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Friday
November 21, 2003
michigandaily. corn
artseditor@michigandaily.com
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Glee Club provides post-game fun
By Layla J. Merritt
For the Daily
Courtesy of
Paramount
Look, it's
a dragon!
By Justin Weiner
Daily Arts Writer
What better way to celebrate a
victory of the best football team in
the west than to top it off with a per-
formance by the best men's colle-
giate choir in the world? This
Saturday, after the Ohio State game,
the University's Men's Glee Club,
directed by Stephen Lusmann, will
hold two performances of their
I
AN INSIDE LOOK AT NEWEST CRICHTON FLICK
Fans of the Michael Crichton book "Timeline" do not
dismay. Though director Richard Donner ("The
Goonies") made changes to the film version of Crich-
ton's book, he wants to assure us he remained faithful to
Crichton's work. "I have an obligation to him because he
wrote a book that is very successful," Donner said.
"How dare I make departures, and if I make a departure
I clear it with Crichton first."
"Timeline," which opens Nov. 26, is a typical Crichton
blend of science, adventure and fantasy. The film tells the
story of a group of students sent back to medieval times.
Donner promises that Crichton's work translates well to the
screen. "When he writes a book I think in his mind some-
where he knows what (it) is going to look (like) and what is
going to become the motion picture."
The motion picture version of "Timeline" will include
the basic plot elements of the book. Paul Walker ("The Fast
and the Furious") stars as Chris Johnston, one of the stu-
dents sent back to the age of knights and castles.
Walker is excited about the medieval setting of "Time-
line." After comparing the film's battles to those of "Brave-
heart' he noted that the movie's script excited him because
"I love swords and armor." Walker felt that swordplay and
knights hold a universal appeal. "I think just about every
guy at one time or another picked up a stick and pretended
like it was a sword"
Donner, who directed the action-packed "Lethal
Weapon" series, had good things to say about the film's
extensive battle scenes. Using very little CGI, Donner cre-
ated a large-scale fight in which an army of soldiers storms
a castle. To Donner, using CGI was a last resort when mak-
ing this film. "We did have some CGI, but the point is we
built the castles, we built the villages, we built the abbey so
that the people could touch it ... it is so important for an
actor to have something to act to, not a green screen," Don-
ner explained.
Walker also extolled the benefits of avoiding CGI
effects. "The CGI thing I think has ran its course. People
are over it. People want to see real now." Walker also felt
that working without CGI made it easier to act in the film.
"Well we are supposed to be in awe because we basically
had just been transported here to this medieval world ...
and (we) were because as I mentioned earlier, there wasn't
any CGI. These are real structures. The castle that you see
in the movie was built to scale. There really were hundreds
of guys running around armor clad."
Walker and Donner both promise that "Timeline" will
deliver a tremendous mix of science fiction and fantasy.
After watching his finished film, a stupefied Donner says
he exclaimed "Oh my God, holy - Did we pull that off?
Yes, I love it."
144th annual fall
concert, which
will also feature
an a capella octet
ensemble known
as the Friars.
For those unfa-
miliar with the
GC, it is a col-
lection of about
Men's Glee
Club
Saturday at 6 p.m.
and 9 p.m.
$5 Students
$12 Adults
At Rackham
Auditorium
Courtesy of University Musical Society
100 of your male
peers. As a group, they are capable
of shaking the foundations of Rack-
ham Auditorium with a powerful
stream of bass and tenor voices res-
onating through a selection of well
known and undeniably adored Uni-
versity anthems.
Exult in the satisfaction of having
recently fed your bellicose appetites
with a platter of Ohio State by surren-
dering to a wave of resonant anthems
such as "Let All the People Sing Praises
to the U of M," "Varsity" and "The Vic-
tors" and the "Yellow and Blue."
Despite its love of the University,
the GC's repertoire is not limited to
swollen chants of victory, and fea-
tures a cultural showcase of musical
More penguins than a zoo In Antarctica.
delights including Russian, Latin
and Nigerian pieces, as well as sev-
eral spirituals derived from the
black community.
"We like to do a variety, and spiri-
tuals because they have a very beau-
tiful quality to them, and they are
fun, motivating, challenging and
have a whole history," said Adam
Rosenwasser, an LSA senior who
has been with the GC since his
freshman year.
The audience has been known to
succumb to a range of emotions
while listening to the concerts
Rosenwasser said. Perhaps this is
due to the dexterity of the GC,
which can swiftly capitulate from a
soft, harmonious hum to an intense
rush of masculine voices, ringing in
unison before dispelling into a soft,
warm hush once again.
"We have a big, powerful, melod-
ic quality in our music," Rosenwass-
er said of the GC. "It's unique
because there are no women, and so
there is a very big, deep, masculine
sound that's very traditional. We
also have some tenors who can
falsetto, so there's a variety of sound
and nothing's lacking. You're not
wondering 'where are the women?'
It's very joyous and very rousing.
We definitely have had people cry at
our concerts; it's a very moving,
beautiful sound."
