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When in Rome' Disappoints

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

"When in Rome" fails in so many ways, especially in that the film barely takes place in the magical city. The viewer thinks that they get to experience an hour and a half of beautiful Rome, but instead are left with a poor picture of Manhattan. Director Mark Steven Johnson's romantic comedy also falls short in achieving the sentiments of romance or humor. Instead, it leaves the viewer wondering why they spent their money and time on such a disaster.

DPAC Presents 'Hunger'

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

This Saturday, Feb. 6, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will be screening the Irish film "Hunger." The film is director Steve McQueen's (not that Steve McQueen) directorial debut, and has met with praise from film circles around the world. The movie centers on a real-life Irish hunger strike from 1981. Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, an Irish revolutionary who organized this hunger strike to protest horrid conditions in the Maze Prison.

Lips' Christmas on Mars is Uncharacteristically Dark

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

Two forces drive musicians to make movies: the monetary and the creative. As always, money is relatively simple. The movie sells, people make money, they pretend it makes them happier, life continues as before. This is a long and storied tradition, largely beginning with Colonel Parker's death grip on Elvis' career leading to "Girls! Girls! Girls!" and "Blue Hawaii." Through the decades, it's been carried by movies starring The Beatles (with the exception of "Yellow Submarine," which wasn't really made by The Beatles), KISS and the Spice Girls, all blatant money grabs. The latter case is more interesting. There are musicians who truly want to be actors; see Tom Waits in "Dracula" or RZA in "Funny People" and "American Gangster." There are misguided vanity projects; see Prince in "Under the Cherry Moon," 50 Cent in "Get Rich or Die Trying." In the best cases, musicians make movies because they truly stop caring about selling albums. Pink Floyd's "The Wall," OutKast's "Idlewild," The Ramones "Rock and Roll High School." These films are jumbled, low budgeted and ill conceived, but absolutely fascinating. Eighteen years into their bandhood, Wayne Coyne decided The Flaming Lips needed to make a movie. Not likely to gain anymore fan base after two decades, Coyne showed no concern for the commercial appeal of his film and unsurprisingly received no interest from major studios. Ever the optimist, Coyne financed the film himself, building the majority of the sets in his own Oklahoma backyard. "Christmas on Mars," finally released after seven years, is as strange as any of the albums put out by the foursome. In a crumbling colony on the Martian surface, the day before Christmas turns tragic when the Christmas pageant's Santa commits suicide by fleeing through the unsecured airlock. The first known Martian happens to show up at the same time, only to become a silent replacement for the late Mr. Claus. Add the birth of the first human in the colony and a malfunctioning oxygen generator, and the plot begins to take on a rough form. Anyone who's seen a Flaming Lips show cannot help but be disappointed. Lips' shows are assemblies of energy, featuring puppets, confetti, balloons and elaborate props. Simply put, the live shows are embodiments of everyday optimism and sunny fun. The film diverges from every aspect of the live shows, entering a black and white world of crumbling isolation, chronic depression and elaborate death. The film's obvious and admitted influence is David Lynch's "Eraserhead" by way of "Dark Star." While cameos from Fred Armisen and Adam Goldberg provide some humor, they're largely lost in the quasi-philosophical meanderings led by Coyne. While the film is not afraid to frankly admit to their central themes of death, rebirth, receding sanity and absurd hope, their dissections are lost to overt symbolism, obscure references and purposeful strangeness. It's hard, if not impossible to understand this movie and Coyne's in no way sympathetic to his audiences' understanding. Unlike their music, The Flaming Lips' foray into film shows almost nothing, other than the fact that they own a video camera. In their saving grace, The Flaming Lips composed the score, providing a perfect sound for the project. Backed with atmospheric musical wanderings, the film does not have to be understood to be appreciated and felt. While it never quite achieves touching or memorable, the film is interesting in a way only found when pushed beyond comfortable, and the film isn't dancing on the line of comfort, it shoots well beyond it. Coyne's musing on his own life, channeled through his opening scene perhaps best describes the film: "Our lives, although very important to us, are meaningless. Nothing. Little specks of dust flowing through a vast black sea of infinity."

