I Shaman Drum hosts a reception and signing for 11 authors. "Women and Society in Greek and Roman Egypt" translates and interprets documentation of ancient female life. 6:15 p.m. ftAw#qwft R LrIFS * Check out reviews of "Goodbye Lover" and "Life." 8 Friday April 16, 1999 ... : Altman achieves excellent fortune with 'Cookie By Bryan Lark Daily Arts Writer Holly Springs, Miss., the down-home set- ting of Robert Altman's latest film, "Cookie's Fortune," is a nice place to visit. It's a place of community, of tradition, of the blues, of all manner of deeply eccentric wackos and, most importantly, of the delight- ful aroma of catfish In other words, Altman. Cookie's Fortune Starts Sunday at Michigan Theater enchiladas. it's a place that's pure Although it possesses the hallmarks of any great Altman film -- a crack ensemble cast, a compelling script and, of course, an amazing soundtrack - "Cookie's Fortune" is a delicious treat unlike any other of Altman's works. This includes films as inten- tionally varied as the classic dramedy "MASH," the bleak Western "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," the satiric aforementioned eccentric wackos are present. Here, they certainly are. None is more eccentric or wacko than Jewel Mae Orcutt, aka Cookie (Patricia Neal), an acerbic old lady who prefers pipes and mem- ories of her late husband to the good ol' Southern hospitality of Holly Springs. In fact, the only denizens she can tolerate are her best friend and caretaker Willis Richland (Charles S. Dutton) and her beloved quasi-criminal niece Emma (Liv Tyler), whose only crime is her 234 outstanding parking tickets - a Holly Springs record. So when Cookie turns up dead, the people she likes, the people she doesn't like - name- ly her nieces Camille (Glenn Close) and Cora (Julianne Moore) - and, hell, the entire town, are sent into a four-day tailspin of greed and intrigue spent searching for Cookie's killer and will. The film unfolds leisurely, powered by the sweet, soulful sting of the blues, over those four days, which make up an extended Easter weekend in Holly Springs. The weekend is replete with an absurd holiday production of Oscar Wilde's "Salome," presided over by the pretentious and tyrannical Camille, who claims a co-writing credit with Wilde as she has adapted the Biblical epic for a Mississippian dialect. The film itself speaks its own language; its syntax of words and images that are slow, deliberate and witty create an atmosphere conducive to taking in Altman's eye for cine- matographic and narrative detail and wonder- The town is populated by one lawyer, Jack Palmer (Donald Moffat), two spinsters, the domineering Camille and the dim-witted Cora, and two suitors for Emma, the inept but appealing deputy Jason (Chris O'Donnell) and the leering catfish skinner Manny (Lyle Lovett), not to mention all the family secrc* big-city investigators and crime-scene tape that crowd Holly Springs' streets. And what a crowd Altman has collected. Dutton is the standout as the tortured yet strangely laid-back Willis, but is in good, star- powered company with Close as a diva every bit as deranged as her Cruella DeVil, Moore still whip-smart as the seemingly dumbest of the lot and Tyler and O'Donnell, normally stiff or artificial on screen, trade in their plasticit, and give great comedic performances as si rW ple, horny young folk. Even the largely unknown actors of Altman's ensemble manage to eke out a mem- orable place for themselves in Holly Springs, most memorably Niecy Nash as lovelorn deputy Wanda Carter. Deputies, dim-wits and divas abound in the textured script by Anne Rapp, a first-time screenwriter whom this "Cookie" is fortunate to have on board. She and Altman expertly balance an ente taining sense of farce with intimacy a* authenticity throughout "Cookie's Fortune," rendering its Holly Springs real, charming and oh-so sensually evocative. And, yes, those are catfish enchiladas you smell. "The Player" and the inexplicable "Popeye." Inheriting its director's flair for making each of his films stand alone through his trademark style, "Fortune" shines as a richly detailed, beautifully languid, killingly funny and intoxicatingly funky comedy that is equal parts screwball and Southern Gothic. Southern Gothic means simply that the Courtesy of October Films Charles S. Dutton and Uv Tyler share a moment in "Cookie's Fortune." fully developed characters. From Willis and Cookie's tender friend- ship, to Willis and Emma's taste for Wild Turkey, to the importance deputy Lester Boyle (Ned Beatty) places on fishing as a judge of character, "Cookie's Fortune" is rooted in the slice-df-life intimacy in which Altman views the townspeople of Holly Springs, conveying not only their personalities but the town's as well. Big Jake to be rude in Pontiac Saturday ByAdil~nosli ' Daily Arts Writer I4~ Bands like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Brian z Setzer Orchestra and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy seem to be the heralds of swing music's second coming. Sadly, there seems to be a strict orthodoxy about,4 - the dancers that support these groups - the musi- * cians' efforts are only a background to the all- important