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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1992)
Arts & Entertainment ‘Tournee of Animation’ to entertain its audience with array of techniques .. __ * By Mark Nemeth Staff Reporter t “The 23rd Annual Tournee of Animation” is another entertaining compilation of international and in dependent short films from an always above-average series. This year’s Tournee features a creative array of animation techniques, including the mixed use of clay, photographs, photocopies as well as traditional drawings and watercolors. - All the images in “Photocopy Cha Cha” (Chcl White, USA, 3:30), were created on a photocopy machine. These images, which include faces and bodies, dance across the copy ma chine to the Cha Cha. The result is impressive. White’s other work includes ani mation for Michael Jackson’s video “Leave Me Alone” and an MTV logo spot, “Copy Me,” a pioneer in the copy-machine animation technique. “The Potato Hunter” (Timothy Lee Hittle, USA, 7:11) is aboutaclay man and dog. The man hunts potatoes and blows smoke rings represented by cotton. His open range is a wooden table. Hittle, who for 10 years has used kitchen tables and a Supcr-8 camera for his animation, pays close atten tion to detail in this film. The wooden table really looks like an open range, and the man’s expressions and de meanor successfully depict an old hunter. Hittle is best known for his animation of the food people in Pee Wee Herman’s refrigerator. Although most of the shorts in this year’sToumec have animation punch lines or draw attention to their mon tage technique, “Les Saisons Quatre A Quatre” (Daniel Suter, Switzer land, 2:05) excels in this aspect with its depiction of seasons. Polaroid pictures of a tree in a park, taken daily for a year, pass rapidly on the right side of the screen as a bicyclist rides to the park on the left. A changing calendar marks the day during this captivating use of multiple imagery. The result is beautiful. The clearest political commentary in the Tournee is “The Breakdown” (Klaus Georgi, Germany, 3:25). This animated short shows the entire East German state devastated by a pot hole. Also outstanding in this year’s Tournee are the entertaining absurdi ties in “The Lift” (Pilot Studios, USSR, 9:00), a homage to the ’70s; the G.I. Joe doll in “Ode to G.I. Joe” (Gregory P. Grant, USA, 4:55); and the stoic violence of two men in suits in MTV’s “Push Comes To Shove” (B ill Plymp ton, USAj 4:41). The 23rd Annual Tournee of Ani mation plays Jan. 23 through Jan. 26 and Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 at the Mary Riepma Ross Theater. Show times are 7 and 9 p.m.; Saturday matinees arc 1 and 3 p.m.; and Sunday mati nees are at 3 and 5 p.m. UNL artists feature work in new show at Sheldon aI ^( REVIEW I By Paul Winner Staff Reporter Once every two years, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery devotes a por tion of its halls to displaying the work s of UNL’s graduate art students. The exhibition is intended to show case the varied talents of those men and women and to offer them a pre mature foray into modem art’s devel opment in a curatorial environment. Through Feb. 2, the gallery once again will present the Master of Fine Arts Biennial Exhibition, with the work of more than 20 students adorn ing the floors and walls. One of the show’s interesting aspects is that most of the artists are still developing their skills, and it is curious to think of where each artist will take his or her art in the future. Sheldon Curator Daphne Deeds has cultivated a diversified collection of art, and presents a natural contrast between each of the styles. Pat Twomcy’s drawings, for ex ample, are tiny, fragile pieces with slightly distorted images. They con trast but strangely complement the more imposing works by artists such as Paul Connor, who creates vast charcoal sketches with vague human contours reminiscent of some of Matt Mahurin’s work. Lisa Pytlik/DN ^ee ART On10 Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Bishop (Tupac Shakur, right) confronts Q (Omar Epps) in “Juice,” the story of four young men coming of age on the streets of Harlem. rilm grapples with murky questions; actors, new director achieve realism By Paul Winner Staff Reporter Cinematographer Ernest Dicker son's first venture into direction is a film about survival of youthful spirit. “Juice” (The Lincoln Theatre, 1145 P St.) tells a very real story of friends whose lives and ambitions erode against the suffocating suppression of living day to day in Harlem. To get ahead, the young men realize they need juice — status on the avenue. The question the film raises is how important this juice is and how far one might go to get it. Through tasteful direction, a ster ling soundtrack and solid perform ances from newcomers in the lead roles, “Juice” works better than the other films it will inevitably draw comparisons to. It lacks pretension and tells its tale as best it can. On these terms, “Juice” is a prodigious debut. Omar Epps is Q, a youth who looks toward a way out of the streets through his budding talents as a DJ. He and his best friends Steel (Jermaine Hopkins), Raheem (Khalil Kain) and Bishop (Tupac Shakur) skip class, charm the ladies and thieve around a bit in order to survive. Their camaraderie is in fectious and genuine, and we empa thize with their situation as they wait for the juice to flow their way. B ishop, in contrast to Q, sees crime as a way to get clout. He is fascinated with death and violence as being the See JUICE on 10 ~. •,1 i Grab bag of film fare new to video shelves NEW RELEASES By Anne Steyer Staff Reporter Big blockbusters are not the wave of the week. Instead, family-film fare, made-for-television movies and a movie probably better left unseen are coming to home video. “W ild Hearts Can't Be Broken” (G) Disney has created another inspi rational talc suitable for the whole family. Sonora Webster’s real-life story inspired this tale of an orphan who triumphed over tragedy in Atlantic City. Newcomer Gabrielle Anwar is Webster, a young woman anxious to prove herself in a professional diving horse show. To do so, she must win over the show’s owner (Cliff Robertson), gain his confidence and then, his permission. Robertson’s character is a bit on the gruff side, but he understands Webster’s drive to perform. His son, played by Michael Schocffling of “Sixteen Candles,” finds himself equally charmed by Webster. Obtaining permission isn’t quite enough though, especially after Webster is stricken with blindness. Riding blind would be difficult on its own, butdiving horses requires jump ing off a 40-foot lower astride a horse. The story finds its legs in the char acters and the touching portrayals by each of the leads. Incredible location shots and stunts also make this a must see. The horse activities were super vised by the American Humane As sociation. (Available today.) “Sweet Talker” (P(J) This feel good drama takes place in a sleepy harbor town Down Under. Australian actor Bryan Brown is Harry Reynolds, a sweet-talking con artist ready to swindle a fortune from the town’s trusting citizens. He convinces the residents that he has found a legendary Portuguese treasure ship buried (conveniently) on their shore. He also tells them he’s planning to create a theme park and he’ll need investors. But before he can pul his plan into action, he falls in love with die owner of his boarding house (Karen Allen of “Raiders of the Lost Ark’’) and devel ops a genuine attachment to her son. (Available today.) neverly Hills, 9(12111 (INK) l he pilot episode of today’s hottest teen show arrives on home video on the heels of what is certainly the biggest merchandising venture since “New Kids on the Block.” Ironically, the pilot concerns itself with the new kids— in school, that is. The now-famous Jason Priestly and Shannen Doherty play twins Brandon and Brenda. The siblings arrive in posh Bev erly Hills High School from their native Minnesota and find that their middle-Amcrican values aren’t ex actly in sync with the Southern Cali fornian way of life. This first episode also stars heart throb Luke Perry as the tormented and rebellious Dylan. (Available today.) “Naked Lie” (NR) This made for-television drama pits love against legal ethics. Victoria Principal plays a prose cuting attorney embroiled in a sensa tional murder trial. She also happens to be deeply, romantically involved See RELEASES on10