The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, October 31, 2008 -5
T Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, October 31, 2008 -5
Rabbit rocks
with emotion
and acoustics
"This is what we have to do to get by in America."
Odd experiments
FX comedy tests well with
its unique formula, quirky
characters and
outrageous humor
By DAVE REAP
Daily Arts Writer
You have to hand it to them - FX is really
embracing its "there is no box" campaign and
has become the undisputed champion of alter-
native television. It started
with a lineup of dramas *
known for defying conven-
tion and sparking contro- Testees
versy, like fan-favorite "The
Shield" and Denis Leary's Thursdays at
"Rescue Me." Now, by mov- 10:30 p.m.
ing "It's Always Sunny in FX
Philadelphia" to the fore-
front of its advertising push
and debuting "Testees" after it on Thursday
nights,FX seems poised to become the author-
ity on oddball humor as well.
The fact that "Testees" follows "It's Always
Sunny" each Thursday is no surprise, as FX is
looking to strengthen its hold on an audience
base that appreciates this particularly refresh-
ing brand of comedy. Much like "Sunny," the
show it will play second fiddle to, "Testees"
sports a cast of characters who are grungy,
dimwitted and not in the least way heroic. But
while this core similarity remains ever-pres-
ent, the creativity of the concept behind "Tes-
tees" gives it an identity of its own and makes
it immune to charges of being a "Sunny" rip-
off.
"Testees" follows the lives of two room-
mates, Ron and Peter, who are played by
newcomers Jeff Kassel and Steve Markle
respectively. These fully-grown yet childlike
men can only be described as lovably pathetic.
They have no jobs, their apartment is in sham-
bles and their sole source of income is volun-
teering as test subjects at a nearby lab known
as Testico.
Individual episodes of "Testees" begin
with Ron and Peter at Testico where they
are given some mildly scary drug or undergo
some type of bizarre, but always reversible,
surgery - like a temporary sex-change. The
remaining time is then devoted to how the two
deal with the screwy side effects of whatever
strange experiment they agreed to take part
in. "Testees" is hardly realistic, but then again
it doesn't pretend to be, and the show's weird
fantasy storytelling format is easy to embrace
once anything is considered fair game. Things
like men being impregnated via fertility pill
up the anus are entirely plausible in the con-
text of the show. So far "Testees" shows no
indication that it will break away from this
no-holds-barred formula anytime soon - and
it shouldn't since this is what differentiates
"Testees" from other shows currently domi-
nating television.
"Testees" is also attractive because it offers
a set ofunconventional main characters. Those
who feel suffocated by the grip of "gossip
girls" and high society can breathe again after
looking at the shithole that is Ron and Peter's
apartment. They give off a feel comparable to
Vince Vaughn's character in "Dodgeball" -
specifically, the brush-your-teeth-with-choc-
olate-milk type. We feel at home with these
dirty, poor schlubs, even if we would never let
ourselves live like that.
"Testees" is proof that FX is no longer fool-
ing around - they want to become a serious
comedic player on Thursdays and their one-
two punch certainly makes them a favorite.
And while you don't have to be a complete
weirdo to enjoy the unique offbeat humor of
these two shows, it certainly helps.
By SARAH CHAVEY
DailyArts Writer
In "Nick and Norah's Infinite
Playlist," the
titular charac-
ters run around
New York City Frightened
in search of
the ultimate, Rabbit
unknown hip- Liver! Lung! FR!
ster band,
Fluffy. In real Fat Cat
life, Frightened
Rabbit is that archetypical hipster
band. As a relatively unknown,
but beloved, indie band with a
furry friend as their namesake,
they are fluffy. Liver! Lung! FR!
is a live version of tracks off their
last studio release The Midnight
Organ Fight, a popular and suc-
cessful sophomore album.
A group of gruff Scotsmen,
Frightened Rabbit is a self-pro-
claimed quintessential "pop/folk/
indie" band. To be sure, most of
its studio albums are much more
indie rock than anything else, but
Liver! Lung! FR! shows off the
band's softer side. As a live album,
it's restricted to a simple format
and boosts a clean acoustic sound.
Live and acoustic, Hutchinson's
recognizable vocals are especially
notable,fulloftremorandemotion,
cracking as he strains for those
allusive high notes and wavering
in the softer ballads. Their songs
are intelligent and poetic, though
solemn and gloomy. In "Head
Rolls Off" Hutchinson sings of his
somewhat jaded view of religion
and death, asking, "Jesus is just a
Spanish boy's name / how come
one man got so much fame?" and
stating, "When my blood stops /
someone else's will not." As for
his view on the afterlife, he elabo-
rates: "I believe in a house in the
clouds / and God's got his dead
friends'round /he's painted all the
walls red / to remind them they're
all dead." But it's not all gloom and
doom. The song ends on a hope-
ful note, proclaiming, "While I'm
alive / I'll make tiny changes to
earth."
"Good Arms vs. Bad Arms" is
a disturbing letter of advice from
Hutchinson to an ex. He makes
the usual complaint - "I might
not want you back but I want to
kill him ... / I'm still in love with
you / can't admit it yet" - but fol-
lows with a strange forewarning:
"Don't brush with him / he might
have diseases / and leave the rest
at arm's length." Nevertheless,the
song (like the rest of the tracks on
the album) has a beautiful melody
and Hutchinson's magnetic vocals
make it touching and engaging.
The live album includes
moments of applause and some
witty quipping from the band
between tracks. These breaks
lighten the heavy mood of the
album, although there are a few
more comical moments in the
actual songs. "Backwards Walk"
finds Hutchinson repeating,
"You're the shit and I'm knee
deep in it" through to the end of
Moody Scottish
hipsters shine on
live album.
the track. He gives the puzzling
admission," My clothes wont let
me close the door / my trousers
seem to love your floor".
