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(01/26/07 5:00am)
There's a certain genre of comedy that few people actually know exists titled: "Work Sucks but Isn't It Funny?" Many hit comedies through the years have fallen into this category, like "Caddyshack" and, of course, "Office Space," the 1999 cult favorite about working in a cubicle typing at a computer.\n"Employee of the Month" falls right into this category of films and actually turns out to be a pretty entertaining one. Although it wasn't a major success in theaters, the movie has many high points and is much more highbrow than might be expected of a film of this caliber.\nThe film is a satirical look at stores across America like Costco and Sam's Club, stores where everything is sold in bulk and that suburban families seem to adore. The first shots in the movie sarcastically show oversized boxes of condoms and beer, which premise the satire of the rest of the film. One of the more subtle yet funnier lines in the film is when the boss says: "Remember! No more than 25 people to a line!"\nThe basic plot of the movie is simple: Dane Cook's character, Zack, is the archetypal slacker who's been a box boy at Super Club (the name of the store) for 10 years and lives with his grandmother. His enemy, Vince (Dax Shepard), is the employee of the month consistently and Zack couldn't care less until Jessica Simpson comes along. She transferred from another Super Club and is known to fall in love with employees of the month. Of course, Zack now tries to outdo Vince and the race is on.\n stretch to play an attractive blonde whom men fight over, but still, it was a solid performance by the singer/actress. \nThe biggest problem with the movie is the sense that the viewer has already seen this movie and its characters a million times before. Shepard does a blatant rip-off of Ben Stiller as the villain, and the entire feel of the movie was a direct homage to "Office Space" with the idea of slacking off at a job you hate.\nThe extras available on the DVD fall short of anything substantial. The only interesting features are an alternate Super Club opening at the beginning and commentaries with Dane Cook and the writer and director, Greg Coolidge. \nOverall, "Employee of the Month" delivers as a funny film that you'll watch and probably never think about again, but it's still worth your time.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
"Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" naturally garners low expectations with its credentials -- it is the latest in a series of films spawned from a popular horror movie and a comparatively lackluster cinematic offering put foreword to take advantage of interest in the "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" stirred up by the recent, fairly high-quality remake of the original. It is also directed by Jonathan Liebesman, who was responsible for "Darkness Falls" (remember, it was the one with "the tooth fairy?"). \nHowever, in spite of all these indications that "Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" would not make a stab at greatness, my interest was piqued, as it was no doubt meant to be, by the promise made by this prequel to satisfy morbid curiosity as to the beginnings of Leatherface and his evil family. \nOn a few points, the film is surprisingly strong. The production values are better than I expected. Most importantly, the two young couples who are the protagonists/potential victims of the film are done fairly well. You will find yourself invested in their survival. Disappointingly, this movie only somewhat makes good on its implied promise to illuminate the early story of Leatherface. The film opens with Leatherface's birth, but his childhood is seen only as a montage during the credit sequence. Leatherface's uncle soon emerges as the main antagonist and his masked nephew is only a tool at his disposal for the remainder of the story. \nAn aspect of the film that could be counted as good or bad depending on your taste is the gore. As a fan of horror films, I cannot pretend that I deny the entertainment value of bloody spectacle. However, for my taste, the blood and guts in "Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" are excessively disgusting and not artfully done, visually interesting or even funny as they might be in what I would consider to be a more satisfying piece of horror. \nThe special features that come on this DVD are not too scarce. There are several deleted scenes and multiple alternate endings, which you will surely enjoy if you are a fan of the film. There is also commentary and a making-of featurette.\nHonestly, I felt nauseous as I viewed the film. If seeing people get cut up is one of the main draws that horror films have for you, this one will be pretty satisfying; otherwise, you might want to skip it.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
Critics labeled "Gridiron Gang" cliché and predictable. I can't say I disagree. \nMore and more sports movies are released every year following similar plotlines saddled with the frequent tagline, "based on a true story." I've begun to doubt these types of movies. Yet, there is something that stands out about "Gridiron Gang." Without much directing experience to his name, Phil Joanou did a great job with this film and making it stand out from other sports films. \nDwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Sean Porter, a former college football star who runs a juvenile detention center. Sean becomes tired of watching kids leave the detention center only to wind up dead or in jail. With help from his friend Malcolm, (played by rapper Xzibit), he organizes a football team for the kids. \nThough they follow similar plot lines, "Gridiron Gang" is no "Remember the Titans." "Gang" focuses on how one man organizes a football team to help replace the part of the boys' crime-filled lives and sends the message that second chances can change lives.\nI'm usually a bit skeptical about films starring The Rock; however, the former wrestler proves he can dominate outside the wrestling ring as the boys' mentor who risks his own job to make a difference in their lives. I'm even going to applaud Xzibit for his performance. I never knew he had it in him. \nI was also impressed with the special features included on the DVD. Along with the standard commentaries and deleted scenes, an in-depth "football training" takes a look at the hard work the actors went through in order to prepare for their roles. Fans of The Rock will also enjoy following his experiences training for his role and a full-contact scene where he puts the pads on himself to interact with the boys' training. What I found the most enjoyable was the "multi-angle football scene" feature, which allows you to compare different camera angles of a specific scene.\nThere is no doubt that Phil Joanou has interwoven a touching story with lots of great shots of the football scenes, which will win over sports fans.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
When Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland were asked to photograph their neighbor's quinceañera, little did they know doing so would result in an extraordinary film and winner of two Sundance Film Festival awards (Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize). \n"Quinceañera" is a coming-of-age story about 14-year-old Magdalena (Emily Rios), and the events that lead up to her quinceañera, a traditional Mexican celebration when a girl turns 15. When Magdalena doesn't fit into her quinceañera dress, it is assumed she is pregnant. Although Magdalena is a "virgin," a pregnancy test confirms she is pregnant. \nAbandoned by the baby's father, Herman (J.R. Cruz), and disowned by her preacher father, Magdalena ends up moving in with her great uncle, Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez) and gay cousin, Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Together the three come together to help each other through the hard times and realize the importance of family.\nBoth directors, Glatzer and Westmoreland, took an idea they got from their neighbors, and, in just three weeks, wrote a remarkable script. A majority of the cast had either worked on a few small films or had no acting experience prior to "Quinceañera," but they all deliver outstanding performances. \nThe special features on the disc are something to see. Along with a commentary from the directors and cast, one bonus feature follows the premiere of "Quinceañera" on the red carpet. What I found the most interesting was the behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. The directors explain how they wrote the script and developed each of the characters. The cast also provides interviews explaining their thoughts and relationship to the characters they play. \nThough "Quinceañera" was not what I expected plot-wise, I found it to be a extraordinary story of a young girl's journey growing up and the difficulties she faces doing so.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
