The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 3, 1995 - 9
There's no place like 'Home'
3y Kristin Long
aily Arts Writer
All ofyou out there who dread family
get-togethers are going to love this one.
'Home for the Holidays" is a film that
nakes all those who have shared a
estivity with their family feel a bit
nore normal. Centering around a crazy
1L-American family, one cahnot help
ut laugh at the interactions between
he characters and understand their con-
licts.
Holly Hunter stars as the compli-.
ated Claudia Larson, who leaves her
5-year old daughter Kitt ("My So
lalled Life" star Claire Danes) in Chi-
ago to travel to her parents' home in
saltimore for Thanksgiving. On the
eared day of departure she loses her
ob, her daughter proclaims that she
vill surrender her virginity over the
ireak and she drops her only coat on the
vay to her airplane. To the average
erson life could not get much more
irplexing, yet for Claudia, the worst is
et to come.
Shephones Tommy (Robert Downey,
r.)-heryounger, alternative-lifestyle
rother - from the airplane, making a
lesperate plea to convince him to come
nd join her in her misery. Upon her
Home For The
Holidays
Directed by Jodie Foster.
with Holly Hunter, Anne
Bancroft and Robert
Downey, Jr.
At Briarwood and Showcase
arrival in Baltimore, her parents (Anne
Bancroft and Charles Durning) imme-
diately begin the torture to which many
can relate.
Tommy joins his beloved sister to
rescue her from the wraps of the dis-
traught family, and he provides the hu-
mor that helps Claudia survive. With
Tommy arrives Leo Fish (Dylan
McDermott), who turns out to be the
man ofClaudia's dreams. Together, the
three find themselves producing laugh-
ter for one another; this has the audi-
ence rolling in amusement.
On the much anticipated day itself,
the REAL fun begins. Claudia's final
sibling, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson)
comes to the home with her very up-
tight family providing much ofthe chaos
that makes this film great. She and her
husband, Walter (Steve Guttenberg),
with their two spoiled children, throw a
tantrum whenever events deter from
their way. Also joining them is Aunt
Glady (Geraldine Chaplin), who re-
veals her longtime obsession with
Claudia's father over turkey and stuff-
ing.
The film's stars perfectly fit their
roles. Holly Hunter continues to give
talented performances since winning
the 1993 Best Actress Academy Award
for "The Piano." Her portrayal of a
frazzled, but sophisticated working
woman resembles her role in James L.
Brooks's "Broadcast News." Robert
Downey, Jr. ("Only You") lives up to
his comedic reputation by playing the
lighthearted Tommy; he always keeps
us laughing. Adding to the fine cast is
the always entertaining Anne Bancroft
who, after a break from movies, also
recently starred in "How to Make an
American Quilt."
Perhaps what makes this film so en-
joyable is the direction under which it
was made. Movie great Jodie Foster
adds to her already impressive directo-
rial career, fulfilling the promise of her
"Hello? Is that Angus on the line?"
debut film, "Little Man Tate" (1992). In
"Home for the Holidays," Foster once
again stands behind the camera, pro-
ducing a fabulous comedy.
With a great cast and a great director,
one might wonder what could go wrong.
Throughout the film, some events oc-
cur that have no background informa-
tion, thus leaving us to wonder what
exactly happened. Despite this occa-
sional confusion, all the pieces fit to-
gether by the end. In sum, they create a
film that not only entertains, but actu-
ally makes us look forward to the up-
coming holidays.
Jupiter Coyote Plays
great hipple rock
Southern rockers Jupiter Coyote will
be partying the night away at Rick's
American Cafe tonight. Come check
out their fun and exciting rock and
funk mix that'll blow your drunken
mind. "We call It mountain rock
because Matt (Mayes, vocals) and I
grew up In the Appalachian
Mountains," guitarist John Felty said.
"'Lucky Day' (the band's latest LP)
should be the best representation of
the Jupiter Coyote experience yet."
The Autonomous Records recording
artist's third release is a not stop
rock jam that never lets up. Hear it
for yourself tonight at Ann Arbor's
hipest club, Rick's.
Anansie's skunkrock
BTed Watts
y Arts Writer
When you think of British bands, you
robably think of some silly weak ass
ands like Oasis or Blur. But if you
umped Londoners Skunk Anansie in
hat silly category, they would need to
ill you.
Playing a strong, fast and often angry
'rand of rock, Skunk Anansie is so
head of their time that they were used
xtensively in the movie "Strange
)ays." "Catherine Bigelow, the direc-
ir, was looking for a mad type of band
tat shows kind of like the band to
oine, the band of the future," said
uitarist Ace. "But not the space age
utuire, cuz the film is only set like four
dars in advance of now. So she was
lst Iooking for a modern band that was
owerful, aggressive,that type of thing,
ad a great look and feel. She saw the
ideo for our first record 'Selling Jesus,'
wat Was our first release in Britain, and
:sjust mad. (Vocalist) Skin's jumping
round with this cross on her face and
11 this stuff." The band ended up con-
ibuting several songs and an appear-
nce in the film.
Their album, "Paranoid and Sun-
urned," is a collection of rock stories
f various humors, at times even politi-
al ones. "We're not a political band,
ie're just a band that has some politics
i some songs," clarified Ace. "And it's
ersonal politics, it's not like we've got
legrees or manifestos or anything. We
lon't know political science or what's
oing on everywhere in the world. We
now what's happening around us, like
ay in London. So the album we've just
nade, the songs are very much a docu-
nentation ofourlivesin London, what's
appening in London. "Little Baby
wastikkka" is about an incident where
kin saw a swastika on a wall and it
ooked as if it were written there by a
hild. It makes you think who put it
iere. It must have been a little kid. And
vhy would a little kid know about swas-
ikas? The induction of kids into racism
vhen they're young. And who's doing
!? We don't preach, we just say this is
hat we think, what do you think? It's
iore like raising an issue instead of
mming it down their throat."
The look ofthe album isnonpolitical,
nd still immersed in the ethos that
urrounded "Strange Days." The CD is
heathed in some technological look-
ig art. "When we got the record to-
ether, we were looking for someone to
o artwork for it, so we just said to
cople 'Who do you know?' And a guy
tthe record company said 'Oh, I know
ie guy Paul White who does Bjork and
SKUNK ANANSIE
Where: The Shelter
When: Saturday
Tickets: Call 961-Melt
Doors open at 9:30.
'Yeah, OK then,' so we just went into
the office, told him the things we like
and he basically came up with ideas for
it, really."
The album's title is significantly less
technologically rooted, however. Ace
explained: "When we came up with the
name 'Paranoid and Sunburned,' we'd
just been doing the festivals in the sum-
mer, and everywhere we went everyone
got either paranoid or sunburned or
both from general drink, drugs or too
much sun. People were just crashing
out on the floor and they'd wake up
burned to a crisp. And it happened to us
one by one, because we did around 10
or 15 festivals. It was a really big sum-
mer for us in Britain. And it happened
to us, our roadies, our friends. So when
the album came out, that's why we
called it 'Paranoid and Sunburned."'
Now Skunk Anansie is in the middle
of their first North American tour. "A
lot of people here never heard of us and
don't know anything about us. We've
kind of played small clubs, headlining,
and see who shows up, really... We've
just done a tour (in Britain) with
Therapy? which was really really good,
it went down really really well... The
album came out a few weeks ago and
went in at number eight in the British
charts. The press there is good and we
have a big fan base in Britain." Ace
explained the reaction here as well:
"The reception is really good, whether
there's been people there or not, there's
been no trouble. New York for us is a
really good base, that was great, a sold
out show, then we did a couple of out of
town places. But then Canada was re-
ally really good as well."
And so their tour goes. Not that it
hasn't been without its ups and downs.
"We went to a radio station the other
day and we couldn't say Jesus on the
air, so we couldn't promote our new
single 'Selling Jesus' because they
couldn't play it and we couldn't say
it. And they were saying 'You can't
swear and you can't say this and you
can't do that,' cuz it was a Catholic
run big radio station, so we were all
kind of hands tied there, and that was
kind of strange. And then we went
into one the next day and he said 'You
can say whatever you want,' and he
was saying 'Jesus,' 'Jesus' left and
right. From one extreme to another,"
11 ...,a A rts
RECORDS
Continued from page 8
Nine Below Zero
Ice Station Zebro
Pangaea Records
If your name is Jethro and you drive a
pickup truck sporting a gun rack in the
rear window and Yosemite Sam "Back
Off!" mud-flaps, you'll love Nine Below
Zero.
That is, assuming you're the rockin'
George Thoroughgood type and not the
boot stompin' Hank Williams type. If
you are the former rather than the latter,
then Ice StationZebro isthe type ofrmusic
that'll makeyouwannadrinkacan ofOld
Milwaukee and go cow tippin'.
The question the rest of the free world
must ask itself is "Why?" Don't we have
enough blight in the world that this album
had to be made? Couldn't have someone
toldtheband that unimaginative, uninter-
esting, rehashed, l 2-barblues has no place
on this earth? Maybe Nine Below Zero
knew all this and was hoping to cash in on
the success of bands like Brother Cane
(dare to dream). Any way you look at it,
this album has no business north of the
Mason-Dixon line.
