sive in their own right. Without the stunning performance of the entire of the orchestra, the impact of the brass would not have been nearly as effec- tive. Mahler spoke of his work with some uncertainty, remarking, "What is the public to make of this chaos?" when referring to the intense harmonic con- struction of the symphony and the com- plexity of the relationship between sec- tions of the orchestra. But the San Fran- cisco Symphony had no problems con- verting Mahler's "chaos" into some- thing extraordinary. By the finale, the audience was well aware of the quality and talent embod- ied by these performers. In fact, the orchestra was so well-received that af- ternearly five full minutes of deafening applause and rowdy cheers, the stand- ing audience got what they wanted, an encore and a chance to see the Sym- phony display yet another side, equally as impressive as its interpretation of the 20th century works. There is no question that the brass section's performance was stellar, un- matched by almost anything that Hill has seen this year, and thisperformance, paired with the artistry of the entire orchestra, placed this concert in a class by itself. * ecture Notes 3 * ours$Pckt Copy & indery ra . :CoKFaxSTR ice BSOOKSTORE: Sometimes going to class just-isn't enough. We take notes in your classes! Grade A NoteTakers are Seniors and Grad Students. They attend class and take accurate and complete lecture notes. These notes can make great supplemental study guides. Give us a call at 741-9669 for a complete class listing. Grade A Notes atl Second Floor " 549 E. Ulrich's Bookstore University * 741-9669 Coming this Thursday: The Michigan Daily's Annual Spring Fashion Special Section. The Daily can even help you dress cool and stuff. t .1~' yt,' Nip,43 I' This is the last week to order an ad for the Daily's SUMMER SUBLET Issue. $ e ff4 . n . U