Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page 53

9 soft Wbt Arizona Haifa Star Tucson, Saturday, March 29, 1997 Dear Abby 2E Comics 6E TV7E I 4 (ootoa oo za 1U From left, Darla Dimple, Sawyer and Danny in "Cats Don't Dance." Animated 'Cats' not up ito scratch "A By Edith Sorenson The Arizona Daily Star 'Ci ats Don't Dance" can be called a children's movie only in the way that Abba's phonetic renditions of "Dancing Queen" can be called singing in English. With "Cats" and Abba, production values couldn't be better, everything is delivered with energy and there is no emotional content whatsoever. "Cats Don't Dance" tells the bizarre story of Danny the cat and his dream of making it as a song-and-dance man in the Review Li. art. iiiiMf TV in i Jeffry Scott, The Arizona Daily Star Eric Welch, right, organizer of Localpalooza, plays In the band Scathe; at left Is Jeff Petroshus Benefit is class project of Flowing Wells senior If you go it possible for others to fulfill their requirements.

He already has exceeded the minimum of five hours' community service, Stowers said. Welch estimated that so far he has invested more than 300 hours into organizing Localpalooza. Planning began in October, Welch said. Among Welch's duties: Arranging for sound and lights; securing the venue; confirming the presence of security, police and performers; coordinating sponsorships by such businesses as Pepsi-Cola and radio station KFMA-FM; attracting publicity; and rehearsing with his hard-core band, Scathe, which will perform, too. "I had to talk to a lot of sec- "Cats Don't Dance" boasts stun-1 ning animation, such as the nlghtmar-' ish Darla Dimple parade balloon.

These Impressive pen-and-ink and digital pic-1 tures aren't enough "Cats" needs a story and emotional content. Rated G. Playing at Century Gateway and Century Park. movies. Species-ism thwarts his first efforts, and the other animals tell him not to be uppity.

Scott Bakula provides the voice for i Danny, an orange tabby, and Jasmine Guy (who is a talented singer and dancer) pro-; vides the silky-smooth cynical dialogue for his love interest, Sawyer. Natalie Cole I sings for this fluffy white kitty. I Packaged as an uplifting allegory, this animated feature is merely an unplanned "potluck. The resulting stew is bland and I unsatisfying, despite the talents of Betty Gerson (voice of the animated Cruella DeVd), Don Knotts, Kathy Najimy and art director Brian McEntee, whose credits include "The Brave Little Toaster." McEntee was also team leader for some of the "Beauty and the Beast" com- puter animation. In that movie and this one, McEntee 's first love is obviously playing with animation toys, not story-l telling.

I lost count of the writer and "story by" credits; there must have been a dozen. What did these people do? Have story conferences about the burning issue of where to insert the singing chipmunk scene? 1 The no-brainer plot didn't take much work, so you'd think this herd of scriptwriters would have had time to 1 ensure consistency, but no. Knee-jerk moralizing and shameless fat jokes have equal screen time. If Sawyer suspects that "something smells fishy," then an apology is purred to la nearby fish. Same deal with the term "scapegoat" and the goat character.

Elephants and hippos are not treated so gently. Kids are encouraged to laugh and laugh as these large animals break furniture and child star Darla Dimple, a grubworm in frilly panties, stuffs her chubby face with sweets. The message here is, bend over backward to spare the feelings of everyone but the overweight. This sterling sentiment is one of many ragged elements in "Cats Don't Dance." Turner Feature Animation tries to obscure such weaknesses with references (animated versions of Clark Gable and Bette Davis have walk-on parts, for instance). Don't be fooled.

This threadbare "believe in your dreams" hokum is slick, superficial and heartless. Welch estimated that so far he has invested more than 300 hours into retaries, and at first, I don't think anybody really took me seriously," he said and laughed. I One of Welch's biggest worries has been getting a cou- pie of television sets so concert- goers could watch the UA I Wildcats play in the Final Four basketball game against North I Carolina. The nationally televised game starts at 3:42 p.m., in the I middle of Localpalooza. By Gene Armstrong The Arizona Daily Star While many teens may be tempted to spend spring break working on their tans, Flowing Wells High School senior Eric Welch hasn't had time.

Welch, 18, spent the last week finalizing plans for a 13-hour, 17-band concert today in the new Exhibition Hall at the Tucson Convention Center. The concert will benefit the Community Food Bank. "Our goal is to make this one of the biggest canned food drives the city has ever seen, and we hope to get as many young people involved as possible," Welch said. Groups at Localpalooza will play blues, jazz, funk, rock, acoustic, hip-hop, heavy metal, punk and hard-core music. The festival also will include in-line skating demonstrations, the Spaceball Orbitron ride, door prizes, and information booths for local non-profit organizations, Welch said.

He hopes Localpalooza will attract at least 1 ,000 people throughout the day. It all started as a community-service assignment in Welch's government class. Flowing Wells strongly encourages community service among its students, says Patty Stowers, one of Welch's teachers. "I ask the members of the senior government class to complete five hours of community service," said Stowers, who this year was honored as Arizona's Teacher of the Year. Usually, about 5 percent of Stowers' students choose the alternative of writing a research paper instead, Stowers said.

