The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com ~RM REE '3:10'to nowhere really By MITCHELL AKSELRAD DailyArts Writer As has become clear in its recent revival, the conventions of the American Western can be as deadly to a film as the ever-present quick draw. A town whose name has some biblical or plot reference, the cowboy/Indian quarrel, *** the battle between good and evil - the remake of "3:10 to 310 to Yuma" has them all. But they don't hurt the movie this time, Yuma no matter how cliche the slut- At Quality16 ty barmaid might be. It's good ol' fashioned weak storytelling and Showcase that nearly does "3:10" in. Lionsgate Instead of its narrative, James Mangold's follow-up to "Walk the Line" is held togeth- er by the talent of its stars, led by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. The story: Outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) is arrested for multiple robberies and murders, and the railroad company most harmed by his crimes hires a few locals and a rancher, Dan Evans (Bale), to escort him to a train sta- tion a few towns over. There, they'll meet a train that will take Wade to Yuma prison where he'll be tried and likely hanged. On the posse's tail is Wade's gang, led by sociopath Charlie Prince (Ben Foster, "Alpha Dog"), who look to wreak old-school vengeance on his captors. There are a host of characters on this bill, but no one will be fooled: You're paying to see Bale and Crowe in an A-List standoff. This movie is about them and the mind games they play. It's Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 9 WE BLOG. Michael Passman on balls and senior porn on HBO. Kimberly Chou makes dire predictions involving Bowie circa Low. The Filter michigandaily.com/thefilter "If that train is late one more time... " about Evans's resolve and the duo's unique rela- tionship as they brave the uncivilized west. In this conceit, Bale and Crowe are respectable and carry the film the necessary distance. Crowe's consistent ease counters Bale's on-edge perfor- mance effectively in a film built on tropes of bal- ance and dichotomy. But with movies like "L.A. Confidential" and "American Psycho" to high- light their resumes, this certainly won't be the movie for which either of them is remembered. Marco Beltrami's simple score accentuates the film's pace nicely, with drums that represent the time so crucial to Evans's mission and the guiding melody of a six-string guitar perfectly matching the six-chamber gun that serves as the lawless moviescape's only guiding force. Phedon Papamichael's cinematography is satisfactory, providing strong contrasts between the nights and days out west, if not giving the overall piece a single, defining look. The flaw, then, is in the story. So what does that tell you about the work ethic of writers Hal- sted Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas? After all, "3:10" is a remake - the writers even borrow much of the original's structure and dia- logue. They have a feature-length example avail- able to them. So what happened? 50 From page 5 that the track's atrocious; it's just not 50. He and soul croon- er Robin Thicke take turns singing the hook, and the vibe is simply too soft for a guy who wears a bulletproof vest. Lyr- ics are borderline syrupy, rela- tive to 50 Cent: "They say ... 50 don't know how to treat a lady, they wrong / I like you a lot." That ain't Fiddy. Another single, "AYO Tech- nology," features the proven hit-making combination of Timbaland and Justin Timber- lake. The beat Timbo provides sounds like a ghettofied Tetris, its furiously spastic sixteenth- notes dripping with JT coos. And most rap fans would prob- ably rather play Tetris than lis- ten to this song - at least those 50 followers who first jumped on board his crack-boast mix- tapes. But it's got crossover potential, which can only lead to excessive radio play and increased album sales. So in 50's mind, it's a success. But it's only when 50 returns to the grimy, confrontational sound he's known for that the results are truly positive. "I Get Money" is, simply put, one of the hardest tracks 50's ever released. The Audio Two "Top Billin' " sample works bril- liantly over the dark, repetitive synths and choppy drum loop provided by Apex Productionz. Here 50's at his most cocky: "When I was young I couldn't do good, now I can't do bad / I ride, wreck the new Jag, I just buy the new Jag." Lyrically, 50 hasn't changed much over the course of his career. Curtis is no exception. The guns are still poppin'. The bills are still flashin'. So aside from the aforementioned failed experiments, the content is nothing unexpected. 