The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, January 21, 2011- 5 TV REVIEW . orpo comes to Power Ann Arbor welcomes Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo By ERIN STEELE DailyArts Writer Watching modern Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo is like drink- ing a cold Diet Coke on a hot summer afternoon - rejuvenating, enlivening and joyous. Arriving in Ann Arbor for the Grpo Corpo first time since 2002, Grupo Corpo will bring Tonight and its fizzy refreshment tomorrow to the University as it at8 p.m. performs at the Power PowerCenter Center this Friday and Saturday. Ticketsfrom$18 Grupo Corpo was founded in 1975 by artistic director Paulo Pederneiras and has since dazzled. the international dance scene with its innovative choreography. The group performs in more than 80 shows each year, in countries including Lebanon, Japan, Mexico and Israel. The compa- ny's Portuguese name is translated into English as "Body Group," reflecting its mission to use the body as an instrument in creating vibrant modern dance with strong Brazilian roots. Michael Kondziolka, the University Musical Society's director of program- ming, worked.to include Grupo Corpo in the 2011 artistic season. He described the choreography as "extraordinarily athlet- ic and high-energy" with an emphasis on precision and clarity. "(The performance is) really focused very much on the bodies and the chore- ography," Kondziolka said. "A lot of the time it will be just pure dance onstage." Grupo Corpo's style of dance consists mainly of modern choreography with balletic influences, as well as hints of samba and Afro-Brazilian movement.. This weekend, the company will per- form "Parabelo" and "Ima," both choreo- graphed by Paulo Pederneiras's brother Rodrigo. "Parabelo" has been described by Rodrigo as his "most Brazilian" work and features brightly colored costumes and regional movement. "Ima" explores interdependence in human relationships through a series of solos, duos and group dances of various sizes - creating a con- stant fluctuation between many and few bodies on the stage. Due to the company's popularity and packed touring schedule, Kondziolka said he has had to work for two or three years to secure performance dates. For him and others at UMS, though, the wait was worth it. "People who really love to go see dance should not miss this," he said. "The audi- ence just loves them. We're talking about some of the best dancers you've ever seen." Kondziolka is also quick to point out that even those who are less familiar with dance will appreciate the compa- ny's dynamic performance, especially since the art form has become more accessible in recent years due to popu- lar television shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars." "I reallythink that people should give it a try," Kondziolka said. "Going to the the- ater to see a company like Grupo Corpo is a wonderful next step in someone's per- sonal development as a lover of dance." What makes the company most appealing to such a wide audience is its openness to interpretation. "There's a wonderful ambiguity about dance. (It's) almost like a Rorschach test, you see in it whatyour mind suggests you see in it," Kondziolka said. "I think that there are as many possible takeaways as there are viewers." Those who attend the performances at the Power Center will be among the countless people worldwide who have taken Grupo Corpo's Rorschach test and found their own personal message through the dancing and choreography. An unresolved 'Dilemma' FOX undercooks 'Bob's Burgers' * By ANKUR SOHONI DailyArts Writer Ron Howard, or at least the Ron How- ard of the past 20 years, isn't exactly distinguishable for his comedy in film. The "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13" ** and "Frost/Nixon" director started well The Dilemma before those movies and in a very different AtQuality16 way, growing up as and Rave an actor on TV com- Universal edies like "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Happy Days." Howard returns to his comedic roots every now and then. As his dramatic output has become more consistent and successful, however, "now and then" has come to mean about once a decade. The current wait between comedic efforts is about ten years - a period bookended by the live-action Christmas classic "How It's called shrinkage." the Grinch Stole Christmas" and now by the star-lined modern comedy "The story, however, is th Dilemma." And yes, that "classic" crack wife -Geneva (Win was sarcastic. Swan") cheating on All puns aside (Howard faces quite up punk named Zip the "dilemma" with his latest project!), "Dear John") and c Howard faces quite the dilemma with how to tell him whi his latest project. How do you cre- Chrysler is still in ate serious, interesting characters and neath all of that is I * place them in situations where comedy with Beth (Jennifer ensues? Not That Into You"), The chosen answer seems to be to propose. Oh, and th cast tentpole comedic actors like Vince on backstory of Rt Vaughn ("Couples Retreat") and Kevin bling problem. James ("Paul Blart: Mall Cop") and let them create comedy through their onscreen personas. That actually some- Ron Howv what works, but when it comes to come- dy, somewhat working isn't good enough narrate c and doesn't make for