P ARTS
"We're going to use 'Jurassic Park'
as a blueprint for 'The Flintstones'
with a vengance."
- Keith Isaac, VP-International for MCA/
Universal on why everyone will be drowning
in John Goodman's face for the next year.
Crystal not 'Slick'
Sequel steps in something nasty
S OK Corral in Mich
b Lawrence Kasdan, years before "The B
e University. His latest film, "Wyatt Earl
ad Michigan Theater on Sunday at 5:00. T
Michigan Theater and the U of M Proi
ae, why the general admission tickets are $
can one ever really pay too much to see
the
with Summer Fest
isle:
ev-
De-
nly
at.
By Micah Berryhill
It's that time of year again when
the Ann Arbor Summer Festival rides
into town for three weeks of spec-
tacular performances, outstanding
outdoor movies, fabulous food booths,
and a free (yes, free) concert that is
sure to be a hit.
This season (June 17-July 10),
beginning Friday with the season kick-
off party, marks the 11th year of the
Summer Festival/Top of the Park and
promises to have something for every-
one.
The festival began in 1984 and fo-
cused mainly on classical music and
theater programming. The idea of the
festival in Ann Arbor came from Eu-
geneB. Power.AccordingtoKatherine
Funk, this season's Summer Festival
director, Power was tired of driving
past the Power Center and seeing it
dark (which means empty in theatrical
terms).Fromthat,heandotherfounders
organized Ann Arbor's first festival. It
has been a success ever since.
But this year's theme will stray a
little from the classical mode and into
a culturally diverse and multi-faceted
array of programs. The festival pre-
sents a wide range of talented per-
formers including country music leg-
end Willie Nelson and Family, Rob-
ert Cray Blues Band, stand-up come-
dian Paula Poundstone, the Paul Tayor
Dance Company and many, many
more.
All performances will take place
in the Power Center for the Perform-
ing Arts at 8 unless otherwise noted.
Funk purposely chose diverse per-
formers to feature new as well as staid
standards. This way it involves and
pleases a wider audience because the
festival is not focused on one major
By Rich Singer
"City Slickers" was such an excep-
tional film, a high point in Billy
Crystal's illustrious career, that any-
one who thinks that such brilliance can
be replicated in a sequel would have to
}t}City Slickers 2
Directed by Paul
gan Weiland; written by Billy
ig Chill" or "Body Heat," was at the Crystal, Babaloo Mandel
p," is making its Michigan debut at the and Lowell Ganz; with Billy
the showing is a benefit for the Crystal and Jack Palance
gram in Film/Video Studies. That's
15. But hey, it's for a good cause, and be mad. That was what came to mind
Keinhaving watched the movie. Not that
" "City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's
ival hits tow n Gold"isabadmovie.It'sjustnotgood.
Mitch Robbins (Crystal) is the
theme. owner of a talk radio station in New
Adjacent to the Power Center per- York City who commutes from his
formances will be the Top of the Park, new home in the country. See, in the
which is another major festival activ- first movie he learned an important
ity. Concerts by area musicians are lesson, probably the only lesson that
presented nightly and you can enjoy a one really needs to learn. That lesson is
bite to eat while watching movies the secret to life. Confused, depressed,
outdoors Sundays through Wednes- and going through a mid-life crisis,
days. Mitch was dragged by his buddies, Phil
Other activities are offered during and Ed (played respectively by Daniel
the Summer Festival which include Stern and Bruno Kirby), to the Wild
workshops, lectures and danceclasses. West to take part in a cattle drive,
Not only can you have fun watching where they met Curly (Jack Palance),
these many talents, but you can also an old, weathered cowboy in the clas-
become a participant as well. sic tradition. Curly had a profound ef-
There are also some special pre- fect on Mitch by filling him in on the
sentations made for children on Sun- secret to life.
days - Gemini and Friends, The Mitch, having learned the lesson, is
Firebird and The Great Dinosaur now happy and incontrol of hislife. He
Mystery. no longer lives in the miserable city and
The festival attracts up to 90,000 no longer works at his miserable job.
people from a wide area around south- The film opens up on his 40th birthday
eastern Michigan and surrounding and he isn't even fazed. In fact, he's
states and approximately 2,000 to lookingforwardtoit. HetriesonCurly's
4,000 people attend the Top of the hat while receiving his birthday conju-
Park activities. And you thought Ann gal from his wife and feels something
Arbor was only busy during the school inside the lining: a treasure map.
year. This is definitely the time and And that's where the fun begins.
the place to meet new people. Kind of. Not an extraordinary amount
This three-week-long fun fantasy is of fun. The jokes are thin and too few in
put on by a non-profit organization. number and the plot relies on an im-
Money received from ticket sales plausible series of coincidences that
cover less than half of the festival's make the story a little too hard to be-
operating expenses. The main sup- lieve.
port comes from contributions from Bruno Kirby sat this one out. To
ordinary people and must continue replacehisvoid,JonLovitzwasbrought
for the festival to be an annual Ann intoplay Mitch'sne'er-do-wellbrother,
Arbor event. Glenn. His performance is adequate
This 1994 Summer Festival season but his whining tends to become ingra-
is dedicated to the memory of Power, tiating after two hours plus. His talents
whodiedlastDecember.AlthoughAnn are better left to more cameo length
Arbor has lost a very important and appearances like that in "A League of
influential man, his founding vision Their Own." Billy Crystal and Daniel
will continue. Stern are pleasant in their roles but the
lack of witty lines cause their perfor-
mancestofallshort. Palance, asCurly's
twin brother Duke(implausible coinci-
dence?), commands a presence on the
screenbutstrays into the realmof over-
acting quite often.
The writers are the ones to blame.
The script simply was not as sharp as
the first one. Besides the lack of humor,
the relationship between Mitch, Phil
and Glenn becomes sappy where the
relationship between Mitch, Phil and
Ed was endearing.
Judged on its own merits "City
Slickers 2" might pass for all right. It
makes a decent matinee when tickets
are half price. Or maybe it's better left
for video. It's cute and passes the time,
butit's notsome ofthese talented men's
best work.
CITYSLICKERS2iscurrentlyplaying
at Showcase and Briarwood.
338 S. Slate
996-9191
Dlaily Specials
*17
Pint Night
$2.99 Cheeseburgers
(11:30 - 3)
Pitchers of Fuller's $9.25
Live Music
SI
All U Can Eat Ribs $6.75
Live Jazz
Foster's Pitchers $5.25
Candice says
"Chocolate Crepes
taste like
CocoWheats."