The Wichitan - Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls Texas

MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY | November, 17, 2004

ENTERTAINTMENT

Director Sinks to new Low with 'Sunset'
Jason kimbro | Staff Reporter

I must say, after watching “After the Sunset,” I can see it is probably best that Pierce Brosnan does not return to don the tuxedo and martini glass. The man is getting old and scruffy. Sean Connery is looking better than this man.
But onto the film in discussion. “After The Sunset” is but another piece of cinematic rubbish that the actors probably chose to do because of its wonderfully playful locale, an enormous resort in the Bahamas.
Director Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” and “Red Dragon”) has really sunk to a new low, bringing us a predictable caper lacking both wit and charm. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I could crap out a better movie than this.
With just enough Salma Hayek nakedness to piss you off, here’s the gist:
Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) is a master jewel thief. Lola (Salma Hayek) is his erotically hot and horny assistant. Stan (Woody Harrelson) is the clumsy FBI agent who just so happens to be his archrival. That’s about as much character as you’re going to get from these, well, characters.
The movie opens with Stan attempting to transport a very special diamond without it being nabbed by the infamous Max.
After a preposterous heist involving a jumbo-tron, a remote control SUV and some sleeping gas, Max ends up stealing the diamond and makes Stan look like a fool, but not before Stan is able to get a shot off, hitting Max in the gut.
Max and Lola decide to retire to the Bahamas. Frou-frou drinks and bikinis galore, we are swept away to a world of beautiful vistas and sunny beaches. No wonder these actors signed onto this crap.
After a while of enjoyment, Stan shows up with claims that Max’s only reason for being on the island is to steal the last Napoleon Diamond he has yet to nab.
Max says that is preposterous and he just wants to rest and relax and enjoy his leisure time, but as we all know, Max is going to succumb to temptation.
Stan hooks up with a hot, island cop (Naomie Harris) and together they keep an eye on Max and Lola. While Max keeps Lola in the dark because she is the one who wants to stay retired.
Max enlists the help of a local gangster (Don Cheadle) who he ends up screwing over in the end, thus we have a bonafied bad guy amongst the list of anti-heroes.
Well, things get weird, some bad jokes are made, and before it is all said and done, some live happily ever after, some remain the same, and some end up dead. What a waste. Too bad the characters had to die as well. Shame.
There was a little bit of fun to this flick. I laughed a few times. My friend laughed a lot, but she is a happy girl and laughs at everything, well, except for my jokes, dammit.
All in all, though, I almost dozed off a couple times and needed a shot of soda to keep me up.
The atmosphere seems to be somewhat sunny, but late evening sunny, in a way, which I am guessing is an attempt to alter the hue to fit with the film’s title. Nothing too special here, but nothing awful either, so I will be nice.
The story and the plot are awfully awful in the most awful degree. AWFUL! James Bond #4 (excluding the “Casino Royale” ones) is going to find himself begging to play Bond again if he keeps picking such shabby tales to take on. AWFUL!
Performances were quite ordinary. Nothing to run home and tell mom about, yet nothing to run home and complain to mom about. Just plain blah. Kind of like history class. Just kidding, Doc!
So here we are. Another week, another film, another reason to stay at home and out of the rain. Films of this caliber are indeed a dime a dozen and call for another excuse to buy more toilet paper.
So I leave you this week with a quote from Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes: “We trade liquor for blood in an attempt to tip the scales.” Well, you better suck down a lot of liquor if you plan on attempting to tip these scales for this film was, yeah, you guessed it, AWFUL!

Enflish duo's new DVD will stand the Test of Time
Richard Carter | Dance critic

Over the last month, several new performance DVD’shave been released by some of the better alternativemusical groups.
The new Cat Power DVD, “Speaking for Trees” features the ever elusive Chan Marshall playing guitar and singing for two hours in a forest. Whether it’s intriguing or monotonous is up to the viewer.
A new White Stripes live DVD will be released in two or three weeks that will show one of their recent London shows, all shot on hand held video. Garage production for a garage act—it should be interesting.
Finally, and my favorite of these the new releases, is the Goldfrapp DVD, “Wonderful Electric: Live in London.” The two DVD set features captivating performances, both musically and visually, from the eclectic group’s first two tours.
Goldfrapp is a duo featuring Alison Goldfrapp, an English multi-instrumentalist with one of the more compelling singing voices in any form of music, and
Will Gregory, another multi-talented musician and composer.
If you enjoy Bjork, or wish that Sarah McLachlan would be a lot more musically provocative, Goldfrapp is easily worth several listens.
The band’s first album, “Felt Mountain” brought together the sounds of Italian ‘60s soundtrack scores, French chanson, ‘70s art rock and dark fairy tales.
The songs feature gorgeous melodies and vocals that range from operatic to English folk.
The second album, “Black Cherry,” added a little more beat and electronica to the first album, sometimes suggesting the dance beats of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with a little electroclash.
What makes Goldfrapp so interesting is the band’s music never gets lost in some rarified stratosphere or in private dream worlds. The songs are accessible, and insistently intriguing, demanding and sensuous.
The first disc in the new Goldfrapp set features the singer and her band performing 14 songs at Somerset House in 2003. Filmed from numerous close-up angles with an excellent live sound, the DVD is the next best thing to being on the second row.
Allison Goldfrapp performs with confidence, and is in fine voice, performing tunes from the first two albums. The band, consisting of a violinist, viola player, keyboardist, drummer and bassist, develop a flowing wall of sound.
A nice mix of performances illuminated by diffuse lighting, the show is visually a treat. The performance flows smoothly with a mix of ambient songs and driving beats from more syncopated tunes.
We never feel like the performers are running through lesser-known pieces to play more popular singles like “Human,” “Train” and “Black Cherry.” The band appreciates the material, and that respect is reflected in their consistent performances.
The second DVD, “Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire,” features 11 songs from Goldfrapp’s 2001 tour. With more strings, and a little less beat, the show meanders a little more but never bores.
Compared to her dominating performance in the 2003 show, Allison Goldfrapp may not have the same commanding stature, but she’s still a musical force based on voice alone.
One of the treats of the evening is when her band segues into the old Olivia Newton-John song “Physical” during the choruses of “Human.”
Allison Goldfrapp’s voice brings a serious sensuality to the song as opposed to the cheesy and exploitive Newton-John ‘80s version.
And that’s not even to mention the gear melodica solo that Goldfrapp performs in the song. It’s always kind of nice to see a band that doesn’t have numerous guitars, or for that matter, even one.
The Goldfrapp DVD set may not be for everyone, but the low list price makes it available to music lovers willing to experiment. And that’s kind of the point of alternative music.
“Wonderful Electric” is a great collection of well-performed and visually orchestrated songs that should be a treat for old and new listeners. And unlike some English art music, it should stand the test of time.
I mean, who is really listening to Kate Bush anymore? She was already overblown back in the ‘70s.