1996_02 The Daily Collegian February 1996

              THE DAILY
- COLLEGIAN ,
2d     Friday, February 2,1996   )
Opinion
Managipg Editor: Robert Bilvado
Telephone: (209) 278-5732
'Waterworks'
excellent
explosions,
the rest sinks
By Jim Ward
Senior Staff Writer
"Waterworld" gives the feeling that the
makers of the film put all their efforts into
the sets, costumes, and special effects. The
screenplay seemed to be an after-thought.
There are no characters to care about or root
for. It's just a movie with a whole lot of
explosions.
The film is set in a post apocalyptic
world where polar ice caps have melted and
cover the earth. Survivors live on giant
man-made*scrap-metal atolls, under the
constant threat of attack by "smokers," led
by Deacon (Dennis Hopper).
The Mariner (Kevin Costner) sails into
one of these floating scrap-heaps just be¬
fore a "smoker" attack and rescues Helen
(Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her adopted
daughter Enola
(Tina Majorino).
The Deacon then
pursues Enola to get
a look at the tattoo
on her back that is a
map to the mythical
"Dryland"
The bulk of the
rest of the movie
consists of Helen,
Enola, and the
Mariner squabbling
among themselves
and running from
Deacon's jet ski-
riding henchmen.
The action scenes are, in a word, stu¬
pendous. In one incredible sequence, the
"smokers" attack an atoll with jet skis,
jumping over 50 foot walls. In another, the
Mariner's catamaran is literally ripped apart
by the "smokers," trying to capture Enola.
The best thing you can say about
Costner's1 performance is that he doesn't try
an accent (like in the dreadful "JFK"). He
plays his character as a humorless, irritable
lout.
Hopper plays Deacon with a demented
glee that gives the movie a much needed
dose of comic relief. Every time he appears
on screen the movie picks up energy.
Unfortunately. Hopper alone can not
save the movie. Essentially, this is a water-
bound "Mad Max," without that series'
charm or inventiveness. For $175 million
you'd think the pr6dueers>could have got¬
ten more bang for their buck.
Review
"Waterworld"
Kevin Costner,
Dennis Hopper.
Jeanne Tripplehorn
A band of refugees
seek land after the
melting of the polar
ice caps
\^&> you ^^T-
Life in the Fresno of the rising sun
■ A former CSUF student explores the Japanese sister to Fresno and
Fresno State, but still longs for tacos.
By Ingemar Dahlberg
Special to the Collegian
My name is Ingemar Dahlberg.
I'm a born-again Bulldog with a penchant
for Mexican food and dark beeV I am also an
English major/Japanese minor Senior with as¬
pirations of receiving a Ph.D. in Asian Ameri¬
can Literature and a Bachelor's degree in
Japanese.
Through some twist of fate and/or luck, I
was chosen to be this year's Fresno State
Monbusho Scholar to our sister school in
Kochi, Japan.
The city of Kochi is located on the east¬
ern Japanese island of Shikoku. Kochi has a
population that is roughly the same as our
own, although as ours has increased consid¬
erably as of late, theirs has begun to fall dra¬
matically due to a much lower birthrate and
an exodus of young people to the larger cit¬
ies for better job opportunities.
The cities of Kochi and Fresno are sister
cities.. Their respective universities are sis¬
ter schools. The cities and schools have much
in common.
Perhaps the greatest of these commonali¬
ties is the importance placed upon agricul¬
ture. Each have legendary Farmer's markets
and are known in their respective countries
for being leaders in the agricultural industry.
There. I've given you the brief thumbnail
history of Kochi and its relationship with
Fresno. Now, what's my take on Kochi?
Well, I've been here for four months now.
The culture shock is something beyond com¬
prehension. Cities like Tokyo and Osaka are
incredibly modern and have an incredible
amount of foreigners both visiting and living
in them. Cities like Kochi are a bit more iso¬
lated, and aren't exactly tourist hotspots.
Kind of like California. The relatives from
Jersey want to see Disneyland and the Golden
Gate Bridge, but aren't really too hot on the
scenic tour of downtown Fresno. It's not that
either Fresno or Kochi aren't worthy of the
tourism, but between the temperature and the
location, visiting is just a bit inconvenient.
Kochi is arguably more Japanese than
most of the other major Japanese cities in this
respect. Foreigners, or "gaijin," as we are
called here are very, very rare. You can go
for days, even weeks, without seeing another
gaijin.
This can be good and bad for someone at¬
tempting to learn the language and culture.
Good in the sense that you can totally im¬
merse yourself in the Japanese experience and
"go native" as some of the gaijin I've talked
to call it. Bad in the sense that when you've
had enough, the culture has just overwhelmed
you, and everything seems incredibly alien,
there aren't many people around that can re¬
ally understand or relate to you on certain
issues.
Before I came here, I dreamed of the un¬
limited sushi and sashimi (raw fish) that I
would be able to eat.M dreamed of endless
nights spent sipping sake (Jjpt rice wine) and
throwing all manner of exotic fish down my
throat. I dreamed of the inner peace that I
would attain.
After four months, I long for the chaos. I
miss long sfretches of highway. I have
dreams where I vividly picture myself in the
drive through of Taco Bell. The Colonel
whispers words of wisdom at me from the
beyond. ,  (
But I'm here, and the closest I can come
to Fresno is Ac "MakuDonarudosu"
(McDonalds) where you can get a Big"Mac,
large fries and a medium coke for about
$8.50.
I'm not complaining though. The sushi's
still great, the sake's fine, and I think I'm on
the verge of finding the whole inner peace
deal. Still, maybe someone out there with
connections could convince Taco Bell of the
unlimited franchising possibilities available
to them in Japan.
Daily Collegian
California State University, Fresno -
News Editor
Heather Hartman
Sports Editor
Brian R. Fisher
Feature Editor
Leah Perich
Editor in Chief
Jevon C. Swanson
Managing Editor
Robert Bilvado
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Staff Writers: Dernice Trimble,
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Anthony Lopez, Anthony Marino,
Ana Rocha, Brisa Curiel, Shanna
Holman, Deborah Sanchez,
Mictiael Harding, Silvia Torres
Sports Writers: Matt Croce,
Matt Personale, Page Devers,
Troy Wagner, Dave Johnson,
Jabari Lawrence, Patrick
Houlinhan, Casey Angle
Photographers: Paul Martinez,
Mark Lee, Tommy Monreal,
Mohamed El Sharif, James
O'Brian, Ryan McKee
Advertising reps: Richard Nixon,
Lupe Fuentes, Kismet Ragab,
Paul McCauley
the Daily Collegian it published Ave
times a week for and by the students of
California State University. Fresno.
Opinions expressed in the Collegian are
not necessarily those of the entire Daily
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