The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, September 5, 2008 -5A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, September 5, 2008 -5A Bland action, worse acting Turning brass to gold By NOAH DEAN STAHL Daily Arts Writer I try to like Vin Diesel, though perhaps against my better judg- ment. Yes, he's the empty ves- sel that drove the, first "Fast and the Furi- ous" movie, Babylon not to mention the critical * and commer- At Quality16 cial blunder and Showcase that was "The 20th Century Fox Chronicles of Riddick" (2004). But he also starred in the little recog- nized 2006 Sidney Lumet picture "Find Me Guilty," and has writ- ten and directed several solid shorts. The sympathetic side of me wants to think he has been unfairly molded by the Holly- wood machine and thus, viewer expectations of him are slight. After watching his latest dys- topian action opus, "Babylon A.D.," any sympathy I had for Diesel has disintegrated. Based on the French sci-fi novel "Baby- lon Babies," the film muddles prevailing themes of the dangers of scientific experimentation and manipulative power-seekers beyond recognition. The only thing remaining is the overdone high-octane schlock that Diesel is known for. In "Babylon A.D.," Diesel stars as Toorop, a reluctant merce- nary who is hired- to accompany a mysterious girl, Aurora (M41a- nie Thierry, "Chrysalis"), and her guardian, the religious matriarch Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh,. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Drag- on Emperor"), from Mongolia to New York. The expository nonsense, com- plete with generic and unconvinc- ingdialogue,leadsustounderstand that Aurora is special. Though she has never left the convent in which she was raised, she speaks 19 lan- guages, can operate Russian sub- marines and even perform minor surgery. But most importantly, she can foresee impending disaster, an ability which comes in handy in keeping the sluggish story on the move. In the midst of their covert journey acrossthe world, we come to learn that at least two groups are after Aurora: a religious sect known as the Noelites - headed by Aurora's mother - and a pack of fringe scientists - headed by Aurora's father. All throughout Eastern Europe and Asia, highly trained, strangely dressed teams of operatives try to forcibly inter- cept Aurora. Toorop and Rebeka, however, team up and fight. Go figure. It's a given that Toorop. can throw down against the bad guys, but who knew a sweet little nun could do the same? Aurora, as it turns out, is the result of extensive genetic trial and error and was programmed, if you will, to be pregnant without having any sexual activity. The Noelites seek her out as a means to convert the world to their reli- gious views, -Aurora being proof of a deity in her immaculate con- ception. Unfortunately, there's far Vin Diesel fails again. too many lacunae along the way to make this story plausible. "Babylon A.D." doesn't even serve its base purpose of provid- ing mindless entertainment. The bad acting and general reliance upon the weak contrivances of the action and sci-fi genre dis- tract too greatly to derive much . enjoyment at all. Mathieu Kassovitz, the French actor ("Munich") who directed "Babylon A.D." deserves some admiration for this. But, while he strives for sci-fi noir, unique styl- ization and adrenaline-pumping action, his efforts fall consider- ably short. Professors turn foreign tradition into popular artform through exhibit By PRIYA BALI DailyArts Writer In Krofrom, Ghana, a 50-year-old town's ris- ing brassworking industry begins with threads of beeswax. And, through dedication, technical preci- sion and creative insight by the town's brass casters, it Tradition endures. "Casting Tradition: Contemporary Brasswork- Sept. S, ing in Ghana," an exhibition 4-6 p.m. in U-M's Exhibit Museum of Abthe U-M Natural History, examines ohibit Muaseum the nature of this 500-year- old practice and its role in the modern world. It will run through the end of the school year. A public reception will be held Fri- day at the gallery from 4-6 p.m. Raymond Silverman, a University professor of Afro-american and African studies and art history, and Gilbert Amegatcher, a professor of art and design an Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, collabo- rated with each other during the winter of 2007 to curate and plan the exhibit. The exhibit ends with a reception today from 4-6 p.m. Objects such as boxes and rings are made every single object that is made from this pro- through a process known as lost-wax casting. cess is unique because you cannot use the mold After a wax model is created out of beeswax, it more than once," Silverman said. is dipped in a charcoal and clay mixture. Once The exhibit is cross-disciplinary as it exam- this model is heated, the wax vaporizes. And so, ines these objects under artistic, historical and what was once there is lost. What replaces the anthropological perspectives. Not only are we wax is molten brass which results in a casting able to view the objects as decorative pieces, we that becomes an exact replica of the wax model. can understand the context in which they were "The mold is broken open and invariably See BRASS; Page 8 NEED ADVICE? 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