INSIDEBEATTHE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM

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ConcreteCatwalkWarm weather brings outRU’s most stylish students

April 22, 2010 Column Inside Beat • Page 2

EDITORIALBOARD

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS TO INSIDE BEAT : Amy Rowe, Aubrey Sherman, Emily Gabrielle,

Jason Pearl, Theo Jones, Zoe Szathmary

Cover photo courtesy of Marielle Balisalisa

STACY DOUEK.......................................EDITOR

MICHAEL MALVASIO............................ASSOCIATE EDITOR

EMILY SCHACHTMAN.........................ASSISTANT EDITOR

ARIBA ALVI...............................................................TV EDITOR

JASON STIVES.......................................................MUSIC EDITOR

NATALIA TAMZOKE........................................THEATER EDITOR

ROSANNA VOLIS...............................................FASHION EDITOR

AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI.........................................ART EDITOR

ADRIENNE VOGT....................................................COPY EDITOR

RAMON DOMPOR.................................................PHOTO EDITOR

EMILY SCHACHTMAN............................................FILM EDITOR

NIDHI SARAIYA...................................................BOOKS EDITOR

INSIDEBEATRutgers Student Center

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Email beat@dailytargum.com Web www.inside-beat.comAdvertising in Inside Beat,

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rant

BY MICHAEL MALVASIOASSOCIATE EDITOR

Avid watchers of Oprah Win-frey’s show can recite the formatof a typical episode: the episodestarts and Oprah introduces awoman who has divorced her hus-band and written a book. ThenOprah shows some clips with in-tense music playing in the back-ground. Next, the interview startsand Oprah asks all the right ques-tions. Finally, the guest breaksdown, cries, picks herself back upand says, “That’s my story, butnow life is great: go buy my book!”The audience gets a free copy, theguest is unburdened and the cred-its role just in time for the fiveo’clock news.

As I mature, I realize that mylife and all its wonderful issuescould never be unpacked andsolved in an hour. This realizationis a tough one to accept becauseI’ve always secretly dreamed ofhaving my Oprah moment: I tellmy story to the world while all the50-year-old housewives in the au-dience nod in agreement. And thenpoof—all my problems are solved.

That magic solution is clearlynot realistic.

Still, I have always felt thatOprah is amazing. I know a lot ofpeople agree with me, but lately Ifind myself having to defend Ms.Winfrey from friends and evenstrangers who seem to have a gen-eral disdain for her. Their argu-ments include that she isegotistical, has her own agenda,and enjoys brainwashing. Has

The Big OOprah been trying to trick me intobuying the “Oprah” brand withher “You’re all getting one!” mo-ments and therapy-like inter-views? Well, maybe. I have toadmit: I bought the books, I’vetried the Acai berries and I watchRachel Ray and Dr. Oz (Dr. Phil,not so much).

The anti-Oprah movement canalso be seen in the recent releaseof a book simply titled Oprah. Theauthor, Kitty Kelley, claims shehas proof that the queen of day-time lied about aspects of herpast, including that she had beenmolested at a young age. The au-thor also says that Oprah is acomplete diva behind the scenesand rumored to have orderedcrew members to tie her shoes.Could this be true? Is Oprah a liarand a diva?

I can accept her being a diva,but a liar? I think not. I feelOprah is far too honest, caringand passionate on her show to bea liar (she can’t be that good ofan actress). Sure, she does haveher plugs and promotions, but Ihave seen her cry, laugh andtruly empathize with guestsranging from male-to-femaletranssexuals and handicappedchildren to famous authors andhigh-powered politicians.

Ultimately, I think I have come toa conclusion about my feelings onOprah Winfrey and can offer someadvice to those struggling with this:don’t overdose on Oprah—modera-tion is key. She is really good atwhat she does. But sadly, she doesnot have all the answers.

from wreaking serious damageon San Francisco. Along the way,some old enemies return tomake saving the city more dif fi-cult. Add to that mix the colorfulcharacter of Abby Normal, a hi-lariously wacky teenager, some-one named Vampire Wannabeand the novel’s occasional first-person narrator, and Bite Melacks a single dull moment up tothe very end.