a memorable film. The story centers around two busi- not dire ness partners, Ronny and Nick (Vaughn and James, respectively), who pitch an idea to Chrysler to recreate classic mus- cle car engine sounds inside an electric The film feels like engine. That's the film's hook - proba- stuck together witi bly something born in script rewrites to awkward combinat make the film more contemporary and seriousness that co relatable. The actual "Dilemma" of the vaged into somethi at Ronny sees Nick's una Ryder, "Black Nick with a tatted- p (Channing Tatum, an't quite figure out le their project with the works. Under- Ronny's relationship Connelly, "He's Just to whom he plans to ere's the clunky add- onny's former gam- ard should :omedies, ct them. e a lot of spare parts hout much love, an ion of comedy and auld have been sal- ng meaningful, but as it's written never really fits. The film's different sub-plots are connected in the fact that each affects and inhibits the other - Ronny's inability to come clean about Geneva's affair starts to erode at the trust in his own relationship with Beth, just as it creates a silent tension in Ronny's approach to his partnership with Nick - but none of them combine to really take the characters far enough into their individual conflicts. Aside from the fact that most of its humor is forced, "The Dilemma" feels just a little too incomplete - and with a 111-minute runtime, it just seems like inefficient storytelling. The movie doesn't round out its characters or give them legitimate enough arcs to pass through, leaving the film unmemorable. And perhaps, at least for the film's famous director, that's a good thing. Howard blends in as a somewhat novice comedic director and won't be remem- bered for this outing as he is for his more successful ones. With interesting-yet- unfleshed modern elements keeping it current, the film is a watchable, albeit pretty dull, experience. By JAMIE BLOCK DailyArts Writer FOX's new animated series is undeni- ably weird, and not just because FOX let someone who isn't Seth MacFarlane get a show. With humor that manages to be simul- taneously disgusting and intellectual, "Bob's Bo's Burgers Burgers" seems ripped straight from Cartoon PilOt Network's Adult Swim Sundaysat8:30 p.m. lineup - an odd choice FOX for primetime on a net- work between titans like "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy." --In }the-.pilot's opening scene, father and restauranteur Bob (H. Jon Benja- min, "Archer") tells his son Gene (Eugene Mirman, "Flight of the Conchords") that "There's a line between entertaining and annoying,"to which Gene replies, "No, that's a myth" and subsequently blasts laser and fart noises from his megaphone. Here, Gene may as well be speaking on behalf of the whole show. While the humor sometimes hits the mark with an unexpected clever joke, the show's awkward and uncomfort- able aesthetic proves more annoying than entertaining. H. Jon Benjamin's comedic timing and distinct voice are just as compelling here as they are in "Archer," and it's nice to hear him voicing a more grounded charac- ter. He's responsible for most of the show's legitimately funny moments through his deadpan delivery, and he benefits from hav- ing the fewest gross-out jokes among the cast. Bob's humor lies in pointing out just how absurd everyone around him is, which is welcome, given how unfunny the absur- dity itself tends to be. The other standout actor is Kristen Schaal ("Flight of the Conchords"), who voices Bob's youngest daughter Louise. Louise is an exceedingly well written character - her childhood innocence shows itself with bru- tal honesty, lack of foresight and no speech filter whatsoever, but she still manages to be adorable. Schaal brings young, mindless exuberance to life, making viewers root for Louise even when she causes an angry mob to storm the burger joint. Oldest daughter Tina (Dan Mintz, "Important Things with Demetri Martin") is the real problem character. She spends the pilot complaining of crotch itch, and later is mocked for having what appears to be some rather serious mental problems. While Tina's lines sometimes set up a decent joke from Bob or Louise, they never work on their own, even when they're clearly sup- posed to. The other problem is the uncompelling narrative. Consider "Family Guy" - the stories in that show often take crazy and unexpected turns several times each epi- sode. Not everyone finds the ludicrous sto- ries tobe funny, but everyone can agree the show is unpredictable. Then there's "Bob's Burgers." The plot of the premiere focuses on cannibalism - an off-the-wall theme with the potential to spawn a crazy, unpre- dictable and inherently funny story. But Cannibalism is naturally hilarious, but 'Bob's Burgers' can't make it work. instead, the narrative is just boring, and events unfold exactly as expected. It's not enough for a comedy to have funny jokes - the story itself has to be funny. Much like Tina, the plot serves as a set-up for some mediocre lines that don't compensate for how much the plot wasted a potentially great idea. Even so, "Bob's Burgers" is certainly not without merit. With its simplistic animation style and perverse, dry humor, it's refresh- ingly different from the other primetime animated comedies out there. The series is trying to juggle