Wednesday, May 3, 1995 - The Michigan Daily - 13 KISS 'of Death' rocks n' rolls all nite 3y Scott Plagenhoef "Kiss of Death," based on the 1947 Caruso has already cemented on tele- )aily Arts Editor film of the same name, is the story of a pa- vision the reputation of being a likable Combining an eclectic group of roled and would-be reformed criminal performer, even when he is not always ver-so quirky lesser characters and a (David Caruso) being pulled between the doing likable things. Caruso does lay a ecycled inverted view of decency and underworld and the law, each of which groundwork for a future film career by norality, Barbet Schroeder's "Kiss of seek only to use him for their own ends. lassoing some of the passion of his tele- )eath" is immediately grabbing, yet - The film is, of course, of primary iterest, vision character and remainitg a calm- rhimpers to a slow finish straining in as the ideally film star-making vehicle for ug, stable, cohesive presence throughout ts effort to be the "next big thing." David Caruso who left the highly success- the film. He is of course doing so by re- ful and high quality television drama flecting many of the same hard-nosed, "NYPD Blue" for a film career. Histori- cally (see Shelly Long and Farrah Fawcett) this is not a good idea, yet Caruso is a legiti- Kiss of Death Directed by Barbet Schroeder; with David Caruso and Nicholas Cage At Briarwood and Showcase Certainly Quentin Tarantino didn't in- 'ent the crime movie, just as James Jgney, Edward G. Robinson, and Arthur 'enn hadn't before him, but he did lay own a tremendous gauntlet that aiready llmmakers areattemptingto meet.The re- >irthofnoir, spurred less by Tarantino, and nore by "TheGrifters,"CarlFranklin, and ohn Dahl, seems an appropriate cycle for he '90s, marked both by recycled culture elabeled as postmodernism and an in- eased detection of the dark and covert on ur own streets, alleyways, and (as re- *cted by Dahl and the militias) farm- ouses. righteous street smarts he displayed in "NYPD Blue," although this time he his on the other side of the law. Caruso's straight man to the over dra- matics of Michael Rappaport and Nicholas Cage are interesting pairings early in the film. Yet as the narrative moves on, the re- lationships change and without each other to balance, Caruso and Cage's collectiveness and unpredictability shift to dullness and ridiculousness respectively. It really is here that the film falls apart. Once Caruso's allegiances are made, the film unwinds with yawning predictability. The two-sided charac- ters have long since been eliminated and what remains, not necessarily separated by cop and criminal, are the wholly good and the wholly bad. As a .result, who is punished and who finds redemption is no. mystery. The means to the end are even predictable, as they are considered the method for ensnarement throughout the film. David Caruso wants to be a movie star, really, really bad. 'ontinued from page 10 tion. As a result we only skate around the fringe ofCarroll's talent, neverreally being invited toshareinhisexperience. The lows af his drug experience are evident, mainly Ianks to DiCaprio. The introspection is never clear in the script. We are shown that Carroll carries with him a private manu- script book, his diary, and that it is the one >recious thing in his life. He can sever ties with family, school, friends, even basket- >all, but not his writing. Yet we are given >nly small doses of what is inside and smaller doses of Carroll's subconscious :onnection to reality. It is apparent only by :omparison to his more careless and nihil- istic friendsincluding one portrayed by ex- rapper and Calvin Klein model, the artist formerly known as Marky Mark, Mark Wahlberg. These individuals, Carroll and his peers, are members of the so-called un- derbelly of society. Their situations and their lives are dark and frank, not glossy and heightened. This is Jim Carroll, six- teen-year old street hustler and junkie, not Jim Morrison, world renowned and recognized rock star. Carroll's life did not need to be inappropriately invaded by Morrison's, nor Kalvert's. He is not the California hippie spewing free love in San Francisco in a Doors song, but the misfit searching for his mainline in a Velvet Underground one. This film, unfortunately only leaves its mark, as further testimony to the al- ready tangible talent and boundless poten- tial of DiCaprio, still only 20years old.. St. Johnny lets it come down at the Shelter St. Johnny has very good connections. The likes of Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth, David Baker of Mercury Rev and Shaky and Dave Fridmann of Mercury Rev all drool over this New York band, and with good reason: on the band's three albums "High as a Kite," "Speed is Dreaming" and their newest "Let It Come Down," St. Johnny twists sonic landscapes in a way similar to both Sonic Youth and Mercury Rev. "Let It Come Down," however, sees the band develop their own style. While the band still has uber-distorted guitars like Sonic Youth and la-la choruses like Mercury Rev, neither band has written songs like "Scuba Diving," "Deliver Me," or "Bluebird." Besides, wacky song titles like "Hey Teenager!" "Wild Goose Chasing" and "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control" are just plain cool. Come down to the Shelter to see St. Johnny next Tuesday, May 9. It's an 18 and over show, tickets are a mere $6, and Hardvark and the extremely cool Radial Spangle open. Call (313) 961-MELT for more information. o D Go To Blazes key-soaked voice of Ed Warren, the . punchy guitarofTomHeyman and asolid Anytime...Anywhere rhythm section courtesy of Ted East Side Digital Pappadopoulos andKeith Donnellan. This Stmightforwardnock'n'olljustisnotthe is a music born of basements and tiny hippest thing around right now but that does clubs, of and late nights and beer, a bit not stopGoToBlazesfromchuming itouton southem, a bit rural, a bit honky-tonk and their latest, "Anytime...Anywhere."All of more than a bit Stonesy, from the the ingredients are here: the wild and whis- SEE RECORDs, PAGE 14 STOP LOOKING! We've searched through all the newspapers, apartment guides and the yellow pages, and then listed all the best apartment communities. The places you would really want to live. e* Ulniversity 536 S. Forest Ave. Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104 1-313-761-2680 * 8, 9, or 10 Month Leases * Fully Furnished Studio, 1, 2, & 3 Bdrm. Apts. * Rec Room / Big Screen Community TV * Free Computer System On Line With MTS * Swimming Pool / Exercise Room " 24 Hour Maintenance " 24 Hour Attended Lobby And, UNIVERSITY TOWERS are easy to find. They are conveniently located on U of M campus. If you are looking for a funky dance scene,',don't miss DJ Ri No, Bubblicious, Hans, andmore at the Majestic Theater in Dettit this Saturday; May 6. It starts at 10:00 pm, and is located at 4140 Woodward Avenue. Be prepared to shake it hard. I Ann Arbor Civic Theatre MainStage Productions BooL f T Ihc ns Afechan - Lyrics b\ Martin Cinink iri Msiby ChaSt)snn D -i ectedf)' Wtbe-itn . h'tin Ic iann I n annin t O agindl n tin Direted b iStin Cli y- Presented on Broadway ke Nichols Produced by nin tweirt SinpevtR rridan. Le« i Atten "*Atin ANikrotnd ast}iilatnteInc. for lh erformin rs Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre May 3-6, 1995 Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Saturday Matinee at 2 p.m. Call 971-AACT for tickets, informa- tion; beginning May 1, call 763-1085 special Children/Youth Ticket Prices lised on "Litle Orpian Annie" By P'ermnission of The Tribune Media Seices, Inc. I 1 1 1 1 1 1 ! I 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 ! 1 1 I 1 1 1 Give them a call today or stop by for your personal tour! \4, .