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At the Movies: 'Sky Captain and the World
of Tomorrow'
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Special to The Appalachian |
Good visuals, rest depressing
by Nick Coulapides
Staff Writer
“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is another prime
example of a movie that can dazzle with state of the art effects yet
let you down with its central story.
Has Hollywood learned anything from its past? Obviously
not, since the old trend “if it works once, it can work again” never
seems to get old.
There is nothing I can’t stand more than movies that copycat the
successes of the old and sell it. It’s one thing to recycle the
idea and make it anew. However, it is quite another to make it so abundantly
obvious what you are stealing.
In “Sky Captain” you get the feel you are watching everything
from “Superman” to “Indiana Jones” to even “Jurassic
Park.”
Its A-list cast doesn’t even seem very thrilled to
put forth any effort into their characters, especially Angelina Jolie.
Her British accent has to be marked down as one of the worse accent portrayals
ever.
Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow do their best to spark some
sort of chemistry between them, but it is all for nothing (more laughable
really). Law plays Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan, a freelance fighter pilot
who stands for “truth and justice” and is basically a superman
without inhuman powers.
Girls love him and men want to be him, yet I wanted to
see him perish the second he came across the screen for one of his save
the day escapades with the line, “I’m on my way.”
Cue the heroic, up-beat musical score and there he is faster
than a speeding ... oh wait that’s Superman.
Paltrow plays Polly Perkins, a witty and nosy newspaper
reporter who used to have a fling with Joe (hmm, Lois Lane anyone). Now
she is trying to uncover some secret that involves colossal, flying robots,
which are stealing the world’s generators, animals and scientists.
Set in 1930s New York, Joe and his damsel in distress embark to uncover
who is behind such madness and treachery. Maybe the screenwriter is a
good start. On their way, the two ex-lovers enjoy taking cheap shots
at each other as to who was to blame for their break-up and why they
are not still together.
Ah, but to throw a wrench in the secondary plot, we get Franky (Jolie),
who shockingly was also involved with Joe.
Jolie’s character is really a poor, poor excuse to throw in a couple
more action sequences that aren’t even necessary to where the film
was going in the first place.
To tell more about the plot would take away much from “Sky Captain” and
its few good moments. The film’s real shine comes in the way it
was shot, giving off a very black and white feel to it. The film is shot
halfway between full color and sepia tone, so that it covers the richness
of color and yet gets the distance and nostalgic quality of an old photograph.
However, even the savvy look of “Sky Captain” can’t
save its story, which should always be the primary source to a good movie.
In the end, “Sky Captain” is one titanic-sized failure that
had potential. Don’t let the world of your tomorrow involve wasting
two hours on a movie you have already seen.
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Sky is limit in 'Captain'
by Ryan Finn
Staff Writer
“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is what happens
when Saturday morning serial cartoons fuse with late night sci-fi pulp-trash.
In other words, it’s a lot of fun.
The film is also a landmark in some ways. Director Kerry Conran labored
for years on his Macintosh to create a six-minute computer-generated
imagery (CGI) sequence of robots trashing New York City streets. Director/producer
Jon Avnet saw the footage and convinced Conran to turn it into a full-length
film.
Doing that would require a little fanciful footwork. You see, other than
the actors and their immediate props, the entire film is created digitally
through CGI backdrops vistas, machines, interiors, ships, planes and
more. Above all this is an extraordinarily brave move for Conran.
The real treat is seeing what the director does with this
technique. His entire imagination is open for sponging, and he doesn’t disappoint.
He bombards the audience with visual and aural joys the likes of which
I can’t rightly put into words. Thankfully, he backs up these technical
fireworks with story and character.
Jude Law is Joe ‘Sky Captain’ Sullivan, a flying
ace who inexplicably maintains his own private squadron of planes, primed
and ready for saving the world, I imagine. When giant, flying robots
attack 1930s New York City, Joe saves the day all by himself. Here he
runs into old flame/intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow)
who is busy sniffing out a hot story.
Also on hand are Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), the mechanical genius who works
with Joe, and Captain Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), the prim but fiery
commander who provides assistance and subplots. All four actors truly
accept the silliness of their roles and perform with grin-inducing joy.
Those giant robots are just the beginning. Soon our heroes and heroines
brave bird-like attack ships, underwater missile-firing siege machines
and crossbred animal experiments. A mysterious and dangerous Dr. Totenkopf
is the criminal mastermind behind it all.
I wouldn’t dare spoil the rest of the story because it’s
just too much fun. Imagine yourself as a 13-year-old boy reading science-fiction
comic books from the 1940s and 1950s and you’ll understand the
territory in which this film plays.
