WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2008 News WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
19
Movie: 'Wall-E' balances adult, children's interests
"Wall-E" is an impressive chameleon of a film. It's kid-friendly without being juvenile, science fiction without being nerdy and romantic without being sappy.
The film's protagonist, Wall-E, is an inquisitive robot left on a polluted planet Earth hundreds of years after humans have evacuated. Wall-E finds a cure for his perpetual loneliness when a female robot, Eve, shows up from space on a reconnaissance mission. Wall-E follows Eve into outer space and finds the future of humanity in his four-pronged hands.
"Wall-E" does a lot of entertaining without a lot of dialogue. In fact, its two main characters don't use more than one word a piece. Even without the benefit of one-liners, the action sequences are fast-paced enough to keep the film flowing.
Like most science fiction films, "Wall-E" projects a broad social message. Director and writer Andrew Stanton (Toy Story) doesn't belabor
his point or get heavy-handed,but his movie holds value past pure entertainment.
The film's strongest point is its robot romance. Thanks to a gorgeous original score and a brilliant, "Garden State"-esque use of pre-packaged music, "Wall-E" evokes emotion without using words.
It is better at entertaining than
most action films. It holds more social worth than some documentaries.It packs more emotional punch than a year's worth of chick flicks combined. "Wall-E" is worth seeing.
— Asher Fusco
Food: El Mez's food doesn't live up to its booze
When it comes to my favorite ethnic cuisines, Mexican food sits below Italian and Chinese food. I tend to have a hard time distinguishing great Mexican food from trash Mexican food, but after my visit to El Mezcal, 804 Iowa St., I could say unequivocally that its food was sub par.
I walked in and to my surprise the place was packed. I noticed that the majority of people around me were more interested in the jumbo margaritas than in the food.
The margaritas are fantastic,but the best part of eating at El Mez is the endless tortilla chips and salsa. Imagine going to McDonalds and getting all you can eat fries for free.
The downside was the entrees. I ordered beef enchiladas. Honestly, the chips pretty much took care of
my hunger problem so by the time the enchiladas showed up I was being more of a glutton.
Nevertheless, I dug in, and I realized why two tables around me didn't even order food. To be fair the food was edible, but certainly not delectable.
I came to the conclusion that going to El Mezcal for the food is kind of like buying a Playboy for the articles. Sure people might read a story on their way to the centerfold, but it's Miss June who entices readers.
At El Mezcal, the volleyball-sized margaritas are the centerfold and the food is the articles.
Mike Nolan