The band does get an A on at least
intention. It sets out to make an old-
fashioned rock and roll record; unfortu-
nately it failed. Everything that makes
similar-minded bands succeed (relatively,
that is) just doesn't seem to work for these
guys. Nine Below Zero attempt popmelo-
dies. Gritty guitar hooks, wild harmonica
solos, and even gospel-esque backup sing-
ers and keep coming up empty. Zero tries
to emulate everyone from the Black
Crowes to the Beatles, but ends up sound-
ing like rednecks with instruments every
time.
Nine Below Zero should go back to
being the high school prom-playin' cover
band it probably started as. The band
members should be downright pissed at
whoever convinced them they should
write their own songs.
Uncle Jim Bob and cousin Billy Ray
may get a kick out of this one, but that's
where the fun stops.
- Tyler Brubaker
sey," or Rossini's "William Tell Over-
ture" ifthe Lone Ranger hadn't adopted it
as his theme?
Well, the same goes for Carl Orff's
haunting 1936 choral masterpiece
"Carmina Burana." If, of course, you
don't easily recognize the enigmatic title
of this work - which was originally
taken from the moniker of a collection of
13th century low Latin and low German
prayers - its tunes are certain to spark
your memory. Moreover, they are certain
to thrill and impress you at the same time.
Yes, this is the music to which we see
a stoned Jim Morrison dance around na-
ked to in "The Doors." It is also the theme
from other dark or suspenseful movies.
But the work, and more importantly this
recording, stand alone in their respective
delicate and well-crafted natures.
Conducting the Orchestre du Capitole
de Toulouse, Michel Plasson brings forth
a rousing rendition of Orff's timeless
composition. The opening track, "Luck,
Empress of the World," features a large
ensemble of singers who eerily yet fan-
tastically belt out a prayerto luck and fate.
This is followed by a series of seasonal
and stages-of-life-thumbed sections -
"In Springtime," "In the Tavern" and
"Courtly Love," to name a few. Each
draws a different picture ofthe mystery of
life through choral sound.
Concluding with the initially frighten-
ing melody, the chorus reprises the magi-
cal sound it often presents throughout the
piece. Along the way the clear, resonant
vocals that frequently vary in pitch and
volume, are accompanied skillfully by
the orchestra. Never are the words or
voices of the singers sacrificed under the
striking chords of the instruments. In-
stead, the two blend together wonderfully
in order to fully evoke the stark feelings
that thrive in this composition.
-Joshua Rich
Hagfish
...Rocks Your Lame Ass
London
While "...Rocks Your Lame Ass"might
be abit of an ambitious title forthis Dallas
quartet's London debut, the name still
manages to be strangely appropriate. As
the band has already foretold, if you want
to be severely rocked, Hagfish will not
disappoint you. With their catchy lyrics,
Hagfish somehow manages to combine
quirkiness with pure punk, resulting in
songs reminiscent of those classics like
"Showerdays," off of early NOFX al-
bums. And this from a band who admits
to being named after an aquatic scavenger
that eats the crap out of the bottom of a
fishtank.
With high energy and a good dose of
attitude, Hagfish has created an album
that even appeals to those of us with a
short attention span. Each and every song
on "...Rocks Your Lame Ass" manages to
clock in at under three minutes, an impor-
.tant quality when all you're looking for is
a quick fix. Interestingly enough, though
the songs are short, they're the kind that
get stuck in your head all too easily.
Perhaps you remember the brief hit of the
summer, "Stamp"? Though the title may
not ring any bells, the chorus, "Will you
remove my shoes and lift up my skirt /
Will you eat my box while I work?" is
sure to catch anyone's attention. The fact
that the ode to oral sex even made it on the
radio should, in itself, be considered a
major selling point for the band.
The rest of the songs cover the spec-
trum from odes to love and lust (like
"Happiness" and "Flat"), to personal dec-
larations of political views, as seen in the
anti-racist "White Food." Hagfish even
explores slightly heavier philosophical
matters with "Bullet" ("Every day is very
real, 'cuz you know how I feel"). No
matter what the themes are or how inane
the lyrics can be, it's the energy that
Hagfish offers that keeps their audiences
bouncing around like pogo sticks.
Hagfish is truly an up and coming punk
band, despite the fact that they are not
from Berkeley nor are they signed to
Epitaph. With "...Rocks YourLame Ass,"
none of the infamous Southern courtesy
or tact abounds, but the sheer charm of
good punk comes through loud and clear.
"...Rocks You Lame Ass" will, as titled,
indeed rock those gluteus muscles harder
and more than any "Buns of Steel"
video...but without any of the day-after
soreness.
- Lise Harwin
Please See RECORDS, Page 10
Michel Plasson
(Conductor)
Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana "
EMI Classics
We, the affected listeners of '90s mu-
sic, often notice bits and pieces oforches-
tral and choral music only when they are
incorporated into a TV commercial,
sampled by a creative rap artist or, most
often, when theyare usedinthe soundtrack
of a motion picture. After all, who today
would remember the striking chords of
I
m