While the book is a comedy, itfeatures elements of seriousnessand depth in the characters’ in-teractions that prevent it fromfully entering the realm of camp.It is filled with laugh-out-loud mo-ments, facilitated by Moore’s useof dialogue, analogy and slangterminology. His stylistic empha-sis on speech and descriptions of

movement keep the action fast-paced. The characters are well-developed, but all are overtlyfashioned around stereotypes.To highlight a few, there’s abeautiful red-headed vampire,a rebellious teen that speaks asif she is text-messaging aloud,and a biochemistry geniuswho develops couture that cankill vampires. Even so, thestereotypes work successfullybecause of the book’s satirical undercurrent.

may be part of a trilogy, butit can also be enjoyed on itsown. Thanks, ChristopherMoore — it was high timesomeone wrote a vampire novelthat could laugh at itself andleave us laughing too.

April 22, 2010 Art • Books • Theater Inside Beat • Page 3

BY AMANDA LITCHKOWSKIART EDITOR

New Brunswick-based Collabo-rative Arts’ exhibition Identifiableis dedicated to the question of“Who am I?” — but there are noeasy answers.

Identifiable, which opened lastThursday, is the second exhibitionin coLAB’s recently acquired Ba-yard Street gallery. Located a fewfloors above the smoky Kairo Kafe,the exhibition fills two small roomsbut tackles expansive questionsabout the nature of self-definition.The show centers on the photo-graphic work of two Mason GrossSchool of the Arts students, drawingties between the lives of studentsand local art.

The first room of the gallery islined with photographs by MasonGross senior Nakeya Brown. Herphoto series, titled No Entry, cap-tures her relationship to her sur-roundings — specifically the city ofNewark. Although not from

BY AUBREY SHERMANSTAFF WRITER

Contrary to what popularopinion would have you believe,not all vampire novels are createdequal. Aside from one of its char-acters coincidentally beingnamed Bella, Bite Me: A LoveStory, written by best-selling au-thor Christopher Moore, shareslittle else in common with thevampire literature currently dom-inating America’s bookshelves.

Bite Me, released on March23, is the final installment inMoore’s Bloodsucking Fiends tril-ogy. The story follows the ad-ventures of two vampires,Tommy and Jody, and theirhuman friends as they attempt tostop a vampire cat named Chet

BY NATALIA TAMZOKETHEATER EDITOR

Last weekend, Cabaret Theatrewrapped up its production of God-spell to a sold-out house. Packedwith energy and excitement, theproduction sets the bar high forstudent-run shows.

Written by Stephen Schwartz(Wicked) and John-Michael Tebe-lak, the musical chains togetherBiblical parables (mostly based onthe Gospel of Matthew) androcked-out traditional hymns. Be-cause there are no stage directions,no character names, no assignedsongs and no given plot points, thetext is up for interpretation.

The version staged at CabaretTheatre places the show in abustling, urban setting. Judasstands in the busy streets spread-ing the word of Jesus while hand-ing out tickets to prospectivebelievers. Those who are swayedby him meet up in an unknown,abandoned location and becomeactors putting on a show.

Though the idea was original, itseems reasonable to question theplot points. Most predominantly,there is a disconnect as to why theactors would want to follow Judas,as most of the actors’ characteri-zations did not hint at any personalreasons to find faith. In the end,the setup almost made the deathof Jesus artificially dramatic.

But the acting and energy ofthe performers made these details

Regardless of your stance on animal rights, increasing evidence shows that diets free of meat tend to bemuch healthier. According to studies by the American Heart Association, vegetarians “have a lower risk of

obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus andsome forms of cancer.” Though the idea of tofu or soy milk may seem daunting, vegetarian and vegan chefs

are stepping in to prove that delicious animal-friendly meals and treats do exist.

Cabaret Theater | B+

Bite MeA Love Story

Christopher Moore | B+

GodSpell

challenging IDENTITY

Animal-Friendly Cookbooks

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less by Robin Robertson

Let’s face it. Most college students are constantly on the go. Spending time tomake a savory dish is just not as important as plunking out that six-page Englishpaper in an hour or a cramming for that dreaded calculus exam.

