www.michigandaily.com R T S
MONDAY
AUGUST 4, 2003
MAKING A SCENE
TORONTO'S BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE VISIT ANN ARBOR
Courtesy of Universal Studios
Just because he's married doesn't mean he can't still fuck pies.
Wedding' a fitting end to series
By Zach Mabee
Daily Arts Writer
'MOVIE REVI EW * *
You're about as likely to find Sti-
fler (Seann William Scott) compet-
ing in a dance contest at a gay bar as
you are to locate any substantial
theme or moral amidst the raucous,
salacious humor of the "American
Pie" series. Well - surprise, sur-
prise - you'll find both in the
saga's finale, "American Wedding."
Perhaps to say that "American
Wedding" contains veritable moral
truths is an overstatement; nonethe-
less, it approaches the topic of love
in a generally
more tasteful
manner than its American
predecessors. Wedding
Now this may AtMadstone,
simply be a nec- Showcase and
essary phenome- Quality 16
non as all the Universal
characters are
several years older, more mature and
with college under their belts -
excluding Stifler - but the cast
comes across as more endearing in
this film than in the first two.
Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle
(Alyson Hannigan) - the self-pro-
claimed pervert and nymphomaniac,
respectively, and groom and bride to-
be - are much more palatable as an
engaged couple than they were in
their high school days of masturba-
tion-crazed angst and band-geekiness.
Also, the relationship between them
and their parents pulls viewers more
closely to the family than in the past.
This adds levity to the humor that
seems to be perpetually damned to
the gutter. Eugene Levy's character
(Jim's dad) pours forth more saga-
cious fatherly advice than in the pre-
vious two films, and Fred Willard's
wit is usefully employed through
Michelle's father in scenes like the
wedding dinner whereupon he mis-
pronounces a Hebrew blessing for
their family.
In addition to those individual
performances, many scenes evoke
laughter without relying on the base
physical humor that typifies the
series. Seeing Jim and Stifler dance
and Stifler respecting propriety to
win over Cadence's (Michelle's
younger sister) heart provide just as
much - if not more - humor than
the traditional gags.
In light of the more maturely writ-
ten and acted parts with which it's
juxtaposed, much of the lowbrow
humor seems foolish and forced. The
pubic hair dusting of the kitchen,
amongst other scenes, could have
been easily omitted without risking
any serious damage to the movie.
This is not to ward off fans of the
"American Pie" tradition, though.
For if hearing Stifler's aural
onslaught or watching people drink
sperm-laced beer or eat turds mas-
querading as chocolate tortes tickles
your fancy, then you'll certainly get
your money's worth. However, if you
really do yearn for something more
and see potential for it in this con-
cluding effort, you may just leave
wondering what could have been.
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By Andrew Gaerig
Daily Arts Writer
Having garnered plenty of press -
and a Juno Award - for their sublime
sophomore effort, You Forgot It in
People, ten-person Toronto collective
Broken Social Scene are taking their
crowded, manic live act on the road.
Not all the kinks have been worked
out, however. Battles at the border,
fatigue and other complications have
made for an interesting summer.
"Half the time we're just happy to
be together. Another quarter of the
time we're just getting through it, and
the other quarter we're battling chords
and wires and batteries and extension
plugs and people turning shit off,
small stages and opening bands that
are bigger than us," explains founding
member Kevin Drew.
Drew and co-founder Brendan Can-
ning released Feel Good Lost in 2001
to little fanfare, but they decided to
take a different approach for their next
record, gleaning members from Toron-
to's vibrant underground music scene.
"We knew we needed a band. We did-
n't want to tell people who we'd
played with over the years. We thought
we'd sit around and jam."
Seven months of collaboration left
the band feeling optimistic, if not a lit-
tle claustrophobic. "It was a small stu-
dio, so having ten people at once was
truly a test of one's patience, but we
made it work. It just took time and
patience and lots of exhilarating
moments of fear and love"
That fear and love is evident on You
Forgot It in People. It is a pop record
of truly disparate source, united by
creativity and ambition. Melodic punk
raves segue into down-tempo soul,
orchestral pop music and moody
instrumental passages.
Though collectives often seem to
ultimately fall into the hands of one or
two truly creative individuals, Broken
Social Scene remain remarkably com-
My hat could beat up your hat.
munal: the revolving cast of singers
speaks volumes about the group's tal-
ent, and the instrumentation remains
as varied as the writing styles.
Onstage, however, the band is a dif-
ferent beast entirely. Marching no less
than seven musicians onstage, the
band is a pulsing, sweating orchestra
of strings and chords. They play musi-
cal chairs with junk-shop duct-tape
guitars, barely avoiding the rhythmic
thrust of each other's instruments.
For their Ann Arbor stop at the
Blind Pig, the band brought along
vocalist Amy Millan of Montreal's
Stars to further drowd an already
teeming mass. The band hit the stage
around midnight and launched into
their album, instilling high-energy
cuts like "Almost Crimes" with an
intensity that cannot be put to tape.
"Shampoo Suicide," a languid, tuneful
instrumental, was transformed into an
orgy of voices and feedback. The band
swayed and hovered around the micro-
phones, often clamoring together and
turning routine vocal takes into a
euphoric rapture.
Though the middle of the set
lacked energy - both from the band
and the audience - the band kicked
into high gear again, bleeding new
life from the theatric pulseof "Lover's
Spit," and closing with the guitar flare
of"KC Accidental."
The high-energy shows do take their
toll, however. "It's hard sometimes,"
Drew admitted. "You have to be on all
the time. Especially when you're sit-
ting in a band with eight people you
love. You can't be off. You can't stop at
a moment and give someone extra neg-
ative energy that they don't deserve
just because you're tired and you don't
have any space to lie down."
Despite the stress, Drew knows
where the band's salvation comes
from. "You just want to be able to
play - to have an audience. They
help you get through it. And the audi-
ence did. There were people singing
along; It was great." The transfixed
eyes and sore throats of the Pig
seemed to agree wholeheartedly.
SEARISN~I PG-13 1:00 345:009:5
* AMERICAN WEDDING (R).......... 1:15, 3:20, 5:25, 1:30, 9:35 U
!EA BISCUIT nm e
20 DAYS LATER (RI)......................... .. ..1:10, 3:30, 1:10, 9:30 h II
(AKU0RING THE FRIEDMANS (NR)..,. 1:15, 3:40, 1:15, 9:40 AUJWEMsA r
RIVERS AND TIDES(NR) ......1:20, 3:20,5:20,1:20,9:20
JOHNNY ENGI SH(PJ).............................................. :00,9:00
RAISING VICTOR VARGAS(R)...................... 3:00, 5:00, 1:00
MORVERN(ALLAR (NR)...............1:25, 3:25, 5:25, 1:25, 9:25 Ph"og"phd"a" ire"e
(734) 994 1000 www.madstonetheaters.com dmmbax : &azl1wwA.6a 2e 6pm, 04 $5