The Bowdoin Orient
Volume CXXXII, Number 1
September 8, 2000
News ... Features ... Opinion ... A&E ... Sports
In her sophomore year at Bowdoin, Kate Maselli had the sort of epiphanic moment
that legitimizes a liberal arts education. All her classes “seemed to come
together and relate to one another;” in particular physics and photography.
An examination of optics in her physics course led her to understand the diverse
capabilities of her camera and spawned a sense of experimentalism evident in
her latest exhibition. Along with Adam Zimman ‘02, Kate is currently showing
several of her photographs in the Bohemian Coffee House on Maine Street.
In the photo pictured at right, Kate experimented with the technique of time
lapse photography. She attempted several different exposure lengths before settling
upon this thirty second exposure. She was startled by the results, particularly
the way in which a static image could so potently express continuity and movement.
Kate’s photography also addresses the concept of intimacy. One print focuses
on a single leaf of a plant which Kate selected for its unremarkable, yet somehow
undismissable beauty. She emphasizes an element of depth, hoping to invite the
reader into her photograph in the same way that the leaf invited her into aesthetic
contemplation. Kate’s favorite photograph consists of a hand stretched
sensuously across a pillow, grasping a rose in the early morning light. There
is simultaneously a sense of innocence and a hint of sexuality in this photo,
playing upon the mythology of sexual discovery. The work is situational, inviting
us to invent the narrative which culminates in this photograph.
Kate would not limit her works to one particular implication but it is important
that there are implications to what she captures on film. She developed her
penchant for photographic dialog during her photography classes at Bowdoin with
professor John McKee. She remarks that he is an “amazing professor who
really makes you think about everything; you have to look at the whole world
to take a great photo.” Kate has taken three photography classes at Bowdoin
and she is currently a teaching assistant for the introductory photo course.
She wants to communicate to other Bowdoin students a sense of the existential
imperative of photography. Before discovering photography Kate thought she had
no artistic talent, joking that she could not even draw a stick figure. While
the sentiment borders on the cliché, we might say that Kate Maselli’s
work demonstrates that it is indeed never too late to discover something about
yourself.
Kate plans to maintain her dual interest in physics and photography after she
graduates from Bowdoin this spring. She hopes to become a high school physics
teacher and perhaps teach photography. Even if she cannot find room for photography
in her life at an occupational level, Kate says she cannot help but involve
photography in her life at a philosophical level in the aesthetically attuned
way in which she encounters the world.
For the past few years, a very valuable resource of Bowdoin has been deprived
of public recognition. Proof of this is when one asks most students what The
Quill is, and they are unable to tell you anything about it. However, the staff
of The Quill (Bowdoin’s one and only literary magazine, for those of you
who don’t know) is just as dedicated as that of any other club or sport
on campus.
The literary magazine is published once a year in the spring, and despite its
name, it accepts more than just the usual literary work, such as poems, short
stories, plays and the like. It also incorporates original photos, drawings,
paintings, sketches, and doodles – basically anything creative that can
be displayed on a page.
Moreover, the magazine accepts such submissions year round, giving students
a chance to submit their pieces as soon as they are written, rather than forcing
them to languish in a drawer, forgotten, until some distant date in the spring.
Another advantage of this policy is that it allows the author to receive virtually
immediate feedback, giving them a chance to edit their submission, as well as
guidelines for future submissions.
Because of this rolling admissions policy, the editors must work year round
to assess the submissions. So, every Thursday night, rain or shine, the editors
of the magazine gather from near and far to discuss student submissions of creative
work (and supposedly have fun doing it, although this has not been confirmed).
The submissions are all judged anonymously, ensuring that no petty jealousies,
or even full-blown feuds, can thwart the creative process. Not that the staff
is jealous of anyone, and they certainly have no feuds, but the measure is in
place, just in case.
The meetings are about more than just reading student submissions, though. The
staff starts by looking at work from masterful artists and authors of the past,
not to use as a standard of judgment (for, after all, who can compete with a
James Joyce or an Albrecht Dürer?), but rather to provide some inspiration,
ensuring that The Quill never settles for second best.
For the goal of The Quill, as Larisa Reznik, co-Editor in Chief of the magazine,
states, “is to publish a quality compilation of diverse and vibrant work
the celebrates the talent of the Bowdoin student community.” Integral to
such a mission is the process of examining the work of prior authors, who provide
a perspective for the discussions at the Thursday meetings.
For those students who are interested in seeing what The Quill looks like, back
issues are available at the Smith Union Information Desk. Also at the Information
Desk is the submissions box for The Quill, which is checked regularly by the
Editors, Jenny Morse and Larisa Reznik.
Students interested in more information about The Quill’s submissions policies,
or even in becoming part of The Quill staff, should contact the editors, Jenny
Morse ’02 (jmorse2@bowdoin.edu)
and Larisa Reznik ’02 (lreznik@bowdoin.edu).
