10 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 16, 2005 Prefuse performs glitch-hop at the Pig By Cyril Cordor Daily Arts Writer Prefuse 73 performed a fusion of rock, electronica and hip hop last Tuesday at The Blind Pig. He is on tour with an eccentric, under- ground MC named Beans andthemath- Prefuse 73 rock band Battles. with Beans Along with his per- and Battles sonal band, Prefuse Tuesday, May 10 73 - though not AtThe Blind Pig an MC or a vocal- ist - passionately played his brilliant "glitch-hop" composi- tions and left the crowd craving more of his avant-garde sounds. As the crowd stood waiting in the dimly lit main room of The Pig, an odd- looking man with a long beard walked up to the stage and began rhyming a cappella into the microphone. The man, who turned out to be Beans, impressed the crowd with his verbal gymnastics and animated persona as he performed tracks by his now-disbanded crew, Anti- Pop Consortium, and his solo endeavors. At times, the crowd responded well to Beans, but his peculiar brand of B-boy- ing - which is similar to breakdancing - were met with awkward silences, Li shines in action- packed 'Unleashed' Drummer Marcus Evans performs onstage at The Blind Pit simply because the audience did not know how to respond. With no vocalist or MC, Battles also had difficulties captivating The Pig's audience, but they were ultimately no letdown to the crowd. Without being introduced, the band took the stage and started to jam. Since they didn't stop between songs, it seemed as if they played one long, intricate piece made up of different movements. Their hard and heavy drums backed complex tones of edgy guitars and high-pitched digital sound effects. Battles's unique sound engulfed The Pig with dissonant melodies that grabbed the ears of the audience. The techno rhythms moved people to dance, and the beatboxing caused heads to nod. Finally, featured act Prefuse 73 and his tour band arrived to the stage. Pre- fuse 73's band slowly started to play, introducing one instrument at a time. The crowd gathered closer to the stage; some began hollering when they recog- nized the song about to be played. The music composed of synth horns and mechanical glitch sounds served as Prefuse 73's signature. At many points throughout the show, drummer Mar- cus Evans unexpectedly took the spot- light away from the other musicians with his energy, sweat and raw talent. On pieces like "I've Said All I Need to Say About Them," Prefuse 73 jumped on a second set of drums to accom- pany Evans and further recreate the kicking drums from his most recent, highly-acclaimed album, Surrounded By Silence. The heavy applause when he concluded their set prompted Evans and Prefuse 73 to hold a short improvi- sational session to close the show. Because the performers did not communicate enough verbally with the audience, the three acts seemed a little disconnected from one another, despite the fact that their musical styles are very similar. Nev- ertheless, seeing Prefuse 73 work his magic with a live band was a rivet- ing, unique experience. By Imran Syed For the Daily Action fans looking for a butt-kicking Jet Li flick will be pleased with the fight sequences offered in his latest movie, "Unleashed." How- ever, even in its earli- Unleashed est moments, the film breaks themoldestab- At Showcase lishedby predecessors and Quality 16 such as "Cradle 2 The Rogue Grave" and "Romeo Must Die." Sure, there's no DMX - but more importantly, "Unleashed" stands out because of its focus on character develop- ment rather than fight sequences. LiplaysDanny,ayoungmankidnapped at an early age by crime boss Bart (Bob Hoskins, "Maid in Manhattan"), who trains the boy to be his enforcer. Danny knows nothing except violence, having never had the chance to meet anyone out- side of Bart's crime crew. Bart controls Danny via a collar he must wear - but this changes when Bart is in a car crash and presumed dead. As an escaped Danny walks the streets, he befriends a blind pia- nist (Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby") who takes him in and teaches him the ways of the world outside crime. Though audiences outside of China do not know Li for his acting, and he doesn't tend to have much dialogue in his Eng- lish-language films, he plays a battered, troubled soul in this movie brilliantly. Even at the side of Freeman, one of Holly- wood's finest actors, he displays style and flare while convincingly portraying his anti-social character. Li's slight twitches and grimaces are depicted with expertise. Had a similar performance been turned in by a Hollywood regular, some Oscar buzz may have gotten started. Freeman reprises his familiar, wise- old-man role commendably. Even though some of his lines are repetitive and overly sentimental, he once again turns in a worthy performance by mak- ing his character stand out as a voice of rationality in a film full of images of an unimaginably brutal alternate reality. 4 The action sequences, while plenti- ful and well made, are nothing special; indeed, they're similar to those in Li's other movies. There are no gravity-defy- ing moves as in "Crouching Tiger, Hid- den Dragon" or humorous antics as in the recent import "Kung Fu Hustle." What "Unleashed" does would have been cut ting edge 10 years ago, but now it seems tired and mundane. Still, the fighting and a hip soundtrack keep the film afloat. Unfortunately, certain plot details remain unclear throughout the film. The workings of the controlling collar are never fully explained, and the ease with which Danny adjusts to his new life out of bondage is rushed and unbelievable. Moreover, Bart's miraculous survival of one car crash after another and the absurd method of his character's eventual demise only add to the film's narrative lapses. "Unleashed" accomplishes the difficult task of mixing strong emotional sentiment with all-out action. Viewers wholove fight scenes won't be disappointed, while those who are bored by them may find them- selves checking their watches. Even so, the film's combination of action and skill4 fulcharacterizationultimately makes fora highly enjoyable and entertaining movie.