The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, January 16, 2006 - 5A A 'Dog' without d r aday TIMBERLAKE A SUPRISING SAVING GRACE By CHRISTINA CHOI Daily Arts Writer Happiness in "Alpha Dog" is as fleeting as the brief tranquility of its opening credit sequence. With a dreamy rendition of "Somewhere over the Rain- bow" in the background, grainy home footage sets Alpha Dog the scene of an °idyllic At the childhood before the film's Showcase and uneasy sense of lost inno- Quality 16 cence sets in. Universal Amid a numbing barrage of four-letter words, "Alpha Dog" is a fictional version of the downfall of drug dealer Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch, "The Girl Next Door"), a doppelganger for real-life criminal Jesse James Hollywood. At just 20 years old, James became the youngest person ever to land on the FBI's most-wanted list for the alleged kidnapping and murder of a 15-year-old boy. The boy's abduction is only the latest in a series of horrifically violent acts which result when drug addict Jake Mazurksy (a furious Ben Foster, "X3") fails to pay a long-standing debt to Johnny. When Jake's innocent teenage brother Zack (Anton Yelchin, "Along Came a Spider") accidentally falls into Johnny's hands, he and pal Frankie (singer Justin Timberlake, who acquits himself admirably in his role) suddenly find themselves in a situation that's far more serious than peddling pot. Luckily, their young hostage is actually glad to be free of his overbearing parents, and the abduction initially seems like a harmless frat prank. With a clean-cut baby face and timid voice, Yelchin gives Zack an endearing vulner- ability which makes his involvement with these two-bit drug dealers feel all the more unjust. Timberlake, who's pretty much the only rea- For Nas, hip hop in critical condition You gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite? son to watch this desolate film, delivers a sound performance as Johnny's easygoing sidekick, and even manages to overshadow Hirsch's John- ny, a lackluster central figure whose only notable attribute is a primitive instinct for self-preserva- tion. Frankie perhaps ends up the most sympa- thetic character simply because he comes closest to recognizing the magnitude of the situation. Director Nick Cassavetes ("The Notebook") clearly thought he was injecting the film with copious amounts ofreality, but what "Alpha Dog" lacks is redemption. Each character mechani- cally performs the actions that the plot demands of him without any moral deliberation. Even Frankie gives in far too easily to the warped peer pressure that somehow illogically places the penalties for kidnapping as worse than outright murder. With their real-life counterparts now in prison or on death row, this is a film that starts at the bottom and is only capable of descending further into depravity as it develops. No matter how powerful the crime, it needs to be enacted skillfully and artistically to constitute a worthwhile film. "Alpha Dog" does neither. Instead, it opts to unapologetically illustrate one of the darkest sides of humanity without offer- ing any reason for why the story deserves to be THE KIDS AREN'T ALL RIGHT Cassavetes fails miserably in his insensitive depiction of today's troubled youth, but not all pessimism is so art- less For a healthy dose of depression, check out: Mean Creek (2004): Siblings gang up against an apparently unforgivable school bully. Elephant (2003): Gus Van Sant delivers a quietly disturbing drama based on a Columbine-like school shooting. Thirteen (2003): Supporting actress Nikki Reed co- wrote this tale of two young girls gone a little too wild. Kids (1995): Director Larry Clark's alarming classic about AIDS in New York youth culture is still hard to watch - and to stomach. told. in lieu of a well-executed film, we are mere- ly given a mixture of bad decisions and their legal consequences accompanied by a disturbing authenticity of detail. While Cassavetes's quest to portray the life of the infamous Hollywood may ultimately be considered a legal victory, it's a hollow one at best. ByANTHONY BABER Daily Arts Writer With the title of his latest album, Nas has created a forum of debate regarding the current state***** of hip hop. Even with so Nas much misun- Hip Hop is Dead derstanding Def Jam over an album with such a controversial title, no one could comprehend what Nasir Jones was bringing to the table. With incredible focus reminiscent of his earlier years, Hip Hop Is Dead does more than claim the end of the genre - it profoundly exam- ines hip hop's life. The album is a personal account of not only his long-standing jour- ney in hip hop, but other notable black artists who made stands in different popular mediums years before him. But the title only tells part of the story. The album's more potent message seems to be Nas's will to keep hip hop alive. Every song reflects the timeless New York-style Nas controls with the knowledge and educational tactics he possesses. Nas offers an optimistic take on modern hip hop. Apparently, Nas has a deep pas- sion for Iron Butterfly's "In-A- Gadda-Da-Vida" because he flows over a sample of the song for the second time in the track "Hip Hop Is Dead," produced by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. Though will.i.am doesn't seem to stray far from the original beat for "Thief's Theme," he does provide a raspy cry for hip