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~ H elp us introduce our two new dishes, Angel air with Fres sAsparagus and Chilled Asparagus Romaine Salad, offered only now, when asparagus is in season. You could eat free at Noodles Company for a year and win two roundtrip 411tickets t anywhere Frontier Airlines flies in the continental U.S. So if you're incredibly fresh and wholesome, or just look good in green, enter at our restaurants or at noodles.com. Rules aind restrictions aboly. even for 'iu, Your Maistv.