12
Thursday, June 9, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS
Misterwives
The
energetic
equivalent
of
the previous day’s Years & Years,
Misterwives presented the piercing
vocals of the female frontman
Mandy
Lee
and
her
endless
encouragement and positivity that
prefaced every song. It’s nice to
hear, every once in awhile, that I
can accomplish my dreams, even
if those dreams are only vaguely
defined in the back of my mind.
Regardless, the alt-pop band went
through the rounds of their hits and
singles in a hometown performance,
as well as presenting new material
in their hour-long set on Saturday in
between shouts of encouragement
and thanks as Lee ran around stage
belting high notes. The energy in
the air was never more electric than
when they performed “Reflections”
and “Our Own House” and, despite
unfamiliarity
with
the
songs,
never was it lacking as she led the
audience through lyrics and refrains
as a strive towards inclusivity.
Misterwives’ brand of alt-pop is
the guilty pleasure kind, the kind
that makes you want to dance, but
crippling insecurity directs you
towards the sadder, hipper music
instead. It’s the kind that makes
you want to run, but self-doubt and
unathleticism prevents that from
happening.
Lord Huron
For the three years I’ve listened
to Lord Huron, I’ve recommended
them to friends and family and even
included their discography on my
“Should I Read or Should I Cry?”
playlist alongside Bob Dylan’s. For
three years I have alternatively
referred to them with the pronouns
“he” or “them” interchangeably, for,
despite my devotion to their music,
I never truly knew if Lord Huron
was an individual or a band. Forget
the internet. That wouldn’t solve
my problem. Only running toward
the main stage on Saturday, toward
their scheduled performance, would
end the years of self-doubt. And it
turned out to be a four-piece, all-
male band, with a name inspired by
the great lake itself who didn’t fail
to impress. Their music is melodic
and pure, leaning towards the folk
genre but not in the same vein as
The Lumineers. If there was a way
a midwestern field or a gust of wind
could be captured in music, it would
be captured by Lord Huron in slow-
building songs like their hits “Time
to Run” and “Ends of the Earth,” but
also in more fast-paced songs like
“Hurricane (Johnnie’s Theme).
TV REVIEW
‘Feed the Beast’ uneasy
mix of crime and food
By SAM ROSENBERG
Daily Arts Writer
Considering
AMC
holds
a
relatively
high
standard
after
producing
three
critically
acclaimed
series
—
“Mad Men,”
“Breaking
Bad”
and
“The
Walking
Dead” — it
makes sense
why “Feed
the
Beast”
has received
dismal
reviews. Based on the Danish TV
show “Bankerot” and developed
by “Dexter” showrunner Clyde B.
Phillips, “Feed the Beast” is missing
the “it” factor that made those
three aforementioned programs so
successful and distinctive among
the rest of television. In the show,
there aren’t any colorful yet deeply
flawed characters, slow-burning
drama or tantalizing dialogue — at
least not yet.
While
“Feed
the
Beast”
possesses some potential as a fast-
paced melodrama, it suffers from
middling writing, wooden acting
and a lack of chemistry between
its two leads. Jim Sturgess (“Across
the Universe”) overperforms as
the
arrogant,
cocaine-snorting
chef Dion Patras, who gets out of
prison after setting his restaurant
on fire. His former partner Tommy
Moran
(David
Schwimmer,
“American Crime Story: The People
v. O.J. Simpson”) is an alcoholic
sommelier-turned-wine-rep
and
recent widow, his deceased wife
Rie (Christine Adams, “Pushing
Daisies”) having been part of the
duo’s restaurant business. Together,
Tommy and Dion are (apparently) a
great team, but tensions and past
mistakes immediately fuel friction
between the two once they reunite.
In terms of its plot, “Feed the
Beast” can actually make for
an
engaging,
ambitious
story.
However, the first episode, aptly
titled “Pilot Light,” doesn’t ignite
a strong enough fuse to set the
story in motion. Within the first 10
minutes of “Feed the Beast,” there’s
already a lot going on, especially
because it involves sex, drugs
and even some violence to boot.
After being released from prison,
Dion soon finds trouble when he
attempts to outrun an angry mob
boss named Patrick “The Tooth
Fairy” Woichick (Michael Gladis,
“Mad Men”), to whom he owes
money. Despite Gladis’ best efforts,
his character remains bereft of
any personality or threatening
presence, being a bland villain with
a ridiculous nickname — is there
anything more menacing-sounding
than “The Tooth Fairy”?
Meanwhile, a sullen, wine-
drinking Tommy attempts to be a
caring single parent to his only son
T.J. (newcomer Elijah Jacob), who
has become silent after witnessing
his mother’s tragic death. T.J. is
the most interesting character so
far on “Feed the Beast,” not just
because he doesn’t utter a single
line of dialogue, but also because
his quietness provides an authentic
firmness to the show’s shaky
emotional
core.
Schwimmer’s
dramatic
chops-portraying
lookalike and O.J.’s ex-confidant
Robert Kardashian on “American
Crime Story” were decent enough
and are again on display in “Feed
the Beast.” However, Schwimmer’s
individual performance struggles
to develop his troubled character
into
something
profound
and
three-dimensional.
Similarly,
Sturgess resorts to making Dion
into a loathsome, hot-headed chef
stereotype, like Bradley Cooper in
“Burnt” or Catherine Zeta-Jones
in “No Reservations.” His scenes
with Schwimmer also feel as
disconnected as their characters —
the two flatly and often unnaturally
delivering lines to one another — as
if Schwimmer and Sturgess were
just placed next to one another
having met only a minute before
shooting.
Other than T.J., the most
intriguing aspect of “Feed the
Beast” is the food itself. Thanks to
some sumptuous cinematography
and stylized, quick-cut editing, the
food made on the show is almost too
savory and mouth-watering to look
at. There’s a great fantasy scene at
one point, where Dion holds up
a plate and describes an eclectic
dish of grilled octopus topped
with cherry tomatoes, which only
Tommy (and the viewer) sees. In a
later sequence, after a spontaneous
moment of inspiration, Dion cooks
up some heavenly pasta for Tommy
and T.J., a sweet gesture that
highlights the duo’s complicated,
close relationship, only for a fleeting
moment.
Unlike other AMC first-season
competitors “Preacher” and “The
Night Manager,” “Feed the Beast”
hasn’t found its footing right away.
It bounces around thematically
and tonally, juggling between a
mediocre crime subplot, a character
study on grief and loss and a food-
centric story about the cut-throat
environment of high-class cooking.
At the moment, “Feed the Beast”
seems unsure of itself, focusing
on which of the three storylines
could be the strongest, instead of
how each storyline can prove to be
compelling on their own, as well as
blending easily with one another. If
you come hungry before watching
“Feed the Beast,” don’t expect to be
full by the end.
B-
Feed the
Beast
Series Premiere
Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
AMC
GOV BALL
From Page 6
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