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Special features more interesting than film

By Alyson Brodsy and Evan Ross · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:59 p.m.

It was nearly 40 years ago that director George A. Romero changed the face of cinematic horror with his film "Night of the Living Dead." That film, seen as a milestone in zombie-film history, spawned two sequels, a remake and numerous imitators. The latest sequel, "Land of the Dead," shambled its way into theaters this summer. Was it a return to form for an old director or a sign that a long dead franchise should have stayed dead? It's the latter.

This 'wax' melted in Theaters

By Alyson Brodsy and Ash Cartwright · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:54 p.m.

I applaud the people responsible for the "House of Wax" DVD. Many times I have criticized DVDs that include few special features but I say that in this case to be sparing is good. They could have been even less generous in what they chose to include.

Kidman casts a 'bewitching' spell

By Alyson Brodsky and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:52 p.m.

Nora Ephron brings the television favorite "Bewitched" back to life in the theatrical debut that is just as spell-enchanted as the show. The movie, which focuses mostly on the show behind-the-scenes, stars Will Ferrell as actor Jack Wyatt and Nicole Kidman as Isabel Bigelow.

Take the trip over the rainbow again

By Alyson Brodsy and Michael Mellini · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:50 p.m.

There's no format like DVD...There's no format like DVD... The new special edition 2-disc "The Wizard of Oz" has arrived just in time for, um, the film's 66th anniversary? Well, there may not be a reason for the release, but that doesn't mean this isn't a DVD to celebrate. Packed with more than ten hours of special features, the disc is a real delight.

The solitude of the 'Samouraï'

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:48 p.m.

In 1967, French director Jean-Pierre Melville would make his masterpiece "Le Samouraï," a stunning examination of one hitman's solitary lifestyle influenced by the Japanese samurai code of the Bushido. Jef Costello (French film legend Alain Delon) is a modern-day samurai -- replacing heavy armor with a raincoat, a fedora instead of a crescent-mooned helm and wielding a revolver in place of a katana.

Send this 'bird' away

By Alyson Brodsy and Mark Perlman-Price · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:46 p.m.

1965 was known as "the year of folk rock." Bands and artists like The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas and Bob Dylan defined the year. But this era wasn't crowned complete until December of 1965, with the release of The Beatles' Rubber Soul. A couple months short of 40 years later, we get This Bird Has Flown, a tribute album featuring artists such as The Donnas, Dar Williams, Ben Harper, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Kweller, Ben Lee, the Cowboy Junkies and others.

A 'road' worth traveling down

By Alyson Brodsy and Bryan Lufkin · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:44 p.m.

What do you get when you mix elements of '90s British pop, influence from Madness and The Doors and a lead singer named Gaz? Road to Rouen, the latest CD from the British group Supergrass, proves to be an album that would satisfy fans of any of the above, if not at least pique the interest of fans of genres across the board. The songs are diverse, ranging from the almost ethereal acoustic strumming in the first track, "Tales of Endurance," to the catchy and upbeat (yet still wonderfully mellow) "Low C," to the final track that begins with sounds remarkably similar to American R&B.

Adrift between folk, pop and drugs

By -Nate Bethea and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:39 p.m.

I'll be the first to admit that, despite the hype, I couldn't warm up to Animal Collective's 2004 critical slam-dunk and breakout record Sung Tongs. As off-time and smirking as other 2004 darlings (i.e. the Fiery Furnaces) it was over-caffeinated, overly quirky and obnoxious. Still, just as it was a personal concession for me to admit that the 2004 Fiery Furnaces EP was pretty damn good, I have no choice but to admit the positives of Feels. It's a solid recording, albeit extremely off-kilter.

Trading metal for melody

By Alyson Brodsy and Josh Kastrinsky · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:37 p.m.

Sometimes, less is more. It may not be appropriate, though, when being loud is your thing. Following the surprising success of 2003's The Artist in the Ambulance, Thrice returns with Vheissu, their fifth full-length release, a far cry from their previous outputs. The band's post-hardcore throttle is only evident on about half of the album's 11 tracks, the others yielding to a softer, more melodic side.

'Drifting' into a difficult listen

By Alyson Brodsy and Ryan McLaughlin · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:36 p.m.

Watersphere is the debut major label release from Pilotdrift, an eclectic band hailing from Texarkana, a city on the East Texas border with Arkansas. Pilotdrift is the musical creation of five friends: Kelly Carr (lead vocals, piano, acoustic guitar), Jay Budzilowski (bass), Ben Rice (drums), Eric Russell (electronics, guitar) and John David Blagg (electric guitar). Pilotdrift's sound is an interesting array of styles ranging from electronica to rock to jazz fusion to orchestra inspired instrumentals.

