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Arts
Friday, October 21, 2016 — 5A
HBO
“I couldn’t help but wonder, is divorce the new marriage?”
There’s something to be said
for dark comedies. The trend
toward greater realism in the
recent slew of fall comedies,
like FX’s “Better
Things,”
could
be an indication
of
the
desire
to see our own
human
flaws
and
everyday
realities laid bare
on screen. With
HBO’s
newest
comedy “Divorce,”
however, there are
realities
better
left unshown.
The series follows a couple,
Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker,
“Sex and the City”) and Robert
(Thomas
Haden
Church,
“Easy A”), through a lengthy,
tumultuous divorce. But rather
than providing a poignant look
into the lives of two people who,
against all odds, have decided
to call it quits, the series is a
dismal portrait of two self-
centered middle-aged people
who are too consumed with
themselves to make any effort
in their relationship.
This is apparently reason
enough for Frances to reevaluate
her life and her marriage,
following a jarring incident
at her friend Diane’s (Molly
Shannon, “Wet Hot American
Summer: First Day of Camp”)
50th birthday party. It’s not
clear in the episode why Frances
and Robert’s marriage suddenly
crumbles before our eyes. Yes,
the two main characters are
flawed, and yes, there is some
deep-seated
unhappiness,
as
with many marriages, but there
aren’t any significant points of
contention
between
Frances
and Robert. Rather than seeing
a
meaningful
problem
that
antagonizes their relationship,
we get a scene that shows their
close friends, Diane and her
husband Nick (Tracy Letts,
“The Big Short”), erupting in
a violent conflict that spurs
Frances’s uncertainty regarding
her marriage.
Frances
doesn’t
waste
a
moment after her revelation.
While Robert still reels from
the events that take place just
moments before, Frances gives
it to him straight. In a more
convoluted version of the “It’s
not you, it’s me” break-up
speech, Frances articulates her
dissatisfaction — something that
comes as a complete surprise
to Robert. In this moment, it’s
apparent
that
Frances
spends
a
lot
of
time
thinking
about
herself. While the
verbiage she uses
implies some level
of soul-searching,
it’s
obvious
that
she
hasn’t
considered
the
implications.
From
this
moment
on,
Frances
only
becomes
more
unlikable.
Though the motivation behind
her crisis isn’t clear at first,
her selfishness is immediately
clear. This isn’t helped by the
fact that after the first act,
we’re introduced to the man
she’s having an affair with,
Julian
(Jemaine
Clement,
“What We Do in the Shadows”),
who’s
equally
self-centered.
It’s the thought of Julian that
comforts Frances when her
friend Dallas (Talia Balsam,
“No Strings Attached”) warns
that divorcing her husband
will leave her feeling lonely
(side note: Frances’s only other
close friend is a bitter divorcée
— another demonstration of
the show’s lack of subtlety and
ingenuity).
After leaving her husband,
Frances goes to Julian expecting
him to welcome the news
with
excitement.
However,
he’s predictably freaked out
by the sudden serious turn
their relationship has taken.
Again, Frances demonstrates
her complete lack of empathy
towards the people in her
life she depends on most — a
highly unappealing quality in a
protagonist. When it becomes
clear to Frances that her plan
to leave Robert and be with
Julian won’t go as expected, she
halfheartedly makes amends
with Robert.
There is nothing respectable
about her decision, but it’s
understandable considering her
circumstances. Not everyone
is
strong
enough
to
make
the
kind
of
self-sacrificing
decisions that often need to
be made. The show isn’t asking
us to sympathize with her,
but to understand her. If this
is the kind of character that
embodies the gritty storytelling
pervasive in TV today, then
shows that utilize this type
of characterization need to
work a lot harder to sustain
our attention. It’s difficult to
become invested in a character
that we resent. Frances doesn’t
possess the kind of complexity
that
flavors
her
character
and story with just enough
contradiction to be interesting.
She’s
unsophisticated,
motivated by selfishness, and
completely unlikable.
That isn’t to say that Robert
is likable, exactly. We’re almost
tricked into siding with him
when he candidly points out
to Frances that “The crisis at
Nick and Diane’s is the kind of
stuff that’s supposed to bring us
together.” But the show quickly
reveals its hand when Robert
proves to be just as petty as his
soon-to-be ex-wife.
It’s hard not to compare a new
HBO show about relationships
starring Sarah Jessica Parker to
“Sex and the City.” The parallels
that can be drawn between the
two are mostly superficial. The
protagonist,
an
independent
woman, struggles with a failing
relationship that highlights her
greatest flaws and draws out
extremely unlikable qualities.
Equally as unlikable is the male
lead: her husband, a man so
clueless that he doesn’t realize
his wife is having an affair.
