Movie Review - The Hunting Party

Starring: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ivanir, Goran Kostic
Directed By: Richard Shepard
Produced By: Bill Block, Paul Hanson (III), Adam Merims
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Thriller and War
Release Date: September 7th, 2007 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong language and some violent content
Distributors: MGM Distribution Company

The Hunting Party is inspired by the true story of a disgraced war journalist (Richard Gere) who enlisted the help of his former cameraman (Terence Howard) and an wager, wet-behind-the-ears journalism major (Jesse Eisenberg) to track down an infamous war criminal still on the loose somewhere in the backwoods of Eastern Europe. - Official site

In The Hunting Party, Richard Shepard addresses the subject of the hunt for Bosnian war criminals in his own way. Almost a satire, but not quite going over the line, The Hunting Party toes that line with wit, drama, and carefully placed images of a war torn country that in some ways was just beginning to heal. Taking small jabs at NATO, The Hague and the CIA, Shepard brings the fact that these war criminals are running free and none of these agencies are trying very hard to catch them to the attention of mainstream moviegoers.

It may sound like this is a documentary, or that Shepard is preaching to us Michael Moore style, but he isn’t.

Read the full review and more at www.mycitybuzz.com

Kany West vs. 50 Cent

Today is a day of reckoning in the hip-hop world. I don’t know if this is Book of Revelations material, but the battle for hip-hop supremacy will hit a climatic point as the third albums from Kanye West and 50 Cent arrive in stores today.
When we last left these artists, one was being hailed as a revolutionary and the other was seen as a marketing machine with falling street cred. Today, all credibility issues and future record sales are on the line as West’s Graduation album and 50’s Curtis album will undoubtedly be #1 and #2 their first week out on the charts.
There has also been many things said between the two combatants, with West complimenting 50 on his album, and 50 responding illogically that he would “never make another solo record again” if West’s new album topped his sales.
Its now time to put up or shut up, and at MyCityBuzz, we tell you why Kanye and 50 will and will not win this battle for rap dominance. Here is our take on this battle:

Read the full article at www.MyCityBuzz.com

The Good, the Bad and the Best of Bonnaroo 2007

Unless you believe in human cloning (which I am starting to agree with more and more every day, as long as I am the first candidate), trying to see every band at Bonnaroo is virtually impossible. With eleven stages and over 100 bands during the four day festival, you have to try to pick and choose your most logical plan of musical attack. It was referred to in the Bonnaroo Beacon newspaper as “Bonnaroo ADD.” Now I have ADD normally, so this concept just put me in a semi-tailspin but I survived.

Enough rambling, you are more interested in the show; Who was good, who met expectations and who disappointed me more than seeing that “Sopranos” series finale. Here is the breakdown of the best and not-so-good of Bonnaroo 2007:

BEST PERFORMANCE (Non-Headliner): The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello acoustic)

Dubbing himself the Nightwatchman. Tom Morello played a 50-minute set on Friday afternoon that dove back into Morello’s defiant roots. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, Morello played songs off his One Man Revolution that attacked the injustices of the country and the world. Morello railed against usual topics, such as the Bush administration and his issues with the recent G-8 conference.

As you know with his work with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Morello is a compelling figure. His intelligence and knowledge about these topics helped break into one or two close minded people during his set. After teasing us with snippets of riffs from Rage classics “Bombtrack” and “Bulls on Parade,” Morello launched into an acoustic version of “Guerilla Radio,” which sent the 6,000 or so in the tent absolutely ape crap.

As Morello was winding down his set, he mentioned that he would try and make it back next year. One can only hope it’s with that other band he plays with as well. As this set proved, when Morello is in his comfortable against the system mindset, you cant touch him.

RUNNER UP: The White Stripes

Even though neither Jack nor Meg White live in Detroit anymore, it hasn’t changed my opinion of the band. Playing to a packed Which Stage area on Sunday night, the Stripes came out looking like the 2001 version of themselves; right before fame, stardom and fist-fights with the lead singer of the Von Bondies. And the music never sounded so raw and fierce during their set. Jack showed that he has return more to his rock roots after dabbling with a little blues on the Stripes’ last record.

