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(09/14/06 3:11am)
It's no simple task to evaluate tragedy from a critical perspective. It's even harder for me to admit that two of my favorite films of 2006 both deal with the events of September 11th, 2001. One of them (Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center") comes straight from the heart, while the other goes straight for the gut. Just as Stone's film strives for uplift amidst inconceivable circumstances, Paul Greengrass' United 93 achieves a documentary-like realism combined with an unflinching look at the madness of suicidal extremism.\nGreengrass and his cinematographer Barry Ackroyd chose to film "United 93" in an erratic, handheld style to heighten the sense of realism, and it's an extremely effective device. The decision was also made not to focus on any one or two particular characters as heroes, thus saving the film from any tired Hollywood action cliches. What we get is a dizzyingly candid look into the demise of Flight 93 and the utter confusion of the FAA and military on the ground. Once Flight 93 is in the air, the film unfolds in real time, and the drama is delivered simply by knowing that everyone on that plane has less than an hour left to live.\nAs the final moments approach, Greengrass delivers some of the best scenes on film this year. Once the passengers and flight attendants realize that New York City has been hit, they know what has to be done. Their attack on the hijackers is presented not as a glamorized takeover attempt but as a chaotic jumble of guttural screams, broken limbs, and spraying blood. It's almost too much to watch, yet the passengers' resolve to save their own lives is inspiration enough to render it worth watching.\nHonoring Flight 93's victims and their loved ones is the primary focus of the extras on this single disc, and the many interviews with family members add another level of emotion to the film itself. There is also an incredible amount of biography text on every one of the passengers and crew. Finally, Greengrass' full-length commentary track highlights the difficulty in bringing this story to the screen amidst constant criticism of it being "too soon" after 9/11 to do so.\nIt wasn't "too soon," however, as both United 93 and World Trade Center have proven. With all the books, television specials, and various other forms of media produced about 9/11 in the last five years, it's curious to me why only feature films based on the event seem to face such backlash against their production. 9/11 changed the world for the worse in so very many ways, and the vital impact of Greengrass' film is that it strips away all politics, patriotism, and pretense in order to present these events as they happened, in the context of a far more innocent world.
(09/14/06 3:08am)
The year 1987 ... seems like a long time ago. I was a mere two years of age, far from old enough to understand punk music, let alone music in general aside from Raffi and Sesame Street, if anything. But in 1987, four young kids would start a band that would set the standard for punk and ska music for years to come. \nOnly lasting two years and only putting out one LP, Operation Ivy is a household name for anyone that listens to punk and ska music, and many of today's heavy hitters include them as an influence. "Energy" is easily one of the best punk/ska albums of all time, placing Operation Ivy in the same territory as the Clash, Sex Pistols, and The Ramones. \n"Energy" is filled to the very brim with 27 songs, none longer than 3 minutes, and I can honestly say not a damn one is skippable. The guitars are catchy and simple. The drumming is tight. The vocals are raw, yet understandable and emotional. Nothing is overproduced, the recording quality is a little poor, but keeps things raw. The songs vary in tempo, and shift from fast and punk to slower and ska-oriented (the oboe in "Bad Town" is amazing). You'll never get bored, and when the CD's over, you'll have to hit play again and do it all over. \nThese songs are about controversial issues, and how justice should be implemented through unity. This isn't just a CD; this is a movement. Not just entertainment, but a way of life. It's hard to fathom the impact that these 27 tracks have had. \nOperation Ivy's legacy lives on. Bassist Matt Freeman and guitarist Tim Armstrong went on to form punk stalwarts Rancid (Armstrong also started a side project, The Transplants), and singer Jesse Michaels went on to form the more mellow punk/ska outfit Common Rider. This album means a great deal to me, and if you're into punk and ska and haven't already heard it (which would signal that there's something horribly wrong with you), then what the hell are you doing? Get it sorted!
(09/14/06 3:05am)
Wow, there's a new Iron Maiden CD out. I didn't know they were still around. I didn't know people still cared about them. Well, for what it's worth, "A Matter Of Life And Death" is some classic metal for the modern times. If you love cheesy, epic metal, then step forth and raise your chalice, for Iron Maiden is about the deliver what your moral self desires so. \nIron Maiden is a band that really hasn't progressed over the years. So if you listen to this CD, you've heard everything else they've ever put out. Thirty plus years of music, fourteen albums -- incredible to consider. But what you do have here is 10 tracks of straight up power metal, no bullshit, nothing radio-friendly, nothing fashionable about it. \nIt's hard to bash Iron Maiden when they're the ones that started this whole powermetal thing. Yes, the vocals sound like Journey. There would be no Dragonforce if it weren't for the boys in the Maiden. Being a metal fan, I can appreciate what these guys have done. And it's pretty impressive to see that they are still running strong after thirty years. \nThe tracks range from battle-front anthems to 80's ballads. "The Longest Day" is damn near 8 minutes long, and is a track that will bring you to your knees. "These Colours Don't Run" is epic, with dueling guitar solos; you'll want to raise your metal hand in the air and rock out air-guitar style. This band is so cheesy, but that's what makes them great. It's just fun music. There aren't many slaying tracks on this outing, and a lot of the songs sound very similar. But it's still an enjoyable listen. Iron Maiden have a sound of their own that has been imitated time and time again. \nSo ... the bottom line: Should you buy "A Matter Of Life And Death?" If you're a diehard fan of the Maiden, then yes. If you're just getting into them, this is not a bad place to start. Iron Maiden is definitely a novelty act, but if you love metal, then you can appreciate what they've done for the scene. Here, the view is good.
