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Thursday, August 30, 2007 | The Red & Black
CRITICS CORNER:
‘Nanny Diaries’ fails on screen
By MANDY RODGERS
The Red & Black
With apologies to any hope
fuls, “The Nanny Diaries” is
not the new “Mary Poppins.”
Though the movie contains
allusions to the timeless musi
cal, the nannies in the Upper
East Side have a different
story. Where is the bottomless
bag of fun or the dancing pen
guins? A singing Dick Van
Dyke?
Meet Annie Braddock
(Scarlett Johansson), who has
the misfortune of her name
rhyming with “nanny.” Next,
meet Mrs. X (Laura Linney),
who mistakes Annie’s name for
her occupation and employs
her as the permanent baby sit
ter for her son, Grayer
WUOG’s
top ten
The 10 most played
albums on 90.5 fm last
week:
1. St. Vincent - Marry
Me (Beggar’s Banquet)
2. O’Death - Head Home
(Ernest Jenning)
3. The Bad Plus - Prog
(Do The Math)
4. Marissa Nadler -
Songs III: Bird on the
Water (Kemado)
5. Immaculate Machine
- Fhbles (Mint)
6. Lightning Dust - S/T
(Jagjaguwar)
7. Overhead Projector -
Underpants on the Ceiling
Fan (Self-released)
8. Donny Hue and the
Colors - Folkmote (The
Kora Records)
9. The Mary Timony
Band - The Shapes We
Make (Kill Rock Stars)
10. David S. Ware
Quartet - Renunciation
(AUM Fidelity)
Music Directors’ Pick:
Eyvind Kang Athlantis
(Ipecac)
- Sarah Dutcher and
Joe Kubler are the music directors
for WUOG, 90.5 FM.
Worth the drive: Atlanta’s Montreux Jazz Festival
By ELI DILLARD
The Red & Black
Atlanta is often best
known as a breeding
ground for the hip-hop
scene and home to artists
such as T.I. and OutKast.
However, jazz also is a
genre of music Atlantans
celebrate and embrace,
and this weekend’s festiv
ities will surely excite all
jazz lovers, from the
smallest enthusiast to
followers of the music
since the 19205.
The Montreux Jazz
Festival is a three-day
event running Friday
through Sunday and
boasting jazz and blues
musicians for ail ages.
Atlanta is the only city
in North America that
hosts The Montreux Jazz
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Thursday:
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MAKING YOU SLIGHTIY MORE CUITURALIY TOLERABLE
(Nicholas Art).
Annie just graduated from
college with no real plan, so
why not be a caretaker for the
summer?
Johansson trades in her
golden locks for brown hair to
create a “dowdy” nanny, and
she carries the film well.
However, her wide-eyed and
cutesy character gets monoto
nous as the film progresses.
Sometimes, popular novels
don’t translate well onto the
big screen. This movie is one
such example, disappointing
the 1993 work of Emma
McLaughlin and Nicole Kraus.
The uneven direction
doesn’t find a balance between
Annie’s quirky daydreams and
the neglect Grayer feels from
his family. We’re supposed to
British
doll flies
‘under
the radar’
In the mood for some
thing tart and tangible?
London’s Kate Nash is a
songstress worth savor
ing.
When American audi
ences began to snack on
British exports like the
audacious Lily Allen and
the train wreck known as
Amy Winehouse, 20-year
old Nash debuted on her
home turf out of nowhere
and under the radar.
The British debut of
her album “Foundations”
was pushed up five weeks
due to overwhelming
popular demand. Without
an official American
debut in sight, Nash still
belongs to her native
England, but her tunes
are ever-energetic and
accessible. She’s self
aware and acts her age
yet writes with incompa
rable clarity and maturity,
something her aforemen
tioned British sisters
often lack.
With songs recalling
the staccato piano plunks
of Regina Spektor and
Festival, which began in
Montreux, Switzerland 41
years ago. According to
Camille Russell Love,
Atlanta’s director of cul
tural affairs, this is the
14th year the city has
partnered with Montreux.
“Atlanta has many
festivals such as this, our
own jazz festival, the
Dogwood Festival and the
Peachtree Road Race
that attract a lot of peo
ple,’* Love said, adding
that the wide range of
performers is meant to
entertain all sorts of fans.
