1-9 I Friday November 21, 2003 michigandaily. corn artseditor@michigandaily.com RTS 8A 0 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. 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