(09/14/06 3:01am)
Let's not beat around the bush: TV on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain" is one of this year's best rock albums. We're not talking "top-10" -- we're talking "top-3" or better. And I say this as a person who is not especially a fan of TVOTR (not that I dislike them), nor really into avant garde music, nor a person who tosses out A's like parade candy. Only time will tell, but "Cookie Mountain" might well be the band's masterpiece -- and if you fancy yourself a devotee of daring and sophisticated rock, you have to get this album.\nNot that "Cookie Mountain" will please everyone. Its pace is often slow, heavy and deliberate, its production chilly and unsettling, and some people will simply not get past the dissonant, simultaneous high-low vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone (and their various collaborators including, if you haven't heard already, David Bowie). All that said, "Cookie Mountain" is much more accessible than TVOTR's first album, 2004's "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes." While "Desperate Youth" was generally lauded by critics, (it won the 2004 Shorlist Music Prize and garnered attention thanks to single "Staring at the Sun") it was an album to be admired rather than loved. For all its technical skill and artistic ambition, track after track of hook-free droning made it less a collection of interesting songs than a roughly 45-minute meditation session -- interesting for a couple of plays, but doomed to gather dust on the shelf afterward.\nWith "Cookie Mountain," on the other hand, TVOTR do what made legends out of their idols Sonic Youth -- they pull their high-art music down from its pedestal, just close enough for us mere mortals to reach. While TVOTR hardly sound like anything else out there at the moment, the songs now have momentum and hooks, even sing-along choruses (albeit not in a "pump-your-fist" sort of way). The result is nothing short of stunning.\nFrom track to track, the band carries the listener through the sadness, fury, redemption and chaos of a post-apocalyptic world; they are clearly still pissed about the government's handling of Hurricane Katrina. Most surprising, perhaps, is first single, "Wolf Like Me," a bona fide rock song whose classic 4/4 beat (dum-dum-da-da-dum) will get your head bobbing while the closing chorus moves your lips ("we're howling forever, oo-oo!"). And, amaz ingly, in their abstract but poignant lyrics, TVOTR pull off the "Bono thing": simultaneously romantic, political and spiritual -- and if you think that's easy, ask Coldplay's Chris Martin.\nCritics often use the cliché "primal" to describe raw garage-rock acts such as Iggy Pop and the Stooges. TVOTR, however, show us what "primal" really sounds like. As complex as "Cookie Mountain" is, its simple, powerful, constant percussion; off-kilter multi-singer vocals; eerie guitar washes; and use of chants, flutes and other elements, make TVOTR sound less like a 21st century band than the unworldly music of ancient tribal ghosts dancing around an eternal bonfire.\nDare to join them?
(09/14/06 2:51am)
With "Idlewild," popular hip-hop duo Outkast try to reimagine old school gangster films and classic Hollywood musicals by injecting their modern rap style. It's an ambitious task. When it works, it works extremely well, but it often strains to connect the dots from element to element.\nSet in prohibition-era Georgia, the film follows life-long friends Percival (André Benjamin) and Rooster (Big Boi), who work at a speakeasy called "Church." Reserved Percival, who's been unhappily laboring away at his father's (Ben Veeren) funeral home for years instead of realizing his dreams as a songwriter, escapes through his piano while he backs up frontman Rooster (think a hip-hop Fred Astaire). When the club's owner is murdered by gangster Trumpy (Terrence Howard), Rooster inherits Church, and its debt, and turns things around by hiring a celebrity singer, Angel Davenport (newcomer Paula Patton). Unsatisfied by his payments, Trumpy starts a war with Rooster while Percival falls for Angel.\nThe film's savior is director Bryan Barber, who fills the film with lots of eye candy and popping effects. Barber brings much of the similar, original style to the film that he did to the music videos he's directed for the group. There's frenzied camera shifting, flipping and twirling. In some shots certain people freeze completely, while others' movements are sped up and mixed like a record player. Newspaper photos come to life, a talking flask offers Rooster advice, and dance scenes are slowed down to show just how elaborate and complex the choreography is. The style, similar to "Moulin Rouge," is something that could only be obtained through the median of film. \nBarber's contributions to the film aren't all positive; he also wrote the weak script. The story is pure paint-by-numbers gangster material thrown in with the whole "hardworking son trying to escape his overbearing father" arc. The film's voice-over, provided by Percival, gives us the age-old lesson: all the world's a stage and we're just performers making entrances and exits. Cliches making your head spin yet? \nWhat's worse, the film has trouble focusing on one specific plot element and irritatingly goes back and forth from the love story, the family issues, and the mafia war.\nConsidering this is a musical, the musical numbers should be the best part. However, they're too few and the music, while not bad, doesn't really fuse with the jazz style it seeks to. The background score is more entertaining that the original songs. While the songs may not shine, watching them performed is fun due to the cool way they're filmed. But, um, how do you make a musical and not have singing legends Vereen and Patti LaBelle (who makes a cameo) show their A game? Like much else in Idlewild, sheen takes the place of solidity, and the audience is left wanting.
