The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, October 31, 2016 — 5A

ACROSS
1 Words before
“Tricked you!”
5 Whirled
9 Exxon merger
partner
14 Musk of Tesla
Motors
15 Syllables from
Santa
16 Get away from,
as pursuers
17 Tooth anchor
18 Border on
19 Female 33-
Across
20 Bovine skin once
used as a
painting surface
by Native
Americans
23 Nocturnal flier
24 Partner
25 Peruvian peaks
27 Music room
system
30 Zsa Zsa, to Eva
32 Toasty
33 Untamed
equines
37 Baba who
outwitted thieves
38 Actor Mineo
39 Med. care option
40 Rio Grande
feeder
45 Italia’s capital
46 Halloween
goodies
47 Equal to, with
“with”
49 Like sheep sans
wool
50 Pained cry
51 Guerrilla
Guevara
52 Stack for the
bookkeeper to
pay ... or, literally,
what 20-, 33- and
40-Across’ first
words constitute
58 Western writer
Bret
60 Many
61 Tidy
62 “Know what __?”
63 Rural storage
cylinder
64 Scarlett O’Hara’s
home

65 IRS examination
66 Go berserk
67 “Not great, not
bad”

DOWN
1 Basil or rosemary
2 Baseball family
name
3 Pig’s foot part
4 Insect nest with
tunnels
5 Perfect for
wading
6 N’awlins
sandwich
7 “Nope”
8 “The Little Red
Hen” denial
9 Souvenir
10 Eggs in a lab
11 Clip joint?
12 Imagination
output
13 For fear that
21 Stein filler
22 Pinch from a chef
26 German article
27 Trade
28 “Cautionary”
account
29 Leif’s father
30 Poles and Serbs

31 Not doing much
of anything
34 “What time __?”
35 Poet Lazarus
36 Fly high
41 Guatemala gold
42 Eden tempter
43 Rajah’s mate
44 Santa’s landing
spot
45 Met by chance
48 Catch, as a crook
49 SeaWorld orca

50 Dough in a wallet
51 “Pet” with Smiley
and Winky
versions
53 Young lady
54 Model Nordegren
once married to
Tiger Woods
55 Radiator problem
56 Tomb Raider’s
__ Croft
57 Stick around
59 Mai __

By Jerome Gunderson
©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/31/16

10/31/16

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

RELEASE DATE– Monday, October 31, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

xwordeditor@aol.com

Question: 

What goes 
great with your 
morning coffee?

Answer: 

michigandaily.com

Classifieds

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

! 2 RENTALS LEFT ‑ BEST DEAL !
! NORTH CAMPUS 1‑2 Bdrm. !
! Riverfront/Heat/Water/Parking. !
! www.HRPAA.com !

MAY 2017 – 4 BDRM HOUSE
505 Sauer Ct ‑ $2900 
Tenants pay all utilities.
Showings Scheduled M‑F 10‑3
24 hour noticed required
DEINCO PROPERTIES
734‑996‑1991

FALL 2017 HOUSES
# Beds Location Rent
 7 1129 White St $4900
 6 335 Packard $4200
 6 412 N. Thayer $4200
 6 415 N. Thayer $4200
 6 418 N. State $4440
 6 511 Linden $4350
 6 605 Catherine $4400
 6 829 Packard $4500 
 6 1132 White $4200
 6 1119 S. Forest $4050
 5 515 S. Fourth $3600
 5 910 Greenwood $3900
 5 1016 S. Forest $5250
 5 1024 Packard $3625
 4 507 Sauer Ct $2900
 4 509 Sauer Ct $2900
 4 812 E. Kingsley $3000
 4 827 Brookwood $2900
 4 927 S. Division $3000
 2 935 S. Division $2100
 Tenants pay all utilities.
 Leasing starts Nov. 10th
 Reservations Accepted till 11/7.
 CAPPO/DEINCO
 734‑996‑1991
 

CARLSONPROPERTIES
.COM
734‑332‑6000

 ARBOR PROPERTIES 
Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown,
Central Campus, Old West Side, 
Burns Park. Now Renting for 2017. 
734‑649‑8637. www.arborprops.com 

ML Farm Systems Inc., Iowa Falls, IA, 
seeks 48 temporary farm laborers from 
11/20/16 to 02/28/17, for the construc‑ 
tion 
of 
livestock 
buildings 
near 

Williamsport, 
OH. 
For 
the 
building 
and 
re‑ 

pairing livestock buildings. Placing con‑ 
crete 
for 
walls 
and 
sidewalks, 
building 
and 

repairing damaged walls and trusses, re‑ 
pairing and installing curtains; installing 
feed tanks, feeder and feed lines. Tin 
sheeting walls, install doors, caulk struc‑ 
tures, and clean site. 3 month experience 
of 
livestock 
equipment 
installation/repair 

required. Must be able to lift and carry 
75lbs, 75yds.Wage is $12.07/hr. ML 
Farm Systems Inc. guarantees employ‑ 
ment for a total number of work hours 
equal to tal least three‑fourths of the work 
days from 11/20/2016 to 02/28/2017. 
Tools, supplies, and equipment provided 
by employer at no cost to employee. 
Housing provided at no cost to all work‑ 
ers who cannot reasonably return to their 
permanent residence at the end of the 
work 
day. 
Transportation 
and 
subsistence 

expenses to worksite will be paid by em‑ 
ployer. Apply at the nearest Michigan 
Workforce 
Development 
Agency 
office 
or 

contact the state workforce agent at 201 
N. Washington Square. Victor Building, 
5th floor. Lansing, MI 48913 (517) 335‑ 
1986 using job order number 3261035.

