An Open Letter to the Wayans Brothers
(05/25/06 12:50am)
Dear Keenen, Marlon, Damon, Shawn and \nany others I may have \nforgotten,
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'Producers' hits the DVD stage
(05/25/06 12:49am)
It's unfair to call this new version of "The Producers" a remake of the classic 1968 film. While they do share the same plot, the new version is an adaptation of the stage musical complete with song and dance numbers and several new characters not in the original film. So even though Matthew Broderick is no Gene Wilder, and Zero Mostel's performance in the original is one of the greatest accomplishments in comedic history, the new "Producers" is still very enjoyable and damn funny.\nNathan Lane plays Max Bialystock, a washed up Broadway producer forced to sleep with little old ladies to raise funds for his plays. When his accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick) stumbles upon a scheme in which their play will earn more money if it is a failure rather than a hit, the two set out to find the worst play possible and discover it in "Springtime for Hitler," a musical written by a Nazi loyalist. Nearly 40 years after its first incarnation, Mel Brooks' concept is still original, brilliant and hilarious. Besides, there really isn't anything funnier than watching tap dancing Nazis. Brooks' songs are catchy and the lyrics insanely witty. In "Springtime for Hitler" a storm-trooper sings, "Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi party."\nThe movie is very faithful to the stage version. Both have the same director and much of the original cast returns, with Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman added for star power (both good fits, though Thurman's voice strains a little when having to belt longer notes). And while it's nice to see such loyalty, more creative work would've been useful. Sometimes it feels like a camera was just set up in front of the stage and the play was filmed. Some calming down is also needed as Lane and Broderick deliver many of their lines so over the top they'll exhaust the viewer. \nSpecial features include deleted scenes, most of which are reprises of musical numbers already in the film, and with an already running time of over two hours, were wisely kept out. However, "King of Broadway," one of the show's opening numbers, should have been kept in because not only is it funny, it helps introduce the character of Max. An "anatomy of a scene" feature chronicles the filming of "I Wanna be a Producer" and details the magnificent set and costuming. More of these anatomies should have been included. Mel Brooks is essentially absent from the features and his presence would have been perfect for Stroman's director commentary which is obviously scripted and sounds tense. Outtakes are also included. \nIt's a shame "The Producers" wasn't a box office hit. While moviegoers are usually skeptical about musicals, if just given the chance, the film could have appealed to the smart but immature comedy hungry audiences that made "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" such huge successes. The national tour of "The Producers" will stop in Bloomington in October, but until then the DVD is almost as good.
Metal Machine Masterpiece
(05/25/06 12:44am)
The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat is a rock masterpiece that sounds as if it were recorded in a machine shop, surrounded by speakers that were on the verge of blowing out. WL/WH, along with other Velvet Underground classics such as The Velvet Underground and Nico, is an album that many people say had a small following at first, but everyone who did listen to them went on to start bands of their own. VU has influenced a wide range of generations of loud and noisy rock bands -- from bands of the late 80's such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Butthole Surfers, to virtually every "indie rock" band of today like the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. \nThe Velvet Underground's fame appropriately began and grew during the underground art-rock scene of New York City in the late 1960's with its glamorous club kids, drugs and sexual experimentation. The pioneers of this era were visual artists like Andy Warhol, who produced The Velvet Underground and Nico, and Lou Reed, lead vocalist and guitarist for the Velvet Underground. \nWhite Light/White Heat was recorded in a span of only two days, which isn't too hard to believe if you've never heard it. It's raw and piercing, and one of the most persistent elements on the album is the feedback from the guitars. What made this album so special, along with many other Velvet Underground releases, was that it was revolutionary. It was punk, not in the traditional sense of imagery and style, but in the band's boorish lyrics and unconventional approach towards rock music. They laid down the foundation for noise rock, and it was unlike what other experimental bands did. Other bands of the 1960's may have experimented with sounds and music, but the Velvet Underground did so with things like distortion, frivolous sexual themes, spoken word and combinations of rock, blues, soul, and noise. Through the use of various instruments and sometimes things like everyday appliances, they produced sounds that were previously unheard. On the track "The Gift," John Cale recites a tale about the hardships of a long- distance relationship, making strong references to the sexual revolution of that time. Another track, titled "Sister Ray," is over 15 minutes long and features guitar parts that sound almost like police sirens. The opening track, "White Light/White Heat," is melodic at first and gets noisier as it progresses, and like the rest of the music on the album, Lou Reed's voice is raspy, but calm and cool.
