2B - Thursday, April 5, 2007
(page 2
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
i aVAUL 'THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN' (1988)
British allegory running wild
By ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN
ManagingArts Editor
Terry Gilliam's "The Adventures
of Baron Munchausen" begins on a
Wednesday in the Age of Reason in
a bombed-out, anonymous French
city. It feels like the French Revolu-
tion, but the accents are all British
and the enemy is the formidable
Turkish army - cannons, elephants
and the whole ensemble.
For loyal actors and their audi-
ences, the show must go on. At a
small playhouse in the heart of the
enemy bombardment, a retelling
of the ludicrously mythological life
of Baron Munchausen is under-
way. That is, until the real Baron
Munchausen (John Neville) - a
crotchety old man with cane and
sword - bursts in, and he's pissed.
"I started this war," he shouts at
the disbelieving audience, "and I
am going to end it."
In one of the greatest scene
changes in memory, the actors on
stage amid a Turkish set are sud-
denly in the Sultan's palace. Its
gaudiness and hyper-exaggerated
props are straight out of the 18th
century. The Sultan and the Baron
love a good wager almost as much
as a good bottle of wine. The two
bet that if Baron can procure the
best white wine in the world from
Vienna in under an hour, he and the
strongest man he can find can take
what they please from the Sultan's
treasury. If not, off with the Baron's
head.
Here we are introduced to the
Baron's trusty coterie of sidekicks
with super abilities. Eric Idle is
the nimble footed Berthold - a
man so fast he has to walk around
with shackles. The Baron sends
him speeding into the countryside
to fetch the bottle. While he waits,
the Sultan entertains him with a
Baroque opera he's written. He
plays a pipe organ with a twist: pris-
oners trapped inside are stabbed
with spears to add a little pizzazz
to the composition. When Berthold
barely makes it back in time, the
Baron summons his strong man,
Albrect, and takes him to the trea-
sury. Alb
the worl
the entir
ders. Th
rage, and
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children'
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The fi
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leave. TI
and look
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Polley) &
clutches
vigor is r'
rect, of course, is actually nation, and he sets off with her to
d's strongest man, placing find his friends and save the town.
re treasury on his shoul- He escapes the clutches of the gov-
e Sultan is inflamed with ernment and the Turkish army by
l thus war ensues. fashioning a hot air balloon out of
s seems over the top, it knickers - obviously.
'he film is at once a superb Visually the film is a master-
s tale of fantasy, a wry piece, akin to "Pan's Labyrinth." It
critique and an allegory of received Oscar nominations for art
sus imagination. direction, set decoration, costume
lm snaps back to the the- design, visual effects and makeup.
Each set, from the Sultan's palace to
the belly of a leviathan to the king-
dom on the moon, is executed with
.ind trip with preto.
Yperfection.
w things to The length of the film is a deli-
cious mockery of British nobil-
rlong the way ity (even the Sultan is British), and
while the Baron is the epitome of
old-money-meets-James Bond, his
charm supersedes his stereotypes.
non is falling at a steady The humor is also tongue in
ompting the audience to cheek. At the film's opening, the
he Baron is heartbroken French (British?) soldiers 'aren't
s for a place to die. Luck- fighting because apparently there's
vaciously cute Sally (Sarah no fighting allowed on Wednes-
aves the Baron from the days. The King of the Moon (a bril-
of the angel of death. His liant Robin Williams) and his wife
ejuvenated by her determi- have detachable heads which are
always trying to escape their cor-
poreal prisons in favor of an intel-
lectual existence.
The line between the Baron
recounting his adventures and the
real world blurs to the point that
the end of his story coincides with
the end of the real war - a stun-
ning, inasterful battle sequence.
"The Adventures of Baron
Munchausen" is a epic movie for an
elementary school sick day, a high
school reefer session and an adult
escape. Watching it once is never
enough, but the Baron's ending line
will stick with you from the first:
"And those, who had a knack for it,
lived happily ever after."
Enough said.
ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS
What's hot at Encore
Located at 417 E. Liberty St., Encore
Recordings features a wide selection of
vinyl, CDs and tapes from all genres. We
asked the staff of Encore to pick five of
their must-have records:
1. John Coltrane - Crescent
Impulse (CD)
This 1964 recording finds Coltrane's
classic quartet in its prime. Notable for
its "overwhelming sense of melancholy",
Crescent is a stunning example of the
emotional range of Trane and the tonally
sophisticated playing of pianist McCoy
Tyner.
2. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Def Jam (CD)
Ghostface's fifth albumis recommend-
ed for its diverse production. Featuring
beats by MF DOOM and J Dilla, Fishscale
finds the "superb emcee" in rare form.
3. Miles Davis - Ina Silent Way
Columbia (CD)
Featuring an extended band that
includes prominent keyboardists Chick
Corea and Joe Zawinul, this release
from Davis's second great quintet is an
"important and historical" album. In a
Silent Way is crucial to understanding
Davis's "post acoustic and pre-electric"
period.