However, it may be more apt
to compare the new series to
HBO’s “Togetherness,” which
was cancelled following its
second
season.
The
show’s
writing was also bound to
reality and to the complexity
of
human
relationships.
It
was dark but sweet, and it
was relatable. But “Divorce”
lacks
the
self-awareness
that
made
“Togetherness”
equally as charming as it was
bleak. “Divorce” attempts to
counteract its affluent suburban
desperation
with
shallow
humor, often falling flat. If
HBO was hoping to replace
“Togetherness” with a similar
show with greater star power,
than “Divorce” is not the ticket.
As in most cases, ‘Divorce’
is depressing and unfunny
SHIR AVINADAV
Daily Arts Writer
New HBO dramedy feels like a subversion of ‘Sex and the
City,’ but without the laughs
ANDERSON .PAAK
Former Daily Arts editor Adam DePollo coming in with subliminal Apple product placement.
Anderson .Paak is a singer and
multi-instrumentalist who blends
soul, funk, hip hop and R&B to cre-
ate a warm, timeless sound that’s
distinctly his own. Knxwledge
is a technically skilled hip-hop
producer with a knack for finding
perfectly obscure
records to sample
and
supporting
them with crisp,
thick percussion.
After
meeting
on Twitter, the
pair released an
EP under their
collaborative
alias, NxWorries,
in 2013, and though it’s beauti-
ful, its brevity inevitably left fans
wanting more. Both artists have
evolved
independently
since
— Anderson .Paak released his
second solo album, Malibu, ear-
lier this year, while Knxwledge
produced for Kendrick Lamar
and Earl Sweatshirt. Another col-
laboration began to feel like fan-
tasy, obviously doomed by tour
schedules or other complications.
However, on Friday, NxWorries
released their first full-length
LP one week ahead of its sched-
uled arrival on iTunes and Apple
Music.
Yes Lawd! is a lighthearted
project and its artists seem at ease,
like they’re creating music solely
for the fun of it. Its instrumentals
archive the brightest sounds of
earlier eras and Anderson .Paak
dances atop them, the stages for
his vocal theatrics. He is a an old-
school emcee: neither rapping nor
singing exactly, he keeps his tone
somewhere in between the two
and still never fails to turn spo-
ken words into song. The album
opens with a brief skit featuring
gangster braggadocio, then segues
into “Livvin,” a proper introduc-
tion on which .Paak delivers soul-
ful, celebratory anecdotes about
persistence despite hardships and
drought. The beat is built around
suspenseful, looping horns and
.Paak establishes humane sen-
sibility through his affirmation:
“It ain’t all about the money, you
dummy / But if it’s out here, why
don’t you get it?”
Initially,
the
album
feels
dedicated
to
romancing Anderson
.Paak’s loved one.
“Wngs” is a smooth,
jazzy plea for an
overdue
night
together
and
on
“Best One” he basks
in her perfection,
assuring: “I hope I
never have to cut you
off / You’re my best one.” “What
More Can I Say” complicates
the love story by introducing
.Paak’s most sensitive relationship
tendencies — he confesses his
inability to be leashed, but still
feels hopelessly attracted to the
idea of a relationship. On Yes
Lawd!, Anderson .Paak is not
just an infatuated poet — he is a
classically cool male entertainer in
obvious parallel to Marvin Gaye.
“Lyk Dis” is a confident,
sensual bedroom rap delivered
with swagger and sensitivity
and “Scared Money” campaigns
for sexual urgency, relying on
the metaphor “scared money
don’t make money” to spark an
immediate fire. On “Starlite,”
.Paak delivers the album’s most
technically impressive rap verse,
bragging over piano and choir
loops: “I’m nothing like your
Ken and you got bigger tits than
Barbie.” His fast words are slyly
spoken in striking similarity to
Andre 3K’s prophetic tone on
“International Player’s Anthem.”
Songs are short and change fre-
quently on Yes Lawd!, often tran-
sitioning through oddly comical
skits or beat changes that serve as
interludes. It’s an unconventional
form for an album, but business as
usual for Stones Throw Records,
the independent label that backs
NxWorries
and
many
other
underground
hip-hop
heroes.
Their albums are often jumpy and
packed with quirky skits, which
could be off-putting if done by an
unfit producer, but such spaces
allow Knxwledge to infuse his
personality with subtlety. “Can’t
Stop” starts as a hypnotic break-
beat with ad-libs as the only vocal
accompaniment, then becomes
moodier, with drippy instru-
mentation and vague, monotone
singing, before concluding with
sampled dialogue from the Car-
toon Network show, “Rick and
Morty.” Anderson .Paak is com-
pletely absent from the song, yet
every moment is musically excit-
ing.
