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ehr Daily (Tar Hrrl Romero’s fifth ‘Dead’ movie just part of zombie horde BY BRYAN REED DIVERSIONS EDITOR In 1968, George A. Romero turned zombies from ambling, car nivorous corpses into vehicles for sharp social commentary with the classic “Night of the Living Dead." He did it again 10 years later with the critical hit, “Dawn of the Dead" (not to be confused with Zack Snyder's dumbed-down remake). And throughout the resurrec tions of his “Dead" series (now in its fifth installment with "Diary of the Dead"), Romero's eye on society has never been far from the fore ground. But as he’s gotten older, Romero's knack for subtlety has waned not that a zombie movie is ever realty subtle, what with all the gut-munching ghouls and the splattered brains and such. The largely first-person “Diary of the Dead’ finds the father of the undead taking stabs at media saturation and the social voyeurism made possible bv the Internet. But all he really has to say is that the mainstream media is generally up to no good, and (as per usual) humanity is doomed. Worse yet, the comments are so surface-level and so obvious that they fail to make much of an impression. Romero's more subtle remarks, such as those targeted at American xenophobia the first zombies we see are an immigrant family, and as such “foreigners" are blamed for the plague are expertly weaved into the storyline. The writer/direc- Hon thru Sat llam-lOpm Closed Sunday - 933.8226 711 W Rosemary St. (arrboro www.carrburritos.com r^PI i Cantina! a |£W ■ ' Hatwe d°^ B Healthy Mexl Always fresh, juicy, big and healthy. MEMU SAMPLING: old school veggie burrita $2.06 chicken burrita $5.15 quesadilla. $2.06 chicken quesadilla. $4.12 maizena salad $5.15 veggie chimL $4.12 ...and more plus... all mexican beers $3.09 § CHAPEL HILL: 960-3955 jjafP®* it''' dghi across the* street from the varsity theatre at JkbHW'B 128 franklin street [at the end of the luilil ‘ ( DURHAM: 286-1875 . on 9th street and pern street , . v , [across from bnteggersl GUARANTEED OPEN UNTIL 4am MOVIE REVIEW DIARY OF THE DEAD irkic£rk tor at his finest. And the central characters show a range of emotions and reactions to the catastrophe, allowing the film to make ample explorations of people’s responses to chaos. Really, the zombies take a back seat in “Diary," and the film is bet ter for it And that's not to say the audi ence that typically enjoys zombie flicks won't be satisfied, either. There's plenty of undead car nage. and Romero’s still got a twisted imagination when it comes to killing off the w alking corpses let's just say medieval weaponry comes into play. But for all its virtues, “Diary" is still heavy-handed where it counts. Romero's still mad. and his vision of humanity is as bleak as ever, but the movie suffers for his unwilling ness to let the viewers make their own interpretations. It's just sad to know that for all its superficial awesomeness, “Diary" is just one more piece of evidence that Romero will never make another “Dawn of the Dead." For his whole career, he’s been asking "Are we really worth sav ing?" It didn't need to actually be written into the dialogue. Contact the Diversions Editor at dive (wunc.edu. Diversions Bon Iver: Sound of wonderful solitude BY JAMIE WILLIAMS ASSISTANT DIVERSIONS EDITOR Winter is an introspective sea son. So it makes sense that the nine songs collected on Justin Vernon’s debut as Bon Iver, For Emma. Forever Ago. were recorded dur ing a four-month period alone in his hunting cabin in the cold Wisconsin winter. The desolation is evident, the solitude palpable. Lyrical medita tion gives way to ambience, inspir ing as much emotion as any couplet ever could. But the lyrics that are present convey the sense of loneliness that permeates the record, grabbing your heart and lighting a fire to warm your cold hands. The effect is immediate when he sings. “Go find another lover to bring a... to string along." Vernon uses his lonely guitar to stitch up his owm heart, torn and broken by years of memories. For Emma , Forever Ago is what happens when a man is left alone to think, to remember all he left behind and to muse on his regrets. Combining natural imagery with enough hints of the world Vernon left. Bon Iver is able to mold a sense of longing and regret all w’hile remaining hopeful. There is beauty in his word play, catharsis in his minimal ism and joy in the moments on the record where he expands, putting emphasis in all the right MUSIC REVIEW BON IVER FOR IMUA. FOREVER AGO FOU ★ ★★★★ See The Show Time: 9:30 p.m., Monday Location: Local 506.506 W. Franklin St. Info: www.localso6.com places, letting you know where you stand. Nowhere is this more evident than on the record’s standout, "Skinny Love.” It's as if he builds everything to this point before letting loose all he has left on the chorus, seemingly directed at a lost love. “I told you to be balanced/I told you to be kind/Now all your love is wasted?