Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
19,
Team Tribal Tat or Team Pasty Face?
Fang-banger's ball
Ann Arbor
2010 Summer Festival
Today begins the last full week of the Ann Arbor Summer Festi-
val (though Chris Isaak will resurrect Mainstage on July 30), but the
month-long celebration promises to go out with a bang. Use our handy
checklist to seek out some of the Daily's picks for last-minute Summer
Festival acts.
Z July6
Devo is back! A newly released album from the sarcastic cult icons promises
Something for Everybody, and so should the band's Mainstage show. Watch
Devo whip it at 8 p.m. at the Power Center. Tickets from $50.
F, July 7
The multi-instrumentalists of Juice go beyond the Blue Men. Attendees of
the unique percussion band's free 6:30 p.m. show at Ingalls Mall - Rackham
Stage - might hear bicycle wheels, propane tanks and other unsuspecting
objects making sweet, sweet music.
F, July 8
Wes Anderson's adorably stop-motion animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox
deserves to be screened where its hero thrives: outdoors, under the stars,
free and within eyeshot of a fist-pumping wolf - well, maybe not that last
part. Catch Fox and his family at Ingalls Mall at 10 p.m.
F1 July 9
After dark at Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the DJs and 21-plus crowds come
out to party. This marks the last Friday of the summer for After Dark @ Top
of the Park, so grab your ID and enjoy a few drink specials at The Grove at
10:30 p.m.
L July10
"Nah nah nah nah, I know where it should go!" sings Die Roten Punkte on
its song "Bananenhaus (Banana House)." The overly made-up and overly
absurd German brother-sister duocan be seen - nay, can't be missed - at
7:30 p.m. at UMMA. $20 general admission.
fl July11
So Long Sunday starts at 5 p.m. at Ingalls Mall. Following free performances
by Cairn to Cairn, Mr. B's Joybox Express and George Bedard & the Kingpins,
an equally free showing of "West Side Story" invites all who feel pretty to
sing and dance their way through the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's official
closing night.
Visit www.annarborsummerfestival.org for more information.
Latest film version of
Twilight' saga doesn't
even tryto be good
By ANKUR SOHONI
DailyArts Writer
Television, books and cinema
have all been swayed by the sexy
danger of the fang in vampire tales
like "Twilight."
However, like its **
mythical crea-
tures of choice, the The Twilight
saga's latest film, Sag: Ecips
"Eclipse," is rather
cold and dead. At Quality 16
The core story and Rave
of Stephenie Mey- Summit
er's "Twilight"
saga isn't original, nor does it really
claim to be. Meyer's work is unique,
though, in that she simplified her idea
enough to be lapped up by millennial
teenage girls and those with equiva-
lent intellectual maturities. That
said, even the most puerile fan should
have a hard time accepting this new
installment as entertainment.
"Eclipse" continues the story of
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), the
lovely young (aspiring) fang-banger
with a giant, six-packed werewolf
problem. While she tries to choose
between charming vamp Edward
(Robert Pattinson) and dreamy were-
wolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner), the plot
thickens as the two species - ancient
enemies - unite against an approach-
ing vampire army.
The film improves immenselyupon
the structure of "Twilight" and "New
Moon" - after two hours, at least
something has happened. Three films
in, it's as good a time as any to nail
down basic plot conventions.
A few moments, such as Edward's
furious battle to protect Bella in the
last act, provide a human spark to the
fake ashes of the film. But the rest is
lifeless, and it really didn't have to be.
This isn't "Harry Potter." While
not exactly a lesson in adaptation or a
clinic in screenwriting, the boy wiz-
ard's movie series has established an
air of dedication in each installment,
distinguishing itself from the half-
assed "Twilight."
"Eclipse" is like a cake without
sugar, and never baked with love. No
one seems to have put in even a mea-
gerly consistent effort to improve
upon the flat acting and overdramatic,
comatose mise-en-scene of the first
two films.
The drama is characterized by
limp acting from the three leads, save
for the occasional thrust of vaguely
human energy. Their performances
are not so much a reflection of a lack
of talent; rather, they seem to suf-
fer from the wholly unprepared and
inconsistent direction of David Slade
("30 Days of Night"). Don't expect an
ensemble performance - it's rare that
more than one actor really shows up
in any given scene.
The dialogue is insanely dull and
slows the entire project to muck.
While it is a failure shared equally by
the screenplay, direction and acting,
it's unfortunate that the same screen-
writer, Melissa Rosenberg, was given
the opportunity to once again spill ink
in the general shape of a movie script.
The film also dulls one of the few
shining aspects of its predecessors:
the music. The "Eclipse" compila-
tion soundtrack is superb and worth
an independent listen, but its tracks
are used ineptly in the film. "Lord of
the Rings" composer Howard Shore
tried his best to score the film but
was allowed only scattered cues. And
as the third composer to work on the
series, his efforts are in many ways
futile: The "Twilight" films have been
denied a single central musical theme,
an almost essential tool in sustaining
other film franchises.
Thebiggest problem with"Eclipse"
is its creators' blind acceptance of the
film adaptation as a naturally inferior
form; they don't even attempt to tran-
scend mass expectations.
Who didn't expect this movie to
suck? Even the film's creators seem to
expect mediocrity, and they did little
beyond the bare minimum. Loyal
fans, even those with low expecta-
tions, deserve better.
If you see "Eclipse," expect a
challenge. There are sparse tender
moments to be had, but they require a
constant resistance to the atmosphere
of mockery in the theater. The aver-
age audience member needs to work
hard to seriously enjoy this film.
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