Students most often opt for working a day at a homeless shelter or with Special Olympics, she said. "I don't think I've ever had a student do this large a project before. "Eric's been really mature and responsible about it, organizing everything and getting all the radio, TV and newspaper coverage lined up." About 15 other students in Stowers' class will volunteer at Localpalooza, too. Thus has Welch made What: Localpalooza '97, featuring M.A.C., Spill Blanket, George Howard and the Roadhouse Hounds, Gat-Rot, Snakecharmer and others. When: 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

today. Where: Tucson Convention Center's new Exhibition Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Admission: Two cans of food. Information: 888-4550.

whelming, as much stuff as it is to organize. "But it's benefiting the community as a whole. When I think about that, it makes it all worthwhile." Although he loves playing music, Welch has discovered his real talent is in organization. "This makes me want to be a (concert) promoter. I think I may actually have found my ideal career choice, thanks to Localpalooza." Welch's main contact at the food bank has been administrative assistant Gretchen Termini, who praised the young man's organizational skills, accountability and plain gumption.

Termini doesn't remember a youth project for the food bank of the magnitude of Localpalooza. "It seems very impressive," she said. "I think it's wonderful when our young people do good things like this, because you sure hear about it when they don't (do good things)," she said. Welch's efforts also have the potential to bring more donations to the food bank than those raised today. With the $5,000 that Stowers received as Teacher of the Year, she has started an annual community-service award to honor students at Flowing Wells.

Each year, a cash award will be given to the charity of the winning student's choice. That student will have the honor of handing dver the check, Stowers said. "And Eric's certainly one of the front-runners for this award," she added. "I was thinking of getting a Localpalooza big-screen TV to show the game, but that costs, like, $400 to rent," Welch said. One way or another, the game will be on at Localpalooza.

Although many of the resources for the concert have been donated including the service of two police officers and of all the bands the rental of the facilities, insurance and security total about $1,100. Those expenses have been covered by the donations of local individuals and businesses. "It was touch-and-go there for a while, but we made each of the payments on time," Welch said. The going hasn't always been easy. "There were times when I didn't know whether I'd be able to hold out.

Sometimes it gets over- KsTts 'Devil's Own' worthwhile Getting screenplay credit is easier said than done By Edith Sorenson The Arizona Dairy Star By Renee Downing Special to The Arizona Dairy Star The trailer for The Devil's Own" has been coming at us since forever. Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, IRA guy in disguise, father shot dead in front of the poor lad's eyes, ta da ta da ta da. You can almost smell the studio's panic: They've ponied up a bundle for this one. so, by God. we're going I he Devil's Own," starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, premiered in New Review Ford fought through the whole production, but surprise! "The Devil's Own" is actually quite good.

Not great (for that it would have needed a coherent script and a director with a lighter touch), but really very good. Like its subject, the long-running Irish Troubles," the movie is fierce, relentless and almost unbearably sad. The Devil's Own" opens in the past, with family prayer around a humble Irish dinner table just before the brutal execution of which we've already heard so much. The violence is appallingly effective, and the scene ends with a tight, long-held shot of the young son's horror-filled eyes. Then we get Pitt's eyes, in a grainy, tele-photo print behind the opening credits.

The long look at his face goes to the heart of what finally lifts this movie above its tense-ehaseguy-bo ndi g-flick shtick. The Devil's Own" is enthralling because of the way its stars put everything they have which is plenty into pitching the film's moral thesis: Who people are depends upon vhat's happened to them. See IRISH, Page 5E hard work, but also arbitration. When director Alan J. Pakula hired their youngest boy, David told his parents, The odds of me staying on this movie till the end are very small, so don't be sur-: prised if I get fired." Not the happy news they'd hoped for.

Eight years ago, David was a filmmaker in Israel, making videos, documentaries and one feature film. had a Tucson screening when Mom and Dad rented The Loft.) After that movie, he figured why not Hollywood. "We just got on a plane," David says, "and flew to knowing no one." There were some lean times, eight years that were perhaps harder for Dyid's worried tpom See SCREENPLAY, Page 5E York two weeks ago. Television and newspaper cameras recorded the red-carpet gala, but Shiffy Cohen's favorite image from the event is a snapshot she carries in her purse. Eastside residents Bob and Shiffy Cohen are typical proud parents, and the glossy family photo shows their son David, his wife, and both his brothers dressed to the nines and ready to celebrate.

The cause for celebration: David Aaron Cohen gets full original credit for The Devil's Own an achievement representing not only talent and "The Devil's Own," directed by Alan J. Pakula, stars Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Treat Williams, Natascha McElhone. Margaret Colin and Ruben Blades. Rated R. It's playing at Century Park.

Century Gateway, Foothills and the DeAnza Drive-4n. to the theaters if they have to put a gun to our heads. vWell, it's finally a reported 50 percent ovet budget, dissed by Pitt amid rumors of major script problems and tales that tie and Brad Pitt plays an Irish Republican Army member in "The Devil's Own.".