The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 11, 1998 - 9A 'Small Stuff' teachings produce no sweat Magna Entertainment Shlnya Tsukamoto delvers a powerful punch In "Tokyo Fist." Tokyo Fst By Adlin RosH Daily Arts Writer Shinya Tsukamoto, director and mastermind behind "Tokyo Fist" is best known for the cult favorites "Tetsuo I and II." Through the "Tetsuo" movies, he disturbed and shocked many with his vision of what would happen if a man was slowly turning into a biomechanical freak. The gory and often disturbing "Tetsuo" movies quickly earned Tsukamoto notoriety and he has often been hailed as Japan's answer to David Lynch. In his latest offering, "Tokyo Fist, Tsukamoto attempts to bring us his softer side through a tale of a love tri- angle between a Tokyo Fist boxer named Hizuru, Tsuda a mild man- nered insur- ance salesman and Tsuda's g i r I fr i e n d, Tak uji. Through strange cir- cumstances and coinci- dence, Tsuda's life is turned up side down when Hizuru comes into his for thinking that Hizuru is more physically attractive. With such a soap opera like premise, it is easy to think that direc- tor Tsukamoto was truly trying to show us his softer side. Yeah, right! What ensues can only be described as "Melrose Place" meets a Nine Inch Nails music video and is not for the faint of heart. Throughout "Tokyo Fist," Tsukamoto manages to do what he did best on the Tetsuo movies. He manages to make you loath being in a shell of flesh and blood. All the physical blows in the movie is taken to its ridiculous extreme and blood runs free throughout the movie like a raging river coming down a hill side. The seemingly linear storyline is quickly brought to its many odd twists and turns. Tsuda begins to get morbid visions and in the end remembers a violent piece of memory that bonds him to the boxer Hizuru. Hizuru himself is plagued with all sorts of strange problems of self esteem and physical abilities. Takuji is not spared in the mental circus that Tsukamoto spins as she too succumbs to a twisted fetish of physically manifesting her pain in being in the love triangle. Through his twisted tale of love, physical appearance and boxing, Tsukamoto once again proves his understanding of the violent tenden- cies that result from the limitations of being human in both flesh and mind. Jumping from telling the tale of a biomechanical freak in the "Tetsuo" movies to a tale of a love triangle he does indeed show Tsukamoto's softer side. What the viewer will discover is that his softer side is about as gentle as brushing your teeth with a barbed wire bristled toothbrush. Don't Sweat The Small Stuff ... and it's all small stuff Richard Carlson, Ph.D. Hyperion In a society that is becoming increas- ingly neurotic, shelves of bookstores overflow with self-help books. Although many people could greatly benefit from such books, the vast majority shun self- help literature and think it cannot possi- bly be taken seriously. With mounds of self-help books thrown in the face of all Americans, it becomes impossible to decipher which are worth reading. There is a fine line between a useful guide, and a book that is written as an outlet for a neurotic author to share his neurosis with a coun- try. Richard Carlson, author of "Don't Sweat the small stuff... and it's all small stuff" has artfully mastered the craft of self-help. His book, while not eloquently written, shares wonderful insight and steps on how to become a more peaceful and content person. Carlson is a psychiatrist and is obvi- ously neurotic. Iut frankly, so are a lot of people. While degrees of neurosis vary, all people, even those who are quite nor- mal, can benefit from this book. Carlson shares 100 aspects of life that he took too seriously, and introduces the steps he fol- lowed, and still follows, to become a more peaceful person. His chapters include steps on how to become less of a perfectionist and how to lower your tol- erance to stress. The informal style with which he writes makes this book an extremely easy read. He is not overly preachy and shares some interesting insights that hold the reader's attention until the last page. He does not proclaim that this book will be life-altering, but he does raise the readers attention to such a heightened level that all emotions andk thoughts are recog- nized. This allows the reader to understand why he is feeling a certain way, and thus can calm himself to react in a more rational manner. This book is chock full of metaphors and imagery that help to elucidate Carlson's points. One maxim in particular is quite inspiring. It is the chapter titled "Imagine Everyone is Enlightened Except You." Carlson invites his readers to pretend that all those they come in contact with throughout their lives exist solely for the purpose of teaching them some- thing. It is a world where all are enlight- ened except for the reader. For example, an obnoxious driver who cuts in front of another driver on the road is there sole- ly to teach that person patience. Therefore, all one's interactions, both positive and negative, both with friends and strangers, are a learning experi- ence. This allows people to make the best of all situations and learn from all they do. Carlson's book is full of inspiring quotes that emphasize his points. Quoting such people as John Lennon, Mark Twain and William James makes the reader realize the universality of such teachings. Carlson, in quoting Mark r Twain, sums up his whole book. He quotes, "I have been through some terri- ble things in my life, some of which actually happened." This humorous quote sheds light on how easy it is to blow things out of proportion and over- react. When one takes ,an objective look at his life he realizes he must live in the present moment and focus his atten- tion on what is cur- rently happening instead of wor- rying about an occurrence that might arise. Such a process will afford one with much peace and comfort. In superficial summation, Carlson turns the Buddhist Eightfold Path into the modern American 100fold path. Most of his maxims are merely an exten- sion of the age old Buddhist wisdom. But his modern twists make it such that all can relate to what he is teaching. This book is not solely for neurotic people, it is for all people who at some point in their lives, sweat the small stuff. While some of what Carlson writes is a bit fluffy, for the most part he cuts to the chase. Each of the 100 lessons are a sep- arate chapter only one to two pages long. Being so concise allows for his points to be emphasized. But he is sometimes too terse, not fully explaining how to achieve the goal about which he writes, thus leaving the readers frustrated at their lack of guidance. While Carlson will not change the world with "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" he most likely will have an impact on all those who decide to read his book. For college students everywhere dealing with the constant stress of grades, fami- ly and friends, this book is an especially useful tool that teaches students to sit back relax, and not sweat the small stuff. - Corinne Schneider I Since 1948 2 !c HELP WANTE All Positions Available Apply at Locations 2878 Washtenaw Ave. 1 Mile East Of US-23 Mon.- Sat. 9:00 - 8:30 434-8953 "ountain Square Shopping Center Sun. 12 - 6 Next To Norton Flowers !DSA Full Set $19.99 Reg. $25 Massage & Pedicure Chair $19.99 Fill-Ins $12.99 Reg. $15 We Use Quality 0.P.I Products Color Airbrush $6.99 Reg. $10 Manicure $11.99 * Pedicure $19.99 French Manicure and White Airbrush $3.99 Purchase both services for only $29.99 * Gift Certificates * Walk-Ins Welcome * Membership Specials " Appointments Available Special price for students every day! *No need to bring coupons drn Video life and begins to lust after Tsuda's girlfriend, Takuji. Hizuru's pursuit of Takuji quickly sends Tsuda into feel- ing body conscious and Tsuda loses his self confidence as he does not possess a similar physique to Hizuru's boxer's build. Takuji is quick to become the center of conflict between the two men from here as her relationship with Tsuda quickly dissolves after he begins to loath her I ' F ice. J 9 Now if you don't know the answers on the test, you can call someone who does. Okay, so maybe you're one of those Einsteins who knows all the answers. Well, what you may not know is, with AirTouch Student Prepai (7> tI checks, and no long-term commitments. Plus, AirTouch is offering special discounted , 4, Cellular, you purchase whatever airtime you want in advance. There are no contracts, no monthly bills, no credit rates to Michigan college students. So even if you're already the smartest person in class, you can look even smarter with AirTouch. For more details, call 1-800-AIRTOUCH or E-mail us at mistudentprepaid@airtouch.com I I