The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 28, 1999, Page Page 9, Image 9
_ _
T n A C A IM A I
i if ? a a hi o i
Wednesday, mm 28.1999
Critics fin<
by Kevin Langston the entire
Gamecock Critic try to win
The e:
"Pushing Tin" only proves my sus- Most char
picion that movies can make any pro- honest. T1
fession look glamorous. This time, the more acts
film depicts the marvelous, action- petition,
packed life of an air traffic controller. I This D
am sony to offend any aspiring air traf- wa^- ^>us
fic controllers who read this, but I envel?
was not at all pulled in by the seriousness
of this profession. by r0(, |
Sure, these people try to keep us Gamecock
alive while we're in the air, but I senously
doubt their lives are captivating
enough to make an entire film about it. a jot ja(
One man who takes his job too se- Swell's n
riously, only because it is the best js a term f
way to keep it interesting, is Nick traffic con
Falzone (John Cusack). He enjoys his 1^e fg.
profession immensely. He knows he is enthrallin
the best, and his friends know he is the an an- traf
best. Until Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thorn- rector Ne'
ton) enters the picture. Funeral") i
Immediately, BeH shows everyone to get insi<
that he is better than Falzone. He point) oft
doesn't do it on purpose, he just does it. controller
In what becomes a two-hour-long se- John (
ries of meaningless competition, Bell Zone" Fab
and Falzone have a role reversal in troiier ove
which Falzone's life fells apart and Bell's in the nat
life comes together. acter with
I cannot find a real moral to this *he PuPPy
story. Maybe it is teaching us to not marked m
worry about how well the next person car?er.
does and to only concern yourself .
with your problems. If this is, in fact, ^ ^ ^
the message that was supposed to be .? JJ1
conveyed, the film did a horrible job 8 0 8se, 1
. dard chari
conveying it. ... ,
The only character I actually like ^?U 8
was Bell. He was an off-the-wall cowboy
type who threw off the balance of T
T-i i , i-r t-i i i- in mar
i alzone s life. Falzone was a disgust- plays out
ing character. Cusack did not have to hot-shot cc
reach too far to find inspiration for this together v
character. Falzone would never shut ioner cph0]
up and was quite eccentric throughout
IvibLan music
Encore Roundup
Staff Reports
More Indian classical music is on the way.
Anupama, a rising young sitarist, and Mayookh,
a recording musician since age 12 playing the
tabla, will play a concert at 7 p.m. May 9 at USC's
School of Music, room 206.
Anupama learned to play the sitar when she was
9 under Shri R.N. Verma, an exponent of the Maihar
Gharana.
She became the disciple of Pandit Shri Bimalendu
Mukherjee, a senior member of the famous Imdadkhni
Gharana, and has been learning the Gayaki
style of sitar playing. She has completed the Sangeet
Visharad and M.A. in music.
Anupama was given the prestigious "Surmani"
title from the Sur Sringar Samsad in Bombay, and
she was awarded the National Scholarship for music
from the Ministry of Human Resources Development
for 1993-1996.
She was awarded first place in the All India Radio
instrumental music competition in Nagpur,
first place in the Youth Festival and second place in
the First National Youth Festival in 1995.
Mayookh began performing on television, radio
and various stages from the age of 5. He was acknowledged
as a child prodigy by Ustad Ali Akbar
Khan in 1981 at the age of 4. At 7, he won the "NY
State Under 18 Science Award" for creating an
original string instrument.
He returned to India to train under Pandit
J nan n*axasn unosn ana is under the training 01 us
enc
iitk Weekend
All Ail
J 'Pushing Ti
lovie did not grip me in any ^
:tors more than make up for
:king originality in Mike
?i <m_ 1.: tl_ MH^Hr
ew mill) it usiung mi, wmcii .?M
or reckless scheduling by air J9|
itrollers.
st half of the film is absolutely
ig. The action takes place in
fic controlling center, and di- f
well ("Four Weddings and a PB********
allows the viewers the chance Lights,
ie the minds (literally, at one Camera,
hese intriguing and intense Reaction ?
