Community Arts

Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Wit' opens at Wells-Metz

By Sarah Neely and Sarah A. Neely · Friday, Dec. 2,2005 9:03 a.m.

The Department of Theatre and Drama has tackled everything from murder to gay parenthood this fall, and now it will close the semester with the intimate play "Wit," a Pulitzer Prize-winner by Margaret Edson opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Wells-Metz Theatre.

Johanssen on point

By IDS staff and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:12 p.m.

At only 20 years old, Scarlett Johansson is already a veteran of the film industry. Her upcoming film, "Match Point," marks the beginning of a working relationship with Woody Allen, but also a return to the art films that established her career. Between promoting "Match Point" and filming Allen's next film, "Scoop," Johansson took a few minutes to talk with WEEKEND.

75 Years Young

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:11 p.m.

For nearly 50 years, French director Jean-Luc Godard has changed the way we look at cinema. From his early beginnings as a film critic for Cahiers du Cinéma, it was only a matter of time before Godard and fellow critics such as François Truffaut ("The 400 Blows"), Eric Rohmer ("My Night at Maud's"), Jacques Rivette ("Paris is Ours") and Claude Chabrol ("Le Beau Serge") all entered the world of filmmaking, ultimately trumpeting the arrival of the French New Wave.

CITY Lights

By Michael Mellini and Mike Mellini · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:11 p.m.

As 7 p.m. approaches, the last few people straggle into screening room 251 of the TV and Radio Building and sit in the available seats. A man in a khaki coat approaches the audience and welcomes them to the weekly City Lights film series. He announces tonight's presentation is Robert Altman's 1975 film "Nashville" and discusses what films will screen in the weeks to come. The lights go down and clicking noises comes from the back of the room. It's coming from the projector and it's a noise today's moviegoers are no longer used to hearing.

Arrested development, indeed

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:10 p.m.

It's official. The best sitcom on television has been cancelled, and "Family Guy" is still littering the airwaves. The third season of "Arrested Development has been cut short from 22 to 13 episodes by the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox network, and "Yes, Dear" and "According to Jim" are still thriving. Yes, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Kelly Ripa still have sitcoms, but David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor and Will Arnett are about to be out of their jobs. I lament.

A truly epic achievement

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:10 p.m.

Every so often, Sony's in-house game developers cough up a polished gem, "God of War" being a recent example, that puts most other games out at the time to shame. Their latest epic offering is "Shadow of the Colossus," which follows a nameless warrior and his brave steed on a quest to destroy the mythical creatures that inhabit a beautiful but cursed land devoid of any humans except our warrior and his recently deceased lover.

Not quite 'perfect'

By Alyson Brodsy and David Antognoli · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:09 p.m.

When Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, delivered his keynote address at E3 2005, he demonstrated Mario Kart DS to punctuate Nintendo's emphasis on innovation and fun as opposed to impressive hardware specifications. But as I watched his speech, I wondered just how a new iteration of a franchise that hasn't missed an entry in each successive Nintendo console since the SNES could bring anything interesting to the table -- especially on the heels of the only lukewarm and largely superficial innovations of the GameCube's Mario Kart: Double Dash.

'Hoffmann' marries opera and cinema

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:09 p.m.

Directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's love affair with cinema and the stage knows no bounds, especially when it came to conducting Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" for the screen in 1951. Captured in vivid Technicolor with a cast of epic proportions, "Hoffmann" is yet another high point in the careers of two of England's finest filmmakers. Dreamer Hoffmann (Robert Rounseville) is surrounded by drunken bar mates as he waxes poetic about a fantasy trip across Europe in search of love as told in three acts.

The Tripods are coming -- to your TV

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:08 p.m.

No more cute and cuddly extra-terrestrials for Steven Spielberg. His latest take on visitors from space, based on H.G. Wells' 1898 sci-fi novel, finds "E.T." and the "Close Encounters" aliens taking a back seat to a race of invaders bent on vaporizing every human on Earth and fueling themselves with our blood. Roy Neary and Elliott beware. From a technical standpoint, "War of the Worlds" is Spielberg's most accomplished film since "Saving Private Ryan" (narrowly surpassing "Minority Report").

Broadway sound on screen

By Alyson Brodsy and Larry Walters · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:08 p.m.

Nearly ten years have passed since the original "RENT" debuted on Broadway, and now, it's gathering momentum as an old and new favorite among many people. A soon-to-be, if not already, beloved musical, "RENT" was written by Jonathan Larson and in 1996, it went to Broadway. If you begin listening to the soundtrack and expect it to sound something along the lines of "Chicago" or "Les Mis," you'll be greatly surprised. "RENT" is a rock opera, and Larson's lyrics amplify the theme of love. Based on Puccini's "La Bohème," the musical, movie, and lyrics are about love and making it through life with the most miniscule resources.

