8 - Tuesday, March 31, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 8 - Tuesday, March 31, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Chatting with AAFF's founder Perpetual party 0 By BLAKE GOBLE Daily Arts Writer Friday afternoon. The Campus Inn. It's a cool, gray day and George Manupelli, the founder of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, is taking a brief moment to rest his eyes and catch his breath during the 47th AAFF. There's a lot to do in town, and Manupelli is back on the scene. He's kind of tired and uncertain about what he's going to screen next, but it doesn't matter; Manupelli is just glad to be checking out movies again in Ann Arbor. In a recent interview, Manupelli talked about everything including the Festival, his time at the Univer- sity and his ongoing work over the years. But before all that, Manupelli opened up and talked about his roots and interest in film and art. "I had a classmate. He was 17, and he went to the movies and recorded them - you know, religiously; every aspect of the film. And this is 1948," Manupelli said. He continued, "He's telling me that film is light, sound and motion, you know. And I said 'Oh, gee, what a concept.' How advanced. I didn't realize it was advanced, but it was abstract. And not in a way anyone thought at the time." Manupelli was what the mod- ern Festival would like to label as an "experimental" filmmaker. He found his calling behind the lens, tryinga filmma "I b just sta pelli ex Forh ing N quality just du film cla - from ment at Froe all sor; ated th Th pas whichm preside Festiva was a p sity of N & Desi neededi through "I ca lum th design "I tried design.' cian to anything and everything as a teach film for nine years, and (I ker. worked) withoutpay; I took the deal ought a Bolex canera, then because I wanted to get at the stu- irted taking images," Manu- dents." plained. Despite having no resources or him, it wasn't about emulat- financial support to teach film class- ational Geographic image es at the time, Manupelli still cre- or Dickensian intricacy. He ated the AAFF. Students, politics, g making movies. "I took one experimentation and a sense of fun ss - it was completely hokey guided him along the way. The Fes- the communications depart- tival became a bastion of diversified Columbia." topics. There were documentaries n there, Manupelli took on covering subjects including mili- ts of cinema work. He cre- tary coups in Chili and boxer Rubin e "Dr. Chicago" trilogy, all of "Hurricane" Carter. Today, the films in the Festival are screened accord- ing to themes including geographi- cal location, gender identification e present and and animation.e st of a prolific So, after such a prolific career in art, what is Manupelli doing these filmmaker. days? * "I make little things, I like to do the simplest kinds of things. Just glue this and stick it down. Then write a were filmed in Ann Arbor. He scenario for it." Manupelli said. "It's d over the Ann Arbor Film like the 'Chicago' films. I get loca- I for 20 years. And Manupelli tion, props, actors, costumes. I call rofessor here at the Univer- them three-dimensional cartoons." Michigan in the School of Art Manupelli has always been a man gn, a place where he felt he - of many ventures. After teaching to share new insight into art at art schools, making movies and h sight and sound. deciding to just quit painting after me here in '62. The curricu- doing it for 20 years, there's no say- en was drawing, painting, ing what he'll pick up next. Honored - period," Manupelli said. Thursday night at the Festival as to get them to do sound as a distinguished guest, Manupelli You don't need to be a musi- can be certain his legacy has been make music. I didn't get to cemented into place. 'Junior' is a striking smorgasbord of happy dance cuts By RHIANNON HALLER DailyArts Writer You know that feeling you get at a party when the music dies and the crowd * disperses, but you still want Ryksopp to dance? Rilyk- Junior sopp's new A album Junior Asta'wes has you covered. The album vacillates between emulating post-party woes with exceptional precision and deliver- ing a smorgasbord of happy dance tracks that will keep your feet moving while the celebration is in full swing. Junior is a near-perfect revi- sion of Riyksopp's resume, com- bining the upbeat ambience of Rfyksopp's first album Melody A.M. with the more down-tem- po tracks of the band's second release The Understanding. The group has even thrown in a few female Scandinavian sing- ers into the mix'to complement band members Svein Berge and Torbjern Brundtland's own airy vocals. Changing up vocalists gives each song its own unique flavor, and Royksopp manages to maintain cohesiveness on the record by tinging each track with its own distinct brand of ambient-yet-danceable instru- mentation. The deft variation gives the album much of its strength, but there's another factor that pushes Junior from lightweight up-and- comer to heavyweight champion: "Royksopp Forever." The track showcases every chunk of awesomeness the group has to offer; its steady, enduring drum beat lets the blissful syn- thesizers shine through as they switch between rapid, electronic scales and imitations of stringed instruments releasing uplifting symphonies. The song's soar- ing instrumentation is so epic it sounds prepared to serve as score to a monumental battle scene. "Royksopp Forever" isn't fast- paced enough to keep anybody moving at a raging party, but it's a bad-ass accompaniment to any hazy walk home. Elsewhere, Junior makes its money by giving people songs to dance to long into the night. "Happy Up Here," the first track, is a bubbly, booty-shaking num- ber withbouncy synths and funky guitars. "The Girl and the Robot" is also well-suited for the dance floor, but it diverges from the pre- vious track's perkiness with its ominous drum-machine, rolling synthesizers and ethereal syllabic chanting in the background that lends ita creepy undertone. Unfortunately, all prodigious celebrations must end, and like- wise, so does Junior. Rfyksopp fully understands the melancholy that accompanies the death of a party, providing listeners with a track that embodies the feeling with impeccable accuracy. "You Don't Have A Clue," with the lines "It's late in the night / dancing is done / The music has died /You're ready to run / But you don't have a clue / This party hasn't ended yet," is the ideal companion for post-party depression. "You Don't Have A Clue" is also a good friend for when you're hit by that same depression after you realize Junior is over. The album skillfully balances its high energy with its soothing atmo- spheric quality, creating an aural bliss that is bound to leave listen- ers a bit upset when it's all said and done. But Junior's inevitable end is the only disappointment to be found among its 11 tracks, a grievance that is quickly forgot- ten when you realize that there's nothing stopping you from play- ing it again and again. 0 r . r S :, y' 3 3 : 0 0