Lip sync for charity... Let student athletcs entertain yoI in , lpsync contest wh ie raising money to buy books for an Ann Arbor elementany school library 7:30 p.n M ichgao Theater. $8. tichigandaily.com /arts TfTS 0 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24, 2001 8 Penn's 'Pledge' combines memorable roles, realism and a touch of honesty By Christopher Cousino Daily Arts Writer The opening shots of Sean Penn's "The Pledge" are visual beauties - crows in mid flight fade into dirtied hands scratching flaky dead skin off a crusty calf. Poetic, astute and aware could be ways to describe "The Pledge" and Penn (as the film's director) wastes no time letting us know his plan -- yes, this is going to be slow paced so you better sit back and just watch. ('rafting a wonderful character study in a sus- )Cpefe thriller without the standard, gimmicky 11lywood twists, "The Pledge" is a little, beau- tifblfilm. both on the visual and emotional lev- els. Based on a novel by the German writer Friedrich Duerenmatt, "The Pledge" begins on the day of Nevada homicide detective Jerry Blacks (Jack Nicholson) retirement. Through clever crosscutting, Penn takes us out of the city into a frigid, forest snowfield as a vtJng boy rides his snowmobile into a drift and stuibles across a horrific sight - the dead bctdy of an eight-year old girl. Immediately, the polce are notified and sure enough. Black steps back n action. s this may sound like the usual Nicholson ro , Penn toys with our notion of Nicholson and pl4ys.off this very effectively. Is this going to beI a prise of say, his "Chinatown" Jake Gittes, a1 By Wilhelmina Mauritz Daily Arts I tei I -~ Tei Gi" a very reminiscent of last summer's Lies~ Benea'h' The whole aura of the movie is, "The Gift" never lets iou get too comfortable bef ing you another jolt of scariness that sends chills your back. Even the opening credits had a quict story about a cocky detective who gets in over his head? Penn brings one of Nicholson's more touching, true acting performances in years. Nicholson does not seem like he's playing him- self for once. Tender, quiet and astute, Nicholson's Black is a man of devotion - to his job, to his pastime of fishing and to the mother of the dead girl, after he promises to find her child's killer. Quickly, a known child rapist is apprehended and brought in for interrogation by Black's part- ner Stan Krolak (Aaron Eckhart). As retarded Native American Toby Jay Wadenah, a slovenly Benicio Del Toro continues to further himselfas one of the best actors working right now. While his role is very brief, his dark eyes and other worldly presence further the mystical tone of the film. Though his colleagues close the case, Black doubts Wadenah's bizarre confession. But now that he's a retiree, it's time to hit the lake for some large mouth bass. Penn spends a lot of time drawing us into the character of Jerry Black and his passion for the rod 'n' reel. Lures, lakes and lines are all shown in vibrant close-ups and awe inspiring wide- angles. We feel the climate of the mountains of Nevada; when Penn takes us into the snow,* it's really cold (a viewing experience similarto the Coen brothers' "Fargo"). Penn's connection with the landscape borders on the sublime as Black buys an age-old gas station and starts his new Courtesy of WarnerBros.Pctures Jack Nicholson plays Jerry Black, a retired Nevada homicide detective in suspense thriller "The Pledge." life. But his promise continues to haunt him. Penn's greatest achievement in "The Pledge" comes in his adept casting and honest feel to the film. Using an ensemble of stark looking charac- ter actors (Helen Mirren, Mickey Rourke, Harry Dean Stanton, Sam Shepard, Vanessa Redgrave, wife Robin Wright Penn),."The Pledge" is a tri- utmph of tiny memorable roles. Along with a solid cast of unknown background players. Penn gives "The Pledge" such an honest touch. And it looks it too. Whether it's amongst hundreds of turkeys on a turkey farm, a steaming pot of coffee or the Backstreet Boys poster hanging in the back- woods gas station (the owner has a teenage daughter), "The Pledge" looks honest-to-good- ness real, which may be at times why it's so unset- tling. Not to mention the fact that Nicholson in his spiky hair and moustache looks more like Henry Lee Lucas than anyone else in the film. Penn's "The Pledge" is an engaging film that doesn't spell out the answers to the Fates; ulti- mately they decide. It's a pleasure to see a char- acter film set in a different, uncharted world, with a Nevada backdrop (actually filmed in British Columbia). Though a much different film; the recent "You Can Count on Me" boasts a similar honesty - in character, setting and pacing. Yes, it's okay to take a moment, stop and look