t8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 30, 1996 Flashy 'Basquiat' paints a mess By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer Originally a New York graffiti artist known as Samo, Jean Michel Basquiat lived a brief but eventful life that ended with a heroin overdose at the age of 27. Although for a short time Basquiat was the rage of the art world, he was tormented by the pressure and expectations placed upon him after he was discovered. The conflict that he faced is the focus of "Basquiat," Julian Schnabel's potentially intriguing yet dis- tant new film about the painter. When we first meet BasquiatE (played skillfully by Jeffrey Wright), R he is a struggling spray paint artist and musician living out of a cardboard box. However, he has a bold, charis- matic persona that endears him to everyone he meets. It is this personal- ity that enables him to brashly sell some terrible artwork to Andy Warhol (David Bowie) at a posh restaurant. The encounter with Warhol provides Basquiat with his first taste of the hip modern art world of the '80s. Hungry for success, Basquiat gets the break that he needs when, at a party, a prominent art critic praises one of his pieces. It isn't long before the painter's work is being dis- played at major art galleries. Consequently, every significant player in the art industry wants a part of him, including Warhol, whom he befriends. However, Basquiat eventually sacrifices his integrity for fame and fortune, which ultimate- ly leads to his demise. Schnabel, an extremely famous '80s artist, wrote and directed the movie, which perfectly captures the feel of the whole New York art scene. Flamboyant artists, corrupt deal- ers and sycophants parading as critics make up this world. m In Schnabel's film, these inter-related groups are dependent upon and help define one another. Their microcosm of art society reeks of insincerity, and due to money and huge egos, has very little to do with art itself. By creating the proper atmosphere, Schnabel makes it apparent how someone's (specifically Basquiat's) work can lose meaning. In order to be able to wear the fancy clothes and attend the swinging parties, Basquiat stifles his develop- ment as an artist by cranking out cookie-cutter imitations of his earlier pieces. Basquiat is fairly aware of what is V I E W happening to him artistically; he knows Ba that he is; being exploited by inaccu- rately being considered the voice of the ** ghetto. However, Schnabel fails to offer At Ann Arbor 1 & 2 an intimate portrait of the artist's psy- che. We never get a sense of the psy- chological makeup of the man who knows he has sold out. Instead, the director provides dull, superficial representations of Iiis pain. All of this is especially unfortunate, given the complexity of Basquiat's character. At times he wants to be rich and suc- cessful; at times he just wants to paint. At times he wants to be alone, and at times he feels too lonely and isolated. At times he is a wonderful friend, and at times he is willing to turn his back on the woman who loves him. Too concerned with advancing the plot, Schnabel doesn't really try to explain why Basquiat is like this, or why lie behaves in this manner. It is only fitting that this film is the brainchild of one of the most representative artists of Basquiat's era. "Basquiat," like much of the artwork of the time, is flashy and colorful, but is far too immersed in itself to really be considered a profound, thoughtful piece. "Arf. Arf. Arf." Spader and friends take a detour in the crazy Po P®Wekendi M PA', I - 4 -4 Our reputation scans all corners of the world. As an internationally recognized leader in information services and software technology, Information Resources, Inc. provides top companies with decision making tools to improve the businesses that impact our daily lives. We serve the companies that serve you. With a client base ranging from major retailers to the largest consumer packaged goods manufacturers, IRI continually recruits ambitious individuals with diverse educational backgrounds. By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer Forget the unbelievable trailers that make "2 Days in the Valley" look like the wildest, most exciting film of the year. Forget the fact that comparisons between it and some John Travolta movie that Quentin Tarantino directed have already begun to surface. This movie is not that thrilling, and it sure isn't another "Pulp Fiction." Regardless, "2 Days" is still, a fun fea- ture from first-time film director John Herzfeld. The complex plot involves a large cast of characters who, in some way or another, all come together by the end. Explaining the whole story would give away too much, but here's a general synopsis. Two hitmen, Lee and Dosmo Ready to find out what IRI can do for you? Then meet us on campus: Monday, Sept. 30th, 7-9pm Michigan League Koessler Library We'll tell you more about us, our benefits and the results of our case study for Budweiser (sorry, no samples). And, there will be FREE FOOD and PRIZES. Dress casual (we do) and bring your resume. If you can't make it to this event, please send your resume to: Information Resources, Inc., College Recruiting, 150 N. Clinton, Chicago, IL 60661-1416. IRI is an equal opportunity employer m/f/d/v. (James Spader and Danny Aiello) mur- der the husband of a professional skier (Teri Hatcher). Immediately afterwards, Lee tries to kill Dosmo, who manages to survive. Dosmo ends up at the house of an affluent art dealer. He takes the deal- er and his secre- R E tary hostage in order to escape. Eventually the dealer's sister and a suicidal televi- sion director are added to the hostage list. Meanwhile, Lee needs to return to the scene of the murder to collect a large sum of money. To do this he must get by Officer Wes Taylor (Eric Stoltz), who dis- covered the crime scene. As the movie continues-and finally concludes- all of the main characters converge. The strength of the film lies in the entertaining story penned by Herzfeld. The plot is a tangled web of murder, money, deceit, betrayal and all the rest of that good stuff. Moreover, the film lacks predictability, and the twists are well-timed and somewhat unexpected, yet logical (in retrospect). And Herzfeld does a nice job of maintaining an even hand with all of the characters. Since each of the 10 fea-, turedplayers have an equally important role in the execution of the plot, a prop- er