ARTS
Page 9 dWednesday; May 18, 1994
'If he thinks he can get away from me
like that, he can forget it. I'll follow him
through hell.'
- Courtney Love, widow of Kurt
Cobain, one month before
her husband's suicide
Lee flies in 'Crow'
Eerie film makes fitting epitaph
By Matt Carlson
Love is stronger than death. That
is the message of "The Crow," a dark
action film starring the late Brandon
Lee, son of the late Bruce Lee. The
movie, based on the underground
comic book, is filled with visually
cop Albrecht. Hudson's talent is ob-
vious, but the character of Albrecht is
too limited for a strong performance.
Equally forfeited is the character of
Myca, Top Dollar's half-sister/lover.
Bai Ling is beautiful and mysterious
as Myca, but she is not in the film long
enough to make an impact.
Michael Wincott ("Three Muske-
teers") gives a capable but not very
snarlin¢ erforma-Pn Tn rDnlln
g pt! 12 nC1t~illCei!asI p ol ar
1 7 The Crow the gun-toting, coke-snorting pyro
Directed by Alex Proyas; maniac. Also strong is 1 l-year-ol
written by David J. Schow Rochelle Davis as Sarah, a child o
and John Shirley; with the streets who was close friends wit
Brandon Lee and Michael the two young lovers. Davis' perfor
Wincott. mance does not make you want tc
strangle all child-actors.
caying under the decadence of ruth- Lee's true costars are the sets
less criminals and urban slime. These Towering above the dank, dark street
images, as well asLee'sperformance, are Victorian-style mansions an
create an excellent gothic tale and elaborate, gothic buildings. Lee a
make up for an underdeveloped story The Crow uses the majestic sets t
and one-dimensional characters. blend in with the darkness of alleys ii
When Lee was killed in a tragic order to spring upon his victims an
accident during the filming of "The disappear when hunted. The darkness
Crow," the future of the project was of the sets and the sparse use of light.
in doubt. Most of Lee's role had been ing create a setting of MTV pizzazz
filmed already, and thanks to the re- for a post-modern antihero.
quest of Lee's mother and fiancee, Despite Lee's performance and
production was completed. This is disturbing images of blood, bullets,
extremely fortunate, for Lee's perfor- needles, blackbirds and white cats alI
mance is the one that would have guided by director Alex Proyas,a
lifted him to superstardom. veteran music video director, "The
Lee stars as Eric Draven, a work- Crow" often pulls in too many direc-
ing class rock musician who is bru- tions at once. The film is a love story
tally murdered with his fiancee on an action movie and a horror film
Devil's Night by a gang of ruffians dealing with visions of sex, drugs,
working for evil crimelord Top Dol- rock and love and death. These dif-
lar. Draven returns as The Crow one
year later to take revenge for his
fiancee's and his untimely deaths and
the destruction of their love so he can
finally be at peace. Lee's portrayal of
TheCrow, abird believedto usher the
recently dead from the world of the
living to the afterlife, is both magnifi- E2IlJ eI NDL
cent and disturbing.
The anguish and turmoil that
Draven feels as he tries to piece to-
gether the events of the night of his London $279*
death are evident on Lee's face as he Paris $319*
cringes and screams in pain. Once
Draven realizes that he must exact Frankfurt $325
revenge on Top Dollar's henchmen, Madrid $315 *
he becomes equally wicked and brood- R4
ing. Under black and white face Rome $349*
makeup, making him look oddly like aetree All eqe stuetorflustaa.
a Gene Simmons of Kiss, Lee kills the a eta Ca , dide
o murderers in twisted, ironic fashion. deadloa
So, while Lee's performance is bril- CounaI Tr&
liant, his devilish grins are truly hor- 122S University
i rifying sights to behold. Ann ZE 48104
e The supporting cast is not quite as 00
strong. Ernie Hudson ("Hand That 31399 0 2
RocksThe Cradle") is wasted as good
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Brandon Lee shines in "The Crow," despite having Kiss' make-up artist.
ferent directions are all strong in the
film, but combined, they do not work
together to create a whole picture.
However, "The Crow" is a well-
done and entertaining action flick with
a love story at its core. The dreadful
irony that Lee's character was shot on
the eve of his wedding, while Lee
himself was shot on the set of "The
Crow" weeks before he was to be
married, is disheartening. But Lee's
swan song is a dark triumph that will
forever stand as testimony to the star
he might have become.
THE CROWis playing atBnarwood
and Showcase.
TEENAGERS AND THEIR CHILDREN:
MYTH AND REALITY .
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
ELIZABETH ALLEN, Ph.D., R.N.
University of Michigan School of Nursing
The Honorable LYNN RIVERS
State of Michigan House of Representatives
PANEL OF TEEN PARENTS
A Working Conference for Clinicians & Service Providers
May 20, 1994, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
West Side Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI
sponsored by the
WASHTENAW AREA COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN
Cost: $25(pre-registration)$o3: (at door)For information cal: 761-707