1 0 - Tho KAinhicsnn Ilnily iiti~ 04 onn*:) iV - i n icnIiganI dI Laiiy - Itlull~y, july 21, LVIIS ARTS WHAT'S NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT JACKO NEEDS FAMILY SUPPORT (I.E. CASH) --The British music news hounds at NME.com reported that Michael Jackson will be reforming the Jackson 5 with brothers Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy for a full reunion tour in the near future. Brother Jermaine told the A BBC that an album is likely to be released coinciding with the tour. Far be it for us to ever turn a cynical eye toward anything involving His Pale- ness, the King of Pop, but we won't be surprised to see the whole project collapse in a classic dis- play of Jacko insanity. A high-profile platinum-selling record and a victory-lap tour might help Jackson cast off his financial problems and perpetual inquiries into his personal habits. Or it might simply let the Gloved One take his freak show of a life on the road. Watch for tour dates and falling babies ina town near you. DRaVING WIME UNDER THE INFLU- ENCE OF A RECENT OSCAR NOMINEE - As our friends at the Detroit Free Press dutifully reported, the White Stripes have officially cancelled 16 North American tour dates through mid- August, including the Aug. 10 stop at the Masonic Temple in Detroit and two headlining gigs at the T in the Park and Witnness festivals in Britain (the Flaming Lips are kindly filling in for those shows). Mr. John Gillis, better known as Jack White of the international blues-rock darlings, suffered a compound fracture of , his left finger in a car accident in Detroit on July 9, oddly enough the guitarist's 28th birthday. White's new girl- friend, Renee Zellweger, was also in the vechical when another car ran into them, but Bridget Jones was not injured. What a baby Jack is. Jerry Garcia played without his middle finger for his entire career! Ticket-holders can direct questions about refunds to Ticketmaster (248-645- 6666) or the point of purchase. Tickets will be honored for new dates. IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, KELLY - According to CNN.com, MTV's Osbourne family lost a beloved member when Sharon's black Chihuahua, Lulu, was attacked by coyotes outside the family's Beverly Hills home. It wasn't the first time that an Osbourne dog came under attack from coyotes, however. Earlier this month, their Pomeranian Pipi was attacked, but fortu- nately Ozzy tore her from the coyotes clutches just in time. The Osbournes and their reality TV show plan to carry on without Lulu this fall, when filming for the show's next season begins. I Courtesy of Newmarket Film Group Consider the lilyas of the field. flya' .eiece Guster stay the course By Jared Newman Daily Arts Writer MUSIC REVI EW* * Whether or not Guster have fallen into the acoustic rock trappings of stale guitar lines and trite lyrics in the g past is up for debate, but their latest album, "Keep It Together" avoids the abyss with enjoyable lyrics and engaging, varied riffs blended seamlessly with some slick studio effects, all the while ditching their stripped- down double-guitar and percussion setup in favor of the more traditional guitar, bass and drums, with the occa- sional piano and horn. What results is a warm and intimate album that explores a variety of textures without straying too far from the tried-and-true Guster style. Most of the tunes begin with utter simplicity and work their way toward higher and more elaborate goals in the end. It is refresh- ing to hear choruses that are full of digressions and vari- ations in songs such as the radio-friendly "Amsterdam." Where other bands might cease, Guster pushes, fiddles, and rearranges things to give their songs just a little Cult," a Beatles-e more individuality. with its dynami It's.a formula that works, but it shame that "Keel also leaves room for improvement. since it really hel "Keep It Together" is at the very least Gluster Nonetheless, t a solid album, but it still lacks an Keep It variety of new in overwhelming punch of sharp con- Together ing, and the suri trasts and fresh ideas. Its homogene- Reprise Records as one would e. ity, while it is relaxing and rock. Their wor well-crafted, eventually becomes a letdown. The only them great insi song here that doesn't quite fit the mold is "Red Oyster effort with full iI on Together sque iant iat Keeps th eisteneron rueag c changes and quirky rhythms. It's a p it Together" doesn't have more of this, ps to shake things up. he attention to nuance provided by the struments warrants some deeper listen- face aesthetic is every bit as enjoyable xpect from these masters of acoustic rk with the bare minimum has given ght in creating rich-sounding studio