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PAGE 6
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ROBOCOP FROM PAGE 5
into RoboCop, who spends the rest of the film cleaning up the streets while struggling to maintain his humanity amid his robotic programming.
The original "RoboCop" is a campy, bloody action satire, while this reboot is half sci-fi actioner, half thought-provoking political thriller. Gone is the gleefully over-the-top violence (hence the PG-13 rating), most of the satirical edge and the humorous revelry in its own silliness. This new "RoboCop" isn't as entertaining, but it does prove more intriguing, as Joshua Zetumer's screenplay has the serious-minded depth and philosophical contemplation of a Philip K. Dick science-fiction story.
There's much more focus on Murphy's transformation into RoboCop and how he as well as his wife (Abbie Cornish) and young son react. When Norton shows Murphy all that's left of him, detaching the suit to reveal only his head, vital organs and his right hand, it's a shocking sight. Later, RoboCop's combat training takes on more significance than him just shooting robot targets as it's cross-cut with the revelation between Norton and Sellars that Murphy's free will in his actions is an illusion, as
By the time RoboCop is introduced to the public, Norton has virtually eradicated the human aspect of Murphy, which occurs in an interesting scene commentating on the emotional toll witnessing horrific crimes can have on a person. RoboCop immediately starts his assault on crime, very much welcomed at nearly an hour in, since it's paced a bit slowly before that.
Brazilian director Jose Padilha brings more weight to the smarter side of the story, where OmniCorp officials and Murphy's scientific controllers discuss the political, commercial and moral sides of what they're doing with him. The action, cool as it may be, can leave viewers wanting more bad-assery and explosive violence. This new RoboCop is no longer big and hulking in design and movement, but slim, slick and quick. He's so efficient that the action tends to move so fast there isn't always enough time to savor it.
However, watching him speed through the city on his motorcycle, adroitly weaving through traffic, is an awesome joy reminiscent of Batman on the Batpod. Seeing his view, as he accesses security footage, facial recognition, GPS data and more to locate criminals instantaneously, is at once exciting and scary to
think of as a reality, bringing to mind contemporary NSA surveillance.
Choosing a relative unknown for the lead and filling in with lots of recognizable supporting players results in elevated acting, and Kinnaman's performance brings more heart and intensity to the role.
the computer in him takes over.
But missing from this "RoboCop" is a strong central villain. In the original, Murphy's murderer served as the main bad guy, a memorable thug played by Kurtwood Smith (Red from "That '70s Show"). As Murphy begins regaining control and goes out to solve his murder in the third act, there are more complex threads going on than simple revenge this time. The real villains here are corruption and OmniCorp's agenda, but that's not as easy for viewers to hate. The finale definitely satisfies, at least.
This "RoboCop" doesn't surpass the original, but it does accomplish a new take on the character that adds to his mythos instead of taking away from his legacy. And for a remake, that's pretty good.
Edited by Austin Fisher
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BLACK BOX FROM PAGE 5
It opens with Popov on the seven-month anniversary of her husband's death, mourning in her drawing room. Her footman, Luka (played by Sophia Hail, a junior from Tulsa, Okla.) is urging her to move on with her life, but Popov resolves to remain faithful to her husband's memory. They're interrupted by the boisterous Grigori Smirnov (played by Joshua Greene, a junior from Albany, Mo.), who bursts into the house demanding to be paid a sum that Popov's late husband owed him. He needs the money immediately to pay a mortgage, but Popov refuses to acquiesce. An outrageous argument ensues, but their initial contempt for one another slowly turns into a realization of love.
The play's intended satirical and comedic feel were wellhandled by the actors. It doesn't seem to have been intended to be laugh-outloud funny, but Hadel and Greene achieved an onstage rapport that served as a great illustration of the sarcastic extremes of the two sexes. Hadel's commanding theatrical presence wittily clashed with Greene's stiff humor, and the two fed off each other's lines well. Greene's acting was a bit cosmetic at times, but he still managed to achieve an acceptable level of theiatric harmony with his character. Hail pulled off a quick-witted, fresh performance as the snappy butler, Luka.
☆☆☆☆
follows the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who seeks to avenge his father's death after he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. This story, though widely known, is not familiar enough to the layman for the way it was depicted by Black Box Productions. All three variations, though each achieving some level of theatric relevance, were difficult to follow.
Antic Disposition: Variations of Hamlet
The 15-Minute Hamlet:
"Hamlet" was depicted in three wildly different interpretations by a new set of six actors in this segment. The Shakespearean tragedy
As the funniest and most enjoyable one of the three, this depiction showcased the actors' impressive abilities to combine humor, drama and creativity during a time crunch. An audience member was given a stopwatch, and the actors raced to condense the more than 30,000-word play into a 15-minute frame. Time was called with about a minute and a half to spare, a notable achievement.
"There's a frenetic quality to the script I am attracted to," director Devlin said in a news release from the University department of theater.
"I believe it provides an appropriate level of challenge for the undergraduate students while also putting pressure on me to direct in very specific circumstances."
★★★☆
The Dick and Jane Hamlet:
This depiction was told like a children's story. The actors took on kiddle voices and demeanors, and behaved like they were performing the dark tale for a bunch of toddlers. Think "The Wiggles" meets Shakespeare. It was a clever idea, but not well executed. The goofy hand gestures, antics and voices got to be a bit much after a couple minutes, and parts were actually hard to watch. The plot line was a bit more clear this time, but still
hard to follow. "The simple and humorous design of this text lends itself to imaginative elaboration," Tiehen said in a news release. "For the actors involved, this production's collaboration will insist that their participation goes beyond the traditional expectations for an actor."
Hamletmachine
This interpretation, originally written by German playwright Heiner Müller in 1977, was wild. It's an abstract piece of postmodern drama that's totally left up to audience interpretation. It's loosely about Hamlet refusing to be Hamlet anymore, perhaps because he's expected to act as a puppet for audiences to enjoy. Mayhem ensues, and the actors begin running around howling, humming, making puke noises, laughing hysterically and throwing props all over the place. It's has 1960's "fight-the-power" feel to it, but the play is so wildly vague that it's almost impossible to decipher. The Black Box actors performed at a high level, however, and did a great job of bringing out some kind of subtle beauty in the chaos. "I love the potential this play provides to explore different issues of gender, sex, violence, communism, feminism, academia and politics, within the realm of representation," director Knowles said in a news release. "The focused-on themes or motifs will be determined while working with the actors. We, as a cast, will decide what our Hamletmachine will be about."
Edited by Nick Chadbourne
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