The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 -5A
When rapper
meets Trump
andMartha
ByJAMIE BLOCK contestants watch in a mix of hor-
Daily Arts Writer ror and amusement.
It may not seem like senseless
Rapper, actor and entrepreneur bickering would be a necessary
50 Cent can add Donald Trump addition to the "Apprentice" for-
inpersonator mula, but it actually helps a lot.
to his list of ** The fights among team members
endeavors with are exactly what people wanted to
his new MTV 50 Cent: the see on "The Apprentice" but never
reality series "50o neand did, because contestants on net-
Cent: the Money work reality shows at least pretend
and the Power." the Power to have dignity.
Fourteen hope- Thursdys One surprisingsuccess that puts
fuls compete in T ay "The Money and the Power" above
a series of busi- at10p'm. later seasons of Trump's classic is
Bess and physical MTV that the focus isn't on SO Cent him-
challenges that self. The tedium of "The Appren-
test their ability to think on their tice" arose when the show became
feet and work as a team. The win- an outlet for Trump to show off.
ner will earn a $100,000 invest- On the other hand, the show actu-
ment of 50 Cent's own money, far ally devotes a lot of screen-time to
less than the million-dollar prize the interactions and back-stories
offered on "The Apprentice." of its contestants. Of course, por-
Whether the winner will have traits of 50 are all over the walls of
any sort of continued business "Camp Curtis," the military-esque
relationship with the rap-star is installation where the competitors
unclear, but from 50's purposeful live, but that's the extent of his
remark, "I'm not looking for some celebrity arrogance.
half-assed apprentice," it seems The inevitable and unsurprising
unlikely. downfall of the show, to be sure, is
The business-reality genre has its uncanny similarity to the many
been exhausted by Trump, Mar- business-reality shows that came
tha Stewart and several others before it. While it distinguishes
itself to an extent, the show wastes
too much time making a conscious
50 Cent enters effort to appear unique. "You're
fired" is replaced by the phrase
the world of the "You've been dropped. Get the
fuck outta here." The board room
apprentice search. is substituted for a rooftop. The
business suits disappear in favor
of baggy jeans, except for the
elimination scene, where 50 sports
who are looking to hit it big while some pretty fly business threads.
getting another lackey in the pro- In constantly trying to distinguish
cess. Hell, even Andy Dick man- himself from Trump, 50 Cent just
aged to find enough people who'd makes his show look even lower
work for him. What makes "The, budget than it probably is.
Money and the Power" tolerable, "50 Cent: the Money and the
despite its complete unoriginal- Power" survives on its thug vibe
ity, is that - like on all MTV and belligerent cast. The show
reality shows - people curse, can't escape being a knock-off of
rip, tear, punch and claw at each "The Apprentice," but fortunately
other nearly 24/7. In the opening for SO Cent, the first season of
sequence, 50 says he wants to pit "The Apprentice" was actually
the book-smart against the street- pretty good. With a smaller prize
smart. What really happens is and a much smaller budget, 50's
that all the "street-smart" peo- version may not be the grand spec-
ple scream and push each other tacle that Trump provided, but it
around while the "book-smart" . still manages to entertain.
ARTS IN BRIEF
The sequel, "Rachel Gets Divorced," is alreadyin production.
Unveiling chaos
Fragmented film stars
Anne Hathaway at her best
By NOAH DEAN STAHL
Daily Arts Writer
Whether you want to admit it or not, most
families have someone who's just on the out-
skirts of the family. If this is
you, fret not. There's a new *
pariah in town.
"Rachel Getting Mar- Rachel
ried," Jonathan Demme's
first narrative feature in Getting
almost five years, paints Married
an unsettlingly direct pic-
ture of family dysfunction At Showcase
in the days preceding a Sony
daughter's wedding. Rachel
(Rosemarie DeWitt, TV's
"Mad Men"), as the title would indicate, is
getting married; the other daughter, Kym
(Anne Hathaway, "Get Smart"), is a recover-
ing addict who's granted leave from rehab in
order to attend the celebration.
