4B - Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4B - Thursday, February 5, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
E A.T 'GRAND HOTEL' (1932)
'Grand' entertainment
This year's Super Bowl ads:
the good, the bad and the weird
By BLAKE GOBLE ill clerk (Lionel Barrymore, "Isn't pre-1970, it's scary to think that
Daily Arts Writer Life Wonderful"), a wicked stenog- maybe only the Library of Congress
rapher (Joan Crawford, "The Best watches old movies. How many of
In honor of the Academy Awards, of Everything") and an unscrupu- students have honestly sat through
it's high time we remind ourselves of lous tycoon (Wallace Beery, "The "Gone With the Wind"?
thegreatergoodthattheawardshave Champ"). Don't worry if the per- Well, "Grand Hotel" would be a
contributed to. Sure, the broadcasts formers sound archaic; they were good place to start connecting with
are too long and the winners receive huge in 1932. Their paths cross in a old-fashioned Hollywood. Made in
equal parts praise and scrutiny, but superbly linked series of incidents: 1932, the pacing is quick, the act-
that doesn't mean the awards matter romantic trysts, big business deals, ing is eloquent and the stories are
anyless than they used to. actually interesting.It's pure theat-
The Oscars have made mar- ricality. But "Hotel" lasted thanks
quee decisions both forgotten and w to its simplicity, and the star power
remembered. Lord knows "The A W iner rom doesn't hurt either. This is grand,
Greatest Show on Earth" was an the g ldn1 geof old Hollywood captured on film.
awful film. Butforeverynoted land- t olden age The film won Best Picture at the
mark like "All Quiet on the West- Hollywood Oscars for the 1931/1932 awards cer-
ern Front" and "It Happened One H wemony (it wasn't on a rigid sched-
Night," there's an equally wonderful ule back then), and oddly enough it
film that goes by the wayside in the e was competing against seven other
popular consciousness. films. It was the only award "Hotel"
"Grand Hotel" was the fifth film won, but it was much deserved. At
to win Best Picture, and it's one of personal journeys and life-changing the time, only 12 awards were given
the unfortunately ignored ones. incidents. ("Titanic" alone won 11 and was
A cavalcade of Hollywood's earli- Now, if that sounds like a typical nominated for 14 in 1998) and most
est super celebrities, simple studio melodrama, then that's because it is. categories had only three nominees.
filmmaking and all-around enter- The movie has a super cast, which Yes, the Oscars were still trying to
taining drama, it's atruly great film, more than makes up for its broad find their identity. But that doesn't
and a benchmark for the Academy's stories. "Grand Hotel" was like the make this any less valid of a film.
history. Oh, and best of all, it's easier original "Ocean's Eleven" for its star See it for its old studio marksman-
to watch than you might think. power and like "Gosford Park" for ship and clean craft. See it to under-
"Grand Hotel" is a series of con- its dense structure and stories. stand what Oscar-baiting looked
nected stories at the eponymous Most importantly, the film holds like in the beginning. See it to hear
Berlin Inn, where a ballerina (Greta up better today than it should. With Greta Garbo utter her famous line: "I
Garbo, "Ninotchka"), a baron (John a general reluctance among young- vant to be alone!" See "Grand Hotel"
Barrymore, "Dinner At Eight"), an er audiences to watch anything because it is just a great movie.
By DAILY TV/NEW
MEDIA STAFF
This year's Superbowl com-
mercials had a bizarre penchant
for nostalgia, animals and unwar-
ranted violence. They included at
least three ads doing the senti-
mental generation hop (perhaps
in desperate attempts to prove
their staying power in an economy
that doesn't discriminate), Bud-
weiser and Pedigree attempting
to increase the visibility of horses
in the media and Doritos, Audi
and Bud Light favoring slapstick
aggression ending in death or
testicular hindrance. Originality
wasn't exactly abundant. There
were, however, some stand-outs.
And that's where we, your friend-
ly Daily TV staff, will weigh in.
CONAN GOES A BIT TOO FAR
If you've ever wondered about
a commercial's ability to be both
terrifyingly awkward and hilari-
ously self-referential, wonder no
more. Bud Light's spot on meta-
satire has now officially and
permanently burned its brand,
along with some uncomfort-
able images, into the malleable
minds of mainstream America.
The only thing more disturbing
than Conan O'Brien crawling
around in a mesh top while hiss-
ing was when Bridgestone's
Potato Head commercial set the
feminist movement back 30 years.
RACHEL HANDLER
HULU MAKES ITS PRESENCE
FELT
Super Bowl ads tend to run
the gamut from ordinary to plain
weird, and online television
hub Hulu's one-minute spot fell
solely in the latter column. Fea-
turing Alec Baldwin as an alien
accidentally revealing Hulu's
plans for world domination, it
didn't necessarily make sense,
but if this is what the revolution
looks like, I'm already on board.
ERIC CHIU
THE QUICK LIFE
For those of us bored to tears
by those never-ending 30-second
commercials, Miller High Life
aired the first ever one-second-
long ad during this year's Super
Bowl. It featured a portly beer
deliveryman screaming "HIGH
LIFE!" Maybe Miller was just
pinched for cash and couldn't
afford the $3 million for a regu-
lar-length commercial, but who
knows? Maybe the future of
advertising will be friendlier to
our shortening attention spans.
TOMMY COLEMAN
CARS.COM, DISAPPOINT-
MENT OF THE CENTURY
There was so much potential
here. The ad seemed destined
for greatness when the newborn
congratulated the doctor with a
handshake. And the momentsthat
followed were equally brilliant.
