The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 17, 2002, Page 7, Image 7
THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, July 17, 2002 7
CONTACT IIS j|&TTT7' MTV THEY SAID IT
LiUiNlAUI Uo “S/i, I I M I \l I I JL BILL CLINTON: “There is nothing wrong with America
E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com _L _l_ I -LT _L J JL \_ that cannot be cured with what is right in America.”
MOVIE REVIEW
Hanks, Newman walking road
to Oscar in ‘Road to Perdition’
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Tom Hanks and Tyler Hoechlin star as father and son in Dreamworks Pictures’ “Road to Perdition.”
ROAD TO PERDITION
Starring Tom Hanks, Paul
Newman and Jude Law
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
BY TUG BAKER
THE GAMECOCK
A couple months ago, the nation
was abuzz with anticipation for
the comic-book-turned-movie
“Spider-man.” Now that the wall
crawling clamor has died down,
it’s time for another so-called
funny book-film to take its place in
the summer blockbuster race. If
you’re expecting a review of
“Reign of Fire” to follow, you’re
mistaken.
Based on a graphic novel
written by Max Allan Collins and
illustrated by Richard Pier
Rayner, “Road to Perdition” is not
a typical superhero-in-spandex
comic. Taking the challenge to
take the story from paper to film is
director Sam Mendes, whose only
other time as director (“American
Beauty”) snatched up Oscars left
and right, including Best Director
and Best Picture.
Mendes, with lots of help from
Academy Award-winning
cinematographer Conrad Hall,
transports filmgoers to 1931 and
creates a tragedy of Greek
proportions told within the
confines of mobster life in middle
America.
Tom Hanks stars as Michael
Sullivan, a hit man working for a
Rock Island offshoot of the
Chicago mob. John Rooney (Paul
Newman) is his boss and also a
surrogate father figure for
Michael.
As Kooney points out in tne
film, “sons only exist to cause
their fathers trouble.” This
trouble is introduced by 12-year
old Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler
Hoechlinj and bloodthirsty
Conner Rooney (Daniel Craig).
Curious about his father’s job,
Michael Jr. tags along on one of
his dad’s “missions,” without his
father’s knowledge. Conner kills a
man in cold blood while Michael
Jr. watches. After discovering the
peeping Sullivan, Conner decides
that the boy poses a threat. The
story takes off from there, leading
to a six-week period where the two
Sullivans become a father and son
vigilante-outlaw duo.
The rewrite of the original
story by screenwriter David Self
is servicable, adding some
improvements and making some
mistakes: sometimes it takes too
long to fill the audience in on
what’s happening.
wane me siury is gripping anu
moving, it would be nowhere near
as satisfying without the
masterfully composed shots by
Hall. Rain falls hard on gun-toting
trenchcoats, and it’s so beautiful
that one hardly notices the bodies
lying in the street.
“Road to Perdition” showcases
some fine performances. Hanks, as
always, is astounding as yet
another revamp of the everyman.
♦ PERDITION, SEE PAGE 8
CD REVIEW
The Vines evolve to
grunge harmonies
HIGHLY EVOLVED
The Vines
★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
BY WILLIAM MILLS
THE GAMECOCK
Although they might look like
every other New York band riding
on the coattails of the gritty
garage rock revival, The Vines are
perking ears to a sound that is,
ironically, both new and used.
This Australian foursome
recently released their first full
length album, “Highly Evolved,”
under a blanket of Beatle-esque,
dreamy harmonies and a strong
dose of Seattle grunge. If Nirvana
and the “Fab Four” mated,
something like The Vines would
emerge irom me gene pool.
Don’t let songs like the MTV hit
“Get Free” fool you; these Aussies
aren’t all about rocking out in a
rough way. However, they do throw
in a little hint of the same garage
rock sound that is hitting so hard
right now.
Lead vocalist and guitarist
Craig Nicholls has a voice that
invokes the harmonious melodies
of the Beatles threaded together
with grunge guitar work.
Nicholls crisscrosses his hard
rock howls with ‘60s harmonies
that take turns with every other
song. It’s amazing how The Vines
jump from a faster, grungy ‘90s
rock sound to the ‘60s British
invasion and, somehow, pull it off
smoothly
The release of “Highly
Evolved” is not The Vines’ first
exposure in America. Listeners
might remember them from the “I
Am Sam” soundtrack, an album
composed entirely of Beatles
songs covered by various artists.
The Vines covered “I’m Only
Sleeping.”
Although songs like “Country
Yard” and “Homesick” sound an
awful lot like something off of
“Revolver,” the lyrics seem to be
lacking the passion and poetry of
the Beatles.
The amount of imagery and
symbolism expressed in the lyrics
of “Highly Evolved” could be
contained in a thimble.
“Highly Evolved” might be
their first ever full-length album,
but a slew of 7 inches and singles
from these down-under rockers
have been floating around in
Australia and the UK for years.
They broke first in these areas
before making the jump to MTV
Success in Europe before
hitting the American market is
something that is becoming all too
popular among current rock acts
like the Strokes, Hives, and these
hard rockin’ Aussies.
One reason for their slow
change in latitude is due to The
Vines’ reluctance to allow their
music to be overly produced, a
phenomenon that is very common
to American pop.
Although their lyrics are dry
and uninspiring, having influence
from two of the biggest rock and
roll pioneers is somewhat
redeeming. Overall, “Highly
Evolved” is a strong rock album
that mixes an old sound with a
totally new band.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
-—