Naturally, there are problems, but they may come from Conran’s
relative inexperience. The characters are iconic, unreachable and completely
held at a distance. Don’t expect to empathize with these people.
The performances also come off as stilted at times; given
the time-gap between actors and characters, this is somewhat understandable.
Still, there are lines that just don’t convince and moments that feel
untrue even within the confines of the film’s own hyper-real world.
Throwbacks are touchy things, and audiences might not respond
in the way you expect. Comparisons to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” are
inevitable. While “Sky Captain” is obviously no “Raiders,” there
are still many glorious wonders contained in it.
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Appalachian Evening combines motley
talents
by Lindsey Craven
Intern Writer
A group of musicians that perform everything from country
to traditional folk/bluegrass music will be playing in Plemmons Student
Union's Blue Ridge Ballroom on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. This performance
will mark the sixth annual fundraiser entitled "An Appalachian Evening."
There will be several performers including: Katy Taylor
with friends from her band Alternate Roots, Trish Kilby Fore, Lisa Baldwin
and professor and chair of the Department of English at Appalachian State
University, Dr. Dave Haney.
Taylor with be performing with band mates Steve Lewis,
Scott Freeman and Tony Testerman. The four formed Alternate Roots with
Willard Gayheart and Randy Pasley in 1997.
According to the band's Web site they have released three
albums. These releases are "Tales of Love and Sorrow" in 1998, "Another
Dirt Road" in 2000 and their most recent, "Branching Out," in 2002. Taylor
has also released her first solo recording entitled "Warm Covers for
Cold Nights."
Hugh Sturgill and Lisa Baldwin will also join Taylor and
Alternate Roots on stage.
Kilby Fore is a graduate of Appalachian. She plays
the clawhammer banjo and will be accompanied by Haney on guitar, mandolin,
and vocals.
Baldwin and Haney have performed their acoustic music for "Appalachian
Evening" in the past.
Baldwin writes many of the duo's songs and plays guitar
and keyboards. She also sings lead and harmony.
"Lisa has been influenced by several singer/songwriters
such as Shawn Colvin and Nancy Griffith. She is also a fan of
early '80s rock, particularly Metallica. We are probably the only
Subaru in Boone that has both bluegrass/folk music stickers and a Metallica
sticker on the back," Haney said.
Haney and Baldwin have been performing together for 14
years. Haney has also been the lead singer and guitarist of Boston's
Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys and has also done solo folk
performances.
"My core music was traditional bluegrass country," Haney
said.
Haney has recorded two albums through Rounder Records and
toured the United States, Canada and Europe, performing several times
on "A Prairie Home Companion," a Minnesota-based radio show.
"These are performers that are thought well of by the community. We
also have three women performing and the scholarship is benefiting Appalachian
Studies, which includes Appalachian women. We wanted to have something
very special to commemorate the 25 th anniversary," Dr. Patricia Beaver
said about her choice of performers.
This performance will be the 25 th anniversary of "An Appalachian
Evening". There have been a wide variety of performers in the past such
as Mary Green, Rick Stone, Cecil Gurganus, Lost Faculties, Tale Twisters
featuring Nancy Collins and Dorothy Lane and Melanie Rice.
The performance is being held to benefit the Edward J.
Cabbell Scholarship in Appalachian Studies on campus. This scholarship
supports an Appalachian studies graduate student's research focusing
on African-Americans, Native Americans and women in Appalachia. The
concert also benefits the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Challenge Grant which supports regional research, education and outreach.
They will be taking applications for this scholarship through
the fall semester and into the spring semester. This program has raised
$1,000 to $2,000 in the past and the NEH has agreed to match every three
dollars that the program raises. This money will go towards the Appalachian
Studies programs, the Appalachian studies section of the Belk Library
and the cultural museum.
Tickets for this concert are $10 for the general public
and $5 for students. You can buy your tickets, in advance through
the Center for Appalachian Studies. For more ticket information
call 262-4089.
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Barn Dance exposes ASU to
folk traditions
by Amanda Edgell
Intern Writer
The Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS) Heritage
Council has been hosting contra/barn dances since 1996 in an effort to
expose Appalachian State University students to the traditional dance
styles of the Appalachian Mountains.
This month's Barndance will be from 7:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
tomorrow night at Legends.
"People in communities have always found ways to have fun
together, and dancing and playing music have often been one of those
ways," Program coordinator for the department of Learning, Reading, and
Exceptionalities Dr. Nancy Mamlin said.
Mamlin is a veteran caller for dances like the Barndance
that the APPS Heritage Council hosts monthly.
