When Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and a couple friends came up with the idea for “Project Greenlight,” they had little idea of the impact it would make. What started as a noble attempt to give unknown filmmakers a chance, blossomed into a full-scale soap opera, complete with backstabbing, sabotage and other Jerry Springer-like shenanigans. The final result of the HBO series was Stolen Summer, a modest film from a rookie writer/director.

Stolen Summer was the product of the contest – one chosen out of thousands of scripts to be made into a feature film. The winner of the contest was Pete Jones, a likeable enough guy, who, as promised, is no different than the average Joe. His script was given a $1 million budget and a professional staff, headed by executive producers Affleck and Damon, and producer Chris Moore.

“Project Greenlight” was a documentary series about the entire process, from the announcement of the winner to the film’s premiere. On the series, the making of the film was presented as a hectic mess. From the near firing of a co-producer to the epic battles between filmmakers and the studio – nothing seemed to go smoothly for Jones. Yet his film, Stolen Summer, just released on DVD, is a nice little movie with a suitably warm, homegrown feel.

Stolen Summer got its theatrical release as guaranteed, but it failed to expand outside of a few theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Its DVD release has done brisk business, although the title is dwarfed by the “Project Greenlight” logo hovering above it. Obviously, the marketing of the film alone was not as strong as hoped, thus forcing it to ride the coattails of the popular series.

Stolen Summer is a quaint family movie, but it dabbles with serious subject matter. The plot is centered on a young Catholic boy (played by Adiel Stein) who tries to get a Jewish boy (Mike Weinberg) into heaven. Their fathers, one a stubborn firefighter (Aidan Quinn) and the other a friendly rabbi (Kevin Pollak), argue over their children’s actions and prominent religions. The story takes place in the 1970s Chicago, a time Jones knew from experience.

Stein is just average in his role, totally overshadowed by his co-star, Weinberg. Weinberg’s character is younger than Stein’s, and (for the purpose of drama) spiced with leukemia. Given some meaty subject matter to deal with, Weinberg turns in a great performance for an actor whose age hasn’t hit double digits. Pollak and Quinn deliver believable performances.

The film also extracts believability from Jones’ experiences. He lived the 70s Chicago life, and several of the film’s scenes were shot in locations that he knew from his childhood. It’s not difficult to see why his screenplay beat out thousands, and his direction is sufficient enough to keep the film afloat. Despite the conniving nature of the director of photography, Pete Biagi, on “Project Greenlight,” the cinematography is quite notable.

If you watched the show, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the only person holding the movie together is producer Chris Moore, who came up with the show’s concept along with Affleck and Damon. While the marquee names were mainly involved in the beginning of “Project Greenlight,” Moore was hands-on in the entire process. His past credits include Good Will Hunting and American Pie, and, despite his egotistical rampages, he was the person most responsible for the finished product’s quality.

This DVD is weak on extra features. The included cut scenes are pointless, although the filmmakers’ commentary is informative. On the commentary track are Jones, Moore and co-producer Jeff Balis, a goofy screw-up who was fired and rehired by his friend Moore during the making of the movie. This makes for especially funny moments, like a scene that begins with Balis quipping, “When we filmed this scene, I was technically fired.” You can almost hear Moore slapping him in the back of the head.

Shawn Wines can be reached at shawnwines@aol.com.

It makes sense that Eminem, who loathes trendy pop stars with a platinum blonde vengeance, would make a movie like 8 Mile. He could have starred in any film he wanted (well, maybe not Harry Potter), but he bravely avoided the “quick buck” Ice Cube route.

Other pop culture icons like Britney Spears (Crossroads), Lance Bass (On the Line) and Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember) went out and catered directly to their fan base, smothering them with cheesy romance and awful acting. Eminem, on the other hand, was driven to make real cinema.

At first glance, Eminem looks like he might be overwhelmed by the Hollywood big leagues. 8 Mile has three Academy Award winners in its ranks – and a star whose prior acting resume ranged from looking sad in the “Stan” video and angry in “Cleaning Out My Closet.”

Producer Brian Grazer’s last major project (Blue Crush and Undercover Brother aside) was A Beautiful Mind, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Director Curtis Hanson and aging actress Kim Basinger last worked together on L.A. Confidential, for which both won Oscars.

Studio executives were quick to announce that 8 Mile is not the Eminem story. Sure, it has similarities, but power players like Grazer and Hanson weren’t desperate to steal VH1’s thunder with a Slim Shady biopic. Instead, the story parallels the rapper’s struggles and hip hop drive, and this is vital in maintaining an air of believability with the “real” actors. Eminem is brilliant in a scene where he argues with his mom, played by Basinger. The controversial rap star goes head to head with one of the best actresses in Hollywood, and amazingly, it seems totally natural. Perhaps practice made perfect.

8 Mile is the story of Jimmy Smith (Eminem), a poor factory worker in Detroit who participates in hip hop battles under the name Bunny Rabbit. Smith is known by his friends to be a great talent, but when he gets on stage, he freezes. The movie starts right after he breaks up with his girlfriend, and he has to return to trailer life with his mom and kid sister.

