Madagascar ***

Jungle, Water, Fur and Fire
After 4 years in the making, the latest from DreamWorks Animation (Shrek, Shark Tale), and pet project of Ben Stiller, hit theaters May 27, 2005. DreamWorks continues to chase Pixar/Disney in the genre, and should do reasonably well with this new offering. Plenty of cute creatures and bright colors for the kids (and stoners) and laughs for the adults. Stiller plays king of the concrete jungle Alex the Lion, with Chris Rock as black-zebra-with-white-stripes Marty, David Schwimmer as hypochondriac giraffe Melman, and Jada Pinkett Smith as large and in charge hippo Gloria.

But it's the supporting players that steal the show, including the penguins (Kowalski, Private, and Skipper) played by Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and writer Tom McGrath (The Ren & Stimpy Show, director), and the monkeys (glibly threatening to throw poo at a moments notice) played by Conrad Vernon (in the only primate speaking role as British-accented Mason). Sasha Baron-Cohen (a.k.a. Ali G) is also featured as the irrepressible King Julian the Lemur, with the nauseatingly over-exposed Cedric the Entertainer as his sidekick Maurice.



For all you Ali G fans, check this fun "Tranzlata" on his official web site, or for a less graphics intensive version go here.

Nada Surf/Riloy Kiley - Higher Ground

May 21, 2005
Another Coachella 2005 act, Rilo Kiley, came through town with New Zealand duo The Brunettes and NYC alt-popsters Nada Surf in tow. I missed The Brunettes who must have put on a good show judging from the merch sales -- their albums and EPs can be hard to find in the stores Stateside. Songwriter Jonathan Bree hung out and greeted fans in between sets and after the show.

The sparse, youngish crowd huddled close to the stage for Nada Surf. These kids have forged their own relationship with Matthew, Daniel, and Ira after Nada Surf faded into obscurity on the heels of their 90's hit "Popular." The band kept their career afloat in Europe -- they've always been big in France, recording a couple tracks en francais -- then started making a comeback in the States with the surfacing of their sophomore effort The Proximity Effect in 2000, which had been deep sixed by Elektra in the late 90's. They signed to indie label Barsuk Records and released their third album, Let Go, in 2003.

Nada Surf's set included (not necessarily in this order) "Blizzard Of '77," "Happy Kid," "Inside Of Love," "Fruit Fly" (amazes me what Matthew can write about), "Blonde On Blonde," "Killian's Red," and "The Way You Wear Your Head," plus "Hyperspace" (a favorite of mine) and "80 Windows" from The Proximity Effect, and new songs "What Is Your Secret," "Always Love" (first time live), and "Imaginary Friends" from the just wrapped The Weight Is A Gift due out September 20th (see full tracklist below).

01 Concrete Bed
02 Do It Again
03 Always Love
04 What Is Your Secret?
05 Your Legs Grow
06 All Is a Game
07 Blankest Year
08 Comes a Time
09 In the Mirror
10 Armies Walks
11 Imaginary Friends

All I knew of Rilo Kiley going in was that like Bettie Serveert it's the name of the band not foxy lead singer Jenny Lewis, and I'd heard their current single Portions For Foxes (chorus: "baby it's bad news, bad news, bad news"). I missed them at Coachella, so I was happy to see a stop at Higher Ground on the band's itinerary. RK successfully walk that alt-country line with enough pop appeal to graduate from indie label Saddle Creek to Warner Brothers for their latest release More Adventurous (2004). Check out their official site here.

Mercury Rev/Doves - Boston

May 20, 2005
Doves rejoined Mercury Rev on tour after their lead singer recovered from a bout of laryngitis that kept them out of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival. Mercury Rev, who did appear at Coachella, opened the show and played a set similar to the one out there. The sound and projected images did not come across as well as in the desert, but it was a good show nonetheless and I was right up against the barrier in front of bassist Carlos Anthony Molina (he joined core members Jonthan, Grasshopper & Jeff on the All Is Dream tour playing keyboards, and now moved to bass, recording with the band on The Secret Migration; drummer Jason Miranda was added for this tour with Jeff moving to keyboards).

Mercury Rev added a cover of Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" after "Opus 40," replacing the Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime" which they'd used in that spot in the past. I was disappointed that "Tonite It Shows" was crossed off the setlist as it is one of my personal favorites and it has been reworked for this tour to sound more like the original album version (with some harmonica thrown into the mix). "Tonite" was most likely nixed due to time constraints as it was an early show and Avalon kicks everyone out when they change over into a dance club later in the evening. The crowd did get treated to an extended version of "In The Wilderness" before closer "The Dark Is Rising."

