MIDNIGHT MOVIE MADNESS:
BACK WITH A VENGENANCE
Midnight Movie Madness 2 Preview:
by Evan Smith
Some things never grow old, such as watching a wild-eyed Jack Nicholson dig a fireman’s axe halfway through Scatman Crother’s lanky body in Stabley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece, The Shining. So, if you’re tired of chalking your I.D. and ruining your brand new shoes in the dreaded club sludge that coats the floors of some of the seedier Main Street bars, do not fear: Midnight Movie Madness 2 is here.
Last year, Greg Lamberson, General Manager of the University Plaza Dipson Theaters, introduced a series of classic cult films to Buffalo on the big screen. Coming off the success of last year’s screenings, Lamberson has revitalized his late-night, popcorn-crunching, cinematic experience by doubling his efforts, showing a total of nine classic films. The madness is already in week three (the previous two weeks having been screenings of Kubrick favorites A Clockwork Orange and Dr. Strangelove), but there are still several films awaiting the flick of the switch at the stroke of midnight for the next seven Saturdays. Here’s the dig:
Sept. 17 - 2001: A Space Odyssey – The ode to Kubrick continues as this sci-fi masterpiece hits the screen Saturday night. 2001 is a film that must be seen on the big screen, with its amazing special effects and contemplative, yet ever hair-raising story line.
Sept. 24 – Planet of the Apes – Charlton Heston and a bunch of people wearing ape makeup—need I say more? If you’ve only seen Tim Burton’s sub-par update of this film, get the net. This is the real deal!
Oct. 1– The Road Warrior – A scary post-apocalyptic vision where gasoline is the world’s most precious natural resource. This sounds familiar… the thought of that alone makes my skin crawl—so does Mel Gibson.
Oct. 8 – Alien – A definite highlight in Lamberson’s series, Ridley Scott’s horrifying film about a predatory alien attacking an isolated team of space miners is full of thrills. This film finally answered the question: Do aliens have tinier heads located within their regular heads?
Oct. 15 – Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut – The only title to earn a repeat appearance in this year’s showings is the extended version of this 2001 cult hit. In this version, Maggie Gyllenhaal actually does explain to her brother how exactly one “sucks a fuck.”
Oct. 22 – The Shining – Kubrick isn’t done yet. This time he recruited the real “whacko jacko” and some creepy little British girls to give a whole new meaning to the term “cabin fever.”
Oct. 29 – Suspiria – Rounding off the list just in time for Halloween is Dario Argento’s horror masterpiece, which almost broke the world record for most maggots in a scene ever, being narrowly beaten by the 1982 documentary Maggots: They Turn Into Flies.
If you’re a lover of great classic films, this is an incredible chance to see some of these touchstones on the big screen. You’ll also encounter a friendly movie-buff crowd eager to chat about their favorite films. The price is right as well, with the student-friendly admission rate of only $6. So do what you can to get down to South Campus this Saturday, cross Main Street, and sit back and enjoy. Midnight - don’t be late!
University Plaza Dipson Theaters are located at 3500 Main St. directly across from UB’s South Campus. For more info call (716) 855-3022.
THE LITTLE SHOW THAT COULD,
THE BIG FILM THAT COULDN’T
MOVIE Review
Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin:
The Untold Story - 7/10
It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. Thankfully, there is Family Guy—the hilarious Simpsons-esque cartoon that takes a solid stance against popular culture and the only show in the history of television to be brought back from cancellation due to popular demand.
Since the show’s return to the Fox Network in May 2005, the ratings have been high and the laughs have been consistent. However, the main idea gestating in the back of fans’ minds since the show’s return has been the promise of a direct-to-DVD movie chronicling the mysterious story of the Griffin family’s maniacal baby genius, Stewie.
Family Guy presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is set for a September 27 release date and is everything that fans could hope to see from series creator Seth MacFarlane. But since the film plays out no differently than an actual episode of Family Guy, the 88-minute runtime detracts from many of the gags and makes the endeavor monotonous after a preliminary viewing.
