The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 5

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 5

The politics of
Hollywood

A few days ago, Steven Spiel-
berg officially announced
.' Ithathe was resigning as
artistic director of the 2008 Olym-
pic Games in Beijing. Unhappy
with the lack of effort on China's
part in stopping the genocide in
Sudan - China
is Sudan's larg-
est supplier
of weapons
- Spielberg
issued a public
statement say-
ing, "Iufind that
my conscience BRANDON
will not allow CONRADIS
me to continue
with business
as usual." It's a simple, refresh-
ingly unobtrusive statement, but,
like all politically-inclined celeb-
rity-issued statements, itcbrings up
the question ofjust how significant
these celebrities really are in the
political arena.
American politics is intrinsi-
cally linked with American show
business; after all, what better
wayto get a message out than
through mass media? Celebri-
tieshave always understood
this, and have always used their
lofty statures to promote their
opinions on various issues. They
have mixed success. More often
than not, stars come across as
complete windbags when they
try to become activists. When
someone like Janeane Garofalo
goes on air, spitting venom at the
Bush administration and rattling
off second- and third-hand tidbits
collected from other, more reli-
able sources, it can be quite enter-
taining. Unfortunately, it also has
a habit of turning people off from
the issue completely.
People like Garofalo, or the
infamous Jane Fonda - who out
of nowhere became a political
activist between stints as Bar-
barella and the home exercise
queen of the '80s - love attention,
and that's essentially the source
of much of the resentment toward
these people. When Sean Penn
goes to Iraq for a few days, takes
a brief but apparently earth-shat-
teringhiatus from the good life
and returns to the U.S. with the
sort of enlightened observations
you might get from someone
who'd just gone on the Hajj, it
all comes across as incredibly
offensive and silly. Now, IShave
no problem with Penn going to
Iraq - you don't see me heading
off to Iraq - but I do have a prob-
lem with the idea thatcthis man's
three-day trip is apparently more
significant than the numerous
tours of duty many of our soldiers
have done. Where are their pub-
lished accounts?
Hollywood is full of such
people who love to make state-
ments, and for this reason, more
often than not, a celebrity's politi-
cal motivation comes across as
blatantly self-promoting and
insincere. That's why it was so
refreshingnto read Spielberg's

statement. This is not another
bigwig blowing hot air, nor is
it someone desperately seeking
attention through his actions.
Spielberg went about making his
statement in the most respectful,
subtle way possible. Still, people
are noticing.
This is because, whether we
like it or not, Hollywood stars
matter. We listen to them. We
care about what they have to say
Even if their political experience
amounts to playingthe president
on an hour-long TV show every
week, they still have just as much
significance as real politicians.
Steven Spielberg is just one of
many celebrities who have spoken
out against China for its role in
the genocide in Sudan, but his
voice is arguably the most critical
to the issue. We respect Spielberg
- this is the man who directed
"Schindler's List," after all. If he
thinks it's wrong, it must be. The
same goes for George Clooney
who, alongside Don Cheadle,
made his own respectful state-
ment about the issueat a U.N.
conference in 2006.
Ultimately, Spielberg's and
Clooney's actions won't affect
much. The games will go on. Ath-
letes will compete and tourists
will watch. Even Spielberg said he
hoped to be there as a spectator.
But what he has done is remind
people - and inform some - of a
critical issue that should not be
ignored. It's here that the signifi-
Believe it or not,
people actually
care about what
celebrities do
cance of the celebrity's role in pol-
itics comes to the forefront. A star-
is good for initiating discussion,
for getting a message out to the
public - not for beinga crusader.
If celebrities want to speak out
against genocide, who am I to
oppose them? It's safe to say most
of us know not to take many of
these self-indulgent stars too seri-
ously, but at the same time, some-
thing must be said for people who
are willing to step out of line, take
a few punches and put the spot-
light on a current issue that actu-
ally deserves the attention. Hanoi
Jane will always be a shameful
example of celebrity activism
gone too far, but if other celebri-
ties can manage it with grace,
sophistication and a fair amount
of intelligence (as Clooney and
Spielberg have), then niybe it's
not so silly to listen to Hollywood
once in a while.
Conradis is excited for Paris
Hilton's Iraq tour. Tell him why he
shouldn't be at brconrad@mich.edu.

COU RT ESY OF 4A D

This week on "Let's Emote with John Darnielle"..

PRIDE AN. 6D JOY

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lountain Goats ing depths of its predecessors.
If Get Lonely was a chronicle of
frontman's Darnielle's struggles during, say,
a rt n the two or three weeks immedi-
umphtant return ately following his breakup, then
m romantic loss Heretic Pride finds him after a
year or so has passed, healing
and ready to look outside of him-
By MATT RONEY self. His clear, nasal tenor soars
Daily Music Editor on "Sax Rohmer #1." The chorus,'
"And I am coming home to you /
ad Mountain Goat John with my own blood in my mouth /
nile pours his heart into his ... / if it's the last thing that I do,"
Is like few other songwrit- sung over marching snare drums
he Sunset Tree, his venerable and bright, major-key guitar, gives
t's twelfth chills. There's a wounded sort of
1 full- triumph in it.
album That major-key bright-
2005, ness repeats throughout Her-
devastat- etic Pride. "San Bernardino" is
reflection Mountain a sweet, toned-down medita-
owing up G tion on a trip with a beloved.
his abu- It benefits immeasurably from
stepfather. Heretic Pride cellist Erik Friedlander's beau-
in 2006, 4AD tiful arrangement, spotlight-
Mountain ing pristine plucked strings and
released reminiscent of John Paul Jones'
onely, a post-breakup album arrangements for R.E.M.'s Auto-
otionally raw that Darnielle matic for the People. The title
Pitchfork Media reviewer track is easily the most upbeat
Breihan that Breihan's girl- song ever written about being
would have to leave him in burned at the stake. Somehow,
for him to fully understand though, the main character's
pride is infectious - and, you're
etic Pride, though just as lit- almost happy for him.
and at times gut-wrenching, The simple fact is that every
't dig to quite the despair- track on Heretic Pride deserves