Music Rewind

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

The Dresden Dolls are a bit of an acquired taste. The Boston duo, auteurs of the "Brechtian punk cabaret" movement (a title they coined to avoid being labeled "goth"), is known for heavy pianos and drums. This musical style places the Dresden Dolls within the greater musical movement of "dark cabaret" that gained steam in the early 1990s. But while slightly unconventional, and not to the liking of all, the Dresden Dolls are nothing short of addictive. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione can rock out on upbeat tunes like "Bad Habit," or chill to the likes of "Sing." But, regardless of type, Palmer and Viglione infuse every song with passion, energy and a little Hamlet-esque antic disposition. The Dresden Dolls formed back in 2000 when Viglione saw Palmer perform a solo act at a Halloween concert. The two soon gained a massive following for their live performances, which typically feature intense makeup, crazy costumes and occasional fan performances. Their concerts become more of a theatrical performance than just a concert. The spectacle, though, never overpowers the music. In fact, Palmer and Viglione seem to revel in it. They recorded an early live album in 2001 titled "The Dresden Dolls," which was later re-released in 2003 as a full studio album. Highlights of this album include "Girl Anachronism," one of the Dresden Dolls' biggest hits. The song is a high-pulse rumination on being a problem child, among other things. "Missed Me" takes things in the opposite direction, as a slower, but no less intense, ode to relationships. "Bad Habit" is a perfect example of the heavy pianos the Dresden Dolls are so noted for. "Half Jack," "Gravity" and "Perfect Fit" are some other great songs that round out the Dresden Dolls' excellent first release. Also in 2003, the Dresden Dolls released "A is for Accident," an EP of live performances. The album features both live versions of songs from "The Dresden Dolls," like "Coin-Operated Boy" and "Missed Me," along with new songs like "The Time Has Come" and "Bank of Boston Beauty Queen." Their second and most recent studio album, "Yes, Virginia …" was released in 2006 and reached No. 42 on the U.S. music charts. In it, the Dresden Dolls retain everything that made them famous in the first place. It opens with manic stunner "Sex Changes" and carries on strong throughout the rest of the album. "Backstabber" is another born classic, albeit a little softer in tone than some of their earlier work. Also check out "Dirty Business," another upbeat song, and the great "Me & the Minibar." The Dresden Dolls close out "Yes, Virginia …" with one of their most beautiful songs, "Sing." Two years later, the band released a companion album called "No, Virginia …" The album features tracks left over from "Yes, Virginia …" as well as some b-sides. However, this album features some of their finest work, opening with the great "Dear Jenny." What follows is a collection of excellent material that was thankfully released, rather than being left behind on some recording studio shelf. "Night Reconnaissance" amply displays their musical versatility, while "Mouse and the Model" is one of their finest songs to date. Other notable songs include "The Kill" and "Ultima Esperanza." Unfortunately, the Dresden Dolls have been on hiatus since then, although both Palmer and Viglione deny any bad feelings between the two. Hopefully, this hiatus will come to an end in the near future so they can start wowing fans once again with their music. Until then, and for extra credit listening, check out some of Palmer's solo work on "Who Killed Amanda Palmer," most notably "Astronaut (A Short History of Nearly Nothing)," "Ampersand" and "Leeds United." For now, though, listen up and cross your fingers for the return of a great American musical (and performance) outfit.