wit, shock value and crazy narratives, but only the first of those three is working out just yet. If it starts firing on all cylinders any time soon, it deserves a spot on FOX over anything MacFarlane can throw at it. Seeking vinyl vindication in a post-CD world By DAVID RIVA Daily Arts Writer In Dec. 2008, I interviewed Ben Folds after he played a show at the Michigan Theater. During our discussion, Folds edu- cated me on the resurgence of vinyl records and cited specifics like better sound quality and the perception that CDs are worthless data discs as reasons for the return to an older medium for music listeners. At the time, I refused to believe him. I was one of the few holdouts of the opin- ion that, despite the sharp decline in sales of compact discs in recent years, people should continue to buy CDs even if the pur- chasing volume became significantly less than what it once was. I've always been attracted to the physical nature of CDs, and I didn't want to give up the experience of holding something in my hands while listening to an album for the first time. Obviously, I was a bit naive and tried to resist the natural progression of tech- nology. After all, throughout the history of recorded music, the focus has always been on making smaller and more com- pact devices to hold and play music. From the substantial gramophone record placed on a mammoth phonograph, to cas- sette inserts for the handheld Walkman,.. to the virtual disappearance of physical evidence for the existence of a song in the form of the MP3, this has always been the case. Regardless of my best efforts to ignore the writing on the wall, I knew I would eventually have to face the reality that CDs will soon be extinct. I'm normally riot a sentimental guy when it comes to material possessions. But when it comes to music, I'm as nostal- gic as an old lady at a high school reunion. My relationship with CDs stretches way back to my discovery of music and genesis as a passionate music listener. I'll never forget the first time I popped one of my brother's Weezer CDs into my portable and was completely transformed by the opening shenanigans of "El Scorcho" or the brutal sincerity of "Butterfly." Certain CDs also trace my phases of growth through different genres and styles that have transformed me into an intolerable music snob. The day I bought The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls In Amer- ica on a whim because I liked the cover art will undoubtedly go down as the greatest impulse purchase of my life. Ultimately, CDs have served to define me as a person more than the clothes that I wear, places I've traveled or schools I've attended. Plastic jewel cases, 10-page lyric books and scratch-prone pieces of polycarbon- ate plastic have played a vitally important role in my adolescent and college years, and it's going to be tough to say goodbye. From records to cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s to.." records. But it's not all gray skies and watery eyes for me. With vinyl making a come- back, I realized that my transition to 33 1/3-RPM plays was eminent. It was only a matter of time until I would buy my first- ever turntable, nearly a half century after its invention. Luckily, my brother was a step ahead of me and wrapped one up with my name on it to put under the Christmas tree. Upon opening it, I surprised myself with my excited reaction to the gift. It was like all those memories that my CD collec- tion held didn't really matter anymore. As it turns out, vinyl works as a pretty easy transition from my bygone CD days, and satisfies most of the things I have come to love about CDs. For example, at the risk of sounding like a materialistic prick with morality issues and too much disposable income, I think it's important for an artist to make a profit on his or her creative out- put. In this department, a vinyl record is nearly identical to a compact disc. I've also found it more rewardingto pick and choose what I listen to and use the money I've earnedto buy somethingthatwill entertain .ne, instead of downloading anything that looks or sounds remotely interesting. Additionally, when I listen to music on the Internet, I'm constantly in a judgmen- tal mentality. I want to dislike every note and every word coming out of my atro- cious MacBook speakers. I'll look for every flaw imaginable, including uninteresting melodies, simplistic instrumentation and contrived lyrics. But when I make a finan- cial commitment to a physical piece of art that a group of people poured in hours and hours of time to put together, I want it to be the best album I've ever heard. I'll look for all of its redeeming qualities, focusing on the high points while dismissing the low points. Vinyl, almost more so than a CD, allows for me to have this optimistic outlook on the music I'm listening to. While my parents were preparing din- ner, I set up my new toy in the kitchen and grabbed some old records that I'd recently acquired while cleaning out my grandma's house. As Sonny and Cher sang "I Got You Babe," my sentimentality kicked in again as I realized how fortunate I was to have my family together during the holidays. And so it began - a new era of memory- making, rather than a departure from my CD schmaltziness. It's simply a continua- tion, but this time with a larger disc.