Pass it around The word is out on the brilliant new documentary "Weed." Check out all the marijuana mayhem of the 8th Annual Cannabis & Hemp Expo of Amsterdam in Doug Wolens' unique film. "Weed" explores the fas- cination with the recreational drug as people from all walks of life descend upon Amsterdam - where pot is legal. See it today with a stoner you love. Mich. 8:30 p.m. $5 for students. Tuesday October 13, 1997 5 Houston, we have a problem Lack of humor, horrendous script launch kiddie flick 'RocketMan' into world of catastrophe By Matthew Barrett For The Daily "Houston we have a problem." Yes, and so does UcketMan," a movie that is just one big problem. Bad act- g and directing, along with an awful script, make this a truly unbearableE film. RI "RocketMan," directed by Stuart. Gillard ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III"), is nothing more than a slight vari- ation of what has become the typical children's movie these days. A lovable, At g' bumbling, idiot savant is forced to do the impossible, as he falls in love with the beautiful but unat- nable girl. The premise gets no help from a horrendous script. It tries to make things funny, but they aren't. It tries to build suspense, but it doesn't. It tries to make us care about the characters, but we don't. All the characters in the movie are one dimensional. There is little background information given on them, and no attempt is made throughout the movie to develop them. The movie's plot is fairly simple. Fred Z. Randall (Harland Williams) is the designer of NASA's first spaceship to go to Mars. One of the astronauts scheduled to go gets injured, and Randall ends up going. The rest of the crew, Commander ild Bill" Overbeck (William Sadler) and Mission Specialist Ve Ford (Jessica Lundy), are less than thrilled about the idea of Randall coming. But after they get up into space, they find it harder and harder to resist his lovable ways. Once the ship Bria arrives on Mars, trouble ensues, and you can only guess who saves the day. Williams is able to squeeze a few funny moments out of the script. His downfall - the constant barrage of"It wasn't me" whenever his character does something wrong - becomes incredibly annoying V I E W after the first few times. Despite this, he EocketMan shows that he could be the right role away from becoming a star. * Beau Bridges is the only other actor who is able to get anything out of his character. arwood & Showcase He plays former astronaut Bud Nesbitt, the lone believer in Randall's abilities. Another problem with "RocketMan" is it wants to be "Apollo 13" for kids, but it comes nowhere close. They use the line "Houston we have a problem" several times, and the sto- ryline of hell breaking loose once they reach space is straight out of Apollo. The space shots in this movie are nothing com- pared to "Apollo 13". Ron Howard used not a single shot of NASA footage in his movie. "RocketMan" uses NASA footage for the liftoff, and once they get into space, the shots look very unbelievable. They cut comers, and it shows. People in the movie industry always gripe about making movies for kids, only to be passed over for big-budget action movies. The reason they are passed over is movies like "RocketMan." I don't know a person over the age of five who would get anything new from this movie that they hadn't already seen. It is pointless, humorless and virtually pleasure free. Lost in space: Fred Randall (Harland Williams) and Ulysses go ape in the unevolved kids comedy "Rocket Man." Pa"rt '1moef rn musiC1o No talent allowed in this Treehouse h IgL 0lihtsa ii . u EstoChi highlights Estoni~an.Choi~r Ireehouse obody's Monkey Atlantic "Nobody's Monkey," the latest release from Treehouse, inspires very little except tolerance. Listening to this album is like listening to the radio at low volume while you're doing dishes. It serves its.pur- we and it's unobtru- sive, but it's nothing that hasn't been done a thousand times - before. While "Nobody's Monkey" is a better option than total silence, at times the album is so boring I forgot it was actually playing. The quartet of Treehouse houses toguitars, a mandolin (an interesting touch), bass and drums. The strength of the lead singer is what pulls the album through, as his voice was the only thing that caught my attention. Treehouse's brand of pop is tight and catchy, with man messo mm so:'a weepy lyrics a la Toad the Wet Sprocket, but the clangy guitars and predictable bass lines are reminiscent of everything else that has had air time on the radio inthe last year. As much as I resisted, I did find myself tapping a foot or nodding my head rhythmically at times, but it was only when I wasn't groaning at the pre- dictability and sappiness of the lyrics. Lines like, "Daddy from inside / Please stay close to me / Escape in the corners of my mind," made me double check the CD case to make sure I wasn't listen- ing to Jewel or Tammy Wynette. Tracks like "Hangin' On" and "Daddy Inside" brimmed over with gonna- make-it-through-this-world-on-my- own-type lyrics that were bland and irri- tating. If you want easy, listenable, not-too- threatening, pathos-driven pop, then "Nobody's Monkey" may be right up your alley. But if you want to be excit- ed, turned on and surprised, look