around. Richard Lewis speaks about addiction, survival Fox's 'Life offers old humor By Jacquelene Smith Daily Arts Writer What would it be like to have parents that never really grew up? What if they didn't care that you built a fort out of blankets and chairs right in the middleof the living room? What if they had absolutely no idea what they were Grounded doing? This is t For Life scenario posed Fox's new family Tonight at 8:30 "Grounded ,f- r Life." While all .his . may be amusing for the two young boys of the Finnerty fami, ultimately the series lacks the comic ingenuity of"Th Simpsons" and "Married wi9 Children" for which Fox has come tobe known and what makes a series worth watching. The premise is at first proms- ing, but never capitalizes on its potentil and results in being little more tn mediocre, juvenile humor. Sean Finnerty (Donal Logue, "The Tao of Steve") and his wife (Megyn Price, "Mystery Alaska") mnare young. They definitely weren't read; be parents. With a teenage daughter that rivals a banshee for hysteria capabilit, and two little heathens for sons, no one would disagree that the couple has their hands full. But really it's their own fau t. The only source of discipline that he kids have is their militant grandfather who is easily outwitted by the two boys. For Sean, it's a priority to be the "col dad." His problem is then balancing thit with any sort of authority over his chil- dren because then he'd be forced to 4 like an adult-which he isn't ready tob. The show keeps insisting that the kids, especially their daughter Lill (Lynsey Bartilson), are the ones that are in charge. And they are. When the mom comes downstairs, the sons insist that she walk on the furniture to get to the kitchen because the floor is really molten lava. And she does. She barely flinches when they later break severg lamps in an attempt to avoid being burned by the volcanic floor. Sean and his wife take great pains to avoid Lilly's wrath as well. She lays down the law far better than her parents. At one point, Sean climbs the stairs to Lilly's room to confront her about a fake driver's license he found there. He's con- vinced he's got the upper hand. It's no surprise that Lilly turns the dispute to her favor by making the discovery of the fake i.d. illegitimate because it was ev dence gained through the violation c her privacy. "Grounded for Life" has its moments. When Lilly explains how frustrated she is with her mother's attractiveness, there's a series of flashbacks, from Lilly's point of view. Cut to the mom washing the family car in a pair of daisy dukes and a tank top; the neighborhood boys watching and drooling. In the end, the show is nevertheless predictable an* relies too heavily on that brand of whiney-humor that only the cast of "Seinfeld" could ever really pull off. In the end, "Grounded for Life" doesn't offer the viewer much in the way of intelligent humor. By Rob Brode For the Daily All the seats were taken and peo- ple were lined up thoughout rows of books Monday night in order to hear Richard Lewis promote his new book, "The Other Great Depression." Lewis is well known for his stand-up The Gift Grade: B+ At Showcase and Oua ty 16 .y I, 1 "' ' that made me jump in my seat. ile story follows Annie Wilson (Cate Blapchett), a widow and moth- e- of three boys. Annie is a psychic, a power she received apparently from her grandmother, and makes ler living giving people advice using her ability. Annie wears no crazy hats nor does she use a crystal ball to predict the future. She has a simple deck of cards, which she uses along vith her natural gut instinct. 'The majority of the town doesn't necessarily believe in what Annie does but they all like her just the same because she is a wonderful Richard Lewis Borders Jan. 22, 2001 comedy but probably most recognized among our gen- eration as Prince John, the man with the moving mole, from "Robin ood Men in Tights." While Lewis is best known for his comedic skills, his auto- biography is no laughing matter. Those who came person. She is caring to evervone and always treats those around her, especially her clientele, warmly and with a great deal of respect. For the most part her clients are town folk that come to her for advice about medical problems and other simple wveryday things. Of course. these are not the people that are of interest in the movie. The people we see are those with major problems, like an abused wife (Hillary Swank), an abusive husband (played by Keanu Reeves), a mechanic with a serious mental disorder (Giovanni Ribisi) and a father with a murdered daughter but no killer. The latter is the main mystery of'" The Gift" which revolves around Jessica King (Katie Holmes), the rich daughter and philandering fianc6 to a simple