The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, March 30, 2007 - 5 After 9 11, a quiet he ali ng By NORA FELDHUSEN Daily Arts Writer Charlie Fineman has blocked out all memory of his former life. He spends the majority of his time riding a motorized scooter through the streets of Manhattan, listening to '70s rock and playing "Shad- Reg ows of Collosus" - a video game with an exceptionally Over Me symbolic title. His depression is under- At Quality 16 standable. Charlie (Adam and Showcase Sandler, extending his Columbia "Punch Drunk Love" foray into serious drama) has lost his entire family in the Sept. 11 attacks, and he suffers from an acute form of post-traumatic stress disorder. "Reign Over Me" doesn't deal with the event directly, but rather dives head first into the prescient issues of its aftermath. Charlie is so far gone he can't even recognize Alan (Don Cheadle, "Hotel Rwanda"), his old college roommate, when he runs into him one day on the streets of New York. Alan tries to rekindle their friendship and Charlie, though hesitant at first, gradually begins to let him in. Together, the two basically avoid their prob- lems. Charlie literally blocks out his demons with some oversized headphones, but Alan latches on to Charlie's craziness as an escape from his monotonous home and work life. It's Cheadle's understated performance that carries much of the film. Director Mike Binder ("The Upside of Anger") brings a subtle inten- sity to the Alan and Charlie's friendship - the two ride around on Charlie's scooter, have a jam session and play video games, all of which illus- trates the superficiality of their friendship (and Main St. to host puppets Festifools Sunday at 4 p.m. On Main Street This semester, LSA Prof. Mark Tucker took a community project to its next level by founding the Street Theater Art (START) Proj- ect. Replacing a Lloyd Hall Schol- ars Program class's mural work with the construction of 14-foot- tall puppets, Tucker originated what he hopes to be Ann Arbor's newest annual parade. "Festifools" welcomes community puppet mak- ers, artists and volunteers, and will take place Sunday in downtown Ann Arbor. Tucker chose April Fool's Day. for the event because he wanted to make a lasting impression. "We want this parade to stay in people's minds," said Tucker, who used to be the Art Director for the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade. His LHSP class and volunteers have been meeting at an off-cam- pus art studio to build papier-mache puppets for weeks. Other artistic groups are invited to make puppets for the parade as well. "We're inviting other communi- tygroups to come bringtheir wacky creations. No one has seen what the others are making," Tucker said. "What's more, we don't know what the audience's reaction with be." As with any new idea, the START Project has had difficulties with fundraising and with finding a space to work. But the freshness of the project more than balances out the start-up problems. The parade is the first of its kind; there are no pre- conceptions for it. The START Project creates an environment where students con- nect and interact with the Univer- sity community. Tucker believes the experience and community-aspect of the START Project reaches beyond an art class. "We are watching people dis- cover a multitude of things that they can't discover in the classroom, especially an appreciation for art," Tucker said. "This event goes past personal motivation; the public aspect is what's driving it." CATHERINE SMYKA This couldn't possibly be more depressing than "Hotel Rwanda" - or "Little Nicky." provides Binder with a viable reason to wander Manhattan with an old-school soundtrack). When Charlie and Alan begin to confront each other's problems, the film loses its foot- ing. The substantive level of their relationship - Charlie's post-traumatic stress and Alan's attempt to help him - is not as well-written or acted as its fun-loving surface. When Char- lie finally tells his story, it's a tear-jerker, but almost in a manipulative way: It's not the act- ing that makes you cry, but merely reference to the death of Charlie's wife and daughters juxta- posed with the universally tragic events of Sept. 11. In a court hearing about Charlie's sanity, the judge reminds us to think about how Charlie is dealing with his grief in his own way. In the beginning of the film, we avoid the burdensome emotional problems along with Alan and Charlie, and by the end are explicitly told what to think about the characters and their situations. Binder takes on some heavy themes, but in the end, he reverts to trite mor- als to wrap them all up with a delicate frame- work of current events. "Reign Over Me" is also too hesitant to address Sept.11 directly and instead offers snip- pets of terrorism and the Iraq war that don't RESPONDING TO SEPT.11 Despite its overwhelming media presence, the tragedy receives little more artistic mention other than grim allusion. Finally, some notable post-Sept.11works: "Extremely LoudandIncredibly Close"(2006)-Jona- than Safran Foer's noveltakesa child'seye view as9-year- old Oskar Schell recoversfrom hisfather's death. "The Good Life"(2006) - Two Manhattanite couples navigatetheir own relationship problems during the post- Sept.11 chaos in the latestwork from "Bright Lights, Big City"author Jay McIneney. "The 25th Hour"(2002)-Some refer to this Spike Lee joint aslthe first film about Sept.11, and for good reason. Edward Norton's last day in New York City chartsthe many peoples that make upthe city with Spike's signature frenzy - and a fresh sadness. fully relate to the rest of the film. This story is of the aftermath, and Binder seems too ambiva- lent to makea statement about the actual event, a hesitancy he could have avoided by stickingto his characters and giving them more believable closure in the first place. 24 hours of bliss, music 2nd Annual 24-hour ISIM Concert Friday at6 p.m. through Saturday at 6 p.m. $5 for an all-day pass Cantebury House Shame on you if you missed last year's 24-hour extravaganza of great fucking music. The Interna- tional Society of Improvised Musi- cians was founded right here at our fair University, and you can rest assured the musicians are going to bring it hard starting tomorrow at 6 p.m. Five bucks nets you an all-day pass. Each act has an hour, so we're talking 24 different musicians who run the gamutof musical aesthetics - there has tobe something in it for you no matter what side of the bed you sleep on. So catch a show in the early eve- ning, drink your face off and sober up to mellow jazz. It's more than worth it. The Cantebury House is located on East Huron Street at the corner of Thayer Street. It's one of Ann Arbor's most intimate venues - perfect for such an eclectic show. ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN Submit your story today at www.cbsnews.com/springboard. FIRST 50 QUALIFIED ENTRIES RECEIVE A FREE $25 ITUNES GIFT CARD*!