Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Cheryl Minns, Art Editor Marts@theotherpress.ca Ghosts of the living » ‘Crimson Peak’ movie review Adam Tatelman Ga Staff Writer QOOOS astiche and homage can be great fun, but let’s be honest: everything Guillermo Del Toro’s ever done is an adaptation or a throwback. Pacific Rim is basically Neon Genesis Evangelion with a side of Godzilla. Pan’s Labyrinth is, well, Labyrinth, and David Bowie wants his movie back. Even the venerable Hellboy is adapted from the comic series, though it’s to the film’s credit. Enter Crimson Peak, Del Toro’s latest return to form. I'll tentatively say this old-fashioned ghost story has enough personality to stand apart from the typical Halloween fare. Between the detailed and lifelike set design, old- school wipe transitions, visceral practical effects, and magnificently atmospheric cinematography, Crimson Peak is easily the most visually exciting horror film I’ve seen in ages. However, in cribbing : all of its story and visual : cues from gothic horror and : suspense greats like Vincent : Price and Alfred Hitchcock, : the film struggles to stay one : step ahead of the audience. The first act is very Jane : Austen, which is English for : slow. American author and : heiress Edith Cushing (Mia : Wasikowska) conspires to : marry Thomas Sharp (Tom : Hiddleston), a broke-yet- : charming English baron who’s : been begging for funding : from her wealthy father (Jim : Beaver). There’s some baroque : family melodrama and a little : murder, which could all have : been accomplished in half the : time. However, these scenes : do serve to create an effective : visual and thematic parallel : with the rest of the film and : Sharp’s home, Allerdale Hall. Allerdale Hall is very : much alive. It’s not an entity, : though it is home to many. It : ig a character, and its dialogue : is the creaks and groans : of the foundations. As the : mansion sinks into the red clay : deposits that Sharpe mines, : the floorboards ooze red while : leaves, snow, and black moths : flit through the rotten walls. : It’s a real triumph of set design : and makes for an entirely : unreal yet believable setting. Sharp’s twisted sister, : Lucille (Jessica Chastain), is : easily the best-played role in : the film, and the scariest thing ? on screen for the duration. The : ghosts I can take or leave, but : her baleful glances and stilted : monologues feel like something : out of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. : As the reasons for her behavior : become clear, the depth of : her depravity is revealed, and : Chastain plays the role with : fervor. The film would be much : less entertaining without her. Unfortunately, these uber- : gothic sets and performances : : are not enough to make the film. : : If you've ever seen Notorious : or Gaslight, you'll guess most : of the twists. Modern horror : fans will likely have trouble : thinking of Crimson Peak as : anything other than the more : colourful art-house twin to The : Woman in Black, which I must : admit is the more frightening : and suspenseful film. I’m only critical of Del Toro : because I love his films. The : power of his imagery carries his (¥ Comic Corner: Not as good as the movie (Y Relive Malala Yousafzai’s story in new documentary Terrifying books to check out this Halloween And more! : borrowed ideas further than : they could otherwise get by : themselves, but Crimson Peak : is the most structurally flawed : of his most recent works. Still, there is enough : macabre romance and spooky : atmosphere to make for a : good Halloween date movie. : Now show Del Toro some love : so we can get a Hellboy 3. This issue: Still of Mia Wasikowska in Crimson Peak Meditating with the mandala » A look at the universal symbol of the divine : made by Buddhists and Hindus, : mandalas can also be found : in Native American, Celtic, : and Christian art. Some : Native American mandalas : are the medicine wheel, the : dreamcatcher, and the famous : “Man in the Maze.” The Celts : made complex mandalas that > imitated knot-work, most : notably the Celtic cross. : Mandalas can also be found : in the stained-glass windows : of Gothic cathedrals such : as Notre Dame, and in the : oculus of the Roman Pantheon. : They can be found just about : anywhere: the spider’s web; : the rippling, concentric circles : of a pond; or the spiral shape of the Milky Way galaxy. Benjamin Howard Columnist he circle is a primordial shape and is the basis of the mandala, a form of art that has aided in meditation and relaxation since antiquity. Mandalas come in many forms: they can be found in paintings, architecture, and nature. It is an archetypal form found across cultures. However, the mandala is found primarily in the art of the Indian religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s not surprising then that the word “mandala” (circle) is derived from Sanskrit: from manda, meaning “essence,” and /a, meaning “container.” Certainly the mandala is held sacred by many, because it is said to be a manifestation, or microcosm, of the universe. The mandala is simple, yet complex—perhaps that’s why it’s so pervasive throughout nature and culture. Besides the many paintings of mandalas I myself own a mandala : in the less common, : three-dimensional form of a : wire frame: a collapsible sphere, : linked together by various : wires that form overlapping : circles. The wire frame can be : easily manipulated into over 30 : different shapes. The first time : Lused it, only vaguely aware : of its purpose, it mesmerized : me. I had planned on going to : bed, but nonetheless for nearly : an hour I was ina trance-like : state, fascinated by the many : interconnected, symmetrical : shapes that could be made. It ? was much better than a stress : ball, I can tell you that. But playing with a : wire-frame mandala is not : the only means to relaxation. : Drawing a mandala or : contemplating one, such as : gazing at a painting of it, is : a form of meditation as well. : In fact, the psychologist Carl : Jung used mandalas with his : patients to help open up the : subconscious and work out : psychological issues. Jung has : credited much of his personal : healing to his use of mandalas. It’s a shame that the ? mandala’s ancient form has been : nearly forgotten by the West. : A little more meditation in the : world might do some good. Image via mandala.yolasite.com