52nd Annual Grammy Awards Breakdown

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

The 52nd annual Grammys took place last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Heading into the night Beyoncé led the nominations with 10 followed by Taylor Swift with eight, and the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West with six each. The night began early on the red carpet with a plethora of stars from The Jonas Brothers to Paramour to T-Pain. Justin Bieber jammed to Rock Band while Russell Brand and Katy Perry talked about their recent engagement. Other notable couples that strutted their stuff together included Seal and Heidi Klum, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and Josh Duhamel and Fergie. But who let in Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi? Or the guy from "American Idol" who sang "Pants on the Ground?" As far as fashion is concerned some stars shone, while others disappointed. Katy Perry wore a Zac Posen dress inspired by her recent trip to India, but it was a bit lackluster. Lady Gaga did not hesitate to wear something outrageous, and turned up in a white Armani dress that was reminiscent of a piece of modern artwork. Black Eyed Peas' member Taboo wore a horrible space-suit outfit, but Fergie's tight, bright blue mini dress was beautiful and made up for his failure. Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame did not even bother to dress up, but his son was an adorable accessory. Keri Hilson was stunning in a beige Dolce and Gabbana number with a beautiful jeweled waistband. Artists from her label Iyaz and Jason DeRulo escorted "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi. She looked great, but DeRulo did not even care to tuck in his shirt. Jennifer Hudson rocked some outrageous bangs, while the newly engaged Carrie Underwood looked beautiful even if her white gown had an odd geometric pattern. Carey Hart and P!ink made a handsome couple, as the usually casual Hart dressed up in a great suit. She wore an absolutely stunning sparkling mermaid cut dress with a folded detailed bust. The multi-colored bottom added to a rocker edge to a classy dress. Kidman wore a long, elegant black Prada gown. Both Swift and Beyoncé looked gorgeous in tight, form-fitting numbers. The former being a deep blue, and the latter a shade of beige. Ke$ha failed to impress in a costume-like dress complete with fringe and over the top makeup. And Imogen Heap accessorized her already strange dress with an umbrella. "Glee's" Lea Michele sported a one shoulder ruched black short dress that was a last minute decision after a fashion snafu. She was planning on wearing a white gown that she discovered last minute was see through. Rihanna's white dress was more successful, with oversized pockets, a feathered high neck collar, and open back. Overall, the pattern of the evening seemed to be nude colored dresses. Ashanti, Klum, Beyoncé and Hilson all sported flesh-toned gowns. The Grammys did not have a host this year, but perhaps Stephen Colbert should have received the job after opening the show with many laughs. He brought his daughter along to assess his coolness, made fun of Adam Lambert and even showed off his new iPad. Colbert later earned a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. The Grammys were full of performances in which artists pulled out all the stops. Lady Gaga kicked off the night with help from Elton John, back up dancers, and a piano with arms jetting out of the top. Green Day, who would later win Best Rock Album, also performed with cast of the new Broadway musical "American Idiot" inspired by their music. This will likely help promote the show, as the cast was fantastic. Beyoncé performed in a fierce black outfit with SWAT team members dressed up as her back up dancers. Her song of choice was "If I were a Boy" with a hint of Alanis Morrisette's old hit "You Oughta Know." P!nk then performed in an odd outfit, in which her hooded silver robe eventually revealed a nude-colored bodysuit to which she hung from the air to perform aerial ballet. The Black Eyed Peas started their performance with the fourth single of their latest record, "Imma Be" which eventually transitioned into their hit "I Gotta Feeling." The song won them Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Fergie sported a visor, and the group was backed up with robot dancers clad in all silver. Fans had previously sent in videos and pictures that flashed across screen in the background. The performance appeared to be a crowd pleaser. The group also won Pop Vocal Album. Recently crowned Best New Artist winner Zac Brown Band took the stage to perform with legend Leon Russell. Swift first performed her latest single "Today Was A Fairytale" from the upcoming film "Valentine's Day" in which she costars. She was joined onstage by one of her childhood favorites Stevie Nicks. The duo sang two songs together including a remixed version of "You Belong With Me". One of the gimmicks of the evening was that fans could vote to choose what song Bon Jovi would perform. Choices were "It's My Life," "Livin' On A Prayer," and "Always." It was Bon Jovi's first ever Grammy performance and after performing two other songs, the viewers chose "Livin' On A Prayer." Lionel Richie presented the Michael Jackson 3-D Tribute in which Celine Dion, Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Underwood and Usher performed in conjunction with a recording of Jackson's "Earth Song." The crowd wore 3-D glasses to fully enjoy the performance. Then, Prince and Paris Jackson accompanied by their cousins accepted an award on behalf of their father. Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli also performed a powerful duet in honor of Haiti. The two sang beautifully together, with Bocelli integrating Italian into the piece. Drake, Eminem and Lil Wayne performed together with Barker on drums. In the Rap arena, Eminem received two Grammys for Rap Album, and Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his collaboration "Crack a Bottle," with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Lady Antebellum, (winner of Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals) Jamie Foxx with T-Pain (winner of R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals), and Dave Matthews Band, and Maxwell (winner of Male R&B Vocal Performance and R&B Album) also performed. The queen of nominations Beyoncé was off to a great start when the show began and she won Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It). She would also win Female R&B Vocal Performance and R&B Song for the same song, Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Halo," Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "At Last", and Contemporary R&B Album. In the end, she took home six trophies. And the princess of nominations, Swift picked up a Grammy for Best Country Album. She also received Female Country Vocal Performance and Country Song for her single "White Horse." Swift also won the arguably most prestige Grammy of the night Album of the Year for Fearless. In her speeches Swift thanked her recording label for letting her write all her songs, and her family especially her brother and parents. Best Record of the Year went to Kings of Leon for their song "Use Somebody." Rap/Sung Collaboration went to Jay-Z, Rihanna and West for "Run This Town." Jay-Z also won Rap Solo Performance. Male Pop Vocal went to Jason Mraz. The eclectic Lady Gaga won Dance Recording for "Poker Face," and Electronic/Dance Album for The Fame. For a complete list of winners visit GRAMMY.com

