September 6, 2005 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com U* , CA~idi FFwn ? Eai1 RTrS 0 8A 8 iA 0 Welcome back to Arts Courtesy of 20th Century Fox "Wow! How did you get him to look so life-like?" Wecome back. As you are flipping through your first Daily this year, you'll probably notice a few changes within the Arts section. These changes grew out of a desire to make the Arts section better - well, as good as we can get without copying Rolling : Stone again. First and foremost, look for the brand-spankin' new Arts columns. On Mondays, Jeffrey Bloomer will rant about film and television or Amanda Andrade will ana- lyze the latest in pop culture. n Wednesdays will feature the voices of Evan McGarvey on the popular music world and A the team of Victoria Edwards ROTT and Bernie Nguyen on the latest in campus events. These columns will enable individual writers to tackle some of the greater issues facing the arts and entertainment world in ways that we can't normally do in reviews or other features. We'll also be placing an increased emphasis on news and feature-based sto- ries. Books editor Bernie Nguyen will be overseeing a new news-oriented section of Arts, focusing on the campus happen- ing that we sometimes let fall through the cracks. As part of this new division, we will increase coverage of the University and its programs that are relevant to the section. A new feature will also be introduced to the section starting Friday, the Ann Arbor Spotlight, a weekly Q&A session with a local person or group involved in [D TE the arts world. This means that you and your band should contact us so that we know you exist - even if you've only practiced together twice. Along those same lines, we are com- mitted to increasing awareness of the Ann Arbor and University scenes in all of the Arts subsections. Involved with an innovative concert performance? Con- tact us. Putting on a show in your dorm room for your hall? Probably not. Additionally, Weekend Magazine is no more. Well, at least not the same as it used to be. The Statement, as it will )AM henceforth be called, is taking a new approach. NBERG It will be a news-based features magazine. Some old favor- ites like "Random Student Interview" will still be there for all you Week- end fans. Be sure to check out the first issue on Thursday, Sept. 15. It will definitely not suck - at least that's the plan. Don't fret tough; not everything is changing. Wewill still be bringing you all the intervisws, reviews and previews you have con toenjoy reading when you should b listening in lecture. But we have the uiique ability to focus on the Ann Arbor and University arts scene, and we are cenmitted to bringing that to you. - As alwas, tell us when we suck. How else are w supposed to know? Contact Rottaberg at arotten@umich.edu. 6 TRANSPORTING INANITY ONLY STATHAM KEEPS CHARM IN BIZARRE ACTION SEQUEL By Amanda Andrade Daily Arts Writer Fitm REVIW * * . Some action movies hinge on nonsensical plot developments and are called preposterous; some never sufficiently establish char- _ acter dynamics and are called Transporter 2 mindless. But "Transporter 2" blows past such minor infrac- At the Showcase tions, insistent on defying logic, and Quality 16 every last law of physics and 20th Century Fox the basic tenets of respectable filmmaking. But with a charismatic lead and cheeky awareness in its own silliness, there's something a little lovable about the whole ride. The budding franchise is built around a gruff Brit named Frank Martin (Jason Statham, "The Italian Job"), an ex-Special Forces agent who drives a sweet sports car and engages in a lot of improbable stunts. In this installment, he's sent to rescue an adorable little boy from the hands of cartoonishly maniacal kidnap- per/terrorist/mercenaries. The aim of these baddies is to infect the child's father,.a powerful politician, with a highly contagious disease. If the plot sounds cliche, it's the villains who seem to wallow in prosaicism. The leader, Gianni (Italian actor Alessandro Gassman), is a slick sociopath with a predictable mix of psychosis and bravado, not to mention an endless supply of lame one-liners. His girlfriend, Lola (model Kate Nauta), tramps around in lingerie and stilettos, wielding machine guns and looking vaguely like an anorexic transvestite. The dialogue is ludicrous enough, but first-time-actress Nauta's tepid deliv- ery makes it painful. Screenwriter Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element") is no stranger to outlandish characters or absurd plots. This time around, however, he makes do without canny scenery-chewer Gary Oldman or any idea of how to structure an engaging film. "Transporter 2" proceeds in three distinct acts: the search for the boy, the search for the antidote and the search for the supervillain. All three make little sense alone and less together. Luckily, director Louis Leterrier knows Besson's script is fancifully stupid, and the movie proceeds accordingly. No credence is given to reality as Frank launches his loaded supercar from building to build- ing, jet skis across pavement and takes down a dozen bad guys with a firehose. Before you can think, "Isn't it considerate of them to take him on one at a time?" Leterrier beats reason into submission with breath- taking action sequences and a sense of the ridiculous woven through the stunts. The real savior of the film is Statham, who proves to be a refreshingly nuanced and commanding lead- ing man. His steely eyes, hard jaw and gravelly voice give the unmistakable impression of a toughened James Bond - no martinis, no gadgets - just a whole lot of effortless cool and impressive ass-kick- ing skills. Statham does seem a little short, though that's hardly surprising being paired with super- models (Nauta and the ever-classy Amber Valletta ("Hitch")), but he brings great screen presence and subdued humor, anchoring the film nicely. But no amount of charisma, no quantity of nifty fight scenes can dazzle enough to hide a simple fact: This is a really dumb movie. It can be fun to revel in its B-movie cheesiness, but even director Leter- rier was quoted saying, "Without Jason Statham, this movie would be a straight-to-video, dumb-ass, horrible film." With Statham, however, it still basi- cally is. MUSIC DEAN continued from page 1A Performing Arts Center), and (now) the structure (of the Walgreen Per- forming Arts Center) is beginning to rise out of the ground," he said. "So it's really familiar. ... When con- struction is going on, there are lots of issues and decisions that have to be made, and I'm certainly going to be very involved." While administrative tasks make up the bulk of a dean's duties, Kendall wants to be a part of the School of Music's daily activities. "I hope to have time for at last a little involvement in the actua music-making that goes on around hre. (Prof.) Ken Kiesler has been vey generous, giving me time to wor. with the orchestra right away, just a: a way of saying hello," he explained. 'i think my role is to try to translate this distinctive and sometimes arcane langvge of the performing arts to the restof the institution in a way that's meningful. I think at this institution, theleans have an obliga- tion to intersecwith the deans of the other discipline to find ways to create opportunities tht cross disciplinary boundaries. I'm -ally looking forward to that part of thgob." i . . FAMILY OWNED & INDEPENEN FO OVER 60 YEARS! CONVENIENT BUS STOP IN FRONT OF THE MALL OPEN MON. THRU SAT. 8-l1, SUNDAY 89 AV, We Ae Fnou to Be a Union Store! 0 GEODES NS. UNIV GEODEgSA:: '- HILL .-Geddrs NE PACKAa Abo and Ml along 23 with Border's Book 01 Navy and More. 01