10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 ARTS A Holiday ballet continues tradition in A2 By Rachel Berry Daily Arts Writer MEMEM I'm so high right now ... 'Arsenal' blasts its way into cosmic success The Ann Arbor Ballet Theater will celebrate its 20th anniversary performance of E.T. Hoffmann's full story-length ballet, "The Nutcracker Prince," by donating proceeds from the opening show to the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The hospital is hosting a campaign, "Champions for The Children," to build a new chil- Nutcracker dren and women's hospital. Prince The project is part of the Uni- Friday at 8 p.m., versity's $2.5 billion fundrais- Saturday at ing campaign. The campaign 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., kicked off in May. Sunday at 2 p.m. In the "Nutcracker Prince," Benefit the Christmas party atthe Performances: $50 Stahlbaum home takes an unex- Alohr:$22 pected twist after Drosselmeyer At the Power Center gives young Clara a nutcracker doll that comes to life. After thertoy soldiers slay the King Mouse in a battle around the family's Christ- mas tree, the Nutcracker Prince whisks Clara off to the Land of Sweets. There, the kingdom of mir- litons, Chinese dancers, Arabian dancers, a Sugar Plum Fairy, flowers and more, dance for the couple. The next morning Clara wakes up and is left to wonder if it was all only a dream. The performance will feature more than 100 local dancers under the direction of Carol Radovic. They will be accompanied by more than 30 local musicians and the Michigan Sinfonietta, directed by Leo Najar. The dancers range in age from 7 to mid-40s, but most are in high school or college. Assistant artistic director and co-founder of the Children's Aid Society (CAS) Ballet Theater School, Kathy Scharp, said, "Although a community effort, most By Zach Borden Daily Arts Writer The holiday season is always a big time for videogames, and this year is no exception. Interestingly enough though, all of the major titles that have come out are sequels to popular fran- chises. "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" is yet another follow-up vying for gamers' Ratchet & dollars during this Clank: Up busy time of year. Your Arsenal Amazingly, the PS2 latest installment P of the popular SCEA action-platform- ing series is a fresh and engaging experience for the third year in a row. There's still a tremendous amount of life left in the furry warrior Ratchet and his robotic companion Clank. The plot of the single-player game doesn't break any new ground, as the evil "robot supremacist," Dr. Nefarious, is trying to destroy much of the galaxy. Once again, Ratchet and Clank, with a little help from their friends, travel from planet to planet to stop Nefarious and his henchmen. The game's story is well-told through some entertaining cut scenes and has its tongue firmly planted in cheek. The games action and platforming elements don't break any new ground, but that's not entirely a bad thing. The "Ratchet & Clank" series has always been about collecting a variety of weapons and blowing up everything that stands in the way. Gainers who are familiar with the past two games will certainly know the drill, and even though the play mechanics haven't changed much, the mindless action is still quite involving. There's also some depth to be found in how one approaches the game, as Ratchet can gain experience to level up his health the more he fights and make his weap- ons more powerful. While the single-player mode offers its fair share of enjoyment, there is more to be found in the multiplayer mode. Up to four players can compete in several different modes, which can be a bit frenzied given all the game's weapons and items. It also features impeccable online multiplayer support - available only with a broadband connection - which allows players to fight it out online, complete with voice chat and the ability to join or create a clan. Plenty of effort by the developers has gone into the multiplayer mode. The game's visuals are outstand- ing and vibrant, perfectly bringing the game's intergalactic worlds to life. With bright colors and sharp lighting, the game's visuals should be consid- ered showpiece material for the Play- station 2, right alongside the "Metal Gear Solid" sequels. The game's sounds are also robust, with decent music to complement the various stag- es and immersing sound effects that highlight all the action and gun-blaz- ing. The controls are remarkably solid and responsive as well, which makes controlling characters a breeze. A nice addition to this third installment is the ability to play the game from a first-person perspective, which makes the game feel a bit more like a first- person shooter. Once again, Sony has delivered a solid gaming experience that does not disappoint. "Ratchet & Clank" has now proven itself to be one of the rare franchises that is able to sustain itself year after year - not an easy task. Fans of the action genre and multi- player games will certainly want to invest in the duo's latest adventure, and if the two decide to return again next year, chances are good that their next adventure will be just as great - if not better. Nutcracker. Sweet. (dancers) are trained at the ballet school." Scharp founded the Church Street school 24 years ago with her mother, and artistic director, Carol Radovic. In addition to holding the benefit performance for C.S. Mott, the company also annually invites elementary children from the area to watch the Thursday dress rehearsal. This arrangement not only gives children the opportunity to experience "The Nutcracker," but also provides the danc- ers with an enthusiastic audience for the dress rehearsal. Scharp said that these children make one of the best audiences. "They just love it," she commented. Scharp said to expect a "visual feast" with Fri- day's opening night. Local Suzuki Violin groups will also perform for guests in the theater lobby. Scharp added, "We put it as close to Christmas as we can to make it a much more festive evening." As the production has grown each year, it has become an Ann Arbor Christmas tradition. Time travel tale muddled by its technical rhetoric By Lindsey Bieber Daily Arts Writer What happens when a brilliant engineer decides to become a film- maker? A puzzling plot with a genius idea behind it is produced. First time writer/pro- Primer ducer/direc- At the Michigan tor/actor Shane Theater Carruth traded Think Films careers to pursue his interest in the film industry without disregarding his scientific background. His debut film, "Primer," is about two young engineers, Abe (David Sullivan) and Aaron (Car- ruth), who work for a big company in an unnamed metropolitan city by day, but tinker with inventions in their garage by night. They create a machine that reduces the mass of any object with the accidental side effect of time travel. However, it is difficult for the audience to realize what they have actually created because of the heavy use of engineering and phys- ics jargon to explain their invention to each other. The rest of the film is about how Abe and Aaron control the power of being able to change the future with their machine. The film is successful in mak- ing the situation seem down to earth, unlike most other sci-fi films. Their machine does not have a shiny chrome exterior or a fancy dashboard that digitally displays the year. It is made up of everyday household materials put together in a haphazard manner. Their plans do not always follow through as expect- ed because Carruth's time travel is not the neat version seen in other movies like the "Back to the Future" trilogy. This version is portrayed as messy and dealing with uncharted dangerous territory. For a first-time filmmaker, Carruth does an excel- lent job in making the adventure seem realistic. "Primer" is not for the carefree moviegoer who likes to relax in the theater. In order to understand the Courtesy of Think Films Ooooo ... Angell Hall has wireless now .. plot, the viewer must strain his mind and ears to understand the charac- ters' dense scientific dialogue. It is a movie that most people will not fully understand until they see it for a sec- ond time. Perhaps the most frustrat- ing aspect of the movie is expecting an explanation at the conclusion of the film. The ending is the most con- fusing part of the story because by then, the viewer is lost and cannot figure out if the time is the present, past or future. Aside from the absence of a crisp plot, the character development is also limited. The dialogue between Abe and Aaron almost always con- sists of the technical aspects of the machine, so the audience never got to know them as individuals. View- ers couldn't care less about what happens to the characters in their time travel adventures because there is no sympathy for them. Carruth's first trek into the movie business is a success, but a muddled one. The film, while not for those who enjoy passive entertainment, is ideal for those who like to interpret films. .... .... .... - . Ill .... ... REC SPORTS [NT RAM U RA IS The University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports Intramural Sports Program www.reCSports.umich.edu 734-763-3562 K9 REC SPORTS Y q RAMUR^' AL Re-release revels in jones's' success By Amanda McAllister Daily Arts Writer ' f S n :,, s ti z i ''t a k: . ._,. Entries taken: Mon, 01/10 ONLY 11:00 AM -.5:30PM IN Building Entry Fee $88.00 per team Manager's Meeting: MANDATORY Wed, 01/12 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM IM Building )' , Entries taken: Thurs, 01/06 ONLY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM IM Building Entry Fee: $440.00 per team Manager's Meeting:- MANDATORY Thurs, 01/06 6:00 PM IC Building Play begins: Sun, 01/09 Yost Ice Arena Play begins: Thurs, 01/13 IM Building Basketball Ice Hockey 11 Entries taken: Mon, 01/10 ONLY 11:00 AM-5:30PM I Building Entry Fee: $88.00 per team MANDATORY 4 4 Wed, 01/12 8:00 PM SIM Building Play begins. Thurs, 01/13 IM Building Inner Ube Waer Polo The wanton sex-goddess Bridget Jones debuted on the big screen in 2001 and found success among legions of women. Now, just in time for holi- day gift-giving and trying to capital- ize on the recent sequel, Miramax has re-released the original "Bridget Jones's Diary" as_________ a feature-laden "Collector's Edi- Bridget tion" DVD. Jones's Diary: Inthe2001 film, Collector's Renee Zellweger Edition plays Jones, a Miramax goofy but lovable ___a _ 30-something Brit who, in her own opinion, drinks and smokes too much and always needs to lose a few pounds. She begins to keep a diary, which tracks the progress of her new year's resolutions to cut back on the bad behavior and "find a nice, sensible boyfriend." Two men emerge JOBS!! Winter Term Apply now at the Law Library- * Non-Law students " Law Students 4 g as candidates: Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her raunchy, exciting - but unreliable - publishing-house boss, and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who is just as handsome and certainly more stable, but quite boring. Cleaver and Darcy have their own troubled past, which leads to a series of hilarious encounters and ultimately Bridget's decision. The three leads are right on target; Zellweger's nuanced acting lets every insecurity shine through, and Grant and Firth have perfected their respective roles, showing why typecasting can sometimes be a good thing. While the 2001 release was sparse on features - with only director's commentary, a 'making of' clip and a few music videos - the collector's edition more than makes up for it. n~arnrClnrnn MnA a ec flflfl Wi P Look out! There's a bad sequel on the way! With so many great features, it's not surprising that a few duds snuck in. The first, "Portrait of the Makeup Artist," is mind-numbingly dull; no one cares how many coats of mascara Renee Zellweger wears in each scene. Save the makeup features for "Lord of the Rings." By far, the worst is the hypocriti- cal "The Young And The Mateless - Expert's Guide To Being Single," which, despite its title, is actually a thinly disguised guide to getting a man. Women with high profile jobs, such as the editor of Allure maga- zine and the creator of "Sex and the City," relinquish their normal female empowerment duties in order to boast the importance of being pretty and trapping a husband. Besides working in exact opposition to their normal mn ntrne cthe 1woCmen1 interv~iewed are 4 I 1' ;I I