This was my first time seeing Doves, and they put on a great show. They played a lot of the best tunes from their three albums, the majority coming off their latest, Some Cities, including "Black And White Town" (replete with B&W Americana clip reel), "Almost Forgot Myself" (which lead singer Jimi Goodwin dedicated to his mum), "Walk In Fire," and more. Live favorite "The Cedar Room" made the list as did "There Goes The Fear" which saw Jimi close the show banging away the last few tribal beats on a standing drum setup. Jimi also sat in on drums during "The Storm" which features regular drummer Jez Williams on vocals and harmonica (which a lucky fan near me in the front row scored when Jez inexplicably sent the mouth harp flying off the edge of the stage; he was out of luck when, at the end the show, he mimed to my section that he was looking for it). Jez's bass-playing brother, Andy Williams, and keyboardist Martin Rebelski round out the four-piece.

You won't be able to tell from the pictures I took, but the Doves' light show was quite good. In the little bit of banter we were treated to, Jimi cracked on Boston traffic, stating that part of us Americans' driving test there must be "taking a bunch of acid."

Revenge of the Sith **1/2

Darkside Lightside
[WARNING: Spoilers]
Despite the fact that everyone already knew how it was going to end, Episode III was the most anticipated chapter in the Star Wars saga yet, and posted the opening week box office numbers to prove it. This was the pay off after sitting through Jar Jar Binks, pod races and whatever other digital BS that Lucas wanted to throw at us. Little Anakin is now all grown and ready to turn to the dark side, and I was there opening night May 19th with my fellow geeks to witness the event.

The first 15 minutes felt like a 3D ride, and for a moment the epic outerspace battle that opens the film brought back the magic and wonder of the original trilogy. Anakin and Obi-Wan slice and dice their way through the bad guys with R2-D2 providing the comic relief. And it's all downhill from there.

There is certainly more action in this installment -- it is supposed to be the fall of the Republic after all -- but when characters stop to have mechanical plot-advancing dialogue with one another, particularly Anakin and Padme, it's cheese factor 10 Mr. Sulu! Not that the original trilogy didn't have its own goofball moments, but among the puppets and models they took on a ramshackle charm. I blame Lucas and the fact that this film was shot 100% digitally; it had to have an effect on the actors' performances. Natalie Portman is not the ditz she comes off as in this film. The showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin near the end is more compelling, though Anakin's ultimate transformation into Lord Vader is somewhat anticlimactic.

RotS garnered a PG-13 rating for intense sci-fi violence. Anakin beheads Count Dooku in the early going, and in implied offscreen action murders a group of Jedi younglings. Also, Obi-Wan severs all of Anakin's limbs in their heated duel. Most kids have seen worse in video games, but I think the rating was warranted.

Overall, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith succeeds as an action-packed conclusion to the series of prequels, but fails to live up to the original trilogy. There are a few glimpses of things to come in Episode IV and beyond, including the Millennium Falcon (keep your eyes peeled when Anakin and Obi-Wan return after defeating Count Dooku), a cameo by Chewbacca, and a bare bones Death Star.

M.I.A. Free on iTunes

M.I.A.'s Galang is the Single of the Week at Apple's iTunes music store, which means it is FREE to download. So go and get it while you can! It'll be available through May 30th.

You can also get Billy Corgan's pre-release single Mina Loy and pre-order Coldplay's new album X&Y with two free bonus tracks ("Proof" and "Things I Don't Understand" -- probably due to be UK b-sides).

M.I.A. Worth Finding

M.I.A.: Arular ****
"I got the bombs to make you blow, I got the beats to make you bang" sings Sri Lankan come UK MC Maya Arulpragasam on "Pull Up The People." This is political hip hop dub straight out the jungle. It's bubble gum two step with an AK-47 tucked behind its back. M.I.A. is the MC equivalent of one of those child soldiers you see fighting in third world nations, only her words are her weapons and it's the music industry and the minds of her listeners she is looking to overthrow. You may need a translator at first, but whether or not you pick up on her message (and it's worth figuring out), you can still shake your ass. She's easy on the eyes too. This is a must have for the summer!

There is a cool feature on M.I.A.'s site called Online Piracy Funds Terrorism (named after her first mixtape) where you can download parts of her songs and make your own remixes. Check it out here.

Here are M.I.A.'s upcoming North American tour dates (LCD Soundsystem is the opener):
Thu 05/19/05 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
Sat 05/21/05 Toronto, ON Opera House
Sun 05/22/05 Montreal, QC La Tulipe
Thu 06/09/05 Boston, MA Avalon
Sun 06/12/05 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

You can watch her "Sunshowers" video here (must have RealPlayer).

