making Out With Toby The art exhibit "Making Out With Toby" opens today. Check out three full galleries featuring photography, electronic music, a "live XX performance," a fashion show and "money." What more could you want? The exhibit is open today from 6-9 p.m. in the Rackham galleries on the third floor of Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Admission is free. ftfi*id$itm 1&guf January in Daily Arts: N Daily Arts returns after break with the best in entertain- ment reviews from films such as "Stepmom" and the much- anticipated holiday flick "You've Got Mail," as well as "Home Alone 3: Lost in a Paper Bag:" Friday December 11, 1998 8 'Trek' rises against sci-fi fodder By Joshua Pederson Daily Film Editor There was something special about "Star Trek: The Next Generation" when it ran on television from 1988 - 1994. While the aliens were often a bit far-fetched and the sets sometimes campy, it proved to be one of the most singularly compelling series week after week. The plots were original, the characters identifiable, and the acting admirable. But somewhere on the bumpy road from backwa- ters of syndication to the glitz of a Hollywood .feature, the voyages of the starship Enterprise -seem to have lost that something. - The newest addition to this list of feature films is "Star T r e k : Insurrection. The ninth "Star T r e k Hollywood release and the third featuring the cast of "The N e x t Generation," "Insurrection" brings the crew of the Enterprise to a remote paradise world threat- ened by an oppressive race of aliens with a chip on their collective shoul- der and skin problems that would make N o x z e m a essentially unchanged from the previous two movies and the television series. And the act- ing continues to be sufficient, if not strong. Patrick Stewart reprises his role as the aus- terely heroic Jean-Luc Picard. Producer Rick Berman was incredibly for- tunate to recruit Stewart at the show's incep- tion. An accomplished stage actor, Stewart once again proves himself an exceptional performer in this installment. Above and beyond any apparent acting talent, Stewart is, with respects given to Jack Palance, the buffest over-50 entertainer in Hollywood. Sleeveless scenes featuring his incredible biceps have become expected fare in the "Star Trek" feature film. Jonathan Frakes not only stars as Will Riker, the Enterprise's first officer, but also Sd i r e c t s "Insurrection." Levar Burton (best known for his a w a r d - w i n n in g public television program "Reading Rainbow") returns as the blind head engineer, Geordy LaForge. Brent Spiner, whose career has experienced a mod- est upturn in recent years, plays Data, the android lieu- tenant. Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Michael Dorn Murray Abraham, a bad also return, repris- novie. ing their respective roles. "Insurrection" also features the most intri- cate special effects of any "Star Trek" movie to date. For the first time, the technicians chose to use computer animation in produc- Star Trek: Insurrection At Briarwood and Showcase ing the Enterprise's bat- tle scenes, to the movie's credit. The fight and flight scenes taking place within the so- called "briar patch," a difficulty unpredictable region of space, are visually spectacular, though disappointingly brief. But despite its solid acting and excellent spe- cial effects, "insurrection" doesn't seem to possess the magic that made the television series so com- pelling. One of the strengths of the series was its terse yet thorough dealing with each of its separate storylines. Each episode contained a stimulating and original plot that accom- plished much without aiming above its means. The plot of "Insurrection" doesn't follow suit, taking a watered down, cliche storyline and cramming too many of its elements into a two hour movie. By doing so, the film's character development borders on unbeliev- able, because each of the numerous scenes which could possibly reveal or advance a character's personality seems cut short. A further weakness of each of the feature films, including "Insurrection," is the failed attempts at humanizing the characters. For some reason, it seems that the creators feel that they must make the characters more palatable to a wider audience, that Data, Picard, Riker and the others will not be understood by those not intimately familiar Donna Murphy stars as Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) girlfriend in the latest Star Trek flick to hit the big screen in "Star Trek: Insurrection." with the television show. In trying to do so, writers add a foreign element of humor to the world of "Star Trek." Unfortunately, these attempts often fail, revealing themselves as false or forced. Brent Spiner, who plays the android Data, is often the victim of these botched forays. The humor that presented itself in the original series was situational in nature, which made it genuinely funny. The humor present in "Insurrection" is too often contrived and unnecessary. Nonetheless, despite its flaws, and despite the fact that it may not do justice to its tele- vision predecessor, "Star Trek: Insurrection" is an entertaining film. It has its weaknesses, but it has its redeeming qualities as well, especially for those of us who were fans of the syndicated series, and still crave its orig- inality and charm. While far from perfect, "Insurrection" does provide its viewer with one more chance to travel into the depths of space, and, if you'll forgive the cliche, to g where no one has gone before. cringe. The A Tarlac puts the moves on F.P cast is villain in the new "Star Trek" m ChanukahCelebration Sunday, December 13 5:00 pm Hillel, 1429 Hill Street 'How? Why?' unites past and present [a kes! Dre e J !II belly Cdoughnuts! Candy igtiqng! Community-wide Candle lighting Light up for Chanukah! By Jenni Glenn Daily Arts Writer College students face the task of finding their place in the world. A student production being presented this weekend, "How? Why?" looks at this dilemma in the context of an unusual family history. "How? Why?" examines how the lives of two teenagers change after they learn about their grandparents' roles in the Holocaust. "It's about the Holocaust, but it's about our generation looking back at it," said writer and director Music senior Francine Liebling. "We obvi- ously have different prejudices, dif- ferent conclusions since it is two How? Why? Video Studio, Media Union Tonight at 11 p.m. Tomorrow at 8 p.m. g e n e r a t i o n s away from us." For writing the script, Liebling drew on her experi- ences from March of the Living, an edu- cational tour through concen-. tration camps in Poland and Israel she took five years ago. definitely a chal- Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 12/14 12/15 12/16 12/17 Union Hillel TBA Hillel Michigan League Hillel TBA Hillel Hillel Hillel @5:15 @7:00 @5:15 @7:00 @5:15 @7:00 @5:15 @7:00 @7:00 @7:00 pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pass the information (on the Holocaust) without it being over- whelming," she said. Her research on the period includ- ed interviewing a friend from Germany whose grandfather was in the SS, a Nazi security force, and visiting the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York City. "I felt I knew about the Holocaust, (but) when I started researching I realized I didn't know very much," Liebling said. "Even with writing this, I don't think I even touched upon the magnitude of what's out there." That spirit of exchanging impres- sions about the Holocaust also con- tributed to casting choices. Liebling chose six actors to form the cast, which has African American and Jewish minorities represented. "I tried to make it diverse," she said. "They had all their own views coming into it." The actors directly involve the audience in the show. Audience members actually become the Jews in the concentration camp during the performance. "That's what I set out to do wh wrote this," Liebling said, "to m it interactive and exploit theatre for what it has over film." These advantages include the movement piece that represents Kristallnacht, the night when many Germans vandalized Jewish homes and businesses. "It relates to current riots and fighting," Liebling said. "How? Why?" also features multi- media to immerse the audience 0 images of the Holocaust. The show uses video footage of actual concen- tration camps as well as slides fromh Liebling's trip to the camp sites. Liebling brings her directinwg career full circle with this project. During her sophomore year of high school she directed her very first play, another show about the Holocaust. Now this show serves as her final college project for her directing major. "I'm doing my best to connect te past with the present and show that if we don't change, this could easily happen again," Liebling said. "Writing it was+ lenge, since I've never written a play before and (was) trying to encom- Saturday Sunday 1 1 2/19 2/20 Call H illel at 769-0500 for more info. Good Luck on Finals, from Daily Arts. ill1 I1 The University of Michigan School of Music Friday, December 11 Musical Theatre Studio Presentation McIntosh Theatre, E. V. Moore Bldg., 7.30 p.m. Dance & Related Arts Performance Betty Pease Studio Theatre, Dance Bldg., 8 p.m. [Admission $5 at door one hour prior to performance] University Symphony and Concert Bands Kevin Sedatole and James R. Tapia, conductors Hill Auditorium, 8 p. m. Saturday,,December 12 Dance & Related Arts Performance Betty Pease Studio Theatre, Dance Bldg., 8 p.m. [Admission $5 at door one hour prior to performance] Sunday, December 13 Violin Studio Recital Students of Andrew Jennings perform violin repertory Britton Recital Hall, E. V. Moore B1dg., 12 noon Faculty Recital V oSpecializing in: &a1eP" Party trays % Party platters *Partysubs 800 South State 747-9555 ' ' - - - - - -"-""' -" "w'"" - " " - m m - T - w 15% off a party e Any 2l12 inch sub or party platter ; for $7.99 subs Not vai with any other discounts. Valid at oarticiatin stores only Please present coupon oefore orderin. One otter per coupon per person. Ofer expires 03/31/99. 1 Not valid with any other discounts. Valid at Soupon before orderinq. One offer perm *coupon per person. Offer expires 03/31/99. __ HAIR SALON * *u