Newspaper Page Text
*
Wednesday
November 8,
2006
fm)
with George Hawkins
“Saw III"
MPA A Rating: R
Running Time: 107 minutes
Starring: Tobin Bell,
Shawnee Smith, Angus
Macfadyen.
Baltar Soomekh and Dina
Mexer
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Fans of guts and gore
will not be disappointed
with the third installment
of the “Saw” series.
This latest film about
the exploits of the Jigsaw
Killer (Tobin Bell) and his
protege Amanda (Shawnee
Smith) delivers on what
“Saw” devotees have
come to expect with little
disappointments.
In “Saw III,” we find
anew batch of detectives
investigating the most recent
string of sadistic killings by
the Jigsaw Killer.
What the police are
not privy to, however, is
that Jigsaw, who has been
suffering with an inoperable
brain tumor throughout the
Hill a §§
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“Hellhound and Heartless”
The Heart Attacks
Every college student
seems to be impressed
by local bands, and there
is one in our backyard
that released an album a
little over a week ago on
one of America’s biggest
independent record labels.
That local band is The
Heart Attacks, and their
Hellcat debut “Hellhound
and Heartless” comes
close to capturing their
exciting live sound.
The album opens with
“You Oughtta Know By
Now”, which was made
into a music video that can
be seen on http://www.
hell-cat.com. With its “be
a heart attack” chorus,
this track is a good start
for this album.
“Summer of Hate” is a
good song title for a band
that has been called the Hate
City Rockers, a reference
Arts ENIERIAIMvWr
-Reel
DEAL
series, is on his deathbed
and his trainee Amanda is
actually responsible for the
latest round of atrocities.
After the initial ten to
fifteen minutes of the movie,
where the audience witnesses
seemingly random “tests”
on seemingly unconnected
victims, the plot thickens
with the abduction of Dr.
Lynn Denlon, a highly
respected ER surgeon.
When the doctor
awakens from her drag
induced haze, she finds
herself in Jigsaw's lair
surrounded by devices
that can do God only
knows what to whoever is
unfortunate enough to have
to wear them.
After Denlon stops
screaming, Amanda fits her
with a collar rigged with
multiple shotgun shells. She
takes the now only semi
hysterical doctor into a room
where Jigsaw is lying in a
hospital bed. surrounded
by medical machines and
obviously in great pain.
Apparently, Denlon
had been a physician in the
hospital where Jigsaw was
diagnosed and had made
quite an impression on him.
As Amanda and
Jigsaw' explain, the doctor
is responsible for keeping
Jigsaw alive until a man
in their latest test either
completes his test or dies in
process. If she is successful.
to Atlanta's “city too busy
to hate” nickname.
With “Eyes", the band
really show s off what they
can do. Both their ability
as musicians and also
their attitude can be heard
in this tune.
A cover of Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s
“Travelin’ Band” isn’t as
out of place as one might
assume. It is made to fit the
band’s sound perfectly and
features a guest appearance
by Tim Armstrong.
The band does
a great job with the
song, and they even
personalize it with a
reference to the Atlanta
Police Department. If
there’s any truth to the
rumors about these guys,
they are no strangers to
the cops.
“Guilty” is tied with
“Eyes” on my list of
favorite Heart Attacks
songs. This song would
be a good introduction to
the band, as it captures
their early metal meets
punk and glam sound.
It is followed by
“Widowmaker”, which is
more than a typical 2:59 or
less punk song.
“Heart Attack” is an
older song that the band
she will be released.
Jeff (Angus
Macfadyen) is the subject
of Jigsaw and Amanda’s
current elaborate series of
situations. Jeff, according
to Jigsaw, has spent the last
several years a hollow shell
of a man obsessed with
revenge on those he sees
as responsible for his son's
death by a drunk driver.
Obviously, this review
can’t go anymore in depth or
detail at the risk of spoiling
the film. Some might think
that there's already too much
here, but suffice it to say that
there are plenty of plot twists
up until the very end to keep
anyone guessing.
Overall, this movie
is quality entertainment
typical of the series.
It's not quite as good
as the first or second,
which is understandable as
audiences have started to
think like Jigsaw, removing
a lot of the surprise and
revelation of the first two.
But the film has retained
the original writing team
(Leigh Wannell and James
Wan), sr> the film is a
coherent continuation.