The main plot involves a near-death experience that shocks the matricidal infant, Stewie, into a brief state of happiness and servitude. But this is short-lived once Stewie sees a person that looks and sounds exactly like him on the news. Convinced that his mother, Lois, had an affair, Stewie and the family’s faithful, alcoholic dog, Brian, set out for San Francisco, where the news story was filmed. Stewie is determined to prove that “the fat man” (as he always refers to Peter, the drunken, obese patriarch of the Griffin family) is not, in fact, his true father.
As is the case with the comedy of Family Guy, the plot takes a back seat to an endless stream of gags and tangents that encompass everything from wacky-wavy-inflatable-arm-flailing tube men to the Lord and Savior himself, Jesus Christ. While the film does a formidable job of balancing these comic interludes with a somewhat humorous sub-plot concerning the sexual development of the Griffin children, Meg and Chris, halfway through the movie it becomes an endurance test. Moreover, some scenes are simply not funny at all, no matter how hard they try to be.
Many of the film’s problems derive from the writing. While the first and third parts of the film are the strongest, it completely falls flat in the middle. The blame for this rests solely on Alex Borstein, the MadTV alumna who provides the voice for Lois. She co-wrote the film with Family Guy regulars Gary Janetti, Chris Sheridan, and Steve Callahan, and is credited as the sole writer of the second part of this three-part comic opus. MadTV had its moments (very few I might add), but it was never, ever consistent in any way, shape, or form. Note to Seth MacFarlane: Never let her write a damn thing ever again.
The whole film suffers as a result of Ms. Borstein’s poor handling of the material, but overall, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story works moderately well. The humor ranges from slapstick to verbal wit, and many of the pop-culture references work all too well (as vague as some of them may be). The film is not much of a step up for the show, but it will certainly be quoted from for years to come and it will sell, big time.
NEWUS SERIESUS
TELEVISION SERIES Review
Rome - 8/10
by Zach O’Neill
The new HBO show Rome is a combination of efforts put forth by HBO and the BBC, home of haughty accents and ugly actors. It was their previous project together that created one of the best miniseries of all time, Band of Brothers. Rome contains the same dark drama, deep characters, riveting plot, and thoroughly realistic world that their earlier effort staggered viewers with. And like HBO’s other period series, Deadwood, Rome is a darker version of a popular Hollywood theme complete with power struggles, sex, and violence.
Those responsible for the show are a strong team. Bruno Heller (Touching Evil), John Milius (Jaws, Apocalypse Now), and William J. MacDonald (The Saint, Gettysburg) are just some of the show’s writers and producers. Also, the series hired the three time Emmy-winning documentarian Jonathan Stamp as the Historical Consultant, so anyone thinking the show is going to be completely devoid of historical accuracy is dead wrong.
Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Kingdom of Heaven) stars as Lucius Vorenus, adjacent to Ray Stevenson (King Arthur) as Titus Pullo. The main story of Rome follows these two soldiers as they watch Rome turn herself into an empire. The first two episodes construct these characters, showing Lucius to be a stern moralist and Titus a daring hot-head with a vigilante attitude.
The main cast of Rome’s rise is also played well. Ciaran Hinds, a Shakespearian actor, takes a realistic approach to the role of Julius Caesar by looking and acting more pompous than even the glorious Caesars of Hollywood’s Shakespearian adaptations. Kenneth Cranham (Rules of Engagement, Chocolat) brings his hard looks and powerful style to Pompey, which are excellent attributes for the political rival of Caesar. Then there is the wonderful supporting actress, Polly Walker (Restoration, Emma), whose portrayal of Atia of the Julii, Caesar’s sister, is wonderful. Her careless anti-social attitude is priceless to watch. Walker fits into her part like a plug fits a socket—electricity and all.