(09/14/06 2:49am)
How do you turn a truly remarkable, mysterious story into a movie without it losing it to flopville? If you're the average director, you start by having one of Hollywood's top writers write you a script. But if you're director Allen Coulter (known for his work with "The Sopranos"), you may decide to pair up with someone like Paul Bernbaum and hope that, along with an all-star cast, your outcome is the exceptional movie, "Hollywoodland". In this case, your hopes would be justified. \nThe movie takes a deeper look at one of Hollywood's most mysterious deaths. Actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck), who made his film debut in "Gone With The Wind", was best known for playing Superman in television's "Adventures of Superman". On the night of June 16, 1959, Reeves died in his Hollywood Hills home from a single gunshot to his head, leaving behind his fiancée Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) and tons of shocked fans. The Los Angeles Police Department decides to close the case, leaving the conclusion that Reeves had committed suicide.\nBut Reeves' mother, Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), refuses to cope with the idea that her son ended his life. Convinced that there are non-suicidal circumstances surrounding the death, Helen hires private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), to investigate the death. Simo seems to believe that the affair Reeves had had with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins) may hold the truth behind Reeves unexpected death. Simo continues his quest for the truth and even risks his life to uncover Reeves' so-called suicide, while also finding the case has some connections to his own personal life.\nThe movie follows Simo's investigation while also showing flashbacks of Reeves before his death, which can make the movie a little hard to follow. Yet, overall, the movie was not only able to entertain but intrigue.\nAside from being well cast, "Hollywoodland" was beautifully shot, and able to recap the glamour of Tinseltown in the late 1950's. From the scenery and set to the constant lighting of cigarettes on screen, few movies have been able to recreate that period in time as believably as this. The acting was phenomenal. Diane Lane, Adrien Brody and Bob Hoskins' performances are all Oscar-worthy. And it's nice to see that the "Good Will Hunting" Ben Affleck is back (I know many thought we'd never see that side of him again after his recent movie flops). It seems he has finally redeemed himself.\nI left the movie amazed at learning it had a running time of just over 2 hours, as time seems to fly by in this movie. Even if you are unfamiliar with the story behind George Reeves' death, the movie will leave you hypnotized with the thought of whether the death was, in fact, a suicide or a murder committed by someone familiar with Reeves' personal life.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
Who knows what Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were thinking when they wrote this script. Maybe they were just eager to make their writing and directorial debut and didn't care how good the movie itself was. And I don't know what it is about Jason Statham("Snatch," "The Transporter") always choosing to star in movies with lame plots and lots of action. I don't think he's a bad actor -- I just think he makes bad decisions as to what roles to take.\n"Crank" wastes no time revealing what the movie is going to be about. Statham stars as Chev Chelios, a professional killer, who from the opening scene was injected with a fatal Chinese poison that slows his heart rate down and will eventually cause his heart to stop beating. The only way to stay alive is for Chev to keep his adrenaline going and his heart rate up. Chev spends the whole movie searching for Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo), the one who injected him, and hopes to get his revenge before his life is over. But as his death nears, Chev finds himself searching for any kind of adrenaline to keep his heart rate going, from drugs to energy drinks, he also drives through a mall while being chased by cops and holds up a hospital until they give him a drug to get the adrenaline going. Chev even makes his girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart) have sex with him in the middle of Chinatown surrounded by the public. I'm not going to give the ending away, so if you really want to know if Chev gets his revenge and whether or not he dies, you'll have to see the movie. I'd wait for the DVD. \nStatham is good as Chelios; he is a great action star, but might be typecasting himself with The Transporter films. Amy Smart is not in the movie until it's half over, playing a ditzy blonde who doesn't quite understand that Chev is really going to die until the movie is almost over. You will get a lot of laughs from this movie, believe it or not. Efren Ramirez (Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite") playing Kaylo, Chev's cross-dressing friend, makes a hilarious cameo.\nRunning at a mere hour and twenty three minutes, the movie seemed a lot longer. The camera angles and shots move so quickly that you end up feeling nauseous or walk out of the movie with a headache. With an "R" rating, from the drug use, violence and sexual conduct (Smart also performs sexual activities on Statham while he is driving to save their lives), this movie is definitely not for an audience younger than thirteen. \nIf you're going to see this movie, I think it's a see-the-movie-one-time kind of movie, so you just have to decide whether you want to waste your money going to the theatre or wait until the movie's released on DVD.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
Hollywood is notorious for being the town where production companies make huge blockbusters that people watch and love forever. While this is still true for some movies, the remake of British film classic "The Wicker Man" is not one of them.\nNicolas Cage stars as Sheriff Edward Malus who is drawn to a small island when an ex-girlfriend (Kate Beahan) asks him if he can provide any help in searching for her missing daughter. Along the way Malus is thrown further into the traditions of this Neo-pagan town and as the sheriff gets closer and closer to finding this girl he also get closer to the unimaginable wicker man.\nThe music is serviceable, as it is appropriate for a pagan horror movie, but it does not help salvage the drowning of this plot. As the story line is very similar to the original it packs very little punch and scene progression to allow you to buy into the whole story.\nThe original 1973 cult thriller is a sensational movie that is obviously still cherished by many people all over the world. Notice that I say all over the world as the original was not made in Hollywood. It is widely considered as one of the best movies to come out of Great Britain in the last 40 years. Hollywood did a disservice by touching it; perhaps it is time to hit the creative blocks again and leave the classics alone, yes?\nThis version is less than entertaining. Nicolas Cage just is not believable in his role as Edward Malus. He just was simply miscast as it probably would have been better if Edward Malus was played by a lesser known actor, one with experience in weird horror flicks. Regardless of who was cast, though, this movie has no place existing.\nIf you are looking for a great movie to go see this weekend then it would be smart to look through the selections one more time. Nobody should see this movie: it's waste of time and money.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
