interview with longtime friend
Foxman
showcases
signature
Barrymore
—
unapologetic,
unedited and exceedingly wise
— covering everything from
her family goldfish’s feeding
schedule to the specifics of her
latest film, “Miss You Already,”
which premiered during the
Toronto
International
Film
Festival
this
September.
As
Foxman continues to praise
her
remarkable,
persisting
likability, Barrymore modestly
withholds any self-praise. She
simply admits her lifelong goal
of being everyone’s cheerleader,
a quality she saw best embodied
in Norm from “Cheers.” Ever
the
optimist,
Barrymore
regards her past with reverence,
maintaining
the
invaluable
learning
experiences
derived
from missteps, a key concept of
her new autobiography.
In collaboration with Nicola’s
Books, The Michigan Theater
is hosting the only Michigan
stop of her “Wildflower” book
tour.
During
Wednesday’s
“An
Evening
with
Drew
Barrymore,” the actress is set
to speak about her work, read
excerpts from the memoir and
answer questions from the
moderator,
theater
director
of sponsorship Drew Waller.
Guests can submit questions
upon entry to the show. Each
ticket purchase includes a copy
of the memoir, released Oct.
27, which Barrymore can sign
following the presentation.
“I think it’s a really great
chance to see someone we know
as an actress,” said Ruth Lednicer,
the theater’s senior director of
marketing and programs.
Barrymore’s
directorial
debut “Whip It” — the roller
derby-dramedy starring Ellen
Page, filmed throughout the
Metro Detroit area. Though her
repertoire continues to expand,
today, Barrymore dabbles in all
facets of filmmaking from acting
to producing.
“She’s
pretty
multifaceted
and a very talented woman,”
Lednicer said. “She’s lived a
very intense life in 40 years, and
has some really nice insights to
what’s important in life.”
Lednicer
received
a
pre-
release copy of the memoir, and
was apt to share a synopsis.
“Her
book
is
really
her
various life stories — growing
up in the crazy world she grew
up in and how having her
daughters helped her solidify
her life and calm her and center
her world,” Lednicer said. “Her
mother was a single mother
that raised her with the idea
that she should do whatever she
wanted to do. Sadly, her mother
ended up checking her into a
rehab center at the age of 12, but
Drew said that’s the best thing
that could’ve happened to her
because it taught her respect and
gratitude and grounded her.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 — 5
BARRYMORE
From Page 1
‘Ghost Dimension’
can’t even be OK
By BRIAN BURLAGE
Daily Arts Writer
There’s a pretty substantial
trap that most modern hor-
ror movies fall into these days,
and I’d like to
spend
some
time
explain-
ing it to you
— not because
it’s
confusing
or elusive, but
because
it’s
worth
talking
about.
“Paranormal
Activity:
The
Ghost
Dimen-
sion” proves to
be an excellent
case study. As
the alleged final
installment
to
a highly suc-
cessful (and some would argue
influential)
franchise,
“Ghost
Dimension” had its work cut
out. With a strong, well-devel-
oped backstory involving a rela-
tively likeable family, with its
cinematographic style already
established, with a history of
box-office brawn and boom — all
“Ghost Dimension” had to do was
simply glide by. It just needed to
be OK. It failed at even that.
This brings us to the trap,
which dulls the latest “Para-
normal
Activity”
film
like
an ugly dose of NyQuil. I’m
going to walk you through it.
Are you ready? Paying atten-
tion? Keep your eyes poised
on the screen, on these words
because it’s about to get very
GGGGRRRAWAWAWRRRRRR.
Did that scare you? Did you
jump? Because that’s it, that’s the
whole trap: the jump scare.
For various reasons — weak
stories, boring characters, poor
style choices, inexperience — more
and more horror movies resort to
the jump scare for a good pump
of adrenaline. Instead of relying
on the natural suspense of a scene
that’s been building because of its
well-positioned place in the story,
some horror movies rely on the
cheap effect of surprise: not the
respectable twist-inspired kind of
alarm, but the annoying dumbed-
down version of shock. “Ghost
Dimension” does this again and
again.
What makes this especially
difficult to come to terms with is
the fact that the film didn’t have
to rely on jump scares. The first
three “Paranormal Activity” mov-
ies were all good and inventive
to some degree, and though the
franchise has certainly been slip-
ping since then, it has a reliable
formula to fall back on: tricks with
mounted cameras, eerie sequences
without music, kids terrorized
by malevolent spirits, creepy and
mysterious rituals, you know the
drill. “Ghost Dimension” gives a
middle finger to all of these.
