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'Lenin 5 given lighthearted lift
BY PHILIP MCFEE
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Consider this: Vladimir Lenin
led a bloody revolution that paved
the way for a genocidal regime.
East Germany in 1989 was a
troubled land marked by frequent
violent protests and widespread
dissent.
So, when one refers to the new
film Good bye, Lenin!” as “charm
ing,” it’s all relative.
The rewarding picture, directed
by Wolfgang Becker, is another in
a recent line of international
imports that balance comedy and
commentary.
In the vein of “The Dreamers”
and “Y T\i Mama, Tambien,” the
German comedy splices scenes of
political strife into its quirky plot
line. The result is a movie with
both heart and a sense of cultural
relevance.
But that doesn’t always equate
to substance. “Good bye, Lenin!”
won’t tear down any walls, but it
will win over viewers.
The ingenious story concerns
the devoted Alex Kerner (a con
vincing, finnicky Daniel Briihl),
whose participation in a pro-cap
italist rally causes his nationalistic
mother, Christiane, played by the
earnest Katrin Safi, to suffer a
coma-inducing heart attack.
Days after her collapse at Alex’s
march, the Berlin Wall falls. But
she remains under. Her doting son
and Lara (Chulpan Khamatova),
his plucky girlfriend, remain by
her side until she comes to, eight
months later.
Suspension of disbelief is an
international affair.
Christiane’s weakened heart
cannot take another blow, so Alex
and company embark on a laugh
filled endeavor to recreate the non
offensive pre-Westem days of yore.
Becker employs a rich bag of
“Amelie”-style import flick tricks,
including fast-motion transitions,
close calls and side characters
galore.
Of special note is Alex’s cowork
er, the wily satellite repairman
Denis (Florian Lukas). His tech
sawy hijinks help stifle the wave of
post-Wall commercial media.
The mile-a-minute pacing of
the film gives theatergoers a visual
workout, but Alex’s compassion
for both Lara and his mother is
nonetheless poignant.
Although the connection to the
main plotline remains strong
throughout, subplots and bit parts
sometimes become lost in transla-
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MOVIEREVIEW
“GOOD BYE, LENIN"
★★★ir
tion.
At one point, a character men
tions that Germany, before its uni
fication, was a country that some
times lost sight of its goals, but
always regained its footing.
The film follows suit.
“Good bye, Lenin! ” is charming
in the best sense of the word. The
movie mixes the social, the satiri
cal and the romantic to positive
effect.
In Becker’s world, socialism’s
greatest enemy isn’t capitalism;
love is. Be it that between young
activists or between a faithful son
and his mother, the film is both
romantic and funny, without being
a romantic comedy.
It’s driven by a clever premise,
staying sweet, but smart. A truly
worthwhile import.
Thank you, commercialism.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The devoted Alex (Daniel Briihl) and Lara (Chulpan Khamatova), snicker
at socialists in the oddly upbeat Cold War comedy” Good bye, Lenin!"
28 Firewood unit
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Blili ■
Buble charming with
rich, revisited classics
BY LEAH KONEN
STAFF WRITER
With his new album, Come Fly
With Me, Michael Buble delivers a
set of songs so charming that the
listener surely will accept his
entreaty.
With this live collection, Buble
sticks to the classics, performing
such hits as “My Funny Valentine,”
“Mack the Knife” and “Moondance,”
proving there is nothing wrong with
sticking to tradition.
Buble does his best to recreate
the fervor and emotion of the orig
inal songs. While the album does
n’t flourish with creativity Buble
is clearly a traditionalist it is
well done.
Buble’s voice is strong, able to
mimic the same richness found in
the voice of the original perform
ers. His tonal quality is amazing.
But he doesn’t just present the
listener with a well-trained voice.
Buble delights his audience with
a captivating mood and style that
he puts into every word. Flawlessly
adapting his tone to that of the
song, he adds his own flair to each
number without butchering the
tried-and-true.
But the album’s primary success
is due to its band. Loaded with
brass, the band showcases its
trumpets and trombones without
losing the balance necessary for
the numbers.
“My Funny Valentine” is particu
larly strong. The song begins with a
loungelike quality, with Buble’s
voice adding to this effect. Subtle
use of piano helps draw the listen
er in, eventually leading to a stun
ning trumpet solo. Powerful and
gripping, trumpet player Justin Ray
truly pours his heart into the music.
“Fever” is also an impressive
track. Dark and mysterious, yet
quiet, the band builds drama with
a suspenseful backbeat. Subtle gui
tar and drums also add to the
(C)2004 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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song’s eerie feeling.
It doesn’t stop there the cho
rus is dramatic, Buble’s voice
shines with excitement and enthu
siasm. The electric guitar use is
excellent, adding modem panache
without detracting from the tradi
tional brass.
But sometimes you just can’t
beat the original. “Can’t Help
Falling in Love” is well-composed
and delivered, but no match to the
famous Elvis Presley recording.
Similarly, “For Once in My Life”
follows the same style of the previ
ous songs but is tedious and slow.
But Buble recovers with his
extravagant finish, “Moondance.”
He maintains the feeling conveyed
in Van Morrison’s original song, but
adds his own elements, creating a
foot-tapping, head-bobbing experi
ence for the listener. Buble throws
himself into the finish, snapping
and adding feeling and thrill.
Reminiscent of the 1920 sand
’3os, Buble invites the listener into
his world of night clubs and danc
ing, perfecting the illusion with his
electrifying album.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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