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(02/24/10 5:25pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Martin Scorsese’s newest film is something he rarely makes: a suspense thriller. Despite some major problems, “Shutter Island” sustains a sense of dread that keeps the adrenaline flowing.Leonardo DiCaprio is a federal marshal who has been sent to an island insane asylum to find an escaped murderer. He’s accompanied by a brand new partner (Mark Ruffalo). On the island, the marshals meet with the asylum’s chief psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley). The doctor is warm yet evasive, as if he’s hiding something.Whatever the doctor’s secrets are, everyone knows except DiCaprio; all the inmates he questions have been coached, and no one will reveal what has happened on the island. It doesn’t help to ease his mind when an inmate scrawls a single word in his notebook: “Run.”The next section of the film plunges into the depths of paranoia and insanity. DiCaprio even begins to have hallucinations of his murdered wife and the starving bodies he liberated from Dachau.Scorsese’s aesthetic sense is present around every darkened corner — unorthodox crane and aerial shots stylize the film, giving the impression that someone is always watching from the shadows. The desaturated colors suggest the island has never known a sunny day.Unfortunately, the constant sense of unease that’s created by these elements is sometimes too much. Lighter moments would have offered some contrast and made the horrific parts even more devastating.Some will also complain about the ending. Yes, it’s been done before, but there really isn’t a logical way around it, and the film takes great pains to throw in plenty of clues leading up to the end which will only be caught on a second viewing.“Shutter Island” finds Scorsese more concerned with making a simple genre film than high art, but that doesn’t stop it from being a superior thriller.
(02/17/10 7:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Soldier of Love,” Sade’s first album in 10 years, follows the same format as all of her previous releases. Full of relaxed beats and reserved vocals, there aren’t many surprises. But that doesn’t necessarily matter when the formula still works.“Soldier” isn’t an album to rock out to, but rather to groove to. Sade’s vocals soar over the mix without much processing but with an emotional detachment; she sounds like she is incapable of getting worked up over anything.Variety is usually a virtue of music, but in this case, it signals the album’s lesser moments. “Babyfather” is too sunny and almost silly, while “Be That Easy” removes the customary beats and replaces them with an out-of-place country waltz.Although this album doesn’t break any new ground, it covers the same thing well. And consistency remains Sade’s greatest strength.
(02/10/10 5:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Zombieland” is another entry in the relatively new sub-genre of zombie comedies. Although it doesn’t break any new ground, the film serves up plenty of laughs mixed with a liberal amount of blood.Jesse Eisenberg plays Columbus (his city of origin), a neurotic teen who survives a mad cow-like outbreak only because he never leaves his apartment. He meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and two con-artist sisters during his journey as the group sets out to find a supposedly zombie-free amusement park.The funniest scene takes place during a detour to Bill Murray’s mansion. Turns out, he’s still kicking. Cameos like this usually sink movies, but Murray makes it work simply by existing.“Zombieland” has the difficult task of straddling comedy and horror. It succeeds at getting laughs, as well as upsetting stomachs.
(02/08/10 2:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Splattered in blood, grasping the knife with which she has just murdered her brand new husband, Lucia stumbles across the stage in a stupor. Her mind nearly gone, she muses about her true love while onlookers stare in shock. This is the culmination of family plots and deceit in IU’s production of “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The opera opened Friday and will conclude its run with two performances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.“Lucia” follows its title character, who has fallen in love with Edgardo, the leader of a rival family. But Lucia’s brother Enrico has other plans for her: He wants her to marry Arturo, a lord who might be able to rescue their fortunes.After Enrico fools Lucia into thinking Edgardo has deserted her, she gives in and marries Arturo. Then, in a fit of madness, she murders Arturo, all the while dreaming out loud about her fantasy wedding to Edgardo. Angela Kloc, a first-year graduate student who portrayed Lucia on opening night, said the madness scene is one of the most important parts of the opera.“This scene is what the audience always waits for and will always be bone-chilling,” Kloc said.Senior Christina Brumfield, who attended the Friday opening performance, said she had mixed feelings about the opera but enjoyed the madness scene. “There wasn’t much action in it,” Brumfield said. “But the madness was the best part.”Although the scene is a pivotal part of the opera, many earlier scenes appear andsound cheerful despite the dark subject matter. For example, Lucia’s recollection of a ghost sighting featured upbeat tones and melodies.Arthur Fagen, conductor of the performances and professor in the Jacobs School of Music, said the opera is full of striking scenes. “It’s one of these Bel canto operas, which have such a highly charged emotional and dramatic content,” he said.Stage director James Marvel said he wanted to explore new character depths when he created the opera.“I believe our approach to Enrico’s character shows his vulnerable side more explicitly than most productions, and I also believe our interpretation of Edgardo is a bit stronger and less inclined towards self pity than many productions,” Marvel said. Besides more realistic male characters, Kloc said Lucia has universal appeal. “She is a young girl trying to simply live her life and to try to find happiness,” Kloc said.
