Ryder can't save truly
hellbound 'Lost Souls
ARTS
The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 16, 2000 - 9A
John Brown's Body
n. revives musical spirit
By Wilhelmina Mauritz
Daily Arts Writer
I have to admit I was relatively
x excited to see "Lost Souls" when I first
saw previews for it. Unfortunately, that
was a little more than a year ago, and
I.. PL ;A
Lost Souls
Grade: D
At Showcase
and Quality 16
this is never a
good sign for the
movie. The post-
ponement tends
to hint at some
major production
difficulties.
Suffice it to
say I was feeling
a bit wary to
what i was about
to watch heading
into "Lost
Souls." Not to
mention the fact
that in the last
Schwarzenegger and came out last
Thanksgiving? Yeah, well that's basi-
cally the same movie as "Lost Souls"
minus Arnold.
My uneasiness about this film was
confirmed. "Lost Souls" is a disaster. It
begins badly, improves slightly, pulling
off a few frights and shockers; but it
eventually just crashes and burns into a
sea of confusion and disorganization.
It's one thing for a movie to be artistic
and eerie, but it's quite another to make
no sense at all.
"Lost Souls" is about a man, Ben
Chaplin ("The Truth About Cats and
Dogs"), who is going to turn into the
devil on his 33rd birthday. Winona
Ryder plays the woman who is trying
to help him. How exactly is never quite
clear. There's not a whole lot more to
this movie even though it adds a few
more sub-plots that are totally unneces-
sary and basically there to fill up space
and open up the option for a few more
scares.
The characters, like the rest of the
movie, are a total void. What you see is
what you get. It's hard to care about
any of them. Chaplin is not even that
likable of a character before he finds he
Courtesy 0f NewLine Cinem
Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin have a heart-to-heart on the swings in "Lost Souls."
is the soon-to-be reincarnate of the
devil. Except for the fact that the devil
will now be roaming the streets of New
York, do we really care what happens
to this particular guy? This seems to
make the whole premise of the movie a
bit lacking.
Ryder seems to be there as a big
name to bring in the people. She
doesn't make the movie any worse but
she certainly doesn't add to it either. A
lot of her character is left unexplained
which is supposed to make it more
mysterious but ends up making it con-
fusing. She continuously has weird hal-
lucinations throughout the movie and
yet, there is no explanation as to why
By David Edelman
Daily Arts Writer
Since the release of their new album
This Day, John Brown's Body has
been touring the United States and
she has them. There is a small refer-
ence that she was possessed at one
point. We don't know by whom or what
- The devil? An evil spirit? Who
knows?
The appearance of "Lost Souls" has
the same soft, grainy look that was
used in the movie "Seven" which
unlike "Lost Souls" was able to get
past its initial aura of creepiness. As a
fan of horror movies in general, it does
not take much to satisfy me. Even the
corny ones will usually provide some
sort of entertainment. "Lost Souls"
wasn't even corny. Perhaps a few more
years in production would have done
this movie some good. Probably not.
much of the world.
ming in Ann Arbor
Johnt Br"own's
Firefly Club
Tonight at 8 p.m.
They will be jam-
tonight at the Fire-
fly Club, starting
at 8 p.m.
With unique
style and a joy-
ous spirit, John
Brown's Body
offers a pleasant
alternative to an
ordinary and pre-
dictable music
world. Based out
of Boston, with
Michigan alum
David Gould on
bass, JBB pre-
serves traditional
you have for the new album?
KK: We would like to see our music
prosper. Ultimately, God will decide
what will come of this project. There is
always a balance between God's vwill
and people's attempt to help them-
selves. We are working diligently and
keep our hearts open.
TMD: What messages are you trying
to convey through your music?
KK: Freedom. People are in chains
that they don't even see. Man can't be
satisfied in this world of materialism.
Our music is a spiritual medium; we
want people to see that they are free.
People should rejoice. Life should be
lived in the moment; we hope to revital-
ize this spirit.
TMD: JBB is described on your fly-
ers around campus as "militant reggae."
What do you mean by that?
KK: The military is a tough well-
ordered machine, forceful and comes to
conquer. That is our plan. We bring a
revolution with love; our weapons are
love and justice. Love is the most pow-.
erful force in this world.
TMD: How did you develop the
remarkable unfeigned accent you sing
with? Growing up in Ithaca, NY, where
does that genuine "Jamaican" sound
come from?
KK: How do I answer that question?
You don't ask me why my eyes are the
color they are. That is who I am. We
have our own experiences and reflect
God's love differently. We are all indi-
viduals, and we (JBB) fake nothing.
