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6A — Monday, March 28, 2016
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘Missoula’ tackles
victim blaming
By SOPHIA KAUFMAN
Daily Arts Writer
If
you
somehow
missed
“Missoula: Rape and the Justice
System in a College Town” when
it
became
a
national
bestseller
around
this
time
last
year, the first
paperback
edition has now
been
released
by
Anchor
Books. Urgency
resonates with
every
page,
making
it
impossible
to
put down.
The
book
represents the culmination of Jon
Krakauer’s (“Under the Banner of
Heaven”) painstaking research
and re-crafting of several cases
of sexual assault or rape in
Missoula, Montana over four
years. He zeroes in on the culture
of athlete worship that schools
with big sports teams have to deal
with. Krakauer throws a harsh
spotlight on what news pundits
or other skeptics are actually
conveying when they dismiss the
problem of sexual assault and
rape on college campuses as rape
hysteria. When they argue that
activists — namely, feminists —
are manipulating assault cases
for the sake of their agenda, they
make it more and more difficult
for victims of assault to be heard.
It’s a dangerously effective form
of silencing.
One of the main functions of
“Missoula” is to demonstrate that
the idea of women frequently
“crying rape” — because they
regret bad sex, to cover up
cheating on a significant other,
for revenge — is one of the most
dangerous myths about sexual
assault circulating throughout
the country. The effects of these
myths are found not only in the
minds of people sitting on the
jury, but in the mores of police
precincts, in offices of district
attorneys and even in the behavior
of police or campus security
officers
who
are
sometimes
the most immediately available
people to whom rape survivors
can turn.
Krakauer
emphasizes
that
rape is the only crime for which
the survivors or victims of the
crime are on trial just as much
as — if not more than — the
defendants. He wryly points out
that the oath to tell the truth only
applies to witnesses. Others in the
courtroom, like defense attorneys,
prosecutors and judges, aren’t
beholden to it. Even due process
for defendants puts survivors in
a precarious position from the
start. The needs of the courtroom
—
presenting
challenges
to
credibility, submitting witnesses
to yes-or-no questioning rather
than giving them opportunities
to talk freely, confronting those
who may be perpetrators — come
before the needs of the victim.
Reading this book is like
repeatedly being punched in the
stomach. The details Krakauer
includes sound like tasteless
jokes. A coach equivocates on
the definition of rape while
testifying on behalf of an accused
rapist, then mentions that he is a
sexual education teacher. Police
officers ask women if they have
boyfriends when they report
rapes (implying they cheated
and now feel guilty). Prosecutors
badger survivors on the stand,
asking if they are sure they
communicated a lack of consent
well enough.
Yet despite how difficult it is to
be faced with the testimony and
primary documents Krakauer
includes, nothing in “Missoula”
feels
overly
sentimental,
manipulative
or
exploitative.
The
pathos
is
organic;
he
evokes
empathy
without
sensationalizing
any
of
the
stories he is telling. His inclusion
of several studies and statistics
never pulls focus from the social
critiques he’s making; they only
serve to accentuate the truth of
his arguments, hitting a sobering
conclusion towards the end:
“Rape
is
the
most
underreported
crime
in
the
nation. … When an individual is
raped in this country, more than
90 percent of the time the rapist
gets away with the crime.”
One of Krakauer’s final points
is that university processes for
investigating
and
prosecuting
sexual assaults have not been
standardized across the nation.
The lack of support is another
reason that people may feel
uncomfortable coming forward
about being assaulted; they
often literally have no idea what
will happen. Krakauer finishes
on a strong note: by speaking out
and coming forward, survivors
become part of a network that
makes it easier for others to
follow in their footsteps.
BOOK REVIEW
Missoula:
Rape and
the Justice
Sytem in
a College
Town
Jon Krakauer
Anchor Books
Jan. 12, 2016
‘Were None’ a new
formal masterpiece
By DANIELLE YACOBSON
Daily Arts Writer
Ten little soldier boys went out
to dine;
One choked his little self and
then there were Nine.”
Ten
strangers
arrive
on
Soldier Island.
They
eat
lobster soufflé,
smoke
cigars,
exchange war
stories
and
engage in an
epic
display
of
British
snobbery. And
then, just as the nursery rhyme
that conveniently decorates the
walls of their hosts’ mansion
foreshadows, the strangers are
poetically
murdered.
Based
on the famous mystery novel,
BBC’s miniseries “And Then
There Were None” is one of the
best literary screen adaptations
of
Agatha
Christie’s
work,
beautifully
capturing
the
nuances of her storytelling in a
visual masterpiece that merits
wild praise of its own.
Rarely is a work of visual
media so powerfully enthralling
that the present day, filled with
all its glorious gadgets and
distractions, disappears. Yet,
the 1939 world of “And Then
There Were None” masterfully
takes
precedence
over
real
time.
Simultaneously
evoking conflicting emotions
that
millennials
are
rarely
challenged to sort through,
the three-part series is both
tragically
beautiful
and
hauntingly mesmerizing.
While
BBC
consistently
produces
breathtaking
cinematic pieces, like “Downton
Abbey” and “War and Peace,”
their latest series surpasses
even their own high standards.
“And
Then
There
Were
None” employs a creativity in
cinematography that introduces
unexpected angles and lighting
that sets itself apart from
the
network’s
other
series.