Joined by his brother, Grant
David Hutchinson, and a few
friends from Glasgow, Hutchinson
is on a mission to "keep pop music
alive by getting it out of that dress
and into a sweater" according to
the band's MySpace page. In any
case, Liver! Lung! FR! proves the'
band has gusto in and out of the
studio and the simple acoustic set
emphasizes Frightened Rabbit's
moody lyrical ingenuity.
Religious film fails to inspire
By EMILY BOUDREAU
For the Daily
For all its talk about God and
"soul saving," "Fireproof" should
actually be
damned to the
innermost circle
of movie hell. Fireproof
The film stars
Kirk Cameron, At Emagane
and after his Canton
interviews on Samuel Goldwyn
"Nightline" and
"The O'Reilly Factor," it's evident
he has an agenda as subtle as a
blunt cross.
Cameron ("Growing Pains")
plays firefighter Captain Caleb
Holt, whose marriage to his wife
Catherine, played by Erin' Bethea
("Facing the Giants"), has fallen
apart. In hopes of saving his son's
marriage, Caleb's father, John
Holt (played by newcomer Har-
ris Malcolm), decides to intervene
with a challenge he calls the "Love
Dare" - something that not only
miraculously saves failed marriag-
es, but also helps couples find God
through a series of little activities
performed within a 40-day period.
The "Love Dare" used to save
the marriage is not a work of God
so much as it is common sense. It
advises that a good husband listens
to his wife, gives her compliments
and does something nice every
once in a while. If Holt hadn't been
treating his wife this way before,
she probably should have left him
long ago.
But the film takes Captain Holt's
spiritual journey painfully serious-
ly. The filmis littered with lines full
of phony emotion, such as "Mar-
riage isn't fireproof" and "Never...
leave... your partner... behind." The
audience also gets to see Cameron
cry a grand total of five times. It's
almost as if he's channeling the
pain of an audience member who is
stuck watching this film. Bethea's
performance is also a drawback -
she doesn't seem to be coping with
a difficult divorce at all. She cries,
and then is incredibly happy - it
appears as if she's just having PMS.
What makes the movie so
annoying is that its activism does
not inspire. This is not to say that a
movie with a religious theme can't
be inspiring. But when shot after
shot of a wooden cross bathed in
golden light is forced upon audi-
ences, it inspires more groans than
hallelujahs.
The film tries to make heroes out
of the God-fearing characters but
falls short of its goal. Captain Holt
is no Batman. He has no obstacles
to overcome other than his failure
to love God and a brief allusion to
a fondness for internet pornogra-
Too bad he couldn't save Kirk Cameron's career.
phy (w
he sma
he over
great. V
tle agai
A h
scb
Film
sion, b
exploit:
Camerc
hich goes away as soon as mission in life, and neither does
shes his computer). Once this movie.
comes these things, life is In the middle of the film there's a
Me never really see him bat- scene inwhich Holt,his firemen and
nst a great force of evil. some policemen try to move a car
away from the tracks of an oncom-
ing train. While they are working,
L Ih d they're suddenly joined by a marine
eavy-hlanded, in full uniform who just happened
locky drama. to be walking by. The scene gives
cause to wonder: Do men as glori-
ous as these deserve to return to a
home and a country riddled with
the evils of divorce? Maybe not, but
s are mediums of expres- if traditional red-brick homes and
ut "Fireproof" is flat-out white picket fences need saving, it
ative and manipulative. will take a lot more than the "Love
on makes no secret of his Dare" to accomplish it.
THINK DANCE
IS MORE THAN
JUST GRINDING?
Write for Fine Arts.
E-mail battlebots@umich.edu for an application.
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I
ARTS IN BRIEF
Music
Indie-tronic in the red
Plus/Minus
"Xs On Your Eyes"
Absolutley Kosher
The New York-based threesome Plus/Minus
has ridden the indie-electronic bandwagon all
the way to its fourth full-length release Xs On
Your Eyes. While the band's latest disc lacks the
originality that typically accompanies a monu-
mental - or even adequate - release, it makes
up the difference with a string of easily-digest-
ible, poppy indie-tronic cuts.
The record offers a relatively diverse assort-
ment of tracks, ranging from slowed-down
synth beat numbers to cutesy guitar-driven
cuts. While varied, the mishmashed release
shows that Plus/Minus has failed to solidify
its own unique style. Consequently, the group
is unable to stand on its own in a music field
that's running rampant with synth-based
electro-look-a-likes and Hot Chip-wannabe
outfits. While Xs On Your Eyes has its moments
of excitement, the band ultimately comes out
sounding like another bland offering in the
realm of rising indie troupes.
"Tired Eyes" opens the haphazard album,
showcasing a standard "pretty" intro of bells
and quiet vocals before erupting into an
erratic guitar arrangement. The disc's subse-
quent tracks include uplifting pop-rock mus-
ings ("Subdued," "Xs On Your Eyes"), acoustic
chords buoying reminiscences of past loves
("Marina") and quick-stringed misses ("The
Queen Of Nothing"). Few cuts stand out and the
entire affair sounds hastily thrown together,
with little cohesion to hold together the com-
ponent parts.
A more successful attempt comes in the form
of "You'll Catch Your Death," a serene song of
hushed electronic notes over a persistent drum
beat. For the only time on the entire album,
Plus/Minus finds its swagger on the confident
cut. With Xs On Your Eyes, Plus/Minus regret-
tably proves to be a "minus" on the checklist of
up-and-coming indie rock bands.
SASHA RESENDE