The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 5A Paperback or bust have a lot of problems with Kindles and e-readers - those e-inked, overpriced metal boards masquerading as books. The e-reader just seems un-book- like. While I can fit several thousand digi- tal books onto this thing, it seems like the WHITNEY struggle of POW stuffing a hoard of six paperbacks in the back of a suitcase should be an inherent struggle ofbeinga book lover - I will often forego packing extra shirts in favor of bringing Adam Gopnik's "Through the Children's Gate" or David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster" with me. Are e-readers adequate sub- stitutes for books? The argument here is about what characterizes a book in the first place. Is a book about having pages that turn? Is a book about old book smell, that vaguely coffee-ground-like, musty smell? Or is a book, at its core, really about experiencing the thoughts of the writer and the information and insight con- tained within a book's pages? Here is the definitional divide between books as physical enti- ties and books as informational vessels. A book could be defined as anything that can be read that results in information being passed on to the reader. This point was anxiously pressed into my head a year ago when I attended the University's Book Publishing Workshop. Editors and higher-ups of publishing houses like Harp- erCollins were frantically trying to persuade workshop attendees that the definition of the book was changing and the booksell- ing industry honestly isn't failing (even though the reality of the situation is quite different). Even given this information, my dow ginia W PDFs th Readin; comput much u turnabl paper b mental, I see th alwayst venient But I Amazon e-reader the prec The coe grab mo digital b its expe Kindle- are encc e-reader paying f are, in e that thi P buy ano novel of forever e-inked Kindle,, zon.com is an exe are goin ries abo rights o want no My fr oversha details a in gener is a tech really w my seem port of t held Sos in my h 'nloaded copies of Vir- ingly marveled at the e-ink in its 'oolf's works are more strangely pigmented screen; it ian books, in my mind. really did emulate the experience g off of a screen (Kindle, of looking at a crisp sheet of paper. er or otherwise) is very The words were defined and vis- nlike reading from crisp, ible without a backlight, and the e pages. I know that with cover was present on screen in a ooks there are environ- clear yet colorless grayscale. Even costs to worry about. though the controls were difficult at paper books are not to navigate, it was thrilling to hold the most efficient or con- a metal sheet containing enough entities. books to satisfy me without weigh- 'l1 be damned if ing down my luggage or arms. n.com, the leader in the No matter how persuasive the r race with the Kindle, sets thing is, however, my verdict is edent for books' future. that Iwill not buy an e-reader, npany is attempting to even though it has seduced my snopoly-like power in the utilitarian sensibilities. Given ook selling industry with the confusing interface, the hefty nsive e-readers and its cost and the screen's limited color exclusive e-books, which palette (I don't think you can ded in a way that no other truly enjoy book covers when you r or computer can view. In are restricted to varying shades or a Kindle e-book, you of gray and slightly lighter gray), ffect, selling your soul to effortlessly toting a thousand n piece of metal. After you books around with me is not worth sacrificingthe comfort or simplic- ity of a paperbound book. But if 'DFs aren't e-readers shape up to be more wieldy and user-friendly, I might etua1 pages. just re-consider. So the question is: Are books as we know them becoming obso- lete? It all really depends on your verpriced Stephen King attachment to the idiosyncrasies f of Amazon.com, you are and experiences that come along forced to read it from the with paper-book reading - shar- pages of your nearly $300 ing and borrowing dog-eared or any other reader Ama- books, writing little notes to some- ordains holy. If the Kindle one in front covers when book-giv- ample of the way books ing, getting coffee stains on your g in the future, with wor- book, which end up being more ut ownership and viewer's proud marks of use than defects. ver one copy of a book, I Books, for me, are just as much )part in it. about the experience of turning ustration at Amazon.com the page as gleaning insight from dows a lot of the finer writers and feeling the rhythms of issociated with e-readers the stanzas, the details contained al. The truth is this: There in paragraphs. For me, those $300 -savvy part of me that hunks of plastic, metal and wires ants an e-reader, despite can wait. "I'm telling you, if you think last night's storm was good, wait until you try Olive Garden!" Cloudles kies Despite a political agenda and a childish premise, Meatballs' will appeal to all ages By Timothy Rabb I Daily Arts Writer A long, long time ago in a small house far, far away (hold the cynical remarks, it's a children's movie), two