The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, January 7, 2015 — 7A

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Do you hear anyone laughing?
‘Interview’ fails 
to live up to hype

Rogen-Franco 
comedy short on 

laughs 

By CONRAD FOREMAN

Daily Arts Writer

With its release abruptly can-

celled amid a hacking controversy, 
“The Interview” became perhaps 
the most polar-
izing movie of 
the 
crowded 

holiday film sea-
son. Sadly, the 
tale of the film’s 
release is more 
compelling than 
the actual plot.

Of 
course, 

longtime writ-
ing and direct-
ing partners Seth Rogen and Evan 
Goldberg (“This is the End”) didn’t 
set out to tell a heart-wrenching 
story, but rather to simply make 
people laugh, and give a big middle 
finger to Kim Jong-un.

“The Interview” opens strongly 

with Dave Skylark (James Franco, 
“127 Hours”), famous celebrity-
interviewer, and his producer, 
Aaron Rapoport (Rogen), during 

an interview with rapper Eminem, 
resulting in the funniest scene of 
the entire film. Soon, it’s revealed 
that North Korean dictator Kim 
Jong-un is a big fan of Skylark, 
and requests that Skylark come 
to North Korea to interview the 
supreme leader for the exclusive of 
a lifetime. Seizing the opportunity 
to strike a vulnerable enemy, the 
CIA intervenes and assigns Sky-
lark and Rapoport the mission of 
assassinating Jong-un which they 
accept. However, when the pair 
arrives in the enigmatic country, 
they find that things aren’t what 
they expected. They have doubts 
about the integrity of the mission, 
and their plain bone-headedness 
jeopardizes the entire operation.

Given the hullabaloo surround-

ing the film, one would expect 
“The Interview” to incite more 
anti-North Korean sentiment than 
it does. While Kim Jong-un is cer-
tainly the bad guy, the plot goes to 
significant lengths to humanize 
him and even generate some sym-
pathy for his position — pressure 
from his father, insecurity in his 
masculinity, etc. During the cli-
mactic interview, Jong-un’s own 
dialogue even flips the script on 
audiences, as he recites facts that 
call the U.S.’s moral superiority into 
question.

Aside from the political tones of 

the film, “The Interview” means 
to garner laughs, which it does 
only mildly. In this regard, the film 
falls short of most of Rogen and 
Goldberg’s previous efforts, such 
as “Pineapple Express” (Rogen 
and Franco’s first film together 
as co-stars) and “Superbad.” Par-
ticularly unfunny is Franco, whose 
character’s humor stems from his 
stupidity and relies on dick jokes 
and ambiguously gay puns. The 
funniest sequences of the film 
come from minor roles — the afore-
mentioned Eminem interview and 
a short scene with Anders Holm 
(Ders from “Workaholics”), who 
belittles Rogen about the type of 
“news” he produces.

Ultimately, “The Interview” 

proves more silly than serious, 
an escapist comedic fantasy that 
incorporates elements of real 
geo-political conditions, rather 
than a dramatic epic that incor-
porates comedy. Only someone as 
oppressive as Kim Jong-un could 
view this film as a threat. The 
most interesting legacy of “The 
Interview” might be its reception 
among the few North Koreans 
who get a hold of a copy, though 
Western society will likely never 
know if that reception is favor-
able.

New option for non-
drinkers at Brillig

By CAROLINE FILIPS

Daily Arts Writer

If you’re hoping for a fun night 

out without the typically embar-
rassing occurrences of a liquor-
soaked night, at long last, your 
wishes have been granted by Bril-
lig Dry Bar.

If you’ve never experienced the 

dry bar scene, just as I hadn’t, you 
might assume it to be similar to a 
restaurant or coffeehouse. I was 
also unsure of how those of legal 
age would respond to the non-
alcoholic principle. I expected the 
atmosphere to be just as dry as the 
bar, but the latest addition to Ann 
Arbor’s nightlife scene is modern 
and upbeat, while also alcohol-
free. One can enjoy him/herself 
at Brillig and leave without the 
regrets of drunken texts and Ins-
tagram posts.

Throughout 
the 
month 
of 

December, Brillig has hosted mul-
tiple pop-up events to introduce 
itself to Ann Arborites. Hosted in 
its daytime coffee shop, Mighty 
Good Coffee, Brillig is not a perma-
nent gathering place yet. However, 
its pop-up event on Dec. 26 boasted 

a buzzing crowd with a line out the 
door, foreshadowing a promising 
future for the unconventional bar 
concept.

