Ghost World (DVD)
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Written by: Daniel Clowes (comic book), Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro

Terry Zwigoff loves things in life that are strange, underappreciated and misunderstood. All of his films thus far have been a celebration of the bizarre and the obscure. There is his first film, Louie Bluie, a documentary about a little-known blues musician named Howard Armstrong, whom he spent years trying to track down after hearing him play on an old 1930’s record that was among Zwigoff’s vast record collection. There is his critically acclaimed second film, Crumb, also a documentary, this time a character study of the demented yet extremely influential underground comic book artist Robert Crumb.

For his third film, Zwigoff has given us Ghost World. It is his first fictional feature, and yet it is still a very personal one. Ghost World is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Daniel Clowes, with whom Zwigoff collaborated in order to create the film’s screenplay.

Ghost World (not to be confused with Ghost Dad starring Bill Cosby) is an extraordinary film about an 18 year old girl named Enid (Thora Birch) who has just graduated from high school along with her best friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). They both have a great amount of contempt for their classmates, and very little optimism regarding their futures. The title of the film is a little misleading, in that the film really has nothing to do with ghosts, at least not in the literal sense. So if you’re hoping for The Sixth Sense or Poltergeist, you should probably look elsewhere.

As the story unravels we meet a wonderful assortment of quirky characters. There is Doug, the crazy metalhead dude who antagonizes the local variety story owner, there is Al, the depressed waiter at the local 60’s “retro” diner, and there is Roberta, Enid’s summer school art teacher who is all too concerned with the deeper meaning behind art as opposed to simply the surface appearance. And then there is Seymour (played to perfection by Steve Buscemi), the nerdy, middle-aged record collector whom Enid and Rebecca accidentally meet by responding to a personal ad as a joke. As time goes on, Enid starts to admire Seymour and they begin an unorthodox relationship, brought together by their shared experiences as societal outsiders. Rebecca, on the other hand, is more concerned with getting a job and moving on in her life, which creates tension between her and Enid.

Ghost World is quite literally a “teen comedy”, but a label like that would likely give the wrong impression as this movie is the exact opposite of something like, say.. American Pie. It has a dark, biting sense of humour more along the lines of Welcome To The Dollhouse (which is just fine with me). Despite many of the wacky characters in this film, it’s interesting to note that it actually feels a lot more familiar and more real than the other standard teenager coming-of-age stories, and I think that’s why this movie is so damn loveable.

The film looks quite pleasing, aesthetically speaking. All the shots would seem to be carefully constructed, with sets and costumes that are colourful and cartoony, feeling as though they are straight out of a comic book. Which of course, they are, except that Clowes’ comic was done in black and white. The original music used in the movie is also really cool. It sounds goofy and light-hearted yet it has an emotional impact to it because it is used sparingly.

This DVD does not have much in the way of special features. There are a few deleted scenes, but they are basically extended takes of scenes that are already in the film. I read somewhere that a lot of the deleted scenes were not approved for inclusion by Thora Birch. There is also a behind-the-scenes featurette, which is interesting because it shows panels from the original comic book, but other than that contains little substance. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a special edition DVD released one of these days, but that is certainly no reason to miss out on this great film in the meantime. — Sean

Choke - There’s A Story To This Moral
(Smallman)

If you’ve seen Edmonton’s Choke perform live, then you should know what to expect from this album. Crazy guitar riffs, melodic singing, and intense drumming, all delivered at extremely high speeds. They may not be as aggressive or as technically insane as, say, Dillinger Escape Plan, but these guys are certainly in a league of their own.

“There’s A Story To This Moral” picks up where their last album “Foreword” left off, and apparently they have no intentions of mellowing out, as they push the energy level even further than before. There aren’t any moments of quiet introspection on this album, and no acoustic songs either. Perhaps they were paranoid about getting the ol’ emo label pinned on them, but whatever the reason, they’ve come back at us, full force.

