The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, March 23, 2010 -- 5 Justice is served on FX Televised voyeurism New series 'Justified' is everything a modern western should be By ANT MITCHELL Daily Arts Writer "Justified" offers a glimpse into what a modern day western should look like in a way "Walking Tall" never even came close to accomplish- ing. J~jicj After a contro- versial shooting, Sundays at Miami-based Deputy 10 P.M. U.S. Marshall Ray- lan Givens (Timothy Olyphant, "Damages") is transferred to his hometown in eastern Kentucky, where he's faced not only with anti- Semitic terrorist cells run by his old coal-mining buddy, but also - Gasp! - his past. All joking aside, the return home of a long-gone son of a small southern town is a perfect set-up for unpacking a shit- load of fantastic storylines, character histories and so on. Not only that, but perhaps the best feature by far of "Jus- tified" is the twangy, rough but beauti- ful setting. With the "Jesus Saves" sign on a country barn, the shady church next to the liquor store and the over- grown trees (that get blown up by the "Don't look, but Will Smith and a giant metal spider are right behind you." anti-Semitic mullet gator poacher), those in charge of location and filming deserve a major pat on the back in the same way that the unrelated, but simi- larly lush "True Blood" merit praise. Gray area just melts away in the western set-up of each standoff between Raylan and his nemesis. Lit- erally twice in one episode he sits at a table with a gun and has a quick draw confrontation. Yet standoffs such as this, which overtly mirror a hypotheti- cal scene out of "The Good, the Bad and "I swear, if you touch my beans on a stick one more time!" Ann Arbor Fili "going internati4 By EMILY BOUDREAU Daily Arts Writer Nearly 50 years ago, according to tNearly 50 years ago, according to the Ann Arbor Film Festival's website, Ann Arbor "a casual group of fascinated students, Film Festival filmmakers and film . enthusiasts crowded Tonight through into the smoke-filled Sunday Lorch Hall auditori- Michigan Theater um" for the first Ann Arbor Film Festival. Now, people come from around the country to the Michi- gan Theater to see films from all over the world. This year, at the 48th festival, the focus is on fully international films - films from other countries or about other countries. Rather than a starkly divided collection of film based on the boundaries of nationality, the movies on display at the AAFF promote dialogue and work together. "A lot of time goes into crafting the lineup," said the festival's executive director Donald Harrison. "It's like a gallery curator selecting pieces for a gallery. We put the films together so that they speak in a bigger conversation." But the cohesive-theme of the festival does not limit the films. "We don't really set out with a focus. We look at what's coming in and we see themes emerge - every year there are adventures and surprises," Harrison said. This year alone, filmmakers from 67 countries submitted 2,500 films. From these, 170 films from 20 countries will be shown. "It's an extensive process to narrow it down," Harrison said. "It's hard to say what criteria we're looking for. For the most part, we look for filmmakers who approach their work as an artist - we look at craft, intention, purpose and always for new voices, ideas, stories and techniques. We look for exceptions." Since its founding in the '60s, the fes- tival has been dedicated to providing a forum for daring and novel films of all varieties and genres. This year's festival promises to continue that tradition. The opening night will feature a broad collection pfshort films that exemplify independent filmmsaking, followed by a catered reception with a DJ and an open bar. Following open- ing night, the festival will also present, among other programs, "This Animated Life," a collection of animated films, "The Kids are Alright," a showcase of short films for children; and live perfor- mances. As part of the series, an anima- tor will be narrating his film's plot while he does the film's animation in real-time in the theater. "It's an experience that will only hap- pen once," Harrison said. The festival fuses older cinematic achievements with new voices and ideas. The fresh and the old-fashioned will be fused as audio-visual and hip- hop artist Flying Lotus performs the world premiere of a live score to Harry Smith's 1962 animated film, "Heaven & Earth Magic." This year will also be remarkable because the festival received a grant from the Academy of Motion Pictures This year's festival will show 170 films from 20 countries. Arts and Sciences to bring world- renowned experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger to Ann Arbor for a screening of a selection of his restored films, followed by a conversation between Anger and film critic Dennis Lim. This year, the film festival's organiz- ers are trying to make it a more inter- active experience, promoting more conversations to connect people. -"The more we create interactions and dialogue, the more (the festival) becomes something you don't want to miss," Harrison said. "It's important to engage the audience in the art of film, to have them connect with the artists and celebrate the art's form and challenge conceptions. "It's been a lot of work," he added, "but it's rewarding and we have a great the Ugly," are surprisingly likable to the point where it's impossible to imag- ine the writers doing it any other way. It's even possible that a contin- ued, even repetitious, use of standard western gun fight scenes in episodes to come (a seemingly likely choice on the writer's part), will manage to go by without becoming stale or obnoxious. The character of Raylan himself is at times a bit exasperating, especially because the dialogue (though suitably so) tends toward well worn one-liners about getting "out of town before time is up." He may in fact be the worst- developed, least-fascinating character in the pilot episode, with daddy