INSIDEBEATTHE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM

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MODERN WARFARE 3 • IQ84 • EPIC MEAL TIME• J. EDGAR • FRINGE WITH BENEFITS• IKIRU

YouTube PhenomsYouTube PhenomsFrom Miniscule Pixels to

Prominent Personages

November 17, 2011Page 2 • Inside Beat

EDITOR’S RANT

Spence Blazak,Tammie Chiou, Shama Huq,

Elena Georgopoulous, Josh Kelly,Saskia Kusnecov, Ryan Lizotte,

Diana Weinapple

FREDDIE MORGAN............................................................................TV EDITOR

EMILY GABRIELE.......................................................................MUSIC EDITOR

HEATHER TEDESCO................................................................THEATER EDITOR

ZOË SZATHMARY....................................................................FASHION EDITOR

JILLIAN PASON..........................................................................COPY EDITOR

KEITH FREEMAN.........................................................................PHOTO EDITOR

ALEX NATANZON............................................................................FILM EDITOR

DIANA CHOLANKERIL...............................................................ONLINE EDITOR

RYAN SURUJNATH...........................................................VIDEO GAMES EDITOR

E D I T O R I A L B O A R D

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INSIDEBEATTHIS WEEK’S

CONTRIBUTORS TO

INSIDE BEAT :

ZOË SZATHMARY....................................................EDITOR

RYAN SURUJNATH.....................................................ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ASHLEY PARK...................................................ASSISTANT EDITOR

Cover Photo Courtesy of theplace2.ru

BY EMILY GABRIELEMUSIC EDITOR

Changes in technology haveled to changes in our lifestylehabits — a cultural shift fre-quently discussed in the media.As consumers, we are able toshop online for essentially any-thing that we desire — rangingfrom clothes to love interests. On-line dating sites such as eHar-mony and match.com allow

V I R T U A L F I N D Speople to seek out others whothey’d like to date, without re-quiring them to ever leave theirhouse. This is just one example ofhow the Internet has expandedour world so immensely, yet alsoenables us to never have to go outand physically engage in activi-ties. Actions such as going outand shopping or dating are seem-ingly ancient.

By no means am I inferringthat picking someone up the “old-fashioned” way is completely out-

dated (no pun intended). How-ever, discovering people via theInternet has become quite popu-lar, and I’m not just referring todating purposes. Just as we candiscover friends and potential re-lationships online, we can also dis-cover new talent. Websites such asMySpace and YouTube offer op-portunity for nearly everyone’s“talents” to be discovered. Thequestion that rests at hand is this:is YouTube the new A & R of themusic industry?

Human interaction is a vitalcomponent in assessing a per-son’s overall disposition, ofcourse. But with a service likeYouTube, companies may be fool-ish to not capitalize on the handyand useful talent community thatresides at their fingertips. In-stead of paying for an A & R repto fly from New York to Texas tosee the next best talent, a labelnow has the ability to seek out tal-ent online, particularly onYouTube, for free.

This idea is not far-fetched, asrecent history has shown. Talentedmusicians such as Justin Bieber,Grayson Chance and recentlysigned duo, Karmin have come intothe industry as viral video sensa-tions. Will YouTube become thenewfound source of artist recogni-tion? For one thing, it saves labels alot of funds — that’s indisputable.But will YouTube ultimately serveas a medium as effective as face-to-face interaction when new talent issought out?

November 17, 2011 Inside Beat • Page 3

FASHION & TV

BY DANIELA WEINAPPLESTAFF WRITER

A fun new fashion trendhas been sweeping across theUniversity this semester: fringe. While it used to be re-served mostly for handbags,boots, and the occasionaldress for those seeking tochannel Pocahontas, fringe isnow appearing on a range ofitems from casual t-shirts tosuede pumps to even jewelry.Fringe was spotted on run-ways last spring during Fash-ion Week 2011 on pieces bydesigners like Yves Saint Lau-rent and Gucci, and is poppingup in retail stores.

Fringe with Benefits

BY FREDDIE MORGANTV EDITOR

This week, NBC was the firstof the four major broadcast net-works to completely overhaultheir programming schedule.First to feel the heat from thisseason’s newbies is crimedrama Prime Suspect starringMaria Bello, which has been cutafter the show wraps filming itsthir teenth episode. ThroughNBC claims it is still “consider-ing their options” for the future

The First Shifts in Broadcast Programming:

NBC Cuts Deep

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of the series, many sources re-port that people on the showhave already been told the se-ries is cancelled.

In addition, a startling deci-sion that will occur midseasonhas left many fans uneasy. NBCwill bench Community to makeroom for 30 Rock on Thursdays,as well as several new shows pre-miering in the winter. Newshows include Smash with DebraMessing (Will & Grace), Are YouThere Chelsea, and a televisionadaptation of the 1993 TomCruise film The Firm. Television

rookies Up All Night and Whitneyremain on television.

