The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, September 23, 2009'- 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, September 23, 2009 -

Not quite volcanic

By JEFF SANFORD
Daily Arts Writer
On paper, Volcano Choir's debut
album seems primed to be this
season's indie
sleeper that
captures every-
one's attention, Vocano
climbs up college
radio charts and Choir
appears on vari- Unmap
ous NBC sitcoms. lagiatuwar
After all, Jus-
tin Vernon, who
released an album that achieved
all that less than a year ago under
the moniker Bon Iver, is the group's
vocalist. Backing him are the guys
from Collections of Colonies of
Bees, a band that's known for craft-
ing ethereal post-rock and making
albums with names likeface (a.
Sounds great, right? Vernon's
gorgeous, do-no-wrong falsetto
will ground his band's more celes-
tial wanderings, and a novel, acces-
sible album will result. On paper,
this logic is sound. In practice, not
so much.
Describing Unmap is like trying
to describe the hum of a washing
machine. Itsoundskind oflike what
Animal Collective would sound like
if the members pulled areverse Bob
Dylan, tearing the cords from their
laptops and mixers to rely on more
organic instruments. Or maybe
that's completely wrong.
Justin Vernon grunts, squawks,
moans and occasionally sings. The
band complements him by ringing

bells, p
edly anc
tar line
for land
"House.
moment
nating e
ty of me
Justi
thicklyl
to use f
"Husks
wintry v
acoustic
it seems
aslightl}
sion ofI
Ago. But
Ther
opensv

ounding drums disjoint- Gather" is a formless noise collage,
d playing fluid, tapped gui- combining off-beat handclaps with
s. This is not the formula a nasally, whiny voice we haven't
ling on the next episode of heard from Vernon before. Tracks
" But it does produce some like this and "Mbira in the Morass,"
s of truly inspired, fasci- in particular, give the impression
'xperimentation with plen- that the boys were simply indulg-
lodic bite. ing every studio whim and com-
n Vernon's old staple - the mittingthem to record. They come
layered falsetto - gets put off as thoughtless, and maybe that's
from the onset. On opener the point. But it's more likely that
and Shells," his trademark they truly are just thoughtless.
'oice hovers over a mournful Still, Unmap isn't entirely com-
guitar line and, for a second, prised of free-spirited experimen-
.like Unmap will unfold like tation. The album's clear standout,
ylooser,slightlyweirderver- "Island,IS"hasasomewhatconven-
Vernon's For Emma, Forever tionalistructure and even decipher-
:that's not the case. able lyrics. A minimalist-inspired
next track, "Seeplymouth," track, "Island, IS" showcases Chris
vith a Reichian pulse and Rosenau's chaotic, tapped guitar
work, which he's been perfecting
since his days in the underappreci-
ated math-rock band Pele.
ke a washing More grounded is "Still," which
is actually a re-imagining of the a
iachine, but capella song "Woods" from Bon
Iver's Blood Bank EP. Already a gor-
not really. geous song, Volcano Choir's ren-
dition could've easily been on the
wrong side of an "if it ain't broke,
don't fix it" scenario. But the taste-
itar fills and sounds more ful arrangement gives the track
ed by a music theory class depth and momentum and actually
Wisconsin cabin's solitude. improveson the original.
warbles incomprehensibly Unmap could've benefited from
ometimes jarringly off key a stricter editor and more focused
mid the track's gentle puls- songwriting, but it's nice to hear
really quite beautiful. Justin Vernon stretch his wings a
r tracks don't fare as well. bit with a group of accomplished,
does just that, lingering hyper-talented musicians. The
.e same, unmoving ambi- results vary, but the album is a wor-
ne for three minutes. "And thy listen all the same.

"Yes, I normally sport this moustache, but no, I've never appeared in an adultfilm."
Playing al id
Matt Damon carries company, the FBI and even him- McHale (TV's"Community")plays
self. an FBI agent working with Whi-
one of the year's After witnessing Whitacre's tacre, Tony Hale (TV's "Arrested
incessant dishonesty, a certain Development") plays Whitacre's
funniest movies question surfaces: How could lawyer and Patton Oswalt ("Big
someone in his right mind get tan- Fan") plays an FBI investigator.
By KAVI PANDEY gled in such a web of deception? Sci-fi legend Scott Bakula (TV's
Daily Arts As the film suggests, Whitacre "Quantum Leap"), also acts in this
wasn't in his right mind. Dispersed film, shining as Whitacre's FBI
Tales of corporate greed and throughout the movie are glimps- handler as one of the film's stron-
espionage are rarely as fresh and es into Whitacre's tumultuous gest performances.
boisterous as Steven Soderbergh's psyche; his random, rambling Even Matt Damon is stellar,
("Ocean's Elev- (yet occasionally insightful) inner revealing an uncanny knack for
en") new film * thoughts pop up intermittently. comedy seen previously in the
" The Infor- His mind is occupied by mostly "Ocean's" movies. This time,
mant!" Although irrelevant observations - at a busi- however, there's no Brad Pitt or
the exclamation ness meeting, he is more concerned George Clooney to share the spot-
mark seems a bit infotilnaun about the pattern on a man's tie light, allowing Damon to forge
silly, it is a nec- At Showcase than the complex deal being out- a career-defining performance.
essary a -and Quality lined. In addition to being uproari- The brilliance of Damon's act-
dum to the film's as ously funny, these bits hint that ing is underscored by his ability
title, obligatorily Warner Bros. Whitacre may have been slightly to take a fairly sleazy trickster
expressing the delusional and disconnected from with a long list of wrongdoings
film's inherent zaniness. But don't reality. These short scenes serve as - embezzling money and lying
let the seemingly lighthearted an attempt to explain his unrelent- to the government, for starters -
aura fool you - "The Informant!" ing deception. and make the audience root for his
contains many layers of depth, The voiceover narration seg- well-being and happiness. With a
delving into the psyche of a com- ments also assist in maintaining bristly mustache, chubby cheeks
pulsive liar. the film's quick, jolly pace. Typi- and a cornucopia of one-liners,
MattDamon ("The Bourne Ulti- cally dull moments, such as shots Damon allows us to ignore Whi-
rmatum") packs on a few pounds of people walking or landscapes, tacre's unwavering self-interest
to play the aforementioned fibber, become hysterical when injected and embrace his goofiness.
Mark Whitacre, who is a high- with Whitacre's inane prattles. Decorated with flowery titles
ranking executive at agricultural Unfortunately, this momentum and featuring a jaunty score that
powerhouse Archer Daniels Mid- isn't sustained to the fairly dull sounds like '70s cop show music
land. Despite enjoying the spoils climax, as the wackiness wears (think "Starsky and Hutch"),
p of a cushy career, he begins to tat- off and Whitacre's constant scam- "The Informant!" has a retro feel
tle to the FBI about his company's ming becomes more irritating perfect for a comedy set in the
association in a massive price- than comical. 1990s. Based on real events, the
fixing conspiracy. Whitacre even Still, the film avoids a complete film has been aptly released at a
begins to wear a wire for the feds cinematic implosion mostly due to time of great corporate distrust,
in hopes of implicating his superi- its steady stream of newly arriving making Mark Whitacre a mod-
ors and taking over the company, supportingcharacters. Soderbergh ern anti-hero for taking down
but his squealing only snowballs smartly fills out the cast with a his company's corrupt practices
into a never-ending landslide of cavalry of some of the industry's (while still skimming some profits
lies as he perpetually deceives his most underrated comic talent. Joel off the top).
Nothing happening in 'Love'