young kids listened as their Grandpa Henry told them the story of the town of* Chewandswal- low, where the aoud-vh weather is con- tingent upon a Chance of the three meal MeatbaIs times. Rather than water, the At Quality16 rain consists of and Showcase the libation of Columbia various soups, juices and other potables from the sky. The snow consists of mashed pota- toes, and the wind's fury gives way to flying hamburgers. While these quirky weather patterns provide a daily stock of food to the land's inhabitants, they often take on malicious manifestations in stormy weather, inflicting daily suffering on Chewandswallow's residents in the form of tomato- sauce tornadoes, giant meatballs and pancakes. All of these events, whether happy or hapless, are detailed in full in Judi Barrett's children's book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." Published in 1978, the book's contemporary big-screen adaptation retains many of the printed version's positive aspects, yet also attempts to present its own politicized notions of America's society of excess. The film seeks to answer the question: How exactly did the town of Chewandswallow become an epicenter of tasty tor- rents, succulent squalls and delec- table downpours? Enter Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"), prospective inventor and - in the eyes of many of his peers - bumbling madman. His story begins long before Chewandswal- low met its palatable fortunes, in a time when the town had "no flavor" and survived solely on sardines. Lockwood dreams of a town in which his fellow man's subsistence is no longer dependent upon such a disgusting, fishy food, so he makes the abrupt decision to invent a machine that transforms ordinary water into dream cuisine. But before Lockwood's dream can be brought to fruition, a freak acci- dent results in the small machine's projection into the stratosphere, where it sucks in the moisture of the clouds and creates catastrophic food-storms that threaten human- ity's very survival. Granted, the film's premise is a bit too extraordinary to appeal to most adults, but audiences of all ages will enjoy the fresh perspec- tive offered by the 3-D graphic design. The film's animators cer- tainly didn't take full advantage of the liberation from depth that the 3-D animations granted them, but their explorations of this new graphical style are sufficiently ambitious to merit a closer look. The slapstick comedy marks a delightfully nostalgic return to the "old ways" of filmmaking. Over- used? Maybe, but it would be nice to pretend that we live in a world in which all humor is not careless- ly derived from sexual innuendo and vulgar utterances. Overall, the film's material, though unlikely to amaze a prac- ticing cinephile, is substantial and worth the extra money paid to see it. The political allusions to glut- tony and excessive consumerism may be overwrought ("WALL-E," anyone?), but one might venture outside the realm of "political correctness" to point out that the film's contention with our way of life is entirely true. Rather than addressing the problem of a soci- ety in which two-thirds of adults are overweight, we continue to exploit our abundance of resourc- es to meet our own selfish ends. Overwrought or not, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" confronts us all with a message that we are more than willing to accept as true, but unwilling to apply to our daily lives. ningly unflinching sup- he paper-bound book. I ny's new e-book reader ands yesterday and chok- Pow wants to burn a new Kindle. E-mail her some matches at poww@umich.edu. 'Good Wife' not so good after all Preserving and modifying a dying artistic medium By CAROLYN KLARECKI Daily TV/New Media Editor Sex scandals and politicians go together like peanut butter and jelly. You really know you're at the top of the political world The Good when the entire country gives a Wfe shit about your Tuesdays unlawful sex at1o p.m. life. But while CBS the cameras flash and the tabloids spew out the dirty details, few people stop to think of those affected by it beyond doling out the obligatory statement: "Poor Mrs. Politician and her kids." CBS explores this untouched area in its new show "The Good Wife," which takes a look at the other side of the political sex scan- dals. Non-descript political figure Peter Florrick (Chris Noth, "Sex and the City") has a couple wild nights with a hooker, and chaos ensues when the world finds out. Peter lands himself in jail for being involved in non-descript corrup- tion and suddenly his wife, Alicia (Julianna Margulies, "ER") has to provide for the household, pro- tect their children from the media and mend her broken heart. She returns to her old law firm with the intention of bringing in some more income and finds many cases awaiting her. This shit storm results in an odd but effective blending of legal and family drama. Legal drama is a tricky genre and "The Good Wife" doesn't quite pull it off. It's com- mendable because viewers don't need to watch the show regularly - they can always just tune in and watch a bunch of suits expose the real