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Arts
Monday, January 12, 2014 — 5A

Classifieds

Call: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

ACROSS
1 “Say it isn’t so!”
5 Slick
9 Japanese poem
with 17 syllables
14 More than simmer
15 Natural skin
soother
16 Caravan stop
17 ’50s-’60s
Ramblers, briefly
18 Grand Prix series
designation
20 Brings in, as
salary
22 Geeky types
23 Controversial
Vietnam War
defoliant
26 Onetime Leno
announcer Hall
29 Salt, in Franasce
30 “__ we there yet?”
31 Add to the staff
33 Serving at
Popeyes
36 Gutter site
37 Avon or Fuller
Brush work, e.g.
42 Too
43 Country
bumpkins
44 “I hope you’ve
learned your __!”
47 Pro vote
48 Little white lie
51 “__-hoo! Over
here!”
52 What Al Capone
led
56 Collar attachment
for Spot
57 “MASH” setting
58 “Shh! Don’t tell!”
and hint to what
can precede the
starts of 18-, 23-,
37- and 52-
Across
63 Cheesy
sandwich
64 Dance in a line
65 Actress Garr
66 Autobahn auto
67 Like a truck
climbing a steep
hill
68 Flower part
69 Tiff

DOWN
1 White House
family
2 Respect that’s
“paid”

3 Coin with a
buffalo, once
4 Designer Mary-
Kate or Ashley
5 Klutzy fellow
6 U.N. worker
protection gp.
7 Doone of Exmoor
8 Red Sea republic
9 “Texas” poker
variety
10 Very small
batteries
11 Prefix with metric
12 Kith and __
13 Exploit
19 Hankering
21 Button that gets
things going
24 Sandwich cookie
25 Raring to go
26 Airline with
famously tight
security
27 Symbol of peace
28 Hair colorings
32 Vegetables in
pods
33 The “B” in TV’s
former The WB
network
34 “Your point
being...?”
35 Target city for
Godzilla

37 Tyne of “Judging
Amy”
38 Margarine
39 __ buco: veal
dish
40 Scuba diving
area
41 Not tight
45 Familiar adage
46 Evening, in ads
48 Inflame with
enthusiasm
49 Marcos with a
shoe collection

50 “Take a hike!”
53 Verifiable findings
54 “Snowy” wader
55 Sauce tomatoes
56 “Othello”
conspirator
58 Here, in Le
Havre
59 Truck weight unit
60 NBC late-night
comedy hit
61 Before, in poetry
62 Tiny Dickens
boy

By Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
01/12/15

01/12/15

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

RELEASE DATE– Monday, January 12, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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FOR RENT

Franchise falls 
apart in ‘Taken 3’ 

Neeson’s screen 

presence can’t save 
messy blockbuster

By JAMIE BIRCOLL

Senior Arts Editor

Not even Liam Neeson could 

save this one.

Though 
the 
62-year-old 

action star manages to main-
tain his always 
impressive 
screen 
pres-

ence, 
his 

talents 
are 

wasted on this 
most 
lacklus-

ter, incoherent 
and 
ill-con-

ceived 
action 

vehicle from French director 
Olivier 
Megaton 
(“Colombi-

ana”). Indeed, it’s time to lay 
this “Taken” franchise to rest.

A sequel to the previous two 

“Taken” films in name only, 
this third go for retired covert 
operative Bryan Mills features 
no kidnappings or Albanians 
from Tropoja. Instead, Mills is 
framed for the murder of his ex-
wife (Famke Janssen, “X-Men”) 
and must embark on a mission 
to clear his name while doling 
out occasional mild-mannered, 
PG-13 punishment to those 
responsible.

In theory, this idea is intrigu-

ing — an update of “The Fugi-
tive” with Neeson replacing the 
equally formidable Harrison 
Ford in the title role. Sadly, the 
premise proves the only com-
parison between the two films. 
Where “The Fugitive” is clever, 
gripping and intelligent, “Taken 
3” proves humdrum, a mere 
exercise in emptying wallets.

The script, from French mae-

stro Luc Besson (“Lucy”) and 
American Robert Mark Kamen 
(“The Fifth Element”), is so 
contrived, so very ignorant of 
just how stupid it is. And Mega-
ton’s direction features, quite 
simply, some of the choppiest, 
most incomprehensible cam-

erawork and editing, as well 
as a dearth of poignancy and 
immediacy. One chase sequence 
— and there are multiple, each 
less compelling than the previ-
ous — features, and I’m not even 
kidding, four cuts in about one 
second. That’s about equivalent 
to twisting your head side-to-
side as fast as you can in one 
second — it’s dizzying. Throw 
in some shaky camera work, 
and you have yourself an unin-
telligible film.