Cusack stars as Nick "The ZLjLlnLl' k
:one, the No. 1 air traffic con- ^
rseeing the busiest airspace
ion. Cusack plays his char- proceeds to dethrone The Zone. No
both the cerebral edge and ly does the new guy displace Nic
-dog vulnerability that have his job, but he also manages to 01
ost every performance of his Nick in every other facet of his lift
eluding a humorous scene in which
t actors, such a limited range sell shoots more free throws than Is
ible, but Cusack ? much like The friendly rivalry turns ugly v
lliams ? seems always to Nick cheats on his wife (Austra
ns that play off of his stan- Blanchett is almost unrecognizab]
acter in interesting ways. If a New Jersey housewife) with Rus;
e one character Cusack plays, wife (Jolie).
e you'll like his films, as well, From that point on, the plot ol
"Pushing Tin." film becomes very predictable
ly ways, the action of the film formulaic, but the film is saved bj
like a western. Nick is the fine performances throughout,
mtroller who has everything Thornton plays Russell with the
mtil Russell Bell, the quiet ic grace of a true cowbov, leaving n
niton), enters the picture and for the audience to discern for"th
Cans to play j
tad Sabir Khan of the Farukhabad Pandit Biiju MaMayookh
has played with various artistes of glob- ?
al repute, including Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Amjad
Ali Khan and Pandit Biiju Maharaj.
He's featured on more than 15 released and internationally
marketed albums, including his solo album
"The Beginning" on Gathani Records and also M.
with Panidt V.G. Jog, Smt. Purnima Chaudhari and g^plS
Ustad Sabir Khan.
He has also worked on films and advertising music
as a composer for both India and the United States. KhNM
Indian classical music is an ancient art, and its
origin can be traced to the Vedic period (1500-500
B.C.). The two most important concepts of Indian ESBP^
classical music are the "raga" and the "tala."
The raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic
melodic form with its own specific ascending
and descending movements consisting of either a full Tmk
seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.
The tala is an abstract organization of time, and II
it's expressed through mnemonic syllables that are El
generated on the drums, such as the tabla.
The improvisational nature of Indian classical
music requires the musician to take into considera- '
tion his or her mood, the setting and the time allowed
for a concert and the type of audience present. Anupar
Tickets for the Indian classical music concert are concer
d>i c r j, ii- I d>i/\ f i J . TT-, /-i ii :?i i
<j>?o ior auuus anu q>iu lur siuaents witn liJS. Uall j?"?eu
749-0762 for more information. Indian food will be Tickets
available at intermission.
New donors
^4 can earn up t
atdates?\ $215 p6P
imm. maybe he 1 ~ w r
month!
3 hours out of your week
could earn you $65!
Help children, hemophiliacs
and heart patients who.
receive products made from
the plasma of our donors.
^ Tlw Quality Source
NABI BloMedlcal Center
215 ^?'umbia SC 2920-1
ore
l ft Eitarta
oardFor Fun Time
n preuicu
v >. M. ^ Jflfl
* ?i 5?) *jlBr JBr JH
WM4 Ak^JgMV gS
Mi mm .;>-W'-- ; :JwS|3^ HI
^BH is?
r^ ^Hykfl
aMBBBBhjgrSffilgPffiMM \- y - ^ %*,
^^BBII^BBB?sI^8b^8?@ ifwllliil I . IS $SB!9HF
t on- selves.? that is, until his secrets are p,
k at clumsily revealed in the film's weak q,
atdo ending.
i, in- Jolie gives perhaps the finest perRus
formance of the film with a stark vulJick.
nerability and a wanton carelessness,
dien She is a sensual being, yet insecure,
lian who has a tender heart hidden beneath
le as the layers of a hardened facade,
sell's "Pushing Tin" isn't the best movie
of the year, but it is funny and touch- -i
fthe ing. The characters seem real for J
and most of the film (until the phony for- /
r the mula kicks in at the end), and the scenes
inside the air traffic center are truly in!
sto- ventive and intriguing,
tuch
em
" \T|Qt ff
ni^
mi
Special to The Gamecock ?jlth(
na Bhagwat will play the sitar in a May 9 ^
t at the USC School of Music. She will be
by the tabla player Mayookh Bhaumik.
