6B - Thursday, September 25, 2008 The Michigan Daily michigandailycom 6 Saying goodbye to American treasures As amusements parks continue to close, the American Dream fades away By David Watnick I Daily Music Editor RUCErl SRNG7EN D etractors, both domesti- cally and abroad, have long accused America of being devoid of culture. And while the United States certainlyhas awealth ofshortcomings,culturalemptiness is one problem it does not have. Culture oftenrevolves around leisure, and by that token it's easy to identify one of the great main- stays of American culture: the amusement park. It's a European invention, but it was perfected in America and it's a staple of our nation's entertainment. It serves up Coca-Cola, hot dogs and cheap thrills - hallmarks of the United States, for better or worse. It may not be classy or clean, but it's undeniably American. Sadly, the last few decades have seen a rash of small, independent park closings as the economic landscape has shifted and large corporate parks have grown in favor. Local parks like Wichita's Joyland and Memphis's Liber- tyland recently closed and their classic wooden roller coasters now stand on the brink of liqui- dation. But the situation turned much more tragic Sept. 7 when Astroland, at Brooklyn's famed Coney Island, closed for good. Thankfully, the renowned Coney Island Cyclone will con- tinue to operate, as will nearby Deno's Wonder Wheel. And Nathan's Famous hot dog stand will still serve up their popu- lar product daily and encourage gross overeating every 4th of July. But when the largest set of attrac- tions on the boardwalk shut down before summer had even ended, the flagship of one of America's great cultural creations dropped a massive sail. Nobody has proven a greater megaphone for American cul- ture than Woody Allen, so let Allen's usage of amusement parks in his films serve as a reminder of the centrality of the amuse- ment park to a healthy American life. When he wanted to invoke a happy nostalgia of childhood in "Annie Hall," his character Alvy Singer reminisced and revisited his boyhood home beneath a run- ning coaster. Conversely, when he wanted to communicate the gloomy reality of a humble adult life in "The Purple Rose of Cairo," he had Mia Farrow attempt to live out her childish, impossible dream of running off with a movie character at the foot of a derelict, abandoned roller coaster. of course, the ride featured in "Annie Hall," the Coney Island Thunderbolt (it really did have a house beneath it), eventually closed, too. It was finally demol- ished in the early 'part of this decade so that the land it occupied could be redeveloped. Therein lies the issue with amusement parks: "I am a big fan of Ferris wheels. Big fan." Unlike most other elements of our culture, amusement parks occupy physical space - a scarce resource in many parts of the country. When they fail to produce finan- cially, they're scrapped. Imagine if every copy of a seminal American album was destroyed so that nobody could hear it again. It would be a cul- tural loss equivalent to the clos- ing of Astroland. Certainly Bruce Springsteen's Born toRun, a clas- sic American album if there ever was one (and coincidentally, it is steeped in the exact boardwalk- amusement-park world that Astroland embodies), no longer sells enough copies to justify the endless time and money that were poured into its conception over 30 years ago. But having once been a universal success, it's virtually guaranteed to survive through its millions of copies no matter how unpopular it should someday become. Amusement parks will never enjoy such a luxury. Amusement parks offer ver- sions of the "American Dream" far more magical and inclusive than the suburban vision of the "Dream" usually propagated. Besides, status, quo suburban life is unattainable for some and undesirable for others. Dreams of the first drop on the roller coast- er, of walking the boardwalk on a windy summer night, of falling in love and sharing a first kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel, know no age or class boundaries. Any- one, rich or poor, young or old, can dream of them even if they're impossible - after all, the best dreams rarely come true. The beauty of American amuse- ment parks is that their gifts are available to nearly everyone. They can make anyone with an open mind feel like a kid again and they're a reminder of some of the best parts of being Ameri- can. They will always endure in the memories of their patrons, but they're most valuable when they create new memories. 0 Grand Opening Celebration Thursday Sept. 25th 5-8pm 4 Eleven Lofts Leasing Center & Model 400 E. Washington (@ Division) I I l I i i iI I I i ( Pretty much like any ride on an AATA bus. CHOKE From Page 4B products of that very generation. "Well, I think that, um, Chuck's, Chuck is just ... he gets into the underbelly of Generation X. He just kinda understands this gen- eration." Some Palahniuk readers will immediately recognize the author's fascination with Genera- tion X. There's a general rejection of pop culture ins his work, as well as a distrust of the nuclear family. "It's his specialty," Rockwell said. "It's kind of like Holden Caulfield; it's Bukowski." Victor is raised by his free- wheeling single mother - a product of 1960s drugs and activ- ism - and their relationship is skewed. "It kinda sorta reminds me of the classic sort of mother- son things, like 'Glass Menag- erie,' yeah, 'Hamlet' maybe," said .Rockwell. "It's kinda that classic mother-and-son relationship you know ... from those strange, kinda Freudian mother-son relation- ships." Sounds about right when you see Victor and his crazed mother break into a zoo to free wild animals. But that's not to say this is eccentric, mommy-issue stuff from a misogynistic viewpoint. "Choke" is supposed to be good, weird fun. "It reminded me a lot of cin- ematic prototypes, like um, stuff that I'd seen like 'Harold & Maude,' and 'The Fisher King' and uh, Jack Nicholson's character in 'Five Easy Pieces,"' Rockwell said: Sam Rockwell has played his fair share of gonzo jerks, but at least they're always interesting. "Chokq" is no exception, and in the end, you might just wind up liking the guy. Thornton on 'Eagle Eye' THORNTON From Page 5B well-written," Thornton said. "When it's well-written you have something to start with, since you don't want to go do some bone- headed action film." As for working with Hollywood up-and-comer Shia LaBeouf, Thornton had only good things to say. "Shia is a great kid, and he's a very mature actor for his age," Thornton said. "A lot of older actors don't have their chops the way he does. I really hope for big things for him." Thornton has been known to shy away from technology and, therefore, he believes strongly in the issues faced by the characters in "Eagle Eye," who are hunted through the vast array of technol- ogy around them. What's more terrifying is that the characters are stalked with technology taken for granted every day: cellphones, the Internet and television. While Thornton acknowledges the importance of technology, he also owns up to his owsi'shortcomings regarding it. "I only got a cell phone two years ago, but I don't know how to use it. I think there's way too much access today and it's kind of scary. I think technology has stolen our privacy," Thornton said. Adding to his already impres- sive resume, Thornton is also an accomplished director, Academy- Award-winning screenwriter and musician. He sees the future holding more for him than just movie roles. "I'm looking to direct again," Thornton said. "There are movie offers out there, of course, and a couple more records coming out." However you want to define Thornton - actor, director, screenwriter or musician - one thing is certain: The man cannot be pigeonholed and he's perfectly content staying that way.