The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 39

MEM PIILS SATURDAY MAY 15 1999 THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL F3 i glows burns with fiery artistic freedom By Frcdrlc Kocppd The Commercial Appeal ter from an inmate at Attica Prison Little in his repertoire however prepared listeners for the joyous outpouring of energy invention and virtuosity inherent in The People United Will Never Be Defeated Despite the excitement the seeming spontaneity generates however parts of it make you want to march around the room and behave more nobly than usual it is strictly constructed along an intensely reasoned scheme involving six cycles of six variations devoted to different attitudes and a harmonic plan that modulates through all 12 minor enters consciousness as subtext though compared to the exhilarating and extremely demanding materiality of the music Jazzy and impressionistic calm and eerily introspective raucous and folklike fragmented and chancy recklessly breakneck or pausing at the still-point of heartbreak: The variations proceed one by one in a dazzling exhibition of conviction passion and ingenuity Marc-Andre Hamelin whose recent recordings for Hyperion include the complete sonatas of Scriabin and Medtner no slouches there for difficulty rips through this glorious inspiring stuff as if he were drum-major for a parade of the virtuous and the bacchanalian He tailors his technique for each variation with appropriate agility and acumen and never neglects thoughtfulness for the sake of sheer bravo though plenty of swashbuckling occurs especially in the optional pianist-improvised cadenza Rzewski allows for before the final return to the theme In short this new rendition of The People United Will Never Be Defeated! feels persuasive inevitable and essential CLASSICAL RECORDING cidol" the nearly 50-minute composition stands as a monument of 20th Century keyboard music along with Gaspard de la nuit Mikrokosmos George Makrokosmos and Ludus Tonalis The simple but majestic song from which Rzewski derived his theme was written by Chilean composer Sergio Ortega in 1969 and served as an anthem for the Chilean Resistance after the Pinochet coup work in the early 1970s revealed a strong politi- CftA Will HFVlft HI Frederic Rzewsld: The People United Will Never Be Defeated I Marc-And re Hamelin piano Hyperion it it American composer Frederic Rzewski wrote The People United Will Never Be Defeated! in a remarkable two-month ferment in 197S as a commission from pianist Ursula Oppens whose recording for Vanguard has long dominated the imaginations of those who treasure the work Subtitled "36 Variations on El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Ven- 'Si cal slant in 1970 he set a portion of the Declaration of Independence as a song for soprano and piano and in 1972 he juxtaposed an orchestral ensemble with a performer reading a let 7b reach Fredric Koeppel call 529-2376 or send E-mail to koeppelgomemphiscom Keys That rigorous structure From Page FI TV He was the architect of post- war Japanese democracy a bold inva-t He engineered Free spirits wonder if sold out living in Metroland Unrated but would earn an for profanity nudity and sexual daughter? both Is Kayla a wide-eyed innocent in the big city or a tough knows-what-sne-wants singer on the make? both Both Brandy and Ross sing new songs and I be giving away anything by saying the film ends with a duet that signals all is welL Remember duck flick rule No 1: After the tears comes the triumph MacArthur profile They make like Gen Douglas MacArthur anymore Perhaps greatest soldier he also was an enigma a vain haughty man who felt civilian authorities never gave him his due He is profiled by The American Experience 8 pm Monday and Tuesday on WKNO-TV Channel 10 His mother a native Virginian married to an army general would tuck him in at night telling him he had to grow up to be a great man like his father and Robert Lee MacArthur was most decorated officer during World War I He suffered a humiliating defeat in the Philippines during World War II only to keep his nromise to return (as part of dream to be seen as the proi his primary reason for victory in the Pacific) Chris (Christian Bale) an advertising photographer lives in with his wife (Emily Watson) and baby A bohemian turned suburbanite he is comfortable yet dissatisfied extended flashback focusing on intoxicating stay in Paris in the 1960s where he spends his time snapping photographs working in a cafe attending Bresson films and making love to his first true girlfriend the sweet yet lusty Annick (Elsa Zylberstein) Metroland adapted from a 1980 Julian Barnes novel by director Philip Saville and screenwriter Adrian Hodges particularly compelling or original The dialog includes such cliches as "Metroland a place a state of and "Face it become your Yet thanks largely to its fine cast it is convincing its simplicity Devon gets position on syndicated during the sion during the Korean warr only to suffer a bitter reversal by the Chinese And he clashed with President Harry Thiman over the course of the war only to be dismissed and to return home to the biggest hero's wel-Y come anyone ever had seen This portrait covers the per-1 sonal as well as public life of J-MacArthur providing nuggets of information that help explain one of the most fascinating complicated men in American history Show on violence WPTY-TV Channel 24 is preempting