AltWeeklies Wire
Are the Strong Voter Registration Efforts in Georgia Enough?new
In the last presidential election, turnout in Georgia was pathetic. Only four out of 10 Georgians of voting age bothered to go to the polls. There are more than 3 million people in Georgia who could vote but don't -- and 1.8 million of them are not even registered.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Steve Fennessy |
09-09-2004 |
Politics
Are You Better Off Today? If You're a Billionaire, Yesnew
A sure sign that at least one of George Bush's wars is going well is that you seldom read about it. The conflict I have in mind is class warfare, a massive redistribution of wealth that would make John Dillinger's bank robberies seem charitable by comparison.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
John F. Sugg |
09-07-2004 |
Commentary
Heat Travels Down Some New Roadsnew
Heat and the gang burn rubber throughout the usual twang-on-steroids fare, producing tunes that could have been recorded for any of the band's previous seven discs. Yet the chorus of their song "Revival" speaks to a search for something deeper.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Hal Horowitz |
09-02-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Reverend Horton Heat, revival
Will to Powernew
Ken Will Norton's new album is a far cry from his work with the spirited punk-pop combo Wonderlust, and a bit more sincere and straightforward than his last outfit, scruffy Atlanta roots-rockers the Indicators. His newer, more intimate approach is a better fit with his restless spirit.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Kevin Forest Moreau |
09-02-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Change Is Imminent for Post-Punk Extremistsnew
Over the years Electrosleep Int'l has maintained a following with its live shows, but aside from one 7-inch released on Ex-Space 6 Records in '99, no documentation of the group's sound exists. But this will soon change.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
09-02-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Electrosleep Int'l
Lawn Chair Larry a Flimsy Excuse for a Feature Film.new
In 1982, Los Angeleno Larry Walters earned notoriety by attaching 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair and taking off on a near-fatal flight at 16,000 feet. Jeff Balsmeyer's new Australian comedy takes the episode, transplants it Down Under and recasts "Lawn Chair Larry" as Danny Deckchair in a flimsy excuse for a feature film.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-02-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Danny Deckchair, Jeff Balsmeyer
Bang Rajan Rumbles in the Junglenew
In 1765, when Burma's massive army invaded Siam (now called Thailand), a remote village named Bang Rajan held the attackers at bay for five months. The name "Bang Rajan" strikes patriotic chords in Thailand today, explaining why, despite characters as flat as shadow puppets, Tanit Jitnukul's film become the most successful Thai film in the country's history.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
09-02-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Bang Rajan, Tanit Jitnukul
First-Time Director Gets Stuck in a Genre Whirlpoolnew
Mean Creek feels like a supremely milquetoast film made not out of passion, but out of some assurance that a tight screenplay with all the characters' motives and artsy cinematography stacked domino-neatly in a row guarantees success. But as any game player knows, orderly dominoes are made to tumble.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
09-02-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Mean Creek, Jacob Aaron Estes
Follow the Bouncing Zell: A Report on His Zig Zagsnew
One of Zell Miller's favorite lines is "To thine own self be true." Which, judging from the congressman's darting to and fro on every issue from the Civil Rights Movement to the Bush family, just goes to show he's every bit the ping-pong ball that Rudy Giuliani accuses John Kerry of being.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Scott Henry and Mara Shalhoup |
09-02-2004 |
Politics
Country Superstar Clint Black Resets the Clocknew
Over the years, Black has dealt with just about every obstacle one can imagine, and somehow managed to stay near the top of the heap. When he hits the stage on his current tour, Black will be simultaneously celebrating his amazing career to date, and taking his first steps in a new direction.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
James Kelly |
08-26-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Clint Black, Spend My Time
Gogol Bordello Grows Upnew
From playing professional New York City clubs to Bosnian courtyards with no PA, and having been bootlegged in Eastern Europe, Gogol Bordello has seen plenty of variations but never seemed watered down. The group embraces syncopation without hesitation.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Tony Ware |
08-26-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Gogol Bordello, J.U.F.
Film Looks at Mexican-Americans Soldiersnew
Most recent documentaries examine the politics of war rather than look at the people who actually fight. But filmmaker Charley Trujillo opens "Soldados: Chicanos in Viet Nam" (PBS, Aug. 31, 10 p.m.) with a story about picking cotton with his parents after he returned from the Vietnam War.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Heather Kuldell |
08-26-2004 |
TV
Tags: TV
Vibrant Hero Reconsiders Revenge Filmsnew
An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 2003, Hero plays less like a conventional action film than a grand master's chess game, and it unfolds with a cold yet dreamlike beauty.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
08-26-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Zhang Yimou, Hero
Recalling Music, Protest of Woodstock Eranew
Bob Smeaton's documentary of Canada's 1970 Festival Express concert tour captures the era's peace-and-love ideals unified by rock 'n' roll, as well as the more militant, violent impulses of the protest movement. Watching Festival Express is like seeing the performances of Woodstock 1969 alongside the riots of Woodstock 1999.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
08-26-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Bob Smeaton, Festival Express
Director's Cut Resurrects Cult Filmnew
Hoping to capitalize on the film's growing cult following, Kelly's story of teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has apocalyptic visions of the future, is being re-released theatrically. Kelly's Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut features additional '80s pop tunes and 20 more minutes of footage meant to clarify some of the story's loose ends.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Felicia Feaster |
08-26-2004 |
Reviews
