The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 13, 2003, Page 8, Image 8
8 THE GAMECOCK ^ Monday, Jannavy 13, 2002
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Elijah Wood, pictured here as Frodo Bagglns in "The Two Towers,” asked to keep every bit of makeup used to create his face.
Are the films really
good enough to merit
all this hype? After
viewing‘The Two
Towers,’ the answer is
a resounding yes.
BY BEN ANGSTADT
THE CAMECOCK
Fans of the “Lord of the Rings”
books and movies know the now
famous quote: “One ring to rule
them all.”
However, in the past year, the
better quote to describe the “Lord of
the Rings” is “one franchise to rule
them all.” These stories that were
once limited to the readers of fantasy
literature have now infiltrated the
mass market in a major way.
Since the theatrical release of
“The Fellowship of the Ring” in 2001,
“Lord of the Rings” has been
everywhere. This new Ring-hysteria
has spawned all forms of new
products, including reprinted
versions of the original books, action
figures and multiple video games.
“The Fellowship of the Ring”
DVD was a best seller when released
in August 2002, and when four- and
five-disc extended cut versions of
the film were released in November,
they were best sellers as well.
But the release of “Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers,” the
second installment of Peter
Jackson’s film trilogy, begs the
question: Are the films really good
enough to merit all this hype?
After viewing “The Two
Towers,” the answer is a
resounding yes. The faster pace,
intense action sequences and
captivating plot will likely make the
film a new favorite.
“The Two Towers” picks up right
where “Fellowship” left off. Hobbits
Merry and Pippin have been taken
captive by a traveling army of Ores.
The human Aragom, dwarf Gimli
and elf Legolas are hot on the Ores’
trail to try to recover their abducted
friends. And Frodo and Samwise are
wen on meir way 10
Mordor, the final
destination in then
quest to destroy the
legendary One Ring
“The Two
Towers” also
introduces a few
new characters as
well. The most significant of these is
King Theoden and the region of
Rohan — the next target of
Saruman the White’s evil army.
Gollum, the former owner of the
“precious” One Ring, accompanies
Frodo and Sam on their journey to
destroy the ring. The Gollum
character is computer-animated
and, like the widely detested Jar Jar
Binks of “Star Wars” fame,
becomes, at times, an annoying, yet
central figure in the film.
Gollum, representative of
Gollum’s ring-possessed side, does
provide a few moments of comic
relief as he is seen warring with his
other personality, Smeagol, who
represents what Gollum used to be
before the ring changed him. The
Smeagol/Gollum split is depicted as
an almost schizophrenic condition
in the movie, which is different
from the book’s depiction, yet it
proves effective.
As the film goes on, three separate
story lines develop. Frodo and Sam
travel ever closer to Mordor with the
help of Gollum. Meanwhile, Merry
and Pippin encounter the Ents, a
race of moving, talking trees, who
conieinpuue joining
the fight against
Saruman and Sauron.
The most action-filled
escapade, by far, is
the journey of
Aragom, Gimli and
Legolas, who travel to
Rohan and encounter
the city’s crippled King, Theoden.
Theoden is being influenced by an
advisor who has anything but the
best interests of Rohan in mind. This
story culminates in the epic battle of
Helm’s Deep, where Saruman’s
army attacks Helm’s Deep, the
legendary fortress of Rohan.
The minor differences
between “The Two Towers” film
and the book, while
insignificant to observers of the
movie, may grate on the nerves
of devoted fans. The screenplay
takes many liberties with the
Elves and Dwarves, going so far
as to include an army of Elves
in the battle of Helm’s Deep,
which does not occur in the
book. The personalities and
significance of some of the
supporting characters are
♦ TWO TOWERS, SEE PAGE 10
Middle Earth Inc.
H°w a trilogy spawned a franchise
THE BOOKS
What started it all.
J.R.R.Tolkein’sfour
novels inspired an
entire generation's
worth of fantasy
novels, games and
culture. Some critics
have branded the
series as the greatest
modem epic.
THE VIDEO GAME |
The kids of the new
generation couldn't do |
without a video game
release. The reviews *
came in just as
positive as for the p
movie, p
THE ACTION FIGURE
L The even younger kids
need something too.
The nine-piece action
Igl figure set now goes
■ft for almost $90 on
Mm E'ba^
GRAPHIC BY DAVID STAGG/THE GAMECOCK
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Gothics gather in Victorian-era lingerie for Elysium
Haven at New
Brookland
Tavern invites
underculture
BY COREY GARRIOTT
THE GAMECOCK
Columbia’s Gothic under
ground celebrated Elysium on
Dec. 28 at the New Brookland
Tavern, mingling in the nicotine
with fellow creatures of the night.
They were actually quite pret
ty, if corsets are your thing.
They’re models — thin and as
pale (it might be the makeup) as
an antebellum southern lady. And
they’re dark enough for a playful
spat with the creator being, the
jerk who is responsible for their
tragic existence.
Also tragically, only 15 exist.
Maybe it’s another nose-jab at the
creator, but Columbia’s Gothic
haven’t gone forth and multiplied.
And, how embarrassing, I heard
a Carolina twang in a few of their
voices.
In fact, their escapist roots il
lustrate how much fun it would
be to join in.