Freshman's GoodMusicAllDay.com Emerging as Internet Hit

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

For young entrepreneur and Notre Dame freshman Tim Weber, music is more than just a passion or a hobby. "I absolutely love music. I believe that college students listen to the best music." Weber, a resident of Knott Hall, has turned this personal credo into a rapidly growing website called GoodMusicAllDay.com geared toward the musical interests of young adults. Hailing from Wilmington, Delaware, Weber has always gravitated towards a musical calling. Formerly a guitarist and vocalist, he began doubting his ability to advance as a performer. The trajectory of his passion thus shifted from performance to sharing. More recently, Weber developed an inclination toward producing music of various genres such as hip-hop and alternative. Weber's exploration of the production side of music led to the genesis of his website. GoodMusicAllDay's mission is simple: to publicize and share the music that interests college students. The site's interface closely resembles a blog, with daily entries featuring artist descriptions, videos, links, and published opinions. For music savvy fans, the site may resemble other music advocacy websites such as nahright.com, aurgasm.us, and even Kanye West's official blog. The distinction, of course, is a focus towards collegiate interests. As founders and operators of the website, Weber and fellow Notre Dame freshman Tim Ryan of Siegfried, were careful to consult Notre Dame's Office of Informational Technologies' rules, as well as copyright laws, when developing the site to ensure that all content on the site is legal. GoodMusicAllDay does not allow peer-to-peer sharing. However, all content may be previewed and even downloaded free of charge. Downloaded music is iPod ready immediately upon completion. GoodMusicAllDay.com officially launched on December 1, a little more than a month after its conception in late October. Originally restricted to the Notre Dame community, the site has expanded largely without advertisement. Word of mouth exported the news of the website beyond the Notre Dame bubble, and now GoodMusicAllDay.com boasts roughly 1,000 views a day. The website's popularity was also boosted by exclusive interviews with emerging artists, and later, the sponsorships of various mixtapes submitted expressly by musicians. GoodMusicAllDay.com has been officially recognized by the likes of Chip Tha Ripper, the Incomparable Shakespeare, DJ Trackstar, and even Kid Cudi. Though Weber claims a wide variety of musical interests, he admits that country music and metal are turnoffs. A distinct hip-hop flavor is palpable in the entries of the website. Visitors of GoodMusicAllDay will encounter plenty of underground rappers, DJ's, and some indie and jam bands. Weber collects submissions from up-and-coming artists as well as fan submissions. Though each submission is reviewed and rated, Weber contends that irtually all suggestions submitted to the site are posted, provided that the music is worthy of the attention and praise of college students. Weber boasts that his website's most appealing feature is its recently completed list of 2009 top fives. Visit this section of GoodMusicAllDay to hear the top five mash-ups, covers, beats, and more from last year. Like all other submissions, each track may be previewed and downloaded. Though GoodMusicAllDay is still in its infantile stages, Weber has high hopes for the site and his own career. He is optimistic that the website will continue to receive more views and submissions. In fact, GoodMusicAllDay is scheduled to drop its first official mixtape on March 1 of this year. The mixtape, which will feature exclusive tracks available only through GoodMusicAllDay, is expected to feature seven to eight artists and roughly fifteen tracks. As for his own career, Weber says that his dream is to become the CEO of a major record label. Certainly he is on the right path with his unwavering love of music and attention to new and exciting trends. However, given the swift success of GoodMusicAllDay, he may soon find his hands full with the requests and attention of a quickly growing fan base.

