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(07/07/05 4:00am)
I am not female. Nor am I black. But I do have a tendency to get upset sometimes. And I kept a journal for about a month or two in the fifth grade. So I do have two characteristics that could connect me with the protagonist of the film. But whether you're a memoir-keeping, African-American woman with a penchant for angry outbursts or an illiterate, happy-go-lucky white guy, you will enjoy "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."\nThe film, based on one of a series of plays by writer/co-star Tyler Perry, focuses on the story of Helen (Kimberly Elise), an upper-class woman who is kicked out of her house by her husband, Charles (Steve Harris), after eighteen years of marriage for another woman. Helen must go back to the lower-income community that she grew up in, living with her grandmother, Madea (Perry) and great uncle, Joe (Perry). Helen begins to reassemble the pieces of her recently shattered life, including a budding romance with Orlando (Shemar Moore).\nThe movie bills itself as a comedy, but it is really a much more of a dramatic movie. While there are a few hilarious moments (mostly coming from Madea, practically stealing the movie when she is on camera), they supplement the focus of the film -- the fall and rebirth of the spirit of Helen. Excluding the second half-hour of the movie, which drags a little, the movie keeps a good pace and is very entertaining. The movie is not revolutionary, but it gets the job done.\nThe special features are also generally good. Perry's commentary is the highlight of the extras. It is a prime example of how commentaries for low-budget movies (this film's budget was only $5.5 million) are generally more interesting as the viewer learns about the choices that a filmmaker has to make when shooting a film due to limitations (for example, the house that Helen and Charles live in at the beginning of the film is actually Tyler Perry's house). It's more appealing than commentaries where the director, writer, etc. gush about how great the movie is for two hours.\nOther features include a decent "Making of..." featurette that uses interviews with the actors both as themselves and as the role they played. The contrast between the actors being in and out of character hurts the flow of the featurette. It would have been better if they had separated this into two different extras. Also, the outtakes and a lesson on how to do the electric slide are both completely unnecessary.\nYou may not have heard of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" until now, but that does not mean that is not a movie that should be skipped. While the movie does not make any huge breakthroughs in filmmaking, it is an enjoyable film that can be considered a good way to spend a couple hours.
(07/07/05 4:00am)
"The Pacifier" is a typical cookie-cutter Hollywood movie. Nothing really new comes out of it aside from replacing the cheap laughs of a testicle biting dog with the cheap laughs of a testicle-biting duck. Even for a kids' movie the humor is pretty low-brow, and you can guess the entire plot just from hearing the premise. Vin Diesel is Shane Wolfe, a Navy SEAL whose next mission is babysitting the family of a dead scientist. At first he and the children don't get along but eventually they start to love each other. Only by working together like a family can they vanquish the bad guys. In the end, Wolfe learns the most important lesson of all, family is the best part of life ... blah, blah, blah.\nDon't get me wrong, "The Pacifier" is probably great if you are still fascinated by things like Play-Doh and sandboxes (not passing any judgment). For the rest of us, "The Pacifier," is little more than an hour and a half of crappy slapstick humor and bad acting. Actually the most fascinating part about the film is Vin Diesel's uncanny resemblance to a talking thumb. In fact, if I used a Sharpie marker to draw a smiley face on my own thumb, said thumb would probably do a better job of acting.\nThen again, considering Adam Shankman directed this movie, we are lucky it isn't any worse. "The Pacifier" is only slightly better than the other saccharine drivel that Shankman has directed, like "Bringing Down the House" or "The Wedding Planner." With credentials like these it is no surprise that this is the man who was chosen to take the helm of the "Cheaper by the Dozen" sequel.\nThe special features on the DVD are pretty run-of-the-mill. There is a blooper reel, a vainglorious making-of featurette and director commentary with Adam Shankman which is so banal that I dare anyone to watch more than 20 minutes of it without feeling the impending need to vomit.\nOverall this DVD is suitable for only two types of people: children and masochists. Anyone else should stay as far away from this movie as is humanly possible.
(07/07/05 4:00am)
For the past two-and-a-half years or so, the more left-leaning among us have found solace in the weekday evening pseudo-newscasts of Jon Stewart and his Daily Show crew. Professed liberals all, Stewart and his crew are equal opportunity offenders, even though it's usually obvious which way the studio audience sways (hissing at conservative guests and applauding left-wingers). When it came to the 2004 presidential election, no one knew quite how the Daily Show would cover it. It didn't take long to realize that the shows often-brilliant, sometimes-maddeningly smarmy humor would carry over to this most critical of contests.\nAs the primaries unfolded and the debates were had, it became clear that the Daily Show writers were treating the election like the circus it could easily be perceived as. When John Edwards announced his vice-presidential candidacy in-person on the show, the crowd seemed not sure how to react, most likely because Stewart refused to budge in showing clear support to either side. Despite repeated failed attempts to get Bush cabinet members (John Kerry made multiple appearances) and other notable Republicans on the show (they felt it wasn't their core audience -- and were correct), Stewart and company kept sarcastically mum over their support for either candidate, an offense that any other time in the show's history would come off as coyly amusing, but in this instance seemed suspicious.\nNo matter, since in hindsight the Daily Show's coverage can be appreciated for what it was meant to be; a satirical take on an otherwise monumental event. Stewart's mean-spirited ribbing of both candidates was a refreshing respite from the Bush-loving Fox News Channel and Kerry-supporting CNN, which I suppose is one valid argument for keeping it on the level. Segments from correspondents Rob Corddry, Samantha Bee, Steven Colbert and Ed Helms are mostly on-point, and usually side-splitting.\nExtras on this three-disc affair include commentary by Corddry, Helms and Bee on many segments, hilarious unaired fake-527 ads including Continental Skiff Boat Oarsmen for Veracity, and Steve Carell's mostly awkward take on the rise and fall of the Howard Dean campaign. Also included are extended segments on the Presidential debates, Democratic and Republican conventions and bonus footage from their live election night coverage, "Prelude to a Recount." Also, don't miss the National Anthem sung in four-correspondent harmony.\nOnce the final tallies were counted and Bush had been declared the victor once again, the Daily Show's Election 2004 coverage took on a more somber tone. It's as if the correspondents realized what a great opportunity they had to influence their core audience, and saw that opportunity squandered. Then again, maybe they never took the election seriously at all, and maybe that was the point all along.
(07/07/05 4:00am)
In the world of controversial, "point your finger at the bad guy" documentaries like "Fahrenheit 9/11" or "Super Size Me," it's nice to see a documentary that goes out to document, and not to judge. "Gunner Palace," the most recent documentary film to cover the war in Iraq, follows around a group of American soldiers in their day-to-day activities. Through interviews, action shots and even freestyle rap footage, the film presents a pure look at what is going on overseas which most Americans are unable to see on the normal media outlets. \nThe film was written and directed by a husband and wife team (Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker) from Germany who spent a long period of time in Baghdad following around a group of young soldiers who make up the 2/3 Field Artillery, who go by the name "gunners." The title of this film comes from the Hussein palace that the unit resides when not perusing the streets of Baghdad. The palace, said to be Saddam Hussein's son Uday's "party getaway," is run down, under constant attack from rebels, but is a place away from reality where the soldiers can unwind and try to forget about the war. Throughout the film we see the soldiers hard at work dealing with dangerous hidden bombs, arresting suspected terrorists and dodging rocks and RPG's, as well as sun bathing by the palace's giant pool, dancing, singing songs like "My Girl," and freestyling their thoughts on their purpose of being in this foreign place. \nThe film is edited much like a normal week for these soldiers. There is no real sense of time, no set storyline, instead the filmmakers throw together footage in a chaotic manner, very similar to how they saw life in Baghdad. While some interviewees, both soldiers and people in higher positions, express anger towards the government, and others support what they are doing, there is no real political message with this film, just a look into a world that we at home are not familiar with. At one point in the film a lieutenant is asked about the feelings towards the war back home, and he states that what Americans see on the news is entertainment, whereas the soldiers are living a reality. "Gunner Palace" shows this reality.\nThe DVD does not feature many thrills and does not tote a "special edition" tag. There are 17 deleted scenes, all interesting, but worth the edit, and three extra freestyle raps about the war, which are impressive but also sobering in their nature. "Gunner Palace" set out to document a day in the life of an American soldier in Iraq and does just this. For those of you who are tired of constant news footage of bombings or Saddam discussing Doritos, this film will enlighten you. It opens our eyes to what is really happening overseas, and lets us be the judge of whether or not there is a right and a wrong side to the war.
