Arts
Art world
thrives
during
holidays
BY BRIAN CHRtSTOPHBtSON
If you’re like many UNL stu
dents, you are leaving Lincoln this
week to have a Griswold family
Christmas and spend some qual
ity time with Unde Lenny watch
ing him take one too many chugs
of eggnog.
Aunt Martha will pinch your
cheeks and tell you how much
you’ve grown.
Like many University of
Nebraska-Lincoln students, you
might grow tired of such treat
ment And after doing some free
laundry and grubbing on some
home-cooked meals, you might
just wander back to Lincoln dur
ing winter break. Or some of you
live here.
So what’s going on in the
thriving metropolis that is
Lincoln during winter break? Let
the merry times begin as we show
you a sampling of what is hap
pening in the arts world in
Lincoln.
The Lied Center is presenting
“The Nutcracker,” performed by
the Lincoln Midwest Ballet
Company on December 16-17.
The Edlos are a group of four
acapella singers that will present
a holiday performance on
December 20 at The lied.
If that doesn’t suit you, on
December 17, St. Mark’s United
Methodist Church will give some
holiday cheer with the “Nebraska
Brass Christmas” show, per
formed by Nebraska Brass.
Also on the 17th, folk artist
Lori McClain will be performing a
house concert for the Lincoln
Association for Traditional Arts at
856 N. 42nd SL
Please see LINCOLN on 9
This year's films offer the good, the bad
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
So much for complete lists.
The best movies of the year
docket can’t adequately be com
piled, not without the traditional
ly strong holiday fare to come,
which doesn’t touch upon certain
films - “Dancer in the Dark,”
"Requiem for a Dream,”
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon” - that won’t even find
their way to the Omaha/Lincoln
area before the new year.
So this is, for lack of better
phrasing, the best that can be
done with what’s out there.
It wasn’t a pretty year, 2000,
especially compared with the
splendor of 1999, a slate of mag
nificent (albeit long) works that
furthered the craft. What was
missing from this year was "Star
Wars,” which, because of block
buster power, forced other studios
to stay out of its way and produce
smaller, artier works.
This year was a mess, with a
whole slew of teen comedies in
die first half (none of them good),
a less-than-satisfying summer
blockbuster schedule and fall
more or less devoid of richness
and subtlety. Instead of “American
Beauty,” there was “Remember
The Titans.” Because of a weak
fall your leading award contender
is... “Gladiator,” a brutal, bloody
epic with a so-so conclusion.
So the primary brunt of the list
is die smaller stuff, accented with
a few larger works. Following will
be the five worst movies (a very
hard call), along with some other
awards to date.
The 10 best
10. “The CdT - It’s rather easy
to poke holes through the plot of
the most inventive film of the
year, but that would overlook its
ambition, its daring, its sheer
visual pleasure courtesy of rookie
director Tarsem. A psychologist
(Jennifer Lopez) enters the mind
of a serial killer (Vincent
D'Onofrio) to locate a final victim,
and the landscape inside the
human mind isn’t nearly what
we’d expect
Like Luis Bunuel’s art, “The
Cell” reorganizes the capacity of
our imagination to conceive such
things, and we're better off for it It
works as a police thriller and
abstract exploration of the mind.
9. "Jesus' Son” - It creeps up
slowly, and then lingers, one of die
more haunting tales of the year.
Lifted from the short stories of
Denis Johnson, “Jesus’ Son” plays
like a series of episodes, strung
together by a feeling of searching
for the main character FH, played
in masterful understatement by
Billy Crudup.
There’s a doomed love, there’s
heroin, there’s a stripped away
1970s Iowa, there's a hopped up
small town hospital - the movie
plays as life lived, quiet and
absorbing for days after.
8. “Croupier” - Brit Mike
Hodges returned to film
noir glory with this story
of a casino dealer (also
known as the title)
who re-enters the Jm
m _
djt
business to write a
novel, then starts
taking chances
to enrich the |
story right in £
front of him. M
W h a t ^
ensues is a
cold, hard
reality
slicked over
by the lure of
money, scotch
and cigarettes.
The real tal
ent from Hodges
isn’t to make this
lifestyle seem the
slightest bit entic
ing. Rather, it’s to
make certain this
sharky world isn't one
worth entering, and that
liars should never be
trusted, even when they
seem to benefit more t
telling the truth.
7. Erin Brockovich - W
Norma Rae has noth
blooded performance as
an ex-beauty queen looking 1
for a place in the world is her best
ever. While the real-life persona of
Brockovich is closer to Roberts’
personality than, say, the pretty
on this woman, and
neither does Sally
Field on Julia
Roberts, whose hot
woman, it's still a stop-the-presses
job, in more ways than one.
