The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 27, 1995, Page 4, Image 4
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STEPHANIE SONNENFELD
Asst. Features Editor
HIGHERLEARNING Various Artists
kk (out dl four stars)
While John Singleton hoped to bring
a realistic light to collegiate racial
problems in his newest endeavor,
Higher Learning," the movie soundtrack
fails to deliver any sort of exlitement.
For a movie that wants to seriously
address racial problems, the "Higher
Learning" soundtrack is basically
a straight R&B, rap-oriented CD. For
niirntr (V?atvi fVin rrr%r\ or
sua.I lci a, ali ay an ay 11 uixx liic gcuciic,
overexposed sound of Ice Cube's
"Higher" as well as Mista Grimm's
Situation: Grimm." Not only do these
songs sound like every other Coolio
and Snoop Doggy Dog song, but they
ite monotonous and boring.
Most definitely listen to Raphael
Saadiq (of Tony! Toni! Tone!) on "Ask
jf You." It's a perfect mixture of'70s?sque
groove merged with a 1990s
sound. If you like that, then you'll like
"Higher Learnin/Time For Change"
Dy The Brand New Heavies. There's
a strong bass influence that really is
impressive.
In addition to these tracks, rocker
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Liz Phair shows that "Supernova" isn't
just a one-hit wonder. Phair's contribution,
"Don't Have Time," is bluesy
and most definitely a welcome change
from the rap-dominated album.
Tori Amos delivers a great rendition
of REM's ballad "Losing My Religion"
with her well-known passionate
crooning. Yet, the other Amos song
/-?t\ im it n n 11 i. .
on tne ujj, _ouiieniy, reany grates
on the nerves. One can only take depression
for so long.
Rage Against the Machine puts out
a good effort with "Year of the
Boomerang," and Stanley Clarke's
"The Learning Curve" is wonderful.
This CD is good, if you want it to be.
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Every Great Motown Hit
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Kevin Bacon shines
overdirection of Mil
LIGHTSCAMERAREACTION
STEPHEN BROWN Staff Writer
MURDER IN THE FIRST
**i/2 (out of four stars)
At the beginning of "Murder in the
First." the camera retreats from the
J Golden Gate Bridge to focus on tht
I twisted boundaries surrounding the
I island prison of Alcatraz in the 1940s
j Although the symbolism of a theme
I involving missed opportunities is cleai
I from this opening image, the film spends
I too much time guiding the viewer t(
make conclusions that are already glar
I ingly obvious.
It is a true story about a young mar
J tortured by the prison system (Henr
I Young, played by Kevin Bacon of The
I River Wild") and the Harvard-grac
] public defender James Stamphil
I (played by Christian Slater of True
I Romance") who befriends him and takes
[ him on his first client. The simplicity
I of the storyline about friendship anc
I justice is undermined by technical
| weaknesses, especially overblown mu
, sic and dizzying camera work.
Henri was jailed for stealing $5 te
I feed his hungry sister. Officials trans
J fer him and others guilty of petty crimes
I to the dreaded Alcatraz prison to fil
I empty spaces. After Henri attempts U
escape, the sadistic warden (Gary Old
I man of "Immortal Beloved") tortures
I him in the Alcatraz dungeon for mors
j than three years.
After slicing his body, starving him
I hobbling his ankles and forcing him t<
J live like an animal in darkness, ths
[ warden places him back in the gener
I al prison population. Henri's first in
I stinct is murder, and he stabs a fellov
j inmate.
"Murder in the First" asks: DidAl
I catraz create a cold-blooded killer"
James must find an answer as he take
I on the system with a bold court case
I The courtroom sequences are formu
j laic, but the added twist of "Murder
I is the friendship James and Henri forge
s
BON JOVI
Slippery When Wet
UGLY KID JOE
America's Least Wanted
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Hair Of The Dog
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amidst the gloom and
rder in the First'
At first all, Henri wants to hear about
is baseball, but he later opens up to
discuss deep questions about life and
fate.
[ Bacon's tortured face conveys pain
of physical and mental anguish. Spiritually
drained by the prison's supDosed
rehabilitation. Henri wants to
die. But when he discovers that James
, is his friend, Henri gives a stunning
. soliloquy. Bacon draws upon his in,
tense Hkability to mutter phrases about
) how their lives could have been dif.
ferent if they had met under different
circumstances.
i Slater gives a serviceable but far
i from stellar performance. He fails to
; conjure up passion, thereby weakenl
ing his character. Slater never allows
I James to show the proper sympathy
s as deemed by Dan Gordon's sensitive
5 screenplay.
While some of director Marc Roc1
co's ("Where the Day Takes You") tech'
niques are impressive, many are down"
right distracting. Among the clever
moments is the warden's systematic
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mas song "Comfort and Joy" played
| at James' comfortable home. Also, upon
Henri's re-entry into the prison's
} general population, Roceo blurs the
sights and sounds to demonstrate Henri's
tortured mind state. But the flow*
ing camera work and powerful score
often disguise the surprisingly static
' action.
, The gliding camera work above, be[
low, and in circles surrounding James
and Henri's conversations in the prison
f cell could not possibly be more distracting.
And often the blaring music
chimes in, but the drama does not.
? A monotonous tone caps the probs
lems of "Murder in the First." Sadly,
!. viewers will escape from this Alcatraz
without discovering a simple human
" story that lurks somewhere in the shads.
ows of a technically wearing movie.
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