Arts & Culture - The Daily Tar Heel

Dive Recommends

By Staff Editor | Sep. 6, 2001

"Trading Spaces," The Learning Channel: Never before have I been so entranced by a home improvement show. Just one of the many great programs TLC has to offer, "Trading Spaces" gives two twosomes the opportunity to decorate a room in the other's home but only a thousand dollars and two days to complete the task. Sure, they get an interior designer to help them in their quest, but the results are sometimes just as horrendous as if the civilians had done it alone (would you want moss on your bedroom wall?).

Define Your Scene

By Jason Arthurs | Sep. 6, 2001

The Musical Greenhouse of the South. The Birthplace of Indie Rock. Or for rock musicians and fans, simply, the place to be. National rock critics and musicians have used all these phrases to describe the music scene in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. But all the terms and catchphrases can be just as confusing as they are descriptive -- what do people mean when they refer to "the scene"? Defining scene is a little like defining irony --

Music Explorium Offers Variety of Instruments

By Tiffany Fish | Sep. 4, 2001

Honey-colored sitars hang on the wall, a rainbow assortment of drums clutters a side room, and electric violins line the back room. Everywhere you turn there are instruments, big and little, that come from exotic places like Africa or Turkey and familiar places like the United States. Materials range from bamboo to PVC piping. The sea of world instruments that fill Music Explorium in Carrboro, whether plastic or wood, large or small, come with a common theme.

Jay, Bob Embark on Crude Cinematic Quest

By Michael Abernethy | Aug. 30, 2001

"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is the lewd, cameo-filled and weed-riddled version of "Epic of Gilgamesh." Kevin Smith's latest follows the typical quest-story format but forgoes the long gaps in story line established by most films in the quest genre. Instead, Smith relies on a goldmine of cameos, tight comedic performances and a constant barrage of crude sex and drug references to carry the fast-paced film.

New Zealand Band Looks East; David Makes Novice Debut; Beulah Channels Brian Wilson

By Staff Editor | Aug. 30, 2001

The Clean Getaway I thought it would be clever and witty to give The Clean's new album, Getaway, a first listen while cleaning my house. I always need a soundtrack to dusting and sweeping, and this album seemed better than most for obvious reasons. The Clean blend catchy head bobbing beats, fuzzy guitar distortion, a few sing-along melodies, some electronic blips and a hint of Eastern music to create the soundtrack to a lazy summer day.

Pre-Pubescent `Summer Catch' Strikes Out, Lacks Depth

By Allison Rost | Aug. 30, 2001

Staff Writer Another school year, another movie featuring Freddie Prinze Jr. to review. It's frustrating -- you would think that by now, such a popular young actor would have, I don't know, agents or managers or Good Samaritans who would warn him against appearing in such jumbled sophomoric films like "Summer Catch."

Life On Mars Rendered Helpless With B-Movie Humor

By Trafton Drew | Aug. 30, 2001

There's a perverse thrill in seeing a film that's so bad it's funny. "Ghosts of Mars" is the worst type of action movie because it's not bad enough to be funny, yet not interesting enough to hold your attention. John Carpenter's latest involves a group of cops and dangerous criminals who band together to fight a throng of possessed miners in an attempt to make Mars a safer place to colonize. Unfortunately, the film is narrated through the eyes of Ballard (Natasha Henstridge), who is terminally dull.

Raleigh Songstress Tift Merritt Pours on Talent, Southern Appeal at 506

By Sarah Kucharski | Aug. 30, 2001

Spend a set with Tift Merritt and The Carbines and you'll know that one day, not too far in the future, this girl is gonna be famous. On the eve of one of their last East Coast performances before recording their first CD in California, Raleigh-based Tift and company delivered a heartfelt, down-home jam that made even the most anti-country members of the house tap their feet in time.

Bjork Adds Clarity to Emotional Landscapes

By Michael Abernethy | Aug. 30, 2001

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Bjork drops the fairy schtick to play psychoanalyst. Her first two efforts, 1993's Debut and 1995's Post, left Bjork looking like a tap-dancing pixie as she genre-hopped from dance to electronica to big band and a cappella balladry. In 1997, Homogenic saw her remake herself into a Scandinavian dominatrix on an orchestral high. But Vespertine, her first full-length album in four years, finds Bjork leaving behind the artifice that previously shrouded her work in mystery in favor of experimenting with a more personal mood.

Attitudes Toward College Rankings Vary at UNC, OSU

By Jennifer Hagin | Aug. 30, 2001

UNC and Ohio State University had vastly different reactions to a recent New York Times editorial blasting the validity of U.S. News and World Report's annual college rankings. "At least two schools -- the University of North Carolina and Ohio State -- designed institutionwide strategies just to boost their ratings," the editorial stated. UNC officials have denied ratings influence the University's institutional structure, while Ohio State administrators admit rankings are used to help determine if the school is meeting its goals for improvement.

