Monday September % 2002 michigandaily.com/arts mae@michigandaily.com ARTS 5 'RAGING BULL' VS. RAGIN' BULL Steven Coogan makes '24 Hour Party People' a cinematic treat Courtesy of Wwrner Bros. Bobby DenNiro hails a taxi in 'City by the Sea.' Oh the irony. Bob DeNiro 's weight keeps the Sea f rom capsizing By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor - Directed by Michael Winterbottom ("Welcome to Sarajevo"), "24 Hour Party People".begins with British TV personality Tony Wilson (Steven Coogan, "The Indian in the Cupboard") atop a tall grassy hill. The apprehensive host takes hold of a hang-glider, gazing over the English countryside. With a few short steps he takes off, only briefly, catching a gust of good air before violently crashing into the ground. He gets back up and takes flight once more, only to collide ** with the ground again. Wilson tells us- directly that the scene is an analogy to the 24 HOUi story that has yet to be told. PEO The story, based on actual events, takes us to Manchester, England where Wilson At The N is a pseudo-celebrity with a television The show. With his dandy-fop hair, Wilson cultivates the Manchester music scene in United the '70s and '80s by introducing punk music to his countrymen via his show. He is unques- tionably the protagonist of the film, but as he tells us, "I'm a minor player in my own life story." Things take motion in 1976 after the first Sex Pis- tols concert in what was then a dull Manchester. Only 42 people attend the show, but as music aficionados certainly know, they all witnessed history in the mak- ing. Inspired by the concert, Wilson forms Factory Records, which by his words is "Not actually a com- pany. We are an experiment in human nature." He signs the bands Joy Division and Happy Mondays to his new found label, but rather than type up a proto- typical legal contact, he instead opts for a vague con- tract written in his own blood. In one of the most gratifying displays .of acting this year, Steven Coogan gives an absolutely stunning and flawless performance as Wilson. His character is self- deprecating and always amusing, reminding us that for every high in life there is an equal and opposite low. He takes his wins and losses in stride, focusing on the music rather than his bank account. Coogan, a staple of British television but relatively unknown in the I -4.,. United States, is able to display all of Wilson's com- plexities with a natural ease, in a performance that is anything but unconvincing. Self-reflexive and constantly aware of itself both as a film and a history lesson, "24 Hour Party People" succeeds at being entertaining and provocative. Much of the film plays for comic effect, but that is not to say it is not without its dramatic moments. Winterbottom injects his creative talents into each shot of the film, most notably in a scene where unassum- ing pigeons are fed rat poison as "The Ride of the Valkyries" plays ironically. ** Shot on digital video, "24 Hour Party People" has the look of a documentary R PARTY (think "This is Spinal Tap") but throws in PLE enough avant-garde visuals at the audi- ence to make it fresh rather than redun- Michigan dant. Winterbottom includes actual ater vintage concert footage of the Sex Pistols Artists and other infamous British rock outfits, which blend almost seamlessly with his digital video. Wilson's opening of the Hacienda club ignites the rave culture with the emergence of the DJ as the enter- tainer for the dance culture. Along with the new wave sounds and pounding rhythms, the drug ecstasy becomes a culture of its own. When patrons spend their money on the drugs rather than the booze, the Hacienda club begins its financial collapse despite its overwhelming popularity. Punk rock know-it-alls might notice a few special cameos from some of the genre's most respected groups. But in case you don't notice the aged musi- cians in their all too brief roles, Winterbottom points them out for you in a wonderfully satirical fashion. The daring "24 Hour Party People" is a fractured rock fairy tale with a rock 'n' roll attitude that doesn't give a damn about conventions. Here is a movie that mocks itself yet has the confidence to become some- thing more than just another rock biography. Director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steven Coogan have created one of the most interesting cinematic experi- ences of 2002 and their names will surely be men- tioned recurrently come award season. By John Laughlin For the Daily In a drug deal gone bad Joey Nova (James Franco, "Spider-Man") finds himself a murderer. Joey lives in Long Beach - the "City by the Sea" - in one of the many aban- doned buildings now a only used as shooting galleries for the junkies and homeless. Joey wasn't always CITI just a street junkie, THE once being part of a family and a star quar- At Shovw terback, as well. All Quali clich6's aside, after he Warne murders the drug dealer "Picassq," Joey i,. forced back into the world which he long ago abandoned:. Robert DeNiro plays Joey's father, Vincent LaMarca. Plagued by his own demons, LaMarca has risen above his own troubled past that involved his father being executed for the murder of a child. LaMarca has become a man of the law as part of the homicide division and had led a seemingly steady life with love interest Michelle (Oscar-winner Frances McDormand, "Fargo") up until the story begins. When DeNiro finds that the son he abandoned long ago has' been accused of murder, DeNiro must in turn wel- come back all that he had forgotten and deal with the past he thought had * been buried long ago. "City by the Sea" is BY not the first film from JEA director Michael Caton- Jones, nor is Caton-Jones ase and any stranger to DeNiro, y 16 having directed him in Bros. the 1993 film "This Boy's Life" that told the .s.tory..of.writer Tobias. wca litys Wolff's troubled childhood. With "City by the Sea," Caton-Jones has decided to return to this theme of the "troubled family" but also weaves in the underlying metaphor of abandon- ment. Long Beach is a city that was once popular and "on the grow," but remains now as only a relic of an era long since past. DeNiro had aban- doned his son Joey and his ex-wife in the hopes they will not have to carry on the legacy of a murderer. Joey abandons life, and in a small subplot his girlfriend Gina (Eliza Dushku, "Bring It On") abandons their child, Angelo, to be left with LaMarca. This is not to say that there is no redemption in the story - because there is. Also, while the film can be seen as the study of a family, the film is first and foremost a crime drama. There are twists and turns, another murder helps up the ante midway through the film, guns are drawn and suspense is sprinkled throughout. The major flaw with the film is with the character development. Caton-Jones is trying to cover both the orime aspect and theafamily ;aspect in the same undersized hour and 50 minutes. McDormand's role suffers and is only a crutch for- LaMarea to lean on from time to time or allow for some back-story. The complexity of DeNiro's char- acter is also inadequately portrayed. He has many inner demons and mat- ters to deal with at hand. Not enough time is spent developing him more and thus director Caton-Jones cuts corners. For example, with a corny "my-mind-is-a-whirlwind-of- thoughts" scene (You know, the type of scene where a character sits still and looks pensive while the camera swirls about and the soundtrack fea- tures a mix of the voices and thoughts running through his head). Despite never reaching its potential, Caton-Jones has once again proven himself a very competent director who is able to really get at the heart of a story. Also, you can never go wrong with DeNiro. His on-screen charisma is never fleeting and he truly breathes life into what would be a lesser film without him. Courtesy of United Artists Remember, don't take drugs! Steve Coogan plays Tony Wilson in '24 Hour Party People.' The more you know. MASS MEETINGS! JOIN THE MICHIGAN DAILY SEP. 17 AND 19 AT 8 PM SEPT. 24 AT 9 PM ALLY WITH THE ARTS STAFF. YOUR SWIMFAN HEADQUARTERS. August 29 - Septemt Home of the world famous clipati! Taste of Chicago, Eight here in Ann Artor!!! 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