And the story, penned by
Susannah Grant and directed by
Steven Soderbergh, match up, as
well. Brockovich starts small at a
law office and quietly begins to
angle in on a big case against a gas
company, figuring out a love and
parenting life in the process. It's
stilted drama, to be sure - there’s
one too many scenes of Roberts'
yelling at women - but do you
care? “Brockovich” was downright
cheer-worthy from start to finish.
6. “The Virgin Suicides” -
Nearly 10 years ago,
Sofia Coppola turned in a per
formance in her father’s “The
Godfather Part III” that ranks
among the worst ever. And her
directorial debut was one of the
best movies of2000. Who knew?
It’s a tale of memory, told
through the boys from across the
street about the Lisbon girls - all
five of them - who committed
mass suicide in the middle of one
night and asked those boys to bear
witness to it “The Virgin Suicides”
doesn’t prepare a pat, obvious
motive. One could
almost argue it
romanticizes
death. It does
and doesn’t
cheat
by doing so because of the movie’s
perception of memory.
5. “Love & Basketball" - A
mature, honest drama of women’s
athletics isn’t easy to find, but
Gina Prince-Blythewood’s first
movie accurately captures the
beauty of such a woman, coupled
with her faults, creating the first
convincing portrait of its kind.
Sanaa Latham is the lead charac
Please see MOVIES on 9
r
Jerry Morgan/DN
Albums of the year a mix of locals, hip hop and covers
0 Connor, The Cure return with some of the years best music
BY ANDREW SHAW
Editor’s note: In a year that will most likely be
remembered far the Backstreet Boys, TV Sync, Britney
Spears and Christina Aguilera, many other, more tra
ditional musical creations need to be noticed. The fol
lowing are the Daily Nebraskan’s list of music cate
' gories and their winners chosen by the DATs mostfre
quent music reviewer, Andrew Shaw..
Best Local Album: Oil, “Dreaming With A
Deadline”
"Dreaming With A Deadline” is the best rock
album to come from Nebraska. Craig Korth’s vocals
are a perfect blend of down-home wholesomeness
and big-city grind.
The high-energy tunes, such as “Sundrop” and
“Consequences of Love,” drive the listener to bounce
in their seat, whereas the low-key "Cake Doesn't
Have Emotions,” with its harmonica hook and
acoustic foundation, capture the ease of a Sunday
afternoon drive. “Dreaming With A Deadline” would
make any Nebraskan musician proud.
Best Female Solo Album: Sinead O’Connor,
"Faith and Courage”
A walking paradox, O’Connor is a mother, a les
bian and a priest But above all, she is a breath-taking
musician. Her musical diversity runs the gamut from
angst-ridden rock to touching pop-ballads to ambi
ent religious compositions.
O’Connor's Irish roots stand out in every track,
through her gorgeous accent and the inclusion oi
traditional rhythms and instruments and Celtic
musical traits. Unabashedly embracing her past,
expressing her present and predicting her future,
O’Connor has created a moving album which
inspires, enrages and supports in each song.
Runner-Up: Bjork, “Selmasongs”
Best mate aoioznwouamiui, rigureo
Elliott Smith’s sound has been compared to The
Beatles, but Smith is a one-man supergroup, meld
ing catchy melodies with lush orchestrations and an
all-too-uncommon talent of musical restraint. Or
"Figure 8," Smith sticks to his original game plan
releasing an album full of laid back rock flooded with
raw piano, soft guitar riffs and his velvet-soft voice
effortlessly harmonizing with itself.
Lennon needed McCartney to keep him ir
check, and vice- versa. But Smith’s touch on ever)
track on “Figure 8” is executed with the perfect mix
ture of energy and control. His song writing talents
though obviously based on rock’s history, arc
diversely original tunes free of the oppressive wall o
sound so prevalent in today’s music.
Everything that comes from Elliott Smith has hac
the musical value of fine caviar and “Figure 8” is jus
another chapter of expertise from this fine musician
Best Group Album: The Cure, “Bloodflowers”
The Cure’s final album, “Bloodflowers,” may hi
their absolute best Eight of the album’s nine tracks
exceed five minutes in length, but none could end a
second sooner. Featuring lush arrangements of
sweeping orchestration and layer upon layer of mix
ing, "Bloodflowers" is a romp through the realization
that an era is ending.
Though the album has a sense of impending
doom, it is a joy to listen to, taking in the hard rock of
“Maybe Someday,” soft sentimentality of "Out of
This World,” and epic journey of the 11-minute
"Watching Me Fall.”
