A2 This 1993 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's classic novel plays at the Michigan Theater tonight. The film traces the metamorphosis of Orlando, from his days as a male estate owner during the reign of Elizabeth I, to his experiences as a woman centuries later. Don't miss this gender-crazed wonder of the literary world on the big screen. The showing begins at 6:30. Free. Monday October 20, 1997 Banal action, poor dialogue make 'Playing' no fun By Ryan Posly Daily Arts Writer Fox Mulder as a drug-addicted doctor. Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton as a cooler-than-thou West Coast gang- ster. Angelina Jolie with the biggest lips in the land. Lots of foreign bad guys, and lots of bloody surgery. What could go wrong with such a combination? Absolutely everything. "Playing God" is a remarkably banal action film with very little real action. It tries as hard as it can to be cool and hip - through the use of voice-over narration, Tarantino-esque music, morally ambiguous characters, trendily retro wipe transitions and a number of other devices - but about the only thing it can muster from its audience is a deep sigh. David Duchovny should have chosen a better way to spend his summer vacation. Duchovny, best known as the recurring narrator of Showtime's "Red Shoe Diaries" (and a little show called "The X-Files"), plays Dr. Eugene Sands, who recently had his license revoked because he had been performing surgery while high on amphetamines. One night he stops into the local nightclub to restock his synthetic heroin supply, and he is witness to a brutal gang shooting. The man is dying on the floor of the club, and his friends refuse to call 911 for fear of getting arrested. So what's an unlicensed surgeon with a conscience to do? Well, there wouldn't be a movie unless Doc Sands decided to jump in and help the poor sap. This film is, as the introductory narration spells out, osten- sibly about choices: decisions we must make, the chain of events that follows and how our decisions are shaped by our "character." Eugene, it would seem, is a man of some moral fiber, so he jumps into the fray to save a life, regardless of its value (or lack thereof) to society But, true to the film's thematic backbone, that decision turns into a nightmare for Eugene, as he gets sucked into the criminal world by Timothy Hutton and is forced to reclaim his life, his sobriety and his career in the Angelina Jolle and David Duchovny get physical in "Playing God." process. Whew! It actually sounds like it might be good. Unfortunately, the film starts out dull and goes nowhere slow- ly. RE VP One scene seems to try to win our hearts by having the characters simply say the f-word as many times as they can in a minute. The direction is only slightly better. Andy Wilson, a veteran of British television, squeezes quite a bit out of minor scenes and characters, and he v I E 'w creates an occasional visually interest- ing scene, like the flashback of li God Eugene's botched surgery. aying oBut just as often, he attempts to * dazzle us with a completely unneces- rwood and showcase sary and out-of-place trick, like a perplexing scene shot through some sort of cut glass that turns the actors' faces into frag- ments. Timothy Hutton does what he can with his absurd role, which requires him at one point to physically attack Angelina Jolie's enormous lips while shouting some origi- nal dialogue to the effect of: "such beautiful lips which utter such horrible words." He should talk. David Duchovny is, as should be expected, one of the few bright spots in the film, albeit a dim one. He trapr' plants his famously droll demeanor straight from "The ' Files," but he isn't given nearly as much with which to work. As a result, even though he has some big laughs and he gets to wield a shotgun at one point, Eugene Sands is simply not as engaging as Fox Mulder. And anybody expecting to see Duchovny get it on between the sheets has been grossly misled by the film's trail- ers. The fun factor is low in this film, and one can only hope that Duchovny, an actor of far more talent than th movie is capable of sustaining, chooses more wisely the next time around. Until then, I'm sticking to "The X- Files." What little action there is never rais- Ate es the excitement level above a faint whisper, and the dialogue is just plain poor. It seems like ever since "Pulp Fiction," there have been far too many writers trying to replicate Tarantino's rhythmic, stridently poetic parlance. Some have succeeded, and others, like Mark Haskell Smith here, have failed. Bria D fhovny