Jessica Simpson confuses the hell out of me. At first she was presented as a goody good songstress, molded from a strong Christian-rooted family. She was no sexy Britney Spears. And she was certainly no Xtina.\nThen came her vastly popular show with Nick Lachey, "Newlyweds," on MTV, and yup, that squeaky clean image quickly disappeared.\nShe was a temptress, the "it" girl of the early oughts, and well, she was really freakin' hot.\nHer dad starting talking about her huge chest. You get the picture.\nBut through it all, her music has pretty much stayed the same - safe, radio-friendly pop songs.\nBut on her newest effort, A Public Affair, Simpson goes in a bit of a new direction with her sound, churning out more a dance record at points than straight up pop.\nIt doesn't work.\nThe disc's lead track and first single "A Public Affair," sounds like a '70s disco cut with some sprinklings of early Madonna.\nSimpson also tries her hand at a cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." And if Pete Burns hasn't already laid a bitch slap on her by now for ruining his classic cut, it's probably coming very soon.\nThen it just gets embarrassing.\n"Swing with Me" is backed by a big band sound, complete with horns and rumbling drums. You know, like a swing song. Get it? "Swing with Me?" How clever!\nOn "Push your Tush" Simpson does some playful talking to start off the track. "Do you hear that cowbell?/Caca Caca Caca-doodle do" she says.\nHey look! Remember me? I was so goofy and silly on my MTV show! Here I am doing that same bit again on a song called "Push Your Tush." I'm so cute!\nOn a few tracks, such as "The Lover in Me" and "Back to You" Simpson harkens back to her safe pop song style. They come out as the most tolerable cuts on the disc.\nSometimes a change in sound works. (See Clarkson, Kelly.) And in some cases - like Simpson's - it just doesn't.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
This is the kind of music even white guys can find the rhythm to.\n"Game Theory" is the name of the new album released by the most musically gifted group in hip-hop, The Roots. Combining the beat prowess of ?uestlove and the dominant flow of Black Thought, "Game Theory" is the greatest hip-hop record this year.\nThis is the type of music that makes Levis and Coca-Cola commercials. The kind that where the entire town storms Main Street and jumps on the giant celebration float while hundreds of other gorgeous citizens cheer on the product like it's the second coming of freedom.\nAfter some of the group's fans whispered the group had gone too alternative, The Roots have come out with their darkest, most intense hip-hop album to date. Featuring more jazz and rock than rap, The Roots truly showcase their appreciation for different genres of music on "Game Theory."\nBefore the release of "Game Theory," the band from Philly signed with a close friend's record company. That friend just so happens to be some small rapper from New York who goes under the moniker Jay-Z. Ring any bells? Hova and his label, Def Jam Records, signed The Roots last September, marking the band's acceptance into mainstream hip-hop.\nWhat makes this album stand out from other Roots releases is Black Thought's masterful rhymes. Every time he says a verse you subconsciously become one with the beat, bobbing up and down. You know when athletes are given credit for not taking any plays off and playing 110 percent? The same can be said about Black Thought's rhymes. \nThe Roots send a political message in their song "False Media." In Black Thought's verse, he raps about President Bush and the ongoing war. "Hey it's me a monster ya'll done created / I've been inaugurated," he says at one point. Later in the song he raps, "Aim, fire, holla about a dolla, nothing is scared/We goin' pimp the shit out of nature /Send our troops to get my paper/Tell 'em stay away from them skyscrapers." \nThe cool and mellow sound of "Clock With No Hands" demonstrates The Roots' ability to change gears and slow it down. If there were hip-hop piano lounges, this song would be the mold. Roots crew keyboard player Kamal plays a lullaby-melody in the background that soothes the listener. \nThe album's title track, "Game Theory" is the 8 Mile song of the record. The song, like the entire album, is an abstract musical masterpiece. The song sounds like the type of song that's played as boxers enter the arena as they walk into the arena. This song could put life into Ted Williams's abdomen. \nThe entire album is noteworthy and showcases why The Roots, always highly-regarded, deserve even more of the hip-hop world's attention
(09/07/06 4:00am)
If you loved early-noughties garage-dance-punk, then these are depressing times. The indie world has embraced proggier, twee-er, less-accessible sounds (Sufjan, Beirut, The Knife -- bleh). The mainstream is eagerly blending the style with emo so it can be marketed to 12-year-old mall crawlers (Hellooo, She Wants Revenge!). And the bands that made up the movement are either deceased (The Libertines, Death From Above 1979) or looking to "expand" beyond their original sound (Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Hot Hot Heat, The Strokes, The White Stripes/Raconteurs, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.). This last category has met with varying levels of success.\nThis, then, brings us to Razorlight. Never a pioneering band, Razorlight continues to follow their peers -- this time, into the wilderness of post-garage arena rock. Now, don't get me wrong -- Razorlight's first album, "Up All Night," may have indicated that the band owed a round of beers to The Strokes and The Libertines, but it was lots of fun. They brought a flair for the dramatic that their stripped-down predecessors lacked -- call it pomp-garage rock. And they smartly pushed their biggest asset to the front -- charismatic, egomaniacal frontman, Johnny Borrell -- and, through his lyrics, told engaging stories about hipster London. Stories about indie rock posers ("Rock N Roll Lies"), about leaving the scene ("Don't Go Back To Dalston"), about nights of dizzying decadence ("In The City") and more.\nIn its best moments, Razorlight's self-titled second album follows this same route. "In The Morning," a sunny, disco-inflected boogie, paints the picture of the morning after the parties of "Up All Night" -- combining the blissful ignorance of alcoholic blackouts with a vague, but nagging, sense of guilt. On "America," the band broods along with a sad-sack Englishman who dreams of escaping to an idyllic America, while being simultaneously disturbed by the harsh realities portrayed in U.S. news stories.\nBut, on much of "Razorlight," Johnny Borrell puts his heart on his sleeve and tries to bare his soul to you lucky listeners -- and the result is predictable. The lyrical edge dulls, the images become vague and clichés start slipping loose. Which wouldn't be so bad if the instrumental side were more interesting -- but, remember, the band is now "expanding" its sound. For the most part, this means borrowing from the new-wave influenced pop ballads of the early 80's -- say the Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime," Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me," "Unforgettable Fire" era U2 or anything from the closing credits of any given 80's cult classic. (And, inexplicably, on "Who Needs Love?" -- doo-wop.) Not a bad style to cop -- but, it's hardly as exciting as the late-70's punks and post-punks that Razorlight were emulating before. Sincerity has replaced swagger, texture replaced fire -- and the result is that Razorlight has leapt from garage-punk to adult alternative. It may only be two years since "Up All Night," but in the interim Razorlight done grown old.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
