8A - Monday, April 4, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 8A - Monday, April 4, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 0 Tunes behind the TV "Wait a second ... this isn't the Polar Express?!" Fun at the 'Source' Gyllenhaal is eye candy, 'Source Code' is PB&J By MACKENZIE METER Daily Arts Writer Sometimes things don't need to be amazing to be good. There are plenty of things that are perfectly good but also per- * fectly generic. Example: a Source Code peanut butter and jelly sand- At Quality16 wich. There's and Rave nothing really remarkable Summit about it - in fact, it's renowned for its ordi- nariness. "Source Code" is like a peanut butter and jelly sand- wich. It's uncomplicated (except for the plot) with just the right amount of action and thrills to balance out the lack of character development. When Air Force Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal, "Love and Other Drugs") awakes, he is on a train. There is a woman he has never seen before calling him by a name he has never heard. In his pocket is an ID that doesn't belong to him and then, out of nowhere, the train is engulfed in a fiery inferno. Stevens is jerk- ed back to a darkened capsule, where it's explained to him by a soldier named Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air") that he is being sent back to relive the last eight minutes before a train explosion through the eyes of a stranger in order to find the bomber, and he will not be allowed to rest until he succeeds. The film is a little bit confused about where it wants to go from there. It could be a psychologi- cal thriller, it could be an ethical commentary, it could be a story about true love and destiny - the possibilities are endless. What it is for sure is gripping. Audi- ences will have a hard time tear- ing their eyes from the screen just in case they miss something really amazing. The only thing is - as gripping as the film man- ages to be - that really amazing something never comes. There's no real pathos and it is difficult to relate to the more or less card- board-stiff characterization. That being said, Jake Gyllen- haal is in it. He's pretty easy on the eyes, which makes certain dull areas, like the constant rep- etition, easier to stomach. Played by Michelle Monaghan ("Due Date"), his love interest Christina is pretty bland as far ascharacters go, but that's more of a reflection on the script than on Monaghan's actual performance. However, Farmiga, the other female lead, is a real scene-stealer. There's something about her voice that commands attention, and the way she carries herself is transfixing. Though entertaining to the last minute, in trying to mimic mind-freak thrillers, the film is left with some weak spots. It's not as complex or as smart as a film like "Inception," but it tries to be with its plot twists and mind games. What results is a somewhat confusing resolution in which the film fails to address some lingering questions about the science and methodology behind the strange experiment. But, just as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is no Jimmy John's Beach Club (with extra avocado and no mayo), the film is not incredibly groundbreaking or very memorable. Just appreci- ate it for what it is - simple and great in the moment. By JACOB AXELRAD Daily Arts Writer "I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour / I'll be there for you, like I've been there before." Two sentences. Twenty-one words. These song lyrics evoke a very special time in my life - time spent happily plopped in front of the TV set watching my six favorite friends. Each episode may be a bit' different and the characters' dilemmas may vary, but when I hear that '90s one-hit wonder band The Rembrandts croon those timeless lyrics, I know I'm back home. OK, I'll admit I'm being cheesy and romanticizing the whole thing. But Itdo associate shows with their theme songs andI happen to believe the creators of "Friends" found the perfect mel- ody for their series. I want to posit the notion that the great shows, the ones we remember for years, laugh about and even cry about all have some- thing in common: great music. To see if my hypothesis holds true, I think a look back upon some of the finer past themes is in order. (Note: These will be some of my favorites. There are hundreds of other shows with wonderful musical accompaniment that will not be mentioned.) "Seinfeld." The juggernaut. The "show about nothing." It stays with us because of Jerry's infamous raise of the eyebrows, Kramer's legendary entrances and, of course, the indelible bassline that opens the show and marks major transitions from scene to scene. It so captures the essence that is "Seinfeld" it almost seems silly to attempt a description here, but hey, we have to set the bar somewhere. As far as I'm concerned, this is the epitome of what music can achieve through the medium of television: a level of interconnect- edness with the series wherein the music becomes another char- acter within