8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 6, 2003 ARTS 4 4 I'm still standing. I'm still strong! By Christopher Pitoun Daily Arts Writer F or those of us who've forgotten that rock'n'roll is supposed to be about having a good time, the juvenile cast of "School of Rock" is there to remind us how much fun music can be. And in juvenile, Jack Black is not only included, he is king. Courtesy of Paramount We're on the erge of b ecoming Turner Over- drive, but just for tonight, we are Barry Jive and his Uptown Five. "Stick it to the man" is the great catchphrase of the picture. Black instills that spirit into these prep school kids as he's trying to teach them to become rockers. In turn, it's endearing to see the true free- dom of music foment in these children. Jack Black looks like he had the time of his life making this movie. Free to dance around, be loud and have an army of children to boot must be quite a trip for any outlandish comedian. More than anything else, that sense of fun is what res- onates with the audience. The film's good spirit and exceptionally positive humor creates a great mix of jokes that appeal to both kids and adults. The outrageous parents and rigidity of the school will strike a particular chord with anyone who ever attended a private school. Its willingness to address, if only slightly, inse- curities that genuinely bother children gives a depth that many comedies lack. "School of Rock" shows us how issues such as over-bearing parents or weight problems can find a channel of expres- sion in music. Each kid is his or her own genuine character. Very rarely are children allowed to develop so freely. More often they end up domi- nated by the leading adult comedian. Suspenseless 'Time' uses old, dry formula By Mary Hillemeler Daily Arts Writer MOVI E REVIEW Is the mere presence of Academy Award winner Denzel Washington enough to carry an entire film? Apparently someone thought so, and some uninspired brainstorming and nine months later "Out of Time" was born. This almost seems a fair theo- ry, considering Washington's star- power and undeniable charisma on screen. But ultimately Denzel's charms prove no match for a formu- ME" Black is deadbeat loser Dewey Finn, whose roommate's girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) demands that he start pulling his weight ______ in paying the rent. Recently kicked out of his band, Dewey School of answers a call intended for his Rock roommate, who works as a At the Showcase substitute teacher. Needing and Quality 16 the cash, he pretends he is the Paramount sub at the preppy Horace Green Elementary School. When he arrives at school the first day, it's clear that the wild ride is about to begin. 4 4 Dewey discovers a pool of talent in his students when he hears them in music class. This is the group with which he can form a band to enter in a local Battle of the Bands contest. Watching very rigid kids fall under the guise of an individual who does anything but live by the rules works phenomenally. He finds a niche for each of these kids, not only in a band, but also in the organiza- tion that surrounds it. As each kid's personality takes shape, they begin commanding more of the audience's attention and sharing in a larger frac- tion of the film's humor. At the same time, Dewey is trying to make sure that he's not caught by the school's tightly wound principle Ms. Mullen (Joan Cusack). So this rugrat band must practice in secret. laic story and lacking screen- play. Wa shin g t on stars as Matthias Lee Whitlock, chief of police for the sleepy town Out of Time At the Showcase, Quality 16 and Madstone MGM 'U' student takes his shot at NB C's 'Fear Factor' fame of Banyan Key, Fla. With a tendency to drink on the clock, his decision- making skills fail to improve as his affair with the seductive Anne (Sanaa Lathan, "Love and Basketball") drags him into a dangerous love tri- angle that triggers a disastrous chain of events. When a mysterious fire kills both Anne and her husband Chris (Dean Cain, TV's "Lois and Clark") all evi- dence points to Whitlock, forcing him to fudge crime scene evidence in attempts to keep murder charges at bay. The plot thickens when his soon- to-be ex-wife Alex Eva Mendes "Training Dayjoin envestiga tion as chief detective. The non-existent chemistry between Mehington makes it difficult for one to care about their deteriorating marriage. Not to point fingers, but it should be noted that Denzel has never been one to take the steam out of a love scene. Performance on the whole, how- ever, is not the issue here. An ade- quate supporting cast takes care of, business, providing the occasional comic relief. And Lathan unravels quite believably, almost managing to convince us why Whitlock was so foolish as to become involved in the first place. The real culprit is writing, which not only stunts each character's poten- tial but also manages to obliterate any semblance of suspense. "Time" bom- bards its audience with the systematic details of detective work and a series of mini-deadlines for Whitlock to sweat over. This is a formula which has worked in the past, yet this time is so lacking in originality and brains that it leaves its audience apathetic before it even begins. The soundtrack seems confused, often causing one to wonder if they have mistakenly stumbled upon a night club, or perhaps the latest Bey- once flick. These hints of a bubbly romantic comedy in what should be suspenseful scenes definitely result in entertainment, although most like- ly not of the kind intended. The occasional scenes