Tuesday
November 29, 2005
arts. michigandaily.com
artspage@michigandaily.com

c" hE A Iiiwn &igt Q t
RTS

5


THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
SheiFest -The University's Asian pop-culture publication has gone
multicultural, and the clothes at Shei's fall issue launch/fashion show
are bound to be haute to trot. The event is Friday night at 8 p.m. at the
Michigan Union, and the subsequent clothing auction and Studio 4 after
party - hello, discounted vodka drinks - is perfect for this crowd.
The Organ at Hill Auditorium - Maybe last time you were at Hill you
were too busy watching the University lose ludicrous amounts of money to
semi-talented rap stars (snare-snare, high-hat), but with that gigantic organ
in the background, at least those press photos turned out nice. The 92-year-
old auditorium is an acoustic gem - a performance of Saint-Saens's "Organ
Symphony" at Hill trumps "What's Your Fantasy" hands down.

3

'Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72' by Hunter S.
Thompson - People tend to forget there's more than one "Fear
and Loathing." An addictive, political read, you'll get more than
a few facts about George McGovern, as well as lines like "(My
Rollingstone editors) showed up at my door with ... enough speed
to alter the outcome of six Super Bowls ... and a big Selectric
typewriter."

GASOLINE
DREAMS
CLOONEY INSTIGATES
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
WITH NEW FILM
By Amos Barshad
Daily Arts Writer
If we are indeed living in a morally bank-
rupt world - one in which oil-rich Middle
Eastern nations and top government officials
conspire to protect private interests while the
unwitting populace suffers - it feels a bit
silly to tout a movie as the guiding light to
that higher truth. But when respected Hol-
lywood politicos are involved, the expecta-
tions are for higher than just a good film.
"Syriana," written and directed by "Traf-
fic" screenwriter Steven Gaghan and star-
ring George Clooney, hopes to be more than
an intricately woven geopolitical thriller. It
hopes to be, in fact, a bold statement - a
call to arms.
Clooney, who plays the CIA operative and
near-retiree Bob Barnes, is just the biggest
name in an ensemble cast that has more than
70 speaking parts and features many respect-
ed, but unheralded, actors such as Jeffrey
Wright ("Broken Flowers") and Tim Blake.
Nelson ("O' Brother, Where Art Thou?").
The film snakes through the world of global-
oil politics in the wake of Prince Nasir's move
away from American preference and the fight
waged by the CIA and American business
interests to maintain that preference. As was
the case with "Traffic," "Syriana" makes use
of multiple storylines featuring characters
unaware of one another's existence, which is
absolutely necessary in order to portray an
entire system at work.
As Gaghan put it, "these characters them-
selves existed in a story where they thought
they knew what was happening, but they
were actually confused," he said. "This was
born out of my research and out of my expe-
rience of meeting a lot of what I call cut-rate
masters of the universe. They're re-drawing
the map of Europe; they're the big seer; and,
in reality they're just following an absolutely
narrow brand of self-interest." Gaghan allud-
ed to extensive research conducted by the
filmmakers in hopes of making "Syriana" as

Madonna - Maybe ABBA-hungry listeners are too eager to give
Confessions On a Dance Floor a good review, but "Hung Up" is
only more reason for Madonna to ditch the whole Kabbalah thing
and revert back to hedonism and disco.

accurate as possible.
Herein lies the dilemma for a fictional yet
overtly political brand of filmmaking: Which
is the top priority, accuracy or entertain-
ment? Predictably enough, Gaghan claims
that those goals aren't mutually exclusive.
With the push for reality comes the end result
of a great film. "I haven't found that going
for accuracy would get in the way of quality,
I guess."
Remarkably, Gaghan claims that some of
the most spectacular tales he encountered
weren't included in the film because, sim-
ply, they wouldn't be believed. "I witnessed
things and heard conversations that were
great scenes, but if I stuck them down in
the movie, people would have said, 'That's
bullshit. There is no way,' or people would
have said, 'Oh, you just have an agenda,' or
they would have said, 'This is "Dr. Strange-
love." ' Gaghan, then, had to serve as the
arbiter, weighing the collected anecdotes in
terms of how they fit into the effectiveness of
"Syriana" and not how dramatic they might
be or how important their exposition was.
After all, this isn't CNN.
Like any news broadcasting agent, howev-
er, the principal parties involved in "Syriana"
claim it champions no particular political
viewpoint. Clooney, who was paid $1 to act in
and co-produce the film, said "obviously, it's
a political film, but we showed this to a lot of
neo-cons who liked it and agreed with it. Our
argument, of course, is to raise a debate, not

Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Director Peter Gaghan consults with star George Clooney.

to tell people what the answers are, because,
clearly, we don't have any answers for this
- the issues or the problems."
Ultimately we're left to rely on a bunch of
charming, intelligent people to show us the
truth - not experts, but entertainers. Still,
both Clooney and Gaghan demonstrated a
unique knack in conversation for summariz-
ing the essence of a time, dealing with for-
midable issues with brutal hilarity. Talking
about the now bankrupt optimism that swept
the country under President Clinton, Gaghan
said, "In the '90s it seemed like it was the
end of history; capitalism and democracy
had won. There was nothing to worry about
except, like, stock options and shopping. You
would find people going, 'You're not a multi-
millionaire yet from your Internet company?
What's wrong with you? You're like the last
schmo on earth. Get with it.'
Officially laymen, Clooney and Gaghan
are privy only to information in the public
sphere. And yet, due to their stalwart dedica-
tion to the comprehension of oil politics and
their unique level of sacrifice to get such a
controversial and logistically difficult project
off the ground, Gaghan and Clooney endear
themselves to the audience. The efforts birth
a palpable hope that a movie like "Syriana"
can serve as a legitimate spur toward an open
debate about the unsavory tactics of the oil
market's power players. It might sound silly
to trust a bunch of entertainers, but it sure
doesn't feel that way.

'Stay With Me' - The Faces'
original remains one of the best
groupie love songs of last centu-
ry. But with Rod Stewart dedi-
cating the rest of his career to
American pop standards, the
Sights' cover of "Stay With
Me" makes me wish he was
still with The Faces - 30
years younger, perfect
rooster-comb hair
and that cigarette-
rasp voice.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.


Hard
ro %ckers
invade
Detroit
By Trevor Campbell
Daily Arts Writer
Heading out on the starting leg of their

A sly Reynolds can't save 'Friends'

By Andrew Blolak
Daily Arts Writer

Bursting into mid-'90s Jersey suburbia with a fat suit
and over-sized retainer on hand, Ryan Reynolds ("Van
Wilder") appears ready to take his comedic leading-

man skills to a new level of fame.
The romantic slapstick comedy "Just
Friends," a sour-and-sweet exposi-
tion of holiday tomfoolery, showcases
all sorts of physical humior and well-
timed witticisms from the every-boy-
ish actor. Unfortunately, the film itself

Just Friends
At the Showcase
and Quality 16
New Line

"Masters of Hor-
ror" tour, the cos-
tumed metal acts
Mudvayne and Sev-
endust, who have
been ravaging clubs
across the Midwest,

Mudvayne
Sunday
Emerald Theater

is a pretty poor vehicle for a rising
star, and the joy of watching Reynolds engage in fisti-
cuffs with children and adults alike fades long before
the credits roll.
Reynolds stars as Chris Brander, a sweet, overweight
high school senior perpetually stuck in the agonizing
"friend zone" with lifelong crush Jamie (Amy Smart,
"The Butterfly Effect"). As any ex-high-school-nice-guy
can imagine, the friend zone" refers to being the loyal
best pal of the unattainable knockout; in this case, Chris
gets cuddle time after she sleeps with numerous football
players. After professing his undying love, Chris endures
the inevitable rejection from Jamie and humiliations from
local meatheads, finally disavowing his entire hometown
in a perfect Springsteen reference: "It's a town full of los-
ers, and I'm pulling outta here to win!"
Fast-forward 10 years, and Chris has pulled the old
180. In a post-high school transformation any bespecta-