(07/07/05 1:02am)
I am not female. Nor am I black. But I do have a tendency to get upset sometimes. And I kept a journal for about a month or two in the fifth grade. So I do have two characteristics that could connect me with the protagonist of the film. But whether you're a memoir-keeping, African-American woman with a penchant for angry outbursts or an illiterate, happy-go-lucky white guy, you will enjoy "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."\nThe film, based on one of a series of plays by writer/co-star Tyler Perry, focuses on the story of Helen (Kimberly Elise), an upper-class woman who is kicked out of her house by her husband, Charles (Steve Harris), after eighteen years of marriage for another woman. Helen must go back to the lower-income community that she grew up in, living with her grandmother, Madea (Perry) and great uncle, Joe (Perry). Helen begins to reassemble the pieces of her recently shattered life, including a budding romance with Orlando (Shemar Moore).\nThe movie bills itself as a comedy, but it is really a much more of a dramatic movie. While there are a few hilarious moments (mostly coming from Madea, practically stealing the movie when she is on camera), they supplement the focus of the film -- the fall and rebirth of the spirit of Helen. Excluding the second half-hour of the movie, which drags a little, the movie keeps a good pace and is very entertaining. The movie is not revolutionary, but it gets the job done.\nThe special features are also generally good. Perry's commentary is the highlight of the extras. It is a prime example of how commentaries for low-budget movies (this film's budget was only $5.5 million) are generally more interesting as the viewer learns about the choices that a filmmaker has to make when shooting a film due to limitations (for example, the house that Helen and Charles live in at the beginning of the film is actually Tyler Perry's house). It's more appealing than commentaries where the director, writer, etc. gush about how great the movie is for two hours.\nOther features include a decent "Making of..." featurette that uses interviews with the actors both as themselves and as the role they played. The contrast between the actors being in and out of character hurts the flow of the featurette. It would have been better if they had separated this into two different extras. Also, the outtakes and a lesson on how to do the electric slide are both completely unnecessary.\nYou may not have heard of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" until now, but that does not mean that is not a movie that should be skipped. While the movie does not make any huge breakthroughs in filmmaking, it is an enjoyable film that can be considered a good way to spend a couple hours.
(07/07/05 12:36am)
In the world of controversial, "point your finger at the bad guy" documentaries like "Fahrenheit 9/11" or "Super Size Me," it's nice to see a documentary that goes out to document, and not to judge. "Gunner Palace," the most recent documentary film to cover the war in Iraq, follows around a group of American soldiers in their day-to-day activities. Through interviews, action shots and even freestyle rap footage, the film presents a pure look at what is going on overseas which most Americans are unable to see on the normal media outlets. \nThe film was written and directed by a husband and wife team (Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker) from Germany who spent a long period of time in Baghdad following around a group of young soldiers who make up the 2/3 Field Artillery, who go by the name "gunners." The title of this film comes from the Hussein palace that the unit resides when not perusing the streets of Baghdad. The palace, said to be Saddam Hussein's son Uday's "party getaway," is run down, under constant attack from rebels, but is a place away from reality where the soldiers can unwind and try to forget about the war. Throughout the film we see the soldiers hard at work dealing with dangerous hidden bombs, arresting suspected terrorists and dodging rocks and RPG's, as well as sun bathing by the palace's giant pool, dancing, singing songs like "My Girl," and freestyling their thoughts on their purpose of being in this foreign place. \nThe film is edited much like a normal week for these soldiers. There is no real sense of time, no set storyline, instead the filmmakers throw together footage in a chaotic manner, very similar to how they saw life in Baghdad. While some interviewees, both soldiers and people in higher positions, express anger towards the government, and others support what they are doing, there is no real political message with this film, just a look into a world that we at home are not familiar with. At one point in the film a lieutenant is asked about the feelings towards the war back home, and he states that what Americans see on the news is entertainment, whereas the soldiers are living a reality. "Gunner Palace" shows this reality.\nThe DVD does not feature many thrills and does not tote a "special edition" tag. There are 17 deleted scenes, all interesting, but worth the edit, and three extra freestyle raps about the war, which are impressive but also sobering in their nature. "Gunner Palace" set out to document a day in the life of an American soldier in Iraq and does just this. For those of you who are tired of constant news footage of bombings or Saddam discussing Doritos, this film will enlighten you. It opens our eyes to what is really happening overseas, and lets us be the judge of whether or not there is a right and a wrong side to the war.
(07/07/05 12:34am)
For the past two-and-a-half years or so, the more left-leaning among us have found solace in the weekday evening pseudo-newscasts of Jon Stewart and his Daily Show crew. Professed liberals all, Stewart and his crew are equal opportunity offenders, even though it's usually obvious which way the studio audience sways (hissing at conservative guests and applauding left-wingers). When it came to the 2004 presidential election, no one knew quite how the Daily Show would cover it. It didn't take long to realize that the shows often-brilliant, sometimes-maddeningly smarmy humor would carry over to this most critical of contests.\nAs the primaries unfolded and the debates were had, it became clear that the Daily Show writers were treating the election like the circus it could easily be perceived as. When John Edwards announced his vice-presidential candidacy in-person on the show, the crowd seemed not sure how to react, most likely because Stewart refused to budge in showing clear support to either side. Despite repeated failed attempts to get Bush cabinet members (John Kerry made multiple appearances) and other notable Republicans on the show (they felt it wasn't their core audience -- and were correct), Stewart and company kept sarcastically mum over their support for either candidate, an offense that any other time in the show's history would come off as coyly amusing, but in this instance seemed suspicious.\nNo matter, since in hindsight the Daily Show's coverage can be appreciated for what it was meant to be; a satirical take on an otherwise monumental event. Stewart's mean-spirited ribbing of both candidates was a refreshing respite from the Bush-loving Fox News Channel and Kerry-supporting CNN, which I suppose is one valid argument for keeping it on the level. Segments from correspondents Rob Corddry, Samantha Bee, Steven Colbert and Ed Helms are mostly on-point, and usually side-splitting.\nExtras on this three-disc affair include commentary by Corddry, Helms and Bee on many segments, hilarious unaired fake-527 ads including Continental Skiff Boat Oarsmen for Veracity, and Steve Carell's mostly awkward take on the rise and fall of the Howard Dean campaign. Also included are extended segments on the Presidential debates, Democratic and Republican conventions and bonus footage from their live election night coverage, "Prelude to a Recount." Also, don't miss the National Anthem sung in four-correspondent harmony.\nOnce the final tallies were counted and Bush had been declared the victor once again, the Daily Show's Election 2004 coverage took on a more somber tone. It's as if the correspondents realized what a great opportunity they had to influence their core audience, and saw that opportunity squandered. Then again, maybe they never took the election seriously at all, and maybe that was the point all along.