its 6 pm news and a Seinfeld rerun Monday in order to air a town meeting on youth violence Bill Lunn and Michelle Robinson from the station will co-host along with US Rep Harold Fora Jr (D-Tenn) who a proached the station with idea Panelists will include area-teenagers and experts on youth! violence The special will focusj on successful Memphis pros grams to curb youth and school violence and now those programs can be expanded Viewers will be able to telephone and E-mail questions during the program 7b reach reporter 7b Walter call 529-2581 or send E-mail to waltergomemphiscom tertainment-oriented shows such as Entertainment lb night In Memphis it airs at 12:36 am weekdays on Channel 24 and at 1:30 am Saturday night Sunday morning on WLMT-TV Channel 30 Devon said she also will do some reporting for the program in addition to anchoring She also anticipates filling in weekdays this fall anchor Maureen is expecting a baby in October She will remain at Channel 24 for at least another month She starts work at Extra! on July 15 Devon is making a huge leap not only in money she said the salary is but wouldn't specify how much money that is but also in the leap from Memphis to Los Angeles 7b reach reporter To Walter call 529-2581 or E-mail waiter gomemphiscom DIAMONDS The Perfect Expression of Love At Guaranteed Best Prices ftSTiOR LJiJt-A toiw Thura 1 1 SIS Perkins Ext SH3-SOOO Sofa Sleepeif for comfort value and style I gum iflcanoi content By John BclfiiM The Commercial Appeal Metroland the title is derisive slang for the suburban sprawl at the end of the London commuter train line may be the antidote for those sick of hearing about the new Star Wars movie As might be expected from a film produced in association with the BBC Metroland contains no special effects no THX sound experiments and no digital aliens a movie for people looking for a thoughtful character-driven story that reveals itself almost entirely through acting and dialog abetted by simple sets ana straightforward camera work Which is not to say that Metroland is superior to The Phantom Menace just different Different strokes for different folks and all that hoohah Metroland set in 1977 explores the tensions and uncertainties that trouble a young husband and wife after they have settled into the traditional occupations of bread-winning and child-rearing at the expense of their youthful dreams of artistic and sexual freedom Chris (Christian Bale) is an advertising photographer living in with his wire (Emily Watson) and baby He is comfortable yet somehow dissatisfied "We never make love he tells his wife who answers: "We make love all the The suburban routine is disrupted by the arrival of best friend Toni (Lee From Page FI Stars About Nothing which possessed an energy brio and high spirits this production does not match nothing wrong with what this frantic Midsummer is attempting but in trying too hard to be funny it ends up being almost no fun at all That almost is largely the result of the presence or Kline a prince among modern farceurs who plays Nick Bottom the hammiest of nonprofessional actors One of subplots involves an extremely amateur production of mock-tragedy called "The most lamentable comedy and cruel death of Pyramus and portrayal of the lovelorn Pyramus though it comes too late in the film to make a major difference is the closest thing to genuine comedy on offer Though the original play is nominally set in ancient Athens version is changed to a Tbscan hill town named Mount Athena which gives the film the kind of lush setting Much Ado benefited from and allows for a key plot element concerning characters who wear "Athenian The time is also1 updated to the turn of the century and its craze for bicycles These machines figure overly much in the cumbersome slapstick but fondly recall A landmark 1972 New York Shakespeare Festival production of Much Ado About Nothing set in a similar time perioa and broadcast with great success on CBS Theseus (the protean David Strathairn) duke of Mount Athena is about to be married to the lovely Hippolyta (a barely visible Sopnie Mar- do hie Mar- is fantasy gone MOVE REVIEWS Ross) whom Chris seen in six years The devilish Tbni unlike Chris never settled down a self-styled poet who enjoys a relationship with his girlfriend He takes Chris to a punk rock club where a band called The Subverts sings "Destroy the hoi Tbni is what a parent would call a bad influence Toni reawakens in Chris memories of youth when he wanted to become a bourgeoisie-skewering artist The most enjoyable section is an (Flockhart) is mad about the indifferent Demetrius If this sounds initially confusing it may well be to those unfamiliar with the play but things do get clearer as these four young people end up headed for a nearby wood Also retiring there is the theatrical troupe that includes Bottom its members intent on rehearsing "Pyramus and and then putting it cm for the duke and perhaps getting some financial reward cm his wedding day This turns out to be not just any wood but the home of a legion of fairies ruled by Titania and Oberon (Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett an appropriately regal pair) On this of all nights however the king and queen are having a tiff and when Oberon enlists Tbcci as the playful Puck to administer a powerful love potion all kinds of unforeseen nonsense takes place play the source of celebrated lines like "The path of true love