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Show 'Corpse' dead on arrival In almost exactly the same style as the maca- look as dismal as their surroundings). Maybe that's bre 1993 masterpiece "The Nightmare Before why the acting is so mediocre. Because so much Christmas" (created by Tim Burton), "Corpse attention is devoted to the technological elements of the film (which are all mesmerizBride" is another Claymation film ing) there doesn't seem to be much that converges the worlds of the • " m m m ~ ^ ^ ^ Casey T. Allen emphasis placed on the characters, living and the dead. which makes them nothing more For this bizarre installment, than silly two-dimensional carBurton is co-director and it featoons (although every character in tures the voice talents of Burton's the film looks richly three-dimenundoubtedly favorite actor, sional). Johnny Depp ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"). Depp lends The music is grandiose and all his voice to the character of "Corpse Bride" of the settings are incredibly vivid, Victor, a shy, scrawny English Rated PG, Grade C+ despite the pervasive use of a black bloke who, through inherent ' and grey color palette. Every scene clumsiness, makes a disaster out oozes with spookiness and there of his regimented wedding rehearsal. All I will say are plenty of moments where decaying body parts about this part is that there are flames involved. function as punch lines. All of these things keep This disaster causes Victor's apprehension toward "Corpse Bride" in a playfully morbid mood and marriage to be even greater than it already was. a perfect film for the looming Halloween season. So he flees to the neighboring woods (which look But the predictable characters, cute cliches and like the very gates of hell) in hopes that he can pull mechanical storyline make this movie nothing himself together. more than another outlet for Tim Burton to revel Sadly, Victor's chronic nervousness is far from in his gothic ideas. conquered when, after unwittingly sliding his Because most of the humor and plot twists are wedding ring onto a dead tree branch, he awak- aimed at a younger audience, this film seems best ens Emily, the Corpse Bride {voiced with eerie suited for children. But, there were a few scenes whispers from Helena Bonham Carter, "Big Fish") that even I thought were creepy {would kids really and is soon dragged down to the underworld of enjoy watching dead bodies slowly emerge from the afterlife. As Victor tries to return home through the ground underneath an ominous full moon?). a horde of rattling skeletons and spindly spiders, Whether or not this film contributes to children's his fiance, Victoria (Emily Watson, "Gosfora Park") nightmares is debatable, but ifs clear that Burton's anxiously waits in the village of the living, won- latest concoction is a fun visual treat for everyone. dering where he disappeared to and if he will ever It remains average, however, because the excitereturn. ment of the plot dies so quickly. Spotted with a few moments of laughter and lots Casey T. Allen is a movie critic for the Utah of melodrama, this film lays comfortably across Statesman. Comments can be sent to the altar of visual creativity (even the characters caseyal@cc.usu.edu. Reel eviews 0**£ # "The movie followed the three F's: freaky, fruity and fun. This movie critic gives it a thumbs up...and a thumbs down." —Aaron Avery, junior, engineering "This movie was funny. Tim Burton never lets me down." —Paul Ricks, sophomore, engineering "The dead and the living combine to make a classic Tim Burton movie. —Sarah Ricks, junior, hio-vet science 1 'Family Guy DVD maintains comedic style An 83-minute magnification of Seth McFarlane's peak comedic strides and rare but glaring foibles, "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" serves as the definitive presentation of Mock Perry DVD Review :''5iewie ,, , , ^Griffith: „ ^ thfe t n the Fox-based cult [Untold Story .Grade:B+ ; sensation. Released on Sept. 27, the straight-to-DVD showcase of egomaniacal infant Stewie Griffin's quest to find his speculative father was actually leaked to the Internet two weeks before the DVD's initial debut. Several inmovie hints (including an attempt by Quagmire to film a bootleg copy of Stewie's story) coupled with the flawless quality of tne Internet version suggest the possibility that the leak may have been initiatedby the creative powers behind the film itself. But why would McFarlane's troupe encourage the piracy of their own product? Considering the fact that the small screen resurrection of "Family Guy" was attributed to the impressive sales of the show on DVD even though the core fan base had access to "Family Guy" content on the internet for years, a stunt like this actually seems sensible as a marketing tactic. Regardless of the leaked film's origins, the lengthy "Family Guy" episode is saturated with the same tex• FAMILY GUY See page 6 "Corpse Bride" Rabed PQ, "I thought the film was extremely well done in true Tim Burton styel. However, it was extremely predictable and monochromatic." —Maren Watkins, senior, English "I really enjoyed the movie; it just screams, 'Tim Burton!'" —Sarah Spiers, sophomore, horticulture |