“The people here are a lot more
mellow than in other places,”
Kurt Gigginbam said. “Go to bike
week — the odds of getting in a
fight are a lot less than at Spring
Break.”
The New Brookland Tavern is
the perfect place for Goths, said
Pet Balbuer, Columbia’s Elder
Goth, who has been Gothic since
high school. “The problem is that
Columbia doesn’t have a central
hub for Goths to go to,” he said.
“We have Baby Bats, Goths un
der 21 and new to the scene.
Because the Art Bar is 21 and up,
there’s no way we can get Baby
Bats in.”
He solved the problem by play
ing host to Elysium at the 18-and
up New Brookland Tavern.
Elysium is so popular, Goths trav
el from Charlotte, Raleigh
Durham and even Washington,
D.C., to attend.
If you too would like to in
crease their numbers —■ and
who that is male wouldn’t? — I
have prepared a quick guide for
you.
Goths are fairly fashionable, so
if you want to join the fun, be pre
pared to develop a killer outfit.
For Goths, the ’80s are back in
style — the 1880s. Corsets and lace
dresses are all the rage — Goth
fashion reincarnates the
Victorian Era.
The color scheme is simple.
Hair, of course, is
black or red. Lips
and nails also are
black or red.
Faces are white.
Tall boots
with clips are a
must. Instead of
shoestrings,
though, secure
them with belt
buckle fasteners.
Your boots
should substitute
for a growth
spurt; shimmer;
and clink, clink,
clink.
Guys can find
suitable pants at
the same store
where the coro
ner shops. They
should have
chains or wisps
of superfluous
cloth — both
communicate
PHOTO BY COREY GARRIOTT/THE GAMECOCK
Two creatures of the underworld play-act as members of a vampire clan.
your recent reincarnation.
Anything suitably aristocratic
(and black) will do for the top —
vampires are supposed to be
wealthy, sort of like Bruce
Wayne. Try a cape.
For girls, there’s a veritable
cemetery of Gothic apparel avail
able. Laced dresses worn with a
corset are popular. But if you’re
aiming to look more recently de
ceased, try a sheer, red thrift store
dress with X’s taped over sensi
tive areas.
Celebrated bimonthly, this
vampire masquerade ball isn’t for
everyone. Fans of music lighter
than Nine Inch Nails need not ap
ply. “Bow down before the one you
serve — you’re going to get what
you deserve,” instructed one of the
DJ’s riffs. But if you’re looking for
an interesting night out, the next
Elysium will be this month.
Comments on this story?E-mail j
gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
BOOK REVIEW
1Lullaby’
begins
strong,
falls flat
“LULLABY”
Chuck Palahniuk
★★★ outof-frin!?**
BY MEG MOORE
THE GAMECOCK
An ironic contrast to the
book’s soothing title, the cover of
Chuck Palahniuk’s latest novel
“Lullaby” features the image of a
neon yellow, dead bird flattened
against a stark-white back
ground.
While the morbidly curious
may find such a cover intriguing,
the discerning reader will recog
nize the cover image as a blatant
warning: “Lullaby” is ultimately
more bitter than sweet.
The book, which is the latest
from the “Fight Club” author,
hardly evokes a sense of comfort.
Steeped in the supernatural,
Palahniuk’s latest work is as cu
riously engaging as it is strange,
yet its original premise ultimate
ly undermines its philosophical
musings.
The novel chronicles the trav
els of a journalist, a real-estate
agent and their occult-obsessed
assistants.
Obviously, the main charac
ters are not your typical gang of
do-gooders — or bandits, for that
matter. Instead, they are all trou
bled individuals who come to
gether in response to a common
calling.
An ancient culling song, a ver
bal curse of death, has surfaced
amid the pages of a children’s po
etry anthology. Intrigued by this
anthology’s correlation with a
string of sudden infant deaths,
journalist Carl Streator realizes
that at the scene of every death,
page 27 appears to be the last page
that was read in the book.
He investigates the poem on
page 27 and soon realizes, and be
comes burdened with, its power.
If he so much as subconsciously
recites the song’s lyrics in his
head, he is likely to kill someone.
His research introduces him to
another carrier of this verbal
plague — a real estate agent
named Helen Boyle. Boyle;
Streator; Boyle’s assistant, Mona;
and Mona’s boyfriend embark on
a mission to destroy an *nuwn
copies of the culling song and ex
pose all those who have memo
rized its message.
The novel centers on the su
pernatural, and at first,
Palahniuk’s engaging writing
style almost makes the events be
lievable. Palahniuk often repeats
key phrases in the book, which
not only causes readers to won
der if they are experiencing deja
vu, but also spotlights passages
that are important to the work’s
questioning theme.
The tale flows well until a con
fusing barrage of black magic and
cryogenically frozen bodies takes
the story by storm. A reader, who
was at first intellectually stimu
lated, is now left with the after
taste of a storyline gone sour.
“Lullaby” asks significant
questions, but lacks the integrity
of a truly intellectual tale. The
novel drowns in its own attempts
at originality and enters an un
stoppable downward spiral to
ward the irredeemably strange.
If Palahniuk had kept
“Lullaby” from being drowned in
the disturbing, it likely would
maintain a more resonant tone.
As is, Palahniuk’s latest novel
♦ LULLABY, SEEPAGE 9