“We have performers
like Sleepy Brown,
Gordon Chambers and
Saskia Laroo,” Love said.
“Laroo is a trumpet play
er and has a rapper and
reggae artist on stage
with her. They give an
NANNY DIARIES
Grade: B-
Verdict: A spoonful of sugar and
decent performances can't quite
carry this offbeat adaptation.
laugh when Annie takes
Grayer to a playdate hosted by
a drunken mom, but are we
supposed to cry when Grayer’s
parents slam doors in his face?
Linney inspires hatred for
the bitchy Mrs. X, who cares
more about going to the spa
than Grayer’s 104-degree fever.
She slides into the role with
ease and acts her heart out,
but it’s hard to sympathize
with her, even as Mr. X
(Paul Giamatti) continues his
travels to Chicago where his
sexy business (wink, wink)
YOUR NEW FAVORITE BAND
If 1
' ,
/ \ '
!§lsi t'lz't
Courtesy Kate Nash
▲ Kate Nash, though yet to have an official
release away from her native England, is mak
ing early splashes on this side of the pond.
the fearlessness of Liz
Phair while harboring a
heavy-handed British
drawl, Kate Nash is sweet
on the surface but scan
dalous and sassy between
the lines.
Sami Promisloff
MONTREUX JAZZ
FESTIVAL
When: Labor Day Weekend
- Aug. 31 - Sept. 2
Where: Underground Atlanta
More Information: www.atlan
tafestivals.com
Price: Daily activities and
music free. General Admission
$36.50. Montreux After Dark -
S2O-25 per club (limited tables
available).
outstanding perfor
mance.”
The festival had
Aretha Franklin in the
lineup to play Saturday,
but the “Queen of Soul”
canceled at the last min
ute.
“Atlanta is a very wel
coming city and fun for
everyone,” Love said. “We
hope that one of the big
gest party schools comes
to party with us.”
Another event at the
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OUT & ABOUT
VITAL STATS
Formed: 2007 in London
Latest Release: “Foundations”
(2007 - UK exclusive)
Listen at: www.myspace.com/
katenashmusic or www.kate
nash.co.uk
festival geared to college
students is the Montreux
After Dark Club Crawl @
Underground Atlanta.
Starting at 9 p.m. and
lasting until 4 a.m., the
crawl includes six partici
pating clubs in Kenny’s
Alley at Underground
Atlanta.
The clubs will feature a
plethora of jazz-related
music styles, including
pop, R&B, hip-hop and
neo-soul, according to the
festival Web site.
“This also provides
great entertainment for
young people to come,”
Love said.
The festival also
includes The Montreux
Film Fest, showing three
films a day at the Atlanta
Convention and Visitor’s
Bureau Theater. All films
are free. Also at the festi
val are an interactive
Kid’s Zone, arts and
crafts and food vendors.
partner resides.
Speaking of Mr. X, he
almost is missing from the
film, much like his absence
from the family. Maybe that’s
the point, but it’s a disap
pointment from Giamatti’s
normal scene-stealing perfor
mances. Think “Cinderella
Man” and “Sideways.”
The young Art steals the
scenes here, as he equally cap
tures the brat who hates nan
nies and the heartbroken kid
who wants real parents.
One scene to watch for
Annie and Grayer dressed as
colonists from the Revolution,
dancing to the “Macarena,”
sung by Alvin and the
Chipmunks. Perhaps it’s not
cinematic history, but it’s defi
nitely a cinematic first.
‘Halloween’
Rating: R
Horror
Starring: Tyler Mane,
Sheri Moon and Malcolm
McDowell
Nearly 30 years after
reeking havoc on movie
going audiences for the
first time, Michael Myers is
back as musician-turned
director Rob Zombie offers
his own interpretation of
this horror classic.
Inspired by John
Carpenter’s 1978 film,
“Halloween” explores the
childhood events of one of
cinema’s most notorious
nutcases.
‘Balls of Fuiy’
Rating: PG-13
Comedy
Starring: Dan Pogler,
Christopher Walken and
George Lopez
Randy Daytona
(Fogler) infiltrates the
clandestine world of
extreme Ping-Pong in
“Balls of Riry,” the latest
comedy from director
Robert Ben Garant (“Reno
listen up!