Den of Thieves
(05/25/06 12:43am)
One thing Washington DC production duo Thievery Corporation have maintained over their decade-long discography is consistency, never straying far from the down-tempo electronica of 1996's classic, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. Thievery's sound is immediately recognizable to even the most casual fan, a sonic after-hours lounge exploration of dub, world and whatever else the chemists of chill see fit. Riding a wave of recent success, namely a spot on 2004's coveted Garden State soundtrack, as well as the triumph of 2005's politically charged The Cosmic Game, Thievery began to hit their stride. \nBut that wave has begun to break with Thievery's latest release Versions. Much like the gentle peaks of Thievery's live sets, Versions is simply a return to form after having taken it out a bit. The album is 18 dub remixes of artists as diverse as sarangi player Ustad Sultan Kahn and the Doors, with a couple Thievery "originals" dotting the mix. \nThe record begins its measured voyage with the Ustad Sultan Kahn track "Tarana". Tricked-out Indian vocals blend naturally with melancholic trip-hop reminiscent of Portishead's Dummy. The warm pop of vinyl hangs eerily in the background. Damien 03's "Habanos Days" receives a proper dub treatment and Nouvelle Vague's "Love Song" has that trademark cinematic Thievery vibe, a little swanky with a hint of Saint Germain jazz. The remixes have been taken so far out that it's hard to not call them originals themselves. This observation is never more apparent than with the remix of the Norah Jones track "Angels." Jones's airy voice delicately coasts along to the slow chug of a dub beat, the lyrics almost unrecognizable given Thievery's extensive rewiring. The group also lends their remix chops to the Doors "Strange Days." It takes great artistic responsibility to remix any work, but to take Jim Morrison and place him over a very highly produced dance track is blasphemous. Despite being a remix record, there are originals in the mix. Though few and far between, the originals all deliver. The track "Originality" is so authentically dubbed-out, it's hard to imagine that King Tubby could produce better results. \nAs diverse as the artists sampled, Thievery has the uncanny ability to make it all sound the same. This is a testament to having mastered their sound, but the end result is a mild album that one would expect to be full of risk. Versions will certainly serve as appropriate late night background music, but overall it's a clean production that lacks depth.
Rock's New Soldiers
(05/25/06 12:42am)
What do you get when you mix a rock fundamentalist with a one-man band? A gigantic creative force with some hefty musical output sounds about right. So goes the story of Jack White of the White Stripes and Brendan Benson, a native of Detroit and longtime friend of White. Joining them are bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler of the Greenhornes, an established alt-rock band from Cincinnati. \nThe Raconteurs materialized in the summer of 2005 and gained experience playing together when the Greenhornes opened for the White Stripes on the North American leg of their tour last year. Even though songs from their debut album Broken Boy Soldiers leaked onto the Internet more than a month before its official release date, the Raconteurs have surged ahead with confidence and are about to embark on a tour covering dates in North America and Europe. \nSoldiers strikes a nice balance between acoustic and electric tracks. The quirky psychedelic riff on "Level" sounds like White and Benson are playing their guitars underwater. That, teamed with a vintage 1960's fuzz guitar sound, makes it one of the standout tracks on the album. Another critical component in this song and other heavier numbers is the Vox organ, which has been revived after bands like Deep Purple popularized it in the 1970s. \nAs the album cover \nsuggests, these four occasionally play like a bunch of bruised-knuckled bar mongers on some rousing tracks. The band's broiling attitude bursts through especially on "Store Bought Bones," a raucous number that matches perfectly with a pub brawl. It displays White's classic frenzied guitar work and includes a frantic jam section towards the end with all instruments indulging in a few solo measures. \n "Blue Veins" presents an interesting midsection as well as some masterful studio engineering. One of the verses, sung by White, is looped backwards and creates an eerie effect that fits well with the bitterly lamenting lyrics. Hollow guitar sounds and a shuffling drum beat on the title track resemble a White Stripes tune, and references to boyish mischief and petty guilt in the lyrics assist in making it an easy favorite on the album. \n"Together" drags a bit and diminishes the overall flow of the album with its flat changes and repetitive lyrics, but it otherwise serves as one of only two disruptive tracks, along with "Call it a Day," that weakens Broken Boy Soldiers.\nTo a certain extent, the other three members tame White's rock savagery that has been familiar on White Stripes albums. Throughout he steps down as frontman and lets Benson take the mic. Interestingly enough the two seemingly polar opposite musical personalities form a becoming combination. Benson's warm low voice compliments White's high-pitched yowl on most tracks, and the two often create harmonies as well. \nWhile the album may lack an overall flow from track to track, there's a strong effort on many songs. An odd mixture of four-part Beatle-esque harmony and a blasé lyrical delivery on "Call it a Day" sounds a little conflicted. But the talent's right there, and the future looks promising for the Raconteurs if and when they collaborate on a second release.