50's choice of produc- ers and beats highlights his desire to attract as many types of fans as possible. Timbo, Havoc, Eminem and Dr. Dre all have production credits, with Dre having a hand in the rowdy "Fire" and the bouncy "Straight to the Bank." But on an album with 17 songs, there's a lot of time given to less-prov- en producers as well. Instead of rhyming over beats he sounds the best on, he attempted to reach out, and it doesn't work. So, let's say that other rapper releasing an album today does outsell 50. And Curtis makes good on his initial promise and never again releases a solo album. Would it be the end of the world? Would hip hop cease to exist? Would 50's most devout followers even be that disappointed? Although it seems unlikely he'll do so regardless of who sells more - being that another 50 album is reportedly already near completion - as Curtis proves, the answer to all is an emphat- ic "no." It's perhaps unsurprising that Wade and Evans, originally enemies with contrary goals, form a bond. Fine. But because of this, there are far too many instances where the characters seem to be helping the other achieve his goal, a big misstep in the typical protagonist/antago- nist relationship. The writers also go to lengths to explain certain aspects of Wade and Evans's characters, which in each case leads to scenes that contradict earlier ones, such as an early one in which Wade - normally a cool, detached criminal who'd rather shoot one of his own than get caught - simply sits around and waits for the police to arrest him. It's convenient for the plot, but the contrivance is lost on no one. Does the movie satisfy? That depends on your perspective. It's commendable in the sense that the filmmakers are trying to bring back one of the greatest film genres, one that seemed lost to 1950s culture and John Wayne's grave. But when we have modern Westerns like "Unforgiven," which challenged every cowboy convention, and HBO's "Deadwood," with its uncommon complexity and Shakespearean dialogue, "3:10 to Yuma" just feels insubstantial. Then again, when Batman's shooting at the baddest Gladia- tor in the west, who really cares? doing pretty hood in my pink polo." And then there's Weezy's lackluster appearance. Normally, he would evis- cerate a track like this, but here he drops an anemic verse: "I don't front simple / and I don't go backwards / and I r Gradu- don't practice / and I don't lack shit." splifying Another problem is Graduation's lack a wider of introspection. Here West opts for e almost bottle-popping anthems rather than r give me reflections on his own shortcomings. t I'll just But to complain about Gradua- award." tion's lyrical deficiencies would be to mplifica- miss the point entirely. For hip-hop ner's ear albums, it's usually a bad sign when s, Kanye the production overwhelms the ver- swagger, bal content. But Kanye West isn't like breathe. most rappers, and his albums aren't it occa- like most others'. He won't ever make e coda of an album like Illmatic or Ready to Die. too long. Rather than lyrical labyrinths, West tlight to crafts musical ventures in which nimpres- lyrics are little more than an after- "Barry thought. It's but another of Mr. West's eat closer intriguing dualities: he's no lyricist, produc- yet he's found massive success, both ult; West commercially and critically. press on For all his contradictions, Kanye m doing West is at least consistent: He's three go / I'm for three. KANYE From page 5 age, usually depending on rhymes and punch lines. Fo ation, West admitted to sin his rhymes further to reach audience, and the results ar embarrassing: "They'd rathes the 'nigga please' award / Bu take the 'I got alot of cheese', To his credit, the verbal si tion smartly orients the liste to West's production. At time even puts away his infamous allowing his beats room to The change works, though sionally wears thin, with the "Stronger" running a minute When West turns the spo his lyrics, the results are us sive. The Nottz-produced Bonds" is amisstep, usingabe to a freestyle backdrop. The tion is inconspicuous to a fat lacks the lyrical chops to im wordplay alone, rapping, "I pretty good as far as geniuses Learn self-defense and Olympic- style fighting Improve conditioning and flexibility Teaching Martial Arts at OM since 1968 Register online at www.umich.edu/~umove Taekwondo - 5- 6 PM Tue., Thu CCRB- Rm#: 2275 Taekwondo II- 6- 7 PM Tue, ThusCCRB- Rm#: 2275 Also see www.umich.edu/-umtkd for more information I .. .. .. Feel lost in the big blue?