issues so blatant they didn't even need to be mentioned (two or three times). Yet Olyphant is suitable for the role as his somewhat slimy, yet gentlemanly way became more bearable, and then final- ly likable, as the episode progressed. Especially after seeing his character deal with the damsel in distress of the episode, who was, refreshingly, a sexy, blonde, cigarette-smoking housewife who shot her abusive husband over his dinner. It's nice when the good guy doesn't have a quick five-minute sex scene slipped in for the masses who insist on that sort of thing. All in all, "Justified" is without ques- tion worth a watch. Put on some cow- boy boots and a hat, grab some canned beans and a stick and prepare for some- thing between moderate and great enjoyment to ensue. n Fest onal community. There re lots of individu- als, local and regional, who want to see this grow. Afterwards, people have told me how it affected, inspired or motivat- ed them. It's rewardingto know that the festival has that strong value of art - to inspire people to create." Other than providing a place to view cutting-edge films, the festival will also create an "electric atmosphere," Har- rison said. With filmmakers like Matt McCormick coming from his premiere at South by Southwest to show his film "Some Days are Better than Others," featuring James Mercer of The Shins and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater- Kinney, many of the showings will be packed. "In one of the most beautiful theaters in the country you can expand your palate and your ability to see culture," Harrison said. "Just being packed in the theater is something you don't forget. It's like goingto see your first concert or your favorite band play live." With 170 films showing, the festival offers something for everyone this year. This year, the films range from a 16mm film that explores the structure of the haiku through a portrait of a farm to a documentary about Jerusalem's only gay bar. "It's just as much an opportunity for scientists as it is for artists," Harrison said. "I hear people talking after the films, and it's really about meeting art- ists, challenging each other and sharing in the experience." The AAFF also gives the University an outlet for expression. Zeynep Grsel ("Coffee Futures"), Chris McNamara ("The Use of Movement") and Alexis Bravos ("A Deep Well") are all faculty members who are presenting films in the festival. "This year we have a lot more films from members of the University com- munity," Harrison said. "There are a lot of talented people there and it just worked out well that so many of them had films ready to submit this year." The 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival continues to dedicate itself to finding distinctive and challenging films to unite all members of the community. The festival will run from March 23 to 28 at the Michigan Theater. There's something strange happen- ing in the land of television. It's phenomenon that has been preva- lent overseas for a while, and has slowly and covertly crept its way into American program- ming. But the winds are picking up and a storm is a'brewing. It's the wind of TV voyeurism and a storm of live online streaming, and together they just make me pretty ill at ease. " When I say "TV voyeur- CAROLYN ism," I don't mean any KLARECKI of the typical reality TV shows. There's nothing wrong with watching ordinary people doing extraordinary or unusual things. To me, it isn't creepy watching people compete for love, money or fame by enduring bizarre chal- lenges because these aren't experiences we're likely to have ourselves. I know the closest I'll get to outwitting, outplaying and outlasting castaways on a deserted island is on TV, and so I'm perfectly content to tune in to "Survi- vor" for that experience. What is a tad unsettling are shows like "Real World" and "Jersey Shore." The casts of these shows don't do anything other than live their lives, but with all of America watching. Don't get me wrong, I'm among those millions of viewers, but part of me always wonders why, exactly, I tune in. Why am I watching people do what I could be doing if I weren't glued to the TV? TV in this vein makes me a little uneasy; the advent of live online stream- ing and Hulu's latest project "IfI Can Dream" make me outright uncomfortable. Here's the premise: Five'20-somethings with aspirations of fame move into a house in Hollywood with half-hour episodes airing on Hulu each week. And here's the innova- tion: The "Dream House" (cute, right?) is equipped with 56 cameras that stream live footage online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anytime you want, you can log on and see what Amanda, Ben, Giglianne, Justin and Kara are up to. They may be lounging by the pool, cooking in the kitchen or even (as Ben is doing as I write this) sleeping. And let's be honest - this is hella-creepy! These kids aren't doing anything other than attending the occasional acting lesson and yet, people want to watch them do their laundry, make meals and other completely ordinary things they could be doing them- selves. The gimmick of wannabe stars isn't enough to save the show from its disturbing atmosphere. If you really want to observe some aspiring artists, hop on a bus to North Campus and befriend some Music, Theatre & Dance students. What's even stranger to me is that televi- sion abroad has been doing this for years. One of the most extreme cases of TV voy- eurism took place on one of Japan's many insane game shows. A Japanese comedian Nasubi was stripped naked and locked in an apartment with absolutely nothing but large stacks of magazines, envelopes and stamps. He would be released after winning V1 mil- lion (about $10,000) from mail-in sweep- stakes. If he wanted clothes, he had to win them; if he wanted food that wasn't rice, he had to win it. He was unaware that the foot- age from the cameras was beingstreamed live online and that a team of editors were always on call to keep a cartoon eggplant over his man-bits. And