The actors are given little to 

work with; Liam Neeson (“Non-
Stop”) is solid as always, though 
he has far less to do here than 
one would hope (but he does 
survive two, count ‘em, two 
car explosions). Newcomer to 
the franchise Forest Whitaker 
(“Out of the Furnace”) plays 
the cop assigned to take Mills 
down. I assume he was added 
to create a sense of urgency, 
but, really, what kind of threat 
does the LAPD pose to a guy 
who singlehandedly took out 
an entire human trafficking 
cartel? Maggie Grace (“Knight 
and Day”) returns as Mills’s 
daughter to look sad and help-
less. And Stuart, the new hus-
band of Mills’s ex-wife from 
the first “Taken,” miraculously 
reverse-aged 10 years and was 
recast as Dougray Scott (“Mis-
sion Impossible 2”).

I’ll admit, I have a soft spot 

for these kinds of action films 
— yes they’re mindless, yes 
they don’t advance cinema in 
any way, shape or form and yes, 
they’re fun as hell. Not every-
thing that we deem cinema 
needs to be high art, not every-
thing needs to be avant-garde, 
cerebral, meaningful. Some-
times a healthy dose of escap-
ism is not only welcome but also 
necessary. But it’s mishandled 
films like “Taken 3” that prove 
me wrong.

I’ve gotten a lot of flak for 

wanting to see this film, and in 
this instance I was rightfully 
put in my place. The action film 
as a genre has been thoroughly 
stripped down into a series of 
explosions, quick cuts, shaky 
camerawork and poorly devel-
oped characters. There is, or 
used to be, artistry to convinc-
ing an audience that they are 
watching 
something 
urgent, 

that there is danger and that 
they should care about the man 
or woman facing that danger. 
What we have now is a mere 
semblance of action’s former 
self, a genre that seemed origi-
nal not ten years ago reduced to 
a skeleton, a formula.

So for now, I’ll look to the past 

for my adrenaline fix, for my 
danger. And to all those would-
be warriors out there, looking 
to revive a lost art, I have but 
two words for you: Good luck.

‘Galavant’ is 
fun, not funny

By ALEX INTNER

Daily Arts Writer

The musical TV genre has a very 

mixed track record on network tele-
vision. While “Glee” was successful 
for a long time 
and 
“Empire” 

opened strongly 
this week, other 
attempts 
(like 

“Smash”) 
have 

failed. 
While 

the ratings for 
“Galavant” 
were 
nothing 

to write home 
about, this show 
should have gained more atten-
tion. Though it’s not perfect, the 
first two episodes produce a highly 
entertaining hour of television, 
putting it among the better televi-
sion musicals.

“Galavant” follows an epony-

mous 
knight 
(Joshua 
Sasse, 

“Rogue”) whose true love Madale-
na (Mallory Jensen, “Young & 
Hungry”) 
was 
kidnapped 
by 

the evil King Richard (Timothy 
Omundson, “Psych”) so he could 
marry her. When Gal interrupts 
their wedding, Madalena chooses 
to remain with the king. After a 
year of heartache, the Princess of 
Valencia (Karen David, “Waterloo 
Road”) asks for his help in a quest to 
save her kingdom from the clutches 
of King Richard.

What contributes the most to 

“Galavant” ’s fun tone is its music. 
Written by Alan Menken and Glenn 
Slater (collaborators on Broadway’s 
“The Little Mermaid”), the songs 
are catchy and cathartic. The core 
of the show lies in its ability to 
release beautiful songs in each epi-
sode. Numbers like King Richard’s 

“She’ll be Mine” or the quartet 
songs “Maybe You’re Not the Worst 
Person Ever” prove that Men-
ken and Slater know how to put 
together amusing tunes with some 
clever words. Though the main 
“Galavant” melody does begin to 
tire by the third reprise in the hour, 
Slater adds some sharp quips to the 
lyrics which lessen the burnout.

While the songs’ humorous lyr-

ics are fantastic, the show’s dialogue 
is disappointing. Some contain 
humorous moments, but many have 
gags that come off as overly broad. 
Sometimes they have a solid idea, 
but it lasts for one or two lines too 
long, like a scene where Gal’s rival 
Sir Jean Hamm (John Stamos, “Full 
House”) tells a series of “yo-mama” 
jokes. Creator Dan Fogleman was 
also responsible for “The Neigh-
bors,” which was similarly hit-
and-miss comedically. It’s a shame 
that these scenes aren’t as strong, 
because they’re the only things that 
hold this show back from being the 
best small-screen musical.