The lead singer of Choke has a high-pitched nasally voice that has been known to turn some people off, but on this album, other band members make significant vocal contributions as well, which makes for a much more tolerable and harder-edged sound. Songs like “So Far From True”, “Signing Off”, and “Forget To Learn” are among the best songs I’ve heard from these guys, as they take turns singing/screaming with a sense of urgency that not many bands can match. As I listen, I can envision these songs being performed live with a frenzied crowd finger pointing and yelling along to the lyrics.

Choke have been playing together for quite a while now, and it shows in their precision and timing. The music hurtles ahead at breakneck speeds, then without warning stops on a dime before blasting off in a completely different direction.

One complaint about the album is that the production sounds a little thin, particularly with respect to the drumming. An album like this should utterly explode from your speakers, but this one sounds a bit too clean and crisp for my liking.

Although some songs stand out more than others (and specific parts of some songs stand out more than others) this is a pretty solid album from a band who continue to set themselves apart from their mediocre punk and hardcore peers. If you need a good shot of adrenaline in your life, this album should have no trouble getting you worked up into a tizzy. Whatever that means. — Sean

Get Up Kids - On A Wire
(Vagrant)

Apparently endless touring and skyrocketing popularity take their toll on a band, and just generally wear them down to a fraction of what they once were. I can’t think of many bands that have actually stood up beneath all the pressure and managed to write a second great album to follow up the one that brought them tons of attention and critical acclaim. I’m sure part of the problem is the fact that the band is afraid to repeat themselves, and also that they are burnt out from constantly playing the same material over and over again. And then there’s probably the desire to turn your back on the crowd and do something completely different just to spite them… which can also be good, every now and then.

So now you tell me, what is the deal with this new Get Up Kids album? Are they purposely trying to alienate their fans? Are they just exhausted from touring and playing the same old stuff all the time? Or did they just knock off these songs in the span of a week because it was time for a new album? Well one thing I certainly won’t criticize them for is an attempt at furthering their mainstream success — if I heard most of these songs on the radio I’d be asleep in a matter of seconds.

That being said, it would be really easy to just rip this album apart and complain about the Get Up Kids’ tendency to write terribly sappy love songs that all sound the same. But wait a minute… I actually like the Get Up Kids. Or at least I thought I did. The way I remember it though, The Get Up Kids used to sound like they were having fun when they played music. Not anymore, my friends.

On A Wire is basically a mellow, boring album, I don’t know how else to say it. Many would compare it to The New Amsterdams, Robert Pope and Matt Pryor’s admittedly more subdued, acoustic project (particularly the acoustic songs at the beginning and end of this album), but even The New Amsterdams have a catchy song here and there. This new album from The Get Up Kids does not. After a couple of listens, not one single song has managed to leave any residual effects in my mind. No sing along choruses, no stand out guitar or keyboard riffs… nothing.

Oh sure, there are a couple of tracks on here that would probably have been acceptable if they had been mixed in with a more standard batch of Get Up Kids songs. The (semi-)title track “Walking On A Wire” is definitely laidback, but it manages to create an interesting air of wistfulness with some minimalistic guitar work. Also the song “All That I Know”, which has a faint Beatles echo to it and features vocals by second guitarist Jim Suptic, gave me cause to momentarily stop and take note, as did the farfisa organ-driven “The Worst Idea”. And I will admit that “Stay Gone” isn’t horrible either, but that’s being really generous, and we all know it’s usually not a good sign when the most radio-friendly song is one of the stand out tracks on an album. (Strangely enough, “Stay Gone” is not the album’s first single.) But let’s be honest, all of these songs should be barely good enough to serve as filler on a Get Up Kids album, much less carry the whole thing.

So in conclusion… yes, it’s a disappointment, but no, this album hasn’t turned me off from The Get Up Kids completely. I get the feeling that it might just be a phase they’re going through right now. Matt Pryor just had a baby, and parenthood has a tendency to turn everyone sappy for at least a little while. We’ll see. Still, the point is, this record isn’t going to be getting airplay in my house anytime soon. What can I say? It just ain’t “something to write home about”. — Sean

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones
Directed by: George Lucas
Written by: George Lucas and Jonathan Hales
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee

I don’t know about you, but my expectations for Star Wars Episode 2 were not all that high. By now, just about everyone and their mothers had complained about the disappointment that Episode 1 brought, and it’s true, the movie did have a lot of problems with it. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that George Lucas cannot possibly reproduce the feel of the original 3 Star Wars films, for reasons that are too numerous to mention here. We can’t be comparing these new movies to the originals because they’re not even in the same league.