(02/03/10 6:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Magnetic Fields’ Stephen Merritt’s decision to record two polar opposite albums probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Despite that, the second album, “Realism,” falls short of the bar he set with partner “Distortion.”Where “Distortion” sounded like Merritt’s pop-esque songs had been recorded in some kind of factory, “Realism” is clear and crisp, with sparkling strings and twinkling bells, a relief after the constant fuzz of the previous album.Unfortunately, this set of songs never really manages to develop. “Three-Way,” a song from “Distortion,” consisted of shouting the title repeatedly over a surf guitar line; it was funny and light-hearted in a way that “We Are Having a Hootenanny,” which follows the same formula, fails to be.Still, there are stand-outs, like “You Must Be Out of Your Mind” and “The Dada Polka.” All the songs are fine, but few have something below the surface.
(02/03/10 6:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Death is one of the most universal inspirations for art. Near-death experiences are pretty darn close. Charlotte Gainsbourg’s “IRM,” produced by Beck, mixes the angst of her experience with tantalizing hints of flowery French pop.After learning that she had suffered a brain hemorrhage, Gainsbourg continued to receive scans months after being cleared (IRM is the French arrangement of MRI). This experience shapes the sounds of the album, with mechanical buzzing and whirring sounds permeating the title track and “Master’s Hand.”Gainsbourg’s primary collaborator Beck influences much of the sound of “IRM.” He writes most of the songs, plays the majority of the instruments and occasionally joins in on the vocals. His characteristic funky drumbeats and acoustic guitars lighten the album and keep it from drifting into the morose.Although sometimes dark, “IRM” is often touching and shows that Gainsbourg is a jack of all trades.
(01/28/10 12:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Few bands are as consistently rewarding as Spoon. They always manage to deliver catchy hooks yet never give in to the temptation to shell out tired pop cliches. Their newest album, “Transference,” is no exception.Spoon’s last album, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga,” had plenty of standout tracks but occasionally suffered from patches of unevenness. “Transference” has an almost perfect flow; each song seems to melt into the next. Although there’s no overarching theme to “Transference,” few albums reward listening in sequence as much as this one.New wave influences can be felt on “Who Makes Your Money” and “Out Go the Lights,” while “Written in Reverse” has a chugging, piano-driven funk. Britt Daniel’s layered, out-of-time vocals give the song a schizophrenic feel.This album won’t cause madness, but it might be intoxicating.
(01/28/10 12:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In “Che,” director Steven Soderbergh attempts to show a revolutionary leader whose life remains cloaked in mystery and myth. His mammoth film creates a man who is both heroic and despicable at the same time.“Che” is divided into two parts: The first film encompasses the Cuban Revolution and the second film painfully details Ernest “Che” Guevara’s failed revolution in Bolivia. While part one is shot with static cameras and expansive wide-screen, the second film has a much narrower film stock and tense hand-held cameras. Both films are cold and analytical.Benicio Del Toro is utterly compelling as Guevara. Besides looking exactly like the revolutionary, Del Toro is able to convey the contradictions inherent in a man who desperately wants freedom for all but is willing to violently murder for it.Soderbergh’s “Che” is often uncompromising and difficult, but nothing less would suit its subject.
(01/27/10 11:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After stretching itself too thin with one ridiculous plot development after another, “Weeds” has finally gotten back in stride with season five.Season four left the show in a rut: Andy was a coyote, Doug was depressed about his dream girl, Shane was a drug-dealing punk, Silas was failing at business and Nancy was wondering if her betrayed lover was going to kill her.Although “Weeds” is still miles away from the days when Nancy just sold pot to housewives, the show has found a nice niche. Rather than exploring the darker side of artificial suburban life, it’s become a meditation on power: Will Esteban destroy Nancy in his pursuit of higher office?Mary-Louise Parker is still compelling and resonant as Nancy, a mother whose only worries are for her family’s safety. If you gave up on “Weeds,” tune in again; it’s worth it.
(01/20/10 6:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For his first feature film, Duncan Jones shoots for the moon and actually makes it. “Moon” has some of the best special effects to ever grace a low-budget film, and it also manages to be one of the most intelligent science-fiction films in a long time.Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, the sole human inhabitant of a lunar mining base. He’s basically the night watchman. His only companion is Gerty, the base’s computer (voiced by Kevin Spacey).After a mysterious accident, Bell discovers another person on the base – one who happens to look exactly like him. The film intelligently explores the concept of clones while throwing in an evil corporation for added suspense.The special features include a “Making of” featurette plus two commentaries that do a solid job explaining the production and film references. “Moon” attempts to make you think and largely succeeds.