Still,
the
most
rewarding
moments
arrive
when
the
artists’
distinctions
disappear
and NxWorries becomes a truly
combined entity. “Kutless” is a
smooth, hazy, minimalist ride on
which Anderson .Paak repeats
an invitation to “cruise for the
moment,” and the beat perfectly
balances his lyrical simplicity.
Knxwledge and .Paak co-author
an elaborate musical sketch on
“H.A.N.,” a shaming of the leeches
that often ruin the artists’ moods,
and “Jodi” is a short interlude with
similar intentions.
Yes Lawd! is half beat tape and
half 1980s nightclub performance,
but it’s sharpest when the two
forms intertwine. The album’s
epic, “Get Bigger / Do U Luv,”
offers a bone-chilling reflection
on .Paak’s steep climb to happi-
ness, then switches into a moody
sing-song in which he wonders
emphatically: “Do you love?” Knx-
wledge’s impossibly thick, tex-
tured strings perfectly score the
serenity. It’s the magical, collabor-
ative masterpiece that we waited
for, even if it’s only one song.
SALVATORE DIGIOIA
Daily Arts Writer
NxWorries achieves musical nirvana
Anderson .Paak continues his meteoric rise with producer Knxwledge
A-
Yes Lawd!
NxWorries
Stones Throw
In Part One of “Dekalog,”
Irena
(Maja
Komorowska,
“Katyn”) fields questions posed
by her wide-eyed young nephew
(Wojciech Klata, “Schindler’s
List”) — complex ones, about
God and science, what death is
and what comes afterward. She
finishes her explanation and
pauses. “Do you understand?”
He crinkles his nose. “Not
really.”
It’s in this hazy space of
questioning before discovery
that
Krzysztof
Kieslowski’s
acclaimed “Dekalog” unfolds.
A Polish television miniseries of
ten hour-long films based loose-
ly on each of the Ten Command-
ments, “Dekalog” was screened
at the Michigan Theater last
weekend as part of a theatrical
re-release of the 1988 original.
Kieslowski uses the Bible’s
ethical standards as a point of
reference to pose philosophi-
cal challenges faced by every-
day Polish citizens. Each film
is titled only as a number, and
the Ten Commandments are
not explicitly referenced. While
some Commandments corre-
late more strongly with certain
parts, aspects of its Biblical
themes are woven into each film.
Rather than exist to be proven
or disproven, the Command-
ments sit alongside “Dekalog” ’s
characters, a springboard from
which to reflect on their deci-
sions in a philosophical way.
In Part One, a university
professor trains his precocious
son in the ways of logic-based
prediction. The pair develops
a formula to calculate whether
the pond’s ice is thick enough to
skate on. When the temperature
spikes unexpectedly, the tragic
consequences throw scientific
authority into question.
Dorota
(Krystyna
Janda,
“Man of Marble”) trails her
doctor
(Wojciech
Klata,
“Schindler’s List”) in Part Two,
asking him to predict whether
her hospitalized husband will
survive. His decision holds
immense consequence. Preg-
nant with another man’s baby,
Dorota decides that if her hus-
band lives, she will have an
abortion; if he dies, she will
keep the baby. The doctor is
plagued by the knowledge that
the fate of another human being
lies in his answer.
Parts Three through Ten
tackle similarly layered ethi-
cal dilemmas. All films in the
series are set in the same deso-
late Warsaw apartment com-
plex, where its characters trod
solemnly through wintry mono-
tone. While the whole series
was directed and co-written by
Kieslowski, each film has a dif-
ferent cinematographer, making
the series feel unique yet cohe-
sive.
“Dekalog” reveals its depth
slowly, assembling each charac-
ter’s situation carefully before
peeling it back in layers to reveal
the moral dilemma at its core.
Dialogue is sparse, leaving a
somber silence thick with unan-
swered questions. Kieslowski
makes a masterpiece out of ordi-
nary existence, grabbing hold of
emotional threads and teasing
out what guides pain and love,
destiny and planning, instinct
and morality. It’s mentally dense
stuff, to be sure, but its compre-
hensive execution makes “Deka-
log” well-deserving of its spot in
the cinematic hall of fame.
VANESSA WONG
Daily Arts Writer
From the Vault: Polish ‘Dekalog’ is
a 10-part dramatic masterpiece
Director Krzysztof Kieslowski’s epic series returns to theaters
FILM REVIEW
C-
“Divorce”
Series Premiere
Sundays at 10 p.m.
HBO
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DAILY ARTS: THE
MACHIAVELLIAN SCHEMING OF
‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ WITH THE BLOODSHED
OF ‘GAME OF THRONES.’
JOIN US!
EMAIL KATJACQU@UMICH.EDU AND
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