ARTS The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 22, 2004 - 9A Jazz legend Ornette Coleman storms Hill By Andrew Horowitz Daily Arts Writer By Justin Weiner Daily Arts Writer MOVIER* "Dawn of the Dead" is the kind of movie that makes people thankful for daylight. It's a scary, bloody zombie movie that will leave audiences dis- turbed, mortified and unnerved. Though "Dawn" is a remake of the sequel to the classic "Night of the Living Dead," it's sur- prisingly original and an enjoy- able ride. Of course, none of the char- acters in the movie has too Dawn of the Dead At the Quality 16 and Showcase Universal "Dawn" makes it seem real enough to be scary. This is accomplished in part by the film's spectac- ular prologue. Ana (Sarah Polley, "Go"), a nurse at a Milwaukee hospital, quickly goes from leading a normal life to fleeing a city engulfed in flames and ruin. She meets various other survivors, with whom she takes refuge in the aptly named Crossroads Mall. Together they struggle to protect themselves from the unrelenting hoard of zombies attempting to get into the locked mall. The tight focus on the mall allows "Dawn" to work on several levels. The characters' access to television, as well as their rooftop view, reveals the devastation and terror in the outside world. At the same time, the close quarters of the mall pro- vide a medium that depicts the tension and fear within the group of survivors. Viewers often won- der if the humans will kill each other before the zombies are able to do so. The zombies, however, are still the main Courtesy of Universal Anybody in the mood for some dying? object of horror in this film and are not the slow, slobbering numbskulls of the past. This brand of undead moves quickly and ravenously, not unlike the creatures in Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." Their bite infects normal humans, quickly turning friends into rabid beasts. "Dawn" is a constant barrage of gore and car- nage with zombie heads repeatedly being shot, blasted apart and stabbed. Add the bloody zombie bites, the birth of an undead baby and an acciden- tal mutilation with a chainsaw, and it becomes clear that "Dawn" is not for the squeamish. Even still, the gore does not seem fake; it does not detract from terror. While often gritty and disturbing, "Dawn" is an exciting, hellish ride that will leave audi- ences desperate for daylight by the time the credits role. Be sure not to leave too early though; the originality of "Dawn" does not end with the credits. CONCERT REVIEW Moments before the lights dimmed, a white, overweight soundman dressed in running shorts and a T-shirt took the stage to make last-minute adjustments. Just as he was finishing, someone asked, "Is that him? Is that Ornette Coleman?" While humorous and very naive, this uncertainty is telling. While many who attended Friday night's sold-out concert at Hill Auditorium had heard Coleman, many came because they only had heard of Coleman. And while a name attracts, the whole sce- nario is too reminiscent of a concert in New Jersey that paired pianist Her- bie Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. After just minutes, the audi- ence was reduced Ornette by almost half. The Coleman fact is, no one Friday, March19th anticipated hearing At Hill Auditorium cerebral, complex interchange between two musicians with little showmanship. Given that Hancock and Shorter are no radicals, what would greet a musician that decades ago challenged the very con- cept of music? Ornette Coleman took the stage to a standing ovation, dressed in a powder- blue suit, looking like a leader ready to preach to his people. Within moments, Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen sup- plied frenetic bass while son Denardo Coleman pounded away on drums. With the air charged, Coleman entered on alto saxophone and played a float- ing melody that dripped in affecting harmony. The contrast between Cole- man's fluid lines and the band's cacophonic spirit helped create the sound of the evening, a sound invented by Ornette. From the first note on, the music melted into a prolonged meditation. Each moment was entirely unique, drawing on Coleman's insistence on writing new material for every per- formance. At times Coleman turned to trumpet (and once a violin), but it didn't matter. Coleman has the abili- ty to communicate on a level that turns any instrument he touches into a singular voice. When he wasn't playing, he was attentively studying much fun. It's probably hard to enjoy yourself when flesh-eating zombies have taken over the world, rap- idly infecting humans with their vicious bite. Although it's a typical plot for a horror flick, Sai New FOX reality show can't get anyting 'Straight' Courtsy of hio Would you like some alto-sax? the sound around him, enraptured by the sonic landscape. The music itself fell within differ- ent Coleman idioms. There were the post-bop themes a la 1959's "Bird Feed," rubato themes similar to 1958's "Lorraine." Nonetheless, each tune began and ended with a theme, and what came in between was entirely undefinable. After playing intensely for an hour and a half, Coleman retreated from the stage, returning moments later for an encore. The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" (it was his 74th) and Coleman thanked his audience for their energy and proceeded to philosophize about existence. The band then burst into an aggressive blues jam that showcased each musician individually. The overall level of musicianship was unbeliev- able, but Denardo's inspired solo stood out as a highlight. At the night's conclusion, the per- son who'd confused Coleman with the soundman had a large smile on his face. And it was easy to tell why, for attendees had just participated in something special: a musical hap- pening that will echo for years, an evening spent with the one-and-only Ornette Coleman. By Doug Wernert Daily TV/New Media Editor TV REVIEw No STARS The basic concept of "Playing It Straight" isn't a new one: One girl dates several guys in hopes of finding the man of her dreams. "The Bachelorette" and Playing It "Average Joe" Straight have both fol- Fridays at lowed this simple 8 p.m. formula and have FOX found moderate success. Unfortunately, the FOX net- work took that idea and added its usual ridiculous twist. The end result is a program that serves no worthwhile purpose on television except to embar- rass and discourage any viewers who watch it. A small-town girl named Jackie arrives at the Sizzling Saddles ranch in Nevada with the belief that she is on a dating show that will have her going out with 14 studmuffins. She soon finds out that some of the guys are not revealing their true personali- ties and some, in fact, are gay. Not only that, if she selects a gay guy at the end of the show, he gets a million dollars. If she selects a straight guy, however, the two will split the million. True love immediately takes a back- seat to playing a guessing game about the sexuality of the guys. Jackie, once again proving that shallow people will do anything for money, forgoes her chance at meeting her Prince Charm- ing, trying instead to select a straight man and collect her fat paycheck. The male contestants are not much better. In addition to some of them con- cealing their true selves, each one is determined to project an extremely macho image in hopes that Jackie will select him. This becomes clear early as, upon meeting Jackie for the first time, the guys gather in the living room and immediately begin discussing the size of her chest. Every move the guys make is scrutinized, whether it is owning a hairdryer or being forced to stay in the pink-colored bedroom. In one of the more awkward moments, two of them flip a coin to decide who will sleep in a queen-sized bed, as sleeping in the same bed together would no-doubt ruin their machismo. In a long, drawn-out process at the end of the first episode, Jackie chooses two contestants whom she believes are gay. The eliminated guy reveals his ori- entation, and everybody gets to see if Jackie's "gaydar" - a term used exten- sively in the show - is indeed correct. Whether it's the awful country- My homo-sense is tingling. western theme song or the look on Jackie's face after she makes a wrong guess, "Playing It Straight" has noth- ing of value. There's only one thing to say to Jackie and =the immature boy- toys who are playing this pointless guessing game: Grow up. r ~1 As an engineer in the U. S. Air Force, no telling what there's you'll work on. (Seriously, we can't tell you.) Master of Business Administration Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (www.aacsb.edu) " International Business " International Finance " Marketing Management Master of Arts in Government and Politics Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (www.msache.org) " International Relations United States Air Force applied technology is years ahead of what you'll touch in the private sector, and as a new engineer you'll likely be involved at the ground level of new and sometimes classified developments. You'll begin leading and managing within this highly respected group from day one. Find out what's waiting behind the scenes for you in the Air Force today. To request more information, call 1-800-423-USAF or log on to airforce.com.