Assassin's Creed II Impresses Despite Simplicity

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

"Assassin's Creed II" is the second major installment of the successful and critically acclaimed series by Ubisoft. In this episode, the player takes the reins of Desmond, a descendent of the assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Through some far-fetched futuristic technology, Desmond is placed in a "Matrix"-like virtual simulation of his ancestor's memories, which are apparently decoded from his DNA. Within this simulation, Desmond relives Ezio's life story, including the assassin's training, the cold-blooded murder of his family, and his corpse-littered, blood-soaked path to revenge. You know, the normal stuff of a Renaissance Italian. To those new to the franchise, you are initially introduced to Desmond and the plot of the series through a tedious sequence of escape scenes, where you have to follow a woman who won't tell you where you're going or why you're getting into the trunk of her car. After a successful getaway, you're itching to get into the "Matrix," if only to learn player controls other than walking, and the slightly faster but incredibly stupid looking power-walk. Once inside the simulation, the game opens up with a tutorial of the controls, which varied on the spectrum between "obvious and insistent" to "aggravatingly unhelpful." What it explains thoroughly need not be said, and where the player is pitted against a non-player character (NCP) in an unavoidable building-scaling contest, the tutorial offers little more advice than "Beat your brother to the top of the church." This, the hardest and most frustrating part of the game, comes within five minutes of putting the disc in. Having conquered the tutorial, the player is introduced to Ezio's world by completing a series of tasks for his father. It begins to seem like Ezio is just a trouble-making courier, until the delivery of a secret package results in Ezio's entire family getting murdered for a conspiracy his father was fighting against. This event fuels Ezio's thirst for revenge, tracking down and killing every member of the massive group of coconspirators guilty of the murder of Ezio's family. Once into the flow of the game, the missions come very easily. Each assassination of one conspirator results in leads to three others, taking you to various Italian settings — Venice, Florence, a rural area, Ezio's villa. All of these magnificent landscapes also come with different peacekeepers, different vehicles (horses, boats in Venice) and different malicious leaders to take down. These different settings make the difference in what are basically variations on a theme — platforming and fighting. Not to say that these two components combined cannot make a great game — on the contrary, many great games are solely comprised of them. What makes this troublesome in "Assassin's Creed II," however, is that these platforming and combat tasks are unbelievably easy. Despite countless controls, by holding two buttons, Ezio enters Spider-man-mode, where he leaps and bounds in the direction indicated, through whatever means necessary. The secondary plot, which is collecting relics of historical assassins, is the only time you'll ever have to think about platforming, because these areas are designated platforming challenges, designed to test the mastery of the skill. In all common town areas, holding the two buttons renders Ezio uncapturable. The second element of the gameplay, combat, is also excessively easy. Unless you manage to aggravate a small horde of guards, Ezio's combat skills, weaponry, and speed will result in a large pile of guard corpses. The plot is present, but not essential enough to really be a factor in the game. Once you turn into a revenge-seeking Renaissance ninja, with the puzzle-solving and invention-making sidekick Leonardo Da Vinci, it is easy to tune out the names in favor of the little red "kill this guy" indicator on the minimap. The result is a sandbox game that plays through well once, then leaves you as a heavily armed misanthrope with a weird compulsion for jumping off of the top of church steeples into big piles of hay.

Documentary 'End of Poverty?' Comes to DPAC

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center hosted a showing of the documentary, "The End of Poverty?" a film directed by Philippe Diaz about poverty primarily in Latin America and Africa, on Saturday. Filmed in less than eight months by a two-person crew of only the director and producer, "The End of Poverty?" is about the alarming increase in poverty around the globe despite a worldwide growth in wealth. By talking to professionals about the matter in several different countries as well as conducting interviews with people and families who live on less than $1 a day, the film highlights important issues about poverty, namely how it began, where and why it exists, and what are the implications of this for our lives in the future. A distinctive feature about Diaz's approach to poverty is to explain the reasons why it began. The economists, historians and scholars interviewed discussed the history of colonialism and the imprint it leaves until this day in most third world countries where poverty is predominant. By providing an insight into the history of a culture and of the colonial-imperial relationship — which prevailed throughout the 17th, 18th and even 19th centuries — the viewer can understand that the reasons for poverty in these countries is so rooted in its country's historical background and that poverty is far from being an easy fix. Natives to a country discussed the loss of culture, and how the white European would arrive with "a Bible in one hand, and a weapon in the other." However, the three issues highlighted as a consequence of colonialism and which, ultimately, are what prevent a country from climbing out of its conditions are trade, debt and monopoly. For example, it was mentioned that sub-Saharan Africa is paying $25,000 a minute in international debt. The film asks, how many schools and hospitals could be built with that money? The focus soon shifted from the historical reasons for colonialism to what the consequences of this history are, from international debt to the poor individual's view of his or her placement in society. Finally, the documentary took a turn towards discussing how a similar structure to imperialism still exists today between countries of the north and of the south. Namely, at how the United States is the new superpower dictating the rules for underdeveloped countries to abide by. With a documentary on poverty, the possibilities are endless. In "The End of Poverty?" a unique feature is its very clear and instructive explanation for why poverty exists and that its origins are deeply rooted in historical issues. As well as instructive, the people interviewed included a perfect balance, from a well-educated scholar (in a comfy couch and a fancy desk lamp) to father of six who works 15 hours a day to make $6. However, "The End of Poverty?" lacks in one simple aspect. It does not create any hope nor is it very emotionally appealing. It provides a background and hard facts, but does not instruct the viewer on what he or she can do their part to fix the situation. As it reached the end, the documentary began to focus more on pointing fingers at who is preventing things from getting better than actually suggesting a way in which the viewer can do his or her part in aiding this global issue. It seems that the film simply sank into its comfortable seat as it sadly said that there isn't anything we can do unless the northern superpowers change the way they handle capitalism, which is neither an effective nor an inspiring conclusion to such a devastating and powerful theme. Interesting at first, instructive without a doubt, but, unfortunately, "The End of Poverty?" fails to live up to its expectations, and to what it could have been.