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REVIEW
MOVIE REVIEW // DRIVE ANGRY 3-D
> Hollywood hits, indie flicks and everything in between.
Nicolas Cage's cash-strapped descent into schlock cinema comes full circle with Drive Angry 3D, a film that at first blush seems indistinguishable from his recent parade of colorful misfires (Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ghost Rider, etc.). But audiences willing to set aside their preconceptions will find much to enjoy in this gloriously trashy supernatural road movie, whose grindhouse sensibilities are further enhanced by a keen sense of self-awareness and geysers of Looney Tune violence. This is true berserker cinema, joining the ranks of recent gonzo efforts Crank: High Voltage and The Good, the Bad and the Weird (both admittedly superior works).
The razor-thin plot involves the devilishly monikered John Milton (Cage), who breaks out of Hell in a tricked-out muscle car to save his infant granddaughter from the murderous clutches of a satanic cult back on earth. Hot on his heels is the well-dressed Accountant (William Fichtner), who seems to function as both the Grim Reaper and the underworld's flashiest lobbyist.
After a few mid-coitus shoot-outs and car chases, Milton hooks up with the foul-mouthed Southern belle Piper (Amber Heard) and exchanges gunfire and badass one-liners with cult leader Jonah (Billy Burke), the Manson-esque eunuch who killed his daughter and in a grisly touch, keeps her scavenged femur bone as his walking stick.
Aside from the flesh and copious vehicular carnage on display, Drive Angry features two indelible highlights. The first is the welcome presence of William Fichtner, who imbues his Accountant with a bemused deadpan charm that makes his every utterance an instantly quotable gem. The second is director Patrick Lussier's utilization of his 3D effects, which come across as crisp, clear and purposeful rather than lazily obligatory. And Cage himself? Well, he always seems like he's having fun. And for once his audience can say the same.
// LANDON MCDONALD
MUSIC REVIEW // SHILPA RAY & HER HAPPY HOOK-ERS - 'TEENAGE & TORTURE' | 2011 (KNITTING FACTORY RECORDS)
> K.JHK's weekly guide to sonic consumption.
★★★☆
Shilpa Ray is a girl-fronted punk group that differentiates itself from the pack with a distinct influence of blues, introspective story telling and a grungy jazz base. Teenage And Torture is this band's second album after releasing A Fish Hook, An Open Eye in 2009 and touring with bands such as Nick Cave's Grinderman, the iconic Acid Mother's Temple and visits to SXSW.
and visits to noticeable aspect of Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers sound is their driving punk rhythms covered up by Shilpa Ray's crooning, desperate and growling voice. Her voice alone could move mountains but gets amplified by 10 with the enjoyable beat from her happy hookers.
Possibly the only standard punk procedure that Shira Ray follows is her choice of song topics. Lots of these songs deal with very dark and vulgar, and often sexual, topics. One song in particular, "Genie's Drugs," is about a boyfriend who left her for a girl named Genie
because she always had better drugs, and how Shilpa Ray needed more money so she could keep him. However, these unfortunate situations turned into solid punk energy for the rest of us to enjoy.
Some songs not to be missed on this album are the poppy, hard-hitting track "Erotolepsy," the opener and fuzzed-out track "Hookers" and the single off the album, "Venus Shaver."
★★★☆ // ZACK MARSH
Junior catcher Chris Manship celebrates after making a home run against North Dakota at Hoglund Ballpark. Manship was at bat 3 times on Wednesday, scoring 1 of 5 points for Kansas 5-3 victory against North Dakota.
Kansas gets by North Dakota in sloppy game
BY MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
The Kansas baseball team came into Wednesday's game against North Dakota hoping to get the bats on track over a wireless North Dakota team. Instead, they ended up winning in a 5-3 dogfight victory to get back to 500 at 6-6 on the season.
The Jayhawks recorded a season-high 10 hits in Wednesday's victory over the Fighting Sioux. With the way the bats have been struggling, recording 10 hits sounds like it would make the Jayhawks and coach Ritch Price pleased with their performance at the plate.
