8A - Monday, December 8, 2008
Bill Sneezington (left) avoids spreading germs to the rest of his band.
Breaking the barrier
CHRISTMAS
From Page 5A
Christmas Tale," little touches like that flow
with the film and provide new dimensions to
the characters and the plot. The opening sil-
houette animation is another creative draw
that manages to blend elements of the film
together.
The castbuilds fluidly off each character.
With a family this diverse, it must have been
difficult to give these intricate relationships
alevelofcredibility. Henri is atroublemaker,
but a charming one, and Amalric is amazing
at portraying the complicated Henri - even
if he is a lying, manipulative, womanizing
scumbag, he manages to evoke sympathy
and laughter at the same time.
The movie is dark at times. Death is a
major theme, as many of the family's trou-
bles occur against the backdrop of the oldest
son, Joseph. These partsare excessively dra-
FRANCO
From Page 5A
of the cameras. -
"The main function of my role and of our
relationship in the movie isto ground itemo-
tionally and really round out the character of
Milk and to show just what the lifestyle was
like at the time and place," Franco said.
He's no stranger to critical praise -
Franco's comedic turn as Saul in "Pineapple
Express" was almost universally adored,
and he was recently crowned one of Enter-
tainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year.
Still more exciting, his role in "Milk" is gen-
erating the kind of buzz every actor wishes
CUOMO
From Page 5A
lacking in production quality, it's difficult to
judge whether or not Black Hole could have
been the masterpiece it was anticipated to be.
This minor disappointment is easily coun-
tered by many solid tracks. Most notable are
"My Day Is Coming," "Don't Worry Baby"
and "Can't Stop Partying," each providingits
own bit of unexpected creativity. "My Day
Is Coming" initially sounds like a prophetic
ballad about becoming a famous rock star as
Cuomo sings, "My day is coming /It's coming
someday ... It might be today." The assumed
meaning is then shattered as Cuomo rattles
off a litany of U.S. soccer players and is backed
by the faint roar of a cheering crowd, demon-
strating Cuomo's love for the game. With its
modest piano arrangement and obscure sub-
ject matter, it wouldsound utterly out of place
on a Weezer album.
Cuomo pays tribute to one of his great-
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
matic, but this doesn't really detract much
from the film. The darker moments are
often juxtaposed with funny ones, and this
is what saves the movie - like when Ivan's
crumbling marriage is offsetby a Christmas
play starring Zorro. For the most part, the
high points and the low points in each of
the characters' struggles are mediated very
well.
Sometimes it seems like "A .Christmas
Tale" makes absolutely no sense at all - that
it's just the story of a group of unrelated nut-
cases who have been tossed together for th'e
holidays. It could have been another feel-
good holiday movie like "Christmas with
the Kranks" or "Four Christmases," but by
the end, each of the characters' antics make
perfect sense and a touch of holiday spirit
raises its head without prancing reindeer.
Not every family is picture perfect - the
Vuillards certainly aren't - but there's a sort
of magic to this family that, despite their
problems, manages to shine through.
to hear: Oscar material.
"It's just such an honor," Franco said.
"Anything I say is going to sound so stupid
and clich6 but it is really an honor."
Despite his success, Franco is refreshingly
grounded. His videos on the website Funny-
orDie.com - Franco plays a self-deprecating
version of himself in "Acting with James
Franco" - show thathe realizes there's more
to acting than just fame and paychecks.
"Having to think about competing with
other actors was just making me really
unhappy. I just really didn't like it. So I went
back to school and it helped me. It gave me
something else in my life."
And with his recent track record, it'll
probably be a hit.
est influences, Brian Wilson, on a stunning
rendition of The Beach Boys's "Don't Worry
Baby." The cover is generally consistent with
the original, but Cuomo adds a distorted gui-
tar with a brief solo to give it a little edge.
Cuomo's ability to sing harmonies truly does
the song justice.