In their broadcast news depart-ment, NBC has gained another re-porter. It has been announced thatChelsea Clinton will become a full-time correspondent for NBCNightly News. The former firstdaughter is expected to begin im-mediately working on the “Makinga Difference” segment, whichspotlights people who volunteer toimprove the lives of others in theircommunity. Clinton joins politicaloffspring Meghan McCain, whoalso works for NBC Universal.

One of the greatestthings about fringe is itsversatility. It can be the per-fect accent on a color fulsouthwestern inspiredsweater, or it can add a1920s flapper feel to a cock-tail dress, giving it just thatextra spice you were looking for. Still, fringe issomething that must be ap-proached with caution, as it can appear a little tackyif worn improperly. Hereare some ideas for wearing fringe fashionablyto ensure there’s no chance of you looking like you’re dressed up in a questionable Halloweencostume.

November 17, 2011Page 4 • Inside Beat

TV & VIDEO GAMES

BY RYAN SURUJNATHASSOCIATE EDITOR

In its first 24 hours on the mar-ket, Infinity Ward's highly antici-pated title Call of Duty: ModernWarfare 3 sold 6.5 million unitsand generated more than $400 mil-lion worth of revenue in what isbeing heralded as the greatestlaunch in entertainment history.The numbers are indeed stagger-ing, but numbers alone cannotspeak about a game's merit.

Modern Warfare 3’s single-player game mode spans roughlyfive to seven hours, and takesplace almost immediately follow-ing the events of its predecessor.World War III has broken out, pit-ting the United States and its alliesagainst Russia. The campaign's

Infinity Ward | B

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3

BY JASON PEARL

ONLINE EDITOR

What began as a light snack inOctober of last year has nowevolved into a seven-course mealas the popularity of Epic MealTime increased exponentiallysince their modest debut. Origi-nally conceived by former substi-tute teacher and sane man HarleyMorenstein and partner-in-crimeSterling Toth, this web series hasskyrocketed in popularity, witheach new installment consistentlygaining views in the millions. EpicMeal Time’s fame may be due toits unique premise: a bunch ofcrazed Canadians gorging them-selves on primarily bacon to thesounds of The Terminator sound-track while drinking Jack Daniels.A lot of Jack Daniels.

Each episode of Epic MealTime is usually themed aroundone extravagant dish, like a138,226-calorie bacon cheese-burger (The Sloppy Roethlis-berger) or a fat sandwich (TheAngry French Canadian) that

EPIC MEAL TIME

YOUTUBE.COM/USER/EPICMEALTIMECHECK FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY TUESDAY @

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could easily give the GreaseTrucks a run for their money.Their most infamous culinary cre-ation, however, is the TurBa-conEpic. This Moreauvianmonstrosity consisted a quail, Cor-nish hen, chicken, duck andturkey all stuffed into one anotherwith copious amounts of baconstrips and stuffing. The entireavian mess was then stuffed insideof pig, wrapped in more baconstrips, and basted with a butterand Dr. Pepper glaze. And becauseall that still wasn’t gluttonousenough, they garnished it withWendy’s Baconators. What fol-lowed could only be described asa colossal feeding frenzy, withguests tearing into the amalgama-tion with their bare hands. Just atypical Tuesday for the guys ofEpic Meal Time.

So whether they’re dousingtheir food in Four Loko, forgingbacon chalices, or cracking jokesabout the enigmatic MusclesGlasses, the Epic Meal Time crewhas proven time after time thatthey have indeed permanentlychanged the cooking game.

main strength lies in its sense ofscale. The set pieces are beyondimpressive and serve as brilliantstages to the game's large-scalefirefights. From shootouts on thefloor of the New York Stock Ex-change to tanks rolling throughParis, the game's scenery helpsprovide an accurate, and some-what chilling, depiction of whatWorld War III might look like. Un-fortunately, storytelling and char-acter development are notemphasized quite as much as setpieces. The plot follows a clichédaction film route and the gamemakes it difficult to care about thescores of soldiers who have beenmowed down in all the fighting.Enemy AI is another issue: Thegame often insists on throwingwaves of endlessly spawning ene-mies at players; this gets irritating

very quickly. Nonetheless, thecampaign provides more thanenough thrills to keep adrenalinejunkies satisfied.

Spec Ops mode makes a tri-umphant return to Modern War-fare 3. There are a number ofspecial missions players can tackleeither alone or cooperatively, andtrying to best these can provide arather difficult challenge. In addi-tion, there is a new survival mode,in which players are tasked withfending off hordes of enemy sol-diers. This helps make Spec Ops atruly unique experience.

Over the next few months,work, school and significant oth-ers will go neglected due to Mod-ern Warfare’s signaturemultiplayer experience. ModernWarfare 3 plays almost exactly asits predecessor did; this is both a

strength and a great weakness.The degree to which Modern War-fare 3 adheres to the familiar oldformula is rather disturbing. Apartfrom new maps, it is difficult to dis-cern gameplay differences be-tween Modern Warfare 3 andModern Warfare 2. In a full pricedsequel, a franchise ought to showdevelopment and progression.Modern Warfare 3 does not dothis, instead recycling many of thesame aspects present in ModernWarfare 2 and borrowing one oftwo things from Black Ops. For ex-ample, the game’s reused graphicengine is beginning to show itsage. Though Modern Warfare 3still looks fine, it hardly comparesto the likes of Battlefield 3.

