The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 5A COURTESY OF SUB POP Married couple's pre-sex routine: Step one, take pulse. Step two, listen to heartbeat. If vital signs are normalcoitus is plausible. *Ah nd ome ward Samberg's LP is incredibland By JACK PORTER likely the most "featured" man on DailyArts Writer Earth), lampoons hip hop's ten- dency to flaunt material wealth for Since The Lonely Island's main its own sake. The track comes com- audience is college students, most plete with majestic synth strings readers of The and T-Pain's signature auto-tuned Michigan Daily vocals, providing a grandiose back- are probably drop for silly lyrics like, "But this already intimate- ain't SeaWorld, this is real as it gets ly familiar with TheLonely / I'm-on a boat, motherfucker, don't Andy Samberg's Island you ever forget." musical comedy The rest of Incredibad is made up act, be it through Incredibad ofeither older, lesspopular material "Lazy Sunday," Universal Republic or new odds and ends recorded just "Dick in a Box" or for the album. Predictably, these the more recent other songs don't hold up to the "Jizz in My Pants." The group mem- quality of the singles. Some tracks bers have become Internet super- rely on overly simplistic jokes, and stars over the last three years, with the subsequent riffing grows tire- "Jizz in My Pants" alone garnering some. "Punch You In The Jeans" over 30 million views on YouTube. stretches out the weak punch-line The song is the first single for the of its own title for nearly three group's long-awaited debut LP minutes. And "Natalie's Rap" starts Incredibad. from a premise that's too easy - After a promising debut, Handsome Furs strike gold with 'Face Control' By DAVID RIVA Daily Arts Writer Have you ever wondered why people are so unnerved by the concept of public surveil- lance in the form of cameras and wiretapping, yet never hesitate to partake in the process of self-monitoring through Facebook and blogs? Have you ever experienced the frustrating feeling of dis- connectedness as a result of communicating through technology that can't encap- sulate pure human emotion? Handsome Furs Face Control Sub Pop Russia is the locale of choice for the concep- tion of Face Control, the Furs' second studio release. The album's title refers to a practice utilized in the Russian club scene: A person must pay in advance (through a PayPal account) to potentially gain access to a nightclub, but must be approved by someone at the door based on quality of appearance. In effect, the person becomes an object - a mere pawn to satisfy another's standards. No song on the album expresses this concept of materialism run rampant better than "Talk- ing Hotel Arbat Blues." The melody is initially reminiscent of Joan Jett's garage-rock hit "Bad Reputation,"but ittakes on alife of its ownwhen the refrain of"I don't know what I've been told / Every little thing has been bought and sold" bursts in backed by a humbling guitar line and a pulsating bass drum heartbeat. The simplic- ity of the first refrain is absent the second time around as a confusing mess of distortion leads to a cliffhanger ending. "(Passport Kontrol)" picks up on the leftover momentum of "Arbat Blues," acting as a word- less epilogue to its predecessor. Its whining synthesizers make for an uneasy listen. The ideas from "Arbat Blues" beg for reflection and evoke a troubling question: What if the con- cept of Russian face control were brought to the border of countries and prevented people from boarding flights because their appearance wasn't exactly what a country was looking for? The idea might seem ridiculous and relatively inconceivable, but it forces an active conscious- ness about the surveillance that people accept every day without question. 1' Boeckner obviously has some grievances with the world around him and the people that run it, but at no time does he appear preachy or political. He conjures up obscure thoughts that force people to think about their sur- roundings through a different lens than they previously had. On "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything," and "Nyet Spasiba," The Furs flex their pop muscles with danceable drum beats, layers of seductive synths and guitar lines that will latch onto your musical consciousness for hours, if not days. These upbeat tracks are especially refreshing consideringthe esoteric, sonic realmthat Boeck- ner's other band, Wolf Parade, often treads in. Without bandmate Spencer Krug holding him in check, Boeckner is free to express his inner pop star to any extent he wants. Throughout the album, Boeckner's vocals consistently rise above the occasional mess of frenetic synthesizers and clamorous guitars to produce a lasting impression. The assertive and vibrant vocals are exhibited on closer "Radio Kaliningrad," which captures all the elements that make Face Control such an impressive album: thought-provoking lyrics ("I know you love me baby / I know your heart is just a little dry" and "We're all just waiting for the future and uranium / and sleeping in the all red sky / You can wait outside"), synthy experimenta- tion balanced by conventional guitar parts and a danceable yet listenable