"Sunrise," the film by Geman director F.W. Murnau, plays at the
Michigan tonight. Experience the first American film by Murnau,
when he exceeded the studio's budget to make one of the best
silent films ever. Check out the story about a man who is con-
vinced by another woman to kill his wife - complete with sound.
The screening begins at 4:30 p.m.
db afg
in Daily Arts:
U Tom Wolfe's new novel, the first by the author in more than
a decade, has caused quite a stir within the literary world.
Daily Arts will bring you a review tomorrow
Tuesday
December 1, 1998
5
With 'A Bug's Life,' it's an insect's world, after all
By Aaron Rich
Dlily Arts Writer
It's official: Insects are hip. With two computer ani-
maiion pictures released in as many months, Hollywood
is cashing in on our puzzling preoccupation with our six-
ged friends. These bugs are cute -that is to say they
not like those pesky creatures always found around
bath tubs or stinky sandwiches. They have big, Bambi-
like eyes, jokes that won't quit and they come in such
lovely colors as blue, green and purple.
"A Bug's Life," Disney/Pixar's retort to the
Dreamworks film "Antz," brings the pest phenomenon
- along with pixel drawing - to
levels never before seen. On top of
the fantastic pictures, the team that
brought us "Toy Story" packs this
A Bug's film with a smart, funny script that
Life keeps us entertained for the required
Buena-Vista running time of 90
At Sriarwood minutes.
and Showcase The story for this movie is not too
new. A colony of ants is required to
give an annual offering of grain and
grass to their grasshopper overlords.
Nobody likes the one-way relation-
ship, but as far as they know, it is the
only way the world works. One cre-
ative and independent ant, Flik,
ides to hire warriors to fight off the hoppers instead
o paying them off.
He goes to the bug city to find guns for hire and
returns to the anthill with a group of out-of-work bugs.
Unbeknownst to him, the troop is with a circus group
who know nothing of fighting, except in their light-
hearted clowning routines. The colony reluctantly puts
and Slim, a stick bug tired of being just a prop in the
company's skits.
Dennis Leary wonderfully performs the voice of
Francis, bringing a salty edge to the dainty beetle, and
David Hyde Pierce comes through strongly as the seri-
ous voice of Slim. Other notable voices in the film
include Kevin Spacey as Hopper, the buggy kingpin,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta, the love interest
and second in command, and Phyllis Diller as Queen, the
mother to all with a beautiful crown of petals.
The animators create a spectacular, complex world in
which these bugs live and work. All characters pop off
the screen in the ultra-three dimensional world. It is hard
to understand that the personages are not real-world
beings, as they seem to have physical depth like all of us
and they move in real-looking space.
Perhaps the most revolutionary and remarkable effect
employed by the computer magicians is that the cells are
animated as if they were shots from a non-animated
film. That is to say, for instance, at times it appears as if
there was a sweeping camera pan over the ant hill, or a
hand-held camera sequence.
Considering there were no cameras, per se, used to
film this, the animators remarkably recreate mundane
film conventions. "A Bug's Life" does not look like any
average animated film - not even like an average com-
puter animated film. It looks ultra-realistic and unlike
anything else before.
"A Bug's Life" has many details in common with
"Antz," but it has enough unique aspects to stand on its
own. The writing is as creative as the animation and the
story, despite being a bit trite, keeps us interested as it
unfolds. The film shows us to pause before squashing an
insect - unless it's one of those 1,000-legged guys,
because they're gross!
courtesy of Disney/Pixer
Heimlich, Slim and Francis give "A Bug's Life" much of its humor with their pint-sized circus antics.
its future in the hands of talents as physically adept as Seven." Instead of the handsome Steve McQueen and the
Bozo the Clown. fearless Yul Brenner in the saddle, this team is fronted
This movie is colorful and a family-oriented re-hash- by such powerhouses as Heimlich, a corpulent caterpil-
ing of many Westerns - most notably "The Magnificent lar, Francis, a male ladybug with masculinity problems,
Deftones steals spotlight at the State
By Adln Rosli
Daily Arts Writer
Concert attendants at the State
Theater this past Sunday were
treated to an awesome collection of
acts performing together.
Headlining was the unstoppable
ouring machine Deftones. Also
appearing that night was the
Victory Records band Snapcase
and completing the already exhila-
rating lineup was the triumphant
return of Quicksand!
As Emeril Lagasse of The Food
Network would have said if he were
there: "Bam! Bam! Bam!"
"Hello, we're Snapcase from
'uffalo, New York," announced
*inger Daryl and then, the group
Defft ones
State Theater,
Detroit
Nov. 29, 1998
Snapcase's it
followed by Q
performance. Th
several years agc
wasted no time
working the
crowd into a
frenzy. The
group was by
all accounts the
heaviest band
that performed
that night.
Fueled with
energy, the
members per-
formed tight
and aggressive
renditions of
their songs.
ense set was then
uicksand's stellar
he group broke up
o citing the classic
served to remind all what a
immense loss the music community
had when the group broke up a few
years ago.
All is well now, however, as the
group managed to prove that it was
definitely back in a very big way.
Finally, it was the Deftones' turn.
The group has not been off the road
since it began touring in support of
its 1997 release "Around The Fur."
Its last Michigan performance was
its free summer concert in Pontiac's
Clutch Cargo's.
That free show almost caused a
riot as the venue was packed
beyond its capacity with more peo-
ple still waiting to get in. Deftones
has since played everywhere across
the U.S., England and places as far
away as Australia to support its
releases.
The group that has consistently
sold out local venues such as
Clutch Cargo's and St. Andrew's
theater has finally graduated to
selling out the State Theater.
