The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, January 27, 2014 - 11A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, January 27, 2014 - hA Write A House helps artists, vacancies in Detroit Chair stares ominously from the background.v Visuals i 'Invisible Woman A passionate true story from the life of Dickens By CARLY KEYES DailyArts Writer Though celebrated for his gift of storytelling and unmatched articulation - proven by pages upon pages of forever-trea- B- sured fiction B - Charles The Invisible Dickens's most pas- Woman sionate tale Michigan happens to Theater be a true one, and it Sony Pictures unfolded far away from the paper his masterful pen had so passionately tread upon. Based on a book of the same name by Claire Tomalin, "The Invisible Woman" stars Ralph Fiennes ("Skyfall") as the worshipped writer who, long troubled by a lackluster mar- riage, pursues a fiery, forbid- den relationship with a young actress and devoted admirer of his work, Ellen "Nelly" Ternan (Felicity Jones, "Breathe In"), despite the strong warning of her caring mother, Frances (Kristin Scott Thomas, "Before the Winter Chill"). Fiennes, who also directed the film, unravels the narra- tive with heavy helpings of flashback as real-time Nelly - who works at a prep school for young boys and leads the charge as they prepare a pro- duction of one of Dickens's plays - reflects upon her roll- ercoaster romance with her lit- erary idol. While Fiennes and Jones offer convincing chemistry as a covert couple, it's a painfully predictable and played-out plot from writer Abi Morgan ("The Iron Lady"), and it grows dif- ficult to root for a relationship that is so clearly and firmly rooted in narcissism: A celebri- ty novelist trapped in a sexless marriage with an overweight spouse jumps at the slightest attention from a bright, beauti- ful, blonde 18-year old who can recite every line of his prose from memory? It's an obvious response to a primal scenar- io, and the only intrigue here derives from whatever high one might typically get from wit- nessing budding scandal and infidelity progress into an all out torrid affair. Although the film lacks structure and disappoints with its dialogue, it succeeds sub- stantially with its decorative characteristics. The vintage (and Oscar-nominated) cos- tume design dazzles, the art direction delicately impresses and the inventive, chiaroscuro- laden cinematography captures the essence of contradicted lovers: a man torn between his life in the limelight and the one he keeps in the dark with his secret lover, and she, a woman who overtly reveres the author yet never entirely divulges the true extent of this avid devo- tion. Ultimately, "The Invis- ible Woman" is a narratively all-too-familiar - yet visu- ally refreshing - based on real events biopic that manifests one of Dickens's most-coined phrases from "A Tale of Two Cities": "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mys- Over half of the homes in Detroit once housed autowork- ers and their families. Today, over half the dwellings in most Detroit- area communities are vacant - housing crime and decay rather than people.. But three such houses in a neigh- borhood just north PAIGE of Ham- PFLEGER tramck will be vacant no longer thanks to Write A House, a non-profit that renovates aban- doned houses and gives them to writers, creating a writing com- munity and providing an invalu- able resource for up and coming artists: a home. "In a lot of ways, writers are suffering just as much as Detroit is," said Toby Barlow, a founding board member. "Detroit has been the poster child for industrial decline and writers have been having a pretty hard time of it, too. It seemed like a great idea to combine the two." Write A House's mission state- ment is to enliven the literary arts in Detroit by renovating vacant homes and giving them to -jour- nalists, authors, poets and more. Consider it a writer's residency program, however the residency lasts forever, creating a writer's colony and revitalizing Detroit areas through the arts. The proj- ect doesn't only benefit the writ- ers and the houses; it gives an opportunity to neighborhood youth to learn carpentry and building skills through its part- nership with non-profit Young Detroit Builders. Barlow has worked in advertis- ing around the country, and land- edinDetroittoworkonrebuilding Ford's image about seven years ago. Recently, he joined forces with Sarah Cox, the editorial director of the Detroit real estate website, Curbed, to start Write A House. Write A House bought houses near to neighboring Power House Productions, another arts- based community project. Write A House differs from PHP in its specific emphasis on written work as opposed to visual arts. "We were aware that music and visual arts groups in the city are doing well," Write A House board member Anna Clark said. "But the literary group is a bit stifled." Clark, a University of Michi- gan alum, moved to Detroit in 2007. As a freelance journalist, she has published pieceswith The Guardian, The Nation, NBC News and more. She got her start as a Michigan Daily reporter covering the University's administration, and like many students in Ann Arbor, had only visited Detroit for sporting events. A few years after moving to the city, she founded Literary Detroit, a reader-centric program that brings attention to or creates events to draw inter- est to literacy in Detroit. She also serves as a writer in residence at Detroit High Schools through the InsideOut Literary Arts Project. When conversations about Write A House began, Clark was on board. "You couldn't logistically do this anywhere else," Clark said. "I've only been here for six years, and it's amazing to see how the energy has changed over time. It's a place where the creative com- munity is very engaged, and writ- ers want to be around that strong creative force." Many other cities, as Clark points out, are too expensive for writers to truly be able to concen- trate on their work, and not only that - most cities don't