8A -- Wednesday, January 2S, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4
TV REVIEW
FX comedynot super
The film to premiere at the Michigan, "For a Good Time, Call ...," is geared toward college-age audiences.
Sundance return
A2 will be premiere
location for 'For a
Good Time, Call...'
By ADITI MISHRA
DailyArts Writer
"Third time's the charm,"
said Michigan Theater director
* Drew Waller about hosting Sun-
K dance USA for the third year in a
row, echoing the excitement and
anticipation within one of Ann
Arbor's characteristic establish-
ments.
The Michigan Theater stands
amid central Ann Arbor as a
remnant of the glorious "good
s old days" of American cinema,
- acknowledging and featuring
of smaller-budget independent
productions that often tend to be
far more competent and master-
ful than their blockbuster coun-
terparts. It seems a natural fit
for Sundance, which shares the
mutual goal of promoting inde-
pendent talent.'
Sundance's Senior Program-
mer David Courier discussed the
strong relationship that the fes-
tival and Ann Arbor have built
over the past three years. .
"(Michigan Theater CEO and
Executive Director) Russ Collins
is the greatest, and Michigan
Theater has been remarkable.
This has been a very, very happy
partnership. Ann Arbor was a
no-brainer for us," Courier said.
For the Michigan Theater,
the collaboration is the perfect
opportunity to attract new the-
atergoers.
"We're hoping people under-
stand that they're not only going
to get the quality experience of
being at the Michigan Theater,
but also have that great, added
bonus of watching a Sundance
movie," Waller said. "For those
who are new to being a part'of
the Michigan Theater, it'll be a
great introduction. Everybody's
going to be laughing, and why
not be in a shared experience
like that?"
Ann Arborites aren't the only
ones who have something to
gain from this event.
"For filmmakers, it's an
opportunity to connect with
growing audiences in local com-
munities," Courier explained.
Sundance will be premiering
"For a Good Time, Call..." in Ann
Arbor tomorrow night. In atten-
dance will be first-time director
Jamie Travis, screenwriter and
co-star Lauren Miller ("50/50"),
and supporting actor and 'U'
alum James Wolk ("You Again").
The theater had no idea what
they would be showing when
they were re-selected this year
for participation in Sundance.
"This is a year for female
comedies. ("For a Good Time,
Call...") is about two friends who
are enemies in college and end
up becoming friends after. It's
definitely going to relate to a col-
lege town. It's a sexy, raunchy,
female-driven comedy," Courier
said.
"This film was selected
because it will be a crowd-pleas-
er," Waller added. "Sundance
knows that even though we're
one of the smallest cities select-
ed, we're the largest venue. They
want to make sure the film they
give us is going to have every-
body walking out saying 'That
was fantastic!'"
As one of the larger Sundance
venues, the Michigan Theater
is trying to fill 1,700 seats for
an independent movie in Ann
Arbor, a relatively small city.
Some of the other cities selected
include Los Angeles and New
York - veteran cities for orga-
nizing film festivals that should
have no problem finding an
audience for whatever movie set
to premiere. But Waller is confi-
dent the theater will rise to the
challenge.
"Ann Arbor, though it is a
smaller community, has a very
smart collective of people,"
Waller said. "They get it, they
understand art, and they come
to us. We're able to present this
as the thing you need to go to, so
that's really worked in our favor.
The obstacle, if you'd call it one,
is getting people of all ages to
know that they need to come to
this."
Waller also said that this
year's premiere appeals to one
large part of Ann Arbor's popu-
lation: its students, members of a
generation that he believes will
most appreciate everything "For
a Good Time, Call..." has to offer.
"The people behind this film
are them," he explained. "If they
_ came and watched this film,
the students would recognize
that the actors are their age,
the screenwriters are their age
and the directors are their age.
They're going to perceive this
in a completely different way
than some of our older mem-
bers. They're going to respect it
because it was done on a shoe-
string budget and, you know,
anybody can do this."
By BRIANNE JOHNSON
Daily Arts Writer
While the parents are away,
the teens will play - or, if you're
15-year-olds Gary and Joel, mas-
ter the art
of smoking
as the clock
ticks down
to the defin- Unsupervised
ing moment Pilot
of your awk- Thursdays at
ward, ado- 10:30 p.m.
lescent lives:
your first FX
house party
(actual girls included). Combin-
ing cluelessness and longing with
the relentless search for popular-
ity, FX's newest animated series,
"Unsupervised," spotlights TV's
most under-represented out-
casts: the "dirty kids."