This is not say that there arenot a few changes. New mapsand game modes, like Kill Con-

firmed, inject some freshnessinto the series. The most notablechange is a revamped killstreaksystem. In addition to the tradi-tional killstreak rewards playersare used to, Support killstreaksdo not reset upon death and aremore defensive in nature. Spe-cialist killstreaks award playerswho mount successive kills withadditional perks, turning skilledplayers into unstoppable ma-chines. Players select which kill-streak type to use as part of theircharacter class.

Fans of the Call of Duty fran-chise should know exactly what toexpect with this latest installment.The singleplayer is not perfect andthe multiplayer feels somewhat re-cycled. However, more impor-tantly, Modern Warfare 3 is still funand addictive.

November 17, 2011 Inside Beat • Page 5

BOOKS

BY ELENA J. GEORGOPOULOSSTAFF WRITER

The Marriage Plot starts offwith attributing the average per-son’s fascination with love toeverything from ardent Victorianliterature to the “free love” of the1960s. Meet Madeleine: a younggirl pondering over what shewants in a man as she lays in bedon the morning of her graduation.

From there readersenter the pasts of threecharacters who are intheir senior year atBrown University:Madeleine, an Englishmajor who grew up in aprivileged upbringing;Leonard, a brooding yetbrilliantly charming andsensual manic-depres-sive and Mitchell, a reli-gious-savant of sorts,who is convinced thathe is meant to be with Madeleine.Even after graduation, with the lovetriangle cooling off, all three char-acters continue to figure out theirplace in a world with a failing econ-omy and new mindset, constantlygoing in and out of each other’slives and thoughts.

Eugenides has always had aunique way of presenting his char-acters; however, despite his pastwork, Madeleine and Leonard’scharacters are as frustrating asthey are dense, and reading their

Jeffrey Eugenides| B-

The Marriage Plot

BY SHAMA HUQ

STAFF WRITER

The lines between reality andfantasy are often blurred, but whathappens when you take reality anduse it to create a world so whollybeautiful and heartbreaking thatthe reader feels like they are a partof that world, too? In his latestnovel, IQ84, acclaimed Japaneseauthor Haruki Murakami (authorof The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle andKafka on the Shore) has managedto weave another spellbinding talefor readers.

IQ84 features two narratives:those of a young woman namedAoname, and of Tengo, a manwith dreams of becoming a writer.Though they follow seemingly dis-similar plotlines, over the course ofone year, they eventually convergethrough a tangled web of events.At the book’s beginning, Aonamelaunches a quest to understand theperplexing incongruities in theworld around her – she assigns aname to this new “existence” full ofdiscrepancies and puzzles, IQ84,where Q represents a questionmark. At the same time, the aspir-ing novelist Tengo takes on a mys-terious ghostwriting project andsoon finds his life intertwined inthis new assignment. In the char-acters’ world, existence is deter-mined by the delicate balancebetween a jaded sense of déjà vuand somehow knowing the ever-present shadows that lurk behindthe sunlight. Murakami’s work isamazing: he forces us to ask wherethe depiction of existence ends

Haruki Murakami | B+

IQ84 IQ84

expectations of one another andthemselves is like watching a typi-cal rom-com movie: it's riddledwith clichés, with a few sympathypoints here and there. Their inter-changing roles of needy and care-taker add another level to theoverall depressing nature of theirrelationship, allowing the reader tosee their ending from a mile away.Mitchell’s story of spiritual andmoral fulfillment when he misseshis chance with Madeleine, while

bleak at times, makeshim the most interest-ing of the three, makingone almost wish duringreading that the bookcould have been solelyabout him.

The novel, with itsdescriptions of the eco-nomic downturn of the1980s and its semi-opti-mistic college gradu-ates, parallels theclimate today, making

it a more timely campus-set novelthan most. But, its execution ismuch like that of a college studentgoing through different identitiesthroughout four years; while thethree main ideas of love, mentalillness and spirituality, as symbol-ized by the characters, all includebeautifully written and touchingpassages about the nature of eachsubject, none feel fully completeor even sincere, with one ideaabandoned in favor of jumping tothe next.

and reality truly begins.Murakami’s style has been

fleshed out over several books.Though his style can seem spartanat times, his writing uses simplis-tic descriptions and a halting,haunting prose that checks read-ers and allows them to fully im-merse themselves. Murakami usesrepetition often, in order to showrather than tell, and this gives theeffect of true submersion. Readersfeel the characters, as though theywere more than mere colorfulshadows within your imagination.Murakami explained in a 2004 in-terview, “I don’t want to persuadethe reader that it's a real thing; Iwant to show it as it is. In a sense,I’m telling those readers that it'sjust a story — it’s fake. But whenyou experience the fake as real, itcan be real.” Perhaps the only realcriticism is the length of this book;checking in at 944 pages, the storysuffers slightly from stretching outwhat could have been expressed inshorter passages, especially givenMurakami’s effortless writingstyle. Nonetheless, the beauty ofthis novel reaches heights veryfew authors manage to touch thesedays, and is a laudable feat.