The funniest and most bizarre show on television got even funnier and more bizarre in its third and final season, going out with a bang and not a whimper. Enough fuss has been made about Fox's decision to cancel Arrested Development midstream, but what more can be expected from the same roundtable that keeps the Fox News Channel going 24/7? The best that can be done is to celebrate the show for what it was, which was much, much more than any comedy currently on air.\nAside from a steady staff of amazing writers, the heart of the show (as with all the greats) is its cast of memorable, if not always likeable, characters. Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter play the patriarch and matriarch of the Bluth family with witty abandon, while the deadpan Will Arnett and gleefully pathetic Tony Hale bake sons Gob and Buster to golden-brown perfection. Portia de Rossi and David Cross always impress as Lindsay and Dr. Tobias Funke, and Jason Bateman deserves special note as Michael, the family's constantly bedraggled moral center.\nEpisode after episode, the writers and cast of Arrested Development continued to outdo themselves with labyrinthine plots, rapid-fire dialogue exchanges, and some of the best physical comedy since the silent era. If Season One kept things on a relatively even keel, and Season Two jolted everything way off-kilter, then Season Three is a balls-out spectacle of ridiculousness, where necrophiliac nurses, killer hair plugs, and Scott Baio all coexist in the same twisted O.C. (but don't call it that).\nExtras gracing this two-disc set include a cache of often-amusing deleted and extended scenes, selected episode commentary tracks with creator Mitchell Hurwitz and the cast, and an appropriately bittersweet look at the last day of location photography for the series. Also featured is another in the series of hilarious Arrested Development blooper reels, which are wasted on most comedy series but sparkle with a hint of mad genius in the hands of a cast and writers this talented and tuned-in to one another.\n285 minutes is far less time than Arrested Development deserved to bring a sense of closure to its legion of diehard fans, but that's all Fox allowed it. Instead, we've been blessed with three more years of The Simpsons and another shitty season of Family Guy to choke down. Negativity and resentment will get us nowhere, however, and at least we have this final, brilliant season of the Bluth family's madcap, acid-tongued exploits to remember them by.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
"We're not millionaires or barons. Our only treasure is our good name", says patriarch Don Vincenso (Saro Urzi) in "Seduced and Abandoned". It's a philosophy most people live by, but to him, it's more of a duty. As a result, he and his family are thrown into a series of emotionally distressing yet comedic events, sparked by the affair between his daughter Matilde's fiancé, Peppino (Aldo Puglisi) and his other daughter, Agnese (Stefania Sandrelli). Pietro Germi, who also wrote and directed "Divorce-Italian Style", offers another clever and amusing satire which provides a glimpse into the idiosyncrasies of Italian family values and traditions during the 1960's in small-town Sicily. \nIn addition, the film also makes light of the hypocrisies of the legal system and the scrutinizing townspeople which surround them. Like the typical Italian father, Don Vincenso is tense, cautious and extremely protective when it comes to his daughters. His daughter Matilde is set to marry Peppino, a young man from the village who is in college studying medicine and hoping to get a job in Rome. However, Peppino can't resist pursuing another of Don Vincenso's daughters, Agnese. She's seduced by Peppino while the rest of the family is sleeping on a hot summer's day, and gives in to Peppino's advancements without much hesitation. \nAfter the piece of a torn letter is discovered by Agnese's mother, which serves as a clue, the family's patience and tenacity are tested as they attempt to fix the shameful situation through attempted murder, forced marriages, blackmail, and kidnapping -- all in the name of family honor, of course. Several instances of misery and failure occur, and it's pretty easy to see how delusional these families are as they walk around town with their lawyers by their sides and their heads held high. \nPietro Germi's characters and the scenarios they put themselves in are delightfully silly and ironic. And although misdirected, one can't help but sympathize and admire patriarch Don Vincenso's nerve and determination. He keeps the humorous misadventures going in this tale of a family that's so concerned with reputation they don't realize their sacrifices are all detrimental, vain, and superficial. \nThis new Criterion Collection release features a newly restored hi-definiton digital transfer of the film, interviews with screenwriters Furon Scarpelli and Luciano Vincenzoni, Italian film scholar Mario Sesti and actors Stefania Sandrelli and Lando Buzzanca. It also includes Stefania Sandrelli's screen test, a theatrical trailer, a new and improved English subtitle translation, and an essay by film scholar Irene Bignardi.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
What if I were to tell you that Entourage became formulaic and stale in its third season with lame characters like Dom, and Weeds is getting more chronic every episode. Is that something you might be interested in? \nThe pace of Weeds flies by even though they start each episode the second the last episode ends. While Entourage meanders through finding Vince a new project week after week, Weeds' plot lines weave in and out. \nHaving Nancy (a drug dealer), go from never wanting to see a past flame (a DEA agent) again to marrying him in the third episode is a perfect example. Entourage would have drawn it out over a season and a half. It's getting to the point where I look forward to Lucky Louis on Sunday night more than Entourage, which used to be my favorite show. From the great opening song all the way through, Weeds is single-handedly making Showtime worth having. With a new guest star like Elvis Costello singing the "tickie tackie" theme song and an amazing cast, Weeds is smokin'. (Though I do miss the old theme song.) \nWeeds simply makes the audience care about the characters more than Entourage does. When Silas poked a hole in a condom before sleeping with his girlfriend everyone in the room with me gasped. You would have thought Maury had just told my roommate, "Benny -- in the case of little Jamal -- you are NOT the father," the way he was yelling and wildly throwing his arms around. \nThe only time I really cared about the characters in Entourage this season was when Turtle lost Saigon as a rapper. While both are advertised as comedies and Entourage has "Drama," Weeds would be a fascinating show strictly as a drama. \nI wanted Queens Boulevard to kick ass and have Vince be the next Scarface in "Medellin." I understand it's important to have ups and downs, but I never feel like the problems are real. Vince will always be working tight jobs and Ari will always be their agent. The only real problem they had is the fight in Vegas and they glossed over that the next episode like it never happened. Drama should have been too bruised up to shoot his pilot, Vince should have had to own up to his image going down and Eric should have gotten some shit for so poorly managing Vince. \nSpeaking of Eric, what happened to Sloan and why did the writers give up on developing Eric as a character all season? They gave us the ultimate man fantasy, the threesome, and managed to blow that for us. We got no hot scenes and it was so disappointing that I had a dream that night that a hottie wanted a threesome with me and my girlfriend and I turned it down. They ruined the dream.\nBoth shows had recent plots about masturbating, but while Johnny Drama's jerk-off in his trailer was funny, I was kind of blue-balled. Weeds had Andy's immaculate speech to Nancy's son to encourage him to stop masturbating in socks and flush them down the toilet. \nExplaining to his nephew Shane (hard to believe he was the voice of "Nemo") how to get the "Pearl Jam" out of his "Randy Johnson" with the help of a banana peel had me playing that clip all week on On Demand. \nEven without that speech, Andy is the most underrated character on T.V. Seriously, who even knows his name or anything he's been in before Weeds? His recent stint in rabbinical school, where he's basically just there to nail a hot rabbi, has been hilarious. \nEntourage is still a must see half hour, but it's become a caricature of itself. Ari especially. While he has always been larger than life, his "hug it out bitch" and Lloyd gay-bashing has gotten old. \nIt's essential to have cliffhangers, but who honestly believes Ari is done as Vince's agent? He just won the Emmy and is arguably the most popular character. You have to give us a reason to worry he wont be back. It's fun and a solid half hour, but it just doesn't have the pop it once had. \nThe whole Dom character arc was a waste of time and added nothing to the show. Seeing his ass every episode didn't help either. I did love Martin Landau as the senile producer, but still they need to get better guest stars than Seth Green, James Woods, and DJ AM. \nNext year IMDB reported that the hottest name is the biz is slatted for three episodes. That's right: Britney's boy toy K-Fed is taking his immaculate career to the next level. I guess William Hung was busy. \nIt's time for Entourage to regroup, hug it out, and get back to what made them so hot in the first place.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
