10 thursday, february 18, 2010
FROM THE SAHARA WITH ROCK
M
iddle Eastern rock band Tinariwen performed during a show at Memorial Hall
Monday night. The band is comprised of four former members of Touareg tribes,
and the group formed in Libyan rebel camps in the Sahara. Tinariwen fuses
traditional Touareg melodies with rock and blues, adding a hefty dose of electric guitar to
traditional African, Berber, and Arabic music sung in the band’s native Tamashek.
diverecommends
Album from the Vaults:
Elliott Smith, XO: Smith’s elegiac
songwriting and languid, intimate
vocals have become a staple on
college iPods since the late ‘90s, but
this 1998 gem reiterates just why
Smith developed such a devoted
fan base. With its introspective
lyrics and unabashed misery, XO
cements Smith’s iconic musical
prowess.
Movie from the Vaults:
“American History X”: It’s no roman-
tic comedy. In fact, this movie is up
there with the most depressing
we’ve seen, but it’s also one of the
most powerful. Edward Norton flex-
es his acting chops as a skinhead in
this 1998 drama about race, deliver-
ing a compelling performance that
ends in a shocking plot twist. Don’t
say we didn’t warn you.
s
James Jean
k e L iv e ly in
Bla
y Scarf
and Burberr
He was given a golden ticket.
But at what cost?
The
Prep School
Negro
A documentary, followed by Q&A
with director, André Robert Lee
When: Thursday, February 18
Where: Nelson Mandela Auditorium
FedEx Global Education Center
301 Pittsboro Street Chapel Hill, NC
(Corner of Pittsboro and McCauley)
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
This event is FREE!
For more information call (919) 843-3319
Sponsored by the UNC Alumni Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity
and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
Diversions
movieshorts
dth/Sam ward
Events: Chapel Hill metal duo The Curtains
Of Night also play. 10 p.m., FREE
Thursday
Carrboro Home Brew Fest
Dean & Britta
Nightlight | It’s everything a good
Reynolds Industries Theater, Duke
weekend should be made of —
| In “‘13 Most Beautiful...’ Songs for
beer and music. The Nightlight
Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests,” Dean
hosts this festival full of home-
Wareham and Britta Phillips will
grown beer and local music. The
sing wistful harmonies as Andy
Whiskey Smugglers kick off the
Warhol’s screen tests play dream-
music at 5 p.m., followed by Popsie’s
ily behind. It’s a mix of culture and
Field, Lizzy Ross and the Little
rock, and it’s worth the trip. 8 p.m.,
$22/$28
Bear that Barks, and Black Swamp
Bootleggers at 8. 4 p.m., Suggested
saturday Donation $10
HOG wednesday
The Reservoir | Reuniting three Vetiver
members of former Durham metal
monstrosity Tooth, HOG deliv-
Cat’s Cradle | Get your freak-folk
ers third-degree burns with the
on at Cat’s Cradle Wednesday
same brand of Southern-fried
when Vetiver comes into town,
fury. Human Smoke and excellent
bringing with it the band’s pen-
chant for cozy, earnest lyrics set to
gentle melodies. Though the band’s
been linked to fellow folk rockers
Devendra Banhart more than once,
New arrivals by: this show should be more mellow
than mad. The Clientele, autumnal
Alice & Olivia British rockers and Merge Records
Burberry
Design History
signees, follow. 8 p.m., $15
Dolce Vita
DVF
Elizabeth & James
Ella Moss
Frye
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Patterson J Kincaid
Spanx
Splendid
Steve Madden
Theory
Trina Turk
Ugg Australia
Chapel Hill 452 W. Franklin St.
933.4007 | uniquities.com
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The Daily Tar Heel
The Last Station to follow, forcing an oversimplifica- barks, but sadly never bites.
tion of a dying genius’s final days.
-Rocco Giamatteo
Ever eaten with the family of a -Robert Turner Story
significant other that constantly valentine’s day
fights? Then you have a good the wolfman
idea of what watching “The Last
Station” is like. “Valentine’s Day,” the new movie
Everybody’s motivations are All this film is missing are three by director Garry Marshall, mar-
unclear — unless of course the per- silver bullets: kets the kind of chocolate-box love
son that dragged you there clues One for careless director Joe that ultimately makes you want to
you in. Johnston, another for the listlessly gag.
