Page 20 I Thursday, February 15,2007 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Pendulum Eastwood tells untold story of ^Iwo Jima^ Andrew Prince______el, which makes the film more like a tradi­ Reviewer What: Letters from Iwo Jima tional Greek tragedy. Where: Playing at Carousel Cinemas in Greensboro Clint Eastwood’s new Oscar-nominated The pleasures, thankfully, are numerous Show times: Vary, visit www.carouselcinemas.com for exact times film “Letters from Iwo Jima” begins in 2005 here. The outcome of the battle at Iwo Jima when diggers on the island discover some­ is well-known, but the attitudes of the Tickets: $6.75 for students with college ID thing under the black sand. Flashback to Japanese soldiers who fought there are far who is ordered to go to war before his preg­ advance nor gain anything; they are forced 1944, when Japan is at war with the United from familiar. Eastwood presents these atti­ nant wife can give birth to their first child. to hold their ground until they are killed, and States. Iwo Jima, even though it’s an ugly, tudes with clarity and sympathy. Damn recruiters can have the worst timing. they don’t like their chances either. tiny piece of rock, could be a crucial strong­ Eastwood makes audiences care for his Some cliches in this film are forgivable; “The best thing would be to sink this hold in the War in the Pacific, and it’s the characters better than most other filmmakers you barely notice them. Two clear examples island to the bottom of the sea,” an officer Americans’ next stop. The movie is told working today. Ken Watanabe plays the include when an officer reads a letter he says. A soldier, digging a foxhole thinks, from the Japanese perspective and that is highly competent Gen. Tadamichi finds on a dead soldier, a mortar obivously “Here is the hole that I fight and die in; am I both well-noted and commendable. Kuribayashi who, just a few years before the kills the reader as soon as he finishes the digging my own grave?” However, this does not necessarily make the war, was presented with an honorary hand­ heart-tugging letter. Second, a character is At the end, the film flashes forward to film great. gun from the U.S. military in one of the mortally wounded and requests a quick, hon­ 2005 and back to the diggers on Iwo Jima. “Letters from Iwo Jima” is fascinating in movie’s few scenes spoken in English. He orable death from his comrade. Just as he is The discovery under the black sand is a sack how it reinvents the World War II movie, but knows Americans and how they think. about to do his friend the favor, a sniper full of letters written by the Japanese sol­ at the same time frustrating because it con­ Kuribayashi’s old friend, Tsuyoshi Ihara, guns him down, denying both men their pre­ diers of Iwo Jima. After tuming over the tains too many war movie cliches to be (played with grace by Baron Nishi) won the ferred deaths. That was the low-point until a sack, letters pour out like water from a called a triumph; there is a lot to admire gold for horse jumping at the 1932 few seconds later when another soldier is newly uncorked waterfall, rich with untold about this film, but also a lot to disapprove Olympics in Los Angeles before joining the able to drag one of the bodies away for bur­ tales of the soldiers who futilely tried to of in this film. military. In an amusing twist to the obligato­ ial. This begs the question: where did the defend the island. Eastwood’s previous Oscar-winning film, ry photograph of a loved one carried by sniper go? Did he think his job was one and This is a very good film, yet far from “Million Dollar Baby,” while the story characters in so many war movies, Ihara has done? being a great one. We expect more from unfolded naturally according to the charac­ not a picture of his wife or mother, but of the Yet, the film’s characters and their situa­ Eastwood, bigger emotional impact and less ters’ decisions, seemed to be on autopilot for horse with whom he won his metal. tion is more important than the action itself. extraneous fluff. There is a nagging suspi­ the first two acts and then went in a com­ These two are higher up in the military In most war films the soldiers are on the cion, that he didn’t put his whole heart into pletely new direction in the third act. ranks, therefore, as in any self-respecting attack, trying to capture something rather this project. Or maybe he was just over- However, in “Letters from Iwo Jima,” the war film there must be a character we can than defend it. Likewise, they rarely doubt whelmed by it.______audience knows how the story ends, so the follow in the trenches. This character is they will accomplish their mission. The sol­ Contact Aiidrew Prince at pleasure comes in seeing how things unrav­ Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a simple man diers in this film, however, can neither [email protected] or 278-7247 Jamming Left on Cates - band promises raucous rock Left on Cates places its rock soul in the Brittany Smith Who: Left on Cates Editor in Chief band’s drive to continually push them­ selves to newer levels of excellence. When: 9:30 p.m. Friday They bring the rock. They’re not always “Our signature sound rests in our will­ Where: Sandy’s Bars sure what type of rock, but Elon seniors ingness to step outside our comfort zone Cost: $4 and push ourselves as musicians,” Vivirito Paul Kelley and Rob Vivirito, combined Listen online at with N.C. State senior Mike O’Donnell, said. The band specializes in time signature bring it anyway. changes and a collaborative approach to www.elon.edu/pendulum Left on Cates blends the eclectic tastes pushing the limits of the alternative rock Check Out: of jazz, punk, classical, hip-hop and metal genre. “We want to play things people www.leftoncates.com into driving, fast-paced power rock rifts. haven’t heard before,” Vivirito said. EP: “All Too Natural Disaster” “People spend too much time trying to A small setting, like at Sandy’s bar, will out in late February label what they listen to,” Vivirito said. allow fans the chance to enjoy more than “We’re just the bastard child of three peo­ just the band’s edgy rock music. The inti­ ple’s skills and backgrounds.” mate setting lets the audience experience a college. Vivirito answered a wanted ad for Vivirito, a Virginia native, drives away more personal view of the band. a drummer he found on a flyer outside of at the drums with inspiration from Stewart “When we play at Sandy’s, it’s like Harden. Although he didn’t click with gui­ Copeland of the Police and Tre Cool from we’re part of the crowd because we literal­ tarist O’Donnell right away, the band Greenday. ly play on the same level as everyone Photo submitted became official in 2004, a year later. Bassist/vocalist Kelley, from Charlotte, there,” Vivirito said. the band also jams to a few covers as well. With a name based on their first song, bases a good deal of his material on Ben The three guys call people out in the They generally play unexpected covers which they later scrapped, the band hopes Folds, not necessarily his style, but more audience and shout out jokes to encourage from early 90s rock. The songs might not to branch out to more than just the his passion for music and words. a more lively show. be mainstream hits, but are still recogniza­ Charlotte and Raleigh areas. Ironically, “He’s one of the best songwriters I “I hope fans enjoy it as much as us,” ble favorites from bands like the Foo there’s also a Cates Street in Raleigh. know,” Kelley said. "When he sings, you Kelley said. “Because I hate being seperat- Fighters, Weezer and Rage Against the This rocking trio promises to bring the can tell it’s really meaningful. A lot of peo­ ed from the crowd. I really like interacting Machine. heat at every show. ple throw together words to fit four chords, with everyone.” The three-man group started out as a duo but Folds has very introspecitive lyrics and A primarily original band, listeners can in need of a drummer in 2003, when Contact Brittany Smith at I like that about him.” expect a series of unique scores. However, Kelley and O’Connell left Charlotte for [email protected] or 278-7247