Fortunately Robin Robertson comes to the rescue with Quick-Fix Vegetarian, acookbook filled with delicious vegetarian meals for people with busy lives. His recipestake less than 30 minutes and pair flavor with simplicity. The cookbook also provides 150 different recipes,so there is always room for variety.

Recipes include “Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Quesadillas,” “Chipotle-Kissed Black Bean Soup,”“Mediterranean Orzo Salad” and “Beat-the-Clock Lasagna.”

QUICK & EASY

The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest atEvery Occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

You’re probably thinking, “Well if I have a party, who wants to be stuck nibbling onboring vegetables all night?” Probably no one. But even if that cheesy nacho dip orcherry cheesecake is absolutely to die for, who really wants to leave feeling like awhale? No one!

Colleen Patrick-Godreau has created an array of mouth-watering meals that fit per-fectly with the party-planning standard of tasty food. In The Vegan Table, full-course

meals are outlined to match any occasion. Called the “vegan Martha Stewart” by VegNews mag-azine, Patrick-Godreau truly exhibits her expertise in this cookbook.

Recipes include “Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke and Pesto Sandwiches,” “Pasta Primavera withFresh Veggies and Herbs,” “African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew,” and “South of the Border Pizza.”

PARTY PLANNING

Choosing an animal-friendly diet doesn’t have to mean giving up on the good stuff, es-pecially when it comes to desserts. Highly-acclaimed vegan chefs Isa Chandra Moskowitzand Terry Hope Romero team up in these two vegan sweet treat cookbooks to fill yourveins with sugary bliss.

The cookbooks are informative and reveal a range of tips, from the science of bak-ing cookies to perfect cupcake ingredients. While most of the recipes still manage toreach the upper crest of caloric intake, low-fat alternatives are also provided. Thegood news is that it is all cholesterol-free.

Recipes in these two cookbooks include “Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cupcakes,”“S’mores Cupcakes,” “Mucho Margarita Cupcakes,” “Magical Coconut Cookie Bars,”“Peanut Butter Crisscrosses,” “NYC Black & Whites” and “Key Lime Shortbread Rounds.”

SWEET TOOTH

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule&

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treatsby Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

BY NATALIA TAMZOKETHEATER EDITOR

COURTESY OF NAKEYAB.COM

almost forgettable. Marc Mills’portrayal of Jesus was natural andcrafted into an all-loving religiousfigure. Jake Esformes was pen-sive, carefully layering Judas’ emo-tional complexities. Other castmembers, including Lauren Sag-nella, Amanda Rich, AlexandraBancroft, Chelsea Cortes, PriscillaPagan, Anna Zailik, Joseph Asaro,Virgil Cabrian and ChristopherPasi, crammed vitality into theblack box theater. Even the trio ofnonbelievers (Rose Flahive, MarkPiltz and Eddie Souaid) effectivelymolded themselves into their re-spective roles.

Musically, Godspell was im-pressive. Musical DirectorMatthew Brady successfullyhelped each actor develop a spe-cific voice amid the sea of talentedvocalists. He also led pit membersKevin Tobia, Greg Salmon, RyanSalmon and Aaron Allen to flaw-lessly tackle the rock score.

Director Sarah Esmi combinedmany elements to thoughtfully ex-ecute the musical. Jesus symboli-cally wiping heavy black makeupoff of an actor was a nice touch.Additionally, the final sceneevoked chaos and loss as the char-acters were robbed of their props,wall paintings and spiritual leader.

Though the text and conceptlacked harmonization at times, thetalent and energy that went intocreating Godspell overshadows itsflaws. The production was creative,upbeat and an overall good time.

Newark, Brown described the city’sinfrastructure as worthy of artisticattention. Her work, purposefullyvoid of human figures, aims to cap-ture the traces of activity in a city“lost in the American dream.”

Brown’s photographs arearranged in diptychs, or two pho-tographs mounted side-by-side.She constructs relationships ofabandonment, history and com-munity based on composition andher feelings. “Newark’s Finest,” adiptych of a corner grocery storeand a police station, stands out asespecially haunting.

