Angel'A heavenly *1p enence fy Kaisten 4kosky Daily Ats Writer lt is a rare movie that uses every moment of screen time to its maximum potential. "Angels & Insects," based on the ndvella "Mor ho Eugenia" by A.S. Byati; is just such a film. Itis the story of William Adamson, a poor naturalist returning from the Ama- zonto England in 1858. On the way home,:he is shipwrecked, and all the notes and specimens from his expedi- tionae lost. William is taken in by the wealthy * atrol; Sir Harald Alabaster, who shares'tis interest in the sciences and planis to write a book. While living on the estate, William falls in love with Alabaster's beautiful daughter Eugenia who, surprisingly, agrees to niarry him. On the surface, their marriage is 'fine: They have a good sex life and severa-l children together, but they *main emotionally distant. William suspects that Eugenia may be hiding some mysterious secret, and the'plot, slowly and subtly, moves toward its revelation. "Angels & Insects" is an extremely beautiful film. In the opening credits, a tribaldlance in the Amazon gradually dissolves into a waltz at the Alabaster 'estate. Brightly painted, naked bodies become the fancy dresses of the En- glish aristocrats. Haas draws striking isual, parallels between the two so- REvIEw 1 Angels and Insects Directed by Philip Haas, with Mdrk Rylance and Kristin Scott Thomas F At Ann Arbor 1 & 2' 'called"primitive" and "civilized" cul- tures; With its slow, deliberate pace, the filmitself is choreographed like an elaborate waltz. No action is superflu- ous. or wasted, and eicli'shof is care- fully:designed so it resembles a beauti- ' l photograph or painting. In an attempt to win Eugenia's heart, William invites her into the observa- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 20, 1996 - 9 ... .... ...0 ... - 'i .. - . . .I , .. .. , - ., Comedy troupe thrives at'U' Club Without A Net entertains audiences every Wednesday By Karen Sommer For the Daily "We're on fire, don't you forget. "With breath so hot, you'll need Clorettes. "We're burnin' rubber like a Cor- vette. "We face the world without a net!" Not only are these lyrics from one of Without A Net's most recent improv shows, but they aptly describe the University's hottest and only improvi- sational comedy troupe. While I didn't posium, when an audience-member wrote a quote about the Death Star from Star Trek. We were so coherent," said rookie Marni Raitt. Audience members participate throughout the show and attendance has grown in this semester alone. "Our audience has gone from 60 to 70 to 100. Surprisingly, our Valentine's Day show brought in the biggest audience," Raitt noted. "The audience has fun watching us create on a whim and we come up with some great shit," Gilliam mused. While the troupe's goal is to make the audience laugh, "the core of it is that we enjoy doing it," said member Joe Lacey. "The troupe is constantly build- ing and clicking off of each other on stage," explained producer Erik Olsen. In order to think up instantaneous com- edy sketches while speaking in gibber- ish or constructing a scene around a human slide show, "you must com- pletely trust who you are on stage with," shared Raitt. As the director, Gilliam has the job of assigning players to parts each week. "Other than specific attributes, as Steve's tradition of physical comedy or (member) Gordon Eick's phenomenal musical talents, the cast is so inter- changeable that I'm confident putting anyone in any part," Gilliam said. "There is a level of confidence in the group, that anyone could jump in at anytime and the skit would still be great or even better," seconded Lacey. "The funniest moments come from mass chaos of everyone on stage," Eick remarked. "The troupe as a whole is a star - the comedians don't try to be stars themselves," said Olsen, explaining why the group works so well together. "Also, these are not intimidating people. They are great, supportive people," expressed member Barbara Liss. Without A Net hopes to establish itself as a University icon, having the same level of recognition as Amazin' Blue and the Friars, two University- sponsored musical groups. With many of its members graduating in the spring, the group hopes to perpetuate with a new crop of comedians. In the mean- time though, these comedians are ready to light your night on fire. "Hey Patsy, I loved ya in "Lethal Weapon 2." Wanna stroke my beard? I want to stroke yours!" smell any burnin' rubber during my time spent with the troupe, member and former circus performer Steve Kime's fire-breathing warmed me up for the upcoming show this Wednesday night. Two years ago, when the director