Louis XIV = T. Rex II

Louis XIV: The Best Little Secrets Are Kept ***
When I first heard "Finding Out True Love Is Blind," I liked it, but wrote off Louis XIV as just another garage band upstart with a limited lifespan. The first single seemed like an oversexed send up of The Fall with some of Motley Crue's pole dancers on back up vocals. Then I listened to their debut album in its entirety and it was another story. There are several songs that are dead ringers for T. Rex and overall it plays like an homage to '70s glam excess. Secrets lacks the guitar pyrotechnics of its glitter rock predescessors, but I am curious to see where Louis XIV will go from here.

You can watch the racy video for "Paper Doll" at the Suicide Girls web site here (must be 18 years or older and have Quicktime).

Unleashed *

For The Dogs
I should have obeyed my instincts when I first saw the trailer, but I saw Luc Besson's name flash across the screen, and that still carries some cache with me, so I bit. This is despite mediocre scripts like Kiss of the Dragon and The Transporter that Besson tossed off over the last few years, presumably to pay the bills.

Many of the traits present in Besson's better films (ones that he directed himself) are present in Unleashed: stylized violence; the sensuality of innocence; over-the-top bad guys; heroes who explore their softer side. But this film plays like an hackneyed Besson B-movie. Jet Li plays dogboy Danny, whose loan shark master (Bob Hoskins) uses Danny as an enforcer when making collections. First off, the title of the film is not even accurate because it's a collar that Danny's master takes on and off when ordering his "dog" to attack, not a leash. It's never explained how Danny came to be controlled like a dog, only that he was taken in as a youngster. Nor is it explained how he learned all of his martial arts skills. Another inconsistency in the film is the amount of knowledge that simpleton Danny is able to pick up on. He can't read and has a limited vocabulary (not sure what his first language is supposed to be), yet he is able to pick up on the piano pretty quick. Jet Li's Danny is the ass-kickingest idiot savant you'll ever meet!

People will be disappointed if they are expecting the action-packed slugfest that the previews portray. There are several big fight sequences, one of the best coming at the start of the movie, but they are spread throughout the film, and the pace of the story in between is glacial. About halfway through I found myself pining for Jet Li to just hit somebody already!

That brings me to the other main phase of the film -- Danny acclimating to a domestic life. He is taken in by a blind piano tuner named Sam (Morgan Freeman), who really seems like he can see, and Sam's spastic stepdaughter Victoria (Kerry Condon), who appears to be a twentysomething actress playing "the Natalie Portman role." Jet Li's one liners, akin to Leeloo's in The Fifth Element, elicited laughs from the audience of which I was a descenter. The scene where Victoria removes Danny's collar is pretty anticlimactic. There is a brief cut scene from one of the seemingly distant fight sequences, a kiss on the neck, and Danny is all better.

The only redeeming aspect of the film is the fact that the two key supporting roles went to veteran actors. Even slumming it in these roles they're able to elevate their characters to something worth watching if only for a moment as your eyes roll skyward.

I hate to be this harsh on something Luc Besson put forth. For pure action films, Kiss of the Dragon and The Transporter have more going for them than the average musclebrained American flick. But I have wasted enough hard earned cash on his last few efforts and re-releases of his better films to justify a little backlash. Now get off your ass and direct something Luc!

Soundtrack note: The two bonus tracks added to the U.S. version for marketing purposes are played over the closing credits. Dolla dolla bills y'all!

Unleashed

A Tale of Two Titles, Part 2
The film, directed by Luc Besson protege Louis Leterrier (The Transporter), hits theaters May 13th. The soundtrack has been re-released in the U.S. under the film's new title, Unleashed, with 2 bonus tracks that appear to be aimed at the young urban market:

"Baby Boy" Thea
"Unleash Me" The RZA (featuring Prodigal Son and Christbearer of Northstar)

The RZA (of rap supergroup Wu-Tang Clan) contributed to the Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 soundtracks.

Louis Leterrier is finishing up work on The Transporter 2, once again co-directing with Corey Yuen. Luc Besson reunites with longtime collaborator Robert Mark Kamen (Kiss of the Dragon, The Fifth Element) on the screenplay. Jason Statham reprises his role as mercenary Frank Martin, only this time he is coming to America. Read more about it on IMDB.

I will post a review of Unleashed once I've had a chance to see it.

Danny The Dog

A Tale of Two Titles, Part 1
I first became aware of this movie when I picked up the score CD by UK trip hoppers Massive Attack. At the time I was only interested in the soundtrack, then I started seeing the trailers. The movie is pretty over the top, with Jet Li's character Danny literally being treated like a dog. I laughed when I first saw the title, Danny The Dog, as it pretty much hit the nail on the head. Perhaps that's why the title was changed. In writer Luc Besson's native France, the original working title was kept. As with Besson's The Professional (a.k.a. Leon), Europeans seem to prefer to connect with the human story rather than the action (unlike Americans).

Continued in Part 2 above...

Picks for May 2005

movie pick
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - on DVD May 10, 2005

music pick
Nathan Larson: Filmmusik - in stores April 5, 2005