Monday November 8, 2004 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily. com RTS SA ... . .. . ... TREVOR CAMPBELL/Daily Somebody gave me some flubber before the show. Green Day's punk,a politics hit D-town By Trevor Campbell Daily Arts Writer "Is George Bush still an asshole?" This and a few other inquiries were part of the barrage of political def- Why won't any cabs stop for me? OUT OF THIS WORLD amation that accompanied Green Day's show Saturday at Cobo Hall. Although their anti-Bush stance is widely Green Day Saturday, November 8 At Cobo Hall LAW SHINES IN CHARMING REMAKE By Amanda Andrade Daily Arts Writer Attempting to catapult himself from critically lauded character actor into the more lucrative realm of leading man, Jude Law makes his third bid of the year for movie star- dom in the comedy/drama "Alfie." While his previous Alfie films, "Sky Captain" and "I'V At Showcase Huckabees," were praised for and Quality 16 their originality and ingenu- Paramount ity, "Alfie" traipses through remarkably well-trodden ter- ritory. Much like Law himself, the film is both immensely charming and entirely forgettable. 1 ,ped QA the 1966 origjnal staryjpg Michael Caine, "Alfie" follows the titular limo driver (Law) on his many sexual escapades around Manhattan. The film skirts romantic comedy territory by not allowing Alfie to fall for the "one girl" -who con- vinces the beguiling lothario to change his ways. Rather, through a series of more realistic events, Theft Auto" and "Sex and the City," the idea that Alfie comes to see the emptiness of his lifestyle someone would use sex wantonly and exploitative- and the harm his carelessness has caused the peo- ly is seen not so much as a mild shocker but as a ple around him. fact of life. Traveling through such mundane terri- By passing up the easy, crowd-pleasing version tory as though it were cutting-edge, the film's core of the all-too-familiar premise, the film is forced concept feels irrelevant and highly outdated. to abandon the typical story arc in favor of an In fact, the only justification this otherwise overly episodic approach. As a result the whole unnecessary remake has for its existence is a won- second half of the movie feels recklessly unedited. derful leading performance from Law. He smirks, But more patient members of the audience, not to winks and defies any actor to pull off a variety of mention more than a few female fans, will respect scarves with so much panache. The truth is, no mat- how much faith the story and director Charles ter how irritatingly overexposed he may be, Law is Shyer ("Father of the Bride") put in the audience's undisputedly a talented actor. And though he excels intelligence. Real life, after all, rarely offers up at dramatic supporting performances, he also has easy answers. And in that sense, Alfie's numer- the requisite charisma to carry a breezy leading ous missteps, such as trying to settle down with role. Sarandon is also a bright spot, wonderfully a manic party girl (Sienna Miller, TV's "Keen sharp and restrained as Alfie's female foil. Eddie") and a wealthy older woman (Susan Saran- "Alfie" is probably too low-profile a film to don), as well as the ambivalence with which he launch Law into that upper echelon of movie star- accepts his changing lifestyle, provieor a more dom to which s nylessi!eserving actors have interesting film. ascended. That's really a shame because the film But while "Alfie" feels refreshingly nonformula is a star-making turn if ever there was one, asking ic, it also lacks the kind of novelty eecud to le- 3Law only to be good-looingcharming aitlb4and an impression. To a generation reared on "Grand - everything America wants from its stars. known, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong took shots at the whole governmental system rather than the recently re-elected president. Coming out on stage to their latest protest song, "American Idiot," the crowd roared with an overwhelming approval. "That song means so much more to me now than it did four days ago," Armstrong said, making ref- erence to Tuesday's election. Politics aside, the event was packed with pyrotechnic onslaught, that would make Whitesnake blush and crowd participation that could rival the Big House. Explosions, flashes of light and 20-foot-tall flames added an interesting touch to the usual punk-rock show. Green Day's set list was packed vith songs spanning the band's 15- year career, including songs off of American Idiot such as "Holiday" -and-the widely talked about rock opera "Jesus of Suburbia." Their age seemed to be a negli- gible factor in their stage presence. Leaping around with more vertical lift than Richard Hamilton, gui- tarist Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt hopped off of stage monitors, speaker cabinets and drum stands while slinging songs to the energetic crowd. At one point in the set the band paused to create a three-man group composed of fans pulled out of the crowd to play a simplistically watered-down song. Although it added a creative aspect to the show, and added a few laughs, it took away from the overall energy of the band and seemed to be an excuse to give the band's tired vocal chords and exhausted muscles a chance to rest. The fortunate guitarist was allowed to keep the guitar that he played on- stage. Closing out their set for the night, the band pulled out a stunningly powerful rendition of Queen's "We are the Champions" along with piano accompaniment. The crowd fed off of the power-ballad and sang out with all of their hearts as the band neared its departure. Immediately follow- ing the seemingly never-ending flow of red and white confetti fired out of stage-side cannons, Armstrong slowly strolled out to the front of the center- stage walkway and ended the night with a solo performance of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." Their power, humor and enthusiasm make their live show a must-see for anyone with even an inkling of interest in their music. Wolf Eyes play with innovative sounds By Lloyd Cargo Daily Arts Writer Lush 'Stage Beauty' takes on gender roles By Katie Schorr For the Daily "Stage Beauty," the seductive 17th century drama directed by Richard Eyre ("Iris"), is a witty and absorbing story of sex, the stage and the actor's pro- vocative infatuations with both. Wolf Eyes have drawn a linei sand the same way Lou Reed's1 Machine Music did back in 1975.; will find the layered sheets of in the Metal Some noise appealing; others will consider it downright appall- ing and unlisten- able. If listeners can get past the first abrasive electronic Wolf Eyes Burned Mind Sub Pop blast 45 seconds into Burned Mind's first track, "Dead In A Boat," they'll find Wolf Eyes' uber-indie debut on the Sub Pop label their most consistent, coherent and cleanly recorded work to date. Wolf Eyes is currently Ann Arbor's most famous indie export. Originally the solo vehicle for Nate Young, vocalist and chief instrumentalist, the band expand- ed into its current lineup when guitar- ist Aaron Dilloway and drummer John Olson joined. Since then, they've put out dozens of to-fi CD-Rs on Dilloway's Hanson Records, American Tapes and another local label, Bulb. Recognized as the leader of the new noise movement, along with similar artists Black Dice and Lightning Bolt, they were snapped up by Seattle-based Sub Pop earlier this year. Despite the wider distribution, Wolf Eyes didn't tone down their sound. instead, Burned Mind is even more pun- shing, making better use of silence as -negative space. Burned Mind sees the 'Iand carrying over the harshest elements of prior standout releases Dead Hills end Dread but with more song struc- ure. There are no verses or choruses on any of these songs, but the bludgeon- ing seems to have more of a beginning, middle and end. This all pays off on "Stabbed In The Face," by far the most visceral song the band has ever recorded. Featur- ing a looped female scream over grat- ing tonal shifts and massive waves of crushing feedback, the song gets uncomfortably close to the feeling of being stabbed in the face. The may- hem doesn't end there though: "Village Oblivia" is another standout track. Held down by a steady kick drum, "Village Oblivia" sounds like Ann Arbor would during a zombie invasion. While the front end of the album delivers the best songs, the latter half is more cohesive. "Rattlesnake Shake" is perhaps the most aptly titled song, lay- ering drones over bursts of percussion sounding exactly like a rattlesnake. This relatively low-key track melts into the piercing title track, whose scorch- ing high tones burn themselves into listeners' brains. From there it's onto the pulsing bass of "Ancient Delay," the most accessible song on the album. "Ancient Delay" fades into "Black Vomit," the march to the final noise climax of Burned Mind. Wolf Eyes is not for everyone, but any album that can inspire this much imagery deserves multiple listens. It's the most accessible and coherent release from this groundbreaking Ann Arbor band and it's the perfect place to start for the uninitiated. All in all, Burned Mind is a fascinating and psychologi- cally compelling work at the forefront of its genre. Set in London, with Charles II restored to the throne after Oliver Cromwell's Puritan takeover, the film features Billy Crudup ("Big Fish") as Ned Kynaston, the beloved and beautiful player of female roles, and Claire Danes as his loyal stage assistant, Maria, an aspir- ing actress herself. Since England's men are trained and legally bound to act out women's roles, Maria makes her debut on the sly in a seedy tavern. Swift- ly, shabby Maria has taken a stage name, weaseled her way into the royal palace and, with help from the King's puckish mistress, reversed the edict, rob- bing Ned of the only part he can play: a woman's. The score alternates between lush, emotive violins and heavily percussive Irish dance music, propelling forward the film's already hurried pace. Amid darkened backstage and nighttime settings, there is a stunning play of light and Stage Beauty At the State Theater Lions Gate shadow on the colorfully made-up faces of the actors and audience, turning shot after shot into rich portraits evocative of Rembrandt. The idea of illumination, of visibility on the stage, is voiced early on by Maria, who explains to Ned why she wants to take the stage. "When you act," she says "you can be seen." Eyre also explores way the artist's identity is elaborately knit up in his art. The devoted actor does not know who he is without his gestures, his costumes or while away from the dusty dreamland of the stage. The conundrum of "Stage Beauty" is that the freedom of the woman to act on stage is at odds with the freedom of the man to play a wom- an's role, prompting a murky discussion of gender and sexuality. How is a woman made? Is she cre- ated on stage, in the bedroom or on the stage bed? For Ned, sex is between a man and a woman, but for his sometimes lover, the Duke of Buckingham, sex is an entirely theatrical role-play between him and Ned's character. Crudup is initially most rivet- ing when he plays a woman, both onstage and off. But as Ned's confidence begins to falter, Crudup intensifies an otherwise petulant role with deter- mined desperation. The film has been edited extensively, making Maria's rise to fame and Ned's fall from it abrupt. Like a Shakespearian play, whose plot is known in advance, it is not so much the narrative of "Stage Beauty" that engages the audience, but the over- No, I will not make out with you. whelming beauty of the dramatic details unfold- ing on screen. Danes's blunt, boyish face, as bare and plain in its expressiveness as her voice, which lends her character a lack of credibility. Bounded by a troupe of capable British actors, including Tom Wilkinson, Richard Griffiths and Ben Chap- lin, Danes holds her own impressively, though for a lower class stagehand, her accent is awfully posh. Nonetheless, it is her Maria, in love with Ned from the start, who initiates the captivating, if predict- able, conclusion of the film. Brief bouts of period drama dullness aside, "Stage Beauty" is a dazzling, perhaps even sexually edgy, slice of stage life. i 'Fade' reveals rapper Jay-Z in triumphant farewell By Phonz Williams Daily Arts Writer MOVE R EV IEW "Fade to Black," a documentary about rapper Jay-Z's "final" con- cert at Madison Square Garden, is grounded in the Fade to simple premise Black that every good At Showcase thing eventually Paramount Classics comes to an end. Jay-Z has, of course, continued touring a year after the release of The Black Album and shows no signs of legitimately retir- ing. While the prototypical example of the farewell genre, Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz," actually documents the swan song of The Band, "Fade to Black" does an excellent job revealing an artist at the peak of his fame and creative capacity while portraying the excitement at the heart of this amaz- ing concert. In the opening of the film, Jay-Z is narrating while the audience is bom- barded with images of New York City. Then Madison Square Garden, the venue for the evening's entertainment, is illuminated. Amid the blinking lights and signs reading "Sold Out," Jay-Z describes his last concert as "a long kiss goodbye" to his fans. The feeling of being up close and personal with Jay-Z is created by the great deal of engaging shots used by directors Patrick Paulson and Michael John Warren. The intensity of the sold-out crowd only enhances the visual stimu- lation. The behind the stage interviews of hip-hop stars P. Diddy, Common, Q-Tip, Ghostface Killah and Slick Rick all provide commentary on Jay- Z's importance to the evolution of hip-hop. On stage he is also joined by his girlfriend Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Foxy Brown, Mary J. Blige and Pharell to perform a collection of his hits. Occasionally, the film verges off toward exaggerated hagiography, in an attempt to build up the legend of Jay-Z, but for the most part "Fade to Black" makes up for this shortcoming by keeping its focus on the music. The film interweaves the concert and the process of making of Jay-Z's The Black Album from inspiration to con- ception. The audience is transported into the studio where Jay-Z creates The Black Album with a host of big-time producers, including Timbaland, Rick Rubin, Jus Blaze, Pharell and Kanye West. "Fade to Black" is at its finest when it shows the master at work, lay- ing a track down perfectly in just one take. Through the use of cinematogra- phy, the indescribable and electrifying experience is recreated for the viewer. It provides an exciting accoutrement to the images of Jay-Z rocking a diverse crowd of people all captivated by the music. This is why legends never die - they just fade to black.