Convoluted plot crushes 'Confidential'
(05/25/06 12:38am)
Director Terry Zwigoff and comic book writer Dan Clowes team up again in attempt to duplicate the success of 2001's "Ghost World." And while their newest collaboration, "Art School Confidential," has a devious sense of humor and wit comparable to "Ghost World," "Art School" is not able to sustain a sense of empathy for its characters, and therefore the film stumbles long before its resolution.\nJerome Platz (Minghella) is a geeky incoming art student at an East coast school who initially wants nothing more than to be a rich and successful artist. By the second act of the film, Jerome wants nothing more than Audrey (Myles), a beautiful art model who knows everyone in the local art community. Jerome figures that if he can prove to Audrey that he truly is a greater artist than pretty boy classmate Jonah (Matt Keeslar), he can win her love. \nThen comes a seemingly random side plot. In passing, there is mention of a killer on the loose in town who strangles his victims. No one knows when or where he will strike next, only that he will strike again. Somehow Zwigoff is able to combine, though not exactly justify, this plot point with the rest of the story by its end. \n"Art School Confidential" is cleverly humorous, but the film does not know what genre it is attempting. Jerome's struggle to win over Audrey indicates romantic comedy, the strangler side plot indicates murder mystery and then there is the film's focus on art, but it is not exactly an "art film." For this reason the plot seems almost too burdensome to get wrapped up in. \nA strong point of this film, as was with "Ghost World," is the fact that it repeatedly points out and exploits the notion that there is a thin line between art and bullshit. Furthermore, it also does a good job of making fun of stereotypes: The gay art teacher who gives only As (Malkovich), the kiss-ass student, the meditating hippy and all the students who think crappy art is great art. The art-satire, as well as brief appearances by Steve Buscemi and Anjelica Huston, are almost enough to redeem the film by its end.
Overly Boring
(05/25/06 12:33am)
In "Over the Hedge," a band of diminutive woodland creatures wake from a winter's hibernation only to find that all but a sliver of their homeland has been deforested and turned into a suburban habitat for humans. When a stranger, a raccoon with a secret agenda of his own, offers to solve the problem that this new development poses to the animals ability to supply themselves with food, they allow themselves to be lead "Over the Hedge" to steal food from the invading suburbanites. \nBased on the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, the movie features a turtle named Verne (Gary Shandling) as the sensible leader of the animals who is supplanted when RJ the raccoon (Bruce Willis) wins the group over after offering them their first taste of junk food. The group living with Verne in a hollow log consist of a wholesome family of Porcupine, a Skunk (Wanda Sykes) with poor self image, a hyperactive squirrel, an opossum (William Shatner) and his teenage daughter (Avril Lavigne). Nick Nolte, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are among the other notable talents who lend their voices to characters in the movie.\nThe number of celebrity voices does not in this case signify the quality of "Over the Hedge." In fact the film makes a disappointing addition to DreamWorks catalogue of animated titles. While the animation has the three-dimensional quality of films such as "Shrek," the style is unpleasantly goofy especially when it comes to character design, and in some important instances such as Verne the turtle, 3-D makes the character seem ugly and unendearing. \nThe story itself is rather thinly stretched to provide a movie's worth of entertainment. Too many of the jokes involve Verne losing his shell and exposing his rather human-looking backside. The most entertaining parts of the movie are the sequence about humans and their food that was shown in trailers for the film and also the interaction between Stella the Skunk and a Parisian tomcat that sadly gets less than five minutes of the films' running time. Any intended message about the strain that the development of suburbia puts on wild animals is downplayed and a predictable and overly sappy message about the love and acceptance of family feels like it has been awkwardly inserted into the plot. If you are desperate to occupy some children for a little while, "Over the Hedge" will do the trick, but if you are looking for a quality animated film experience, don't bother with this one.
