2B - Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

2B - Thursday, October10, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

In defense of Chris
Brown s career

NETFLIX PIX
Daily Arts Writers dig through recent
Netflix releases to find the films worth
revisiting or discovering.

By LENA FINKEL
Daily Gossip Columnist
It's no secret that 90 percent
of what comes out of Chris
Brown's mouth is completely
idiotic. Every time someone
utters his name, my first
thought is always, "What did
he say this time?" Honestly,
his agent should just tell him
to shut the fuck up already
and stop picking up the phone
when the press rings.
Most recently, Chris com-
plained about his additional
1,000 community service
hours being a "bitch" (he even
claimed the District Attorney
had racial bias), and bragged
about losing his virginity at
the ripe age of 8.
Seriously, he told The
Guardian UK, "At 8, being able
to do it kind of preps you for
the long run, so you can be
beast at it."
Truly inspiring, that boy.
But despite the numerous
Chris Brown scandals over
the years, and his misogyny in
general, I still listen to some
of his music. To clarify, this
means I have exactly one Chris
Brown song on my iPod and
have seen a few of his music
videos. In the grand scheme of
things, this isn't a crime.
Yet, after telling one of
my roommates that I liked
Brown's new song, "Love
More," he looked at me and
said, "It always really surpris-
es me when girls say they like
Chris Brown."
As if to say, as a woman, it
was my responsibility to throw
a hissy fit about every single
sexist thing in our culture. As
if to say, that as a man, it was
OK if he liked Chris Brown
because Brown's problems
didn't have anything to do
with him.

Let
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explic
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s just let this marinate I can't be responsible for
econd. According to standing up to every single bad
ommate (and probably influence in our music industry.
h of other people out I just can't. It's too exhaust-
- I can't imagine he's ing. And I honestly don't think
in this thinking), women rebelling against Chris Brown
e only ones who should would really do much in the
raged by our sexist cul- long run anyway. As much as
While he didn't state this I hate to admit it, leaving all
itly, I've come to know my ideological notions behind,
ell enough to understand one person just can't change
ought process. an entire industry, let alone an
us flash: Half the music entire culture. No matter how
ig the charts these days much I protest Chris Brown,
ns sexist content. Emi- he will always get DUIs and
Robin Thicke, Lil Wayne, mistreat women, and he will
ilty of a good misogy- continue to be famous despite
song or two (or three or it all. In an industry where all
press is considered good press,
ommon offender, Lil Chris Brown is the king.
e's lyrics in "Tapout" Plus, putting all the violence
e, "She say I drive her and degradation of women
I say just keep on your aside, Chris Brown isn't com-
lt / Bend it over bust pletely undeserving of fame.
n for me / Baby bend it He's a good singer, a really
ust it open for me / She great dancer and overall, a
e love me she loves this pretty talented guy (have you
seen his moves in his "Yeah 3X"
video?).
And I can only imagine all
the hard work it took to per-
e isn't a role form nearly every night for
two months like he did for his
model, but F.A.M.E tour back in 2011. Not
to mention the determination
he doesn t it required to make numerous
etend to be. comebacks, despite the plethora
of bad press. Considering all the
talentless schmucks out there
eating up fame for no reason
(Jenny McCarthy and Jessica
i in general, Chris Alba, to name a few), I'd rather
isn't the only one mak- give my attention to someone
ney off his bad-boy who earned it.
tion. Justin Bieber had Chris Brown is certainly
;ana and monkey troubles no role model, and he's never
mber that incident at the going to be a saint, but at least
an airport?); Kanye West everyone knows it. Better the
zelp but Twitter rant in devil you know than the'one you
APS ALL THE TIME; don't, right? Well, sort of.

9

H
pr

"Fargo"
Originally released in 1996, this Coen Brothers
police drama has since become recognized as one
of the duo's most relevant works. Not only does it
bend the traditional rules of a typical police proce-
dural by humoring and humanizing its subjects, it
does so through the eyes of perhaps the brothers'
most unique character to date: the very cunning,
extremely willful and extraordinarily pregnant
Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDor-
mand). Even if you're not that into the Coen Broth-
ers, cops-and-robbers or movies in general, check
out "Fargo" for that iconic central performance by
McDormand. It'll stick with you.

"King of New York"
This is not a very good film. It's boring, cliched
and probably the most run-down regurgitation of
the crime boss genre until someone does a take-
by-take remake of the "Godfather," but I'm not
ashamed to say I've watched it three times. Why?
Christopher Walken, Walken, without hyperboliz-
ing, is this movie. His lines are never really spe-
cial, but seem quotable in real time only because
they're being said with perfect Walken inflection.h
If you, like any sane person, have an excuse to
brush up on your Walken impression, this is the
movie to watch. Also, Gus from "Breaking Bad" is
in it. SOOO...

And
Brown
ing mt
reputa
mariju
(remer
Germa
can't h
ALL C

One Direction's Harry Styles is
an infamous womanizer; Miley
Cyrus is, well, you know ...
Miley Cyrus.

Finkel is listening to the one
Chris Brown song she has. Tojoin,
e-mail ljfinkel@umich.edu.

0

40

"Confessions of a
Dangerous Mind"
George Clooney is a lot of things. Handsome,
charming, dat'smile, basically a physicalincarnation
of Danny Ocean from the "Ocean's" trilogy. Except,
of course, he's not a thief. He's a filmmaker. And in
every sense of the word, he's a master of his craft.
So do yourself a favor and check out his directorial
debut, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,"boasting
a powerhouse leading performance by Sam Rock-
well as Chuck Barris, the successful game show host
who claimed to live a double life as a CIA assassin.
It's a long movie that requires close attention, but
as is habitual to anything produced by GCloons, the
effort is more than worth it. Rather than your cut-
and-dry biopic, what we get is a film that blurs the
line between sanity and fiction. It's a trippy ride, but
you'll be glad you took it.
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"As Good as
It Gets"
"As Good as It Gets" is about a man pitted
against his OCD and dyspeptic prejudices - all
of which he has to overcome to win the love of
a waitress. Melvin Udall is, of course, played
by Jack Nicholson in an Oscar-winning perfor-
mance and Carolyn Connelly by Helen Hunt,
who also grabbed an Oscar. Ultimately, it's the
film's romantic gestures that lend it a sweet
quality, and it's the pragmatic hardships both
characters face each day therein portrayed
that make it a statement about courage and
redemption and love's relation to both. The
film excels in lending voice to the little things
that are so often left unsaid. In the purity of
Melvin's profession of love, "You make me
wanna be a better man."

4

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