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©tp SmUj ®ar lIM ‘Mars Attacks! ’ Part Deux Spielberg s latest aims to shock, awe BY ALAN HAYES STAFF WRITER Steven Spielberg is pissed. Or at least he should be. His latest addition to the sum mer blockbuster genre, “War of the Worlds” —a science fiction extrav aganza based on H.G Wells’ 1898 novel of the same name— is not that bad. Sure, it has its fair share of plot holes and the hokiest end ing this side of a Disney cartoon, but as far as big-budget action thrillers go, “War of the Worlds” is pretty good. So, why should the film’s modest appeal be a thorn in the side of one of the most prolific and popular directors of the modem era? Two words: Tom Cruise. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months, you know that Cruise alongside a whiny and waifish Dakota Fanning —is the star of Spielberg’s latest epic and, per the usual modus operandi, has been a presence on the summer talk show circuit as of late, ostensi bly to promote his newest role. However, you are probably also aware that Cruise has spent far more time espousing his love for new fiancee Katie Holmes and evangelizing for the Church of Scientology, which is suddenly a pop-culture buzzword. Spielberg, as one of the most prominent American filmmakers over the past two decades, proba bly knows better than anyone that there is no such thing as bad pub licity. However, somewhere deep inside Spielberg’s soul, there has to New hero flick less than super JOHN COGGIN ARfc & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR . it comes to Hollywood adaptations of comic books, super hero fans have had a lot to celebrate lately. JSam Raimi brought Spiderman to'stunningly epic life not once, but twice. dJryan Singer managed to juggle a giant cast of movie stars in one of the best realized and most topical of modem comic movies, “X 2.” And only a couple of weeks ago Christopher Nolan showed us that he’ has single-handedly turned around the Batman franchise and created what this reviewer dares to deem a superior interpretation to Tim Burton’s attempt at Batman 16 years ago. driven the undeniable success of the films listed above, fanboys everywhere had plenty of reason to believe that as the big-budget adaptation of “Fantastic Four” went into production, the studio suits i had finally learned their lesson: ' Simply sit back, keep your hands to yourself and let the auteur mold | his opus. The guys at aintitcool.com et al > should have known better. Not only is “Fantastic Four” clearly the product of committee research and Weinstein-like micromanage ment, the director chosen to oversee its creation is as far from an auteur as any filmmaker can get. His name is Tim Story, and “Taxi” and “Barbershop” are the two most noteworthy films on his resume. This never boded well for “Fantastic Four.” Directors Sam Raimi and Chris Nolan before him realized that one cannot adapt a comic as-is to the screen. Each director guided their films with a distinct tone and voice that did not necessarily offer a pixel-perfect reflection of 'xw \ / 7)'['.NCil "'“"smith smki ladies in ■n lavender* A rn M BY CHAifc* DAWCK >u *tg C * W . I ; mmsATsuNmeo | RfcSW mSmxu, 'A WONDROUS EPIC!* Iminum A'fc.r *3*s .. I SUHWHJS, M5,4:40 I THEWILD PARROTS.... ! 7roo, *OO, SATSUH WEDS 2:00,490 \ MAD HOT BALLROOM 7:15. mSAT.SUN.WEDS 115. 4:40 be a part of him crying out against Cruise’s shameless self-promotion. After all, the director is an artist and his new film does not offer evi dence to the contrary. Spielberg’s cinematic technique combines the gritty hand-held realism he used to great effect in “Saving Private Ryan” with the seamless implementation of some stunning CGI Martian war machines. The eye candy stands alongside vibrant, Technicolor set design and just enough flash ing lights to remind viewers of the film’s 1953 iteration. It is likely that, as an artist, Spielberg would rather people see his films out of an interest in his cinematic talents or the subject matter rather than a passing curi osity about the eccentricities (read: craziness) of the film’s star. Why is this hack famous, any way? It seems that Cruise cement ed his role as a Hollywood icon in films like “Risky Business,” “Cocktail” and “Top Gun” and has been on I can’t resist “Cruise” control ever since. People seem to simply accept his constant promotion of Scientology —a religion founded in the 1950s by science-fiction author (red flag, anyone?) L Ron