Admen t doolmi~ tg
See the world at a different speed
Godfrey Reggio's landmark 1983 film, "Koyaanisquatsi," provides a
sensory experience unequaled in the world of cinema. By combining
various images filmed in slow-motion or time-lapse photography with
the eerie music of Philip Glass, Reggio mesmerizes his viewer by pre-
senting the world in a completely original manner. The movie is show-
ing Sunday at 5 p.m. and Monday at 7 p.m. at the Michigan Theater.
As always, student tickets are a mere $5.
Friday
November 1, 1996
5
I -
Jazzy
Tj. Kirk beams into Detroit
By Aaron Rennie
Daily Arts Writer
T.J. Kirk, a San Francisco quartet of talented jazz
musicians dedicated to playing the music of
Thelonious Monk, James Brown and Rahsaan Roland
Kirk, will be arriving in metro Detroit today for a per-
formance at The Magic Bag.
The group, consisting of gui-
rists Charlie Hunter, Will PR
"ernard and John Schott, as
well as drummer Scott
Amendola, is currently on tour
to promote its second album, "If The
Four Was One."
1
e
to complement various jazz chops - is a side project
for all four members of the band. This enables them to
explore different facets of their musical interests.
"My music that I release under my own name is
much more avant-garde jazz or contemporary classi-
cal in nature (than T.J. Kirk)," Schott said.
Schott eloquently spoke at
length about the meshing of the
EVI E W styles in T.J. Kirk's oeuvre. "You
TJ. Kirk can't ignore that kind of musical
legacy (of James Brown). I
Tonight at 10 p.m. at think there's significant points
Magic Bag in Ferndale. of connection between not just
Admission is $10. jazz and funk, but particularly
between Monk, Roland Kirk
and funk. We wanted to do what a literary theorist
would call an 'inter-textual reading' of their pieces -
you read each composer in light of the other two and
get a bigger picture. We're not trying to be faithful
always to the letter of the law, we're trying to examine
the ideas and what the ideas mean to us."
The fusion of these ideas is manifested in "If Four
Was One," a stunning album whose songs contain
numerous medleys, like the mixing of Kirk's
"Meeting At Termini Corner," James Brown's "I Got
A Bag Of My Own" and Monk's "Brilliant Corners."
Within such medleys, Hunter, Bernard and Schott all
get to bust loose and display their solo prowess. Yet
they also remain a tight and cohesive unit, never stray-
ing too far from the fold or Amendola's more than
capable drumming.
Schott pointed out the differences between the new
disc and what the band sounds like live. "The disc is
just a snapshot of a particular moment of time. The
music is always evolving. Live, we're just trying to
play as intensely and with as much spirit as possible. I
don't consider us a jazz group, but we are jazz musi-
cians. And inevitably, there's a lot of spontaneity in
whatever we do."
Come catch these splendid musicians Tonight for a
sure-fire evening of jazz funk madness. Besides, not
only will you be able to shake your keister to an excel-
lent interpretation of James Brown's "Payback," but
you might be treated to a surprise cover of Prince's
"Rockhard In A Funky Place."You won't want to miss
out.
In a recent interview with The
Michigan Daily, John Schott explained the concept of
the band and where its name came from. "The origi-
nal name of the band was James T. Kirk. Paramount,
which owns 'Star Trek,' wouldn't let us use that. So we
*alled the band 'T.J. Kirk,' (in homage to William
Shatner's major TV roles as) T.J. Hooker and Captain
Kirk."
T.J. Kirk - which dishes out a mean slice of funk
Michigan Theater,
.'U' present unique
Interior Visions'
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Jazz masters and William Shatner fans, TJ. Kirk plays tonight at the Magic Bagv
Leigh's 'Secrets'
deserves its acclaim
By Neal C. Carruth
Daily Arts Writer
The Michigan Theater's schedule for
flovember presents a handful of fasci-
nating films that any true student of the
cinema will not want to miss. The most
u notable of these films results from the
fruitful collaboration between the
Michigan Theater and the University's
Program in Film and Video Studies.