I
'Animation' pleases all audiences
By Hussain Rahim
Daily Arts Writer
Marred with the reputation of being
a juvenile medium used solely for Dis-
ney movies and Saturday morning car-
toons, the role and expectations of
animation have
been extremely
marginalized and
misunderstood in
American cinema.
Even animated
masterpieces like
"Spirited Away"
and "Waking
Life" that receive
widespread criti-
The
Animation
Show
Frida at7:15p m.
and 9:15 p. m. and
Saturday at 4:15
p m., 7:15 p.m. and
9:15 p.m.
At the Michigan
Theater
exceptions.
To contradict this stigma animators
Don Hertzfeldt ("Rejected") and Mike
Judge ("King of the Hill") present a
series of animated short films from a
number of different directors, countries
and time periods, many of them nomi-
nated for Academy Awards, all in one
film. The short films, each with its
own mood and theme, supply enough
variety to keep everyone happy.
The range is full, often abstract,
experimental and surreal creating a
unique montage. From the beautifully
rendered "Mt. Head" by Atama Yama,
to the superlative "Mars and Beyond"
by legendary animator Ward Kimball,
the scope is truly epic and these films
will broaden the appreciation for the
possibilities of the medium.
Not every animated film in here is a
highlight as "Ricardo" and "The
Cathedral" add a bit of unevenness and
weight to the collection. But there are
more hits than misses, such as an
Courtesy of the A.M.P.A.S.
There is no spoon, stupid banana.
incredible short from Tim Burton as
well as some hilarious work from the
producers themselves. Hertzfeldt's
absurdist minimalism, best shown with
his stick figures in "Rejected," will
stand eternal as well as Judge's early
test for Milton from the cult classic
"Office Space."
Wildly imaginative, darkly comical,
often breathtaking and inexplicably
captivating at times with a philosophi-
cal blend, this is something not made
for little Timmy and his Crunchy O's.
Leave the Saturday morning 'toons
behind and give "The Animation
Show" a look.
By Brandon Harig
Daily Arts Writer
Masterworks' is a tenacious DVD
Jack Black gets around. Famous for playing the "loser
sidekick" in movies, Black has had a large amount of suc-
cess due to his juvenile humor and portly charm. That is
why it is no shock that just as Black moved from the sup-
porting to leading role in movies, he
and the equally bizarre Kyle Gass, Tenacious D:
together better known as rock band The
Tenacious D, went from cult favorites
to mainstream icons, constantly push- Complete
ing the envelope with their outrageous Masterworks
music and antics. Sony
Allowing the masses to see what
Tenacious D is truly about, the two-disc "Complete Mas-
terworks" DVD set includes a live performance from their
Nov. 3, 2002, show at London's Brixton Academy. Accom-
panying the show are the concert-only video breaks featur-
ing, among other things, Tenacious D's pilgrimage to the
desert to trip out on acid and riff. While funny, the skits
can become tedious in their length and their inability to go
beyond childish humor.
What many D fans will find to be the selling point are
the band's previously unreleased-on-video HBO episodes.
Though the series never quite took off, -many fans were
first introduced to Tenacious D through these skits.
Episodes such as
"Death of a
Dream/Greatest Song
in the World" give an
almost "Behind The
Music" explanation by
showing just what
inspires the duo's
maniacal songs. In
fact, "Masterworks"
also includes back-
stage snippets and the
making of and final
product of each Tena-
cious D video. With
clips including a ciga-
rette break with Dave
Grohl wearing Ozzy -}
Osbourne's horns and Jack Black's complete randomness,
it puts MTV's "Making the Video" to shame.
"The Complete Masterworks" is a comprehensive cata-
log of everything a Tenacious D fan could want. By com-
piling all material in such a way, the band puts forth
great presentation of just what Tenacious D are about: sex,
drugs, parody and rock'n'roll.
Show: ****
Picture/Sound: ****
Features: ****
6
cal acclaim get less attention from the
public. The anime segment from "Kill
Bill" and the recent "The Animatrix"
show signs of a growing willingness
by audiences. These, however, are the
6
UPCOMNG EVENS
Volleyball
k .:'tiE F3 Y .E'z .y.,
vs.
Iowa
Friday, November 211t
7:00 p.m.
b vs.- w
Minnesota
Saturday, November 22
7:00 p.m.
Cliff Keen Arena
Free Admission w/Student ID
Jny
Sunday
Sunday,
Cliff
Free Adr
,Y N,
1:0
, Ni
5:0(
EKe
m issi
Vre
estling
vs.
Central Michigan
ovember 23rd
0 p.m.
Lehigh
University
ovember 23
0 p.m.
een Arena
ion w/Student ID
Women's Basketball
vs.
Monday, November 241h
6:00 p.m.
Crisler Arena
Free Admission w/Student ID
I~~RT3 .
U
I
800 feet of Gulf Beach Frontage " 2 Large Outdoor Swimming Pools
Sailboat; Jet Ski & Parasail Rentals " Lazy River Ride & Water Slide
Huge Beachfront Hot Tub " Volleyball " Suites up to 12 people
World's Longest Keg Party 9 Live Band & DJ
ntWet T-Shirt, Hard Body & Venus Swimwear Contests
BOAK EARLY
AIR,
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