Monday, July 14, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com S11 ARTS IN BRIEF Film Don't 'Meet Dave' "Meet Dave " 20th Century Fox Someday, Eddie Murphy could be grand again. At the very least, he could always go back to subversive stand-up comedy and make peo- ple actually laugh. Mr. T and ice cream man jokes could suffice. He could stop pandering to 7-year- olds ("Norbit," "Haunted Man- sion") and star in another R-rated "Beverly Hills Cop" sequel, pro- viding he snags a decent direc- tor. Eddie might even someday get nominated for another Oscar ("Dreamgirls") and really deserve one last shot at greatness, because we've all seen Eddie in his prime. But alas, today is not that day. Today is yet another chapter in the sad decline of the once-gifted Murphy. Today, we "Meet Dave." Ugh. Not that anyone cares, but Murphy is an extraterrestrial traveling to Earth in a spaceship that just happens to be shaped like, urm, uh... Eddie Murphy. Rated PG for, among other things, bawdy and suggestive humor, "Dave" is yet another youth-seek- ing poop-joke-filled movie. It may seem clever to see the obscure humor of a spaceship disguised as a human who poops money or gets hit in the head with a baseball. But a lame joke is a lame joke, no matter how it's disguised. BLAKE GLOBLE Music Nas delivers powerful, mature messages Nas "Untitled" Def Jam Records on the cover of his latest LP, Nas stands with a giant "N" etched on his back from whip scars. The prodding of Uni- versal and many of: the major retailers may have forced him to change the original title of this album, but there's no doubt what that letter really stands for. With the much-maligned album released, months of hype and controversy are finally put into perspective. Ultimately, Nas's latest, self- titled release is the culmination of the skilled social commentary that has appeared - sporadically at first and more prominently as he got older - throughout the artist's career. Gone is the 20- year-old who sawthe world as his, and in his place stands a veteran emcee troubled by its many prob- lems. What's changed the most, though, is Nas's scope; he used to rap about the neighborhood, but now he raps about America. This vision is driven forward by the record's beats. Nervous and determined, frantic and angry, they provide a fitting backdrop to Nas's politically-charged lyr- ics without ever overshadowing them. Instead, the album's flaws are his usual ones: sequencing and the occasional lack of focus. When the album hits the mark, however, his passions and verbal dexterity merge to create one of the most concentrated records of his career; it's what not only makes this release so compelling but also confirms Nas's relevance well into his 30s. HARUN BULJINA Film 3-D 'Journey' stale but dazzling "Journey to the Center of the Earth" New Line Cinema "Journey to the Center of the Earth" features a stale, predict- able story built around annoying- ly cartoonish characters. Yet it's an absolute blast to watch and will engage audiences like only ahand- ful of films can. Why? Because it's screening in 3-D. It's a blatant gimmick, but there's no deny- ing it: 3-D is downright magic. Brendan Fraser ("The Mummy Returns") plays Trevor, a scien- tist whose brother, Max, disap- peared while tracking strange geological activity in Iceland. When Trevor finds his brother's old copy of the Jules Verne clas- sic that gives the film its name, he and his 13-year-old nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson, "Bridge to Terebithia"), head to Iceland. There they have the usual adventures: They meet a hot local mountain guide with a mysteri- ous past, explore caves with inad- equate equipment and ultimately discover a hidden path that takes them to the center of the Earth. In a typical film, when you throw in dinosaurs and carnivorous plants, it becomes just anoth- er overdone adventure movie - but a typical film isn't in 3-D. Those funky 3-D glasses (which theaters are passing out at a $2 premium) can really make a movie fun. There's a certain level of closeness and affability that emerges automatically from see- ing a more lifelike picture. The characters may be unoriginal, but "Journey to the Center of the Earth" becomes a more engaging experience because of its effects As "Journey to the Center of the Earth" demonstrates, 3-D is clearly enough to make a ter- rible film OK. I just wonder if it can also make a good film great. IMRAN SYED HELLBOY From Page 9 literary world, can be dramatical- ly rich and ambitiously structured - Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" is a perfect example. But "Hellboy II," like its predecessor, seems satisfied in letting its visu- als take over. The dramatic arc of the film ("Liz is pregnant! Will Hellboy approve?") was already tired when "Shrek 3" did the same thing a year ago. A subplot in which- Abe falls in love with the fugitive princess is a tad more interesting, but doesn't quite milk the potential for all it's worth. And note how an early conflict involv- ing the relationship between Hell- boy and his boss, played by Jeffrey Tambor (TV's "Arrested Develop- ment"), is completely discarded by the film's end. I don't want to suck the fun out of this undeniably boister- ous, rewarding film. "Hellboy II" is absolutely worth seeing and surely deserving of any praise it receives. But it's a shame del Toro couldn't bring the same jubilant mix of emotion and whimsy he did to his Spanish-language films. "Hellboy II" is the work of a tal- ented, thoughtfulfilmmaker going through the motions - which is not as much of an insult as it sounds, frankly. It's just a shame that, ultimately, that's all there really is to say about it. WANT TO READ MORE DAILY ARTS? Go to www. michigandaily.com Winner will receive two free burritos from Rio Wraps. Try to find the fake advertisement in this week's paper and throughout the month. If you think you've found it, e-mail your name, the page number of the ad and the ad caption to dailydisplay@gmail.com (subject: fake ad contest). One winner will be chosen at the end of each month and will be contacted by e-mail.