This is Haruki Murakami’s12th novel, and has been viewedby many as his magnum opus.The anticipation by fans overIQ84 is in fact worth it — it’s anintriguing read for anyone whohas ever found themselves notic-ing the complexities in life, andrather than leaving a closeddoor, wondering, Just what willhappen if I opened this door andstepped outside?

INTERNET SENSATIONS With the advent of YouTube, it has

become possible for people to broadcasttheir talent to the entire world without thebacking of an expensive talent agency.Inside Beat takes a look at some of the

most talented performers to benefit fromthe Internet revolution.

BY FREDDIE MORGANTV EDITOR

The birth of video bloggingbegan in 2006 with a waiflike girlnamed Bree, a sixteen-year-oldreligious devotee with strict par-ents and a pension for recordingvideos about herself. There wassomething captivating about heras she vlogged of the ins-and-outs of her strange religion andher even stranger, ever-absentparents. She had a friend namedDaniel that she was quite fond of,who created a YouTube accountfor himself to post videos abouthis relationship with Bree. Ulti-mately, critics and fans alikegrew suspicious of this mysteri-ous girl; how was it that her reli-gion prohibited her from doinganything remotely fun, yet sheowned a laptop and a camera? Itwas soon revealed that Lonely-girl15, Bree’s persona onYouTube, was actually an actressnamed Jessica Rose, an Aus-tralian attending the New YorkFilm School at the time.

Jessica Rose has since becomea television actress because of thisunprecedented “YouTube gig.”But while the series diminished,this new form of video entertain-ment did not die out. Real peoplewere inspired by Lonelygirl15’sfake identity and, seeking fame thesame way Jessica had, proceededto post about their own lives andsomehow make their videos inter-esting. Videos inspired by Lonely-girl15’s channel, such asmememolly’s, display not onlycharisma and performing talentbut also editing and splicing abili-ties. These people now have ob-tained fame in their own right.

With any passing fad, theworld grew tired of “just anyone”

TelevisionStars

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with a camera and an opinion.Today, it takes much more thanseveral rants in order to attractan audience. Comedy channelsbegan to emerge modeled afterchannels like Funny or Die; whatbetter way to obtain fame than bymaking others laugh? Thebiggest commercial success sto-ries with their roots in Internetvideos are those of Bo Burn-ham’s (Comedy Central Presents)and Donald Glover’s (Commu-nity). At merely 16 years old,Burnham began releasing self-described “pubescent musicalcomedy” songs on YouTube. Hishilarious comedic timing and R-rated verses earned Burnham aspot on Comedy Central Presents.Donald Glover, too, began mak-ing waves during college with hissketch comedy group DerrickComedy. Glover was soon there-after hired as a writer on NBC’s30 Rock, thanks to his compre-hensive comedic material dis-played online.

These people are on the brinkof worldwide stardom:

Lisa Donovan (LisaNova) – for-mer cast member of MadTV

Kassem Gharaibeh (KassemG)– starred in an iPhone4 spoof com-mercial with Jane Lynch

Philip DeFranco (sxephil) –starred in a Web-based series called Hooking Up withJessica Rose

Shay Butler (Shaycarl) – hasappeared on No Ordinary Family

YouTube partners: Watch outfor when their YouTube successesbleed into the real world!

Hannah Hart (myharto)Jenna Mourey (JennaMarbles)Epic Meal TimeGloZell Green (GloZell)Kingsley (ItsKingsleyBitch)

BY RYAN SURUJNATHASSOCIATE EDITOR

Red vs. Blue first premieredon Roosterteeth.com in April 2003. It is widely credited with bringing the art ofmachinima into the main-stream's attention. RvB was the brainchild of Burnie Burns,Gus Sorola and Geof f Ramsaywho decided to turn their Halogameplay videos into a full-fledged story.

Red vs. Blue is a comedic ad-venture that follows the story of

BY EMILY GABRIELEMUSIC EDITOR

Justin Bieber is the most suc-cessful musical artist that hasused YouTube as a platform tojumpstart his road to fame(shout out to Usher for detectingtalent and capitalizing on it).Though the young, purple-lovingartist may be the most success-ful, he is certainly not the onlyone to capitalize on the techno-logical phenomenon.

Here’s the way it works: typi-cally speaking, “YouTube sensa-tions” record a video ofthemselves singing and/or play-ing an instrument. The generalpublic receives the posted videorelatively well and there’s a lot ofbuzz. More often than not, a musi-cal icon will discover the YouTubeartist and attempt to work outsome sort of record deal with thenewbie — thus developing the up-and-comers’ skills; from the com-puter screen to the stage.

