6A - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 The Michigan Daily = michigandaily.cor 6A - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 'The Tombstones' a gritty noir revamp Frank replaces action thrills with a solemn Neeson By JAMIE BIRCOLL Daily Film Editor This is not "Taken." This isn't "Nonstop" or "Unknown." This is sharp, gritty film noir set in the under- belly of New York City, but it's not A Walk your typical New York A g Cityscape; Tombstones the richest inhabitants Rave 20 and are the drug Quality16 traffickers, Universal the pure-at- heart are the homeless - no glistening sky- scrapers 'wafching over the good people, only grey and dark and gloom, and a man, with his own demons, who slips in and out of the shadows. That man is Liam Neeson, and at last, in "A Walk Among the Tombstones," he is presented with a film for which his impos- ingstature and actinggravitas are put to good use. Here, he is not the badass running around the city killing all those who stand in his way, dropping threatening phone calls and occasional one- liners in an only mildly concealed Irish accent. Instead, his badas- sery stems from screen presence alone, in the way the camera sits at his back as he walks through the rain of a dark fall night, slight- ly slouched to broaden his already large 6'4 frame. God he's cool. Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a retired cop and recovering alco- holic who now works as an unli- censed private eye, unbound by the law. Through a fellow AA attendee;e8'senet up with heroini trafficker-Kenny (Dan Stevens, TV's "Downton Abbey"), who offers Scudder $20,000 to find the men who brutally murdered his wife. From there, we get a slow- I '03 Bonnie & Clyde. It's bid day! burning mystery that progresses at a sometimes uneven pace as Scudder works a particularly unglamorous case - unglamor- ous in that it's sometimes kind of boring. The job consists of a lot of research, a lot of discussing and a lot of sitting, contemplating, replaying events. The adrenaline junkie should find his fix some- where else. But writer-director Scott Frank ("Minority Report") opts to replace those action-thriller cliches with something more thoughtful: his leading man. Notice how many shots there are of Neeson with his back to the camera just staring or walking, and notice how effective they are at setting the solemn tone of this New York underworld. Mar- vel at the camerawork as it pans from Neeson's face, tracking his eyes first to the right to the man he's following, then to the left to the man who's following him. Frank submerges the viewer in this wo'rldthis throwback to the archetypal days of film noir. All those classic noir flourishes (the hero patiently waiting in the dark room reveals himself to a suspect with the illumination of a desk Flawless 'On The Run' more than documentary lamp, etc.) make appearances but with an updated yet natural feel. Supporting turns by Ste- vens and Brian "Astro" Bradley ("Earth to Echo"), as a spunky homeless kid Scudder takes under his wing, are welcome, but it's the few scenes that put Scudder with cemetery groundskeeper James Loogan (6lafur Darri lafsson) that really shine. Olafsson, best known as The Yellow King of "True Detective," brings just the right amount of weird and vulner- able to match Neeson's cool and confident to create sometruly com- pellingmoments;onecanonlywish they were more plentiful. Because "A Walk Among the Tombstones" is just one book in a 19-book series by Lawrence Block, one can only hope for more Matt Scudder. The film is something of a throwback, taking place in 1999 - the decade of "Seven" and "Primal Fear" and "The Silence of the Lambs." Movies like "Tombstones" are rare these days; they'renthe kinds that don't explode in your face but forceyou to take in the gravity of the moment, to experience the darkness and to hope that the man in the shadows is on your side. Su pi spel Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com Ift believ. have 1 ing lives while3 July' N Posta source the co findin to sp would rupt ti concer which subjec Tour: when