In the second room of thegallery, larger photographs byMason Gross fourth-year studentTerri Beckles require secondglances from gallery-goers. Beck-les, who draws inspiration from gen-der-confronting documentaryphotographer Catherine Opie, ma-nipulates her work to suggesthuman presence but avoids outrightportrayal of individuals. Her photo-graphs depict domestic settings

with blurred human-shapes — anintriguing and eye-catching photo-graphic technique.

Beckles’ focuses on women andgender identities, which she be-lieves are constrained by the socialcategorizations used to define them.All of her pieces are left untitled;only parenthetical labels of their set-tings (e.g. “Dinner” and “Laundry”)specify the differences betweenthem. Particularly appealing is anentire wall dedicated to the “Dinner”series printed on transparent boxesas to suggest the dynamic relation-ship between time and identity.

The issue of individual identityruns rampant in coLAB’s space, asviewers provide personal interpreta-tions of the exhibition and discussNew Brunswick’s art scene. Identi-fiable, which runs until May 20, is astrong installation that leaves view-ers questioning the ways in whichthey define themselves and antici-pating coLab’s future plans. It’s di-verse, engaging, and intelligent — amust-see for local art fans.

“I likeUrban Style, but notUrban Outfitters.”

“I love Anna Sui.”

“I love Dieselfor day-to-day. I love Gucci,but I can’t afford it yet.”

“Itvaries...one day I’m verypreppy, other times I amdressed down.”

Rutgers Street StyleAn unseasonably warm April was the backdrop for Inside Beat’s annual “Street Style” issue. We stalked the College Avenue campus with

photographer Marielle Balisalisa on the prowl for Rutgers’ best-dressed collegians. The girls who don’t just don Uggs, a Northface andleggings on the trek to class, the girls who like to stand out in brightly colored frocks, vintage accessories and killer shoes. The guys whowear something other than a Rutgers sweatshirt, basketball shorts and sneakers. We searched for guys unafraid to pair brightly coloredsneakers with skinny jeans, guys in brights wearing boat shoes, and guys who weren’t just another face in the red-clothed crowd. The re-

sults of our endeavor turned up over a dozen stylish students who proved that fashion is possible anywhere and on any budget.

Classy in Khaki

I love to be as edgyas possible. “

Mario Lee

SAS Junior

Name:

Major: East Asian Studies

“Cosmopolitan.”

Kylie Coghlan

Mason GrossSchool of the Arts Junior

Name:

School:

Major:

Favorite Designer:

Favorite Magazine:

“Peopleand Seventeen”

“Simple andPretty.”

Christine Chan

SAS Junior

Name:

School:

Major: Political Science

Personal Style:

Favorite Magazine:

“I really likethis small store called theBack Door...and Kohlstoo.”

“I would say no more than$40.”

Jake Eisensmith

SAS First year

Name:

School:

Major: Genetics

Most money spent on a single item:

Favorite Stores:

Shoes fromZara

I’d spend up to $300 on astaple piece because I’ll

use it forever.

“

“

Romper andshoes from GAP

Indie Chic

Vintagehat

Graphic Design

My personal style isvintage.

““

Vintageboots

Style Inspiration:

Classic RockI don’t have onespecific style.

““

Classic, worn-inConverse add

edge to any look.

“AudreyHepburn.”

Style Icon:

BY ROSANNA VOLIS

FASHION EDITOR

Edgy & Trendy

Favorite Brand:

Personal Style:

School:

“

Check Out RU Street Style Blogs

Rutgers Fashionista

Little Black Dress Clean-Cut

Scarlet Style

Navy and Nautical

Close up: Accessories

Joanna Minh SAS Junior

Labor Studies and Economics

Immanuelle AmofahSAS First YearPhilosophy

David BellSAS Senior

Political Scienceand

Criminal Justice

Springtime on College Ave

Ashley PhanorAlumni Class 0f ‘09

Journalism and Media Studies

Primary ColorsGennady Spirin

University College SeniorCriminal Justice

&

Get The Look

Mixed Floral Maxi Dress$32.80 Forever 21

Brittnee BynoeRutgers College Senior

Journalism and Media Studies

Mike Ginsang Rutgers College Senior

Communication

Luke TullySAS First Year

Genetics

Eric HedvatSAS Junior

IT and Psychology

Chris Rowlings & Adam KishbauchSAS Seniors

Physics (Chris) & Music (Adam)