/Then who the hell was I?" It’s these lines that sum up the record —a beautiful reflection of lonely self-discovery, an emotional meditation that wraps its arms around you on the first listen, serv ing as a blanket to warm you in the cold and shelter you from life's harshest winters. Contact the Diversions Editor at divefa unc.edu. The Professional Actor Training Program, Department of Dramatic Arts Mainstage a CUAB’s Carolina Comedy Festival Present: Lewis Black's One Slight Hitch Center for Dramatic Arts a., n 1 ——n Kenan Theater L KBIF 11 PLUS: Stay around after the script-in-hand 1 performance to provide feedback for Lewis Black about his work-in-progress "/ unis never quite sure if it unis n faree masquerading ns a romantic comedy or visa versa." - Lewis Black Carolina union Activities Board Presents: Carolina Comedy Festival 2008 Student Stand-Up Competition: Thursday, February 14, 7:3opm, Union Cabaret To sign up for the competition, email mallory.cash@gmail.com Improv Workshop: Friday, February 15, 2-4 pm, Union Cabaret Class Wltll Black: Friday, February 1 5, spm, Union Auditorium § Cabaret Comedy Club: ISII Friday, February 15, 6pm, Union Cabaret Free pizza and beverages provided. Lewis Black’s One Slight Hitch Friday, February 15,8:15pm, Center for Dramatic Arts, Kenan Theater Includes a post-show dissussion with a chance for you to give feedback. Stephan Pastis Comic Strip Seminar - Pearls Before Swine Saturday, February 16,3:30-4:3opm, Union Class of 2000 Lounge The Ins and Outs of Comedy Writing Saturday, February 16,3:30-4:30, Union 3102 Daily Show Panel Saturday, February 16, 4:30-5:45, Union Class of 2000 Lounge Jjf§|> ■K ji Lewis Black and Friends MwS SOLD OUT . : Saturday, February 16, Bpm, Memorial Hal! Monochrome memoir brings story dimension BY CATHERINE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER If the comic book is the new direction for the adult novel, then “Persepolis" is surely the new direc tion for the animated feature. The film is based on co-direc tor Marjane Satrapis celebrated graphic novel, her illustrated mem oir about growing up in Iran at the time of the Islamic Revolution. The film adaptation already has racked up quite a bit of recogni tion, beginning with a Jury Prize at Cannes and now an Academy Award nomination for best ani mated film. Marji voiced by Chiara Mastroianni and Gabrielle Lopes first witnesses revolution through her surroundings in chaotic Tehran and through the stories told by her family and neighbors. She and her family attempt to lead mostly normal lives, even as turmoil and censorship invade every aspect of their lives. When war reaches her doorstep, her parents (Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarian) send her to live in Austria. Marji’s story is told in frag mented vignettes, as it is in the book, but solid transitions and a notable soundtrack form a strong foundation that binds the anec dotes together. The animation technique is unusual, contributing greatly to thursday, february 14,2008 MOVIE/?/FV7LW PERSEPOLIS A A A A WWWWU the film’s poignancy. Black-and-white drawings move across the screen, mimicking Satrapi’s illustrations and bring ing a sense of daydream or make believe, working well alongside long-standing images of animation and comics as juvenile genres. The figures appear almost as paper cutouts, moving like political cartoons-turned-pup pets. And the grayscale palette provides a diorama effect that makes the film as theatrical as it is cinematic. Satrapi and co-director Vincent Paronnaud succeed in making the film a culturally and historically rich experience for an adult audi ence. Following in the graphic novel tradition, the film's silhou ettes allow for the treatment of difficult topics. Beneath the political and inter national history of “Persepolis" is a strong personal and family story, one that is portrayed brilliantly through Satrapi s storytelling and through the film's unique anima tion. Contact the DiiTrsions Editor at dive(a unc.edu. 9
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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