As a viable alternative to both 

the late-night coffeehouse and bar 
scenes, Brillig is essentially the res-
urrection of the soda fountain, yet 
it caters to the new-age customer. 
Structured similarly to Mighty 
Good, customers order at the coun-
ter, then their food and beverage 
orders are called out for pickup. 
Seating ranges from couches, the 
bar and high and low tables. The 
eclectic décor, with bikes strung 
from the ceiling with various maps 
to educate customers on coffee pro-
duction, adds to its unpretentious, 
homey diner vibe.

Unlike the usual bar scene, Bril-

lig’s energy is sophisticated, not 
inebriated. It’s loud, but the noise 
is categorized by the pleasant 
cadences of everyday life — friends 
and families greeting and catching 
up, with a live band adding sooth-
ing sounds of light jazz in the back-
ground.

In addition to the usual fare of 

Mighty Good Coffee beverages, 
the drink menu ranges from the 

popular Brooklyn Egg Cream to 
the Cranberry Sour that I sampled, 
a deliciously tart and sweet con-
coction of Michigan-made Ver-
nors and cranberry juice.

Brillig also caters to snack 

cravings, with its pastry case and 
menu of small plates — snack trays 
of cheeses and fruits, meats and 
mustards and the winter cookie 
sampler.

As a Michigander through and 

through, my usual hangout spot 
has been Coney Island since I 
was approximately 12 years old. 
Though Ann Arbor never ceases 
to amaze me with its seemingly 
endless selection of restaurant 
and nightlife options, I was always 
homesick for my familiar diner 
scene. Yet after my positive experi-
ence at Brillig, I now hope to fre-
quent the kitschy hotspot.

Brillig fits in seamlessly to the 

city, as it’s everything Ann Arbor 
is: casual, clean and conceptually 
innovative. Though Brillig may be 
overlooked by college students at 
first glance, it’s a nice alternative 
to the standard collegiate night 
out, without wreaking havoc on 
your liver.

BRILLIG DRY BAR

Shirley Temple. Shaken, not stirred. 

YOUNG MONEY

That’s not how you ride a motorcycle!
Minaj reveals mature 
sound on ‘Pinkprint’

Nicki Minaj bucks 
hip-hop trends on 
her third release 

By ADAM THEISEN

Senior Arts Editor

Nicki Minaj became a legend 

before she even dropped an album. 
Back in 2010, she stole the spot-
light 
on 
one 

of the biggest, 
greatest 
rap 

albums of all-
time, 
produc-

ing the furious, 
instant-classic, 
schizoid 32 bars 
that 
defined 

Kanye 
West’s 

“Monster” (off 
My 
Beautiful 

Dark Twisted Fantasy). Not only 
that, she spent the start of her 
career making relatively bland 
top-40 radio hits infinitely better, 
going on an unprecedentedly kill-
er run of guest verses that would 
showcase her seemingly unlim-
ited drive and talent, blast loudly 
at high-school dances and induce 
nostalgia today.

Unfortunately, 
Minaj’s 
first 

album, Pink Friday, was a disap-
pointment. A few strong verses 
here and there were overwhelmed 
by bland pop songs. While there 
were obviously plenty of incentives 
($$$) to go for hits, all of Minaj’s 
character was lost in the meander-
ing tracks (bonus-track-turned-
surprise-smash 
“Super 
Bass” 

notwithstanding).

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded 

seemed to fix that problem. The 
delirious weirdness of “Come on a 
Cone” and the legit hip hop of “Beez 
in the Trap” found a comfortable 
home next to sugary pop numbers. 
Minaj’s sophomore release struck a 
perfect balance between all facets 
of her personality.

Minaj’s new record, The Pink-

print upsets that diverse balance 
a little bit, but all in the name of 
artistic evolution. It’s more sub-
dued, developed and mature, and 
it’s definitely a must-hear release. 
At 60-plus minutes (even longer 

with bonus tracks), it’s a beast of an 
album, a sprawling work that pres-
ents one of today’s strongest, most 
versatile artists in a creative sweet 
spot. Minaj never lets up or coasts 
throughout the entire album, and 
she delivers a new high for an 
already impressive career.

