Wednesday ebruary 11, 2004 arts.michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com ARTS 8 . . IRW I IT STINKS! JAY SHERMAN BRINGS HIS CYNICISM TO DVD GrammY THE HOTTEST PICKS INAENTERTAINMENT FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER --ATAk W Sean Paul and Sting - The former Police frontman is about as close to super-human as you can get. From his unshakably firm grasp on rainforest politics to his pioneering, and often unpleasantly odd, musi- cal experimentation, he can regulate just about any domain. Any domain, that is, except for duets with Sean Paul. The performance will inspire some good laughs, but Sting should never again allow himself to be seduced by a whack rapper. Coldplay - Cheers to Coldplay, especially Chris Martin, for a 2003 4 well done. Sure, they won record of the year, but that pales in com- parison to headlining the "Peter Pan" soundtrack and thieving U2's long-held crown of grossly-overrated U.K. rock band that uses public speaking engagements to push politics ... and, in Martin's case, to seduce foolish actresses. 50 Cent - 50 deserves a shout-out for his overwhelming confidence ... best exhibited by his stroll onto stage when he hadn't in fact won an award. Robert Randolph - A viable con- tender for future bearer of George Clin- ton's groove torch, Randolph sported a suit embroidered with NBA graphics,: perhaps the coolest formal threads ever donned for an awards show George Clinton - Kudos to the father of funk for foolishly get- ting arrested for cocaine posses- sion, wisely using his Grammy performance as a get-out-of-jail- free card and croakily performing his greatest hits with the rag-tag Parliament.iCotesy of Sony Gripping story of despair, recovery brought to DVD By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Editor D VD R E EW With the immense success and popularity of "The Simpsons," the early '90s saw an animation boom. While many shows quickly faded (i.e. "Capitol Crit- ters" and "Fish Police"), one had the pedigree to suc- ceed. "Simpsons" producers/writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss created "The Crit- ___________ ic," a series that finally enabled The Critic: them to satirize as many movies The as they desired. To describe the treatment that Complete "The Critic" received from both Series ABC and FOX - the networks Columbia that aired the show in its two- year run - Jay Sherman, the title character, would utter his catchphrase, "It stinks!" Jon Lovitz voices the titular character, who cap- tures the actor's sarcastic and self-deprecating sense of humor. Jay hates nearly every movie he sees, yet somehow manages to hold down a job as an esteemed television critic. The world of "The Critic" is populated with characters like Jay's insecure son, insane white-bred parents, doting sister, Ted Turner- esque boss, and best friend, an actor who epitomizes everything Jay hates about Hollywood. The DVD set features all 23 episodes that were produced. While some of the jabs are incredibly dated, the harsh and biting tone enables the show to continue in its hilarity. No film is safe from mock- ery, and even the opening credits feature an individu- alized spoof - much like how "The Simpsons" use the chalkboard - as a running gag. With a Gersh- winian theme that echoes the best of Woody Allen's films, the show also serves as a love letter to the city of New York. The animation is on par with the competition of the early '90s, but does not equate with more current shows like "Futurama" that utilize computer technol- ogy. The video quality, however, manages to main- tain a crisp image as most animated series do on DVD. The sound is nothing special, but it is adequate for the set. "The Critic" is loaded with special features that will appease even the most diehard fans. However, Columbia doesn't even make mention of any of these anywhere in the packaging or the insert. In spite of this horrible marketing oversight, the extras are plentiful. The commen- tary tracks have the participation of almost all of the talents involved (notably Loditz), many of whomx have experience from the excep- tional "Simpsons" commen- taries. There is an episode on the second disc that contains an option to view animatics and sto- ryboards at certain key moments, which help show how much work goes into animation. The third disc offers clip compilations with hilari- ous introductions, fea- turettes into the production process and - the creme de la creme - the 10 shockwave episodes made in 2000. These online "webisodes" bring the show into the near present, while maintaining the same humor and voice talent of the original. Maybe the comedy was - too dry, maybe there were too many film parodies, maybe it was too New York, maybe