(07/07/05 12:33am)
"The Pacifier" is a typical cookie-cutter Hollywood movie. Nothing really new comes out of it aside from replacing the cheap laughs of a testicle biting dog with the cheap laughs of a testicle-biting duck. Even for a kids' movie the humor is pretty low-brow, and you can guess the entire plot just from hearing the premise. Vin Diesel is Shane Wolfe, a Navy SEAL whose next mission is babysitting the family of a dead scientist. At first he and the children don't get along but eventually they start to love each other. Only by working together like a family can they vanquish the bad guys. In the end, Wolfe learns the most important lesson of all, family is the best part of life ... blah, blah, blah.\nDon't get me wrong, "The Pacifier" is probably great if you are still fascinated by things like Play-Doh and sandboxes (not passing any judgment). For the rest of us, "The Pacifier," is little more than an hour and a half of crappy slapstick humor and bad acting. Actually the most fascinating part about the film is Vin Diesel's uncanny resemblance to a talking thumb. In fact, if I used a Sharpie marker to draw a smiley face on my own thumb, said thumb would probably do a better job of acting.\nThen again, considering Adam Shankman directed this movie, we are lucky it isn't any worse. "The Pacifier" is only slightly better than the other saccharine drivel that Shankman has directed, like "Bringing Down the House" or "The Wedding Planner." With credentials like these it is no surprise that this is the man who was chosen to take the helm of the "Cheaper by the Dozen" sequel.\nThe special features on the DVD are pretty run-of-the-mill. There is a blooper reel, a vainglorious making-of featurette and director commentary with Adam Shankman which is so banal that I dare anyone to watch more than 20 minutes of it without feeling the impending need to vomit.\nOverall this DVD is suitable for only two types of people: children and masochists. Anyone else should stay as far away from this movie as is humanly possible.
(07/07/05 12:18am)
When I was young, I drove from California to Kentucky five times with my family. We took the southern route through Texas, and the northern route to see Mount Rushmore and the glaciers in Montana. I can still close my eyes and picture our old, tan Cadillac passing the icy tops of the Rockies. My dad usually drove non-stop through the night, so I was left to imagine what each state offered. Every state had its own personality setting it apart from what lied next door. Fortunately, there is one man that is exploring their stories until I get control of the wheel. \nSufjan Stevens, Michigan born singer-songwriter is working on a conquest consisting of epic proportions. What began with Greetings from Michigan, an intimate album that took listeners up north, Come on Feel the Illinoise is the second stop for the artist's lofty quest. Come on Feel the Illinois is part of a goal to create an album for all fifty states. Imagine visiting a state but in preparation for the trip you read up on history and local news to fully understand all of its secrets, and then leave with 22 tracks to share. \nFor Come on Feel the Illinois, Stevens takes listeners on an audible road trip. Piano and flutes gracefully begin the album and carry Stevens' lyrics about alien encounters, young stories of John Wayne and rejoicing stepmothers in Decatur. Come on Feel the Illinois definitely sounds much more grand than previous albums, so much that it sets its course with trumpets and chorus voices rising. However, through hums of string ensembles and thoughtful percussion, there still lies a boy from Michigan sharing poetic thoughts over wholesome banjo strumming. \nBefore entering "Chicago," a joyous track that recaps memories of trips to the windy city, Stevens inserts instrumental interludes. This theme repeats itself throughout the album easing listeners from one part of the state to another. Each song has a distinct feeling and mood, just like each town has its own identifiable character. Stevens explores his harder side with "The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts," with stronger drums and electric guitar intertwined with the same calming vocals. Then there are tear-worthy songs like "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" that sing of tragic loss, but their sweetness allows for hope.\nStevens is definitely taking on a lot, fifty to be exact, but already on his way to state three he has created an album that should reach well beyond natives of Illinois. It is an album that touches much further than main roads, and still never forgets its roots. So I say take his advice, and no time to be shy, Come On And Feel The Illinoise.
(07/07/05 12:01am)
Jam bands are becoming an increasingly popular site in bars and clubs. Everyone wants to be like Phish or Karl Denson. But what if you take a jam band, throw in some funk, a little soul and a touch of rock and roll? You get something original -- you get Percival Potts. \nMade up of four IU students and Bloomington residents, Percival Potts is breaking out of the Bloomington music scene and taking their act regional in hopes of someday making it to the national level.\n"Ideally, I'd like to stay with it as long as possible. To make it national would be a dream come true," lead guitarist senior Will Pierce said. \nPercival Potts, or P. Potts as it is known to fans, played its first show under the name on February 1, 2003 at Uncle Fester's. The inspiration for the band name came from the British scientist, Sir Percival Potts. According to band member senior Rob Reynolds, Potts studied chimney sweepers and their development of cancer. He discovered that cancer was dependent on the environment. The air coming from the carcinogens of the coal dust that the sweepers breathed in caused cancer to develop. Reynolds said he happened upon Potts one day and learned more about him. \n"We thought, wow, this is a hip guy, especially these days with the amount of chemicals that are in everything that we eat, breathe, drink. We want to promote something that will make you think as opposed to something that doesn't," he said.\n"It's also a question on the MCAT," Pierce said.\nThe band became what it is today when bass guitarist Kevin Boas joined in May 2003 and Pierce, joined in August 2004. Boas, an IU alumni and Bloomington resident, entered the band with a strong jazz background and is well known for his improvisational skills.\nPierce also brought a heavy jazz background to the band. He was a member of jazz band throughout high school and his father was a jazz guitarist. Currently, he is working towards a music informatics major. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Bela Fleck, music is a mainstay in Pierce's life and he says it is something he wishes to continue doing.\n"I rather make $10,000 a year playing music than $100,000 doing something else," Pierce said.\nReynolds takes the role as leader as vocalist/guitarist/keyboard and coronet player as well as composer of most the band's music and lyrics. Reynolds also picked up music at a young age. He had hopes of being a trumpet major in the IU School of Music until he blew his lip out in high school. Instead, he began playing piano, guitar, and teaching himself to sing by listening to greats such as Otis Redding, Motown and Stevie Wonder. Reynolds' persistent attitude and passion for music is what led him to start the band. \n"Dealing with music, I'm ready to rock n' roll for the next five, eight, ten years," Reynolds said. "I'm always writing. It's a constant process. Listening and writing. Trying to improve upon what you can do as a musician."\nSenior Neil Michalares met Reynolds about six years ago when he saw Reynolds playing in a band called Cova. Michalares told Reynolds he wanted to play drums for him someday. Taken up on his offer, Michalares is the second P.Potts original member. With a family background of percussion, Michalares took up the drums in high school and has played in bands ranging from heavy metal to punk. \nTogether these four personalities make up Percival Potts. They blend together to make the smooth, "groovin' danceable vocally intense music."\nBeing an upcoming band is not an easy task. It takes patience, hard work and determination -- it also takes money. With classes, practices and an extensive road schedule it was often difficult for the men of Percival Potts to find a job and work a lot of hours at that job. But nonetheless, they are passionate about making music and sharing it with others. Initially, the funding from the band came out of their pockets. They took their own cars to shows, paid for gas and saved by not staying overnight anywhere. Now, as their popularity rises, they have a band van they take to shows complete with TV and Play Station 2.\n"We use money from previous shows to pay for gas. We try and buy food and everything on the road with money from the band account, and then we split what is left when we get home. Most of the time, we're just breaking even, but we have a blast," Michalares said.\nLife on the road is still something Percival Potts is getting used to. At times, it can be quite taxing.\n"When we drive 5 hours there, 5 hours back, setup and tear down for 2 hours, and only play for 45 minutes, it feels a little like we're more in a moving company than a band," Michalares said.\nBut there are also perks to being a band traveling from venue to venue. Most places give Percival Potts free meals and drinks as well as a VIP area to relax in before the show. But more important is the reward of seeing the same people over and over again. As they go back to the same bars repeatedly, this becomes a more common occurrence. \n"Seeing people that come back even if it is like three or four people that are like 'We saw you last time in Chicago and we came back.' That's awesome," Pierce said.