Newspapers / The Daily Tar Heel. / May 4, 2000, edition 1 / Page 8
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8 Thursday, May 4, 2000 Anime Flick Loses Magic In American Translation By Jeremy Hertz Staff Writer Japanese people don’t share most Americans’ belief that cartoon art - comic books (manga) and animated films [anime) - must be suitable for children. The graphically violent, psychosexual horror film “Perfect Blue” proves this dissimilarity and, unfortunately, also demonstrates the difficulties of translat ing serious anime for an American audi ence. y.: The story is MOVIE REVIEW familiar „ enough: pop Perfectß,ue icon Mima sg decides to quit W g singing in order to further her acting career. As she makes the announcement after her last concert, a pale, shadowy figure in the audience reacts oddly; soon Mima starts receiving death threats. Then her friends are targeted for a series of gruesome deaths, and Mima’s hold on reality begins to slip. The plot becomes extremely convo luted in the film’s second half. This gives the audience an uncanny sense of dis orientation, shared with Mima. We question the picture’s events along with her: Is the shadowy figure responsible? Is Mima already crazy, or just getting there? Do Japanese women really clap and giggle whenever anything remotely happy happens? Therein lies the heart of “Perfect Blue’s” problems. Since many of the conventions of Japanese anime are intact - giggling women, ugly villains, odd and obvious pacing of shots - American audiences unfamiliar with these conventions can be thrown by them. Visually, the film is sound. These visuals are not as technically impressive DO YOUR OWN THINKING tS Academia encourages college students to "Think for JHp yourselves. ’’Are college students intellectually courageous enough to consider for themselves what the Bible teaches? God says, “Come now. and lei us reason together. . "Isaiah I: IS. Wgtk Hear the Bible taught at... Calvary Baptist Church 1000 West Main Street, Carrboro, NC • 942-2653 E-mail: notashamedcht&juno.com Cat’s Cradle Presents UPCOMING AT THE RITZ [ IHUR. MAY 18 LEFTOVER SALMON] 3k" mjjjm jjSlßw June TICKETS AVAILABLE AT SCHOOLKIDS RECORDS IN CHAPEL HILL, DURHAM, RALEIGH (HILLSBOROUGH ST.) GATE CITY NOIZE (GREENSBORO) CAT'S CRADLE, RECORD EXCHANGE (RALEIGH AND CHAPEL HILL) AND THE RITZ. 919 967 9053 TO CHARGE BY PHONE OR FOR INFO. ORDER ONLINE AT www.catscradle.com as those found in most American ani mated features, but they’re superior from an artistic standpoint. And by anime standards, even the technical side of things is mighty good. “Perfect Blue” is a good testimony of the unique capabilities of animation - in a live-action picture, the graphic vio lence and nudity common late in the film would become sensationalistic. Here it is unsettling, but not upsetting. Ultimately, the single element that ruins “Perfect Blue” is the dialogue. It’s poorly dubbed, which causes unfortu nate laughter at the wrong times (as with Mima’sJapanese mother, who is voiced for the English version with a thick Southern drawl). Worse, it’s poorly written - or, more likely, poorly translated. With these tw o problems compounding each other, audience members end up listening to characters who endlessly spout cliches - and don’t even sound like they mean them. Last year Miramax had enough clout to hire an excellent author, Neil Gaiman, to translate the anime classic "Princess Mononoke.” They then gave it a voice cast full of recognizable American actors and a wide release. But more often, major studios aren’t willing to take risks on anime, so promising films don’t receive the atten tion or distribution they deserve. This is true of “Perfect Blue.” Those involved in making it accessible in American theaters must be commend ed, because most anime films, including many Japanese blockbusters, become direct-to-video in America. But those involved in making this film accessible to American sensibilities have failed. The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu. DIVERSIONS Movies Flintstones Film Exudes Style and Sawyi By Damele Eubanks Arts & Entertainment Assistant Editor Who would have thought that one of America’s favorite couples, domestic icons for 40 years, got hitched in Vegas? Rock Vegas, that is. In a kitschy romp through the pre historic past “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” tells the story of how good ol’ Fred and Wilma met and bet on a full house. —, With a pre- j| MOVIE REVIEW dictable plot and fiat, car- The Flintstones in toonish char- V.va Rock Vegas acters, this pre- gg gt gg quel to the WWW 1994 comedy "The Flintstones” isn’t profound, but you can’t expect the first generation of Homo sapiens to get everything right. More limerick than epic, the movie succeeds as a lighthearted diversion, bringing the lovable qualities of the ’6os television series to the big screen. Wilma Slaghoople, (Kristen Johnston, “3rd Rock from the Sun”) is the unhappy daughter of millionaires Colonel and Pearl Slaghoople. She runs away to Bedrock to avoid marrying sickeningly snobbish Chip Rockefeller (Thomas Gibson, “Dharma and Greg”). While waiting tables at the local BrontoKing, Betty O’Shale (Jane Krakow'ski, “Ally Mcßeal”) runs into Wilma and befriends her, letting her share her Melrock Place apartment and getting her a job at the BrontoKing. Enter Fred Flintstone, (Mark Addy, “The Full Monty”) a “boy from the wrong side of the rocks,” and- his pal Barney Rubble (Stephen Baldwin), who fall head over bare heels for the girls. Determined to protect his financial future, Chip invites the foursome to his casino in Rock Vegas, hoping to steal Wilma back and secure his fortune. But the show is called the Flintstones, not the Rockefellers, so after a series of fol lies, true love