The Deftones' performance has
also followed suit in improving.
As the lights were dimmed before it
came on stage, a moody ambient
piece began playing on the speaker,
complemented by a mesmerizing
array of dark colored lights from
the stage.
Roars of approval followed.
When the instrumental piece ended,
the 'tones were on-stage and imme-
diately blasted into "Lotion" and
the crowd exploded into a whirl-
wind of bodies flying around
everywhere.
Even the crowd members up on
the balcony of the State Theater did
not shy from standing up to jump at
their spot or dance to the 'tones
music.
The fact that the group has not
stopped touring showed as the
group overflowed with confidence
and presence. Singer Chino
Mqreno was singing while standing
on the barrier separating the crowd
from the stage for several songs. He
even shared his singing spots with
the crowd, occasionally thrusting
the microphone to people around
him during "My Own Summer"
and "Headup."
Antonio lunges
into vdeo stores
By Matthew Barrett
&Aaron Rich
Daily Arts Writers
Before T-rex ruled the land in
"Jurassic Park," there was Ducky
the prehistoric lizard with a laugh.
Fans of the series not satisfied
with the first five installments
will be pleased to know that "The
Land Before Time VI: The Secret
of Saurus Rock" is coming to
video stores today. This animation
sensation is perfect for anyonek
who's struggled through a
dinosaurs mini-course. The
Saurus Rock fiasco may have
been responsible for the Notre
Dame football loss to USC, prov-
ing once and Courtesy omftar
for all that Antonio Banderas saves the day In
there are "The Mask of Zorro."
NewOn things in life
more power- tough in "The Mask of Zorro'
Video This ful than the Antonio Banderas plays the
Week luck of the masked hero and Anthony
Irish. Hopkins the elder occupant of the
Comedian sacred, black cloth.
Chris Farley makes his last on- Swashbuckling hasn't been this
screen appearance alongside hot since Geena Davis steamed up
Matthew Perry in the summer the screen in "Cutthroat Island."
blockbuster "Almost Heroes." The Z-Man is out to fight for
Rule of thumb: Avoid all movies what's right in the name of Jack
with anyone from the cast of Dawson.
"Friends." Second rule of thumb: What's the frequency,
Avoid all movies with anyone Gwyneth? Ms. Paltrow is back in
from "Saturday Night Live." action in "Sliding Doors" the
Throwing these two bits of advice story of what would happen if
to the wind, "Almost Heroes" is what ifs ruled the world.-The film
the most manly movie since Sly goes a little far with the question,
Stallone rocked the world in however the grace of Gwyneth
"Over The Top." Get ready to flex cannot be denied. Enjoy the
for this sure-fire winner. videos but pinch your pennies for
Tony and Tony get rough and the opening night of "Magnolia."
JOIN THE MOST PROMISING
PROFESSION OF THE 21ST CENTURY
courtesy of Warner Bros.
The Deftones delivered a stellar performance this past Saturday at the State.
excuse of "musical differences,"
ut have just regrouped this year.
uicksand's style of crushing neo-
hardcore with singer Walter
Schreifels' Sting-like vocals came
back to life for its Detroit audience
beautifully. In the middle of its set,
singer Schreifels commented, "I
see you guys just blew a building
up outside. Nice work!" One won-
ders if he himself realized how his
group was "blowing away" the
Detroit audience.
The group's punishing set includ-
d tracks off its "Slip" and "Manic
Compression" releases. That
night's rendition of such Quicksand
gems as the pogo-inducing "Thorn
in My Side" and the heavy, yet
inelodic, "Landmine Spring"
Moreno's charismatic stage pres-
ence and mastery of crowd interac-
tion has developed to a point that
has made him one of the best front
men in this form of music.
Bassist Chi Cheng headbanged
all through the night's set with his
dreadlocked hair dancing around
him like bug tentacles surveying
the surroundings.
Drummer Abe and guitarist
Steph were both keeping their end
of the performance as well, deliver-
ing hard beats and riffs respective-
ly.
Deftones' strength does not
merely lie in its stage performance,
the group's abundance of quality
songs proves to be its greatest
asset. For every upbeat aggressive
number such as "Lotion," "Engine
No.9" and "Around The Fur" the
group has more melodic or slower
songs such as "Mascara" and
"Birthmark" to diversify its perfor-
mance.
The group ended its set with the
majestic "Be Quiet and Drive" that
was performed that night with an
extended mellow intro. Moreno's
singing was backed up with gui-
tarist Steph playing an undistorted
guitar before the group blasted into
the song's massively melodic riff.
The group's next Michigan stop
will be next year's Valentine's Day
performance at the prestigious
Black Sabbath reunion show shar-
ing the opening band duty with
another heavy hitter, Pantera.
With the incredible performance
Deftones did at the State Theater
this past Sunday, the 'tones should
have no problem getting its pres-
ence felt performing alongside
Black Sabbath and Pantera.
Prospective Teacher Education Meeting
Wednesday, December 2, 1998
6:00 p.m.
Schorling Auditorium
Room 1202 School of Education Building
Call 764-7563 for more information.
Very Free Things
Daily Arts, in conjunction with PolyGram Filmed
entertainment, would like ou to relish in the music from
the films "Elizabeth" and "Very Bad Things." We have a
lifnited supply of taopes and CDs for the first individuals who
come to the Dily Arts Office at 420 Maynard St. tomorrow
after noon and can name two films in which Peter Berg,
director of "Very Bad Things," acts in either a lead or sup-
porting role.b-
MICHIt AN
INSIDE
I