Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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pontapt tis m TJT7 TV/TTV they said it UUIUAU1 UO |-1 p . V/l I \ rEPHEN HAWKING: “To confine our attentiont to ter E-mail us at gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.c _l—LJ—A 1*1 I 1 \ •estrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.” MOVIE REVIEW ‘Goldmember ’ has golden but predictable mojo, baby AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER Starring Mike Myers, Michael Caine and Beyonce Knowles ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY CARRIE PHILLIPS THE GAMECOCK Austin Powers ruled the- 60s, conquered the 90s and moved on in to the 00s. Now, he has put on the platform shoes and is jive talkin’ to take on the 70s in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” The third movie in the Powers trilogy is a shameless rip off of countless films, from James Bond and Indiana Jones to “Singin’ in the Rain” and all of the blaxploitation films of the 70s. For some reason, Dr. Evil has decided to bring back the 70s’ insane, evil, roller-skating genius Goldmember (trust me, the name is explained over and over again) and his plans for a tractor beam. Dr. Evil wants to use the tractor beam to pull a meteor into the earth unless he gets an undeterminable sum of money from the World Organization. Enter Powers, who goes back to the 70s to stop Goldmember from coming to the future. Goldmember has also captured Powers’ father, brilliantly played by Michael Caine, and Powers is there to save him as well. Goldmember escapes with the senior Powers to the future, and the junior Powers follows with Foxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles). From here the movie is wonderfully predictable, using every joke and sight gag from the first two movies and introducing a few new ones. What “Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me” did wrong, “Goldmember” does right (excluding Fat Bastard, who is just not funny). The movie turns into a James-Bond-in-blue-velvet version of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” with some “Star Wars,” “Foxy Brown” and perfectly gratuitous cameos thrown in for fun. ' jj The movie gives up on any pretense of motive or explanation. There are plot holes you could drive a Mac truck through, but somehow, it doesn’t matter. The story moves fast (except when it stops to pee), the dialogue is snappy (except when it gets stuck on a not-so-funny joke) and the I ♦ GOLDMEMBER, SEE PAGE 7 < ■ • J ggj H ■ ■ . ;•/ PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK /like Myers returns as the swingin' spy in “Austin Powers In Goldmember.” Michael Caine plays his ather, and Beyonce Knowels stars as Foxy Cleopatra. L.D VW The Stryder mixes traditional rock elements with emo TMtjnrsroER juntLE crrr thitch JUNGLE CITY TWITCH The Stryder ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY WILLIAM MILLS THE GAMECOCK Amidst the lyrically driven tales of heartbreak and hooky guitars, The Stryder are hosting their own show/ and tell. On “Jungle City Twitch,” their second full-length release, they’re letting people know that they are more than just another band sporting “that underground sound.” Although the quartet is unmistakably part of the newly popular indie/emo wave, they do experiment with a few new sounds on the album. Maybe it’s the fact that they are pigeonholed in a genre which artists are trying to escape like rats from a sinking ship, and the quartet wants to blossom into a different category. What'can you expect from a group who took their name from an ancient ultra-bland Nintendo game, certainly not an album that teeters between the cliffs of emotively vigorous punk and a new frontier of experimental potential. Their name has also caused The Stryder quite a bit of controversy, causing them to possibly undergo a second name change. Their influences range from Green Day to Led Zepplin, although neither is overwhelmingly noticeable on the album. They also note that much of their sound is derived from other Long Island bands that they have played with and partied with. There is one group saturated with popularity that they have strong ties to: Saves The Day. The Stryder—Peter Toh, Scott Redix, Nick Wendel, and Durijah Lans— were introduced to their current label. Equal Vision, through those same MTV frequenters. And like Saves The Day, The Stryder have altered their sound quite a bit since their last recording. “Jungle City Twitch” is a full bodied album packed with punchier punk rock tracks and melodically experimental inserts. “Missing Without You” is a perfect example of their willingness to mature. This track brings in a violin amidst twinkling guitars and fluctuating melodies while the Long Island quartet chants “Sell your soul to me. This way I know you belong to me.” > They also use more traditional rock elements to allow their sound to bleed into different genres. “All OK” begins with an intro of experimental guitar effects that lean a little into the rgalm of psychedelic pop, a sound that is also revived in the final song that morphs into a jam session lasting about 15 minutes. Although The Stryder surprises listeners with a few experimental outbursts, they come right back around to the same singsong punk that you can expect from them. Songs like “Summer Coat” exist somewhere between pop ballads and poetry. On this track they pay homage to their pop beginnings with a chorus that can only be described as Weezer-esque. While they do invoke classic pop punk icons on “Jungle City Twitch,” they prove that they have a lot of room to grow. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotma il. com