ARTS-
The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 17, 2003 - 9A
island. Once surrounded by zom-
bies, wacky hijinx ensue.
An abomination by all accounts,
this "film" plays akin to a MTV
video on speed with shameless
instances of corporate name place-
ment. The shiny new bullet-time
technology and incessant, and
apparently compulsory, 360-degree
camera movement Boll is not so
much an homage as it is copyright
infringement upon the creation that
the Wachowski Brothers may
almost wish they didn't create.
Even possible redemption as a
self-aware B-movie with maxi-
mum schmaltz is void as the
insipid dialogue, caricaturist style
of acting and cookie-cutter direc-
tion make redemption harder than
not checking your watch or figur-
ing out how this movie got green
lit. To make things more referen-
tial there are scenes from the actu-
al videogame interspersed
throughout the 'narrative' of the
movie making sure you stay fully
aware, that this is a videogame and
that you should have stayed home
and played it instead.
After a disappointing concluding
fight sequence you are then
slapped with the failure of an omi-
nous ending making you pray a
sequel will never be attempted.
"The House of Dead" is better left
in Dreamcasts across the nation
and in memories of gamers as only
an enjoyable videogame.
Ballet spectacular hits Power Center
By Julie Sills
Daily Arts Writer
FI NE A RTs P REVI E W
Dazzling lines and sparkling feet,
choreography by George Balanchine
and music by Igor Stravinsky, all
wrapped up in one
riveting perform-
ance by the Miami Miami City
City Ballet is part Ballet
of the University Saturday at 1 p.m.
Musical Society's and 8 p.m.
St. Petersburg 300 Sunday at 2 p.m.
Celebration. These $7- $42
exquisite dancers At the Power Center
will perform
"Agon," "Apollo"
and "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" this
weekend at the Power Center. These
pieces, not only exhibiting some of St.
Petersburg's greatest achievements,
also celebrate George Balanchine's
greatness, marking the 100th anniver-
sary of his birth this coming year.
Edward Villella, the company's artis-
tic director and one of Balanchine's
most esteemed proteges, said, "Balan-
chine and Stravinsky loved to call them-
selves St. Petersburgers, it was a city of
culture and excitement, and this is a ter-
rific and appropriate time to represent
the genius of George Balanchine."
Balanchine left St. Petersburg in 1933
for the United States and revolutionized
dance with the beginning of the New
York City Ballet. From his company
emerged Edward Villella, the first
American-born male star. After dancing
for Balanchine for almost 20 years he
retired in 1975. Ten years later, Villella
founded the Miami City Ballet and still
is its director. He has watched its growth
from the company's last appearance in
Ann Arbor in 1990. "Just the idea of
being able to do an 'Agon' or the 'Violin
Concerto,' two monumental works that
have incredible challenges needing a
great deal of experience and awareness,
really marks the maturity of our compa-
ny," commented Villella.
Patricia Delgado, a native of Miami,
now in her third season with the compa-
ny after graduating from high school
only two years ago, agreed with the sty-
listic and musical challenges these
works present. She is especially excited
to perform the "Stravinsky Violin Con-
certo" because the company will have
just premiered it in- Minnesota this past
weekend. "I really like Stravinsky, the
music is unbelievable, the corps dancing
is really jitterbugish and there is the
most intricate pas de deux. Even more,
it is still so new, which will give the bal-
let such a fresh energy," added Delgado.
Speaking of the style of these ballets,
Villella explained, "Though they are
abstractions, they really are taking large
ideas and reducing them to a poetic
sense." Further discussing their intrica-
cies, he revealed that "Agon" centers on
the urban contest of a man and woman,
and the pas de deux from Stravinsky's
Violin Concerto, also referring to a man
and woman is an exercise in watching
people grow apart and be pulled back
together. Villella finds himself thinking
that Balanchine was trying to show New
York life, and he said, "Stravinsky allud-
ed that his pas de deux had a direct rela-
tionship with his own life."
The Miami City Ballet, set to engage
Ann Arbor with this special Balanchine
celebration, will also reach out to the
youngest possible audience with a one-
hour Saturday matinee family perform-
ance. Dancing sections of Balanchine's
fun "Who Cares" and exhilarating
"Allegro Brillante," Villella, who will
narrate this performance, plans to "step
out on stage and introduce the world of
ballet to young people, hoping to stimu-
late not only their ears and eyes, but also
their minds."
Whether you've loved ballet from
the time you were little or have never
seen a performance, the Miami City
Ballet, straight from the south, is sure
to spread warmth over their entire
audience!
Courtesy of Artisan
OK, Jim. I've got some bad news.
By Hussain Rahim
Daily Arts Writer
dios to once again abandon the hor-
MOVIE VEw
Continuing the nascent resur-
gence of Hollywood horror movies,
including the videogame-to-movie
trend, director Uwe Boll presents
"Resident Matrix," er ... I mean
"The House of the Dead" which
serves as a sure-fire excuse for stu-
ror genre.