Starting their 80-minute set with “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” the duo sounded like their batteries were recharged throughout the set. The band ripped through the title cut of their Icky Thump album early on, as well as their first commercial single, “Hotel Yorba.” Meg White still beat the crap out of the drums in her usual aloof swagger. Unlike many of the bands at Bonnaroo, the White Stripes stuck to the music and didn’t try a 20-minute version of “Seven Nation Army.” With an encore of such tracks as “Black Math” and “Blue Orchid,” it was a fitting way to end Bonnaroo 2007 for me. I don’t care what you think, Jack White calling Tennessee “home” still sounds a little foreign to me.

PLEASANT SURPRISES:

Lily Allen: Something about Lily Allen just bugs me; I don’t know if just her snotty attitude, or that she’s part of a new wave of indie pop that just sounds rehashed. But for a bit on Friday, Allen impressed me with her set. It had a nice blend of reggae and electronica. She didn’t seem drunk yet (but was swigging a bottle of Jager, so maybe it was just early in the day), which had been a sticking point of a lot of reviews at festivals prior to Bonnaroo.

Gogol Bordello: Now this was just fun. Lead by Eugene Hutz , the collective played a great set which could have been the most energetic set on Saturday. The music is a blend of gypsy, rock and punk that can only be best described as the lovechild of “Fiddler of the Roof” and the first and last five minutes of Borat. Too bad Borat didn’t come on stage and ask for any of Eugene’s gypsy tears.

Kings of Leon: Lead by the love-‘em or hate-‘em vocals of Caleb Followill, the Kings sounded a lot better live than when I have heard their CD’s. The band sounded remarkably tight live and were just about the only band to play during a brief rainstorm in the rain-parched Manchester area.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Brazilian Girls: This was some whacked out stuff. Some woman with a flying saucer looking thing strapped to her back convulsing around, swearing up a storm over jungle and drum beats that was more to see as a spectacle than anything.

Alexa Ray Joel: I put her here not because Billy Joel’s daughter was good; but because I only saw 50-60 people at her performance at the Sonic Stage Saturday afternoon. It goes to prove just because you have famous genes does not automatically buy you success. Poor Alexa is gonna have to make a name for herself the old fashioned way, slugging it out in clubs for years and years.

MET EXPECTATIONS:

The Hold Steady: Craig Finn and the rest of The Hold Steady are quickly becoming one of my under the radar favorites. For their hour-plus set on the last day of their North American tour, the Minnesota band played through the heavy dust that littered the Bonnaroo site. Playing songs like “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” and others, The Hold Steady are becoming the closest thing the new generation has to a Springsteen type band that there is.

Fountains of Wayne: I only had a chance to watch about half of their set, but what I did hear sounded like the most polished pop that didn’t come out of some Top 40 hit factory. Playing tracks like “Hackensack” and “Somebody Love Me,” Adam Schleisnger’s crew were very affable towards the crowd on Saturday. The best joke of the day came courtesy of the band when they covered a Kenny Chesney song and said “We would have had him help us out with the song, but he was too busy sucking somewhere else!” Great line!

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

Lewis Black and Friends: Now, now; I didn’t put this in the disappointments because Lewis Black was bad. It’s because I couldn’t get in to see his set. At least 6,000 people were in line for a tent that held 2,000 people at most. I was part of the 4,000 or so that was shut out. I was given somewhat of a reprieve as I got to see Lewis Black’s press conference (with others) on Saturday, where he rattled off a few great lines (“The only reason come to my set here is because it has air conditioning; you have to be g– damned stupid to not realize that.”)

 

The Roots: For a good 45 minutes, I just sat there and thought to myself, “When are they gonna stop screwing off and play “The Seed?” So, finally after a so-so rendition of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” and a snore inducing 12-minute version of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” the hip-hop collective launched into the song. But the rest of their set lacked that same fire.

