ft ortdrwAmBttilg Get your daily bread As part of the University's Visiting Wrlters series, poet Safiya Henderson-Holmes will read from her latest collection, "Daily Bread." Rackham Auditorium, 4 p.m. The event is free. Page 5 Tuesday, November 28, 1995 'Nick' is timely entertainment By Michael Zilberman Daily Arts Writer Ifnothingelse,"NickofTime"isaserious proof that the age of a one-gimmick movie hasn't ended with "Jaws 3-D." The concept itself is an audacious one: The movie takes place entirely in real time, painstakingly measured out (if a clock is shown, and shown again 3 minutes 45 seconds later, the exactsametimehaspassedwithinthefilm's reality). It might well be one of the most challenging tasks ever posed before editors and continuity people, but it's a gimmick nonetheless. What comes as a much bigger surprise is the fact that there's apretty terrific movie attached to it. A mild-mannered accountant (Johnny Depp) has his daughter kidnapped by a shadowy figure (Christopher Walken). The kidnapper demands that Depp assassinate the visiting governor of California, who's gi ing a campaign speech in a nearby hotel. Otherwise, his little girl will die. At Depp's disposition are 90minutesandahandgun. In our disposition are 90 minutes. The movie goes"Die Hard" one better, working within kAistotlian unities of place and time, but takes its inspiration from "The Fugitive" rather than from everybody's favorite man- versus-set flick. What makes it stand out from the pack is a healthy amount of quiet, IP Nick of Time Directed by John Badham; with Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken At Briarwood and Showcase goreless suspenseworthy of Hitchcockhim- self, and, of course, a qualified cast. Johnny Depp, playing a family man and already looking slightly incongruous with his teenybopper moniker(it's a pretty safe bet he's going to be billed "John Depp" in his next movie, so get used to it now), is an ideal mechanism for convey- ing queasy anxiety and helplessness, all gradually giving way to blind determina- tion. Christopher Walken, glassy-eyed and sporting a nasty mustache, plays es- sentially the same character he's been perfecting for the last 10 years-anervy, tired villain, as opposed to, say, Tom Sizemore's brand of a gleefully sadistic baddie. The script, very cleverly, has him appearing in the most unusual places at the most unexpected times, whispering in Depp's ear yet another threat and silently vanishing - so that in the end, the char- acter transcends his own task and turns into the hero's personal demon of sorts. There are some nice supporting turns, too, but the only other notable player is the camera itself. Cinematography in "Nick of Time" is insufferably flashy, even lurid, but, strangely, it manages to work for the story. As our poor accoun- tant wanders through the intestines ofthe hotel, the omnipresent, intimidating lens swoops down on him, swirls around, thrusts itself into his perspiring mug, or dips all the way to the floor, eyeing the hero with mock reverence. Make no mistake, "Nick of Time" is hardly a cinema landmark; it is, however, a more-than-decent genre picture, with a cer- taingraceandsnaptoit. Some sequences fall flat, some stand out, a couple of scenes are simply astonishing - especially those in- volving the governor. Warned about a pos- sible assassination attempt, she tries to post- pone the meeting. As people from her clos- est cohorts suddenly get very disturbed by this simple request, you can practically feel her silent, gradual realization of absolute entrapment-all recorded on film by pretty minimalistic means. Only once does the movie'splayful ruthlessness (ifthere is such "Whoal I'm a character actor, what am I doing in an action film?" - Johnny Depp, boyfriend of Super-twit Kate Moss. athing) cross the line-halfway throughthe film, when an enormously likable character is introduced to us, only to be killed off in about a minute. Another stumbling point, if you want to get really nitpicky, is that "Nick of Time" seems to take itself pretty seri- ously and winds up pompous at times; unless you're ahuge John Woo fan, at some point yoursearchfora comicreliefmightbe re-directed to the movie itself. Otherwise, you're in for exactly 90 minutes of well- conceived, well-executed escapist entertain- ment. And if you're not thrilled, you don't even have to throw anxious glances at your watch. The movie does it for you. Mr. Bungle's 'Disco' throws fans ajazzy curve By Ted Watts Daily Arts Writer The problem with being phenomenal is that the backlash never plays like the original. For instance, can the current hype over the Beatles ever match the fever dream that was the original expe- rience? Of course not. But this is a problem not only found in the ultra-super-mega groups; it's also to be seen in smaller bands that have cracked the world open like a walnut in their own minor way. Specifically, it can be found in the band Mr. Bungle. Last Tuesday's concert at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit had a lot to live up to. Their last Detroit appear- ance, in March '92, was amazing. They were full of energy, put on a stage show full of activity and interesting costum- ing (i.e. bondage masks), played crowd- pleasing favorites and generally left those present in awe of the spectacle. They