"Can't Stop Partying" is unquestionablythe
most entertaining effort on the record. The
song was written by dip hop producer Jer-
maine Dupri and resembles Ben Folds's cover
of "Bitches Ain't Shit." The goofy, middle-aged
white-guy singing lyrics like "I got to have
Patron/Igottohave the E/Igottohave alotof
pretty girls around me," provides an ironically
sincere and wildly entertaining experience.
The record is enjoyable because of Cuo-
mo's knack for combining catchy tunes with
subtle humor and is enhanced bysplashes
of creativity and experimentation not often
seen in Cuomo's work with Weezer. Alone II
is essential for any]BlueAlbum-era fan and is
a nice addition to the less avid Weezer fan's
collection.
E
'Cadillac' traces the roots
and vices of rock's legends
By SHERI JANKELOVITZ
DailyArts Writer
Chess Records pioneered a little-
known, little-seen musical force that
today we callrock'n'roll.
During its heyday, the
studio was home to
some of the greats - Cadillac
singers who may be Records
barely recognizable to s
today's generation. At Showcase
Leonard Chess TriStar
(Adrien Brody, "The
Pianist") is a nobody,
down on his luck and living in a junk-
yard. Like the hero of any success story,
he makes a promise that one day he'll
open a club, make something of himself
and, most importantly, drive aCadillac.
"Cadillac Records" chronicles his rise to
becoming a somebody, which he achieves
by starting his own record company,
Chess Records.
The most prominentsingers on display
here are Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright,
"Quantum of Solace"), Chuck Berry (Mos
Def, "Be Kind Rewind") and Etta James
(Beyonce Knowles, "Dreamgirls"). Each
was a revolutionary presence, crossing
racialbarriers longbefore society deemed
it acceptable.
Brody's acting is solid, but it's Wright,
Mos Def and Knowles who comprise the
true life force of the film. Though given
far less screen time than Wright, both
Mos Def and Knowles seem to be having
a lot of fun portraying these iconic sing-
ers. Knowles also proves that she does
grow with each film role, as she is quite
good here.
For these singers, vices come with
the fame: alcoholism, drug abuse and
bankruptcy. It seems that each of Chess's
employees grappled with one of these
demons, if not all three. Unfortunately,
due to the short running time and mas-
sive amounts of subplots, there simply
isn't enough time to really get to know
any of these singers, or even Chess him-
self. Even Muddy, who gets the most
screen time, is a bit of a mystery.
But the film is less about Chess - or
the artists themselves for that matter -
than it is about the music and social cli-
mate it's based on. The film is meant to be
about the African-American impact on
music and how white society eventually
took hold of it and claimed it as its own.
Several issues are hardly addressed, such
as Chess ripping off his clients by buy-
ing them each Cadillacs out of their own
royalties, and a hypothetical love affair
between himself and James. This leaves
the audience wondering who is supposed
to be the hero of this story. Apparently
it's meant to be Chess, who cared more
about music than.racial lines, but the film
makes it hard to accept that.
Still, the film is a joy to watch. The pace
is upbeat, as is the music, and it's this
energy that gets the audience through
the slower moments. The film is simply
fun. It may also inspire new generations
to discover these older talents.
The sad fact is, people today may not
even realize just how influential these
artists were. Did you know that the Roll-
ing Stones were so inspired by Muddy
Waters that they named their band after
one of his songs? Probably not.
Unfortunately, the influence of these
artists is only seen at the end of the film
in one of those standard "where are they
now?" explanations used for films based
on true stories. The most sobering part of
this is that many of the triumphs recount-
ed for the musicians featured in the film
include the suing of white musical groups
for stealing their music, which raises
the question: Just how much does music
today really owe these artists?
low"
DECIDE WHAT
GOES WHERE.
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Michigan Daily Advertising is hiring
a Production Layout Designer.
Begin viinter semester and work two hours every weekday.
Applicants should have a knack for spacial relationships
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Email bce@umlch.edu
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