Wilco: I’ve seen I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. I really want to like this band, but they’ve never done anything for me live. Their Sunday afternoon set did nothing to change my opinion of the band. As evident by the small number of people in the VIP bleachers, it seemed like some other people formed the same opinion as I did.

Franz Ferdinand: Usually these Scots are a fun band to watch and have some of the catchiest songs in rock today. But for 75 minutes Saturday evening, Franz Ferdinand lost track of who and what they were. Sure, they played “Take Me Out” and “This Fire,” but the band spent too long trying to appeal to the jam-minded crowd that was a majority on this night. And the band didn’t play “Do You Want To,” which was just plain wrong. They are better in a 40-45 minute dose, and had too much filler throughout the set.

 

I heard great things about Mute Math’s Thursday night performance, and the monster Superjam (with the Roots’ ?uestlove, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and Ben Harper) after the mammoth sounding Tool performance. I heard not-so-great things about the Clutch performance, but given the audience, it may have not been the best festival for them to play at. So, when these artists rolled through Detroit in the near future, you know what to expect.

 

Check out more Detroitbuzz coverage on Bonnaroo 2007 here and here .

Bonnaroo, Let’s Talk

By Art Michalski

Now that I am done rattling off about the good, bad and ugly of Bonnaroo, it’s time to talk about the scene at the event. I would love to sit down and talk to some people face to face about what they thought of Bonnaroo. But because that may never happen, I’d figured I’d send out a manifesto including the good things I saw, and things that just plain shocked me.

When you turn a small town on the side of an interstate like Manchester, Tennessee into the sixth biggest town in the entire state for four days, you are gonna have some tourists that take advantage of the hospitality given from the locals. So, Bonnaroo Nation, let’s sit down and have a little one-sided conversation.

Bonnaroonies, let’s talk about something good first. The festival was one of the most peaceful and relaxing events you could be at. Everyone was in good spirits, even if everyone probably needed a bath by Friday afternoon. I didn’t see one fight at the event, which is the opposite of about 80 percent of the shows I see here in Detroit.

More good things. The event seemed really interested in their recycling and greening initiatives. The festival even had a raffle for the person who collected the most amount of recyclables and could win tickets to next year’s event. I think most of the people at the event would prefer a ice cold water or 12 pack of beer personally.

Also, the Bonnaroo Beacon was a daily newspaper that gave fans an insight to the bands and different events going on at the event. Plus, it gave a weather forecast each day. Unfortunately, it was the same forecast every day; Sunny and hot as _____ (fill in any four letter word here).

But along with the good things of Bonnaroo, there were a few minor issues that I had along the way. Here’s just a couple.

Parking - It’s great if you are one of the 90-percent of people camping, you have no problem. But if you hate camping (like me), then trying to park for day parking can be a hassle. When driving in on Friday, not one of the people in charge knew where the day parking for the event was or could give me a straight answer. I do have to give thanks to the old farmer dude who let me park my rental car on his lawn for a few days.

Unruly volunteers - The supervisors didn’t have any control over many of the college-aged student volunteers of the event. I witnessed at least two volunteers smoking weed while “working” and two more drinking with festival-goers. You know, if you’re gonna get into some crazy stuff at Bonnaroo and you’re working, at least take off the shirt that says you’re an employee of the event. Even though it was slightly humorous, probably the most dangerous situation was right before the Police’s set, when two volunteers played demolition derby with their golf carts, and almost hurt a few fans in the process.

Girls - It looked like the Olsen twins dressed about 75-percent of the female audience. Big sunglasses and dresses that make you look like a bag woman is not an attractive look. I’m not saying anything more than that, in fear I’ll sound like a pig. And guys, your no shirt and Speedo look that I saw more and more of by Saturday was just as bad.