the network didn't give it a fair shot ... whatever the case, the show was cancelled after two years. But "The Critic" still elicits laughter 10 years after its debut. If this set manages to sell well, there is always the slim hope that it could follow in the mold of "Family Guy" and return. And if that were to hap- pen, not even Jay himself would think "it stinks." | Awl Quirky 'Arms' fun, despite glitches. By Ryan Lewis Daily Arts Writer Quirky and beautiful. They're the only two words that accurately describe Mark _______________ and Michael Pol-I I ish's notably Northfolk, unconventional Paramount film "Northfork." A timeless tale of a town about to be flooded by the explosion of a dam, the idea that began with door-to-door wing salesmen turned into an intense- ly allegorical tale of loss, redemption and recovery. Though relatively devoid of the myriad of features that would accom- pany a blockbuster DVD release, "Northfork's" features are few but plentiful. Especially praiseworthy is a series of short behind-the-scenes clips in "Bare Knuckle Filmmaking: The Construction of Northfork" which detail the making of the film from start to finish, including colorful tid- bits from the brothers and the cast. An additional commentary track by Mark and Michael has all the energy and imagination of the film itself. The You see that hair, son?. brothers truly are an original pair. The final feature on the disc is a segment from the Sundance Channel's "24- Frame News Segment" series, almost as crafty as the making-of featurette. Like the film, the picture and sound are phenomenal. By Jason Roberts Daily Arts Editor Recovered from a junk heap on an abandoned planet and recreated as a tiny droid, Glitch, star of Vivendi Universal's "Metal Arms: Glitch in the System," is one badass robot. A strange hybrid that melds the third person shooter with a side-scrolling, puzzling-solving, coin-collecting adventure (a la "Sonic the Hedgehog" or "Donkey Kong Country"), "Metal Film: **** Picture/Sound: ****I Features: ***I U U Arms," if nothing else, makes a unique and often humorous, addi- tion to the realm of console action shooters. The gameplay is fairly straight- forward: Destroy Metal Arms: Glitch in the System GameCube, PS2 and XBox Vivendi Universal the evil overlord Courtesy of Vivendi Universal And to think that R2-D2 was used as an ashtray. Would you still consider Psych 111 the Best Blow-Off Class if you got a B minus? Feel free to discuss amongst your multiple-personalities. while saving your fellow droids from slavery and ending a civil war. Glitch has an extensive array of weapons and accessories at his disposal and can upgrade the destructive power of each through barters with Shady and Mr. Pockets, two merchant droids that show up throughout the course of the game. In addition to the arsenal, Glitch can also hijack enemy bots and vehicles, utilizing their powerful attributes to further his mission. The colorful graphics are impres- sive and soak the game with a lively and cartoonish feel. Particle effects from explosions and reflections are all nice graphical touches and the expansive, interactive levels are an absolute thrill to explore. The controls of "Metal Arms," however, are one of the game's biggest detriments. Glitch often does not respond to commands quickly enough or he over rotates when requested to turn, making necessary jumps and tight rope maneuvers more difficult then they should be. Think back to the difficulty of driv- ing the fire truck or ambulance in "Grand Theft Auto 3" and one can see how loose controls can hamper gameplay. Also, when intense fire- fights break out, the overly compli- cated and unresponsive controls make it even harder to take out ene- mies and ultimately result in an untimely demise. In addition to that, Glitch's damage is not registered very well with the player. Usually, when a player is hit, the controller will vibrate suddenly or the screen will shake. Unfortunately, Glitch barely reacts, even in intense gunfire, and it's difficult to be sure how much damage he has received until he suddenly explodes in a flurry of gears and sparks. Vivendi Universal has laid the ground for a solid third person shooter. If the nuisances that sepa- rate good games from great games can be further ironed out, the next "Metal Arms" should raise a few more eyebrows. THIS WEEK IN DAILY ARTS HISTORY TAKE A BOOK IN CASE YOU GET BORED. BETTER YET, TAKE A BUNCH OF FIFTH GRADERS. THEY'LL TELL YOU WHEN TO GUFFAW AND KICK THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'LL BE A SCREAM. CARREY TAKES HIS GOOF-BALL COMEDIC APPROACH TO HORRENDOUS LEVELS. -As quoted in the Daily's review of 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," on Feb. 16, 1994.