The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, Septe m ber. 16, 2009 - 5A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, September16, 2009 - 'Steve' is all about awful By TIMOTHY RABB Daily Arts Writer An abhorrently poor excuse for art and an insult to crossword puzzle-lovers everywhere, a new film has opened this All About weekend to remind us all Steve of the inepti- tude of certain At Quality16 members of the and Showcase movie indus- 20th Century Fox try. Low bud- get, poor actors, weak scripts - thrdw Sandra Bullock into the mix as an annoy- ing faux-nerd and you may end up with "All About Steve." Bullock ("The Proposal") plays a crossword-puzzle designer named Mary Horowitz who works for a Sacramento, CA paper. Sexually frustrated and over-the-top eccen- tric, she struggles with the monot- ony of her everyday life. When her parents - with whom she is tem- porarily living - arrange a date for her, she discovers that her ini- tial misgivings about her parents' taste in dates are unfounded. Steve (Bradley Cooper, "The Hangover") immediately arouses her, and she proceeds to embark upon one of the most awkward sexual endeav- ors that many viewers will ever have the misfortune of seeing. During the odd tryst, Mary's encyclopedic rant (trust me, you'd actually have to see it to believe it) confuses and repulses the mild- mannered Steve, who interrupts their experience to inform her that he has been called to work. Since he works as an on-site TV camera- man with an ambitious news team, he explains he'll be traveling cross- country to follow current events. During the course of his explana- tion, Mary misinterprets him and decides that she is madly in love with Steve and would sooner stalk him like a serial killer than aban- don her feelings. On the surface, the plot seems to have potential, but any and all of that potential is ruined by the intel- lectually ineptfashion in which the movie presents itself, The screen- writer, Kim Barker, must have assumed the film's viewers are just as stupid as she is, and considering the only other film in her portfolio is "License to Wed," they actually might be. It seems ridiculous and patronizing to reiterate plot devel- opment to viewers in the dialogue rather than letting them figure it out for themselves. Even worse is the stance the movie takes on the subject of female stalkers. Since rom-coms are generally marketed toward women, it's understandable that many of them take a pro-fem stance. However, when the pro- tagonist is a character study in Sandra Bullock makes anything even worse. mental illness, it doesn't seem apropos to portray Steve as crazy for not taking advantage of his sit- uation. If Mary could carry herself with even a hint of typical sanity, viewers might sympathize with her position. But sanity is nowhere to be found in this film, as is evi- denced by numerous plot holes, forced acting and a sensationalist ending. More derision could be expressed about "Steve," but why waste perfectly good derision? Wow. He has a really big ... forehead. Same old Leno Jay's new talkshow basically revives his 'Tonight Show' stint By ERIC CHIU DailyArts Writer Whenever "The Tonight Show" changes hands, things don't go smoothly. When Jay Leno took over NBC's "The Tonight Show" in 1992, a dis- gruntled David Leno Show Letterman jumped ship for Weekdays CBS. Likewise, at10p'm. this spring's NBC Leno-to-Conan O'Brien "Tonight Show" handover has been dismal for ratings, with Letterman con- sistently walloping O'Brien. It's into this less-than-favorable environmentthat NBC has launched "The Jay Leno Show," a nightly talk show that moves Leno's "Tonight Show" shtick into primetime. The set notwithstanding, Leno on "The Jay Leno Show" is virtually identical to Leno on "The Tonight Show" - a testament to how much NBC wanted Leno to stay with the network. From the opening minutes (where Leno high-fives the audi- ence before going into his usual monologue), to the return of old segments from "The Tonight Show," viewers will be hard- pressed to notice much of a differ- ence between this "new" show and the Leno they're used to. The show does try to make some minor additions to Leno's "Tonight Show" formula, add- ing segments filled by a rotating roster of comedians to the usual interviews and musical perfor- mances. Even still, "The Jay Leno Show" retreads familiar territory. This is, for all intents and pur- poses, "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Again," and admittedly, NBC didn't set the bar much high- er than that. Giving Leno another show was presumably driven