The guy that died Thursday night - There was no mention of the 25-year-old Kentucky man’s death at the event itself, but only in the local news media. The man is rumored to have died of a drug-related overdose, but we not know well until this after article is out. It was the sixth death in the six years of the festival.

Bonnaroo Diehards - Okay, please stop whining that Bonnaroo sold out because the Police and Tool are headlining a few of the nights of the show. In order for a festival to grow, the festival must diversify who they have on the bill. If String Cheese Incident and Bob Weir headlined every year, the same people would show up and the festival would not grow. In order for a festival to be financially viable, they have to try some new things, even if it means throwing a metal act or two on the bill. Diehards, it’s just something you are gonna have to get used to.

I had a great time at Bonnaroo, but like anyone else, I had some problems with some minor details. But let’s face it, if I didn’t have at least a few problems with something, it wouldn’t sound like me at all. But next year, pray for a little rain because the dust kicking around at the event looked like those History Channel shows about 1930s Oklahoma.

Check out more Detroitbuzz coverage on Bonnaroo 2007 here and here .

The Police and Tool at Bonnaroo 2007

Tool - Bonnaroo Festival- Friday, June 15^th

After a day of alt-rock and indie pop, this reviewer needed some metal charge in his diet as Tool headlined Friday night for a dependable two-hour set that showed a good surprise towards the end of the set. The crowd at the large What Stage was estimated somewhere in the 35-40,000 range as the night gave away to loud guitar thunder.

Taunting the crowd as usual, lead singer Maynard James Keenan entered the stage and mockingly said “I smell patchouli” as he laughed and launched into the intricate rapid fire jam of “Jambi.” He would later taunt the audience as he remarked, “I just took a cold shower and went back to my air conditioning” which the mostly hot, dirty and sweaty fans took in stride.

The first part of the band’s set revolved heavily on their latest “10,000 Days” record. With Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones blasting into hit tracks like “Vicarious” and “The Pot” early on. The 12-minute “Rosetta Stoned” was a strong bridge between the beginning and tail end of the set. But that didn’t stop the band from diving into their past. The band did play beefed up jam versions of “Schism” and “Forty Six and Two” to perfection.

The band’s usual visual imagery was shown for all the fans to see, as the video and visual concepts created by guitarist Jones left the audience captivated . I believed people would want to see the band, but the band has been more about on-stage mystery than their self-image. It’s probably part of the reason why no photography was allowed during the band’s set.

The best and most surprising moment of the show was when Tom Morello joined the band on stage for an intense version of “Lateralus” which sent the crowd wild. Between his own Nightwatchman set and his on stage work with Tool, Morello had more than a busy day.

Being known as a “thinking man’s metal band,” Tool is one of the few hard rock/metal bands that could pull off playing Bonnaroo. Even though most of the true Bonnaroo diehards probably went back to get some rest, Tool delivered a tried and true set that puts them apart in the rock scene today.

The Police - Bonnaroo Festival- Saturday, June 16^th
One of the reunions that it was said would never, ever happen is now three weeks old and counting as the long awaited Police return hit the massive What Stage as Saturday night’s headliner for a somewhat brief, but still enjoyable 100-minute set. The grounds of the What Stage were the most full this reviewer had seen by this point, with a conservative estimate of around 55,000 as the reformed trio blasted through all of the band’s many hits, but with much improvisation which worked better in some cases than others.

As lead singer/bassist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers let loose with a stellar version of the opening “Message in a Bottle” to start the set as the sun had now set and the moon was starting to dwell on the grounds. The nighttime seemed to be the best time for the band’s set, as the mellow vibes of such songs as “Synchrocity II” and “The Best of What’s Still Around” seemed to fit perfect with the festival.

Most of the band’s set was a hit parade, such as hits like “Every Thing She Does is Magic,” and even slightly more obscure material like “Walking in Your Footsteps” were given a very slick and energized feel.

