The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, October 2, 2009 - 5 Fox's brotherly disaster "After 'Juno, I never participate in physical activities without using protection.' Allwh ppedu By ANT MITCHELL For the Daily If only one thing can be said for Fox's new sitcom "Brothers," it's this: If you don't *k find yourself chuckling at a BrotherS punch line, don't Fridays at worry - you'll 8p.m. probably get anotherchanceto Fx laugh at the same joke before the next commercial. Mike (played by the recently retired Michael Strahan, formerly of the New York Giants) flies home to his family because his father (Carl Weathers, "Happy Gilmore," the Oakland Raiders) had a stroke. While it becomes clear that the stroke is merely a ruse put on by his mother (CCH Pounder,"Warehouse 13") to draw Mike home, other hid- den problems become apparent. The most central problem, it would seem, is the constant and obnoxious bickering that occurs between Mike and his wheel- chair-confined brother Chill (Daryl Mitchell, "The John Lar- roquette Show"). At times, the arguments become so contagious they erupt into a full family quar- rel in which nothing can be heard or ucndce Adm moment ectopla really g They sl bad acti culprit) whelmi are onl seemsli Whichi Case tests hi inabilit' stabbing C J' This," a Andmi show's the wor A humo of the l all thre( Unli "Malco Develop the cha just not 'rstood. port the show. Furthermore, rath- ittedly, there are rare er than hiding weak characters ts of quasi-humor, but these under unusual or embarrassing smic wisecracks are never situations, the writers for the show given a chance to solidify. came up with money problems, a lither away mostly due to failing restaurant and Alzheimer's ing (Weathers is the biggest disease (as a replacement for the , but also due to the over- fake stroke). There's just nothing ng feeling that these quips inherently funny about any of these y mildly funny because it things, and the writers are decid- kewe'veheardthembefore. edly not creative enough to make we have. them humorous. in point: Chill's mother One of the most disappointing im to see if he's faking his aspects of "Brothers," though, is its y to walk by occasionally attempt to do what far better sit- g him with a fork. "Analyze coms have tried and failed to pull off: add scenes containing genu- ine emotion. If executed well, true )nly for bad emotion adds depth and completes characters. But when done poorly, oke lovers, it just leaves everyone involved in the catastrophe feeling horren- dously awkward. A potential upside, to these emotional moments is the nyone? "Talladega Nights?" tension they create. When broken, ndyou, thisis the apexofthe the tension makes things all the wittiness, unless you count funnier. But "Brothers" fails by ds "widdly doos" as grade- weakly severing these situations, so ar, which the man in charge much so that the actors themselves augh track apparently did ... were likely relieved to be finished e times. shooting such ill-fitting sappiness. ke past Fox sitcoms like All in all, there's nothing par- m in the Middle," "Arrested ticularly original, funny or special pment" and "Bernie Mac," about "Brothers," and nothing can racters on "Brothers" are be done to prevent its inevitable intriguing enough to sup- crash and burn. Ba di Dre lywoor once for out roman dies am David man, l crafter identit knack her dir Usir stars, solid i rymor( script: Elle from a casting denize Her qu presses her ho: mother Mist"), ing Blip eventu ever, it sport o larly sr she tri joins, a rrymore scores Predictability ensues, as the film follows the conventions of every big with her "follow your dreams, defy author- ity" narrative. Still, the plot's obvi- rectorial debut ous points are far from being a detriment to the film - in avoiding By KAVI PANDEY a complex, sprawling story, "Whip Daily Arts Writer It" is able to focus on substantially fleshing out its characters and giv- w Barrymore, the Hol- ing insight into nearly all of the d starlet film's numerous supporting roles. infamous *- One of the film's most absorbing churning characters is Bliss's best friend, forgettable Whip It played by Alia Shawkat (TV's tad flashin At Quality 16 "Arrested Development"), who end flashing ashows enough spunk and acting Letter- and Showcase ability to carry a film by herself. has finally Fox Searchlight Shawkat elevates her role from the d a new stock "reliable friend" stereotype y, exhibiting an unexpected to a realistic, empathetic charac- for quality filmmaking in ter, uncovering her character's ectorial debut, "Whip It." lofty ambitions and hidden vul- ng a platoon of accomplished nerabilities. colorful characters and a Other key supporting players ndie-rock soundtrack, Bar- stem from Bliss's new world of e overcomes a fairly banal roller derby, a place where all the and forges a fantastic film. ladies flaunt their stark hilarity, n Page ("Juno"), suffering possess clever nicknames (Jabba n unfortunate bout of type- the Slut, anyone?) and display an stars as Bliss Cavendar, a uninhibited ferocity, tripping, nofGeneric SmallTown,TX. checking and slugging each other