MUSICREVIEW Melee Devils & Angels 3 stars The guys in the California pop-rock band M
MUSICREVIEW Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band Now You Know 3.5 Stars After consistently rocking southeastern venues for five years, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band has released a debut album appropriately titled, Now You Know - as in now you know the formidable funk and diverse effects we can lay down on an album. Although the Asheville band will always be predominately a live act (its mission statement is to provide "thick thump and boundless energy"), listeners will come to know a band that delivers legitimate old- school funk with a modern twist.
MOVIEREVIEW I Think I Love My Wife 3 stars As director, co-writer and star of "I Think I Love My Wife," Chris Rock makes some characteristically gutsy moves that are respectable but don't always seem to conquer the challenge he hands himself. For starters, the comedy attempts to amp and revamp Eric Rohmer's "Chloe in the Afternoon," an art-house foray on fidelity from before even Rock's temptress was born.
Rhino, the famous retailer of baby-boomer music, sells a collection of CDs called "Frat Rock! The Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Party Tunes of All Time." At least somebody somewhere knows what it is. Any one of the discs includes one-hit wonders and groups with names such as Cannibal and the Headhunters, or the Pharaohs playing their most upbeat anthems. This music was the soundtrack to a collegiate wonderland immortalized by "Animal House."
MOVIEREVIEW "Bridge to Terabithia" 3.5 stars Katherine Paterson's renowned novel "Bridge to Terabithia" has been translated to screen with about as much success as one can expect from the book-to-movie genre. The imaginative production of the Disney Corp. is as fervent and vivid as ever, although it just doesn't seem to keep pace with the mind of a child, a concept deeply explored in the story.
MUSICREVIEW Vietnam Vietnam 3 stars Vietnam's self-titled debut album is an emptied palette of varied instrumentation, extended bridges and truthful, if sometimes gritty, lyrics. The album is framed by psychedelic, emotionally depressing and aesthetically pleasing sounds. Not easily categorized, this record transcends its palpable folk-rock influences, reaching something heavier but still traditional. Most tracks break down the three- to four-minute time barrier of a hit single.
CONCERTREVIEW It's Free For Everyone Friday, Jan. 12 Cat's Cradle 3.5 Stars The festive and self-celebratory atmosphere of Friday's free parade of local bands at Cat's Cradle was summed up by the good-natured exclamation of one fan, "Woo! Jesus!" He was referring to the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro in Schooner's visual aids, and he exemplified the excitement in the crowded house over the Raleigh power-pop group. Schooner's set was much too short - only about 30 minutes - as it was by far the highlight of the night.
MOVIEREVIEW "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" 3 Stars What compliment can be given Tenacious D that it hasn't already given itself? Tough call, but "The Pick of Destiny" deserves a few. This tasty flick delivers a killer intro and shreds the bridge with a supernaturally charged storyline and absurd rock mythos that flexes its anatomy.
DVDREVIEW "Cutting Crew Live at Full House Rock Show" 2.5 stars Cutting Crew's DVD, "Live at Full House Rock Show" is stuck in a state of betwixt and between. As a live performance, it is anticlimactic, confusing and even eerie at times. But as kitsch, as a collector's item, as a magnifying glass on the history of mullets, it is pure gold.
MOVIEREVIEW "Harsh Times" 1.5 stars David Ayer's "Harsh Times" is too busy being cool and tough to notice it's not going anywhere. The film ambles through escapade after escapade of ghetto drama that is both meaningless and gratuitous without adding a cent to its characters. The result is more a series of shorts from "Grand Theft Auto" than an actual storyline. What elements "Training Day," a successful film in the genre, brought to the table, such as climax, mystery and character motivation, "Harsh Times" replaces with chest thumping, teeth clenching man-isms.