Exhibit A: The Quick to BeSigned — Esmee Denters

RED VS. BLUE

Musical Notes Taken From

YouTube

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two teams, Red and Blue, whoare stationed in a box canyon.Each team has a base at the op-posing ends of the canyon,though the first episode estab-lishes that either base only ex-ists in response to the other.The two sides are supposedly inthe middle of a war, but neitherteam has the motivation to fightthe other. Even though the se-ries' footage is captured in theHalo videogames, the story fol-lows a dif ferent continuity to theHalo universe; those who havenot played the game will stillenjoy Red vs. Blue.

The key to RvB’s success isits array of hilarious and dys-functional characters. The Redteam is led by Sarge, a disci-plined, yet bloodthirsty staf fsergeant who hails from theSouthern United States. Be-neath him in the Red team'scommand structure are theshameless brownnoser Sim-mons, the hopelessly lazy Grif fand the ambiguously gayDonut. The Blue team is just asinteresting. They consist ofChurch, a perpetually irateTexan who is killed and comes back to life as a ghost;

Tucker, a womanizer who is im-pregnated by an alien; Caboose,whose mental disposition variesfrom mildly dim-witted to com-pletely lost; and Tex, an inde-pendent mercenar y who is theonly competent soldier in thecanyon. Since the series usesvideo game characters in theplace of actors, Red vs. Bluekeeps the audience’s attentionwith clever dialogue and char-acter development. The writershave found a balance betweenweaving a serious stor y andmaintaining the show's trade-marked humor.

Since its inception more thaneight years ago, Red vs. Blue hasskyrocketed to Internet popular-ity. Even Halo’s developerBungie could not ignore the ma-chinima series for long: Bungiesupported Red vs. Blue through-out its production process andeven featured cameos by the RvBvoice actors in Halo 3.

Red vs. Blue is currently in itsninth season and episodes, bothnew and old, are available to down-load at roosterteeth.com. Hope-fully, Red vs. Blue will continue toamuse audiences as new Halogames come out.

Mr. Pop himself — Justin Tim-berlake — recognized EsmeeDenters. He spotted her recordingof the Natasha Bedingfield cover“Unwritten” and she was the firstartist he signed to his label, Tenn-man Records. Denters’ video cur-rently has more than 16 millionviews and counting…

Exhibit B: The UnsignedBut Well-Recognized — SophiaGrace Brownlee

You may know this adorableyoung lady from her cover ofNicki Minaj’s “Super Bass”. At 8years old, YouTube has servedas a major platform in makingBrownlee’s dreams come true.Her video merited recognitionfrom Ellen DeGeneres, who fea-tured Brownlee, accompanied byRosie, her 5-year-old cousin, onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show. Notonly did Brownlee get to per-form her rendition of the hit-song but she was also given thepleasure of meeting Ms. Minajherself. Adding to her list of ac-complishments, Brownlee’sYouTube Channel is the third“most-subscribed to in the UK”

for this month. The future ofSophia Grace’s musical careershould be interesting; whatrecord label will reap the bene-fits of yet another YouTube star?

Exhibit C: The Unsignedand Under Recognized —Jayme Dee

If you haven’t heard of her, orher music yet — what are youwaiting for? The California-nativeDee has covered songs from JeffBuckley’s “Hallelujah” to MikePosner’s “Cooler Than Me” toMGMT’s huge-hit “The Kids”.With a heartfelt voice and impres-sive creative abilities it’s surpris-ing that Jaymee Dee has yet to besigned. Jaymee Dee also writesher own music — just anotherweapon that she has in her arse-nal. On the face of it, it appearsthat Dee is a label’s dream … butthanks to YouTube, she has beenable to share her talents withoutever having to sign a dotted line.Her YouTube subscribers fall justshort of the 60,000 mark; thoughthe number isn’t astronomical, hertalent itself makes her next-up inour book.

November 17, 2011Page 8 • Inside Beat

FILM

BY SASKIA KUSNECOVSTAFF WRITER

If Federico Fellini’s 1957 filmNights of Cabiria, makes you laugh,cry and feel generally uncomfort-able, then it’s doing its job. GiuliettaMasina plays Cabiria, a spunkyprostitute from the then-seedy sec-tion of Rome called Ostia. The filmopens with her almost drowningafter being pushed into the river byher lover when he steals her purse.She is rescued by a group of towns-people, but as soon as she is con-scious, pushes them away andembarks on a tumultuous searchfor love and finer things throughthe streets of Rome.

Cabiria’s search has extremehighs and lows as she tries to findmeaning and mercy from life. Shespends a night in both worlds: theluxury of a famous filmmaker, andthe squalors of “The Caves” — asafe spot for the homeless whoonce stood in the same positionshe did. After searching exhaus-

BY SPENCE BLAZAK

STAFF WRITER

When translated into English,Ikiru means “to live” — it justmight be the most pretentious, letalone dramatic, title of all time, yetthe movie lives up to its monikercompletely. Ahead of its times,Ikiru does the seemingly impossi-ble: capturing the meaning of lifeon celluloid.