The grimy, arm-cast-sniffing
kids, the ones whose hand-me-
down Hanes deteriorate with the
slightest contact to any substance
cleaner than ball sweat - those
kids. But Gary and Joel aren't
those kids. Everyone just seems
to think so.
Gary (Justin Long, "Live Free
or Die Hard"), a frizzy, min-
iature Weird Al Yankovic and
self-taught laundry connoisseur,
is the man of the house and self-
taught laundry connoisseur. Free
from the supervision of a flighty
dad and bar-hopping stepmother,
Gary only has his best friend Joel
(David Hornsby, "Pearl Harbor"),
freckled and squeakier than a
pre-pubescent Justin Bieber.
Yearning for the sexually active
lives of their fellow students,
Gary and Joel navigate their way
around boobs, boners and bed-
room decor (scorpion poster?
Total Aphrodisiac). But as the two
soon discover - between inter-
vals of celebratory dance and the
imparted wisdom of a kangaroo-
romancing neighbor - the key to
acceptance is merely being true
to oneself, for "a man's skin is the
only outfit he has. He might as
well be
The
their o
inexpe
inabilit
boyish
gerous
bear
absent
of the
They'r
ed cou
head,
dudes
for late
one ha
other).
comfortable in it." macho pride is "aww"-inspiring,
charm of Gary and Joel is gripping the sympathy of 'the
:bvious naivety and air of viewer in a way Bart Simpson
rience - and their utter never could.
ty to escape it. In their Unsurprisingly, "Unsuper-
love for ninjas and dan- vised" serves more sympathy than
contraptions, the two humor. The show seems to suffer
an innocence strikingly from a comedic identity crisis: It's
in recentmediaportrayals not cringingly raunchy, it runs
stereotypical teenage boy. low on TV's default offensive ste-
e neither the bone-head- reotypes, it doesn't smother the
sins to Beavis and Butt- audience with social satire and it
nor the porn-mongering doesn't even attempt to emulate
strapped into a headset sharp wit or dark humor. Rather,
e-night gaming (Slurpee in "Unsupervised" coasts on the
:nd, Jergen's lotion in the characters'cluelessness; Gary and
Joel are not too smart, but not too
stupid. Unfortunately, they're not
"too" anything.
Anim ation The episode drags for 30 min-
utes, never achieving a satisfying
sn't alw' as climax. It's uninspired artistical-
Y ly and comedically - a frustrat-
animated. ing disappointment for such a
strong cast of voice actors, from
the uninhibited Hornsby to Fred
Armisen ("Saturday Night Live")
rwhelmed by his own as Gary's-wistful, overprotective
into teenagedom, Joel 'neighbor.
'wishes to retreat back into Like its teenage protagonists,
efore drugs and drinking. "Unsupervised" is still finding
nsistently displays slips of itself. As likeable as the charac-
nt excitement, vehement- ters may be, Gary and Joel are
ng a car to "Yo, growl it! not enough to run a household or
the engine!" The lack of carry a show.
FX
"Freaks and Geeks" walks into the Danger Zone.
0
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" CONCERT PREVIEW
'U' symphony to
perform ageless pieces
By LAURA KAYE
DailyArts Writer
It often seems that popular
aspects of our culture will last
forever: ripped jeans, Ugg boots,
Lady Gaga. But
in truth, only
a few cultural UliVerSity
aspects are Symphony
long-lasting.
Among those Orchestra
aspects, classi- Tonight at
cal music must 8p.m.
be included.
Tonight at Hill Auditorium
Hill Auditori- Free
um, the Michi-
gan community
will have an opportunity to enjoy
a timeless experience first-hand,
as the University Symphony
Orchestra presents its first con-
cert of the new year. The highly
acclaimed group is in the top
echelon of student orchestras
in the country and consists of
individuals who hope to play,
teach or compose music profes-
sionally. As a selective, audition-
based group composed mainly of
music majors, the orchestra has
won many national awards and
performed at Carnegie Hall.
At tonight's upcoming con-
cert, the main piece that will
be play
written
Danish
Kennei
versity
of con
this pi
guishat
a mess
desire
lenges.
and op
pani bt
torious
Lac
Ra
The
form
Concert
on the
ate Siy
annual
atre &
tition.
this po
for sym
form.
