Ukiah Daily Journal from Ukiah, California • Page 5

THE UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL Arts Entertainment Lois O'Rourke, features editor, 468-3522 FRL OCT. OCT. 18, 1997 What's playing TONIGHT POETRY READING BOOK SIGNING By Koncow Maidu Poet Linda Noel, contributor to "reinventing the Enemy's Language." Mendocino College Little Theatre and Courtyard. Reading: 6:30 to 7 p.m. Courtyard festivities: p.m.

Free. SYLVIA Ukiah Players production. Ukiah Players Theatre, 1041 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. 8p.m. ALL REQUEST DJ With DJ Ken Steely, country and western music and dancing.

Silver Tip Saloon, 720 AN. State Ukiah. 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ALL STAR KARAOKE-8 to 10 p.m.

Dance Club DJ 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Perkins Street Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah. J.J.

THE COUNTRY BOYS Taylor's Tavern, Redwood Valley. 8 p.m. No cover. SATURDAY AN EVENING WITH GRACE AND JOHN Dinner Theater fund-raiser for the Grace Hudson Museum featuring Laura Ferri and Michael J. Loggins as Grace and John Hudson.

Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 S. School Ukiah. 6 p.m. Wine Reception. 7:30 p.m.

Dinner. $45. SYLVIA Ukiah Players production. Ukiah Players Theatre, 1041 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. 2 and 8 p.m.

RESCUED IMAGES II Exhibit opening featuring early 20th century photographs from the Willits studios of H.H. Wonacott and John M. Parkins. Mendoci- nb County Museum, 400 E. Commercial Willits.

5 to 8 p.m. LESLIE HUBBERT CYNTHIA FAULKNER -Klezmer, Italian and American gems on mandolin and guitar. Orchard Plaza Farmers Market. 9 a.m. to noon.

WAYNE MILLER BAND Over 40s Dance. Bartlett Hall, Ukiah Senior Center, Leslie Street. Dance 7:30 to-11 p.m. $5 non-members. MARK FORD Hopland Brewery, Copland.

'ARTIST'S RECEPTION An exhibition of ceramic art curated by Doug Browe at the Mendocino Art Center, 45200 Little Lake Road, Mendocino. 5 to ALL REQUEST DJ With DJ Tove Scotia. Country music and dancing. Silver Tip Saloon, 720 A. N.

State Ukiah. 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ALL STAR KARAOKE 8 to 10 p.m. Dance Club DJ 10 p.m.

to 2 a.m. Perkins Street Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah. J.J. THE COUNTRY BOYS Taylor's Tavern, Redwood Valley.

8 p.m. No cover. SUNDAY SYLVIA Ukiah Players production. Ukiah Players Theatre, 1041 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. 4 p.m.

BLUEGRASS MUSIC IN THE GARDEN Hopland Brewery, Hopland. No cover. ALL STAR KARAOKE With KJ 71m. Perkins Street, Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah.

8 p.m. ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC OPEN MIKE With Jammin' Gino and Hurricane Hector. Caspar Inn, Caspar. 8 p.m. MONDAY MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Complimentary appetizers and big screen TV.

Perkins Street Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah. TUESDAY DON WILLIS Traditional Italian and American favorites on accordion. Ukiah Farmers Market, Alex Thomas Plaza. 3 to STAR KARAOKE CONTEST All-star karaoke.

Perkins Street Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah. Music starts at 9p.m. COUNTRY FANTASY DANCE LESSONS Silver Tip Saloon, 720 A N. State Ukiah.

Lessons 7 p.m. DJ after lessons. WEDNESDAY AUDITIONS For the Willits Cpmmu- nity Theatre production of "Christmas Carol," an original play written and directed by R. Bobby Cohen. Willits Community Theatre, 37 W.

Van Lane, Willits. 7 p.m. ALL STAR KARAOKE CONTEST All-star karaoke. Perkins Street Lounge, 228 E. Perkins Ukiah.

Music starts at 9p.m. A demonic film i. (Lett to right) Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Craig T. Nelson star In Warner supernatural thriller, "The Devil's Advocate." Pacino shines as demon in 'Devil's Advocate' By ROGER EBERT ost movies about lawyers involve selling their souls to the devil, but "Devil's Advocate" is the first in which the devil gets more dialogue than the lawyers. The movie chronicles the descent of Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), a small-time legal star from Florida, into the depths of the New York big time.

Recruited by a powerful Manhattan law firm, he finds himself defending goat-killers and real estate tycoons for a boss named John Milton, who offers him a paradise found. Milton (Al Pacino) is the devil. That is a secret reserved for the second hour of the film, although the title hints it, the posters and TV commercials reveal it, and by the time it arrives Lomax is the only character who hasn't suspected. Charming, persuasive, with a wise little cackle, Milton sends a recruiter to Florida, where Lomax is an undefeated master of picking juries that do not convict. He wants the young man to join his team, and tempts him not on a mountaintop but on a rooftop.

The scene of the first meeting between Milton and Lomax, on a skyscraper roof, scores a stunning visual impact. The production designer, Bruno Rubeo, has created a spectacular effect: a water garden in the sky, with pool surfaces spilling over the edges of the building, so that water and sky seem to meet without any architectural separation. The two men walk perilously close to the edge, as the director, Taylor Hackford, plays with vertigo to suggest that Lomax is being offered all of Manhattan at his feet and also the possibility of a great and sudden fall. The young lawyer is impressed. So, at first, is his wife, Mary Ann (Charlize Theron), who can't believe it when Milton offers them a three-bedroom apartment in a luxurious Fifth Avenue coop.

Only Lomax's Bible-quoting mother (Judith Ivey) has her doubts, quoting scripture about Sodom; Gomorrah, and other keywords that pop into the mind when Manhattan is mentioned. Her advice, indeed, seems increasingly sound as the film progresses. Lomax becomes obsessed with his job, ignoring his wife and drawing closer to a sexy woman at the office (Connie Nielsen). And the wife, obsessed with having a baby, begins to come apart. She has the film's first supernatural vision, when she sees a demon materialize in the face and body of a helpful neighbor (Tamara Tunie), and soon she's begging to go back to Gainesville.

The satanic character is played by Pacino with relish bordering on glee. Reeves in contrast is sober and serious the straight man. That's the correct choice for his role, but it leaves Pacino with many of the best lines maybe the last humanist. The 20th century was entirely mine. I'm "Devil's Advocate" is neither fish nor fowl: It is not a serious film about its subject, nor is it quite a dark comedy, despite some of Pacino's See MOVIE, Page A-6 BILLBOARD Halloween dance in Willits The Willits Community Theatre will host a Halloween Dance at the Willits Community Center Friday, Oct.

31. Music will be provided by "The Blue Luke Express," the superhot blues band featuring the blazing stratocaster guitar of Laytonville native son Blue Luke Andrews. "The Blue Luke Express" is a three-piece band in the tradition of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It boasts a "monster" drummer (appropriate for playing at a Halloween Dance) by the name of Kelly Elliot, bass player Tracy Brayton, who was born in Fort Bragg; and guitarist Andrews, In their music one can here the influence of Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, ZZ Top and Led Zepplin, yet Blue Luke's meteoric talent is able to assimilate the signatures of these greats and move beyond, into its own sound. The band is said to be white-hot: come prepared to boogalate.

In addition, there will be prizes for best costumes although costumes are not required. The dance will begin at 8:30 p.m. and will conclude at 12:30 a.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and are available at Good's Stamp Shoppe. Auditions for 'Christmas Carol' WILLITS Auditions will take place 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 22 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Willits Community Theatre Playhouse for "Christmas Carol," an original play written and directed by R. Bobby Cohen.

The play will be given as a staged reading in Victorian costume, and is scheduled to open Dec. 12 and run the two weekends before Christmas and the Friday and Saturday after Christmas. The call for actors is for three children ages 6 to 10; two teens, one male and one female; and five to eight male and female adult actors. Also needed are two males and three females to sing Christmas carols in the lobby during performances. See BILLBOARD, Page A-6 Bunny Edwards, Dan Raner and Paulette Arnold in a scene from the comedy "Sylvia." 'Sylvia' continues this weekend Ukiah Players Theatre will conclude its regular run of the popular comedy "Sylvia," by A.R.

Gurney this weekend with performances tonight at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 pm. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Carole Hester wrote that "Sylvia" ly witty, charming and light. Ukiah Ffayets Ilid? atre's season opener is a poignant, adventurous romp, a must see especially for dog lovers!" Jeri Thurkow a the Main Street News wrote, "You must, I repeat, you must, must, must see "Sylvia" at the'Ukiah I never laughed so hard in my Featured in the cast are Paulette Arnold, Bob Brumback, Bunny Edwards and Dan Raner. David Hayes directs.

and Saturday nights are $10- and ana matinee tickets on Saturday and Sun-" day are $10 and $9. Ticket may be purchased at the Mendocino Book Company on South School Street, Crow's Nest in the Pear Tree Shopping Center or charged by telephone at the Playhouse box.