The Wichitan - Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls Texas

MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY | September, 28, 2005

ENTERTAINTMENT

Tim Burton redeems himself with "Bride"
Richard Carter | For the Wichitan

For a good long while, new Tim Burton movies were consistently a treat.
Remember “Batman,” “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Ed Wood,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”
And then, the spirit seemed to leave the director. “Mars Attacks!” was awful. “Planet of the Apes” sucked. “Big Fish” had about one really good character and performance (Ewan McGregor.) Even Burton’s supposed comeback, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” was only marginally better than the disappointing “Big Fish.” But with All Saints Eve approaching, the bewitching hour appears to have lit a fire under the eclectic director.
Burton’s greatness is more back (than not) with “Corpse Bride,” an animated gothic day of the dead-like fairy tale featuring a talented vocal cast, a worthwhile story and some endearing characters, inspired animation and wondrous music.
“Corpse Bride” has some definite awkward moments where things don’t fit. And, at times, Burton appears to make characters too cute-sy in order to appeal to younger audiences. But there’s a lot in this film,
visually and in terms of story and characterization, to entrance most all viewers.
All in all, the film is short enough, intriguing enough and visually dense enough that viewers won’t have the opportunity to become too annoyed by its shortcomings.
The storyline is simple, but also quite effective in a dark sort of fairy tale-like way. Set in what appears to be one of those dank 19th century English towns from some old novel, the poor but haughty aristocratic Everglot family has arranged to marry off their daughter to the son of the nouveau riche Dort family.
Neither set of parents are ones anyone would particularly want for their own. The Everglots are willing to sacrifice their shy lovely daughter for a bank balance, while the Dorts want social prestige at the cost of their nervous son.
But luck happens to be with the prospective couple (and the viewer) when Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria (Emily Watson) meet. They’re really meant for one other.
But when Victor badly fumbles his vows, he is sent off, and he practices them to what turns out to be a dead bride buried under the bank of a frozen river. A now very happy Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter) is reanimated, says yes, and Victor is magically transported to the underworld as her husband.
After a failed attempt to return to the world, Victor finally comes to appreciate the real inner beauty of the Corpse Bride.
We adore both of the women, and how both are deserving. But there was a crime committed some years ago, causing the death of the poor bride, and that murder must be avenged for things to be set right.
The gothic, almost otherworldly settings of “Corpse Bride” range from a dark 19th century town to a daunting forest to a jazz-like skeleton crowded underworld and a church fit for séances. Other visual treats include reels of old cinema references and witty sight gags to reward multiple viewings.
Burton brilliantly animates a world in this film that smartly refers to our own, and to eclectic cinematic history, without upsetting the magic and possibility of his fabulous story settings.
“Corpse Bride” would not have had the same charm or imaginative atmosphere filmed with real people, even though characters like Depp’s would have likely translated directly onto the screen.
Celebrate Halloween early this year with a tricked-up treat, courtesy of an apparently rejuvenated Tim Burton.

New book Discussion group's first Meeting Oct. 13
Marianne Lechuga | Staff Reporter

Reading doesn’t have to be about reading your history or biology textbooks in order to pass a test. The MSU English club wants to bring the joy of reading as a hobby to students by forming the MSU Book Discussion Group. The group will be presented and sponsored by the English club and in partnership with the MSU Bookstore and UPB.
“Our purpose with the book discussion group is to get students interested in reading and for pleasure,” Jason York, president of the English club said.
The book discussion group will kick off with its first meeting on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. in the Clark Student Center. It will be open to both students and faculty.
“We want this to be a university-wide event, but our focus is on the students,” York said.
So what can members expect to read?
“The books that have been chosen for review and discussion have been selected based on their readability and their content,” York said.
The members tried to pick books that weren’t so mainstream like Harry Potter or from well-known authors such as Dean Koontz. It was important to them to pick books students might not know of to broaden their library.
“I’m hoping students will pick up and read a book they might not have thought of otherwise,” sophomore Karla Phillips said.
The novels were also chosen because students can relate to them.
“Most of the books deal with issues that MSU students face, such as living in a multi-cultural society with many diverse world views and beliefs,” York said.
The book of the month for October will be “The Witch of Cologne” by Tobsha Learner. Members can look forward to “Way to Rainy Mountain” by Dr. N. Scott Momaday for November, and “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini in December.
Momaday, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, will also be a guest on Nov. 18 as part of the artist lecture series and will coincide with the discussion.
“We coordinated it so you could read the book before he comes for the artist lecture series,” Phillips said.
Students can pick up the novels at the campus bookstore at a 20 percent discount.
“Our goal is to discuss one book per month,” York said.
Members don’t have to be bookworms or English majors to be a member of the discussion group.
“People seem to think that literary types get their rocks off on diagramming sentences and conjugating verbs, but really we like to have fun and we like to deal with issues that affect all of us collectively,” York said.
Some students might be apprehensive about reading something other than what is assigned to them in class.
“It’s definitely more of a commitment than watching a movie or TV. You have to put time into it and I think that’s what turns people away,” Phillips said.
Phillips believes because books don’t provide visual images the way movies do, students don’t like to read novels. However, for avid readers the creative freedom that comes with your own imagination is a major advantage.
“At the same time with the time commitment the story is fuller and there’s more character development,” Phillips said.
Reading can also improve a student’s vocabulary and writing skills.
“It will help their composition and language skills as well as just being more knowledgeable,” bookstore manager Jenny Duncan, manager of the MSU bookstore, said.
The book discussion group hopes that students will not only learn something from the books, but also indulge in them.
“Ultimately we would like to see a literary renaissance begin right here at MSU, driven by students deeply and positively dedicated to enhancing and advancing their own personal intellectual development through a love of reading,” York said.