Ikiru is the story of a selfisholder man who has had the samebureaucratic position in his city’sgovernment for years. He hasenough power rule as a lord overthose beneath him. He is a bitterman, loathed by many, still mourn-ing his deceased wife and houndedlike a vulture by his inheritance-hungry son. Then, he is diagnosedwith stomach cancer and given ayear to live. There is no way forhim to fight it, just a decision abouthow to spend his remaining timeon earth.

This is where the movie sepa-rates itself from others before andafter it. In films like The BucketList, the two protagonists deal withtheir impending deaths by doingthe things they’ve always wantedto do before they die. The reasonthe movie doesn’t work is that it’sjust selfish, and the only epiphanythey reach is that the little thingsin life are what count. What kind ofphilosophy is that? It is too simple.Ikiru ups the ante.

The story of Ikiru is tri-umphant, and its message mattersbecause the plot is completely re-alistic and plausible. The man’sfirst reaction to the news isn’t tomake a list of things to do becausethat isn’t what someone in that sit-uation would actually do. Instead

Ikiru (1952)

Nights of Cabiria ((LLee nnootttt ii ddee CCaabbiirriiaa))

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OUR FAVORITE FOREIGN FILMS

LA HAINE, Matthieu Kassovitz, starring Vincent Cassel (1995)

PRICELESS, Pierre Salvatori, starring Audrey Tautou (2006)

8 1/2, Federico Fellini, starring Marcello Mastroianni, (1963)

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, Isao Takahata, starring Tsutomu Tatsumi (1988)

HERO, Yimou Zhang, starring Jet Li & Tony Leung Chiu Wau (2002)

he goes out and gets drunker thanhe has ever been with young peo-ple, hoping that intoxication is theanswer. After some wanderingaround and soul-searching, hereaches the glorious epiphany thatevery person should reach beforetheir last breath: happiness is fleet-ing and external, while joy is whatreally matters.

It’s basically like watchingHow the Grinch Stole Christmasbut for adults: It’s beautiful, heart-breaking, tragic and triumphantall at once. The man’s decision tobecome selfless and devote therest of his time to converting abug-infested dump into a play-ground rivals the magic ofScrooge’s similar transition.

There are some movies whereyou know the ending going in, sothe focus of the story is on how itis told. Everyone knows thatApollo Creed beats Rocky, DarthVader is Luke’s father, and Jawsexplodes in the end, yet still gen-eration after generation watchesthese characters. In Ikiru, weknow that the man dies from thebeginning, but that only makesthe movie that much more im-pressive that it can have such anemotional effect.

The style of director Kurosawawas always “arty” long before itwas mainstream, and the allegori-cal shots and metaphorical block-ing of the actors and camera is likethat in Citizen Kane. No shot iswasted, and every shot says some-thing powerful.

Every truly great movie is atleast somewhat philosophical, andIkiru is about as philosophical as itgets. In closing, don’t let the subti-tles keep you away because watch-ing Ikiru just might be more thana movie.

tively through the streets, sheeventually finds herself looking formercy at the base of the Catholicchurch’s Madonna.

Cabiria’s attitude is marked bycynicism and paranoia until shemeets a seemingly genuine ac-countant named Oscar, played byFrancois Périer. At the start oftheir relationship he tells her, “Wecan all pretend to be cynical andscheming ...when the cynicalmask drops, all that is best in usawakens.” After Oscar coaxes herinto an engagement, Cabiria redis-covers an innocence and perspec-tive that was lost when she madea life on the streets.

However, the film ends in atragic, bittersweet manner. Thisending is akin to the Italian neo-re-alistic style of Fellini’s films, whichfocuses on stories of the workingclass and impoverished in post-WWII Italy. Chief among the con-ditions of this time were povertyand desperation — both aspectsthat Cabiria deals with every day.Whether she is crying at the feet

of the Madonna, gawking bitterlyat haute couture in her faux fur, orcrying on the cold ground besidean empty purse, Cabiria is a casestudy of these hardships.

The prostitutes in Nights ofCabiria were controversial char-acters in the production of the filmand almost prevented it frombeing financed. Fellini based theirpersonas on those he had metwhile filming Il Bidone. Upon itsrelease, the film’s reception re-sponded not to Cabiria’s story, butto the underlying implicationsabout human pathos that her lifedisplays. The film was awarded anOscar for Best Foreign LanguageFilm in 1958.

When you sit down to watchNights of Cabiria, you are commit-ting yourself to the bumpy, emo-tional rollercoaster ride that is thelife of Cabiria Ceccarelli. She willteach you about hardship, human-ity’s vulnerability and the wealthgap in post-war Italy, but she willnot give you repose on a Fridaynight at home.