A couple of
30-year olds
p l a y i n g
teenagers head
to a Sega-spon-
sored rave, on
an island called
"Isla del Muer-
The House
of the Dead
At Quality 16 and
Showcase
Artisan
ta" and are aghast to find out that
people have actually died on said
MrZ makes Ypsi
the place to be
By Michelle Kijek
Daily Arts Writer
4i
Courtesy or Miami City Baiet
Counting the limbs makes me dizzy.
4.
A memorable new sound from Travis
By Matt Kivel
For the Daily
It isn't often that one hears of anything significant
going down in Ypsilanti. This past weekend, however,
Ypsi became more than just another city whose name
sported three consonants in a row.
The Mraz attack, a.k.a. Jason Mraz and his band
came to the Eastern Michigan Univer-
sity campus Sunday night with the
sound of a band that is destined to Jason Mraz
make it big. Only three years deep Sunday, Oct. 12
and a couple of band members later,
and this indie rock group have already At the E.M.U.
left a potent presence in the music Convocation Center
world. Recently popularized by his
TRL-ized video for the single "The Remedy," Mraz will
not be worrying his life away if he continues to produce
such entertaining live performances.
Mraz's stage strategy is genius. In most cases a guy
has a hard enough time getting one girl to moan, but on
Sunday night at the E.M.U. Convocation Center, Jason
had nearly 1,000 moaning at the top of their lungs -
literally. And that was only the girls.
Courtesy of Elektra
That hat should have died with Payne Stewart.
The music, above all the sexual innuendos and jokes
well worth the time to retell, was what really made the
show. The new band members that have been touring
with Mraz only since this past summer's release of Wait-
ing For My Rocket To Come, blended extremely well
together in spite of their inexperience as a group. The
setlist was expansive, playing an equal number of older
songs like "Older Lover Undercover" and more recent
material from his latest album radio plays "The Reme-
dy," and "You and I Both."
The final song of the night clinched the show, though,
as he performed a riveting solo version of "Hey Love,"
minus the microphone - a display of Mraz's amazing
vocal talent that, along with his songwriting skills, will
lead this band nowhere but up.
After a six-month hiatus, the boys of Travis are at it
again with a new, self-produced album showcasing a
revamped sound and a new lyrical approach. At first
glance Travis' release, 12 Memories, can be quite intimi-
dating. With titles such as "Mid-Life Krysis" and the
charming "Peace the Fuck Out," horror
and shock will dance in the minds of Travis
Travis fans everywhere. The legions of
followers who flocked to purchase 12 Memories
Travis' two previous efforts will not Epic Records
find refuge in the cold and sparse
arrangements of 12 Memories.
The album gets off to an epic start with "Quicksand." A
rich grand piano plucks a dark nRelodic line upon which
the song is formed. The first signs of Travis' new sound
are apparent in Neil Primrose's loud and controlling drum
beat. On their previous two albums, Primrose's drumming
was almost nonexistent as it was hidden behind layers of
synthesized guitars and keyboards. This "power drum-
ming" gives the album a raw and angry feel that Travis
haven't expressed since their debut album, Good Feeling.
Within the subtle confines of "Re-Offender" lies the
album's defining moment. Andy Dunlop's guitar ascends and
descends in octaves creating a musical tapestry under which
Fran Healy's vocal plea comes to life. The lyrics cover the
issue of domestic violence and are quite a departure from the
"Flowers" and "Diaries" that Fran once sang about.
Other high points of the album are found in "Love Will
Come Through," an uplifting tune filled with plenty of
guitar picking, "Midlife Krysis," which features Bassist
Dougie Payne's haunting background vocals and "Happy
to Hang Around," in which Andy Dunlop's signature sound
re-emerges. A sweet electric guitar splashes through the
verse while a growling solo tears through the bridge.
"Peace the Fuck Out" is the only blight upon this
album's brilliant landscape, as it fails to capture the politi-
cal messages that Healy is trying to impress upon the lis-
tener. An angry protest of Britain's current government,
the song's meaning is convoluted and poorly delivered.
12 Memories shows Travis taking a step in a new musi-
cal direction. The band's departure from producer Nigel
Godrich has given the music an unpolished sound that, is
the absolute antithesis of their previous two records. It is
refreshing to see a band that cares more about their music
than creating fuzzy little pop hits.
ATTENTION:
SINGERS & DANCERS!!!
Would you like a chance
to win $100,000?
CBS's hit show STAR SEARCH is holding OPEN
AUDITIONS for talent in these categories:
Adult Singers
(ages 15 & up)
Junior Singers
(ages 8 to 14)
Young Dancers
(ages 14 to 30)
Auditions are Tuesday, October
21st
from 9am to 6pm
At The Hotel St. Regis
3071 West Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48202
I wri o:ad r r# oc ra.e vyvurcareer lu r. -- ..: 1. .