100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

November 04, 2008 - Image 5

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 2008-11-04

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 -5

The best of
the worst

on
co
co
Modern
but I've
I want to
and deck
to discri
this wee
fall seas
well und
late-sum
shows h
recently
to an en
lot of ev
In totally
knockin
storylin
in one co
I promis
malfunc
which s
today.
"Mad
forced t
son two
week, w
Times M
a new sh
to watch
mouthpi
where, I
get on thi
doesn't st
months
somethi
and edit
on BET b
"Mad M
(not gre
did was
year wh
hit "Ster
it's going
AN
wo
fronr
merger.
pretend
ing nine
already
"Soutl
movies
I put thi
IS GOIN
AND MA
TOGETF
has alwa
occasion
dynamic
haven't s
one this
field" sp
bands ar
wearing
Really? I
bury thi
somethin
looking f
half as g
Boobage
that's un
The s
rage": S
the one s
months
umn is "I
with a fe
shows w
is the on
ever don
situation

metimes it's not easy to At least until two weeks ago, when
ome up with ideas for this Dom and Bob Ryan - the murder-
olumn (e.g. last month's ers responsible for slaughtering
TV Theme Hall of Fame) season three - returned for an epi-
got a lot sode that ended with a dude dying
o hit on from a heart attack (not fun). I
ided not stand by my original proclamation:
inate This show is dead.
k. The The quick death of"King of
o is onisthe Hill": Inoother dead show
lerway, news, "King of the Hill" was finally
imer canceled last week. You're prob-
ave ARCIC. ably thinking, "Wasn't that show
come PASSMAN axed in 1998?" Actually, it managed
d and a to last 13 seasons, which is really
ents need to be addressed. damn impressive. I can't sayI was
y bitching list form, I'm ever a big fan - the show's a little
g out six of television's top off-putting, and I could never tell if
es from the last few weeks it was supposed to be for the type
ilumn. Cop out? Maybe, but of people the show was about or for
e.not to mention Ohio or blue-staters to point and laugh -
tioning votingmachines, but, unlike "American Dad," which
hould be a nice diversion was extended for another season,
it's not bad or killing America.
1 Men"goes away;people Tina Fey's non-Palin return
o watch HBO again: Sea- to television: Just as the novelty
of "Mad Men" ended last of Tina Fey's almost-weekly Sarah
hich means The New York Palin impression on "Saturday
asgazine will have to find Night Live" has started to wear
ow to tell yuppie d-bags off, and with her character's pres-
. As the self-appointed ence on the show likely coming to
ece of yuppie d-bags every- an end, NBC broughtcback Fey's
'd like to request thatthey "30 Rock" for its third season. And
is quickly, because "Lost" somehow, this network is in fourth
tart for another couple place. Unbelievable. This was about
and we're goingto need as smart as opening "Zack and Miri
ng otherthan "30 Rock" Make a Porno," a comedy aimed
ed reruns of "The Wire" at teens and 20-somethings, on
to hold us over. But back to Halloween night. (To be fair, "30
en." The finale was good Rock" posted good numbers this
at), but really, all this season week, but it still made little sense
set the show up for next to wait over a month to start capi-
en the realities of the '60s talizing on this.) Poor scheduling
ling Cooper," or whatever aside, the opener was in stride with
gto be called after the the superb second season, and the
showhas prettyclearly supplanted
"The Office" as network television's
weak season best comedy. Plus, John Hamm is
rumored to be joining the show
f't keep TV temporarily as Liz Lemon's love
interest, which is almost too much.
a progressing. "SimpsonsTreehouseofHor-
ror LXXXIV" Impressions: Even
for a post-2000 "Treehouse of Hor-
ror," Sunday's annual "Simpsons"
Why does AMC have to Halloween episode was weak. The
it's HBO and keep us wait- "Mad Men" intro with Homer as
months for new episodes? I Don Draper was pretty awesome,
miss Joan. but the other 20 minutes were just
h Park" 's fixation on bad bland. I watched ita half hour ago
continues: How should and can'tcrecall a single half-decent
s? WHAT THE FUCK joke from the episode. Regardless of
*G ON, TREY STONE how inconsistent "The Simpsons"
ATT PARKER? GET IT has become, the "Treehouse" epi-
HER, BOYS. "South Park" sodes have always been above aver-
ys been hit or miss, but the age, and this should never change.
al hit is essential to this I've got a Solo cup half-filled with
and unfortunately we change and the complete first sea-
een anything resembling son of "Alf" on DVD waiting for
fall. A two-part "Clover- whoever kidnaps Conan O'Brien
oof about Peruvian flute and makes him hammer out 10
d over-sized guinea pigs shorts for "Treehouse of Horror
Halloween costumes? XX." Make it happen, people.
'm not dumb enough to Maybe the season has had more
s show or its creators, but cons than pros, but it's only early
ng needs to change. All I'm November, and things change
or is one episode that's quickly in this industry. "Lost" is
ood as last season's "Major coming back, "Curb Your Enthu-
"episode. I don't think siasm" is about to start shooting
reasonable. its seventh season - possibly with
lowdeathof"Entou- Woody Allen - and "Saturday
peaking of burying shows, Night Live" is attempting to forge
how I did bury in the 22+ ahead with only two female cast
I've been writing this col- members. Say what you want about
Entourage." It started out the TV industry, but it's definitely
w promising episodes. The not stagnant.

