Brian Millikin

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Wacky, Wonderful 'Adaptation' Defies Conventional Movie Logic

By Brian Millikin | January 16

"Adaptation" 5 Stars "Adaptation" might be the worst adaptation of any book ever brought to the screen. That said, it's easily one of the best films of the year and surely the most deliriously clever. It comes from the refreshingly absurd and fertile imaginations of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze. They last teamed up for "Being John Malkovich," an ingenious and twisted marvel in its own right. Yet "Adaptation" makes "Malkovich" seem plain and tall by comparison.

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Icy Songsmith Struggles With Sentiment, Ghost

By Brian Millikin | January 16

Joseph Arthur Redemption's Son 3 Stars Joseph Arthur is one cool customer -- almost too cool. The little-known, critically acclaimed songsmith makes a studio-savvy brand of melancholic pop. Overstuffed with textures and synthesizers, each beeping and blipping soundscape is more icily detached and slickly postmodern than the next.

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Crooked Keeps Essence of Rock Alive in Unique, Dynamic Durham Performance

By Brian Millikin | November 7

Crooked Fingers The Basement Friday, Nov. 1

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Japanese 'Spirited' Defies Animated Boundaries

By Brian Millikin | October 24

"Spirited Away" 5 Stars It took a long time for animated films to get respect in the United States. But audiences and academics still remain cold to Japanese animated films. Maybe it's the foreign language or a fear of bad English dubbing. Maybe it's the adult plots or a lack of musical sequences. Aside from the juvenile "Pok

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Candle's 1st Album Shows Sharp Talents

By Brian Millikin | October 24

Roman Candle 5 Stars You've heard this one before. There's all this great music out there that you'll never hear -- a few good albums that will never crack the popular radar, a dozen musical injustices that will never make it to the court of public opinion. And a lot of music fans don't have the patience to sift through all the listless bins and find the hidden gems. But Roman Candle is making it easy for you -- the local band's first album is fantastic.

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Adams Angers Fans With Surprisingly Solid Recycled Songs

By Brian Millikin | October 10

Ryan Adams Demolition 4 Stars Ryan Adams wants to make you mad. The would-be king of alt-country rock, poised at the precipice of widespread commercial success, has a devoted following of fans and admirers, all waiting for Adams to take the throne. But he doesn't care. His 2001 release, Gold, galvanized music fans with its brash talent and buoyant, firecracker energy. The stage was set for a brilliant follow-up record, one to convert the unconverted and break down a few of popular rock's stale barriers. Demolition isn't that record.

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Local Concert Venues Offer Range of Musical Options

By Brian Millikin | September 27

In terms of music, Chapel Hill is as much adjective as noun. The city's music scene is nationally known, the name a veritable promise of quality. Cat's Cradle This local legend is known across the country, having helped launch the careers of acts like Ben Folds. The Cradle sustains Chapel Hill and regularly brings in great mid-major names of all genres. "We get everything from reggae to hip hop to scat rock," said Cradle employee Ben Rogerson. "There's no limit to what we will book."

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Visa Troubles Keep ValdEs Out of U.S.

By Brian Millikin | September 26

He'd been booked for months, the posters had been printed, and tickets had been sold -- but the show won't go on. Renowned jazz pianist Chucho Vald

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Apple Juice Delivers Bold Taste but Struggles Against Bland Repetition

By Brian Millikin | September 19

Apple Juice Orchestra Cat's Cradle Thursday, Sept. 12 4 Stars Don't mistake the Apple Juice Orchestra for an opening act. The group is hardly background Muzak -- hardly that strumming sweet nothing that makes it hard to chat in the club's rear. But on Sept. 12 at Cat's Cradle, too many people made that mistake. The Orchestra played first in the double bill with Club d'Elf, and the crowd was all too paltry until Orchestra wound down its set.

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Paintings Part of Town, Deter Graffiti Vandals

By Brian Millikin | September 19

The murals around Chapel Hill have become veritable institutions over the years, as much Old Well as Van Gogh. But reverence for the walls doesn't stop at town residents -- vandals and the town caretakers respect them, as well. And taking care of the town's downtown walls isn't a simple or uncommon task. Chapel Hill's Public Works Department gets a call to clean up a graffiti tag fairly frequently, said Forrest Heath, buildings program supervisor. "We probably have a graffiti call once every couple of weeks," Heath said. "But some weeks we'll have two or three."