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Blankness exceeds substance in Two Pages
Kansan music man says 4 hero's Two Pages album leaves a lot to be desired
By Matt Cox
1 Hero is the new leader in making any one with no talent believe he or she can get a major label record deal. Here is the concept of the record. Cut and paste the same drum track to all 19 songs. Lay down some sampled sound effects from a few video games. Add an upright bass line. Have some girl named Ursula Rucker or Carol Crosby speak or sing horrible triste lyrics with passion. You, too, can georen
record deal with Mercury Records if you follow that simple formula!
You've probably never heard of 4 Hero and there is a reason for that. I am sorry to report my previous paragraph is not an exaggeration, but rather a warning to never come in contact with this steaming pile of garbage.
It's hard to pick apart any certain song on this album since every one, except track 10, literally sounds alike. So I will critique one song and track 10. "Third stream" begins with one minute of a four chord loop with a brass section and an offbeat drum track. I find myself wondering when it's going to start. After one minute, the chords change and in comes a string arrangement seemingly created by a first year violin student. This loops for one and a half minutes.
Now, there is an eight-chord loop trying to be more intense, but instead it bores me for a further one and a half minutes. This whole process repeats for an eight-minute journey of sheer boredom.
There is a light at the end of this tunnel, however. The rap track 'The Action'
"The Action actually has a semi-interesting groove that serves as a change of pace, but it doesn't excuse the other 18 tracks for making me cry for the sake of modern music. I am wondering how "Action" got on the album. It sounds nothing like the other song(s), but it still is mediocre at best.
On this CD is a message that reads:"For promotional use only.Must be returned on demand of copyright owner."
Right now I am going to call the copyright owner and demand that he demand his CD back. I will gladly ship this away. You may find this album at fine record stores nowhere, unless it's in the "get this off our shelves" bin.
Film offers viewers little but sappy moments, animal jokes
By Brendan Walsh
Playing by Heart: C+
Writer and director Willard
OVERly sentimental love stories are easier to find than cigarette butts in front of Wescoe Hall, and "Playing by Heart" only barely distinguishes itself from the rest of the trash out there.
carroll's movie steer clear of the silliness that plagues most popular romance movies, but it is hurt by the endless attempts at sucking a tear or five out of the audience.
The movie's distinguished cast includes Gillian Anderson, Jon Stewart, Anthony Edwards. Sean Connery, Dennis Quaid and the surprisingly attractive daughter of Jo Vonight, Angelina Jolie.
Connery's sweet-old-man character is a welcome departure from his usual machismo roles, and he handles the character well. Ryan Phillippe, fresh from his starring role in last
fall's "54" couldn't
make his character any more cutesy.
Annet the red hair — plays one of the most neurotic female characters to ever set foot on the set of a romance.
Under Carroll's direction, the film does a fine job of negotiating the stories of four romantically involved couples, plus a mother and son duo. The stories of the lovebirds are somewhat engaging and
are somewhat engaging and
Angelina Jolie and Ryan Phillippe give some young blood to an established cast in Playing By Heart. Contributed photo
collectively work well together. The story of the mother who finds the occasion of her gay son's slow death from AIDS a good excuse to touch base, seems tagged onto the movie only for the half-dozen tear-jerking moments it creates. In and of itself it's not a bad plot, but bundled with the traditional love stories it seems extraneous.
While much of the suggested crying comes as a result of the dying man and his mother, a lot of the movie's humor comes from cheap animal jokes. True, large, well-endowed dogs are funny, and ugly, yet loveable cats always induce a chuckle, but the jokes are incredibly cheap. It's surprising that none of the animals were run over and killed, just to further inflame the tear ducts of the audience who most likely ran out of Kleenex a dozen scenes ago.
intely ran out. By far, the highlight of the movie is Jolie's character, Joan. Joan is a clever, witty, compelling young woman who, despite a love for vodka martins and clubbing, does nothing to forward the Generation X slacker stereotype. That character and the brightness that Jolie brings to her saves the movie from a quick release on video.
"Talking about love is like dancing about architecture," says the ever-so-insightful Joan. It's a great line, and a pity Carroll didn't need Joan's warning.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Matt Merkel-Hess
Friday, Jan 22 .
Friday, Jan. 22
KH Oversee "Volanthe"
KU Opera. "Ioanthe"
by Gilbert and Sullivan.
7:30p.m. Swarthout Recital
Hall, Murphy Hall.
$7 public, $5 students and
senior citizens.
The Thunderbird Theatre.
“Children of the Sun” by N.
Scott Momaday. 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center $10 adults.
$9 senior citizens.
$5 students and children.
Saturday, Jan. 23
January, jan. 23
Decade of Transformation:
American Art of the 1960s.
Jan. 23-March 14, 1999.
Spencer Museum of Art.
KU Opera. "Ioanthe"
by Gilbert and Sullivan.
7:30 p.m. Swarthout
Recital Hall, Murphy Halt.
$7 public, $$ students and
senior citizens.
Sunday, Jan. 24
Sunday, Jan. 24
KU Opera. "Iolanthe"
by Gilbert and Sullivan.
2:30 p.m. Swartooth Recital Hall
Murphy Hall. $7 public,
$5 students and senior citizens.
Triangulo. Paquito D'Rivera, clarinet; Gustavo Tavares, cello; Pablo Zinger, piano: 3:30 p.m. Lied Center, $25/$20 adults, $24/$19 senior citizens, $12.50/$10 students and children
Enchi(C)lada (its)Friday?
Two large potato enchiladas. Choose black beans, chicken, spinach, or turkey to fill them out.Served with rice, beans, chips and salsa.
all day at the Glass Onion $4.99
"NO COUPON SPECIALS" EVERYDAY
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2-PIZZAS 3-PIZZAS 10 PIZZAS 1-PIZZA
2-TOPPINGS 1-TOPPING 1-TOPPING 1-TOPPING
2-DRINKS 3-DRINKS 1-DRINK
$10.25 $13.25 $35.00 $4.00
842-1212
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