WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16, 2011
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ENTERTAINMENT
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THE JONESBORO SUN
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Clooney manages chaos
Jazz bassist McBride covers new ground BY CHARLES J. GANS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Plays frazzled lawyer in new ‘Descendants’ BY CHRISTY LEMIRE AP MOVIE CRITIC
Alexander Payne makes movies about men on the brink — of a nervous breakdown, of personal or professional ruin and, ultimately, maybe even some hard-earned peace. That was true of Matthew Broderick’s scheming teacher in “Election,” Jack Nicholson’s searching retiree in “About Schmidt” and Paul Giamatti’s sloppy oenophile in “Sideways,” and it’s certainly true of George Clooney in “The Descendants.” As real-estate lawyer Matt King, he finds everything in his life is in flux and on the verge of collapse simultaneously. He isn’t just functioning one day at a time, he’s navigating the chaos one hour at a time. This isn’t any easier even though he lives in Hawaii, a place that’s supposed to be paradise. Clooney being Clooney, though, he makes every stage of his character’s arc believable, from grief through anger and eventual acceptance, and he gives a performance that’s so understated as to appear effortless. Having long ago learned to jettison movie-star vanity to play varied, challenging parts — and having turned 50 this year — Clooney now seems comfortable portraying regular guys with regular problems. What Matt must endure cumulatively is extraordinary, but elements of his journey will surely resonate with ordinary folks. Matt’s wife, Elizabeth, is lying in a hospital bed in a coma following a boating accident. By all accounts, she’s been a bit of a wild child her whole life, but now there isn’t much hope that she’s going to make it. Matt, who hasn’t been the most available or hands-on father, must now take care of the couple’s two daughters on his own: 17-year-old boarding school rebel Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and
Merie Wallace, Fox Searchlight Films | AP
George Clooney (left) and Shailene Woodley are shown in a scene from “The Descendants.” 10-year-old troublemaker Scottie (Amara Miller). Matt and the girls must make the rounds to friends and family to explain there isn’t much time left for Elizabeth and to give them a chance to say their good-byes. This process would seem wrenching enough, but Alexandra insists on making it even more difficult by bringing along her idiot boyfriend, Sid (Nick Krause), for moral support.
Dropping bomb shell Then she drops another bombshell on her father: Elizabeth was having an affair at the time of her accident. Matt is understandably incensed by the discovery, but he’s also curious to find out who this guy is, and his bumbling attempts at casual stalking provide some much-needed comic relief. As if all this weren’t enough to handle, Matt’s enormous family has put him in charge of deciding what to do with the 25,000 acres of pristine land on Kauai that they’ve inherited from their royal Hawaiian ancestors. A deadline is looming to choose whether to sell it to developers, and to whom, and for how much; this burden of privilege is what gives the film, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, its title. (Payne adapted the script with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.) Matt wades through all these troubles, and while everything would seem to be at stake at once, Payne’s
pacing is often so languid that we don’t feel the sort of mounting tension that we should. Maybe it has something to do with the laid-back setting (although it is novel to see this beautiful place through the eyes of everyday residents, rather than tourists). “The Descendants” also loses some of its power in the frequent use of voiceover, which tends to spell out too much. But the story keeps you guessing as to where it will go, and it features some piercing moments of emotional truth. The casting of Matthew Lillard as the other man is an unexpected and inspired choice, and the inevitable confrontation with him takes some surprising turns; this is also true of the interactions with his wife, played by Judy Greer. This is, of course, Clooney’s show — he’s in nearly every moment of the film, and he delivers a doozy of a moment-of-truth speech — but both young actresses who play his daughters hold their own beautifully with him. Woodley in particular shows a confident spark as her character believably develops from a state of bitter resentment to mature responsibility. The last shot indicates how all three of them have changed with quiet uplift. “The Descendants,” a Fox Searchlight release, is rated R for language including some sexual references. Running time: 115 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Christian McBride Big Band, “The Good Feeling” (Mack Avenue) Christian McBride, “Conversations With Christian” (Mack Avenue) These two contrasting CDs, released less than two months apart, showcase the versatility of in-demand jazz bassist Christian McBride. The intimate “Conversations With Christian” is his first album entirely of duets, while the large-scale “The Good Feeling” marks his recording debut as a big band leader. McBride offers a primer on the art of bass playing on “Conversations” as he adapts his technical prowess to find the right accompaniment for his 13 partners from diverse genres, including Sting on the pop star’s “Consider Me Gone.” McBride gets a big sound plucking the strings on the metrically complex “Afirika” with singer Angelique Kidjo. He uses his bow on both “Fat Bach and Greens” with violinist Regina Carter, which morphs from a Bach violin concerto into blues, and on the late pianist Dr. Billy Taylor’s movingly meditative “Spiritual.” McBride can slap his bass with singer Dee Dee Bridgewater on the Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing;” get into a hot Latin groove on pianist Eddie Palmieri’s “Guajeo Y Tumbao’” engage in abstract open exploration with pianist Chick Corea on “Tango Improvisation (hash)1;” and play more traditional jazz bass lines on the standards “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” with trumpeter Roy Hargrove and “Alone Together” with the late pianist Hank Jones.