plays drug addict Dr. Eugene Sands in "God." Bellows exhibit showcases scenes of city life By Anna Kovalszki Daily Arts Writer The long-awaited backpacking trip through Europe, the road trip spent with friEnds during senior year in high- school, or perhaps a political internship in Washington D.C. - all events that inspire their partakers to discover them- selves or at least the world at large. These journeys are needed to break the everyday mundane routine that many of us fall into, and in a sense are rites of passage into the "enlightened" adult sphere. This discovery of an atypical world inspires not only the unidentifi- ables of society, but has also done so, for example, prominent artists of the past. George Bellows, RE Gear a native of Columbus, Ohio U-M from traditional Methodist roots, journeyed in 1904 at the age of 22 to New York City, in order to receive train- ing in art by, among others, Ash Can school artist Robert Henri. The interest that this bustling, lively metropolis cre- ated in Bellows is exemplified in his lithographs and drawings of "typical" New York scenery, works that can now be viewed at the University Museum of Art. I Many layers of society get attention in Bellows' prints - from young underclass boys of the tenements who enjoy a dip under the Brooklyn Bridge in the murky waters of the river, with the New York skyline of the early 1900s looming in the V I E W background; to the young mothers ge Bellows with their parasols Exhibit and children play- 4useum of Art ing in the park; to Through Dec. 7 the romantic cou- ples under lamplit riverfront benches. These scenes of everyday occurrence lend New York City an air of sympa- thetic atmosphere not frequently associ- ated with modern times. At the same time, Bellows does not glorify, but depicts rather in an observant way, for his ideal of an artist was one who is a "spectator of life" Bellows observes and even satirizes many aspects of his life. Boxing scenes at times when the sport was prohibited, and even commissioned ones when the sport was again made legal, are the most well-known of his subjects. Without use of color, he depicts the dynamism of the boxers' bodies and physiques with clarity. His children, Jean and Anne, as well as his wife Emma, are frequent subjects of his prints, and many times he includes self- portraits on the sides of his works, showing his interaction with the world of his depiction. While he enjoyed the urban bustling elements of his New York life, he never- theless visited his hometown at times, and drew the small-town atmosphere of calm and sedentary life with affection. He also found the fact that everyone knew each other at times intrusive, for in a depiction of his family attending church, he flinches away from greeting the Reverend, a sign of his possible dis- like for the Methodist church as well. Contemporary events and social undercurrents also fascinated Bellows. He printed numerous hospi- tal scenes of the first World War vet- erans. He also satirized the Evangelist Billy Sunday's febrile speeches, as well as the upper middle class's hope- less efforts for physical fitness that he saw on a daily basis during his stay at the YMCA, and even the condescend- ing tone with which artists judged works of art. His clever anatomical distortions and facial expressions lent the basis for many scholars to view him as a notable caricaturist compara- ble to the talents of the French artist Honore Daumier. The paintings, prints and drawings in this exhibit come from the Sloan collec- r Bellows' "Emma, Elsie and Gene" Is featured in the Museum of Modern Art. L i RECORDS r'a R real music. -6 IUi, tion. The Sloans were attracted to Bellows' prints for some of the same reasons that make these prints so acces- sible and interesting today -- for their depiction, of familiar subjects and occurrences, for their at times humor- ous satirical images, and for their obser- vations of an ever-changing world. This concept of change that holds attraction for the college student and art collector of today, captivated the artis of the past. George Bellows is undoubt- edly one of the most notable artists of the early 20th century. i mew reieases" i scheduled for t o-T.. t - - - --__-s__'a~l Wreease dtessubjctyo.c aewtototcsr AZ- ra 0 t iew Watch1 1 and Jewelry Repair 1 Department Expert Watch and Jewelry Repair Watch Battery Replacement Watch Band Replacements 14k 8 SGld Filled Findings Jewelry Care Products 1 t I I ! 0 Mv~ase ti~$tcal, iss : oots t5'aGl %1*Ab4Iavt @wA4 .'V oao efW;,Aw~ I f ....... x p ! .. 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