U9RijeSiIjig atg Don't miss "Casablanca" on Michigan Theater's big screen. Watch sparks fly between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in this clas- sic tale of romance and war. The screening will begin at 4:10 p.m. at the Michigan Theater. Admission is $5. Tuesday September 23, 1997 ncres' film ad covers too mu By John Ghose Daily TV/New Media Editor If you are a well-molded product of today's remote- c trol McCulture, then you will stop reading my arti- (f this sentence doesn't immediately catch your eye. And if I'm lucky enough to write a winner with that first sentence, I'll have to consistently generate sentences loaded with sense-numbing, cliff- R hanging, page-turning, juiced-up, hyper-amped words - simply to 9 keep you reading.1 Welcome to life in 1997, where our country's best-selling maga- is "TV Guide," and our la 'estcirculating newspaper is the "National Enquirer." Where Oprah Winfrey is our highest-paid entertainer and everything is a Surge commercial. Where remote control features rise while attention spans fall. Welcome to our pop-culture. Sadly, there's no room here for "A Thousand Acres." Based on Jane Smiley's (author of the terrific "Moo") 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "A Thousand Acres" is a tremendously moving, powerfully univer- sal story that falls victim to ruthless editing and a cul- tute of USA Today readers. gle King Lear-esque tale follows the saga of the Cook Family, headed by the tyrannical patriarch Larry Cook (Jason Robards). We meet the Cooks just before LaiTy decides to distribute his huge farm (you guess the size) among his three grown daughters: Ginny (Jessica Lange), Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Caroline (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The apportioned land viciously divides the family, which causes many long- guarded secrets and unspoken rivalries to be revealed. ,'Among the many secrets unearthed by Larry's impul- sX 1y misguided decision are incest, miscarriage, breast r, spousal abuse, sibling rivalry, death, adultery and naiy other deadly sins. Standing alone, each one of these issues could produce a solid movie, but when heaped together in 104 minutes, the issues cheat each other, and end up making the characters look like talk- show guests. Of course, this problem does not lie with the storyteller, but with the chosen medium - film. Jane Smiley is an excellent author, and a master sto- ryteller. Director Jocelyn Moorhouse is a talented filmmaker with a good cinematic eye. And the actors themselves, all four of whom have superb acting cre- *ials and the Academy Awards to back them up, do E laptation Ich ternitory a fine job. Jessica Lange does an especially fine job. She portrays the emotionally dynamic Ginny with a simpleton's authenticity, while pulling off lines like "I was a ninny" with touching grace. No, don't blame these people for "A Thousand Acres"' disappointing result - blame yourselves. Well, maybe not yourselves, exactly, rather audiences in general. EV I E W When Moorhouse had finished A Thousand shooting and everyone was pleased, Acres the studio execs thought they'd sim- ply give the film a test run before releasing it. When the test screening At showcase audiences responded with belly- aches about the movie being too slow and too long, the executive producers decided to cut more than 45 minutes of the film so that it could be released at the easy-to-swallow time of 104 minutes. Unfortunately, this is common practice in the studio system. For instance, Polygram execs recently tried to cut large portions of Robert Altman's take on Grisham's "The Gingerbread Man" before releasing it this fall. Infuriated, Altman threatened to remove his name from the project, thereby scaring his producers into allowing his original cut to be released. Sadly, Moorhouse does not have this kind of directorial clout. Even without knowing this movie's history, it's obvious to most viewers that what we see on the big screen is nowhere near the original director's cut. Tragedy jumps to tragedy with little background or character development. The plot seems to roll along like a "to-do list" being efficiently checked off, with each event occurring quickly and simply, with little development or repercussion. We find ourselves ask- ing "what's at stake?" How can we sympathize with these characters if we don't know a thing about them? This film reduces the complexity of Smiley's original characters - characters you cheer for and against, simultaneously - into cliche depictions of good feud- ing with evil. The feelings in the book are sloppy, while the emotion comes pre-packaged in the film, with neat little spots for every feeling. Toss out the vacuum pack and pass my bib - I can spare another 45 minutes. That is, if it's a worthwhile 45 minutes. There's a good chance that, while the extra time could have filled in many of the characters' seams, it wouldn't have saved this movie. Because it is based on a good novel, it may have been doomed from the start. The list of good books turned into bad movies is By Stephanie Love Daily Arts Writer In 1892, the University Musical Society welcomed the year-old Chicago Orchestra to Ann Arbor. One-hundred ninety-eight appearances later, the Chicago Symphony returns to Ann Arbor for a weekend residency. