The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 14, 1997 - 9

'Highwa
By Julia Shih
Daify Awts Writer
-Everyone should agree: Nobody does
film like David Lynch. As the Picass
of the film industry, Lynch has a bril
ntly unique (and often dark) outlook
life and enough creative genius to
successfully adapt
it to film. True to
form, his newest
warped offering,
"Lostg Highway,"
maintains his tradi-
tion of artistic
excellence.
"Lost Highway" is set in a city tha
looks a lot like Los Angeles: It has car
'eat bear California plates and the sam
general frenzied feeling of the city. Yet
this place is much more surreal an
spooky, probably because it was con
ceived in the root of Lynch's imagina
tion.
The film stars Bill Pullman as Fred
Madison, a jazz musician tortured by
the suspicion that his beautiful wife
Renee (Patricia Arquette) is unfaithful.
After standing accused of her bruta
irder, his life somehow become<
mysteriously intertwined with that of
handsome young mechanic named Pet
Dayton (Balthazar Getty). Pete, on th

' takes wild trip


other hand, is drawn into a web of deceit
by a beautiful and seductive woman
s (also played by Arquette) who happens
o to belong to a gangster boyfriend.
The movie ambitiously delves deep
k into the shadows of the human soul,
© exploring the esoteric nature of identity
through enigmatic
E V I E W and shocking
imagery.
Lost Highway Lynch is by far
the mastermind
*** behind this master-
At Showcase piece, as he creates
a gutsy piece of
t work that is both dynamic and aesthet-
s ic. Not only does he do an excellent job
e as the director, but he also wrote the
, original screenplay with the help of
d Barry Gifford, assuring that his extraor-
- dinary signature style would be as
- apparent as possible.
The writing duo describes "Lost
J Highway" as "a 21 st-century noir hor-
y ror film," drawing its plot from classic
e film noirs filled with desperate men
and faithless women. They should have
i also described it as a "soon to be leg-
s endary cult classic," as that's what this
a movie is destined to become.
e Lynch begins this film with a long
e and exhilarating shot, having the cam-

era hurtling down a dark, lonely high-
way. From there, Lynch continues to
manipulate strong feelings from the
audience throughout the entire film. He
uses ingenious camera angles along
with expertly placed shadows to create
feelings of dread and suspense. It is
apparent that a great deal of thought
was put into each shot, and the effort
definitely pays off. "Lost Highway" is a
breathtaking beauty and a perfect
example of filmmaking at its greatest.
The ensemble cast, which also fea-
tures Gary Busey, Richard Pryor and
Henry Rollins in bit parts, is excellent
and well-cast. The many actors' talents
help make this surrealistic tale more
acceptable and forceful.
Bill Pullman ("Independence Day")
is nothing less than amazing in his role
as a man whose life careens out of his
control. Some of the film's best scenes
come when Pullman's character is hav-
ing jarring visions of chilling and
bizarre images. His anguish is so pow-
erful that the audience is involuntarily
captivated.
Balthazar Getty is also excellent in
his role. He creates a character who
struggles to understand his life, though
his whole existence is based on being a
pawn in someone's twisted game.

Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette star in David Lynch's latest, "Lost Highway."

Robert Loggia turns in a strong per-
formance as the slimy mobster Mr.
Eddy (also known as Dick Laurent), but
Arquette's portrayal of a needy yet
seductive sex kitten is a bit two-dimen-
sional.
It can be said that David Lynch

movies are an acquired taste, but a taste
that is well worth acquiring. The twist-
ed plot, the amazing shots and the over-
all effect make "Lost Highway" a film
that shouldn't be missed.
From the opening scene to the clos-
ing scene, Lynch's speed-of-light pace

attacks the audience's senses to the
point of complete numbness. But by the
end of the movie, the audience will be
completely invigorated and pumped
with adrenaline - feeling as if they
have been tearing down an empty high-
way at breakneck speed.

Rude Mechanicals to showcase 'Men'
Former SophShow promises intimate version of 1991 film

By Stephanie Love
Daily Arts Writer
SophShow's transition to the Rude
Mechanicals takes' yet another step
forward tonight with its production
of Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good
Men."
The play follows the courtroom
drama surrounding two young Marines
arged with the murder of a fellow
arine from their unit while stationed
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The play was turned into a highly
acclaimed movie in 1991 after gaining
favorable reviews. Sorkin wrote the
screenplay for the movie version, as
well as for "The American
President."
So why not just rent the movie? For
starters; the play is somewhat differ-
t than the film.

The Rude Mechanicals can't promise
Tom Cruise, but they do boast a talent-
ed cast of 20 performers. In addition,
the play will be presented in the round,
with the audience surrounding the per-
formers.
"We've been worried that people
will think we're just showing the
movie. Doing the show in the round
lets you play with all sorts of different
angles you can't do with the screen. It's
more natural, more like you're watch-
ing real people," said Engineering
sophomore Mike Newberry.
"We tried specifically not to be
stereotypical. We don't want to do the
movie for people," Leslie Soranno,
the show's producer said.
"But the language is very much
the same and the dynamic between
humor and drama hasn't changed.

They're doing it the way we as a
whole see it should be done," she
added.
The intimate setting of the U-Club
provides a unique experience for this
highly charged play.
"Take for instance the courtroom
scene," Newberry noted. "You're
right there with
Colonel Jessup
within arm's PR
reach. You really
feel the presence. A Fe,
It makes it a lot F
more fun when
you have that $6 at Michig
human element
rather than just watching actors on a
screen."
In a traditional theater set-up, the
actors rarely have their backs to the
audience. But the upstaging in this pro-
duction works more as an asset than a
problem.
"We've adapted to the technique
pretty well," Newberry said.
"It doesn't work unless the setting
is intimate, and in the U-Club, it
works well. It really brings the play
out from being a flat work. There are
times when you'll be looking at some-
one's back, but it's an okay sacrifice
because you're getting the reaction,"
he continued.
The set for the production is simple,
limited to tables and chairs.
"This play is not about a fancy set,
music or costumes; it's not a spectacle.
It's the words, emotions, people and
relationships that are important,"
Soranno said.
Although the play was written in

igan

1986, the scandals it addresses are still
concerns of today.
"After we started doing this, the
same issues started to come out in the
media. Many of the scandals in the
news are addressed in this show. We'd
like to provoke the thought that public
servants in general are people whose
jobs just aren't
respected
E V iEW en o ug h,"
Newberry said.
i Good Men This produc-
day-Sunday at 8 p.m. tion begins a
U-Club in the Union R u d e
Union Ticket Office Mechanicals tra-
dition - presen-
tation of a major Shakespearean work
in the fall and a modern piece in the
spring.
"SophShow was dying until last year.
We want to build up a legacy as the
Rude Mechanicals. We just don't want
it to die again."
The Rude Mechanicals is a student-
run organization that gives students on
campus a forum for the spoken word.
"What's important is the process, not
the product. We're learning as we go
and it gives us a chance to have fun,"
Newberrry said.
"We've come up with a very nice
solution to working in the U-Club and
working in the round. We're not theater
majors and we don't necessarily know
what we're doing, but we won't be lim-
ited by that," he added.
"We do offer something different,"
Soranno agreed. "No other group is
willing to take these kinds of risks. If
you want to grow artistically, you've got
to take these risks."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THEIN
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The Rude Mechanicals will present Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good Men." The play
Inspired the successful 1991 film.

I. 9

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