Page 6 • Inside Beat Film • TV April 22, 2010

BY THEO JONESSTAFF WRITER

Date Night will either meet or exceed your ex-pectations; the trailers did little to instill confidencethat it would be good, but the comedic talent ofTina Fey and Steve Carell offer hope. Based onthose factors, Date Night may surprise many. Ex-pectations won’t be too high for what results in ahit-or-miss comedy made of moments that go ontoo long, as well as one-liners that land squarely.

Fey and Carell star as a typically middle-class,suburban couple with two kids, steady jobs and lit-tle time to themselves. They have regular datenights that often involve the same restaurant, mealand conversation. When one of their marriedfriends announces they are getting a divorce, theybegin to look closer at their own situation. In anattempt to rekindle the fire, they decide a fancynight on the town is necessary to break up the mo-notony. But things go awry when they get caughtup with some thugs working for a Manhattan mobboss, throwing the night way off track.

Fey and Carell work well together, and the onlymisfires are when a scene runs too long, such as

BY JASON PEARLSTAFF WRITER

Kick-Ass is a comic book moviebased on the series of the same nameby Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.The original series took an interest-ing and realistic look at what theworld would be like if regular peopledecided to dress up as superheroesand fight crime. The movie does thesame at first, before moving furtherand further away from realism until itbecomes flat-out unbelievable.

The protagonist, Dave Lizewski(Aaron Johnson, The Illusionist), isjust an average New York teenager.He has a couple of close friends, acrush on the popular girl and an affin-ity for comic books. His life is unre-markable in every way, and he knowsit. After being mugged while an on-looker does nothing, and inspired byyears of idolizing superheroes, Davedecides to create a heroic alter ego.Calling himself Kick-Ass, he attemptsto fight crime despite having no su-perpowers, Batarangs, or even rudi-mentary martial arts training. Thisleads him into several conflicts with adrug cartel operated by gangsterFrank D’Amico (Mark Strong, Sher-lock Holmes), and later the villain RedMist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Su-perbad). Along the way Kick-Ass alsomeets the highly-disciplined heroesHit-Girl (Chloë Moretz, (500) Days ofSummer) and Big Daddy (Nicolas

BY JASON STIVESMUSIC EDITOR

Not many people rememberGeorge Lazenby’s only performanceas James Bond in On Her Majesty’sSecret Service. However, since thefilm’s release in 1969, it has grown tobe one of the definitive representa-tions of the Bond series, thanks to itsdiehard fans, stylish cinematographyand bare bones espionage structure.

The film follows Agent 007’s con-tinued pursuit of evil genius ErnstStavro Blofeld, last seen blasting hisway out of his hideout in 1967’s YouOnly Live Twice. After failing to makeany further progress in finding theSPECTRE mastermind, Bond isgranted a leave from MI6 to pursueBlofeld on his own terms. In his pur-suit, he acquires the affection of awoman named Tracy Di Vicenzo(Diana Rigg), as well as partneringwith her father Marc-Ange Draco,head of a European crime syndicate.

The notoriety that precedes thisclassic Bond film lies in the less-than-stellar performance by Lazenby asBond, attributed to his lack of prioracting jobs. Still, Lazenby’s Bondachieves what Connery’s Bond neveraccomplished. With all his acclaim as

BY ARIBA ALVITV EDITOR

ABC closed the doors on the show Ugly Betty last Wednesday. After four witty and thought-provok-ing seasons, Betty said goodbye to America (literally). The show may have hit a creative wall, but all inall, it was well worth watching.

Whether it was raising awareness on issues like female body image in the media industry or mock-ing the frivolity of some fashion trends, it really made an impact on viewers’ lives. It is hard to forget thegleaming contemporary halls of Mode magazine or the crazy schemes that Wilhelmina worked up inorder to take over Mode.