This month, the Michigan Theater
and the University continue their series
"Interior Visions: The Subjective
Camera in Narrative Film." The moti-
vating idea behind this set of films is an
*xploration of the way in which film
allows the viewer to inhabit the mind of
others and appreciate their particular
subjective experience. November sees
four unique entries in this series.
The first, on Nov. 5 and 7, is Woody
Allen's classic comedy, "Annie Hall"
(1977). It is the story of a (typically)
neurotic New Yorker, 'Alvy Singer,
played by Allen, and his relationship
with the daffy, impressionable Annie
Hall (Diane Keaton). Allen weaves an
evocative tapestry of emotions, flash-
backs and fantasies that charts the colli-
sion of the characters' perspectives.
Not only does "Annie Hall" examine
how introspective over-analysis man-
ages to unravel romantic relationships,
but it is also a very amusing film.
"Annie Hall" is probably Allen's purest
commercial and critical success to date,
and it garnered a number of Academy
Awards, including Best Picture and
Best Actress for Keaton.
On Nov. 12 and 14, comes Terry
Gilliam's uneven, overwhelming master-
work "Brazil" (1985). In this film,
Gilliam amply demonstrates both his con-
siderable gifts and shortcomings as a
director. "Brazil" takes place in the crum-
bling, Orwellian future and concerns the
life of Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce, of
"Carrington"), a bored government clerk
in the Ministry of Information.
Lowry's overactive imagination blends
Judy Davis and John Turturro star in "Barton Fink," back on screen this month.
with his everyday reality, creating an
astounding feast for the eyes. Gilliam
paints his story flamboyantly on a large
canvas with elaborate sets and costumes.
Unfortunately, the director also allows his
touch to become progressively leaden as
"Brazil" lurches toward its conclusion.
Next, on Nov. 19 and 20, is David
Lynch's 1986 mix of surrealism and
Americana, "Blue Velvet." Lynch's
depiction of the lurid, seething reality
beneath the surface of a ho-hum town
prefigures his ABC series "Twin
Peaks." Kyle Maclachlan plays an all-
American fellow who, while at home to
visit his ailing father, discovers a sev-
ered, decaying human ear.
This discovery leads him down a
slippery slope of seduction and vio-
lence as he comes under the spell of the
Blue Lady (Isabella Rosselini), an allur-
ing nightclub singer and crosses the
path of a nitrous oxide-sniffing thug
played by Dennis Hopper. Lynch burns
Machlachlan's character's apple pie
sensibility to a crisp, giving the film a
compelling depth, as he peels back the
multiple layers of reality.
The final entry in the series in
November is Joel and Ethan Coen's aston-
ishing "Barton Fink" (1991). The Coens
are probably the most consistently inter-
esting American filmmakers currently at
work. John Turturro stars in the title role
as a writer living in a Hollywood hotel in
the 1940s. Fink's writer's block takes him
on a surreal ride through the creative
unconscious and the darker corners of the
middle years of the "American century."
Apart from the "Interior Visions"
series, another significant film, coming
to the Michigan Theater on Nov. 24, is
U.W. Griffith's
maudlin but
worthwhile a
"Orphans of the
Storm" (1922).
The film is one'
of the three or
four undisputed
high points of
the controver-
sial but pio-
neering career
of Griffith. The John Goodman is
screening of happy to be back in
"Orphans of the "Barton Fink."
Storm" will be -
enhanced by the live accompaniment of
the Michigan Sinfonietta, conducted by
Gillian Anderson, a noted scholar of
silent film music.
The Michigan Theater and the
University will also continue their
"Women & Film" series in November,
with Douglas Sirk's racially charged
"Imitation of Life" and the short collec-
tion "Experiments in Motherhood"
By Prashant Tamaskar
Daily Arts Writer
Overshadowed by a subplot about a
black woman seeking her white biologi-
cal mother, "Secrets and Lies" stands
foremost as a study of a broken family
and the ways that its burnt bridges are
rebuilt. Paced by Mike Leigh's strong
direction and several fine performances,
the film justifies the acclaim it received
at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
When Hortense (Marianne Jean-
Baptiste), a well-to-do optometrist in
London, loses
her adopted
mother, she opts R E
to search for her dem
birth mother -
in an attempt to
learn more about
h e r s e I f.
