8 - Friday, November 10, 2006 TeMhgDay- adycS The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com A good chat with a prime star By IMRAN SYED tainty didn't exactly mean harsh Daily Arts Writer times for the actors involved. "Actors have a pretty damn good Considering his diverse and per- union. We all did (the movie) for ceptive takes on the macabre title the minimum and we all became character in "American Psycho," partners in it." Comparing it to the the stately, compassionate John budgetof"BatmanBegins," hesaid. Rolfe in "The New World" and a "It's David vs. Goliath. You can't do beloved American icon in "Batman 'Batman' for 'Harsh Times's' bud- Begins," Christian Bale is nothing get, that's just not gonna happen." if not flexible. Even if all the buzz But the small budget took noth- around him these days centers on ing away from the quality of this the much-anticipated "Batman" film: "A small budget doesn't mean sequel, Bale continues to find new it can't still be better than a $50 roles that challenge even his con- million movie." siderable acting prowess. In his latest film, "Harsh Times" - written and directed by David From Gotham Ayer, who also wrote "The Fast and the Furious" and "Training Day" City to the mean - Bale plays an ex-Army Ranger who now menaces the streets of streets of L.A. Los Angeles. Of his character, Bale said: "I've never played someone like him," before flat-out declaring, "He's a prick." Addressing where he found Prick or not, Bale believes his inspiration for the brusque, gritty character, Jim Davis, is an impor- intensity for the character, Bale tant symbol of our time. Suffering dismissed rumors that he had stud- from post-traumatic stress disor- ied Robert De Niro's performance der - thanks to a stint in the war in "Taxi Driver." But that doesn't - the Chicano street thug faces "an mean the classic Martin Scors- extreme case of identity crisis." ese education of the street thug is Bale believes his role in the film lost on him: "I did look at 'Mean "is (at once) topical and timeless. Streets' just for the style of film- PTSD is pretty common, especial- making we were having to adapt ly right now. ... If people can read to. It's gritty, uncompromising and between the lines with Jim, they gets in your face." can relate to his situation." Ayer's study into the world Considering the modest bud- recreated in "Harsh Time" went get behind the film, it's surprising beyond classic films: "Dave felt this that such sought-after actors like was similar to (John) Steinbeck's Bale and Eva Longoria would even 'Of Mice and Men."' want to do the movie. For his part, Since he first won raves for his Bale said he "couldn't give a damn" heartbreaking portrayal of 12- about what type of budget a movie year-old Jaime Graham in Steven has. As long as he likes the script, Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun," he's open to doing it. Bale has managed to constantly "I'd be bad at marketing movies. redefine his place in the film world I remember seeing the trailer for and continues to present us with 'Titanic' and thinking, 'We already stark, introspective characters. know the ending; no one will want As he continues to expand his to see that.' I only know what I range and take on diverse roles like." (Bale is said to have employed a And he liked "Harsh Times" different accent in every one of his enough to sign onto the project films so far), even now we've only despite the uncertainty that initial- seen the tip of the iceberg from ly surrounded it. But that uncer- him. DAILY ARTS: WE KNEW RUTGERS WOULD PULL IT OFF. 'Kicks' newest six years late By MATT EMERY DailyArts Writer It might seem like a good idea to copy what the David Frickes and MTVs of the world would call the world's most popular band, but **< let's face it: We really don't need another U2. Appar- Two ently nobody bothered to Thousand relay this information to French Kicks the French Kicks. Returning with their Vagrant second full-length album, Two Thousand, the promising Brooklyn indie group struggles to establish a definite self- identity. One moment the band mimics groups from the '80s synth-pop era, the next they sound like a Strokes copycat, emulating the neo-rock trend of the early '00s. But despite the lack of complete coherence, the French Kicks Two Thousand is at times a charming album with addictive guitar hooks and the occasional dream-inducingvocals. But relying almost entirely upon lead singer Nick Stumpf's vocals, Two Thousand offers little in the way of creativity, and elicits the simple qualifiers of boring and repetitive. "So Far We Are" wins the award for U2 sound-alike as the