As usual, 2007's Grammy nominees are an extremely mixed bag. Playing as a kind of semi-discerning alternative to the NOW! That's What I Call Music compilations, this particular mix showcases both a tiny bit of the best and a whole mess of the worst of what 2006 had to offer, with everyone from Paul McCartney to the Pussycat Dolls chipping in. As with any record-exec-arranged mix, especially one that's been hastily compiled by a label dubiously known as "Strategic Marketing," it's best to separate the good from the bad and the bad from the just plain ugly. \nThe Good:\nGnarls Barkley kicks the album off on a high note with "Crazy," a song so good it's virtually hater-proof. The Dixie Chicks' cathartic redemption song "Not Ready to Make Nice" is the year's hottest fuck-you. John Mayer is no friend of the dwindling Bush crowd either with his passively anti-war "Waiting On the World to Change," and The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California" and Keane's "Is It Any Wonder," both infectious pleasures that are anything but guilty, remind us that rock 'n' roll isn't quite dead yet. \nThe most inspired choices here are also the easiest on the ears. Imogen Heap's seductive, electronic "Hide and Seek" is a rare gem, and Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" is an old-fashioned acoustic respite amid a jumble of radio hits. Sir Paul McCartney makes a brief appearance with "Jenny Wren," the best track from his last solo record. \nThe Bad:\nJustin Timberlake's overplayed and over-quoted "SexyBack" is the best of the bad, but that's not saying much. James Blunt's cloying, syrupy "You're Beautiful" is here, too, just in case you wanted to hear it 50 more times, and Pink's "Stupid Girls" was cool the first time I heard it, but there are certainly far better songs on her latest album to choose from. Of course The Fray is here, representin' the safety-sealed corporate rock stable with "Over My Head (Cable Car)." Advice for The Fray: If you really want to be the next Coldplay, start by writing good songs. Also, I apologize to her legion of fans in advance, but I wish Mary J. Blige and her formulaic "Be Without You" would just go away. \nThe Ugly:\nOnly three of the 23 tracks could be categorized as unlistenable. The Pussycat Dolls' trudging R&B yawn-fest "Stickwitu" is even worse than its title would suggest, and American Idol-winner Carrie Underwood's paean to the Bible Belt, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," is odiously skippable. Bringing up the rear is possibly the worst song in recorded music history, The Black Eyed Peas' painfully awful "My Humps." \nIt's always hard for me to recommend an album that's essentially comprised of cherry-picked hits, but like it or not that's what the Grammys have always been about, or at least the parts of the Grammys that are televised. For a year that saw brilliant LPs by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Decemberists, My Chemical Romance and TV on the Radio, this year's nominee list, as always, just feels thin. At least the Chili Peppers finally get their due.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
Good news! With NBC's revamped Thursday night comedy block, must-see TV is back! The two-hour comedy block kicks off with "My Name is Earl," a comedy about a man inspired by Carson Daly to seek out all the people he has wronged in his life and help them. Next is "The Office," where viewers get to watch the dysfunctional employees of Dunder Mifflin clash with each other with ensuing hilarity.\nThe second hour starts with "Scrubs," a show about hospital staffers and their wacky patients. Then it's "30 Rock" -- the newest show in the lineup still in its first season. Created, produced and starring Tina Fey, the show won a Golden Globe on Jan. 16.\nNBC's new Thursday night lineup will have some people reminiscing about the station's classic Thursday night lineup, which was anchored by ratings juggernauts "Friends" and "Seinfeld." Those shows were huge successes and paradigms of modern sitcoms, and I am still a huge fan of both shows in syndication. However, the paradigm for sitcoms has changed, and once again Thursday-night NBC is on the cutting edge.\nNot one of the sitcoms on Thursday night uses the laugh track (the hee-hawing and whistling to cue the viewer's laughter). The use of this tool is so common it almost blends in unnoticeably because the audience has come to expect it. Instead of the producers instructing the audience when the show is at a funny bit, the audience gets to decide for itself. Show producers have acknowledged that we, as the audience, have more intelligence than they used to give us credit for. The shows have also become more complex, pertaining to mostly the characters on the shows. All the shows on Thursday are character-driven and you have to get to know the characters before you really get all the layers. Watching Dwight from "The Office" look for a job where he hands out three types of resumes to make sure his fighting skills are recognized is funny because of his character's personality. "Scrubs" can do a musical episode and make it work because the audience is willing to take that leap with the characters. You have to watch the show a few times before you start to enjoy it. \nFinally, the product integration is good. I know, I hate commercials, too, but that's the way entertainment is heading today. Whether it's with Staples in "The Office" or GE in "30 Rock," the shows make a point to admit to the audience exactly what they are doing (cashing in). \nSo call your friends, pop some popcorn and gather around a TV set for "comedy done right" on Thursday nights. Whether it's blue-collar Earl, white-collar "Office," the charming Zack Braff or the smart and sexy Tina Fey, there is something for everybody on Thursday night.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