There is no fronting in this band. Our
show is different every night; every-
thing depends on what we are feeling at
the time we perform.
year about a bazillion movies have
come out dealing with the same basic
scenario as the one in "Lost Souls." It's
the basic battle of good versus evil;
God versus the devil and all of that fun
stuff. Have you heard of the movie
"End of Days ?" It stars Arnold
Castillo's latest explores love affair with dance
By Lisa Rat
For the Daily
What happens to your life when you are no longer
able to do the thing you love best? This is the theme of
the latest work by Ana Castillo, "Peel My Love Like
an Onion." The author of fiction, poetry and essays,
Castillo creates a memorable, funny and no-nonsense
lead character in "Peel My Love" the formerly famous
Peel My Love
Like an Onion,
Ana Castillo
Grade: B
Anchor Books
flamenco dancer Carmen La
Coja, which, translated, means
"Carmen the Cripple."
There is a reason the heroine
has this unfortunate nickname:
Despite being a famous flamen-
co dancer, Carmen is crippled
from a childhood bout with
polio. She wears a brace on her
leg at all times, except when she
is dancing. She explains the best
part of flamenco, saying, "You
don't have to be svelte or even
young to be a flamenco dancer.
You don't have to have all your
teeth or shiny hair. You just have
Courtesy OAnChor BOOKS
string of low-paying jobs. Essentially, she has lost
almost everything she truly cares for. But at the end,
Carmen gets everything she has ever wanted out of life
and then a bit extra. The voice of Carmen La Coja is
simple yet complex, often humorous and filled with
spontaneity. She frequently eschews proper grammar
and language, free-associating, ranting and raving. Her
words turn into poetry on the page.
There are a few obstacles on the dance floor, as we
move with Carmen towards the end of the book. The
plot of the book is at times confusing. A new chapter
will begin and the setting will differ entirely from that
of the preceding chapter, without explanation. The
interesting structure of the book makes up for this con-
fusion, however; each chapter is divided into short
vignettes, which are titled after their first line.
Part of this novel is a feminist treatise about a
woman who is scorned by the two men she loves, yet
goes on to find happiness and fulfillment without
them in her life. She eventually succumbs to the
comforts and familiarity of one of her former lovers,
but the message remains the same: a woman can live
a wonderful and satisfying life without a man. The
other message of the book is "don't give up hope
when it seems all is lost." Carmen, with style and a
definite flair for life, never gives up, even when left
without a man, a job, a sense of identity and her own
home. There are worthwhile lessons to be learned
from this book, and the character of Carmen La Coja
will stay in the hearts and minds of readers for a
long time.
reggae sound while delivering a power-
ful, lively beat. The band's passionate
vocals and tight horns create appealing
melodies for a sound everyone can
enjoy.
Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Kevin
Kinsella took a few minutes on Satur-
day torapwith The Michigan Daily.
The Michigan Daily: How's it been
for you guys on the road? Where has
JBB played recently?
Kevin Kinsella: We have been tour-
ing for the past six weeks, pretty much
all over the country. We've played in
Chicago, California, New Mexico. We
enjoy it. It's on the road where you get
tight with the music.
TMD: What type of aspirations do
her identity, her livelihood or the two men in her life,
both of whom are destructive forces.
One of her lovers is Agustin, who has been her sig-
nificant other for 17 years. He is the reason she
became a dancer and is responsible for much of her
fame. He is married, however, and has a wife and chil-
dren back in Spain. Carmen's second lover, Manolo, is
half Carmen's age. Manolo is the godson of Agustin.
which creates tremendous tension and heartache for all
characters involved.
Neither man treats Carmen the way she should be
treated. After losing her men, Carmen suffers through
the death of friends and dealing with poverty. She is
forced to live at home at the age of 40 because she
cannot pay her rent with the money she earns from a
to feel what you are doing, to keep up with the rhythm,
to lead and follow your musicians."
The plot deals with Carmen La Coja and the dra-
matic changes she goes through in dealing with the
demise of dance from her life. Her polio becomes so
severe she can barely walk, and Carmen is left without
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Almost
good enough
to get
into our
internsh ips.
Congratulations. All the cramming, insomnia and junk food breakfasts have paid off. You're in college
now - and soon, you'll be facing questions about your life. Like what to do with the rest of it.
One thing is for sure, if you're a student of color, with an IN ROADS internship you could have a serious job
every summer while you're still in school - making contacts and gaining experience in your chosen field of
study. Hey, it won't be easy, but then again if you wanted it easy, you wouldn't be reading this right now.