beat. The album is more or less a greatest-hits compilation padded with a few new songs and skits - a bit disappointing for fans who have likely heard the more famous songs dozens of times before. Here's a quick recap of the Island's past for readers who may be just now emerging from beneath their respective rocks. "Lazy Sun- day" relates the story of a carefree Sunday afternoon spent munch- ing cupcakes and watching "The Chronicles of Narnia," delivered with the pomp and vitriol of hard- core rap. Revealing the group's softer side,, "Dick in a Box" is a smarmy R&B number about the perfect Christmas gift for that spe- cial someone: a package within a package, so to speak. Finally, "Jizz in my Pants" joins a banging Euro- club beat to lyrics about, well, arriv- ing unfashionably early. However, the band's latest sin- gle is a full-blown musical parody piece, rather than a crude joke with a musical style tacked on. "I'm on a Boat," featuring T-Pain (now Look, it's a disc in a box. Natalie Portman is secretly a sex- addicted, drug-abusing gangster - and uncomfortably pushes its comic potential to the breaking point (hearing Natalie Portman yelling, "I'll sit right down on your face and take a shit" is cringe-wor- thy in any context). But there are some surprising winners as well, like "Ras Trent," about a WASP undergraduate who convertstoRastafarianismandsings a bastardized reggae tune about the woes ofliving"inthe shanty dorms." But even "Ras Trent" was originally a skit performed by the group on Saturday Night Live. More new material would have been a boon to the disc. As it stands, Incredibad is only essential for fanatics and the uninitiated. These are the things that the members of Handsome Furs - husband and wife Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry - ponder while on tour in countries that don't necessarily contain vast crowds of indie-rock enthusiasts. Boeck- ner and Perry perform in these foreign places to draw creative inspiration from alien cultures firsthand. But their journeys are not just for kicks -- they spark ideas for future recordings. The Furs' 2007 debutPlague Park, for example, was influenced by a trip to a mass grave of the same name in Helsinki, Finland. Palestinian films reach Ann Arbor By KAVI PANDEY they have to say about their coun- DailyArts Writer try and culture." In recent years, films from Pales- For the most part, the world has tine have been making big splashes had little exposure to the cinema at international film festivals. The of Palestine. The Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festi- 2005 Oscar nom- Ann Arbor val's opening night film, "Salt of inee for Best For- This Sea," was selected for the eign Language 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The Film, "Paradise Film Festival movie follows an American-born Now," is arguably h daughter of Palestnian refugees as the most famous Today through she returns to her family's home, movie from Pal- Saturday which is now in Israel. Palestinian estine, but in Various locations director Annemarie Jacir is becom- recent years, the Free-$10 ing a leading voice in Palestine cin- region has devel- ema, having already earned a 2003 oped its share of notable films. Cannes selection with short film Such films will be on display start- "Like Twenty Impossibles." ing tonight at the first Ann Arbor Other selections include "Driv- Palestine Film Festival. The four- ing to Zigzigland," a tale about a day event will feature a selection Palestinian cab driver in Los Ange- of short films and full-length mov- les, and "Leila Khaled Hijacker," ies depicting the culture and con- an introspective documentary on flict of Palestine. a member of a Palestinian libera- Festival founder and co-director tion group who became the first Hena Ashraf is a 2008 University woman to successfully hijack a graduate, so it was an easy deci- plane. The festival will also show- case a variety of short films, from "Make A Wish," where a Pales- tinian girl must overcome sev- Offering new eral obstacles to find money for a birthday cake, to the music video cultural "People Not Places," inspired by a Palestinian emigrant's reflection perspectives on on homesickness. "Slingshot Hip-Hop" is anoth- the silver screen. er film screening at the festival that has recently garnered a lot of attention. The documentary entered the global spotlight after sion for her to choose Ann Arbor its premiere at the 2008 Sundance to host the event. Film Festival. It follows a group of "Ann Arbor is a really good place Palestinian rappers as they pur- to have a Palestine Film Festival," sue their love of hip hop amidst she said. "The town is liberal, pro- the political strife in Gaza and the gressive and there's a lot of open West Bank. "Slingshot Hip-Hop" dialogue. Ann Arbor represents will headline the festival's closing a place where people can openly night on Saturday. discuss (Palestinian) issues." Ashraf plans to hold the festival Ashraf hopes to dispel common as an annual event in Ann Arbor. views of Palestine by bringing Pal- "The first year it was difficult, estinian films to a local audience. 'but it will become easier and easi- "I think the reason why so many er," she said. "We have a lot of sup- people misunderstand Palestinians port from sponsors, metro Detroit is because if you just watch the reg- and people across the country that ular news networks, they are not are really happy we're doing this." fair and objective," she said. "Pal- The Ann Arbor Palestine Film estinians are not given a voice." Festival begins tonight atthe Michi- "Media plays a huge role in this gan Theater. It continues tomorrow bias, and Hollywood movies do in the Natural Science Auditorium, that, too. The best way is to coun- Friday in the Michigan League ter that through films made by Ballroom and concludes Saturday Palestinians. You should see what at Rackham Auditorium. Something to not cheer about ByKAVI PANDEY DailyArts Writer Cheerleading comedies have been reduced to a series of direct- to-video "Bring It On" sequels its recent years, but "Fired Up!" had Fired Up! the potential to smack the genre At Qualityl6 upside its head Screen Gems - the film has genuinely funny moments and its two leads have impeccable comic timing. Still, with its flood of teen comedy con- ventions and a stupendously awful supporting cast, it ends up amount- ing to little more than a forgettable high-school movie. The premise of "Fired Up!" isn't very hard to follow. Football jocks Nick (Eric Christian Olsen, "Eagle Eye") and Shawn (Nicho- A noble attempt at satire that amounts to only juvenile dreck. las D'Agosto, TV's "Heroes") like sex. They will do whatever it takes to have sex with lots of beautiful women. The two decide to forgo football camp one summer in order to attend cheer camp, since they would be the only men among hundreds of female cheerleaders. Naturally, the girls all happen to be athletic, promiscuous and smokin' hot. At the camp, Nick and Shawn begin their conquest of these women until, rather unsurpris- ingly, their real emotions kick in. Shawn falls for Carly (Sarah Roem- er, "Disturbia"), his team's captain, and he must win her away from her jerk of a boyfriend with his charm and cheerleading prowess. "Fired Up!" centers on the strong, entertaining relationship between Nick and Shawn. It's a Hollywood convention to hire older actors to play high school stu- dents, so the amusing fact that the actors playing Nick and Shawn are 31 and 28, respectively, is not very distracting. The duo's rapid-fire rapport will have viewers chuck- ling constantly. It also creates a natural chemistry that allows the audience to believe that the pair have been best friends for years. Nick, in particular, dominates the film with his quick wit and cre- ative PG-13 profanity. His wide range of pop-culture references is impressive; he goes from joking about the suckage of Nickelback to inexplicably quoting "Hamlet 2." As Nick, Olsen resembles Jim Carrey on Ritalin, with his subtle physical comedy and speedily- delivered dialogues. But every supporting char- acter in "Fired Up!" is an aggra- vating stereotype. The worst offenders include Gwyneth (Anna- Lynne McCord, TV's "90210"), the super-bitchycaptainofarivalsquad, and Brewster (Adhir Kalyan, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop"), the token gay cheerleader. The only exception is Rick (David Walton, TV's "Quarter- life"), Carly's boyfriend and appre- ciator of Chumbawumba, who uses his limited screen time to become one of cinema's greatest douchebag boyfriends. Films like "Knocked Up" have spoiled audiences by get- ting accomplished comedians to fill out even the smallest of roles, sothe contrast is noticeable when movies like "Fired Up!" pluck their actors from third-rate CW shows and give them ridiculously unorigi- nal characters to play. With its noble attempts at satire, it's obvious that "Fired Up!" is trying to rise above dreck like "Meetthe Spartans." An ingenious scene occurs dur- ing a screening of "BringIt On," where the entire camp recites the dialogue word-for-word. The humor is occasionally clever, with jabs at the declin- ing status of network program- ming and the unrealistic good looks of all teenagers in movies. Unfortunately, these sequences are few and far between; most of the film relies too heavily on lame sexual innuendos. The initials of the title, used heavily in marketing, give audiences a good idea of what to expect. Ultimately, "Fired Up!" fol- lows the same frustratingly predictable formula as most sports comedies. There is the inevitable misunderstanding, angry confrontation, last-min- ute reconcilement, inspiring "Careful with that right hand, please." motivational speech and climactic final competition. The banality of the plot is remarkable. With a little more work on the script, "Fired Up!" could have been a sharp satire in the vein of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" - films that parody a genre within a story typical of the genre. Only Eric Christian Olsen, who should be graduating into lead roles in the near future, really shines in the film. Audiences will snigger throughout "Fired Up!" but will probably forget it as soon as the credits roll. Wednesday, March 11th International Center, Rm 9 Congrats Michigan! A top Peace Corps college 800.424.8580 |1www.peacecorps.gov Life is calling. How far will you go?