The cost of admission is $1 for students ($2 for guests)
and helps ensure that future APPS Heritage events, like Heritage Week
(October 4-9), remain free of charge.
"Barn dancing incorporates all traditional Appalachian
dances," Chairperson for the APPS Heritage Council Mark Freed said. This
includes three main styles of dance: contra, square and circle.
The main difference between the three is the shape the
dancers make on the floor. Contra dances are done in a line, and
square dances are, of course, danced in a square-shape.
Circle dances, which like square dances are name-indicative,
became popular as people held dancing events in their homes. The
circle shape allows more dancers to fit in a small space, such as a living
room.
Whatever the specific dance, Freed said that the Barndance
allows students to "taste some of the entertainment that used to go on
up here before radio and TV infiltrated the mountains."
It is Mamlin's job as the caller of the event to facilitate
that entertainment.
"At the dance, my main function is to create a party. I
want the band to have fun, the dancers to have fun, and those that are
sitting out to have fun," Mamlin said.
"A lot of the job involves my communication with the band.
The band for this dance will be the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, and I'm
really excited about that. They are the real deal, and a great dance
band," Mamlin said.
By the "real deal" Mamlin means that the Roan Mountain
Hilltoppers are natives to Appalachian music traditions. The founding
band members grew up on Roan Mountain, and have dedicated themselves
to producing authentic Appalachian music.
Mamlin has the experience, too. In 15 years, she has called
in 24 different states, the District of Columbia, and England. She has
called at various events from regular community dances to weddings and
bar mitzvahs and has been a feature caller at weekend and weeklong events.
When asked how students and Appalachian culture will benefit
from these events, Mamlin said, "Many grew up being exposed to this kind
of music and dance, and this can remind them that even though they are
students at the university, there is a thriving community that we're
sitting in the midst of which has been very important to our history."
Freed agrees that students at Appalachian State can profit
from the Appalachian culture. "I hope people come out. It's a
good way to have fun and get a taste of the culture here."
More people are taking advantage of this "taste" of Appalachian
culture. The first dance of the year had around 150 people turn
out, up from the expected 100.
"Last time a lot of people came out. There were
a lot of new faces, so that was fun," Freed said.
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Hypnotist makes annual visit
to campus
by Elizabeth Ashford
Staff Writer
Anyone who has ever wondered if hypnotism is real needs
to come see hypnotist Jim Wand in action.
The event is free and will be tomorrow at 8 p.m. with doors
opening at 7:30 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium.
"I'm excited because it's one of our biggest events in
the fall, easily about 400 to 500 people come out and I think last year
we actually had close to 800. But it's really cool because the audience
is participating in it," Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS)
Special Events Chair Adam C. Faulkner said.
Faulkner said Wand will bring about 30 to 40 people on
stage and it takes 10 to 15 minutes for people to become hypnotized.
The rest of the show is just watching them.
"He brings students onto the stage and then they can get
hypnotized on stage and if they don't get hypnotized on stage [the people
in the audience] if they're paying attention close enough, they'll be
hypnotized and then he brings them on stage." Faulkner said.
"Mainly they're doing the same thing; sometimes he'll start
playing music and they'll all be part of an act and you'll see them dancing
and thinking they're part of a band. It's really funny," Faulkner said.
"I remember my first time I went. Before I went I always
thought it was fake. I always thought they brought people backstage and
made them sign an oath. But they don't and they do the craziest stuff
I've ever seen and it's hilarious," APPS President Billy C. Morris said.
Faulkner said that the show has included people pretending
they're Britney Spears or acting as though they're having a baby under
hypnosis.
Faulkner said Wand always tries to stop indecent acts on
stage and tries to keep things under control, but he can't predict what
everyone will do.
"Last year we had a girl moon the audience while she was
doing a farting contest. She pulled down her pants, so unfortunately,
you can't predict stuff like that and it does happen," Faulkner said.
Faulkner said if you really want to be hypnotized, you'll
probably be able to go under.
"If you seriously want to do it and you're seriously focusing
and concentrating on what he's saying and the light that he has, you'll
go under. But if you're not, if you're fighting it, if your subconscious
doesn't want you to, you won't and sometimes you can't control it," Faulkner
said.
APPS Public Relations Director Gina M. Wooten said Wand
always tries to vary the shows that he puts on.
"He doesn't do the exact same show every year at all. I
think he even told our council last year that he kind of remembers the
stuff that he does at each school to make sure that he doesn't do the
same thing each year," Wooten said.
Faulkner said it's funny to see your peers on stage and
it adds to the show when later on you can tell your friends what happened
on stage.
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