never did run and "Lord what fools these mortals is a glistening examination of die interlinked foolishness and magic of roman- tic love but though the language remains the same on film the essence of the play seems to have eluded this production A good chunk of the problem is that the performers playing the two pairs of Athenean lovers are too blandly undifferentiated to hold our interest during the increasingly tedious confusion that unfolds in the forest: They look and act alike even before they start rolling in the mud By Tom Walter The Commercial Appeal ma Devon co-anchor at -TV Channel 24 is the new weekend anchor and fill-in weekday anchor at the nationally syndicated magazine program Extra! "They were looking for a year and a half to fill this spot so I have high Devon 29 said had been really particular I think they had looked at a thousand tapes They called me (Thursday) night I was just blown Devon came to Channel 24 in March 1997 from Midland Texas She was hired by former news director Jeff Alan "The second I saw tape I said my gosh going to be a Alan said Devon co-anchors the 5 and 10 pm weekday newscasts at the station and is under contract to Channel 24 The station allowed her out of it in order to take the Extra! job "It was a tough decision because Dayna is a great talent but we also realized this was a dream of Channel 24 news director Stephanie Cros-wait said Extra! combines elements of magazine shows such as Hard Copy or Inside Edition and en Thinking Ink futon Instead lends it an aura of truth Ultimately its message that a life of integrity can be made in suburbia as well as in bohemia is not so much conservative as honest Metroland is playing exclusively at Bartlett 10 Star ratings: No stars stay home One star only if desperate Two stars a mild entertainment Three stars good stuff Four stars miss it Movie reviewer John Beifuss is at 529-2394 or send E-mail to beifussgomemphiscom are meant to convey an African-American model usually darker in tone and more or Southern in vernacular a crude myth but one widely held in pop culture Among the two types the mode is the one more accepted by Hollywood more or less moves in the direction Its articular edge and distinction in serving up an average coming-of-age love tale with its gags snaps and one-liners coming and then some Tying the tale together are a string of characters that been picked out of a sample of black sitcoms: high school teacher and self-appointed mentor Mr Shapic (Michael Warren) tearing into Greg for his apathetic ways there are thuggish street buddies (Guy Tbrry Donald Adeosun Faison) who day dream about pinstripe-suited pimp a neo- black nationalist who admonishes his young dope-selling troops for having the mindsets of "slaves who never been See? Trip can both crack you up and shake you up just a matter of what attitude or perspective coming from Judaeo-Sephardic International Music Heritage Award in 1997 Also performing will be percussionist Rex Benin casa and soprano Nell Snaidas Tickets are $10 which includes wine soft drinks fruit and pastries Call 761-0810 Rated for language and nudity By Nkk Carter Milwaukee Journal Sentinel You think crazy to make a movie running through the oldest and boldest caricatures and stereotypes of African-American culture? Then you must be as this crazed comedic and vision from a teenage mind will have just about all who watch it both cracking up and dropping their jaws in their laps Think of the latest from Rogue Pictures as a hip comedy with attitude pulled from the rich and deen wells of ghetto culture and folklore The movie follows Greg Reed (Deon Richmond) a high school senior with below-aver-age grades still given to flights of fantasy regarding which college he hopes to at- tend and more pressing who will be ms prom date ana how he will pay for the event In American pop culture sev eral strains of black culture have cracked the mainstream and two of those types are often held up in contrast: the bourgeois or strain as some times called by black writers and academics with its projection and becoming pimps rappers and NBA stars there are dream sequences with a succession of high school girls in all sizes shapes and flavors Tbppingjhe stereotypes is the local is the local promotion of the black middle class through characters who frequently lack the melanin and black verbal cadence of their counterparts the Music of Morocco smooth Kline fares better When he and his ragtag troupe including Bill Irwin as Tbm Snout and Gregory Jbara as Snug the joiner work up their peculiar that is something to smile at This Midsummer is handsomely outfitted visually ceau )7 His final ana least ap- and has the advantage of both Felix lush music and chunks of classic Italian opera Though the actors have no major problems handling the language the whole venture is listless when it should be sparkling Shake- Lysander (Dominic West) sneare even with mud wres-Complicating things further tling be quite so much close friend Helena of a slog The "Cafe Casablanca An Evening of Mystic Rhythms and Sounds" will be presented at the Memphis Jewish Community Center tonight at 9 Featured js the Gerard Edery Ensemble with guest artist the renowned oudist George Mgrdichian The Moroccan-born Edery received the futon store covers pillows accessories techllne fumitun 4635 POPLAR AVE ftrkki 9flliSIS122 2874 WOLFCREEK FKWY WoVchHC Acfiw hm Tniel 901 J7LM55 T- I i a awSfcSeM.