Kies'
red is "Symphony No. 4," works that have stood the test of
n during WWI by the time for the performance. For the
i composer Carl Nielsen. group's next concert, in February,
thKiesler, director of Uni- the orchestra will be performing
orchestras and professor new works developed by Univer-
ducting, explained how sity composers. Therefore, for the
ece, named the "Inextin- concert tonight, Kiesler wanted
ble Symphony," expresses the students in the group and the
age of "inextinguishable" audience to experience world-
to surmount any chal- renowned pieces.
The song is melodious "We do a variety of music
timistic, featuring a tym- during the year. We do old
attle and ending on a vic- music and new music, music
and triumphant note. from different countries and by
different composers, (includ-
ing) standards like Beethoven
dy Ga a ill and Tchaikovsky and Shubert,"
Kiesler said. "We'll also do
wer rplacemusic by Gershwin or Bern-
re lc stein, and tn this case we are
chmaninoff. doing Russian Romantic music
from the Romantic era. We are
doing pieces that are technically
demanding but also very beauti-
orchestra will also per- ful for the audience to hear."
Rachmaninoff's "Piano One of the most essential ele-
to No. 2," accompanied ments of a performance is for the
piano by MT&D gradu- music to connect the audience
uan Li, the winner of the and the musicians, enabling the
School of Music, The- audience to transcend popular
Dance concerto compe- music and revel in the classics.
Kiesler mentioned that "The music doesn't exist only
opular piece is a classic for itself, it communicates some-
tphony orchestras to per- thing," Kiesler said. "After all,
it is the greatest creation of the.
ler said he chose eminent human spirit."
"I am your TV boyfriend.
Unhealthy TV courtship
By ANNA SADOVSKAYA Ihave to watch the episode. Any- flopper. You don't want to be a
Daily Fine Arts Editor one who is actively involved with flip-flopper.
a series understands when I say So instead of facing the pos-
To those who survive without I cannot skip an episode. I can't sibility of being a "sometimes
weekly doses of "Modern Family" miss a week and continue with watcher," I methodically go
and late-night "Mad Men" Net- the storyline the next Monday. through the list of shows I've
flix binges: I envy you. You who It's not that I would be complete- stockpiled for this season and
have uttered "I don't really watch ly lost - I would be able to pick watch them weekly - albeit, on
TV": I admire you. You are not up the pieces within minutes - occasion, later than their air date.
tied down by your obligations to but my commitment to the show I spend hours each week stress-
television - you are free, without would be. ing about shows I have yet to
binding compulsions to tune in. watch and episodes I've yetto see.
I envy and admire you because Since television has become such
that's how I feel whenever I take TV h a social experience, and everyone
on another TV show. has US asks one another about their TV
I feel like my ever-growing list ' habits, I feel like I have to hide
of storylines and plot twists has c g n a from my friends whenever I miss
become another schedule to fol- 'Breaking Bad' a particularly promising airing.
low, rather than an indulgence. Ba I can't possibly explain to them
I sneak in time between organic romance. (again) that I couldn't watch
chemistry lectures, jamming as because, well ... my real life got in
much of an episode I can into my the way.
measly half-hour break. I stay This relationship, like many
up far later than I can willingly Whenever you begin watch- others, is destined to fail. The
admit, catching up on shows I've ing a new series, it's like a new romance is draining. It's not
missed. "What about sleep?" my relationship: You tell the show me, television - it's you. It's
body wonders. "Right after S find you'll see it every week and you your addicting, needy ways that
out who 'A' is!" my mind snaps make the effort to be interested debilitate me and turn me into
back. in what it offers. You slowly an episode-watching zombie.
Nothing about the experi- unravel every twist and turn of This relationship will have to
ence is relaxing, unwinding or the story, fall in love with a main end because I'm tired of worry-
sane. It feels ritualistic and all- character, and suddenly, you ing about the TV I watch rather
consuming - instead of enjoying can't imagine your life without than enjoying it. Unfortunately,
the creative outlet TV provides, the series. By cheating and skip- I've just added another TV show
I spend the time worrying about ping a few episodes here and to my schedule, and until the day
being late for class or falling there, you' feel like a phony, a of parting comes, I'll be in my
asleep before I reach the end of fake. You're not a truly devoted room, finishing the pilot episode
the episode. But there's the catch: fan any more, but rather a flip- of "Alcatraz."