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(04/06/10 4:00am)
Grade: A
Martin Sexton delivers an album so sweet it'll leave your teeth full of cavities.
Sexton arranges his folk tunes with hints of country, pop and jazz, exploring different styles. The artist powerfully put together a positive album strongly influenced by his newborn son, Shane. Each song on his new album, Sugarcoating, brings into perspective what is important in life
The album's first track, "Found," starts the album off on an upbeat note, focusing on imagination and reaching out to others while still being caught up in the trappings of everyday life.
"Boom Sh-Boom" keeps with this upbeat feeling, revealing Sexton's playfulness, while showing off his superb guitar skills. The instrumental section midway through the song allows Sexton to use his own voice as an instrument, channeling fellow singer-song writer Keller Williams.
The track "Always Got Away" proves to be one of the most compelling songs on the album. It showcases Sexton's voice and allows him to take charge as he figures out what is truly important.
"Knowing who I am/I thought I held it right here in my hand/but what I really didn't understand/is that these tears/old shame and hurt and fear/like everything else would just disappear/but it always got away/it always got away," Sexton sings.
The album's title track "Sugarcoating" is a reflection on post-9/11 society. Though it may seem irrelevant years later, the song focuses on the effects of that day, the wars that followed and the way the media portrays the issues.
Although this song may border on the serious side, it still manages to fit with the rest of this lighthearted album.
Fusing optimism with imagination, this album will appeal to Sexton's fans and delight new audiences.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(03/25/10 4:00am)
Grade: A-
The story of boy meets girl has been told hundreds of times in the world of film. It only makes sense that innovative director Spike Jonze could take such a cliché story and give it a facelift.
Jonze's new short film, I'm Here, is about the loving relationship of two robots. This 30-minute short, set in contemporary Los Angeles, is a quirky and bizarre love story.
Jonze tells the usual love story, but he replaces the human boy and girl with robots. It seems like a small change, but Jonze works wonders with it. He creates an eccentric facsimile of our world where robots and humans coexist, with hints of prejudice toward robots.
The film centers on the robot Sheldon (Andrew Garfield, Air). He is a shy and introverted robot that is stuck in a quiet, mundane life. Sheldon is stuck in a cycle of working at the library and having a boring life at home, until he meets an adventurous and spontaneous female robot.
Garfield is excellent as Sheldon. His portrayal of Sheldon is one of the most entertaining things about the film.
Sienna Guillory (Inkheart) plays the free-spirited robot that Sheldon falls for while waiting at the bus stop. Her carefree attitude entices Sheldon and brings him out of his shell.
The happy-go-lucky Guillory is a great matchup to the quiet Garfield. Guillory fully embraces the role and is fun to watch, yet she brings a quiet sadness to the character that nicely fleshes her out more.
The film is charming and pleasant, as Sheldon and his robot lover portray the typical romantic fairytale with the sad reality of love. The storyline thickens as the two begin to fall for each other.
Sheldon's interest in her is a reminder that robots, just like humans, lose themselves in relationships, not necessarily because of love but because of the idea of being with someone. Sheldon breaks away from the monotony of his once boring life, but at the risk of something dangerous: love.
Aside from the underlying romanticism, this mythological world changes one's perspective on life. It shows these robots trying to adapt to a human world. They are becoming engulfed in society and begin to realize their presence in the world.
Realizing that they are not merely mindless robots, they embrace their aliveness by dancing and posting hand-drawn pictures of happy faces with "I'm Here" inscribed on them.
Like Jonze's other films, the visual effects are truly amazing. The robots have an uncanny look, which gives them a one of a kind cartoony image, but the viewer still immediately gets the feeling that these are real creatures. It is very reminiscent of Jonze's previous work, Where the Wild Things Are.
The acting definitely shows through the phony robot costumes. As the film pushes on, it is easy to care about them and see through the robot exterior, which shows off the two leads' great portrayal.
Acting as director, writer and producer, Jonze has added yet another great project in his imaginative library, which already includes innovative material ranging from feature length films to music videos.
Considered one of his most personal works to date, some say this film was made after a breakup involving either Jonze himself, or a close friend. Regardless of his personal life, Jonze's message is clear. Through his experiences, he is showing viewers to not be fooled by love or damaging relationships.
The short film, which is funded by Absolut Vodka, grabbed the attention of many viewers after it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The story is coincidentally about finding true love in an "absolut world."
The film can be seen online at imheremovie.com
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(02/24/10 5:00am)
As many of you may know, last Friday a rather cruel column was published criticizing UB athletics, the crowd, and the cheerleaders.
It complained about the sporadic fan support at the games, the student section that is almost always empty and how the cheerleaders are not good-looking enough to cheer.
As a cheerleader, I am offended and appalled that something so cruel would even get published. The uncalled-for comment not only stated that good-looking cheerleaders enhance the game, but also that we are too overweight to cheer at the games.
'The only drawback to moving the bleachers closer to the floor is that the 200-pound cheerleaders probably won't have enough space to flop their bellies around,' Senior Sports Editor Andrew Wiktor claimed in his column.
Not only is this incorrect, it is beyond malicious.
Who is he to judge our appearance?
Based on his observations, he probably has never been to more than one of the games, otherwise he would see what a positive effect the cheerleaders have on the game.
The cheerleaders are there to do two things: cheer and support our athletic teams, and show off the skills that they work so hard at practice to perfect.
On average, we spend six to eight hours each week at practices and cheer at about two or three games per week. Add on whatever competitions or appearances may be coming up and you've got yourself one committed cheer squad. This is excluding the extra time spent at the gym, working out or tumbling.
I am more than proud to represent my school and cheer on our athletic teams. Alumni Arena would be silent without us.
Yes, people are there to watch the game, but we provide a considerable amount of entertainment on the sidelines. From jumping to stunting to tumbling and yelling, we put on quite the show.
We do whatever we can to enhance each and every game, whether it's throwing t-shirts to the crowd or standing in the bleachers with fans during the last five minutes of the game. We try to make the games more enjoyable. We make an effort to interact with the crowd and get them excited for the Bulls.
Cheerleading is a sport that is under constant scrutiny. We are judged by our appearance and how we perform. Some take this scrutiny very seriously, and in some cases it gets taken to the extreme levels of anorexia or bulimia.
Luckily, UB's cheerleaders are not that concerned with people like Mr. Wiktor and his rude comments. We advocate healthy, wholesome values and a balanced approach to diet and exercise. Not one of us is under- or overweight: we are exactly who we should be and accept ourselves and each other as we are.
Pressure to be skinny in today's society is ever-present, and we are fortunate enough to have a team that is healthy, happy and beautiful.
If Mr. Wiktor's standards are so high that he thinks 'hotter cheerleaders' will enhance the games, then I suggest he go elsewhere to attempt to fulfill his fantasy.
Ultimately, he is representing our school. Wiktor has just let all 29,000 students and faculty know how he feels about our university. Maybe he should be doing something positive rather than sitting around and criticizing.
Wake up, Mr. Wiktor, before it is too late. Otherwise, you will soon encounter more serious consequences than just a rebuttal letter from one of the UB Cheerleaders you insulted.
All I can say is, thank you to all who do support our spirit squad, dazzlers, marching band and sports teams. You are the ones that make the games special.
To those fans that do have an intelligent, positive outlook on our school and cheerleaders, I hope you continue to support us and continue to cheer on our teams, just as we do.
E-mail: marymach@buffalo.edu
(02/10/10 5:00am)
Ani DiFranco played an energized and inspirational show Monday night at Asbury Hall at Babeville on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. The show reflected her fierce guitar playing abilities and aggressive independence.