cled nerd would dream of, Chris goes from supergeek to
high-powered L.A. music executive. He might seem per-
fectly happy living the West Coast fast life, but as past
movies have taught us, we can assume he's just feigning
enjoyment. What he really needs, of course, is to start
anew, ready to face his old demons and conquer his one
true love ... just in time for Christmas, of course
After an improbable turn of events lands him at home,
Chris immediately reunites with Jamie, eager to prove
his sexual mettle and put all long-standing desires to
rest. Unfortunately, the woman can cut straight through
his veneer and peg him for the goofy bastard he's always
been. The whole situation isn't helped by Chris's future
client/psychotic-sex pot Samantha, who paws violently
at his crotch and makes wincing observations about the
"provincial" people of small town New Jersey.
Much time in the film is occupied by Chris's flawed
attempts to impress Jamie as he displays exaggerated
versions of his old and new personas. As anyone who
has ever seen a Disney movie or sat through kindergar-
ten class can attest to, there is an easy solution to the
dilemma.
There may not be anything inherently wrong with
instilling your romantic comedy with a message as tra-
ditionally dopey as "be yourself," but serving it with
such consistently lazy humor seems borderline crimi-
nal. Most of these sporadically funny, overlong bouts
of slapstick give the impression that the filmmakers
simply ran out of jokes. Reynolds and Smart are both
charismatic, likeable actors, but their roles in the forget-
table silliness of "Just Friends" make one wonder what
the hell they were going to do with their talent in the
first place.

stopped off in Mt. Clemens at the Emerald
Theatre Sunday. "We're really happy to be
out here finally doing a tour with Seven-
dust, not to mention that 75 percent of the
* dates are sold out," Mudvayne drummer
Matt McDonough said.
High production values, numerous
lighting rigs and an intricately decorated
stage gave the tour a unique touch. "We've
packed an arena-sized show into a more
intimate setting" McDonough said.
Both 10 Years and Bobaflex came off
as filler in their roles as openers for the
two main acts, and tended to drone on
throughout their set. Repetitive chord pro-
gressions, mundane drum fills and bland
vocals killed both bands' stage tenacity.
Sevendust, a matured and well sea-
soned hard-rock group that is no stranger
to touring, followed the two openers. The
"Masters of Horror" tour was certainly
going to be a test for the group, who
recently had to replace one of their guitar-
ists. Since bringing in rock veteran Sonny
Mayo (formerly from Snot) the band has
recorded a new album and is now on the
road in an attempt to prove that their fire is
burning just as ferociously as ever.
A commanding frontman, vocalist

U

f --LV'J GAMPBL:LL/Ualy
Mudvayne frontman Chad Gray performs at the Emerald Theatre Sunday.

drummer Morgan Rose sits behind his
towering drum kit, he still manages to
draw the concertgoers' attention provid-
ing viciously tempered back-up vocals to
the quintet's already maniacal stage pres-
ence. Songs such as "Denial and Black"
further illuminated the band's resounding
performance.
Headliners Mudvayne came on to the
stage with an explosively loud entrance.
Singer Chad Gray rushed to the mic cos-
tumed in a gorilla suit and a face doused in
fake blood, spotlights and strobes flashed
the stage with downpours of bright light,
making for what might be the most auda-
finnt, nve nck n r1 eve a rr to carire othe

the stage while still putting on an audibly
impressive performance. He ieapt across
the stage wearing the bright-red cape he
donned halfway through the set, and man-
aged to pull off one of the more skillful
slap-bass escapades in metal.
Packing in songs from their entire col-
lection, the band showed its dynamic range
and ever-evolving style; newer songs like
"Happy?" show the group's strength as a
hard-rock band, whereas tracks such as.
closer "Dig" represent the band's earlier,
more experimental metal side.
Having a visually impressive, arena-
sized light show filling a 1,500 capacity
veonixn wc anovel i dea and it brougaht ra

Studrnt Directories are INALLY here!
Pick up your FREE* phone book...
the official U of M listing of all students' (on and off campus)
numbers, street addresses AND email addresses.
Grab one at the following times and places:

Tuesday, Nov. 29 Food Court in the Union
Thursday, Dec. I Fishbowl

10-2pm
10-2pm

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