Throughout the four seasons, the performances by America Ferrera, Mark Indelicato and Ana Ortizkept audiences engaged. Ferrera made Betty a strong character regardless of herlack of traditional beauty. Indelicato wonderfully portrayed Justin as a gayteenager, who despite not coming out until the second to last episode, still gaveus some great moments to look back at. Ana Ortiz’s performed fantastically asBetty’s older sister Hilda, who had to go through the pain of having her fi-ancé, Santos, shot in a robbery.

There was also a crew of memorable supporting characters like Daniel,Gio, Henry, Ignacio, Claire and Marc who kept the show amusing, if noth-ing else. These entertaining minor characters left us with great memo-ries, like when high-maintenance snob Amanda (Becki Newton) gets asecond job at a pizza parlor in order to pay off her financial debt. Notedguest appearances include Lindsay Lohan as “Kimmie” Keegan, Betty’schildhood nemesis and manager of Flushing Burger, who backstabsher way into a job at Mode.

Ugly Betty was sometimes pretentious, but in a good way. It was areminder that real life exists, and it delicately folded in issues with itsoverzealous plot lines. But Ugly Betty was clever — in fact too cleverto boot.

Ultimately, ABC killed Ugly Betty by moving it to the Friday nightdeath slot. But in the end, it was a bittersweet finale. The writers left theshow with an open ending in regard to the relationship between Danieland Betty. It faded out by taking away the word “ugly” and just leaving“Betty,” leaving what we all have known from the beginning: Betty wasnever ugly, inside or out.

Goodbye, Ugly Betty!

Matthew Vaughn | B-

VINTAGE FILM:

Kick-Ass

Date Night Shawn Levy | C+

“I’m not the emotional type, but you canwrite yourself a nice note from me.” —Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams), after Marc(Michael Urie) tries to give her a hug when hegets the junior fashion editor job

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service “Looks like a gay version of Star Trek.”

— Hilda (Ana Ortiz), getting her initial lookat Mode magazine headquarters

“I’m this close to splitting a Cobb saladwith Sarah Jessica Parker and talkingabout shoes.” — Daniel (Eric Mabius), feel-ing emasculated after spending a day fruitlesslywaiting for a call from Sofia (Salma Hayek)

Some quips we loved from the show we’ll miss:

COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): GOLDDERBY.LATIMES.COM,WATCHINGUGLYBETTY.COM, DAILY-MAIL.CO.UK, FANPOP.COM

Cage, Ghost Rider) who have made ittheir lives’ work to take down D’Am-ico and his gang.

As is the case with many adapta-tions, many of the script’s flaws aredue to diversions from the source ma-terial. While it’s difficult to pinpointspecific problems without spoilingsome of the twists, if the screenplayhad followed the comic book moreclosely, Kick-Ass would have been amuch better movie. On the otherhand, Matthew Vaughn’s (Layer Cake,Stardust) style of direction was a per-fect fit for Kick-Ass, with some very in-teresting fights scenes and cameraangles. The acting was at least decentall-around, with Cage’s campinessand Moretz’s amusing and sadisticpersona particularly standing out.The over-the-top violence and lan-guage in the film, which has lead tosome controversy because the Hit-Girl character is only 11 years old,was greatly exaggerated. While somemay find it offensive, Kick-Ass is reallyno worse than many other modernmovies in terms of graphic violenceor profanity.

Overall, Kick-Ass could have beenmuch better if it had stuck to the plotof the original series, but it isn’t terri-ble. There are many scenes in whichthe flaws outweigh the strengths ofthis anti-superhero movie, but for thetimes when you’re not rolling youreyes, Kick-Ass does provide some en-joyable mindless entertainment.

the best James Bond ever, Connery’swry sense of humor and penchant forwomanizing never could have allowedhim to fall in love the way thatLazenby does. It is perhaps because ofthis that Lazenby could never be thepersona of James Bond that generalaudiences know and love.

