10- The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, June 28, 1995
BATMAN
continued from page 9
Mask. Thus, his strutting, ultra-showy ma-
levolenceasTheRiddlerisforhimatleast, a
liberating game: Nygma's essentially anerd
whosawtheoriginal"Batman"14times and
developed a fascination with Nicholson's
Jokerratherthanthe darkknight
The same could probably be said about
Schumacher. He obviously takes great
pleasure in rearranging the furniture in
Burton's haunted house, like a 12-year-old
fan who loved the 1989 movie but though
it would be cooler to have, like, more ex-
plosions and less of that depressing stuff.
POCAHONTAS
continued from page 9
lackeys to the evil, literally gold-digging
Govemor Ratcliffe, an untraditionally bor-
ing villain.
Ratcliffe is one of the film's few weak
points;he's simply no funto watch.Granted,
the destruction of land and exploitation of a
peoplearenothing take lightly, but following
inthewakeofdeliciouslynrthless baddies like
theCmellaDeVille,UmslatheSea-Witch and
Uncle Skar, Ratcliffe's evil ways are even
morehorrible because they are not entertain-
ing.Butthatmay be Disney's intent,tomake
him such a boring villain that what he does is
uninspiring toyoung minds.
The songs, however, are far from bor-
ing, thanks to Alan Menken and Stephen
Schwartz. "Mine, Mine, Mine" illustrates
the goldlust and zeal to possess the "New
As aresult, "Batman Forever"is the firstin
the history of the series you don't feel like
writing a thesison: suddenly, youjust want
to root for the good guys and hiss at the vil-
lains. Any Hollywood summer, when film
reviews start to look like chemical lab re-
ports ("adrenaline" and "testosterone" be-
ing key words of the season), could usea
touch of Burton's nightmarish cool, but
what the hell-Schumacher succeeded in
something unprecedented: he single-
handedly stoppedthe arthouse-flick-with-
fast-food-tie-ins phenomenon that
"Batman" has become and returned the
whole franchise into the realm of, oh well,
fun.
World" that Ratcliffe and the English set-
tlers feel, while "Just Around the
Riverbend" personifies Pocahontas' inde-
pendence and yearning. "Colors of the
Wind" describes the Native Americans'
unity with every aspect of their surround-
ings, and "Savages" plays on the tensions
that the two groups feel once they collide.
And no, Mel Gibson's singing (all 15 sec-
onds ofit)isn't atrocious.
All in all, "Pocahontas" is a slick and
surefootedmovie,makingfewmistakes while
managing to entertain and tweak a few
heartstrings. It's a lot like "West Side Story"
setin 17th-century colonialAmerica, bothin
itsethnic/racial tensions and ambitious social
grasp. The biggest break with tradition is the
uncharacteristically bittersweetending,which
saves the story from going into saccharine
overdrive.It'sanentertaining90minutes,but
it'snosubstitute for ahistorvlesson.
New Bomb Turks: Superhighway revisits the Pig
Geezus pleezusi Columbus, Ohio's maniacal speed demons the New Bomb Turks
are making their third Blind Pig appearance in a yearl Those squares who
missed their first two sold-out shows of punk rock mayhem get a third chance
to try and be hip. The Turks' sound is influenced heavily by legendary punk
bands Wire, the Pagans, the Saints and even the Rolling Stones (except
imagine the Stones on speed, not heroin). The sly lyrics of singer Eric Davidson
and the guitar-god bite of Jim Weber caused one Daily critic to convulse in
spasmatic migraine fits after their January show. Faster than a dragstrip riot,
more powerful than a speeding Phil Spector record and able to leap a Marshall
Stax in a single bound, the New Bomb Turks will be shattering ear-drums of all
shapes and sizes Friday night. Tickets cost $6 and the doors open at 9:30 p.m.
The Soloist
Mark Salzman
Random House
She is the beauty who controlsRenne's
world, the breath of life for a lonely man;
the shackles that hold him down and the
wings which set him free. Her name istmu-
sic, and in Mark Salzman's "The Soloist,"
Renne Sundheimer is so caught up in a
land of notes that he fails to make any sort
human connections at all. He has kissed a
girl, but at the age of35, he has never made
love. He has few friends and no one he
feels especially close to. His parents live far
away, andheissatisfiedtokeepitthat way.
He is overcome by guilttfor not living up to
the musical genius he had when he was
young, and he's trapped in a world where
everything is literally out of tune.
Initially, the novel seems very strange.
Renne himself is such an odd, self-ab-
sorbed creature that he is difficult to con-
nect with. However, the more one reads,
the more the reader is pulled into this bi-
zarre world where even the blender has to
be in tune for Renne to use it. Renne's con-
fusion and uncertainty is an exaggeration
of what most people go through, yet
Salzman doesn't take Renne to a dehuman-
izing extreme. In fact, strange as Renne
was, by the end, the reader is almostcom-
forted by his conclusions,reassuredthatno
onereallyknowswhat'sgoingtohappenin
life, and that's all right, as long as you can
find something that makes your own life
meaningful.
Part of what makes this extraordinar4
novel so interesting is its many levels
and sub-plots. Renne meets a young cel-
list who reminds him very much of him-
self as a child and through this relation-
ship, he begins to come to terms with his
past. A beautiful and experienced
woman tries to seduce Renne, and his
confusion and interest at this make him
more accessible. And finally, throughout
the entire novel, Renne is on the jury for
a bizarre murder case, which tinges th
story with welcome humor and sus-
pense.
However, it takes some time to get
into the book. More serious is the lack of
description of the setting. One can't pic-
ture the house Renne lived in, the court-
room or the general backdrop against
which this story takes place. Though
there is ample character description (and,
in this particular novel, this is one of the
most important things to get across), it
would have be nice to have a better ide
of the story's location, too.
Overall, though, one can't really
complain. Salzman's story is surreal yet
enchanting, with a twist of something
magical. He can make you hear music
through his words, and the tune is well
worth listening to.
- Holly Singer
ONA ERATSUYOU!
OPEN LATE EVERYDAY TO SERVE YOU!
SALE ENDS 7/44/95 1
ANN ARBOR
South University Galleria
1214 South University Avenue, Upstairs
(313) 741-9600
1000s & 1000s OF BOOKS." BESTSELLERS 30.40% OFF!
FULL SERVICE NEwSSTAND!
1 HOUR VALIDATED PARKING .