more by the fear of Leno defecting after his contract expired than by any altruism on NBC's part. As Monday's premiere showed repeatedly, watching Leno essen- tially do the same thing he's been doing since the early '90s only underscores Leno's unambitious middlebrow appeal. An obnoxious- ly unfunny pre-taped segment early in the show with comedian Dan Finnerty was forgettable enough, with Finnerty singing about a car wash for an excruciatingly long five minutes. And the interview seg- ments didn't fare much better. Granted, the sit-down interview is virtually archaic at this point, but it doesn't play well to Leno's relative strengths as a host. Leno's interviewing style has never been especially compelling, lacking the congeniality of Craig Ferguson ("The Late Late Show") or the curmudgeonly unpredictability of Letterman. Unfortunately, the show's interview format - which eschews Leno's traditional desk for a pair of chairs - only empha- sizes Leno's weaknesses. His opening interview with Jerry Seinfeld, which had the two batting around softball questions before Oprah made a surprise appearance, was lifeless enough to make Jimmy Fallon's interviews seem dynamic. Likewise, his interview with Kanye West was cringe-worthy, with Leno making West tear up after asking him how West's moth- er - who died in 2007 - would have felt about his outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. Outside of that, though, the show's inaugural outing was wholly surprise-free, with prat- falls, jokes about erectile dysfunc- tion and "Headlines" (a "Tonight Show" segment where Leno high- lights funny newspaper headlines) padding out the hour. If all this sounds familiar, it's because Leno'sbeen doing it for the past 17 years, and he carries it over into "The Jay Leno Show" largely untouched. Leno has always been a comic who delivers, in his own words, "big tent" comedy, and the show is a perfect vehicle for that. Leno, the experienced comedian, delivers jokes that everyone can laugh with at 10 p.m. But at the same time, the new show's eagerness to please, along with the fact that it's essentially a rebranded "Tonight Show," won't do much to win Leno many new converts. After all, aiming toward the middle certainly might be com- fortable for Leno, but playing it safe all the time tends to get dull after a while. "Sorry Im ruining your movie. Like my new highlights?" Cultiting a 'Community A 'Whiteout' of utter garbage By CAROLYN KLARECKI Daily TV/New Media Editor Community college has a rather unfortunate social stigma. As the president of fictional Greendale Community College says in * the beginning of NBC's new Communty comedy "Com- munity,""You've Thursdays at heard it's loser 9:30 p.m. college full of NBC remedial teens, 20-something dropouts, middle-aged divorcees and old people keeping their minds active as they circle the drain of eternity." This may or may not be true for most community colleges, but either way, the Greendale bunch is a motley crew that makes for amusing television. In "Community," former lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup") returns to Greendale Com- munity College to earn a degree after his first one gets revoked. Thinking he can bribe and barter his way through school just as eas- ily as in the court room, he starts a study group with the sole intention of getting closer to the cute girl, Britta (newcomer Gillian Jacobs). Of course, word spreads, the group grows and Jeff finds himself over- whelmed, realizing he may need to do a little work after all. The premise and storyline behind the show aren't anything incredibly unique. The protago- nist always had it easy and sud- denly finds he can't just glide through life. He also unintention- ally becomes the leader of a group of social misfits and helps them all find their sense of self. It's like "Freaks and Geeks" meets "The Simple Life." Fortunately, the writers aren't blind to their conventional for- mula and make fun of it through- out the show. Ironic humor ensues. Jeff apologizes for confiding in the cafeteria worker by telling her he was raised on television and "conditioned to believe that every black woman over SO was a cosmic mentor." And Abed (Danny Pudi, "Greek") frequently makes allu- sions to how similar their situation is to "The Breakfast Club." The cast of "Community" is nothing short of impressive, including accomplished actors such as Chevy Chase ("Saturday Night Live"), Alison Brie ("Mad Men") and Donald Glover ("30 Rock"). More important, though, is the quality of the characters they'reportraying.Everyoneinthe study group