November 17, 2011 Inside Beat • Page 9

FILM

BY: DIANA M. CHOLANKERILSTAFF WRITER

Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby) graces audi-ences with another directorial pursuit in J. Edgar. Thefilm takes a stab at understanding the expansive andenigmatic life of John Edgar Hoover, the first andlongest-reigning director of the Federal Bureau of In-vestigation (FBI). It proves to be enticing with vivid per-formances by Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) as J. EdgarHoover and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) asClyde Tolson, Hoover’s most trusted friend and ally. Wealso see an almost unrecognizable Naomi Watts (ThePainted Veil) as Ms. Helen Gandy, Hoover’s secretary.However, even with the help of a solid acting ensemble,the subject may have been a bit too rich for Eastwoodto cover in two and half hours.

The film makes a valiant attempt at chronicling thelife of Hoover. The movie's opening thrusts audiences

J. EDGAR Clint Eastwood | B-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

into the 1920s, where they see a young Hoover who isfriendless and socially inept to the common eye. Yeteven in his twenties, Hoover had an uncanny knack forunderstanding a crime scene, something that many atthat time took lightly. Fast-forward to an elderlyLeonardo DiCaprio (with the help of some seriouslatex intervention) posing as the older, more seasonedHoover in the 1960s. Without even delving into thesenior Hoover too much, Eastwood thrusts us back-ward in time to the ’30s and this back and forth direc-torial style remains the stylistic technique for theremainder of the film.

Although many will appreciate this style of directing,it is not an easy feat to master because the director cansometimes get so lost in the constant time warp that nocentral overarching questions are answered. J. Edgarwas a puzzling, yet powerful man who did great things;he accomplished some of these feats through somewhatmorally questionable means, but they were still great ac-complishments nonetheless. However, Eastwood does

not really address this. He also does not address the al-leged relationship Hoover had with Tolson, his second-in-command at the FBI. It highlights the love they hadfor each other but remains ambiguous as to whetherthere was a physical relationship between the two andhow they dealt with the sexual tension over the years.

Despite all this dizzying time travel in the mix, thecharacters in this film are brought to life with the help ofsome great actors. A particularly powerful occurs whenHoover and Tolson address their sexual relationship.Shards of glass and overturned tables become the back-drop of this powerful scene and Armie Hammer givesus a glimpse into his acting potential. Only 25 years old,Hammer has a bright future ahead of him.

Despite the very strong acting chops put forth by thefilm’s leading players, the film is focused more on seeingJ. Edgar Hoover through the years rather than Hooverhimself. Despite the lack of a central story, the film isquite enjoyable for an avid movie watcher and is stillworth a trip to the movies.

November 17, 2011Page 10• Inside Beat

MUSIC

BY RYAN LIZOTTESTAFF WRITER

After Mac Miller’s signing tolocal Pittsburgh label RostrumRecords, the hype surroundingthe young rapper rose immedi-ately. Followed by a couple ofpopular mix tapes and a sold-outtour, the foundation was laid for asuccessful debut album … well,

MAC MILLER

Blue Slide Park | C

BY JOSH KELLYSTAFF WRITER

At the start of Parallax, thethird solo album from Deer-hunter's frontman Bradford Coxunder the name Atlas Sound, youare greeted with a sense of famil-iarity without being able to placeyour finger on the details. For asolo album, Cox does well withputting together full arrange-ments of instrumentation. How-ever, the seemingly dense andengaging songs lack the depthoffered by a full group - a prob-lem that many solo artists haveto overcome.

The track "Doldrums" is rep-resentative of Bradford Cox'ssound and style; he creates sonic-scapes layered in bright, swirlingtextures with the tonal and spatialsensibility of Brian Eno. Nothingrecorded for the album is charac-

Parallax | B-

Atlas SoundsCOURTESY OF INTERVIEWMAGAZINE.COM

COURTESY OF MUN2.TV

almost. Blue Slide Park show-cases the best and worst of theyoung rapper, while displayingonly small flashes of originality.The lead single, “Frick Park Mar-ket,” shows Mac Miller at hislyrical best, supported by a greatbeat. Likewise, “Smile Back”boasts an above-average flowfrom Miller, who gives his bestverses to date. Unfortunately,most of the album falls flat on its

face lyrically. As one might imag-ine, the lyrics don’t contain muchmore than profanity and not-so-intricate descriptions of partying.The monotone delivery, whichMiller maintains throughout“Blue Slide Park,” proves to bean additional annoyance. Al-though this is the same MacMiller that released “KnockKnock” and “Donald Trump,”(two above-average hip hop

songs), Blue Slide Park does notreally feel like the work of thesame artist. Some of his musicalissues can be attributed to poorlyproduced beats. This is exempli-fied in songs like “Up All Night”and “Party on Fifth Street,”tracks that are plagued by bland,uninspiring choruses.

If anything, Blue Slide Parkshows us that Mac Miller hasmuch room for improvement.

