South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • 150

7d: 1EEIN 111V1E To read more Teentime reviews or to leave your own comments, take alookatourWebsiteatwww.sun-sentinel.comteentime. The human side of the fkefighters' lives Til Ti rt tr in i -If ill aw ilJrfMii? 1VLU.J. JLJL YACJ Strap in for a thrill ride not be disappointed. There are many firef ighting scenes filled with excellent action and visuals. Much of the film has to do with the progression of Jack and Linda's relationship, and the toll that firefighting takes on it.

One other aspect shown is the interplay of the men of a irehouse, becoming a second family of sorts. This dynamic can also be seen currently on FX's Rescue Me. However, the men of that irehouse seem to act more gruffly towards each other, while the workers in Ladder 49 are a little less brusque, preferring to play practical jokes on each other, providing the film with necessary comic relief. Nevertheless, a film that takes place in the world of firefighting is surely to be at times a somber affair. Instead of sugarcoating events, the film takes into account the necessary dangers that come with putting your life on the line to save others.

Although; nowhere near the best film of the year, Ladder 49 is definitely one of the best out BY Sam Bellikoff OLYMPIC HEIGHTS HIGH Ladder 49 is the story of firefighters and the sacrifices they make in saving people. Unlike a standard action flick although it does have plenty 'of that), the film focuses on the effect that iref ighting has on one's personal life and it achieves a level of originality and intelligence. Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) is a rookie firefighter, who through the guidance of Chief Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) and his co-workers becomes an adept and able fireman. The narrative structure of the film works especially well, starting out in a blaze of glory, literally, as the men of Ladder 49 enter a gigantic burning warehouse, with Jack's past being told through a series of intermittent flashbacks. This allows for some particularly nifty cinematographic techniques when transitioning between the past and the present, as well as the added effect of the audience being drawn into two stories simultaneously.

By Sarah Farid OLYMPIC HEIGHTS HIGH The Hives: Tyrannosaurus Hives (Universal Music Group) WARNING: If you have a weak heart, this is not the CD for you. Tyrannosaurus Hives is a super-speed rock 'n' roll roller- HOT SPOT: Joaquin Phoenix, left, and John Travolta do the job they love in Ladder 49.Touchstone Pictures photo coasterJt's 30 minutes of ro: uWl spunds ljfcp, a bunch of J- ter pitch-perfectly, and does not falter here. One of the best things that can be said for the film is that it has something for everyone. Those seeking pure action will Jacinda Barret plays Linda, Jack's love interest, and shows herself to be a fine actress. Travolta also shines.

Phoenix time and time again plays the angst-filled charac 3 ViVAffcnthiisincHf1 Undefined, unique sound of mewithoutYou with ADHD. The Hives had moderate success with its 2001 debut Ve-ni Vedi Vicious; but no one really took them seriously. The matching outfits, pompous rants, and pseudonyms made them out to be a novelty band. But "with Tyrdrindsaurus" Hives, the band proves to be well-engineered rock machines. The album's sound is mechanical and jerky.

The opening track Abra Cadaver pairs lead screecher Pelle Almqvist's maniacal yelling over a lightning speed drumbeat and a whip-lash causing guitar riff. Wolfe Idiot Walk the album's first single sounds like the. Rolling ft Stones on li tillfk I The onlv sons! that breaks, i. jsy anseix Regalado JOHN LEONARD HIGH mewithoutYou: Catch for Us the Foxes (Tooth and Nail Records) Call it poetic, moody, volatile, heartbroken or noisy. Call it artsy, independent, post-hardcore, Christian or emo.

Call it whatever you like, but there's really no point in trying to categorize a band like mew-withoutYou. It's possible to point to the name of the band and the v. overall sadness apparent in wreck. But great bands need balance. So while Aaron rages and improvises, his brother, guitarist Michael Weiss and the rest of the band play exact, carefully crafted music.

This perhaps is the bands greatest achievement, harmonizing a free spirit into coherent and artistic songs. The band started only two years ago. Since then they released their debut album, A to Life, toured relentlessly, and built a loyal following nationwide. Recently they left their native Philadelphia for the bright lights of L.A. to record their new album with veteran producer Brad Wood.

Wood is known forworking with mainstream artists like the Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair and PeteYorn. Catch for Us the Foxes is scheduled to be released Oct. 5th, but you can download some songs from that album at purevolume.com. If you're tired of the different variations of the same chatter in the indie from style is the quasi-ballad Diabolic Scheme mq- i. 1 vist's vocals soar ovef chaotic I guitar, drum sounds and a fake, WITH EVERYONE: The band mewithoutYou began two years ago.

File photo string r. Tyrannosaurus Hives is an explosion of punk rock power many songs ana arop xnai misnomer of "emo" on them. What could be more pretentious? As if we are all not filled with thousands of emotions. You could take the same band name, notice the capitalization of or understand the biblical reference in their new CD's title Catch for Us the Foxes, and write them off as a religious band. As if we are not all struggling to find some truth beyond ourselves.

As if thinking about God is not one of the most distinctively human things to a1 -Thf Is JLal and garage rock swagger. This album sets the Hives apart from the other garage bands and gives them the musi cal credibility that is under- I mined by their wacky image. This CD is a guaranteed thrill ride. But remember; safety devices must be worn at all tYou is music undefined. It's what happens when people are absolutely, one hundred percent, heartbreakingly honest.

The band's lyrics roller-coaster through relationships, the world at large and God as did the bands At the Drive In or Mars Volta, only coherently. They are endearing, challenging desrjairingand ulfi- mately, beautiful. Soft spoken and diffident, singer Aaron Weiss has a one-of-a-kind stage presence. He is what some people would call a "free he talks to the crowd with a naivete and humility that draws everyone very near. Then, the song begins and he shifts into a votak i jtile, flailing, rantingsinging an Entirely Voider'-".