For the first time in a couple of years, my DVR is being used to its fullest capacity. In the past five years the networks faltered and primetime programming fell into a deep reality TV abyss, one I thought we would never navigate our way out of. \nDon't get me wrong, for the first couple of years it was mildly entertaining to see how far people would go to win an exorbitant amount of money. \nIt had gotten to the point where if I turned on ABC and saw "I want to marry a chimpanzee," it really wouldn't have surprised me. Its kind of like that Geico commercial about "Tiny House." I remember seeing that commercial and thinking to myself, "Really? Another one of these?" \nNeedless to say, I'm so thankful for a fall schedule that reminds us why comedies and dramas were so popular. Not since the early days of "ER," "Friends," and "Seinfeld" have there been a handful of worthwhile shows to tune into each night. Now, I find myself DVR'ing tons of TV shows and planning nights to go watch "Prison Break," and "Weeds" because I simply can't miss them.\nFinally TV shows are compelling again. The writers and producers of these shows have gone back to the basics: shock and awe. \nThis summer I watched the entire 22-episode season of "Prison Break" in three days (my employer I'm sure noticed the yawns each morning, which marked a late night catching up on Scofield and Lincoln's latest drama inside Fox River. I just couldn't get enough. I needed to know what would happen next, so I cued up another episode.\nDon't even get me started on Weeds, a show I think tops the charts for being a crowd favorite and pushing the limits with twisted plots and risque writing. Never have characters been so compelling. After almost every episode I turn to the person next to me, who's jaw has usually dropped along with mine, as if to say "Did that really just happen?" \nWith new promising shows popping up across networks and cable stations and favorites like "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," and "The Office" returning for another go-around, I think its safe to say TV has returned to its rightful spot atop the entertainment mountain.\nSo, let me be the one to thank the major networks, HBO, Bravo and Showtime for collectively reminding us that primetime can be entertaining. Because as entertaining as it is to see people swap families, marry total strangers, lie on TV, eat animal genitalia, race each other to the ends of the earth and survive on a "real" remote island, I'll take true comedic talent and good acting any day.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
If you ask your grandparents (and some of your parents) what it meant to "go to the movies," their answer may be significantly different than yours.\nFifty years ago, few were the posh theaters with 20 screens, stadium seating, air conditioning and a smorgasbord of overpriced candy. And reserving tickets ahead of time online was not even a fathomable luxury.\nBack in the good ol' days, "catching a movie" suggested one thing; a nearly obsolete practice that's usually seen only in movies themselves: pulling up in your car to a drive-in theater.\nThe beloved drive-in made its debut on June 6, 1933, when it was invented by Richard M. Hollingshead during an experiment he held in the backyard of his New Jersey home. Hollingshead nailed a white sheet to a tree trunk, affixed a projector to the hood of his car and placed a radio behind the sheet for sound. He got in his car, rolled down the windows, and the rest is history.\nHe even tested under several different "weather conditions." He put his lawn sprinkler on high to emulate a rain storm. \nHollingshead's visions soon took him to the patent office, allowing him to open the country's first drive-in theater in Camden, New Jersey later that year.\nBy 1946, there were roughly around 200 drive-ins opened in the United States—a number that would quadruple in just two years.\n"With the concept of the drive-in theater being strange to most people, new drive-ins would host an 'open house' during the day to let people know what to expect," says driveintheater.com, one of the web's largest drive-in theater information databases. "They would show the future customers how to park, how the sound systems worked, and what food was available in the concession stands. Some drive-ins reported as many as 400 cars would show up for the open house."\nBy the end of World War II, drive-ins spanned nearly 30 states, each replete with plenty of parking space, a bustling concessions building and soon enough, playgrounds for patrons' kids to utilize during the movie.\nBy 1960, the number of drive-ins skyrocketed to a massive 5000. Not only that, but drive-ins single-handedly put many indoor theaters out of business—indoor cinemas reduced from 17,000 to 12,000 during the same years drive-ins saw such proliferation. \nDrive-ins also grew in physical size. Detroit and Lufkin, Texas enjoyed the largest theaters in the country, each with enough parking space to hold up to 3000 cars.\nAdditionally, more side features were added. Pony rides, miniature golf, petting zoos and talent shows became commonplace at drive-ins during the '50s.\nOne thing drive-ins didn't need more of, though, is patronage. They were more than comfortable with customers showing interest.\n"Many theaters would open three hours before the movie would start," says driveintheater.com.\nThe food served also became more serious. Gone were the days of simple chocolate bars and popcorn.\n"Theaters began to serve a wide variety of dinners, such as fried chicken, barbecued sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizza," says driveintheater.com. "A few theater owners even gave their customers the ability to order from their cars and have a car hop deliver. To increase sales, the intermission trailers were invented. Theaters using these gained increased sales between films."\nAnd so the trend of familiar images of dancing candy and soda singing, "Visit our concessions stand!" was born.\nUnfortunately, the buzz around drive-in theaters gradually started to decline as America entered the '60s and '70s. \nMany managers started to remove the playgrounds from their theaters. Screens started to suffer from wear and tear, while weeds and other signs of neglect claimed most of the parking space.\nTheaters slowly started closing down, and by 1990, the number of drive-ins in the country nose-dived to a miserable 900. People just lost interest.\n"Personally, I think going to a drive-in would be a lot of fun," says IU sophomore Rachel Skiles. "It's something different, and it would just be something really cool to do with a group of your friends."\nLuckily enough for IU students, faculty and Bloomington residents, there's a drive-in theater in close vicinity—making a nostalgic movie experience only a short drive away.\nThe Starlite Drive-In is located in Harrodsburg, about five miles south of Bloomington. They're open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and usually show two feature films. This past Labor Day weekend, they showed the new animated film "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." \n"I'd also like to go to a drive-in because they tend to be a lot cheaper than regular movie theaters," Skiles says.\nIndeed, admission to the Starlite is only six bucks, three bucks for patrons aged six to twelve and free admission for those under six years old. \nAnd as of 2005, drive-ins have already made a comeback in several states, including Texas.\n"Texas as it sees the biggest surge of drive-ins in decades," said Paul Weber of the Associated Press in an article that ran in the Victoria Advocate in Victoria, Texas. "At least five outdoor theaters have opened since 2003. \nAnd business has been so good at the three-screen Galaxy Drive-In that co-owner Marsha Murray points to a flat tract where the gravel and sod have already been groomed for a fourth screen. She hints that Galaxy may ultimately house as many as 12 screens."\nAs one can see, the allure of drive-ins has captured a new generation. While it may be an anachronism for many, you shouldn't knock it 'til you try it.\nJust remember to take the speaker out of your car at the end of the movie.