As much of a hit-fest as it was, many of the songs were reworked in their arrangement and instrumentation. This was done more than likely to accommodate the jam-friendly fans at Bonnaroo. Some of the new arrangements blended together better than others: “Do, Do, Do, Da, Da, Da” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” were given a tinge more of a jazz and reggae shift that fit really well. Meanwhile, some of Sting’s improvisations in his vocals were a weird mix of scat and jazz music, which took away from the songs themselves. This reviewer though more of the set should sound far more straight forward than it was at some points. But on tracks like “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Walking on the Moon,” the songs sounded just like it was envisioned.

The strength of the band these days is not actually with global crusader Sting, but with Copeland and Summers, who provided the meaty fusion of rock and reggae with near flawless precision. Copeland was provided the most style and rhythm to the Police’s sound and it showed at their Bonnaroo set. It may seem that Copeland and Sting are still all are not that chummy, but they are at least avoiding fisticuffs that we have heard stories about in the past.

Copeland stated in a pre-Bonnaroo interview that this show would be the “jam band version” of their show compared to the rest of the dates. The Police at Bonnaroo was a fine start, but it will be intriguing to see if they stick more to the supposed game plan when they hit Detroit in mid-July.

For more Detroitbuzz coverage of Bonnaroo 2007, click here and here.

Interview with Buckcherry

By Art Michalski

During the Rock on the Range festival, I got a chance to interview Buckcherry lead singer Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson. We discussed the success of their 15 record, future singles and names of tours that really didn’t settle well with the band. Here’s the interview.

AM: When “15” was being released, what were the initial expectations of the record?
KN: As far as sales go, we really didn’t know what to expect. We wanted to make a record we were 100 percent satisfied with. We knew we would have to tour our ass off behind the record, and we’ve done that. We believed in the music and went out with the mindset that it would do well. We had no choice but to think of it that way.

AM: Were you surprised that “Crazy Bitch” became such a hit?
JT: We were very surprised that it became a hit. We put it out there as a way for people to hear us again and had no idea that it would take off the way it did.

AM: Has the fan reaction for “15” been better than your debut record?
KN: I think it’s been beyond the reaction for the first record. When you’re in a situation like ours, you like a lot more to prove with a record like 15. I think the fan demand of the videos, such as “Crazy Bitch” on 15 have been the biggest difference.

AM: The “Crazy Bitch” video has been taken off various sites, due to a court case about the video? Is the case over, or still in ligation?
JT: The case is stayed right now and nothing has happened at this point right now. The court process is a long process and it will be a while before anything is settled.

AM: You guys have played the Machine Shop in Flint a bunch in the past year, is that a favorite place to play in Michigan?
KN: We like playing there a lot. Kevin (Zink- the Machine Shop owner) has been great to us over the past years, and we have a lot of fun when we play there. Now, only if they could get an air conditioner in there for summer shows….

AM: You guys have had three major rock radio singles out from “15.” Any more planned?
JT & KN: We’re pumping “Everything” right now, and I think that “Sorry” is going to be the next single, sometime during the summer. Once we’re done touring and after that single, we’ve gotta get back into the studio and record a new album before the end of the year.

AM: You guys are touring with Papa Roach and Hinder in the “Bad Boys of Rock” tour later this summer; any contests planned to put that title to the test?
KN: Nah, not really. Don’t let the name fool you; it wasn’t our idea. Somebody made that title for the tour up, and I didn’t like the name of it. But it’s gonna be a good tour with those guys.

Comments@DetroitBuzzblog

Buckcherry will be playing with Hinder and Papa Roach in the “Bad Boys of Rock” tour, hitting Michigan twice this summer:

July 13^th- Common Ground Festival in Lansing

September 7^th- DTE Energy Music Theatre

Rock on the Range - 5/19/07 - Columbus, OH

By Art Michalski 

Many of modern rock’s big guns descended on the Buckeye capital of Columbus, for the inaugural Rock on the Range festival at the sold out Columbus Crew Stadium. Even though it couldn’t probably be confirmed, the 11-hour festival was probably the biggest event the Major League Soccer stadium had seen since the inaugural Crew game.