criminal in a stabbing case. But it's not so kind to rabid viewers, because those who choose to watch the show regularly are neglected - every time they tune in it's a bunch of suits exposing the real criminal in yet another stabbingcase. "The Good Wife" adds the ele- ment of an overarching storyline. It's more compelling to watch than the average legal drama because there is real plot advancement from week to week. Despite the excel- lent concept of adding soul to a stagnant genre, the execution suf- fers. The plot is confusing: It's not clear who Peter Florrick actually is or why he's in jail and it took a lot more time and effort than it should to figure out what Alicia Florrick's first case was even about. And with this addition of a real storycomesthesacrificeoftheedge and suspense that legal dramas thrive on. Essentially, "The Good Wife" is incredibly slow. The legal system isn't always fast-paced and exciting, but if the show's tempo doesn't pick up, the channel will Sex is like peanut butter. be changed long before any of the characters get to the point. There are a few biggish names in the cast and the actors play their parts con- vincingly, but thewriting and logis- tics hinder what could have been a very well-constructed show. While "The Good Wife" doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, it doesn't particularly stand out either. Per- haps CBS felt the show's- hook would be relevant in today's politi- cal world and that its concept alone would propel the show to success. But without a faster and more comprehensible plot, the show will more likely end up lost in the shuffle of the new fall lineup. The show may be able to survive if the courtroom aspect is pushed aside and the personal aspect is given more focus. Otherwise, "The Good Wife" will be gone as quickly as the media circus surrounding any run- of-the-mill political sex scandal. By MOLLY MCGUIRE Daily Arts Writer Hipsters and nostalgia enthu- siasts alike mourned the passing of Pola- roid's instant Hand-Altered film after it was Polaroid discontinued last year. But PhotographS those murky, Through Oct.12 faded instant Taubman Center photos that slowly materi- alize in one's hand aren't entirely gone from the world. The place to relive Polaroid glory, albeit in an entirely differ- ent form, is at University Hospitals' Taubman Center as part of the Uni- versity Health System Gifts of Art program. Award-winning artist and Ann Arbor native Cynthia Davis uses Polaroid SX-70 photographs to create her work in the exhibit "Chi- cago: Hand-Altered Polaroid Photo- graphs" which runs through Oct. 12. Davis manipulates the Polaroid SX-70 film to produce photographs that evoke the feeling of painting without the use of paint. The work continues after she takes the photo, when she takes advantage of the malleable consistency of the film. She etches lines into the image with fine utensils, creating texture and blending colors. "I was always drawn to the alternative photographic processes where taking the picture was only the beginning of the creative pro- cesses. I also was attracted to pro- cesses where the human hand was evident," Davis wrote in an e-mail interview. Though this exhibit centers on Chicago, Davis has also done much exploring in Michigan, sometimes traveling by motorcycle to track down the most resonant scenes. One of her Ann Arbor works almost makes Nickels Arcade look like the Passage des Panoramas in Paris with its dreamy, nearly impressionistic quality. Her meth- ods evoke the loose brushstrokes of impressionism and lend an old-fash- ioned quality to these well-trodden city-scapes. These pieces of art take the candid quality of Polaroids and combine them with everything that make cities the vibrant places they are - streets, landmarks, distinct neighborhoods and the way nature interacts with the urban landscape. Keeping Polaroids alive. The effect is the same for the gal- lery's famous scenes of Chicago - the featured landmarks all acquire tinges of whimsy in Davis's process of altering the film. Tucked away in the North Lobby of the Taubman Center are these Chicago scenes, which are enlargements from her fifth book, "Chicago." "I found I really enjoy physically interacting with the photographic emulsion," Davis wrote. "It brought me back tomypaintingrootsyethad the advantages of photography." Altering Polaroids by hand is a technique Davis has stayed with for the past 25 years. But unfortu- nately, it can't last forever. Davis stocked up on the film when Pola- roid stopped making it, but she is realistic about its future. "It is an art form that soon will no longer be done," Davis wrote. "Ultimately though, I am a creative person and creativity is my life. I am ready to move on to other things if necessary." Art is always changing and evolv- ing: forms of art die and new ones emerge to take their place. But for now, this mixture of retro technol- ogy and impressionism is something unique, and something that may grow in value and importance as the Polaroid continues to disappear. STILL NOT SATISFIED? More articles on the Interweb. www.michigandaily.coT.