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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