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Reviews: film, music
Kicking Television
Wilco
☆☆☆
- Joe Sibinski
As an avid Wilco fan, I am ashamed to say that I have never seen them live in concert, but now I know what it sounds like because of Kicking Television -
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their new live double-disc album. For instance, I had no idea that Wilco likes to say goodbye at its shows with the song "Comment (If All Men Are
If you are a Wilco fan, this album is a necessity to complete your collection. If you would like to be a Wilco fan, Kicking Television isn't a bad place to start since it has songs from like five different albums plus the title track is a previously unreleased track.
Truly Brothers)." You also get to hear some banter and comments from Jeff Tweedy between songs.The album features their best cuts from four nights of playing at the historic VicTheatre in Chicago.
The album mostly features songs from their last two albums: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born. The band also managed to include a few gems from Summerteeth and Being There, like "Misunderstood," "Via Chicago" and "Shot in the Arm." I was slightly disappointed to see that they didn't include "I Can't Stand It," of which a pretty wicked live version can be found on a performance done on The Late Show with David Letterman. Otherwise, I thought they managed to include pretty much everything I was hoping to hear. The live recordings bring out some different colors and nuances in the songs that may have been polished over on their studio versions.
MOVIES
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
PG-13, 150 minutes, Southwind Theatre
☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
As a confessed Harry Potter fanatic,
I looked upon the translation of my favorite Potter book into a movie with great anticipation. I knew this film would have to be different; J.K Rowling's story demands her characters finally grow up. The first two films were childish fluff. The third was an improvement, but director Alfonzo Curon threw too much away too carelessly. Now, there is finally a British director helming this unmistakably British tale
ment even though he is too young to
and the film is all the better for it.
Harry, now returns to Hogwarts amid ominous times. Lord Voldemort's supporters are gaining strength and he is inexplicably entered into a dangerous international wizarding tourna-
tough he is too young to compete. As if that wasn't enough, he is also faced with the daunting task of asking a girl out. During the tournament, Harry faces dragons, underwater creatures and a towering hedge maze where the hedges are alive. He also, ultimately, faces the death of one of his peers and the resurrection of his foe (played exquisitely by Ralph Fiennes). As the British would say, a brilliant year for Harry overall.
Among the new faces are Brendan Gleeson as the crazed Mad-Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, the tabloid reporter who falsifies stories about Harry. There are also
the students from the two other competing schools, the Bulgarian gentlemen of Durmstrang, led by Hermione's crush Viktor Krum and the French ladies of Beauxbatons, the frontrunner being Ron's crush, Fleur Delacour.
Despite the new faces, the film still suffers under its source material. The book is too vivid and layered to offer up a smooth translation into a two-and-a-half-hour movie. The best parts seemed rushed and I found myself pleading the filmmakers to slow things down. But for a two-and-a-half-hour movie the film never feels tired. It fits this now dark and foreboding magical world snugly in to its place serving up plenty of laughs in between all the death and cunning deeds. Yes, this is definitely the best of the films so far but I will not give up hope that film five will learn to take its time.
- Lindsey Ramsey
Walk the Line
PG-13, 140 minutes, Southwind Theatre
☆☆☆☆
A rhythmic and almost primal beat is heard in the opening shot of James Mangold's Walk the Line. This drumming comes from inside Folcom prison, where Cash sang one of his most successful live albums at the height of his career. It is an engaging first scene to an exhilarating film. Walk The Line,tells the life story of legendary singer/songwriter Johnny Cash from childhood to fame. We learn that Cash grew up poor in Arkansas, helped his family pick cotton and listened to the radio incessantly He also carried a heavy burden due to the loss of someone at an early age and an emotionally abusive and alcoholic father. Cash served in World War II and shortly after returning, married young and started a family. His rise to fame came slowly and left he and his family poor. After cutting a record, Cash joined
a tour featuring rock n' roll legends in the making, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. It is there that Cash meets the love of his life: June Carter, a singer/songwriter who began her career as a young girl.
The scenes that follow are of the hardships and euphoria Cash faced during his rise to legendary status. His addiction to pills and alcohol is heavily documented, as is his lengthy wooing of June Carter. Cash is shown as a drug-addicted father who never sees his family, but also a lovesick and brilliant musician, all at Cash's request to filmmakers. The only true downfall of the film is its length, as too much time is spent on Cash's drug abuse.The film's success lies in the love story of Cash and June as two lost souls who find themselves in one another and through
their music. Joaquin Phoenix is truly riveting as the legendary singer, in a layered and emotional part. Phoenix wonderfully captures Cash's charisma on stage. Reese Witherspoon gives the performance of her career as June Carter: a mature, wise and feisty mother of two (from a previous marriage), a loyal friend to Cash and a talented musician. She quietly loved Cash her entire life and was his best friend, guiding him through his turbulent career. Phoenix and Witherspoon both sing well and have a sizzling chemistry. In the end, Walk The Line is an enthralling, enjoyable and truthful love story with a damn good soundtrack.
- Sarah Tucker
12. 01.05 Jayplay
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