Rappers like Eminem and KanyeWest have created albums thatseem to define the genre of hip-hop, whereas rappers like MacMiller seem to reside at the bot-tom of the food chain. For some-one like Mac Miller, who hasalready created a solid image andfan base, fans can hope that BlueSlide Park is the just a teaser dis-play of his talents — and a verybitter beginning, at that.

teristically new; this album ismerely a continuation of the samesound, instead of musical progres-sion. This leaves you with a senseof short-lived satisfaction, creatinga hunger for more, to those whoseek development in their artists.Notable tracks for the album in-clude: “The Shakes,” “Mona Lisa,”“My Angel is Broken” and“Lightsworks.” The style of thealbum sways between the lines oflomographic, faded, and hazy day-dreams with sounds of whirly,winding guitar and key swells.

This is an album with a few songsthat are certainly forgettable, gettingskipped over in a play-through thealbum out of boredom or pure lackof interest. When the album shines,which it is more-so than not, it is a re-warding sonic experience. Forthose in need of something new tolisten to that is relatively engagingand entertaining, Parallax is analbum worth a listen.

November 17, 2011 Inside Beat • Page 11

MUSIC

BY DIVYA PATIBANDLASTAFF WRITER

Recent University graduate Brian Cag leads Jersey’s very own Action Item. The group has found successin the pop-rock world with a current fan base of more than 35,000. The band’s crew of five consists of Cag onvocals, Anthony Li on guitar, Mark Shami on piano, David Buczkowski on bass and Dan Brozek on the drums.

Action Item has played alongside noteworthy acts such as Boys Like Girls, The Veronicas, We The Kingsand All Star Weekend. Adding to their resume, Action Item has also opened for teen sensations Justin Bieberand Selena Gomez.

The band is currently headlining the “Stronger the Love Tour.” The tour will be stopping by central NewJersey’s premier music venue, Starland Ballroom, only a short ride away from campus. The show starts early;doors open at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Come out and show some support forthese Bergen County natives.

LOCAL CORNER: ACTION ITEM

BY EMILY GABRIELEMUSIC EDITOR

The music industry’s “Big Four” has been reduced to the“Big Three.” The London-based EMI Group was sold on Fri-day, Nov. 11. Prior to EMI’s liquidation, the “Big Four” con-sisted of EMI Group, Sony BMG, Universal Music Groupand Warner Music Group.

EMI was split up into two different portions: recordedmusic and publishing. Universal Music Group purchasedthe recorded music end of EMI for $1.9 million, while SonyCorporation purchased the publishing arms for $2.2 mil-lion, sealing the deal at a collective $4.1 million betweenthe two entities.

EMI has been a long-standing company in the industry,but they faced rough waters in 2007. Due to financial woes,Terra Firma purchased EMI in August of 2007 for $4.2 bil-lion. Unable to fully rebuild and recuperate from the ever-changing music industry, Citigroup Financial took fullownership of the EMI Group as of Feb. 1. With the intent toultimately sell the EMI entity, Citigroup declared that allfinal bids for ownership of EMI be placed by the beginningof October of this year.

Now that Universal has purchased the recorded musicentity, their roster is extended to artists like Katy Perry,Pink Floyd, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg and Coldplay. Thepublishing catalog that Sony has purchased proves just asimpressive; among the publishing arms are songwriterssuch as Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Pink. Though a dealhas been finalized, there still remains a lot of uncertaintywithin the industry. The direction of the newly anointed “BigThree” is debatable — it will be interesting to see how thesale of EMI will ultimately affect the future of the industry.

COURTESY OF JAY MICHAELS MUSICS

What’s Going

onOutside

the Artistry

Industry Blurbs

November 17, 2011Page 12• Inside Beat

MUSIC

Summer CampWelcome to Condale | B

BY TAMMIE CHIOUSTAFF WRITER

If you’re missing summer,Summer Camp’s Welcome toCondale is your ticket back toJuly. This UK duo specializes insweet and mellow sounds thatare well suited for being blastedout of a boom box at a poolparty. Behind the warm, nostal-gia-tinged pop, the lyrics aresimilarly filled with everythinga summer fling requires: pas-sive-aggressive remarks,love/hate confessions and mus-ings of heartbreaks and obses-sive love.

Digging into the teen psyche,Summer Camp paints an idyllicsound landscape that’s drizzledwith synths and 80s-styledbleeps. “Better Of f WithoutYou” immediately brings up vi-sions of an ’80s sitcom set in SoCal, with campy accusations and

COURTESY OF THE KISSINGER TWINS sassy remarks sung in a kitsch,heartfelt manner.

“I Want You” is certainly themost interesting song on thealbum, with its hazy pleas inter-spersed with chilling promisessuch as “I’d write your name inblood on every wall/It wouldmake the evenings news.”

On the other end of the spec-trum, the song “Summer Camp” it-self is sweeter than the majority ofthe album. It contains spiraling gui-tar riffs and shy admissions accom-panied by wavy synths that oscillatebetween the choruses, linking handin hand with bubbly keyboards.

While fun and simple, thealbum stays firmly in the niche ofretro-indie, and doesn’t seem totake many risks — but maybe itdoesn’t need to. The primary vibeof the album implores listeners tokick up their feet, crack open acold one and pretend to be experi-encing a California summer evenas fall draws to a close.