The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com FiaFbur 0 09-
Friday, February 20, 2009 -5
HBO gets 'Down'
By MARK SCHULTZ
Daily Arts Writer
"Sure, I've been called a xenophobe. But
the truth is I'm nut. I honestly just feel that
America's the best cnuntry
and all the other countries
aren't as gond."
This sentiment is
uttered nut by Dubya,
or even Naylin Palmn,
bat defamed pitcher
Kenny Powers (Danny R.
McBride, "Tropic Thun-
Eastbound
and Down
Sundays at
10:30 p.m.
HBO
"Nabody touches my Seedish Fish.
Kids out for blood
der"). o
Powers is the fictinnal
prntagonist (used in the lonsest sense pns-
sible) of HBO's new series "Easthound and
Dusvn." Flluwing a rickety steruid and coke-
fuseled descent duwin professional baseball's
ladder, Puwers lands hack in Scutts Hill, N.C.
Scotts Hill is the kind uf town that names its
middle school after Jeffersun Davis. Princi-
pal Terrence Cutler (a funny Andrew Daly,
"MADtv"), who is engaged to Puwers's old
girlfriend April (Katy Mixon, "Four Christ-
mases"), uffers bun a job teaching middle-
schooul gym class.
McBride play's Puwers w ith the samse
Southern-drawled hostility he harnessed
in the 2006 indie fins "The Fuot Fist Way."
("Punt Fist" asnd "Eastbound" were both
penned hy McBride, Judy Hill and Ben
Best and directed by Hill.) Like that film's
Fred Sismmons, Psswers is ass egumaniac
with severe anger prublenms and delessiuns
of grandeur. Puwers lnoks inure ridicusinus
than Sismuoss he spurts a greasy mullet, a
heer gut and a narrnw-eyed glare he directs
at anynelinc seets.
'Pu call Puswers offensive isn't really get-
ting at his cure. His brand uf prufane self-
aggrandizement is at least three shades mute
abasisng thn Will Ferrell's Rnsn Burgundy.
Dser disnner with his hrother Dustin (John
Hasskes)asnd Dustin's childresn, Puwers
discussses "heating up retards," sesmingly
usnasware that ssomecpenple find such a stsjecct
inapprupriate dinner cuonversatiosn. Whesn
Poswers catches his yosung nephew riding his
jet-ski, he throws the bssy uff.
Pouwers is palatable as a lead because of the
brief musments he lets the viewer into his pri-
vate hell. After insulting his niece Ruse dur-
ing dinner- "who names a ftscking kid after
Titanic'?" -Puwers slumaps int the guest
roum and cries himself tu sleep. After huwl-
ing four-letter wnrds at his nephesv, Puw-
ers admits be has ass anger prublem. These
scenes establisha that sume part sof Puovers is
aware buss ridiculous he is. Still, the comc-
die appeal uf "Eastbound" rests on Psswers's
cuntinued ublivion to his uwn fully. If these
mnoments uf self-realization start to over-
whelm the real funny stuff- like, fosr exam-
ple, Puwers riding un a jet-ski in jean shurts
(jean shorts?!)- the shnw will becsomectsu
doughy and sentsmental. But viewers osf
"Fuot Fist" will tell you that McBride and
Cu. always ladle a bowlful uf crass Bar each
dash of heart.
It's tempting to ensmpare McBride tu
Ferrell, especially because Ferrell is une
uf "Eastbound"s executive proucers, and
will guest star in several episudes. But there
exists in McBride's portrayal uf Puwers a
gritty authenticity that Ferrell nften lacks.
Kenny Powers:
total douchebag.
Maybe it's becatsse McBride is such a
newcomer. Befure develuping the Burgundy
and Bush characters that wnuld becume his
trademarks, Ferrell was best knuwn fur pur-
traying a dweeby cheerleader nn "SNL." Fer-
rell's truse persunality always seemed cluser
to that character, and his inure deranged
perforsmances came uff as slight caricatsures.
Cunversely, McBride seems to embody Puw-
ers with ease, like he already had one fusst in
the redneck pool befnre being asked enosvims.
What McBride brings to the redneck arche-
type is a sense ofausthenticity.
In fact, "Eastound" is delightfully blue-
cullar, and not in the patrunizing Jeff Fox-
wurthy way. Pnwers hasngs nest in dirty bars,
drinks cheap beer, wurks a jub he hates and
cunsiders a jet-ski snme sure uf lavish party
toy. These days, maybe we've all gsst a little
Kensny Puwers in us.
