8A - Friday, September 5, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Not as good
as the first
Despite solid comedic
talent, "South Park"-
inspired humor falls flat
on its face
By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Film Editor
It takes a bit too long to figure it out,
but about two-thirds through the song
"Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" - just a small part
of the brash and bombastic finale in a film
actually called "Hamlet
2" - you see this movie
for what it really is: A
goddamn "South Park" Hamlet 2
episode.
Filled with Howard At the State
Stern-like humor and Theatre,
racial epithets, "Hamlet Quality16and
2" is a childish grab-bag. Showcase
But that's not to say it's Focus Features
awful. In fact, at times
this could be argued as
one of funnier and more
cutting-edge comedies of this year. It's
just that the whole thing is uneven and
incomplete. Unlike high school Shake-
speare, you probably won't appreciate.
this after the fact. But for what it is, it's
an amusingly sick way to kill an hour and
a half.
Dana Marschz (the indelible Steve
Coogan, "Tropic Thunder") is a fledgling
actor-turned-high-school-drama-teach-
er in dire need of something to keep his
curriculum alive. With his class of kiss-
ass students and thugs-for-life, Marschz
comes up with the idea to craft a sequel
around one of the most cherished pieces
of literature ever written.
But ... didn't the protagonist die at
the end of "Hamlet"? Taking that into
account, it's not surprising that Marschz
writes the play in just one night, or rather
a hysterical, nudity-laced montage. Nor is
it surprising that he uses a time machine
as a plot device. Clearly, this.is the work
of a madman.
Sure enough, the play turns out to be an
abomination, complete with a gay-men's
choir score, allusions to "Grease" and
Marschz playing J.C. himself. Only, this is
a sexy Jesus.
In true "South Park" fashion, each
character has his own uproarious scene,
and shocking moments are occasionally, if
not accidentally, achieved. Still, there's a
general sensation of pointlessness linger-
ing throughout the film. Interesting too,
as co-screenwriter Pam Brady worked on
"South Park" and its cinematic off-shoot
for a number of years. The jokes are meant
to be fast and furious, yet they lack the
speed of an "Airplane," or even the true
shock of a "Borat." This is just a moderate-
ly funny comedy that fails to move past its
*I
"Yeah, they're checking me out."
initial, clever premise. It's as if the film- tle 13-year old bastard and it's hysterical. enough, but with no real purpose. Maybe
makers were happy solely with the bold And when Marschz tries improv acting it'd be better to just watch the show.
title. with his students, only to reveal his geni- At times absurd, and often disgusting or
Yet, the film elicits laughs anyway. tals during a fake kick it's even funnier. mean, "Hamlet 2," leaves us nonetheless
When a song featuring lyrics like "I was Yes, "Hamlet 2" certainly has a few crowd wanting more. Coogan's got the chops to
raped in the face" plays, it's tough not pleasing jokes. lead a film like this, and he really owns a
to crack a small, if not a little nervously. But still, this film feels flat. Like vir- lot of his jokes. It's flawed, but one things'
When Marschz lashes out at a local critic tually every episode of "South Park," the for sure: It's certainly the most creative
that berates his work, he cusses at the lit- story and jokes serve each other well sequel of the year.
BRASS
From Page 5
made as well as the lives of people who contributed to
their making.
"One of the things I wanted to emphasize in the
exhibit is to give personality to the people who make
these objects," Silverman said.
Silverman, who has beentraveling to Ghana since the
1970s, has contributed photographs of his encounters
with the brass casters of Krofrom and text describing
the history of the Asante people of Ghana, who practice
the tradition of lost-wax casting.
Technology continues to play its role in this evolv-
ing industry. With the use of medical syringes that form
cleaner wax threads, air circulation fans from automo-
biles thatgenerate heat in the furnace at a faster rate and
impression molds that produce wax models, the num-
ber and variety of objects are able to grow. However,
even with these subtle innovations, brassworking still
remains an intricate hand-made process.
This is one exhibit where the difference between art
and craft is difficult to distinguishbecause of the ambig-
uous nature of brassworking. Many brass casters deem
their work as simply a way of life. It is visitors of exhi-
bitions like this one and perhaps scholars and anthro-
pologists who may perceive each piece as containing an
artistic element and as something capable of becoming
an artifact.
"When the objects are brought out of Africa, the sig-
nificance changes," Silverman said.
"Its about context, its about the values and meaning
we ascribe to objects."
Whether these objects are utilitarian or ornamental
pieces, the fact that they are enclosed in a glass case
makes it possible to render what we're viewing as art.
One can only wonder how technology may someday
alter the lost-wax casting process and whether the value
local people assign these objects will ever reach the level
of its perceived authenticity and importance abroad.
The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
REC Intramural Sports Program REC
www.recsports.umich.edu SOTS
N"TRAMURALS INTRAMURALS
734-763-3562
ENTRIES DUE
Monday Speme+ a -4p MBuilding
COME EALY!(B3et times go in the first hour)
Entry Fee: Manager's Meetin .
$45 per team MANDATORY
Tues, 9/9
6:00 PM or 9:00 PM IMSB
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Mon, 09/08
N 6:00 PM IMSB Entry Fee:
I $100 per team
Entry Fee: Manager's Meeting:
$100 per team MANDATORY
Wed, 9/9
8:00 PM or 9:00 PM IMSB
3ON-3BASKETBALL
Entry Fee: Manager's Meeting:
$45 per team MANDATORY
Tues, 09/09
7:15 PM or 9:00 PM
IMSB
0
"Casting Tradition: Contemporary Brassworking in Ghana" showcases brass artwork from Ghana.
i ' .