After spending a semester in Italy, watching way too much Italian television,
I have happily returned to review some of the best direct-to-video films that
Video Galaxy has to offer. While Italian TV was fascinating, I have missed feature-length
films such as Femalien, Killer Tongue, and even Killer Eye.
During the summer I considered changing the format of this column a bit. At
first I wanted to cover a terrific program on Italian television that I watched
with some frequency, titled Colpo Grosso, which loosely translates to Blow Fat.
The program is a game-show of sorts, which involves contestants stripping for
money, and also a regular cast of talented female co-hosts who also strip when
contestants answer questions correctly. While I never fully understood the rules
of the show, I found myself consistently captivated.
Another direction I considered taking the column was more towards the seedier
side of the video market, namely pornographic films, and their relationship
to popular film in the more mainstream market. For instance, I could review
the role of male/ female relationships in Disney’s popular animated release
Pocahontas, as compared to Vivid’s less well known Poke-a-hot-ass. Or,
I could compare the revolutionary visuals in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A
Space Odyssey with those in the softcore classic 2069: A Sex Odyssey. And how
about plot-development in Pokemon: The First Movie versus Shut Up and Blow Me
Part 4. Well, maybe that last one doesn’t work quite so well, but I think
you get the idea. After much consideration, I realized that in order to do a
column such as this, I would have to watch quite a bit of porn. While that may
be well and good, I would have to frequent the adult section of Video Galaxy
on a weekly basis; and let’s face it, I’m way too shy for that.
So by default, it’s back to the same old grind. For those of you who are
not familiar with my column, each and every week I will review a new direct-to-video
film. These movies are so innovative and ahead of their time, that a wide release
in theaters would not make financial sense, since only a small audience is sophisticated
enough to fully appreciate them. This week I am reviewing the fifth installment
of the ever-popular Leprechaun series, Leprechaun in the Hood, starring Ice-T.
After success as a solo rap-artist, his band’s controversial classic single
Cop-killer, and the lead role as an under-cover police officer in the influential
film New Jack City, it is only natural that Ice-T would choose to move on to
more avant-guard work such as Leprechaun in the Hood. While Leprechaun 4: Leprechaun
in Space was a telling and introspective spoof on the sci-fi genre of film,
it’s successor takes on a more serious tone. Leprechaun in the Hood is
a revealing study of three up-and-coming rap artists from the streets of Compton
struggling to make their way to success, and one bad-ass leprechaun who gets
in their way.
Three young rap-artists, Butch, Stray-Bullet, and Postmaster P, need some funding
to enter themselves in a rap contest which could send them to the finals in
Vegas and win them a record deal. But when the local pimp/record-producer Mac
Daddy (Ice-T) turns them down, our down-on-their-luck rappers decide to break
into the big man’s office and steal his gold. A flash-back sequence reveals
the secret to Mac’s success: years ago he stole his wealth and a magic
flute from a leprechaun who had been turned to stone. Our boys botch the heist,
and awaken the wrath of the leprechaun, sending the little man after them, as
well as one grumpy Mac Daddy. The remainder of the movie is spent in chaotic
violence as both Mac Daddy and the leprechaun hunt for the three rappers. The
leprechaun spends his time chillin’ with his zombie fly-girls, and smoking
the chronic. “A friend with weed is a friend indeed”, the stoned ghetto
leprechaun rhymes. When he’s not smoking a blunt, he’s seducing women
with his new urban-flava of seduction, “Come closer, come closer my lass,
let me get a look at you before I tap your ass.” The leprechaun even has
a sexual encounter with a transvestite male prostitute. As the little green
bad-boy hunts down Butch, Stray Bullet, and Postmaster P, he kills a lot of
people. He cuts their fingers off, dismembers them and pickles the body parts
in separate jars, blows holes clear through their chests, and impales someone
with his arm. But our three heroes don’t leave the leprechaun unscathed.
They yell insults at him like, “Yo shorty, you ain’t even as big as
my dick!” They set fire to him, and with a little help from the book Leprechauns
for Dummies they get him stoned off some weed mixed with four-leaf clovers.
With a cameo appearance by Coolio, a bumpin’ leprechaun rap sequence at
the end, and lines like “Man, bitches and hoes ain’t all the man knows,”
Leprechaun in the Hood is one of the finest films I have ever had the pleasure
of watching. A++!
Once again you find yourself on the Bowdoin campus. The summer is now past, along with the rather lackluster bunch of summer movies you thought it would be a good idea to spend eight bucks on, each. Classes have begun and you are slowly remembering why you hate homework so much. Then you pick up the first Orient of the year and you read something that brightens your day: the Bowdoin Film Society is back with a semester jam-packed with lots of great, free movies. What a wonderful time to be a Bowdoin student. You are so overcome with joy, you feel like you could burst out in song. Well, I wouldn’t recommend doing that (especially if you are secretly reading this in class), but don’t fret, because this weekend’s movies will satisfy your urge to sing and dance. As always, the movies will be shown in Smith Auditorium, Sills Hall, and are open to everyone.
