The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com Monday, January 31, 2011 -- 7A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, January 31, 2011 - 7A Drowning in waves of quality television COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY "This worked with McAdams, goddamnit!" A vapid'Vqalentine' Well crafted film tells stale story of love gone wrong By ANDREW LAPIN Daily Arts Writer it's that most familiar-seem- ing of domestic dramas: the story of a broken marriage unspooling into crisis before our eyes. It boasts two excel- Blue Valentine lent perfor- mances from At the State two attrac- The Weinstein tive people Companys paid to give excellent per- formances. It crosscuts between the couple's early courtship and present-day derailment; meanwhile, we're treated to an adorable but personality-free toddler, a vengeful ex-boyfriend and several raw, nonerotic sex- ual encounters (not even close to NC-17 material unless your blood curdles at the sight of a man giving his wife 10-15 sec- onds of otal pleasure). In short, "Blue Valentine" is exactly what it wants to be: an ultra-low-budget cautionary tale about the follies of love, a film imminently disposable by its very nature, with a shelf life only as long as the gap until the next prestige picture about a marital struggle. It will prove illuminat- ing for some viewers and unre- markable for others; it will be no one's favorite movie. Yet the film boasts a note- worthy visual style - the low budget having freed writer- director Derek Cianfrance ("Brother Tied") and cinema- tographer Andrij Parekh ("It's Kind of a Funny Story") to make refreshing, effective choices. Even when Dean (Ryan Gos- ling, "Half Nelson") and Cindy (the Oscar-nominated Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Moun- tain") occupy the same physi- cal space, they rarely share the same frame; we'll see soft-lens close-ups of the sides of their faces, one at a time in the blue- tinged light of a love motel's "future room," heightening the sense of divide between the two. When the film falls back on digital video shaky-cam only two scenes later, it's akin to a concert where the singer fol- lows up a rollicking new track with his cheesy, overplayed hit from the '90s. The couple's two halves, Dean and Cindy, merit our sympathy, though not in equal measure. We root for them throughout the first two acts of the film on the strength of their performances. In the flashbacks, we see Cindy driven to attend medical school, while high school dropout Dean, a lifter for a moving company who meets her purely by chance, is driven only to be with her. He serenades her with a perfor- mance of "You Always Hurt the One You Love" that probably fits the movie's theme a little too closely, but nevertheless pos- sesses mysterious heart-warm- ing power. Dean's certainly a hand- ful, though. One could make a strong argument that by the end, he is much more at fault for the couple's destruction than Cindy. Consider: Dean is overly emotional, childlike and brash in his actions, selfish in the way he drags Cindy to a sleazy love motel the night before she's on call because he can't get over the death of their dog. Throughout all of this, Cindy's chief crime seems to be her inability to com- municate her emotions prop- erly - a problem to be sure, but it doesn't manifest itself as a breaking point the way Dean's actions do. It's difficult to say whether this uneven distribution of flaws was the Cianfrance's intention, but it comes off as sloppy char- acterization on his part. After all, why root for Dean and Cindy to work out their issues when we agree with Dean's self-patroniz- ing admission that he's not good enough for her? There is some material in the script that holds promise - mainly Cindy's conversations with her frail grandmother, which hints at the dark under- current of loveless relationships through America's generations. But by the third act, when the naturalistic, bubbling tension between Dean and Cindy boils over into soap-opera histrionics, we no longer have that tie to a larger thematic message. There are only two ways this story can end now: sadly or ambiguously. And neither option will distin- guish "Blue Valentine" from the venerable domestic-struggle stable of squids, whales and rev- olutionary roads. ver winter break, I was making my list of the top five television shows of 2010 for the Daily when it hit me - there's an obnoxious amountof quality tele- vision cur- rently on air. Obnoxious in the sense that it drives r me bonkers to think about how many excellent KAVI shows I need PANDEY to regularly watch, both as a TV columnist and a devotee of the medium, all while balanc- ing studies, work and this thing called a social life. As I perused my final tally - "Justified," "Parks & Recreation," "Boardwalk Empire," "HowI Met Your Mother" and "Terriers" - I was appalled by the number of awesome shows I had left off. There was the unrelentingly clever "30 Rock," the endlessly genius "Community," the slight- ly-disappointing-but-still-great "Lost," the understated "How to Make It in America" and the rest of HBO's programming arsenal, among a bevy of others. And those are just some of the shows I regularly keep up with - I'm always one season behind on AMC's acclaimed alliterative duo of "Mad Men" and "Break- ing Bad" and have yet to sample loads of other critically beloved shows, like "Fringe," "The Good Wife" and "Doctor Who." Late- night TV-wise, it's a total clus- tercuss - I sob at the number of ?uestlove's epic "Remix the Clips" I've missed