DVD. 9 FEBRUARY os 2005 Trigun Maximum Vol. | Yasuhiro Nightow Darkhorse 2004 By Dina SCHWEIIR STAKF WRITER Those of you who have followed the adventures of Vash -the Stampede will undoubtedly be thrilled at the return of this goofy her and his friends in Trigun Maximum. The latest installment in the scrics takes up the story of Vash two ycars after it left off in the origi- nal Trigun scrics. During that time, the Humanoid Typhoon has been in hiding, hoping that his enemies were cither gone, or would at least leave him alone, Uniortunately for our hero, his old friend Wolfwood finds him, and the adventures begin anew. The style of Trigun Maximum is _ quite similar to that of the original Trigun, That is to say, it is a lot of CD fun, really crowded, and somctimes a bit difficult to follow. There have been a few changes to the character designs used, but they are nothing more shocking than what could have conceivably occurred in two years time. The most shocking change in Vash’s world is the fact that the Bernardelli Insurance Company that employs Meryl Strife seems to now be in the habit of employing assas- sins to take out those that cause dam- ages that the company would other- wisc have to recompense. So, if you enjoyed Trigun, and would like to know what happened to everyone after the Fifth Moon Incident, then you should take a look at Trigun Maximum. If you have never read Trigun before in your life, then you should read the original scrics before you think about this onc, because there are a lot of story clements in Maximum that you would not understand otherwise. Terrorfakt: The Greenday of Rave Music | Cold Steel World Hellraver Productions Published 2004 By Coun VANDERENDE Terrorfakt creates a powerful rave beat with an intense fast pace. With some of thcir songs, they create a Darude sound, but not as unique. This group suffers an inability for originality and they sct a similar beat and sound for all their songs. I would describe Terrortakt as the Green Day of rave music: their songs all sound the same, but they do not sound that bad. Overall, I do enjoy Terrortakt but only in small doses. I would only rec- ommend this group to those who really like heavy rave sound. Their style is somewhat annoying if you are more for techno and their lack of creativity makcs them somewhat boring. I give this group one thumb up for intense rave style and one thumb down for lack of creativity. = Collateral: Collateral 2004 - Paramount / DreamWorks Directed By Michael Mann BY SEAV DOBBLN People’s paths cross all the time. Most of these crossings are inconsc- quential and don’t impact the partici- pants. But whether by fate, coinci- dence, or maybe even misfortune, ccr- tain people ancct with the proper dynamics to alter lives? Collateral is a story of just such an encounter. It is a story of two men, Max (Jamie Foxx) and Vincent (Tom Cruise}, and the psychological spider web that they become entangled in, while simply try- ing to co-exist for the span of onc night. Both have profound impacts on one another, the most obvious of them being laid upon the cab driver, Max, by the sociopath Vincent. Cruise's character is a contract killer hired by a natotic-tratlicking cartel trving to protect its interests. Vincent must climinate five witness- es in one night, and ends up tricking Max to ferry him around LA County while he: systematically gocs to work. Naturally, Max is subjected to the real- ity of what the man in his back seat is truly up to, and so forth cnsues a com- plicated yet interdependent relation- ship between the two men. Vincent is not the main character ia Collateral, but he is the catalyst. He’s the catalyst to the storv and he’s the catalyst to the life of Max. Max wrestles with his conscicnce and self-confidence throughout the night as he stays alive at the sheer will of Vincent. Infact, most of this film takes place none other than in the con- fines of Max’s Taxi Cab. There with- in, the two partics exchange some ineredibly thought provoking dialogue. At best it could make you take a dif- ferent outlook on your path in life, at worst it’s sull an intellectually stimulat- ing experience to behold. Paying close attention is vital to gct- ting the most out of the meanings of the dialogue (I even suggest watching it in subtitles if it helps) 1 picked up new story aud character details with cach viewing. Studving the often quaint, cmotional Vincent or his sometimes double lay- ercd rhetoric, may lead you to the heart a character far deeper than you originally suspected. This filin was meant to live or die on its characters. Despite being primarily a drama, Collateral docs feature its fair share of action sequences and violent, tense moments. However, it does not dwell on its violeuce at all. The film is aided by a visual and audio softness that makes the violent instances all the more shocking and eflective. Effective impressions of A Psychological Spider Web steals because of the toll the violent context takes on the subtle. passive, subduced cab driver, Max. It is sincerely believ- able. Over-anxicty and distress can be casily over-acted, but Jamie Foxx han- dies it well and creates a very real per- son that any one gf us could have Been. By the end of the movie, I really curt sce very many people being dis- satisiicd with their experience. Collateral is thrilling The 2-hour duration hlows by like the prairic wind, and this is saying a lot fora high- ly dialogue driven film. Collateral is uew on a 2-Disc DVD. Pick it up; you won't reeret it. “Shot at the Empire” shows Trademark Canadian Style Shot at the Empire Canadian Humor By Bruni Ciser SHEE WRITER “Nuclear war, no thanks, you guys go ahead. We brought a case of beer if anyone wants onc.” Canadian comic Glen Foster has a vivid and opinionated view. There is no solt coating of contemporary and controversial issues facing Canadians today, The back of the DVD titled “Shot at the Empire” says “Foster uuloads on taxes. apathy, the “armed forces’ and his own personal battle with the Federal Guu Registry; all in his own unique, angry, confused, apologetic, trademark *Canadiat’ style.” This description of his comedy is accurate. He jokes about Canadian airports, weapons of mass distraction, the war in Iraq, mad cow discase, and the bilingualism of Canada. “Cows just stare at the flames, getting madder and madder.” He gives his opinions in a light-hearted manner, but still seems to cut to the heart of the issue in Canada. He jokes about the laid-back, pot- smoking, hippic- and homoscxual-lov- ing people of the truc, north, strong and free, i contrast to the crack-scll- ing, gun-toting Americans who arc starting wars. and even goes so far as to make fun of President Bush, His humor jumps {rom appropriate for all ages to more adult-oricnted humor with jokes such as the one about bisex- uals flipping a coin to decide whether they are heterosexual or homosexual that day with “heads I-get some tail, and tails I get some head.” I would recommend this comic to anyone who is light-hearted and can joke about the issucs in Canada today. I would give it a firm 7.5 out of 10. I will leave you with a Glen Foster thought: “To me, an election is the opposite of a police line-up, I’m just picking out the guy that I want to rob mec.