8A - Monday, February 18, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
8A - Monday, February 18, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
0
"I'm like a bird."
'Glee' has lost all of its
once joyful qualities
PARAMOUNT
"Look at dat ass."
Where are the
Recession movies?
'Killing Them
Softly' only recent
film to reflect reality
By SEAN CZARNECKI
Daily Film Editor
I got a problem with movies
today: Where's the recession?
Often when we want to bet-
ter understand the past, we look
to that time's popular culture,
and that includes movies. In this
way, movies are a way of remem-
bering. If you were to look at
only what films were made in
our time, you might assume the
biggest financial catastrophe
since the Depression is behind
us. Everything is OK. And, if
we're not careful, that's how
the federal bailouts, the anxiety,
the fear, Occupy and the great
recession might be remembered
- a dip in the financial timeline.
That's how we might be remem-
bered. Is that truly how you feel?
2009's "Up in the Air" took
you into the life of someone
who fires workers for a living,
but that film was more about
the alienation symptomatic of
a system whose capital is bod-
ies. That said, "Up in the Air"
eloquently opened up the pos-
sible dialogue on livelihood. But
I want to know about the blue-
collar workers Clooney fired. I
want to know what our story-
tellers think about the deep-
seated uncertainty, confusion
and anger we felt as a nation the
day our parents lost their pen-
sions. Where's the angst?
There's only one film to my
memory that has summed up the
fear of blue-collar people - and
it was a mafia flick that swung
with the heavyweight strength
of a champion but barely blipped
on pop culture's radar. That
movie was "Killing Them Soft-
ly," and indeed, it went softly;
it crept into and out of theaters,
tip-toeing.
I'm here to freshen the bruis-
es it left.
A neo-noir crime thriller,
"Softly" was not a subtle film; it
was spiked-bat politics. Deliv-
ered cruelly, cynically, with all
the delicate graces of a cactus.
The meditative nuance that's
normally preferable was substi-
tuted for open brutality - the
bleeding of workers manifested
in the vicious violence of the
Mob. Crooks get away. The inno-
cent get shot. The shrewd and
cut-throat survive. You gotta be
hardened, desensitized to the
economic bloodletting. And it's
always going to keep happening
this way without the "Hope" and
"Change" we should believe in.
Though imperfect and obviously
heavy-handed, which may have
lost it critical steam, I've yet to
see another film brandish its
teeth as bracingly as it had.
But "Softly" was no block-
buster wonder. I have a sus-
picion that Hollywood has
recession screenplays laying
around they're too afraid to
finance: The resulting product
will just be too damn boring and
too damn sad. We were lucky
to get "Softly," which worked
because of its shameless black
humor and hard-hitting allegory
on capitalism, whose violence
made the precarious economic
condition of the blue-collar
worker all the more visceral. It's
damn dangerous not being rich.
You see, I hate that dull,
hammer-headed argument some
tunnel-visioned nincompoop
makes after watching a movie,
"It's not supposed to mean any-
thing." Somehow, the person
saying that there's meaning
in film is turned into a nut for
chasing after ghosts no one else
believes.
Whether or not you watched it
for one reason or another, films
are always meaningful in that
they reveal culture. They don't
have to leave us a moral, they
don't have to preach, they don't
have to go on a diatribe to mean
anything because, invariably,
they normalize a reality. And
the real reality is often inad-
vertently glamourized; often, it
is changed. When false images
and stereotypes are popularized
and consequently collectivized,
they're often mistaken for being
true, and whatever problems
plague our society go unnoticed.
Think of what conflicts can
labor a time period: Depending
on what piece of popular culture
you're examining, and when it
was made, Native Americans
are either brutal savages intent
on murdering every white they
see, or they're tragic heroes. The
1950s are either a time of nostal-
gia and innocence or brutal con-
formity. You either party like it's
the 1980s or you blow up like it's
the 1980s. Now, take the Facebook
Generation: Interconnectedness
or isolation; Pitbull music video or
"Killing Them Softly."
To be clear, I have no problem
with using film for escapism. The
problem is balance. The dichoto-
mies I've introduced in the previ-
ous paragraph could be true, but
for very different groups of peo-
ple. With the incredible opulence
overwhelming our popular cul-
ture, you'd think looking back on
our time that every motherfucker
in America was born with a caviar
spoon up their ass. "The Social
Network" (the real 2010 best pic-
ture) had it right with Justin Tim-
berlake's character: "A million
dollars isn'tcool. Youknowwhat's
cool?A billion dollars."
My point is we should democ-
ratize our popular culture, for
democracy isn't just about gov-
ernment. As an Asian Ameri-
can, I may have all the papers
that say I'm you and you're me,
but that didn't settle the "other"
question. I had to fight (and am
still fighting) to be you. That's
the challenge the working folks
in this country got to overcome.
When we settle the Asian ques-
tion, the Latino/a, the Black,
the Gay, the Muslim, the work-
ing class question, we will settle
the American question. For that
to happen, our culture needs
to change. We don't need the
trendy; we need the truthful.