of the campus-based improv comedy group, Highly Improbable, approached Bob Gilliam about starting another group, Gilliam had no idea thatthis new group would bloom into "a cohesive group of funny actors pulling in crowds of 100 people." Originally deemed "most likely not to be paying attention while the director is speaking," Gilliam now directs Without A Net. When Highly Improbable's castmovedto New York City to begin its professional ca- reer, Without A Net began its collegiate one. Modeledafter Highly Improbable's format of improvisational comedy, this six-member cast holds court in the Michigan Union's U-Club weekly. Without A Net structures their show around various theater games, such as Symposium. The group asks the audi- ence to write down their favorite movie quotes and they build an impromptu scene around the randomly selected quotes. "Our best skit came out of Sym- tory. He lets loose a swarm of butter- flies, which flutter around her and land in the folds of her ornate dress. In this scene, Eugenia resembles a butterfly, or even an angel. This is only one of many breathtaking images the movie has to offer. In contrast, when Lady Alabaster dies, the funeral procession is pre- sented in an aerial shot of small, black figures slowly marching along a wind- ing path. They, unmistakably, re- semble insects. "Angels & Insects" engages the au- dience with serious themes and ideas, often a rarity in film these days. The symbolism connecting human society and insect life is obvious, but never simplistic. It can be read on many lev- els, including the conflict of nature/ nurture, class divisions and male/fe- male relations. I a touching scene, Sir Alabaster confesses his dilemma of growing up believing in angels, and, with Dar- win, being forced to accept that hu- man beings are only part of a con- stantly evolving creation. He struggles between acceptance of this fact and a lingering feeling that something holy still distinguishes the human race from other animals. The acting in this film is impeccable. Mark Rylance plays William with a quiet, intelligent reserve that makes his occasional emotional breakthroughs all the more powerful. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Matty Crompton, a poor relative of the Ala-, basters who becomes the friend and intellectual equal that he lacks in Eugenia. With a fairly calm perfor- mance, she is able to convey the sharp wit, strong ambition and deep emotions that lie beneath Matty's surface. Patsy Kensit also does a good job giving the spoiled Eugenia a human, sympathetic dimension. All in all, there doesn't seem to be a single, negative thing to say about"An- gels and Insects." It is a great movie that is certainly well worth your time. The players of Without A Net practive their wild antics. JI, uaiy RECORDS Continued from Page 8 Various Artists Planet Dub Mammoth / Planet Dog "Planet Dub," a two disc compilation of various U.K. dub artists, is a tad incon- sistent, but nevertheless a worthwhile lis- ten. While the genre that was the prede- cessor to trip-hop and jungle may or may not stand for "deeply unobtrusive beats," one thing is for certain: The simple, laid- back bass and drum loops are often quite rich. Although the rhythms are too re- laxed and spacey for dancing, they are great to have playing when hanging out, living out the Cheech and Chong lifestyle or simply doing homework. Disc one is highlighted by Silicon Drum's "Dubkiss," Childrenofthe Bong's "Underwater Dub" and Astralasia's "Bongwater Dub-Kissing the Toad." Unlike Disc one, the second disc hasno throwaway tracks. Eat Static's "Freedom Ridge" and Alien Progeny's "Sadhana Dub" are populated with loony, but damn cool programmed sound effects encir- cling the rhythm. Other tops songs: on Disc two are Full Moon Scientist's "Lu- nar Base Dub" and Alpha and Omega's "David and Goliath." - Aaron Rennie - __________ __ Be sure to deck Qut our annual showcase of warm weather cloting in tomorrow's Daily. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDICATION RESEARCH STUDY: If you are a healthy18-50 year old male, and your weight is between 110 and 220 pounds, you may qualify for a medication research study. You must not have a history of: 4 Ulcers * Allergies to Aspirin or Ibuprofen You must not: * Take daily prescription medications Payment for completing this study is $2,422.00. For more information, please call Ann or Barb at (313) 996-7051, Mon. - Fri., 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis, Community Research Clinic, 2800 lymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105. 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