'Kite Runner' an Emotional Read
Jason Alan York | Staff Reporter

I'm addicted. I admit it. For a while I thought I could just ignore it and it would go away, but then three days ago I completely fell victim to it: bibliophilism, the love of books. While I've always been an avid reader, this latest book confirmed my status as a real-life bookaholic. One of these days if I'm not careful they're going to come in and find me buried beneath a fallen stack of books. What a way to go!
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, an ethnic Pashtun who grows up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir enjoys a privileged life before the Russian invasion in the late '70s. His closest friend is a boy named Hassan, an ethic Hazara born into servitude, whose unfailing loyalty to Amir provides the impetus for every twist of the plot. This is a coming-of-age story no educated person should miss.
Besides sharing the same nursemaid during their infancies, Amir and Hassan fly kites together in childhood contests whose object is to cut the strings of everyone else's kites until only one is left flying. As each kite falls, runners chase them down to bring them home as trophies. One afternoon Hassan runs to retrieve a kite for Amir and ends up in a dark alley at the mercy of a Pashtun boy named Assef. Amir finds Hassan corndered in a dark alley by Assef who proceeds to rape Hassan. Amir is too afraid of Assef to do anything to stop him from raping Hassan. What happens in that alley changes the relationship between Amir and Hassan forever.
The alley scene exposes the ugliness of humanity at war with itself. Amir's subsequent demons of guilt reflect the state of a society torn apart by fanaticism, suspicion, and weakness. Amir is so ashamed of himself that anytime he sees Hassan, waves of guilt come over him. He tries to make his father fire the servants by planting money in Hassan’s bed. Hassan and his father leave, but Amir finds out that not even the absence of Hassan makes him feel any better. Even a quarter of a century later, after Amir has emigrated to America and made a life for himself, unworthiness and remorse haunt his mind, like a shadow reaching from Kabul to California.
The shadow even falls on the reader. In this post-9/11 world, Afghanistan is a major player in the media, foreign policy, and the collective world psyche. Human suffering intrigues, repulses, and terrifies. This book does that, too. Hosseini never forces his readers to feel any pity or compassion for the characters. He never needs to. The characters earn the reader's sympathy just by dealing with the hardships and injustices of life in uncertain and unsafe times.
An overwhelming hopelessness prevails throughout the lives of Amir and Hassan, a sense that only injustice and human suffering will ever exist in Afghanistan or between the two friends. The novel becomes extremely dark in some places. Anyone who doesn't shed a tear in the middle of Chapter 17 either has no heart or wasn't paying attention because it is, in a strange way, the moment of catharsis.
Amir's life is shaped by his father, who represents the strong, silent type of parent that doesn't deal well with perceived weakness or imperfection in his children. Baba works hard to provide a decent life for his son. Even after they emigrate to America after losing everything, Baba continues to work to give Amir a chance in life. Despite his early disappointment in Amir, Baba eventually grows to appreciate his son's talents and achievements as a writer.
After Baba's death Amir makes the discovery that changes his life forever. A friend from his youth invites him to Pakistan, where he tells Amir the truth about Hassan and Baba. The incident in the alley so many years before comes rushing back, flooding Amir with new guilt and anger. With the information he learns in Pakistan, Amir is also given a chance to find redemption, to put right all of the wrongs.
"The Kite Runner" is a New York Times bestseller and one of the most powerful novels I've ever encountered. Its simplicity and stark realism leave no room for pretense. It is pared down to its absolute minimum, leaving nothing but an incredibly precise narrative reminiscent of the staccato sound of small-arms fire. So good it deserves a second read, Hosseini's first novel will impact your life and change your view of Afghanistan forever.
“The Kite Runner” is available at the MSU Bookstore.