the show. Jonathan Wolff's composition, supported by background percussion tracks, don't just enhance moments between characters. They respond and play along as though Left to right: Barney, Robin, Lily ... wait . the music itself were the invis- ible fifth member of television's "Fab Four." As "Seinfeld" fans will surely attest, the only way to move from a George rant to one of Elaine's poignant observations on life are a few good riffs of the bass. It's simply how it's done. Now, I've only covered sit- coms. Let's not forget the serious overtones that go with the finer dramas of our time - remember the brass orchestral tunes and opening drums of the "Hawaii Five-O" theme? I don't care if you've never seen the show - I definitely haven't, but I sure know the theme song. It's a musi- cal catchphrase for the 1970s. And if you don't know it, I'll bet your parents do. Care for some- thing more timely? How about "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3, the song that bumps every time Tony Soprano makes his way down the New Jersey turnpike to his mansion in the suburbs of North Jersey. Or the pulsing synthesized rhythms of the "Mad Men" opening credits, which lend an aptly sinister qual- ity to watching a silhouetted ad executive fall from a Manhattan skyscraper. I could - and would love to - go on and on and on. The point is that, unlike film, television pro- vides a sense of grounding and solidarity that cannot be achieved in a two-and-a-half-hour movie. While there are unforgettable film scores, by its nature, televi- sion is more personal. We watch it in the comfort of our living rooms, on our laptops, with close friends and family as opposed to strangers in the theater. Even when a show comes to its inevitable conclusion and specific plot points fade into the recesses of TV history, the music lives on. Just think - it's been a while since Will Smith played a kid from Philly transplanted to Bel Air. Yet I'll wager that more than a few of you out there can still hum the tune to that opening song. Theme songs will be there for you 0 6 0 A TV theme song, then, isn't indicative of a few hours. It can define years spent tracking and growing with characters that have graced the small screen. An opening might be long or it may be short. Sometimes there are lyrics, and at times it's just a few notes that permit us escape- ment into a world where we feel safe. The music reminds us of the consistency inherent in a series, letting us know we're back in the same place with the same people we know and care about. To quote from one of the greats - "Cheers" - "Sometimes you want to go / Where everybody knows your name / And they're always glad you came." 'Belong' revisits teen anxiety 'Jane' anything but plain By ARIELLE SPECINER DailyArts Writer The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sounds like the title of a depressing book about the hard- ships of ado- lescence - and ***C that's not too far from the the Pains Of truth. Named Being Pure after the unpublished at Heart children's story Belong by lead singer Kip Berman's Slumberland friend, the Brooklyn-based quartet brings the high school drama sans sophomore slump with its sec- ond full-length album, Belong. The Pains's latest brings '80s dance rhythms and a more poppy edge to its once extremely to-fi, gritty sound. The band col- laborated with mega-producer Flood, who has worked with groups like U2 and Nine Inch Nails. The production has nota- bly improved on tracks like "The Body" where listeners can easily pick up on the big, sparkly U2 production. Belong begins with a punk sound that transcends its way into a scruffy vibe of whispered vocals and the muffled guitars that Pains fans are used to, with an anthem-esque flare. It starts off boldly and paves the way for a dance party essence. Though the album does swing on the peppier side, it has enough fuzzy reverb to star in its own John Hughes movie. Belong has the whole teenage angst, rebel-chant thing going on, but it's not whiney enough to make listeners cringe. On track "Heavens Gonna Happen Now" Berman sings, "Come on, noth- ing's gonna turn us down / So don't stand there like you don't 0 care"- at its fi T bei: ba The teen's I Berma into ti remem ing rep "Every everyo The cence i "Stran, "Every we we sweet, Belo - a screw-it-all rock song COURTESY OF SLUMBERLAND nest. with tracks like "Anne with an E" that just lure listeners in, but he of the record also falls flat when listeners get lost in it. It has a ang angSty decent amount of punch, but ng it needs something to bring it nd at heart. over the edge. Just as its songs insinuate, this band has no idea where it fits in. The subject matter and sound record tugs at the inner- coincide. While Pains is trying heartstrings. It seems that to figure out where it "belongs" n and Co. really dug deep in life, it is also trying to figure heir youthful years and out where it "belongs" in the bered a time when noth- music world. The record ranges ally mattered and where from a