is incredibly eccen- tric yet still somehow believable and maybe even a little relatable. It's a worn-out ploy, but everyone is a little bit of an outcast in their own way and, by exaggerating that notion, "Community" makes itself surprisingly relevant. A large fault in the show is that it's unclear where exactly these characters are headed. The pilot is cute, but it doesn't really give any clues as to what will hap- pen throughout the season, aside from the fact that Winger is defi- nitely going to have to study for that Spanish test. Without any idea of what anyone is working Funny with no staying power. toward (Finish the semester? Get a degree?), it's tough to find the motivation to continue watching. Chances are the characters will all learn something about them- selves, Jeff's world will continue to be shaken up and there will be plenty of biting sarcasm along the way (or at least there'd better be sarcasm - otherwise this might all get a little too heartwarming). "Community" is not a force that will change the way people think about community college. It also isn't a show that'll keep you wait- ing for the next episode. It's simply a funny show with agreat cast, and maybe that's all it needs. By KAVI PANDEY DailyArts Writer A murder mystery in Antarctica is an intriguing concept, especially considering the sheer original- ity of its seques- tered setting. Whtout The gravely cold temperatures At Qualityl6 and lack of a per- and Showcase manent human Warer Bros. population have made the chilly continent mostly extrinsic in cin- ema circles (save for "March of the Penguins"), but its isolation and hazardous environment are ideal for inciting thrills and plac- ing characters in peril. Still, "Whi- teout" fails to capitalize on its unusual locale, instead becoming a film that relies upon enough genre conventions to leave one scouring for synonyms of the word "cliche." Based on the graphic novel of the same name, "Whiteout" fol- lows U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale, "Underworld"). She is stationed on an Antarctic base as she investigates the grisly death of a geologist. Stetko is also under a severe time constraint - the base is going to be evacuated in three days before the devastat- ing Antarctic winter sets in. Stetko must confront animportant moral dilemma: Should she get the hell out of Antarctica and leave the crime to other authorities, or fol- low her case to the end and be stranded on the base for the next six months? Naturally, our virtu- ous (read: generic) lead chooses the latter. Other characters in "Whiteout" fill out a checklist of unabashed stereotypes: the nurturing doctor nearing retirement (Tom Sker- ritt, TV's "Brothers & Sisters"), the straight arrow U.N. officer (Gabriel Macht, "The Spirit") and the cocky pilot with an unquench- able libido (Alex O'Loughlin, It has Antarctica and nothing else. TV's "Moonlight"). As expected, any sort of development for each lethargically performed character is nonexistent. This lack of character depth isn't solely responsible for tank- ing the film, as Stetko's own "dark past" is yet another hackneyed, superfluous element of the story. This backstory, supposedly show- ing the audience her vulnerability and toughness, unfolds through a series of sepia-toned flashbacks (just go you know it was a lorig time ago). Her character's "revela- tion" is not only predictable - it severely disrupts the flow of the film, often causing it to feel more like a Lifetime Original Movie than a high-tension thriller. This is unfortunate, as "White- out" sets a perfect pace with a mar- velous plane crash in its opening sequence. The filmmakers, how- ever, included too much dialogue, too many extraneous subplots and too little action to maintain the level of excitement. Among the film's few bright spots is its clever mixing of genres. Stetko's encounters with the pickaxe-wielding villain resemble scenes from decent slasher mov- ies - a frenetic camera follows the silent, menacing killer as he chases his prey through gale-force blizzards. If the entire film had followed the approach of these well-crafted but sparse confronta- tions, the result may have been a competent horror movie. "Whiteout" features several breathtaking shots of the Ant- arctic landscape (hopefully they weren't constructed through CGI, but they probably were). Of course, since there's little else the film- makers have to be proud of in the film, these shots are frustratingly overused, contributing to the bru- tally slow pace of this poor excuse for an action thriller. Chevy Chq4e: quite the artist.