But then, the guy's befuddled
when choosing a car? Come on, it's
a freaking car. Once Americans
everywhere were left hanging by
this underwhelming commercial,
it's hard to say who was more dis-
appointed: them or the Cardinals.
DAVE REAP
THE GOLDEN TOILET
What? Cash4Gold? That
pseudo-company that some-
how convinces people to put
their valuables in the mail? Yes,
Cash4Gold made its Superbowl
debut with MC Hammer and Ed
McMahon listing all the gold
possessions they exchanged for
cash. Even celebrities need some
extra money, but there is no way
McMahon is goingto fit a gold toi-
let in those little Cash4Gold bags.
CAROLYN KLARECKI
BEST FILMS 2008
From Page 1B
7."MAN ON WIRE"
"Man on Wire" covers the
scheming behind the red-headed
Frenchman Philippe Petit's infa-
mous walk between the Twin
Towers. It's funny, endearing and
almost poetic at times. Petit cap-
tured the spirit of the '70s and the
film brings to life the raw emotion
behind his feats.
EMILYBOUDREAU
8. "IN BRUGES"
Yes, the film is charming to the
extreme. But there's more to "In
Bruges" than inducing chortles as
Colin Farrell's supposedly tough
hitman swears and trudges his
way through a fairy tale village.
Death is an ever-present force on
this vacation, and the movie's final
act drives that point home with
striking camera work, potboiler
suspense and the mournful, heart-
ripping usage of The Dubliners'
song "On Raglan Road." As these
characters approach their har-
rowing but justified consequences,
Martin McDonagh's tragicomedy
approaches greatness.
ANDREWLAPIN
9. "IRON MAN"
One of the most energetic mov-
ies of the year, "Iron Man" closely
follows the original comic book
source material with nonstop
action and pure, unadulterated
fun. In a time of complex philo-
sophical/political distractions,
the film is a refreshing change
from the subliminal subtexts that,
characterize so many modern
superhero movies. In the end, the
success of the movie is attributed
to the basics: keen attention to the
story and eye-opening and origi-
nal visual effects.
HANS YADAV
different lights: a proud public
figure and a more flawed private
man. He humanizes Nixon in a
way that is both endearing and
entertaining.
ANNIE LEVENE
11. "TROPIC THUNDER"
Much has been said about Rob-
ert Downey Jr.'s exceptional and
divisive dip into black-face, but
"Tropic Thunder" has some acute
writing (thanks to Justin Theroux
and Ben Stiller, Downey's co-star
and director) that should not go
unappreciated. Beginning with
lewd and crude faux-previews,
"Thunder" is as politically incor-
rect as possible. It adheres to the
no-holds-barred, offend-all-so-
as-to-offend-no-one mantra, but
it succeeds where Howard Stern
and other racy comics fail. "Thun-
der" has the same wit and layering
as the similar comic classic "The
Three Amigos," and that Downey
character is pretty hilarious.
ELIE ZWIEBEL
riveting piece of drama. Writer-
director John Patrick Shanley
elicits remarkably strong perfor-
mances from Meryl Streep, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
and Viola Davis as'three mem-
bers of the parish faculty and the
mother of a student, respectively.
Having adapted the script from
his own stageplay, Shanley con-
structs an entirely enthralling
character piece that only gains
more strength in its execution on
screen.
NOAHDEAN STAHL
13. "BURN AFTER READING"
It's the Coen brothers at their
most bizarre yet, so of course"it's
hilarious. "Burn After Reading"
stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney
(that's enough right there) and
Frances McDormand. Pitt is a
meathead who believes he has
uncovered FBI secrets, McDor-
mand isa physical trainer who just
wants some plastic surgery and
Clooney keeps a sex machine in
his basement. Through a series of
unusual coincidences, their lives
become entangled in one of the
biggest government misunder-
standings imaginable.
EMILYBOUDREAU
14. "BEYOND OUR KEN"
If you stumble upon this cult
documentary, you'll find yourself
quoting it for a lifetime: But that
shouldn't be the only reason to
see this superb observation of the
Australian cult Kenja, named for
founders Ken Dyers and Jan Ham-
ilton. Half-shocking, half-hilari-
ous, you'll want to transfer energy,
put on aplay and grapple your niece
right after. Seriously, that's all in
there. It's highly obscure, but total-
ly worthwhile. In a good year for
dots, this was the most unique.
BLAKE GOBLE
15. "THE WRESTLER"
If a man is defined by what he
does, whatbecomes ofhimwhenhe
isnolongerneeded?"The Wrestler"
is a beautiful movie that chronicles
the aftermath of a noteworthy pro-
fessional careerand afailedperson-
al life. Mickey Rourke is brilliant as
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. This is
Rourke's most important andmem-
orable performance to date, and
while the movie is extraordinarily
directed. by Darren Aronofsky, the
spotlight remains firmly fixed on
Mickey Rourke.
10. "FROST/NIXON"
Based on Peter Morgan's stage
play, "Frost/Nixon" is heavy on
talk but never boring. It's a film
that allows younger audiences to
see further into Richard Nixon's
famous Watergate scandal, an
event that ordinarily seems only
flat and historical. Frank Langel-
la, as disgraced President Nixon,
is particularly impressive as he
oortravs his character in two
12. "DOUBT"
As producer
"There is not]
about this mov
Scott Rudin said,
hing postmodern
ie." It is simolv a
I
STILL NOT SATISFIED?
4
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