ma IM Arm Blues & Jazz Festival The soothing romanticism of jazz hits Ann Arbor today. Mac eo Parker plays the Michigan Theater. Bo Diddley headlines Gallup Park tomorrow, along with Poignant Plecostemus, the Rick Roe Quartet, Michael Ray & the Cosmic Krewe, Olu Dara, Atomic Fireball, and Groove Collective. The Lou Donaldson Quartet plays four shows at the Bird of Paradise. fre kIi~T &ttog omday in Daily Arts: Weekend Film Reviews. After you've filled out the crossword, S check out the reviews of all of this weekend's film releases. Friday September 11, 1998 8A Independent film moves into bad neighborhood By Bryan Lark Daily Arts Writer If the six principle characters of "Your Friends & Neighbors" were actually your friends and neighbors, it'd be high time for a new social circle and a new address. You'd want to escape the assorted miscommunication, misogyny and misjudgment inflicted upon each other by writer-director Neil Labute's despica- ble creations. Similarly, you'll also want to escape Labute's clever and high-minded yet wholly excruciat- ing film. Labute, responsible for last year's scathingly frank comedy "In the Company of Men," mnakes his point abundantly clear early on in his latest effort: people everywhere, i.e. your friends and neighbors, are obsessed with sex and will demean and betray whomever they Your Friends and Neighbors At Showcase and State choose to get some. This is a valid and sexy point for, say, the Jerry Springer crowd, as all the sexual obsession may amount to the breaking of a chair over any given head. But in Labute's world, this means seem- ingly endless conversa- tions about the nastiest of comedic subjects. Witty conversations about sex? A good thing, right? Not exactly, as the generally nameless pro- tagonists (They refer to closer together, Keener growing more and more bitter towards men and Eckhart staying just as recklessly naive to what's going on around him. Then group then carries on its sexual shenanigans to spite each other with Patric gen- erally offending everyone. Their stories are neatly tied together by Labute's clever staging in repeated vignettes of the characters studying the same painting in Kinski's gallery. Each of the characters then finds their conversations with Kinski going in different directions. Keener ends up in bed with Kinski, Patric's pickup attempt gets mercilessly shot down, Eckhart asks if there's a gift shop and Stiller confronts Kinski for bedding his woman. Another gimmick used by Labute for narra- tive cohesion are the characters quizzing each other on the best they've ever had. In most cases here, the best and worst they've ever had are present and involved with one of their friends or enemies. As the sex gets hot, or cold as thecase may be and the conversation gets hotter, the players are all solid and completely unlikable, as intended, and are working from Labute's deli- ciously incisive script. But, again, it is those awkward, supposedly realistic moments in between the refreshingly mean-spirited bits (such as Patric's account of the rape of a male classmate as the best he's ever had and Keener's tirade against the very essence that is Ben Stiller) that make the film suffer. The aforementioned nasty bits are rather enjoyable, though, for the sly experiment they perform on the audience. The humor is so out- landish and the situations so absurd you often find yourself laughing, then quickly realize what you're laughing at and become disgusted with yourself as a result. It is understandable and even commendable that Labute experimented with the medium of filmmaking in this purposely uncomfortable fashion: He wants to make us laugh hysterical- ly and then squirm uncontrollably at the atroc- ity of these horrible John and Jane Does. If the lauhs arc few and far between, then there is no shortage ot squirms, courtesy of the brilliant performances of Brenneman, who iS the very definition of wishy-washy; Keener. whose shallow harpy and her demands for silence during sex are enthralling; and espe- cially the usually wooden Patric, who has fond the role of his career in the unfeeling, incon - erate louse of a doctor. Labute and company in "Your Friends & Neighbors" have lotly aspirations of making entertainment of. the awkward, uncomfortable and cveryday, some of which are met. But most of which Call as flat as the fake fetus drop- kicked by Jason Patric midway through the film. The film does, however, manage one final comedic coup, as it is revealed in the cr that our loathsome friends and neighbors have rhyming names: Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri. Jerry and Cary. Pretty darn funny. But moving away frow these raunchy, chatty but annoyingly uncom- municative "Neighbors" still seems the best option, whatever their names. \ , . 0 each other as "You," or infer identity with "Oh, you're his friend," or defer names altogether with "Please don't mention him now.") are cursed with a severe inability to communicate. though when they do communicate, it is often through funny and sparklingly sadistic repar- tee. They talk and talk in the guys' sauna or at the girls' hunch out but mostly have nothing to say to the opposite sex. This makes the awkward gaps in dialogue and pained expressions on faces all that much more realistic, yet all the ft Courtesy of Universal Pictures Ben Stiller stars in 'Your Friends and Neighbors,' a new film by the creator of 'In the Company of Men.' more unpleasant to experience. The unpleasantness follows the intertwining lives of two couples: the married, bored pair played by Aaron Eckhart (40 lbs. heavier than in "Men") and Amy Brenneman and the cohab- iting, bored pair played by Catherine Keener and Ben Stiller. Also involved are Nastassja Kinski's comely art gallery assistant and Jason Patric's truly evil OB-GYN. Eckhart and Brenneman's marrieds are old friends of Stiller and Keener's bickering sin- gles. The film kick starts with a strained dinner party that finds Stiller and Brenneman drawing C.ourtesy of Gramercy Pictures Nastassja Kinski ties together the lives of "Your Friends & Neighbors" as an art gallery assistant. 