After being a second unit directorfor the Bond franchise for so long, PeterHunt’s directorial effort in OHMSS iscinematic bliss. While his first unit workcompiles a great love story and an in-depth ’60s spy thriller, his help on sec-ond unit work, mainly Bond’s visit toBlofeld’s lair Piz Gloria, is amazing, pro-viding sweeping panoramic views of theSwiss Alps. Outside of The Spy WhoLoved Me’s opening sequence, OHMSShas the best ski battle out of the seriesthanks to the handheld camera shots.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, un-like other spy films, could easily be aGreek tragedy. It combines the bestelements of theater, including humor,suspense, romance and tragic fate.Had Lazenby had more acting chops,he could have become one of the bestJames Bonds. However, history hasdecided otherwise. Instead, he willjust have to settle for being back-ground noise to one of the greatestspy thrillers of all time.

a pole-dancing segment toward the end thatshould have been probably should have been cut.However, this is an ensemble comedy co-starringCommon, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, MarkRuffalo, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta andWilliam Fichtner (Crash). Of the bunch, Francoand Kunis share a glorified cameo that almost feelsmore like a rushed Saturday Night Live rehearsalrun, but still remains funny. And while Wahlberg’sappearance is a rather one-note joke, it does in-spire some funny moments, especially an over-the-top parody of technology in film.

Date Night is a cobbled together from stand-alone scenes that serve as a whole. It’s nothingmore than a comedic date-night diversion, butkudos to director Shawn Levy for keeping the run-ning time down to 87 minutes. Levy dives quicklyinto a story filled with all the screwball antics youwould expect, and that’s rare these days. Impro-vised one-liners from Fey and Carell keep thestory fresh, and the film benefits from their sharedcharisma. Date Night is a slightly-above-averagecomedy fitting into the landscape exactly as itshould, hardly disturbing the water on either sideof right-down-the-middle.

April 22, 2010 Music Inside Beat • Page 7

BY AMY ROWESTAFF WRITER

Angst-punk band Titus Andronicus is blow-ing up everywhere, thanks to critical acclaimsfor their Civil War-concept album, The Monitor.The band, hailing from Glen Rock, N.J., formedin 2005, and they derive their name from aminor Shakespearean tragedy. They releasedtheir first album, The Airing of Grievances, in2008. It is rife with pop culture references, mostobviously the album’s title, which refers to thefictional holiday “Festivus” from Seinfeld. Justlike many bands from the Garden State, TitusAndronicus’ lyrics detail a few choice wordsabout their hometown — mostly about gettingout of there, which they did.

Although Glen Rock is only a short dis-tance away from The Big Apple, Titus An-dronicus created their own New Jersey indiescene in their early years with various base-ment shows. Frontman Patrick Stickleshosted the “Patstock” shows in his own house,with notable performances from the Vivian

BY EMILY

GABRIELESTAFF WRITER

Blue Noise Sky definitely re-veals a side of Circa Survive thathasn’t been seen until now. Forveteran listeners, there is a cleardistinction between this album andtheir others, especially their previ-ous release, On Letting Go.Though it may be difficult to ini-tially decipher whether the changeis bad or good, it is nonetheless achange, which is a respectable ele-ment of the band’s evolution.

BY AUBREY

SHERMANSTAFF WRITER

A lot has changed for Britishfolk singer Laura Marling sinceshe first made her appearance onthe music scene in 2007. At 16, shealready amassed an ever-growingfan base through MySpace. Herdebut album, 2008’s Alas I CannotSwim, showcased her songwritingtalent with the spotlight on herunassuming yet commanding vo-cals and strikingly honest lyrics.Fast-forward to 2010, and Marlinghas left behind the shy teenagerfor a more mature woman, whofaithfully delivers on her newestalbum, I Speak Because I Can.

Marling sings seemingly with-out any effort, exemplified in thepowerful first track “Devil’sSpoke,” which shows her deftly al-ternating between urgent andsolemn vocals. While the songs

BY ZOE

SZATHMARYSTAFF WRITER

Experimental group Liars re-cently released Sisterworld, the fol-low-up to their 2007 self-titledalbum. Band members Angus An-drew, Aaron Hemphill and JulianGross have largely turned awayfrom the garage-rock antics oftheir previous work, focusing in-stead on putting unexpected ele-ments into their music. Sisterworld,the Liars’ fifth studio album, iseerie, mystical and ultimately cap-tivating to ambitious listeners.