The first five seasons of "24" were pretty formulaic: Meet the new terrorists, watch them successfully unleash a couple attacks and threaten massively bigger ones. See Jack find out, through awesomely graphic interrogations, which of the supposedly good guys are actually traitors and kill whoever stands in his way from stopping the BIG attack and save the world as the season ends.\nSPOILER ALERT\nIn the sixth season premiere four-hour-in-two-night launch, the order gets switched up and Jack fails. Just four hours into the new season Jack can't do enough to stop terrorists from launching a nuke on Los Angeles. Jack sheds his two- year vow of silence and facial hair before a daring escape that Dracula would have loved and goes rogue before you can say Kumar?!\nJack used to be invincible. Sure, his wife was raped and murdered in the first season, he failed to stop numerous attacks and most of his best men have been murdered, but he never let a massive attack go down. According to the Facebook group "Jack Bauer is one of the Baddest Mother Fuckers of all time," Jack could win a game of Connect Four in three moves. Now he's letting Kumar get the best of him.\nRumor has it Jack once needed lunch so he shot a fin out of a man's pocket without the guy even noticing. So why couldn't he shoot Curtis without killing him? Curtis was making that "you killed my father, prepare to die look" at Fayed and he definitely needed to be shot before he killed the best hope Jack had at finding terrorists, but what happened to his aim? It wasn't as sad as Tony or Edgar's deaths last season, but now we're only really left with Chloe, Buchanan and Jack and the new President Palmer as people I care about.\nIt was damn near impossible to look at the new terrorist, who I know as Kumar, now going as Ahmed played by Kal Penn, and not think about his days at White Castle with Harold or his "Van Wilder" days. I was praying that Jack would get to interrogate Kumar and get him to admit that he was just delivering a bomb component so he could marry a bag of weed and hold a White Castle chain hostage. Then Jack would hollow Kumar's body and smoke him like a bong.\nThere's a new president again and I just hope Jeb Bush wasn't getting any ideas when it was revealed that slain President David Palmer's brother Wayne is the current president. It's refreshing to have that Nixon-esque President Logan out of office, but his staff is pretty suspect. \nI'm submitting two nominees for potential terrorists posing as decent guys this season. I don't trust that weasel-looking guy Thomas Lennox, who wants to tear up the Constitution, and Chloe's new boyfriend Morris is shadier than Night Moves on a Tuesday afternoon. \nAll in all, I've loved the first four hours and like that they upped the ante, but I have to wonder where they can go from here. Jack is back, but is it really Jack, or did he trade places with Peyton Manning? That has to be it. Jack Bauer beat the Patriots and Peyton's letting L.A. get blown up.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
IU students and Bloomington residents used to have to travel to major metropolitan areas to attend a film festival. But since 2004, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater has been home to the PRIDE Film Festival. \nThis year's PRIDE Film Festival, which will screen more than 30 films celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, will feature the increasingly popular PRIDE Dance Party, and two directors' panel discussions will be added to the festival as well.\nThis event puts Bloomington on the map when it comes to GLBT film festivals, said Mary L. Gray, chairwoman of the fourth annual PRIDE Film Festival's steering committee.\n"We really are becoming our own little Sundance in the cornfields out here," Gray said.\n The PRIDE Film Festival draws thousands of people downtown over the course of the weekend. Nearly 2,000 people attended last year, according to a PRIDE Film Festival press release.\nThe festival is able to bring films that premiere or screen at major film festivals and lesser-known work that's generated by regional and local artists together, Gray said.\n"We have the advantage of being able to not only show what's currently playing at larger festivals," Gray said, "but also the opportunity to take some risks in featuring lesser-known work."\nThis year's steering committee chose a variety of documentary, fiction, feature and short films representative of the GLBT community to show at the festival, said IU doctoral candidate Sarah Sinwell, who's also a steering committee member and co-moderator for the panel discussions. Those films will be in competition for three awards: the Kinsey Prize, the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize. The Kinsey Prize is awarded to a film that pushes the boundaries of sexuality and how it's understood in our culture. The Jury Prize is chosen by the steering committee and the Audience Prize is chosen by the audience. Last year "The Agressives" took home the Kinsey Prize and "100 Percent Women" was awarded both the Jury and Audience prizes, Sinwell said. \nSinwell thought it was interesting that both of last year's winners were documentary films.\n"It's unusual, I think," Sinwell said. "I'm interested to see what kind of films will win this year."\nBut the film screenings won't be the only entertainment for the weekend. The directors' forums, along with other events, will give festival-goers an inside look at the GLBT movie industry.\nSusan Stryker, the writer and director of "Screaming Queens," will join Colin A. Weil, who co-produced "Rock Bottom," as they discuss documentary filmmaking and the development of their films during the first of two directors' panel discussions. The second panel discussion will feature Indianapolis-based writer and director Catherine Crouch. Crouch will be joined by the producers and director of the film "The Gymnast." The first session is at 5 p.m. today and the second session is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.\nThe PRIDE Dance Party will also make its return to the festival following the final screening Saturday night. Anyone who purchases a Saturday evening ticket or a Weekend Festival Pass can attend the dance party, which will "take over the entire theater generating a queer space where creativity, acceptance, vitality and the carnivalesque are available to everyone," according to the release.\n"It's really incredible the way they transform the space in the time between the films screened and the party," Sinwell said. \nThe dance party will feature aerialists from the Bloomington High Flyers, a local circus troupe. Complimentary appetizers and desserts will be available from BLU Culinary Arts, Bloomingfoods, Bloomington Cooking School and Tutto Bene Wine Cafe. There will also be a cash bar. More than 400 people are expected to attend the party, where costumes, masks and erotic attire are encouraged, according to the release.\nThe festival has developed within the last four years and the opportunity to screen multimedia work will be a possibility for future festivals, Gray said. The festival began as a class for two students in the IU Master's in Arts Administration Program interning at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in January 2004. Gray was asked to speak at one of the festival's opening nights when she joined IU as a faculty member.\n"From that point on, I was hooked," Gray said.\nAfter two years, it became clear to Gray the festival had become a main event gathering together the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied communities.\n"I joined the steering committee last year with the goal of getting the IU campus more closely involved in this event," Gray said.\nIU student Matt Brunner is planning to attend the festival with some members of the Hoosier Rights Campaign, a student GLBT activist group he founded on campus. The festival will allow people to see films they wouldn't get to see unless they went out looking for them, Brunner said.\n"It provides a place where people can go and watch films that have a GLBT theme," Brunner said.\nIU students have taken part in making the festival happen. Gray said there are more than 10 student volunteers on the steering committee this year.\n"Students should come out to support their peers and see films they won't see anywhere else," Gray said.\nThe festival builds bridges between the campus community and Bloomington, Gray said.\n"It also gives GLBT people and folks who don't necessarily know or understand differences across sexualities and genders some common ground," Gray said.\nGray said she expected the festival to be successful since it began because of the energy of the crowds of people she saw when she first attended.\n"It was clear that this festival offered something unique that's hard to find outside of large cities," Gray said.\nGray said she thinks GLBT people might know that Bloomington is a comfortable place to live, but she said there is an entirely different feeling during the festival.\n"You can walk down Kirkwood Avenue the nights of the festival and see everyone able to hold hands with their dates and soak in the sense of acceptance and celebration that's created by the festival," Gray said.