And sadly you won’t have the subdued Benicio Del Toro, and, if It’s a flat-out disaster, an undeni-
benefit of a drink to take the edge you’re a real horror cinemaniac, able mess that has been overstuffed
off the awkwardness on display in one for yourself. with A-list actors who barely have
“The Last Station.” Overindulgent in self-referential enough screen time to make an
It’s not especially hard to fol- jokes and assumably understood impression.
low, but “The Last Station” doesn’t plot gaps, “The Wolfman” sacrifices The film follows a cast of more
depict its characters’ motives well. story for exhibitions of keenly styl- than 20 characters around Los
It’s true that Leo Tolstoy, the ized art design. Angeles on the titular holiday, mak-
Russian author whose last days The result is a pointless col- ing lowest-common-denominator
are the impetus for the movie, was lage of iconography with a mon- jokes and gross generalizations on
a complex man, drawn strongly to ster that’s no more scary than the romance, marriage, cheating, loss,
both sensuality and spirituality. Grinch. sex and commitment.
These facets of his personality After the mysterious death of his Audiences may be reminded of
come out strongly in novels such brother, traveling actor Lawrence “Love Actually,” that endearingly
as the famously lengthy “War and Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns adorable British film where all the
Peace.” to his home in Blackmoor, where characters magically intersect.
Hi s s y c o p h a n t , t h e m u s - he revives his relationship with Similarly, “Valentine’s Day”
tachioed V ladimir Cher tkov his widowed father (Anthony also finds inane ways to connect
(Paul Giamatti) cajoles Tolstoy Hopkins) and seeds an awkward its stars, but what “Love Actually”
(Christopher Plummer) into serv- romance with his dead brother’s had was a decent screenplay and
ing as messiah to a religious order fiancée (Emily Blunt). the room for good actors to show
with quasi-socialistic underpin- Eventually cursed by a were- their range. “Valentine’s Day” has
nings and an emphasis on absti- wolf bite, he transforms into the neither. The movie tries its hand
nence. Wolfman, who rampages through at plot twists, though they wind
It’s an ideal that is quickly con- forests looking for human buffets. up coming off more like gags than
travened by a disoriented Valentin While being hunted by authorities, anything else.
Bulgakov (James McAvoy) and Lawrence searches for answers in The casting is as contrived as the
his love interest, Kerry Condon’s his father’s hazy past. Valentine’s Day clichés that bog the
saucy Masha, who both reside With countless characters each movie down. The list of celebrities
within a Tolstoyan commune near providing a banal metaphor about crammed in this movie is so long it
his estate. men and monsters, the film stag- would take up most of this review.
Together they give the movie its nates in a state of perpetual fore- None of the story lines manage to
R rating with a series of weirdly boding. The viewer constantly resonate. Marshall is no Robert
short and graphic sex scenes. awaits the “horror”, but the movie Altman, and it shows.
But the movie is dominated by never delivers on the rich promise Appearances of bona fide movie
Helen Mirren’s berserk perfor- of its iconic source material. stars like Julia Roberts or Jamie
mance of Tolstoy’s wife, Sofya. The “frightening” scenes fail Foxx feel more like cameos than
This isn’t to say that Mirren to deliver any chills because of starring roles.
doesn’t do a good job. Mirren defi- Johnston’s partiality to slapstick Ashton Kutcher disappoints as
nitely earned her Oscar nomina- violence. As the rollicking Wolfman the centerpiece of the story who
tion for Best Actress. claws through torsos and mauls off conveniently owns a flower shop.
“The Last Station” boasts beau- heads, it’s unclear if any of it should And suffice it to say that Taylor
tiful acting, but devolves into an be taken seriously. Swift’s debut film performance is
Anglicized British period piece with But Del Toro’s monotonous por- enough to make you hope that it’s
over-the-top melodrama punctu- trayal of Talbot is the real horror of her last.
ated with moments of humor that this picture. The bottom line is that this is
brings levity to this convoluted, The poetic struggle between the your typical mainstream rom-com.
existential mess. human and the inhuman is eclipsed It’s a lousy movie with a star-stud-
It’s a well-shot film with gen- by his Ritalin-laden performance, ded cast that has no shame earn-
erally terrific acting, but the per- leaving the audience dependent on ing millions by further commer-
formances are uneven and often Hopkins, whose harrowing turn as cializing February 14, indulging in
unnecessary. the spookily aloof sage is the only romantic fallacies left and right.