No one is this happy in real life. No one.

For the love of
everything yh appy

In his latest film,
director Mike Leigh
puts optimism first
By JONATHAN HURWITZ
Daily Arts Writer
Compared to his previous
work, British filmmaker Mike
Leigh's ("Vera
Drake") newest*
film, "Happy-
Go-Lucky," is Happy-
oddlyunsettling.
There are no Go-Lucky
oppressed abor- At the
tionists, fleeing Michigan
rapists or char- Theater
acters conflicted
by life tragedies. Miramax
In "Happy-Go-
Lucky," everything is, well, good:
The movie is an unexpected gift
that creates smiles and encour-
ages an appreciation of life.
The "happy" of "Happy-Go-
Lucky" is delivered through
sprightly and giggly Poppy (Sally
Hawkins, "The Painted Veil"),
a 30-year-old teacher living in
London who is unbound by the
conventions of adulthood (read:
husbands and mortgages). Her
hippie wardrobe, complete with
psychedelic-colored earrings
and outrageous necklaces, is the
perfect manifestation of her free
spirit. She's carefree and doesn't
let anyone or anything break her
smile, even if her treasured bicy-
cle gets stolen or she encounters a
threatening vagrant late at night
while walk home. She greets all
misfortune and danger with a
grin. She's fearless.
Understanding Poppy requires
an understanding of the people
she's closest to. For one, she lives
with Zoe (newcomer Alexis
Zegerman), her roommate and

best friend of 1Oyears. Zegerman's
strong performance matches that
of Hawkins, creating the perfect
foil to the sugary Poppy. Never-
theless, the roommates' intimacy
is undeniable and often surpasses
they typical boundaries of friend-
ship. In one scene, the best friends
lie next to each other in bed, sin-
cerely and eagerly questioning life
as they know it. As they announce
themselves as women ready to be
loved (in bed), large-scale ques-
tions dig at Poppy's life: What is
the driving force behind Poppy
and her smiling face? Why is
she so optimistic when others
aren't?
The latter question is called
into review with the introduc-
tion of Scott (Eddie Marsan,
"Hancock"), her cynical, anti-
American driving instructor
(yes, she's learning to drive at
age 30). He's best understood
as the antithesis of her upbeat
demeanor. In one of the only
serious, tension-filled scenes,
Scott explodes in anger as he
begs the question that many
viewers will also be pressed
to ask: Why is she so goddamn
happy?
While the film may not be
guided by a linear plot, it's
these intimate relationships
that support the film's over-
all narrative arc. A touch of
understated and ironic Brit-
ish humor helps, too. Leigh,
notable for his selection
of strong actresses as the
impetus behind his movies,
perfectly casts Hawkins as
the film's leading lady. His
unique pre-production rou-
tine of improvisational ses-
sions with his cast clearly
helped to flesh out the feel
of the film. With many of the
improvisations included in
the final script, the film plays