The audience is immediately force-fed
a hefty serving of Kym's acerbic brand of
interaction. She makes everyone squirm
with misery. Upon first seeing Rachel, Kym
makes repeated reference to how slim her
sister looks, asking her if she's "puking
again." Every one of Kym's compliments is
backhanded, every comment dripping with
passive-aggressive malice.
Within the first hours of her return, Kym
has sex with the best man. - also a recover-
ing addict - and usurps the position of maid
of honor, a right she justifies by invoking the
bonds of sisterhood. Whether Kym has ever
shown respect for sibling relations is unclear;
what is clear, however, is the immaturity and
selfishness that provoke Kym's maid-of-hon-
or outburst.
Kym further asserts her egotism in a disas-
trous toast at the rehearsal dinner. A long
series of heartfelt speeches leads up to Kym's
cataclysmic monologue about her history,
emotional meltdowns and recurring relaps-
es. It's nearly impossible to look directly at
the screen, as the child-like Kym pathetically
begs for attention. Look away for too long,
though, and you'll miss something that feels
as close to genuine as you're likely to find in
theaters.
Anne Hathaway's performance far exceeds
anything she's done up to this point, though
perhaps that isn'tsaying much. There is a dis-
dainful and pitiable authenticity to Kym that
must be credited to the care and dedication
of Hathaway's performance. In a screaming
match with Rachel, Kym likens her reunion
with the family to the Salem witch trials -
it being an extended interrogation about her
goings-on. Though this comparison is hyper-
bolic, the audience empathizes with Kym and
her short-fused frustration. Hathaway brings
Kym as close to reality as possible without
actually jumping off the screen.
The film's main shortcomings can be
attributed to first-time writer Jenny Lumet's
(daughter of famed director Sidney Lumet)
disappointing script. Important points~tat
keep the story moving feel decidedly like
narrative devices - constructed and manip-
ulative. Scenes designed to provide further
insight into the strained inner-workings of
the family fail to coalesce, making a film of
fragmented pieces.
In contrast to these narrative pitfalls,
an added sense of realism is provided by
Demme's work with the cinematographer
Declan Quinn. Quinn, who shot Demme's
most recent documentary, "Jimmy Carter
Man from Plains," helps realize a film that
seems to blurthe lines between documentary
and fiction. Shot on video with jarring cam-
erawork, it's often hard to remove oneself
from the action as the film insists on being
real
Film
The first-hand
Katrina experience
comes to life
"Trouble the Water"
At the Michigan Theater
Zeitgeist
Remember all the moronic hype
about how "Cloverfield" and its
hand-held camera style gave it a
pressing, relevant and true-to-life
thrill? Well, it's pretty bogus and
unscrupulous compared to actual
disaster footage.
The heart-breaking new docu-
mentary "Trouble the Water"
. presents a real catastrophe, Hur-
ricane Katrina, and it's harsher
and more exhausting than any
gimmick-film. Through personal
footage acquired by Ninth Ward
couple Scott Roberts and Kimberly
Rivers Roberts, Katrina is retold in
the most achingly earnest format
we may ever see.
Mixing cinsma varit6. oral
accounts, news footage and a
sincerity seldom seen in popular
documentary, "Water" is Scott
and Kim's story about their life
in New Orleans before and after
the hurricane. If you think you
heard it all on the news, wait till
you see it here. There's no Ander-
son Cooper crying and segue-
ing to other stories. Everything
awful you heard about - missing
checks, secret police, racial strife,
dilapidated row houses - is vis-
ible, understandable and horribly
affecting.
But are Kim and Scott complete
victims of a historical plight? Not
necessarily. They keep moving on,
working, hoping and trying to sort
out their lives. They don't run from
the storm: They face it. And their
story couldn't be more hopeful - a
needed feeling these days.
"Trouble the Water" is a rare
and required work of visual sub-
stance. While it only plays today
and tomorrow, if you're willing to
shell out ten bucks fot-fake disas-
ters, then why not spend seven
informing yourself about a real
one?