And then there’s the plot. I’ll
do it justice with one sentence. A
cult demon named Toby preys on a
suburban family, latches onto one
of the younger girls and uses her to
breach a ghostly portal and travel
back in time to terrorize the fam-
ily. Eighty-eight minutes do noth-
ing to make this mundane plotline
more compelling or intelligible.
While I try to bring this
review to a conclusion (hope-
fully with more success than the
franchise), I’m struck by some-
thing I hadn’t considered until
now. “Ghost Dimension,” like its
predecessors, spends a great deal
of time focusing on static, empty
places. The mounted cameras
show empty halls, staircases and
bedrooms for minutes at a time.
This is where the true horror and
fear of the movie resides: in the
deliberate vacancy — the promise
of emptiness.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
The photographer won’t be happy when his sex tape gets leaked.
COURTESY OF LITTLE BRUTES
Looks more like Little Milds.
Little Brutes rising
with unique sound
By CATHERINE BAKER
Daily Arts Writer
It’s just past 11:00 on a Fri-
day night and I’m one of the
lone survivors in the Fish-
bowl. I’ve reached a point
where there’s something deep-
ly satisfying about outlasting
the guy at the computer next
to me. Or maybe it’s terribly
sad that this is what brings
me joy today. The low hum of
the printers, the clatter of the
keyboard and the occasional
cough from across the room
make for soothing background
noise. I can’t help but think
that someone infinitely more
talented than myself would be
able to make something beau-
tiful from such simple sounds.
While I may not be able
to take a series of snaps and
claps and transform it into a
chart-topper, my most recent
obsession, Little Brutes, does
just that. The LA-based pop
duo works miracles with what
sounds like a minimal amount
of
instruments.
Members
Rachael Cantu and Harlan
Silverman met while touring
with B.B. King and began
collaborating in their dressing
room
before
shows.
Their
debut EP Desire combines airy
melodies with strategic vocals
to produce a live band sound
despite the computer screen
and headphones that separates
them from the listener.
Exploring themes of lost
time,
endless
future
and
persistent
progress,
Little
Brutes
creates
a
feeling
that
mixes
nostalgia
and
excitement. Producing songs
with fixed beats that resemble
ocean swells and steady rain
patter, Desire can easily make
the jump from Fishbowl to
front porch (though perhaps
not with this cold weather
rolling in).
Opening with “Make Our
Own Way,” Little Brutes tells
a tale of self-acceptance and
adventure with lyrics that
claim, “All we need is a roof
and a warm place.” Repetitive
guitar riffs and harmonies that
make your spine tingle dictate
the
track,
constructing
a
sound that pushes you to seize
the moment and live in the
present. The background noise
is filled with eccentric items,
like salt and pepper shakers
or the ring of a cowbell, which
emphasizes
Little
Brutes’s
unique sound and innovative
structure.
The title track, “Desire,”
speaks of broken relationships
and picking up the pieces,
comforting
listeners
with
lyrics
like
“Someone
said
to me / You’re where you
should be.” (Unrelated, but
applicable: These lyrics are
particularly consoling during
the lovely time of midterms.)
Claps,
snaps
and
hands
create the bulk of the noise in
“Desire,” embodying an almost
polyphonic tone. It’s a song
reminiscent of dark, highway
drives and the changing of the
seasons.
All
the
songs
are
characterized
as
light
electronica
and
are
lyric-
focused with a driving bass
throughout,
but
“Wait
for
Me” takes electronic to the
next level. Synthetic, slow
and sensuous, “Wait for Me”
speaks to the transitive nature
of time, musing “If this world
is not as it seems / Wait for
me.” A mélange of instruments
works together to fashion a
single sound perfect for those
late night contemplations.
Little
Brutes
could
make music with whatever
instruments, kitchen utensils
or people they were given,
which in my book makes them
true artists. They may not be
on the Top 100, nor should
they aspire to be. If they keep
making music that they love,
they’ll attract listeners who
love it too. (Salt and pepper
shakers and all.)
Keep your eyes on
these words, because
it’s about to get very
GRAWRRWRAAA
FILM REVIEW
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
I CAN’T FEEL MY _____ WHEN I’M
WITH YOU. BUT I LOVE IT.
A) FACE
B) NECK BRACE
C) ACE OF BASE
D) BLANK SPACE
THE ANSWER IS IN YOUR SOUL.
Send us your thoughts, send us your love.
E-mail arts@michigandaily.com.
D
Para-
normal
Activity:
The Ghost
Dimension
Paramount
Pictures
Coming soon
to VOD
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