Seeking the Holy Grail
(05/25/06 12:18am)
After two years and much anticipation, Dan Brown's controversial novel "The Da Vinci Code" has been brought to life on film. The controversy arose out of the novel's theories regarding one of the most ancient relics of the church, the Holy Grail. Apparently this theory has riled some members of the church, as well as members of the Christian community. \nI certainly haven't been able to turn on a TV in the last week or so without hearing all about the church's condemnation of the film, and their implorations that no Christian see it. Odd though, that the church would spend so much time and effort attempting to discredit a film they have pronounced to be ineffectual and totally inaccurate. Their staunch proposal that no real Christian would take this "absurd" premise seriously has been documented in no less than 24 "Cracking the Da Vinci Code" type books, and even a few preemptive TV specials. Strange behavior for such an unshakable and self-assured organization, no? \nTo be sure, the book and the film contain inaccuracies, exaggerations and shaky premises of argument, but many renowned books and films have had the same problems. This one, however, takes on the church, that shakiest of all premises of argument. And therein lies the rub. Luckily, however, the film is a piece of entertainment and should thusly be judged.\nScreenwriter Akiva Goldsmith's treatment of the novel is mostly accurate, changing only a few prominent details in an effort to cut the running length of the film. For all the critical guffaw I've been hearing about the film being boring, I can safely say it is anything but, if you're not someone who despises having to think about a film as you watch it. \nDan Brown's original novel was suspenseful and intriguing, if ungracefully written and starkly unpoetic. The novel, however, was a page-turner. The story begins with the elderly curator Jacques Sauniere racing through the Louvre museum in Paris, attempting to evade a murderer. When he is shot, he has just enough time to construct a labyrinthine message to his granddaughter Sophie and Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon. The clues lead to a scavenger/treasure Holy Grail hunt that has them trotting from Swiss banks, to mansions of old professors, to ancient churches in Great Britain. \nAs Robert Langdon, Tom Hanks was direly miscast. He is perpetually confused and never seems comfortable with the dialogue. Conversely, Audrey Tataou is perfectly cast as Cryptologist Sophie Neveu. She is compelling, \nintelligent and delivers her performance with the right mixture of awe and poise. Perhaps the best performance is delivered by Ian McKellen as the old English professor, Leigh Teabing, who brings to the character the right blend of austereness and an over-the-top zealotry worthy of Monty Python. Supporting cast include Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina and the ever-sublime and underappreciated Jean Reno as Inspector Bezu Fache. \nRon Howard has done an excellent job bringing the novel to the screen. The film is flawed, but not in any crucial way. And if you're compelled by any of the naysayers to stay away, maybe rent "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" instead, still the best Grail film ever made.
Fun at the 500
(05/25/06 12:14am)
Each Memorial Day weekend, people come from all over the country to witness the greatest spectacle in racing. What is not to love about the fastest cars in the world traveling at breakneck speeds. And for the lucky residents of Indiana it is all going down right here in the Hoosier State. \nA lot has changed since the first race in 1911. Over the years the Indianapolis 500 has evolved into more than just a car race. Today it is a major entertainment event. If you are heading up to the Brickyard this year, race fan or not, here are some of the things to see this Memorial Day weekend:
MORE TO INDIANA THAN JUST CORN
(05/25/06 12:06am)
Indiana Beach Amusement Resort is located in Monticello, IN and boasts five unique roller coasters for attendees' enjoyment.
This year's competitors
(05/25/06 12:06am)
This year's competitors:
Karaoke Kings
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Some say karaoke is the poor man's version of American Idol. \n For Derek Reckley, it's just another chance to get up on stage and do what he loves -- entertain people.\n Reckley, 23, an actor and IU theatre student, is also a self-proclaimed karaoke enthusiast. \n "It's become a huge thing, actually," Reckley said. That's an understatement.\n His stage name is D-Bone, which was a childhood nickname, and his shtick is with the soul music. For this IU student, karaoke is a passion.\n "I do soulful songs. I prance and do James Brown and stuff," he said. "[Karaoke] is just a fun way to get on the stage, experience the crowd and study what people enjoy."\n Reckley has taken that passion beyond the regular karaoke routine, finding the societal study of karaoke performing just as interesting as getting up there and doing it himself. He is in the process of filming a movie about karaoke with Pale Trio Productions. He's even performing in an interactive play about karaoke in June called The Age of Cynicism, or Karaoke Night at the Hog, which is being put on by the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\n Everyone has seen the karaoke stereotype, whether they've ever entered a karaoke bar or not. The drunken woman with her work friends gets up on stage, slurring her words dreadfully as she warbles off-key into the mic. The happy-go-lucky guy with just a few too many under his belt proclaims undying love to the tune of Bruce Springsteen while his college buddies howl with laughter.\n While Reckley thinks those moments are classic, he also believes there is a strange sort of art to the karaoke process, which he finds fascinating.\n "Trying to find an art behind it is quite amazing," he said. "It's strange what the crowd will respond to."\n He described how karaoke can empower ordinary people.\n "People who look like the type of person who would not sing on stage get the largest crowd reaction," he said. He told a story about a recent karaoke singer, a tiny, 50-year-old woman, who stood up in front of a large crowd and sang "I Will Survive." The audience roared with approval, giving her a huge amount of support that a typical, young 20-something wouldn't have received from the same song. \n "If you've got balls and you go up there and do it people will applaud you more," he said.\n Reckley also talked about how karaoke can be an addictive rush.\n In the moment when a person steps up to the mic to sing, there is a pause as the crowd waits. They're watching, and studying, and the singer finds they've suddenly got an adrenaline rush. \n It is the feeling of power that keeps people returning to the mic time and again. \n "For a little moment, they can feel like they are someone important," Reckley said. "It's sad in a way, but also kind of beautiful."\n The Age of Cynicism runs every evening at 8 PM. from June 1 through the 17 at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, located at 109 W. 7th Street.
