MOVIES OPENING IN C-U THIS WEEK

Asian Film Festival 2007: Southeast Asian Popular Cinema (Not rated, various directors)
This Friday and Saturday at Boardman’s Art Theatre, the Asian Educational Media Service will present, free of charge, six recent films from Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. Friday's movies will be "Love for Share" (7 p.m., Indonesia) and "Citizen Dog" (9:45 p.m., Thailand). Saturday's lineup will consist of "Out of the Poison Tree" (1 p.m., USA/Cambodia), "Milan" (2:30 p.m., Philippines), "Sepet" (6 p.m., Malaysia), and "Singapore Dreaming" (8:30 p.m., Singapore). For a full schedule and descriptions, visit the event’s page at the AEMS Web site.

"Lust, Caution" (Rated NC-17, dir. Ang Lee)
Ang Lee, fresh from winning an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain,” returns to Asian cinema in this tale of a Chinese rebel (Tang Wei) in Shanghai who goes undercover to start an affair (and then assassinate) a top collaborator (Tony Leung) with the occupying Japanese. “Lust, Caution” starts at the Art Theatre on Sunday after the Asian Film Festival.

"P2" (Rated R, dir. Franck, Khalfoun)
An ambitious businesswoman (Rachel Nichols) working late on Christmas Eve finds herself in a waking nightmare when a deranged security guard (Wes Bentley) is the only other person in the building.

"Fred Claus" (Rated PG, dir. David Dobkin)
Vince Vaughn stars as down-and-out repo man Fred Claus, the estranged older brother of jolly old Saint Nick (Paul Giamatti). Under Mother Claus’ (Kathy Bates) objections, the generous Santa Claus helps his brother out — but only if Fred earns it by working in Santa’s famous Toy Shop.

"Lions for Lambs" (Rated R, dir. Robert Redford)
Veteran actor/director Robert Redford’s latest is a story of interconnected lives on the military and political battlefronts of the War on Terror. Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep also star.

Kumars’ Pick: And finally, we have some quality. David Dobkin and Vince Vaughn’s last collaboration, “Wedding Crashers,” was fairly hysterical but the PG rating of this latest comedic offering suggests to me that the creative minds behind that film aren’t playing to their strengths this time around. “P2,” whatever it stands for, will almost certainly be crap. Such is the nature of things. Robert Redford has a decent track record when it comes to directing, but the political nature of the plot and the big-name cast makes me think this could be an overblown sermon as easily as it could be a smart, tightly-written saga. I enjoyed “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” for what it was and was thoroughly impressed by the sublimely powerful if flawed “Brokeback Mountain,” but I’m not so sure about “Lust, Caution.” Early reviews have decidedly mixed, which isn’t always a bad sign but is certainly so for a film by a critical darling like Ang Lee. That said, the interesting (if not entirely original) premise, Lee’s generally artful touch of delicacy, and the presence of the effervescent Tony Leung make “Lust, Caution” your best bet for quality at the cinema this weekend — if you’re 17 (or can grow considerably convincing facial hair, as I can).

NEW CD RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

Sigur Rós, “Hvarf/Heim”
These Icelanders — arguably second in fame only to Björk — release their first-ever double album. Hvarf (which translates as “disappeared” or “haven”) contains studio recordings of previously unreleased songs, while the second disc, Heim (“home”), contains acoustic versions of songs released on other albums. While both CDs total to a mere 11 tracks, the album displays Sigur Rós’ versatility and vitality as a group of post-rock pioneers.

Chris Brown, “Exclusive”
Chris Brown unleashes his sophomore effort, which will include appearances by will.i.am, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West, among others. Brown intended the album to be accessible for his younger fans (Brown himself is only 18), but also included “a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people.”

Jay-Z, “American Gangster”
Legendary rapper Jay-Z drops a concept album inspired by last week’s film of the same name. While each of the record’s tracks relates to a specific scene in the movie, Jay-Z also drew inspiration for the album from his experience growing up in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects. “American Gangster” will feature a spectrum of artists, ranging from neo-soul singer Bilal to hip-hop mainstay Nas, as well as production from the likes of Diddy and The Neptunes.

