Community Arts

IDS CLASSIC ALBUMS:

By Alyson Brodsy and Maggie Bozich · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

In the eighth grade, I remember sitting in my room and hearing a beautiful alto voice crooning "Help me. I think I'm falling in love again," from my living room. I can still remember how those words struck a chord with me. I later stole that CD from my dad and Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark became my all-time favorite album. Her raw voice delivers the kind of song that makes you feel her pain as she sings every note. At the risk of sounding clichéd, not many female artist since Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King have been able to capture such emotion and wittiness in their songs.

IDS FILE PHOTO
Matthew Klam reads a story from his writings at the Annual Writer's Conference Sunday, June 10, 2007 at the John Waldron Arts Center. Klam has been writing for 12 years and was invited by a former teacher at the conference.

All About Me:

By Alyson Brodsy and IDS WEEKEND reports · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Anne Elaine Rebeck, a senior, is currently studying photography and is the photo editor for the Weekend magazine. "With photography, I didn't know there was anything that could evoke such emotion out of me, and I want to be able to create that for other people. "Photography is extremely important because you can document time. The right photography is priceless. It's worth more than any amount of words." When Rebeck isn't out shooting with a Canon digital camera, here's what this Indiana native gets into:

Controversial classics on DVD

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Three controversial classics of New Hollywood cinema, three films showing how powerful the media truly is. The boxset "Controversial Classics Vol. 2: The Power of Media" is a goldmine of a release -- offering amazing new two-disc editions of Alan J. Pakula's "All the President's Men" and two of Sidney Lumet's greatest works, "Network" and "Dog Day Afternoon." All three of them Oscar gems, with 24 nominations and nine wins between them.

Maybe scientists, but not musicians

By Alyson Brodsy and Derek Kagemann · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

We Are Scientists pounds out some bland miscellanea in its new album, With Love and Squalor. By trying to turn every track into a chart-topper, the songs end up being consistently flat. While the band represents itself as uber-dorks, they push the pretense too far. The hype goes on about We Are Scientists' geek image, but that eclectic appeal fails to materialize within the band's music. With Love and Squalor's riffs aren't characterized by the clever efficiency of bands like Franz Ferdinand or the pop-glitz of Morningwood.

A fairly fit film

By Alyson Brodsy and Ash Cartwright · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Joe Wright's "Pride and Prejudice" is a gorgeous film, but it fails to do justice to Jane Austen's classic novel. It is a well-crafted and sunlit love story, however. Sadly, it reduces Austen's layered and witty work to a merely pretty and rather empty story. I am upset when I think of all the people who may watch this film and think they have experienced the depths of Austen's work, when really they are only wading in the shallows, barely being exposed to her excellence.

True erotic thrills lie elsewhere

By Alyson Brodsy and Rob O'Connor · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Have you ever yearned to see gratuitous shots of Kevin Bacon's ass? Have you ever desired to witness the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit" acted out by children in wheelchairs? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there were an English guy in the Rat Pack? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then "Where the Truth Lies" is for you. "Where the Truth Lies" is the story of a comedy duo, in the same vein as Martin and Lewis, consisting of Lanny Morris (Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth). A dead woman is found in Lanny and Vince's hotel room as they check in, the scandal causes the team to break up.

Ultra absurdity

By Alyson Brodsy and Josh Garfinkel · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

"Ultraviolet" begins with a comic book sequence attempting to establish the female lead as a comic book character. The only problem is that "Ultraviolet" was never in a comic book or a graphic novel. This is a marketing concept that boggles my mind, and makes me believe that the producers of this film believe that comic book readers love inane movies. The film opens with five black spheres being fired through the windows of a skyscraper. The spheres then become people. People with swords, who summarily execute some armed gunmen.

A hip-hop film extravaganza

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt McMullan · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Dave Chappelle is worth a lot of money. Or he was. I don't know what happens when you renege on a massive television contract. Maybe it all goes away. Maybe that's what he wanted. Fifty million dollars is a lot of cash, and maybe that changes a man. It seems that Chappelle was wrestling with this when he left his highly successful Comedy Central show halfway through filming its third season and did whatever it is that he did. Some say he went nuts. Others say he went nuts and ran off to South Africa. Oh, how people will gossip.

Thriller is Mos mediocre

By Alyson Brodsy and Greg Schoenlbaechler · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

In New York City anything can happen, even in as short of a distance as 16 Blocks. With that in mind, one would think that "16 Blocks" would be a non-stop action packed thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end. Sometimes we aren't always correct in our assumptions. "16 Blocks," the newest Bruce Willis action movie, was very inconsistent in it's attempt to give audiences what they want.

Luck of the Irish

By Alyson Brodsy and Michael Sanserino · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Whether students stay in town, in state, in the country or travel abroad, come March 17, they'll be sure to find green beer wherever they go. Since St. Patrick's Day falls during spring break, students will have the ability to go anywhere throughout the Midwest or the world to celebrate the Irish holiday. But no matter what a student's travel plans or economic situation, St. Patrick's Day celebrations will be easy to come by. It's convenient for students that one of the America's most popular St. Patrick's Day destinations sits only a four-hour drive away. Chicago may be the "Second City," but it parties harder than any in the middle of March.