Kicks dance in and out of simple guitar chords that could easily have been coined by The Edge, leaving Stumpf's The tired look is in. Actually, it never left. pipes to push the track forward. "Keep it Amazed" suffers from the same fault of annoyingly repetitive guitar stanzas poorly accented by grade-school drumming, again leaving just Stumpf's vocal punch to res- cue the tune. But he can't stop the listener from hitting the skip button, as the monotonous five minutes would put any caffeine-addicted col- lege student to sleep. Snappy name + limp sound = another tired indie rock group. "Cloche" might very well have been a track found in the dumpster after The Strokes pared down Is This It. With its frantic guitar histrion- ics that sound almost tropical and continuous rising action - think "Last Nite," only hope- lessly deluded - the Kicks successfully join the stereotypical New York-based rock club. Even the Kicks frontman Stumpf fails on this one as he jumps on a vocal rollercoaster and belts out incoherent phrases that dip and dive, but just come out as incomprehensible ramblings. Despite a complete disregard for original- ity, a few tracks hint at the promise behind this young band. "England Just Will Not Let You Recover" could have easily found its place on the "Marie Antoinette" soundtrack, with its up-tempo drum progression and atmospheric synth riffs that clearly belong in movie por- traying confusion and carriage rides. Stumpf's vocal wails echo Bernard Sumner's, and there's something about the faux-violin synth highs that make the otherwise dull song inordinately catchy. The album's closer, "Go On," begins with promise as guitarist Josh Wise injects spooky plucks that set a dreary scene, but transitions into a whimsical force of sound that ends too abruptly and just too damn joyously. But even a few promising tracks can't save the record from a band that's badly in need of just moving on. Power trio to light up Canterbury House By ANTHONY BABER DailyArts Writer The standard jazz trio consists of piano, bass and drums. But the Power Trio is not your stan- Power Trio dard trio. The Tomorrow Los Angeles- at 8 p.m. based music $5 machine is an At The uplifting com- Canterbury House bination of traditional and non-traditional jazz instruments meshed into a smooth harmony. The group features Yosef Dosik on alto sax, Nick Rosen on the upright bass and Miguel Atwood- Ferguson on viola and will perform 8 p.m. Saturday at the Canterbury House. Dosik and Rosen first worked together with the Henry Grimes Group while they were still in high school. The duo later appeared in groups with L.A. jazz icons Arthur Blythe and Bobby Bradford. The Power Trio sees them teaming up with dynamic and rapidly rising violist Atwood-Ferguson. The viola maybe an odd choice for a jazz trio, but Rosen explained the decision: "I've never, ever, heard another viola player that plays like him. I don't even particularly like the viola, but in his hands, I love it." The Canterbury House concert series has hosted up-and-coming artists as well as established voices in jazz music. The cozy venue is a space reminiscent of'70s TVshows with family values and baseballs breaking windows, but the con- certs held within its modest walls routinely blow the roof off. This ranging from Outkast, Stevie Won- weekend will be no different after der and Brad Mehldau to Wayne the Power Trio starts improvising. Shorter and even appeared on Ray The main attraction, Atwood- Charles's Grammy-winning Genius Ferguson, has gained quite a repu- Loves Company. After receiving a tation within the music industry. Bachelor's degree in Music from After taking up the viola at age 12, USC, Ferguson has already estab- lished his presence in the music world. Virtuosic violist wAnn Arbor can thank Dosik for to lead unusual bringingthe group out for an exclu- tO le d un sual sive Midwest date, but he didn't jazz trio, exactly have to beg Rosen to return __aZZ_____. after a successful residency with Arthur Blythe last year. "When I he has racked up accolade after played with Arthur and Yosef at accolade, such as KCET African- the Canterbury House last time I American Emerging Artist of the was here, I felt extremely accepted Year, and is currently focusing on and free in this community. That being a music director and pro- and the food was off the chain and ducer. He's also a first-call session there were plenty of really cute musician who's worked with artists women," Rosen said. Word. IASA looks within So. You want one good reason to earn a pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan? Here are 12 good reasons, for starters: 1. Unparalleled career