The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 21, 2000 - 9 4Cradle' rocks, rolls and falls tuather flat By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer In the 1930s, censorship and Red- hunting were not limited to Hollywood. Hand-in-hand, they per- meated every sector of the arts, per- petrated by the men in the U.S. gov- ernment who felt they knew best and feared anything that so much as mur- . red of dissension. At the same time, the government was funding the arts through the WPA, putting money into actors, singers, vaudevillians and other per- formers' pockets through the Federal Theater program. The Depression hit jeveryone hard, and the Federal Quartet to grace Rackham stage By Jim Schiff For the Daily The world-famous American String Quartet is returning for its eighth concert in Ann Arbor, sponsored by the American String Quartet Rackham Auditorium sunday at 4 p.m. University Musical Society. As part of their three-year Beethoven the Contemporary project, this perfor- mance will feature one Beethoven quartet and the contemporary quartet in e minor by George Chadwick. Beethoven the Contemporary is a groundbreaking series that hopes to expose many of the underappreciated works of Beethoven. Violist Daniel Avshalomov believes that Beethoven laid the foundation for future com- posers, from Dvorak and Brahms to Chadwick. Chadwick's quartet resur- rects the European styles of the early 19th Century, while utilizing a dis- with the members of American String Quartet as part of a three-year residency surrounding the series. They attend master classes and private coachings to gain increased pro- ficiency on their instruments. During the academic yearthe quartet regularly performs and teaches at the Manhattan School of Music. The quartet has recently completed a "musical odyssey" tour to all 50 states in celebration of its 25th anniversary. They have had the pleasure of performing in the major con- cert halls of 10 European countries, in addition to appear- ances in Asia. Through the complete quartet presentation of Beethoven, Shubert, Schoenberg, Mozart and Prokofiev, they have been revered by audiences and critics alike. Violinists Peter Winograd and Laurie Carney, cellist David Gerber and violist Avshalomov have emphasized the public awareness of chamber music. They have conducted several educational programs, lead seminars, and published articles during the past 25 years. The Beethoven the Contemporary project is designed to show how the extraordinary composer dared to take risks and defy the musical category of the time. His exceptional work has both profoundly impacted other composers and the American String Quartet, who will provide an enjoy- able musical experience for the Ann Arbor community. tinctly American flavor. The quartet hopes to travel to the past with Beethoven's work to see how his influences still remain. A group of music students have been able to interact Sundance festival swells in size Cradle Will Rock At Showcase and Michigan Theater Theater killed two birds with one stone: employment for the unemployed and entertain- ment for the despondent pub- lic. But unions began to form, rumors of C o m m u n i s m began to fly and the inevitable House investiga- tion was con- vened. Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures Ruben "Razor" Blades portrays Mexican artist Diego Rivera in "Cradle Will Rock." This is the milieu in which Tim Robbins' latest directorial effort is firmly placed. Cross-cutting between four stories that are linked by a fifth major one, featuring a cast 13 stars deep, it is an incredibly ambitious effort. Perhaps a little too ambitious -while Robbins' story, taken from *ual events circa 1936 and 1937, is one that cuts to the bone, he reaches a bit too far in making his points. Several storylines are almost extra- ncpus, and Robbins lacks the skills ever-present in other filmmakers to make his stories palatable instead of preachy. The most difficult storylines to follow and accept tend to concern the upper classes in one way or rother. For instance, Nelson ckefeller (John Cusack) commis- sions Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) to paint a mural in his new Rockefeller Center. When Rivera creates a vista filled with angry laborers and bourgeois bacchanalia, Rockefeller demands that he change it. It is a good point made by Robbins, to be sure, but it's just too COME TO 420 MAYNARD AT 11i A.M. AND GET FREE PASSES AND POSTERS FOR THE NEW TEEN FLICK "DOWN To You" STARIN UNIVERSITY ALUM SELMA BLAIR. SCREKEEPERS o A M SS 7 KCLL1E 0 U V much on top of the Congressional hearings and the union strikes and even the musical that powers the whole show. There is no logical rea- son for Rivera to be present other