Little Shop of Horrors - Friday at 7pm
Singing in the Rain - Friday at 9pm
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut - Saturday at 7pm
Everyone Says I Love You - Saturday at 9pm
***************
Friday at 7pm
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Directed by: Frank Oz
Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, Bill Murray,
Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Levi Stubbs.
Returning film fans will remember the slight mess-up last semester when we tried
to show this film, not realizing that the copy we had obtained was actually
the 1960 George Romero horror/comedy that this film is based on. We’ve
made sure that this time you’ll be able to see the correct musical version.
This musical’s story is the classic tale we’re all accustomed to:
boy meets girl, boy falls in love, boy’s evil space-plant gets a taste
for human blood and doesn’t want boy to leave with girl. It features some
really classic showtunes: “Skid Row (Downtown),” Steve Martin belting
out “Dentist!” and my favorite, “Mean Green Mother from Outer
Space.” The acting is also top notch. Rick Moranis is perfect as the nerdy,
love-struck florist (I think it’s his best role as a non-Canadian). Ellen
Greene is truly unforgettable as Audrey, mainly because of her voice. And Steve
Martin, well, is he ever bad? Come on, he plays a maniac dentist who loves to
hurt his patients. “Is it safe?” Indeed. There are also a bunch of
great cameos by some of the best comics of the mid 80’s. But the real star
of the film is Audrey II. She is truly unique in all of cinema. This is one
plant Barry Logan hasn’t exposed you to, so you better check this movie
out.
Rated PG-13
Friday at 9pm
Singing in the Rain (1952)
Directed by: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, and
Cyd Charisse
This is perhaps the greatest of all film musicals (I guess I can say that since
This is Spinal Tap isn’t technically a musical). It’s a love story
set at that famous period in the late twenties when the film industry first
began to use sound in the majority of its movies. Because you had to speak well
in order to be an actor, your career could be gone overnight. That is the problem
facing the beautiful movie star Hagen, who has a voice just as “interesting”
as Greene’s Audrey. To the rescue comes the trio of Kelly, O’Connor,
and Reynolds, who have the great idea of letting Debbie say all of Hagen’s
lines off stage. Many madcap problems arise (though all my old Hitchcock buddies
can see what kind of troubles Hitch went through in making Blackmail).
Along the way there are all the musical standards: people falling in love, huge
dance numbers, and lots of classic songs, including “Make ‘em Laugh,”
“Good Morning,” and Gene Kelly’s classic rendition of the title
song. It’s one of the most memorable of all film moments.
Rated G
Saturday at 7pm
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)
Directed by: Trey Parker
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, Isaac Hayes, George Clooney,
Minnie Driver, Eric Idle, Dave Foley, Brent Spinner and “Saddam Hussein”.
What Mel Brooks did to the Western genre with “Blazing Saddles” Trey
Parker and Matt Stone have done to musicals with this film. This movie takes
no prisoners and no one is spared. If you don’t want to be offended, then
you shouldn’t see this movie. But if you don’t mind being insulted
(along with every other person in the theater), then by all means come on out.
The story is a simple one. The four boys we all know and love happen to catch
the vulgar, R-rated Terrance and Phillip movie. This outrages the adults of
South Park, and the obvious outcome, a full-scale war with Canada, ensues. This
movie is much more than just a silly cartoon, it pays homage to the entire musical
genre. Yes, it will help if you are familiar with the television program, but
anyone can enjoy this movie. It features such catchy tunes as: “It’s
Easy, Mmmkay,” “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” “Blame Canada,”
and Trey Parker’s classic ode to old-fashioned uncle loving.
Rated R
Saturday at 9pm
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
Written and Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Natasha Lyonne, Alan Alda, Gabby Hoffman,
Natalie Portman, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Lukas Haas, Tim Roth and Woody
Allen.
Woody Allen’s musical is the story of an upper-class woman from Manhattan,
her current husband, her ex-husband, and all of their children. There are trips
to Paris and Venice in search of love. Problems arise when new characters are
introduced in order to break up the two lovebirds (Hawn’s daughter Barrymore
and Norton).
Although you wouldn’t think of these actors as singers, all except for
Drew Barrymore use their real voices. Then again, Allen didn’t tell his
actors that they were in a musical until after they signed the contracts, so
I guess it was something of a surprise for all of them. Like South Park, this
movie pays homage to the old, classic musicals, so it should appeal to both
fans of the genre and of Woody’s own brand of humor.
Rated R
Sneak Preview: Coming next week, a set of movies all you film geeks know and
love: the movies of Kevin Smith. Until then, feel free to get some mid-week
entertainment by checking out the Film Studies 10 and 101 class films: Sunrise
(1927; 9/12 @ 6, 9/13 @ 8) and Scarface (1932; 9/12 @ 8, 9/13 @ 6)