Longform

Unweaving the present

By Paul Musgrave · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:54 p.m.

SHANGHAI -- Listen: China has come unstuck in time. In Shenzhen, north of Hong Kong, it's the 19th century. China is now the world's largest importer of scrap metal, and the United States, the world's largest scrap-metal exporter, ships millions of tons of iron, copper, aluminum, zinc, lead and nickel to meet the country's demand. The worst abuses of capitalism are on display in the yards, the Far Eastern Economic Review reports: To salvage metal from computers, monitors and consumer electronics, "workers protected by nothing more than woolen mittens and surgical masks pour caustic acids onto circuit boards and collect precious metals after the burn." For sorting the metal, workers make a $ 100 a month.

School Dazed

By Melanie Sims · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:51 p.m.

Don't tell my mama, but as for school, I'm feeling overworked and underpaid. So, I'm resigning from my position as a student. I'm refunding my plane ticket home from the Philippines. If anybody asks, I'll be selling mangoes at the bus terminal in La Carlota City, indefinitely. Please don't try to stop me. Between shoe shopping and eating star apples, I've been vibing to hip-hopper Kanye West -- a man who made himself, quite possibly, the most nationally-acclaimed quitter, as of late.

Cubs win! Cubs win!

By Jack M. Silverstein and Jack Silverstein · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:49 p.m.

Hey Hey! Holy Cow! It's Baseball Time! To give you an idea of how incredibly pumped I am for this 2004 baseball season, let me say I hate exclamation points. I think they're overused. My previous 24 columns contained a total of four exclamation points, and two of those were in the one I wrote about the Cubs during last year's playoffs. For those of you scoring at home, that's seven Cub-related exclamation points out of nine. Monday is Opening Day, marking the end of an agonizing 182 day wait since Game seven of the National League Championship Series. For five and-a-half long months, my fellow Cub fans and I have waited for this season, tortured by thoughts of what-ifs and endless replays of the disaster that was Game six. But that will all be over soon. It's springtime, and it's a new season.

Keepin' the faith alive

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:43 p.m.

The Wells-Metz Theatre will receive some unwelcome guests this weekend -- anti-gay protester Pastor Fred Phelps and his faithful followers from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. The IU department of theatre and drama's production of "The Laramie Project," a play about the murder of Matthew Shepard, brings Phelps to town. From the beginning, Phelps has interfered in the Shepard case, protesting outside the hospital as Shepard lay dying and picketing at his funeral. He has protested productions of "The Laramie Project" throughout the nation, claiming the show is an attempt to "promote the satanic sodomite agenda."

'The Grey Album' and civil disobedience

By Greg O'Neill · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:37 p.m.

Dearest Record Distributors, Thanks a sarcastic butt load for the $13.68 I received in the mail as compensation for any albums I bought between January 1, 1995 and December 22, 2000 as per your settlement with my state and 42 others regarding artificially fixing prices of new CDs, tapes and records at major retail outlets.

A modest state of the nation address

By John Barnett · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:33 p.m.

It always happens when I see an R-rated movie in the theater. A parent will inevitably bring their child in tow, most likely in lieu of hiring a babysitter. Last week, during a screening of Dawn of the Dead, I couldn't stop watching the interaction between a mother and her son who looked about 8 years old.

Mermaid flick a charming tale

By Amy Hamblen · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:30 p.m.

Ron Howard's "Splash" is a charming film with a delightful story full of bubbly characters.

'Rundown' to your local video store

By -Jenny Kobiela · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:27 p.m.

Many action movies appear to have only loose traces of a plot. The Rundown is no exception, but the incredible action, coupled with impressive DVD extras, is enough to merit any action fan's interest.

Baseball sim a videogaming 'MVP'

By -Mitch Nelson · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:25 p.m.

For those die-hard baseball fans who have finally realized that their dream of playing in the Big Leagues will never work out, "MVP Baseball 2004" is the next best thing. EA Sports took a great thing in last year's "MVP" title and improved upon it. Yes, like stretching a double into a triple, this game has been ironed out and damn near perfected to the point of near frightening realism.

They're 'Bad Boys for Life'

By -Brandon Tucker · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:22 p.m.

For ten years, nobody has run the city quite like Diddy. Of course, Bad Boy Records' golden years will always be considered in the mid- '90s when Biggie Smalls was the co-king of rap, and rapper-turned-preacher Mase owned the party airwaves.

Pop-punk 'Descendents' take note

By Mattew Seremet and Matthew Seremet · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:20 p.m.

Twenty-two years after Milo Goes to College changed the face of punk forever, the Descendents have returned to take punk rock to school once again. The Good Charlotte's of this world should grab a desk, as the professors of pop-punk offer a 30 minute course in perfection.

Paul Simon's 'Songbook' shines

By -Kehla West · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:18 p.m.

The Paul Simon Songbook couldn't really be bad, could it? Originally released in 1965, Songbook is a collection of Simon's finest songs, including classics such as "I Am a Rock," "A Church is Burning" and "The Sound of Silence."

Snow Patrol warm with emotion

By -Nate Bethea · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:13 p.m.

If Doves and Nada Surf got together and churned out 12 well developed and memorable (albeit brief) tracks, it might sound something like what Snow Patrol has managed to accomplish on its newest album Final Straw.

Usher's 'Confessions' should remain unheard

By Diana Tychsen · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:11 p.m.

Speaking of confessions, it's only appropriate that all the ladies admit to our obsession with Usher, frequently referred to as the "Michael Jackson of Generation Y."

N.E.R.D. 'In Search Of ...' something new

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:08 p.m.

N.E.R.D. broke out from behind the boards two years ago with its critically acclaimed (and rightfully so) debut, In Search Of…. The group comprised of super-producers du jour the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) and fellow Virginian vocalist Shay have issued a follow-up, Fly or Die, and while very good, it may not be dug by the masses.

Size matters in Macdonald's 'Void'

By by Isaac Edwards and Isaac Edwards · Wednesday, March 31,2004 11:03 p.m.

Oscar-winning documentarian Kevin Macdonald's most recent and critically lauded film is an interesting blend of genres and styles, combining documentary narration with narrative recreation, in a similar vein to Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman's American Splendor.

X gonna give it to ya ... sort of

By -Alec Toombs · Wednesday, March 31,2004 10:58 p.m.

DMX's film career has essentially been what one might assume it'd be. Uninspired. He made his debut in hip-hop video stalwart Hype Williams' visually arresting if conceptually vacant hood saga Belly.

Risky movie for Smith: Way too cautious outcome

By Jenny Mancino · Wednesday, March 31,2004 10:52 p.m.

Writer/director Kevin Smith is most famous for edgy cult films along the lines of Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. With Jersey Girl he spins headfirst into mainstream filmmaking of the overly sentimental dramady sort. Smith stuck to his technique of combining drama and comedy (see Amy), but other than that this movie is completely different from his past works and not necessarily different in a good way.

Tom Hanks shanks with 'The Ladykillers'

By Jack M. Silverstein · Wednesday, March 31,2004 10:48 p.m.

Perhaps better than any other filmmakers, the Coen Brothers are adept at creating unique comedic worlds which operate with their own brilliant yet skewered logic. Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? are all films with bizarre characters and situations -- which are believable within the worlds the Coens create.

HOUSEPARTY 101

By -Brandon Tucker · Wednesday, March 31,2004 10:47 p.m.

When Friday rolls around, books are thrown aside and exams are forgotten. Planning and organization are the last things weekend partiers are worried about. But for the ones actually hosting the big, gotta-be-there bash, it's important to keep clear heads on their shoulders.