A - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 21, 1997
One 'Last Shout' brings AbFab' women back into
By Bryan Lark
Daily Film Editor
Break out the Stoli, sweetie. Get your
Lacroix finery out of storage, darling.
Brace yourselves - those foul-
mouthed, fashion-following, champagne-
swilling, insult-spewing, pleasure-seek-
ing mistresses of
overabundance, RI
Patsy and Edina, are
back for one last The
shout.
"Absolutely
Fabulous: The Last Comedy
Shout" to be exact.
E
L
a moment, Patsy will mount it, while
Eddie cheers her on.
While keeping the dizzy, slapstick
sensibility and innate intelligence of the
original episodes, the program's too-far-
over-the-top exhibition tends to grate at
a length of two hours.
As the plot kicks
V I E W off, the girls jet off to
mingle with the high
oast Shout society of Europe on
the slopes of Val
D'Isere. Patsy learns
entral: wed. 8 p.m. that she will be
homeless, and Edina
exchanges "fishy aura" with her new pet
dolphin.
In between pursuing gorgeous things
and lunching, Patsy and Edina learn that
Eddie's daughter, Saffy (Julia Sawalha),
is engaged. Too caught up in being fabu-
lous, the decadent duo heads off for a
weekend of sex, snow and skis.
While the sex-crazed Patsy seduces
buff ski instructors, Edina has a near-
death experience in which she discusses
shopping and the meaning of life with
God (a whimsical cameo by Marianne
Faithfull). Instilling a newfound mater-
nal instinct in Edina, the experience
allows her to rush home to interfere
with her daughter's wedding plans.
With almost monotonous physical
comedy, "The Last Shout"'s wholly
worthwhile hilarity is created by the out-
standing chemistry and utter magnetism
spotlight"}"
of Saunders and Lumley, who alw s
remember that Patsy and Edina ai
human three-dimensional characters.
Some dismal lows, however, do exist
- the comedy mostly relies on tile
nuances of the characters and falling
down, rather than on the witty one-li
ers and outrageous situations that ear-
marked the original series.
Nonetheless, Patsy and Edina arestl
the goddesses of gorging, surrounded
by lovers, liquor, lunatics and Lagroix.
Though far from fabulous, "The Last
Shout" deserves some gratitude fdr
implanting the bittersweet taste of fina4-
ity on a television institution. .
As Patsy would say, "Cheers. TbadOks
a lot.'
If it's DKNY, they'll don it. If it's a
powder, they'll ingest it. If it's made of
alcohol, they'll imbibe it. If it stops for
Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders are absolutely fabulous, darling.
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'Metro' delivers migraines I
By Julia Shih
Daily Arts Wiiter
What do large quantities of cheap
wine, Gilbert Gottfried and Eddie
Murphy's new movie, "Metro," have in
common? They will all give you noth-
ing but a massive, blinding headache.
Touchstone Pictures presents
"Metro" as an action thriller starring
I
A huge diversity of student organizations are waiting just for you!
Come & find out more about campus organizations
at the University of Michigan!
Murphy and Michael Rapaport.
Murphy plays Scott Roper, the police
department's ace hostage negotiator
whose cool head and silver tongue can
get him out of the most delicate situa-
tions. Michael Rapaport is rookie
Kevin McCall, the new guy on the force
whom Roper is assigned to train.
When jewel thief, Korda (Michael
Wincott), kills one of Roper's friends,
Roper vengefully pursues him and
bringshim to justice. But when Korda
escapes from prison, Roper must use all
of his wits to survive the criminal's psy-
chotic games.
In "Metro," as in other action
thrillers, the numerous special effects
and stunts are supposed to make up for
a weak plot. Although this movie's plot
is actually stronger than most films of
its genre, its special effects and stunts
are less than spectacular.
Most interesting about the film is its
perspective on hostage negotiations.
Along the same lines of what "Top Gun"
was supposed to do for fighter pilots and
what "Backdraft"
was supposed to do E
for firefighters,
"Metro" attempts A
to glamorize
hostage negotia-
tors. Their calm
control and con-
frontations with danger are two of the
reasons why hostage negotiators deserve
to be viewed as heroes.
Scott Roper's wisecracks provide
most of the entertainment in "Metro.'
From complimenting his girlfriend's
sweetness, to training McCall with a
simulated hostage situation, his endless
quips will have people laughing regu-
larly throughout the film. Murphy, a
li 'I'JTUENTI' ()ItAAIION FAIR
Current members of various student organizations will be in the
Michigan Union eager to talk to you and answer your questions.
Get involved!
TIHUR1SDAY, JANIARY 23, 1997
11:00AM -4:00PM
MICHIGAN UNION
SPONSORIEDR lv I'I O: OI'IC OF S'mi' mAE'IVIlIFS ALEADERSHIP
!2U 41:1 3110(1UION
U.
