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Show MAR 01 RD - THE - 2Q01 RATCATCHER continued from page MONKSyBONS R8 continued from page he finds an unfinished new house with a huge field in the back. This house and field become his sanctuary from the reality of lice, rats and garbage. It is here where James actually smiles. Just seeing him run around and tumble in the wheat conveys more meaning and emotion than some films' entire plots. There is a rather sweet romantic sub-plthat makes up a part of the as film well James befriends the awkward Margaret Anne, a father pitiful girl who seems to have consenting sex with some of the neighborhood boys In a rather touching scene, James combs the lice out of her hair, after which the two take a bath together; the atmosphere is innocent Like the field, Margaret Anne becomes another source of refuge for James. in the There is a definite build-uto comes a and film that startling not necessarily predictable finale. It seems as though just when things may be turning around, they actually become worse. The strike ends and the workers come armed in masks to clean up all the trash. James returns to his neighborhood (after escaping to his refuge in the country, only to find the house locked) to see the trash is gone. He looks under a shed and sees rats running all over some undiscovered garbage bags. His friend Kenny once a keen animal lover) comes to him waving a dead rat proudly in the air, and he sees Margaret Anne being pushed into a shed to have sex with another boy. These and a series of other events lead to the realization in James' young mind and a tragic contrivances to arrive at the point when Nicholas Cage and John Travolta inhabited each other's bodies, but once it did, the film took off and the actors were in top form for the rare opportunity of imitating the other. Fraser is decent playing Stu and has done cartoon roles in the past but can't get a laugh during-thawkward scenes with Monkeybone in his body. Supporting actor Chris Kattan from "Saturday Night Live" does a better job when Stu enters his body, but not much better. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" showed and animated characters interacting with one another, but its imagination, energy and madcap logic made the smart Hollywood satire fun for all ages. "Monkeybone's target audience is of the film is characterized by music sometimes upbeat, sometimes not. However, the visual starkness of the cinematography is what leads the narrative most effectively and emotionally. I T - ' J J live-actio- continued from page Bob Marley tune, interpreting it in the jam genre. Bright stage lights switched their attention to three cloth tarps at the back stage, RS n boys. Last year's "The Cell" entered the disturbed mind of a serial killer in a coma. It had an important d story to add suspense to the surreal sequences. In contrast, "Monkeybone's" first act creates little suspense. The rest of the film creates none. And then comes the "climax." A film has no right to show exciting visuals early on and end with a lifeless sequence obviously done with The filmmakers had a such little faith in the sequence, they inserted as many unfunny side jokes as possible to liven things up. Downtown could have been used to explore Stu's psyche which the film mentions is disturbed and then ignores completely. Perhaps the film would have been better if it left open to interpretation the question of whether the other world really existed or was simply a figment of Stu's imagination. An exploration of a troubled cartoonist's head must be preferable to a messy, inconsistent plot And if it isn't, at least there would be more scenes in the dream world. real-worl- blue-scree- Tht String Chess Incidtnt puts on a musical, tranformational show. STRING CHEESE n. e his eyes to his attire. had ensconced itself upon him, corduroy slacks wrapped his legs, and Sketchers melted from his feet. He threw his arms up, letting a long sigh of release from his suffocating lungs. After a two-hofirst set the morphed boys looked about the venue's modem art gallery and noticed the luxurious and fashionably rmnimalist furnishings. . Browsing the merchandise table, a result of the band's now multimillion-dollar business operation, found shirts, CDs produced by they the band's own label, and these laser spinreally crazy hand-hellike somelooked ning things. They Trek. of out Star thing Taking the handle, you would spin the lighted end. Mysteriously, the letters of the band's name were formed in what looked like thin air. This discovery, the joy of change, and a misplaced ding heard in the lobby during intermission sent the two for the main floor. The second set was about to begin. They blended in with the more hard-corfans; the ticket checkers just waved them Tie-dy- ur track-lightin- g stretched like three stressed amoe- ba from the deepest regions of the ocean. After hours of violin rants and organ raves, the two were exhausted. Their bodies had moved in ways they had not imagined. The chord progression and improvisational segue had rocked their senses. It was time to return home. The cold quickly shriveled the newly grown hair. The old, sneakers sprouted around their feet The snow returned their blue jeans and sweaters to their normal, Old Navy color coordination. The roads were amiable and inviting. The trip was over. in new-gras- s e soon found themselves near the stage in a bean bag of swaying bodies and patchouli. The String Cheese Incident peeled a layer from a popular neo-hippi- es .' ft - KSgS3S Ic vs sltSt f &s HHIHiBimMBill SIB Mill rnrnn warn uaamum wmm, mabgh sale If Bli lllfl JJSIMira SU.ILSMIliUl 1 m U UUiU. ILSUMUIU RS d by. The two ! a ff ISllllIM iffliiilSSffl mam " mmim iwmmmi " Rll fluidity. The highlights of the performance were his Bob Dylan covers. He performed the great "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" with a range and feeling unattainable by the great Bob Dylan's own voice. He used his mandolin to give a unique, folky interpretation of Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece." Another highlight was the fiddle tune he wrote with inspiration from Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier's best selling Civil War noveL The song was reminiscent of Irish Folk music in its sound and progressions, yet it was nevertheless a signature O'Brien tune. O'Brien was a pioneer in the popular "new grass- - sound. He has shared the stage and recording studio with some of bluegrass and new grass's greatest Jerry Douglas, Darol Anger, Peter Rowan and many others. O'Brien's current band, the rave O'Boys, is taking the even further, playing all O'Brien's original material and incorporating such instruments as the bouzouki in many of its songs. The O'Boys didn't accompany O'Brien on this trip, but his next stop in Utah should be pretty soon. ' 1 - O'BRIEN continued from page e p conclusion. The moodiness - I RIO REEL ' 'xl |