Still, that doesn’t mean these films are critic-proof either. People still want to go in to theatres and be entertained. Does Attack Of The Clones deliver? Yes indeed. Attack of the Clones is easily a more enjoyable movie than Episode 1, but mainly because Anakin is no longer a kid, and events do not seem to happen through unlikely coincidences. (The fact that Jar Jar makes only a few brief appearances may also have something to do with it.)

As we all know, this movie marks the beginning of Anakin’s progression towards the dark side, and his eventual metamorphosis into Darth Vader. This makes the film much darker, and more serious in tone than Episode 1 was. Episode 2 opens with Senator Amidala coming to Coruscant for an important political meeting, when there is an attempt on her life. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker are assigned to protect Amidala, and eventually the story splits off into two directions. Anakin goes back to Naboo with Senator Amidala where he acts as her personal Jedi bodyguard, while Obi-Wan does some detective work to reveal a traitor within the Jedi order. Along the way, Anakin macks on Amidala and professes his love for her, while Obi-Wan discovers a Clone army and faces off against a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. The events that transpire all lead up to the beginning of the famous Clone War, and set the scene for Senator Palpatine to seize control of the Senate and start his reign of terror as none other than Emperor Palpatine.

One thing is clear to me after seeing this movie. George Lucas may be a talented man, with a great imagination, but when he tries to maintain control of everything in a film all by himself, he sacrifices some of the quality of what is produced. There are much better writers and much better directors out there. He really should be combining his talents with others in order to create the best movie he possibly can. (He did get help with the screenplay from Jonathan Hales, but that didn’t seem to improve anything.) As a result, Lucas takes full blame for most of the questionable aspects in Episode 2.

First of all, the dialogue was pretty cheesy, there is no doubting that. The love story between Anakin and Padme just seemed ludicrous, especially when they began confessing that they had been in love “from the moment they met”. When they first met, Anakin was a stupid little kid, there is no possible way Queen Amidala would have fallen in love with him back then. That’s just sick. Still, with some of the outfits Natalie Portman was wearing, I was willing to believe just about anything she said.

Another extremely annoying thing is that Lucas feels the need to bring every single old character into these films. In Episode 1, he claimed that Anakin actually built C-3P0 himself, just so the smart ass droid could make an appearance. This time around, they encounter 3P0 at Uncle Owen’s moisture farm, and from that point on he tags along with them for no apparent reason. No explanation is even given, which is just lazy storytelling. C-3P0 also manages to deliver some of the corniest lines in the entire movie, and I almost wish he hadn’t come along for the ride.

Lucas is also not one for subtlety. They really overdid the portrayal of Anakin’s recklessness and his potential descent to the dark side. It was almost laughable how he would fly off the handle and argue with Obi-Wan every single time he was on screen, and John Williams’ variations on the Imperial March theme really hammered the point home. Also, is it just me, or did Anakin suddenly turn into James Bond? Some of the stunts he pulled off in this movie were just a little too much. To his credit, however, Hayden Christiansen did a pretty good job of maintaining some credibility despite the ridiculous situations he was given to work with.

The other problem with George Lucas is that he thinks computer graphics can handle all of the special effects in his movies now, but they just aren’t at that level of perfection yet. Don’t get me wrong, they did some amazing things with computer effects in Attack Of The Clones, but there are still scenes where creatures look fake, and humans do not interact with them appropriately on screen. There were shots were you could tell that 100% of what you saw on screen was generated with a computer… it felt like watching Final Fantasy or something. Granted, they could never hope to create the bustling metropolis of Coruscant or the gigantic Clone army without computers, but I guess I just have issues with using computer graphics for central characters in movies. (On the other hand, I will admit that Yoda looked pretty real in this movie, except when they showed close-ups of his face.)