(09/07/06 4:00am)
(09/07/06 4:00am)
Research group Student Monitor conducted a recent study among America's college students which revealed that 73% of students surveyed rated iPods as more "in" than drinking beer.\nCongratulations, Apple. You have officially conquered the college demographic.\nBecause of the portable MP3 player's intimidating popularity, the iPod has become a household name with other brands like Ford and McDonald's. The gadget has become engrained into our culture.\nBut again, the American subculture that has probably been most influenced by the handheld, digital music craze is that of college students. Think about it: the chances of making it all the way to class without spotting at least one passerby with those white earbuds and wire running into their coat pocket are slim to nil. For many, it makes the walk to the always desolate parts of campus a bit more bearable.\nMany students find that their iPod listening bliss is not limited to when they are on the go, walking from building to building on campus. With iPod compatible speaker systems and stereos, the iPod has not only solidified its title as "most popular portable listening to device," but it has also become many students' primary source of music at home.\nHigh-end electronics dealer The Sharper Image has been at the forefront of the iPod speaker craze in recent years. With its wide selection of iPod-specific players and regular stereos that can have iPod-playing capability included as an additional feature, it's easy to find a speaker that's right for both you and your iPod.\nSome of the more popular—and more affordable—speakers include the iPulse and iSphere, both exclusive to The Sharper Image. \nThe iPulse is a speaker system designed for not only for iPods, but any MP3 player. Multicolored built-in lights alternate and pulse as the music plays for a both psychedelic audio and visual experience. The iPulse runs for $69.95.\nIts cousin speaker, the iSphere, uses the same "ZipConnect" technology that allows you to play both an iPod and MP3 player, but also features a built-in subwoofer in addition to the dual aluminum cones found in the iPulse. Plus, its spherical shape is just cool. Because of the improved bass quality, the iSphere will set you back a little more than the iPulse would, retailing at $89.95.\nBut the iPod speaker-seeking consumer can find more quirky, goofy and downright bizarre options at The Sharper Image.\nOne speaker that was wildly popular last year and continues to endear itself to customers today according to employees is the barking, whimpering and dancing iDog Musical Companion for iPod and MP3. The small, dog-shaped portable speaker that can fit in the palm of your hand lights up and dances to the beat of the song you're playing. Available in white, pink, black and blue and sells for $34.95.\nAlso in the way of fauna-inspired gizmos is the iFish Musical Pet. Similarly to the iDog, iFish dances and "swims" to the music's beat. It also lights up and responds to touch, spinning 180 degrees. This marine musical device goes for $49.95.\nFinally, in a truly weird means of playing music, the $29.95 miFlower animated MP3 player and clock not only plays your iPod, but serves as a clock as well. The speaker stands eight inches tall, and is in the shape of a daisy-esque flower in a pot. Its leaves wave, petals illuminate and LCD display flashes happy faces and hearts.\nYou can find any of these products at either of The Sharper Image's Indiana branches: at Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne or at Castleton in Indianapolis. You can also visit the company's website, www.sharperimage.com.\nBut some students prefer to pass on the more expensive products, like the iPulse that are more flashy, buying speakers for their computer and playing their iTunes that way.\n"I have a pair of Altec Lansing that cost $50," says junior Brett Gage. "They are great speakers for the price—definitely worth it."\nOr, if you're looking for a set of speakers that's cheap and compatible with now retired iPod generations, like the Shuffle, try looking at amazon.com or at J&R. The Logic3 IP105 i-Station Sound Deck for the iPod Shuffle can range in price from $19.95 to $34.95. \n"Logic's new i-Station 3 has an emerged as an ultra-low-cost portable docking speaker system," says Jeremy Horwitz, software reviewer on ilounge.com. "iLounge gives it an A."\nRegardless, both The Sharper Image and Best Buy still offer higher end iPod and MP3 speakers. Be warned, though, many of these products will cost you at least a price in the triple digits.\nBose, one of the most recognized and respected brand names in the audio industry, offers several options for crystal clear iPod-playing quality.\nThe Bose SoundDock Digital Music System runs for $299.95. Its sleek black design and thin profile gives you unmatched sound quality from a very small package. It comes complete with remote that allows you to switch tracks from afar. Just dock your iPod into the included docking cradle right in front of the speakers, and let the system do the rest. Conveniently enough, the SoundDock also charges your iPod while it plays its music, allowing you to listen to your playlists for an unlimited amount of time, free from worry of a dying battery or having to charge in between songs. \nApple also offers its own take on an iPod speaker. The Apple iPod Hi-Fi Compact Sound System has two three inch wide-range speaker cones and a five inch built-in subwoofer, providing deeper, richer tones to your iPod's music as it fills the room. Similarly to the SoundDock, the Hi-Fi system comes with a docking station that charges your iPod as it plays. Additionally, the docking station is universal, making it compatible with any iPod version under the sun. The included remote allows you control from up to thirty feet away, and the entire unit just plugs into a standard outlet using an AC adapter, or you can run it on six D batteries. The Hi-Fi system costs $349.99 at Best Buy.\nSo, clearly, whether you're looking for a way to enjoy your iPod in other ways than making the trudge to class a tolerable one or not, you can still find fantastic deals and great product quality in any of these iPod speaker systems. \nThat is, if you're willing to go a few months without pizza money.