that actually ring true manage to detract from the film as they provide glimpses of what could have been, adding insult to injury. By the time the "surprise" ending comes along, the only dead- line the audience will be interested in is the race to the credits. "Out of Time" does not fail on all counts. It does succeed in highlight- ing a common misconception of the thriller; that all the audience requires is an unnecessarily confusing plot, a quickly.approaching deal e and a suitcase full of money. Hopefully, this movie can find a purpose in serving as a cautionary tale for future crime thrillers and single-serving star vehicles alike. I By Forest Casey For the Daily Of course I'm home. I'm always home. I'm uncool. Po werful 'ahowny takes fun out of casin os By Justin Weiner For the Daily MOVIE REVIEW Normally, watching a person sit motionless would not be considered entertainment, but Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Almost Famous") makes it thrilling. Watching him sit at a black- jack table in "Owning Mahowny" pro- vides some of the most interesting and tense moments of the gambling genre. Hoffman plays Dan Mahowny, a bank feels like the casino officers monitoring Mahowny's actions on security cam- eras. The officers are first amused, then depressed by Mahowny, yet they cannot tear their eyes away from him. No mat- ter how gut wrenching the spectacle becomes, one cannot help but be fasci- nated by Mahowny. Hoffman is not the only actor who shines in "Owning Mahowny." Minnie Driver ("Good Will Hunting") turns in a stellar performance as Mahowny's girlfriend, Belinda. Her character is touchingly naive, standing by her boyfriend despite his actions. Belinda's unwavering support gives the audience a reason to hope for Mahowny. His downward spiral would not be nearly as captivating without Belinda's efforts to help him. "Owning Mahowny" is a well-craft- ed story. Driven by the realism and depth of its characters, it delivers a powerful, sad story to audiences. This film is a sobering, thought provoking experience. Who would think that watching a man's stare could make for such a powerful movie? MBA student Joshua Schwadron is spreading his 15 minutes as far as they will go. With the recent win of the GQ Man on Campus award, Schwadron felt that he was easily qualified for NBC's "Fear Factor" when auditions for the show came to Ann Arbor. After several stages of interviews, Schwadron was the only contestant selected from the University, mainly because he won the GQ award last winter. He was booked for the season premiere of "Fear Factor" - a special two-night contest in Las Vegas prom- ising stunts more horrible than those discussed in all of the adolescent tree- houses in the country. Schwadron, unafraid of his fleeting fame, spoke with The Michigan Daily. The Michigan Daily: Was "Fear Factor" like boot camp; very hard but not regrettable? Joshua Schwadron: I think that being on "Fear Factor" was the best experience of my life. It was good to experience Hollywood, with all of the publicity, the make-up artists and the cameras. It's especially signifi- cant to me because there were 20 cameras recording my experience and sending it out to 20 million peo- ple. I'll always be able to have that. TMD: The competitors on "Fear Factor" always seem like they are trying to degrade their opponents, but Joe Rogan (the host) always seems so supportive. JS: Both Joe and I have ... strong personalities, and they seemed to clash, so he didn't really support me. TMD: What were your feelings after the first stunt? JS: After I made it through the first stunt, I was really reassured. I Courtesy of NBC Schwadron climbs his way to the top. was told that the biggest fear is fail- ing the first stunt and having to go home. After that, I was pretty confi- dent and ready to win. TMD: The spider trick that you did (tossing a spider into your mouth) - did you plan that to intini- idate your opponents? JS: I did it because there was a crowd behind me of a thousand peo- ple. It was the first live stunt that "Fear Factor" has ever had for their "gross stunt." Eating it normally would've been boring, not to intimi- date but more to please the crowd The spiders tasted like tree bark and were huge. They actually bit me, my mouth was bleeding by the end of the stunt. TMD: You said that the piranha- tank stunt was the hardest thing that you had ever had to do? JS: No. I said that the piranha- tank stunt was hard because I have a really hard time holding my breath. There was a height stunt (on the sec- ond night) that was the hardest stunt. TMD: How did you feel watching yourself on TV? JS: Weird. I thought that I made a fool of myself a lot of times. The two-part "Fear Factor" episode featuring Joshua Schwadron concludes tonight at 8p.m. I I officer with a severe gambling problem. Based on actual events, " M a h o w n y " chronicles its namesake's embezzlement of Owning Mahowny At the Michigan Theater Sony Picture ClassicsJ over $10 million to feed his addiction. Undoubtedly, Hoffman is the high- light of "Owning Mahowny." His intense stare, facial tics and quick, direct gestures are both depressing and enthralling. Watching Hoffman, one I Correction Notice The Sunny Health Nutrition ad in the Summer Editions, Orientation Edition, and New Student Edition of The Michigan Daily contained an error. The phone number should have read "1-571-243-2325". +' IMPACT DANCE'* MUSKEWTS AMATEM ULUE* I/ proudly presents SUMVERSIIY AC11VNF CENTER o Z o~z e5' ML -n - ot/ .i. ".".'...'. ~ **~ Vk i {".r " U i ; gi'n O uN ' z o''>" . .