Erin’s Pick: Sigur Rós is one of the only bands I am familiar with that I can say, without a doubt, will play a key role in the future of music. Over their 14-year career, they have identified, crossed, and connected many of the remaining borders of music and art. They manage to be organic, earthly, ethereal, and extraterrestrial all at once. They blend traditional orchestral arrangements and electronic effects with unusual instrumental techniques (like e-bowing a bass) and lead singer Jónsi’s alien falsetto. They create soundscapes that expand the imagination. They manifest so much, yet simultaneously, they pronounce nothing. They even have an album on which they renounced the limitations of organized language; they released the CD — entitled “( )” — with no printed lyrics, credits, or copyrights, and sang all of it in their own gibberish language, “Hopelandic.” They have a sound unlike any other, and are truly originals and innovators in a world of imitators. In short, they are remarkable, and while “Hvarf/Heim” may or may not be their best album, they deserve the pick anyway.

NEW DVD RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

"Sicko" (Rated PG-13, dir. Michael Moore)
In which Michael Moore finally grows up and largely puts aside his sermonizing to make room for a compelling, provocative exposé on the American health care system, along the way comparatively examining the health care programs of Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and, um, Cuba.

"Ratatouille" (Rated G, dir. Brad Bird)
Brad Bird’s latest animated addition to the Pixar mythos finds Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt), a young Parisian rat with a taste for human food and a talent for making it, working behind the scenes at a five-star restaurant.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" (Rated PG-13, dir. Dennis Dugan)
Adam Sandler stars as widower Chuck Levine, who convinces his best friend Larry (Kevin James) to become his legal domestic partner so that Chuck’s children can become the beneficiaries of their life insurance. Naturally, their plot is endangered when an overzealous bureaucrat begins to suspect that Chuck and Larry aren’t as gay as their documents would indicate.

Kumars’ Pick: Let me just say that though I enjoyed “Ratatouille,” I’m astounded at the sheer magnitude of critical praise it received. Its average score on Metacritic is 96. That’s out of 100. I’ve always felt that Pixar films have an underlying appeal that I just don’t get, but this is a bit ridiculous. That said, even I can tell you the film is virtually impossible to dislike, and it’s a solid entry in Pixar’s continuing run of animated features that adults and children can enjoy together. I haven’t seen “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” but I’m going to take a wild guess and predict that it’s not worth anyone’s time, much less mine or yours. My pick this week is “Sicko” — after being throttled headlong into the public eye with the excellent “Bowling for Columbine” and the empowering but cripplingly flawed “Fahrenheit 9/11,” Michael Moore has finally made a film that can be taken almost completely seriously. Polarizing sense of humor intact, Moore’s examination of health care is candid, tasteful, and compelling. Check it out.

LOCAL SHOWS & CONCERTS

Friday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 11: IMCfest 2007
This three-day festival at the Independent Media Center attempts to capture the flavor of C-U with art exhibits, independent films, food, activist speakers, fire spinners, belly dancers, and live music. We will only be highlighting the live music performances:

Friday:

• Music begins at 7 p.m.
• Party really starts at 10 p.m.
• Afterparty will be electronic until 5 a.m.
• Artists to look out for: The Beauty Shop (11 p.m.)
• DJs to look out for: Elise (2 a.m.), Bozak (3 a.m.)

Saturday:

• Music begins at 3 p.m.
• Party really starts at 9 p.m.
• Afterparty will be electronic until 5 a.m.
• Artists to look out for: JigGsaw (9 p.m.), Fireflies (10 p.m.), The Living Blue (11 p.m.)
• DJs to look out for: Mertz (3 a.m.)

Sunday:

• Music begins at 4 p.m.
• Party really starts during the afterparty, as it were. So, at 10:30 p.m.
• Afterparty will be hip-hop & rap until 2 a.m.
• Artists to look out for: Duckman/Agents of Armageddon (10:40 p.m.), Text and Cypha MC (11:40 p.m.), Agent Mos (1 a.m.), Krukid (1:30 a.m.)

