10 -- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May

27, 2003 ARTS
WHAT'S NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT


4

DOUBLE COCK PUNCH FOR 'MATRIX' CO-
DIRECTOR - According to CNN.com, a Los
Angeles Superior Court judge has frozen the
assets of Larry Wachowski, one half of the
brother duo behind the "Matrix" franchise, in
an effort to determine his net worth in the
midst of a bitter divorce battle with his
estranged wife, Thea Bloom.
Bloom claims that Wachowski has been
concealing funds that should have been
deposited in joint accounts as
per their separation agree-
ment.
If that's not bad enough,
"The Matrix Reloaded"
took a blow at the box
office in just its second
weekend, being out-earned
by "Bruce Almighty" by a
margin of over $30 million.
The total gross for
"Reloaded" currently stands at
just over $200 million. Do"
you really want to live in a
world in which a movie earn-
ing $200 million in two weeks is
considered a failure? I know I don't.

Wachowski and his brother Andy stand to
make 5 percent of the gross earnings of "The
Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolu-
tions," which is due out in November. In
addition, licensing deals for video games like
"Enter the Matrix" will likely earn the pair
additional millions.
But until the dispute is resolved and his
assets are unfrozen, Larry ain't gettin' shit.
BACK IN THE USSR, EXCEPT IT'S
HIS FIRST TIME, AND IT'S NO
LONGER THE USSR - Sir Paul
McCartney, formerly known as the
cute one in a certain Liverpool rock-
and-roll combo, finally got around to
making his live debut on Russian soil,
playing in Moscow's famous Red
Square last Saturday night before a
crowd of over 20,000 people. Tickets
were reported by CNN.com as going
for well over $300.
The pricey seats didn't keep away
former Soviet President Mikhail Gor-
bachev and current Russian President
Vladimir Putin from attending (the semi-
rotting corpse of Lenin was of course also

on hand for the festivities). Sir Paul gave pri-
vate audience to both leaders and also played
"She's Leaving Home" and "Two of Us," two
Beatle tracks never performed live by Mac
until his current tour.
Speaking from hell, Richard Nixon felt a
small twinge of satisfaction that his belief
that McCartney was really "nothing but a
goddamn Red" had finally been verified.
RUNNING AWAY FROM COPS WHILE HIGH
ON PCP NO LONGER A CRIME IN SOUTH
CAROLINA - MSNBC.com reported that
James Brown, also known as Soul Brother
Number One, the Hardest Working Man in
Show Business and Inmate #24601, was
recently pardoned of all crimes by a South
Carolina parole board.
The ordeal began in 1988, when Brown
invaded an insurance seminar in an Augusta,
Ga., office while high on PCP and toting a
shotgun. Supposedly, he was upset that semi-
nar goers were using his private restroom.
Brown proceeded to lead police on a chase
from Georgia to South Carolina and back
before police shot out his tires.
The Godfather of Soul served 15 months

of a six-year sentence in the early '90s after
being convicted of assault, drug possession,
resisting arrest and carrying a pistol.
The pardon frees Brown from all legal conse-
quences stemming from the conviction. After the
pardon was announced, Brown celebrated by
treating the
parole board
to an
undoubted-
ly soulful
version of
"God Bless
America." ":


STAIND
14 SHADES OF GREY
ELEKTRA RECORDS
This album's title refers to its 14
songs, but if I were Staind, I would've
called it One Fucking Depressing
Shade of Grey. As expected, every track
,contains singer Aaron Lewis' trademark
whining, and the booklet is full of pic-
tures of the band looking like someone
shit in their cereal. Maybe they're so
bummed because every song they've
written sounds the same, or maybe it's
just that their record fails to kick any
kind of ass. Indeed, even the heaviest
tracks are pussy songs. But it's the
music's catchiness that really makes it
insufferable: every song's chorus is

repeated so many times that I felt like I
was listening to (insert overplayed song
here) 14 times.
But with "Layne," an obvious refer-
ence to late Alice in Chains singer
Layne Staley, Staind reaches a new low.
Their revolting attempt at writing an
Alice in Chains song would make any
fan of that band want to vomit. Guys,
leave the tribute duties to someone who
actually knew the guy, or, at the very
least, someone who doesn't suck.
With 14 Shades of Grey, Staind
prove they're on the same level with
nu-metal brethren Korn, Limp Bizkit
and Linkin Park; all of whom rock as
well as they spell.
*

DANCER
Continued from Page 9
Rejas and his team work around
the clock to try and catch Ezekiel.
Put under intense pressure by the
government to find a menace with
virtually no identity, Rejas finds
comfort in the company of his young
daughter's dance instructor, Yolanda
(Laura Morante). At her studio, the
worried policeman also escapes the
dullness of his loveless marriage.
The tenderness of their purposefully
undeveloped relationship nicely con-
trasts the violence of the film.
As the violence builds, the city is
placed under martial law, and the
military is sent in to capture Ezekiel

by any means necessary. The night
sequences of the film are fantastic;
each night, the city is blacked out as
its curfewed people silently watch
the eerie fireworks shot into the air
in celebration of each new terrorist
victory. All the while, Rejas meticu-
lously prowls the streets in search of
clues. Inspired by his friendship
with Yolanda, he remains undaunted
by the challenge.
"The Dancer Upstairs" is an out-
standing piece of cinematography,
because it places its viewers at the
eye of the revolution it depicts.
Under Malkovich's unpretentious
direction, the film is highly realistic
in its allusion to the Shining Path
guerrillas. Ezekiel's character exact-

ly mirrors his real-life counterpart,
a onetime university professor and
admirer of classic moral philosophy.
His Maoist followers are also accu-
rately portrayed through their indis-
criminately violent acts and blind
fanaticism.
John Malkovich has proved him-
self as a director with his adaptation
of Nicholas Shakespeare's captivat-
ing tale. His laudable refusal to
Americanize the film with unnatural
dialects, product endorsements and
improbable plot twists results in an
unadulterated perspective upon
Latin culture and politics. Nearly all
of the cast members are native
Spanish speakers, and their accents
are perfectly preserved.
"The Dancer Upstairs" is an
impressive depiction of a little-
known historical conflict. Academy
Award nominee Bardem is flawless
in his role as an honest man on the
heels of unspeakable wickedness.
His onscreen chemistry with
Morante is also excellent, from their
first meeting right up to the film's
denouement. If Malkovich chooses
his projects as well in the future, his
directorial career promises to be a
fruitful one.
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