? are $15 for adults and $10 for students. ^
sic
The Bmckley
o Ex
iLcgcnd has it that a
nf 1ftril-ieiri rmllrrl fhr cm
U| IIIUII, {JUUVU VIIC 4>UJ
out of our innermost b(
moot hearts and smai
'
'
I I Learn how to:
think clearly
organize thoughts
on paper
speak lucidly
and clearly
For more informatic
.
Contact our \
wJ k
I
lament
able, fo
KM fy,1
f J?m
9
om left: Cate Blanchett, Billy Bot
jsack star in Twentieth Century Fbx
World tu
S% m.
tor jazz
100th bi
i Eun-Kyung Kim
sociated Press
ASHINGTON ? This city of
esidents is turning its attention to a
ike as jazz lovers and historians obrve
the centennial of the birth of one
America's most prolific composers,
Iward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington.
The talents of Ellington, who put
e country "In a Sentimental Mood"
id implored folks to "Take the A
am," are the focus of lectures, per-mances
and other special events in
e capital arid around the nation. Most
the events are tied to his birthday,
>ril 29.
"Everybody is starving for Ellinga
projects and Ellington works and
lington evenings," said Mercedes
lington, a choreographer who also
s arranged works to her grandfaer's
music.
Some of the interest might be atibuted
not only to the 100th an/ersary
of Ellington's birth but to the
lent resurgence of swing dancing,
lington enthusiasts, however, say it's
rinly because people?like the judges
10 awarded him a Pulitzer Prize this
ar ? are finally appreciating the
ike's genius. The Pulitzer board said
lington's body of work "evoked aesstically
the principles of democracy
rough the medium of jazz and thus
ide an indelible contribution to art
d culture."
"He is the greatest all-around muian
this country has produced," said
r School of Pub.
calibur Semin
rthur, illegitimate son of '
lord of 25tcalibur from a
:ings, mhere it mag be lo
j minds mith the shinning
a
)n call Libby Cowar
or
vebsite: www.buckk
'
sociion
Page 9
rmulaic
?
?J
Mf**
.
m
i **
Special to The Gamecock
) Thornton, Angelina Jolie and John
;'s new film, "Pushing Tin."
ines in
rt r/> /or r o
? / cut o
rthday
John Hasse, an Ellington biographer
and the American music curator for the
Smithsonian Institution.
"The United States has produced a
number of superb composers, many
great band leaders and conductors, brilliant
arrangers and orchestras and virtuostic
soloists and accompanists," Hasse
said. "But Ellington did all of those
things and did them brilliantly."
Ellington lived in Washington until
his early 20s. He formed two of his
earliest bands, Duke's Serenaders and
The Washingtonians, here before moving
to New York. There, he rose to fame
during a time when radio had burst onto
the scene and the recording industry
was burgeoning.
Ellington absorbed everything
around him ? sound, ideas, images,
colors, textures ? and channeled the
sensations into his compositions, which
inplnHoH 1Q77 crnorvol Rirr Port/1
Aiiviuuvu jutiii, UUU ?JA l^aiiu
swing, as well as ballet and film scores
and Broadway show times.
He composed most of his music on
a small Wurlitzer piano that accompanied
him on tours, and he nearly always
wrote for the personalities in
his orchestra, the Duke Ellington Band,
rather than for specific instruments.
"I'm something like a farmer,"
Ellington once wrote. "He plants his
seed and I plant mine. He has to wait
until spring to see his come up, but I
can see mine right after I plant it. That
night. I don't have to wait. That's the
payoff for me."
lie Speaking
iar
Ether pendragon, Sang
stone, must me pull
eked fast, the ability to
5 steel of our tounges.
Next session:
July 9th & 10th
at the Buckley School
PACES ARE LIMITED
t at 1-800-344-4681
;yschool.com