teacher (Greg Kinnear). A few days after she is reported missing, Annie is asked to help find Jessica. At this point Annie Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) uses her psychic ability to induce vomiting in "The Gift." begins to see visions of Jessica's dead body while she is sleeping and suddenly she can't get the images out of her mind. Annie gets these visions throughout the movie, and they are both scary and a bit confusing because at times you aren't quite sure whether what you are seeing is a vision or reality. This is supposed to add to the eerie fac- tor of the movie but sometimes it was complicated. There are also a variety of bizarre characters in "The Gift" that at times make the movie feel a little ridiculous. Giovanni Ribisi, for example goes way over the top with his dramatics in every scene he is in. The plot sometimes feels like it is trying to force suspects down your throat and vet you know that if "The Gift" wants to be a suc- cessful mystery all the way through, the killer will never be the most obvious candidate. At a time when horror movies and other sorts of sus- penseful films are everywhere and most of them are not at all scary "The Gift" is one that not only promises to be a great thriller, it delivers. At times the built up suspense was so much that I found myself preparing both physi- cally and mentally for whatever was about to come next. expecting to hear lighthearted tales of "Richard Lewis the famous come- dian" or "Richard Lewis the actor" did not get their wish. Instead they heard the story of Richard Lewis the alcoholic. It is nothing new for celebrities to speak about their addictions. In fact, one more book about a moviestar's addictions may seem like overkill, but Richard Lewis is not the stereo- typical celebrity. When he was being formally introduced to the audience he stood up to take the microphone, saying he was undeserving of any sort of formal introduction. He men- tioned that he had previously been asked to write an autobiography but turned the offer down because he thought that writing about himself was too "self effacing, too grandiose." Only after losing many friends to addictions did he decide that an autobiography dealing with his own addictions would be a good idea. "Screw the stars, millions have it (alcoholism)," Lewis said. His story of addiction is similar to thousands of others across America. Although the setting of his story is Hollywood instead of Smalltown USA and the supporting roles are taken by celebrities instead of the average group of Joe's, Lewis stressed that alcoholism acts in the same manner no matter who it is affecting. Lewis used his experience as a way to con- nect with the audience instead of using it to drum up sympathy which endeared him to the audience. As Lewis spoke it became increas- ingly clear that his speech was about more than promoting a book. At no point in the evening did Lewis read portions from the book. He didn't have to.. The book seemed secondary to the solace that speaking about alcoholism brought Lewis. When the woman in charge of the event announced that the next question would be the last Lewis said, "I can take more unless you have to close the store." She ended up making this last call announcement three times before Lewis stopped answering questions. Even after the questioning was over and the signing began he encouraged those who hadn't bought the book to stay so he could meet them. Although the ultimate reward for writing a book is usually a New York Times Bestseller, seventy atten- tive listeners seemed to enough for Lewis. be reward z Hard-edged grassroots trio North Mississippi Allstars rock out Magic Bag By Chris Kula Daily Arts Writer The North Mississippi Allstars are children of rock n' roll - literally. Guitarist Luther and drum- mer Cody Dickinson are the sons of Jim Dickinson, i3 North Mississippi Allstars the acclaimed Memphis pro- ducer who built a career recording and performing with such groups as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin. Years of growing up in .oonrlin oidlo kvnz Ik(-.ruc with the band's grassroots success story that's been two generations in the making. The NMAS played two Detroit shows in April of 2000, opening first for Gov't Mule at St. Andrew's Hall and later supporting Galactic at the Magic Bag. In addition to articles in various publications including Rolling Stone, Billboard, the New York Times and the Washington Post, the band was fea- tured in a Time Magazine spread about life on the Mississippi. The band's debut album, Shake Hands with Shorty, features seven reworkings of classic blues standards h Delta natives Fred McDowell and R.L. f I ~~W - I I :, .: x, ); %: ci' i ':'": : '" ii::::?5:5>: iii;::;:::;-:i ::2 c ' '.