Another unfortunate thing is that this film didn’t feel complete. Obviously this is a problem inherent to middle movies in trilogies, but the ending did not seem satisfactory and it just didn’t feel like the movie accomplished anything other than to prepare audiences for Episode 3. I could almost feel Lucas checking off the various plot points that he had to hit on as the movie progressed. The movie just didn’t flow like it should have. For instance, the first half of the movie there is a real sense of mystery, as Obi-Wan investigates an attempt on Senator Amidala’s life. Unfortunately, with the confusing and rushed way that the story is told, we never get a chance to guess for ourselves what is going on, and we never really get a sense of suspense from it.

Even despite these complaints, I found myself completely sucked into the film during the last 40 minutes or so. I was impressed with how much they were able to reproduce the feel of some of the original films near the end with the gladiatorial execution scene, and it was a lot of fun seeing Yoda in action. I enjoyed the battle scenes at the end so much, in fact, that I stopped caring about the lame story and wooden dialogue. It was at this point that the movie stopped taking itself so seriously and just settled into a groove. This is proof that when Lucas isn’t trying to force the plot forward, and when he isn’t overexagerrating characters, he can still paint a pretty absorbing picture and deliver some riveting action sequences.

I think the focus on all the politics in the middle of the film really dragged the pace of this movie down. The original trilogy had a lot more resonance because it was always a simple good versus evil conflict. And since the story and characters were new to people, there was a sense of intrigue and discovery to the original films. With Episodes 1 to 3, there have been so many Star Wars novels and comic books and video games that have come out in the meantime, that the Star Wars universe is almost too detailed and complex now. To tell a story, everything has to be consistent and everything has to be explained, which takes away from the fun.

All things considered, Lucas has done a respectable job of making an entertaining movie that still achieves everything in needs to in the grand scheme of the Star Wars universe. I think fans and non-fans alike should be pleased. This isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but hey, what do you expect from a so-called “space opera”? The good thing is that Episode 2 ends on a high note, and it seems safe to say that the best is yet to come. — Sean

Weezer - Maladroit
(DGC)

If you’re wondering why so many people are pronouncing the title of the new Weezer album in strange ways, that is because it’s actually a french word. “Maladroit” (mal-uh-dwaht) generally means “inept” as an English word, but the literal translation is “awkward”, which in itself is a pretty reasonable description of the album.

Weezer seem to be rushing through albums like crazy ever since they decided to reform, and now that ex-bassist Matt Sharp is suing them for royalties from their first two records, they’re going to have to knock off new albums twice as fast if they want to make any serious money. But I’m not here to question Weezer and their motives; the bottom line is that it still feels nice to have a brand new Weezer album in my hands in time to kick off the summer. As far as I’m concerned, Weezer have always provided the perfect soundtrack for the summer, and although Maladroit is a far cry from the Blue album or Pinkerton, it still manages to deliver this to some extent. Take the album’s first single, Dope Nose, for example; despite its inherent cheesiness, it is the perfect dumb, fun summer party song.

But Maladroit is a real mixed bag overall. There is some good, and there is also a lot of bad. One thing is for sure — this is the farthest Weezer have strayed from their trademark sound thus far, and I’m not too comfortable with the direction they seem to be headed. Maladroit makes me want to go back to the Green album, regardless of its dry songwriting and mostly forgettable moments, and cherish it just because of how much more closely it resembled the big W’s first two classic records.

The main problem with Maladroit is that there is far too much Ted Nugent southern rock attitude and/or nu-metal guitar sound being thrown into the mix. I wonder if the new bassist has anything to do with this… he does seem like the greasy rocker type. It was a nice gesture for Rivers to try to vary up the guitar solos so that they don’t simply repeat the vocal melody, but all the extra guitar noodling just sounds aimless and messy. Weezer have always been, and should always be, about keeping things simple. Songs like “Take Control” and “American Gigolo” are almost embarassing to listen to at points, and various other songs could be a lot better if they just dropped the excess soloing.

