10A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 22, 2004
ARTS
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I'll let the sign speak for itself.
Sage Francis rips Clear
Channel at the Pig
By Hussain Rahim
Daily Arts Writer
CONCERT REVIEW
Only Sage Francis, the always out-
spoken underground hero, would set
out on a nationwide tour under the
"Fuck Clear Channel" banner. As the
In the mind of Charlie Kaufman, anything usual is
never to be expected. The scribe's latest mental jour-
ney provides no exception to the rule. At once full of
happiness and laughter with an almost unbearable
weight of sadness, "Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Eternal
balances a tightrope of emo-
tions to the perfect effect. Sunshine of
Michel Gondry's sophomore the Spotless
directorial vision shows us what Mind
it means to forget and, more At Quality 16,
importantly, the joy of creating Showcase and
memories in the first place. Madstone
Taken from the twisted mind Focus Features
of Kaufman, who wrote such
quirky scripts as "Being John Malkovich" and
"Adaptation," "Eternal Sunshine" is the latest film to
employ temporal exploration, and it does so in proba-
bly the most unique and intricate of fashions thus far.
Jumping back and forth between reality and imagina-
tion, dream and memory, Gondry seamlessly depicts
a man having his memory slowly wiped away.
That man is Joel Barish (Jim
Carrey). Recently separated from a turbulent rela-
tionship, Joel discovers that his ex, Clementine (Kate
Winslet), has had her memory of him completely
erased. Heartbroken and confused, Joel decides to
have the procedure done on himself.
As soon as the technicians (Mark Ruffalo,
Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood) begin to zap the
entire map of Joel's memory, the plot splits into two
worlds: that of the technicians inside Joel's apart-
ment and the one inside Joel's brain. Each world
starts to blend when Joel realizes he wants to
remember and begins fighting the process. From
there, it's a race to the beginning of his memory.
Watching the relationship between Joel and
Clementine evolve in reverse chronology is simply
amazing, but it becomes something special when
Joel's memory of Clementine helps him fight the
erasure. Complemented by quickly fading shifts
between each filed memory, the evolution of
Joel's emotions from understanding to desperation
is palpable, and it seeps into the film's thematic
fabric. The audience understands the importance
of the journey as the scenes blend together and the
lights fade away.
Jim Carrey's understated performance once
again proves just how good he can be, and Kirsten
Dunst is per-
fectly delectable
as an unsuspecting
office assistant to the
procedure's overseer, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom
Wilkinson). And while all of the supporting roles
are as colorful in their strangeness, the truly out-
standing performance comes from Winslet. Her
impulsive, manic-depressive character provides
the heart of the film, and she makes it impossible
for Joel not to battle to remember.
Everything clicks, and Kaufman nails the third
act perfectly. Handheld camera and jump-cut edit-
ing accompanied by an almost tangible score
complement the intricacies necessary for the
inverted timeline. If there is any basis for com-
plaint, it's that the viewer might have to sit
through the film a second time to discover the
details missed in the first viewing.
It's an emotional roller coaster, but the ride is worth
taking. More accessible than any of the other Kauf-
man screenplays and supremely complemented by
the cast and director, the fusion of "Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind" is nothing short of captivating.
winner of multiple
ments and poetry
slams, Francis has
developed a cult
following and fur-
thered his case
against the monop-
olistic media con-
freestyle tourna-
Sage
Francis
Monday, Mar. 15
At the Blind Pig
glomerate last year with the critically
acclaimed Hope. While on the final leg
of his tour, and with a new album due
out on Epitaph this year, 2004 looks to
be bright for Francis.
He describes his endeavor as being
easier than he expected. Clear Channel
has won its fair share of enemies.
"Almost every single club, promoter
and soundman has thanked me for
doing the tour."
Politics aside, the show was a mix of
spoken word, recent material from
Hope, some older material and some
brand new material. Admittedly, his
band didn't show up because it broke
up near the end of the tour, and he did-
n't even remember he had a show that
night. But like a true soldier, he put
together a set that was entertaining and
energetic, if a bit scattershot in focus
and execution.
With his stream of endless touring, it
would seem fair to call Francis some-
thing of a road rat. And while he
agrees with the designation, he sees it
more as a necessary evil. "I am a reluc-
tant vagabond. I do what's essential.
It's no secret that the live performances
boost the awareness of my music and
who I am. But what I love most about
performing is probably just saying 'hi'
to everyone and slapping high fives."
Tired of secondhand smoke and
road life, Francis recently canceled
his European tour to go in-studio to
finish his latest release on Epitaph.
After completely switching style
between the introspective Personal
Journals and the old school boom of
Hope, there is some wonder as to
where Francis will direct his style
for this album.
"I'm leaning in a more surreal
direction. I'm almost compelled to
fight it, and let my political side
shine, but the artist in me is at war. I
can't work with Joe Beats to the
degree of Non-Prophets stuff but he
will probably be included. The
album is expected in the fall and it's
going to be called 27."
Whatever the focus, Sage will
continue to hold the ear of the
underground.
61
I
'Winning Eleven 7' wins the World Cup of soccer games
By Bob Hunt
Daily Arts Writer
VIDEOGAME REVIEW*
While Electronics Arts' "FIFA Soccer" series
has consistently been one of the world's best-
selling videogames over the past decade, it has
never really been able to capture the intricacies
of the sport like other top-flight EA games.
Konami's "Winning Eleven" series, on the other
hand, has done extremely well in both Japan and
Europe because of its authentic gameplay. "Win-
ning Eleven 7 International," the series' second
North American release, is undoubtedly the
most realistic soccer game ever made.
"Winning Eleven 7" is a detailed exploration
of the genre of sports games, truly capturing the
nuances pffthe sport. Unlike other socper games
where players just string a
few passes together and
fire at the goal, "WE 7" is Winning
like real soccer in that it Eleven 7
requires one to have great PS2
precision in order to create Konami
scoring chances. This sort
of gameplay does make the game extremely dif-
ficult for novices, even ones who have previ-
ously played "FIFA." But with each blocked
goal or bicycle kick, the gamer feels as if he is
watching a top-flight soccer match.
"WE 7" boasts more than 100 international
and club teams, but just a select few are
licensed. Almost all pf the world's top players
are in the game, though, and there are a number
of international tournaments, something "FIFA"
has all-together abandoned. The club teams are
based on real European teams, which can be
edited using the game's extensive editing tools.
Many of the world's top stadiums are included
as well.
While not containing any actual leagues,
"WE 7" does have a detailed franchise mode
called the Master League, where gamers can
build a team in one of four regional divisions
and try to qualify for the Champions League.
The Master League has a lot of exciting fea-
tures, including an extensive player -search fea-
turethat p "FFA" s ut .Ugrtunatei4
when te match begins, the game plays with tl6
same players no matter what team you choose.
That, combined with clunky menus and a repet-
itive soundtrack, is just inexcusable.
"WE 7" makes up for its faults, though, with
graphics comparable to "FIFA's" and the feel of
a real game from the time the players walk onto
the field. If a 1-0 or 2-1 battle on the "pitch" is
not for you, then "Winning Eleven 7" isn't
either. But for fans of the world's game, "Win-
ning Eleven 7" is the best around.
i
Corts o omi
Bending it like Beckham.
U U
Middle East Film Series
"ESKIYA--TIE BANDIT"
Thursday, March 25 @ 7:30 pm,
Rackham Amphitheater; 915 E.Washington St.
open to the Public - Free Admission
An award-winning and visually stunning feature film from
Turkey directed by Yuvuz Turgul
(1997/121 minutes/Turkish with English subtitles).
After serving a 35-year prison sentence, Baran, a Kurdish
bandit, is released and returns to his village only to find it
submerged under the waters of a new dam. He heads to
Istanbul where he is told that his lover resides. The encounter
between the bandit's "old-fashioned" criminal ways, and those
of the violent urban underworld of contemporary Istanbul,
intertwined with the film's romantic and quasi-magical
threads, make for a riveting film. Officially selected to
represent Turkey at the American Academy Awards in 1997.
Additional information at http://www.umich.edu/-iinet/cmenas/
Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern and North African
Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Studies.
Michigan Head*Pain &
Neurological Institute is
conducting an in-clinic research
study evaluating an investigational
medication for migraine. >
Participants must be 18 to 60 years
old and suffer no more than 15.
headaches per month. A total of
three clinic visits are required. Visit 2 is a four to six hour
*I
The Most Important Exam You'll Ever Take At U of M
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Q
~Are excel
paywell
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