Robert Smith, the made up, tousled-hair brains
behind the operation, whines, dips and soars in typ
ical Cure fashion. It’s hard to keep track of everything
going on in every song, which makes repeated listen
ing not only enjoyable but necessary to get the full
experience of “Bloodflowers.”
Best Hip-Hop Album : Roni
Size/Reprazent, “In The Mode”
This true supergroup of diverse musicians ,
create a techno-hip-hop fabric without glitch
or low point. Featuring guest spots from the
likes of Rahzel (The Roots) and Zach de la
Rocha (Rage Against the Machine), “In The
Mode” is a collaboration which exhibits each
individual’s talents while still creating a com
plete and unified album.
The production from Roni Size is never
overpowering, but strives to blend with
whichever performer he is collaborating with
on the particular track. Although each track
could stand alone, “In Tune With The Sound,”
featuring Rahzel's jaw-dropping beatbox
skills, is the must-hear track of2000.
Best Comeback: Presidents of the
United States of America, “Freaked
Out and Small” *
The former kings of childishly catchy^
rock, with hits like “Peaches" and
"Lump,” are back, and they brought a
second bag of tricks along. The
Presidents of the United States of
America used to pride themselves on
their three-string guitar and two
string bass, but “Freaked Out and
Small” introduced all of the strings and
even keyboards into the mix.
The outcome is one of the best
albums of 2000. The group continues to
write everyday lyrics and perform them to
a pop-rock feel that could make even A1
Gore’s head bob along. “Tiger Bomb” is a
breakthrough hit, punning off of the popular
lip-balm product, showing that even has-been
rockers can play like The Beatles.
Best Cover Song : Self, “What A Fool
Believes” (originally by The Doobie
Brothers)
Self's take on the Doobie Brothers’ 1978 classic
flows with newfound energy and disco drive. The
entire “Gizmodgery” album was performed using
only toy instruments like the Little Tykes Xylophone
and Mattel’s See and Say, a gimmick which turns into
a valid form of high-powered, high-spirited rock
music.
Staying true to the Doobie Brothers' version, Self,
a virtual one-man band, recreates the high Bee Gee
like harmonies by multitracking Matt Mahaffey’s
voice over itself. The Suzuki Q-Chord and Playschool
Busy Guitar have never sounded better.
Most Over-Rated Album: Fatboy Slim, “Halfway
Between the Gutter and the Stars”
Please see ALBUMS on 9
Melanie Falk/DN
Go-Betweens earn
a second chance,
J5 best in hip hop
BYNEALOBERMEYER
Editor’s note: Through his work as music director
at KRNU, Neal Obermeyer has access to some of the
most innovative music out there. This experience gives
him a different view of the winners in each musical
category. They are as follows:
Best Local Album: Pablo’s Triangle, “A” Any
attempt to define their sound will fail. Percussive,
frantic, dark, catchy, fun... you will not forget them
once you’ve heard them. They have horns. They have
toy instruments. They have how many drummers?
They must be seen to be believed. (Hint:
Knickerbockers, Dec. 27)
Best Female Solo: Eleni Mandell, “Thrill” A dirti
er, grittier, working-class version of P.J. Harvey,
Mandell fulfilled all the expectations of her second
album. Slo-core rockers Idaho lend a hand to shape
the sound.
r) Runner up: Heidi Saperstein, “Very Special”
Best Male Solo: Ian Brown, “Golden Greats”
Where Brown’s first solo album only sounded
like an attempt to keep his former band the
Stone Roses alive, his follow-up discards the
past and results in an album just as strong as
die Stone Roses’ eponymous debut
Runner Up: Mark Robinson, “Tiger
Banana”
4 Best Group Album: Elf Power, “The
| Winter Is Coming” The Elephant 6 Collective
included a handful of powerhouses such as
the Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk
Hotel with a horde of wannabe followers. Elf
Power was one of the latter.
On “The Winter Is Coming,” however, the
band single- handedly redefines itself not
only within the E6 ranks, but in the indie
world as well. There were basically no expecta
tions leading up to this release, and so support
was built entirely from the ground up.
jf Elf Power builds on the traditional ’60s Beaties
/ Byrds E6 sound and throws in darker elements of
I i Pink Floyd and other 70s progressive rock to cre
ate a true standout in a year that saw numerous E6
clones.
Runners-up: Trans Am, “Red Line”; Sunny Day
Real Estate, “The Rising Tide"
Best Hip-hop Album: Jurassic 5, “Quality
Control” J5’s first full LP represents all that was and is
great in hip-hop. A Public Enemy for the ’00s, they
rhyme with rhythm on top of old-skool sounds remi
niscent of’80’s Bomb Squad production.
Please see LIST on 9