(01/26/07 5:00am)
As a young man, Bob Nellis didn't just go to the theater to see the latest flick to hit the big screen. In fact, because of a curfew, he rarely saw a whole movie start-to-finish. \nHe really went to "The Indiana" -- now the Buskirk-Chumley Theater -- in downtown Bloomington to see his friends and pass the time.\nSometimes he would go just to hear stories from Roy Hays, the theater's projectionist. Nellis' father worked with Hays in the theater, and between the two men, Nellis heard many stories over the years about life at the theater.\n"If Dad were here, he could tell you a thousand," Nellis, now 68, said.\nNellis' father was with the theater from its beginning in 1922, before television and radio became popular and when the main places to meet were theaters, schools and churches.\nHowever, as the idea of a "gathering place" has changed over the years, the historic theater has remained a focal point of downtown Bloomington and maintained its role as a place where people can meet and enjoy entertainment. With one foot in the past and one in the present, Bloomington's Buskirk-Chumley Theater refuses to forsake its history -- or to be afraid of the future.\nIt has traces of the past etched in its seats, hidden in hard-to-find rooms and preserved in its European architecture. But it's not just an icon of the past; it also has its own MySpace page and continues to host film showings and live performances.\nMore than 80 years ago, on the theater's debut night in December 1922, 1,300 people packed the house to watch House Peters star in "The Storm." Before the doors opened, the crowds filled the lobby and stretched into the street, a local newspaper reported.\nThe Indiana was the baby of Harry and Nova Vonderschmitt, Nellis' great uncle and aunt. Harry Vonderschmitt opened his first theater in Washington, Ind., in 1918. With that success, he and Nova opened more theaters throughout Indiana -- including the Buskirk-Chumley and the Von Lee theaters in downtown Bloomington. The Von Lee was opened in 1948 and named after their granddaughter Barbara Lee, who has since died. Other theater locations included Bedford, Noblesville, Crawfordsville and Greencastle. \nThey also built a loyal team of caretakers for their Bloomington theaters -- men like Hays and Nellis' father. For Hays, it just took one chance encounter with The Indiana theater -- and Nova Vonderschmitt -- to literally change his life forever.\nAs his daughter Sue Ann Talbot tells the story, Hays showed up opening day before the crowds started gathering just to take a look at the theater.\n"Nova was standing there and thought he was the new usher. She said, 'Don't want you to be late tonight,'" Talbot said. \nThe 16-year-old Hays saw that as a job offer. He took it on the spot and continued working there for the next 65 years as an usher, then a projectionist and finally a general manager.\nHis projectionist room is still there, even though it is hard to find, Talbot said. \n"It was his home away from home," she said.\nShe used to go watch movies with her father, waiting after school for him to come home for dinner. She remembers The Indiana as "a wonderful place -- a magical place," she said. \nHays had only worked at the theater about 10 years, though, before a fire threatened to cut his career -- and several lives -- short. He was the first to notice a fire had started in the curtains one day in November 1933. The fire trapped two women and a baby in the second floor of the building in the "worst fire disaster here since 1924," a local paper reported. The baby was thrown from a window and caught by a young man below, and the two women jumped into nets formed by human arms and hands. \nTalbot remembers her father talking about that as a very scary day, she said, and she still has her own reminder of it -- a teddy bear made from the salvaged original curtains. It was a gift to her from another family connected to the theater.\nAfter the fire, the theater was considered a total loss, and the Vonderschmitts had to rebuild. This was the first of two major renovations to the theater since its opening night. The second renovation took place many years later -- after Harry Vonderschmitt died in 1955, after Nova operated the theater by herself until her death in 1974, after Kerasotes Theaters bought the theater in 1975 and after the theater sat unused off-and-on until the mid-1990s. \nAlthough Kerasotes restructured the building into two theaters, by early 1995 the theater was not in use and not in shape. When the community expected Kerasotes to renovate and reopen The Indiana that summer, nothing happened. Several community members became upset to the point of forming the Indiana Theater Task Force to try to pressure Kerasotes to take some action. Kerasotes donated the theater to the Bloomington Area Arts Council in December 1995.\n"I tend to think it just didn't fit in with their business plan," said Miah Michaelsen, who serves as the council's executive director.\nKerasotes' donation came with the understanding that the theater would be used mostly for live performances and not be in competition with the chain's other theaters in Bloomington.\nIn 1997, the council started to devote its efforts toward fundraising for the renovation and reopening of the theater as a community performing arts venue. Gifts came in from around the community, including from Talbot's family -- $25,000 specifically to build the sound room, where Hays' name is engraved today.\nAnother large donation gave the theater its current name. In 1999, the Chumley children, descendants of Indiana politician George Buskirk, donated $600,000 to the theater. It was renamed the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in September 1999.\nYet in spite of these generous donations, when the newly renovated theater opened with a week of performances, poetry readings and theater acts in spring 1999, only about half of the needed $3 million had been raised.\nOnce the doors were open, it became hard to raise more funds, Michaelsen said. \nWith the council more than $700,000 in debt in 2001, not including the funds needed to continue operating the theater, the City of Bloomington stepped in and retired the debt, Michaelsen said.\nSince then, the council has given up ownership of the theater, which now is officially property of the City of Bloomington. The city has established a not-for-profit called BCT Management, Inc., to manage the theater and still provides partial funding.\nIf not for these efforts -- by individuals and the City of Bloomington -- the Buskirk-Chumley Theater could be another office building, Michaelsen said.\n"It's entirely possible," she said, citing the Von Lee as reference. (The Von Lee will soon be reopened for use as office space.)\nInstead of office space, the Buskirk-Chumley hosts live performances, like the upcoming American Opera Theater's Acis and Galatea, and movie screenings like the 2007 PRIDE Film Festival taking place this weekend and movies by Spike Lee showing in February in honor of Black History Month.\nTalbot expressed hope that students would continue coming to these events.\n"(Students) should seek out the history, go to the theater, go home and talk to their ancestors," Talbot said. "I mean, this is who we were -- all of us -- and this is where we were -- all of us."\nNellis said he used to walk down to the theater and get sad to see attendance down. He wants to see people using the theater as well.\n"Then they might have some good memories there like I have," he said.
(01/26/07 1:40am)
As a young man, Bob Nellis didn't just go to the theater to see the latest flick to hit the big screen. In fact, because of a curfew, he rarely saw a whole movie start-to-finish. \nHe really went to "The Indiana" -- now the Buskirk-Chumley Theater -- in downtown Bloomington to see his friends and pass the time.\nSometimes he would go just to hear stories from Roy Hays, the theater's projectionist. Nellis' father worked with Hays in the theater, and between the two men, Nellis heard many stories over the years about life at the theater.\n"If Dad were here, he could tell you a thousand," Nellis, now 68, said.\nNellis' father was with the theater from its beginning in 1922, before television and radio became popular and when the main places to meet were theaters, schools and churches.\nHowever, as the idea of a "gathering place" has changed over the years, the historic theater has remained a focal point of downtown Bloomington and maintained its role as a place where people can meet and enjoy entertainment. With one foot in the past and one in the present, Bloomington's Buskirk-Chumley Theater refuses to forsake its history -- or to be afraid of the future.\nIt has traces of the past etched in its seats, hidden in hard-to-find rooms and preserved in its European architecture. But it's not just an icon of the past; it also has its own MySpace page and continues to host film showings and live performances.\nMore than 80 years ago, on the theater's debut night in December 1922, 1,300 people packed the house to watch House Peters star in "The Storm." Before the doors opened, the crowds filled the lobby and stretched into the street, a local newspaper reported.\nThe Indiana was the baby of Harry and Nova Vonderschmitt, Nellis' great uncle and aunt. Harry Vonderschmitt opened his first theater in Washington, Ind., in 1918. With that success, he and Nova opened more theaters throughout Indiana -- including the Buskirk-Chumley and the Von Lee theaters in downtown Bloomington. The Von Lee was opened in 1948 and named after their granddaughter Barbara Lee, who has since died. Other theater locations included Bedford, Noblesville, Crawfordsville and Greencastle. \nThey also built a loyal team of caretakers for their Bloomington theaters -- men like Hays and Nellis' father. For Hays, it just took one chance encounter with The Indiana theater -- and Nova Vonderschmitt -- to literally change his life forever.\nAs his daughter Sue Ann Talbot tells the story, Hays showed up opening day before the crowds started gathering just to take a look at the theater.\n"Nova was standing there and thought he was the new usher. She said, 'Don't want you to be late tonight,'" Talbot said. \nThe 16-year-old Hays saw that as a job offer. He took it on the spot and continued working there for the next 65 years as an usher, then a projectionist and finally a general manager.\nHis projectionist room is still there, even though it is hard to find, Talbot said. \n"It was his home away from home," she said.