The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 04, 2005, Page 10, Image 10
“SIN CITY”
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
In terms of both brutal violence and
cutthroat style, “Sin City,” the lush,
stark and disturbing retelling of Frank
Miller’s graphic novels, makes “Kill
Bill Vol. 2” look like the first Care
Bears movie. It’s intense,
overwhelming and, well, kicks ass. If
you’ve ever wanted to root for the bad
guy, this is your movie. In Sin City,
everyone’s a bad guy. It’s all just a
question of perspective and who’s
holding the gun.
The film is essentially a mix of three
Miller stories, weaved together in black
and white, periodically blasted with
primary colors for blood, eyes, a dress,
a Yellow Bastard. The stories
themselves are pretty irrelevant,
holding the film together at its comic
book seams. What really drives it are
the crazed images. Every moment in
“Sin City” is a stand-alone work of art.
In the same manner as the makers
of “Sky Captain and the World of
Tomorrow,” director Robert
Rodriguez’s new nightmare was filmed
entirely in front of green screens, with
many of the actors never meeting each
other until opening night, and virtually
all the sets were digitized. But unlike
“Sky Captain,” which felt like two
hours trapped in the back of a poorly
lit zeppelin, this movie works and flows
beautifully. Viewers are caught up in a
place of pain, hopelessness and
corruption, but it’s impossible to leave
because it’s impossible to look away.
After the visuals, it’s the maddening
character studies that give “Sin City” its
foundation. Three men (Bruce Willis’
honest cop, Clive Owen’s romantic
vigilante and Mickey Rourke’s torture
happy sweetheart) try to do the right
thing for the women they love. But in
this place, where everyone is out to get
you, doing the right thing might very
well mean killing a helluva lot of
people, sometimes very slowly, and
luting 11.
The best of the
three stories
belongs to
Rourke, who plays
the homely Marv
as the heart of “Sin
City.” A loveable hunk of poorly j
chiseled granite, Marv wakes up with a j
dead hooker in his bed and a corrupt i
police force on his tail. The conflicted i
convict immediately takes on the case
to avenge his love, popping anti
psychotics along the way and making j
use of slow, almost comic torture only i
when he feels he’s got the right guy. i
His internal monologues, sandwiched :
between overly cliche “Pulp Fiction”
dialogues, carry the narrative flow and
give the movie a sense of self.
“Sin City” isn’t for everyone. The :
women are either angels or whores,
good-natured strippers or homicidal
prostitutes, broads or dames. It’s j
shamelessly violent — pedophilia and i
cannibalism make cameos; traditional i
story lines and acts of heroism are i
systematically shot in the face and then |
gutted. But if viewers can take this as a |
revolutionary graphic novel brought to i
life, surreal and out of this world, “Sin i
City” is a welcome breath of fresh air in j
this post-Oscar purgatory. If that’s not j
an option, however, it might be best to |
stick with the likes of “The Pacifier” and j
“Miss Congeniality 2” and keep hope i
alive for what summer will bring.
Comments on this story? E-mail
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1 PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
For "Sin City,” director Robert Rodriguez replicated
scenes from Frank Miller’s graphic novels (above).
-1
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There s some bad news
&
there s some good news
The BAD NEWS is that Level 5 is a mess.
The GOOD N&WS is that there will be better
study space in the building.
Level 5 is being renovated
to allow fore more study space
on the Main Level which will be
renovated this summer.
in the meantime, there s
still plenty of study space
on Levels 1-4 and
the Mezzanine Level.
Staff members at the
Reference and Circulation Desks
can help you find a place to study.
"mm boo * Bins ^nppo
0
Pope book sales soar
after pontiffs death
By HILLEL ITALIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Sales of books by and
about Pope John Paul II have soared
since his death Saturday, with several
quickly reaching the top 20 of
Amazon.com and Barnes &
Noble.com.
Leading titles include five by John
Paul: “The Way to Christ,” “Memory
and Identity,” “Pope John Paul: In My
Own Words,” “Rise, Let Us Be On Our
Way” and “Crossing the Threshold of
“Hope.” Another popular book has been
“Witness to Hope,” a biography by
George Weigel, a Catholic theologian
and syndicated columnist.
Because of the pope’s extended
illness, both publishers and booksellers
had time to prepare. Within hours of his
death, HarperCollins announced that a
new book by Weigel, not yet titled,
would come out by the end of the year
and “examine the death of the pope and
the Church he left behind, while also
offering an unparalleled inside account
of the election of the next pope.