The lyrics for most of the songs are pretty terrible too, and it’s strange that for the first time they decided to publish them in the liner notes so that we can have undeniable proof of just how lame they are. Check out these quips from Dope Nose: “Go bust some rhymes real slow / I’ll appear, Slap you on the face and enjoy the show” and “Cheese smells so good on a burnt piece of lamb / Fag of the year who could beat up your man”. Did I actually just read that? This is what I mean when I say their new songs are sounding rushed. The least they could do is take 5 minutes to string together some words that actually make sense.

Despite these problems, however, Maladroit is not all bad news. There are some pretty cool moments too, but there isn’t really one song in particular that is solid from start to finish. Many songs have bland verses, but then move through an awkward transition into a more typical sing-along Weezer chorus. One thing that Maladroit does have over The Green Album is the re-emergence of some of the classic Weezer back-up vocals. I guess maybe that new bassist is good for a few things after all.

The second half of the album is definitely stronger than the first. Aside from the dreamy “Death and Destruction”, the first half features a bunch of inconsistent songs that just don’t sit well with me. At the halfway point we get the album’s strangest song, “Burndt Jamb”, which is kind of like a bizarre loungy version of “Island In The Sun”, and then things pick up with “Space Rock” and “Slave”. If there is a highlight to the album, I’d have to choose the one-two punch of “Possibilities” and “Love Explosion”, the former being the hardest hitting Weezer song to date, and the latter being a catchy Beatle-esque song with an infectious chorus. The album’s final track, “December”, is also excellent, and although it is mellow it may in fact be the closest thing to the original Weezer sound that I’ve heard in a long time.

There is a cd-rom portion to Maladroit with some video clips of live performances. I’m sure this is just incentive to make sure people buy the album since there were so many mp3s of the songs made available through the Weezer website as the album’s recording progressed. This isn’t anything to get excited over though, just a bunch of pixellated Quicktime videos with shaky camera work. They don’t even show any songs in their entirety. Oh but there’s a video clip of them riding a skateboard around the hallways of some stadium before a show. Those Weezer guys sure are a wacky bunch.

Maladroit is another sub-par album from Weezer, and it has become clear that without Matt Sharp their songwriting just can’t measure up to what it once was. A few of the choice cuts from this album may very well form the soundtrack to your summer, but as a whole it’s not listenable enough, and it serves only to further dilute the rock legend that was, and still is Weezer… whether we like it or not. — Sean

Metropolis (DVD)
Directed by: Rintaro
Written by: Katsuhiro Otomo (screenplay), Osamu Tezuka (manga)
Featuring The Voices Of: Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, Kouki Okada, Jamieson Price

As an anime movie, Metropolis is a little different from what you might be used to. It is a bit more accessible than your typical anime, and stylistically it sets itself apart in a number of different ways.

The main reason why it has gotten so much attention, and the reason why it has been given such a cool double-disc DVD release, is because there are some big names involved. Metropolis is based on a series of graphic novels that were done by Osamu Tezuka, hailed by many as the godfather of Manga, and best known as the creator of Astro-Boy. The project was originally the idea of Rintaro (director of the critically-acclaimed anime “X”) but when he approached Tezuka about doing an animated feature, he was originally turned down. Years later, after Tezuka’s death, Rintaro met with Katsuhiro Otomo, the man behind the legendary Akira, who was interested in doing Metropolis as an anime, and they were eventually given the green light. The results speak for themselves for the most part.

One thing that I am not sure about is exactly how much of the original comic (and, in turn, this film) was based on the silent 1927 Fritz Lang film of the same name. I’ve never seen Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, but there would appear to be some similarities, as both movies deal with a futuristic society that has obvious class divisions.

Metropolis is a high-tech city that stands as a symbol of human accomplishment and its citizens believe themselves to belong to a highly advanced civilization. Robots are quite common and have long since been integrated with human society, but they do not have the same rights as humans. The city is divided into a number of different physical levels, and the higher your position in society, the higher the level you inhabit. Duke Red is an evil politician who plans to take control of Metropolis, and it is vaguely mentioned that he once had a daughter who died at a young age. He secretly commissions a mad scientist named Dr. Lawton to build a robot girl for him, whom he plans to have sit on the throne of Metropolis for him. Duke Red also has an adopted son named Rock, who is jealous of this artificial girl, and wants to do everything in his power to destroy her. At the same time, a detective and his young nephew Kenichi arrive in Metropolis from out of town to investigate Dr. Lawton and his suspected criminal activities. When Rock sabotages Dr. Lawton’s laboratory, the artificial girl (named Tima), is activated and escapes into the lower levels of the city with Kenichi. From there it is a race between a number of different groups to track down Tima and Kenichi before anyone else.

