Monday, May 24, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
9
A gross 'MacGruber'
By BEN VERDI There
Gaily Arts Writer descrihi
Has anyone ever handed you one
of their shoes and said, "You have to
smell this!" even
though you've just
seen the same shoe
ominously repulse Gruber
other smellers? At Quality16
"MacGruber" and Rave
is that putrid shoe Universal
transferred onto
the screen. In all honesty, this film
should make you puke, but - if
you're a true friend to the art of film
- you'll give it a whiff, only to hate
yourself later.
Rarely does a film reach the elusive
"so-bad-it's-good" level of films like
"Snakes on a Plane" and "Highland-
er" (which navigate different paths
to the same end of the spectrum),
but "MacGruber" might be ready to
inherit the throne reserved for the
best horrible movie in existence.
Because of the "Saturday Night
Live" skit that spurred the film,
which stars "SNL" cast members
Will Forte and Kristen Wiig along
with Ryan Phillippe ("Stop-Loss"),
one would expect a lot of "bomb"
metaphors to pop up in any review of
such an atrocious piece of filmmak-
ing. MacGruber, played by Forte, is
essentially a poor man's MacGyver,
whose job it is to defuse bombs to
presumably save the world. But the
bomb metaphor for the film is too
easy and simplistic.
its view
into wha
Watchin
a stick o
Rema
twice in
relativel
is, when
ful, bei
offer ora
happens
also gett
about fo
long as i
co-star'
the ghos
former
Rudolph
defining
is a better comparison for logic makes sense.
ng how badly this film makes In essence, he's not just instruct-
ers feel, and it's built right ing us in how to adequately secure
at we're forced to call the plot: vegetables in our colons. He's also
ag this film feels like shoving offering existential insight into how
fcelery up your own butt. to watch, or rather how to stomach,
rkably, this act happens this film. While the two tasks sound
"MacGruber," in moments equally disturbing and painful (the
y crucial to the story - that celery gag, and spending money to
we aren't witnessing a tear- see "MacGruber"), we must be pre-
gging, out-of-options Forte pared for the worst parts before we
al sex to another man (which embark on either task.
three different times). We Likewise, we must not smell the
to see Forte's bare bottom for rotten shoes of our friends until
ur minutes, which is about as we've seen the sickened faces of our
it takes him to-have sex with peers who have also smelled them,
Wiig. He then goes at it with so we know what we're signing up
st of his dead wife, played by for. And, in life, we must know what
"SNL" cast member Maya we're getting into before we make
in what's sure tobe a career- decisions that have potentially ter-
role. rible consequences.
Consider the disgusting parts of
"MacGruber" to be the thick end
likestic ing of a celery stick you may or may not
k choose to jam into yourself Now
ery up your ... that you know every disgusting and
haunting image the film provides,
you should have no trouble decid-
ing whether or not you can handle
e is a brief bit of relevant watching 99 minutes of it. If you do
n in this celery business, decide to sit through it, don't say you
r, that makes the act reso- weren't warned. You have no one to
h viewers after the film ends. blame but yourself
ber explains to us, after he's Oh wait, one more thing: MacGru-
:e the gag the first time: "It ber eats the celery when he's done.
MARIO
From Page 8
of "Galaxy 2" are identical to the first
"Galay" game. Tle gameplay con-
sists of hopping from world to world,
lacing challenges built on various
planets and satellites. Players travel
through space in search of shiny col-
lectibles called Power Stars, running,
jumping and boppingtheir way along.
Throughout, they are fearlessly
thrust into 3-D gravity mayhem, retro
2-D throwbacks and platforming per-
fection.
The sequel's additions to the "Gal-
axy" formula are varied and fresh.
New to the game is the inclusion of
Yoshi, who has somehow managed
to become cuter and cuter since his
debut 20 years ago. Controlling Yoshi
is a blast, largely because he retains
that double-edged Yoshi thrill of the
old Mario games - a sense of power
coupled with great risk. New power-
ups for Mario, including rock and
cloud suits and a nifty drill are all
inspired, exciting flourishes.
Overall, "Galaxy 2" is more stream-
lined, varied and engaging than its
predecessor. Subtle edits to the game-
play yield great results. This time out,
the worlds have fewer challenges each,
meaning there are more of them. Each
manages to be a little bit more varied
than in the last game, too, from grassy
clusters of asteroids to monstrous
labrynthine battleships. In "Super
Mario Bros. 3" style, there's a world
map, along with a simplified base hub,
making navigation a breeze. The story
and preliminary stages waste no time
throwing players into the thrill-ride of
exploring Mario's universe.
And what a universe it is. "Super
Mario Galaxy 2" features what might
be the greatest level design in Nin-
tendo's established history. Every
single stage is a masterclass in art and
game design - a consistent gameplay
rollercoaster with consistently mind-
blowing results. Just when you think
you've experienced all the tricks of
"Galaxy 2," it throws out a handful of
new ones. The graphics are gorgeous-
ly rendered: From the farthest star to
Mario's mustache, "Galaxy 2" makes
the most of the Wii's hardware.
The orchestrated score is wonder-
ful, treating old and new tunes alike
with a heartfelt reverence. There is
so much to love about this game, and
it is clear that a lot of love went into
making it.
The only downside to "Galaxy 2"
is its similarity to its predecessor. But
while retaining much of that game's
form, "Galaxy 2" manages to improve
on it in crucial ways. It's hard even to
imagine where Nintendo can go from
here - single stages in "Galaxy 2"
have more creativity than most devel-
opers' entire games. If you own a Wii,
you should be playing and loving this
title. Heck, if you have ever loved
video games, you need to be explor-
ing this galaxy.
It,
cel
Thers
reflectio
howevet
nate wit
MacGru
just don
sounds counter-intuitive, but you
actually want to stick the thick end
in, because if you stick the skinnier
end in first, it'll just slip out." And
really, while vomit-inducing, his
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