Purple Rose of Cairo
niel leaps off the screen in this
t i&u ni Woody Allen film. 7 p.m.
t at the Michigan Theater,
mwihigandaily.com /arts

P Zltet [idt n
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TUESDAY
OCTOBER 17, 2000


Bassist McBride
soothes ballads,
explodes with funk

A real 'Contender':
Allen, Bridges star in
new political drama

By Stephanie Coggins
For The Daily

By Joshua Gross
t)ailv Arts Writer
For too long, fate has predestined the
bassist and his apparatus, a waddling
l? hQ Xoth that should logically stand

A,
Christian
McBride
Bird of Paradise
-. ,oct. 14. 2000

out among the
other much
punier instru-
ments, to a sec-
ondary role. The
bass is the fat slob
of the orchestra,
obvious in its tor-
por, its embar-
rassing girth (not
unlike that
u n a v o i d a b I e
human blob that
you pretend to
ignore) silently
cursing him as he

Brown. During his stay in Ann
Arbor, McBride utilized the diverse
backgrounds of each of his musi-
cians, concentrating on songs from
his most recent CD, Sci-Fi.
Alternating between his electric
and stand up, McBride challenged
the crowns of Victor Wooten, Ron
Carter and Les Claypool, thumping
out voluptuous ballads and funk
explosions. McBride was backed by
an equally talented quartet (saxo-
phone, drums and piano/keyboards)
who miraculously kept up with
McBride's maniacal pace amid
much brow wiping, sweat stains and
damp towels.

In "The Contender," Joan Allen
stars as Laine Hanson, an Ohio sen-
ator nominated by President Jackson
Evans (Jeff Bridges) to succeed the

Courtesy of MCA
Smell the glove: Spinal Tap is Derek Smalls, Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins.
TAP' INTO NEW DYD

The
Contender
Grade: A-
At Showcase
and Quality 16

r e c e n t 1 y
deceased Vice
President. A few
take exception
to this decision,
n1 a m e 1 y
R e p u b l i c a n
H o u s e
Representative
Shelly Runyon
(Gary Oldman).
Runyon favors
another candi-
date over
Hanson, and he
is decidedly

takes up the whole couch.
Playing four sets at the Bird of
Paradise this past Friday and
Saturday night, Christian McBride
: csled this polarity: He is a true
. riy with phenomenal stage
Senice who prefers to serenade
ih beatnik-like musings ("You
V") after committing jazz larceny,
se ng your breath as you sit in
wodd erment like unsuspecting prey,
nly 28 years old, McBride is one
af tie last members of a dying
f red. a pure jazz musician, playing
'fite sake of playing, scraping
tdgether enough money to get from
o_ e ig to the next.
In his decade or so of musical
experimentation, McBride has been
as prolific as possible, releasing
numerous CDs with a myriad of
hands, participating in compilations
d working alongside such legends
a Herbie Hancock and James
fPre-
Hundreds of c
successful IU
~Thursday, October 19, 2000
1"Michigan Union
~68:30 PM
(vdo pae dscusion,
I .

"There's such a fine line between
clever and stupid."
This bit of wisdom from a member
of Spinal Tap is prov ed correct once
again with the re-release of "This is
Spinal Tap" on DVD), fr although this
film pokes fun at every aspect of rock
and roll, it goes ]ar beyond a mere
spoof of the industry. Including a one
of a kind commentary track, music
v ideos, a collection of promotional
material and utore than an hour of extra
footage, this hilarious movie about the
ups and downs of the music industry is
definitely worth a second look.
The movie is a mock documentary
of Spinal Tap, a fictitious British heavy
metal group that
is far past its
prime. Director
Grade: A Rob Reiner
This is Spinal plays a filmmak-
Tap er named Marty
T Dibergi who has
New on DVD decided to film
McA Spinal Tap's
review" y 1982 tour, which
Andrew T- yIor EA may turn out to
y Ar ts Vwrer be their farewell
tour. Although
popular in the '(Mis and '70s, the band
has begun its descent into oblivion, or
as their manager puts it, "their appeal
has grown more selectiv e."
The band is fronted by lead guitarist
and singer Dar id St. H-ubbins (Michael
McKean), lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel
(Christopher Gjuest, best known as the
six-fingered man in "The Princess
Bride") and bass player Derek Smalls
(H-larry Shearer. who does numerous
voices fur "The Simpsons").
Part of what makes this mox ie so
funny is how believable it is. Their
mannerisms, stupid lyrics, contrived
on-stage antics and pseudo-philosophi-