The all day festival, sprawled out over two stages, was a hits-heavy fest of old time headliners (ZZ Top), supergroups (Velvet Revolver) and up and comers (Black Stone Cherry).

The day started off with Cisco Adler’s Whitestarr and without the sunny and 75 degree forecast that was predicted, but a somewhat chilly and drizzling start to the show that didn’t slow things down, but wasn’t exactly what the weather people lead us to believe. As the overcast skies prevailed, at least the humor was cheerful, courtesy of Los Angeles’ 2 Cents. As drummer/lead singer Adam O’Rourke hit the stage, he announced that his band was switching genres. The band was switching the sleaze hard rock style to a “Christian heavy metal, techno group that covers only Ashlee Simpson songs!” O’Rourke’s comments got a good chuckle out of the crowd, and the music had a dirty swagger to it that held the fans over until the bigger bands started to hit the stages.

The first main stage band wasthe modern rock juggernaut Breaking Benjamin, who fought through drizzle and fans that might not have been fully awake to put together a 35-minute set that was dependable, but nothing extraordinary. With songs like “Sooner Or Later” and the major rock radio hit “The Diary of Jane,” Breaking Benjamin is a band that is probably bigger than they should be. Not a bad band, but nothing still distinguishes them from numerous other bands of the same genre.

Los Angeles band Operator hit the second stage next; lead by the aptly titled Johnny Strong, the band showcased some promising material from their debut album, out in late June. With songs like the current single “Soulcrusher,” Strong’s vocals are reminiscent of Chris Cornell’s before moving into a hard rock yowl. Keep an eye out for this group later this summer.

After the surprise comeback of 2006, Buckcherry kept the ride going with a fantastic 40-minute set that should have been a lot later in the evening. Relying on a set list heavy off of their comeback 15 record, the group played tracks such as “So Far” and the monster hit “Crazy Bitch.” Only two songs from anything other than the 15 album were played, as “Porno Star”, and the major rock and roll debauchery anthem “Lit Up” ended the band’s highlight set.

Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry sounded much heavier live than they do on their debut CD. The fusion of hard rock and southern rock worked well for the band, as they ripped through cuts like “Hell and High Water” and the opener “Rain Wizard.” The band might not be the most glamorous looking band on stage at Rock at the Range, but the music stood out.

After choosing pizza over Three Days Grace (no offense to Three Days Grace; but we were hungry), we awaited the long time coming set from Puddle of Mudd. The second stage crowd woke up before and during their set, with lots of topless women and other fans getting rowdy. Lead singer Wes Scantlin emerged and s reconnected with fans he hasn’t seen in years, or least since the band last toured in 2004. Starting with “Away From Me,” the band showed off hit after hit as well as new song “Famous” that fit in very well with the band’s set list. As the set was about to conclude, the band’s guitarist messed up the opening of the massive hit “Blurry,” so Scantlin (whether the screwup was intentional or not) busted into the sing-a-long smash “She Hates Me.” Give Puddle of Mudd kudos for their kick-ass cover of Nirvana’s “Breed” at the end of the band’s set.

Over on the main stage, Chicago’s Chevelle put on a decent 40-minute set that focused in on hits such as “Send the Pain Below” and new single “Well Enough Alone.” With family disputes behind them, Chevelle sounded crisp and rejuvenated. Unfortunately, Chevelle is a lot like Breaking Benjamin, and didn’t send the crowd into a fervor.

The last band on the second stage, Papa Roach enjoyed the first sunshine of the day and some of the overflow of crowd debauchery from Puddle of Mudd’s set. Lead by energetic lead singer Jacoby Shaddix (this reviewer still digs Shaddix’s stage name of Coby Dick as a rock name more) Papa Roach launched into a lot of new material from their Paramour Sessions record, before playing P-Roach hits like “She Loves Me Not” and the usual set closer “Last Resort.” The material from Paramour comes off well live, and seemed to be well received from the fans.

