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6 » The Red and Black « Monday. October 3, 1994
A&E
BEST BET
"A Century of African-American Experience, Greenwood: From
Ruins to Renaissance' opens today in the^te Center Gallery.
These photographs record the history of (JBnwood, a center
of cultum ruined and rebuilt during the 19zl race riots.
The Wedding Gift’ a painfully beautiful melodrama
lirector Richard Loiwaine loses her ability to walk and the use scenes of realism, with director die.
Director Richard Loniraine
creates a moving portrait
of love and mortality
By MATTHEW R. HIRSH
Staff Writer
» Wedding Gift” - A British film
A a married
“The \
about a nbrried woman dying from
an unknown disease. Starring Julie
Waters and directed by Richard
Loncraine. Rated PG-13. Playing at
Beechwood. Grade: B-
There was something about “The
Wedding Gift” that was instantly
terrifying When I learned the story
was abo^ the triumph of the will
over an unknown disease, made-for-
TV-films starring Meredith Baxter
Bimey sprang into mind. But these
fears soon abated.
In the film, Julie Waters plays a
woman who is slowly being eaten
away by a seemingly incurable dis
ease. After a minor operation, she
loses her ability to walk and the use
of her hands. Fortunately, she has a
demoted husband (Jim Broadbent)
, and loving kids to ease her pain.
In fact, the film focuses as much
on Broadbent as it does on the wife.
He is portrayed as a lonely but lov
ing husband who is often tempted to
have affairs with co-workers. His
marital vows are tested when he
meets a blind novelist (Thora Hird)
who shares his passion for litera
ture.
Surprisingly, all three become
good friends. Waters even plays
matchmaker for her own husband,
encouraging Hird and Broadbent to
meet and to plan their lives for the
future.
“The Wedding Gift” is an adult
film about a topic that is rarely done
well, and the actors play especially
well off of each other. Waters is Re
served, yet he acts as the psycho
logical head of the family.
Broadbent is fiery when in public,
yet he becomes childish and content
when he is alone with his wife.
“The We^ng Gift" contains
scenes of realism, with director
Richard Loncraine providing
strong dose of the physical difficul
ties that the couple goes through.
We see Broadbent wash and dress
his wife daily and coax her out of
seizures, all of which is very painful
to watch.
‘The Wedding Gift’ Is
an adult film about a
topic that is rarely
done well, and the
actors play especially
well off of each other.
A theme of suicide runs through
the film, and there is always a cer*
tain amount of suspense as to how
Waters will come to her demise.
Broadbent’s character adds to this
with his blatant refusal to accept
his wife’s gloomy future or her right
to choose when and how she will
An interesting aspect of the film
involves the husband’s love of liter
ature. Bec^ne he stays home to
nurse his he is unable to write
articles or attend literary functions.
He secretly longs to speak with nov
elists and critics. When he does
meet a female novelist, he begins to
feel pangs of guilt for Spending time
with her. #
One of the few problems with
“The Wedding Gift” is an attack at
the bureaucracy that won’t give
Waters medical treatment. This is
standard, made-for-TV stuff that
seems hollow in comparison with
the couple’s turmoil.
“The Wedding Gift" does not
stand up to a film like George
Miller’s “^Lorenzo's Oil,” which deals
with the same subject. It does, how
ever, contain many momenta ofhon-‘
esty and horror. The best way to
judge a filmilike this would be to see
if the characters are interesting
enough to watch if there was not an
incurable disease present. The an
swer in this case would be yes.
October 3,1994
MUSIC 9
Disco with Michael Lachowskl, 40
Watt
Big Heffer, Frijoleros
3 Day Stubble, Frijoleros
William Clarke, High Hat Blues Club
Athens Grass, Half Moon Pub
MOVIES
Tate, The Pomographers
Alps, True Lies, Jurassic Pcjk
Classic Triple, Speed, True Lies,
Blankman
Beechwood, Corinna Cotinna, Milk
Money, Natural Bom Killers, Camp
Nowhere, Clear & Present Danger,
Timecop, The Wedding Gilt,
Barcelona, The Shawshank
Redemption
Georgia Square Mall (outside),
Fresh, The Next Karate Kid, Forrest
Gump, The Mask, Terminal Velocity.