premi just a: 13 Par The R couple culmir ute to whor remain If) it allf year - out we stoppi month again her h one of nant a fact, t best in tiously even r the sta The terfull as soo strum dissen de Fr Throu and-a- the c Beyon Grail, withoi : perstar couple - "Crazy in Love," "Baby Boy," "99 Problems," "Hard Knock uts on concert Life" and many others. "On The Run" is also surpris- cial for the ages ingly inventive. Instead of lazily running through each of their vast catalogs of crowd-pleasers By ALEC STERN (there are certainly enough Senior Arts Editor of them), Beyonc6 and Jay Z reworked and remixed their the rumors are to be greatest hits while simultane- ed, Beyonce and Jay Z ously highlighting a number of been liv- lesser-performed titles - the separate jazzed-up rendition of "Ring for a The Alarm," a Nikki Minaj- now. In a On The assisted, elevator incident-ref- lew York erencing version of "Flawless" article, a Run Tour and a "Love On Top"/"I Want claimed Beyonce You Back" mash-up are just a uple was and JAY-Z few instances of the power- g a way producing that elevate "On The lit that HBO Run." n't dis- But it isn't simply Bey and heir huge Jay's musical proficiency or rt tour, the last show of palpable chemistry that pro- was secretly set to be the pels the concert doc to such t of HBO's "On The Run soaring heights. Director Jonas Beyonc6 and Jay Z." But Akerlund proves to be "On The the concert documentary Run"'s indispensable third- ered on Saturday, it wasn't wheel - its success as attrib- rehash of the show's Sept. utable to the man behind the is-set finale. Instead, "On camera as it is to the duo occu- un" seemed more like the pying the stage. Supported by 's response to the gossip, the disclaimer that "this is not nating in a glorious trib- real," "On The Run" appropri- America's royal couple, ately tells the story of a fugi- most definitely seem to tive couple. Beyoncd and Jay Z n (drunk) in love. drive fast cars, brandishing big you thought you'd seen stacks and even bigger guns from Beyonce in the last as they flee the authorities a surprise album, a sold- that chase them. In the wrong orldwide tour, that show- hands, the sequences could ngVMA performance last have easily been-overshadowed - she raises the bar yet by the power of its subjects or in "On The Run," while dismissed as merely interludes usband continues to be allowing for costume changes. f rap music's most domi- But instead, Akerlund's grit- nd talented musicians. In ty, atmospheric visual story he concert brings out the unfolds as a defining center- each performer - infec- piece of "On The Run," drawing y likable and, if possible, upon French filmmaking and more elite when sharing the country's romance-tinged age together. aesthetic. concert's set list is mas- There are stateside influ- ly crafted, and it's clear ences that are also present in n as the opening guitar Akerlund's "On The Run," as s of '03 Bonne & Clyde" imagery from Quentin Taran- inate through the Stade tino's "Kill Bill" is a ubiquitous ance for the first time. presence that informs much" ghout the special's two- of the narrative and in turn, half hour running time, enhances the visual splendor. ouple's newest releases, It's not the first time Beyonc6 ed and Magna Carta Holy and the director have paid hom- are heavily featured, but age to the bold 2004 revenge ut neglecting the classics flick. In "Telephone," their collaboration with Lady Gaga, Beyonce rescues the blonde singer from prison in the yel- low, "Pussy Wagon"-branded truck famously driven by Uma Thurman's character in "Vol- ume V" In "On The Run," howev- er, the nods to "Kill Bill" are more significant. Even from HBO's first promo for the con- cert special, in which Beyonc6 serenades Jay Z with a rendi- tion of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" (a song prominently fea- tured in the opening credits of Tarantino's film) it was clear that "On The Run" would draw upon similar themes. A decade after the release of "Kill Bill," Beyonce embodies an updated iteration of The Bride - clad in white, doomed by her love for a