a lot like real life.
Accepting and understanding
Poppy is the key to enjoying the
film.Herbubblypersonalitymaybe
utterly annoying at the film's onset,
but as the movie goes on, Poppy
emerges as an enigma in need of
solving. Ultimately, her strange
appeal is resolved - she's scary
because she lives a carefree and
simple life that most never could.
Whether her character is tak-
ing Flamenco dance lessons or
attending the occasional tram-

poline session, Hawkins's per-
formance is a pleasure to watch.
Leigh brilliantly crafts a char-
acter who complements a cast
of equally important and real
personalities. The result is a sin-
cerely blissful film with a charac-
ter who demonstrates it's easy to
submit to despair, but it's easier
to meet cynicism with optimism.
And what makes* for a better
onscreen character - especially
today - than a genuinely happy
one?

p.-,,OKI

ere consistently fun, which
ly thing "Entourage" has
e well, and Vince's career
1was vaguely intriguing.

Passman's latest pilot was rejected
by HBO for the 57th time. E-mail him
at passman@michigandaily.com.

ARTS IN BRIEF

Television
Hip-hop dads still
can't cut it on TV
"Coolio's Rules"
Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
Oxygen
"Coolio's Rules," a new pseu-
do-reality show that follows the
ridiculous home life of still-rec-
ognizable rap star Coolio, is little
more than a pointless rehash of
Reverend Run's "Run's House."
Essentially, it features Coolio
struggling to manage his bratty
* kids, two of whom he should've
kicked out of the house long ago.
Among other things, the show
features the washed-up rhyme-
smith attempting to start a cook-
ing business to compensate for
his failing music career. The only
catch is, Coolio can't cook. When
he doesn't have enough spaghetti
sauce, he makes more by mixing
tomatoes and basil in a blender. He
calls this process "making some-

thing out of nothing," but it's actu-
ally making inedible trash out of
produce.
While Coolio's sincere about his
desire to become a "ghetto gour-
met" chef, the fact he posted epi-
sodes of "Cookin' with Coolio" on
MyDamnChannel.com, a site for
weird comedyvideos, shows exact-
ly what this idea is: a joke. Coolio
even tries to hire his irresponsible
kids to work at his restaurant,
because he thinks - probably cor-
rectly - it's the only way they'll
ever get jobs.
The show fails for the same
reasons Coolio's cooking busi-
ness inevitably will: Nobody
cares about Coolio anymore. The
series also runs on Oxygen, so it
was doomed before it even began.
Coolio may be eccentric - he scat-
ters trash and uneaten spaghetti
throughout his house to teach his
kids to clean - but that doesn't
make him entertaining. Anybody
who cares about an irrelevant rap-
per's domestic problems is much
better off watching "Run's House."
At least Rev Run is talented.
JAMIEBLOCK

Too Shy?
Do you consider yourself excessively shy?
Do you have anxiety about social situations?
If this sounds like you, you may be suffering from Social Anxiety
Disorder. Dr. K. Luan Phan, M.D. at The University of Michigan is
conducting a medication research study. You may qualify to participate.
In this study, we are testing to see what genes, behavior and brain
function can tell us about treatment success in Social Phobia using a
medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment
of Social Anxiety Disorder. Interested volunteers should be right-
handed, have no major medical or neurologic illness, and no metal
parts in their body. Women should not be pregnant or trying to become
pregnant.
To find out more call:
734-232-0199
Or email:
socialphobia@umich.edu
UNIVERSITYOP MICHIGAN

"Happy-go-fuck-yourself, lady

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan