Longform

Yve Adam crushes listener\'s hopes of quality

Hearing an album that starts out great but ends up mediocre is actually worse than hearing a CD horrible from beginning to end. At least a terrible CD doesn't raise any hopes of quality. It would actually be more fun to write an all-around negative review of Fiction, the American debut of Canadian duo guitarist/vocalists Adam Popowitz and Yve. But parts of the album are very enjoyable. So enjoyable that the bad parts just seem worse.

Harvey matures

When PJ Harvey burst onto the rock scene with Dry, she was a fountain of cathartic rage, with crunching guitars and yelping lyrics. Now, what was started with the 1995 classic To Bring You My Love has come full circle on her sixth full release Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. PJ Harvey has matured, and the sum is equal to the whole of her parts.

\'Ghost Tropic\' worthwhile

While the saying "Never judge a book by its cover" is usually true, the cover of the new Songs: Ohia album is a perfect representation of the contents that are held within. Ghost Tropic's cover is completely black with the exception of the title in white. The songs contained on this album are dark dirges of complete and utter melancholy, but there is a brightness that tries to fight with great futility to the surface of each of the songs.

Bah humbug! to Aguilera\'s Christmas album

Jay-Z pours out his heart on new album

Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's new album The Dynasty Roc La Familia (2000- ) is no Reasonable Doubt, his 1996 debut which still stands as his best album to date. But Jay-Z's latest is no Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life either. So be warned y'all Jigga fans and haters -- it is apparent from the get-go that Jigga's onto some different stuff this time.

U2 returns

"In the days/When we were swinging from the trees/I was a monkey/Stealing honey from a swarm of bees." Accompanied by a folksy strumming of the guitar, the above lines kick off "Wild Honey," the seventh track off of U2's first album in three years, All That You Can't Leave Behind.

The Patriot

Mel Gibson's underappreciated (both in terms of box office and critical praise) Revolutionary War epic recently made its debut upon the DVD format in a pristine Special Edition cut.

The John Woo Collection (The Killer and Hard Boiled)

Capitalizing on the success of John Woo's recent flicks like "Face/Off" and "Mission:Impossible 2," his seminal ballets of blood are reaching DVD for the first time in a wide-release box set. These two films feature international superstar (and rightly so) Chow Yun-Fat, in roles where he has charisma to burn, guns in both hands and a cigarette and/or toothpick protruding from his mouth.

Natural Born Killers

Heavy-handed as Oliver Stone might be, this is his magnum opus. "Natural Born Killers" is a vivid catalogue of how to push cinema to its ultimate extremes with the usage of every film stock known to man, acid-jazz editing and one hell of a soundtrack. Mickey and Mallory Knox are not killing for pure fun; they are killing as an attempt to destroy the hatred that is brewing in every piece of pop culture's junk yard. The greatness of the film lies in their failure to do so.

Mission: Impossible 2

The highest grossing and possibly most genuinely enjoyable popcorn flick of this past year in abominable cinema was released upon the DVD format this past Tuesday.

Men in Black

Summer event movies just don't get better than this one. The movie obviously has tons of glitzy visual effects and stunning production design by Bo Welch, but it is also smart and funny. Fans of the movie who have been impatient for the release of the DVD will be pleasantly surprised to find the three DVD versions of the film well worth the wait. But those with extra cash will definitely want the limited edition of the DVD.

City Lights shows Cagney, Bogart classic

The ultimate in over-the-top greatness -- James Cagney -- stars in this melodrama oozing with crime and intrigue. Cagney's Rocky Sullivan, which earned him an Oscar nomination and a New York Film Critics Award for best actor, finds himself out of juvenile detention and in cahoots with the Dead End Kids while a former buddy turned priest stands in his maniacal path.

Better Than Ezra better than ever

With big name '90s rock groups dropping like flies, it's a surprise that Better Than Ezra has managed to stick around this long. Even after being dropped by its label, Elektra, less than two months ago, BTE continues to put out material.

'Star' right to challenge IU

The Indianapolis Star filed a lawsuit against IU Oct. 30 claiming the University has to disclose all the written documents detailing the Bob Knight investigation and his subsequent firing. The Star claims since the University released some of the information, it should be required to release all the information. The paper also reported that because of the extreme public interest in what actually happened during this time, it is an important public service to release such documents. The IDS wholly and completely agrees.

'Hamlet' goes awry at the Ryder Film Series

Even though it's been nearly 400 years since William Shakespeare passed away, Hollywood is still trying to milk his talent for all its worth, thanks mainly to the tasteless Miramax Films and the Oscar-minted success of the ridiculous "Shakespeare in Love."

'Ben' folds

Self-proclaimed nerds and all-around butt-kicking rock trio Ben Folds Five disbanded Tuesday. Following six years together, the deceptively and jokingly named band officially called it quits.

'Angels' Sizzles

The trailers for "Charlie's Angels" featured such blatantly sexist gems as full close-ups of Cameron Diaz shaking her itty-bitty butt in an itty-bitty pair of cartoony boy-underwear, Drew Barrymore unzipping her wet-suit revealing miles of dripping wet cleavage and Lucy Liu in what has now become her typecast role as the dominatrix bitch.

She hasn't sung yet

While most Hoosiers slept early Wednesday morning, two men waited. In a night that would prove to be one of the most compelling political dramas in decades, both would suffer heartbreak and elation, followed by more waiting.

Election Day ends without ending

AUSTIN, Texas -- Last night, no one went to a victory party. All of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's friends, staff and supporters left the election party with hopes that they would soon be able to address the governor as President Bush.

Too close to call

AUSTIN, Texas and NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was a cold, rainy day in Texas when Republican presidential nominee Gov. George Bush had his moment in the sun, or so the country thought.