hop's death - sounding much like an old man wailing over lust love. By employing a mock Humphrey Bogart/old-time gangster voice, Nas (from the perspective of a Dick Tracy-style detective) personifies hip hop as a girl on "Who Killed It?" She becomes his interest when Pretty Mike stabs Two-Face Al over her at a club. The old-school New York style of quick drums and claps adds a real downtown style to the caper. The story climaxes when he meets up with the mystery lady. She tells him how she began with the rhymes of slaves and kept mov- ing until she fell in love with DJ Kool Herr. But before Nas can get any further with her, she dies on the floor saying "If you really love me, I'll come back alive." Production is nothing short of eclectic with Nas calling on beat- makers from near and far. Past the title track, will.i.am also creates a remarkable sample from the Nat King Cole masterpiece "Unfor- gettable" on "Can't Forget About U." The soft taps of piano keys behind turntable scratching, ring- ing bells and heavy drums pow- erfully accent Nas's rhymes and Chrisette Michele's vocals. Nas also uses producer L.E.S., who he has consistently worked with since his first album "Illmatic." The guestlist goes on as he uses beats from Kanye West, Salaam Remi and, oddly enough, Philadel- phia 76ers Forward and University alumn Chris Webber. The album's collaborations are exceptional and unique, most nota- bly the appearance of West Coast Doggfather Snoop Dog, on a beat by Scott Storch. Nas further explores California style with the Game and Marsha (of Floetry) on an authen- tic West Coast beat by Dr. Dre for "Hustlers." After the stunning truce called over the summer fol- lowed by Nas signing to Def Jam, he and Def Jam President/CEO, Jay-Z, lyrically unite on "Black Republican." The duo's tag team effort resounds the New York-style with its chorus: "Can't clean my act up for good / Too much thug in 'em / Probably end up back in the hood / I'm like fuck it then." The song "Hope"-provides an insightful ending to an unreal album with Nas rapping about try- ing to get into New York hip hop, ending with "If you're asking 'why is hip hop dead?' /It's a pretty good chance you're the reason it died." Chrisette Michele's sultry and soulful voice is spellbinding, fading out with a hypnotic chant "Live hip hop, live." In the end hip hop really isn't dead. According to Nas, hip hop is forever. A good old romp in the 'Yard' By BLAKE GOBLE Daily Arts Writer Can a single strength overshad- ow and reconstitute an otherwise mediocre film? 7k 7 Despite the numerm. eplot Stomp :oblems that the Yard plague "Stomp At the The Yard," the Showcase and film show- Quality 16 cases some of Screen Gems the finest and flashiest choreography of recent dance movies. Like in "Step Up" and "You Got Served," it makes for incredible viewing. DJ (Columbus Short, "Accept- ed") has it rough. At home in Los Angeles, he's a gifted and well- admired street dancer, but his tal- ents tend to get him into trouble. After a brawl erupts following DJ's victory in a local dance-off, he moves to Atlanta for a fresh start. Using the connections provided by his gruff uncle (Harry Len- nix, "Ray"), DJ narrowly escapes his criminal record and enrolls in school. Truth lovely n are vagt sible a: overcom in histo this gen dance cl two riva ly good obviousl Ultim and DJ esteeme ing - a dance st Sam bu n much as It's n' ing frat s for DJ- romance edly pro University is one of those dancer, and those skills alone are novie colleges where ages enough for the hurdles of exams ue, alcohol is easily acces- and big competitions thrown his nd the main character way. Lame plot echoes of "Drum- ies adversity to do well line" are notable here, but in ry 101. In the midst of all "Stomp the Yard," they're almost eric university strife, DJ's forgivable. hops get him recruited by For one thing, the use of rapid i fraternities, one obvious- montage moves the film along at and the other even more a quick pace, enlivening the stor- ly evil. yline's familiarity. As disorienting ately,theformertriumphs, as the style may sometimes get, it's joins Theta Nu Theta's a much-needed refresher, espe- d tradition of stomp danc- cially when the film gets down to quick, athletic and showy business: dancing. tyle that the frat values as Agreatmixofinterpretivedance and performance art, stomping is more electrifying than any $20 million action set piece. It's abso- e ol' plotlines, lutely impossible to understand Sincredible how some of these dancers move t e b their bodies, defying conventions of human speed, flexibility and lew moves, mobility. When DJ and his brother prop themselves on one forearm to mock their opponent, it's hard not its brotherhood. to stare in awe. When the boys of ot long before the oppos- Theta get down at about 50 moves tarts presenting problems a second, the lyricism in their step - or, of course, before a is enviable to even the most visual emerges. But DJ repeat- of films. ves himself a formidable In "Stomp the Yard," the very Damn. presence of stomp dancing com- pensates for everything else happening in the film. Sure, it's garishly over-cut, the story's arc is as tired as they come and at times it feels like yet another backward step in the recent proliferation of urban-targeting films. But they sure can stomp. Inspiration* Exploration Education it'. 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