ARTS& ENTERTAINMENT Rent Pays Off J.J. McCullough, OP Contributor After the surprise blockbuster hit Chicago won the best picture Oscar in 2002, it seemed it would only be a matter of time before producers all over Hollywood began to jump onto the stage musical bandwagon. Such predictions have largely proven true, and today studios are scrambling like never before to bring the biggest hits of Broadway to the big screen, eager to exploit the public’s renewed interest in this once obscure genre. Last year’s big ticket item was Andrew Lloyd Webbet’s classic Phantom of the Opera, and it won't be long before it’s followed up with other remakes of tried and true stage productions including the Producers, and Sunset Boulevard. Rent is this year’s stage-to-screen musical offer- ing. Originally debuting on Broadway back in 1996, the original Rent pioneered a bold new wave of hip, urban stage productions, and soon earned a reputation as a quintessential piece of 90’s pop culture. Unlike most other musicals, which tended to be set in exotic locales with fantasy characters, Rent was revolutionary in that it was just a musical about ordinary, modern-day Americans trying to make ends meet in New York City. This first-ever film version, directed by Chris Columbus and shot largely on location, is more or less a direct port of the original play. Rent centers around seven main characters, each one embodying a different 90’s archetype. Don’t expect too many big name stars however, as most are played by members of the original Broadway cast. There’s Mark (Anthony Rapp), the aspiring indie filmmaker, Roger (Adam Pascal), his grunge rocker roommate, Maureen (Idina Menzel), Mark’s avant-garde activist ex-girlfriend, Tom Collins (Jesse Martin), a gay, black MIT professor, Angel (Wilson Heredia) his drag queen boyfriend, Joanne (Tracie Thoms) a lesbian power lawyer, and lastly Mimi (Rosario Dawson), a stripper/coke addict. The plot? Well, there’s really not much to speak of. Mark can’t afford his apartment and is trying to find a job, Maureen is coordinating a massive protest in defense of the homeless, and Roger is trying to write the perfect song. If these events seem loose and disjointed, it’s because they are. Rent is not a story that clearly goes from point A to point B, but is rather a study of personalities. We are taken into the lives of these unusual char- acters, introduced to their flaws and vices, and shown how they interact with each other and the world around them. Despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, by the end of the film they all manage to form tight-knit bonds with one another, some in the form of romance, others merely friendship. It’s a plot of people, not actions. It’s unfortunate that in recent years Rent has earned a reputation as being a play “about AIDS” (just think of the “Everybody has AIDS!” send-up in the recent comedy Team America: World Police), but in actuality, the disease plays only a largely symbolic role in the film. Four of the seven characters have AIDS, but the film does not get bogged down in the details of the illness. Rather, AIDS becomes simply one more unique character trait held by a gang of people who are already overwhelmingly outsiders from their society. It becomes a source of solidarity more than shame, and for the viewer, a source of inspiration, and not pity. Of course, being a musical, Rev will ultimately be judged by its songs, and on this front the film does not disappoint. Though overall it contains less music than the original stage play, the nearly two-dozen songs that did survive the transition are all highly memorable, lyrically clever, and often emotionally powerful. Moreover, the repetitive musical monotony that often plagues films of this type is thankfully not present here. Though Rent certainly has its share of tragic ballads and female solos, it also features songs in a myriad of other styles, including tango, soul, and grunge. All are well integrated into the plot itself, with some often brilliant choreography. My personal favorite was the song Santa Fe, which is sung by Tom entirely in a subway car. The way the setting is used to achieve full impact is simply ingenious. In the end, Rent is a movie about people, per- sonalities, and friendship, at a time when most other movies are about special effects and cliché- driven plot lines. It’s a powerful, provocative, and challenging film, and seems destined for classic status. Musical fans should definitely not miss it, and everyone else would be wise to give it a chance too. ‘Theatre Syriana Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Amanda Peet Robert Baer (Clooney), a seasoned intelligence gatherer for the CIA, has spent his career tracking terrorists internationally. : Embroiled in a situation in the Middle East, Baer’s job is complicat ed by Beltway politics, as well as unexpected personal crisis involv- ing an American oil executive about to close a deal with an oil sheik. November 25 Rent Directed by Chris Columbus Friends in New York City’s East Village strugele with life, love, andj AIDS. Based on the all too infamous musical. November 25 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Directed by Mike Newell Silly wizards run around and do things that delight children and thd childish alike. Will make 200 billion dollars. Yippie. Now Playing Wintersleep w/ Ladies and Gentlemen Richards on Richards Noy. 28 @ 8 Tix $12 available at Zulu, Scratch, RedCat Pretty Girls Make Graves The Red Room Nov. 30 @ 8 Tix $14 available at Zulu, Scratch, RedCat Coldplay w/ Fiona Apple GM Place Jan. 26 @ 8 Tix $49.50 - 89.50 available at Ticketmaster Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Duh...it’s Beauty and the Beast Stanley Theatre Nov. 17 - Jan. 15 Tix at Ticketmaster or call 604.687.1644 Soulless Pi Theatre and Theatre at UBC present Aaron Bushkowsky’s tale of redemption at the crossroads of money, longing, and contested ground Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC Tix $12 - 22, call 604.822.2678