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April 15, 2005 - Image 5

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The Michigan Daily, 2005-04-15

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Friday
April 15, 2005
arts. michigandaily.com
artspage@michigandaily.com

ARTS

5

Hollywood's Glover to present film

By Andy Kula
Daily Arts Writer
FIL P R EV IEW
One of Hollywood's most unique personalities is making a stop
at the Michigan Theatre to promote his lat-
est work to local crowds. Crispin Hellion
Glover, who has appeared in "Back to the What Is It?
Future," "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and Saturday 8 p.m.
more recently the "Charlie's Angels" mov-$
ies, will be staging a three-part presenta- $15
tion involving both written and filmed Michigan Theatre
works called "The Big Slide Show." McgaThtr
After performing a dramatic narrative
of 10 original stories accompanied by a slideshow of his books'
illustrations, Glover will be screening his new film "What Is it?"
This story follows a young man tormented by a hubristic, racist
inner psyche, whose principle interests are snails, salt, a pipe and
how to get home. Following the film, Glover will answer ques-
tions from the audience and participate in a book signing.
Last month, he screened "What Is It?" at the Ann Arbor
Film Festival, where it received the Lawrence Kasdan Best
Narrative Film Award. Commenting on the movie's origins,
Glover explained, "It started about nine-and-a half years ago as
a short film I'd done to promote support for another screenplay
I wanted to produce. It turned out too long for a short film, so
later it was extended to feature length."
Glover raised some eyebrows by casting actors with Down
syndrome to play nearly all the film's characters. "Often actors
are taught to remove their consciousness of themselves. (Down
syndrome patients) don't have that certain masking that actors
always try to remove. Also, they've basically lived outside

of culture their whole lives, which is something I wanted to
explore," he explained.
It's this type of fading social conciousness in Hollywood
that Glover is hoping to touch upon. "I worked within taboo
areas to give a voice of dissent." The financial and social
influence of corporations in the entertainment industry also
concerns Glover. "There are times," he said, "when I find
working in films that are not thoughtful, frustrating. Things
in the corporate media perspective tend to urge people to dis-
miss ideas and concepts that aren't typically explored within
current cultural standards."
Responding to those who might dismiss his work as "too
weird," he asked, "What does weird mean? What is normal-
cy? What one person considers weird, others consider unique
and interesting."
As a result of his film's controversial content and style, Glov-
er has had to overcome some difficult obstacles in production,
most notably funding. "I've funded the film myself," he said.
"Actually, I'm in considerable debt."
In addition to being the film's sole investor, Glover acted as
its writer, producer, editor, cinematographer and director. With
such a strong personal involvement, it is easy to see why he
only screens the film at tour destinations where he can appear
in person. "Most people don't self-distribute," he said. "They
try to release it everywhere at once. I wanted to make it a com-
plete, theatrical experience."
Partly due to his success at last month's film festival, Glover
chose Ann Arbor as a tour stop, alongside other cities like Seat-
tle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Glover implies
that the possible release of a DVD version is still years away, so
this weekend's show promises to be an exclusive opportunity
for students to experience something "unique and interesting"
at the Michigan Theatre.

University student and aspiring hip-hop producer Bel Maejor sits by the Cube.

A MAEJOR STAR IS BORN
UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN A RISING STAR IN MUSIC

By Evan McGarvey
Daily Music Editor

For LSA freshman Brandon Green, college weekends
haven't been the series of gin-soaked parties or coffee-house
pontifications of some of his peers.
"I don't have class on Friday, so I'm gone, doing shows,
working the scene, from all day Friday, first thing, to Sunday
evening," he said.
He's not talking about waiting tables.
Signed to Songbook, an imprint of label giant Atlantic
Records, Southfield-native Brandon Green produces hip-
hop, rap and R&B tracks under the alias Bei Maejor. He's
got a future most kids would die for, songs in the works with
Twista, Jim Jones and T.I. and is easily one of the hottest
producers under 25.
Starting to work at an age when most are frittering away
their high school days, Bei Maejor took to arranging music
like a natural. "Around ninth grade I started messing around
on my computer, imitating what I heard on the radio. My
grandfather was a concert pianist, but no one else in my fam-
ily played anything."
Thanks to the easy access and broad reach of the Internet,
Bei Maejor's career gained speed.
"I had a website, I just started on computers, I'd sell a
track, make $50, $100, and I started to buy equipment. I
ended up on a DJ Big Mike mix tape, eventually Troy Taylor
got a hold of it, found me and signed me."
And even with a saturated production scene, Maejor has
considerable power and skill in his corner. Troy Taylor, the

man who signed Maejor to Songbook, has produced some
of the biggest R&B hits of the past 15 years. Taylor's name
may not be as familiar to general fans as Dr. Dre or Tim-
baland, but he's worked with top-shelf acts such as Boyz II
Men and Tyrese.
Maejor said he's benefiting from the exposure to different
types of work and cites the range of experience he's gaining
from Taylor as one of his strongest points as a young artist.
"I'm working with so many different people and so
many different styles. I can work with anyone, I'm very
diverse. I can do club records, I can do soul, I can do Doo-
Wop," he said.
As far as family life and school work goes, Maejor seems
to be savoring his low-profile. He said that neither his teach-
ers nor his classmates know about his work, and that while
his mother and father both insisted on his choice to attend
college, they've started to come around to what his father
once saw as "just messing around."
One member of his family is particularly excited about
his success; "My little sister is playing guitar, and once
she gets good, I'm going to do a song with her," Maejor
said, smiling.
Right now Maejor's mix-tape work is available through
www.mixtapemurder.com, though, with the way things have
panned out so far, it won't be long until Maejor's work is
flooding the airwaves. As most students deal with end-of-
term madness and scramble for summer jobs, Maejor's life
has a bit different style of excitement.
"One day my manager called me and told me to send him
a track, and I thought 'What's this all about?' and my man-
ager sort of said 'Yeah, Twista wants to use the track' and I
was thinking 'Wow, that's crazy.' "