Forewarned by
others of the potential consequences of
her pursuit, Hortense nonetheless cau-
tiously sets out to arrange a meeting.
Although fairly reluctant at first,
Cynthia (Blenda Blethyn), a middle-
aged factory worker, finally agrees to
get together with her daughter.
Yet, Hortense, who had a remarkable
stable family life, could not possibly
have imagined what she was in for.
Cynthia's other daughter, the soon-to-
be-21 Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook),
can barely stand her mother.
Meanwhile, Cynthia's relations with
her beloved younger brother Martin
(Timothy Spall) and his wife are
strained at best. With his beautiful
house and nice car, the generally affable
Martin hides himself from his overbear-
ing sister by creating an existence that
is the antithesis of hers. His only
reminder of Cynthia is a framed photo-
graph of Roxanne at age 6 that sits on
the mantle of the fireplace.
But Martin decides that it might be a
nice idea to invite his sister and niece
over for a barbecue to celebrate
Roxanne's 21st birthday. Following
"4
this, the siblings prudently begin ;to
modify their long detached relation-
ship. That is, until Cynthia, who' has
quickly taken to Hortense, invites her to
the party, where revelations and accusa-
tions are made, testing the resolve, :(f
the entire family.
Misleading advertising / publicity
has inaccurately placed the focus"of
"Secrets and Lies" on the racial aspects
of the mother-daughter scenario, An
reality, the color of Hortense's skin (and
her high socio-economic status) is sig-
nificant only -im
the perceivedbar-
I IE W rier that it creates
sS d s between her and
the white, work-
ing class Cynthia.
At Ann Arbor 1& 2 However, Leigh
manages to sjjll-
fully tear down
the wall between the two in a seriesof
meetings that begin awkwardly,'but
steadily become warm and compas-
sionate. And thankfully, he does. this
without cheaply overemphasizing the
race issue.
It is during the encounters with
Hortense that the histrionic Cynthia is
finally rewarded for her affectionate
persona. Roxanne becomes enraged
any time Cynthia behaves in a loving,
maternal manner. Martin, although not
as overtly rejecting, constantly keeps
his distance from his sister, even when
he is embraced. Hortense, however,
appreciates Cynthia for what she is and
returns the love.
The theme of redemption is also at.the
heart of this film. Fate provides the clar-
acters with an opportunity to eradicate
mistakes they have made in the past.
However, the revelation of these mistakes
is a gradual process that takes place
throughout the whole film, and thus,-the
idea of redemption is slowly and thought-
fully presented to the audience.
Given the wide range of emotiojns
See SECRETS, Page 7
Jonathan Pryce, pictured In "Carrington," stars in "Brazil" at the Michigan Theater.
I _____________________________ I
Get f le whole seooy on the mid4 _'mi-Mick tynSeate pain~re.
SPORTSMONDAY
DIRECTORS AND DESIGNERS:
UM Gilbert and Sullivan Society is now
accepting petitions for our spring show
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Call Stacey at 761-7855 for info.
et your ow tlfree888 number
(to ring on your home or your choice phone)
call anytime from any phone in the US for only
I 1 .9C'/minute
(including I Iawaii, Pierto Rico. & Alaski)
to sign up call :1-888-MY-OWN-888
compare our rate I *(24 hours/7clays) to your
schCools per iitO' rte,
THE WILLIAM DAVIDSON INSTITUTE
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
1997 BUSINESS ASSISTANCE AND SURVEY PROJECTS
Summer infernship opportunities in Central and Eastern".
Europe, the Newly Independent States, and Asia
Students of MBA, Area Studies, Public Policy, and OBHRM Ph.D.
are encouraged to apply.
Minimum Master's-level standing required.
Presentation Tuesday, November 5, 1996
4:30 - 6:00 pm, Hale Auditorium
(Corner of Hill and Tappan)
For further information, call 763-5020.-
I OLIVIA (LIBBY) MAYNARD
A commitment to the
excellence of the University.
of Michigan; keeping
a
r s
1'
I I " I