\nBooking shows regionally is largely dependent on the amount of work a band puts into it. It is Michalares' job to find gigs for Percival Potts. He said he makes calls to venues to see if they are accepting band promos. A promo usually consists of a CD and information about the band. After sending out a promo, Michalares waits a week or two before contacting the venue again and hopefully, setting up a date to play. It typically takes sending out five to ten promo packets for a three- or four-show tour. One of their first shows outside of Bloomington was a learning experience they won't soon forget.\n"One of the first (shows) was traveling to Lafayette to play the Lafayette Brew Company. We got there and they had free dinner for us, so each one of us got the most expensive thing on the menu and had a few beers apiece ... and only 7 people came out the whole night. Needless to say, they have never called us back."\nPercival Potts discovers new things about making it in the music world as their experience on the road grows. Pierce said the key to gaining popularity is not playing a lot of covers, but rather, doing your own thing and making a unique presence. He also said you just have to keep doing it. \n"The classic quote we hear at the bars out of town is 'it is usually busy, don't know, must be more of late-night crowd'," Pierce said. "You just have to stick with it."\n"It's about time and pressure. If you have the talent, people will come," Reynolds added.\nThis summer is an example of that mentality as the band is on the road almost every Friday and Saturday as well as some Thursday nights. They are trying to get their name out there and start a demand for CDs. \n"We'll practice when we can, usually Monday and Tuesday nights. Thursday we'll break everything down from the practice space and load it into the van, and either head up to Uncle Fester's at 8 p.m. or try and get on the road by 2 p.m. or so," Michalares said. "We stay at hotels or with friends we make, a lot of times we'll crash at people's houses who we've never met before. The rest of the weekend is driving, playing PS2, loading, unloading, setting up, tearing down or just chillin' in the bar. Cell phones keep us in touch with our friends, it's pretty cool when people call you up to see what you're doing and you say 'We're about to play this 50,000 person festival in Chicago and open for My Morning Jacket -- let me call you back in a couple hours'. Saturday nights we'll pack up and try and head home, get there by 7 or 8 a.m. so we can get some sleep."\nDespite this tough schedule, they all agreed that they would love to do this for the rest of their lives. "I'd love to be able to travel with these three other guys, record and play music for the rest of our lives," Michalares said.\nPercival Potts is working on their first CD, which will be released July 1st on the road and in August locally. Until then, you can check out the music of Percival Potts every other Thursday night at Uncle Fester's or catch them on the road or at www.percivalpotts.com.
(06/30/05 4:00am)
George Romero invented the modern zombie film (and some say modern horror cinema) with "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968 -- a classic that packed just as many visceral scares as it did volleys of social commentary on relationships between different races and sexes. In 1978, he fashioned a barbed, zombie-filled critique of American consumer culture with "Dawn of the Dead," and in 1985 he took on unfounded Cold War paranoia with "Day of the Dead." With "Land of the Dead," Romero has once again concocted a gore fest specifically for the age in which we live.\nDuring the opening titles, we learn that the dead rose "some time ago," and soon we find out how the people of one particular unnamed city have learned to deal with the zombie menace. A rigid class system has been set up, with the rich taking shelter in a massive skyscraper known as Fiddler's Green, and run by the merciless Kaufman (Dennis Hopper, in typical creep-out mode). Meanwhile, the middle and lower classes live in the streets, though safely protected by water, electric fence and Kaufman's own personal army. It doesn't take long for Kaufman's designs on "zombieworld" domination to fall apart, and when the flesh-eaters storm the city, Romero and his team of makeup wizards and computer FX men go to town on the pitiful population.\nNever before have we rooted for the undead as we do in "Land," and it's not only because they've acquired rudimentary problem-solving skills, but because the residents of Fiddler's Green are so smug about living so comfortably amidst the horrors going on outside their field of vision. Parallels to the class and political systems in our own society are unmistakable, and with Romero at the helm, almost certainly intentional. Of course we have our heroes in Riley (a stoic Simon Baker), Cholo (a fired-up John Leguizamo), Slack (an adorable Asia Argento) and Charlie (veteran character actor Robert Joy), yet we find ourselves rooting for the zombies, because the world is clearly theirs now. \nAs for the violence, it's brutal a majority of the time, and it seems the only way "Land" was granted an R rating was because most of the gore takes place at nighttime or in the shadows. The shock level still doesn't rise to the grand heights it did in "Dawn" or "Day" either because those films were debuted to a much less desensitized audience, or because back in the day, when he wasn't under the control of a major studio such as Universal, Romero felt freer to languish an extra few seconds on the visceral reaction of his victims being eaten alive. Regardless, "Land's" level of violence may still surprise those who are under the illusion that today's cookie cutter horror/popcorn flicks are actually violent in the least.\nDoes Romero's latest vision of a post-apocalyptic world live up to his previous outings with the genre he created? It certainly surpasses "Day of the Dead." It outdoes "Night of the Living Dead" from a sheer visual and fright standpoint, even if it can never live up to "Night's" historical importance. And while "Dawn of the Dead" will most likely forever remain Romero's personal Mona Lisa, "Land of the Dead" is miles ahead of most horror flicks the major studios are churning out these days, as it boasts Romero at the top of his game once more.
(06/30/05 12:41am)
George Romero invented the modern zombie film (and some say modern horror cinema) with "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968 -- a classic that packed just as many visceral scares as it did volleys of social commentary on relationships between different races and sexes. In 1978, he fashioned a barbed, zombie-filled critique of American consumer culture with "Dawn of the Dead," and in 1985 he took on unfounded Cold War paranoia with "Day of the Dead." With "Land of the Dead," Romero has once again concocted a gore fest specifically for the age in which we live.\nDuring the opening titles, we learn that the dead rose "some time ago," and soon we find out how the people of one particular unnamed city have learned to deal with the zombie menace. A rigid class system has been set up, with the rich taking shelter in a massive skyscraper known as Fiddler's Green, and run by the merciless Kaufman (Dennis Hopper, in typical creep-out mode). Meanwhile, the middle and lower classes live in the streets, though safely protected by water, electric fence and Kaufman's own personal army. It doesn't take long for Kaufman's designs on "zombieworld" domination to fall apart, and when the flesh-eaters storm the city, Romero and his team of makeup wizards and computer FX men go to town on the pitiful population.\nNever before have we rooted for the undead as we do in "Land," and it's not only because they've acquired rudimentary problem-solving skills, but because the residents of Fiddler's Green are so smug about living so comfortably amidst the horrors going on outside their field of vision. Parallels to the class and political systems in our own society are unmistakable, and with Romero at the helm, almost certainly intentional. Of course we have our heroes in Riley (a stoic Simon Baker), Cholo (a fired-up John Leguizamo), Slack (an adorable Asia Argento) and Charlie (veteran character actor Robert Joy), yet we find ourselves rooting for the zombies, because the world is clearly theirs now. \nAs for the violence, it's brutal a majority of the time, and it seems the only way "Land" was granted an R rating was because most of the gore takes place at nighttime or in the shadows. The shock level still doesn't rise to the grand heights it did in "Dawn" or "Day" either because those films were debuted to a much less desensitized audience, or because back in the day, when he wasn't under the control of a major studio such as Universal, Romero felt freer to languish an extra few seconds on the visceral reaction of his victims being eaten alive. Regardless, "Land's" level of violence may still surprise those who are under the illusion that today's cookie cutter horror/popcorn flicks are actually violent in the least.\nDoes Romero's latest vision of a post-apocalyptic world live up to his previous outings with the genre he created? It certainly surpasses "Day of the Dead." It outdoes "Night of the Living Dead" from a sheer visual and fright standpoint, even if it can never live up to "Night's" historical importance. And while "Dawn of the Dead" will most likely forever remain Romero's personal Mona Lisa, "Land of the Dead" is miles ahead of most horror flicks the major studios are churning out these days, as it boasts Romero at the top of his game once more.