Soderbergh's sequel
sinks despite star cast

scmn-------

By Niamh Slevin
Daily Arts Writer

"Ocean's Eleven" capitalized on its

'60s predeces-
sor's failures, but
"Ocean's Twelve"
only detracts from
StevenSoderbergh's
creative spark. With

Ocean's
Twelve
Warner Bros.

no illusion about its
marketing strategy and little ingenuity
left, the DVD seems more like a cheap
remake than anything worthwhile.
Jumping on the "Bourne" bandwag-
on, the Ocean gang leaves the states for
a romp through Europe. Unfortunately,
the setting is about the only enjoyable
addition to the plot this time around.
Once again, the criminal masterminds
plan a heist of one of the world's most
heavily guarded, and of course, most
expensive objects. The storyline follows

virtually the same path of "Eleven"
even down to the romantic diversion -
though Catherine Zeta-Jones has taken
Julia Roberts's place. The movie even
plays on the same slight-of-hand moves
and Topher Grace jokes.
The characters seem to have lost their
spunk since their debut. No. 11 of the
posse, Linus (Matt Damon), the once
edgy, street-wise pickpocket returns as
the overly sensitive, shy nerd. Brad Pitt
bucks his suave, level-headed exterior to
assume the role of master thief with a soft
spot for the ladies.
Starting with the opening menu,
"Ocean's Twelve" falls short of expecta-
tions. Compared to its predecessor, the
cheesy '70s-era music and rapidly chang-
ing cast pictures lack the mysterious allure
and creative aesthetics of "Eleven." Music
and sound effects seem thunderous while
characters often seem as though they
are whispering. With nothing to recom-
mend but the feature attraction, the DVD
doesn't even try. Other than the theatrical

trailer, the special features menu leaves
another unsatisfactory void in a disap-
pointing big-budget release.
Though it may have been a lark for
the returning cast and crew, "Ocean's
Twelve" may take the title as critically
acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh's
major flop.

Film: **
Picture/Sound: **
Features: No Stars

Aging rapper 'Lost' and confused on latest release

By Gabe Rivin
Daily Arts Writer

In the mid '80s, when hip hop was a devel-
oping genre, Will Smith became a household

name with his upbeat
lyrics and playful spirit.
Smith's collaboration with
DJ Jazzy Jeff on "Parents
Just Don't Understand"
gave him double-platinum
sales and established the

Will Smith
Lost and Found
Interscope

of-the-mill album - yet his lyrics possess an
unusual sense of underlying desperation and
defensiveness.
So why does Lost and Found sound like such
a miserable album? For the most part, Smith's
party-oriented personality remains intact; the
real answer lies in the way hip hop has grown
from its roots. Its two largest schools - the
showy and violent materialism of mainstream
rap and the hyper-political and intellectually
charged underground rap - don't resemble any-
thing that Smith knew in his prime. Estranged
from the constantly fluctuating genre and
immersed in Hollywood stardom and poster
popularity, Smith attempts to reconcile his old-
school disposition with the genre's two compet-
ing movements. Because of this, Lost and Found

sounds forced and insincere despite Smith's affa-
ble demeanor and warm personality.
Most of Lost and Found is, in fact, a response
to Smith's alienation from hip-hop culture. "Mr.
Nice Guy" typifies his insecurity as he responds
to attacks from Eminem, claims that he is a
mere "Uncle Tom." He unleashes with a fury
of man-barks in a display of farcical machismo
that mocks bombastic mainstreamers.
Smith, known for his good sense of humor,
hits his high points by poking fun at overzeal-
ous born-again Christians, the clownish gangs
of rap, bad dancers and guys with no game.
Smith even wields his political sword on "Tell
Me Why," which features the looped vocals of
Mary J. Blige, in which he rages against war,
Sept. 11, immoral priests and the rest of this

"crazy world."
Like Bill Cosby's recent moral crusade, it's
clear that Smith wants to return to the good ol'
days of conscientious music - whenever and
if ever that was. The problem is that Smith is
completely out of touch. While he resents being
slammed for his clean-cut lyrics, he deserves
hostility for his self-indulgence and constant
references to his monolithic movie salaries.
Smith mentions his $20 million contract five
times throughout Lost and Found; on "Wave
Em Off," a response to his street stigma, he
claims, "I could stand on my wallet / Prolly kiss
the sky." It's bothersome to hear Smith com-
mit such blatant hypocrisy by basking in glory
right after blasting other rappers for being too
materialistic.

two as a family-friendly combination for hip
hop. After several blockbuster movie roles,
he's back with Lost and Found, another run-

Mr. Smith, go back to Hollywood and E!,
where you're accepted because your style is
not welcomed by hip-hop artists or music fans
any more.

Thanks to all
of our AEs for
a great year!!
OGOOD
- 9 LUCK
JO SENIORS!
T tiIliI I 1111111 IN11 Illillf II IIII l lill I11111iliilHi l 1IN Ill l1i lIlll tl l1 111f
Spring/Summer Term
Apply now at the Law Library-
non-Law students
" .q tn~

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