Region

Live Arcade 'assault'

By C. Warner Sills and Chris Freiberg · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:36 p.m.

While the weekly retreads of '80s arcade classics are a fun diversion on Xbox Live Arcade, it's nice to see that the service encourages developers to pump out some good, cheap original games too. While "Assault Heroes" has some of the best graphics yet for an Arcade game (this could easily be mistaken for an early Xbox 1 title), its gameplay is straight up old school. The left analogue stick controls your vehicle or Rambo-style mercenary. The right analogue stick shoots. And you shoot a lot in this game--from green guys with guns to uh, crazy screaming red guys with guns. And the occasional giant mechanical spider (which might also require a grenade or a nuke).

ARTiFACTS

Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:35 p.m.

What: "Peasant Scene" by Kazimir Malevich of Russia in 1912 Pencil on Paper

Annual program gives NYC artists chance to create public art

Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:33 p.m.

NEW YORK -- There was the project that turned a Manhattan intersection into a baseball diamond, and another that converted a subway station into a Venetian canal. And then there was the magic carpet placed in a park, replicating the floor plan of a Brooklyn apartment. Thanks to a unique arts program, emerging artists are getting a chance to place their work in an unusual gallery -- the streets and public spaces of New York City.

Colonization through gunfire

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:32 p.m.

Shortly after the Xbox 360 launched in late 2005, Capcom released a trailer that quickly became one of the most anticipated titles for the system: "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition." There we watched as a man ripped holes into alien scum with a machine gun only before hopping into a giant mech equipped with Gatling guns and rocket launchers. Yeah, it was pretty sweet.

Windfall Dancers to bring 'Arabian Nights' to life

By Ashley Wilson · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:31 p.m.

When modern dance pioneer José Limón said, "American dance is not simply a style or idiom -- it is a potent idea," he certainly could have been talking about Windfall Dancers and their commitment to exploring new ways of movements and concepts in the modern dance arena. The Bloomington-based modern dance company will perform its dance interpretation of "Arabian Nights" on Friday and Saturday at the John Waldron Arts Center as part of the annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival, which takes place until Feb. 10.

This film has been rated: Not so good

By C. Warner Sills and Benny Goldman · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:30 p.m.

What makes a movie G, PG, PG-13, R or, most controversially, NC-17? Is gay sex more explicit than straight sex? Why is violence more acceptable than sex in American cinema? Is it all a giant government conspiracy? Documentarian Kirby Dick attempts to answer these questions and more in his independently released feature on the ratings board of the Motion Picture Association of America, "This Film is Not Yet Rated."

Same-sex marriage ban passes committee

By Alexandra R. Moses and Mike Smith · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:29 p.m.

A proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage advanced out of committee Wednesday after three hours of debate and a group of gay-rights activists were escorted from the Indiana Senate gallery for singing "We Shall Overcome" in protest.

'Side Man' opens Friday, features surviving artwork of Katrina

By Kelsey Nash · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:29 p.m.

Looking for a jazzy time this weekend? Then search no further than Jordan Avenue. The IU Department of Theatre and Drama will present Warren Leight's Tony Award-winning "Side Man," opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Wells-Metz Theatre. A glimpse into the jazz era and its gradual decline, the production pieces together music, art and emotion to portray the multi-faceted lives of stage musicians.

Two reissues from the master

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:26 p.m.

Many years ago when I purchased the "Akira Kurosawa: Four Samurai Classics" boxset released by the Criterion Collection, I figured here were four films I'd never have to double-dip on. I was wrong. Last year's "Seven Samurai" three-disc set was one of the best DVD releases of the year and now Criterion has re-issued Kurosawa's most potent double-shot, "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro," in deluxe editions sold individually ($39.99 apiece) or as a boxset ($69.99 -- My advice: Order the boxset from dvdplanet.com for less than $46).

Where's the commentary?

By C. Warner Sills and John Barnett · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:23 p.m.

If the initial media reaction to Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" was any indication, you'd think homosexuality was as foreign a concept in 2005 Los Angeles as it was in early-1960s Wyoming. Tune out the faux-horror gasps at the story of two part-time cowboys finding unspoken affection on the range and what you get is an essential human drama where the oft-clichéd concept of forbidden love is updated for a new era.

Potential cult classic

By C. Warner Sills and Craig Shank · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:19 p.m.