(06/23/05 4:00am)
Bringing timeless rockers like Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses to Bloomington is an impossible task for Dave Kubiak, the manager at Bluebird Nightclub, but that's not stopping him from bringing the best imitation of them that he can. \n"In the summer we don't book a lot of our regular touring acts, so then we've got holes in our schedule. That's when we bring in a lot of tribute bands," Kubiak said. Some of the top tribute bands in the country are storming Bloomington's music scene this summer.\nThe online tribute band directory lists hundreds of bands ranging from '80s rockers to the Backstreet Boys. It's Kubiak's job to sort the tributes that don cheesy wigs and gaudy costumes from the bands that live up to the reputation of the real deal. \n"We try to get the tribute bands who cover someone that's already reached mass popularity. Then we find the band that replicates them the best. Like Zoso, they're amazing," Kubiak said. \nZoso has been recognized as being the best Led Zeppelin tribute band in the country. With long, natural hair, open shirts and flared jeans, Zoso has taken the stage at Bluebird multiple times. \n"Originally, it was our look that determined we would be a Led Zeppelin tribute. We were out in California, doing our own music and trying to get signed. That was back when bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn were really popular. No one wanted to hear the kind of music we were doing, so someone from an agency recommended we do a Zeppelin tribute band. At first we said no, but then we discussed it and decided to go ahead and do it. We never even saw the person that gave us the idea again," said Matt Jernigan, the lead singer of Zoso. \nStruggling to be heard in the music industry was the main reason several of the tribute bands that play in Bloomington formed.\n"Most original bands are just money pits. It was a constant struggle to get gigs," said Sonny Griffin, the guitarist from Wild Side, a Mötley Crüe tribute. "Being in a tribute band, you're not quite at the concert level, but you're a step ahead of regular bar cover bands."\nAnd don't make the mistake of calling bands like Zoso and Wild Side cover bands. Cover bands perform a wide range of songs from different artists. Tribute bands dedicate their entire performance and style to a single band. \n"We prefer to call ourselves a Led Zeppelin experience," said Jernigan. \nMany of the bands found that trying to form a respectable tribute band was almost as challenging as breaking into the music industry with their original music.\n"It's impossible for us to go out there and do our own stuff. You can't get up on stage and play your shitty unsolicited music. You're just going to piss people off," said Josh Winebrenner, the agent and bass player of Paradise City, a Guns N' Roses tribute.\nWinebrenner said he knew when his band decided to do a tribute they would have to completely emulate the original band, because that was who people were paying to see. \n"The first thing we did when we decided to be a tribute band was go to the Internet and get pictures of the original band. Then we went to theater shops to find outfits like leather pants to get that 1987 look. We decided everyone in the band had to have natural, long hair. We weren't doing wigs." said Winebrenner. \n"Then we would get videos of their concert performances and study them over and over. We gear all of our shows toward how Guns N' Roses did their concerts," said Winebrenner. "We're being successful now because we're not playing that acoustic crap other tribute bands are doing. We're being loud and in your face, just like it really was."\nGriffin said a huge part of the success of Wild Side was that his band already looked like Mötley Crüe. \n"When you already look like them, it's that much easier for the audience to just have a beer and let their imagination go to work," said Griffin. \nTribute bands are constantly trying to avoid the shadow of being "sell-outs" for imitating another band. Their success can last only as long as they can continue being the best representation of the original band there is.\n"We maintain a standard for ourselves every night we play," said Jernigan. "You're always going to make mistakes, but we make sure we never play at less than 85 percent every night. A bad night for us has got to be a good night for any other band. We've got to perfect the original performers as much as we can." \nLike any other band in the music industry, tribute bands have all dealt with their share of criticism.\n"We get looked down on from other bands that are doing original music. They think we sold out, but this is our job, so we just try to reproduce the original as best as we can," said Griffin. "A lot of people have walked up to us after a show and said we were actually better than the original Mötley Crüe, because we reproduce them right from the record. Live, the original Mötley Crüe didn't even do that." \nBands like Paradise City ask for the criticism. \n"We tell the audience to go to our Web site and tell us if they loved us. Tell us if we sucked. We've gotten criticism and we welcome it. It can really help you, and you can't take it too seriously. It's not our own material," Winebrenner said. \nEveryone from college students to die-hard fans of the original bands make up the audience for each tribute band. \n"I think kids want to come out and see tribute bands because they're curious and they want to see them fail. They want them to fall on their faces and screw up, and people just want to see if somebody can really look like Axl or Slash," said Winebrenner.\nJernigan credits the growing interest in tribute bands to a declining interest in mainstream music. \n"We get a lot of college kids at our shows who never got to see the real Zeppelin. I think the number one reason they come out is because they don't like the music their generation is producing. If our country really respected music culture we wouldn't have Britney Spears or boy bands that can't even play instruments," Jernigan said. \nProfessor Glenn Gass, who teaches a series of courses on rock & roll at IU, views tribute bands as the best chance a person has to see the bands they grew up with in concert. \n"You're not likely to hear Led Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses live ever again. I think tribute bands are a celebration of music that people have loved for a long time," said Gass. "There are some classic bands that are timeless. This is great music. You don't have to be embarrassed to like it. It's ok if you're listening to the same music your dad did, because it's great music." \nTribute bands like Zoso, Paradise City and Wild Side won't be around forever, but as long as they can still rock out a club in a pair of leather pants, they'll be the next best thing to the originals. Five years from now, Jernigan said he believes Zoso will still be the best Zeppelin experience in the country. \n"We've got a tremendous fan base. If people are still supporting us in five years -- and I think they will -- we'll keep doing it"
(06/23/05 2:10am)
Bringing timeless rockers like Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses to Bloomington is an impossible task for Dave Kubiak, the manager at Bluebird Nightclub, but that's not stopping him from bringing the best imitation of them that he can. \n"In the summer we don't book a lot of our regular touring acts, so then we've got holes in our schedule. That's when we bring in a lot of tribute bands," Kubiak said. Some of the top tribute bands in the country are storming Bloomington's music scene this summer.\nThe online tribute band directory lists hundreds of bands ranging from '80s rockers to the Backstreet Boys. It's Kubiak's job to sort the tributes that don cheesy wigs and gaudy costumes from the bands that live up to the reputation of the real deal. \n"We try to get the tribute bands who cover someone that's already reached mass popularity. Then we find the band that replicates them the best. Like Zoso, they're amazing," Kubiak said. \nZoso has been recognized as being the best Led Zeppelin tribute band in the country. With long, natural hair, open shirts and flared jeans, Zoso has taken the stage at Bluebird multiple times. \n"Originally, it was our look that determined we would be a Led Zeppelin tribute. We were out in California, doing our own music and trying to get signed. That was back when bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn were really popular. No one wanted to hear the kind of music we were doing, so someone from an agency recommended we do a Zeppelin tribute band. At first we said no, but then we discussed it and decided to go ahead and do it. We never even saw the person that gave us the idea again," said Matt Jernigan, the lead singer of Zoso. \nStruggling to be heard in the music industry was the main reason several of the tribute bands that play in Bloomington formed.