Tickets are $10 for one day and $20 for the whole weekend, and are available at That’s Rentertainment, Exile on Main St., and Record Swap. For more information on bands and DJs, see the IMC’s Web site.

OTHER LOCAL SHOWS:

Friday, Nov. 9: Mhondoro, 9 p.m., Iron Post, cost TBA.
Local musicians bring popular Zimbabwean music to life.

Saturday, Nov. 10: Headlights, Sybris, Light Pollution, 9 p.m., Courtyard Café, cost TBA. Champaign’s always-talked-about Headlights will grace an all-ages show with their signature shoegazey indie-pop. They will share the stage with Chicago’s Sybris and DeKalb’s Light Pollution.

Erin’s Pick: God, why does our scene have to be so awesome??? I would love to go to all these shows. Too bad I’m going to be out of state, visiting colleges. But for those of you who will be here: You should feel ashamed of yourself if you don’t take advantage of at least one of these performances.

NEW VIDEO GAME RELEASES IN STORES THIS WEEK

“Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” or “Call of Duty 4” (Activision)
The eighth installment of the “Call of Duty” series and the highly anticipated first-person shooter, “Call of Duty 4” lets you play as a soldier in modern warfare. The game introduces a new single player mode, a variety of new weapons, and builds on “Call of Duty 2’s” multiplayer. As well, the graphics in “Call of Duty 4” are very realistic as the game runs on a proprietary game engine, which allows dynamic lighting, bloom effects, and shadows. “Call of Duty 4” costs $59.99 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, $49.99 for the PC, and $29.99 for the DS.

“Hellgate: London” (EA Games)
“Hellgate: London” is an action role-playing game that is developed by Flagship Studios, who made the popular games Diablo, Starcraft, and the Warcraft Series. In “Hellgate: London” there are three classes: the Templar, the Cabalist, and the Hunter. The Templar class uses melee attacks, the Cabalist class uses range attacks, and the Hunter class uses guns, allowing you to play the game like a first person shooter. Similar to other RPGs, “Hellgate: London” contains numerous amount of quests and strongly focuses on PvE (player vs. environment) combat. “Hellgate: London” costs $49.99 for the PC, and a voluntary subscription fee that costs $9.95 a month, which allows players to access more of the game content.

“TimeShift” (Vivendi Games)
As the title states, “TimeShift” is a first-person shooter that allows you to time shift with a special suit. The story is about a certain scientist called Dr. Krone who has gone back in time and has created a dystopia in the past. You as the protagonist have to go back in time to stop and find out how Dr. Krone changed time. A unique feature in “TimeShift” is the ability to control time, such as slowing, stopping, and reversing it. “TimeShift” costs $59.99 for the Xbox360 and $49.99 for the PC. A PS3 version is being released Nov. 19.

“Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa” or “Tabula Rasa” (NCsoft)
“Tabula Rasa” is an MMORPG developed by Destination Games under Richard Garriot — one of the pioneers of the RPG genre and creator of the famed Ultima fantasy games. Unlike other MMORPG’s, “Tabula Rasa” takes place in the future and is not about swords and sorcery, but laser weapons and robots and has a tree character class with four branches. The first branch is the recruit, where everyone first begins. In the second branch, recruits have the choice between two subclasses, the soldier and specialists, which have their own two subclasses in the third branch, and two more subclasses for each class in the fourth branch. "Tabula Rasa" costs $49.99 the PC.

Gordon’s Pick: “Call of Duty 4” looks to me like it will be one of the best shooter games of the year. If you have an Xbox 360, PS3, or a really good PC, I would definitely get it. It also seems a lot of role-playing games have been released recently, but all of them require a subscription fee of some sort. Compared to "World of Warcraft (WOW)," which in my opinion is still the best role-playing game out there, "Hellgate: London" and "Tabula Rasa" aren’t as good. So if you already have WOW or want to get a role-playing game, then I would stick to "WOW" and leave "Hellgate: London" and "Tabula Rasa" behind.

[Note: This entertainment guide has been updated to include information on "Call of Duty 4."]