on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" because I was watching the repeatof Conan interviewing Donald Glover or some other jabroni, which I missed at its regular time because I was watching Jon Stewart eviscerate Glenn Beck on "The Daily Show." But the party don't stop there, no. Whoah-ooh oh oh oh oh. More intriguingshows are constantly premiering on all networks, like "Lights Out" on FX, "Episodes" on Showtime and "The Chicago Code" on FOX. Now th pay-cal ping ou conten the upc "Came Swe I mean getting just thi watch: I try sneaki "The Si and lea ground seems I'll nev good T to watc cise as4 ity star roasted on DVI entirel part of watchi cussing readini how ut on "Tr sere's even Starz, the new spending less time doing home- ble player that is whip- work. at much-admired original But unless they are maniacs t like "Party Down" and like me, there's a limit to how coming, splendid-looking much television people will lot." watch during a week. They'll be et baby Ganesh. See what resistant to immediately adopting about obnoxious? I'm newshows, no matter how good annoyed with myself they may be - especially since nking about all the must- there is so much good TV they shows I just named. have to watch anyway. The Next valiantly to keep up, Great Show will likely struggle ng in DVR recordings of to attract viewers and be axed impsons" between classes before it has found an audience. ving "Glee" on in the back- Let's take the example of "Ter- as I do homework. But it riers." The critically adored show as if no matter what I do, was densely plotted, beautifully er be able to follow all the acted and allthat, but it averaged V I feel like I'm supposed about a million viewers and was h - it's as futile an exer- promptly canceled after its first expecting to see a minor- season. As I spread the gospel in a CBS sitcom (BOOM, about how great "Terriers" was, I). And catching up later around the airing of its third Ds doesn't count - it's an episode, I noticed a common y differentexperience to be response - "I'll get around to the cultural conversation, it after I've caught up on 'Mad ng episodes as they air, dis- Men' and finished the rest of'The g events with friends and Wire,' "and yadda yadda yadda. g real-time tweets about There's no doubt in my mind that terly mental that last death those people would have loved ue Blood" was. "Terriers," but they were already too busy watching agamutof other essential shows. And even hank God though I hope they'll catch "Ter- riers" on DVD, the show's fate for CBS. has already been sealed. *o ' The demise of "Terriers" defi- nitely involved other factors, but the thoughtthat its doom was at feel like an idiot for leastcpartially dueto the excess ining aboutthis surplus of qualitytelevision will always t-see TV - it's like a kid pervade. Nowadays, whenever I whining because he has hear that an awesome-sounding ny Christmas presents and show has been greenlit, I actually gure out which one to open become worried - will people but consider the impli- have time to watch and appreci- of this oversaturation. ate this show? Will it find enough f this abundance of quality viewers to fulfill its creative on is actually suffocating potential? ity? In this sense, I'm grateful for s take a look at the situa- brainless television like "Dancing alytically: Our lives are with the Stars" and "$'!#* My Dad ained by the unchanging Says." I needthese crap shows to e of time. We have only so exist, forthe very purpose that tours to fill with eating, I dnlt have to watch them. If all g, goingto class, studying, reality shows andthird-rate sit- zing and so forth. Watch- coms were replaced with cutting- fits in there somewhere, edge dramas and quick-witted ling on your priorities. comedies, I'd probably flee to a n the Next Great Show monastery in Dharmshala. I] I do: compla of mus who'sv too ma can't fi; first - cations What i televisi creativ Let's tion an constra variabl many h sleepin sociali ing TV depend So whe premie to watc adjust t sleepin res, in order to be able h it, people will haveto heir weekly schedules - g an hour less, perhaps, or Pandey is a couch perderder, To whip him into french fry shape, e-mail kspandey@umich.edu. Aids be ld Ri Kids break old 'Rules' AjThCRPR.slE Palestinian doctor touts peace in his recent book By DAVID RIVA DailyArts Writer those who grew up with it Up Kids as a key player, r adolescent angst, There For the Ge in thei By ERIKA JOST For the Daily Minutes after an Israeli tank shell killed three of his daugh- ters and his niece in Janu- ary 2009 in a Gaza refugee camp, Izzeldin Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish called Abuelaish Shlomi Eldar, the anchorman Wednesday of an Israeli TV at7 p.m. station, to report Michigan the story to Isra- Theater el and the world. Free Abuelaish, a doctor and life- long proponent of peaceful rec- onciliation between Israel and Palestine, continues this story in his book "I Shall Not Hate," which he will discuss at the Michigan Theater on Wednes- day at 7 p.m. "I wrote the book at a time when I (thought) there (was) a complete need for a human mes- sage for people who are disap- pointed about what is happening in this world," Abuelaish said in an interview with the Daily. "There is something I can tell people to aspire to." Since his childhood, when he treated his books "same as a mother cat would hold on to her newborn kittens," Abuelaish writes in "I Shall Not Hate," he has been able to "find the good chapter of the bad story." This an asse ied pu worked Organ pleted cology This ther w] of acut 2008.' three he saw "I fa Palesti don't