The first thing you will notice that seems strange is the choice of music in Metropolis. A lot of it is old big band music and Dixieland Jazz that gives the movie an odd atmosphere. The juxtaposition of older music with a futuristic setting seems to give the film a timeless feel. In addition, the climactic ending of Metropolis (sufficiently overwhelming and chaotic by anime standards) is set to the tune of Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. This is obviously quite reminiscent of the ending of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.

The movie’s main issue is one that turns up time and again in anime films: it involves robots and how they interact with human society, and whether or not they can experience human emotions like love. I was reminded many times of the recent Spielberg/Kubrick film A.I.; much like David in A.I., Tima acts like a young human child. She forms a friendship with Kenichi, from whom she learns about human traits and habits. However, Tima is unaware of the fact that she herself is a robot, and she is unaware of the reason why she was created. The result is a surprisingly moving story.

It is not as hard to follow as some anime films I have seen, but there are some questions that are never answered. It is the kind of film that will definitely benefit from multiple viewings. The political struggle and the “revolution” are not laid out very clearly in this movie, however, it is evident that the film’s creators did not want them to be a focal point. Also, although the film appears at times to be addressing some complex issues, it really doesn’t accomplish much more than a fairy tale.

Visually, there is no question that this movie is a treat to watch. I am not a huge fan of some of the character designs (the detective in particular reminded me of something from Tintin, and some of the robots looked too cheesy and cartoony when compared with the high-tech look of the other machinery) however, I liked the fact that the film had a distinctive look, and set itself apart from all the other stereotypical animes out there.

The backgrounds were done almost completely with computer graphics, while the characters and the foregrounds were done through traditional means. In other films, this integration of the two styles often results in clumsy and distracting images, but not here.Tthis is probably the best merging of the two styles that I’ve seen. There is so much detail in the scenery that it’s overwhelming.

The DVD allows you to watch Metropolis with subtitles or in various dubbed languages. The English dubbed voices sound pretty reasonable, so there is no real advantage to watching it with the original Japanese soundtrack and English subtitles unless you are a purist. The DVD packaging is really nicely done, with a cardboard double fold out sleeve. There is second mini-disc with extras on it (keep in mind, you may not be able to play this mini-disc if you have one of those DVD-ROMs where you slide the discs in), and it includes interviews and a featurette that are pretty interesting to watch. The filmmakers recount the origins of the film, and some of the ground-breaking techniques they used in animating it.

While Metropolis may not have reached its full potential, story-wise, it’s still one of the better anime films I have seen. It’s not as violent or as confusing as Akira or Ghost In The Shell, which makes it a lot more accessible and generally more enjoyable to watch. It’s not a kid’s movie, but by all means I think kids would enjoy it. Metropolis is truly a fantastic journey, one that could only be pulled off through the magic of animation. It’s worth checking out, even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of anime. — Sean

Kaito - Montigola Underground
(Devil In The Woods)

Distorted guitars, distorted effects, and distorted femme pop vocals make up the Montigola Underground ep, the second release from Kaito.

These two guys and two girls from the UK offer up seven pop songs that bop and bleep and make you want to love again. One can easily compare Kaito to many female lead rock acts such as Blond Redhead, Cub, Toenut and so on, but this would be too easy. These songs not only pop, but hiss, fuzz and crunch their way from track 1 to 7. Nikki Colk’s beautiful vocals are often hidden under a thick layer of rich distortion, which to some may seem annoying. But this is what makes the record work, Kaito’s willingness to experiment with sounds and distortion to make an otherwise average pop album a bit more interesting.