irky, rebellious nature is sup- with the viciousness possessed by dbytheculturallimitations of a hoard of tween girls at a Robert metown and her overbearing Pattinson autograph signing. Bliss r (Marcia Gay Harden, "The - later named "Babe Ruthless" - who is obsessed with enter- joins The Hurl Scouts, a team of ss into beauty pageants. Bliss aggressive-yet-apathetic women ally finds her calling, how- that features the spunky, percep- n the extreme underground tive Maggie Mayhem (Kristen f women's roller derby, regu- Wiig, TV's "Saturday Night Live") neaking off to Austin where and the oft-injured, vindictive ies out for, and eventually Smashley Simpson, played by Bar- derby team. rymore herself. Even the genre's mostcriminally one-dimensional character - the cocky rival - has relatable issues for once. Bliss's chief competitor in this film is Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis, "Old School"), who is pleas- antly given plausible motivations for her extreme bitchiness. The stern parental authority fig- ure is always aneasy punchingbag, but as you've probably deduced by now, in "Whip It," these people are more than just autocratic dream crushers. Bliss's mother and father have more than their fair share of vices, secrets and insecurities hidden behind the fagade of their values-driven lifestyle. While "Whip It" is certainly a female-empowering film, men are not simply thrust off to the side either. Two of the film's more memorable characters are Razor (Andrew Wilson, "Idiocracy") the jean-shorts-clad coach of the Hurl Scouts, and Jimmy Fallon (TV's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon") as "Hot Tub" Johnny Rocket, the der- by's animated announcer. Razor's deadpan delivery and Rocket's witty commentary generate some of the biggest laughs in the film. The film's soundtrack also stands out, with the angelic melo- dies of Radiohead adorning poi- gnant scenes and the furious beats of the Kaiser Chiefs fueling the high-octane roller derby matches. A quality chick flick is a rare treat, so boyfriends or girlfriends, take note. "Whip It" is lovable, touching, energetic and even a lit- tle inspiring. Keeping summer alive Sometimes gross is just gross By MIKE KUNTZ Daily Arts Writer For many, the word "Princeton" is inextricably linked to old money and preppy snobs in New Jersey. Tell them the Ivy League naive is Princeton attached to an up-and-coming Cocoon of Love indie pop band Kanine and the conver- sation might lead to Vampire Weekend, the faiously (and shamelessly) Lacoste-sport- ing Ivy Leaguers whose self-titled debut made some serious noise last year. It seems, at first glance, that "Ivy League pop" may be becom- ing a genre all its own. Princeton isn't a band of Ivy Leaguers, however - the members attest the name comes from the Santa Barbara street on which they grew up, not the school. While the band and Vampire Weekend both have a similar summer breeziness to their sounds, Princeton's Cocoon of Love is less lyrically derivative, endlessly more lush and certainly smarter. This is the sound of Vam- pire Weekend all grown up - or with a Master's in indie pop, if you prefer. Where its vampiric counter- parts relied on Afro-beat sim- TvSHIRT PRINTERY Expert Screenprintmng Embroidery ® TEES. SWEATS, SHORTS CAPS, TOTES, APRONS IN 5 DAYS OR LESS I 5MESFROM APS 1002 Pontiac Tr - TEL 734-994-1367 Since 1973 J * Em m amma l plicities: sound cc Afro-be touching textured of tweea its book telling I Sebastia to say, a would fi - and in "Sadi a whims long-lost promine sichorda Meredit the voice iN S. bringing the fore, eton's sm Stand is a sun- bean, w and guit xylopho the mix. beat cou ad nauseum to make their machine, the song quickly erupts omplete, Princeton enlists into an incredibly lucid shuffle that at only in flourishes, carries along almost hypnotically. g instead upon more richly A fantastic moment on an already I orchestral pop. Elements strong album, "Calypso Gold" abound on Cocoon as well; draws you from the shade and dares ish, post-graduate story- you to go back (trust me, you won't brings to mind Belle and want to). mn or The Kinks. Needless Elsewhere on the album, the almost any of these songs chorus-ridden guitars and frantic t in a Wes Anderson movie drumming on "Martina and Clive a a good way. Krantz" jangle like it's 1982, while e and Andy" leads off with "Sylvie" is a melancholy waltz, ical dialogue between two recalling the more-tortured trou- t lovers, complete with a badours of pop's past. nt string section and harp- Once panned by a critic as as well as guest vocals from merely "the sound of an indie band h Metcalf, who provides trying to make it," it's clear that e of "Sadie." Immediately Princeton sets itself apart from its contemporaries. While many bands trying to "make it" tend to rely on found sounds and vocal deliveries far from the beaten path hirts here. in a forced attempt to stand out, Princeton's offering comes neatly wrapped with a bow. There are no yelps or challenging eccentricities baroque arrangements to here - Cocoon ofLove is much too the song introduces Princ- pretty for that. nart pop in terrific fashion. With