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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1998)
Live music brings out strengths Widespread Panic “Light Fuse, Get Aw ay” Capricorn Records Grade: B+ It is difficult in modern music for bands to develop their sound. For many bands it may take a few' years to estab lish an identity. This is the situation that faces the band Widespread Panic. The band's latest release is a dou ble-live album which captures a per formance from the tour that accom panied last year's "Bombs and Butterflies" release. On the surface, it would appear that the group falls into the classification of contempo rary jam-based bands such as Phish or the Dave Matthews Band. However, Widespread Panic's sound hearkens back to the Southern rock genre of The Allman Brothers Band Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Outlaws. 1 he extensive use ot improvisa tion showcases the band's instrumen tal strength (most notably, the gui tar/organ interplay). The live format proves to be the band’s strong suit, as opposed to the confines of a studio release. Rather than fade each song out at five minutes the band goes to great lengths (such as the 10-minute “Porch/Jam”) to explore every possi bility the song has to offer. The extension of each song proves to be a winning technique for the band. The songs remain focused and never seem to lose direction. But the band’s set list, like its previous album, could use a bit more diversity because it becomes difficult to distinguish one song from the next. Once again, the band proves that its strength lies in live performance. While the material isn’t terribly inno vative, it’s thoroughly enjoyable. If this album is any indication of where Widespread Panic is headed, it's evident that although the band may be limited in the studio, it can always take its music on the road. - Patrick Kelly Courtesy Photo “THE BIG HIT” stars (from left) Bokeem Woodbine, Antonio Sabato Jr., Lou Diamond Phillips and Mark Wahlberg as a team of hit men. ‘The Big Hit9 makes a big miss By Jeff Randall Film Critic At least Mark Wahlberg knows his limitations. The former pseudo-rap star and recently acclaimed actor doesn’t have the range of Gary Oldman, or the tenacity of A1 Pacino. If he went for the big dramatic leads or Shakespeare type virtuoso pieces, he would - m all likelihood - stink the joint up. Luckily for him, and us, he real izes this. And instead of going for a prestige piece after his touted per formance in “Boogie Nights,” he opted for “The Big Hit.” Wahlberg stars as a professional killer in “The Big Hit,” a Hong Kong-flavored action-comedy that showcases Wahlberg, even if it doesn’t necessarily challenge him. The Hong Kong feel to this film is no accident. Action legend John Woo is an executive producer, and the film is directed by Che-Kirk Wong, a Woo-like action maestro who has worked with Jackie Chan. No surprise, the action sequences in this film are remarkable. Visually exciting and entrancing, “The Big Hit” scores points with nearly ever}' frame of gun blazing, kick boxing and jaw breaking. It may not be revolu tionary, but Wong shows a definite eye for intense and volatile film work. Unfortunately, films such as this also require a plot. And “The Big Hit” is seriously lackmg in this department. Wahlberg stars as Mel, a hit man who tries to lead an ordinary life (out side of work, of course). But, busi ness gets in the way of his pleasure. His rivalry with fellow hit man Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips) and his fiancee’s (Christina Applegate) demands end up complicating things. And an assignment that ends up turning on Mel, making him the target of a hit, doesn’t make things any easier. Sound familiar? Well, sort of. “Grosse Pointe Blank” covered this ground well, and this retelling of a normal-guy-who-kills-people-for a-living tale is not worth duplicating. In many cases, the comedy does work. But there's nothing worth rolling in the aisles over; and in the end, the comedy bits start to feel like filler between the glorious action sequences. Wahlberg is believable as an ordi nary guy who has an out-of-the-ordi The Facts Title: The Big Hit” Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate Director: Che-Kirk Wong Rating: R Grade: C Five Words: “Big Hit” misses too often nary career. And his supporting cast is just that, supporting players with little character depth or screen time. As a result, “The Big Hit” fails to live