Stand out tracks on the disc include the sing-a-long “bow wow”, which is bouncy enough to make even the fattest man float whimsically through space. “Shoot Shoot” offers a phaser-like sweep that repeats behind a simple yet catchy guitar line, until finally reaching a Breeder’s-esque chorus and a quirky breakdown. If soothing crawling femme vocals are your thing then check out “Trailous” for a off-time build up to a loud, banging pay off full of a screaming all girl choir.

If noisy pop and female vocals are your thing, then Kaito will find itself at home in your stereo. This is a band that can speak on my behalf in court any day. — Jay

Sixty Stories/Painted Thin - Different Places To Sit/A Loveless Kiss
(Smallman)

While this record is in fact a split between two bands, it is a little different from the typical label cross-breeding that has been plaguing the punk/indie/HC scene as of late. For starters, one of the bands on this cd is no longer active. Painted Thin were a pretty well known Canadian “art-punk” band from Winnipeg, who influenced a lot of people and a lot of bands during the years they were together. Their portion of this album, entitled A Loveless Kiss, features 5 previously unreleased songs that were recorded by a friend in his home studio while they were on tour in Germany in 1997.

I haven’t heard anything previously from Painted Thin, but these songs are great. The music is raw, yet melodic. It reminds me a little of Braid or maybe Small Brown Bike, but there is also more than a passing resemblance to fellow Winnipegers Propagandhi, partially due to the political nature of some of the songs.

The other half of the split is even better. It features 7 songs from ex-Painted Thin bassist Paul Furgale and a new band called Sixty Stories. Fugale plays the drums in this band, and instead of singing lead vocals, he now sings backup. Oh, and maybe I should mention, the other two members of Sixty Stories are females. Does that matter? Hmm… I don’t know, does it?

Sixty Stories are poppier and clearly less angry than Painted Thin. If Painted Thin can be compared to Propagandhi, then Sixty Stories could more accurately be compared to The Weakerthans. But don’t let that mislead you — there isn’t a single mellow folk song on this cd. Sixty Stories is an exercise in personal, heartfelt songwriting that still rocks when it needs to. There is also some additional instrumentation in the way of keyboards, triangles, and computer beeps, but the subdued vocal melodies are the thing that will really hook you in. Fans of The Get Up Kids would probably also enjoy this band, although Sixty Stories seem a lot more genuine and generally less repetitive than TGUK.

Hands down, the best song on the album is also the most energetic: the ironically named Silence Song. If everything they wrote sounded like this, the cd would be on permanent repeat in my home. As it is, the album is still a great listen, but there is also room for this band to improve significantly on future releases, and I’m looking forward to hearing what else they might happen to have up their sleeves. — Sean

Spider-Man
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: David Koepp, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Starring: Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe

Where do you start with a review of Spiderman? This is a movie that comic book fans have been waiting for decades to see, and to say that it was overhyped would be the understatement of the year. Still, there was something that told me that the hype was well-founded. I mean, the film was directed by Sam Raimi, and that alone has got to make it worth sitting in the very front row of a packed theatre on opening night, right? Hmm.. now I’m not so sure.

My 5 second review of the film, is as follows: cheesy, fun, but not particularly memorable. If you want my 5 minute review of the film, then read on…

The first thing that struck me about this film is the fact that it has much more in common with the Superman films than it does the Batman, Blade or X-Men films. What do I mean by that? It’s not dark or edgy in any way.. it’s bright, colourful, and extremely corny. Is that a good thing? I guess that depends what you’re looking for. Granted, a dark, modernized version of Spiderman probably would have been lame, and at least they stayed true to the world of Spiderman, but somehow it just felt like something was missing. There was no sense of urgency, no real danger, and nothing to drive the story forward. I found it difficult to actually feel for the characters. One thing that has always been important to Spiderman is the soap-opera side of Peter Parker’s life and in the movie this gets just as much, if not more attention than the life of Spiderman. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t seem like real people. I don’t blame this on the acting, which was top notch for the most part (particularly Willem Dafoe), I think I just blame it on the dialogue, which was painful to watch at times. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had toned down the Mary Jane love story… but again, this is an important part of Spiderman and it can’t be left out either.