choices 2. Continuous growth potential 3. Job security in economically uncertain times 4. Unlimited opportunities to improve people's lives 5. Outstanding pay 6. Life and career mobility 7. The power to apply medical knowledge at the forefront of technological innovation 8. Financial support unequalled by any other U.S. pharmacy school 9. Membership in an influential alumni network spanning the globe 10. The prestige of owning a degree from one of US News & World Report's top-ranked pharmacy schools 11. One-to-one learning with world-renowned faculty 12. Respect If you've had health-care patient experience, and if you've taken Chemistry 130, 210, 215, or 260; Biology 162, 305, 310, or 311; Physics 125, 126, 140, or 240; or Calculus 115 or 116, you're already on your way to a pharmacy degree at U-M. To learn more about the PharmD Program at the University of Michigan, visit the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy Web site at www.umich.edu/-pharmacy. Or contact Assistant Dean Valener Perry at 734-764-5550 or by e-mail at vlperry@umich.edu. Your future never looked brighter. By KIMBERLY CHOU AssociateArts Writer There are reasons why the Uni- versity's annual Indian American Student Asso- ciation cultur- Exploring al show is the Identity biggest such Within event in the Today at 7 p.m. nation. Presenting gig its 19th yearly At Hill Auditorium outing tonight at Hill Auditorium - the 4,000-seat venue IASA routinely sells out- the cultural show is by far the largest- scale project the group takes on. Participating in the production is not simply a single or even double semester commitment; members know that preparation for the show requires year-round dedication. For this year's production, "Exploring Identity Within," LSA junior Tanisha Gobil, choreogra- pher for one of the eight featured dances, began planninglast spring. Preparations began in April, with deadlines looming throughout the summer.Duringtheautumnmonths leadingup to the actual event, dance ensembles practice four times a week, up to six hours each time. "You can't slack off. CORE (the IASA board in charge of the show) wants to see the completed dance the first week of the school year." BSS From page 5 experimental Canadian picture), decisions surrounding "Half Nel- son" were not soulless soundtrack choices. Absolutely there was a certain feel to particular tracks off the first album at the time they were written, Canning said. "Like the scene where Ryan Gosling's character is all (cracked) out in the bathroom, there are defi- nitely pieces form the first record that ... when we were writing, we'd imagine them to be in certain films," he said. "Pieces of music that were not pop-song format, but cerebral meditations. I'm glad they've finally found a home." For the show her sophomore year, Gobil flew in during the summer fromvermont to work on her dance; this year, she worked with her co- choreographer on their raj nartki dancewhenshestayed inAnnArbor for spring term. But being a dancer or choreogra- pher isn't necessarily the most time- intensive. Members of the executive board or CORE "haven't slept in months and months," Gobil said, no doubt only half-joking. Meetings concerning the show wereknowntolast from11p.m.until 6 a.m. LSA senior Shallu Sahore is one of the cultural show coordina- tors this year with School of Engi- neering junior Tanmay Aggarwal, and she is also part of IASA's execu- tive board. "(Being a part of IASA) is a good way to build community," she said. Tonight's show will be her fourth. "It's a great way to learn about Indian culture and for other people it's (a chance) to see the largest student-run cultural show in the nation." The IASA show is completely .student-run, and many students' families and friends travel to Ann Arbor for the event. Also featuring Indian music acts, a fashion show and videos introducing each seg- ment, "Exploring Identity Within" will focus on multiple dances to showcase India's cultural variety. Ann Arbor fans of Broken Social Scene should feel privileged that the band is making its last Ameri- can stop at the The Michigan The- ater before heading for home. Feist and Collett dropped by The Blind Pig earlier this year, but the band together most recently played Detroit's Majestic Theater last October, immediately after the release of its luxe, sweeping third studio album. "There'll be 11 or 12 of us in Ann Arbor," Canning said, including Collett. Openers and compatri- ots Do Make Say Think may also join Broken Social Scene onstage. With such a revolving cast from tour to tour, ending in such, an indie-impassioned town, expect all the stars and sons to come out tonight. I