dance. Bent against the grain of thisre d neJ recently revived scene is Big Rude lake. The band, named after its singer Jake Hiebert, seems to embody the idea of the anti-trend. For one thing, it is the only band of its kind signed to 44f. Roadrunner Records, a label predominantly repre- sented by mosh pit friendly bands such as Machine Head, Sepultura and Obituary. There's also the fact 1 that lake prefers using acoustic guitar whereas "ourt"sy uofrHaniRecord Cubanismo has fun with their music. Cubanismo to bring world jazz to EMU By James Mllle r Daily Arts Writer American music audiences some- times have a trendy relationship with world music. The Irish "My Heart Will Go On" craze is collapsing like Michael Flatley's arches. The lam- Cubanismo bada was an inter- esting mistake, EMV Convocation our generation's Center "Saturday Night Fever" I suppose. Tonight at 8 But Cuban music is the real deal. Forged in the same sort of cauldron as West African drum- ming and Indian music, Cuban jazz couples the familiar timbre of big band music with the rhythmic complexity and propulsion of Latin folk music. With native Cuban bands like The Latin Jazz All-Stars and Buena Vista Social Club making records in the U.S. the sounds of Cuban are becoming more and more a part of the concert landscape. Cubanismo, fronted by trumpet pow- erhouse Jesus Alemeny, is a banquet for every audience member. The aptly named Jesus is flanked by congas, tim- bales and loads of other auxiliary per- cussion instruments as well as more horns and the usual rhythm section. Singers play the cowbell and idle horn players thicken the texture with vocal interjections and more percussion. Besides the quality of the band, there will be a large dance floor erected in front of the band to facilitate the aggressive salsa that is part and parcel of Cuban jazz. Cubanismo has the ability to be wild and thrilling as well as complex and beguiling. Anyone who still lusts for the days when people danced while actual- ly touching are encouraged to attend. Big Rude Jake Millstreet Entry Saturday at 8 p.m. i1 most swing bands play up their electric guitar players. On top of that, Big Rude lake's music is filled with twists and turns that hint at ragtime sounds to swing to waltz, sometimes in the same song, which has had the impact of throwing off the snobs on the floor looking for a swing band to dance to. With regards to being the only band of its kind on Roadrunner, Hiebert said that it's actually a liberating expe- riente for his music. Hiebert Courtesy of Roadrunner Records explained, "The thing about it is that Roadrunner doesn't know what to do with me so I have full creative control over the music," which has result- ed in the band's diverse debut release. Jake's preference of acoustic guitars over elec- tric guitars may seem odd to most fans of this sort of music, but the choice nonetheless manages to get the job done. "I must have owned an electric guitar for like three days and I just didn't make a connection with it," he said. "My roots tend to be more with acoustic guitar player anyway, people like Leon Redbone." Hiebert also cited having had a good mentorship with a local musician, named Nose Jake and his band show how rude they can be. Scarlet, from his hometown. Scarlet helped him during his formative years as a musician. The big rude one also discussed his group's inability to confine itself to a traditional swing sound, and on the current state of swing music. "To me, it seems that there's two different swing movements going on right now," Hiebert said. "There's one movement for the dancers and anoth- er for the musicians. With this band it's more of us making the best music we can and not putting any limits on where it should go." He explained that, thanks to the broad exposure of the scene' during the past couple of years, there seems to be a gradual closing between the two fac- tions. "In big cities now the crowds are more wel- coming of the diversity my band brings and I also get supportive e-mail from everywhere from peo- ple encouraging the band. The smaller towns are less accepting though, they expect a more straight forward show," Hiebert said. Addressing the allegations of this renewed inteT- est in swing merely being a passing fad, Hiebert said, "I've talked to a lot of my peers in this scene and it seems to me that there's a differenve between musicians who just like this type of music and play it and those who are inspired by old music who then create their own music. Hiebert mentioned that the scene is one that is constantly evolving, thus, it cannot be a mere fad. "I've been around for a long time doing this a its something that's always changing and develop- ing so it can't be a fad,' he said. "If it doesn't die then it's a movement." U National Advertisin Now Hiring Coord inat....r... * You are a student who wants to work at an award-winning college newspaper * You want to be responsible for nint*inn +hninnrca nf illamr in U I II i' Student Storage, Approved by Uof M C ousing Administration Satellite locati ns nM a malor resi ence h alls Che k your RA Boqrd for dates and hours All other ocations by appointment! 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