than to preach to the choir what other characters have already said. It's overkill. The most important aspect of making a point is to know when to stop, and Robbins seems to have for- gotten that in between this and his last film, "Dead Man Walking." That musical shares its name with the film and is what originally inspired it. Written by Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria), it tells the story of a working girl trying to sur- vive in the Depression-era streets. Featuring down'n'dirty characters and arias, it was viewed as incendi- ary and pro-union, and by associa- tion pro-Communist. Orson Welles, played with excruciating hamminess by Angus MacFadyen (who looks far too old to play the baby-faced 22- year-old Welles), signs on to direct the musical. Long story short, the government shuts down the Federal Theater pro- gram and forbids Welles and pro- ducer John Houseman (an unrecog- nizably gone-to-seed Cary Elwes) to open the show a day before its debut. But of course the show must go on, and go on it does. The film's finale comes off rather well given the problems plaguing it earlier - "Cradle Will Rock" is actually a pretty decent musical, despite the fact that Emily Watson, wet-eyed and shiny as poor Olive Stanton, doesn't exactly have a Broadway- quality voice. Given that the film is being released under Disney's Touchstone banner, keep an eye out for an opening in Disney's new and improved Times Square in the next few months. Rarely somber, oftentimes giddy, "Cradle Will Rock" is a case of too much too soon. Although it runs only two hours and 15 minutes, it feels much longer. It does have many bright spots, though, most notably among the excellent cast. While many of them are visibly act- ing instead of losing themselves in their roles, Cherry Jones (as Federal Theater director Hallie Flanagan), Bill Murray (as ventriloquist Tommy Crickshaw), John Turturro (as jour- neyman performer Aldo Silvano) and the ubiquitously wonderful Philip Baker Hall (as US Steel mag- nate Gray Mathers) are swept away by their endeavors both in and exter- nal to the film. Also keep an eye out for Paul Giamatti in a hilarious small role as Carlo. Aside from the aforementioned performances, though, "Cradle Will Rock" feels a lot like a big party that suffers from a bland cake, every- body milling around but not really wanting to eat a piece. Its intentions are good, but its execution leaves something to be desired. Robbins has proven himself capable of han- dling hot issues with "Dead Man Walking," but here he is merely lukewarm. At times his ideas and vision ring true, but some of his sto- rylines are a bit too glib or conve- nient to swallow. That said, "Cradle Will Rock" remains an admirable effort. Lacking the follow-through to make effort a reality, though, is what drags it and its cast down. Los Angeles Times The clamor to compete in this year's Sundance Festival, which starts this week in Park City, Utah, has been more intense than ever, with just shy of a record 1,200 films being submitted for Sundance's cov- eted 32 (16 dramatic, 16 documen- tary) competitive slots. Crowd totals for the 10-day event usually are in the 13,000 range, but this year, with all manner of digital and dot-com ventures added to the mix, the totals are expected to swell. In an attempt to cater to everyone who shows up, or maybe because it wants to attract a diverse crowd, Sundance has been expanding itself into nonfilm areas. The Sundance Music Studio, sponsored by BMG Music and the Sundance Channel, will once again offer live musical performances, and a pair of high- powered theatrical events, Charlayne Woodard's "In Real Life" and Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," will be put on. Even in the film area, Sundance, like Cannes, has long been several festivals. Slamdance, the first Sundance alternative, around long enough to seem positively venera- ble, celebrates its longevity by open- ing a second venue, the Filmmakers' Lounge, to deal with the deserving overflow from the record 2,050 sub- missions it received. Somewhere under all this hubbub are the Sundance films, the reason it all began. As has become usual for the past few years, the most antici- pated films are in the Premieres sec- tion, where bigger name pictures end up. Because his "Big Night" was a highlight of Sundance a few years back, Stanley Tucci's "Joe Gould's Secret" is one of the festival's most- anticipated films. Set in 1940s New York, it's the based-on-fact story of the unexpected relationship between New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell (Tucci) and a formidably eccentric, Harvard-educated street person named Joe Gould (Ian Holm). Sundance's Centerpiece Premiere is Gina Prince-Bythewood's "Love and Basketball," which touches on two preoccupations of its producer, Spike Lee. Also worth noting are Mary Harron's "American Psycho" (rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America for, typical- ly, sex rather than violence); Michael Almereyda's Ethan Hawke- starring "Hamlet"; and "Rated X," in which brothers Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen's take on the Mitchell brothers, San Francisco's pornography pioneers. Sure to be lighter is "Happy Accidents," Brad Anderson's follow- up to his underappreciated "Next Stop, Wonderland." Also worth a look is "Waking the Dead," a haunt- ed "Endless Love"-type romance (in fact based on a Scott Spenser novel) in which Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly are quietly convincing as a couple whose love may or may not be divided by death. While the lucky 16 films allowed in the dramatic competition are usu- ally by unknowns, some familiar names have made it into the fray this year. Most eagerly awaited is the Heather Graham-starring "Committed," written and directed by Lisa Krueger, whose "Manny and Lo" was the delight of an earliei Sundance. One of the festival's most satisfy- ing films is in one of its more obscure categories, a catchall divi- sion called Special Screenings. That's the home of "Via Dolorosa," a filmed version of the compelling monologue on the state of Israel that playwright David Hare wrote and performed to great success as a one- man show in London and New York. Melding sharp insight with a magi- cian's flair for language (and a gift for making ideas dramatic), Hare vividly describes and analyzes this contradictory country where, a friend says, "in a single day I expe- rience events and emotions that would keep a Swede going for a year." The documentary competition at Sundance is where the quality is consistently the highest. Of the dozen features just named as final- ists for the best documentary Oscar, six debuted at last year's Sundance (and a seventh, Todd Robinson's Amargosa," will be screening at this year's Slamdance). I I Ja,..soJIHo.lu. WagnerIC I ,4.Z U a. One Mile West of Weber's !nn ONLY $4.75 Matinees before 6 pm, Kids, Seniors, & Everyone all day Tuesday $5.50 with Student ID after 6 pm $5.25 Late Shows Fri & Sat . ONo passes or Tuesday discounts Unlimited Free Drink Refills & .250 Corn Stadium Seating Gives YOU An Unobstructed View THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC COLLAGE CONCERT Friday, January 21, 8:15pm Hill Auditorium Free Admission, however, tickets required (limit four per family). Tickets available at Hill from 4:00pm on 1/21. A delightful concert featuring many different groups from the School of Music. With only seconds between numbers, experi- ence the power of band, the tranquility of choral music, the beauty of orchestral music, and the energized beat of the Salsa Band. This performance is both visualty energized with different stage settings as well as a wonderftd Qpportunity to experience some of the best the School of Music has tc offer. FACULTY RECITAL: Arthur Greene, piano Saturday, January 22, 8:00pm Britton Recital Hall The 26 Etudes of Alexander Scriabin. STEARNS LECTURE: Virginia Martin Howard .. - ALL SCREENS DIGITAL STEREO ALLTHEATERS STADIUM SEATING O HURRICANE (R) 1:00, 3:55, 6:45, 9:30 O ANGELA'S ASHES (R) 12:30, 3:25, 6:30, 9:25 ODOWN TO YOU (PG-13) 12:50,3:45,5:40,7:35,9:20 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 o PLAY IT TO THE BONE (R) 11:55, 2:25,4:55, 7:25, 9:55 O CRADLE WILL ROCK (R) 1:20,4:00, 6:40, 9:10 FRI/SAT LS 11:45 0GIRL INTERRUPTED (R) 11:10, 1:30,4:20,7:00, 9:35 O SUPERNOVA (PG-13) 11:30,1:30, 3:30,5:30, 7:30,9:25 FRI/SAT LS 11:20 O NEXT FRIDAY (R) 12:00, 2:10, 4:35, 7:00,9:05 FRI/SAT LS 11:10 MAGNOLIA (R) 11:55, 3:35, 7:25 FRI/SAT LS 10:55 CIDER HOUSE RULES (PG-13) 11:00, 1:30,4:10,6:55,9:30 FRI/SAT LS 11:55 GALAXY QUEST (PG) 12:50,2:55, 5:05, 7:20, 9:25 FRI/SAT LS 11:30 TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (R) 11:05,1:45,4:25,7:10,9:50 AMY IM EUNDAY(Im9:00 Lecture of the Steams Collection of Musical Instruments, Lynne Aspnes, lecturer Sunday, January 23, 2;:~pm Britton Recital Hal1 "Harps and Musical Styles: The 9thiCetury Way" RECITAL SERES: Thle Coplet .iach Organ James Kibbie, ofgan Sunday, January 23, 4:00pm' Blanche Anderson Moore Hall Second of eighteen recitals in bervance of the 250th anniver- sary of the composer's death. Concerto in C Major, Chorales for Christmas from the Orgelbuchl n, Canzona in D Minor, Individually Transmitt p orales, Chorales from the Neumeister Collectiorede and-Fugue in G Major. www.umich.edu/-jkib::: DANCE DEPARTMEN':Lecture Demonstration on the Power Center performance Tuesday, January 25, 7:30pm w _ - -.. _..... . ", F"