Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, July 10, 2002 7 CONTACT IIS TTTi1 MTV THEY SAID IT COfi mci UO I I II, VI I A D.H. LAWRENCE: “Try to find your deepest E-mailusatgamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com —A _jL issue in any confussion and abide by that.” MIBIIjoins ‘black ’ hole of poor Hollywood sequels PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS/THE GAMECOCK Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as Agents Jay and Kay in “Men In Black II” opposite Lara Flynn Boyle as Serleena and various aliens. “MEN IN BLACK II” starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Lara Flynn Boyle ★★ out of ☆☆☆☆■& BY CARRIE PHILLIPS THE HAMECOCK Hollywood has always been a slave to the sequel machine; if a movie does well and has a semi open ending, then it begs to have an equally-lucrative, seriously ill created second part created. It has been five years since the original, but, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are finally back in “Men in Black II.” Of course, “finally” is perhaps the wrong word to use once you have seen the movie. Maybe “uh oh” would be the better phrase. The movie has serious flaws, most of which stem from the feeling that it was thrown together in a weekend. The plot is underdeveloped and forgettable; the characters, with the exception of Tommy Lee Jones, are flat; and the rest of the movie is basically a parade of aliens and plot devices from the first movie. The movie begins with a scene from an “Unsolved Mysteries” type show, complete with bad reenactments, that tells the story of an alien encounter on Earth in the 1970s, which the Men in Black took care of. The story then jumps to Agent Jay (Smith) and his latest partner, Agent Tee (Patrick Warburton), dealing with Jeffrey, the big worm that has been so shamelessly promoting the movie and its Burger King tie-in. We learn that since Jay lost Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) to retirement, he hasn’t been able to keep a partner long enough to get attached. Enter Frank, the annoying pug dog, making bad jokes and actually playing a significant part in the script. They team up to find Kay and bring him back to MIB headquarters to help stop the evil alien Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) from finding something that would destroy Earth and give that same something back to some other aliens who are nice. It’s never really clear. Within the plot, Jay saves Laura (Rosario Dawson) and falls in love with her. So there is a love story here, too. This is arguably the most interesting one. The Agent Kay story line would be interesting, except everyone has already seen all of it in the television spots and movie trailers. That’s the problem with the humor in the movie too: All of the funny parts already made us laugh in the trailers, and they’re not that funny the 20thtime around. Overall, Smith and Jones are simply picking up where they left ♦ MEN IN BLACK, SEE PAGE 8 i Red Hot Chili Peppers chanse style, remain semi-hot BY THE WAY Red Hot Chili Peppers ★★ * out of BY WILLIAM MILLS THE GAMECOCK Time goes by and musicians age, but Red Hot Chili Peppers are proving with their latest release, “By The Way,” that wisdom and calm accompany this age. The Chili Peppers have been polishing their new, enlightened sound since the 1999 album “Californication,” and “By The Way” merely takes that sound to an impressive climax. The album is definitely a farewell to the highly energetic, slappy funk-punk sound of their breakthrough 1991 album, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik.” These alt-rock legends are replacing their previous vigor with passionate songs that occasionally touch down in the realm of experimental. The musical growth is expressed in the album by the inclusion of outside instruments like horns and an orchestra. The Chili Peppers have kept one trend, however: nudity It’s not them baring all this time; instead it’s a drawing of a nude woman that graces the cover of the album. One of the angles of the Chili Peppers’ new sound is the frequent harmonies created between lead singer Anthony Kiedes and guitarist John Frusciante. “Universally Breaking” and “Tear” are the two songs that best exemplify these harmonious collaborations. There is also an international feel brought to the album by “Carbon,” a song that reeks of Latin influence. An orchestra is also brought into the mix during “Midnight,” but then it disappears as quickly as it arrived. A hint of their funk/punk style still shines through on songs like the title track, with bassist Flea’s infectious slappy rifts that were so characteristic of their earlier albums. “By The Way” is the product of rigorous change. Since “Californication,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers have allowed their musical styles to be shaped by personal and professional turmoil. However, in the studio, much of the credit for this sound shift should be placed on the shoulders of Frusciante, who rejoined the band before the release of “Californication,” replacing Dave Navarro. Frusciante has been studying ♦ CHILI PEPPERS, SEE PAGE 8