8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 9, 2004 ARTS By Vanessa Miller Daily Arts Writer .j$ Courtesy of Touchstone I dig your style too, man. You've got that whole cowboy thing going on. Costner feels at home on the 'Open Range' Rarely can a sequel be considered to be as good as, or even better than, the original. "Bar- bershop 2: Back in Business" fortunately man- ages to retain some of its predecessor's glory. "Barbershop 2" tells the tale surrounding Calvin (Ice Cube), whose neighborhood barber- shop becomes threatened by the corporate chain Nappy Cuts, a supposed black version of Super Cuts. A battle begins as the fear of closure weighs down on Calvin's shoulders and Barbershop his gang of barbers rallies to 2: Back in support him against his cor- Business porate nemesis. At Quality 16 and Bizarrely enough, "Bar- Showcase bershop 2" is quite political, MGM creating a looking glass into the disappearance of family-owned businesses due to unavoidable corporate takeovers. First and foremost, though, this film has a truly heartwarming message, and its dialogue is interspersed with great one-liners and chem- istry between members of the ensemble cast. With a more tightly written script and styl- ized flashbacks d e p i c t i n g Eddie's past, "Barbershop 2" 01 Courtesy ofMGM Don't run your fat ass mouth off to me cause I don't give a shit. IT ABOVE Kevin Costner took a risk. After a bad run of critically panned movies and nearly a decade devoid of any respectable Westerns, he not only decided to direct and star in "Open Range" but to do _.....___.._ so for a summer O R release. Not the most welcoming Touchstone time for a thoughtful, low-budget, hold-off-on- the-action throwback to classic filmmaking - but it was a risk worth taking. With a cast that includes Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Bening, "Open Range" details a violent con- flict that arises between roaming cowboys and cattle ranchers. Costner utilizes a subtle style and holds off on the traditional showdown, focus- ing instead on the relationships between characters and gorgeous, open scenery of Alberta, Canada. The DVD comes in a two-disc package with the film and Costner's commentary in Dolby Digital or DDS sound that perfectly accompa- nies the striking images of "Open Range." More notably, though, the second disc features an enjoyable and informative featurette and one of the most complete start-to-finish behind-the-scenes features available. "The Real Open Range" is a 12- minute documentary, narrated by improves on the original and simultaneously THE CREW IS BACK IN BUSINESS because of Cedric the Entertainer's great charac- terization of Eddie, an elderly man who is always finding something scandalous, from Osama to Mariah Carey, to criticize. What ruined the originality of the first "Bar- bershop" was the blatant call for a franchise, and an upcoming spin-off, "Beautyshop," featuring Queen Latifah, seems laughable based on its trailer. The innovative purpose behind the origi- nal seems to now stand as a premise to make money, which is especially clarified by VH 1's has a one-hour special devoted to the film. But, "Barbershop 2" stands its ground, especially after the lack of comedic magic in recent film releases. It allows us to be grateful that a sequel was indeed created. highlights important moments in Chicago's black history. After the cinematic jewel that was "Torque," Ice Cube sides against showing his badass side in this film, especially as he tries to make his shop family- friendly to gain community support. The most inter- esting moments in the film are when the subplots are explored, namely when the rapper Eve struts her stuff again as Gina, the only woman who works at the shop. Eddie's reason for not having to pay for his chair is also comically and genuinely exposed, and the thug Ricky (Michael Ealy) exposes his softer side as he pursues an education. The moments inside the shop carry the film 0 Rock group Oblivion brings sight to Blind Pig Costner, that discusses the freedom of the open range, the people who made it famous and the ranching and barbed wire that brought an end to that roaming. Better fit for The His- tory Channel, the feature inspires in viewers a yearning to know more of this rich Western history. "Beyond the Open Range" fol- lows Costner from the movie's inception to its conclusion with all the candid Costner commentary one could want. Deleted scenes, story- boards and a music video are also available, but the true gems leave you wanting just a bit more than the two discs offer. By Elie Perler For the Daily On the heels of signing with New York City independent label Audiokio, local Ann Arbor grunge- rock outfit Oblivion showcased their abilities as a viable and charismatic stage entity at the Blind Pig last Thursday. The concert celebrated the release of their latest effort, The Gar- den in the Machine, which was per- formed in its entirety. Opening acts included local bands Supermodel T and De Novo. Throughout De Novo and Super- model T's cookie-cutter rock set, it was abundantly clear that a vital com- ponent was missing from both per- formances: stage presence. It was simply nonexistent. Members of both bands stood com- _ pletely motionless, O displaying a strik- Oblivion ing inability to Thursday, Feb.5 emote. Cardboard At the Blind Pig cutouts of each band member would have been more animated. Looking at the audience through a haze of bar-smoke, not one head was moving with the rhythm; like a mirror, both bands saw their own pathetic attempts to perform reflected right back at them. The moment Oblivion took the stage, the previously dismal and life- less audience at once revitalized and exploded into cheer. Lead singer Tres Crow gyrated in epileptic fits of rage that fed both the audience and the other band members. Scott Lauffer's tight and crisp drumming style pro- vided the necessary backdrop for gui- tarists Ben Umanov, Jason Evans and bassist Nate Zamarron. The small stage could hardly contain the five spastic musicians at once. But that each played and jumped around as if life depended on it, mutually unhin- dered by the lack of space. Despite Oblivion's strong stage presence, though, only a handful of the 12 album cuts performed elicited a strong crowd response. The most memorable song was "Ophelia." With its catchy opening rhythm guitar riff, sing-along chorus and tasty guitar solo, the song showcased the band's ability at crafting a great melodic composition. "Petal" was also a viable crowd pleaser, with a driving opening guitar riff. Fittingly, cheering and crowd response dwindled toward the end of the set. The otherwise average brand of hard rock music, while still concise, gradually lost its appeal. It seemed as if the audience could no longer sustain an equivalent energy level with the band. Yet in the end, Oblivion's typical rock style suc- ceeded in manipulating emotions by harnessing an unforgettable energy on stage. Movie: **** Picture/Sound: ****I Features: **** 3 U 01 Love Your Laptop The new iBook G4 (A n d hpt ......).,.*..... 12.1"800 MHz G4 iBook with a Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD- RW), 256 MB RAM, 30 GB Hard Disk, Airport Extreme Wireless Internet, and a 3-year warranty. da