Where to go to feed your karaoke addiction
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Bear's Place\nIf you are looking for a great karaoke time spent with friends, Bear's Place on 3rd Street is, well, the place. Thursday nights starting at 9 p.m. the back room throbs with the drunken warbles of college students having a good time. The DJ also has a good time, with a strong selection of music, and for a $2 cover charge the evening can be yours.
Ryder films' foreign face
(05/18/06 4:00am)
There are many unique experiences for Bloomington residents in the summer. Traffic on 10th is thinned, the quarries are still relatively accessible for those braving the "No Trespassing" signs and the Ryder Film Series is once again filling a variety of different venues with interesting, important and classic films.\nThe Ryder Film Series was started 25 years ago by Peter LoPilato. The then student, LoPilato had been hearing from friends in New York City about the many exciting films they were seeing, however none of these films ever seemed to make their way to Bloomington. LoPilato decided to change this. He began obtaining the rights to screen movies at Time-Out (now known as the Tap located on Walnut). These films showed at Time-Out for a few months before the club closed and LoPilato and the Ryder Film Series began its lasting relationship with the restaurant/bar Bear's Place. LoPilato was only 22 when he did this. "Physically I was 22, emotionally I was more around 14."\nLoPilato is still in charge of the Ryder Series and has since also started the Ryder Magazine, a monthly film program that offers news and features on Bloomington arts and popular culture and can be found virtually anywhere in Bloomington. \n"It's a business in the loosest sense of the word," LoPilato says about his work with the Ryder. "But it's closer to a hobby."\nThe Ryder Film Series now hosts film screenings at not only Bear's Place, but also the IU Fine Arts building, the Cinemat, Bryan Park and the Buskirk-Chumley. Old participants of the screenings may notice that Laughing Planet is no longer having its annual summer night screenings, this is due to the new daylight savings time change, where residents can now expect sunlight until 10PM. \n"Each venue has its own personality" explains LoPilato. Bear's Place, for example, offers moviegoers a chance to eat a meal, have a snack, or simply enjoy a drink in its 21 or over screening room. It's also suggested by the www.theryder.com that participants wear a sweater, even in summer, to a screening at Bear's Place, as it can be a bit on the chilly side.\nThe most recently added venue for film screenings is the Buskirk-Chumley. Last week they featured "The Battle of Algiers," the 1966 film by Gillo Pontecorvo that was commissioned by the Algerian government in an attempt to show an unbiased account of the country's revolution against France. \nThis upcoming Friday promises an even more exciting evening as Harry O'Hoyt's 1925 silent feature "The Lost World" will be screened as piano player William O'Brien provides a live performance of an originally scored soundtrack. The special effects are particularly of interest with this film as it is the first feature film to utilize stop motion animation which was created by Marcel Delgato who went on to do "King Kong" 8 years later. \nBeginning the first Monday in June, the Buskirk-Chumley will begin a Foreign Classic Film Series with screenings of the films at 7 PM and then again at 9PM. This event starts off with a kick as cinephiles are treated to an array of incredible classics beginning with the brilliant Italian director Federico Fellini's Oscar Nominated "Satyricon." The following week will feature "Last Tango in Paris" by director Bernardo Bertolucci and starring a still charismatic Marlon Brando. The foreign hits continue to roll the third week of June with Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 remarkable "Blow-Up." Each of these films are on the "must see list" for any fan of good movies and will be quite a treat on the screens of the Buskirk. \nOne of the reasons for the recent addition of the Buskirk to the list of Ryder screening locations is an attempt to offer fans of all different theater preferences a place to see these classic films. The Buskirk offers a more formal atmosphere for those who wish not to attend screenings at Bear's or the Cinemat, and for others who would rather avoid the IU campus' Fine Arts Building. \nThe IU Fine Arts Building screenings were added in part to accommodate Indiana University professors who felt the film screenings were important for underage students who were unable to get into Bear's Place. The Fine Art's building has two rooms for the screenings and much like Bear's Place, the Fine Art's screening can still be cold during summer, so dress accordingly.\nBryan Park, which has been host to Ryder's outdoor summer screenings for the past 8 years, will continue to screen movies this summer. This is an event that offers something for everyone and is quite the experience. The Ryder website invites people to "bring a blanket. Bring a snack. Bring a dog." But make sure to call ahead if there is a chance of rain, as screenings at Bryan Park are weather permitting. \nThe Cinemat is primarily a video rental store, but serves as a screening room for Ryder Films twice a week. There relationship started relatively recently, about 2 years ago, but is considered one of the more intimate places to see a Ryder Film. \nFor years, Peter LoPilato and the Ryder Film Series have offered Bloomington residents opportunities to see movies that aren't found on other theaters' screens. This year is no different and with the addition of the Buskirk-Chumley as a venue along with the Foreign Classic Film Series that begins in June, Bloomington will once again offer summer inhabitants and movie fans plenty of chances to enjoy a good movie, no matter what their preference of theater or film. \nFor more information on the Ryder, pick up their monthly magazine available all over campus, or visit their website at www.theryder.com. For film listings and showtimes call 339-2002.
