TTiePllbl
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Arts and Entertainment
Paqe 5
Where’s the real Ashanti?
Emily Killian
Pilot Co-Editor
Ashanti has been a part of
the R&B world for years, after
pairings with the Notorious
Fat Joe and Ja Rule
helped get her name out to the
public. Her association with the
Murder Inc. artists, especially Ja
Rule, gave her career a strong
boost with the release of her
debut self-entitled album.
When I heard her first solo
album, I thought, "dang, this girl
can sing!"
Ashanti’s "Chapter II," how
ever, left me wondering where
the real Ashanti was on the
album. Sandwiched between
skits were a few good songs, but
only a few left more than a pass
ing impression.
The skits got on my nerves
and were a waste of m'igime to
listen to. The intro only me
remember how good her first
album sounded, while some of
the rest of the songs had an early
90s feel to them ("I Found
Lovin’" and "Carry On") and
there was no overarching style to
her work. It was almost as if she
threw a bunch of junk together
just to fill space so she could
crank out another album.
Now my thoughts are closer
to, "wow, this girl is wasting her
talent." Overall she’s a wonder
ful singer with a lot of poten
tial—potential that was not filled
in "Chapter II."
"Rock Wit U (Awww
Baby)," "Ohhh Ahhh" and
"Sweet Baby" caught my ear,
despite their obvious sexual
innuendos. "Feel so Good,"
once the actual song starts is
very catchy, but tbe beginning of
it and certain parts of it have
entirely too many interruptions.
On the positive side.
"Breakup 2 Makeup" has a nice
casual sound with a message that
resonates with many people
because of its theme of making
up after a break up. The soulful
sounds of "Rain on Me" were
quite pleasant as was "Then Ya
Gone," in which Ashanti
reminds us that we should be liv
ing each day the best we can
because we never know how
long our lives will be.
"U Say, I Say" reminds us
that we should focus on the
things in our lives that are impor
tant to us. This track, along with
"I Don’t Mind," is one of the few
on the album that highlight her
amazing singing voice.
"Living my Life" is possibly
my favorite song on the album
because of its optimistic mes
sage. In this track she tells how
she has been through bad times
but that she made it through
those times.
Photo courtesy of Murder Inc. Records
A
S.W.A.T. shows action with a plot
Photo cour
tesy of Sony
Pictures
Stars of
S.W.A.T..
Samuel
Jackson and
Colin Parrel,
take a look
down the
subway line
in their
recent movie.
Rachel
Jones
Pilot staff
When most of us see an
action movie, we never really
think about the plot. After all,
isn’t the point of the action film
mainly to see things blow up
and people fighting? With the
universal plot of good cop vs.
bad cop, "S.W.A.T." takes the
action genre to a new level: the
explosions and action
sequences don’t bury the plot.
"S.W.A.T." begins with Jim
Street (Colin Farrell) and his
partner rashly disobeying
orders and freeing hostages.
Street and his partner are given
a choice of demotion or
removal from the police force.
Street, whose life is his job,
stays on while his partner angri
ly leaves the Los Angles Police
Department. Street patiently
bides his time, waiting for
another chance to rejoin
S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and
Tactics). His second chance
comes in the form of Sergeant
Dan "Hondo" Harrelson
(Samuel L. Jackson). Hondo,
recruited by the chief of LAPD
to "bring the luster back into
S.W.A.T," quickly chooses two
highly respected S.W.A.T.
members, T.J. McCabe (Josh
Charles) and Michael Boxer
(Brian Van Holt). Hondo
recruits newcomers David
"Deke" Kay (James Todd Smith
a.k.a. LL Cool J) and Chris
Sanchez, the first woman to
ever be recruited by S.W.A.T.
(Michelle Rodriguez, "The Fast
and the Furious"). He then
gives Street a long awaited
chance to rejoin S.W.A.T.
Hondo’s S.W.A.T. team
quickly proves to be the best,
and is assigned to escort an
infamous drug lord, Alex
Montel (Olivier Martinez,
"Unfaithful"), to a federal
prison. The catch: through the
very news reports that verified
his capture, Montel has publicly
offered $100 million to anyone
who can free him. Greedy mer
cenaries soon race to free him,
turning L.A. into a war zone.
Soon the only thing between the
drug lord and his freedom is
Hondo and his team.
Farrell has quickly risen to
Hollywood fame in films such
as "Phone Booth" and
"Minority Report". His perfor
mance in "S.W.A.T." will only
boost his star status. Jackson is
an action movie veteran and
should not be overlooked as the
streetwise Sergeant. For those
of you who look at T.J. McCabe
and wonder, "Where have I
seen him before?" think back to
"Dead Poets’ Society" and
remember the love-struck Knox
Overstreet.
Word to the wise, there are
some realistic scenes that may
cause squeamish reactions in
the audience. Those who do
enjoy action will be pleased by
the authenticity of the police
drama. Overall, "S.W.A.T." has
great action sequences, solid
performances by the actors, and
a strong plot that doesn’t end
before the movie does.