amount of time must be devoted to the development of all of them. Herzfeld does this successfully, allow- ing the viewer to understand why all the characters behave as they do. m 2 The other really solid aspect of the film is the ensemble cast, which works well together. All of the performers are convincing, but especially strong are the movie's headliners. Danny Aiell Teri Hatcher and Eric Stoltz offer stri ingly sincere por- trayals of their V I E WN roles. And James Days in Spader is ieValleyabsolutely chill- ing as the menac- ing hitnmin Lee. At Showcase However, the film is weighed down by the poor touch of Herzfeld, t award-winning television director ma - ing his silver screen debut. At times, "2 Days" has the fast-paced attitude that gives the movie its stylish look in com- mercials. This is when the film is most enthralling. However, it loses its edge by featuring several overly sentimental moments that can best be described as cheesy. Also, the movie's music manages to be quite inappropriate. Not only does " it work well with the flow of the fil its ultimate weakness is that it detracts from the action taking place on the screen. Despite shortcoiiiings that occasion- ally give it aTV movie feel, "2 Days"' is a worthwhile effort. Eccentric, and a bit too hip (especially in the dialogue department), the film features an intriguing story and a game cast who really get into their parts. Similarly, Days" isn't too difficult to get into, long as you don't buy the idea that it'. the next "Pulp Fiction." "Loved ya In 'Heat,' Ashley!" information resources~ U The UM School of Music 1996 HALLOWEEN CONCERTS Sunday, October 27 at Hill Auditorium 5:00 PM & 8:30 PM 1 Number your preferences-so if your first choice is unavailable, we can fill your order with your next choice. If you do not indicate any other choices your check will be returned to you if your first choice is not available. All ticket requests will be filled in order of receipt. Limit 10 tickets per order. 2 Make a check or money order for your full payment payable to University of Michigan. One check or money order per order please. Sorry, no credit card orders. 3 Include a self-addressed STAMPED envelope so we can mail your tickets to you. If both concerts are sold out, your check will be returned to you. 4 Mail your order form, payment and self-addressed stamped envelope to: Halloween Tickets, League Ticket Office, 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109- 1265. There will NOT be an order drop box at the League. ONLY mail orders will be accepted through October 1 1. 5 Please allow TWO WEEKS to process your order. 6 In-person sales for any remaining tickets will go on sale Monday; October 21 at 10 AM at the League Ticket Office. Orders will not be accepted by phone. 7 All tickets are reserved seating. No one will be admitted without a ticket, including all children! 1996 Halloween Concerts Mail Order Form Only Mail Orders will be accepted September 30 through October 11! Name Phone_ LIMIT 10 TICKETS PER ORDER FORM! PERFORMANCE LOCATION number in order of preference # TICKETS TOTAL SUNDAY JMain Floor @ $7.00 MATINE .... SEBADOH Continued from Page 5A with this new found popularity, howev- er, and cried sell-out. Barlow replied, "The day I made my first cassette to sell it to somebody, that was when I sold out." "I don't worry too much about kids who think we sold out, cause they don't know us," Barlow said. "I got a life, I've gotta live and move forwardlin a way I'm happy with. To me, to try to conde- scend to someone else's taste is not in the plan, really. For me to make pop music, that's what I've always wanted to do." On the heels of "Natural One," Barlow, Lowenstein and Fay released "Harmacy," their best album to date. "Harmacy" combines all of Sebadoh's pent-up anger, gushing love songs, pop- punk sensibility and musical genius into a nice, neat 19-song affair. Barlow and Lowenstein each wrote half the songs on "Harmacy." Barlow's songs tend to be the more telling, beau- tiful songs, while Lowenstein's songs capture more of a live punk energy. Songs like the intense "On Fire" and beautiful "Too Pure" are contrasted with the harder, more angry "Crystal Gypsy" and "Zone Doubt." "I think ('Harmacy') is a lot more powerful than ('Bakesale')," Barlow said. "Comparing it to the records before it is really tough for me, because we just had a different idea of what was going on, more like a collection of things than like this 'band effort."' The first single, "Ocean," has been U I getting a lot of radio play, and the band even made a hilarious video for the song. The video makes fun of Barlow's oft-heard reputation as the "most sensi- tive boy in indie rock." "When we first made the video, Sub Pop were really worried because the were like, 'no one's gonna know this 'is a joke,' Barlow said. "We were like 'Well? Yeah! Isn't that a good thing? That sounds all right!' There's some guys who watch it, like Beavis and Butthead types, who'll be like 'What the hell?'That's fine. I think that's great It probably won't hurt us in the long run." The video shows Sebadoh live-i concert, but don't expect blood a Kiss, or hometown boy Barlow (he's from Jackson, Mich.) to cry and kick and scream and roll on the ground. What you should expect from Sebadoh, though, is an intense show which showcases exactly why the band is so critically acclaimed and so damn talented. You might cry a little, you might get pissed at times, and you might wanna dance to a couple of the songs, too. That's fine. I'm sure "cry by" Lou and company wouldn't mire one bit. BRUCE Continued from Page 5A especially for those of us too young, or unable, to have seen him before. But how many aging rockers (The Rollie Stones, The Who) hang on performing in the same idiom, to the point where they become pale parodies of thei- selves? It's to Springsteen's credit that he rec- ognizes this - and the fact that he's 47 - and has made the hest of it. He's on flo you're about to graduate. N YRTEL NORTHERN TELECOM ra O - LM O The moment you've been anticipating since orientation... But now what? Where do you go from here? Well, here's the great part, you don't have to go anywhere, because Nortel is coming to your college campus! If you're majoring in engineering, computer science, busipess or marketing - or you're interested in a co-op or internship - we're eager to meet you. Sounds great, right? But who's Nortel? We're r "- N R ; I I {I