Eddie Murphy stars in "Metro."
comedian at heart, can always find
ways to interject his unique brand of
humor into his films.
Michael Rapaport ("Beautiful
Girls") is excellent as Roper's shadow.
As McCall, he is a sharp-shooting, lip-
reading character.. It was a disappoint-
ment that McCall was not developed
further.
In "Metro," the camera is shaky and
out of focus, and avalanches of quick cuts
bombard audience
E V I E W members until they
are green with
Metro motion sickness.
The cinematogra-
phy not only fails to
At Showcase capture the spirit of
this movie, but it
succeeds in making people feel com-
pletely ill. It's pretty hard to enjoy a film
if you have your eyes shut or if you're
running for the bathroom.
Everything about "Metro" screams
out mediocrity. If you are looking for a
good action flick starring Eddie
Murphy, just stay home and rent
"Beverly Hills Cop.""Metro" just isn't
worth the time or money.
Nexus sho'
Diverse rhythm
By Stephanie Love
For the Daily
Starting a concert by banging on
pieces of wood usually isn't the best
way to draw in an audience. Nexus, a
five-member percussion ensemble, did
just that.
Thursday night's concert opened
with Steve Reich's "Music for Pieces of
Wood," a composition played with five
pairs of tuned
claves. The initial
simplicity of the
piece, consisting
only of a steady
pulse, set the foun-
dation for a series
of "rhythmic con-
structions," which
rely on the substitution of beats instead
of rests in a rhythmic pattern.
After a second performer was added,
the piece became more intense.
Audience members who had originally
decided that the piece involved nothing
but organized banging quickly changed
their minds. The new rhythm blended
into the old one, only to be replaced by
another voice, and then another.
Eventually, the audience was surround-
ed by an almost overwhelming swarm
of sound.
And that was just the beginning.
Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman followed
with Reich's "New York Counterpoint,"
a composition written for Stoltzman.
Backed by a "clarinet sandwich" of the
other 10 parts on tape, Stoltzman's per-
formance revealed the often untapped
richness of the clarinet. The composi-
tion explored the ranges and textures
produced on a clarinet, moving from a
driving pulsation to lyrical interplay
between the parts. At times, it was hard
to differentiate between the live and
taped parts.
The last three pieces in the first half
of the concert featured Nexus and
Stoltzman. At first, it seemed like all
three compositions were one, since the
group moved effortlessly from one to
the next. The dramatic difference in
style was the only clue that the pieces
were indeed separate.
tion of clarinet and marimba was amaz-
ing. The enthusiasm and skill of the
performers created an audience-
enveloping intensity, which carried over
into the rest of the concert.
Although slightly less exciting, th'
second half was in no way inferior.
"Reflections" was the only piecethat
just didn't seem to fit the mood ®f tle
concert. The entirely improvised:work
seemed almost like an excuse for Nextis
to play with their extensive collectidn
of percussion instruments. Stoltzmanis
wailing clarinet added to the long-
winded feeling.
"African Suite" was a fitting fjnale.
The intriguing sound of the mbir
something like a child's toy piano, was
featured. "Kobina," a synthesis of ;a
popular dance from Ghana, followed.
At first, it was questionable if clarinet
and African drumming were a suitable
combination. But once Stoltzman took
his cue from the style of the higl-
pitched iron bell, Gankogui, the husk.
began to gel. The call-and-response
qualities typical of Ghana's cross-rhytli-
mic music gave the piece the desie*
conversational feel.
The disappointingly small audice
experienced an exciting if not unusil
concert. After all, who knew that the
combination of Western and 0o -
Western music would have sucli,"cf-
ative results?
chance to think.
The highlight
RE VIE W
Nexus
Hill Auditorium
Thursday, Jan. 16. 1997
w succeeds
"
is lven concert*
.-'
"Tristeza" was backed by a visual
display of masks from various cultuire,
The visual backdrop complemented th#
mysterious mood created by the d-syn-
thesizer and Stoltzman's lamenting
clarinet. Pausing for only a second, the
group began the almost ragtinte
"Modinha,' before the audience had'a
of the concert was
when the group
broke out into tle
first strains of Bl
Douglas' "Feastg
The piece cele-
brates the rhythmik
diversity of Irih
and African musi;,
and the combina-
.. .. ..
TAKE BACK
YOU FUTU E..
PROTECT
Read the
Daily.
Recycle the
Daily,
CHOICE!
Celebrate the 24th
Anniversary of
Roe v. Wade
/
/
.,
/ \
THE BLACK STUDENT UNION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
k
HOSTS
A LECTURE IN OBSERVANCE OF MLK JR. DAY
FEATURING
DICK GREGORY
'~
s, <
AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, COMEDIAN, NUTRITIONIST,
AND ANTI-DRUG COUNSELOR
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 22.1997
k.
guest speaker
State Senator
Alma Wheeler Smith
followed by the video
"The Fragile Promise of Choice"
6