How can this be music?

By -Nate Bethea and Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:33 p.m.

Let me tell you something about the Fiery Furnaces: they're really creative and have the potential to write genre-inventing, era-defining music if they would just slow the hell down. Their hooks are phenomenal; their ear for instrumentation (and the wide variety of instruments they use effectively) is impressive. They just don't seem to have enough confidence in their melodies, because they abandon them just about every 30 seconds.

Martin's little-movie-that-could

By Alyson Brodsy and Rob O'Connor · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:30 p.m.

I believe I might be one of 12 people in the state who have actually read Steve Martin's little-book-that-could, "Shopgirl." It was great, it was funny, it was touching, it was basically impossible to visualize as a film. Still, when I heard Martin was going to write the screenplay himself, I was hopeful. Then when I heard Jimmy Fallon was going to play one of the main characters, things looked dim. Thank goodness he left the project to go make that self-indulgent tripe about how great his favorite baseball team is, "Fever Pitch."

'Prime' update of 'The Graduate'

By Alyson Brodsy and Doug Evans · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:28 p.m.

Writer/director Ben Younger, whose only previous credit includes the greed-inspired "Boiler Room," returns with sophomore effort "Prime," which, disregarding the brilliance of "The Graduate," could be considered its modern day rendition.

Despite PG rating,still exciting

By Alyson Brodsy and Sean Abbott · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:26 p.m.

Sometimes overdue sequels fail to capture the magic of the original films. Sometimes kids in action movies ruin the experience. Sometimes movies advertised as "family adventures" only inspire the adventure of leaving the theater disappointed.

A storm on the rise

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt McMullan · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 8:15 p.m.

Dave Spritz is a Chicagoland news weather guy. He's got a nice apartment, a nice car and an unbelievably easy job. For better or for worse, he's got local fame. And a national morning news program (and its substantial pay increase) is looking for a new Willard Scott, and they think it might be him. They've seen his work, and they're impressed.

A blue bug goes green

By Nate Gowdy · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 12:29 a.m.

One local restaurant owner's vehicle is proof that what's bad for your health might be great for your car -- as well as your pocketbook and the environment. Ron Stanhouse, owner of the Crazy Horse, 214 W. Kirkwood Ave., has been selling fried foods for nearly half his life. While the restaurant's greasy foods might not be beneficial to customers' waistlines, they are great for his blue 1999 Volkswagen Beetle. Stanhouse recently purchased the diesel-run vehicle on eBay, only to have it adapted to run on cleaner-burning waste vegetable oil, in addition to regular diesel. It was driven in last month's IU Homecoming parade.

Driver to plead guilty to charge

By Elisha Sauers · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 12:29 a.m.

The man accused of fleeing the scene of a car crash involving three IU students and killing one of them, 21-year-old Ashley Crouse, will plead guilty to a class C felony charge. Meliton Praxidis signed a plea agreement Tuesday, which could result in a sentence of two to eight years in prison. His sentencing hearing will convene Dec. 14. Because Praxidis does not speak English, a court-appointed interpreter assisted him in court.

Herbert defends search delay

By Chip Cutter · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 12:29 a.m.

IU President Adam Herbert defended his decision to continue the search for a new Bloomington chancellor Tuesday, a day after he announced he would not choose any of the three finalists for the position. Speaking to the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday afternoon, Herbert said the University was looking to find a candidate who was a strong leader, capable of propelling the University forward, yet he provided few details on what specific traits were lacking from the finalists.

Alumna recalls perils of Indiana 'slow time'

By Jamie Ward · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 12:29 a.m.

She grew up in an Indiana town. She had a nice mother, always around. She grew up tall, she grew up right, and for some strange reason, the clocks were never right. So goes the story for Jessica Kaplan, a 5-feet-7-inch 1997 IU graduate originally from Rolling Prairie, Ind., and now an IT project manager for the Cintas Corporation of Cincinnati. For Kaplan, who was raised in LaPorte County and whose father worked in St. Joseph's County, this meant growing up with two different clocks in the house: one for each of Indiana's two primary time zones. Growing up also meant attending junior and senior high school with students from two different time zones, something she described as "confusing sometimes." From late October to early April every year, the clocks of Kaplan's home were one hour apart as LaPorte County observed Central Daylight Time or "slow" time and St. Joseph's County observed Indiana or "fast" time.

Long John Silver's robbed at gunpoint

By Gavin Lesnick · Wednesday, Nov. 2,2005 12:16 a.m.

Two men armed with a semi-automatic handgun robbed Long John Silver's Tuesday night and escaped with an undetermined amount of cash. Bloomington Police officers responded to the call just after 10 p.m., but not before the men fled out the back of the restaurant, which is located at 3811 W. Third St.