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,
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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.
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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