else- where. - Gabrielle Schafer Brian McKnight Anytime Mercury records The crooner has always been an R&B tradition, and each generation of music has always had at least one male voice that could always melt even the coldest hearts. The torch has been passed down from Nat King Cole to Marvin Gaye, and then to Luther Vandross. It seems now that the torch has been passed to Mercury recording artist Brian McKnight, and with "Anytime" as the follow-up to his debut album, he tries not to disappoint. Having a hand in writing and produc- ing a number of the songs on the 12- track album, McKnight displays all of his immense talents, combining to make the very mellow, but heartfelt sound that has become McKnight's trademark. McKnight sets the tone of the album from the outset, with a reminiscent piano playing behind his smooth voice on the title track "Anytime." This is a perfect song to show what Brian McKnight is capable of as pro- ducer, songwriter and singer. In fact, the relaxed groove of "Everytime We' Say Goodbye,' the slow and sensuous "The Only One For Me," and the simple but soulful "I Belong To You" all prove that six of the seven songs McKnight did mostly by himself are the best on the Love is ... Brian McKnight. album. In contrast, three of the five songs McKnight did in collaboration with other producers are among the album's worst. I The album's first single "You Should Be Mine" is a juvenile effort on his part, and the annoying addition of Bad Boy artist Mase adds to the fact. "Jam Knock" uses the baseline from Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait" ad nauseam, and further proves that McKnight's tal- ents are much more geared toward slow jams than uptempo party songs. McKnight himself falls victim to cater- ing to the wrong audience, writing and producing the hopelessly lame "You Got The Bomb." I personally feel that phrases like "You Got The Bomb" do not belong in R&B, and after hearing McKnight's song, you will agree. Fortunately, these songs are the exception, and not the rule. As McKnight ends the album with what is obviously his strongest song ("When The Chariot Comes"), the lis- tener will appreciate being given a laid- back music session that makes the album easy to listen to over and over again. Despite its flaws, "Anytime" is a solid effort from Brian McKnight, and immensely helps to further secure his title as heir apparent to the crooning legacies of Cole, Gaye and Vandross. - JuQuan Williams By Emily Lambert Daily Arts Wnter Hill Auditorium held a sparse crow d Thursday evening at a perfor- mance, the first of two, by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Midterms and an early week- end seemed more enticing than a con- cert of mostly religious music, and plenty of seats sat empty in the large E hall. a udi ence Esto members who came were decid- edIy older, and what drew them to this particular concert is a mystery. Maybe they had fond memories of the choir's 1995 concert, one of the best presented by the University Musical Society in the past few years. Or maybe the draw was Mozart's "Litaniac," which began the program and segued without break to his bet- ter-known "Ave verum corpus." Though technically good, this rendi- tion by the choir and the Tallinn Orchestra proved .dryly academic. Soprano Kaia Urb was its saving grace, especially in "Agnus Dei,". where she soared through wide leaps with ease and an endearing but reserved charisma. Few came to hear what was on the second half: Music by contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Part. "He's modern!" one audience member whis- pered to another after hearing "Trisagion," an electrifying piece for string orchestra. But just as was the case two years ago, Part's music brought out the ensemble's best. "Trisagion" drew punches with its droning, clashing start. Short phrases EVIEW nian Chamber Choir fill Auditorium October 9, 1997 built in intensity and led to an impassioned musical conversa- tion between the orchestra's high and low voices. I itanv" the three-year-old commission of the Oregon Bach Festival, drew the most involvement from listeners and per- formers. From the unsettling begin- ning - where the sound of mezzo- soprano Malena Ernman hovered over an undercurrent of strings, chimes and choir- to the surprising Amen at the end, the piece captivated. The central section was indeed its heart., The mostly stepwise melody never strayed far, intriguing listeners with non-Western melody and harmo- ny. Equally intriguing was the unusual quartet of soloists with mezzo, two tenors and a bass. Part may be modem, but his music skips generation gaps. If it was Part's music the audience came to hear, it was in the right place. - 1* I j - -- -- 7- - - Inother 6jgs kIo MICHIGAN t~! 4 K COR DS real music. -) I M--" "new reieasesw.,:i scheduled for (ttaosd~a) Warning: This Treehouse is shoddily put together and could be harmful to children. v AI Y HUH 11 U 711* - 1 U I I Cool A -AL k v m w FAr - - 6 %=& I& - 5,00 - - b4AY 1w Start your eve LEAGUE V A U DAZ-AS jn1:kt foge live .3. ping... Underground... 11KEU mN I 11 Fv-7 tfwvY I,/-- i islmugf of, release dates subject to change without, notice,, sorry., soon4dwraemusicfri ome bp Ats.* ,d scmuld cha emcordcompmriesilnd todo ltha I FOR YOUR1 i a a.m ,,... .