\nShe used to go watch movies with her father, waiting after school for him to come home for dinner. She remembers The Indiana as "a wonderful place -- a magical place," she said. \nHays had only worked at the theater about 10 years, though, before a fire threatened to cut his career -- and several lives -- short. He was the first to notice a fire had started in the curtains one day in November 1933. The fire trapped two women and a baby in the second floor of the building in the "worst fire disaster here since 1924," a local paper reported. The baby was thrown from a window and caught by a young man below, and the two women jumped into nets formed by human arms and hands. \nTalbot remembers her father talking about that as a very scary day, she said, and she still has her own reminder of it -- a teddy bear made from the salvaged original curtains. It was a gift to her from another family connected to the theater.\nAfter the fire, the theater was considered a total loss, and the Vonderschmitts had to rebuild. This was the first of two major renovations to the theater since its opening night. The second renovation took place many years later -- after Harry Vonderschmitt died in 1955, after Nova operated the theater by herself until her death in 1974, after Kerasotes Theaters bought the theater in 1975 and after the theater sat unused off-and-on until the mid-1990s. \nAlthough Kerasotes restructured the building into two theaters, by early 1995 the theater was not in use and not in shape. When the community expected Kerasotes to renovate and reopen The Indiana that summer, nothing happened. Several community members became upset to the point of forming the Indiana Theater Task Force to try to pressure Kerasotes to take some action. Kerasotes donated the theater to the Bloomington Area Arts Council in December 1995.\n"I tend to think it just didn't fit in with their business plan," said Miah Michaelsen, who serves as the council's executive director.\nKerasotes' donation came with the understanding that the theater would be used mostly for live performances and not be in competition with the chain's other theaters in Bloomington.\nIn 1997, the council started to devote its efforts toward fundraising for the renovation and reopening of the theater as a community performing arts venue. Gifts came in from around the community, including from Talbot's family -- $25,000 specifically to build the sound room, where Hays' name is engraved today.\nAnother large donation gave the theater its current name. In 1999, the Chumley children, descendants of Indiana politician George Buskirk, donated $600,000 to the theater. It was renamed the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in September 1999.\nYet in spite of these generous donations, when the newly renovated theater opened with a week of performances, poetry readings and theater acts in spring 1999, only about half of the needed $3 million had been raised.\nOnce the doors were open, it became hard to raise more funds, Michaelsen said. \nWith the council more than $700,000 in debt in 2001, not including the funds needed to continue operating the theater, the City of Bloomington stepped in and retired the debt, Michaelsen said.\nSince then, the council has given up ownership of the theater, which now is officially property of the City of Bloomington. The city has established a not-for-profit called BCT Management, Inc., to manage the theater and still provides partial funding.\nIf not for these efforts -- by individuals and the City of Bloomington -- the Buskirk-Chumley Theater could be another office building, Michaelsen said.\n"It's entirely possible," she said, citing the Von Lee as reference. (The Von Lee will soon be reopened for use as office space.)\nInstead of office space, the Buskirk-Chumley hosts live performances, like the upcoming American Opera Theater's Acis and Galatea, and movie screenings like the 2007 PRIDE Film Festival taking place this weekend and movies by Spike Lee showing in February in honor of Black History Month.\nTalbot expressed hope that students would continue coming to these events.\n"(Students) should seek out the history, go to the theater, go home and talk to their ancestors," Talbot said. "I mean, this is who we were -- all of us -- and this is where we were -- all of us."\nNellis said he used to walk down to the theater and get sad to see attendance down. He wants to see people using the theater as well.\n"Then they might have some good memories there like I have," he said.
(01/26/07 1:38am)
IU students and Bloomington residents used to have to travel to major metropolitan areas to attend a film festival. But since 2004, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater has been home to the PRIDE Film Festival. \nThis year's PRIDE Film Festival, which will screen more than 30 films celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, will feature the increasingly popular PRIDE Dance Party, and two directors' panel discussions will be added to the festival as well.\nThis event puts Bloomington on the map when it comes to GLBT film festivals, said Mary L. Gray, chairwoman of the fourth annual PRIDE Film Festival's steering committee.\n"We really are becoming our own little Sundance in the cornfields out here," Gray said.\n The PRIDE Film Festival draws thousands of people downtown over the course of the weekend. Nearly 2,000 people attended last year, according to a PRIDE Film Festival press release.\nThe festival is able to bring films that premiere or screen at major film festivals and lesser-known work that's generated by regional and local artists together, Gray said.\n"We have the advantage of being able to not only show what's currently playing at larger festivals," Gray said, "but also the opportunity to take some risks in featuring lesser-known work."\nThis year's steering committee chose a variety of documentary, fiction, feature and short films representative of the GLBT community to show at the festival, said IU doctoral candidate Sarah Sinwell, who's also a steering committee member and co-moderator for the panel discussions. Those films will be in competition for three awards: the Kinsey Prize, the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize. The Kinsey Prize is awarded to a film that pushes the boundaries of sexuality and how it's understood in our culture. The Jury Prize is chosen by the steering committee and the Audience Prize is chosen by the audience. Last year "The Agressives" took home the Kinsey Prize and "100 Percent Women" was awarded both the Jury and Audience prizes, Sinwell said. \nSinwell thought it was interesting that both of last year's winners were documentary films.\n"It's unusual, I think," Sinwell said. "I'm interested to see what kind of films will win this year."\nBut the film screenings won't be the only entertainment for the weekend. The directors' forums, along with other events, will give festival-goers an inside look at the GLBT movie industry.\nSusan Stryker, the writer and director of "Screaming Queens," will join Colin A. Weil, who co-produced "Rock Bottom," as they discuss documentary filmmaking and the development of their films during the first of two directors' panel discussions. The second panel discussion will feature Indianapolis-based writer and director Catherine Crouch. Crouch will be joined by the producers and director of the film "The Gymnast." The first session is at 5 p.m. today and the second session is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.\nThe PRIDE Dance Party will also make its return to the festival following the final screening Saturday night. Anyone who purchases a Saturday evening ticket or a Weekend Festival Pass can attend the dance party, which will "take over the entire theater generating a queer space where creativity, acceptance, vitality and the carnivalesque are available to everyone," according to the release.\n"It's really incredible the way they transform the space in the time between the films screened and the party," Sinwell said. \nThe dance party will feature aerialists from the Bloomington High Flyers, a local circus troupe. Complimentary appetizers and desserts will be available from BLU Culinary Arts, Bloomingfoods, Bloomington Cooking School and Tutto Bene Wine Cafe. There will also be a cash bar. More than 400 people are expected to attend the party, where costumes, masks and erotic attire are encouraged, according to the release.\nThe festival has developed within the last four years and the opportunity to screen multimedia work will be a possibility for future festivals, Gray said. The festival began as a class for two students in the IU Master's in Arts Administration Program interning at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in January 2004. Gray was asked to speak at one of the festival's opening nights when she joined IU as a faculty member.\n"From that point on, I was hooked," Gray said.\nAfter two years, it became clear to Gray the festival had become a main event gathering together the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied communities.\n"I joined the steering committee last year with the goal of getting the IU campus more closely involved in this event," Gray said.\nIU student Matt Brunner is planning to attend the festival with some members of the Hoosier Rights Campaign, a student GLBT activist group he founded on campus. The festival will allow people to see films they wouldn't get to see unless they went out looking for them, Brunner said.\n"It provides a place where people can go and watch films that have a GLBT theme," Brunner said.\nIU students have taken part in making the festival happen. Gray said there are more than 10 student volunteers on the steering committee this year.\n"Students should come out to support their peers and see films they won't see anywhere else," Gray said.\nThe festival builds bridges between the campus community and Bloomington, Gray said.\n"It also gives GLBT people and folks who don't necessarily know or understand differences across sexualities and genders some common ground," Gray said.\nGray said she expected the festival to be successful since it began because of the energy of the crowds of people she saw when she first attended.\n"It was clear that this festival offered something unique that's hard to find outside of large cities," Gray said.\nGray said she thinks GLBT people might know that Bloomington is a comfortable place to live, but she said there is an entirely different feeling during the festival.\n"You can walk down Kirkwood Avenue the nights of the festival and see everyone able to hold hands with their dates and soak in the sense of acceptance and celebration that's created by the festival," Gray said.
