The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 9, 1995 - 11A ac Mzrahl and Cindy Crawford. thua Rich FIlm Editor Despite its racy and rather suggestive itle "Unzipped" is far from some upernodel skin-fest movie. We should xpect such a documentary about people involved in the fashion industry to depict em stereotypically: Hordes of narcis- istic models stage one cat fight after other; nervous designers constantly mplain about models and consumers ho just don't understand them; or pro- oters and fashion editors who care about othing except making a buck. Instead, and much to our pleasant sur- rise, the people presented in this film , in fact, generally on theirbest behav- ior. They are an eccentric lot, neverthe- ess, who continually entertain us while howing little effort to do so. "Unzipped" won the Audience Award or Documentaries at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, and it is well-deserving of such anaccolade. Renowned fashionpho- tographer Douglas Keeve directed this movie and it stands out. This is not necessarily because this film - shot mostly in 16mm and in black and white - is drastically different from other pieces of non-fiction . It is more due to the "unzipped," or candid look into the out- landish nature of its subjects. The film focuses on popular American fashion designer and "wonder boy" Isaac Mizrahi. After receiving moderate re- views for his Spring 1994 collection, Mizrahi works diligently to create a pro- found assortment of clothing and acces- sories for his Fall 1994 presentation. Abonafidepopularculture encyclope- dia, Mizrahireincamatesoldfashion styles aM those worn by Mary Tyler Moore- of whom he says: "Between her and Jackie Kennedy, they shaped this country" - and Nanook ofthe North. That's right, his designs use the pass6 styles of an up- wardly-mobile woman ofthe '70s and an Eskimoof the '20s. So does he succeed? "Well,before the show goes on, Mizrahi meets with such varied personalities as model Naomi Campbell, wild songstress Eartha Kitt and fashion editors from all the tradfe magazines. Most amusing is seeing all of the top supermodels in the NEED HELP GET Ii I QAMNL AN] Classic Elton John is as fresh and vibrant as ever By Brian A. Gnatt Daily Music Editor After the first note of Elton John's y voice rang throughout The Palace of Auburn Hills Friday night, beginning the first of a two day sold-out stretch at the arena, it was clear Elton was going to give his fans a run for their money. Openingwithhis'80shit"I'mStill Stand- ing," Elton showed fans he wasn't going to shove his newer, slower songs down their throats. It took seven songs before he got to his '90s repertoire with "The One." Dressed in a white jacket and pants, Elton John F xThe Palaceo Auburn Hills October 6, 1995 ook iside business-Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista (always with beau Kyle MacLachlan at her side) --actually moving and talking and show- ing us that they are, in fact, real people with real feelings. They are notjust pieces of meat, they are human beings with strong wills and many desires. Mizrahi must satisfy the needs of all these people before he can think of put- ting on his show. He seems to do this with great ease (while under even greaterpres- sure). Notice his dead-on impressions of every soul with whom he comes in con- Unzipped Directed by Dougla Keeve, zwith Isaac Mizrah At the Michigan Theate1 tact. Mizrahi certainly gets business done, but he enjoys every minute along the way - and we love watching him work. It is the unbiased and discreet look into the world of fashion that is so refreshing here. So often do documentaries give us the impression that we are just watching the subjects perform for the camera, while not letting us see their real personalities. "Unzipped" succeeds, thus, because it gives us such a true glimpse into this exciting and previouslystereotypedworld. This is partly due to the frank behavior of those on screen. Perhaps more impor- tant, however, is that the filmmaker, Keeve, and the subject, Mizrahi, were lovers during filming. While this is not explicitly mentioned, we get a sense that the camera, and the man behind it, loves this adorable fashion designer. Mizrahi is constantly presented in aposi- tive manner - especially since there is no bias concerning his sexuality or religion. And we feel quite lucky to be able to spend time with him. This receptive nature of "Unzipped" makes the film endearing and memorable. The audience is always a wel- come guest in Mizrahi's home and work. We have a chair at his designing table, a seat inhisphotoshootsandevenabackstagepass to his exclusive fashion show. glasses, and his most recent wig, John started off the show with a bang and kept his set flying for three hours. Mixing more recent classics like "Sacrifice" in with old greats like "Honky Cat" gave the audience just what they wanted; a look back on the artist's 28 year career. From his pasty-white stubby fingers, John's music flowed almost magically through his blackbaby grandpiano, where he sat for the majority of the night. Be- tweenmaking faces atthecheeringcrowd, Elton's enthusiasm and excitement shone through, making it one of the best arena shqws to hit the area in a while. Quite