The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 20, 1995, Page 4, Image 4
[PEOPLE PLACES
Close encounters
' ^
CPU will present a fraa sneak preview
'Before Sunrise,' starring Ethan Hawks
Monday In the Russell House Theater.
Sound Apvki
Hug in to this c<
CHRIS MULDROW Viewpoints Editor H|
THE UNPLUGGED COLLECTION
Various Artists H
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" album
started an avalanche of recognition and
success for MTV's acoustic SDotlieht IkM
show. As other artists and groups had
their "Unplugged" sessions released, the
venue for acoustic performances gained ylr '
popularity. Nirvana's "Unplugged" al- lp| y
bum is the latest to eryoy this success. fl|
In order to capitalize on the "Unplugged"
wave, MTV has released "Un- H
plugged Collection, Volume One," a com- extrei
pilation of 16 songs, 12 previously unreleased,
played by various artists who k.d
have taken the MTV stage. ing or
The collection is surprisingly good.
The recordings have the energy and ur- "
gency of live performances, the zeal that ever>1
most musicians bring to an audience Younj
when they don't have to worry about "Half
recording levels and mixes and other seems
studio nonsense. Many of the selections is a g
are modified versions of older songs by pipe c
ai 1~: -a- - c 1 v. a~
uie arusu*, a iresii appruauii w an uiu terest
sound. pauj |
Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Pride and Joy"
is classic slide blues, a masterwork by
a master of the blues. Vaughn left this Le
world some great work, and his "Un- blues
plugged" cut is worth hearing. Way,
The producer pulled "Before You Ac- ^ow r
cuse Me" from Clapton's acoustic set, a j? j
Bo Diddley cover that showcases Clap- b]ueg
ton's growling vocal style and expert guitar.
tia8C
Soul Asylum gives an acoustic version
of "Somebody to Shove" that works f 0] jei
Goin' Home
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Hootle and tha Blowflsh will play a be
Women's Olympic Marathon trials Feb.
are $15 and go on sale today.
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Castle Rock
of Castlo Rock Pictures'
and Julio Delpy, at 8 p.m.
nely well.
L lang's excellent vocals are haunt1
"Barefoot."
e biggest jewels on the set, howare
Paul Simon's "Graceland," Neil
fs "Like a Hurricane" and RE.M.'s
a World Away." Michael Stipe just
? oViino livo art tVio R R \T annex
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reat presentation. Young plays a
irgan on "Like a Hurricane," an ining
choice for acoustic instruments.
Simon stuffed an entire orchestra
lean musicians into "Graceland."
ss pleasing are Lenny Kravitz's
remake of "Are You Gonna Go My
" which does more to emphasize
nuch Kravitz wants to sound like
Hendrix than it contributes to the
genre, and Rod Stewart's strained
)line Alley."
'erall, however, MTVs "Unplugged
ition" is worth plugging into. *
Mlyr ^: JB
MICHAEL MCLAUQHUN Atlantic
neflt concert for tho 1996
10 at tho Township. Tickets
A Bard
Shakespeare's
invades Longs
CHUCK GRIFFITH Staff Writer
We've all had it. With the overflowing
myriad of music videos on
MTV, Bubba Gump Shrimp cookbooks,
O.J. Simpson's court battles
and tnhlniH mertia we have crrown
to fear Shakespeare.
Even so, "Othello," written almost
400 years ago, offers audiences lust,
jealousy, hate, treason, fuiy and murder.
""Othello' has its theme of betrayal,
domestic violence and interracial relationships...all
issues of today," USC
Theater Marketing Director Bill Arvey
said.
The title character, Othello, a
black general honored by Venice for
his military prowess, is portrayed by
graduate student Elliot Dash. Othello
dares to marry Desdemona, a
white senator's daughter, played by
senior Mindi Blackburn.
Othello's jealous lieutenant, Iago,
played by sophomore Bob Hungerford,
viciously undermines Othello's
faith in Desdemona with insinuations
about her fidelity.