The film, like Smith’s life, is dark and dreary. His mom struggles to pay the rent, and Smith is preoccupied with guarding his sister from the ultra reality around her. He is employed at a rather stereotypical inner-city factory, and spends his nights with a close posse of friends, each fired up with rap aspirations. The unofficial leader of the group is Future, played by Mekhi Phifer (Clockers), a 27-year old actor who should get some well-deserved popularity with this role. Along the film’s course, Smith falls in and out of love with Alex, a hip hop chicken head played by Brittany Murphy.

The film’s climax comes when Smith squares off against members of a wannabe rap group called the Free World. Their finale battle takes place at a local club, where they get 45 seconds to freestyle and insult each other as much as possible.

8 Mile is a decent movie, but it is hampered by an overly predictable “underdog overcomes” ending. The style of the film seems raw and real, definitely suitable for winter, and the characters have depth. While it is not Hanson or Grazer’s best work, Eminem proves himself to be talented in yet another field.

The acting is solid all around, and energy is abundant, but 8 Mile lacks a truly dramatic feel. Anyone who comes to the theater to see an Eminem movie will enjoy it, but people who are looking for another Hanson masterpiece in the tradition of L.A. Confidential or Wonder Boys will leave moderately unfulfilled.

Shawn Wines can be reached at shawnwines@aol.com.

These days, we can’t get enough of these eccentric, site-specific art installations popping up and down galleries, open-air spaces, convention centers, hip SoBe club floors like at Mynt-yeah, art is being exposed on the glittery, fruity walls of a club named after an Altoid-and even in motels, right? As art “connoisseurs,” we “love” walking through a seamy motel, into different, seedy rooms and observing cryptic performances by actors boxing on an imaginary punch bag or feigning death on a bed, gore and blood sullying a once-beautiful formal gown.

Or perhaps we might enjoy watching a Technicolor painting, reminiscent of a multi-hued Paul Klee cubist work, and studying how it matches the color pattern of the cheesy double beds’ comforters. Even more, we might get all “revved-up” by looking at a pseudo-exercise room, manufactured, unprofessionally it seems, with wooden bars and air fans to generate energy or we may get daunted by an enormous batch of wool resembling a cocoon, dangling from the ceiling of a dimly-lit room and waiting to maybe produce a gargantuan-sized moth.

In any case, we might also think that these crazy art installations may be too far-fetched, providing the viewer with temporary pleasure, leaving us bewildered, unsure as to what to make of it, but that’s what we saw at the one-night only exhibit, Motel, which took place last Friday at the San Juan Motel in Little Havana on Calle Ocho. Featuring works by upcoming artists such as Vanessa Dubin, Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova, Jose Reyes, Anna Kamir, Vivian Marthell and Walter Garcia and curated by Ricky Ariza and Gretal Garcia, each room, altered by the installations, accentuated space, time, and place to welcome the onlooker within the distorted motel area.

The event drew an audience of artists, curators, critics and local hipsters along with UM folks and it was important for many people moving on from UM. It set a standard of avant-garde exhibition that is considered within the UM art department to be “NART” or not art. The individual rooms, while not always succeeding, spoke to ideas of temporal space and of a human’s place within an altered landscape. As “earth-art” uses the physicality of the land, Motel uses the architecture and roads to work as a metaphor. Many critics consider such work to be too intellectual and removed from the classical ideas about art, but there would be no point in bringing George Bush to an Old Dirty Bastard show.

The specific motel was used for about $30 per room and each unit had different dEcor with ceramic tile on the walls. The attitude of certain UM art teachers/critics is skeptical about exhibitions like Motel. When tolerance is an earmark to an organization-even one as picky as a bunch of artists-ideas then become the currency of debate, not attitudes. The group of people with power in the UM art community need to transcend the subjectivities into an arena where language is just language and where the spirit prevails. The problem with religion is the interpretation. Don’t interpret Motel…do be glad though that someone did it even though it may not fit within your artistic appetite.

Alex Saleeby can be reached at claysaleeby@hotmail.com

Tonight
Poplife presents Calvin Johnson, Little Wings and Wolf Colonel strut their stuff at the Polish American Club, 1250 NW 22nd Ave., Miami. The concert’s going down for the K Records Showcase (dope ’90s nostalgia alternative rock). Doors at 9 p.m. $8. Call 305-634-3907.

Oakland-based indie label, Tigerbeat 6 Records, shows off some of its groups-Numbers, CEX, Stars as Eyes-so you can get down ‘n’ dirty for Revolver at the Soho Lounge, 175 NE 36th St., Miami. Show kicks off at 10 p.m. and it’s $8. Log on to www. clubrevolver.com for more info.

Saturday, November 16
Come cling titanic beer glasses with your good ol’ pals for Dave Daniels’ birthday bash at Churchill’s, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. Our good buddy Dave-owner of the pub-along with Budweiser, present 62 Musicians for his 62 years, featuring groups such as Deep Down Low, Humbert, Mr. Entertainment, Kaktus, Jim Camacho, Fantastic Five, Muckraker, Pipe Clay Rut, Solar, Feeling Numb and Founded. Call 305-757-1807 for more info.