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Weekend features and conductor C h r i s t o p h Eschenbach on piano, opening the 119th Annual Choral Union series Thursday Chicago Symphony Orchestra to play A celebrated pianist ; * ,,k n, ;;4, S 1 .. PR Chica Thursd Hill Auditorium and Cal (Top) Jessica Lange stars in the film adaptation of Jane Smiley's "A Thousand Acres." (Above) Pfelffer and Lange are sisters with too much history and emo- tional baggage. lengthy: "Bonfire of the Vanities" "Bright Lights, Big City," "Revenge," "Crash." All movies that bombed because they deal with complex, emotional conflict, and rely on character, not necessarily events, for plot. Now consider books that have translated into successful films: "Legends of the Fall," "The Shawshank Redemption," "The English Patient." These stories rely on character and conflict too, but they rely on climax and resolution more. But more important, these stories are simply short- er. "Legends" is a novella, "Shawshank" is a short story, and "The English Patient" is based on only one portion of the acclaimed novel. Unlike these films, "A Thousand Acres" bites off more than it can chew, and chokes and sputters because of it. evening. A panel discussion on the orchestral audition process in the '90s with members of the orchestra takes place Friday afternoon from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Recital Hall at the School of Music. Friday evening's concert features acclaimed violinist Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg in celebra- tion of the Symphony's 200th perfor- mance in Ann Arbor. The gala celebration continues Saturday with a day of master classes, all free and open to the public at the School of Music. And in culmination, Eschenbach and members of the Symphony present an evening of cham- ber music in Rackham Auditorium Saturday night. Overwhelming? Perhaps. But for the Symphony and soloists, it's all in a day's work. In a recent telephone interview, vio- linist Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg talked about her excitement for the residency. "It's fantastic to be playing with the Symphony. I've worked with them a lot in the past," said Solerno-Sonnenberg. "It's easy to feel comfortable when you are working with the best." And rightly so. The Chicago Symphony boasts a discography of more than 900, while Orchestra record- ings have earned 53 Grammy Awards. This weekend's concerts feature works by Berlioz, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and .a Beethoven among others. Conductor and pianist Christoph Eschenbach, music director for the Houston Symphony, continues the tradi- tion of pianist-conductors that reaches back to Beethoven, Schumann and Liszt. "Eschenbach is a friend of mine, and I'm looking forward to playing with' him Friday," Solerno-Sonnenberg said. "The master class should be really inteiesting and EVIE W S ejyblen" go Symphony Sonnenberg said. Omhestra "I'm excited about day-Saturday at 8 p.m. coming to d Rackham (Sat. only) Michigan - it's 1 764-2538 for tickets Mihgn -t' my favorite college and football team. Plus I'm going to the game on Saturday!" Solerno-Sonnenberg is known for her unconventional playing style and stage presence. Talking to her reaffirms that image as her street-smart accent doesn't give the impression of renowned classical violinist. "My family is very musical, and we used to have these family dinners which ended with music;" she said. "I was the youngest in my family, and they were afraid I'd develop a complex if I didn't have an instrument to play. So when I was five, I was given a cheap violin and took some lessons from my mother's best friend who was teaching little kids to play the violin. And we knew the vio- lin was where I was going to excel." Solerno-Sonnenberg, whose living room features a mounted 275-pound blue shark that she caught off the coast of Long Island, was faced with a career-threatening accident in 1994. The violinist, chatting with friends while slicing an onion, accidentally slipped and chopped off the pinky finger of her left hand. "The left hand is the hand which goes up and down the fingerboard. For the first time in my life, I was faced with the reality that I might never play again and that I'd have to think about what to do with my life. I've always had the fiddle, she said. Luna brings 'Pup,' rousing show to