Instead, Price and the Jayhawks seemed to think that they took a step backwards at the plate in the Jayhawks sixth victory of the season.
season.
"Today I didn't think the quality of our bats were very good at all." Price said.
upset after the game. The Jayhawks only managed to scrap together three earned runs against a North Dakota team that has struggled mightily on the mound this season. The Fighting Sioux came into Wednesday's game with an abysmal team of ERA of 11.65. In North Dakota's three game series with Missouri State, they allowed 9, 12, and 13 runs in those games.
The reason Coach Price was so upset after the game?
For the Jayhawks to only put a total of five runs on the board, is a major let-down for a team that was hoping to get into a rhythm in this week's games.
"I was really disappointed, to be honest with you", Price said. "We had some really bad at-bats."
still in a team-wide slump, the problems become mental. Price said the team appears to be trying to force the issue, and the result Wednesday was an unusual amount of pop-ups from the lavwhaws.
Now that the Jayhawks are 12 games into their season and are
"There were three consecutive innings where we had six consecutive pop-ups for outs." Price said. "It's guys trying too hard."
said. It might be one of the few bright spots for Kansas at the plate Wednesday was sophomore catcher Alex DeLeon's performance. DeLeon hit a line drive solo homerun
to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he knocked two batters in off two separate sacrifice flies. DeLeon finished one-for-two with three RBIs and a run. DeLeon credits his improving play to better patience at the plate.
plate.
"I'm feeling pretty good," DeLeon said. "I've been swinging at better pitches, making sure I get a ball elevated in the zone, and just putting a good swing on it."
Sophomore starting pitcher Thomas Taylor, who had a
strong performance going 5.2 innings and only giving up one run, seemed much less concerned about the team's batting struggles.
"They're already doing a lot better from the beginning of the year." Taylor said. "They'll be fine."
Another good sign for the Jayhawks today was senior outfielder, Jimmy Waters, getting back on track with two hits today, including a screaming line drive down the right field line that resulted in a double.
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
For the Jayhawks to get on track, Waters and the other seniors in the middle of the order have to heat up.
"It's got to start with Waters getting it going, and [Casey] Lythe has got to get it going, and [Brandon] Macias has got to get it going," Price said. "For somebody to take the pressure off of the lineup, it's got to be those guys that have been successful in the past."
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little option but to keep him there.
This is obviously and unquestionably ludicrous. Bill Self is a remarkable basketball coach, and his string of seven consecutive titles in one of the most difficult basketball leagues in the country is all the evidence you should need.
hite option but to be
But there are two problems. First,
there may come a game when the
Jayhawks' offense isn't running
smooth and Selby is the Jayhawks'
best option in a broken floor. Watch
him play, and you will see the incredible
talent buried just beneath the surface. Self acknowledges this.
But still, the perception stands, and it can and will be used against him when the Jayhawks get into a recruiting war with any team for any top recruit. Kids in the top 30, roughly, of every recruiting class generally think they are the world's greatest basketball talent. An opposing coach could have an easy go of convincing them that. In Self's system, they will face the same fate as Selby.
But Selby has likely never seen the bench for as long as he has this season. He's been the most talented player in almost every gym he walks into. He's never been a sidekick, like he will be to Marcus Morris, even in his finest moments this year.
"He could still be a guy for us this year that comes out and gets 15 or 18 points when we are really struggling," Self said. "He is potentially still that guy. He just needs to have a bit more confidence moving forward."
The second problem, any coach recruiting against the Jayhawks will happily spout, is that there is now a stigma that Self cannot coach a one-and-done player.
But here's the thing about Kansas. This year's team — its most balanced an overall-talented since the title-winning team of 2008 — is built out of three- and four-year players. Marc Morris was ranked No. 29 in his class and Markieff was No. 49. Elijah Johnson is the only five-star recruit that starts, and it's a guarantee that he will be back in Lawrence next season.
So does Kansas even need the top recruits?
Edited by Jacque Weber
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