\n"Most original bands are just money pits. It was a constant struggle to get gigs," said Sonny Griffin, the guitarist from Wild Side, a Mötley Crüe tribute. "Being in a tribute band, you're not quite at the concert level, but you're a step ahead of regular bar cover bands."\nAnd don't make the mistake of calling bands like Zoso and Wild Side cover bands. Cover bands perform a wide range of songs from different artists. Tribute bands dedicate their entire performance and style to a single band. \n"We prefer to call ourselves a Led Zeppelin experience," said Jernigan. \nMany of the bands found that trying to form a respectable tribute band was almost as challenging as breaking into the music industry with their original music.\n"It's impossible for us to go out there and do our own stuff. You can't get up on stage and play your shitty unsolicited music. You're just going to piss people off," said Josh Winebrenner, the agent and bass player of Paradise City, a Guns N' Roses tribute.\nWinebrenner said he knew when his band decided to do a tribute they would have to completely emulate the original band, because that was who people were paying to see. \n"The first thing we did when we decided to be a tribute band was go to the Internet and get pictures of the original band. Then we went to theater shops to find outfits like leather pants to get that 1987 look. We decided everyone in the band had to have natural, long hair. We weren't doing wigs." said Winebrenner. \n"Then we would get videos of their concert performances and study them over and over. We gear all of our shows toward how Guns N' Roses did their concerts," said Winebrenner. "We're being successful now because we're not playing that acoustic crap other tribute bands are doing. We're being loud and in your face, just like it really was."\nGriffin said a huge part of the success of Wild Side was that his band already looked like Mötley Crüe. \n"When you already look like them, it's that much easier for the audience to just have a beer and let their imagination go to work," said Griffin. \nTribute bands are constantly trying to avoid the shadow of being "sell-outs" for imitating another band. Their success can last only as long as they can continue being the best representation of the original band there is.\n"We maintain a standard for ourselves every night we play," said Jernigan. "You're always going to make mistakes, but we make sure we never play at less than 85 percent every night. A bad night for us has got to be a good night for any other band. We've got to perfect the original performers as much as we can." \nLike any other band in the music industry, tribute bands have all dealt with their share of criticism.\n"We get looked down on from other bands that are doing original music. They think we sold out, but this is our job, so we just try to reproduce the original as best as we can," said Griffin. "A lot of people have walked up to us after a show and said we were actually better than the original Mötley Crüe, because we reproduce them right from the record. Live, the original Mötley Crüe didn't even do that." \nBands like Paradise City ask for the criticism. \n"We tell the audience to go to our Web site and tell us if they loved us. Tell us if we sucked. We've gotten criticism and we welcome it. It can really help you, and you can't take it too seriously. It's not our own material," Winebrenner said. \nEveryone from college students to die-hard fans of the original bands make up the audience for each tribute band. \n"I think kids want to come out and see tribute bands because they're curious and they want to see them fail. They want them to fall on their faces and screw up, and people just want to see if somebody can really look like Axl or Slash," said Winebrenner.\nJernigan credits the growing interest in tribute bands to a declining interest in mainstream music. \n"We get a lot of college kids at our shows who never got to see the real Zeppelin. I think the number one reason they come out is because they don't like the music their generation is producing. If our country really respected music culture we wouldn't have Britney Spears or boy bands that can't even play instruments," Jernigan said. \nProfessor Glenn Gass, who teaches a series of courses on rock & roll at IU, views tribute bands as the best chance a person has to see the bands they grew up with in concert. \n"You're not likely to hear Led Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses live ever again. I think tribute bands are a celebration of music that people have loved for a long time," said Gass. "There are some classic bands that are timeless. This is great music. You don't have to be embarrassed to like it. It's ok if you're listening to the same music your dad did, because it's great music." \nTribute bands like Zoso, Paradise City and Wild Side won't be around forever, but as long as they can still rock out a club in a pair of leather pants, they'll be the next best thing to the originals. Five years from now, Jernigan said he believes Zoso will still be the best Zeppelin experience in the country. \n"We've got a tremendous fan base. If people are still supporting us in five years -- and I think they will -- we'll keep doing it"
(06/02/05 4:00am)
Bands that dress in matching costumes? It's been done. Bands releasing an album all about Valentine's Day? Maybe. Bands playing dodgeball with the audience in the middle of a show? Probably not. But Texas rock quartet the Awesome Cool Dudes don't think they're all that unusual. Their antics may attract fans, but it's the band's music that keeps fans coming back. \nThe four Hoosier natives begin a six-week tour on June 2 that stretches from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, and one stop includes their alma mater -- IU. \nIndeed Jay McElfresh, Cory Plump, Nate Lineback and Nate Cross were all once students in Bloomington. They each played with separate bands in school but eventually met through gigging around town. From there McElfresh, Plump and Lineback formed the Awesome Cool Dudes about three years ago and recorded their first self-titled debut, while Cross moved to New Orleans to pursue his own interests. One year later, the three-piece band contacted Cross and asked him to join them. Since then, the four members have based themselves in Austin, Texas. The city, a melting pot for music, fuels the band's peculiar tastes. \nBecause Austin serves as an intricate music network, the Awesome Cool Dudes have managed to align themselves with many other bands on the scene. An annual concert event, South by Southwest, helps them get acquainted with their peers every year. \n"Austin has this huge history of a music scene that really permeates and informs the scene now," Cross said. "I mean, all these young kids now are still referencing bands like 13th Floor Elevators, Roky Erikson, Butthole Surfers, the Dicks, etc., and all of those bands give Austin this history of a scene that really is true."\n"True" is a value the Awesome Cool Dudes cherish. Like any other band trying to succeed in a cutthroat industry, they maintain part-time jobs and hit the studio and road whenever they can. \n"We'd love to tour as much as possible if we could do it without having to keep jobs," said Cross. \nThe Awesome Cool Dudes have banged out six albums since their inception. Amidst the sweat and toil, the band has adopted a witty appeal. Among their costumes are "Grumpy Old Men"-esque fishing apparel, corporate takeover suits, colorful Haight Ashbury clothes and matching basketball jerseys. \n"Seriously, yes, we do plan on maintaining our comical image to a certain extent," said Cross. "We think it adds more to our music. We want people to see us in a comic way, but we also want people to know that we are serious about our music."\nThe Awesome Cool Dudes experiment with a great number of instruments to create a unique blend that largely contributes toward a 1980s kitsch. They mix and match beats and instruments until they achieve a sound that accompanies their quirky, humorous image. Besides the standard guitar/bass/keyboard/drum combination, the only common denominator in the band is a synthesizer.\nAt times they resemble a combination between Kraftwerk and the Beastie Boys. At other points they take on a Frank Zappa Dadaist approach, as seen in the opening melody for "Tall Green Grass," which simultaneously contains a bouncy hip-hop beat. Then there's "Left Hand in Hornet's Nest," which seems like it could be a number on a 1980's haunted house soundtrack. \nAmong an arsenal of instruments that includes the full advantages of a synthesizer, Awesome Cool Dudes utilize a slide guitar, a glockenspiel and a banjo. They tap into jazzy chord progressions ("4 Chair"), salsa rhythms ("Solito") and ballads ("Tap Dat Ass").\nOne can't forget to pay homage to those who proceeded in the musical realm, and Awesome Cool Dudes are no exception. With covers like "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young and "Drive" by The Cars, they expand their horizons and become more diverse.