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Show ARTS & ENTERTAINMEI 6 - DIXIE SUN 13 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009 Wild Things not just for kids Students of BY KATE SEMMENS Dixie Sun Staff Writer Where the Wild Tilings Are is a wonderful film full of everything I expected and much more that I didnt. The film comes from a classic childrens Book written by Maurice Sendak. It is a book I cherished when I was young. When I first saw the preview for this movie over the summer it brought tears to my eyes as the characters I loved as a child were suddenly before me larger than life and just as real. It was with anxious anticipation that I waited for its release. Finally, on opening day and with my family in tow, I too traveled with Max to where the Wild Things are. Director Spike Jonze was refreshingly true to the book, not only in look and content, in feeling. It has 4 but also probably been 20 years since Ive picked up Where the Wild Things Are to read, but I can still remember exactly how Max looked in his pajama-lik- e wolf costume with paws and whiskers. I can remember how each Wild Thing appeared asdt paraded across the pages. I can remember the feeling of the entire package. It is a rare experience for me to watch a movie based off a book I have read and feel that the movie did the book any justice. I am usually satisfied with the attempt the film made, but can easily see the holes in the story line and find flaws in the characters. Ive come to expect it as no film has ever been able to compete with my imagination. I was amazed with the flawless execution of Jonze and crew in making the book come to life. Truly, I could find no fault. The characters were perfect. Every hair on their huge fuzzy heads, eveiy moment spent with Max, was perfect. There were also many things involved in this film that I hadnt expected. Obvi ously there were more tilings added to the film in order to make it longer than a commercial break in length, considering the book is very short. I was mystified with tire amount of intellectual psychology that accompanied the story development. In fact, I wouldnt be surprised to hear of a professor involving a psych class with a dissection of the film because to me it dove deep into tire inner workings of human behavior, thought and emotion. Simply the study of the relationship between K.W. and Carol could produce a wide variety of complex thought. In the book none of tire Wild Things have a name, but in the movie each is equipped with names, personalities, insecurities, talents and flaws. Each has a different role in tire family of tire Wild Things, and Max fit into that cohort very easily. Anyone, adult or child, can identify with tire anxieties' of Carol or tire doubtful insecure nature of Judith and tire bickering of fra, Alexander and Douglas. I especially identified with K.W. in her tender, feminine way. Toward the end of tire film is an emotional moment when Max is getting ready to leave tire Wild Tilings and return home. During this particular spot in tire movie my nephew turned to my brother with tears welling in his eyes and said, This is a little sad; I think Im going to cry, and big crocodile tears moved down his checks. Yes, this is a film for all ages. However, tire film isnt film spoof popular television skew very exciting.lt isnt dull or boring, just beautiful. There arent a lot of intense and special effects. If movie goers are expecting razzle dazzle, they simply arent going to get it. Nor are they going to get the simplicity of other kid movies coming onto the market like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. If you have ever read the book, go see tire film. If you have not read tire book but can appreciate tire simple complexity of life, go see the film. If youd like to with tire Wild Thing inside of you, go see tire film, because I believe inside each of us is a Wild Thing. So, just as Max said when he was first made king of the wild tilings, Let the wild rnrnpus start. Rated PG. over-the-t- BY KATIE JOHNSON Dixie Sun A&E Editor aieie-quiie- After getting the OK, several Dixie State College students ventured into the Mainstreet Plaza to film a ghost hunting spoof. Ghostalkers was created by Tim LeBaron, a senior business major from Hum-canand Derrick Lytle, a senior communication major from Overton, Nev., and is a show about paranormal activity. Ghost Hunters is a paranormal reality TV show featuring investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilso. They search for paranormal activity in places that are reportedly haunted. The show premiered in October of 2004 on the SyFy channel and has taken off since then. Lytle said LeBaron has always been a big fan of Ghost Hunters, but has noticed they never catch anything on camera as far as ghosts, noise and black masses go. That is when the idea came to these roommates to film their own spoof of the popular TV show. LeBaron works for tire company that manages the Mainstreet Plaza building and was granted access for the filming, which took place mainly in the basement where it is dar ker, Lytle said. The building has no hise, tory of paranormal activity, but after their first fi fining session on Oct. 10, LeBaron reported strange tilings happening. If there was a ghost at Mainstreet Plaza, we certainly made it mad that Saturday night when we did our filming, he said. Monday morning when I went to work, there were a series of problems that seemed to have mysteri Max Records stars as Max in Where the Wild Things Are. The film has been enjoyed by children and adults alike. Stephen Sondheim does not give many interviews. Why should he? Now 79, Sondheim long ago cemented his reputation as Broadway's most esteemed living composer and lyricist, and one of the American musical theaters greatest visionaries. From "West Side Story" to "A Little Night Music" to "Sweeney Todd" and on, the eight-tim- e e Tony Award has redefined and expanded the sonic and dramatic vocabulary of the hon-ore- Broadway musical, busting