(01/26/07 1:36am)
The first five seasons of "24" were pretty formulaic: Meet the new terrorists, watch them successfully unleash a couple attacks and threaten massively bigger ones. See Jack find out, through awesomely graphic interrogations, which of the supposedly good guys are actually traitors and kill whoever stands in his way from stopping the BIG attack and save the world as the season ends.\nSPOILER ALERT\nIn the sixth season premiere four-hour-in-two-night launch, the order gets switched up and Jack fails. Just four hours into the new season Jack can't do enough to stop terrorists from launching a nuke on Los Angeles. Jack sheds his two- year vow of silence and facial hair before a daring escape that Dracula would have loved and goes rogue before you can say Kumar?!\nJack used to be invincible. Sure, his wife was raped and murdered in the first season, he failed to stop numerous attacks and most of his best men have been murdered, but he never let a massive attack go down. According to the Facebook group "Jack Bauer is one of the Baddest Mother Fuckers of all time," Jack could win a game of Connect Four in three moves. Now he's letting Kumar get the best of him.\nRumor has it Jack once needed lunch so he shot a fin out of a man's pocket without the guy even noticing. So why couldn't he shoot Curtis without killing him? Curtis was making that "you killed my father, prepare to die look" at Fayed and he definitely needed to be shot before he killed the best hope Jack had at finding terrorists, but what happened to his aim? It wasn't as sad as Tony or Edgar's deaths last season, but now we're only really left with Chloe, Buchanan and Jack and the new President Palmer as people I care about.\nIt was damn near impossible to look at the new terrorist, who I know as Kumar, now going as Ahmed played by Kal Penn, and not think about his days at White Castle with Harold or his "Van Wilder" days. I was praying that Jack would get to interrogate Kumar and get him to admit that he was just delivering a bomb component so he could marry a bag of weed and hold a White Castle chain hostage. Then Jack would hollow Kumar's body and smoke him like a bong.\nThere's a new president again and I just hope Jeb Bush wasn't getting any ideas when it was revealed that slain President David Palmer's brother Wayne is the current president. It's refreshing to have that Nixon-esque President Logan out of office, but his staff is pretty suspect. \nI'm submitting two nominees for potential terrorists posing as decent guys this season. I don't trust that weasel-looking guy Thomas Lennox, who wants to tear up the Constitution, and Chloe's new boyfriend Morris is shadier than Night Moves on a Tuesday afternoon. \nAll in all, I've loved the first four hours and like that they upped the ante, but I have to wonder where they can go from here. Jack is back, but is it really Jack, or did he trade places with Peyton Manning? That has to be it. Jack Bauer beat the Patriots and Peyton's letting L.A. get blown up.
(01/26/07 1:36am)
Good news! With NBC's revamped Thursday night comedy block, must-see TV is back! The two-hour comedy block kicks off with "My Name is Earl," a comedy about a man inspired by Carson Daly to seek out all the people he has wronged in his life and help them. Next is "The Office," where viewers get to watch the dysfunctional employees of Dunder Mifflin clash with each other with ensuing hilarity.\nThe second hour starts with "Scrubs," a show about hospital staffers and their wacky patients. Then it's "30 Rock" -- the newest show in the lineup still in its first season. Created, produced and starring Tina Fey, the show won a Golden Globe on Jan. 16.\nNBC's new Thursday night lineup will have some people reminiscing about the station's classic Thursday night lineup, which was anchored by ratings juggernauts "Friends" and "Seinfeld." Those shows were huge successes and paradigms of modern sitcoms, and I am still a huge fan of both shows in syndication. However, the paradigm for sitcoms has changed, and once again Thursday-night NBC is on the cutting edge.\nNot one of the sitcoms on Thursday night uses the laugh track (the hee-hawing and whistling to cue the viewer's laughter). The use of this tool is so common it almost blends in unnoticeably because the audience has come to expect it. Instead of the producers instructing the audience when the show is at a funny bit, the audience gets to decide for itself. Show producers have acknowledged that we, as the audience, have more intelligence than they used to give us credit for. The shows have also become more complex, pertaining to mostly the characters on the shows. All the shows on Thursday are character-driven and you have to get to know the characters before you really get all the layers. Watching Dwight from "The Office" look for a job where he hands out three types of resumes to make sure his fighting skills are recognized is funny because of his character's personality. "Scrubs" can do a musical episode and make it work because the audience is willing to take that leap with the characters. You have to watch the show a few times before you start to enjoy it. \nFinally, the product integration is good. I know, I hate commercials, too, but that's the way entertainment is heading today. Whether it's with Staples in "The Office" or GE in "30 Rock," the shows make a point to admit to the audience exactly what they are doing (cashing in). \nSo call your friends, pop some popcorn and gather around a TV set for "comedy done right" on Thursday nights. Whether it's blue-collar Earl, white-collar "Office," the charming Zack Braff or the smart and sexy Tina Fey, there is something for everybody on Thursday night.