The first episode opens the series well enough with a brief history of the period and goes right into a battle scene, showcasing the actual Roman style of combat rather than the usual Hollywood charge-and-chop method. When Caesar arrives on screen we find the series is set just before the height of his power. We watch political exchange and intrigue, and get a taste for each character as an individual.
There is an intentional effort to take a bit of time setting up the culture of the period with entrenched customs, meaning sex and nudity, pagan rituals, deeply rooted gambling, and other debasing realities. Additionally, the set that this is all going on in front of is absolutely gorgeous and looks incredibly real; fittingly, it was built in the city of Rome.
When the show is on, it is hard to take your eyes off the screen and mind out of the world of Rome for the full 50 minutes of each episode. It seems that if anyone feels like actually watching something good on TV, HBO is the channel to turn to… again.
OLD PORNOGRAPHERS UP TO NEW TRICKS
CD Review
The New Pornographer’s:
I don’t know what the hell has gotten into the Canadian water supply that has rendered those crazy Canucks virtually invincible when taking on musical endeavors, but whatever it is—me likey. After a year of innovative releases that cemented those friendly, hockey-loving Northerners as the prospective kings of indie-rock, A.C. Newman and his team of musical all-stars have collaborated once again to make an album which surpasses both of their prior releases in musicality and maturity.
When Newman collected the likes of Dan Bejar (Destroyer) and Neko Case (of her own fame) and mashed them together with a handful of other talented Canadian musicians, most music reviewers flagged the quirky compilation as a gimmick and doubted the possibility of any musical success. Five years and three albums later, those same critics have choked on their own shoelaces. The New Pornographer’s latest release, Twin Cinema, has left no doubt that this Canadian supergroup can once again make power pop listenable for the picky ear.
Twin Cinema is chock full of the catchy choruses and poppy riffs that the Pornographers are famous for, yet this album marks a musical progression for the band. Between the clean sheen of their chorus-heavy ditties there lie tracks more deeply tattooed with the band members respective personalities. While Newman traded in his keyboards for a piano on his 2004 solo release The Slow Wonder, on Twin Cinema he not only dusts his ivories off, but he grinds them to the bone. The result is a handful of piano laden tracks that rely on the piano more for punctuation than backbone. The track “Falling Through Your Clothes” incorporates Newman’s pianos just as described, as he finger-plunks around a dizzying chorus but leaves the verse to a steady pump organ and a barely-there acoustic guitar.
Where Newman’s presence on the album is not overwhelmingly felt, Neko Case is there to pick up the slack. Case showcases her troubadour’s voice on the meandering ballad “These Are the Fables,” a track which really exhibits the positive output of this group’s collaboration. The song begins sounding as if it could have been any scrapped vocal track from one of Case’s solo projects until a fervently pounding piano riff bumps in atop a mystifyingly complementary stadium-rock drum beat delivered by Kurt Dahle. The result is a soulful, throbbing masterpiece, clocking in at only three and a half minutes.
Last, but not least, come the three tracks penned by Destroyer front man Dan Bejar. Though his voice (reminiscent of Getty Lee on tranquilizers) would not seem to play well with the croon of Case and the poppy saunter of Newman, one of the best tracks on this album is his “Jackie, Dressed in Cobras.” The track instantly has a heavier, guitar-based feel, but again Newman is allowed to creep in with his chirpy piano chords and somehow two plus two comes out equaling five. But don’t worry about all this mumbo jumbo. Just because Twin Cinema has let a smidgen of maturity peak through, there are still a number of tracks like the pulsing “Use It” to which you can sing along with your stereo cranked up and your car windows rolled down.
Though I was a huge Fan of Newman’s The Slow Wonder, this album has pressed me to admit that all seven of these talented musicians produce better work as a team than as mere solo artists. Though none of them are really pop acts on their own, in their secret double lives as The New Pornographers these musicians have found their muse within the often unapproachable medium of pop-rock. Don’t let the genre scare you, this shit is bananas.