System wrap-up double disc

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:07 p.m.

Picking up from where last May's installment left off, System of a Down commence part two of their double disc oeuvre, Mezmerize/Hypnotize, with "Attack!", a literal attack on our fragile ears. Vocalist Serj Tankian's atonal yelps fade in and out as guitarist and songwriter Daron Malakian's more radio-friendly voice chimes in on the leisurely bits. Meanwhile, bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan mostly try and match pace with the dueling leads. System of a Down has never been shy about employing complex prog-rock song structures on most of their tracks, which makes it all the more surprising that Hypnotize is the more immediately accessible disc of their 2005 output.

A royal live album

By Alyson Brodsy and Ryan McLaughlin · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:07 p.m.

The Queens of the Stone Age's live CD/DVD Over The Years and Through the Woods, released November 22nd, came a short eight months after the band's fourth studio album Lullabies to Paralyze. The first QOTSA's album since bassist and co-founder Nick Oliveri's departure from the band, Lullabies peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard charts and proved that frontman and guitarist Josh Homme was completely capable of leading the band himself.

'Hung up' on 'Confessions'

By Alyson Brodsy and Larry Walters · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:06 p.m.

Returning once again to her roots, Madonna again surprises the world with a CD worth listening to. Flaunting the title "diva" in more ways than one, she co-writes and co-produces every single song on the album. Madge takes over the airwaves with her new single, "Hung Up." It's the first single from the album, and one of the most memorable songs you'll ever hear. Borrowing music from ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme," this song will keep dancers and clubbers wanting more.

The next best thing to a concert

By -Sam Johnston and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:06 p.m.

Are you a Basket Case? Does the word "Dookie" excite you? Have you ever classified yourself as an "American Idiot"? If any or all of these words mean something to you, then you should be all already familiar with the crazy antics of Green Day.

Harry Potter -- all grown up

By -Kehla West and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:05 p.m.

The charm of the "Harry Potter" series is that they bring to life what so many have read. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is certainly no exception, but as the fourth movie in the series had to pack 734 pages of story into a little more than two and a half hours of film, imagination takes a back seat to sheer plot-driven action. The first 200 pages of the book go by in the first 10 minutes of the film.

From stage to screen

By Alyson Brodsy and Mary Hansell · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:04 p.m.

After filling my belly with a load of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, I took myself to the movies! Admittedly, I entered the theater with a bit of hesitation. This was one of my favorite musicals being brought to the big screen. I own the original cast recording, had seen the show live and have been known to randomly burst into "One Song Glory." I love film, and I love theater, but that does not mean I think they should always get together.

The Man in Black is back

By Tony Sams · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:03 p.m.

Artists rarely get the biographical films they deserve. Ed Harris splattered the story of Jackson Pollock; Christine Jeffs' attempt at Sylvia Plath's career was suicidal; and while Jamie Foxx shone as Ray Charles, the faltering film "Ray" couldn't find its way out from its star's spotlight. Fortunately, music legend Johnny Cash gets his due in "Walk the Line." On the surface, it's a simple tale of the artist known as the Man in Black. But a surface film this is not; rather, it's a deeply lyrical and finely crafted film from director James Mangold.

A little love, a lot of fat suit

By Alyson Brodsy and Greg Schoenbaecheler · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:02 p.m.

Ever since Ryan Reynolds' first theatrical success, "Van Wilder," people have been waiting for him to top it with some outstanding instant classic. People are still waiting. While "Just Friends" wasn't bad, it did get a little repetitive and predictable in its pursuit to make audiences laugh. Directed by Roger Kumble, "Just Friends" is much better than "The Sweetest Thing," his last try at a romantic comedy, but it does fall short of Reynolds' movies "Van Wilder" and "Waiting."

A kiss, a bang, it's great

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 2:02 p.m.

Shane Black must've been sick of being stuck behind the typewriter for nearly 20 years because he finally makes his directorial debut with "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang." Black, who debuted as the screenwriter of "Lethal Weapon" in 1987 (which resulted in three more Gibson/Glover pairings), stuck with the buddy comedy on "The Last Boy Scout" and even penned the schlocky "Last Action Hero," is still sticking to the buddy structure -- but this time with more bang for your buck.

Kwanzaa founder to introduce holiday at IU

By Andrea Alumbaugh · Thursday, Dec. 1,2005 1:35 p.m.

The inventor of a winter celebration recognized by students around the world is visiting IU to be a part of the Hoosier holidays. Kwanzaa founder Maulana Karenga will lecture, meet with guests and sign books tonight as part of the pre-Kwanzaa celebration beginning at 6 p.m. in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. All events are free and open to the public. "He has many words of wisdom to share. He is a great scholar, a great professor and a community leader," said Oyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.