a tour supporting Ra Ra out single "Calypso Gold" Riot already in the works, expect to drenched ode to the Carib- hear much from these guys in the ith thickly layered strings coming months. But don't let those ars along with splashes of longer nights and colder days fool ne and ukulele thrown into you - Cocoon of Love might just . Beginning with a calypso make the summer last a little bit urtesy of a vintage drum longer than expected. By ANDREW LAPIN Daily Film Editor "There is no way I'm not going to regret this. But fuck it. Let's go." That's a line spoken by the ** guy who's sup- posed to be the I Hope They most sympathet- ic character in "I Hope They Serve in Hell Beer in Hell," At Quality16 and it sums up and Showcase the philosophy of the movie per- Freestyle fectly. The main characters, three bros in their late 20s, make incredibly poor deci- sions - or more accurately, they allow their ringleader, Tucker Max (Matt Czuchry, "Gilmore Girls") to make poor decisions for them, and everyone else suffers from the consequences. We're even supposed to care when Tucker's actions screw over the group. Fat chance. Hang around guys like him and you get what you deserve. The film is based on the book of the same title by the real-life Tucker Max (who also co-wrote the screenplay). The book consists of Max detailing various lewd and audacious episodes of his life in a manner that alternates between gloating and self-shaming. The book has been a best seller since its 2006 publication, bucking the ste- reotype that frat boys don't read. The film "Beer in Hell" stretches one of the book's stories to feature length. Tucker's friend Dan (Geoff Stults, TV's "October Road") is throwing his bachelor party, and Tucker convinces him and their other, more sardonic, friend Drew (Jesse Bradford, "Flags of our Fathers") to drive to a strip club hours outside of town. Tucker also makes Dan commit to the excur- sion behind his fiancee's back. The mastermind's stated reason for this venture is that, because all the local strip clubs have a "no touch- ing" policy that Tucker refuses to abide b of tow howeva you ev attitud attract It's a the op admitt pansyt er. It's the kin reeled best fr about where insults alcohol If th T m as a do y, the boys need to get out not supposed to have any emo- n. Tucker's secret reason, tion. Neither of them are likable, er, is even worse, and it tells especially Bradford as the mis- erything about this film's anthropic Drew, who shoehorns e toward sex as a sideshow pop culture references into all ion. his dialogue and delivers his lines at this point that Dan utters like he's strangling kittens. The ening line of this review, movie limps when the two side- ing he is too much of a kicks take the reigns, and there's to ever argue with Tuck- not enough of a payoff for it when a shame because Tucker's Tucker returns to the screen. ad of guy who needs to be Yes, the group's ringleader gets in at all times. Surely his his comeuppance in the world's 'iends would realize this longest poop joke, but this only him eventually - some- serves to illustrate a key principle in between all his lies, of poop jokes: They're much fun- and rationalizations of his nier when you don't see the poop. lism. Ultimately, the problem with e film had positioned itself "Beer in Hell" is not that it's dis- gustingand morallyrepugnant.All of this was expected, and it's not even the most misogynistic movie ucker M ax: of the year - that honor goes to j or ouc e "Miss March." No, the problem is that, unlike the book, the film fails to transform its repugnance into decent comedy, and that is ulti- ark, cautionary tale about mately Tucker Max's downfall. QNE OF THE MOST DEEPLY MOVING ROMANTIC FILMS IN MEMORY." £;' KENNETH TuRAN ,A goto limes ~--- att.*****eeso lrvait APIf CORN JANE AMIOsNw PH Wl I-lAW brigitstor-maoviecom NOW MICHIGAN THEATRE SHOWCASE CINEMAS ANN ARBOR 603 E. Liberty St. 4100 Carpenter Rd,. PLAYING (7341 668-TIME Ypsilanti (734) 973-1380 what happens when dicks like Tucker aren't controlled, it could have been a future cult classic. But "Beer in Hell" is ultimately too afraid (or admiring) of its despicable ringleader to push him as far as he needs to go. Tucker Max is a hero to many college dudes for obvious reasons - he makes a lifestyle out of drink- ing, partying and being an asshole to women. He's the straight male's id with a sense of humor. And in the movie, Czuchry plays Tucker with a stupid grin permanently plastered on his face and a reckless demeanor that communicates just how little he cares about the world around him. Czuchry makes the audience hate him from the very start, which is exactly how the character should be portrayed. In a poorly calculated move, however, the filmmakers decide to exile Tucker from the middle third of the film. In his place, Tucker's two buddies, Dan and Drew, awkwardly become the emotional center of a movie that's No purchase necessary. While supplies last. Employees of The Michigan Daily and promotional partners are not eligible to win. Theater is overbooked to ensure capacity. Seating is on a first come first serve basis and is not guaranteed.