Heading back to the main stage, Hinder won the dubious distinction of being the band to suck the life out of the audience. The crowd wasn’t digging most of the band’s 50-minute set, and that’s putting it lightly. The band’s cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” elicited a collective yawn from the crowd and the massive pop hit “Lips of an Angel” was drowned out by random cries of “I hate this f—ing song,” and other similar statements. About the only song that got crowd response was the final song, the tepid “Get Stoned.”

The supergroup Velvet Revolver hit the stage as the sun started its descent down and probably should have headlined this show. Dressed in his military dapper usual self, Scott Weiland ripped into Contraband cuts “Do It For the Kids” and “Set Me Free.” While the Guns ‘n Roses rhythm section of Slash and Duff McKagan wailed near Weiland, the band put on a set that was a relief to see, after Hinder’s boredom-induced funk. VR showed off of a lot of new material from their upcoming Libertad album, including the current single “She Builds Quick Machines” and the intriguing “The Last Fight.” With the power ballad punch of “Fall to Pieces” and the swagger of “Slither,” Velvet Revolver rescued the crowd for the rest of the evening. The show finished off with out with alt-rockers Evanescence and ZZ Top.

For 50 dollars, Rock on the Range provided a fairly cheap way to see many of modern rock radio’s big names (Compared to 50 bucks to see just Velvet Revolver in Detroit the week before), and gave the fans the maximum bang for the buck. With a sold out crowd of 30,000, its pretty safe to say that Columbus will be seeing another Rock on the Range come 2008.

The Host (Gwoemul) Review

By Taryn Shick
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park, Du-na Bae, Ah-sung Ko
Written by: Chul-hyun Baek, Joon-ho Bong, Won-jun Ha
Directed by: Joon-ho Bong

The Host is a horror film that follows one family’s quest to save a little girl from a monster that has taken her. The monster hails from the Han River, thanks to an ignorant scientist who dumps several chemicals down the drain because the bottles are too dusty.

The little girl is taken by the monster. Her often incompetent and usually sleeping father, her grandfather, her uncle and her aunt who happens to be an Olympic archer, join together to save her.

The monster is CGI. Much of the dialogue is subtitled. But the characters are endearing; very likable and often amusing. There are some great scares and plenty of tension. There’s even a little subtext, though not really that subtle. The monster is reported as having contaminated anyone who it has come in contact with (and not killed, of course) with a deadly virus. Military action is to be taken. But protests are mounted and it is possible there is actually no virus, much like there were never any weapons of mass destruction. The creation of the monster by the dumping of toxic chemicals might be a nod at pollution and the environment. But it might just be a neat way to create a monster.

I really enjoyed The Host. I like the strong female characters, even the little girl. No whimpering bimbettes or helpless damsels in distress here.

The monster has a neat way of flipping on the bridge of the river it hides in to get around.

But the best thing about The Host is style of the film itself. There were many shots that built up the scares. Often, a scary moment would be taking place, and before you knew how it would end, we cut to another scene. For example, the monster attacks. It’s advancing on a potential victim. It’s about to strike, and then…we’re in another location. What happened? You don’t know! Some might find this annoying. I thought it was a brilliant way to add to the suspense.

The only issue I have with The Host is the sentiment of the film that any animal who kills a human should be killed. Maybe so, but then any human who kills a human should be killed, too. I don’t see humans as superior to animals; in fact, most of the time I think of us as inferior. I believe humans and animals should be treated equally. So I didn’t agree with this tone of the film.

However, the ‘animal’ in the film is a monster, and I will subscribe to the tradition of the horror genre to kill the monster. But I have to ask, who is the real monster? The scientist who dumped the chemicals? The creature itself? The military?

Even if you’re not into the subtext like I am, The Host is a fun film. It delivers scares and suspense without a lot of gore in place of a story. Very well done.

Grade: A-