Vempatti Chinna Satyam
Indian Development Service presents Vempatti
Chinna Satyam and Company, a dance troupe from
India, at Towsley Auditorium in Washtenaw W 9
Community College. Tickets range from $7 to $25; Wednesday
call 665-6186 for more information. August 2, 1995
Put this in your pipe and 'smoke' it
By Scott Plagenhoef or meet, let alone alter each other's lives.
Daily Arts Editor r Yet in "Smoke" a paper bag of $5000,
Lost in the sometimes heartlessness the love of a story and of tobacco and
of modern electronic entertainment - Smoke their loneliness allow them to connect.
t)% overwhelming amount of nameless, In this way, "Smoke" can seem a bit
as less information pumped into each Directed by Wayne Wang; forced but not altogether contrived such
of our homes without prejudice or dis- with William Hurt and as the recent "Grand Canyon," another
cretion - is the art of storytelling. Harvey Keitel film about the chance encounters of oth- '
Storytelling as a means of communicat- erwise unsimilar characters. Instead of a
ing; a means of expressing oneself with At the Michigan Theater seeking enlightenment as in "Grand
traditional words are fleeting. --- - --- Canyon," the characters of "Smoke"
Storytelling as a form of entertainment; Written by novelist Paul Auster and seek only companionship, a bent ear, a j
as an art. Storytelling as a way of creat- directed by Wayne Wang ("The Joy stray moment in which they can invite
ing a fantastical, escapist environment; Luck Club"), "Smoke" is a record of another into their lives. This is after all I
as tall tale. chance encounters and life-changing re- not the New Age landscape of L.A. but
True in the movies as well, real, clas- lationships within the otherwise callous- the traditionalism of Brooklyn. An exciting scene from "Smoke," where Ketel and Hurt corrode their lungs.
I storytelling is plundered by the de- ness of New York City. A novelist (Wil- Featuring an excellent ensemble of
r ative, by the car chase, by pyrotech- liam Hurt) unable to work since his wife performers, "Smoke" is not as much a nothing is being given to them. including Keitel, participated in a second
nics. The visceral is running amok and was shot, a cigar store owner (Harvey character study of each of them as indi- Lyrical and compelling, "Smoke" is Auster-Wang project titled "Blue in the
people's ability to listen, really listen, is Keitel) who thinks his ship is coming in, viduals, but collectively a study of how a rarity in modern American cinema: a Face." Shot in a mere three days using
a casualty. his former lover (Stockard Channing) we each relate to the other people in our film propelled by the rigors of the every- the same cigar-store shop as a set the film
"Smoke" is both a classical story and who claims they have a crack-riddled lives. Paced with a quiet dignity appro- day. It features tangible and knowable features cameos and improvisation from
it is about storytelling - telling stories teen-age daughter, a young man (Harold priate to the themes of the film, director characters whose lives are as twisted and an eclectic group of performers includ-
to escape the harshness of reality, Perrineau Jr.) on the run with a cache of Wayne Wang presents a grounded film turned by the seemingly mundane - ing Roseanne, Lou Reed, Michael J. Fox
bullshitting with friends, lying and ma- money, his estranged father (Forest in which writer Paul Auster's characters finding employment, spending getting to and Jim Jarmusch. Let's hope this sec-
nipulating, hiding from the past, or sim- Whitaker) tormented by the memory of are allowed to be charmed by the little know an acquaintance, taking photo- ond cigar-store tale will feature more of
ply writing to entertain - all usually losing their mother and his left arm in a things in life. Auster's characters take graphs of a Brooklyn street coiner - as the same witty ajoinders and compelling
r a good stogie or a satisfying ciga- drunken driving accident. None of these what they can when they can both physi- the extraordinary. stories from an already engaging collec-
tte. characters would traditionally intertwine cally as well as emotionally because As a side note, a portion of the cast, tion of characters.
Irwin Winkler's 'The Net' catches Sandra Bullock in its mediocre grasp
by Ella de Leon cyberspace expert who lives entirely on criminal record for prostitution and sale lains lurking behind the bushes and nu- of furious typing. After all, it's a com-
Daily Arts Writer the Internet. Angela's sheltered world of narcotics, courtesy of Devlin's tam- merous chases through low-lit, deserted puter thriller.
What happens when you make a turns upside down one day when she pering. That rules out the possibility of areas. Not to mention the many instances SEE THE Ner, PAe 10
movie centered on a trendy topic, like the finds a program glitch that can access going to the police. Because she never
information superhighway, with a hot anything from Wall Street to the federal ventured outside, Angela has no friends
in the leading role, trying to escape government. or neighbors that can vouch for her. 5th at Liberty 761-9700
bad guys? While vacationing in Mexico, laptop Angela's mother (Diane Baker) has dA e A w 5flAIELT I Ai _7 9UnoortLDe. spEWOIW 'BENTASA
The Net
Directed by Irwin Winkler;
with Sandra Bullock
At Briarwood and Showcase
This summer, you get "The Net," an
entertaining yet typical thriller that ex-
plores the relationship between key-
strokes, information and power. Sandra
Bullock plays Angela Bennett, a lonely
but sweet Southern California
in tow, Angela meets Jack Devlin (Jer-
emy Northam), a handsome, intelligent,
mysterious, appropriately named Brit
who looks like her perfect match. What
Angela doesn't know is that Jack wants
her disk containing the all-important pro-
gram bug. Upon realizing this, Angela
manages to escape back to the States.
Back in California though, Angela
finds her nightmare is just beginning.
According to the computers, Angela
Bennett no longer exists. Angela's face,
address, and fingerprints now belong to
a woman named Ruth Marx.
Things only get more complicated
for Angela. Ruth Marx also possesses a
Alzheimer's and doesn't know her own AlUiIN EAI I i i sepE NOG
daughter. So Angela goes to her former
psychiatrist and ex-lover, Dr. Allan ,OPEMRAION Present This Coupon U
Champion (Dennis Miller), the only man When Purchasing A
who can positively identify her-DUMBO Large Popcorn & *
The rest of the film follows Angela's PRe O
efforts to nab the criminals, reclaim her
identity and, above all, elude the gun- ;snder ;
shots. Directed by Irwin Winkler, known ege fm'Free 32oz. Drir
for his work as producer of "Raging so mse mam m emso asam msa
Bull" and "Rocky," no clue is too obvi-
ous for the audience. Winkler seems in-
tent on getting the details across to the
point where it becomes ridiculous. The
suspense he builds comes mostly from
standard techniques like shots of the vil-
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Shudent Organization Hccounts Service
(SONS] General Fund NccountrConversion
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1996 SOAS General Fund (GF) Accounts will undergo a conversion. As a result
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