The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, December 2, 2010 - 3B Dios mio, we're going to Tios Before the 1970s, Ann Arbor had more movie theater options than just the Michi, and the State. M.46-issing multiplexes Why you had to Lecturer Jonathan Marwil of Ann Arbor's Most prominent is M-Flicks, which sporadi- movie theaters, the author of "A History of tally screens movies. But these groups are hitchhike to see the new Ann Arbor," among other works. nowhere near as popular or relevant as they Marwil said that back in the WWII era, were back in their heydays. 'Harry Potter' film at least 80 million Americans out of 150 mil- At one point, the abundance of Ann lion went to the movies once a week. Arbor film societies meant that you could By LILA KALICK "Movies were a primary and inexpensive see a movie any night of the week at the DailyArts Writer form of entertainment," he said. Modern Languages Building, Angell Hall or At that time, Ann Arbor was teeming the Natural Science Building. Marwil, who Well, Saturday night at eight o'clock, with movie theaters. Two theaters on Main attended graduate school at the University I know where I'm gonna go Street, the Wuerth and the Orpheum, were in the late '60s, recalls how the whole busi- I'm a gonna pick my baby up open in addition to the Michigan and the ness of student film societies worked. and take her to the picture show. State. By the end of the 1940s, the Wuerth "For them, to rent the prints wasn't very Everybody in the neighborhood and the Orpheum had closed. The build- expensive for either foreign or older films," is dressing up to be there too. ings they occupied on the 300 block of Main he said. And we're gonna have a ball, Street now house the restaurants Gratzi According to Marwil, the business of stu- just like we always do. and The Chop House. Where the Maynard dent film societies began to collapse in the Street parking structure now stands, there late'70s. So Motown sensation the Drifters used to be the Majestic, a grand movie pal- "The '60s and notably the '70s is the high S crooned in the song "Saturday Night at the ace fashioned out of the skeleton of a roller point of interest in this country in film. Movies" way back in 1964. It's a Saturday rink. The Majestic closed in 1942, and now Then it begins to die and it's been dead for a night in 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You the Fifth Quarter nightclub occupies the long time," Marcnil said. are not going to the movies. You can't get emptied space. So what happened? How did Ann Arbor to the movies. You have no car and it's two Relatively more recently, South Univer- go from a cinema boomtown to a relative degrees outside, so you don't want to walk sity was home to yet another movie theater, movie theater desert? to the bus. the Campus. Built in the 1950s, the Campus Marwil cites a general indifference LSA senior Ali Phillips recalls being continued to show first-run Hollywood among young people toward film. Around stranded her freshman year with a group films until it closed in 1987. A strip mall the end of the 1970s when the hype around of friends at Rave Cinemas in Ypsilanti. replaced it. the film societies had died down, the big Her group had decided to take the bus to "Ann Arbor used to be one of half a dozen theaters on the periphery had already come Meijer to go Christmas shopping and then most important towns in the country to into being. walked the short distance to the theater to see film," Marwil said. "Robert Altman "They were getting the movies. People catch a quick flick. came here several times to show his films. who wanted go to the movies had cars," he "When we got out of the movies at nine He didn't go to Toledo. ... He didn't go to said. "The Campus went on showing first- o'clock, we didn't realize the buses closed Princeton or Northwestern. He came to run movies, but what did the students do?" so early," she said. "We had to call a cab." Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor had this reputation "They did the same thing they did to The two movie theaters closest to cam- deserved of a serious interest in film." Shaman Drum," he said, referencing the pus, the Michigan and the State, show Michigan's central campus once housed independent bookstore on State Street that mainly independent, classic or foreign a strong collection of student film societies, closed in 2009. "They didn't go." films. In order to see a blockbuster, stu- which reached their heights in the 1960s Marsil said the current student gen- dents must drive or take the bus to either and '70s. One such group was the Cinema eration is relatively apathetic toward film. Rave or the Goodrich Quality 16 on Jack- Guild, which showed old movies and for- The rise of television, home video and ulti- son Road. But it wasn't always this way. eign films in the lecture halls. mately our use of computers has removed "They were cheaper," Marwil said. "You the important function movie theaters once The golden years of A2 movie houses would never see an old film at any one of the played in our lives, he claimed. main theaters." So the movies moved out. They fled "It involves a little of history," said LSA Film societies still exist today on campus. See THEATERS, Page 4B I nthe past 15 years a neno eligiarn has swept through the United States. It has outpaced even the boldest of movements wishing to con- vert the masses with gesticulating, gyrating shouts for salvation.