crazy enough, it was a hit sensation. People all over Japan logged on to watch Nasu- bi. It was so successful thatonce he reached his goal, the producers took him to South Korea, threw him into another room and made him win enough money to make it back home. It sounds incredibly cruel, but people loved it. The diaries he kept from his 15-month journey became best-sellers. Hebecame a national celebrity and had no idea. And most of the time, he did nothing but fill out sweepstakes forms. Still, the gimmick was pretty insane: At least he was doing something extraordinary instead of just going to class. Maybe I'm justbehind the times or resis- tant to change and should justget used to the way things are goingto be. After all, foreign versions of "Big Brother" have live feeds into the house. The United Kingdom and Ger- man versions even broadcast sex between the housemates on national TV, so pretty much everything goes in Europe. Maybe TV voyeurism is quickly paddling across the pond. this phenomenon is an inevitable result of cultural differences and the ongoing cultural globalization. We took "Monty Python's Fly- ing Circus" and "The Office" from the United Kingdom, so it was only a matter of time before one of the online streaming shows fell into the mix. Maybe in 10 years we'll all be carefree and uninhibited like the Europeans. Is it really creepy to be a voyeur if you're watching an exhibitionist? At least on "If I Can Dream," everyone is aware they're being watched online atall times unlike poor Nasubi. It's not something I understand - you certainly won't find live footage online of me anytime soon, nor will I be signing on to watch others. But who am I to deny you the pleasure of watching people in their everyday lives? I'd rather you watch the cast of "If I Can Dream" as they sleep than stand outside my window at night. Klarecki has been staring suspiciously out her window for days: To soothe her, e-mail cklarecki@umich.edu From Russia with love; Chekov's 'Uncle Vanya' By EMMA JESZKE Daily TV/New Media Editor Anton Chekhov is among the most per- formed playwright in the entire world - right up there with William Shake- speare himself. Luckily for University students, a rare Unde Vanya opportunity to experience Tomorrow a bona fide production of a through landmark work in Russian Saturday at 8 theater is here. The Maly p.m.,Sunday Drama Theater of St. Peters-a burg, a world-renowned at2 p.m. theater, is bringing its rendi- Power Center tion of "Uncle Vanya" to Ann Ticketsfrom $18 Arbor in honor of the 150th anniversary of Chekhov's birth. Dina Dodina, assistant director and dra- maturg for "Uncle Vanya" and vice artistic director and international tour manager of the Maly Drama Theater, said director Lev Dodin has wanted to share his theater's version of "Uncle Vanya" with American audiences for quite some time. She explained that Chekhov wouldn't be so popular if he hadn't been a uni- versal genius and a master of capturing the essence of "the human condition." "The main concept of 'Uncle Vanya' is at some point al-l of us, as humans, realize that we've been living life not the way that we wanted to live it," Dodina said. "What's hap- pening tous now is not what we dreamt about when we were young, not what we aimed for. But, normally when you realize your life is not the life you wanted for yourself, it's usually way too late to try and change it. "And this is the crux of being human, this is what the human condition is - usually when you know you're living wrong it's too late to start living right," she said. "This is why 'Uncle Vanya' might be the most universal play that Chekov ever wrote," she added. "Dissatisfaction with life, if I'm not mistaken, is pretty international. It's not something only Russians encounter." The Maly Drama Theater production will be performed in Russian with English sur- titles. Dodina said the scenic and costume choices have been internationally hailed as a work of art and are "imbricative of Chekhov's era, but not necessarily rooted in it." "For a production of a classic, our produc- tion is surprisingly alive and surprisingly sexy," she said. The Center for Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies, in partnership with the University Musical Society, has planned events around Maly Drama Theater's visit in order to enhance the cultural experience for the Uni- versity and greater Ann Arbor community. Today from 3 to 5 p.m., there will be a Rus- sian Language Tea in the Power Center's green room for the Maly Drama Theater and the local Russian-speaking community, host- ed by the Department for Slavic Languages and Literature. There will be an interview with Dodin at 6:30 p.m. before Friday's per- formance in the Founders Room of the Alumni Center. Both events are free and open to the public. Tomorrow night at 8 p.m., there will be a special performance planned exclusively for students with reduced ticket prices - $15 for center seats and $10 for the sides. UMS, as a part of its lobby event, will also be holding "roundtable discussions" for students to participate in after each performance. After the special Wednesday student performance, smalligroups willgo as a part of this lobby event to Silvio's. Tickets are free and can be obtained The Maly Drama Theater presents a Russian classic. after the performances from any UMS repre- sentative wearing a green shirt. "The whole idea (with the roundtable dis- cussions) is to just kind of connect people to the performance after it's done, to keep people talking about it and to draw interest. Make it a place for conversation," said Rachel Lum, an LSA sophomore and UMS marketingintern. "I think it's a real cultural experience and I think it's something we need to take advantage of," she added. "UMS brings a lot of really cool things, but the Maly Drama Theater is one of the greatest in the world. And they are doing somethingthat is very much reminiscent of the original production. "And I mean, Lev Dodin? Come on! That's just something that is once in a lifetime."