(01/26/07 1:35am)
As usual, 2007's Grammy nominees are an extremely mixed bag. Playing as a kind of semi-discerning alternative to the NOW! That's What I Call Music compilations, this particular mix showcases both a tiny bit of the best and a whole mess of the worst of what 2006 had to offer, with everyone from Paul McCartney to the Pussycat Dolls chipping in. As with any record-exec-arranged mix, especially one that's been hastily compiled by a label dubiously known as "Strategic Marketing," it's best to separate the good from the bad and the bad from the just plain ugly. \nThe Good:\nGnarls Barkley kicks the album off on a high note with "Crazy," a song so good it's virtually hater-proof. The Dixie Chicks' cathartic redemption song "Not Ready to Make Nice" is the year's hottest fuck-you. John Mayer is no friend of the dwindling Bush crowd either with his passively anti-war "Waiting On the World to Change," and The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California" and Keane's "Is It Any Wonder," both infectious pleasures that are anything but guilty, remind us that rock 'n' roll isn't quite dead yet. \nThe most inspired choices here are also the easiest on the ears. Imogen Heap's seductive, electronic "Hide and Seek" is a rare gem, and Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" is an old-fashioned acoustic respite amid a jumble of radio hits. Sir Paul McCartney makes a brief appearance with "Jenny Wren," the best track from his last solo record. \nThe Bad:\nJustin Timberlake's overplayed and over-quoted "SexyBack" is the best of the bad, but that's not saying much. James Blunt's cloying, syrupy "You're Beautiful" is here, too, just in case you wanted to hear it 50 more times, and Pink's "Stupid Girls" was cool the first time I heard it, but there are certainly far better songs on her latest album to choose from. Of course The Fray is here, representin' the safety-sealed corporate rock stable with "Over My Head (Cable Car)." Advice for The Fray: If you really want to be the next Coldplay, start by writing good songs. Also, I apologize to her legion of fans in advance, but I wish Mary J. Blige and her formulaic "Be Without You" would just go away. \nThe Ugly:\nOnly three of the 23 tracks could be categorized as unlistenable. The Pussycat Dolls' trudging R&B yawn-fest "Stickwitu" is even worse than its title would suggest, and American Idol-winner Carrie Underwood's paean to the Bible Belt, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," is odiously skippable. Bringing up the rear is possibly the worst song in recorded music history, The Black Eyed Peas' painfully awful "My Humps." \nIt's always hard for me to recommend an album that's essentially comprised of cherry-picked hits, but like it or not that's what the Grammys have always been about, or at least the parts of the Grammys that are televised. For a year that saw brilliant LPs by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Decemberists, My Chemical Romance and TV on the Radio, this year's nominee list, as always, just feels thin. At least the Chili Peppers finally get their due.
(01/26/07 1:33am)
When Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland were asked to photograph their neighbor's quinceañera, little did they know doing so would result in an extraordinary film and winner of two Sundance Film Festival awards (Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize). \n"Quinceañera" is a coming-of-age story about 14-year-old Magdalena (Emily Rios), and the events that lead up to her quinceañera, a traditional Mexican celebration when a girl turns 15. When Magdalena doesn't fit into her quinceañera dress, it is assumed she is pregnant. Although Magdalena is a "virgin," a pregnancy test confirms she is pregnant. \nAbandoned by the baby's father, Herman (J.R. Cruz), and disowned by her preacher father, Magdalena ends up moving in with her great uncle, Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez) and gay cousin, Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Together the three come together to help each other through the hard times and realize the importance of family.\nBoth directors, Glatzer and Westmoreland, took an idea they got from their neighbors, and, in just three weeks, wrote a remarkable script. A majority of the cast had either worked on a few small films or had no acting experience prior to "Quinceañera," but they all deliver outstanding performances. \nThe special features on the disc are something to see. Along with a commentary from the directors and cast, one bonus feature follows the premiere of "Quinceañera" on the red carpet. What I found the most interesting was the behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. The directors explain how they wrote the script and developed each of the characters. The cast also provides interviews explaining their thoughts and relationship to the characters they play. \nThough "Quinceañera" was not what I expected plot-wise, I found it to be a extraordinary story of a young girl's journey growing up and the difficulties she faces doing so.
(01/26/07 1:31am)
Critics labeled "Gridiron Gang" cliché and predictable. I can't say I disagree. \nMore and more sports movies are released every year following similar plotlines saddled with the frequent tagline, "based on a true story." I've begun to doubt these types of movies. Yet, there is something that stands out about "Gridiron Gang." Without much directing experience to his name, Phil Joanou did a great job with this film and making it stand out from other sports films. \nDwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Sean Porter, a former college football star who runs a juvenile detention center. Sean becomes tired of watching kids leave the detention center only to wind up dead or in jail. With help from his friend Malcolm, (played by rapper Xzibit), he organizes a football team for the kids. \nThough they follow similar plot lines, "Gridiron Gang" is no "Remember the Titans." "Gang" focuses on how one man organizes a football team to help replace the part of the boys' crime-filled lives and sends the message that second chances can change lives.\nI'm usually a bit skeptical about films starring The Rock; however, the former wrestler proves he can dominate outside the wrestling ring as the boys' mentor who risks his own job to make a difference in their lives. I'm even going to applaud Xzibit for his performance. I never knew he had it in him. \nI was also impressed with the special features included on the DVD. Along with the standard commentaries and deleted scenes, an in-depth "football training" takes a look at the hard work the actors went through in order to prepare for their roles. Fans of The Rock will also enjoy following his experiences training for his role and a full-contact scene where he puts the pads on himself to interact with the boys' training. What I found the most enjoyable was the "multi-angle football scene" feature, which allows you to compare different camera angles of a specific scene.\nThere is no doubt that Phil Joanou has interwoven a touching story with lots of great shots of the football scenes, which will win over sports fans.
(01/26/07 1:29am)
"Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" naturally garners low expectations with its credentials -- it is the latest in a series of films spawned from a popular horror movie and a comparatively lackluster cinematic offering put foreword to take advantage of interest in the "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" stirred up by the recent, fairly high-quality remake of the original. It is also directed by Jonathan Liebesman, who was responsible for "Darkness Falls" (remember, it was the one with "the tooth fairy?"). \nHowever, in spite of all these indications that "Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" would not make a stab at greatness, my interest was piqued, as it was no doubt meant to be, by the promise made by this prequel to satisfy morbid curiosity as to the beginnings of Leatherface and his evil family. \nOn a few points, the film is surprisingly strong. The production values are better than I expected. Most importantly, the two young couples who are the protagonists/potential victims of the film are done fairly well. You will find yourself invested in their survival. Disappointingly, this movie only somewhat makes good on its implied promise to illuminate the early story of Leatherface. The film opens with Leatherface's birth, but his childhood is seen only as a montage during the credit sequence. Leatherface's uncle soon emerges as the main antagonist and his masked nephew is only a tool at his disposal for the remainder of the story. \nAn aspect of the film that could be counted as good or bad depending on your taste is the gore. As a fan of horror films, I cannot pretend that I deny the entertainment value of bloody spectacle. However, for my taste, the blood and guts in "Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" are excessively disgusting and not artfully done, visually interesting or even funny as they might be in what I would consider to be a more satisfying piece of horror. \nThe special features that come on this DVD are not too scarce. There are several deleted scenes and multiple alternate endings, which you will surely enjoy if you are a fan of the film. There is also commentary and a making-of featurette.\nHonestly, I felt nauseous as I viewed the film. If seeing people get cut up is one of the main draws that horror films have for you, this one will be pretty satisfying; otherwise, you might want to skip it.
