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2B - Thursday, December 6, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
REDUCTIVE REASONING
Picking one and one apart.
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'WATERSHIP DOWN' (1978)
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The Daily Arts guide to the best
upcoming events
Today 12.06.07
Yoga and Meditation Night
8 p.m.
At the Michigan League
Koessler Room
$3 suggested donation
"A Good Boy"
7:30 p.m.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Sunday 2 p.m.
An the WalgreennDrama CenterArthur
Miller Theatre
$16/$9with student ID
7:30 p.m.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Sunday 2 p.m.
At the Power Center
$24/$18/$9 with student ID
Tomorrow 12.07.07
The Sopranos Present
Reality A Cappella with
special guest GROOVE!
8 p.m
At MLB Auditorium 3
$8/$5 with student ID
Esham
7p.m.
At the Blind Pig
$10, all ages
Ann Arbor Soul Club: One
Year Anniversary Special
10 p.m.
At the Blind Pig
$521+, $8/18+
Saturday 12.08.07
Lucy Kaplansky
8 p.m.
At The Ark
$7.50
Please send all press releases
and event information to
artspage@michigandaily.com.
Fantasy tunes of a
more astute ilk
WEEK IN REVIEW
" R.I.P. to two big Cs. PIMP C was
found dead in his home Tuesday morn-
ing. Cuban percussionist CARLOS
"PATATO" VALDES also passed away
earlier this week. 0 Alicia Keys was
found sporting an alternately tight and
flared body suit at the ONDA Awards
in Barcelona. It was camel-toe - we
mean camel-colored, uh, actually it
was white. " AMY WINEHOUSE was
spotted running around barefoot and
crying in bra and blue jeans. Sigh.
How can you do more shambly-
but-beautiful SAM COOKE cov-
ers if you don't get off the drugs?
0 Bizarre new poster for upcom-
ing BATMAN film "The Dark
Knight" released. It reminds us
of one time in second-grade
art class when we thought
that one pudding painting was
trying to tell us something. "
PATRICK DEMPSEY will be
the face of Versace's upcom-
ing ad campaign for its men's
Spring/Summer collection.
A step up from modeling
New York & Co. with ELLEN
POMPEO!
COURTESY OF ABC
By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Arts Writer
Fantasy is in style right now.
"Narnia" fans are jonesing for the
sequel next May (did you see that
trailer?). "Harry Potter" can't be
stopped. The "Lord of the Rings"
franchise earned and deserved all
its awards, and "The Hobbit" is a
fierce issue on every film forum on
the Web. All are popular by eco-
nomic demand, but often passable
and forgettable by design.
The problem with fantasy is that
it's difficult to film. Who doesn't
think 1988's "Willow" is a little
hilarioustForthelevel-headed film-
goer, magic is kids' stuff without the
right execution. It takes great deal
to buy into witches, wizards and
faraway places outside the norm.
Sure, teen magic and epic journeys
are familiar and affecting as an
extension of the usual tropes. But
anthropomorphized, battling polar
bears? That's just crazy.
So how has the classic "Water-
ship Down" lasted so long? An ani-
mated film starring talking rabbits
making a journey to greener pas-
tures and battling adversity along
the way doesn't suffer from trendi-
ness. "Watership" is fantasy to its
core. But its longevity is what makes
it so great, one of the finest works
of fantasy ever committed to film.
Surprisingly dark and frank, it's
a simple story about survival and
working through a predicament
looked down upon by the entire
world.
The best part is that it isn't real-
ly for kids.
Rabbits are irritable and over-
populated,often despised and con-
sidered over-eaters, and almostall
wild animals prey on them. This
is the motivation of Fiver, Hazel
and Bigwig. The English country-
side is a dangerous place. Brutal
hawks, cats and dogs rule. Food is
scarce. The rabbits have anurgent
need to leave.
What wouldseemlikeaHomer-
ic parable becomes unique for
its earnestness in content. Anima-
tion is usually considered a child's
medium. Rabbits are a nuisance,
and that's hard to get over. But they
become so humanized in "Water-
ship" that we feel the struggle. This
is great, simple drama, punctu-
ated by the blunt themes of life and
death.
If you're worried about candy-
ass critters singing about the sun
coming out, fear not. These rabbits
bleed. And they fight - a lot. If ever
Rabbits, man,
rabbits. Don't
mess with them.
there was a film that could scare
little children once blindly assum-
ing Disney merriment, this film
did it. Unique for its harsh content,
"Watership Down" has become
notorious for its violence married
to themes of religion, politics and
military struggle. Astute and more
intelligent than most animated
films, you forget you're watching
sweet little rabbits.
The very humanization of these
animals is unique. Dense in under-
standing of the real world but
wholly human in their desire and
survival, these transcend typical
fare to become a powerful remind-
er of what we must do to survive.
Watch when Bigwig fights with the
evil generals and savage rabbits. We
feel for his struggle since he's clearly
working to save his own life. Fight-
ing tooth and nail, the scratches
inflict a great deal of damage.
You'll never see that in a main-
stream animation flick. Haggard
and tired, the brutality of "Water-
ship" is stunning. If you're not con-
vinced, just YouTube a couple clips
and you'll immediately wonder how
the film can be. You want to think
happy thoughts, but they fade as
you realize the true nature of wild
animals.
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MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME
Vs. KENTUCKY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 'S4 :C I
Bring this coupon to the Women's Basketball game
and become eligible to win a $100 cash prize
to be given away AT THE GAME!
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