Longform

The Brothers gonna work it out

And the music sets in...

The army is pushing forward, and the front line is advancing into hostile enemy territory. Soldier after soldier goes down, but still they keep pushing with bombs exploding all around them and bullets whizzing past, mere inches from their heads.

'Count' beats being in a prison forever

This past weekend, Kevin Reynolds' adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" swashbuckled its way across the silver screen, carving out smiles and stealing laughter from audiences. Reynolds has rebounded nicely from his last epic flop, "Waterworld," with a story full of intrigue, excitement, romance and revenge. Set in 19th-century France, the movie sweeps from one lush landscape to the next as we follow the demise of Edmund Dantes and the vengeful rise of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Revenge of the nerds

Originally, geeks were circus performers whose show consisted of biting a head off a live chicken. Today, some see geeks as dorky little feebs who couldn't get laid in a morgue. But whatever social skills some might think geeks lack, they more than make up for with vast knowledge concerning a particular topic -- film, music, video games, comic books, whatever.

Local pianist releases new CD at benefit

Does punk go 'bad' with age?

Can young punks ever grow old gracefully? With The Process of Belief, Bad Religion hopes to answer this question with a resounding yes. With Brett Gurewitz back in tow after his years of running Epitaph Records and struggling with drug addiction, Bad Religion returns to its core lineup for the first time since 1994's Stranger Than Fiction.

Cute couple on walk too familiar

Bring your tissues girls. Guys, you might want to bring earplugs to drown out the sound of sniffles you'll hear from the girls during the movie. "A Walk to Remember" captures all the deep emotions many of us hold inside. It will remind you what it feels like to fall in love for the first time, the troubles along the way and the tragic ends that sometimes result.

Musician's paradise... not so much

In the past few years I've slowly found out that this city isn't quite the musician's paradise it seems to be. On the surface, it looks like Bloomington would be one of the biggest breeding grounds for great bands. Half of the town's population is under the age of 30. There are plenty of bars, clubs and fraternities.

So many choices...so little time

Don't call it a comeback

In the early '90s Dream Theater proved that progressive rock was not dead, just on a vacation. Its intricate songs and heavy riffs captured the ears of metal and prog fans alike at a time when neither style was popular, thanks the band's accessibility.

Rock underdog Nikki Sudden is back in the spotlight with bonus-reissues of old music.

Nikki Sudden represents rock's underdog, says Jonathan Cargill at Bloomington's Secretly Canadian records. Bands Sonic Youth and Pavement cite the Swell Maps, Sudden's early project with brother Epic Soundtracks, as an influence on their music.

Getting your 'Sim'-groove on

Have you ever dreamed of making out with Matthew Perry? Sleeping with Jennifer Lopez? Living in a large mansion with luxury furnishings? Being abducted by aliens? Playing "The Sims" can make all these dreams and more come true -- at least on your computer screen.

'Kung Pow!' hard to digest

It would seem appropriate to feel somewhat relunctant, or perhaps even frightened, about the prospects of seeing a movie whose selling point in previews is "from the director of 'Ace Ventura 2'."

Penn excels in mediocre movie

Somewhere in "I Am Sam" there is a very compelling story. There is a story of a man with the intellectual capacity of a 7-year-old, and the struggles he faces raising his daughter. There is a story of a girl who will be smarter than her father by the time she gets to first grade, and the difficulties she will face in school and at home knowing that Daddy is "different" These two stories are played out in the film's first 35 minutes, at which point the filmmakers chose to abandon them in favor of a courtroom drama. It was an unfortunate decision, because it turned a very insightful and touching film into a frustrating yawner.

Dave Bartholomew. Recognize, yo!

In 1949 Lew Chudd, the head of Imperial Records, signed Dave Bartholomew to a recording and production contract. Little did they know that they were setting in motion one of the most crucial developments in the history of rock and roll.

New James Bond can't compare to old

James Bond has never looked better. The latest 007 video game adventure for the Playstation 2 is chock full of great graphics and fun weapons. But "Agent Under Fire," despite its awesome graphics, can't quite top the original Nintendo 64 hit because of a crappy multiplayer mode.

A 'great divide' between this and Nelson's best work

In the Willie Nelson tradition, The Great Divide is an album filled to the brim with duets with famous stars. The marketing move is probably more than a little bit influenced by Carlos Santana's placid and gigantic-selling Supernatural (see the two songs written by and performed with Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas), but this is well-worn territory for the 68-year-old singer-songwriter.

Three-guard system ignites high-scoring Hoosier offense

Mike Davis' three-point philosophy has one point: If you're open, shoot it. Left corner, right wing, top of the key. Wherever. Heck, the second-year coach whose signature is sticky defense said he doesn't even mind when junior guard Tom Coverdale fires a three-pointer from 24 feet.

IUSA members lobby state reps

Three members of the IU Student Association headed to Washington, D.C. Jan. 18 to lobby Indiana Senate and House of Representative delegates. Legislative Relations office director Ben Piper, assistant director Rebecca Homkes and IUSA office manager Lydia Roll visited the Capitol to lobby for issues concerning higher education.

RPS offers variety of meal plans

In a board of trustees town meeting earlier this week, senior Ken Minami, representing the Residence Halls Association, voiced concern about increasing costs of meal plans to offset technology expenses in IU residence halls.