Cash biopic slightly above standard fare

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Johnny Cash died in September of 2003, only four months after his beloved wife June Carter Cash passed. While his death was attributed to complications from diabetes, some would argue he died of a lonely heart. To the credit of director James Mangold's "Walk the Line," it is Johnny and June's mutual love and admiration that pilots the film, even when it occasionally veers into movie-of-the-week territory. "Walk the Line" chronicles Johnny's childhood, ever-present daddy issues, stint in the military, failed first marriage, drug addiction and early struggles in the music business.

Brit classic gets proper treatment

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

In the long careers of screen legend Alec Guinness and Ealing Studios, one could proclaim with little debate that Robert Hamer's "Kind Hearts and Coronets" was one of the crowning achievements of the British film industry. Pitch black in its approach and entertaining on all levels, I can think of no other movie that has made the art of murder so humorous. A mischievously sophisticated Dennis Price stars as the young Louis Mazzini, a man whose royal inheritance is unjustly denied to him due to his mother's marriage outside of aristocracy.

Costello hardly less than zero

By Alyson Brodsy and Jeff O'Reilly · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Elvis Costello's multi-decade career, simply put, has been an impulsive one. Governed by the moment, Costello has continuously reinvented his sound, from the anti-corporate anthems of 1978's punk classic This Years Model, to collaborations with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell on 1995's Deep Dead Blue. Costello's latest release, My Flame Burns Blue, captures the artist's continuing maturation live at the 2004 North Sea Jazz Festival. Backed by the dynamic 52-piece jazz orchestra Metropole Orkest, Costello delivers energetic renditions of works by jazz heavyweights such as Charles Mingus, as well as inspired re-arrangements of his own catalogue.

An Ultimate DVD

By Alyson Brodsy and Tristan Mathews · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Excelsior! The release of the straight-to-video "Ultimate Avengers" DVD marks an exciting time to be a comic book fan. With "Ultimate Avengers II" already in production, this release will hopefully start a trend of animated comic properties skipping the big screen and heading straight to stores. The storyline is taken from the Marvel Comics mini-series "The Ultimate" written by Mark Millar ("Spider-Man" comics) and drawn by Bryan Hitch ("Superman" comics).

Hardly to the extreme

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

There is a current cinematic furor in East Asia known as New Asian Horror. The trend is not unlike previous thriller film fads of the past (Italian splatter and American slasher films come to mind) in the sense that these films set out to go to extremes in blood, guts and mayhem. It's only fitting that the new short horror film compilation by three of the genre's finest directors is called "Three Extremes." "Extremes" is not unlike horror collections such as "Creepshow," HBO's "Tales from the Crypt" and most recently Showtime's "Masters of Horror" series, which all teamed talented filmmakers in the thriller genre to make short films.

Looking Through the Lens

By Alyson Brodsy and Anne Rebeck · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

Spring break is almost here and whether you're going somewhere warm like Florida or have an alternative vacation in mind like volunteering in Louisiana with Habitat for Humanity, you'll want to bring a camera and take plenty of pictures. "The camera is my tool to capture wonderful and unexplainable moments," says amature photographer Mandi Renslow of Collins LLC. Years from now these photos will bring back happy memories of your good old college days, but how can you make sure you'll have these tangible memories years down the road?

Fresh, young faces make a splash

By Alyson Brodsky and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

For decades we have been fascinated with the myth of those mystical creatures who live in the ocean, who are half fish, half human and most commonly known as mermaids. "Aquamarine" is a fresh, upbeat movie that takes a look at a mermaid who relocates to land looking for love. As summer is coming to an end, best friends Claire (played by Julia Roberts' niece, Emma Roberts) and Hailey (Pop singer, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) try to come up with an alternative to Hailey having to permanently move away to Australia. A huge storm causes the naïve mermaid, Aquamarine ("Summerland's" Sara Paxton), to wash ashore and into the pool of a local beach club.

Taking the high road to hell

By Alyson Brodsy and Tristan Mathews · Thursday, March 9,2006 12 a.m.

With the release of the double disc Straight to Hell, Hank Williams III has finally begun to realize some of the promise he showed with his first album Risin' Outlaw. The growth between that and his exponentially better second album Lovesick, Broke, and Driftin' is seen again as this newest release is a major leap ahead for the artist. This is the first of Williams' albums to have a cohesive feel. The attention to the album's song list and overall arc has a strong affect, particularly with the album's opening track "Satan is Real, Straight to Hell," which is full of rich musical energy.

Lecture addresses Tibetan Freedom

By Katrina Babin · Wednesday, March 8,2006 11:59 p.m.

A lecture on Tibetan dissidents garnered an audience of more than 30 people in Woodburn Hall Wednesday night. Students for a Free Tibet invited author and photographer Mikel Dunham to speak on the nature of Tibetan resistance to Chinese invasion in 1950 and the CIA's involvement in training resistance fighters. Among the attendees was the director of the Tibetan Cultural Center, whose presence was welcomed by audience members who rose to their feet upon his entrance. Students for a Free Tibet member Mary-Kathryn Oreovicz said in an e-mail interview that Dunham is a respected author.

Cartoonist to receive cancer treatment in Bloomington

By Alyson Brodsy and Matt Sedensky · Wednesday, March 8,2006 11:55 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A cartoonist with a rare tumor threatening his vision is getting some help from artists who draw rival strips.