“No writer today has a better
understanding of the papacy than
George Weigel,” Tim Duggan,
HarperCollins’ Executive Editor, said in
a statement. “I’m absolutely certain thar
he will provide a rich, illuminating
account that stands as the defining
chronicle of this next phase in the
Church’s history.”
New books already out or coming
soon include “Holy Father,” by Greg
Tobin, and two works by the staff of the
Chicago Tribune: “A Global Pilgrim:
The Journey of John Paul” and “John
Paul II.”
Stores around the country, from the
Tattered Cover in Denver, to R.J. Julia
Booksellers in Madison, Conn., were
offering recommendations to customers.
Nancy Brown, a buyer for R.J. Julia, said
she was emphasizing books for children,
including John Paul's “Every Child a
Light.”
“Children watch TV, they go to
church, so this affects them, too,” Brown
said Sunday.
Borders Group Inc. anticipates
interest in the conclave, the secret
gathering of cardinals that chooses the
next pope, and is citing such works as
“Heirs of the Fisherman” by John
Peter Pham, and “Conclave” by
Michael Walsh. Barnes & Noble Inc.
has sent a long list of suggested tides to
its stores, including Carl Bernstein’s
biography, “His Holiness,” and the
collaborative “John Paul II: A Pope for
the People,” with Arthur Hertzberg and
Heinz Joachim Fischer among the
authors.
“We’ve instructed our stores to
tastefully pull together and display all
the books (about the Pope) we currendy
have," said Bob Wietrak, a vice president
for merchandising for Barnes & Noble.
Media coverage of John Paul’s death
will likely take attention from three
major U.S. books scheduled to come out
Tuesday: Jane Fonda ‘s “My Life So
Far,” Jack Welch’s “Winning” and Sue
Monk Kidd’s “The Mermaid Chair,”
her followup to the million-selling novel
“The Secret Life of Bees.”
A publicist for Fonda said both
segments of a two-part interview with
“60 Minutes” had been scheduled for
Sunday, but the second segment was
postponed until next Sunday.
HarperCollins, which will release
“Winning,” and Kidd’s publisher,
Penguin Group USA, said no changes
currendy were planned.
■ WOODSMAN
Continued from page 9
that he knows exactly who it is that
he can no longer see.
A day without his brother-in
law usually holds a visit from Sgt.
Lucas, played by Mos Def, who
seems to exist almost solely for the
purpose of doubting Walter’s
resolve to overcome his problem.
It isn’t until the end of the movie
when Walter beats a man he
suspects of being just like him that
Sgt. Lucas begins to gain some
depth as a character.
With an exact description of
Walter and the assault occurring
not 100 feet from his apartment,
Sgt. Lucas has every reason to
arrest Walter, but he decides to
smile and walk away from the
situation entirely. It is this kind of
slow-paced action that
characterizes the whole movie and
never allows it to fly too far off the
handle.
“The Woodsman,” gives an
interesting perspective to the side
of pedophilia that people tend to
steer away from. The subject
matter leads to a few awkward
situations but lends itself to some
equally powerful encounters that
leave the audience a little rattled
and not just a little uncomfortable.
If the subject matter doesn’t
bother you, then check out “The
Woodsman” to see Bacon at his
best — showing society at its
worst.
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■ UPSIDE
Continued from page 9
unravels and experiences Ihe
frustrations that make her
unmistakably human.
With the exception of Witt’s
minimal screen presence,
Christensen, Russell and Wood all
deliver praiseworthy performances
as Terry’s daughters. Wood
especially deserves recognition, as
she eloquently encapsulates the
family’s struggles in her opening
and closing montages.
“The Upside of Anger” is one of
the best films of 2005. The movie
will have viewers laughing,
sometimes at seemingly
inappropriate times and much to
the credit of Allen and Costner,
but it will also impart a profound
lingering sadness because of the
surprise ending.
Without cheesiness, crudity or
other tasteless tactics,
writer/director Mike Binder
successfully manages to balance
comedy, drama and romance.
“The Upside of Anger” will win
over audiences everywhere with its
steady dose of heart and its surefire
comedic wit.
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gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu
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~W^- USIL for the week of April 5
Lisa Marie Presley
Various Artists
/ he him Lady / Llevator
Faith Evans Hot Hot Heat
"We 're Not Happy Till You ’re Happy "
Reel Big Fish
/ “Suspended Animation’
Fantomas
“Verve Remixed, VoL 3 j
Various Artists
'State of Trance 2005 ”
Armin Van Buuren