It’s filled with too many actors part of the film bound to shake you As the movie opens and the
up. sun rises on Valentine’s Day, an
Thus “The Wolfman” unin- off-screen radio host announces,
tentionally finds a home in the “Today is special.” Maybe so, but
B-Movie realm of horror cinema. this movie certainly is not.
Much like one long trailer for the
revamp that never was, this movie -Stewart Boss
musicshorts
Pierced Arrows critique of a missed note or two.
“Let it Rain” shows the album at
its rawest. From the perspective of
a veteran rocker, Fred Cole offers
advice to his confederates: “Tell me
‘bout your tragedy, tell me ‘bout
your youth/Confidence is sacred, it
lies beside the truth.”
Pierced Arrow’s sound is the cul-
mination of years of nothing new
– three chords in a minor key and
a riff driven bass line won’t break
new ground. But Pierced Arrows’
intent isn’t to wow. It’s a middle
Descending shadows finger to the Pitchfork pretensions
of the world.
garage
Descending Shadows closes with
a track that makes the album oddly
self aware. “Coming Down to Earth”
Summoned by husband and acknowledges that the end is com-
wife duo Fred and Toody Cole, ing sooner or later for these ancient
Pierced Arrows is the resurrec- rockers. Let’s hope it’s later.
tion and rebranding of ‘80s garage
band Dead Moon. Pierced Arrows -Joseph Chapman
continues the legacy of its former
incarnation with a new drummer proud simon
and a dirty guitar sound that rocks anchors aweigh EP
without any concern for how it will
4 bedrms, 2 baths
304 Davie Rd.
be received.
“This is The Day” starts the soft rock/country
descent into the sloppy punk-rock
shadows. Pierced Arrows may have If Rascal Flatts took a cue from
$2,000/mo.
recorded their second album with the indie world and stepped out
AVAIL JUNE 1, 2010 Vice Records but their sound is of their cowboy boots, they might
homier than your neighborhood sound something like Brooklyn’s
band’s demo tape. Slightly out of Proud Simon.
tune guitars, trivial tempo devia- The supple vocals on Anchors
tions and throaty vocals complete Aweigh are orthodox Americana —
this garage rock formula. no wailing, no rapping, just sinu-
It’s a power pop soundscape. ous lyrics from the heartland that
The album is grungy and the musi- waver between decent and sub-par.
cianship is messy, but Descending The five-song EP seems to veer
Shadows begs for a fist pump, not a towards experimentation, only to
end up consistently mediocre.
starSystem Generic drum rhythms beat
alongside effortless guitar and
Poor barely noticeable keyboards, cre-
ating an unengaging sound. There
3 bedrms, 1 bath Fair are incompatible guest appearanc-
318 Davie Rd. good es by pedal steel and harmonica,
a country element that calls into
$1260/mo question exactly which direction
Excellent
AVAIL AUGUST 1, 2010 the band was trying to go.
Classic The final track “Time Capsule”
arouses from the boring slumber
divestaff with poignant rapping drums and
a bulging bass line. The song carves
Jordan Lawrence, Editor out a clean, distinctive sound that
843-4529 | dive@unc.edu shames the rest of the bland EP.
Linnie Greene, Assistant Editor But for the most part Anchors
Aweigh makes it seem as if Proud
Stewart Boss, Elizabeth Byrum,
Don’t wait to Simon took a Paint-by-Numbers
Joseph Chapman, Joe Faile, Rocco
tell us what course in soft rock. With vocals,
Giamatteo, Lyle Kendrick, Seth
you’ll need, guitar, and drums composed
Leonard, Mark Niegelsky, Anna Norris,
send us an according to a preset template, this
Jonathan Pattishall, Robert Turner
EP feels like re-heated leftovers.
email today! Story, Benn Wineka; staff writers
It’s an unoriginal effort that pales
Ashley Bennett and Amy Dobrzynski, in comparison to livelier pop fare.
Design Co-Editors
Cover Design: Ashley Bennett -Joe Faile