8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 14, 2005 ARTS I Courtesy or olumoia Pictures Now all they need is an elephant charging through the wall. 'Zathura' takes a new spin on family action. By Sarah Schwartz For the Daily If the audience is having a sense of deja vu, it's expected. Directed Courtesy of The Weinstein Comnpany "For $10,000, I can have Brad McBad taken care of." OFF-TRACK 'DERAILED' TAKES TRITE TO A NEW LEVEL by Jon Favreau ("Elf"), "Zathu- ra" is based on the book written by Chris Van Alls- burg, who also wrote "Jumanji," which in 1995 was Zathura At the Showcase and Quality 16 Columbia Pictures made into a film. By Amanda Andrade Daily Arts Writer After the shared experience of two very public splits (sadly, only one of them involving a salacious hook-up Derailed with Angelina Jolie), the Wein- steins and Jennifer Aniston have At Showcase chosen to unite in the interest of and Quality 16 career validation in the clumsy The Weinstein thriller "Derailed." Appropri- Company ately enough, the film is heavy on relationship babble and severed ties. But, like the spasm of goodwill Aniston garnered following her busted marriage to Brad Pitt, any effect this messy spectacle produces is both insubstantial and profoundly fleeting. The film opens in prison with a man narrating the story of Charles Schine (Clive Owen, "Clos- er"), who forgets his train ticket one day on his way to work. A beautiful stranger by the name of Lucinda Harris (Aniston, TV's "Friends") pays for his ride before striking up a flirtatious confronta- tion. When their romance takes an adulterous turn at a seedy hotel, a French thug (Vincent Cassel, "Ocean's Twelve") interrupts, attacking Charles and raping Lucinda. Soon after, the menacing criminal begins blackmailing Charles until his life spirals out of control. The first major film for the newly formed Wein- stein Company, as well as the first major dramatic vehicle for Aniston "Derailed" is shockingly meek. One would expect a significant - or at least competent, film for this kind of launch - but "Derailed" is more about spinning wheels than reconstructing them. It doesn't go anywhere you wouldn't expect. Worse, when it finally reaches the obvious twist, it slams to a screeching halt and starts trying to explain itself. Predictability might be expected in light of today's movie-savvy audiences - they've seen every permutation of the same story at least twice in the theater and once on DVD. But director Mikael Hafstrom plods through the hackneyed script (really, one of the year's worst) so dispas- sionately, so completely set against anything approaching originality, that the film can't even make anything of its talented cast. While Aniston gets the coverage in the market- ing push, the film is centered around Owen's well- meaning everyman. The British actor, executing a relatively spot-free American accent, adds another nuanced performance to his impressive resumd, mingling arrogance and carelessness with real pathos. Aniston's role is disappointing - more of a glorified cameo than a supporting performance - but she projects the mystery, radiance, and glowing presence of a newly minted movie star. However, apart from the lead performances and a slyly creepy turn from perennial bad guy Cassel, there isn't much to like about "Derailed." Fair production values can't compensate for a nonsensical story any more than all-American sweetheart Aniston can hide the fact that her role has been put to film a dozen other times in the past year. In fact, the complete lack of innovation is what defines "Derailed." Every scene feels pedestrian. The entire last quarter only serves as an awkward loose-end collector. Banality buries this film. It's the only thing audiences will remember, and that's the fundamental reason why the film is so com- pletely forgettable. But "Zathura" is Jumanji in space, and it's a more complete and less chaotic film. Though similar in plot, "Zathura" goes further in teaching morals, and even throws an ode to Carl Sagan, who once said, "We are star stuff." The story begins and hangs on the relationship between two broth- ers, Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo). Walter, the older brother, is the jock; Danny is the dreamer. All Danny wants to do is play with his brother, but a base- ball to Walter's face leads to a chase around the house and Danny being lowered, by a hard-hearted Walter, down to the basement in a dumbwait- er. A dark basement is something most kids fear, where the furnace could come alive and creepy imagin- ings are around every corner. Yet the perilous journey ends with the dis- covery of Zathura, a game that looks as if it could have been ripped right out of the Sputnik era. A push of a button leads to outer space, aliens, astronauts and self-discovery. Bickering, and fighting, however, become the main plot point once the game begins. Danny and Walter can- not seem to agree on the best course of action, which becomes tedious for the viewer. The point where the brothers decide to work together to get home is lost in the fighting and action. The emotional heart of the film is skipped over. But it's not as though the action isn't fun to watch. The movie goes on the idea of what would happen if the game were real. What would happen if aliens visit? What if a person was given the chance tobe an only child? "Zathura" takes these questions and twists them. The aliens are man-eat- ing lizards and anger can lead to a life-changing decision. "Zathura" is fun-filled, with moments of scariness thrown in. The special effects don't overwhelm the movie, and they also capture a retro feel. The human annihilat- ing machine is more "Robots" than "Terminator," and the alli iships look like caricatures from the 1950s. The special effects don't overwhelm the look of the movie, like those in "Jumanji," because the movie tries to stay based on the brothers' rela- tionship. The supporting characters all play their parts well, with Tim Robbins ("Mystic River") as a stressed father, Kristen Stewart ("Panic Room") as the harassed sister and, in one of the most ingenious casting moves, Dax Shepa- rd (TV's "Punk'd") as an astronaut. Shepard has some great lines, elo- quently telling Danny, who believes it is nice for the aliens to eat meat, "Dude, you are meat." But it all finally comes down to the brothers, who are able to come together to finish what they have started. Since the movie, stays true to their characters, it succeeds. A2's Tally Hall debut nearly By Chris Gaerig Daily Arts Writer 'Marvelous' Music REIE~iiW N Tally Hall is like an impressionable young kid who's just watched "The Mask," "Ace Ven- _______________ tura: Pet Detec- TallHall tive" and "Dumb y and Dumber" and Marvin's can't stop quot- Marvelous ing them - kind Mechanical of kitschy and Museum very irreverent, Quack! with no sense of true direction, always trying to sound like their childhood heroes - in Tally Hall's case, those idols are The Beatles and The Beach Boys. It's only fitting then that Tally Hall's new album is titled Marvin's Marvelous Mechani- cal Museum - it presents a vision of a children's wonderland of video games and sugar. This mimicry and playful attitude might not be all bad. Unless your band's lead singer got beaten up by Jack White, you're a noise-rock group that got signed to Sub Pop or you're playing at Sigma Phi every other week- end, people on campus don't know who you are. Tally Hall, whose members are all University alumni, is one of the few local pop bands nowadays. They construct joyous soundscapes with up- tempo pianos, soft, intertwining melo- dies and crisp guitar lines. The album opens with the masterful "Good Day." The explosive intro and schizophrenic song structure keep the listener guessing. The track is followed by the equally impressive "Greener." The track's sentimental lyrics ("You fit just right / Right next to me / But there's always a reason it can't be") nearly destroy it, but the sincerity of Tally Hall's voices is mesmerizing. Unfortunately, they aren't able to continue this excitement throughout Marvin's. "Welcome to Tally Hall" and "The Bidding" feature members rap- ping between their signature hooks. Here, their happy-go-lucky attitude gets the best of them, and the track founders. "Banana Man" is similarly outlandish. The Caribbean sound they aim for is overpowered by their clean pop sensi- bilities but still drives the song. The lyr- ics are once again silly: "Do you want a banana? / This banana for you." They do fit in a few other pop won- ders in between these excursions. "Be Born" is a minimal Americana jam and "Just Apathy" rides a gentle piano line and a mass of hums and croons. "Two Wuv" is possibly the most aggressive Y s uj I