McBride takes his share of solos on “The Good Feeling,” but his bass playing takes a back seat to his roles as composer, arranger and conductor of his 17-piece big band. The CD includes his first-ever big band composition, “Bluesin’ In Alphabet City,” as well as expanded arrangements of pieces previously recorded with his small groups, including the rapid-fire “In A Hurry” with crisp call-and-response ensemble playing and McBride bowing a blistering bass solo. McBride has immersed himself in the big band tradition. Like Duke Ellington, he composes for individual members of his band. For example, the funky “Brother Mister” is a showcase for alto saxophonist Steve Wilson. His smooth arrangement of the bluesy 1950s tune “Broadway” sounds like it could have belonged to the Count Basie Orchestra’s repertoire. And the Basie links are also evident in McBride’s arrangement of the standard “The More I See You,” evoking the Basie-Sinatra collaborations, with brassy bursts punctuating vocals by McBride’s wife, Melissa Walker. With these two CDs, McBride ventures into new territory, cementing his reputation as a bassist for all seasons. CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: “Shake ’N Blake,” written for long-time partner Ron Blake, finds the bassist trading rhythmically shifting lines with the tenor saxophonist in a duet on “Conversations’” the same piece is expanded into a hard-swinging big band number on “The Good Feeling” with Blake playing off the powerful ensemble work by the trumpet section.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS |
Sting debuts app, sings song to Jobs
NEW YORK (AP) — Sting has launched an app for the iPad, and he’s not charging for it. The singer introduced STING 25 in honor of his 25-year solo career at the Apple Store in New York’s Upper West Side on Monday. The “Appumentary” is a digital documentary of Sting’s Sting career. It features over four hours of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more. Sting said he’s releasing it for free, “because we don’t know how much it’s worth.” The app also has video from Sting’s 60th birthday party concert last month at New York’s Beacon Theatre, which featured performances with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. At Monday’s event, Sting performed the song “Fragile,” dedicating it to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and saying, “In some way he’s created our future.”
Pitt in South Korea promoting movie
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hollywood star Brad Pitt said he’s not worried about getting older. The 47-year-old actor said he likes aging because of the wisdom that comes with it. He also said he’s taking better care of himself because of his six children. Pitt Pitt made the comments Tuesday at a news conference in Seoul. He’s visiting South Korea for the first time to promote his new baseball film, “Moneyball.” He arrived in Seoul
alone after visiting Japan and Vietnam with Angelina Jolie and their children last week.
Rapper Diddy to pay tribute to Heavy D NEW YORK (AP) — Rap mogul Diddy and the Rev. Al Sharpton will speak at
late rapper Heavy D’s funeral on Friday, and BET Networks plans a tribute for him at the Soul Train awards. Diddy said in a statement that he was “heartbroken by the passing of my dear friend.” “He was a wonderful human being, who inspired and paved
the way for a Hip Hop generation,” the statement said. “We were like brothers — I will miss him more than words can express.” A private funeral for the rap legend will be held at the historic Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, just north of New York City.
✽ 3-D IMMORTALS (R) ✽ JACK AND JILL (PG) 12:35-1:40-3:35-4:35-6:55 12:15-1:10-2:30-3:20-4:45 7:30-9:30-10:00 5:30-7:05-7:45-9:20-10:00 ✽ J. EDGAR (R) ✽ 3D A VERY HAROLD AND 1:00-4:00-7:10-10:05 KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS (R) 12:30-2:40-4:55-7:45-10:00 ✽ TOWER HEIST (PG-13) 1:15-4:25-7:20-9:45 IN TIME (PG-13) 1:05-4:20-7:15-9:45 THE RUM DIARY (R) 1:20-4:35-7:25-10:05 3-D PUSS IN BOOTS (PG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (R) 12:20-2:35-4:50-7:10-9:25 1:40-4:40-7:40-9:50 PUSS IN BOOTS (NON 3-D) (PG) FOOTLOOSE (PG-13) 12:00-2:15-4:30-6:50-9:30 1:30-4:30-7:25-10:00 COURAGEOUS (PG-13) ✽ REAL STEEL (PG-13) 1:05-4:05-7:00-9:50 1:10-4:10-7:00-9:55
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