(01/26/07 1:28am)
There's a certain genre of comedy that few people actually know exists titled: "Work Sucks but Isn't It Funny?" Many hit comedies through the years have fallen into this category, like "Caddyshack" and, of course, "Office Space," the 1999 cult favorite about working in a cubicle typing at a computer.\n"Employee of the Month" falls right into this category of films and actually turns out to be a pretty entertaining one. Although it wasn't a major success in theaters, the movie has many high points and is much more highbrow than might be expected of a film of this caliber.\nThe film is a satirical look at stores across America like Costco and Sam's Club, stores where everything is sold in bulk and that suburban families seem to adore. The first shots in the movie sarcastically show oversized boxes of condoms and beer, which premise the satire of the rest of the film. One of the more subtle yet funnier lines in the film is when the boss says: "Remember! No more than 25 people to a line!"\nThe basic plot of the movie is simple: Dane Cook's character, Zack, is the archetypal slacker who's been a box boy at Super Club (the name of the store) for 10 years and lives with his grandmother. His enemy, Vince (Dax Shepard), is the employee of the month consistently and Zack couldn't care less until Jessica Simpson comes along. She transferred from another Super Club and is known to fall in love with employees of the month. Of course, Zack now tries to outdo Vince and the race is on.\n stretch to play an attractive blonde whom men fight over, but still, it was a solid performance by the singer/actress. \nThe biggest problem with the movie is the sense that the viewer has already seen this movie and its characters a million times before. Shepard does a blatant rip-off of Ben Stiller as the villain, and the entire feel of the movie was a direct homage to "Office Space" with the idea of slacking off at a job you hate.\nThe extras available on the DVD fall short of anything substantial. The only interesting features are an alternate Super Club opening at the beginning and commentaries with Dane Cook and the writer and director, Greg Coolidge. \nOverall, "Employee of the Month" delivers as a funny film that you'll watch and probably never think about again, but it's still worth your time.
(01/26/07 1:26am)
Green Day was a completely different band before American Idiot. Before being signed to major label Warner Bros., the trio released two albums on Bay Area independent label Lookout!. The first was a compilation of various EPs titled 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, while the latter, Kerplunk!, featured what would become the definitive lineup of Billie Joe Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Mike Dirnt on bass and Tre Cool on drums. Both albums are being reissued through Warner Bros.\nKerplunk! came out in 1992 when three-chord power punk was in its prime. Green Day led the way and dominated over other bands of this caliber, landing them a major label record deal and casting them into the spotlight as one of the most popular punk bands of the '90s. Kerplunk! is a more melodic, rougher album than any of their later offerings.\nSongs like "2,000 Light Years Away" showcase the energy and emotion these guys have (this song being about the girl Billie Joe would eventually marry). Every track is a standout, but few would become hits. "Welcome to Paradise" is a familiar effort, being redone on 1994's epic, Dookie. \nCatchy, hook-laden songs abound on Kerplunk! Songs like "80" and "Sweet Children" are solid examples of Billie Joe's signature voice and the excellent cohesion between the three guys. "Dominated Love Slave" is a hilarious off-kilter attempt at country, sung by Tre Cool. The guys even take a well-received stab at The Who's "My Generation." Plus, the album cover is great (the hand-drawn artwork that many Lookout! releases would feature).\nThis version, however, has little more to offer than the original. The songs have been re-mastered and sound a little bit fresher, but this sort of takes away from the raw and passionate feel that Lookout! bands in the early '90s are known for. There aren't any added tracks, so if you already own this amazing album (which you already should, it came out an astonishing 15 years ago!), then there's no incentive to buy this. \nSadly, many Green Day fans only know them because of American Idiot, the rock opera Green Day -- the every-song-on-the-album-is-on-the-bloody-radio Green Day. Kerplunk! is for the true Green Day fans. These guys were only 17 when they recorded this, and the results are pretty amazing. As for the reissue, bottom line: If you already have Kerplunk!, then there's no damn reason why you should get this. Warner Bros. is just trying to make more money. Get the Lookout! version if you can find it.
(01/26/07 1:24am)
If there's one lesson to take away from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's second album, Some Loud Thunder (out Jan. 30), it's this: Ambition is a fine thing, but ambition alone is not enough. Indeed, for those of us who love out-of-the-mainstream music, it could serve as an aesthetic test: Can we distinguish complexity from quality? Can we tell the difference between something that's difficult-but-rewarding and something that's simply difficult?\nIn recounting the indie-Cinderella tale surrounding CYHSY's debut album -- "unsigned band catapulted to success by Web-based tastemakers" -- not enough credit is given to the actual quality of the band's songs. Sure, it was a neat example of how Internet buzz can translate into sales, but it never would have happened if the album itself (save the irritating opening track) hadn't been terrific fun. The hook-filled instrumentals rung out and shuffled and charged, while singer Alec Ounsworth's unique love-it-or-hate-it nasal yelp managed "the Michael Stipe thing," unleashing cryptic but intriguing lyrics. The result was uncompromising, but deeply fulfilling to those who "got it."\nSome Loud Thunder, on the other hand, is mostly just uncompromising. On first hearing the album, those without adventurous tastes (or who aren't already CYHSY fans) will likely retreat in horror at what sounds like a discordant mess. For those few who stick around: Sure, it gets better with multiple listens. Buried under a layer of distortion so heavy as to make it sound like a bootleg on its 1,000th reproduction, opening and title-track "Some Loud Thunder" could otherwise have fit on the debut album. With its hell-as-dance-club motif, "Satan Said Dance" has a neat concept (although its lack of compelling beats or hooks undercuts ol' Beezlebub's command). And careful listening (with a good pair of headphones) will allow you to pick out all sorts of interesting little tidbits buried throughout. Repeat this practice enough, and you'll find that many tracks are all right -- but that's the problem, they're just all right. "Emily Jean Stock," "Mama, Won't You Keep Those Castles In The Air & Burning," "Goodbye To The Mother & The Cover," "Yankee Go Home" all slowly reveal their merits, but there are no grand revelations, no sublime moments, no overarching purpose to the madness. It's an awful lot of work for an album that turns out to be, ultimately, kind of boring -- and, really, life's too short.