4. Plug - Here it Comes EP
Rewind Records (vinyl)
This release from locally based
Rewind Records is a collection of unre-
leased tracks from Plug, the alias of
Jungle artist Luke Vibert. Here it Comes
showcases Vibert's "left of center" style
of Jungle. Alongside the more conven-
tional soundclash samples, Vibert jux-
taposes snippets of easy-listening music
and time-stretched vocals.
5. NOMO - NOMO
Ypsilanti Records (CD)
Ann-Arbor based NOMO is known
for their "deep grooves" and distinctive
brand of Afro-beat. Under the direction
of former Encore employee Elliot Berg-
man, NOMO released its 2005 debut to
rave reviews. The openingtrack "Discon-
tinued" is a prime example of NOMO's
high-energy blend of free-jazz improvi-
sations and funk rhythms.
TED CULLINANE
SEXIEST
Jessica Biel was named
men's magazine Stuff's Sexi-
est Woman in the World this
week, beating out runner up
Scarlett Johansson. Both
women have been romanti-
cally linked to Justin Tim-
berlake - who hasn't? - and
were recently spotted shop-
ping together in Paris.
SEQUEL
David Ducovny confirmed
this week that a sequel to "The
X-Files" is in the making, with
he and his co-star Gillian
Anderson reprising their
original roles from the cult-
TV series and 1998 movie.
SETTLED
Kevin Federline and Brit-
ney Spears have reached an
agreement concerning the
their defunct marriage. Fed-
erline will "only" make $1
million from Spears's estate,
which is valued between $50
and $100 million. The couple
also reached a custody agree-
ment for their two children,
with Spears gaining full cus-
tody and Federline granted
unlimited visiting rights.
OUT
Pop singer Ricky Mar-
tin has urged gay singers to
stop hiding their sexuality.
Applauding Mexican pin-up
Christian Chavez for coming
out, Martin insisted that all
gay stars should feel comfort-
able and confident enough to
tell their fans the truth.
KNIGHTED
U2 frontmanBono recently
accepted an honorary British
knighthood at a ceremony in
Dublin, joined by his family
and bandmates. British Prime
Minister and fan Tony Blair
wrote a letter that was
read at the ceremony. But
because he's not a Brit-
ish citizen, Bono won't
be allowed to use the title
"Sir."
CAREER SHIFT
Child star Frankie Muniz
- most famous for the titu-
lar role on "Malcom in the
middle" - plans to take a
break from acting and focus
on his career as a Profession-
al Champ car driver. With a
freshly coiffed Mohawk and
Toyota Pro/Celebrity race
championship under his belt,
Muniz hopes to be taken seri-
ously as a Jensen MotorSport
driver. He is old enough to
drive, right?
MAUREENSULLIVAN
SOC 389 & SOC 325
SOC 389 is a service-learning course with topics in Education, Criminal Justice, Public
Health, Gender and Sexuality, and Organizing for Social Justice. Select a section within
one of these topic areas using the descriptions in the LSA Course Guide
(www.sa.umich.edu/cg).
SOC 325 is for selected student facilitators. For an application,
visit the Project Community website: www.umich.edu/ mserve/pc
The Namesake
At the Michigan Theater
Mira Nair's adaptation of a
archetypal story of self discovery
is a sharper transition than most.
Based on the novel by Pulitzer
Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri, the
film strips away the varnish of
social and generational gaps to
find even in tragedy an enduring,
universal wisdom and beauty.
Spectacular in many ways, it
achieves as a film what even
Lahiri's novel could not: It main-
tains an emotional tenor through-
out and doesn't get distracted by
the many non sequiturs that inevi-
tably comprise life.
The Lives of Others
At the State Theater
Intricately layered by writer-
director Florian Henckel von Don-
nersmarck, "The Lives of Others"
is a careful exploration of secrets,
art and loyalty which also strives
to remain relevant in our own
recent era of wire-tapping. Don-
nersmarck's characters remain
social representatives without
losing their humanity, much as
their precisely streamlined sto-
ries remain within the bounds of
believability without getting dull.
Blades of Glory
At Quality 16 and Showcase
overstays its welcome. Like other
recent Ferrell comedies, the film
lags in any scene with actual dra-
matic intent, but it perks up for its
competition routines with a giddy
delight in skating's signature
kitsch (the Van Waldenbergs-
themed tribute to "street culture"
features Louis Vuitton denim and
special Timberland skates).
Shooter
At Quality 16 and Showcase
You need only the 10-second
slow-motion shot of a gruff Mark
Wahlberg in shades striding auda-
ciously before a gigantic U.S. flag
to know that "Shooter" will find
significant mass appeal. That said,
we may often be disturbed by the
brainless, violent, mind-numb-
ing action that audiences flock
to ("300"), but there are no such
worries here. This one is a smart
shooter.
TMNT
At Quality 16 and Showcase
As the Turtles struggle to
bridge the gaps time has cre-
ated between them, they're also
battling to save the world from
immortal-stone-statue-induced
destruction. Unfortunately,
"TMNT" epitomizes how the
development of our childhood
cartoons has left them less than
what they used to be.
Clocking in at a merciful 90 3DU
minutes, the patent silliness of At the State Theater,
"Blades of Glory" only slightly Quality 16 and Showcase
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