3D-The Michigan Daily - Wednesday; June 5, 1996 ARTS
Not Another Cafe fills dance
void with hip-hop 'Bootycallii
By Eugene Bowen
Daily Arts Writer
Ann Arbor natives Gino Newman
and Clyde "Deep-C" Parish of the
fledgling year-old Gino's-Solo
Productions, in conjunction with Not
Another Cafe (NAC), are hoping to add
a little spice to the social scene around
here. And if all goes well, that spice
could very well become a permanent
seasoning throughout school semesters
to come. Tomorrow night will be the
opening of "A Night to Sweat
Bootycallin'."
"The purpose of this is to provide
entertainment for University of
Michigan students, as well as the hard-
working young men and women who
live in the area," Parish said. "I've been
in Ann Arbor basically all my life, and
one thing I've noticed is that there's not
a lot to do here but ..hbe bored.
Nothing here appeals to the hip-hop
and dance-music crowds. There doesn't
seem to be anywhere for them to go
other than Detroit. So we're just trying
to give them an outlet for their energy
here in the city."
But this is more than just a one-time
gig. Gino's-Solo Productions has been
given the green light to throw "A Night
to Sweat Bootycallin"' tomorrow and
the next two Thursdays (June 13 and
June 20). If turnout is good, then the
event will occur every week through the
fall '96 and winter '97 semesters.
In allowing for this event, NAC has
established itself as the first major
business in the University district to
cater to the wants of a large, diverse
and generally ignored constituency -
those down with the urban scene.
With the exception of token gestures
(usually amounting to no more than
playing a Snoop Doggy Dogg song
every once in awhile) none of the
local bars, hangouts and this area's
only dance club, the Nectarine, have
paid even modest attention to these
urban music fans. This group, though
primarily black, includes huge num-
bers of Latinos, Asians, Indians and
whites. A concept such as "A Night to
Sweat Bootycallin'," which has the
potential of bringing together such a
varied grouping under one roof, is
exactly the type of project NAC would
support.
"The focus of this company ... is
altogether awareness and community
involvement," Eran Kaynan, NAC's
events calendar coordinator, said.
"The idea about NAC is to bring many
different types of people together.
We're trying to appeal to everybody.
Our main interest is not to exclude
anyone."
Parish agreed saying, "We'll have a
large array of music - hip-hop, R&B,
Miami Bass Sound and a little techno.
So it'll be more than just a 'black
~A' Alta hi ,-',- "m "re
of a black turnout, everybody's wel-
come.
"What you can expect to see when
you get here is a lot of love, a lot of
dancing. Not too many people standing
against the wall; not too many people
sitting down. And you can be certain
that 'Clyde the Glide' is gonna rip a
freestyle that's gonna get everybody
open.
"So hopefully everybody comes out
and supports because we're here for
them," Parish said.
The first of three installments of "A
Night to Sweat Bootycallin"' takes
place tomorrow night from 10 p.m. to 4
a.m. Entrance is free until 11:30 p.m.;
from then on the cost is $3. Dress to
BOHDAN DAMIAN CAP/sails
sweat. "A Night to Sweat Bootycailln'," NAC s new hip-hop dance party, debuts tomorrow.
Dragonheart slays audiences
By Gabe Smith
Daily Arts Writer
Think Youre Pregnant?
* Free Pregaincy Test
* Information about pregnancy -mai t IV
and options m w V
* COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL
Pregnancy Counseling Center o
Women Helping Women
(313) 434-3088 ( 4 hours)
2950 Packard, Ypsilanti, MI (1 Block East of Golfside)
Deli and Vegetarian Sandwichesr..
Ilwo ;
htonemode d staa BAGEL:
Soaps . . £3SANOWCHES
rewl 4 S(t~
THE HEALTHY AOO
Croissant5 C W
ALTERNATIVE L $4-0at a
662-47005S and aat
Fax: 662-5224 71S N. University and
Fat-FREE a expires: a
Hours Foods 8/31/96 #
7:00 am-57:00 pmM-Th . .