"The play is filled with sex and violence,"
Blackburn said. "It takes a
few minutes to understand it. The
audience really needs to participate
Iiohts! Camera! React
Aldan Qulnn, Brad Pitt, Henry Thor
Star Pictures' 'Legends of the Fal
'Knight' 1
makes T
STEPHEN BROWN Staff Writer
DEMON KNIGHT
if (out of four stars)
Afficionados of the television
gore-fest "Tales From the Crypt,"
based on the 1950s comic book of
the same name, need not shell out
the bucks for the first big-screen incarnation
of the show's franchise.
The first movie based on the show
is called "Demon Knight," and it
tells a static story about a struggle
between good and evil for control of
a powerful ancient relic. Although
the slimy special effects are serviceable,
the film lacks two necessary
elements: humor and horror.
Director Ernest Dickerson
("Juice") fails to maintain even remote
control of his acting ensemble,
causing disjointed dialogue. Dickerson
begins by presenting the immortal
villain's fresh attitude as he
steps from the burning rubble of his
wrecked car and smirks, "Airbags?gotta
love 'em!" Later in the film,
however, the director resorts to stale
Freddy Krueger-style asides such
as "Curtains for you!" as the villain
strangles a woman with a shower
curtain.
Billy Zane ("Dead Calm") as the
cowboy hat-clad buzz-cut Collector
maintains mild charm as he seduces
and abuses characters, and Jada
Rnkett ("Jason's Lyric") is effective
as a brave young boarder at the motel
from hell where most of the movie
takes place. But their performances
cannot begin to compensate for the
splatter movie concoctions that surround
them.
William Sadler ("Die Harder")
barely registers as the would-be hero
who must protect a key filled with
Christ's blood from the clutches of
the Collector and his demon cronies.
Although the storyline might have
worked as a campy horror movie
send-up, the crew takes the events
| Mc
's Tale
'Othello'
treet Theatre
othello where
Longstreet Theatre
when 8 p.m. Jan. 20-21,24-28
3 p.m. Sun. Jan. 23 & 29
how much $6 for students
and have an attentive ear."
According to USC associate professor
and "Othello" director David
Wiles, the most important trait to remember
in Othello's character is that
he thinks he's an outsider. The drama
wouldn't be the same if Othello
were a black leader of the black armies
of a black nation and married a black
senator's daughter, he said.
"Othello" set designer Dennis
Mulden said the set also adds to the
story.
The set is designed with screens
hanging down from the ceiling. When
one side of the screen is lit, the other
side is opaque and dark, creating
a hiding place for eavesdroppers and
conspirators.
The simplicity of the set wasn't
created by money, Mulden said. "I
ion!
nas and Julia Ormond star In Trill.'
falls, Pitt
iegends'
all too seriously.
Instead, the film relies on grossout
effects such as the Collector
punching a hole all the way through
a policeman's head and later breaking
off and subsequently poaching
a woman's arm. 'Hie film's brutali
ty is unwarranted in the dark com
edy mix and is undercut by cheesj
looking visual gimmicks, which are
presented to be funny in and of them
selves.
A quick-cut action sequence thai
alternates between live action anc
correlating drawings on the flipping
pages of a comic book is a visual sur
prise, but this creepshow is worse
than a weak episode of the TV se
ries.
LEGENDS OF THE FALL
k-kjf\2 (?"t four stars)
Grunge-rock musicians who sin|
of their personal heartache and in
ner turmoil in today's popular mu
sic may discover a kindred soul ir
a new film character. Brad Pitt get*
his chance to play the archetypa
tortured soul, a troubled youth namec
Tristan Ludlow, in the splendic
western saga "Legends of the Fall,
based on the Jim Harrison novell*
of the same name.
Anchored by solid performance!
by Pitt and others and filled witl
gorgeous scenery, "Legends of th<
Fall" is a romantic ode to famih
and friendship in the early 20th cen
tury.
Director Edward Zwick ("Glory,
"About Last Night") choreograph!
his epic with the skill of a maste
storyteller. Zwick highlights th
stormv human struggles with th
Montana Rockies that loom over
head, and he weaves the tenets c
classic American westerns with at
sorbing, sympathetic characters. H
falters only during the WWI se
quences, which appear far too bear;
>vies, boo'
h;
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' ' ' ^-^'v '-'';
> c^i
Billy Zane leads his little pack <
1 Demon Knight,' a spinoff from 1
! tifully orchestrated to maintain t
sense of reality.