cal outlooks on life are not that far off
from those of real rock stars. One clas-
sic scene is when Nigel shows Dibergi
his extensive guitar and equipment col-
lection that includes a set of amplifiers
that go up to i l instead of a measly ten.
When Dibergi questions his logic and
asks him why he doesn't just set ten to
be louder, the look on Nigel's face is
priceless. The band is faced with all
kinds of problems, including a Yoko
Ono level tension between David's girl-
friend and Nigel, disputes with their
record company over the cover of their
new album "Smell the Glove," cancel-
lations of their gigs due to lack of sales
and the short life-spans of their drum-
mers (their last drummer spontaneous-
ly combusted on-stage).
The DVD version of this movie
contains over an hour of deleted
scenes, many of which are just as
funny as the material that made it
into the original film. There are full
length music .videos of their '60s
British Invasion pop songs along
with videos for "Big Bottom" and
"Hellhole," which are done in the
cheesy, low budget style of countless
'80s heavy metal videos.
By far. the best part of the DVD is
the commentary track. Instead of the
dry and sometimes m ind-numbingly.
boring commentary by the director
that is typical of DVDs, the voice-
over is done by the actors as the
members of Spinal Tap. The actors
constantly bash Dibergi for misrepre-
senting them, and some of their com-
ments are as funny as the original
dialogue. "This is Spinal Tap" is
more than just a jab at the rock indus-
try. By the end of the film, you real-
ly start to care about the band mem-
bers despite their shortcomings and
general idiocy.

against supporting her simply
because she is a woman.
Runyon's position of chairman of
the House Judiciary Committee
appointed to conduct hearings over
Hanson's confirmation gives him
the opportunity to damage her char-
acter and diminish her chances at
becoming vice president. He enlists
the aid of fellow Representative
Reginald Webster (a starry-eyed
Christian Slater) to dig up dirt on
Senator Hanson. In no time, several
photographs of an alleged sexual
encounter she had in college sur-
face, forcing Hanson to face the
allegations the subcommittee makes
about her moral fitness during the
hearings.
In what would otherwise be a
rehash of the often re-worked story
of political scandal, writer/director
Rod Lurie's crisp lines and careful
plotting of exciting and often unex-
pected plot twists keep up the pace
in what turns out to be a very
intriguing and realistic thriller.
Lurie takes cues from the most
recent political sex scandals, yet he
places a fresh spin on this story,
making Hanson a more sympathetic
character who is portrayed as being
mercilessly antagonized by oppos-
ing political forces.
The cinematography adds to the
realistic dimension of the film by

providing the hand-held ca
style made popular in prime
dramas. This filming method signi
icantly speeds up the action in thi
mostly character-driven, talk-heav
film, especially during the scenes i
which Senator Hanson's confirm'
tion hearings take place.
Allen as the titular contend
brings honesty and courage to t
role as the female vice presidenti'
nominee. As her character f
opposition, Allen evokes the tr
sense of integrity even as her cha
acter's colleagues urge her to stoo
to the same level as her detractors
discredit them. Hanson believes th'
it is simply "beneath (her) dignit
to confront the accusations, an
Allen's portrayal of this inner co
viction is as truthful as they come.
Bridges puts on his best impre
sion of a post-Clintonian Preside
who enjoys the perks of preside
life, including extravagant fare su
as shark steak sandwiches and bow
ing in the White House, while nev
losing sight of the sheer power
possesses as commander-in-chie
le even goes so far as to commei
wryly that a small country is bein
spared a bombing raid because he
"obsessed" with beating his bowlin
average.
Oldman portrays Runyon in
slightly offbeat and unusual sty
that defines the majority of h
roles,. He is able to emphasi
Runyon's eccentricities (the stran
curly hairstyle and haltingly aw
ward speech mannerisms) witho
downplaying the character's huma
ity and true conviction in his belief
"The Contender" is a film that
able to supercede all the apat
towards sexual scandal in pol
that has become the legacy of th
Clinton-Lewinsky affair, and direc
ly ask what is important in choosin
the nation's leaders and what shoul
be left private.
Lurie's visual and directorial sty
emphasizes the realism and humanit
of each character so that when t
audience watches the events as the
unfold, they can get a better sens
politics do affect people's lives
that dredging up the past is a politic
ly and spiritually damaging action.

Courtesy of DwtMc drkh
Christian McBride rocks the big bass fiddle.

Law?
Med?
siness?...
arhing ea. m



era Artsg~rads.
7 A, :
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Scoring after college
gets a lot tougher.
001 Ediin Princeton
Gra~kng ~Review
Cracking the eYe
200? Editian (pr neton
Review
Cracking the
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OPEN AUDITIONS
for JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA'S rollicking operetta
E L CA PITA N
Wed. Oct. 18, 7-9 pm
Student Theater Arts Complex (STAC) near Crisler Arena .
singers * dancers * actors * chorus
Bring sheet music to a song you know-that's all you need!
Need info or specific time? PLEASE CALL 973-3264
Performances: February 22-25, 2001, Lydia Mendelssohn Theater
UM CHAPTER, COMIC OPERA GUILD
The Institute for the Humanities
presents
THE eLECTRONIC HUIMANIST
a series of lectures on
Technology and its effects on
humanities students and faculty
This week's talk:
"The Digital Age and the Humanities"
John D. Evans
C-SPAN cofounder

is



Courtesy of Oreamworis Pictu
The truth? You can't handle the troth that Joan Allen doesn't play a filted housewife

DAILY ARTS.

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