The Behrend beacon. (Erie, Pa.) 1998-current, January 16, 2004, Image 8
Page 8 The Behrend Beacon urton returns with 'Big Fish' review by Chris Hvizdak contributing writer Due to the wavering quality of his last few pictures, the constitution of Tim Burton's directorial career has arguably fallen deep into question. With his "Planet of the Apes" being a cinematic travesty only to be rivaled by such greats as "Howard the Duck" and "The Postman," old Timmy needed, quite desperately, to turn a new leaf. Burton has thankfully given said leaf a healthy twiddle with "Big Fish," the story of William Bloom (Billy Crudup), a 30-something man attempting to separate fact from fiction in regard to the many autobiographical tall tales told by his estranged and ailing father, Ed Bloom (Albert Finney). Adapted from the novel by Daniel Wallace, the film is composed primarily of dramatizations in which Ewan McGregor portrays the father as a young man, in search of someplace larger than his hometown in which to build a new life. Here Burton shines as the many eccentric persons and situations Ed encounters are developed with that singular and satisfying style familiar to any viewer of "Beetlejuice" or "Edward Scissorhands." These "flashbacks," so to speak, yield a quirky adventure, which is the impetus for sound bite reviews that herald the film as a modern day "The Wizard of Oz." The central draw of the film, this narrative provides a healthy dose of that signature - little seen as of late Burtonian style through both traditional and modern computer-enhanced means. While "Big Fish" is both satisfactory in embodying the auteurism of Burton and promising in his use of contemporary Actors needed to fill 'Little Shop' cast by Daniel J. Stasiewski managing editor It's not every day that students and fac ulty get the chance to sing with a giant, man-eating plant, but Studio Theatre di rector Christine Mangone, Ph.D., is looking for actors interested in doing just that. She's even looking for the plant. Mangone has planned a two-night au dition process for the spring semester production of "Little Shop of ilorrors." The campy musical follo - v— the story of Seymour, a nerdy florist who uses his discovery of a plant with an unusual pal ate to gain success and the love of the shop assistant Audrey. Auditions are scheduled for Wednes day and Thursday, featuring first the singing audition, followed on Thursday with script reading. Mangone said she is looking for a "di verse cast." "Little Shop of Horrors" will be the first musical to be performed at Behrend in over three years, and the familiar title, as well as its off-beat humor, should pique the interest of college thespians. "It's running on Broadway right now, so it's a really popular choice," said Mangone. "But actually it's meant to be a show that's produced in a tiny, tiny space.' "Little Shop" will continue the Studio Theatre tradition of presenting smaller productions while affording Behrend community members the chance to ei ther perform in or enjoy a musical. Mangone described the main perfor mance area as a dingy, rundown shop, but the sometimes bizarre antics are what make the show her choice produc tion. "It's a fun show to do," said Mangone. "The story is twisted and fun, so I think it will be an enjoyable show." Mangone also said the musical the ater background of many of the people who auditioned for the fall production of "Holy Days" encouraged her to seek a musical suitable for the Studio The- The play features 13 speaking roles, plus the casting of two people for the giant plant, Audrey 11. One person will act as the puppeteer, but another person must provide the male voice of the plant. Mangone said the casting of Audrey II is crucial. "The [plant's] songs are the most dif ficult," said Mangone. "It's one of the most important roles that's overlooked sometimes because it isn't physically on stage." "Little Shop of Horrors" premiered on Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre in July 1982. Based on the 1960 film "The Little Shop of Horrors" that featured Jack Nicholson in his second screen role, the production became a critic hit and ran for 2,209 performances. The musi cal was then adapted to the screen in 1986 starring comedic veterans includ- ",01 . production technology, it also presents an endearing story that stresses the role of myth in familial history. Through Crudup's pessimistic quest for the truth about his father we are convinced of the beneficent nature inherent in Ed's fanaticized and perhaps fictionalized tales of his youth. The genuine intent of this thrust by both the author and filmmaker is clearly evident as the truths behind Ed's tales intertwine and compound with reality, giving the impression that the character has created for us, by his storytelling, a reality that would be far less livable if deprived of his efforts. When taken in the context of serving such great goals as the vindication of idealized personal history, the film can be taken as a grand achievement, perhaps most by those viewers who have experienced or perpetuated such myth themselves. Herein lies room for debate, where one individual may take the film's overlaying story of Wiliam's quest and its resolution as fitting, another might find it overly sentimental. Although ultimately predictable, the film is both engaging in its execution and commendable for effective dramatization of familial storytelling. Regardless of one's ultimate attitude toward the film's greater purpose, "Big Fish" provides, at the very least, a long-absent platform for Burton's eccentric technique and yields much promise for future projects, such as "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory." Chris Hvizdak's (toastmaster@iname.com) own continuing journey to revitalize a classic Burton character can be followed in the production log of his upcoming major motion picture, "Beetlejuice vs. Ghostdad" at www.livejournal.com/ —h viz. PHOTO COURTESY OF PLAYBILL Audrey II tries to nibble on "Little Shop" composer Alan Menken. ing Rick Moranis and Steve Martin, along with Ellen Greene reprising her stage role as Audrey. The Behrend production requires a re hearsal schedule of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, plus Saturday mornings. Additional individual rehears als may also be required. Three credits are offered to students who are cast. The musical is schedule to run March 26-28, 31, and April 1-4. Interested stu dents can sign-up for audition space in front of Reed 117, „., . r . .P.. , :-......."