'TheGift'
wrapped
in suspense
■ Keanu Reeves turns in
strong work as a racist, while
Cate Blanchett goes Southern
as a mystic tarot card reader.
BY SETH FELTON
For those of you who like
movies in which you always
think something is going to
jump out from the side of the
screen and gnaw on the main
character, I give you "The Gift.”
It stars Keanu Reeves, who
plays an abusive adulterer, and
Cate
Blanchett,
-(★★★☆)wh°playsa
v-!-L-/ widowed
psychic mother of three (I know
it almost sounds like a soap
opera score).
Initially, Blanchett is threat
ened by Reeves, whose wife
(Hilary Swank) had come to her
for solace after being beaten.
Blanchett advises her to leave
him, and he’s not too happy
about that
But the movie complicates
when the fiancee of one of
Blanchett’s friends goes miss
ing. Blanchett's psychic abilities
lead the authorities to the body,
but even after a trial is held,
Blanchett remains uncertain of
the real killer, and the movie
morphs in the latter half into a
whodunit mystery.
This movie has very few sur
prises. It’s a formula movie that
does exactly what you expect of
it.
Being a mystery thriller, the
film quickly gets the audience
to empathize with the main
character so that we can spend
the rest of the movie getting all
nervous and uptight about her
well-being. Her house is out in*
the middle of the bayou, so it's
nice and isolated, and of course
Blanchett lacks the ability to
turn on lights in her house or
lock her doors.
As a good thriller should,
"The Gift” plants just enough
doubt about each supporting
character so that we don't trust
anyone. This effect is height
ened by Blanchett's occasional
visions, which are vague
enough to implicate several
characters in different events of
violence and menace.
The formula of this type of
movie also requires the main
character to be a terminally
poor judge of character and
general situations of danger,
and thus requires that she go
searching for clues to solve the
mystery in the middle of a misty
swamp only when it’s dark and
raining and she’s just had some
vision of a guy whacking her
with a flashlight.
What I m trying to say, basi
cally, is that this movie is utterly
predictable, but that’s OK. This
movie knows its genre, and its ^
limitations (and being written
by Billy Bob Thornton, it damn
well should). It doesn't try to do
anything too fancy - it just sets
up a good story, and then it tells
it
It also give the story a little
tweak with the introduction of
Blanchett’s psychic powers,
which towards the end take on a
strange mysticism. Her visions
also'provide that ever impor
tant avenue for more things to
jump out of dark corners,
always a plus.
Reeves, as much as I hate to
admit it, gives a good perform
ance as a racist redneck, and
Blanchett gives a strong per
formance as well. But Giovanni
Ribisi, who plays Blanchett's
troubled friend, steals the show.
He gives a powerful and often
frightening performance wor
thy of note.
So in the end, this movie will
not make you think too much. It
doesn’t tackle any big issues or
settle any burning questions.
It’s simply a good flick with
good acting and enough of a
plot to hook your interest and
then keep it.
“The Gift” Starring Cate
Blanchett, Keanu Reeves,
Giovanni Ribisi and Hilary
Swank. Directed by Sam Raimi.
Written by Billy Bob Thornton.
Rated R for violence and lan
guage. Playing at the Cinema
TWin.
Jerry Morgan/DN
The musical that's swept the
nation finds its way to Lied
BY BILLY SMUCK
The Tony Award-winning musical
adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s cher
ished 1975 novel, “Ragtime" is at the
Lied Center for Performing Arts this
week.
Proclaimed as the Best Musical of *
the Year by USA Today, “Ragtime” is a
depiction of three culturally diverse*
families whose lives intertwine during
a time of great social change at the
turn of the 20th century.
Each family, one an upper-middle
class, white Anglo-Saxon Protestant,
another a Harlem black, and the third
a socialist immigrant Jewish family,
has great hopes for the future.
However, the ugliness of intolerance
and discrimination overshadow their
ambitions.
Mary Gutzi, who plays the radical
anarchist Emma Goldman, said the
issues “Ragtime” deals with are still
around today.
“It’s sort of a universality of these
themes regardless of the time that has
passed.” Gutzi said.
Though conflict arises in
“Ragtime,” it isn’t focused solely on
bigotry or misfortune according to
Gutzi.
“There is some violence, but it’s
not all dark," she said. “There are a lot
of heartwarming and shocking
moments.”
The overall theme of “Ragtime,"
however, is essentially what Gutzi
wanted to make clear, despite its vari
ous subplots.
“This is a show that portrays
humanity, we’re all the same (and)
regardless of our color, our beliefs or
disbeliefs, the essence is the same,”
Gutzi said.
Gutzi's character, Goldman, is one
of many prominent figures such as
Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington,
Harry Houdini and J.R Morgan that
“Ragtime” recognizes and incorpo
rates into its fictional story that makes
reference to pivotal historical events.
A fictional story it is, but one that is
very similar and realistic to the way life
was a century ago, which is exactly
what novelist E.L. Doctorow wanted.
