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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2004)
A pril 14, 2004 AR^¿(r\ENTERTAINMENT T he C lackamas P rint • 9 Frusciante's new album marks leaps and bounds Hilliary Ferguson T he C lackamas P rint INTERNET PHOTO jimmy ‘The Tulip’ Tudeski (Bruce Willis) confronts Oz Oseransky (Matthew Perry) after 0z inadvertently runs over one of Jimmy’s many pet chickens in ‘The Whole Ten Yards.’ Matthew Perry carries ‘The Whole Ten Yards’ I Joel Gaynor T he C lackamas P rint ■ Despite obvious and numer ous shortcomings, “The Whole Ten Yards” succeeds in provid ing its audience with 90 min utes of steady entertainment, ■jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski (Bruce Willis) has left behind his days as a professional for the quiet - life! of playing house wife in his Mexican beachfront h||mc. While he’s getting in touch with his inner Martha Stewart, his wife Jill (Amanda Piet) is attempting—but failing miserably^—to fill his shoes as the hit person in the family. Meanwhile, Hungarian rnob boss Lazio Gogolak (Kevin Pollak, playing the father of his deceased “Nine Yards” charac ter) is .released from prison anxious to settle a score with Jimmy. He kidnaps Jimmy’s cx- wife Cynthia (Natasha Hehstridgc), who is now the wife of Nicholas “Oz” Oseransky (Matthew Perry), the dentist who had helped Jimmy fake his own death using dental records. In order to try to get Cynthia back, Oz runs straight to Jimmy to employ his expertise, but in doing so, he unwittingly leads the recently- freed mobster and his dull band of goons directly to the retired killer. From there the script is shoddy. The number of plot holes is' enough to cause epileptic fits’ if it Were not for the presence of Perry, who saved many scenes with his physical comedy. Walking into objects tends to get old, but even when it seems somewhat forced, one can’t help1 but be amused by Perry’s clumsiness. That inelegance has come to be expected of Matthew Perry. Willis plays a solid character as well, but doesn’t please the audience in quite the same way as Perry. That’s no fault to him, though. He simply cannot make up for weaknesses in the script. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the movie is Pollak. His portrayal of Lazio is some what of a Libetacc-meets- Brando mob boss who strug gles with pronunciation and seems to enjoy slapping his goons. He’s obnoxious without being annoying and, along with Perry, provides the bulk of the much-needed laughs. Several scenes head for dis aster before being bailed out by the presence of Perry and/or Pollak. A few times, though, the writers’ attempts at comedy miss the mark horribly. There is no amusement to be found in Willis and Perry waking up together one morn ing, not remembering the details of the drunken night before, with Perry wondering why his rear hurts. The instance is not so much in poor taste as it is just plain not funny. Luckily, the instances of blatant tastclcssricss are few and far between. Even with the script’s weak nesses, “The Whole Ten Yards” is worth seeing. The fragile script res.ts securely on the capable shoulders of Perry and he docs his best to turn an oth erwise bland and ordinary Hollywood attempt at comedy into a funny, light-hearted and (mostly) worthwhile trip to the movies. Since exploding on the California funk scene in 1988, John Frusciante has taken a detour from mother band the Red Hot Chili Peppers to release a series of solo albums and his latest, “Shadows Collide with People,” is a breath of fresh air after a history of seemingly schizophrenic recordings. Realistically, “Shadows” maltes Frusciante’s previous albums sound like randomly sketched notes in the margin of a note book. Although Frusciante is known for his uncommon time signatures and strange synthe sized beeps, his latest album is more musically concise and upbeat. It seems strange, but “Shadows” verges on the edge of pop with Bcatles-csquc riffs that, at times, sound eerie when lay ered with Frusciante’s hauntingly hollow voice. “Shadows” also conquers a more natural sound for Frusciante. His earlier albums fea tured more rigid electronic beats, but on this release, Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith lends a hand in creating a mote ergonom ic rhythm. No matter what anyone says, one can feel the difference between a beat machine and good, old-fashioned skins. In addition to Smith’s name on the album jacket, Peppers’ bassist l?lca makes an appearance. Newcomer Josh Klinghoffcr also sings and plays on many of the tracks. One may ask, “How, then, is this not just another Red Hot Chili Peppers album?” The answer ’is clear after listening to these recordings. First, singer Anthony Kiedis obviously isn’t on the album. Second, and more important, Frusciante has his own distinct sound. There is nothing peppery about this album. On the contrary, Frusciante’s influence is obvious on recent Chili Pepper releases. This album marks a milestone for Frusciante. One can hear the leaps and bounds he’s made since 2001’s “To Record Only Water ft Ten Days.” “Shadows” is far less ex and seems like less of a daydream. It sounds as if Frusciante is emerging from a haze and is final ly finding comfort in his past. He sings with more confidence; his harmonies arc stronger and more consistently powerful. One irking thing about this album is fuzzy track seven. It has no words—and no music for that matter. The sounds can be described at best as the scratching of vinyl, slowed down to a fright ening groan and repeated in vari ous pitches. When one is wide awake, the sounds arc merely strange. When one has just woken up,-however, the sounds seem to be a horrifying indication that the apocalypse is imminent, f This and other bursts of strangeness should not, however, ' dissuade anyone from buying this album, simply because it is difficult in this day and age to find a musician who is so inher ently talented. Indeed, Frusciante is some thing of a musical genius, combin ing spine-tingling harmonics with time signatures that hurt more than Calculus II. Whereas the majority of mainstream bands regurgitate the same three chords in four-four time, Frusciante goes above and beyond the call of a popular musician and creates something new and interesting. There is truly nothing like it. This is an album for free thinkers. Those looking for some thing to makcout to shouldn’t •even bother. Anyone looking for an album that is musically and mathematically genius, though, definitely ought to pick it up. It’s available at Whorehouse Music for the modest price of $15.99. 775 Cascade Street * Oregon City, OR 97045 Spriqg Special All items are made homemade, fresh daily Students can get the daily special for $4.25 Just bring in your student ID card to get the discount 212 Molalla Ave., Oregon City, OR 97045 (503) 655-7197 Save /100 or( ^1?f,rs^ ar(dgel ti¡e second npritii free Call for details ... 503-656-3155