were riding the crest of an album with a strong cult following and song that, while having virtually no chance of being played on the air because of content, could've been a contender oth- erwise. That show may have consti- tuted a fruition of all the promises Mr. Bungle's first album had contained. The band's newest album, "Disco Volante," was like a dousing of cold water for many fans. While very good, the album is utterly different from its predecessor. It is almost as if the base of the craziness altered from rock to jazz. While not entirely an unexpected trans- formation (the band has always had jazz elements), it nevertheless left many listeners as cold as the dead lamprey eel on the album cover. Considering the laziness of people when it comes to buying new albums, it was almost cer- tain that the crowd would be largely unprepared for a concert along the lines of the album. The opening band, Melt Banana, was a fine-sounding female-led Japanoise group from Tokyo. Sounding not un- like the Scissor Girls with a bit more energy and a lot less comprehensibility, the crowd wasn't exactly warm, but were at least polite to them. Enough of Mr. Bungle St. Andrew's Hall November 21 the crowd enjoyed them to provide a fairly sincere positive response. The screaming voice that issued from the sedate-looking singer was incongruent enough to warrant attention. And the attention to Melt Banana proved more rewarding than that paid to Bungle. When Mr. Bungle took the stage, their look at the very least seemed in order. Singer Mike Patton was wearing a skin-tight burn victim/Grey alien mask that looked pretty darn real (until you noticed the condom-like crease on his neck.) Other band members had their heads swathed in black cloth for the most part, with some additions. Guitar- ist Trey Spruance was wearing sun glasses over his hood and a horn player had a flashlight taped to the top of his head. Perhaps not as exciting overall as in their last appearance, but certainly acceptable. But Mr. Bungle stuck mostly to the songs on the new album. Playing only one song from their first album ("Travolta"), most of the crowd knew virtually none of the songs. Even those familiar with the new album were un- prepared for many of the songs, as they were compositions not on any of their releases. Long jazz-like instrumentals that no one had heard confused and annoyed the crowd. But they were al- most certainly not improvised (as sev- eral people at the concert guessed), as they each had a fair amount of unity of structure. But they were nonetheless unrecognizable and lacking of any of the energy seen on Mr. Bungle's last concert odyssey. There were even some very good songs from the new album that failed to be played. Even if most of the crowd didn't know the songs, they would have been an improvement over the fairly lackluster pieces they played instead. Maybe it's too hard to play something that's good. Stage antics were also virtually non- existent. Gone was Patton's pogoing and interaction with the crowd, gone was the flurry of movement and loath- ing that has always accompanied Bungle shows. The primary sin that can be attributed to an exciting band was com- mitted: They were boring to watch. Essentially the band just stood around, playing songs people both didn't know and didn't enjoy. A bleak scene. Well, the final song was a winner. Bungle covered "Working For the Weekend." Yep, a Loverboy song. The crowd went nuts, as much because they needed to as anything else. The old magic was there for a few brief shining moments. Mike moved, mocked the crowd, and was involved in an exciting song. It was everything people had been hoping the entire show would be. A good choice to end with, as people left feeling just not happy as opposed to incensed. Well, the band had some sense, at least. There was also a bunch of good T- shirts. A small comfort to those who can only use them to reminisce about the old days. All in all, the concert was a most disappointing affair. My father saw Elvis perform a few months before the King died. He felt in retrospect that it would have been better to have not seen him at all. Learn from this lesson. TeO Flaming Lips: KISS your expoctations goodbye Like being hit to death in the future head, the Flaming Lips are a psychedelic freak-out just waiting to tum on your ears. Their brilliant, goofy, endlessly eccentric music isn't for everyone, but it is loads of fun to witness live. Catch 'em tonight at St. Andrew's Hall; doors open at 7:30 p.m. Call (313) 961-MELT for more Information, and don't forget the bubble machine. " MULTI COLOR SPECIALISTS " ARTIST ON STAFF * RUSH ORDERS " NEAR U OF M CAMPUS 1217 PROSPECT, ANN ARBOR 665-1771 ' F Fwith this ad. No J JOIN THE MOST PROMISING PROFESSION OF THE 21 ST CENTURY Prospective Teacher Education Meeting Thursday, November 30, 1995 6:00 p.m. Whitney Auditorium Room 1309 School of Education Building Call 764-7563 for more information. LSA ACADIEMIC ADVISING ANNOUNCES EXTENDED HOURS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE ON MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27-30, THE ADVISING OFFICE IN 1255 ANGELL WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 6:30 P.M. Mr.Bungle's Mike Patton at their St. Andrew's show last Tuesday. BRIAN A. GNATT/Daily f t" ---------'--