For our time to be told truth-
fully, we need films that are
truthful and will garner atten-
tion - that will earn remem-
brance. Let us normalize what's
normal, make reality what is
reality. We must negotiate the
hard and cruel with nuance. We
must navigate reality with the
artful. I'm calling for a democ-
racy to this "post"-recession
culture.
By REBECCA GODWIN
For the Daily
"Glee" has gotten desperate
- or at least Ryan Murphy has.
Gone are the days when "Glee"
possessed intriguing plotlines
and engaging characters. Now all
that's left is a hot mess.
Before all the die-hard "Gleeks"
start lighting their torches and
sharpening their pitchforks,
know that I don't hate the show.
Some redeeming qualities still lie
beneath the gimmicks, but lately
you have to dig pretty deep to find
them.
One question that I find myself
asking every episode is: Why are
all the old characters still hang-
ing around McKinley? Murphy
decided that, unlike other TV
shows in the genre, he wanted
to keep his show realistic, so he
forced half his cast to "graduate."
Yet at least one of those McKinley
graduates manage to make it back
each week, despite the fact that
they allmoved far away fromlittle
Lima, Ohio.
But, then, I watch a few pain-
ful scenes with the newest cast
members and I understand why
the old characters pop up so often.
It's not that the new characters
are bad; they're just boring, and
I feel nothing for them. Murphy
had no motivation to create new
characters, so, instead, he opted
to make all of his new cast mem-
bers into less dynamic versions of
past ones.
I can'tbetheonlyonewhofinds
it incredibly ironic that Murphy
was so concerned about realism
when he decided that each season
be an individual school year. Now,
realism has been thrown out the
window, run over by a bus and
then set on fire, just to bring back
the old cast members.
In fact, in this new reality
Murphy has created, "You don't
need to go to college, you can just
go to L.A., or New York, and be a
star." And if you do go to college,
you rarely need to show up; feel in the Christmas episode, "Glee,
free to travel around the country Actually," that Kurt's dad (Mike
whenever you want because your O'Malley) has prostate cancer?
classes will clearly take care of Why has that never been brought
themselves. And if being a star or back up? I would much rather see
going to college doesn't work out, that storyline develop because it
then it's completely acceptable focuses on drama that's true and
and not at all pathetic to return realistic. Instead, I'm supposed to
to your high school and take a job believe that a 19-year-old ex-stu-
that you're entirely unqualified dent would randomly kiss his for-
for. mer guidance teacher to stop her
Now that the show must focus from having a panic attack. Why,
on the old New Directions and Ryan Murphy? Just, why?
the new New Directions, relat- I'm not saying it wasn't
able plot lines have been sacri- entertaining to watch the guys
ficed for short, uncomplicated . perform a variety of musical
ones. Regardless of the fact that numbers shirtless, but there
the unnecessary New York was no real message to be found
plot doesn't work and could be beneath the well-tanned and
removed without much damage well-toned abdominals. Sam
to the rest of the show, condensing (Chord Overstreet) and Rachel
important story lines isn't always (Lea Michele) both come to
the best idea. realize that they don't need to
bare their bodies to be success-
ful - unless of course it's for a
"Men of McKinley" calendar -
and the money is needed to pay
doin M urphy? for a trip to nationals. Then it's
completely OK to strip off your
shirt and pose with a variety of
holiday-themed objects.
When Quinn (Dianna Agron) Regardless of the gimmicks
got pregnant and Kurt (Chris employed, I still can't help but
Colfer) was bullied for being gay, notice the prolonged absence
viewers followed their dilem- of some beloved characters.
mas throughout the whole sea- Where have Mr. Schuester
son. But this season, when new (Matthew Morrison) and coach
girl Marley (Melissa Benoist) Sylvester gone? I understand
developed bulimia, she was dis- that Morrison's character was
covered by the Glee Club and sent to Washington D.C. on
subsequently rehabilitated in some bizarre plot twist, but
only five or six episodes. Not that doesn't explain why Lynch
only does her quick recovery has suddenly gone AWOL. The
make light of an issue hundreds pair set up a good-versus-evil
of teenage girls go through, but dynamic that was enjoyable and
it seems like Murphy only used consistent. It gave the show a
the eating disorder plotline to clear hero and villain, especial-
add drama rather than promote ly when other characters were
needed awareness. morally ambiguous.
But, more often than not, sto- All of these choices Murphy
rylines are created and then just has made leave me disappointed
never brought back. Wasn't Kurt for the show I used to love. The
supposed to be working for Vogue gimmicks and pandering to soci-
at some point? Didn't coach Syl- ety's recent interests aren't what
vester (Jane Lynch) just have a made "Glee" great, but they are
baby? And wait, didn't we find out the reason it kind of sucks now.
WE ARE THE PARTY.
@MICHDAILYARTS
DAILY ARTS IS LOOKING FOR
PASSIONATE, ASPIRING WRITERS
TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
CULTURE BEAT.
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, APPLY!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
E-mail arts@michigandaily.com to request an application.
4