Chicago By Anders Smith-Undall Daily Arts Writer "I'm gonna crawl right into your dreams," promises Luna figurehead Dn Wareham on the title track of the vi's recently released album, RI "Pup Tent.' On . Saturday night , ., these words, deliv- ered through a dis- Cabaret A tortion device that s lent his already detached voice a disembodied, metallic quality, echoed into the darkest corners of the crowded, smoky Cabaret Metro in ago. At that moment, with those in * dance firmly in the band's grasp, it seemed as though truer words were never spoken. On the new album, Wareham and his Luna cohorts further explore and define E M atui their unique territory they have mapped on their previous recordings, an urban noir dreamscape populated by figures both tragic and comic as Wareham's worldview ranges from brooding to ironic. But while they VI E W may not stray far from their thematic Luna tried-and-true, they take more chances etro, Chicago on the musical side rday, Sept. 20, 1997 of things. "('Pup Tent') is a little darker and harsher in some ways," said guitarist Sean Eden. " We wanted to get a little bit away from our 'moody pop thing' We wanted to get a little bit more eclectic, and we're happy about that with this record." Highlights of the album include the soaring "Bobby Peru," "Beautiful View" and "Beggar's Bliss." "Some of the arrangements on this record are so complex, " Eden said, "that when we do them live it sounds like the record, but only 'like' the record. I'm very happy about playing live right now. We did a lot of guitar experimentation on this record, kind of loopy, backwards stuff, effected stuff, basically exploring the boundaries -or lack of boundaries - of the sounds you can make with a guitar. There's sounds on the record that sound like a synthesizer or an effected analog keyboard that aren't, they're actu- ally guitar." To recreate these sounds in a live set- ting, Wareham piesides over a dazzling array of distortion pedals. He and Eden swap lead guitar duties, utilizing the pedals, feedback, whammy bar and e- bow to coax a mesmerizing array of tones from their instruments. Saturday night's show, though it started slowly due to a seemingly ill-at-ease Wareham, eventually built to a transcend- ing end. High points included the extend- ed psychedelic workout of"23 Minutes In Brussels" from Luna's 1995 album, "Penthouse," which was propelled by a surprisingly aggressive drumbeat cour- tesy of newcomer Lee Wall. "Lee is new blood," said Eden. "He's got a certain gusto that is new for us. He plays with a little bit more muscle. (Former drummer) Stanley Medeski's a great drummer but very reserved, a conservative drummer who believes in the classic approach to drumming, and Lee's a little more all-over-the-place." On the record and particularly in con- cert Saturday, Wall was in all the right places. Eden and Wareham's guitar work was excellent and bassist Justin Harwood played solidly and added dimension with his vocal harmonies. In all, the band put on a rousing show before an expectant and, ultimately, adoring crowd And one more thing - forget those Velvet Underground comparisons, said Eden. "We're tired of that. If you've never heard Luna before and you pick up 'Pup Tent,' you won't say, 'Man, that sounds just like the Velvet Underground."' Lune rocked the Windy City this past weekend. . 1 Start your ev LEAGUE ening... Underground... RESPONSIBILITY CHALLENGE AND THE CHANCE TO MAIKE A DIFFERENCE ZS ASSOCIATES IS AN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM DEDICATED TO HELPING COMPANIES ACHIEVE LONG LASTING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN MARKETING AND SALES. ZS WILL BE ON CAMPUS RECRUITING Business Associates Operations Research Analysts Business Information Specialists Snftware Develoners MORRISSEY September 24 Hill Auditodum Ann Ador Michigan Union Ticket Office & all TicketMaster outlets. Charge at 313/763-TKTS or online at www.ticketmaster.com Concert info at http:// www.umich.edu/-mevents Presented by UM Major Events Division of Student Affairs Happy Birthday, William Faulkner! Sept. 25, 1897 - July 6, 1962 The Special Collections Library is throwing a 100th birthday party for William Faulkner, the man considered by many to be America's greatest writer of prose fiction, and you're invited to attend. An exhibit entitled "William Faulkner: The First Hundred Years" opens on September 25, Faulkner's birthdate, and runs through November 22, 1997. The exhibit's materials are drawn from the Irwin T. and Shirley Holtzman William Faulkner Collection, one of the most extensive collections on Faulkner in the country. Included will be: " First editions; " Photos, drawings, and writings documenting Faulkner's life; " Screenplays and posters; * Many later editions and translations; * & much more. rrh¢.x7;11 hpn a nntinnantchnmincr of vidae about