(09/07/06 3:05am)
Research group Student Monitor conducted a recent study among America's college students which revealed that 73% of students surveyed rated iPods as more "in" than drinking beer.\nCongratulations, Apple. You have officially conquered the college demographic.\nBecause of the portable MP3 player's intimidating popularity, the iPod has become a household name with other brands like Ford and McDonald's. The gadget has become engrained into our culture.\nBut again, the American subculture that has probably been most influenced by the handheld, digital music craze is that of college students. Think about it: the chances of making it all the way to class without spotting at least one passerby with those white earbuds and wire running into their coat pocket are slim to nil. For many, it makes the walk to the always desolate parts of campus a bit more bearable.\nMany students find that their iPod listening bliss is not limited to when they are on the go, walking from building to building on campus. With iPod compatible speaker systems and stereos, the iPod has not only solidified its title as "most popular portable listening to device," but it has also become many students' primary source of music at home.\nHigh-end electronics dealer The Sharper Image has been at the forefront of the iPod speaker craze in recent years. With its wide selection of iPod-specific players and regular stereos that can have iPod-playing capability included as an additional feature, it's easy to find a speaker that's right for both you and your iPod.\nSome of the more popular—and more affordable—speakers include the iPulse and iSphere, both exclusive to The Sharper Image. \nThe iPulse is a speaker system designed for not only for iPods, but any MP3 player. Multicolored built-in lights alternate and pulse as the music plays for a both psychedelic audio and visual experience. The iPulse runs for $69.95.\nIts cousin speaker, the iSphere, uses the same "ZipConnect" technology that allows you to play both an iPod and MP3 player, but also features a built-in subwoofer in addition to the dual aluminum cones found in the iPulse. Plus, its spherical shape is just cool. Because of the improved bass quality, the iSphere will set you back a little more than the iPulse would, retailing at $89.95.\nBut the iPod speaker-seeking consumer can find more quirky, goofy and downright bizarre options at The Sharper Image.\nOne speaker that was wildly popular last year and continues to endear itself to customers today according to employees is the barking, whimpering and dancing iDog Musical Companion for iPod and MP3. The small, dog-shaped portable speaker that can fit in the palm of your hand lights up and dances to the beat of the song you're playing. Available in white, pink, black and blue and sells for $34.95.\nAlso in the way of fauna-inspired gizmos is the iFish Musical Pet. Similarly to the iDog, iFish dances and "swims" to the music's beat. It also lights up and responds to touch, spinning 180 degrees. This marine musical device goes for $49.95.\nFinally, in a truly weird means of playing music, the $29.95 miFlower animated MP3 player and clock not only plays your iPod, but serves as a clock as well. The speaker stands eight inches tall, and is in the shape of a daisy-esque flower in a pot. Its leaves wave, petals illuminate and LCD display flashes happy faces and hearts.\nYou can find any of these products at either of The Sharper Image's Indiana branches: at Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne or at Castleton in Indianapolis. You can also visit the company's website, www.sharperimage.com.\nBut some students prefer to pass on the more expensive products, like the iPulse that are more flashy, buying speakers for their computer and playing their iTunes that way.\n"I have a pair of Altec Lansing that cost $50," says junior Brett Gage. "They are great speakers for the price—definitely worth it."\nOr, if you're looking for a set of speakers that's cheap and compatible with now retired iPod generations, like the Shuffle, try looking at amazon.com or at J&R. The Logic3 IP105 i-Station Sound Deck for the iPod Shuffle can range in price from $19.95 to $34.95. \n"Logic's new i-Station 3 has an emerged as an ultra-low-cost portable docking speaker system," says Jeremy Horwitz, software reviewer on ilounge.com. "iLounge gives it an A."\nRegardless, both The Sharper Image and Best Buy still offer higher end iPod and MP3 speakers. Be warned, though, many of these products will cost you at least a price in the triple digits.\nBose, one of the most recognized and respected brand names in the audio industry, offers several options for crystal clear iPod-playing quality.\nThe Bose SoundDock Digital Music System runs for $299.95. Its sleek black design and thin profile gives you unmatched sound quality from a very small package. It comes complete with remote that allows you to switch tracks from afar. Just dock your iPod into the included docking cradle right in front of the speakers, and let the system do the rest. Conveniently enough, the SoundDock also charges your iPod while it plays its music, allowing you to listen to your playlists for an unlimited amount of time, free from worry of a dying battery or having to charge in between songs. \nApple also offers its own take on an iPod speaker. The Apple iPod Hi-Fi Compact Sound System has two three inch wide-range speaker cones and a five inch built-in subwoofer, providing deeper, richer tones to your iPod's music as it fills the room. Similarly to the SoundDock, the Hi-Fi system comes with a docking station that charges your iPod as it plays. Additionally, the docking station is universal, making it compatible with any iPod version under the sun. The included remote allows you control from up to thirty feet away, and the entire unit just plugs into a standard outlet using an AC adapter, or you can run it on six D batteries. The Hi-Fi system costs $349.99 at Best Buy.\nSo, clearly, whether you're looking for a way to enjoy your iPod in other ways than making the trudge to class a tolerable one or not, you can still find fantastic deals and great product quality in any of these iPod speaker systems. \nThat is, if you're willing to go a few months without pizza money.
(09/07/06 3:03am)