'U' art museum exhibits creative interpretations of dreams. By Jennifer Cufren For the Daily The fascinating realm of surreal- ist art illuminates the walls of the University Museum of Art in a tem- porary exhibit that will run through October 25. The University-owned collection embodies a wide range of themes within the genre of surrealism, the abandonment of rationality and reality invented by Andre Breton in the1920's. Breton's new style coin- cided with the introduction of Freudian psychoanalysis, exploding into an exploration of dreams, fan- tasies and the unconscious. Surrealism encompasses the exu- berant as well as the disturbing, as artists reacted to such turmoil as war and the dehumanizing effects of technology. Although it rejects tra- ditional social commentary, surreal- ist art tells a gripping and powerful story. The diversity of the Museum's exhibit reflects the experimentation in media and materials as well as the regional metamorphosis of surreal- ism over time. Several series are highlighted in the collection, including Kurt Seligmann's "The Myth of Oedipus," a series of six black and white etchings in which seemingly bandaged figures suggest the sick- ness of non-existence beneath the faceless forms. Many surrealists sought out primitive images in their work as an escape from the reality of their times. This modality is evident in "Transmutations," a series by French artist Brassai which utilizes photo plates as the base for draw-. ings of expressive primitive faces and imaginary musical instruments. The initial photographic composi- tion, a female nude, is visible only in sporadic glimpses, testifying to the surrealist technique of layered material, as well as hidden sexual themes. The motif of sexuality is also explored by many other pieces in the exhibit, from the explicitness of Paul Delvaux's nudes to Jean Arp's simple, graceful sculptures, "Pre-Adamic Fruit" and Dreamscapes: "Little Torso The Surrealist #5." of many observers. School of Art Sophomore Brein Gallagher remarked of the Kamrowski work, "I like it because of the brilliant colors and because it reminds me of Cubism." Even the exhibit space itself con- tributes to the overall sensation of the show. A maze-like grouping of walls in the center of the room cre- ate a more complex space than a typical, four walled area. Colorful backgrounds and eclectic frames complete the experience. In addition to the exhibit, the Museum will host events related to the exhibit. On Saturday, Annette Dixon and Carole McNamara, co- curators of the exhibition will host a presentation for the New Art League. A docent-led tour of the exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, and a lecture by Prof. MatthewnBiro on Sept. 24 entitled "Fragmented Bodies and Expanded Minds: Surrealism in Paris Between the Wars." Since Surrealism had a definite performative element, University dance and drama students, as well as community performance artists will entertain us in "Always for the First Time: An Evening of Surrealist Performance," on October 1-2. The annual Doris Sloan Memorial lecture will be conducted in con- junction with this exhibition by Emory University Professor Clark V Poling on October 11, entitled "Body and Self in the Surrealism of Andre Masson." w , x-: -. v"-. . 5- w s t tis ; A wr ., .4 -- - - - --- E ; . ; SCORE WITH MADE-TO-ORDER SUBS! What do you do with an after-game hunger that's as big as the stadium? Bring it to BLIMPIE®! We stack our subs and salads with enough fresh-prepared meats, cheeses and veggies to satisfy even the most ravenous appetites. And with our subs and combo meals, there's no tastier way to fill up fast. Come to BLIMPIEO today! C f o--* 6" Sub Sandwich, $ .99 22o=. Drink and Chip~s Please present this coupon before ordering. Not valid if altered or duplicated. One order per coupon. One I coupon per customer per visit. Customer must pay any sales tax due. Not good in combination with any other offer. Cash value /100 of t c. Offer expires 09/14/98 Offer good at: 113 E. Liberty St. o 741-2567 Impulse Museum of Art Through October 25 David Smith's whimsical "Tastvaat" adds humor to the collection with its faux-Dutch title derived from "toss twat," the impression he wanted to give with his piece. Other individual pieces such as "The Talkative Jewels" by Magritte, depicting a face nestled into a human arm, or the complex Gerome Kamrowski piece entitled "Sensations" appeals to the senses Courtesy of UM Museum of A Max Ernst's 'School for Birds' Is one of the etchings on exhibit. Are you ready for the September 26h LSAT? Courses start this weekend! It's not too late! I M E -- gfe tbe got better Test 1 Class 1 rlocc 7 Sun. Sep 13 Sun. Sep 13 Mon. in 14 Highly intensive course - you'll eat, sleep, and breathe the LSAT! -1 I m