8:00am-S5:0pmaSata"
Find out why( is the Best in Ann ArborlStop by Todayl
Featuring Coot COW All Natural Fat-Free
frxoPqsset... Qntys alorie per Quncei GOL((ow
Hearken back to a time when sorcer-
ers roamed the countryside, elves and
witches ran rampant, and dragons were
real. In director Rob Cohen's new film
"Dragonheart," which opened on May
31, Cohen asks us to put aside what's
real for a few hours, and to open up our
imagination to adventure ... to believe.
The story chronicles the life of a sea-
soned knight named Bowen (Dennis
Quaid). In the year 984 A.D., Bowen
had been training Prince Einon in the Dennis Quaid and the dragon (voice by Se
ways of the sword. However, when
Einon is severely wounded after step- (Dina Meyer) and the last dragon,
ping into the bloody fray of a peaasant Draco (voiced by Sean Connery),
revolt and witnessing the death of his Bowen must rid the kingdom of evil.
father, Bowen must journey into the However, the fate of the king is bound
den of a dragon with Queen Aislinn to that of the dragon, and this leads to
(Julie Christie) to save the young the climactic ending.
prince. After the ordeal, Einon turns Kudos to director Rob Cohen for his
out to be far more evil than his father. casting. Sean Connery (Draco)breathes
Befriending a kindly monk (Pete life into the dragon and makes him
Postlethwaite), a fiery peasant girl believable. David Thewlis (Einon) adds
a fanatical, sadistic tone to the evil
king. Postlewaite's portrayal of Brother
Gilbert is wonderful, and Dina Meyer
Ro n!' a has a fiery tenacity as the peasant girl,
Kara. Dennis Quaid is steady, but is
outshined as the movie progresses.
/L V There are two elements of the movie,
however, which musn't be lost. One is
the cinematography. Filmed in
Bratslavia, viewers are introduced to
the Slovakian countryside of waterfalls,
castles and rolling hillsides. The other
element is the work of Industrial Light
66333and Magic (ILM). Draco is the first
computer-graphic-imagery actor.
S Largest a nd n e west fIeet Unlike the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park,"
Draco speaks, has a soul, feelings and a
4can sha re t he fare sense of humor. The costs of bringing
Draco to the big screen were estimated
IN Service to metro airport at2 iindoas.
at 22 million dollars.
The production of this movie was
excellent for many reasons. Costume
teams worked to create 600 authentic
24HuT icostumes from scratch, props teams
worked round the clock in both the
United States and Slovakia to create
weapons, and 30-foot waterfalls were
constructed, as well as the important
intenior sets.
ian Connery) discuss tneir oao alliance.
R..EV I EST
Dragonheart
Dirct by Rob Cohen
wth Ons Quad and Sean
Connery and David Thewlis
At Briarwood
Much of the logistics of the construc-
tion was determined by the 43-foot
dragon itself. Draco wasby far the m
complicated and elaborate model ILM
had ever built. The tyrannosaurus rex in
"Jurassic Park," for example, had
between 7,000 and 8,000 control ver-
tices; Draco had 280,000. Ultimately
96 animators and technical directors
were involved in delivering the 181
computer-graphic shots that made up
approximately 30 minutes of film time,
featuring a "living" 3-dimensional
dragon.
This is Cohen's masterpiece
date; his last movie credit
"Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." In
"Dragonheart," his directing is orga-
nized and crisp. The shots with Draco
are fantastic - they reach out and
grab the audience. This is by far the
most important part, and what makes
the movie what it is. ILM has tran-
scended all limits again, bringing us a
living, breathing animal with a soul.
With a splendid outing by the c@
members, dazzling special effects and
wonderful direction, this movie
shines. Director Cohen only asks one
favor of the audience when it watch-
es the film: to believe. After watching
"Dragonheart" I sure did.