I have been surprised thus far with all the positive criticism that the movie has received, and I can’t quite understand it. I would think that no matter how good a film like this is, there will always been a legion of hardcore naysayers who are just sitting and waiting to complain about it. But no, apparently everyone loves it, which leads me to one of two conclusions: either this is a great movie, or everyone really wants it to be a great movie. Most likely a little bit of both, I’d say.

It all depends on how much you are willing to buy into the Spiderman character. If you are a big Spiderman fan, you already have a weakness for the guy, and you want to root from him right from the get go. For myself, I needed to be won over a little bit more, and I don’t think I ever really was. Spiderman is supposed to deliver smart-ass jokes whenever he is battling baddies, but in this version, he doesn’t talk very much, so we lose one of his most endearing characteristics. As for Peter Parker, he was almost too much of a shy, awkward loser to even be likeable.

The action scenes move too quickly (which was probably a strategic decision to try and hide all of the computer animation being used), and the other scenes move too slowly. There needed to be more balance here. The costumes looked okay when the characters were zooming around on screen, but when you actually see them standing there among real people, they look like something out of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. (It doesn’t help that Spiderman’s mouth doesn’t move when he talks.)

On the other hand, fans of Sam Raimi should be pleased with Spider-man.The direction by Raimi is pretty solid, and his style fits well with the movie. His patented camera movement and unique use of odd camera angles energize the film, and draw us in. You may find many scenes reminiscent of his other superhero film, Darkman. There are also appearances from many of Raimi’s friends including Bruce Campbell, Scott Spiegel, and Sam’s brother Ted, not to mention the car that was used in The Evil Dead.

I think my biggest problem with this film is the fact that it just feels like it’s all been done before. This is obviously one of the dangers of doing a superhero film, but all of the story elements are just so cliched, and the characters just seem like… well, like cartoon characters. The nerd who has a crush on the popular girl next door… the nerd who gets terrorized by the girl’s boyfriend, who just happens to be the school bully.. the nerd who eventually gets his revenge and wins the girl over. Then there’s the rich tycoon/scientific genius, who loses his job and turns into an insane supervillain. One thing that was never really explained was why The Green Goblin hated Spiderman so much. All it took was for Spiderman to interfere with him once, and suddenly the Goblin was obsessed with killing him. Sure the guy is crazy, but it just seemed like the writers got lazy. The ending in particular was quite baffling. I enjoyed the fact that they didn’t go for the easy, happy ending, but given the circumstances, the happy ending would have seemed much more feasible.

Even the score by Danny Elfman felt like it has been done before. There was nothing distinctive about it, nothing that set it apart from the hundreds of other movies he has written music for. Oh well, at least they didn’t resort to playing Aerosmith’s version of the Spiderman theme song during the movie (although there is a brief performance by Macy Gray for some unknown reason).

Now you might say that Spiderman is one of the original superheroes, that all the others are copycats. This may be true, but this is exactly why they shouldn’t have waited so damn long to make a Spiderman movie in the first place! Back in the 80’s, this film would have been perfect, but it just feels out of place in the year 2002. Kids who have grown up with Spiderman are now older, and they want more mature storylines and more realistic characters. The comic has changed and adapted over the years, but this movie just seems like a cheesy relic from the past.

To their credit, they did get many of the characters right, especially J. Jonah Jameson, and overall this movie is a lot of eye candy that you don’t want to miss. The scenes where he is just discovering his powers are great, and the wrestling scene with Macho Man Randy Savage was pretty amusing, but the second part of the film let me down. There wasn’t enough to make me go out of my way to see the film again. When I think back on it, there is nothing that stands out, and nothing that will make this a movie milestone that will be remembered in the years to come. What can I say? It’s not a bad movie, it just didn’t wow me like I expected it to.

The thing I’m worried about is that if Spider-Man felt cliched and run-of-the-mill, what’s going to happen when The Hulk, Daredevil and all these other upcoming comic book films are released? The market is going to be flooded, watered down, and interest will quickly wane. The success of Spider-Man does not bode well for the future, but I guess you can’t blame Hollywood for flogging a dead horse as long as people continue to ride it.

Disclaimer: Sitting in the front row of the theatre may have had an adverse effect on my impressions of this film, or at least on my chiropractic health.– Sean