There is as much, it not
more, bhxxJ, guts and brain
matter than the previous
films. In fact, the film
supposed!} had to be sent
to the MPAA ratings board
seven times before it was
tame enough for an R rating
as opposed to NC-17.
So, for those unfit
parents and people who
can’t make good decisions,
take note that this is not
an appropriate film for
squeamish types.
There are only a few
has been playing for a
while, and it sounds better
than ever on this album.
It is an interesting twist
on the typical, boring love
song with lyrics like “Go
on pop your pills, while I
lie to you.”
"Fast Times Attached”
is another fast-paced ride.
Guitarists Tuk Smith and
Dave Klein really show off
their talents on this one.
The title track is a
little slower paced, but is
definitely an exciting piece
*
/ rUBBi f Util
. j wss mjag
Photo courtesy of Hell-Cat.coni
Altanta’s The Heart Attacks have recently released their debut album on Hellcat Records. The
album, which is the group's second release, features everything from punk rock to a CCR cover.
of rock and roll.
On "Tearstained
Letters”, Chase Noles
is joined by another
outstanding vocalist—Joan
Jett. From the swirling
keyboards to the catchy
chorus, this is an outstanding
afija m
Photos tour tow oj Hottentoniatoes.com
(Above) Saw 111 reveals that The Jigsaw Killer (Tobias Bell) is back with new games, as
expected, only he's not feeling 100 percent. (Below) Jigsaw's tests of human dedication
and redemption don t get any prettier in the latest installment of the Saw trilogy.
problems with this film.
The first is that the premise
is getting a little dated.
At some point a killer
obsessed with teaching his
victims to appreciate their
lives gets a little preach},
irritating and predictable.
Hie second is the
few unexplained events
and borderline plot holes.
tune. Its interesting to
hear Noles sing a slower,
mellower song. He has
more range than I would
have ever suspected.
In "Runnin’ With a
Gang”, the band's ever
present confidence with the
ladies is not mentioned, but
the) do mention another
common theme lighting.
“City Sickness”, which
clocks in at over five minutes
long, starts out slow but the
band picks up the pace. I am
glad that they chose a few
songs that are not strictly 1< >ud,
fast and angry for their first
nationally distributed release,
as it keeps the band from
sounding one-dimensional.
Noles, who is
sometimes called
Teenage Haircut, and
There are some confusing
relationships presented
and never explained, and
some of the main characters
motives and actions can
seem illogical.
But these flaws are
minor and are basically
overshadowed by a quality
film vv ith a lot disturbing
images (in this case a good
both guitarists sound
fantastic on this album.
The rhythm section,
which consists of bassist
Paul Masci and drummer
Brad Goocher, is also
fantastic and helps keep
things together.
Masci is especially
talented, and sometimes
plays with another band
called Adolf and the Piss
Artists. APA is probably
the second best punk
band in Atlanta, since
they feature Chet Knight
of The Templars.
Their live shows are
outstanding, and they
have shared the stage with
the likes of Cl it 45 and
The Angel City Outcasts.
Also, they are a big
part of the Atlanta scene.
thing) and above average
acting.
With the end left open
tor a fourth installment, the
“Saw " juggernaut is going to
be hard to stop, but hopefully
the creators w ill be w ise and
end it soon before the series
becomes tired and lame.
(iRADK: B
Even if they are not
playing, it is not unusual
to see a member of the
band or two in the crowd
enjoying the show.
1 have nothing
but nice things to say
about this band as both
individuals and artists,
and I hope that everyone
w ill check them out.
Unfortunately, lazy
writers might scare off a lot
of potential fans because of
their ow n misconceptions.
I say that because they
typically do one of two
things to a band like The
Heart Attacks: compare
them to The Clash or The
New York Dolls.
They are compared
to the latter, and 1 do not
understand why.
They don’t really
sound like anyone else
who came before them,
and I can’t picture any
of them in a dress or
wearing makeup.
If they become huge,
the new unfair comparison
will be that they are like
Britain’s annoying Towers
of London because they are
tattoo covered guys w ith nice
haircuts and bad attitudes.
Both bands formed
around the same time, so
The Heart Attacks formed
their own identities
without help from any of
their contemporaries.
Overall, this is a very
good album that f ans of local
music should check out.
Rating: 8 out of 10