Interspersed
between
BBC’s
signature sweeping landscapes
are shots that capture an image
so intriguing and abstract that
an early 20th century period
drama becomes laced with an
element of modernity. It’s shots
like these, when the viewer
finds himself gazing up from
the ocean floor at a woman in
a scarlet red bathing suit, the
sunlight
perfectly
outlining
her silhouette, that make “And
Then There Were None” stand
out as an artistic statement.
Adapting
a
renowned
literary work runs the risk of
sacrificing
crucial
nuances
FILM REVIEW
BBC
Row, row, row your boat...
for plot. The complexity of
Agatha Christie’s masterpiece,
however, is preserved by the
incredible
performances
of
the cast members. Whether
it be an overextended gaze or
an
off-putting
smolder,
the
actors
add
personality
and
emotion to even the smallest
moments. Each character is
colored by a complex backstory,
their secrets and lies slowly
uncovered throughout the three
installments.
Perfectly
paced,
the
miniseries
is
captivating
from
beginning
to
end.
Living through the camera,
which takes on a personality
of its own, the audience is
simultaneously
hunting
and
being hunted. Teetering on the
line of horror, orchestral music
climbing
to
uncomfortably
eerie notes, “And Then There
Were None” never allows for a
moment of boredom. Each scene
serves a purpose and no detail
is accidentally unveiled. The
thrilling momentum produces
a surprise at every turn, but
still allows time to capture
longing looks and linger on
the
impeccable
costuming
and set design. You’re never
comfortable, always on the edge
of your seat, and constantly
concocting crime theories.
And then, just when you
think you’ve figured it all out,
relishing in your astuteness and
patting yourself on the back for
outsmarting one of literature’s
most brilliant murder mystery
writers, the end leaves you
completely dumbfounded.
“One little soldier boy left all
alone;
He went and hanged himself,
And then there were None.”
Rhimes’s ‘The Catch’
doesn’t add to ‘TGIT’
By ALEX INTNER
Daily Arts Writer
Very few brands are as
powerful as Shonda Rhimes’s
(“Scandal”). She is so important
to ABC as a
network to the
point where it
has essentially
given
her
a
night
of
her
own. However,
“Thank
God
It’s Thursday”
has been facing
rating declines
as of late. Both
“Scandal”
and “How to Get Away with
Murder” are down double-
digit percentages from where
they were last season. While
neither show is in range of
being cancelled, “TGIT” is in
desperate need of a hit that
will help stabilize the night.
“The Catch” is not that show.
Even though it has the guise of
being suave and sexy, once you
actually watch it, it comes off as
dull and boring.
“The Catch” follows a private
detective named Alice (Mireille
Enos, “The Killing”) who —
get this — can’t figure out her
fiance Benjamin (Peter Krause,
“Parenthood”) is a con man
who’s been with her to infiltrate
her company. What a vocational
irony-driven
coinkydink!
In
the pilot, Krause’s character
disappears on Alice, taking
every trace of his existence
with him. Now, she’s forced
to confront her former fiance
conning her as she tries to hunt
him down.
The first big strike against
“The
Catch”
is
Enos’s
performance, as the actress
barely forms a character. She
brings little charisma to a role
that requires a lot of it. She’s
asked to show emotion, but can’t
seem to bring it to life. She has no
chemistry with any of her scene
partners, even Krause. It doesn’t
help that she isn’t given a lot on
the page with which to work.
However, when you put her in
a lineup with Ellen Pompeo
(“Grey’s
Anatomy”),
Kerry
Washington
(“Scandal”)
and
Viola Davis (“How to Get Away
with Murder”), who consistently
elevate their dramas with pure
performance ability, she pales in
comparison.
“The Catch” attempts to be
slick in its production, but it just
doesn’t succeed in any capacity.
There are purposefully smooth
cuts and some fun directorial
moments
from
Julie
Anne
Robinson (“Pushing Daisies”),
but once it reaches the 500
millionth stylish edit, they lose
their luster. There’s also an
overzealous score, which hits
you over the head with every
single emotional beat. I get that
Alice is sad that her fiance left
her, or that active manhunts can
be intense, but you don’t need to
have music emphasize the point
with a complete lack of subtlety.
Yet “The Catch” does have
some
worthwhile
elements.
Krause, who replaced Damon
Dayoub (“Stitchers”) from the
original pilot, actually brings
a sense of poise to Benjamin.
He’s charismatic, charming and
mysterious as a con man. The
only genuine moments from the
pilot — like when he asks Alice
to run away with him before he
leaves to not have to hurt her —
come from his dramatic chops
and delivery.
Still,
Krause’s
strong
supporting performance is not
nearly enough to salvage this
show. It tries to be a show with
sex appeal and smoothness,
but it can’t recover from its
nonsensical vocational irony
narrative or a dull performance
from its leading lady. ABC
shouldn’t be desperate to boost
its TGIT lineup yet, but this is
definitely not the show with
which to do that.
C
The Catch
Series
Premiere
Thursdays
at 10 p.m.
ABC
FILM REVIEW
ABC
Looks like just another boring, white TV couple.
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A+
And Then
There
Were None
Miniseries
BBC
This book is
like repeatedly
being punched
in the stomach.