Stunning photography by Johi
L Toll ("Wind") is matched by the love
I ly score composed by James Home
r> ("Dead Ringers"). "Legends" is i
pure pleasure to look at, and the di
5 rector sets an elaborate stage fo
the human struggles that transcen*
all forces of nature.
Anthony Hopkins ("Shadow
lands") plays William, a retire*
colonel and the patriarch of the Lud
low family, which includes thre
r sons. Aidan Quinn ("Benny & Joon'
' plays Alfred, the eldest and mos
dutiful son, Henry Thomas ("E.T.'
j is the youngest named Samuel, an
j Brad Pitt ("Interview with the Van:
j pire") is the wild Tristan, a reckles
j and temperamental youth who al
j so happens to be father's favoritt
? When Samuel arrives home fror
school with his fiancee Susanna'
(Julia Ormond of "Stalin"), all th
g brothers take notice. She unwill
1 ingly becomes the force that begin
a to pull the family apart as all th
" Ludlow brothers fall in love wit
her.
Samuel is the weakest of the cha:
? acters. It is unconvincing that th
beautiful Susannah would plan t
marry this square character. In on
e sequence, Thomas sings for her, bi
he sounds like he is auditioning fc
"Newsies" in an awkward and laugl
f able sequence.
(_ Alfred is honest and trustwoi
e thy and feels he can make the bes
home for Susannah. He becomes ei
L_ raged when she falls for Tristai
ks, music,
Elliot Dash and Mlndl Blackburn
Hungerford looks on In USC's pi
was responding to Shakespeare," he
said.
"Nowadays, people want big and
flashy," he said. "Audiences have
equated big budget with dynamics
of great theater. That is not the
case with "Othello/ If I had $500,000
to create a set, it would still be the
same. The effects of the set work
incredibly well in creating different
worlds for this production.'
sl
w **^\ J '*
SJfflL ymflKSr SI
A Wliuac lllvciuiiiVJf O[A;IIUIIIUO uic au[
dience. Pitt uses his signature grin
e and youth appeal to help build a sol0
id foundation for his character. It is
t one of the first times he has taken
0 the opportunity to carry a movie,
d And he runs with this one!
l- "Legends" proves that love does
s not always play by the rules. As the
[- brothers become rivals for their fai.
ther's blessing and for the woman's
a favor, they lose touch with the famh
ily bond that was always their greate
est strength. As events unfold and
I- unexpected occurrences change the
s pace of the story, the brothers find
e that family honor always pulls them
i_ _ i -i \t ? _i ur
n oacK nome. ixoi surprisingly, legends"
is scripted by Susan Shillir
day, a writer for television's "thire
tysomething." The film is written
o like an engrossing and stylish soap
e opera, grounded in a literate and
it universal storyline,
ir Elegantly interspersed with leti
ters read by the characters that fill
in gaps in the story and brilliantly
r- paced with cathartic and tragic acts
it of fate, "Legends" is a poetic, intoxil
eating story about living and dying
i. and the journey along the way.
etc.
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1h I ^WMBNs%jH|P*iMp
M-Bf. *s??
Universal
?f demons In 'Tales From the Crypt:
:he HBO television show.
a Tristan, as played by Pitt, is full
of passion and rage. For Susannah,
1 loving him is like trying to rope the
wind. Harnessing hi3 love is a task
r that micht take a lifetime, and she
a would be willing to wait, but a sei
ries of misfortunes prevent their
r doomed romance from coming full
i circle. Despite his penchant for breaking
women's hearts and wandering
aimlessly, Tristan is a prodigal son
-3 i?rl?A/iA lilrrtkilifir orvnHVun^?3 fko on.
USC Theater
i share a moment together as Bob
oductlon of 'Othello.'
So, will Generation X understand
this universal work that has
lasted for four centuries?
"People will get something out
of it," Blackburn said. "It's a whopper
of a play. The violent climax is
worth waiting for no matter who
you are."
Tickets are on sale at the
Longstreet Theatre box office at
' 777-2551.