Georgia Square Mall (Inside), The
River Wild, The Scout, In the Army
Now, The Client, The Little Rascals
The Samples go to ‘Autopilot’ - Mayday!
By BRAD KOONTZ
Staff Writer
Tho Samples, “Autopilot” (W.A.R.)
“Autopilot,” the Samples’ fifth
record, is an appropriately titled
collection of dull and melancholy
pop tunes.
Often placed in the “neo-hippie”
category, the samples are
H.O.R.D.E. alumni, hailing from
the second city of the neo-hippie,
Boulder, Col., but tha’is wh^re the
comparisons end.
In fact, the Samples ^re more
likely to take lessons from the
Police than from Blues Traveler,
but in the spirit of the Gin
Blossoms and Toad the Wet
Sprocket, they have produced a
flawed and forgettable new album.
The band wrote this mediocre
record while burned ouA from
touring last year.The first cut, the
overly sentimental U A& Tears
Fall,” sets the tone for the rest of
the album: reggae-spiced
rhythm&^annoying sustained
vocals and a generally sober
delivery. The record moves on
slowly, never getting too loud, too
soft or too interesting.
“Autopilot” does show promise
at some points but usually
disappoints. “Weight of the World”
is a well-written ode .to Kurt
Cobain and a lashing of the
American press. Unfortunately,
the song’s melody is inappropriate
ly bright, ruining any emotional
effect it could have had.
Only to You” starts out with
bright African rhythms remini
scent of Johnny Clegg, and for a
brief moment, it shines as a
possible fcright spot on the record
until the guitars come blasting
through at random intervals
throughout the song.
The effect is like a bizarre
musical experiment where some
one plays random spurts <tf Iron
Maiden atop Paul Simon’s
“Graceland."
“Buffaji Herds and Windmills”
also sho^promise as a reflective,
country-influenced “road song,”
but it never goes very far. Even
the help of Dave Matthews Band’s
fiddler, Boyd Tinsley, can’t save
this song from mediocrity.
The failure of “Autopilot” does
not say the Samples are an
altogether bad band. They have
produced some admirable work in
the past and are supposed to put
on one hell of a live show. We'll
see when they play the Georgia
Theatre later this month.
Anita Baker returns to top form on ‘Rhythm’
R&B vocalist’s riffs
recall soulful sound
of Billie ^olliday
Anita Baker, “Rhythm cf Love”
(Elektra Entertainment)
Anita Baker has returned
stronger than ever with “Rhythm
of Love,” a snazzy, jazzy new album
that has Baker back in the music
spotlight.
Although there are times when
Baker fuses words to unrecogBtion
(every now and then she sounds as
if she has combread in her mouth),
her vocal range seems virtually un
limited. Baker can have the swoon
of a violin or the brassy sound of a
trumpet.
Once again, Baker’s style in
"Rhythm” is ultimately jazzy; she
is possibly the most jazz-oriented
songstress since Billie Holliday.
Ballads such as “Sometimes I
Wonder Why” has a flavor that
may compare with Holliday’s style
of singing. Baker’s classy rendi
tions of “You Belong To Me” and
“My Funny Valentine” are equally
mesmerizing.
But Baker’s style is truly her
own. In this day and age of synthe
sisers and sampling, it’s refreshing
to find an artist with a more tradi
tional edge to balladeering.
“Rhythm of Love” contains
songs that are simply delightful
and non-gimmicky. Baker does not
sing calmly the first three minutes
of a song and climax the final two
minutes with ad-libbed hollering
and cacophonous harmony.
Instead, Baker makes sure ev
erything falls into place naturally.
What makes “Rhythm” even more
impressive is that Baker has a
hand in most of the songwriting
and production, unlike many of her
colleague^.
ft is great to have Baker come
back after five years to prove to the
world that women today can have
their cake and eat it too (she left
music for a while to devote more
time towards her family).
She seems to' be comfortable
with her role as a working mother.
A third of “Rhythm’s” tracks were
req^dedTkt Baker’s house in sub
urban Detroit.
“Rhythm of Love” is a great re
minder of the many talents of
Baker and how much the music
world h^0ussed her.
- Shawn Durham
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