Right from the get-go, the bandshows that they’re not scared oftoying with expectations. Theopening track “Scissor” constantlyjuggles with harmonized singing,rapid-fire drums and guitar. Thelistener is pulled in all directions,waiting for more and each part ofthe song works. “Here Comes Allthe People” starts off with a mys-terious, Robert Rodriguez-inspired

Circa SurviveBlue Noise Sky | B

Titus AndronicusLocal Starlets

Must Downloads • “A More Perfect Union” • “Titus Andronicus Forever” • “Theme From ‘Cheers” •

•“No Future Part Three: Escape from No Future”•

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guitar and develops with menac-ing hisses and string instruments.The song becomes increasinglysinister, as though the listener issuccumbing to a nightmare.

Many of the songs reveal thegroup’s current interest in slowbuildups and sitar-like guitar. Anotable example is “Proud Evolu-tion,” a five-minute track, in whichlead singer Andrew repetitivelychants, “Proud evolution/Proudevolution/you should be care-ful/you should be careful.” Themysterious lyrics, coupled withheavy synthesizer and ambientsound effects, make this piecetruly otherworldly.

The notable exception is “TheOverachievers,” which is astraight rock track. This songfeels out of place with the othersand while enjoyable, it is so fren-zied it seems to be more fittingwith their previous album. Yet therest of Sisterworld flows nicelyfrom song to song as a tripthrough the subconscious. What-ever music Liars reco rds next willdefinitely be sublime.

are complemented chiefly byacoustic guitar, they also feature abanjo, piano, cello and members ofthe band Mumford & Sons asbacking vocals on the album.

I Speak Because I Can is a beau-tiful folk album in the authenticBritish vein. Lyrically, Marling fo-cuses on images of the Englishlandscape: love, loss and intro-spection. “Goodbye England (Cov-ered in Snow),” a song that unfoldslike a hypnotic lullaby, and “Black-berry Stone,” featuring Marling’spoignant vocal delivery, are thealbum’s stand-out tracks. There isnot a weak song to be found here.

On “Hope in the Air,” she defi-antly sings, “My life is a candle anda wick/you can put it out but youcan’t break it down/In the end, weare waiting to be lit.” These are thewords of a determined soul, onethat has already made huge cre-ative leaps in a short amount oftime. I Speak Because I Can willleave fans eager to see what LauraMarling will come up with next.

Girls and Real Estate, who went to high schoolin neighboring towns.

But Stickles won’t ever forget where hecomes from, which is abundantly clear right offthe bat with the first track “A More PerfectUnion.” It starts out by referencing the GardenState Parkway and goes on to mention theNewark Bears and a “new New Jersey.” Stick-les’ voice is particularly vulnerable and scarilyreminiscent of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst.

Titus Andronicus’ music is raw and punkish,undoubtedly influenced by peers like No Ageand Yo La Tengo. Titus Andronicus could hon-estly make any Jersey kid fist-pump and dance,as sentiments like these are heard throughoutThe Monitor. Most of the band’s songs arepacked with high energy and have fast tempos,but they do have a few slower and softer songs.

Titus Andronicus’ future looks bright withtheir rising fame taking them out of New Jer-sey and around the country. The band cur-rently resides in Brooklyn, an environment thatallows them to creatively thrive outside of sub-urban New Jersey’s confines.

The album’s lead single, “GetOut,” begins with a strong vocaldisplay from singer AnthonyGreen, followed by hard-hittingpercussion and guitar parts thatare an instant draw to the song.This song stands out the most onthe album, and it is an excellent in-troduction into the rest of therecord. As a whole, the album hasmore pop appeal and contains a lotof tracks that have a softer soundthan we’re used to from the Phillyquintet. The lyrics in the album,however, have stayed true to theband’s traditional topics regardingrelationships and wrecked feelings.

Though it sounds as if hisvoice has gotten a tad bit deeper,Green continues to sing verypassionately throughout all of thesongs. Despite all of the group’sefforts, it seems as though theyhave yet to fully grasp the abilityto make a complete album thatcaptures the element of melodiesthat get stuck in the listener’shead. Besides the single, thereare no other monumental tracksdisplayed, but the diversity thatBlue Noise Sky offers undoubt-edly leaves listeners wanting togive the album more than just afew listens.