Satisfy your craving for art this weekend at the Dorsch Gallery, 151 NW 24th St., Miami, and check out Breakthrough, a new exhibit by Guerra De La Paz, opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Call 305-576-1278 for more info.

Sunday, November 17
Black Market Babies presents the first “Sunday Skool” with electro, garage/mod rock, and hip hop, with DJs Syke and UM’s very own Lil’ Jack Knife. The first night is free so get over there and give a little more flavor to your Sunday nights. The party’s located at Excedra, on the corner of LeJeune and Giralda, 2 blocks north of Miracle Mile. Contact Moral Barometer for more info.

Director John Singleton (Higher Learning, Boyz in the Hood) @ Gusman Hall, 8 p.m. Free for UM students.

Tuesday, November 19
The Donnas at Culture Room.

Friday, November 22
The Strokes with Jimmy Falon at Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

#1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Woo-wee! Just when you thought Harry Potter had pulled a vanishing trick from movie screens with the delightfully enchanting mega blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he returns to fly cars through the air and discover who is turning the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (we call it H.S.W.W.) to stone. To all those students/faculty with a weak stomach, you might want to skip this one. Pssst! Word around the office is that it’s darker than the first movie (don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret)! While the staff thinks they can handle it, we’re more worried about the voice of young Potter, oops, we mean talented Red Coat actor Daniel Radcliffe. He’s quickly becoming a young man and his voice is getting deeper. While he’s not quite Barry White (take that Eminem), will it hurt the Harry Potter legacy? Considering the spell he’s cast on us, probably not, but only time and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) will settle this fruitful debate for sure. (Opens today)

#2 The Santa Clause 2

Why doesn’t Disney make every winter film? This new one from the Mouse House is simply delightful – on par with Lilo and Stitch (yeah, we liked it!). We thought young Harry Potter had gone ahead and made Tim Allen’s career disappear, but nope, here he is with another Christmas blessing as jolly ol’ St. Nick. The main problem with the first film, entitled The Santa Clause, was the lack of elves, reindeer, and, absolutely no Mrs. Claus to fill our stockings with candy. But as our lessons in college on supply and demand have taught us, things change for the better in America – either that, or we’re on the old man’s ‘nice’ list (Robert Stack didn’t return our calls). This Clause is inflated with goodies and Mrs. Claus is hotter than a sticky candy cane in Pamela Lee’s pink lips (she’s on the naughty list, hee hee). Now all we want for Christmas is our man Jonathan Taylor Thomas in Home Improvement: The Movie. (Now playing)

By
Moral Barometer Writer
The show that is winner of Best Show Album, Best Musical, Best Featured Actor and Actress in a Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Puppet Design, Best Sound Design, Best Choreography, and Best Director of a Musical has made its way to South Florida. Wow, that’s a lot of awards. “The Lion King” has sold out thousands of performances and continues to wow audiences everywhere it plays. In fact, here in South Florida, you can only get a ticket if you have already purchased one, or by a special order. Golly, if you actually get to make it there, you’re a lucky bastard.
Disney seems to have a great hold on what to feed audiences. Sometimes their grip on consumerism makes one nauseous, but this is a must-see trend. The company we love to hate has found a new way of regenerating and recycling their well-told stories. This time, the company fuses live actors with moving puppets, live African music, and operatic voices to give a spellbinding effect. The way they infuse their motion picture into a play confounds the use of scenery that moves before your eye in such a way that entraps the audience in a wonderment that is beyond explanation.
For instance, during a major song, one can see the floor open up into a three-dimensional artifice that not only gives depth to the audience, but also makes one wonder how the hell some scene designer was able to construct this set with such a moveable and harmonious collection. The hyenas entering the stage create a feeling of danger and disparity that only a play as this one can carry. In addition, a continuation of what was learned in the film comes to fruition as the audience is able to contemplate the arc of this well-known story. The original film broke new ground by reaching not just young children, but adults as well, and it continues to do the same in its new form.
What may contribute greatly to this spectacle are the universal themes that underlie “The Lion King,” such as being brave, having to prove oneself, or just surviving in general. It is no coincidence that the only characters that are not puppetmasters in the show are the lions and lionesses. This adds a stronger connection to these main characters as one sees how closely the circumstances can relate to human life-Simba not only must feel the pain of his “mistake,” but also ends up ousting himself from his family for many years almost to the point of no return.
Of the several influences that require Simba’s immediate attention, none has more impact than the vision he has of his father, Mufasa. His father tells him to “Remember…Remember who you are and where you came from.” These powerful words hit home to anyone who has ever felt the need to pretend or program him or herself into a different soul. The actors on stage do it all the time, but are able to come back to themselves easily. Humans doing this for different reasons years down the line may never be able to return to their roots. In this instance, however, more weight is placed on just being able to remember what makes up oneself, and we hope Simba can have this realization and act upon it before it is too late. Or maybe that person just identifies and hopes that they can realize and change their lives before it is too late.
“The Lion King” plays through Dec. 8 at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Call (954) 462-0222 for more info.