surprisingly, the show had more of the crowd on their feet boogying to the music than at Tuesday's Palace show of Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie. It was even funny to think that the majority of the 20+ crowd was more into the music than the teens in black leather had been. But with dazzling renditions of"Satur- day Night's Alright (For Fighting)" and "Rocket Man," John kicked over his bench and climbed on the piano. In "Bennie and the Jets" he climbed under the piano and played his smashing solo to finish the song on his knees. Between sips on his Diet Coke can (c'mon Elton, aren't you making enough money already?), John belted out classics like "Someone Save My Life Tonight" and a phenomenal version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me." Elton did squeeze in new songs, in- eluding "The Lion King'"s "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." and the title track from hislatestalbum,"MadernEngland." The new songs were great, lacking the cheese that brings them down as they're played on the radio over and over again. After two hours, Elton was still going strong, and ended up playing thre en- cores. With his percussionist taking an outstanding 10 minute solo featuring con- gas and tmally a giant gong, the tinales were a great end to a great show. Squeezing out a few more classicsElton gotin "Pinball Wizard,"'TheBitch is Back" and "Your Song" before finishing off his wonderful set. The show proved that even with age and softer new material. Elton John has still got quite a bit of fire left in him. Challenging and prvocative'Safe' is anydgbut By Jennifer Petlinski For the Daily Someone probably always told you to never leave home without your Ameri- can Express card. Or without your lunch. Or maybe your homework. And don't forget your oxygen mask. What?!?!? Bizarre. That has to be the first word to pop into everyone's mind after seeing "Safe." With his latest movie, director Todd Haynes has certainly made his view- ers think. And our main thought as we exit the theater. What the hell was that? Carol White (Julianne Moore) has itall - a family, an incredible house, glamor- ous friends, plenty of money and some pretty serious problems. Exhaust fumes from other cars make it impossible forher to breathe; she throws up after smelling her husband's deodorant; she has sei- zures after taking-a whiff of bug spray. Only ten minutes into the movie, we know that something is very wrong with Carol White. She claims she's under a lot of stress. Yeah right. All she does is go out with her friends, decorate her house and order her maid around. Carol's biggest problem arises when the teal couch she ordered is delivered in black - until her allergies Safe- Directed by Todd Haynesl with Juianne Moore and James Le Grosj At Ann Arbor 1 & 2 erupt. Aftermonths ofnobody believing her, Carol eventually figures out that she can- not function in her chemical-oriented en- vironment. She has a dise«ase thatnot even doctors can figure 1ut: Environmental illness. Months later, her heralth begins to deteriorate. As a last resort, she decides to leave her life for a f1w weeks and join Wrenwood, a cult-like group for peop e who are allergic to the 2th century. There, Carol will be "safe.: In the scenes at Wrenwood, we begin to question Carol's healing process. People wearing oxygen masks chant, "We are one with the environment that created us. We are safe and all is well in our world." By now, the audience just might be thinking: Their "world" can't be too healthy. This thought is confirmed when Carol begins to live in a porcelain bubble. Julianne Moore's ("Nine Months") strong performance demonstrates the range of her acting ability. Last time we saw her, she was visiting the gynecologist with Hugh Grant. This time, she is the perfect, rich, air-headed wife whose suf- fering is haunting. In fact, Carol is the only character in the movie worth men- tioning; everyone else remains in the dis- tance while we examine her pathetic char- acter. For over two hours, we watch Carol sneeze, convulse and crumble. Both Moore's character and the eerie music throughout "Safe" make this movie psychologically terrifying. And although the movie is slow moving, it is certain to raise some interesting questions. What is really wrong with this woman? Is her sickness from fumes? Or is it her own paranoia? One thing is certain, however. Sitting through the entire movie won't necessar- ily give you the answers to these ques- tions. But be prepared for your mind to reel with thoughts of the unknown, most importantly: What are we really allergic to anyway? TING OVER THE MID-TERM HUMP? A. PHI BETA RUSH EW BEGINNING WHEN & WHERE. October 11, 7:30pm Ann Arbor Theater WHAT. Cardmembers get two compli- mentary passes to MGM Pictures' blockbuster Get Shorty. HOW. Just bring the American Express Card or Optima® Card and your student ID to the location listed below to pick u your passes. NOW. If you're not yet a Cardmember and would like to take part in our exclusive previews, it's easy to apply for the Card. Just call 1-800-942-AMEX, ext. 4114. MORE TO COME. Get Shorty is the first in a series of five major motion pictures to w r. M fIN ViYN rfB dl Ni ; .q l f f 19 : ° M 6n 8' N N a: