8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 21, 2005
ARTS
'CARTER'
CAN'T
COMPETE
JACKSON FAILS TO SAVE
PREDICTABLE SCRIPT
By Kai Qin
For The Daily
To call "Coach Carter" a sports movie is not
just a misnomer, it simply denies the essence
of the film. It is like calling "Citizen Kane"
a biopic. Basketball is merely the veneer that
this movie uses to attract attention of potential
viewers. The real story within "Coach Carter"
is a passionate warning against both apathy and
the acceptance of failure. In the age of glorify-
ing the inner-city ghetto, the
movie presents Carter as a
beacon of light to the com- Coach Carter
munity. At the Showcase
"Coach Carter" follows and Quality 15
an urban, high school bas- Paramount
ketball team that not only
loses games, but also loses
focus on life. The audience is introduced to
these athletes in a state of emotional and social
disarray. Enter Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson),
a tough-love saint who uses a combination of
military-school training and lively anecdotes to
transform the teenagers into a winning team.
There was never really a doubt that Carter,
with his intense glare and steady voice, could
imbue a sense of responsibility and prudence
0
Get shot a bunch, make a second-rate record.
New G-Unit rap
star adds nothing
"What does Marcellus Wallace look like?"
into his squad. What is surprising is how eas-
ily these quasi-gangsters yielded to Carter's
rash demands. Carter's team, at his command,
carry out seemingly impossible tasks, such as
"1,000 suicides" and "2,500 pushups," with-
out much physical effort being shown. These
scenes come off as unrealistic and dull without
the actors portraying emotion or phsyical strain
into these physically strenuous activities. The
only conflicts we see between Carter and the
players is drawn-out stares that offer little more
than what is shown on the screen.
In his second major film, Robert Brown
("Finding Forrester") again portrays a troubled,
inner-city basketball player. This time though,
his role is not as vital. With the talent he exhib-
its in "Forrester," Brown lowers himself by
playing Kenyon Stone, a virtuous young player
whose girlfriend (Ashanti) struggles over the
dilemma of raising a child. It is a weary mes-
sage that is sent out to inner-city teenagers and
single-mothers.
Samuel L. Jackson is believable as Ken
Carter because of his commanding on-screen
demeanor, and he saves the film from a weak
and vague plotline. Though many actors can
play the character of a noble demigod, Jackson
communicates not just inspiration and charac-
ter, but triumph. From the moment his character
graces the screen to fight the urban oppression
of minority youths, Jackson commands an air
of respect and pride that radiates from him on
the screen. Victory was his before a single game
was played and a single word was said.
"Coach Carter" is a successful film in what
it set out to accomplish. Though the impact of
this movie will be minimal on mainstream ide-
als and opinions about inner-city communities,
it is a well intentioned first step toward social
awareness.
By Evan McGarvey
Daily Arts Writer
The G-Unit dreadnaught and its
stranglehold on the general pop con-
sciousness has been effortless and effec-
tive for many months now. Like scions
born with silver spoons in their mouths,
each rapper affiliated with the clan has
benefited from a
cavalcade of star
producers, heaps of The Game
PR and the Midas The Documentary
touch of group G-Unit/Aftermath/
leader 50 Cent. Interscrope
Lloyd Banks
has the street-rep,
Young Buck has the ragged, fiery pas-
sion and their newest member, The
Game has, well, not much.
The Game, a Compton-raised and
Dr. Dre-touted member of the infa-
mous Bloods gang, has spent his time
in the spotlight picking meaningless
fights with rap also-rans like Joe Bud-
den. After an incident in 2001 where
Game took five slugs and slipped into
a coma, he began studying the cor-
nerstones of hip hop (Ready To Die,
Straight Outta Compton) and eventu-
ally put his thoughts on paper. Though
he admits he hasn't been a rapper for
very long, he doesn't need to; it shows
enough on it's own.
For most of The Documentary, The
Game manages to mangle exquisite Hi-
Tek and Timbaland productions with
a staccato, tentative flow. His apparent
roughneck attitude never wavers from
endless mentions of G-Unit and South
Central. His fealty to N.W.A. spoils oth-
erwise acceptable efforts like "Church
for Thugs" and the Eminem-produced
goth-rap "We Ain't."
Left on his own, The Game does
show occasional slivers of potential:
"I wanna know 'What's Goin' On'
like I hear Marvin / No schoolbooks,
they used that wood to build coffins."
But Young Buck's solid lyrical devel-
opment, with two solid couplets per
song just doesn't cut it. Much like other
posse-driven records, The Documenta-
ry lives and dies on guest appearances.
On the plinking, leviathan lead
single, "How We Do," The Game gets
served not once, but twice. He's out-
shined by both Dr. Dre's , restrained,
exquisite production and 50 Cent's gid-
dily charismatic lines, "I'm from the
bottom, I came up too fast / The hell
if I care, I'm just here to get my cash
/ Bougie-ass bitches, ya'll can kiss my
ass." In the midst of such giants, The
Game sounds like a child.
Perhaps the album came with too
many expectations: The West Coast
hasn't had a recognizable rapper for
years, the G-Unit name commands
extra scrutiny and a few revolutions on
the mix-tape circuit pump up Game's
self-proclaimed "legend." The disc
might sound better had it come before
the charming success of Straight Outta
Ca$hville. Right now, The Documen-
tary doesn't do much besides make the
public that much more anxious for the
new 50 Cent album.
0
0
Petra Harden fails to live up to potential
By Andrew Horowitz
Daily Arts Writer
Music REVIEW***
It's difficult to put a label on vocal-
ist/violinist Petra Haden. She's not
quite a typical rock singer and lacks
the vocal command to front a band.
She doesn't fall in
and is a little too
unpolished. She
doesn't fit much
into any category.
Somewhat of an
anomaly among
singers, her
smooth whole-
some voice falls
more along the
lines of a non-
the idiom of jazz
Petra Haden
and Bill
Frisell
Petra Haden
and Bill Frisell
Sovereign Artists
stands on its own merit. On paper,
the project seems perfect: It is an
album of duets that brings the sweet-
ness of Haden together with Frisell's
delicate backdrops. In reality, Petra
Haden and Bill Frisell is as mellow
as they come, sometimes captivat-
ing in its sincerity, but at other times
misguided.
The potential inherent in the col-
laboration, for one thing, is there.
This project wasn't a bad idea, and
if there is one guitarist who could
work well for Haden, it's Frisell. It's
obvious that both musicians enjoy
recording with each other and have
a good rapport. Where the album
falters is mainly in the material.
Like so many "jazz" albums today,
Petra Haden utilizes songs taken
from the pop world. Many artists, to
their credit, have made it work. Brad
Mehldau made a deserving associa-
tion with Radiohead. The Bad Plus
put out a killer version of "Smells
Like Teen Spirit." Cassandra Wilson
did it, Don Byron, Jimmy Smith cov-
ered The Stones and heaven knows
how many times "Blackbird" has
been recorded. But this album con-
tains a distracting number of pop
covers that just sound flat.
The album opener, the Elliott
Smith-penned "Satellite," recalls
why Smith was such a force. The
draw of the song is, in large part,
due to Smith's vulnerability. Haden
beautifies the tune, making it pol-
ished. The overall effect is that the
intimate sadness of the original is
somewhat lost. The Foo Fighters
"Floaty" almost works, but misses
the edge of the original. Same with
Coldplay's "Yellow" and Stevie
Wonder's outdated "I Believe."
The album does shine, however,
when Haden is given room to medi-
tate. On the traditional Tuvan tune
"Bai-la Taigam," the pure beauty
of Frisell's guitar and Haden's
floating melodies demonstrate that
sometimes, at their best, they've
got something special. The tender
"Moon River" and elegant "When
You Wish Upon a Star" are similarly
illuminating.
Without a doubt, the highlight of
the album comes at the conclusion.
descript Norah Jones or Joni Mitch-
ell. Haden is more an innocent
voice waiting to be hurt. Guitarist
Bill Frisell, known for his signa-
ture ambiance, also is no stranger to
being out of place. Frisell has carved
a niche for himself as a personal-
ity, displaying a colorful style that
Frisell's "Throughout" is a study
of sound with subtle chord changes
complemented by Haden's immacu-
late harmonies. If one track could
represent what this album could
have been, this is it. If the gods of
music come through, maybe one
day we'll get to hear an album more
along these lines coming from the
two. A tapestry of intimate musings
that, like Haden and Frisell, dismiss
cate orization.
DAILY ARs. ..
IF WE KNEW 50
CENT, WE'D HAV.
A CD TOO
COLLAGE
Continued from page 1
performers we have," said Assistant Direc-
tor of Athletic Bands Damon Talley, who,
along with Prof. Jamie Nix, organized
Collage XXVIII. Each year, members of
the School of Music's conducting faculty
hear dozens of audition recordings sent in
by ambitious students.
The conductors face a difficult task:
They must cull excerpts that are diverse,
yet complement each other. "A big obsta-
cle is deciding who's going to be in (the
concert), because we get a lot of great sub-
missions - I'd say between two and three
times the number that we actually take,"
said Talley, who will conduct Symphony
Band's performance of a movement from
Percy Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy. "And
they're all really good. Nobody who sub-
mits a CD is anything less than great."
"We try to feature (groups) so that it's
not a static concert," Nix said. "A lot of
that happens in the actual placement of
pieces. When we're listening, we'll say,
'We've got too much of this classical style.'
So it's more like this" - he outlined ups
and downs with his finger - "rather than
like this," he said, motioning a flat line.
Length must be considered when
assembling a Collage program. Though
the concert's quick pace and varied reper-
toire hold audiences' attention, the lack of
breaks between pieces is unusual. "Actu-
ally having to cut parts of pieces - that's
hard. You're taking the Bartdk Concerto
for Orchestra and making it four minutes
long," explained Nix, who will conduct
part of Carter Pann's Slalom.
Nix laughed, "It's good in this age of
short attention spans as well."
EVER
YONE
WIN$
Prizes include cash, iPods,
UM football tickets, field passes to
UM football games and travel vouchers
Watch your
email this week
for your survey
invitation!
A random group
of UM undergraduate
students will be asked to complete
a confidential Web-based survey
about student life. For participating
in this study, you will receive a
cash prize and be entered
into a sweepstakes
featuring 3 iPods,
2 travel vouchers
each worth $500,
2 field passes
to UM football
games, 2 UM football tickets and 10 cash prizes
each worth between $100 and $1,000.
I
6,