DIVE Recommends

By Diana Cunningham | Aug. 30, 2001

Rick Bragg never knew his grandfather, Charlie, the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's book, "Ava's Man." Bragg did know that his grandmother Ava would still light up at the memory of her husband, decades after he died. He also knew that his family mourned his grandfather deeply, though they spoke of him little. Bragg wrote, "What kind of man was this, I wondered, who is so beloved, so missed, that the mere mention of his death would make them cry 42 years after he was preached into the sky?"

Old Plot, Mediocre Acting Give `Scorpion' Weak Sting

By Brian Millikin | Aug. 30, 2001

If Woody Allen's new noirish comedy proves nothing else, it's that he is still hilarious at 65. If only he could write something more than ordinary for himself. In "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion," Allen plays C.W. Briggs, a top insurance investigator in 1940 New York. As Briggs, Allen writes and directs himself in a comfortable, self-deprecating role in the classic Allen mold, proving he's still the king of one-liners.

Film Captures Spring Break Revelry

By Russ Lane | Aug. 28, 2001

"Spring Break" was filmed by Zoom Culture, a local media group, and is a part of the company's ongoing "Digital Diaries" series. With classes just beginning, Spring Break seems to be a far-off prospect. But only a short amount of time passes until throngs of UNC students hit the islands, hedonistically revel and let naughtiness run rampant in the Caribbean streets.

Drawing From Breakfast

By Sarah Kucharski | Aug. 24, 2001

Two UNC alumni are hoping their satire of cereal will become a full-fledged Cartoon Network serial this weekend. "Major Flake," the brain child of Adam Cohen, class of `89, and Chris (Casper) Kelly, class of `91, is one of 10 different pilots in the running to become a Cartoon Network series, with audiences making the deciding vote online as part of "The Big Pick." Cohen and Kelly's satirical look into the world of childrens' cereal mascots, "Major Flake" delves into the sociological evils and advertising spins of mass-marketed sugary goodness to youngsters.

Dull Script, Melodrama Send Film Out to Pasture

By Michael Abernethy | Aug. 23, 2001

American Outlaws 1 Star The tagline for "American Outlaws" should say it all: "Bad is good again." Hmmm ... more like, "Bad is worse than it's ever been." "American Outlaws" is what happens when some moron in Hollywood gets the bright idea that "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" should be dumbed-down and re-made for the zillionth time.

Garza Doles Out Godly Tongue Lashing ; Lang Reaps Reward for Back-To-Basics Live Album

By Staff Editor | Aug. 23, 2001

David Garza Overdub 4 Stars A hearty amalgamation of Bowie, Orbison, Rusted Root and Prince, Austin-based singer/songwriter David Garza's fifth album Overdub is an imaginative and intricate journey into the world of alt-country rock. Melding a crooner's voice with extremely catchy guitar-driven tunes, Overdub is an innovative musical achievement. Garza smoothly traverses the span of musical styles, alternately cranking out hard rock and warbling moody love songs.

SAD Considerately Plays Low-Key Set

By Russ Lane | Aug. 23, 2001

SAD Considerately Plays Low-Key Set By Russ Lane Arts & Entertainment Editor Before local rock powerhouse Sorry About Dresden began its set, bassist Matt Tomich assured Go! management of their intentions. "Don't worry, we'll keep it short," Tomich said as he walked through the sold-out crowd and hopped onto the stage. Sorry About Dresden (SAD) was playing the night of Strunken White's final concert. During the now-deceased band's set, guitarist Nagendra Jayanty thanked Tomich on stage for his long-term support.

`I Love Lucy' Allusions Get Lost in `Rat Race'

By Trafton Drew | Aug. 23, 2001

`I Love Lucy' Allusions Get Lost in `Rat Race' By Trafton Drew Staff Writer Even die-hard fans of the slapstick humor of movies like "Airplane!" must admit that this brand of humor is hit-or-miss. "Rat Race," very much in the "Airplane" vein, misses more often than not. After brief introductions, the plot is set in motion when an eccentric casino owner randomly chooses six people to race from his Las Vegas casino to a train station in New Mexico for $2 million. Zany high jinks ensue.

French Film Conveys Exquisite Loneliness

By Joanna Pearson | Aug. 23, 2001

If Emily Dickinson had been transplanted to Paris to wait tables instead of write poetry, she would have been Amelie Poulin -- wide-eyed, observant and painfully shy. There's nothing quite so pleasing as watching the shy and slightly awkward stumble into happiness. After watching "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulin," I've decided to spend the rest of my days honing, rather than hiding, my timidities in hopes that I'll drift about in a lovely, whimsical haze similar to the title character of this film.

Chapel Hill Songstress Sheds Light on Cafe

By Michael Abernethy | Aug. 23, 2001

Chapel Hill Songstress Sheds Light on Cafe By Michael Abernethy Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor A little bit of talent and a lot of Tori Amos went a long way Friday night at Alysson Light's show at The Carrboro Open Eye Caf