Mindless, idiotic and marginally fun
(05/18/06 4:00am)
I don't understand our preoccupation with disaster movies. "Twister." "The Core." "Deep Impact." It's always the same; lots of people are killed or threatened by a hostile physical environment. And though you can basically interchange the titles for these movies, and they still manage to get made and sell tickets.\nWith that in mind, I'm not going to bother ripping apart a movie that's about an escape from an overturned cruise ship. There's no point in acknowledging that it's a remake of a 1972 film; that just points out that stupidity spans decades in the film industry. \nInstead, I'm going to accept a movie like "Poseidon" for what it is - idiotic - and I'm going to move on, cause I'm OK with that.\n"Poseidon" is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, a man whose career has been a pendulum swing between sucks and awesome. Yeah, he made "Das Boot," but he also made "The Perfect Storm" and "Troy."\nHis current film falls right in the middle. The back-story is nonexistent and the acting is mailed in -- flipping the ship over is explained by 30 seconds of monologue about a "deadly rogue wave" -- but again, you knew it was going to be like this.\nAnd its better that way.Anyone who will buy a ticket to something like this isn't interested in why Kurt Russell is the de facto leader of the surviving passengers it doesn't matter that he was a hero firefighter and the former mayor of New York; the film says so, so he just is. And again, I couldn't care less about Richard Dreyfuss' cheating homosexual lover, or if lone-wolf Josh Lucas is a cardshark with a heart of gold. What evens "Poseidon" out and makes it worth watching is its chaos. Its disaster. I mean, come on. The fucking movie is about an upside-down cruise ship that's sinking into the ocean. It's pretty easy to make that marginally entertaining, so enough with the talk and get to ship-flipping.\nPetersen recognizes this, keeps the bullshit to a minimum, and gets right to the action. \nPretty soon, that rogue wave catches an amazingly inept ship's crew completely off-guard, and everything is turned on its head. Kind of like in bizarro-world.\nWhen somebody dies - and the movie doesn't go long without that happening because almost everybody does - they die hard. You don't just fall down an elevator shaft in "Poseidon," your dumb ass falls, gets impaled by metal spikes and is sandwiched by the elevator car too. You don't just slip off of wreckage to fall hundreds of feet into jagged furniture, you also get totally rocked by a free-falling engine roughly the size of a Volkswagen Bus. Spoiler: that's how Kevin Dillon dies. He sucks, so you'll cheer.\nThese scenes are ridiculous and awesome at the same time, and thankfully, there are a lot of them. I'm not going to warn anyone to stay away from this film; you know what it is, and you know what you'll be getting yourself into. It's retarded, mindless drivel that plays to the moron in all of us but is still marginally fun. If you want to turn your brain off for an hour and a half and don't have any pot handy, go see "Poseidon," because there have been worse summer blockbusters.
'United 93' brings 9/11 memories to life
(05/18/06 4:00am)
One might think that Hollywood is trying to capitalize on the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil with "United 93," and while this is true to a point, the film was certainly made with a great deal of dignity and respect to the victims' families. \nIn directing this film, Paul Greengrass (whose previous works include "The Bourne Supremacy" and "Bloody Sunday") makes the audience into a direct observer of the events as they develop. He divides the film's focus between the passengers aboard flight 93 and the air traffic controllers and military personnel monitoring the situation from the ground. When the action is inside flight 93, the viewer becomes a passenger in the plane, and as the action shifts to the air traffic control center, the viewer is right in the middle of all the confusion. As the footage of the other planes crashing into the trade center towers plasters television screens in the air traffic control room, it feels like September 11th all over again. \nGreengrass further intensifies the reality of the film by allowing it to progress slowly, cutting between action in the air and on the ground, resulting in a real-time feel. Also, only unknown actors are used, and we learn almost nothing about any of the characters, just as their real life counterparts knew nothing about each other before boarding that plane. \nAt no point does the film make any judgments about any of the situations or characters. There are no poignant speeches and no behind-the-scenes politics, with the events left to the viewer for interpretation. Even the terrorists are shown in a human light. In one early scene, a soon-to-be hijacker calls a loved one for one last goodbye before he boards the plane. \n"United 93" may never have been the heroic story that is has become if it were not for an hour-long delay that held up the flight's takeoff. That slight twist of fate allowed the passengers time to hear about the other hijackings, and that coupled with a flight attendant seeing the pilots' murdered bodies, gave them the motivation to fight back. The terrified passengers knew that as a group, they could not sit idle and become a weapon of destruction. The last fifteen minutes of the film depicts their retaliation. When those passengers realized no one was going to save them, they accepted their fate and fought back. \n-- Doug Evans