(01/13/10 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The new season of "Big Love" starts off with a surprise. No, not the death of Roman Grant (which was revealed at the end of season 3). The familiar title sequence, which featured a possibly dangerous skating incident and was set to The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows,” has been replaced.Read the rest of Brian Marks' entry on the WEEKEND Watchers Blog.
(01/04/10 9:28pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Richard Linklater is one of the cinema’s greatest chameleons, and with “Me and Orson Welles,” he puts on another disguise. The man who has directed films as diverse as “A Scanner Darkly” and “Dazed and Confused” turns his sights to 1937, when Orson Welles was about to stage a monumental production of “Julius Caesar.”Zac Efron is the “Me” of the title, a high school student who, by luck and a bit of deception, lands a small role in Welles’ production. Efron does a passable job, but at times his earnestness is cringe inducing. Christian McKay as Welles is really the one who drives the film. His resemblance to the real Welles is uncanny. He doesn’t merely portray Welles; he is Welles.McKay’s Welles is not just the genius who will revolutionize theater, radio, and film. He’s also a pompous womanizer and a jealous child who fights a 17-year-old for a woman’s affections. Linklater relies on a mostly static camera which evokes the feel of classic ’30s films. Each scene seems to be bathed in a faint golden glow, reminiscent of old sepia-toned prints.“Me and Orson Welles” remembers a time and a man, hoping they won’t be forgotten.
(12/28/09 12:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For its second “Star Wars” spoof / tribute, “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side,” “Family Guy” takes on “The Empire Strikes Back.” The show doesn’t have a great history with extended story arcs (see the three-episode Stewie movie), but by sticking to only double episode length and not arbitrarily chopping the episode into separately-aired segments, Seth MacFarlane and company make it work.Although they’ve visited the “Star Wars” universe before in “Blue Harvest” and referenced it countless times in the series, the jokes are surprisingly fresh. Recent seasons have suffered from unevenness, but most of the rapid-fire jokes succeed.The most impressive part of the show has to be the animation: The space travel scenes are almost as detailed as in “Empire” and are the most ambitious visuals the show has ever attempted.MacFarlane, Seth Green, and the producers, writers, and director of the episode all contribute a commentary, which is funny, but not particularly informative or essential. There’s also a table read of the episode, just in case you wanted to know what the voice actors look like. With a relatively short show, a few more special features might have been nice.
(11/18/09 5:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After years of fostering creativity, IU’s Creative Writing Program was ranked among the top 20 in the nation.The program was ranked No. 12 in the country in the Poets and Writers Magazine, which based its rankings on a survey of more than 500 MFA applicants, for its November/December issue.The MFA applicants were asked which schools they would be applying to or had already applied to, as well as which schools they considered the best.Samrat Upadhyay, director of the Creative Writing Program, attributed some of the program’s quality to its selection of faculty.“One of the things I’ve observed is that, in many programs, they might have a star faculty member, someone who has won a Pulitzer or some other big award, but the students barely get to interact with him,” he said.Upadhyay said IU’s creative writing faculty are uniformly qualified and renowned, with students having many opportunities to meet with professors. He said the program was also extremely selective. Out of more than 400 applicants, only 12 students are accepted each year into the three-year-long program.Jonathan Elmer, chair of the English department, said that the diversity is a major component of the program’s success.“The MFA faculty have made it a priority over the last 10 years to retain a diverse faculty and student body,” he said. “There is increased activity among the students, as well as a greater sense of camaraderie.”Andres Sanabria, a third-year MFA student, had firsthand experience with the program’s diversity. Sanabria went on a fully funded trip to Nepal for two weeks with Upadhyay and one other student.“It was a real cultural exchange,” he said. “We went to both private and public schools to have discussions with students. We also did tech workshops with the students who wrote in English.”Sanabria said the trip also included a reading from Upadhyay, who is known as the first fiction writer born in Nepal and writing in English to be published in the West.The Creative Writing Program also owes some of its success to its focus on individuals. Tony Ardizzone, an IU English professor and former director of the Creative Writing Program, said that creative writing differs from other disciplines by focusing on the individual, rather than on a science or topic that must be learned. He supported his point with the words of the late Richard Hugo, a poet and teacher of creative writing: “A creative writing class may be one of the last places you can go where your life still matters.”