up to its name. Chances are, it will be hitting the dollar-theater circuit before too long. Save some money and wait for that to happen before seeing it. New MTV veejay unique NEW YORK (AP) - He only wanted a brief glimpse of MTV from the inside - just for fun, to join 4,000 other hopefuls grabbing at the instant fame that the absurdly popu lar music television network bestows upon viewers now and then. Last Monday night, Josiah “Jesse” Camp, all of 19, found him self sitting in the veejay’s chair in MTV’s Times Square studios, freestyling his own lyrics, interview ing Lenny Kravitz, taking a call from Jakob Dylan and wading into Manhattan’s rush-hour crowds for a few quick absurdist interviews with fans. Even veteran news anchor Kurt Loder had this to say: “Jesse, you ARE rock and roll.” Thanks to MTV and his own peculiar brand of charisma, Jesse Camp had arrived. “You gotta go nuts. You never know how long this is gonna last,” he said. “You get in these crazy situa tions and the only way you can deal with it is not to take it seriously.” Camp made his live-television debut five months after arriving in Manhattan from suburban Connecticut and two days after being selected by producers and viewers from the would-be talent that showed up at the network’s door last week for its- “become a veejay” contest. Viewer participation has been a sta ple of MTV since the very begin ning, when the station flew a contest winner to Hawaii in 1982 to party with the then-popular Devo. Somewhat to MTV’s surprise, the network had never issued an open casting call for veejays. “One of the things we really want to do is re-identify with the audi ence,” said Dave Sirulnick, execu tive vice president for MTV news and productions. “We didn’t know going in who would be great and who wouldn’t,” he said. But with Jesse, “it was clear there was that spark - something there.” Though he had no on-air experi ence, Jesse was prepared. He is a fringe rock icon waiting to happen - Nosferatu build, Ziggy Stardust face, hair that combines Medusa with Don King on a humid day. And his voice - well, his voice made the whole thing worthwhile. A strange, throaty melange, it echoed Spicoli from “Fast Times” and Bob Dylan, with undertones of Barry White. Fie used it to his advantage, freestyling lyrics throughout the show, letting loose with a six-minute extravaganza that even rhymed “China” with “Honda.” Jaws dropped backstage. “He’s good - he’s actually cool!” one staffer said. And this from the network’s production executive, Sirulnick: “We gotta sign him up to cut a record.” Staffers who gathered to watch his debut were skeptical. Could he pull it off? By the end heads were shaking, faces grinning: He was a natural. Jesse, who just graduated from high school last June, will be on for at least a month, MTV says, and then he’ll probably be part of the net work’s summer programming. Nobody’s ruling out that the kid will end up a permanent fixtureon MTV. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said. “I got 20 girls’ numbers just in the past few days. “OK, maybe not 20. I guess I’m embellishing a little.” Crime, love stories win big at box office LOS ANGELES (AP) - Crime paid more than love as “The Big Hit” seized the top box office slot in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend, while “Titanic” became the first film to gross more than $1 bil lion internationally. “The Big Hit,” an action com edy starring Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips and Antonio Sabato Jr. with China Chow as their kidnap victim, earned an estimated $11 million, surpass ing the supernatural romance “City of Angels,” which led for its first two weekends. “City of Angels,” starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who has to choose between immortal ity and life as a human with heart surgeon Meg Ryan as his love interest, came in second with $9 million. “Titanic” was tied for third at $5 million with another love story, “The Object of My Please see MOVIES on 13 Top movies Here are the estimated grosses for the top movies at North American theaters for Friday through Sunday. 1. ‘The Big Hit” $11 million 2. “City of Angels” $9 million 3. (tie) The Object of My Affection” $5 million 3. (tie) Titanic” $5 million 5. “Lost in Space” $4.4 million 6. “Paulie” $4.3 million 7. “Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple II” $5 million 8. The Players Club” $2.2 million 9. “Mercury Rising" $2.1 million 10. “Scream 2” $1.8 million