w hungry child rage w ing. W human A Sh con at t] In describ "Dear oldest with f Israela road-tn His hu trait, he said, has been in the words of his daughter. et in his life, as he stud- "We think as enemies; we blic health at Harvard, live on opposite sides and never d with the World Health meet," Bessan said in her docu- ization in Kabul and com- mentary. " But I feel we are all the his obstetrics and gyne- same. We are all human beings." residency in Israel. Bessan, who was prepared to outlook was tested fur- graduate with a degree in busi- 'hen his wife Nadia died ness from the Islamic University te leukemia in September in Gaza at the end of the 2009 Three months later, he lost academic year and who had of his daughters, in whom assumed a maternal role with abrighterfuture for Gaza. her siblings after the death of sced a lot of suffering as a her mother, was killed during nian child," he said. "We the January attack. vant to see any child going Through his medical work, y, we don't want to see a Abuelaish continues trying to without school. I feel out- bridge the gap in the warring hen I see children suffer- area. e need to share all of the "All of my adult life I have had ity we have." one leg in Palestine and the other in Israel, an unusual stance in this region," Abuelaish writes. uthor of'J "I have long felt that medicine can bridge the divide between all Not Hate' people and that doctors can be messengers of peace." riing to speak Abuelaish now lives with his three surviving daughters he M\sichigan. and two sons in Toronto, where he teaches at the University of Toronto School of Public Health. There, he said his family has had his book, Abuelaish the opportunity to heal. He con- bes a 2006 documentary, tinues his advocacy for peace in Mr. President," that his Gaza. daughter Bessan made "I find the impact of my book our young women from everywhere," Abuelaish said. and Palestine while they "People are responding; most ipped across America. people in Gaza understand. It mane philosophy echoes strengthens my hope." Are Rules will come as quite ** a shock. These aren't the spir- The Get ited and play- ful Get Up Up Kids Kids anymore; There Are Rules they're the middle-aged Quality Hill and slightly pretentious Chill Out Men. Too old for pop punk and too cool to concede to straightforward dad rock, the Kansas quintet has traded in its three-chord progressions and shamelessly singable choruses about long distance relationships for more textured and often experimen- tal arrangements whose subject matter tends to be as abstract as the songs themselves. Coming seven years after the band's last full-length release, Rules has inevitably been tagged with the dubious label of being a "comeback album." However, after listening to the heav- ily distorted voiceover intro- duction and disorderly guitar tones of opener "Tithe," it's clear the Get Up Kids no longer feel comfortable treading old musi- cal ground. Instead, they forge ahead with warped, contorted instrumentation and cryptic messages, marking a strange departure from their conta- giously accessible past material. The subtle pulse and pitter- pattering of "Rally 'Round The Fool" provides the best example of the band's exploration of more innovative sounds and song structures. An ominous feel is established with a barely con- scious bassline, followed by the howling high notes of a synthe- sizer and a decidedly unemo- tional vocal performance from lead singer Matt Pryor. Known for his patented nasally yelping, Pryor's distinct voice takes a backseat on Rules, as the focus moves from point- ed me sphere this tr produc distort sounds and h "Bodys G gr Ch This that th catchir rock's bands Both "Reme tar lin the so and Ir push f ner un rupt, o: fleetin; develol and br on the the alb Perh lodies to general atmo- ""'T"' " " s. "Keith Case" continues Rules is to mend old wounds. 'end as the in-your-face Guitarist Jim Suptic is given tion and unreasonably frontman duty on lead single ed bass calls to mind a "Automatic" and frantic rocker cape similar to the hard "Birmingham." Despite fronting heavy Radiohead song his own band, Blackpool Lights, snatchers." Suptic was rarely more than a backup vocalist for the Get Up Kids. After their breakup, it's ds likely his bandmates decided to et Up Kids give Suptic a chance to take cen- pt tbe ter stage for the more well known OW up to bof his two bands. His aggressive Lill Out m en approach to singing is evident on both songs as he holds his own, even when the music doesn't. Suptic's randomly injected isn't the only evidence tracks don't do much for album e Get Up Kids have been cohesion, but much like the ng up on some of indie album as a whole, they show the most highly regarded band's musical versatility. From during their time off. critiques of technology addic- "Regent's Court" and tion to random Tennyson shou- morable" open with gui- touts placed over anything from es ripped straight from dub-step beats to industrial rock ngbooks of The Strokes distortion, it seems like the Get nterpol. The two tracks Up Kids tried to do everything orward in a linear man- possible to break away from stil brief choruses inter- pop-punk conventions on There nly to fade in an unusually Are Rules. Though they've suc- g fashion. This desire to ceeded in leaving their old style p more substantial verses behind them, some songs come idges, with less emphasis across as too heavily influenced hook, appears to be one of by recent musical trends and um's main goals. will leave some fans aching for saps another objective of the band's former blissful sound.