Opening track “All Things Go” 

is a stark beginning, with Minaj 
getting deeply personal right off 
the bat. She raps about her teen-
age pregnancy and abortion and 
the shooting death of her little 
cousin, starting the album with 
sober, powerful words that make 
you take a deep breath when the 
track ends. The production on “All 
Things Go” and many of The Pink-
print’s other tracks recalls Drake’s 
Nothing Was the Same. The dron-
ing keyboards and slow tempos 
evoke a dreamy, reflective mood, 
though instead of Drake’s often 
drug-induced haze we get Minaj’s 
more wistful remembrances.

The Pinkprint starts to accelerate 

after the first few songs, and really 
gets into gear once the guest stars 
show up. Track four, “Get On Your 
Knees,” is a solid, well-produced 
pop song, even if perpetual-preteen 
Ariana Grande still seems way too 
young to be singing what she’s sing-
ing. And then things really turn 
up on the subsequent song, “Feel-
ing Myself.” The absolutely stellar 
dream team of Minaj, Beyoncé and 
Hit-Boy (can you even imagine a 
better pop-music trio?) join forces 
to produce a more-than-worthy 
follow-up to “***Flawless (Remix).” 
Wrapping themselves in a blan-
ket of utter coolness, Hit-Boy once 
again pushes boundaries with 
his heavy, sway-inducing instru-
mental, Minaj fires off lines like 
machine gun rounds and Yoncé lit-
erally stops the world for a moment 
before allowing us all to carry on.

Elsewhere, Dr. Luke handles a 

plurality of the production duties. 
Putting recent unsettling allega-
tions aside, the hitmaking super-
producer does exactly what he’s 
supposed to do and does it well. He 
brings a sparse, chilly beat to the 
recent single “Only,” which show-
cases a confident-as-always Minaj 
but also contains a juvenile verse 
from Drake, some uninspiring bars 

from (still relevant!) Lil Wayne and 
Chris Brown, for some reason. Dr. 
Luke also pilots the formulaic-but-
catchy “The Night Is Still Young,” 
with its M83-esque chorus and 
fierce Minaj verses, and first single 
“Pills n Potions.” The beginning 
of the album’s comedown, “Pills 
n Potions” would be a typical 
slow-burn lighter-waver in most 
hands, but Minaj elevates it with 
her meaningful lyrics and emo-
tional delivery, creating a hip-hop 
“Someone Like You” that’s sweet 
and wistful with a shade of dark-
ness layered in.

Hm, am I forgetting anything? 

Oh yeah, just “Anaconda,” one of 
the craziest, most talked about 
songs of the year. In a party-
starting, furiously chaotic career 
highlight, 
Minaj 
subverts 
the 

misogynistic rap classic “Baby Got 
Back,” turning it into an empower-
ing celebration of her own sexual-
ity. Almost all of Minaj’s work on 
The Pinkprint is more subdued than 
in her early days when she tore 
“Monster” to shreds like a hungry 
lioness would devour a zebra, but 
“Anaconda” brings back the unpre-
dictable maniac Minaj, and my god 
is it glorious.

2014 was certainly not the year 

of the hip-hop album. Aside from 
probably ScHoolboy Q, there were 
no huge album releases this year, 
with most rappers electing instead 
to release material as quickly as 
possible over the Internet, or not 
release anything at all (looking 
at you, Yeezy). But Nicki Minaj 
changes everything. At over an 
hour long, The Pinkprint is almost 
impossible to swallow whole in 
the Internet era, but even on a 
track-by-track basis the work is 
still stellar. Minaj is confident and 
impenetrable, not failing once 
while taking even more artistic 
risks. On the last track, “Grand 
Piano,” she even brings a beautiful 
singing voice out of nowhere. Even 
if the song gets a little schmaltzy, 
it’s just so impressive that Minaj 
continues 
to 
achieve 
success 

beyond her audience’s high expec-
tations. As fantastic as she is, she’s 
still continuing to grow as an art-
ist, and I already can’t wait to hear 
what comes next.

MUSIC REVIEW
FILM REVIEW

B-

The 
Interview

State Theater 
and Quality 16

Columbia Pictures

A

The 
Pinkprint

Nicki Minaj

Young Money

EVENT REVIEW