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Lifeline
After laying his life on the line for a jetset touring schedule, Ben Harper ana his
backing band of Innocent Criminals took their tired selves to a luxurious European
studio for some much-needed relaxation. When the band ended up going to work,
one week of recording and minimal production
resulted in “Lifeline” - an organic and heartfelt ■[■ iitru *> wmcbii maims
return to form. The super-chill blues-funk father A . a
released a collection of re-imagined roots-rock fIBLAAI&A
recalling the earnestness of his early career.
Harper takes a long-awaited departure from poli- ’f p®P
tics and pride and returns to matters of the heart, nf W
underscored heavily by piano. Recorded in Paris li| || K
sans computers or Pro Tools, Harper’s inspiration is JWJUj 14 ”
appareni as always, and on the instrumental “Paris
Sunrise #7,” he elegantly bridges the gap between
a strip of the Champs-Elysees and a rickety rail house in Memphis. From the gospel
doo-wop of “Put It On Me" to the step-touch of “Say You Will,” Harper has crafted a
collection of comfortable croons that will leave listeners warm, but not worn out.
Verdict: Favorable for Harper's most fervent fans
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Strawberry Jam
Discerning indie rock fans know there’s a line between the irreverent and the
revolutionary, albeit a dim and small one. New York City’s Animal Collective is
known for straddling this line, and while some wor- i 7 ,
ship its affinity for the odd, others just don’t get it.
Their latest, ‘Strawberry Jam,” tends to find a
happy medium and increases their overall listen
ability from esoteric to enjoyable. The band is up
to its usual tricks of electro-tribal oddity, but leans k ’
on an appropriate handful of hooks for songs one UHteM’
can actually follow. The new LP brews and bub
bles with brash beats and sonic swirls, proving AC
can produce more than ambitious art rock that
exists for little reason other than conjuring curiosi- 1
ty. They still maintain their intricate, screeching aesthetics, but make it likable
enough for the little guy this time around.
Verdict: Wierdos and winners alike could probably enjoy this jangly 'jam'
ROGUE WAVE
Asleep at Heaven’s Gate
When San Francisco's Rogue Wave made the move from Seattle’s legendary
rain-soaked Sub Pop Records to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire imprint, no one expected
they actually would be right at home with a
catalog of seemingly sophisticated surf rock .o'.S-
Asleep at Heavens Gate" is Rogue Waves I
first collection of material since drummer Pat ■'
Spurgeon’s bout with near-fatal kidney prob- I
lems and a successful transplant, and such '
inspiration is woven throughout the record.
This release lacks the anthemic tracks of previ- JSt
ous albums, but retains calming candor thanks rjn&fi&icaeSftfrJ&K
to Zach Rogue’s tender chorale and heavenly ■BwsNSgSßppJgjCj
falsetto. From the driving opening track —a
‘Harmonium’ and the hand-drawn percussion of “Lake Michigan,” to the Shins-like
swagger and sensitivity of “Fantasies” and the adequately dreamy “Lullaby," Rogue
Wave has taken its Bay Area bombast to a place of beauiy.
Verdict: A great opportunity to ride the Wave’ and get acquainted
- Sami Promisloff
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DIARIES
movie previews
911!: Miami”). Daytona is
recruited by the FBI to
take down Feng (Walken),
his father’s killer and the
head honcho of the evil
table tennis empire. After
recovering his mastery of
the game, Daytona heads
to Feng’s mystifying jungle
compound for the most
elaborate Ping-Pong tour
nament of all time.
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‘Death Sentence’
Rating: R
Drama
Starring: Kevin Bacon and
Kelly Preston
Nick Hume (Bacon)
must resort to unimagina
ble means to protect those
closest to him after a fami
ly member is attacked dur
ing a gang initiation ritual.
From director James Wan
(“Saw”), “Death Sentence”
is an adaptation of Brian
Garfield’s original novel.
Bullets and bodies fly in
this bloody tale of revenge,
a loose sequel to “Death
Wish,” a 1974 action flick
starring Charles Bronson.
Brian Hughes