The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 25, 1991 - Page 9 I White Fang doesn't have bite White Fang dir. Randel Kleiser i by Gregg Flaxman T he most disappointing thing about Randal Kleiser's White Fang is the vague feeling that there might have been a good film here. Jack London's story of Alaska, survival, gold and the mystical relationship between a young adventurer and half-wolf, half-dog is interesting material and perfect Disney fare. But the contrived result misses its mark and misses it badly. The film opens by juxtaposing scenes of Jack Conroy's (Ethan Hawke) arrival and initial experi- ences in the harsh Alaskan wilder- ness with mawkish shots of a young cub - White Fang. * Kleiser tries to get at the savage process of survival of the fittest in which both the boy and cub are subject to the dangers of a land untamed and the cruel work- ings of a human society that is only a slight improvement on primitive nature. Conroy comes to Alaska in search of his father's claim, but before he can even breathe in the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness his money is stolen. And then he can't seem to find anyone to take him to the remote claim, which is somewhere beyond Klondike. Even Alex Larson (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a friend of Conroy's father, is but also on his relationship with Larson. Brandauer gives a strong performance, slowly revealing the softer skin of a calloused man. Yet Larson's reconciliation with Conroy is so abrupt and underdeveloped that it becomes simplistic. Conroy is accepted, strangely, before he proves his metal, and the film reduces the rites of passage to yet another en- deavor to survive, and consequently reduces that survival to a victory over pure evil epitomized by the villain, Beauty (James Remar). Moreover, Hawke's performance, though endearing, is bland and without conviction. The idealism and naivete that purportedly triumph over the unmerciful land are transparent and overly-sentimental. Almost no aspect of Kleiser's film works entirely, although Brandauer proves again what an inimical presence he really is. Reman's vicious portrayal is also engaging, but it cannot compensate for what can only be termed confused filmmaking. What, in fact, was director Kleiser's target audience? White Fang is too intense for children and never allows itself to commit to an older audience. It's best viewed as a travelogue of the Alaskan back country, a kind of National Geographic with plot. WHITE FANG is playing at Show- case Cinema "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Dead Poets Society alumnus Ethan Hawke drowns in sentimentality in White Fang. reluctant to take the boy. But convinced by his friend Skunker (Seymour Cassel), Larson agrees to let Jack tag along on the perilous journey. In the meantime, White Fang has been left to fend for himself after his mother wolf is shot, ironically, by Skunker. The cub eventually comes into the hands of a Native American named Grey Beaver (Pius Savage) who tames him, yet treats him with little or no tenderness. While Jack and Alex struggle to find gold in "them there hills," White Fang is sold into a kind of canine slavery where he fights other dogs for sport. Kleiser never quite finds the handle for the material: he sentimentalizes early scenes of the animal with slow-motion and a kind of shameless Benji prostitution, yet subsequent dog- fights are brutally depicted and would be too much for small chil- dren. Even when White Fang is tamed, a residual fear exists that he may still be dangerous, and one reverts to a kind of Born Free mentality; indeed, this animal might be better off in the wild. The film rests not only on Con- roy's relationship with the wolf, Mental Floss for treetown Urban Dance Squad are much more than your average bargain- basement, racially mixed, rock-pop-soul-hybrid music band in the style of Kid Creole and the Coconuts or, uh, Guns 'n' Roses. IN FACT, Urban Dance Squad play with resolute irreverence to the many all- important barriers that their critics live by, rather than consciously trying to destroy them, resulting in an ambiguous groove thang that rocks or, as MTV will attest, a "Deeper Shade Of Soul." Other interesting pieces of bastard bombast guaranteed to stand up to Living Colour's rainbow demolition include "Fast Lane," with fierce guitar licks in deep violet and red tones alongside DJ DNA's formidable turntable mechanics, and "Man On the Corner," NOT a revision of PE's absolutely brilliant "Meet the G That Killed Me." Definitely a tough act to follow, even by America's SECOND favorite colored freak-rock band (after Funkadelic). Urban Dance Squad open for Living Colour tonight at Hill Auditorium. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.50 available at TicketMaster (plus the evil service charge). ,.. ° "' Burnham Associates 543 Church St Monday -Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. SPECIAL SATURDAY HOURS 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. 761-1523 THE PREFERRED PLACES TO BE GREAT CAMPUS LOCATICNS! ,,100001601 S. Forest 610 S. Forest 1506 Gedd es Securty Builigs ParkingforTenants C motbyurnised On-it anagement i odtoe The Red House The Red House SBK The Red House are a New York/New Jersey-based group that plays rock in the big, heroic idiom of U2, the Waterboys and the Alarm. It's a genre in which new bands all too often put the pedal to their guitar mettle; what sets the Red House apart is the way they channel their insistent, rocking en- thusiasm with a rare instrumental aplomb. The secret is the way singer Bruce Tunkel's handsome piano arpeggios and drummer Bob Nicol's remarkably inventive blend of textured hi-hat flair and bass- solid thump bring a graceful, shaped dimension to the requisite power of Tony Stives' Southern- twanged dynamics. Perhaps it's no coincidence that in this sense, The Red House's slight likeness to The Waterboys' 1984-85 "Big Music" period is the same particular influence acknowledged by the last great American group to play this style of rock, a North Carolina-by-way-of-England outfit called Ten Ten who disappeared after their1986 debut. Singer Tunkel's youthful, idealistic lyrics can at times be typically vague, and he does make the rookie mistake of confusing vocal passion with a relentless were a comedy. The result was a huge flop at the box office. Today it's a hilarious cult film, a black comedy far ahead of its time that foreshadows Huston's recent film, Prizzi's Honor. Beat the Devil is showing at Springstonian holler. But at the same time, The Red House' s memorable songs demonstrate a talent far beyond the band's years - the stately piano of "Before I Lay Me Down," particularly, may be the most breathtakingly gorgeous of its kind since R.E.M.'s "Perfect Circle" or Bruce Hornsby. With any luck, the Red House seem likely to stand as a lasting fixture on the American rock landscape. VIDEO Continued from page 8 who represent some of the biggest offenders in the traditional ignorance of video as a medium, looking at it as watered-down film and thinking the little box as somehow inferior to the big screen - not realizing that the two are incomparable) has launched a series of showings of video art and visits by video artists. Curated by Hannelore Kober, herself a video artist, the artists featured have only two things in common: they work in video, and they criticize video. As such, they are the van- guard of the medium's next age. They are those through whom we see the future of video and through whose video we see our own future. CINEMA Continued from page 5 cast, which includes Bogart, Lorre and Gina Lollobrigida, was instructed by Huston to perform as if the film were a drama, while others were told to perform as if it - Michael Paul Fischer 7:00 p.m., The Maltese Falcon at 8:30 p.m. and Key Largo at 10:15 p.m. tonight in MLB 4. -Michael John Wilson ''l SPRIN BRE 1 9 Organize A Sm And Travel BAHAMAS/ CANCUN FROM $299 The University of Michigan's impact on Ann Arbor area residents and local communities will be the subject of a special, investigative report published by The Ann Arbor News on Sunday, January 27. The comprehensive project will include in-depth stories on how the university impacts numerous areas including the area's quality of life, high tax rates, housing costs and local services such as parking and roads. It also will document the university's role in the region's economy as well as the growth of high-technology companies. COMPLETE PACKAGE INCL Roundtrip air to Nassc Island or Cancun, Me * Roundtrip transfers fr hotel. 7 night hotel accomod Welcome rum swizzle hotels (Nassau). One hour rum (Nassa (Cancun) party. Three-hour cruise witt punch and on-board e (Nassau / Paradise Is Three beach parties ( lunch), music and act (Nassau). Exclusive admission t Waterloo, Coliseum, Hotel (Nassau). College Week progra all Group Free. 1~ UDES: au / Paradise xico. om airport to Jations. party at most u) or tequila ° h unlimited rum ntertainment land). one with free ,ivities o the Palace, and Drumbeat ms by the The report will include results from a county-wide poll that explored attitudes of local residents about the university. Are relations with the city improving? Does the university pay its fair share for city services? Should the city adopt an ,E