The lack of comedic success is not 

the cast’s fault, however. Many of 
the actors bring charm to the screen 
despite being saddled with weak 
material. Omundson especially gets 
some of the more immature jests, 
but he has so much fun with his 
part that you hardly notice the bad 
jokes. He gives a huge performance, 
chewing scenery left and right. It 
works well, especially in the musical 
numbers. He is what makes “She’ll 
be Mine” as amusing as it is.

“Galavant” is exactly what a 

TV musical should be. Its songs 
are catchy and it’s a hell of a good 
time. While the humor isn’t 
always strong, the other elements 
are prominent enough to make it 
incredibly enjoyable television.

Earning the right to 
wear band T-shirts

DGC RECORDS

Smells like teen spirit...or maybe that’s manure.

By MELINA GLUSAC

Daily Arts Writer

They’re everywhere.
Who would’ve thought two 

little x’s for eyes, a squiggly smi-
ley face to finish them off and an 
all-caps rendering of a band name 
would unite and inadvertently 
become the biggest fashion state-
ment of 2014?

Sure, the typically black and yel-

low T-shirts containing the afore-
mentioned components emerged 
way before this past year — 1987, 
to be exact, when Nirvana formed. 
But it wasn’t until last year (pos-
sibly before, one is too trauma-
tized by it all to look these things 
up) that Urban Outfitters and 
other hipster-catering clothing 
brands decided Kurt Cobain, Krist 
Novoselic and Dave Grohl were 
the new Louis Vuitton bag.

As preposterous as it sounds to 

the ears of any ex-brooding teen or 
early ’90s connoisseur, grunge is 
“in” now, dipped in flannel shirts, 
Dr. Martens and Nirvana; 1994 has 
come full circle (except, of course, 
in regards to popular music). Teen-
age girls, fashion bloggers and hip 
men alike don Nirvana t-shirts. 
Got a lone black blazer? Finish it 
off with some distressed jeans, 
black booties and a Nirvana t-shirt. 
It’s a neutral; it goes with every-

thing. Don’t worry.

All this leaves music purists and 

Nirvana fans with one pesky ques-
tion: Do these people even know 
who Nirvana is?

Now, maybe we’re not giving 

them enough credit. I’m sure they 
know Nirvana was a band with a 
lead singer that died. Oh, and they 
sang that one really catchy song, 
“Smells Like Teen Spirit,” right? 
Yeah, that was a good one. Really 
edgy, man. That one was rockin’.

But do they know some of Nir-

vana’s best work (i.e. “Dive” or 
“Aneurysm”) wasn’t a product of 
Nevermind, however glorious it is, 
but rather 1992’s Incesticide? Do 
they know about “In Bloom” or the 
Biblical imagery of “Heart-Shaped 
Box”? Do they know Cobain wrote 
“Something in the Way” about his 
experiences with homelessness, 
allegedly living under the bridge 
on Wishkah River in Washington 
when he couldn’t find a place to 
sleep (though Novoselic disputes 
this)? Moreover, do they intensely 
dislike Courtney Love?

Probably not. Well, maybe the 

Courtney Love part.

I like to think this parapher-

nalia constitutes a “true” fan, one 
that is worthy, for lack of a better 
word, of wearing a shirt with a 
certain band’s name. I personally 
employ a strict 15-song rule before 

I slip any sort of music-related 
attire on my body: If I know at 
least 15 songs by the artist on the 
T-shirt, I deserve to wear it. Part of 
it’s a pride thing, but the other part 
is some deep irrational fear that 
I’ll run into another human being 
like myself who will test me, as I’m 
testing all Nirvana T-shirt owners 
with these words.

Knowing all the guts and glory 

behind your choice aesthetic of the 
day makes it that much more worth 
it, at least to me. What angers most 
Nirvana fans is the “style over sub-
stance” mindset many outfitters of 
the urban variety have adapted — 
they prefer the frock for its grunge-
y chic look rather than the fact that 
it reminds them of the sunny tune, 
“Rape Me.” Understandable, but 
not intellectually desirable.

Nevertheless, it’s exposure — the 

fashion world has made sure people 
don’t forget about one of the best 
things that happened to the music 
industry in the ’90s, whether that 
was a conscious move or not. All the 
Forever 21 models are carrying on 
Cobain’s memory, as much as that 
would have nauseated him, per-
haps even inspiring people to revisit 
the justifiably legendary band.

In the meantime, though, I’ve 

only given you seven songs for your 
repertoire. Study up before you slip 
on.

TV REVIEW

C-

Taken 3

Rave and 
Quality 16

20th Century Fox

B+

Galavant

Mini-Series 
Premiere 
Sundays 
at 8 p.m.

ABC

MOVIE REVIEW

20TH CENTURY FOX

When will they let me stop making these movies?

MUSIC NOTEBOOK