Out of luck
(05/18/06 4:00am)
If Lindsay Lohan was trying to portray a more mature role and bring her acting career to a more serious level, then she is out of luck. It seems as if director Donald Petrie was going for something like his 2003's "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Yet, "Just My Luck" happens to be nothing but a slight step up for both Petrie and Lindsay from Lohan's "Freaky Friday.\nThis comedy tells a story of a Manhattan socialite, Ashley (Lohan), who is fresh out of college and trying to make a career for herself. It just so happens that Ashley is the luckiest person in the world. Living an extravagant life style and taking everything for granted, Ashley denies that it is all luck. On the other hand, we also meet Jake (played by Chris Pine), who is probably the unluckiest person in the world. Jake holds a job as a food runner/janitor/handyman at a local bowling alley, where he also "manages" an unknown British band that he promises to get a record deal. \nWhen Ashley throws a masked costume party for her company's client and record producer, Damon Phillips (Faizon Love), her boss is nothing but pleased and immediately promotes her. At the same party, Jake finds himself trying to get a promo CD of his band to Damon Phillips but is rejected at the door for not being on the party's list. Pretending to be a dancer for the party, Jake finds himself looking for Damon only to run into Ashley, with whom he begins to dance with. When Ashley and Jake kiss, Ashley accidentally swaps her luck with the rather unfortunate Jake.\nImmediately, Ashley's perfect life turns into a living hell while Jake finds himself moving on up to the good life, and, after the switch of fortunes, Ashley frantically searches all of New York for the mystery man who she gave her luck to. Like I mentioned, "Just My Luck" is merely a more mature version of "Freaky Friday." Lohan delivers an entertaining, yet, no-brainer performance, and being only the age of 20, I found it really hard to believe she was a college graduate. Relative newcomer Chris Pine's acting is done well but he is most notable because he is simply adorable and charming. "Luck" is more of a comedy than romantic comedy, though it does have a few mushy love scenes towards the end. I would definitely recommend it to young teenage girls, but that's probably all. It was entertaining while it lasted and I am glad that I saw it, but I have no interest in sitting through it again.
A stadium sized record
(05/18/06 4:00am)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are back after a four year hiatus. In their first release since 2002's By The Way, Anthony Kiedis and the gang bring you a double-disc effort titled Stadium Arcadium, which may at first sound like the name of a live album. This is far from what you will get. Two discs boasting 14 tracks each, for a grand total of 28 tunes for those of you too lazy to do the simple addition. \nStadium Arcadium is separated into two parts entitled Jupiter and Mars respectively. These titles really have nothing to do with the content of the album, but alas, they are there whether you like it or not. The first disc starts out with "Dani California," which sounds like it could be something from Tom Petty's archives. Jupiter swings back and forth between mellow, funky, and rockin'. "Hump de Bump," is a funky number that could be the brainchild of George Clinton. "Especially in Michigan," while trying to solicit the greatness of the 26th state in the Union, is a stand-out track, featuring a guitar solo from none other than Omar Rodriguez of Mars Volta fame. Jupiter has its slow parts as well, such as in the title track and the jazzy "Hey."\nMars is not much different from its counterpart. There tends to be more mellow tracks on this disc, but there's nothing exclusive to this disc that is left out on the previous one. "Desecration Smile" and "Hard To Concentrate" have a pop-ballad sound, but are still notable tracks. On "Readymade" guitar solos prevail from John Frusciante like something that Audioslave might put out, and "Storm in a Teacup" takes us back to something that you might find on Blood Sugar Sex Majik. This disc is softer in some areas, but there are still some pretty sweet Frusciante guitar solos to even out the mix.\nThe Red Hot Chili Peppers are extremely talented \nmusicians. This album does nothing less than showcase what they are capable of. Produced by Rick Rubin, it doesn't sound overproduced at all, which can be a downfall for popular bands like the Chili Peppers. Lyrically, the songs range from beautiful and poetic, to downright silly. I'm still trying to figure out what a rockapotomus is. Oh, and did I mention the artwork is cheesy?\nStadium Arcadium is a solid release. Twenty-eight tracks may be overwhelming, and there isn't any filler, so it's like you're getting two CDs, wait… actually you are. There is a little bit of overlap in material, but I didn't find myself bored at any time. This album collects the best elements of the Chili Peppers last four releases (Blood Sugar Sex Majik, One Hot Minute, Californication, and By The Way for those of you who have forgotten), puts them into a blender, and tosses them onto a lengthy, but rewarding set. This is possibly the best thing these guys have put out in the 23 years they have been a band. Definitely worth picking up this summer. Also, check out the Red Hot Chili Peppers at this year's Lollapolooza festival in Chicago.