....;,. ': • . • • :I .• Friday, January 16, 2004 `Cabin Fever' bleeds B-mov ie brilliance review by Mudd J. Stiosiewski managing editor Brain-dead teen horror films like "Jeepers Creepers" and the remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are nodding the commercial cinemas, but thanks to Eli Roth, the sex and gore that once made the genre fun is back in his 8- horror bloodbath, "Cabin• Fever." The film is no more intelligent than any studio horror flick. Its plot is insipid and the characters are the usual pack of horny college kids. The difference lies in the degree of stupidity when ainpantd to the overwhelming amount of bloody vomit, soupy flesh, and, of course, skin. "Cabin PteVer isn't cleaned up for the screen and the existence of the word "filmoo" in the dialogue'isn't the only thing that makes the film edgy. "Cabin Fever" opens with a redneck hunter discovering his lifeless dog. He begins poking at it until.he lifts the carcass to find the ani mal hollowed out. 4t that point, rust col ored ooze splatbirs imp his face, if only to tell the audience that,this is going to be more gruesome than any honor film in the past:steam* Cut to the *mg of potential victims leaving college for a vacation in the woods. A veteran horror fan should be able to pick the characters apart ate glance. You know which girl is going to take off her bra and which guy is the jack ass who'll get the horror going. Then there's'ul (R,wr Strong), the sensitive hero- type, going on the trip with the hopes of finally hooking up with the girl he's liked since eigth grade. If wasn't for a flesh-eating virus that begins to infect the group, he might have had a chance. The five friends fight against the bug and then each other until Just a little gossip to make you feel better about yourself Here comes the very bitter bride: Britney Spears called in MTV's TRL to promote her new music video "Toxic," but got offended when host Damien Fayeh turned the interview into a discussion of the Pop Princess' 55-hour-long marriage. "We landed on Mars that day. Why aren't we talking about that?" Ms. Spears asked. Well, Britney, seems that TRL was never the venue to really talk about space exploration ... They're more the music video channe. You'll have to call in CNN to talk about that one. Fashonistas ... Beware! It's time for Mr. Blackwell's 44th annual list of worst dressed stars and he has proclaimed that the No. 1 star is the worst whether she's dressed or undressed. Paris Hilton claims the top spot, and it seems her sex tape on the Internet wasn't good enough to impress the fashion gods. Coming in a close second was the make out duo themselves, Britney Spears and Madonna Country superstar Shania Twain was also found to be atop Mr Blackwell's list as he is not a fan of the Canadia's take on fashion ... Surprisingly enough, Christina Aguilera was not found on the list. He loves me, he loves me not:. Just because you're famous at a young age doesn't mean you get to miss out on all the petty fights the rest of us went through in High School. Turns out that Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan are fighting over the same boyfriend! And we thought this only happened in the "real world." Seems Aaron Carter (Nick Carter of the Back Street Boy's little brother) has these two girls throwing hissy fits. Apparently the teen heartthrob was dating both girls at once and caused a riff in their friendship. With both girls having a similar career, both in music and movies, it only seems fit that they both have the same boyfriend! Daniel J. Stasiewski & Erika Jarvis A&E Editors the entire weekend turns into one big nightmare. It shouldn't be misconstrued as leech ing off the newfound fame of Peter Jack son, the DVD cover of "Cabin Fever" flaunts a favorable quote by the "Lord of the Rings" director. "An unrelenting, gruesomely funny blood bath. I loved it," says Jackson. "Cabin Fever" gets away with using the quote because Jackson's films, the gory bad horror from his twisted early days, are the kinds of revolting massacres "Cabin Fever" mirrors in al most every frame. No other film would dare have Cerina Vmcent, a former Power Ranger, bare all and then be dismembered by a ravenous dog. "Cabin Fever" does in the first five minutes what Rob Zombie's "House of 1,000 Corpses" wants to do throughout. "Cabin• Fever" flaunts its gore and even scares us. The difference is Zombie's film tries to scare the audience with its absurd characters and silly satanic visuals, at tempting to trump the horror films of the past, while "Cabin Fever" revels in its hammy gore and ridiculous characters with marine for the genre than itself. __,.. h....... to .....t thing that ;Amu' '''',%-"" , fho l v ve tig# k i t * ervta . The -,7-,-‘‘ ~,,,,,„. ~,,,, 4 *XiOvern-411° stuff att MOTO . It lainhi... a s 4 impel. is Roth .---i, not igitins, horror 0 I'm 19 a < . R oth hest folihvilaP Ifs" Right omitti be tote ray Camp .Ileeps amit the g oofy gore film since to,--_ _ .--ver ' ~4°9l4*n ywoga '''' now, R oth t' , bifixt H° out of h iss .11 it *So ' trim UBB lets by Erika Jarvis a&e editor behrcolls@aol.com "Cabin Fevet;" directed by Eli Rotha dstarring Rider Strong, is available on out of 4 stars DVD Jan. 20