Swedish horror import
succeeds with scares but
overdoes the artistry
By ANDREW LAPIN
Daily Filss Editor
"Let the Right One In" is a true hor-
ror film - the kind that
uses careful pluteing * *
and stage direction en
elicit scares without et h i
resumting en throw- Leth III
ing randuin images at One In
the screen fur cheap At the Michigan
screams. Truly hurri- Thae
fying films, like "The Thae
Silence of the Lambs" Magnet Releasing
or "Pan's Labyrinth,"
don't come alung tno
often, so despite the fact that this sane is
slightly flawed, its very release should
still be cause fur celebratiuss. T'he smovie
was made in Sweden, and in fuolsows the
trend uf recent nntewssrthy foreign films
being ruled isneligible fur a Best Foreign
Language Film Oscar nnominations- so it
mustebe guod. (Sweden submitted a differ-
ent filn fur consideratiun in the category,
and unly one submsissioss is aluowed per
country.)
The muvie flluws a shy, troubled
12-year ld kid named O~skar (newcusmer
Rare Hedebrant), whuse crispy blosnd hair
and bizarre obsessiusn with death snake
his-s the perfect target fur schsosl busllies.
He has en suffer thsrough physical asnd ver-
hal abesse every day befonrc trudgisng homsae
in thick ssnows,swhere liefnc sdles a ksnife
asnd dreassof revesnge svithsissele safety
ofbhis apartesntss.
Whnile ihc gucsntsrousghs these daily'
indignaities, a sew girl snamsed Eli (ness-
cosmar Lisna Leasnecrssns, with a deep,
post-dsubed avnice) smaoaes inss the apart-
maesnt next dososr. Eli seesastunusally' acrs-
banic fnr assadlescesst girl, asnd sineonsly
leaves her housese at nightn, sat it's snosustr-
prise wrhensh ie stares feastnsg sasshassns
blsaoe. The girl nayhsav'c a swveet iperson-
ality, btst sine's alsoa a vamnpire.
A hbsrgesssisng roanssce deielasps
betweesa tineeave, evess as isncreasnsgly
grusomsne sampnire killisngs taine place.
Directoar ToasAlXfredsonss(varioues BSwed-
ish 'TV shos)vnworks iss a style thatemplaoys
mansy extremae close-esps of faces, boadies
and eobjects fromsn all edifferenan'sges, andt
the kids dna a remaarknable jobincevcn at suca
rinse edistanace teatine camsera. Alfredson
also smakes great nusesf tewaisntertimse
setiang by' staginag mstaseneses undster ass
ever-presesst snnwfall. Thacomled is palpable
in every' scesse, and masayIncesnatagin tea nake
the audiessce shisver (oaanaybin it wnas jesse
the nattural chill isatine Michnigans Theater
screesninag roomss). In say's somasehinag abinuta
the sesstaissed toeansof else filam that else sighne
oaf vamnpires in gooefy Europeansswsuaters
dosessntireak tine tensiaos.
Yet "Let else Rightinttse In" is somsentismes
a binttooinerestedi in its 'owna cineantic
style. Tine filmss occasionsally staffers froma
Art Houe Synsdromse, swhere tine chnarac-
ters teand to speak ian naltinag pattecrns anad
every wnrd saf dialoagehIas a secret ended
menacsing. Thney somsaetimses act at righst
asngles enoavhat noarmnal ineuple avouesd do
isa thneir Situsatinjuttensdrawsatateantin
en suonne aspect saf tine filmnmsakiang: Whecn
a msaan sees his girlfrieandl attaceked by'an
vamapire, Inc hesitates foar seaveral secondas
bnefosre russinag eta necrescus.ae, saselsoe
audlience can take tine timeatoenotnice nann
-exqusisitely thsis pnartictlar shots is framased.
'Tan Inc fair, it's framsetd rathner ascii,sban
thnat's besaie tine point.
Alfreadsona nd se screenwariter Johna
Ajvide Lindqivist, adasptinagIsis san novasel,
alsna fonlow as rathler masoschintic tradli-
tin in Swvedish' filssosf puttnsg cate kids
isa consniderabnle asmortal peril. 'lie a'oung
eases ian laganar Bergasaan's "Fasnany aand
Alexanader" were connstasntly targeted
asnd mnasniatedlly' their schsemsing stein
fathner, and acre little tiskar is aset withn
siscretasiang)},avaolenstand hstaile treaatmneant
fro ua lbtieis. "Are tssuipsed to juast lee
imn stande there?" onec of temssays antasne
paine, as elthgh Oskar's very' existeance is
a ineunishnaleffense.
