8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 13, 2002 ARTS 0 Author of short tales reads latest at Shaman By Carmen Johnson Daily Arts Writer Is hanging a circus elephant a viable solution for the relief of dis- contentment and depression? In a collection of 14 short stories, titled "What We Won't Do," Brock Clarke's lower-middle class charac- ters, suffer mostly from the same unfulfilled existence sickness that drives them to starve themselves, kill houseplants and burn Emily Dickinson's house down. The stories, complete with quirky situations, share a concern for the hardships of the working- man. "For me, the working class characters are always conflicted, productively so: they're proud of being working class, and yet they wish they were something else. They know what it is to have a job, and they also know what is not to want one," Clarke says. Tonight, he Extra features on 'Training Day' DVD expand characters, slow pace By Lyle Henretty Daily Arts Editor Denzel Washington is clearly having the time of his life playing bad-cop to Ethan Hawke's good in Warner Bros. "Training Day." While both men were nominated for Academy Awards (Best Actor and Best Sup- porting, respectively), any compe- tent actor could have filled Hawke's shoes (the nature of a role that calls more for reacting than actual acting). Only an actor as skilled at his craft as Washington could play the role somewhere between an "ends-justify-the- means" cop and a Batman villain without looking incredibly silly (Jeremy Irons, take note). will be reading from his stories at Shaman Drum. With polished prose, he successfully uses satire to address the complicated people with whom Clarke believes many writers are afraid to deal. Moving quickly BROCK At Sham Boo Tonight ters' frustration with literature. "I mean, I had read it in high school, but I was not impressed. All those hyphens and capital letters and flies buzzing and death personified did nothing for me," claims a disillu- sioned character in "She Loved to Cook but Not Like This," explain- ing what drove him to torch Emily Dickinson's house. "They've been told that literature can change their lives which they know not to be the case. They can't figure out what lit- erature is suppose to do, which makes them feel dumb, and they hate feeling dumb as much as they hate the literature that makes them feel this way," says Clarke, who is now writing a novel which takes a deeper look at the problem CLARKE that literature can present for some an Drum people. The first kshop chapter of his at 8 p.m. "Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England" is based on the short story "She Loved to Cook but Nof Like This." Hailing from upstate New York, Clarke received his Ph.D. in Eng- lish at the University of Rochester, and is now an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Clemson University. He has recent- ly published his first novel, "The Ordinary White Boy." "What We Won't Do" is a reis- sued collection of short stories pub- lished in February of this year by Sarabande Books, ahnonprofituliter- ary press. These short stories have previously appeared in publications such as the New England Review and American Fiction. The collec- tion was the winner of the 2000 Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fic- tion. TRAINING DVI Picture/Sound: Movie: *** Features: *** Hawke is Jake Hoyt, a cracker-jack patrolman picked to join an elite squad of undercover nar- cotics cops lead by Washington's Alonzo Harris. The film takes place over the course of Hoyt's first day on the job. Harris gets him high on PCP, beaten up by a couple of rapists and nearly gunned down by a troupe of angry Latinos. There is interesting tension and quiet morality lurking around every corner as the viewer is asked to look inside him/herself and decide whether Alonzo is a monster or just doing what it takes in a corrupt GDAY world. That's until the entire story G A spirals out of control and Alonzo D looses a dimension and Tom Berenger shows up with a mullet. Don't ask. Director Antione Fuqua proves more than capable, giving the film * both a glossy Hollywood feel and preserving the gritty integrity of its L.A. setting. While the ending breaks down, the film is taught enough throughout to hold interest. David Ayer's script is cliche-ridden, but his dialogue has a certain authenticity to it usually lacking in Hollywood "ghetto" projects. The new "Training Day" DVD hits many of the same ups and downs as the film itself. The included "HBO First Look" documentary is interesting in its explo- ration of film-making in the 'hood. Fuqua deliv- ers interesting tidbits about working with, instead of around, the L.A. gangs in order to obtain some of the film's more uniquely gritty set- tings. It's also a trip watching Hawke and Washington talk about what a joy it is to work with musicians-come- thespians Dr. Dre, Snoop Courtesy of Warner Bros. Dogg, and Macy Gray. een time. The deleted scenes are 0 a 6 probably the disc's best features, mainly show- casing Washington's silver-tongued rouge- charmer, some making him more human, some showing him even more monstrous, but all entirely extraneous..Separate from the actual movie, they are fine character studies, but they would have slowed down the clip of the movie, which would have been cinematic suicide for a film structured around momentum. Same prob- lem with the alternate ending, except the two added minutes are poorly acted and executed. The standard commentary is fine for those interested, though most could do without the Nelly and Pharaoh Monche videos. Fuqua, a for- mer music video director, does enough for his musical colleagues by placing them in the films and it is far from necessary for the requisite inclusion of sub-par singers to sell soundtracks. 6 Denzel and Ethan argue over who actually had more scr .0 'My Guide' shows life r in the music industry By Ryan Blay TV/New Media Editor It may not be "This is Spinal Tap," the ultimate guidebook to half-hour episodes each Thursday. This keeps with the often frenetic pace of the show. While one episode might deal with "the Yoko factor," another might delve into the band's constantly depleted funds to record a0 Cuts y o f Sarabande Boks Brock Clarke considers a pasta dinner. LOOKING FOR GREAT INTERN HOUSING THIS SUMMER IN NEW YORK CITY. - COMELV WIH.1 We've got a great place for you to live this Summer. Spacious, safe, affordable and convenient off-campus housing with all the cool stuff... cable TV,internet access, fully furnished and ready for fast easy move in! The perfect place to really enjoy your intern or summer study program. But space is limited and demand is high. Check us out nght now. Call the Hotline at 800-297-4694! Go online at www.studenthouslng.org. Nf you are in New York visit us at our new Student Housing Center @ Lexington Avenue and 24th Street. EDUCATIONAL HOUSING Student Housing for Real Living NEW YORK'S # 1 RESOURCE FOR STUDENT HOUSING making a mockumen- tary about a band with revolving drummers. But the WB Network's new comedy, "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star," is still a charming show about the music industry. Based on the long- titled British series "The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star," "My MY GUIDE TO BECOMING A ROCK STAR Thursdays at 8 & 8:30 p.m. The WB a demo and sign with a record label. Though the humor occasionally falls flat, the charming presence of Hudson and the cre- ative idea of the show does give this freshman comedy a chance to succeed. Refining the idea to focus on the band members them- selves is vital to the future. With a bit of the network could have Courtesy or Anchor Bay Ash and company enjoy their luxury vacation at this coy cabin in "Evil Dead.". A truly, 'vl'V By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor "The Evil Dead" is the quintessen- tial low buget horror movie. Bad act- ing and cheesy dialogue could have made the film a typical gore schlock fest, but with inventive camera work and clever visual effects, director Sam Evil Dead." The most striking feature of the DVD lies in the meticulous attention to perfection in the audio and video departments. Considering the minis- cule budget of the film, the inclusion of a 6.1 surround sound is nothing short of astounding. The print has been remastered and for the first time shown Guide" stars Oliver Hudson (brother of actress Kate Hudson, son of Goldie Hawn) as 22-year-old Jace Darnell, frontman for the young band SlipDog. Hudson is charismat- ic as Jace, the creator/energy cen- ter/surprisingly decent singer of the band. Unfortunately, the rest of the band, including the large, sleazy manager often retracts into stereo- typical backup musicians. There's the no-nonsense female, reminding viewers that they're not watching "Josie and the Pussycats." Then, of course, there's the constant stream of new drummers. This definitely needs to stop to increase the band's dynamics with one another. Rather than create hour-long episodes of the new series, the WB has instead decided to show two retooling, another cult hit on its hands. Raimi turned the film into a cult phenomenon. 20 years later, "The Evil Dead" and its.two sequels (1987's "Evil Dead 2" and 1993's "Army of Darkness") are more popular than ever. To commemerate the 20th anniversary of "The Evil Dead," Anchor Bay has released one of the most impressive DVDs on the market today. THE EVIL DEAD DVD Picture/Sound: ***** Movie: **** Features: **** in a widescreen format. Special features include two commen- taries, one with director Raimi and another with B-movie superhero and star of "The Evil Dead" Bruce Campbell. Other notable features include trailers, TV spots, talent files, over 200 stills, behind the scenes docu- mentaries and a fea- To capture the feel of the horror classic, the DVD is presented in a latex replica of the "The Book of the Dead" featured in the movie. To create an accurate recreation, the makers of the DVD hired Tom Sullivan, the original special makeup effects artist for "The turette on the humble beginnings of what has become one of the most beloved film series in recent years. For die hard fans of "The Evil Dead," Anchor Bay's 20th anniversary DVD is the premier edition of the movie and one of the most impressive DVDs in recent memory. Courtesy of the WB The cast of the WB's "Rock Star." Screen Actors Guild winners predict this year's Oscar gold. 0 By Luke Smith Daily Arts Editor The Screen Actors Guild handed out their awards on Sun- day, and it could prove to be an apt preview of what is to come at the Academy Awards on March 24. Often, the big- winners at the Screen Actors Guild can expect to take home Oscars. Russell Crowe may have cemented his victory at the upcoming Academy Awards with his win in the Male Actor in A Leading Role for his portrayal of Professor John Nash, who suffers from schizophrenia in "A Beautiful Mind." Crowe's acceptance was brief, and he did not read a poem on stage. He simply thanked the Guild and talked about how great it was to be an actor. Despite Crowe's short acceptance speech, the actor still stormed off the stage looking angry as usual. Halle Berry was a surprise winner in the Female Actor in A Leading Role category, beating out Judi Dench, Renee Zell- Female Actor in A Supporting Role went to Helen Mirren from Robert Altman's "Gosford Park" Mirren beat out Judi Dench (which makes Dench 0-2 at this year's SAG's), Cate Blanchett, Dakota Fanning and Cameron Diaz, who was nominated for her role in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky." f. r . _ Ali