analysis. John Darnielle's song- uration's gonna come for me at last
writing is stunning; he is able to / and I will burn hotter than the
shift from grandiosity to grit in a sun," you can see why: The theme,
line. Most striking is his empathy of renewal, painful or otherwise,
- the majority of these songs are is constant. Biblical imagery is
deft character studies, often of everywhere as well, as on "How
real-life people. Take "Lovecraft to Embrace a Swamp Creature,"
in Brooklyn," a hard-rocking song where Darnielle laments that he
with strings like creaking gates must "Crawl starving on my belly
that tells about alienation and /licking up the dry dust." "Swamp
paranoia from the ,perspective Creature" is also one of at least two
of a famed horror writer. Despite tracks (along with "San Bernardi-
Darnielle's usual eloquence, sim- no") to refer to flaming swords
ple lines such as "Woke up afraid guarding Eden. Darnielle's trying
of my own shadow / Like, genu- to reach something, but it's hard to
inely afraid" establish a claustro- tell what. Paradise?
phobic, intense feel. Thankfully, the music is very
"Sept 15 1983" tells the story nearly as interesting as the lyrics
of Prince Far I, a murdered reg- - though not quite. Most of the
gae singer. Backed by a throbbing record is crisp folk rock, a far cry
reggae-style bass line, the song from the low-fi Mountain Goats
paints a picture of the murder recordings of the act's early days.
scene with both sensitivity and But, as on their past few higher
sad, stark realism. "Marduk T- fidelity releases, Heretic Pride is
Shirt Men's Room Incident" is a masterfully composed, moving
musically gorgeous snapshot of a from spare to lush like a slightly
breakdown at a German disco. It older, worldlier Sufjan Stevens.
features backing vocals by Rachel "The album is almost flawlessly
Ware Zooiland Sarah Arslanian, paced, with swelling strings and
members of the Bright Mountain acoustic guitar ebbing and flow-
Choir, who often sang with the ing without a trace of smarmi-
Mountain Goats before 1996. ness.
A number of images appear Once again, the Mountain
throughout the album, particular- Goats have proven their status as
ly those of heat and fire. When, on one of the most consistent projects
"Heretic Pride," the doomed pro- in indie rock. John Darnielle has
tagonist celebrates that "Transfig- the right to be proud.

Even Ann
Arbor can't
s ave, thi'os
By SHERI JANKELOVITZ
DailyArts Writer
"Jumper" makes its audience wish that
they, too, could "jugp" from place to place
- but only so they can jump out of the theater
and leave this awful piece of
trash behind.
David Rice (Hayden
-Christensen, "Awake") is
a wimpy 15-year-old from
Ann Arbor (yes, Ann Arbor, At Showcase
Michigan) until the day and Quaity16
he falls through a patch of New Line
ice and finds himself in the
Ann Arbor Public Library.
To David's amazement, he's discovered that
he can teleport or "jump" almost anywhere
he wants. David decides to use his power to
leave his old life in Ann Arbor behind and
spend the rest of his years robbing banks and
living the "good life."
(As a side note, the whole Ann Arbor angle
does provide some nifty little "Hey, there's
Michigan Book and Supply!" and "Look,
someone with a University of Michigan
sweatshirt!" moments, but the 'film doesn't
spend much of its time here. On to bigger,
though not exactly better, things.)
Eight years go by without any mention of
just what he's been doing this whole time, and
suddenly David finds himself beinghunted by
Roland (Samuel L. Jackson, "Pulp Fiction"), a
"Paladen" who hunts and kills "Jumpers." It's
never really explained why Paladens want to
kill Jumpers so badly, but man do they hate
them. Roland does his best to rationalize the
hatred, insisting that people like David need
to be killed because "Sooner or later, you all
go bad."
Actually, he has a point. Instead of using
these incredible powers to do great things in
the world, Jumpers use their powers to rob
banks, steal nice cars and pick up hot Europe-

Be very quiet, I'm hunting snakes.
an women. So this doesn't exactly make them
bad guys, but it doesn't really make them
good guys either. Which is why it's hard to
cheer for just one side here. If Roland did kill
David, there'd be fewer bank robberies, less
destruction of property and less blandness in
the world.
The only thing that
could make this movie
gbod is the ability to
jump out of the theater
To be fair though, it's not all bad. Every
scene involving another Jumper, Griffin
(Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot"), who hunts and
kills Paladens, has the right amount of fre-
netic energy and fun, which the rest of the
movie (and Christensen) sorely lack. Maybe

the producers should have cast Bell as the
lead instead? Just a thought.
With all the money being thrown around
to make this movie, one would think some of
it would have gone towards creating a well-
written script. The flashy special effects and
action sequences are clearly meant to make
up for the story telling (or lack thereof) this
film provides. It's a little arrogant on the part
of the filmmakers to assume that justbecause
there's something flashy going on on-screen,
nothing really needs to be explained. On sec-
ond thought, maybe it's better not knowing.
That way we never have to question things
like: Why does nobody notice when David
suddenly appears out of nowhere, accom-
panied by large gusts of wind and earth-
quake-like tremors? Or, what are the rules
of jumping, since upon first discovering his
abilities, David can only jump to places he's
been before but by the end of the film he's a
regular world traveler.
Don't waste any time with these ques-
tions.
Don't waste your time with this movie at
all.

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