BLAKE GOBLE
Bringing the Welsh pop
By JEFF SANFORD
DailyArts Writer
Los Campesinos! seem a bit
hesitant to declare We are Beau-
tiful, We are
Doomed to be
the group's
second proper
album. While it LOS
certainly quali- Campesinos!
fies as such,
the band coyly We are
refers to its Beautiful, We
newest release are Doomed
as "what the Arts & Crafts
majority of you
have decided to
call our 'second album.' " At face
value, the band's skittishness is
a bit unsettling. After all, what
kind of band tries to downplay its
efforts with off-putting ambiva-
lence?
But with a little scrutiny, the
group's equivocation seems rea-
sonable. Not only does We are
Beautiful include more indulgent
periphery than a special-edition
"Scarface" DVD (bulkier-than-
average packaging, a full-length
DVD documentary, a thirty-
plus-page illustrated booklet
and a hand-drawn poster), it also
comes a mere seven months after
the American release of its debut
album, Hold On Now, Youngster.
In light of the circumstances,
"album" may not be the designa-
tion the band is looking for. Per-
haps "event" is more suitable. Or
even "celebration."
Butlabels aside, there are still
10 tracks buried beneath all the
ornamental rubble that need to
be considered. Instead of suf-
focating amid the surrounding
excess, these songs surge with
vitality and aplomb, forming a
sometimes-playful, sometimes-
snotty but altogether satisfying
sophomore album (or whatever
you want to call it).
One thing separating Los
Campesinos! from the rest of the
convoluted indie-pop world is the
youthful charm they effortlessly
communicates in their work.
Hailing from Cardiff, Wales, the
group embodies archetypal cock-
ney charisma. Primary vocalist
"Gee, it's fun being rock'stars!"
Gareth
has a
for ps
stagier
Mike S
he sha
to rela
Ch
an
ci
Campesinos (the band schoolyard dynamic between the
Ramones-like penchant two.
eudonyms) sounds like a Opener "Ways To Make It
version of The Streets's Through The Wall" is a furious,
kinner. More importantly, polyphonic barrage of frenzied
res Mr. Skinner's ability guitars and manic keyboards pro-
te to people - he habitu- pelledby arthritis-inducing drum-
ming. It hits like a cold punch to
the ear, demanding the listener's
attention right from the start. Los
larisma, pep Campesinos! rarely slows down
below mid-tempo, and "Ways" is
d a touch of as intense as things get."
-1dlk 11u1 n There are no instantly engag-
'd lKe fun. ing tunes like Hold On Now's
barnburner "You! Me! Dancing!,"
but Los Campesinos! have honed
a more focused and consistent
'aws the listener into his sound. On tracks like "We Are
Welsh world using only Beautiful, We Are Doomed," the
yish wit and blunt honesty. band sounds like a hyper-caffein-
g vocal duties is Gareth's ated Broken Social Scene, crafting
counterpart, Aleksan- a dense sonic atmosphere with
nging alone, she's a much abundant punk energy. Proving
r performer than Gareth, their bag of tricks is a deep one, the
er soft-spoken, childlike band employs robotic keyboards,
nies provide an alluring echoing strings and even a dash
of glockenspiel to get their point
across.
Lyrically, the band upholds
its youthful spirit. Gareth muses
in his angst-filled Cardiff accent
about anxieties for the future, lost
love and even drunk dialing. With
occasional melodramatic lyrics,
the band owes more to emo than
would be expected. On "It's Never
That Easy Though, Is It? (Song For
the Other Kurt)," Gareth howls "I
walked into the room to see my ex-
girlfriend / Who by the way I'm
still in love with/Suckingthe face
of some pretty boy."
On We Are Beautiful, Los
Campesinos! never stop their
high-energy, aural assault. When
flavored with the band's melodic
pep, the album is enthralling and
pure fun. However, it can get
tiresome, After wading through
all the packaging glitz, one might
not have the energy or the desire
to keep up with the Welsh sep-
tet's exhausting pace.
ally dr
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his boy
Sharin
female
dra. Si
weaker
but h.
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