Wednesday March 24,2004 arts.michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com ARTS 8. mw THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER The Changing Garden: Four Centuries of European and Ameri- can Art - The University of Michigan Museum of Art's reflection on the evolution of European garden is ridiculously comprehensive for each ornate stage. With the help of paintings, photos and blue- prints, visitors can see how British, French and Italian garden styles all influenced American landscape architects. "Graceland" by Chris Abani - This searing new novel about I growing up in the massive slums of Lagos, Nigeria, pulses with a desperate humanity. Even the author is dramatic; Abani caused such an uproar with his first novel that he was exiled from Nigeria. In a book with recipes, haunting description and painful lessons, every- thing has aftershocks. a When will a spirit break? What are the fac- tors that describe a person's soul, and when does the label that society assigns to you come to define who you are? "Slave Moth," a beautiful narrative written in lyric verse by English Prof. Thylias Moss, tells the story of a literate, confident and proud young slave named Varl. Neither submissive nor passive, she is the opposite of everything a slave should be. Varl's refusal to allow herself to be Slave Moth defined by her circum- stances makes her conscious By Thylias Moss of the wonders of living. Persea Books Her master is painfully fascinated by the deformed and the unusual. His twisted obsession with the misshapen leads to his fascination with Varl. He cannot under- stand her inherent resistance to the confines of slavery, but is drawn to her more because of it. Through one of her master's books, Varl learns of a special creature, the Luna moth, that transforms itself from a drab caterpillar into a luminous silver insect. Upon this discovery, she is determined to lift herself out of oppression and into an existence of freedom and joy. Varl's mother - a powerful woman who secretly rebels against slavery by teaching other slaves to read - has given Varl the means to under- mine the misery of her slave life. With no paper, she makes a special cocoon by stitching letters onto pieces of fabric by moonlight. Pinned under her dress, the fabric makes her Courtesy of Persea Books Six score and 19 years ago --- 3 Emeka Okafor's lower back - It's amazing to see that a small mass of bone and tendons can reduce grown men to tears at the slightest mention of the phrase "swelling around the vertebrae." Here's to hoping that the Connecticut star center's lumbar region doesn't become the ultimate bracket buster. feel safe and protected from the world. With each movement, she is reminded of those she loves and is sheltered from the darker moments of her life. Through the transformation of her romance with a fellow slave, her building desire for freedom and the culmination of her master's growing obsession, the cocoon is used as a plot device to weave the story together. The story is compelling, and the poetry of the novel adds another level to the already poignant narrative. Moss writes a well-crafted story. Its unusual structure of poetic verse pro- vides appeal to readers of both genres of litera- ture. Much human experience can be found in the simple words that weave a complex story of spirit, endurance and fortitude. It explores human identity and both protests the limita- tions of the human condition and gives insight beyond the boundaries of the present. This book is inspiring and thought-provok- ing, drawing the reader into the characters and events without limiting the objective scope. The story highlights the potential strength of the human spirit and the power to free oneself from any limits. Petey Pablo, Still Writing In My Diary: 2nd Entry - Rap's best guilty pleasure, the average MC with the boom- ing voice, is set to drop another collec- tion of bumper-bubble jams with help from Mannie Fresh and Lil' Jon. Try not to spin articles of clothing like flying machines when the first few bars come on. Anthony Hamilton - Hamilton is the best-kept secret in neo-soul. This former D'Angelo backup singer's debut album is a throw- back-in the best sense of the word-to the slow-burning soul men of yesteryear. Months after its release, it has received a disturbing lack of mass- media love. Listen, and feel the North Carolina sunset. I Courtesy of Arista 'Stones' sinks to bottom By Abby Stotz Daily Arts Writer In CBS's new comedy, "The Stones," Mr. and Mrs. Stone are split- ting up after 25 years of marriage but decide to still live under the same roof. They drive each other nuts, just not enough for either to want to move out or to stop having sex. Also living 'R Type' fails to evolve for the PS2 Don't blame me for this crap. in the house are the 20-something kids, creating a bizarre dysfunc- tional mix that the show's creators hope will be The Stones Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. CBS funny. Unfortunately, the show falls flat on its face. Judith Light ("Who's the Boss") returns to sitcoms as brittle Barbara Stone with comedian Robert Klein ("Mad About You") playing her deadpan soon-to-be ex-husband. The Stones' fighting is pretty tame, with a major bone of contention being a petty dislike of each other's unwant- ed body hair. Klein and Light are funny enough actors but are seriously in need of some good writing. It seems like the Stones would be per- fectly happy staying married and just arguing often. In the pilot, the Stones tell their children that they are divorcing dur- ing their own 25th wedding anniver- sary celebration. This disturbs the grown son and daughter, prompting them to go home and show their parents a slide show of happier times. Even after this, the parents still decide to divorce and be friends with benefits. The younger generation of Stones doesn't come off as well as Barbara and Stan. Daughter Karly (Lindsay Sloane, "Bring it On") seems flighty and clueless when she's supposed to be smart and free-spirited. Her broth- er, Winston (Jay Baruchel, "Unde- clared"), is a brainy scientist who goes overboard with the awkward dork act. He's a neat-freak graduate student who can barely speak to a member of the opposite sex, making it obvious why he's still living at home. Winston squeaks and gestures wildly every time he talks, becoming more irritating with every scene. Regardless of bland writing and sub-par acting, "The Stones" finds its biggest problem in its premise. Even though they like to fight, the Stones still seem to be attracted to each other and their divorce winds up feeling pointless. They might as well still be married. Karly says in the pilot, "It's like everything changed, but nothing changed" and she's right. There's no real change in the characters' situations, so the show seems pointless and becomes very boring as a result. By Jared Newman Daily Arts Writer "w It's tough not to use the label "old-school" when discussing a game such as "R-Type Final." The side-scrolling space shooter that has spanned four generations of consoles con- jures up so many memories that avoiding the cliche term is nearly impossible. But sometimes memories are better left that way. In a time where total immersion is the ultimate goal, "R- Type Final" doesn't measure up to its three-dimensional peers. To be fair, "R-Type" is certainly a decent game, but aside from the intense visuals and gorgeous environments, playing the latest installment isn't much better than dusting off the classic Ninten- do system and playing the original.-yp F The graphics have the same "three- PS2 dimensional graphics in a two-dimen- Eidos sional world" feel seen in games such as "Ikaruga" and "Contra: Shattered Soldier." Some flashier gunfire from the main cannon would have been nice, but the lack thereof may be a subtle hint that the charge beam is the best way to fight. Players are given three ships to start and can unlock a fleet of up to 99. Each ship comes equipped with a charge beam, which is unique to each vessel. Using this weapon is the only feasible way to get through the game, making the decision on what type of ship to select extremely important. Unfortunately, this is the only incentive to keep players coming back throughout the numerous "try-and-die" situa- S_ __ _ __ _ 1 2 <} b x' tions. Since gameplay is totally linear, one is forced to replay the same missions numerous times just to get back to that one problem spot. It's not always a satisfying challenge either - deaths often come in the form of accidental colli- sions or stray bullets. Adding a non-linear element to the game - such as a mission select - would have made these frustrations much easier to deal with. Instead, players are forced into repeti- tion, If there is any lesson to be learned from games of the Nintendo generation, it's that repetition is boring. Staunch videogame conservatives will probably refute this viewpoint as well as this review, but those who crave new and exciting adventures will instead see "R-Type's" strict adherence to the old style as a failure. May be hot upon re-entry. " Courtesy 0ofEios High Oil Costs Harm All Americans T ID A n . - ma .4 headaches per month. A total of three clinic visits are required. Visit 2 is a four to six hour I W ..r ' L