\nSo where do all these musical influences originate? When asked where their loyalties lay, the band rattles off an elongated list of underground groups, including the Radar Brothers, Giorgio Moroder, Disco Singles and Bruce Haack. A number of bands who play in the SXSW festival include Two Gallants, Chromatics, I Hate You When You're Pregnant and Neil Hamburger. \n"Meeting bands on the road and during SXSW has been really inspiring," Cross says, "as well as getting to chat with them and hear what they have to say from their experience."\nFrom their college home to their adopted hometown, the Dudes feel at home in both, no matter how different they are. \n"Much like Austin, Bloomington ... has more of a supportive feel than a competitive one," says Cross. "I just feel like Austin has a larger, more established scene because of the history. I think ... playing shows in Bloomington during college was just more of a learning experience, and it was just for fun, whereas now in Austin there is more at stake, I guess."\nAwesome Cool Dudes remain inspired by the audience from venue to venue. In return, they strive to make performances energetic, whether it's a crowd of five or a hundred. Attention to the crowd is a necessary part of their repertoire. \n"(Jay) is really great at interacting with the audience, which helps a lot being a touring band that no one knows anything about," said Cross. "It kind of helps calm people and let them get to know us."\nIn addition to costuming themselves and interacting with members of the audience, the Awesome Cool Dudes create their own rendition of the classic synchronization of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz." With the aid of Full House episodes, the band has managed to mesh their music with the likes of Danny Tanner and company. \nGuitarist Cory Plump is the evil genius behind the uncanny presentation.\n"It's sort of a secret code involving the episodes when the Beach Boys are guest stars, the Olsen twins and numerology contained in character Joey Gladstone's lines," said Plump. \nAs a way of making their music more accessible to fans, the Awesome Cool Dudes have made a majority of their songs available to be downloaded free of charge at their Web site, www.awesomecooldudes.com. \n"We'll never understand bands that talk about how hard it is to be on the road," said Cross. "You have to remind yourself that you are lucky to even have the chance to be playing for these people in the middle of Nowhere, USA."\nAs far as the future is concerned, Awesome Cool Dudes express a desire to tour Europe and continue "making better music." With devotion to the fans and a keen sense of humor, the band maintains a positive outlook for the road ahead. \n"We know that sometimes our music can seem like a complete joke to some people," said Cross. "But we want people to hear our music and know that we really do take it seriously and spend a lot of time working on it. I guess we just want people to hear something that they wouldn't expect or something that surprises them in a good way"
(06/02/05 4:00am)
Oh the Saturday matinee in the summer... It is always nice to take a break from the sun in an over air conditioned room with a cool beverage the size of your head and watch a film that does not ask you to think. I thought I was going to watch some cute, fuzzy animals gallop around on an exotic island and have a message about true friendship, and mostly that is what happens. However, "Madagascar" tries, unsuccessfully, to make us care.\n"Madagascar" is about a lion (Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and a giraffe (David Schwimmer) that are all friends in the Central Park Zoo. Marty, the zebra, is unhappy with his current habitat, and finds himself constantly daydreaming about living in the wild. However, the rest of his friends do not understand and believe living in a place where they are groomed, fed and adored by people everyday is great! After Marty has an interaction with some crazy penguins that are building a tunnel out of the zoo to their freedom in Antartica, he decides to break free. When his friends realize what he has done they take it upon themselves to save their friend from his big mistake. Unfortunately for them, their intervention plan backfires and gets them all shipped to Africa. The ship is taken over and the four friends are suddenly sent flying into the Atlantic, only to be tossed to the sandy shores of Madagascar. Before we know it the wild begins to bring out the "real" animal in the characters and their once strong friendship may meet disaster before they ever get off the island.\nIt would be nice to write about these characters as if I felt close to their sad stories and their beautiful friendships, but "Madagascar" never reaches that point. We have to enter the film caring about Marty's depression because the characters do not offer the audience a reason for sympathy. The film does have an all-star cast with voices all ages should recognize, but the two leads, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, play the same characters we usually see. Rock is still yelling every line like he is doing stand-up and Stiller is all big eyes and lots of hand motions.\nMaybe I am being too harsh on this film. I mean, the children in the theater definitely laughed a few times behind me. Also, the film does offer a couple interesting sequences that play on famous scenes from movies like "American Beauty" that adults will definitely pick up. In the end, "Madagascar" is a simple animated film failing to be more, but it works for a cheap summer matinee.
(06/02/05 4:00am)
Crash -- R\nStarring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon\nDirected by: Paul Haggis\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nEnsemble cast makes "Crash" excellent\nA\n\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- PG\nStarring: Martin Freeman, Mos Def, \nSam RockwellDirected by: Garth Jennings\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nA hilarious trip based on a classic book\nA-\n\nKicking & Screaming -- PG\nStarring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka\nDirected by: Jesse Dylan\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nFerrell should stay off the soccer field\nC+\n\nKingdom of Heaven -- R\nStarring: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson\nDirected by: Ridley Scott\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nScott makes "Kingdom" a true epic\nB+\n\nThe interpreter -- pg-13\nStarring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn\nDirected by: Sydney Pollack\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nKidman, Penn contribute good acting to so-so thriller\nB-\n\nThe longest yard -- PG-13\nStarring: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds\nDirected by: Peter Segal\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nSandler should go back to his old stuff\nB-\n\nMindhunters -- R\nStarring: LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathryn Morris\nDirected by: Renny Harlin\nShowing: Showplace East 11\n"Mindhunters" nothing but mindless\nD\n\nMadagascar -- G\nStarring Voices of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith\nDirected by: Eric Darmell and Tom McGrath\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nMindless kid's film doesn't impress\nB-\n\nStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith -- PG-13\nStarring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman\nDirected by: George Lucas\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nFinal Star Wars flick a worthwhile ride\nA
(06/02/05 4:00am)
I stepped into Chicago's Metro on Friday the 13th of May with complete confidence that I was going to be very lucky. The bill appeared to be a diverse cross-section of electronic music's up and coming artists playing in support of the granddaddy of progressive electronica, British duo Autechre. On their first tour since 2002, Autechre was on the road in support of their recent release Untitled. As promised by their label Warp Records, Autechre was to deliver a "devastating new live show -- a proper crowd mover." Autechre most certainly lived up to the hype. \nWelcomed to venue by the meticulously edited minimalist laptop-duo SND, I began to feel the weight that a full day of summer classes will have on a man who is standing in a semi-packed hall trying to decipher abstract clicks and pops at 12:15 a.m. on a Friday night. Before I could retire to the lounge like a beaten dog under a hail of synthetic glitch-hop, the cacophony began to take form. SND found their element, laying down some tastefully funky electronica with enough melody and odd metered rhythmic excursions to keep both the dance floor packed, and introspective head bobbers satisfied. Overtones of 2-Step and IDM crossed paths with synthetic minimalism reminiscent of Taylor Deupree's Still, enticing a growing audiences hunger for the main course. \nSND passed the momentum off to DJ Rob Hall, who played a brief, less-than-memorable set of techno ramblings and electro noodling. To