genre boundaries and nearly erasing the border between "serious" modem music and show tunes. Judging by his creative output, Sondheim has long thrived on taking left turns into left field. The New York City native wrote Iris first musical when he was a precocious And in his youth he was mentored by another Broadway innovator: lyricist-authOscar Hammerstein U, who with composer Richard Rodgers, crafted such landmark musicals as "Oklahoma!" and "South Pacific." Sondheim began his own Broadwaycareer writing lyrics for scores by such leading composers as Leonard Bernstein for "West Side Story" and Jule Styne on "Gypsy." Later, he conceived and wrote lyrics and music for his unequaled trove of "concept" musicals, starting with a 1964 box-offi- flop, "Anyone Can Whistle," followed by the 970 hit, "Company." Sondheim's shows (the most recent, "Road Show," reached Off Broadway last spring) have been strikingly different from one another in theme, tone, setting, style. Yet all challenged their 1 creator; his critics; and his loyal audience and cult of super-fanHis artistic daring also strongly influenced a younger wave of stage composers including "Rent" creator Jonathan Larson. Sondheim is encouraged that "young people are still writing for theater, when they could be writing pop and rock tunes. It doesn't matter if their shows arc good or savvy, s. bad. They're keeping the idiom alive." He's also open to the current wave of edgy revivals of his works. Sondheim is a fan of a "chamber" version of "Sunday in the Park With George" and others that snip down his orchestral scores. "I liked the two (English director) John Doyle did in New York ('Sweeney Todd' and 'Company')," he acknowledged. "I tend to write intimate musicals, so chamber versions are more appropriate than if 1 was writing splashy shows." Did he mind, though, that Doyles 2005 Broadway rendition of "Sweeney Todd" (starring a Patti LuPone) had all tire actors doubling as instrumentalists in what appeared to be an insane asylum? "No, I found it fulfilling. I guess I'm more flexible about it. I just accepted the concept as a fever dream, from Sweeney's point of tuba-blowi- theyre adapted from live musicals and Disney's live remakes of animated films. "I've tried not to make pronunciations in public," he stated. "With tire British musicals, I drought it was a phase, and flris too shall pass. We'll move away from the jukebox shows, too. But it will take longer, because shows," he continued. "You'll sit still for a song in a theater. But in movies, a glance from someone's eyes will tell you the whole story in a few seconds." Indeed, a career like Sondheim's in today's more corporatized Broadway, where shows are spun off hit movies or the songs of pop three-minu- te pop is so popular." For all dreir musical and other demands, Sondheim's best works have had impressive staying power, not just in revivals in New York and London, but in schools-aramateur the- superstars, is unimaginable. But Sondheim declined to assail such modem Broadway trends as the British invasion of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, "jukebox" drought of 'Sweeney' originally as an intimate piece, but Hal (director Flarold Prince) refused to do the original show without making it "You know, to run it It was down for a day and a half" LeBaron also said the main lighting panel forthe parking gaiagc had txso ci- rcuits blow' on the lights vvhci c they had been (liming, and the mam bleaker for half of the lights in the garage was ti ipped LeBaron and Lytle took fellow students and friends along with them, including Kade Riley, a sophomore accounting major liom LlU ton, Brady Case, a sophomore biology major liom Ashland, Ore., April Balter a sophomore science major from Saiatoga Springs, and Erica Andei son, a licshnun nursing major liom St. George. high-profi- We all had dilTeicnt equipment they had w etc a few lights, a camei a and a . tape recorder. Lytle said they spent roughly three hours at the Plaza the first time they filmed, and w'oukl tnoeob jects like an old shopping can and chains on camciat show ghosts and shadows He also said some of the girls dressed in black and wandered in the shadow sk create the illusion of a black mass After the film is edited. Lytle said the final show will definitely be posted on YouTube and Vimeo. He also said there aic more Which show is done the most? "Piobably 'lulu the Woods.' because it has no u oids. and kid-grammar school can rclak foui-lett- to the theme." fairy-tal- e The several high-scho- stagings of "Sweeney Todd arc nroic surprising, though not to its composer "Kids lore anything with blood. Vampiics, hoi i oi stones: nice, haish stuff and that's 'Sw ccney Todd '" (c) 2009, The Seattle Times. Disti ibuted by Mo i ibunc Seiv ices. Clalchy-T- Infoinu-tio- big." Tinr Burton's recent rv i ? - From left, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince and John Weidman gather in Ctvcago for the Goodmans production of Bounce. Sondheim has worked wieh other n directors including Tim Burton. well-know- it iiitlemen rh m BY MAT' Su Dixie i 1 ' ads of ceduca Nnd tb episodes of G hoslalkei s" ovease in the works. They are look Icant ing for locations lot these trely ini future show s. Lytle said 'lies tc there is a' place in the gorge that looks promising, and itticul; most of the othci interesting are co sites ate in St Georae. oen sti aters. - lution, jobs," Lytic said. "Most opposi were ghost stalkei s. but k argum ran the carnet a and J im did .use we I the directing. ttune to I Ie also said the only X i 1. Before 1 address I "Sweeney Todd" film, with a singing Johnny Depp as the "demon barber of Fleet Street" also gels high marks from Sondheim. "I think it's the one movie (based on my shows) that worked, because Tim made it a film, not a recording of a stage musical. "I'm veiy opinionated about movie musicals, when MA ously happened. Theelcv, toi in the paiking gaiaa-bletwo fuses that Sondheim redefines Broadway theater and music BY MISHA BERSON MCT gV |