(11/09/09 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When playwright Lynda Martens began writing her first full-length play, she said she had little hope of it ever receiving a professional production. Despite the odds, Martens’ “Naked in the Kitchen” had its premiere Nov. 5 at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.The play will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday from Nov. 19 through Nov. 21 at the BPP.“Naked in the Kitchen” showcases the discord that erupts around Beth and Charlie Campbell when their son leaves for college. Charlie, who might have a devastating illness, uses their newfound solitude as an excuse to confess his illness. When their other son Michael returns home from school to make a confession of his own, the family tensions boil over.The play, winner of the 2009-10 Reva Shiner Full Length Play Contest, was selected from more than 200 applicants, said BPP Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz. Its mix of comedy and tragedy rang true with Rabinovitz.“As people, we find comedy in the most trying of times. Just look at ‘The Daily Show’ as an example,” he said. “We try to laugh at the things that hurt us the most simply because it helps us get by. To me, a good play always uses that fact to its advantage and takes the audience on an emotional roller coaster.”Reva Shiner, in whose name the play competition is held, was among the audience at the premiere.“I thought they did an excellent job,” she said. “I even cried at times. It was very honest and true.”The minimalist cast featured Jeff Stone and Meredith Mills as Charlie and Beth Campbell, as well as Gabriel Wallace as their son Michael and Kyle Hendricks as Michael’s friend Kevin. The show was directed by Holly Holbrook.Martens, who lives in Ontario, Canada, had written multiple short plays before developing her first into the full-length “Naked in the Kitchen.” She said she wrote the play with little influence from other playwrights.“It was much more organic than that,” she said. “When I started writing I didn’t know anything.”Rabinovitz said the success of the final product was in part due to the collaboration with Martens.“A new play is a lot like a manuscript of a novel that gets looked over by editors and is rewritten many times before it is published,” he said. “As theater artists, we do the same thing, except we have the luxury of having actors and a director stage the scenes and give the playwright feedback based on that.”Although her work as a couple and family therapist provided inspiration for the marital conflicts of her play, Martens said she does not consider herself chained to reality.“I don’t believe in reality,” she said, “only perspectives.”
(10/01/09 2:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The inclusion of super-producer Clive Davis on Harry Connick Jr.’s “Your Songs” would seem like a sure step toward garnering a wider audience and greater commercial success. Unfortunately, Connick’s new album relies on tired standards and lethargic covers that are likely to please few.The first track, “All the Way,” starts off strong with a pleasant solo from Branford Marsalis and an enthusiastic orchestral backing. Yet by the next track – a cover of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” – the excitement has been completely drained away, and Connick sounds like he is about to take a nap.In addition to Joel, there are covers of Elton John, The Beatles and Elvis Presley. The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” is the only cover that is not dead on arrival.The strongest tracks on the album are the older standards; Connick’s crooner voice sounds less out of place on songs that Frank Sinatra once sang.Die-hard Connick fans might find something to appreciate on “Your Songs.” Others will find music to fall asleep to.
(01/24/08 2:16pm)
It’s convenient to label global warming as a strictly political issue created by Democrats and hippies, but unfortunately global warming affects all of us, with dire consequences in the future. Chase Cooper’s ignorant column (“Eco swift boats,” Jan. 15) was bad enough since when did it become acceptable to cite a writer of fictional thrillers as a legitimate scientific resource? I don’t doubt that Michael Crichton does some research for his novels, but I have trouble basing any decisions on bestsellers written by someone who has at one point in time written about evil man-eating monkeys. Cooper also throws in a few names of those who deny that global warming exists. However, he acts as if the very existence of such people proves his point. In reality, it just emphasizes the limitations of his argument: Those five “experts” are expected to carry the same weight as hundreds of scientists who accept global warming as fact.\nAnd then Justin Hill’s piece comes along (“Convenient truths,” Jan. 17). The only thing “convenient” about Hill’s piece is its timing – just two days after Cooper’s drivel. It seems as if its goal is more to convince readers that the first piece wasn’t really that ridiculous since two politically slanted people wrote about the same subject in a short period of time. Not very surprising, however, considering that Cooper is the opinion editor. Hill’s piece is less palatable by far; it’s merely a forum to bash Democrats. I also take issue with Hill’s contempt for “green” campaigns. While I fear that some of these campaigns are misguided attempts to snatch eco-conscious consumers, trying to educate people about environmental issues is still a noble deed. Hill and Cooper forget, in their promotions for SUVs, that petroleum is a non-renewable resource, and it won’t be around forever. If only ignorance were as cyclical as they claim climate change is. Unfortunately, it isn’t; it just builds up until we’re up to our eyeballs in ignorance – and water from those melted ice caps we chose to forget all about.