have the attitude of Detroit, nor the inspi- rational creative community. "We think it's a really positive project," Barlow said. "On the one hand, you're helping the indi- vidual writer, and in agreaterway you're bringing a lot of attention to Detroit as a place that supports creativity and the arts." But who are the writers that receive one of these free and newly renovated homes? The answer is quite simple - any kind of writer, from a poet to a journalist and anywhere in between. Skill is prized over experience and will- ingness to engage ina community of writers and the greater Detroit community at large is important for the unification goals of Write A House. "When we got the other two houses we got them in the same vicinity, to help build a commu- nityfeeling," Clark said. "Wewant people to have healthy relation- ships with the people they live around. People want neighbors, they don't want to live next to vacant houses. And at this point, there is room for all." Writers fill out applications Working to enliven the city's literary arts. and send them in the spring to be reviewed by members of Write A House's board - made up of National Poet Laureate Billy Col- lins, the ghostwriter of Jay-Z's memoir "Decoded", dream hamp- ton (left in lower case mimick- ing the style of author bell hooks) along with author and Michael Stone Richard, a professor at the College of Creative Studies. This year's three chosen writ- ers will move into their new house with their neighbors, and get to work at writing and contribut- ing to their community. Write A House aims to snatch up and ren- ovate at least three houses every year, repeating the process in hopes of decreasing vacancy and creating a better Detroit. Pfleger is looking to remedy Detroit. To help out, e-mail pspfleg@umich.edu. TV REVIEW HBO soars again with 'Looking' ByEMILYBODDEN Daily Arrs Writer HBO has another hit on its hands. "Looking," a series revolv- ing around a group of mostly gay friends living in San Francisco, premiered on Sunday to much A acclaim. Over the course of Looking the premiere's brief 29-minute Sundays at running time, 10:30 p.m. the show man- HID aged to generate a strong con- nection to its characters, that puts the program on a strong footing for the future. "Looking"'s premiere was suc- cessful because, while managing to introduce characters and their pasts, it did not linger on them. Instead, there was an ingrained familiarity that made viewers feel as if they have known the characters for years. With a combination of lighting, camera work and dialogue, "Looking" produced one of the most hon- est portrayals of friendship cur- rently on TV. Throughout the premiere, the producers utilized tight fram- ing, creating an intimacy that is not always sought after but also works sowell within the context of the show. The subtle shift- ing focus that draws viewers' eyes naturally from character to character complemented the tight framing beautifully. Addi- tionally, the lighting is soft and warm which plays into creating a sense of closeness. Jonathan Groff ("Frozen") plays Patrick, or Patty as his friends lovingly call him, and is the talent on the show. As CHECK THE DAILY ARTS BLOG FOR POP CULTURE UPDATES. San Fran man tans. a character, Patrick is who, if given the choice, would be your best friend. Cute and slightly introverted, he often responds to awkward scenarios in a very natural way, giggling and look- ing uncomfortable. Very endear- ing, he seems to come from a place many twenty- and thirty- year-olds can understand. While friends are moving in with their significant others, he has resort- ed to OKCupid (which leads to one of the most realistically wretched dates on TV) and his ex-boyfriend is newly engaged. It is hard to not feel for a guy who is reminiscent of at least one of your friends. The dialogue can stand alone. While not as quotable as HBO's other hit, "Girls," the dialogue is honest, never coming off as con- trived. The chemistry between the cast breathes life into the dialogue which could easily be boring if all the other elements on the show were not so com- plimentary. As English teachers everywhere preach, the dialogue "shows not tells." And by that, the intricacies of each charac- ter's personality shine through to meld with the carefully con- structed production choices. "Looking" also uses social media in a very appropriate way. Instead of shying away from mentioning social media, they embrace it without worry of seeming outdated. The refer- ences to Instagram filters ruin- ing everything ("Is this guy even hot?") to the proper use of emojis ("A winking smiley face - what are you, a Japanese teen- ager?") are dead on. This genera- tion is intertwined with the rise of the Internet and it is great to see a TV show so unabashedly use that fact to further plot and character development. www.michigandaily.com/arts/the+filter THE BOARD FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS SEEKS NEW MEMBERS The University of Michigan Board for Student Publications is recruiting new members for three year terms beginning in April. The Board is responsible for three publications: The Michigan Daily, the Michiganensian yearbook, and the Gargoyle. Because the Board is committed to realizing diversity's benefits for itself and for the publications it oversees, the Board is particularly interested in recruiting members of the University community (faculty, staff and students), or the general public who are members of underrepresented groups and who have experience and expertise in journalism, law, finance, or fundraising. All interested persons are encouragedto apply. For more information and application forms,4Ile e contact Mark.Bealafelid, Student Publications Gen 'Manager at 734-418-4115, extension 1246, or, bealdffumich.edu. nn fr for i'1 This isn't 'Girls.' Some reduce "Looking" to simply a "gay version of 'Girls,'" but those people are missing out. With a great first episode, "Look- ing" reveals more potential than most shows that have come out in the past year.