be brutally honest, Rob Hall hijacked a now packed room's collective anticipation, turning it into an edgy, unfocused symphony of cell phone conversations and obligatory applause. In all fairness, there were undeniable moments of artistry, as smooth segues and very refined DJing defined this interim set. But with such cleanliness comes a level of predictability that doesn't sit well with the demanding, often elitist Autechre audience. \nAs Rob Hall's dance party faded out the lights dimmed. Autechre's Rob Brown and Shaun Booth took the stage with no antics or introductions, just smiles and a subtle head nods. Armed with an arsenal of synths and drum machines, Autechre was to go the show without the aid of laptops, treating the audience to a completely hardware based performance -- a true sign of chops. The set opened with gritty, percussive stylings that, through classics like 2003's Draft 7.30, have come to define Autechre. There were no lights, just darkness mixed with the glow of LED's that would periodically allow glimpses of Rob Brown cracking a sinister grin. \nThe audience wailed in ecstasy as the first sonically warped snare roll ripped through the crowd like a machine gun. Sean Booth immediately lit a cigarette in some kind of subconscious acknowledgment that the Metro was about to head into orbit. What followed was 90 minutes of synthetic fury that took the audience on a fluidly abstract, rhythmic journey into the darkest corners of progressive electronica. To decode an Autechre setlist is a near impossible feat, as clips and patterns from studio tracks make brief cameos in an incredibly manipulated, improvisatory set. The music is total brain candy and for the careful listener, this does not go without reward. There is some kind of manic pleasure that comes with recognizing "Xylin Room" as it emerges from total chaos, only to be buried under layers of some of the quirkiest granular mayhem imaginable. \nThe set didn't work on a standard format of tension and release, as there were no ups or downs, just a steady mid-tempo sonic excursion. The first noticeable break in the music came nearly an hour into the show, disrupting the near Zen-like state that had been collectively achieved. As quickly as Autechre stopped, they launched into the maniacal "LCC," the opening track off Untitled, which was met by raucous applause. A mosh pit consisting of four or five goons erupted in reaction to primal ferocity of "LCC," uncharacteristic of the typically meditative audience. Like mad scientists, Autechre are mad synthesists, tweaking the dials on countless machines, creating a demented brew of IDM, breakbeat and whatever genre people are foolish enough brand this music. Their sound is definitively Autechre, and that, simply put, is unclassifiable.
(06/02/05 2:25am)
I stepped into Chicago's Metro on Friday the 13th of May with complete confidence that I was going to be very lucky. The bill appeared to be a diverse cross-section of electronic music's up and coming artists playing in support of the granddaddy of progressive electronica, British duo Autechre. On their first tour since 2002, Autechre was on the road in support of their recent release Untitled. As promised by their label Warp Records, Autechre was to deliver a "devastating new live show -- a proper crowd mover." Autechre most certainly lived up to the hype. \nWelcomed to venue by the meticulously edited minimalist laptop-duo SND, I began to feel the weight that a full day of summer classes will have on a man who is standing in a semi-packed hall trying to decipher abstract clicks and pops at 12:15 a.m. on a Friday night. Before I could retire to the lounge like a beaten dog under a hail of synthetic glitch-hop, the cacophony began to take form. SND found their element, laying down some tastefully funky electronica with enough melody and odd metered rhythmic excursions to keep both the dance floor packed, and introspective head bobbers satisfied. Overtones of 2-Step and IDM crossed paths with synthetic minimalism reminiscent of Taylor Deupree's Still, enticing a growing audiences hunger for the main course. \nSND passed the momentum off to DJ Rob Hall, who played a brief, less-than-memorable set of techno ramblings and electro noodling. To be brutally honest, Rob Hall hijacked a now packed room's collective anticipation, turning it into an edgy, unfocused symphony of cell phone conversations and obligatory applause. In all fairness, there were undeniable moments of artistry, as smooth segues and very refined DJing defined this interim set. But with such cleanliness comes a level of predictability that doesn't sit well with the demanding, often elitist Autechre audience. \nAs Rob Hall's dance party faded out the lights dimmed. Autechre's Rob Brown and Shaun Booth took the stage with no antics or introductions, just smiles and a subtle head nods. Armed with an arsenal of synths and drum machines, Autechre was to go the show without the aid of laptops, treating the audience to a completely hardware based performance -- a true sign of chops. The set opened with gritty, percussive stylings that, through classics like 2003's Draft 7.30, have come to define Autechre. There were no lights, just darkness mixed with the glow of LED's that would periodically allow glimpses of Rob Brown cracking a sinister grin. \nThe audience wailed in ecstasy as the first sonically warped snare roll ripped through the crowd like a machine gun. Sean Booth immediately lit a cigarette in some kind of subconscious acknowledgment that the Metro was about to head into orbit. What followed was 90 minutes of synthetic fury that took the audience on a fluidly abstract, rhythmic journey into the darkest corners of progressive electronica. To decode an Autechre setlist is a near impossible feat, as clips and patterns from studio tracks make brief cameos in an incredibly manipulated, improvisatory set. The music is total brain candy and for the careful listener, this does not go without reward. There is some kind of manic pleasure that comes with recognizing "Xylin Room" as it emerges from total chaos, only to be buried under layers of some of the quirkiest granular mayhem imaginable. \nThe set didn't work on a standard format of tension and release, as there were no ups or downs, just a steady mid-tempo sonic excursion. The first noticeable break in the music came nearly an hour into the show, disrupting the near Zen-like state that had been collectively achieved. As quickly as Autechre stopped, they launched into the maniacal "LCC," the opening track off Untitled, which was met by raucous applause. A mosh pit consisting of four or five goons erupted in reaction to primal ferocity of "LCC," uncharacteristic of the typically meditative audience. Like mad scientists, Autechre are mad synthesists, tweaking the dials on countless machines, creating a demented brew of IDM, breakbeat and whatever genre people are foolish enough brand this music. Their sound is definitively Autechre, and that, simply put, is unclassifiable.
(06/02/05 2:24am)
Crash -- R\nStarring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon\nDirected by: Paul Haggis\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nEnsemble cast makes "Crash" excellent\nA\n\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- PG\nStarring: Martin Freeman, Mos Def, \nSam RockwellDirected by: Garth Jennings\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nA hilarious trip based on a classic book\nA-\n\nKicking & Screaming -- PG\nStarring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka\nDirected by: Jesse Dylan\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nFerrell should stay off the soccer field\nC+\n\nKingdom of Heaven -- R\nStarring: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson\nDirected by: Ridley Scott\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nScott makes "Kingdom" a true epic\nB+\n\nThe interpreter -- pg-13\nStarring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn\nDirected by: Sydney Pollack\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nKidman, Penn contribute good acting to so-so thriller\nB-\n\nThe longest yard -- PG-13\nStarring: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds\nDirected by: Peter Segal\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nSandler should go back to his old stuff\nB-\n\nMindhunters -- R\nStarring: LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathryn Morris\nDirected by: Renny Harlin\nShowing: Showplace East 11\n"Mindhunters" nothing but mindless\nD\n\nMadagascar -- G\nStarring Voices of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith\nDirected by: Eric Darmell and Tom McGrath\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nMindless kid's film doesn't impress\nB-\n\nStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith -- PG-13\nStarring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman\nDirected by: George Lucas\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nFinal Star Wars flick a worthwhile ride\nA