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The Associated Press October 17, 2002 - At The Movies: Pulse - a STOMP Odyssey By SHEILA NORMAN-CULP NEW YORK, Oct 17, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Why do kids pound on any surface they find? What links American rap with ancient Japanese drums? What can be found in the favelas of Brazil, the savannas of Africa, the bustling urban markets of Asia? Drums and a beat. Eleven years after STOMP exploded upon the stage with its wordless, kinetic celebration of rhythm, its creators are back, trying to bring the same elemental joy of music to a new audience. Pulse - a STOMP Odyssey is an IMAX feast for the eye and ear that roams the globe in search of a universal beat. Directed by STOMP creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, it showcases the cast of STOMP as well as 10 extremely diverse musical groups from around the world. Playing to the strengths of the large-screen IMAX format, many of the film's shots are panoramic, sweeping the audience up into exhilarating spectacles of street carnivals in Brazil, Hindu musical celebrations in India and bugle drum corps parades across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's also impossible not to like Keith Middleton, who acts as our guide though this musical mystery tour. Kids especially are smitten by his goofy charm, and women will swoon over his edgy rhythm moves and powerful physique. Denzel, watch out. If Hollywood producers had any sense, they would snatch up this new leading man pronto. Each act was unique yet had the same goal: to inspire. Some, like Flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena, were solo performers. Others, like Brazil's 200-piece drum orchestra Timbalada and the Khoi San dancers and musicians from Bostwana's Kalahari Desert, were large, enticingly exotic ensembles that transported the audience far far away from their ordinary lives. Some groups were unusual simply in their appearances. The Kodo drummers from Japan were so emaciated - slender, wiry knots of muscles operating at breakneck speed - it made you wonder how much they deliberately starved themselves to achieve their art. The Hindu drummers in Kerala, India, parade with dozens of elaborately decorated elephants. Still other groups, like the Winchester Cathedral Bellringers from England, the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps and the Jackie Robinson Steppers, were eclectic choices that nicely served to broaden the film's appeal to the universal. Only two segments of the film were not up to the impossibly high standards set by the other performances. One was a noble effort to produce rhythm notes underwater - more of a funny science experiment than anything else. Also, perhaps simply because many Americans have seen some kind of American Indian performances before, the dance in a red rocks canyon was beautifully photographed but not that stirring. Pulse is not rated but is suitable even for young families. All ethnic dancers are fully clothed. Running time: 40 minutes.   Back to Reviews |
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