- Yes, you've guessed it. I'm talk- ing about Burritoism; rice, beans, some kind of protein, salsas cheese and of course the messiah of all ingredients, guaca- LILA mole. Fortunately, an KALICK abundance of options exists for pious pil- grims seeking this holy deliverer of sustenance. In Ann Arbor, students travel far and wide, or perhaps two blocks from their houses, to sample the burritos BTB cranks out at a prolific rate until the wee hours of the morning. Then there's Chipotle, where the burritos are baby- sized and the guacamole is undoubtedly always worth the nearly $2 extra. At Panchero's ... the food is not good. In fact, it's really bad. Step away. Like- wise, the burritos at Bandito's on South Fourth Street are just plain weak. On the high end, the Prickly Pear on South Main Street offers the most sumptuous southwestern game in town, but it's hard on the pocketbook. One establishment stands alone as the appropriate middle option between the burrito joints and the dimly lit ambiance of the inaccessible Prickly Pear - Tios Mexican Cafe on East Liberty. The greatest thing about Tios is that it doesn't try to be anything but itself.Yes, it calls itself a "Mexican Cafe," but that's just anon verarching theme. The cafe is not Mexican, California-Style Mexican or Southwestern - it is a solid mix of all three with some seriously strange add-ons. Inside, reproductions of Picasso's The Old Guitarist (who is wearing a Tios T-shirt) and Dali's Meditative Rose (which is replaced by a bundle of chili peppers), as well as a couple of large southwestern murals, playfully pepper the cafe's mustard-colored walls. These are just the preliminary symptoms of the contagion of multicultural confusion that makes the Tios experience infectious. More signs include the illogical com- bination of gimcrack adobe and Span- ish artifacts seated behind the hostess stand. If you're not already baffled as to the restaurant's identity, its schizo- phrenic menu seals the deal. The cafe offers an array of burrito joint main- stays with a few outright outliers. For example, it may seem strange that there is a Jamaican Jerk Chicken salad on the menu at a supposedly "Mexican" restaurant. Then it pops up again in taco form alongside an edamame taco. Silly Tios, edamame is what you eat before sushi, not what you put in a taco! Another abnormal offer- ing, sweet potato hush puppies, can be found in the appetizer section. Then there is the Tijuana cheese steak. Crazy never tasted so good. You'll also find the classics you'd expect out of just about any Americano Mexican mainstay: burritos, enchiladas and chimichangas. The massive "wet burrito," drenched in sauce and covered in cheesy goodness, provides an excel- lent homemade alternative to compete with Chipotle's version down the street. If the burrito drowning in sauce in front of you isn't soaked enough, along the wall to the right of the entrance sits Tios famous collection of sauces and sal- sas, more than 365 of them. The wetter the better ... when it comes to burritos. Two summers ago, Tios relocated to East Liberty from its original location on Huron after a controversial debacle with its landlord. The move to Liberty was unanticipated, but Tios added a full bar in the process. As a result, an all- over-the-place drink menu matches the restaurant's unorthodox take on Mexi- can cuisine. The "Bloody Maria," made with Ann Arbor's own Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce, is a perfect pairing for the huevos ran- cheros. Diners might even venture to try some South American favorites by sam- pling an Argentine Malbec or Brazil's best, a caipirinha! But lest you be misled, this place stays true to its Mexican roots in some sense, offering a wide array of tequilas for your consideration. A sign outside advertises the "Best Margaritas in the State." This statement is false. The margaritas are good. They are not the best in the state. Keep your hopes at an appropriate level. What the margaritas are is huge, as are the portions. The prices are moder- ate. The happy hour is bumpin' and the place is a stone's throw from campus. It's definitely worth a try! Kalick is scaling Mount Nachisrno for the third time. To help her out, email her at Ikalick@umich.edu. * The Grinch of Christmas music By CASSIE BALFOUR Daily Arts Writer The best time of the year is when the Ann Arbor city workers scurry along South University like renegade elves stringing up hundreds of lights along the otherwise dingy street. One night in late November, out of nowhere, I'll be trudg- ing back from the Fishbowl at three in the morning stressed beyond belief. I glance up and notice the twinkling lights herald- ing the start of the holidays, and my heart grows three sizes larger. Suddenly, I'll be inundated with the holiday spirit and thoughts of snowman-shaped