Ever wondered what a science fiction rock-opera about a Marie Antoinette robot would sound like? I hadn't either, but Waking the Mystics by Sophe Lux features a track that is, in fact, a seven-minute rock opera that tackles that outlandish scenario. Miniature rock operas aside, this album is a serious departure from almost anything you can imagine.

Pick this Lily

By C. Warner Sills and Brian J. McFillen · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:15 p.m.

Pop stars don't have a reputation for possessing much in the way of brains. This might be somewhat unfair -- Madonna, for example, has a reputation for savvy-ness (at least, before she started getting weird). I suspect most of us think of Britney Spears' and Jessica Simpson's profound dimness. Or the "American Idol" formula, where folks with vocal talent get ahead by singing others' songs -- where they're automatons shaped and controlled by producers and Svengalis. "Who cares what they're singing," the thinking seems to go, "as long as they sigh on the beat?"

'Road' goes nowhere

By C. Warner Sills and Wes Jakacki · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:12 p.m.

In the past year, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan have all released albums to much critical acclaim. Now Indiana legend John Mellencamp follows suit with his first album since his 2003 cover album, Trouble No More. This album is standard Mellencamp in that it sounds like what he is, a Midwest baby-boomer singing in the name of America's heartland.

Police: No extra plans for Super Bowl

By Shannon McEnerney · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:10 p.m.

City and campus police are not making special preparations for their enforcement on Super Bowl Sunday, despite the large Colts and Bears fan base in Bloomington.

Not dead yet

By C. Warner Sills and Ryan McLaughlin · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:09 p.m.

Built in 1941, the Cow Palace, originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion, functioned as a home for cattle before becoming a popular indoor arena. The venue has seen numerous legendary musical acts, including The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd and Nirvana, and developed a lustrous history for hosting legendary shows. (Neil Young's 1978 Live Rust album was recorded at the Cow Palace). Rhino Records' official release of the Grateful Dead's 1976 performance at the Cow Palace shows the Dead playing one of the best New Year's shows of their career.

Jonesin' for Norah?

By C. Warner Sills and Andy Shore · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:07 p.m.

Not Too Late, the third release from Norah Jones, which hit shelves Tuesday, is everything one would expect from the sweet-singing Jones. The album is once again centered on Jones' beautiful voice. The combination of jazz, blues, country and pop overtones in her voice provide for an incredible sound that these tracks put on showcase. The album has a more mature, full sound than Jones' two previous albums, 2004's Feels Like Home and 2002's Come Away With Me.

Around the World

Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:06 p.m.

US Airways dropped its hostile $9.8 billion bid for Delta on Wednesday after Delta's creditors threw their support behind the airline's plan to emerge from bankruptcy on its own. Delta Air Lines Inc.'s official unsecured creditors committee said in a statement it reached its decision after a lengthy review of both Delta's proposal and US Airways Group Inc.'s proposal.

A 'Veil' of gray

By Chris Wisner and compiled by Chris Wisner · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:05 p.m.

Much like 2005's "The White Countess," "The Painted Veil" takes an excellent cast of actors and places them in tumultuous China during the late 1920s, somehow managing to make the story as bland and boring as possible. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts star as Walter and Kitty Fane, a doctor and his wife who leave their London setting to battle a cholera epidemic that breaks out in Shanghai. Upon their arrival, Kitty, bored to tears and disappointed with her marriage, has an affair with local diplomat Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber), which Walter is all too aware of. And so Walter declares a proposition to his wife: Come with him to a cholera colony deep in the Yangtze Valley in an attempt to redeem herself or suffer a painful divorce that will leave her in ruins. Obviously, she takes the first offer.

Another awful parody

By C. Warner Sills and Matt McConnell · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 10:02 p.m.

"Epic Movie," the sixth installment in the "Movie" series, uses the familiar formula of loosely basing the plot off a popular movie and then parodying dozens of other films along the way. Going into "Epic Movie," you already know it's not going to have the best acting in the world, and you can be pretty certain it won't snag any Oscars for best director either. So, really there is only one way to judge it: Is it funny? Unfortunately for me and about 100 other paying customers that night in the theater, it isn't. In fact, "Epic Movie" finds a way to make "Scary Movie" look like a cinematic masterpiece.

Fathers and mothers

By Abram Hess · Wednesday, Jan. 31,2007 9:28 p.m.

I have a Super Bowl prediction: At half-time the Colts and their cheerleaders will switch roles. Peyton Manning will spend the second half prancing about the sideline half-naked, while the cheer squad blows a double-digit lead over the Bears.