Hubbard —as just another Hollywood quirk. A little research on the space-age belief sys tem, though, reveals Cruise to be less “Ellen Degeneres quirky” and more “Michael Jackson insane.” And like Scientology —and any sci-fi movie worth its intergalac tic salt the premise for “War of the camp of the source material but was close enough —and more importantly, consistent enough that few males under the age of 45 could deny taking some enjoyment in watching Spiderman swing glee fully through the New York skyline in either of Raimi’s films. Story fails miserably at this task. Not only does he fail to capture the tone of the comics upon which the film is based, but he fails to pin down a single tone at all. The film teeters between the sinister camp of Julian McMahon’s villanous CEO, Victor Von Doom and the cheesy machismo of Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm, who spews one-lin ers more often than a Tinseltown starlet does her lunch. To add insult to injury, some one he likely owns jets and lots of Armani suits has edited the living crap out of Story’s film. Character “development” I think that’s what it’s supposed to be— happens at a breakneck speed and rarely moves forward the clunky plot. Even cinema novices will notice the giant gaping holes 300 E. 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(Michael Jackson Tribute) 21 WE PETER ROWAN AND TONY RICE" (S2O/522) 22 TH 808 MOULD" (sls) 3 Carolina Ttwotre 09/07 SIGUR ROS (Tickels on sale July 15) @ The Arts Center (Carrboro) 10/12 MtCHAEL PENN" The BEST live music ~ 18 & over admitted "Advance ticket sates at SchoolKids (Chapel Hilt, Raleigh), CD Alley (CH). Avid Video (Durham) & Gale City Noise (Greensboro). Buy tickets on-line: www.etix.com For Credit Card orders CALL 919-967-9053 www.catscradle.com News £ Jf jHk/* • 8 COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES Tim Robbins (left), Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning try and elude some stealthy alien invaders in Steven Spielberg's latest summer blockbuster. the Worlds” is out there, featuring Martians hell-bent on a takeover of planet Earth by way of a complete extermination of its current popu lation. Spielberg manages to keep the extraterrestrial fantasy firmly grounded in reality, though something that can’t be said for Cruise by interjecting a taste of real-life tragedy. As the alien onslaught begins, Fanning —as Cruise’s daughter shrieks “Is it the terrorists?” a question later echoed by Cruise’s rebellious teenage son. The 9/11 references, along with later con versations between refugees from the destruction who ask each other “Did you lose anyone?” give the film a relevance that a straight adapta tion of Wells’ century-old novel MOVIE "FANTASTIC FOUR" ★ in the dialogue and story. And the big action scenes there are only two, but hey, who’s counting? inexplicably lack certain requisite special effects shots showcasing the troupe’s powers. It appears as if either the guys in charge of effects never quite mastered Mr. Fantastic’s “stretch” Clothing, Books & Music, House & Kitchen, Gifts ( ; ► Buy one item clothing, get one item free with this ad! Tue s-Friioam-spm , $lO limit J Sat 10AM-4PM Club Nova promotes and provides opportunities for (919) 967-6985 individuals with mental illness to lead meaningful and 103 C West Main St., Carrboro productive lives of their choice in the community. (Downtown Carrboro behind Wendy’s) All donations are tax-deductible. www.clubnovashop.com LJJ 1I Ii I|fJ _ *f Healthy Mex! Always Fresh, Juicy, Big & Healthy Cosmic Cantina: Party Fuel MEHU SAMPLING: various menu items.... $2 old school veggie burrito. .2 veggie bu rrito de1uxe.................. 4 chicken burrito.. 5 quesadilla 3 chicken quesadilla 4 ...and more plus... all mexican beers $2 < Haiti, mu,: ( )(hi- n~) rk|lit ,11 ilic xt HI DURHAM: 2(i-17'3 on Htli xlnvt and 41 j GUARANTEED OPEN UNTIL 4am MOVIE "WAR OF THE WORLDS" ★★★ could never have done. Despite the distraction of his recent public outbursts, Cruise is at least believable in his role as a bad dad. How could he not be when, compared to some of the tenets of Scientology, which include a belief in a “galactic tyrant” named Xenu, the premise of the Spielberg version of “War of the Worlds” aliens riding lightning bolts in to war machines buried beneath the Earth’s crust a million years ago seems downright plausible? Contact the A S? E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu. power or (more likely) the execs at 20th Century Fox realized early they had a stinker on their hands and were unwilling to commit more money to post-production effects work. In the shots where they do show loan Gruffudd’s arms flying around like silly putty, the effects fail to live up to even the standards of Play Station 2. So, if you want my advice, go see “Batman Begins” instead. Contact the A W E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu Esthero s latest CD was worth the wait Tackles relationships, collaborations BY JOHN COGGIN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR I have waited eight long years for Esthero to release another full length follow-up to one the few albums in my CD collection that continues to get consistent rotation in the car stereo. That album was Breath from Another, and it is the best album by a Canadian trip-hop, jazz, R&B, big-band pop artist ever, in my book. I loved it because Esthero’s lyr ics often seemed glued together by some unspoken sexual in-joke that she would take to the grave with her. With a Bjork-like voice but a pop sensibility for songs about really weird relationships, she was exactly the kind of exotic distrac tion from suburbia a fifteen-year old boy needed. She’s back with more of the same trip-hop beats and noxious harmo nies, backing up a glorious mix of melancholy love letters and sassy kiss-offs to past lovers. But during her hiatus, she diver sified her arsenal of style choices a bit —a point in which many critics have found grounds for complaint. However, this reviewer has, since receiving the album in the mail from the kind people at Reprise Records, reveled in the album’s schizophrenic love of, well, everything. The first single “We R in Need of a Musical ReVoLuTion” is rock ’n’ roll; the album’s title track is big band; and “Everyday is a Holiday (with You)” —a collaboration with Sean Lennon sounds like a walk through Central Park in the spring. Yes, the album begs for a little more cohesiveness; however, Esthero adapts her voice to each new musical environment with skill that not even fellow Canadian pop tart Nelly Furtado (with whom she has collaborated) managed to conjure on her last effort. 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Franklin Street • Chapel Hill • 919.968.3488 • www.citysearch.com/rdu/35 • fax 919.968.0268 r 1 Business School FREE Semina/ Cr Learn Inside tips on business school admissions, score-raising GMAT’ strategies, and M.B.A. career opportunities from a panel of admissions experts. Monday, July 18 6:30 PM Durham Kaplan Center Get the edge on business school admissions. Register for this free event today! g V 1-800-KAP-TEST j kaptest.com/edgeevents Test Prep and Admissions *GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Counci®. Kaplan materials do not contain actual GMAT items and are neither endorsed by nor affiliated in any way with GMAC. THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005 MUSICI^IFIEW ESTHERO WIKKED LIL' GRRRLS irkirk genre-loyal tracks that shared no common thread. “Wikked Lai’ Grrrls” is beautifully complete in its eclecticism because Esthero successfully weaves her sexy mystique into every tripped out beat. Layers of vocals on “Blanket Me in You (Never is so Soon)” bleed into the clipped beat and Cuban percussion and horns, spawning one of the most listenable songs released this year. (I only hope that the label, which has been pushing this album surprisingly whole heartedly, realizes that the this is the single to send to radio not “ReVoLuTion.”) Lyrically, Esthero sometimes sounds like she just stepped off the stage of “Def Poetry Jam.” “Will you let me lick you with illiteration and tie you up in simi les?” is one of several lines that stinks of the awkward, self-con scious poeticizing of one of Mos Def’s guests on the late-night HBO series. Also, fans might be slightly dis appointed when she drops the pop act and reverts to standard-issue R&B during the entire second half of the album. Don’t get me wrong: Again, she sounds perfectly comfortable in such fixings; it simply doesn’t live up to the first half of the album. Nonetheless, “Gone” (featuring Cee-Lo Green) sounds like the mas terpiece Babyface never produced and is the most genuinely tender song Esthero’s ever performed, and Cee-Lo actually sounds pretty good crooning along with her for a bit at the end. Contact the AdE Editor at artsdesk@ unc.edu. 7
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