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Monday, July 21, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

ART FAIR
From Page 9
say 'What's wrong with you, why
don't you get it?' because I don't like
feeling like that."
Lynn Whipple and John Whipple,
Mixed Media
Lynn Whipple's tent felt like she
took everything out of my grand-
ma's house, put it in a huge pile,
mixed it around a bit, then started
grabbing at old photo-
graphs, books, and
knick-knacks.
The result is
a group of
artworks
that make
every-
thing old
look new
again.
Perhaps
unsurpris-
ingly, this is
almost exactly
what she does to
create her assem-
blage art.
"(My studio) is like a laboratory
of junk," she said. "The walls are
journals. I pin up nature and pho-
tographs I like, and then piece it
together."
Whipple's work has a carefree
andhonestelementtoit.Youcantell
that she has fun when she makes it,

and it is hard not to smile at the col-
lages of boys from the 1920's trans-
formed into bugs with buck teeth or
feel a reminiscent glow while look-
ing at any of the boxes that include
old toys such as "cootie catchers."
Yet, as much as Whipple's tent
feels like grandma's house, her
husband John Whipple's tent feels
like the remains of a carnival ghost
town.
Like Lynn, he also specializes in
assemblage art, but his work has
more of a dark-humored edge to
it. His paintings look like the por-
traits of the few strag-
gling carnies, and
his sculptures
look like the
remaining,
deranged,
crossbred
townies,
parading
through
the
streets.
And this
is all a good
thing.
It's almost
as if these pieces
had to be made, that the
"junk" they collected has finally
found its true purpose.
If you want to read about
more of the notable artists at
this years' Fairs, check out the
extended version of this article
at www.michigandaily.com.

A'Knight'in shining armor

By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Arts Writer
There's a moment when the
Joker, in a nurse's uniform, exits
a hospital just as it blows up
behind him. It's a chaotic scene,
yet it's filmed with a perfect nar-
rative flow and style, something
that characterizes the film as a
whole. Over the
top, elegant and
intriguing - it's
perfect. The Dark
"The Dark
Knight" is not Iqi
merely great - At Quality16
it's an arguable and Showcase
masterpiece. No, Warner Brothers
this is not the
immature rant-
ing of a child in
Batman underwear. It's a savvy,
high-minded drama that just hap-
pens to revolve around men of
sensational character. "Knight"
might just be the best film of 2008
thus far. This is dark horse awards
material, and possiblythe greatest
comic book movie, easily improv-
ing on the already outstanding
"Batman Begins." This is the
yin to "Superman: The Movie's"
yang.
Set a year after the events of
"Batman Begins," criminals now
live in fear of what the night sum-
mons. Batman (Christian Bale,
"3:10 to Yuma") is doing good. He
may also be able to hang the cape

up soon, as the newc
ney Harvey Dent (A
"Thank You for Smo
ing crime without s
are men of principle
tive world. But ana
ing. The nefarious
Ledger, "BrokebackP
the ultimate, mania
to them, looking to ig
the city.
But there's more.
Batman/BruceV
balance his two
upholding his rules
embraces the dark
dawning hero. The J
with no rules, mak
impossible to fight
him without com-
promising one's
sense of justice.
Meanwhile,
Lieutenant Gor-
don (Gary Oldman,
"Harry Potter and
the Order of the
Phoenix") is strug-
gling to maintain<
butler Alfred (Mic
"Children of Men"
vince master Wayne
his responsibilities.
are recovering from
broughtonbythe Jok
toll rises. Violence in
reaching a boiling
and mass hysteria en
other things (all en
pen before the cred

district attor- movie about "more."
aron Eckhart, If that sounds a bit hectic, well,
king") is bust- that's because it is. But "The Dark
pandex. Both Knight" makes every second
e in a disrup- count.
archy is com- Themes uncommonly consid-
Joker (Heath ered in the comic genre find place
Mountain") is such as duality and self-sacrifice.
cal antithesis The script is almost poetic in its
gnite chaos in willingness to articulate hard
ideas, courtesy of director Chris-
opher Nolan and brother Jona-
Wayne must than's writing. English majors
lives, while writing comic book adaptations?
. Dent slowly It ought to happen more.
within his That's not to say this is osten-
oker is a man tatious. The expected romance
ing it almost and humor is present and strong.
The music pulsates
with neoclassi-
cal gusto. Digital
Comic boob effects marry prac-
tical stunts togeth-
movies can be erain impressive
brilliant, too. action set pieces
- so do yourself a
favor and wait for
those IMAX seats.
order. Noble It's worth it.
chael Caine, "Knight" is a pop culture icon,
) must con- yet what Nolan has done is take
to stick with the opportunity to find a large
Crime lords audience for big ideas. Not every-
a recession thing is answered, but that just
ker. The death leaves us wantingmore.
n the street is Seeing "The Dark Knight" is
point. Panic like watching "The Godfather" or
sue. And 200 any other greatcrime story for the
gaging) hap- first time. And there's still plenty
its. This is a to talk about.

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READ SHERI JANKELOVITZ'S REVIEW OF
"MAMMA MIA!" ONLINE AT WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM


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