cookies, reindeer, Christmas trees and cozy Santa- patterned jammies. Now, you might be wondering why I'm babbling on about my favorite holi- day treats. This is because I dislike, nay, detest, one aspect of the holiday season that a startlingly number of people enjoy. I hate holiday music. I hate that I have to hear it as soon as the last piece of Hal- loween candy is gobbled up, but mostly I hate that every pop star feels the need to contribute to this ever-growing "genre" of music. Why does Mariah Carey need two Christmas albums? I'm not immune to the charms of the holidays or even Bing Crosby's smooth crooning. I'm not here to proclaim a war on Christmas or even its annoying carols. I do, however, have a strong aversion to pop stars putting out vapid holiday albums. Maybe too many winters spent stuck in traffic for hours with nothing but Christmas pop songs on the radio has hardened my heart, but I can't help but feel cynical when some starlet tries to rev up his or her career by cashing in on the most wonderful time of the year. I associate sugary-sweet pop rendi- tions of "White Christmas" or any song about that creep Jack Frost with trips to overcrowded malls. This Black Friday, my hometown mall was decked out with tacky holiday cheer. As I dragged myself to the perfume counter of Macy's, I was greeted by Jessica Simpson's new Christ- mas album Happy Christmas. I say "new" because this is the pop star's second foray into the world of Christmas music. It seems like the perfect vehicle for Jessica - she doesn't have to write her own music or come up with anything original, save for the songs "My Only Wish" and "Kiss Me for Christmas," for which she takes a co-writer credit. For the most part, it's yet another for- gettable cover of Christmas standards done by the pouting "musician." Pop stars should only be allowed to release one Christmas album; their second one should be met with derision and instead of profit, they should only get coal. Of course it would be rash to condemn all holiday albums as a greedy way to cash in on the season. Though it pains me to compliment her, Mariah Carey's first holiday album infused the concept with some fresh covers like the well regarded (by people who aren't me) "All I Want for Christmas is You," which features Carey's astonishing vocals and maybe even some genuine yearning for something other than fast cash. However, Carey's latest is of another ilk. The cleverly named Merry Christmas II You (get it?) has a blatantly photoshopped Mariah on the cover sur- rounded by every holiday-themed item imaginable (snowmen, lights and what appears to be the star of Bethlehem). The terrifyingly decked-out cover art is pretty indicative of the horrendous album itself. It contains straight-up covers of Christmas standards, never mind the extra heapings of holiday bells and whis- tles. The album is dull, unimaginative and pretty much a poor follow-up of Carey's first Christmas record. I'm sure there are some innovative holiday albums out there, but the ones I've heard make me want to strangle all nine of Santa's reindeer. This terrible trend of putting out holi- day albums when one is in need of both money and attention needs to stop. It should have stopped when my beloved (and Jewish) Bob Dylan put out a com- pletely serious, un-ironic album entitled Christmas in the Heart back in 2009. In his defense, all the proceeds went to charity Get a glimpse into Michael Jackson's three-disc "Vision" DVD collection. Starting off with classic MJ and descend- ing into mediocrity, it may or may not be your perfect holi- day gift. Go to michigandaily.com/blogs/The Filter 'Tis the season to Photoshop your thighs. (this doesn't excuse his baffling version of "Here Comes Santa Claus") - unlike those of Katharine McPhee, who you've probably never heard of or mercifully have forgotten (she won some season of "American Idol"). On her Christmas album Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You, McPhee cap- tures everything that is wrong with mod- ern Christmas albums: Some generic pop singer lazily sings a couple of sentimental Christmas covers, gets some radio play and makes some easy money. The fact I will be forced to listen to some of these tracks anytime I step foot into an over- crowded mall from mid-October until early January sickens me. All I want for Christmas is for the mad- ARE YOU FINE? JOIN FINE ARTS. E-mail join arts oumichedu lot information on applying. ness to stop, for pop stars to write some original music sans jingling bells or jolly beats and please, for the love of the season, stop bombarding me with sexy, breathy versions of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (I'm looking at you, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson). It just makes me uncomfort- able. I'm not trying to be grinchy. I'm sure there are lots of people who think that the world needs another pop version of "Jingle Bell Rock." But to quote my favor- ite holiday movie "Love Actually," "On Christmas you tell the truth." I can't help how I feel. However, Bob Dylan, ifyou came carol- ing at my house, I certainly wouldn't turn you away.