Great name, decent debut
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Gnarls Barkley seems like the most unlikely of artistic progressions: a former Dirty South rapper turned soul star and a former Athens, Georgia DJ turned virtuoso hip-hop producer collaborate to form a side project influenced by Motown, Seattle and Manchester. Famous for mixing, producing or manipulating other people's work (his combination of Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatles' white album being the most notable), DJ Danger Mouse has finally delivered his own creative work (with vocals supplied by Goodie MOb's Cee-Lo Green).\nSupplied with biting production that varies from Gospel to rock grooves, St. Elsewhere almost works. In its moments of success, it's as phenomenal on first listen as Moby's Play seemed before every song was licensed. Green's voice is stunning -- it's probably the only non-synthesized instrument on this recording, but what an instrument it is -- and the well-developed rhythm central in every song keeps most tracks from being plodding.\nHowever, there is a serious lull in the middle of the album, and none of the tracks manage to shock and enthrall like the second, "Crazy." That song features a scratchy drum sample, a simple soul bassline and an absolutely jaw-dropping vocal performance from Green. Danger Mouse's recent success as the producer of Gorillaz's Demon Days is clearly audible, but "Crazy" is one of the only tracks that seems free of Damon Albarn's influence. It's a just a great song.\nUnfortunately, that high watermark is never again reached. "The Boogie Monster" tries to be spooky but only manages to be cloying, with Green's lyrics getting stupider as the song progresses. "Transformer," for all its creativity, is just flat-out annoying.\nThe later tracks ("Necromancing," "Storm Coming") take on a reggae influence that seems ill-fitting (Green even tries to channel Dizzie Rascal in the latter). They're not terrible, but they're not great either. "Who Cares" is one of the only success stories on the second half -- it uses minced '70s keyboards to supplement a great chord progression, and at times it seems reminiscent of some of the better downbeat Massive Attack songs.\nWhat's funny about collaborations like Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz or Handsome Boy Modeling School is the fact that the resulting albums are often times pretty disappointing. Sometimes the two creative forces yield stunning results -- this album has a few -- but on a whole, this record is no great departure from the norm.\nStill, despite what will be a short shelf life, St. Elsewhere deserves credit just for the few times its reach comes close to its grasp. Maybe, like Gorillaz, the second time will be the charm.
Spielberg expertly tackles terror
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Being the more substantial half of Steven Spielberg's red-letter 2005 (along with War of the Worlds), "Munich" tells the tale of the terrorist group Black September's hi-jacking of Munich Germany's 1972 Olympic Games during which they kidnaped and killed a group of Israeli athletes. The events are seen through the eyes of a secret group of hitmen contracted to assassinate those who helped plan the attack. The bulk of the film dramatizes these hitmen's experiences as they take out the planners one by one. Spielberg succeeds in endowing this spy-thriller with a political statement on terrorism and retaliation, and their place within the modern world.\nSpielberg and his collaborators are all working at their creative peak here, with Janusz Kaminski's geometric, hyper-kinetic cinematography heightening all moods, Michael Kahn's editing jarring and relaxing viewers based on the scene, and John Williams score ranging from relentlessly propulsive to exceptionally haunting. The screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth plays out like an intricate maze of political dialogue and stunning set pieces, all building to the somber but inevitable climax. The actors are uniformly excellent, with Eric Bana giving a breakout performance as group leader Avner. The supporting cast, featuring Geoffrey Rush, the new blonde-Bond Daniel Craig and a host of great foreign actors, help put a human face on the terrible events of the Munich aftermath. Lynn Cohen and Marie-Josée Croze help establish a small but effective female cast as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and a cunning female assassin respectively.\nThe two-disc Limited Edition of "Munich" is brimming with bonus features chronicling nearly every aspect of the filmmaking process. After a brief personal introduction from Spielberg, a series of mini-docs covering the main cast and international casting process, the cast and crew's life on the set, as well as the editing, sound design and orchestral scoring bring the film further into focus. The docs "Munich: Memories of the Event" and "Munich: Portrait of an Era" delve deep into the happenings of the actual Munich massacre and subsequent retaliation, as well as how the production designers and wardrobe staff helped re-create a wholly believable 1970's vibe. Missing from yet another Spielberg DVD release is any semblance of a full-length commentary track, but I suppose when the man offers us a film as near to perfection as this, we shouldn't quibble about his apprehension to discuss it in depth.\nDespite some claims that the film's bold political statements are as futile as the behaviors they condemn, and that the film comes off as anti-Israeli (a view held almost exclusively by Jews) or anti-Palestine (a view held almost exclusively by Palestinians and their sympathizers), "Munich" transcends criticism as it represents a great director on the top of his game for the first time since 1998's "Saving Private Ryan." It's spectacular cinema with a purpose, and we desperately need more films like it.
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