Anid evens Eli theineasspire envskes symas-
inathnynahean eane uf tineiereavetd collies
looakiangtsar serdeuriang watsemnayinc tine
mstn ai-bitnsgly terrifyisng climsax isa
recenst years. Thieampact anthtie amnovie will
depennese aswhsether tine viewaeccfBnds ins
treantnene tftine twaayaousthfeul leads tan be
effective sac sane creepy. Maybne it's bnothn.
Making explosions suck
Disney misfires with Stone
By CAROLYN KLARECKI
Daily Arts Writer
The premise uf Disney XI)'s "Aaron
Stone" is a gamer's wet
dream. Imagine haviang
all the special abilities
and gear of the charac-
ters in a popular video
game and using them
to save the world. On
Friday, Feb. 12, Dis-
ney launched Disney
XD, which caters nsa
Aaron Stone
Fridays at
7 p.m.
Disnnny XD
teaboys resinond with a hissy fin, exclaim-n
ing "youescan't dtthis!" anad "that's sa notas
fair!" Somnsnase needs en tell thsese ids
aere in asn econosmissc recessioan sd ntney
need tan shst the ftuckn up.
Bueatee sno stabec-anad sash-
stanadard - aspect at "Aarons Stosne" is
isney's attemnpt tanisnegrate ecaonpnuter-
genserated aiaging intos the shnown.Tine
comsnptaer-geserated video gamae foaotage
as incredibnly isaac. Vshile tepiroaductiosn
timse for televisiosn anighe net alisaw dcvcl-
opiers en create state-of-ne-arn grapnhics,
else video gamase in "Ansaon Stonae" takies
up musechsosathtie shoaw, andel ele prodeucer's
shoueld've laueasmare eiffort instaathsat essess-
tial draw. -
i's net onaly tine shoddley inmaginag that
ruains tine ilieusions andl gives nine shosw a
moasre kid-orientedelfeeliangethanasnacres-
sary. Th'ouaghs "AaronsStonse" counldl save
paotenially apipiealed o ldeaeer adieasces,
certaian elemnents sake inIhardl toaforget
thsat this is a lid's shoaw. 'Caktiang as vil-
lains namasedel ajacier (Ha Choawn, "Mas
at tine Year") serioutsly minvers ditficutl,
andae intrealistic techlosagyInceses
eundeermnines eensass eightn-near-aoladlbay'
iantelligeance.
Disney tries to lure
young boys with
video games.
Still, tine raw cools fasctoarsat "Aaaraoa
Stoalle" Seurpasses that atfany aoacin Dis-
nsey shownursreatly airiang. Tine staory is
remsiniscesnt f aid iDisey'favorite, "'tne
Famousaealet Jackason,"avhichinsn'tsuser-
inising since else shosas h iare ass exerts-
ice isroduecer. It sas Iseens a laang tiame
ssncecisneyipraoduecedl anythnagas gnatd
as "Jets Jaacktsaon,"met withsasoe isaard
woarkt"Aaraon Stne" coauld el saust tine
revival Disaaey aceds.
By BRIGID KILCOIN
For nhc Daily
Withs crumbsiling towers, giant nmetal
cranses beinsg blowanste
smnithecreenss anad 10-stoary *
buildinagsntoppiing en thne
graousnd, the apnaing creel- The
ins of "The Detonators" arc
far assre interesting' thans Detonators
the actual shouw. Wednesdays
Each episode of "Tine at 8 p.m.
D~etaanators" foalow's waorkiscvr
crew's in several locations Bcnn
as they prepare tan demoulishs
structeures eusinag explonsives. Smts of asess in
flurescent vests tapiang dyamsite en abans-
doeiu d builtdings are interspersed with explo-
sives experts -iDr. Bradean Lusk andi Dr. Paul
Worsey- performnagcexperimnents in an nut-
door cenginseeriang lab en demsstate the the-
ary af hownairoglycerins placemntsaffects
hoa uieickly a buidinsg is demosalishsed.
Let's face it: Masse peopple tunaing in en
watch "Detoanators" arc doing so en see
thsings blowa up. This menas tine show has en
create a ibackstory isnerestinsgcsu enouhu hld
as venwe's attesntiansfur nearly assneor, sinsce
tine edestructionssof a bueildiang takes place ian
roueghsly 10 secosnds. As a resault, elemnats
oaf dramsa arc forced. Will fragmsesnsof tine
abnandaoned hotael in Bermnedas slide downs
a sill post-explosiuon, destroyinag the towns
beneath? Will a Texas lake lift bridge fall
forward, blockinsga shsipping channelWihile
saort of impoirtmants, these problems daon't snake
fur compelncling televisian. The contrivancec of
thnese obstacles is eunderscored my the fact
thnat nosthinsg ever seesasosago wronag.
A dearths of comanpelliang coanteantsn't the
only issue witin "Detoanators." Tine shown
doesa't save a pinnts- that makelas inteifficeult
en gee nvested is'.'The series presentes a loe of
infornmation ian a dry msater withaout a huean
angle. Dozens of workers and technicianas arc
present in each episode, bus few msake repeat
appearances or are interviewed on camecra.
Lusk and Worsey are blandly comspetent as
they talk abutethe complicated scientific
processes behind each project, bun there arc
no vivid characters that cassnsmaetechnsical
subjects like borehole placenmentscoena alive.
The show's heavy enspihasis onn-applied
science is dense, repetitive and unianterest-
ing. Who's interested in the physics behind
post-tenssion slabs or the atahemnatical
fornmula used en calculate tine shsape of the
wedge that msust be rmonsved frm a towaer
so dynanmite can be placed in icy Perhaps en
simaplify she often-conmplicated explanains
and comsputer sinmulations that are shown
or enosnake she show long esnough - she samec
graphics and concepts are repeated saver and
over in she course of a single episode. Eitiher
way, it's aannying.
Too much science,
not enough boom.
While there is undoubedly a comspelliang
way en presenst large-scale explosins and
delve into she lives of the people responssible
fur tihems, "Detonators" dosesn't Band it. Wile
tine show isna't offeansively bad, its atemanpts en
legitimsize watching things blow up by sum-
rundinag sisem with uninsecresting scicestific
explansatiuons ansd ipedestriansainterviews cre-
aces an uninaspired, ploddiang sour of pmo-
grammsinag. Televisiona is like demoulitins; a
spark is necessary fur anythiang tao happens.
The creators of "Tine Detonators" apparently
aren't aware of that fact.
the young male denmographic. D~isn
has unintentionally beean targeting pi
tegilfotologwt rgalike "Hannah Montana" and "That's
Raven." In an efface en wian back tine bu,
Disney has mlled nut "Aaroan Stosne."
Charlie Lanaders (Kelly Blate, "Pins
Night") is a typical Amnerican tecen w
loves his mum, Iis broteher anad playi
an online multi-player videao gamne call
"Hero Rising." Meuchstea Iis nmothse
chagrin, Charlie often forgoses tine
joys offered by a snore social sigh
schonl life, cihoosing en spend his
time playing -as Iis ins-gamea ava-
tar, Aaron Stone. in the premsiere,
he's mysteriously sumn edssatby
she game's creatoanad learass she
troth about"Heroa isiang" -it's
not just a gamea. Tine ploa tftine
game is real, anad Charlie, she
world's best player, maust becoease
a real-life Aarons Stosne anad save
she world.
of course, as in all Disnsey kiddy
shows, theme are extremsely notsice-
able holes, and the chsaracters'
ages differ greatly fromn the age sat
the actnrs. Watchinsgte20i-suase-
thing Blase play a high schoaoaler
can be distracting. Thonugh late's
acting is sunmewhat comeanndable,
is might have been wise toa choonse
a younger actor sea play the shoaw's
protagonist.
Also, Charlie and his broather
come off as complee brass. Whens
their mother explains that sine has
to rent out thseir deceased father's
home office enosnake ends meete,
Sn
tys,
ng
ed
- UARTS 250 -
"CREATIVE PROCESS"'
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIO-LECTURE COURSE
In residency at the Abbey of Pontlevoy,
FRANCE
May 18 -June 12, 2009
Foam Weeks/Four Credits
Satisfies the LSA Creative Expression Reqairement
INFORMATION SESSIONS:
Taesday, February 17, :O0pm,Are & Architecture Bldg. Room 2216
Wednesday, Feb 18, 7:00pm, Michigan Union Pond Room
Making creativity an integral part of students' lives and work.
Learn more now: www.artsonearth.org/stadents
'Thi course is supportedbyhen U nivrstao cia n ' Mutmaaladinlinary Lear ngand TnTea hin ,g Iiataive
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