Li
m

airy gu
influenc
than a'
Vernon
- and s
- but a:
ing, it's
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Before and after swine flu.
SENISIS:
loinFsrgemII
TAKE YOUR SENIOR PORTRAIT
and be pictured in the Michiganensian Yearbook

9/23&9/24
Wed a Thurs

9/28 thru10/2
Mon thru Fri

By JENNIFER XU wife's death. In this sense, Eloise
For the Daily becomes less of a leading romantic
- figure than a supporting one, prod-
In "Love Happens," Aaron Eck- ding Burke along in his tortuous
hart ("The Dark Knight") plays journey toward recovery.
Burke Ryan, a Expectations aside, the movie
smarmy self- * is a mess. Its vague attempts at
help counselor humor are painful. The emotional
encouraging intensity of the film could be held
everyone to fol- in a teaspoon. There is a scene filled
low a grief man- HappenS with people slow clappingthatwill
akement system At Showcase make audiences physically embar-
he developed and Quality16 rassed for the extras forced to per-
after his wife's form in it. And the ending, where
death. Universal Pictures Eloise and Burke inevitably get
ends up conduct- together, seems grafted on. There
iqyg a three-day seminar in Seattle, is scarcely a scene where these two
assuring participants that every- were talking about something even
thing will be "A-OK!," as the title tangentially love-related.
of his book proclaims. In short, this film has no idea
On the other side of things, what it wants to be. Is it a satirical
there's, Jennifer Aniston (TV's film critiquing brand names and
"Friends") who plays Eloise Chan- big corporations? Is it the Lifetime
dler, a flower shop owner getting Channel Weepie of the Year? It's
over a string of cheating musician certainly not a generic romantic
bpyfriends. She is also presum- comedy, despite its halfhearted
ably accustomed to deflecting the attempts to mime one. In this way,
advances of self-help counselors "Love Happens" becomes less of a
like Burke. The two meet, they predictable Hollywood film and
squabble and they only have 72 more of an identity-crisis-stricken
hours together. Even still, they fall Sybil of American cinema.
for each other, and love happens. The excellent cast should have
At least, this is what the movie rescued the film, but it failed to
description - not to mention the live up to its potential. Aaron
title - tells us. Eckhart, fresh from the pathos
Based on the title alone, one of Harvey Dent and the sleaze of
would expect a slightly sappy Nick Naylor from "Thank You for
romantic comedy that's funny and Smoking," paired with Jennifer
predictable+++ but heartwarming Aniston, America's sweetheart,
all the same. Instead the audience should have sent sparks flying.
is treated to two hours of a self- Something really good could have
indulgent Burke bawling about come from this. Instead, view-
what a hypocrite he is because ers are treated to shots of Eck-
he didn't actually et over his hart lookinF morosely to the side,

drinking Grey Goose. And then
there are the interminable scenes
of the grief seminar, which ring of
superficiality.
Unexpectedly, Jennifer Anis-
ton might be the saving grace of
this movie - or at least the clos-
est thing to it. She breathes some
much-needed life into the bland-
as-beans character of Burke, fak-
ing sign language to escape his
come-ons, reading him memo-
rable notecards saved from years
of flower deliveries and borrow-
ing a telephone truck to watch a
Rogue Wave concert. Deftly, she
This film can't
even do
generic right.
suggests there might be some
semblance of romantic chemistry
brewing underneath, but these
moments are way too few and far
between.
"Love Happens" is poignant
without the pathos, and it's a chick
flick without the romance. The
movie transcends mere hackneyed
Hollywood romance because it
can't even do generic right. And
even so, two screenwriters are fil-
ing a billion-dollar lawsuit against
this movie for the rights to the story
because they claim they thought of
it first. Why anyone would declare
responsibility for this tedious mess
(Ia movie is unexplainable.

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