nstrumentation. By Todd Weiser Daily Arts Editor MOVIE REVIEW****I Whether writer/director Lukas Moodysson intended for the viewer to anticipate his every move in the dizzy- ingly depressing "Lilya 4-ever" or that predictability simply stems from the film's focus, a downtrodden 16 year- old Russian teenager without a family or a future, one can take comfort in the fact that it just does not matter. Count- less summer movies take hits from critics for their cookie cutter storylines, but "Lilya 4-ever" is not a film designed for the box office rat race that summertime Liya4-ever brings. "Lilya" At Madstonel does not belong on Newmarket the same billboard as "T3 or "BB2" or "LB2" for itsis not product but art. And great art at that. Riding high on the success of his 2001 release "Together," a more light- hearted but equally impressive tale ofa Swedish commune in the '70s, Moodysson throws away all language barriers. For Moodysson is a Swedish director and his cast and dialogue for the majority are Russian. However, on the basis of the performances he has evoked from his inexperienced actors, most awardingly from his leading lady, the compellingly naive Oksana Akin- shina, the difficulties of communicat- ing with his cast were easily overcome and never visible in the finished film. Lilya never leaves the screen dur- ing the 100-minute running time forcing Akinshina into the uncom- fortable make-or-break role that actors often covet and regularly falter in. In only her second onscreen cred- it, Akinshina steals the show in a breakout performance reminiscent of Emily Watson's similarly emotionally demanding debut in Lars von Trier's "Breaking the Waves." We first meet Lilya proudly telling friends and strangers about her upcom- ing move to America with her mother and her mother's boyfriend. While most residents of her city in an unnamed part of the former Soviet Union only fantasize of leaving the opportunity-less cold concrete of their surroundings, Lilya's "American Dream" seems to be coming true. But, as we will cheerlessly come to see through her experiences in the film, Lilya's hopes of a better life in a new place never meet the expectations she is promised by the likes of her mother, her best friend and her new boyfriend. After her mother leaves for the States without her, and later renounces her rights as Lilya's guardian, Lilya is forced into moving into a smaller apartment with the belongings of its now deceased owner still garnishing the space. Left with only a malicious aunt to look in on her, Lilya stops attending school and fails to pay the bills. Moodysson perfectly employs occasional trips to the grocery store to show Lilya's deteriorating financial sit- uation. Soon her best friend has paint- ed Lilya as a whore and left her behind as well. Lilya finds her sole compan- ionship in her 14-year-old admirer Volodya (Artyom Bogucharsky), who has been kicked out of his home and spends most of his time imitating his hero Michael Jordan, shooting hoops with a soda can. Lilya and Volodya's sibling-like relationship simultaneously feels like a high and a low for both orphans. They huff glue together, console each other and constantly argue over every- thing from the makeup of heaven to whether Lilya should follow boyfriend Andrei (Pavel Ponomarov) to Sweden for a mysterious high-paying job. In a hopeless situation you still can't help but cheer for these familial outcasts, hoping that some miracle will finally shine down, lifting them from this constantly abusive life. "Lilya 4-ever" never comes out with an explicit political statement. Besides the abandoned government building that Volodya sometimes calls his home, there is almost no reference to the state overseeing the destitute chil- dren. As the film tackles abandonment, prostitution and finally the internation- al sex trade, all is seen through the innocent eyes of this lost soul with only angel-wannabe Volodya as sup- port. Asking where the institutional help is for girls like Lilya is a natural response but one that Moodysson cor- rectly leaves only in subtext. "Lilya 4-ever" is as bleak, depress- ing and ugly as film can get. But it is also absorbing, unique and powerful. And that makes for beautiful cinema. Please. call Metro Connection Airport Service AnnE.Huos A Finest t4exican Style 'Food! :) e a rc 3 Voted est: for UofM students, Ann Arbor Residents and Corporate Accounts M We provide luxury Lincoln Town Cars at taxi prices.s' The same rate applies for one to four people and- we do not charge a waiting fee at the airport. _ We welcome all accounts. Please call for reservations. (734) 347-4007 or 1-888-706-8080 761-6650 All Major Credit Cards Accepted:,Visa . MasterCard - AmericanExpress . . 4