Doctorow said while writing the
story in 1972, “It angered me that the
great medium of fiction, as wild and all
encompassing as the world, was
thought to have only the smallest and
most personal and private autobio
graphical subjects for its domain.
“If facts were what people wanted,
fine, I would give them facts they
never dreamt of.”
“Ragtime” was made into a motion
picture in 1981 which Gutzi said didn’t
do justice to
"a novel that is so rich.” While the
musical was being produced,
Doctorow’s blessing was sought and
fondly given.
Gutzi said when Doctorow
approved the musical, which uses the
same dialogue as the novel, Doctorow
said “that’s my story.”
It’s a powerful story at that, one
that invokes an emotional response in
the audience Gutzi said.
“It stirs a sense of compassion, a
sense of identity,” Gutzi said. “It
inspires a real emotional response on
many levels.”
“Ragtime” premiered in Toronto,
Canada, in 1996 and from there went
onto Los Angeles where it spent a year.
Gutzi said they got “an incredible
response” in a city that caters mostly
to motion pictures rather than theater.
From there, “Ragtime” spent 10
months in Chicago and is now touring
nationally.
It was the acceptance in Los
Angeles that let playwright Terrance
McNally, director Frank Galati and the
cast know they were part of something
big.
“Martin Sheen
came up to us
and said, ‘Do
you people
know what
you’ve done
here? This
show has to go
national!”’
Mary Gutzi
Ragtime actress
Gutzi said that movie stars like
Robert DeNiro, Barbara Streisand and
Martin Sheen were in awe of the show.
“Martin Sheen came up to us and
said, ‘Do you people know what you’ve
done here? This show has to go nation
al!'”
Gutzi said that people in Los
Angeles were talking and the show just
became more popular and gained
momentum from there.
“Word of mouth got around town
that if you miss.this show, you’ve
missed the best show in town,” Gutzi
said.
Skinnee Js album only on Web, but it's worth the surf
■ 'Volumizer'gives listeners a second
installment of the groups' intelligent
and diverse take on rap-rock.
BY ANDREW SHAW
Braggadocios and whimsical.
Ethereal and hard-hitting. With
“Volumizer,” 2 Skinnee Js explore the var
ious corners of their talents, resulting in
one of the best albums of the last year.
But you can’t yet find it on the shelves
of your favorite local music store.
The r ecording of “Volumizer” ended
in late Spring of 2000 and Capricorn, the
label responsible for 311, CAKE, the Js,
and many other modern acts, had the
release slated for September of last year.
When Capricorn decided to throw in
the towel, their bands were at the will of
potential buyers, which has delayed the
release of “Volumizer” until February, not
to mention temporarily postponed their
tour and disappointed the group’s fans.
In an act of love, bravery and trust in
the technological machine, the Js have
released "Volumizer” on Napster to get
the music out to their faithful followers.
And we couldn’t be happier.
“Volumizer” will be the Js second
major-label release. The underground
popularity of “Supermercado!,” the Js
debut album, exposed their unique twist
of funk, new wave and rap.
Although I’m tempted to call their
sound “rap-rock,” the music of 2 Skinnee
Js is far more intelligent, diverse and
interesting than what the term “rap-rock”
has come to portray. Where Limp Bizkit
feels compelled to repeat the same four
letter words, the Js have a vocabulary to
battle the most inclusive thesaurus.
Where Eminem finds success in his brutal
honesty and lyrics that graphically por
tray what he thinks are real-life situa
tions, the Js spin metaphors and similes
more intricate than e. e. cummings’.
Opening the album with “Horns of
Destruction” leads listeners into a world
where the artists know their talents, and
Special J and J Guevara, the dueling MCs,
beat their chests like the cockiest of
bailers. But as “Volumizer” unfolds, you
can’t help but agree with them. Special
and Guevara are a dynamic duo of verbal
assault, bouncing rhymes off of each
other like oral rubber.
The Js dip far into their new wave ele
ment on “Secret Frequency.” The song
sounds like a lost track from Fountains of
Wayne’s pack of bouncy alt-pop. The
Spice is showcased throughout the tune
with a happily sliding keyboard part, set
ting “Secret Frequency” as one of the Js
giddiest tracks.
But the Skinnees are at their absolute
best in “The World In Her Eyes.” The track
features the most intricate, scintillating
and shrewd set of rhymes from the Js
toolbox, or anyone’s at that. The list of
allusions covers Shakespeare, Sinatra and
science, in which the music accompany
ing the blindly intelligent vocals is mature
and involved, backed with the right
amount of pace and bounce to keep you
rocking even after multiple listens.
The only disappointment from
“Volumizer” comes when thinking about
how the industry manipulates its artists’
skills and intelligence in their quest for
the next quick dollar. The 2 Skinnee Js are
entertainers and scholars, never underes
timating the mental capacity of them
selves or their audience like most modern
rap and rock acts do.
The Js push the boundaries of popu
larity without pushing the boundaries of
decency, and it’s in this constant display
of light-hearted intellect where 2 Skinnee
Js find success.
2 Skinnee Js “Volumizer” 2000
Capricorn