dangerous man, hell-bent on wreaking havoc against her oppressors. The tribute gives "On The Run" artistic merit separate from its performances, amounting to something much more significant than your average concert tour (or concert film). Ultimately, the onscreen versions of Bey and Jay meet a violent demise in a stunning. sequence that samples both Sinatra's "Bang Bang" and The xx's sultry "Angels." But the characters' deaths allow for "On The Run" to make yet another powerful declaration. "This is real life," Jay pronounc- es to the packed crowd of over 60,000 people. And suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Carter are per- forming against a backdrop of videos of a very different nature. "Young Forever" and "Halo" provide the soundtrack to a striking montage of home videos from the Carter's more than decade-long relation- ship, including footage of their engagement, wedding and jour- ney into parenthood, spotlight- ing a vulnerable side to the couple uncharacteristic of their exceedingly private past. "This is real life" is not only "On The Run" 's powerful ending, but its lasting impact - the dichotomy between real and not real, gen- uine and manufactured, facts and rumors. And the result is ***flawless. .0 RELEASE DATE-Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS DOWN 34 Cry of woe 45 Like a curled-up 1 Lsop in old 1 Yo've got carte 35 Sundial number psoMion Westerns blanche" 36 Proectsgainst 46 Soprano Mitchell 6 Kind of purpose 2 Nondiscriminating heat loss, say 47 Pharmacy 10 FutureJ.D.'s immigration policy 37 Made it big, as in inventory exam 3 Mendelssohn's school ahletcs 48 How ass9-Across 14 Puttinggreen "iah,"forone 40 Mackerel relative is typically border 4 Unaided 41 Truckloads shown 15 Welding sparks 5 Tolkien giant 42 Conditions 52 Pumped product 1e Sicilian smoker e6Russian country 43 Charges for 54 Five smackers t7 *Armto an ace home sevcs 5Onstkg pitcher 7"Family Matters" 44Aeais OS Ones takibr 19Turkeyorfox nerd follower i t eiog r ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 20lOpposite of 59HWWII cartier ecto- 10 Deadly A T O M I Z E P A P M C S 21 "Moonstruck" 11 Butterfly,te.g. MI L E R U N A L L A RC Oscar winner 12 Voltaictcll EM ER A LD T OA STE R 22Valerie Harper teEinals M Q UAL I A Y TME role 13 Golden Horde 23 Sfatementlof mebr ABLC 10C ANt agreement 18Treatedasa Q U I C K T H I N K I N G 24 Issuethalths sprain 0 N M 0 0 R S T A R K negoialions 22Christ the _: A S P R A E S R I D 0 0 26Sluggish s lueith B E I N G A S S I G N 28Whatagoldbrick 24 Have litlefa Q U A N T U M T H O R does 25 Litte stream SLUR ISO TREX 29 Cooking aids 27-Gaza Stripgp. Q U A R T E R T O N E 30Cryofsurrender 310cofthe UNLOOSE CA ERA S 33 MonetarylBve' Bobbseytwins I A M M A L ON T H E Q T 38Frenchwine 32A.L.Centralteam, DRS B U Y W A S S A I L region on scoreboards xwordeditor@aol.com 09/24/14 39 "Hands offl" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 40 Deck crew boss 43 Full of spunk 1 1 5 5 45 *One inthe 1 infantry 49_-Aztecan 20 21 22 languages 50 Finish by m 00 25 51 Bird alongthe 26 27 26 52 Bea it 29 30 31 32 53 Pinball goof 54 Unswerving, and 00 34 05 0 37 auhintlfothe a38 39 answers to 40 41 42 43 44 starred clues 56 Fit to 4w n447 4s 49 57 "Come Back, Little Sheba" s0051 s2 playwright 53 54 55 58 Asian vine leaf 59 Stockholder's 5657008 60 Former OTC s596 6o1 watchdog 61 Bobrun runners T nyeJt AgenyLC09/24/14 2014 TribuneCtentmlAencyLLC20/41 "PRIME" PARKING FOR Sale 721 S. Forest "Forest Place" $1500 Limited Passes Remaining 734-761-8000primesh.com CAMPUS PARKING $70/J MONTH, near U of M bus. 734-418-2050 or infon./827preene com 4 !NORTH CAMPUS 1-2 Bdrm. ! ! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. ! ! www.HRPAA.com! WWW.CARLSONPROPERTIES.- COM 734-332-6000 THESIS EDITING. LANGUAGE, organization, format. All Disciplines. 734/996-0566 or writeon@iserv.net INTERNSHIPS INTERN WANTED FOR Birmingham law office for 1-2 years. Must have at least BA or BS with strong grades/computer skills. Paid Position. Email resume & transcript to: michlawoffice~v gmail.com Hal Ito the ch ief. 0 A