prevails. Low-Budget Film Stresses Characterization By Matt Mansfield Staff Writer In "The Terrorist,” writer and direc tor Santosh Sivan displays how the idea of suicide bombing the enemy for “the cause becomes hard er and harder the closer one gets to the moment it is supposed to H Movie Review "The Terrorist" iff Graduation * 2000 Saturday May 20 ★ 5-10 pm Sunday May 21 ★ noon-lOpm "Top 10 Tastes 1999" ★ Southern Living Magazine Reservations ★ Space is Limited Downtown Carrboro ★ 919.929. ACME Live-action versions of cartoon classics Fred, Wilma, Betty and Barney frolic throughout a prehistoric Las Vegas in" The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas," which is directed by Brian Lavant. Addy and Baldwin play blue-collar buddies Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble impeccably and are very believ able manifestations of the cartoon images they probably watched as kids. Their simple camaraderie is touching and their dull-witted repartee humorous. Joan Collins is devilishly good as Pearl, the mother who fears Wilma might marry beneath her. She chilling ly dominates her scenes, uncannily sim ilar to Cruella DeVille of Disney’s “101 Dalmatians.” Like Cruella, her over-the top wardrobe is a sight to behold. In fact, the costuming in general is very good and adds to the trippy flavor of the film. A wacky assortment of tunic happen. Malli (Ayesha Dharkar), a 19-year old Indian whose family has a history of committing terrorist acts for “the cause,” decides to be a martyr for the latest protest against the establishment. Sivan shows the brutality of terrorist life by making a shooting of a traitor from the insurgency Malli’s first act in the movie. The character’s introduction is eye opening, and the audience immediate ly knows this girl has an agenda. tuxedos, variations on Wilma’s classic white dress and Betty’s blue one, and a cornucopia of textures, colors and flam boyant accessories adorn the cast. Krakowski and Johnston provide average performances, but fail to mem orably flesh out their characters. Johnston is also a really bad dancer, and her awkwardness is glaringly obvious in the last choreographed scene. But the witty imagination of the visu al effects crew is to be commended, as “Vegas” dusts off some of the classic stone-age gadgets and tosses in a few new ones. A pterodactyl airplane, bron to-coaster, massage octopus, oversized rock-crystal martini glasses and chiseled The movie has very little dialogue, making the actors develop their charac ters through their actions and conjuring of memories. This lack of dialogue shows Malli as the strong, silent type who hides her emotions from the audi ence suspensefully until near the film’s end. The movie’s cinematography beauti fully accentuates her demanding lifestyle. After killing a man with a cloth mask on her head, Malli serenely sits by a river and drops the mask into a gentle pool. Then her leader calls her back for another assignment, and she quickly leaves as the mask drifts from the pool to a raging rapid, symbolizing the unending drama in her world. Sivan effectively shows the psycho logical preparations Malli and her con spirators make before the assassination. They practice every day the motions of exactly how she will bomb herself m front of the enemy. But the audience also sees into Malli’s underlying, conflicting emotions. In the many sequences where Malli takes a is taking Reservations tor Graduation Weekend on Thursdays through Saturday from 10am through 3pm Fine Southern Dining Bar & Dining room open every evening at s:3opm Sun. Brunch 10:30am-2pm Crook's Corner 610 W. Franklin SI. Chapel Hill. North Carolina 919-929-7643 149 1/2 E Franklin St ytPy Chapel Hill, NC " 960-8688 Best known secret in Chapel Hill Offering burgers, chicken sandwiches, and ; specialty sandwiches for lunch and dinner, with night menu and 23 beers on tap. Ah ABC permits. , CL,d/p]/ow 7(H “ / 1 • Monday 25 cent wings and $1.50 domestic bottles and late night jazz i I I $2.00 Pints HmMmUhwH | • Wrdnndav • All vou eat spaghetti fSff ■ * I $5.00 and $2.00 micro and ‘ import bottles j , a ‘ Thursday • $2.00 Local Brews • Daily food specials and SI.OO off -1 * appetizers from 4:00-7:00 Monday thru Saturday a ahr Daily alar Hrrfii out french-fry boxes all give the movie a quirky, anachronistic-but-not flair. The computer-generated dinosaurs and prehistoric puppets from Jim Henson’s creature shop are much more realistic than those in the earlier live action Flintstones film and blend nicely with the human cast. Director Brian Levant has successful ly crafted the missing link with “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. Discovering the origins of Flintstones species is fun, so yabadaba , do check it out. The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu shower, she reflects on past missions. She remembers taking care of a dying comrade in the rain. The boy asks her if she is crying, and she replies that the rain is falling on her face, though the audience cannot tell either way. When the memory fades back to her bathing in the shower, the water falling on her face makes it hard to tell if she is crying. The effect puzzles the audience because they do not know whether she is crying or having reservations about this mission and way of life. Although Sivan creates a deep, psy chological filni, the plot moves slowly for the typical American audience. It is also noticeably low-budget, with some of the blood looking exactly like red paint from a ’sos B-movie. Still, for those who appreciate char acters with ethical dilemmas and sym bolic cinematography, “The Terrorist” is worth seeing. The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
May 4, 2000, edition 1
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