Silversun Pickups feel 'one is pretty and fun, (minus the creepy vocals) with ne is lovely and young." lazy but poignant guitar hooks adolescence and inno- to the overly indulgent activity really shine on the closer on the drumbeat-happy "Even ge" when Berman sings, In Dreams." It is as if the band 'one was dealing drugs, doesn't know whether it should re just dealing love" - be sweet or salty. Let's call them ain't it? the chocolate-covered pretzels ng hits some high notes of bands. By WILL DEFEBAUGH Daily Arts Writer First called a demon and then a witch, Jane Eyre, played by Mia Wasikowska ("The Kids Are Alright"), is an unfortunate girl. Orphaned as a child, she Jane Eyre is forced to grow up in her At the wicked aunt's Michigan house until she is eventually Focus sent away to a corrective school meant to turn little girls into proper young governesses. There, she is tor- tured, beaten, starved and loses her only friend within a short amount of time - all conveyed in brief, painful flashbacks. This is arguably the larg- est change made in newcomer Cary Fukunaga's adaption of the famed 19th century novel by Charlotte Bronte: It's not told linearly. Rather, the film opens with Jane running for her life through the English countryside in the rain until she finds her- self nearly dead on the stoop of a dreary house, where she will be nursed back to health and reflect on the events that brought her there. Though some fans of the novel may be dismayed by the decision to play with time and reduce Jane's entire childhood to such a short segment, it works well in the context of the movie. Splin- tering the past with the present gives the viewer a much stron- ger sense of how haunted Jane is and makes the film far more real. Looking drearily out the win- dow, the audience receives star- tling insight into Jane's mind with the sudden crack of a whip, causing that much more sadness when she later describes her tale as not being one of woe. COURTESY OF FOCUS Gucci's winter 1850 lineup. Of course, the heart of the film of the night and Jane runs away, lies in the flashbacks to Jane's is met by a mutual groan from time spent at Thornfield Hall, the entire audience. Maybe it's where she takes her first job as because they know the history, governess to a little French girl but viewers can't help but want under the care of Mr. Rochester them to be together from the (Michael Fassbender, "Inglori- moment the two first share the ous Basterds"), the master of the screen. It's not necessarily that house. Tortured by their pasts, they are perfect together, butthe Jane and Rochester find kindred opposite - it's their mismatched spirits in one another, until their outsider quality that makes their brief bliss is complicated by the love so painstaking. secrets lurking in the walls. Also to the film's credit is - its artistic direction. From the candlelit walks set to haunt- c e i ing screams and banging walls to the terrifying animals that coming in the seem to pop out of nowhere, the film actually manages to 'Eyre' tonight be suspenseful. This is a wel- come surprise for the old story, oh Lord ultimately saving it from any potential boredom. These ele- ments, in conjunction with the beautifully bleak settings, allow When dealing with a love as for Fukunaga to perfectly cap- famous as that of Jane Eyre and ture the novel's gothic quality Mr. Rochester, silver screen suc- that is often overlooked by film cess all comes down to chemis- adaptations, employing just the try - and luckily for Wasikowska right amount of artistic liberty and Fassbender, they have it in to make the story feel new again spades. That first instance, when without sacrificing any of its the two almost kiss in the middle original integrity. PANDEY From Page 7A Carell is essentially leaving because he knows he can rake in the g's in film working half as hard as he does on TV. And you know what? That wouldn't even be that big of a deal, except that Steve Carell makes horrid mov- ies like "Dinner for Schmucks" and "Date Night" ("Little Miss Sunshine" was just that one time and voices don't count). In summation, you broke my heart, Steve Carell. You broke my heart twice. It's been hard to stay upset, because Carell's departure has been handled so expertly up to this point - wrapping up plotlines like "Threat Level Midnight" and Todd Packer, cul- minating in last week's marriage proposal to Holly Flax, which was perfect. I'm only dreading Will Ferrell's guest appear- ances over the next few weeks, since he's just going to distract me from my final goodbye to Michael Scott. I really wish Steve Carell wasn't doing this. He's cheating me and all of his viewers of the chance to see Michael's wedding, married Michael and especially Michael as a father - experienc- es he owes to us for following his journey for almost 150 episodes over the past six years. Thanks for all the memories Steve, but you and Iare through. Forever. Pandey is emotionally damaged and vulnerable. To take advantage, e-mail kspandey@umich.edu.