FOR RENT
SERVICES

FILM REVIEW

Conspiracy theories are an end-

lessly fascinating phenomenon of 
the collective psyche and the per-
suasive power of 
rhetoric. The Holo-
caust denial move-
ment of the 1980s 
stands as an epit-
ome of this binary 
between truth and 
fiction. Zooming in 
on the contention 
between a Holo-
caust historian and 
a Holocaust denier, 
Mick Jackson’s new film “Denial” 
attempts, unsuccessfully, to por-
tray the struggle and consequenc-
es of holding up outlandish and 
baseless comments in court — a 
trial relevant and relatable given 
our current political climate.

“Denial” attempts to tell the 

real story of the 1996 court battle 
between Holocaust and Jewish 
studies professor at Emory Uni-
versity Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel 
Weisz, 
“The 
Light 
Between 

Oceans”) and infamous Holocaust 
denier David Irving (Timothy 
Spall, “Sweeney Todd”). After 
being taken to court by Irving in 
a British libel suit, Lipstadt must 
defend an allegation she made 
in one of her books: that Irving 
intentionally manipulated his-
torical evidence to claim that the 
Holocaust was a conspiracy theo-
ry enacted by the Jews to garner 
international support.

This character binary between 

symbols of truth and fiction works 
as a driving force throughout the 
film. Weisz does a commend-
able job portraying Lipstadt as a 
steadfast, determined and strong 
woman committed to her academ-

ic field and Jewish 
heritage; her char-
acter is likable, and 
her frustrations are 
easy to sympathize 
with. Spall, on the 
other hand, is his 
usual 
repulsive 

self, 
aesthetically 

and characteristi-
cally. Despite his 
character’s poten-

tial to offer insight into the twist-
ed mind of a conspiracy theorist, 
Spall spends the entire film sniv-
eling and strutting around with 
hesitant pomposity. His short-
comings combine to construct a 
one-dimensional antagonist that 
offers an off-balance challenge to 
the strength of Weisz.

The film is also horribly bal-

anced in terms of emotion, lacking 
gravity where it is badly needed 
and placing stress in high doses 
where it is unnecessary. For exam-
ple, the first face-off between 
Lipstadt and Irving works as the 
perfect opportunity to lay out 
the contention between the two. 
Instead, the scene is childish and 
anxiety-inducing, 
culminating 

in a stressful and chaotic bout 
of incoherent shouting. On the 
other end of the spectrum, the 
legal team’s trip to Auschwitz 
lacks the necessary emotion and 

gravity of the space. “Denial” 
attempts the ambitious task of 
capturing the emotional weight of 
Auschwitz with long establishing 
shots of snow-covered barracks 
and an absence of an overlaying 
score. However, the scene lacks 
significant emotion; lawyer Rich-
ard Rampton’s (Tom Wilkinson, 
“Selma”) casual treatment of the 
camp as a crime scene, while a 
narrative plot point, reinforces the 
film’s incapability to capture the 
complex and raw despair of the 
space.

The most frustrating aspect 

of the film is the way in which it 
emphasizes and builds binaries 
that take away from the central 
conflict. The film focuses mainly 
on the contentions between Lip-
stadt and her lawyer Anthony 
Julius (Andrew Scott, “Sherlock”). 
Throughout the film, the two are 
constantly arguing about strat-
egy and morality, with countless 
scenes of them bickering and get-
ting nowhere. Scott also somehow 
always looks wet, which is confus-
ing and unpleasant.

The film’s focus on the binary 

between the passionate but impul-
sive professor and the calculated 
but cold lawyer takes away from 
the real issues of the Holocaust 
denial movement — the way in 
which conspiracy theories mani-
fest and take hold, and its implica-
tions on the academic community 
and the public. Instead, “Denial” 
is completely aggravating and dis-
appointing; the viewer gains zero 
insight into the deeper issues of 
the real-life phenomenon.

‘Denial’ an emotionless 
depiction of conspiracy

SYDNEY COHEN

Daily Arts Writer

Though Rachel Weisz shines, the drama can’t find the right tone

D

“Denial”

Michigan Theater

Bleecker Street 

Media

TV REVIEW

There’s sketch comedy, and 

then there’s bad sketch comedy. 
Then, there’s really bad sketch 
comedy. Beneath all that is 
“Tracey 
Ullman’s 

Show.” 
The 
BBC 

program, 
which 

originally aired in 
the U.K. in January 
2015, debuted on 
HBO Friday night. 
The 
30-minute 

romp 
explores 

British 
culture, 

pokes fun at its 
most 
prominent 

leaders and satirizes 
current 
events. 

Thirty years earlier, 
this would have been a recipe for 
comedic gold – and it was. “Tracey 
Ullman’s Show” is the comedian’s 
first major broadcast project since 
her wild, wacky and incredibly 
influential “The Tracey Ullman 
Show” in the late 1980s. 

Unfortunately, this is not 1987. 

Today’s viewers have access to 
endless sketch comedy, from 
“Saturday Night Live” to “Broad 
City” to the video their cousin 
Maggie made with some friends 
from her improv troupe in 
Chicago. Viewers expect witty, 
weird and wholehearted sketch 
comedy. Compared to the content 
produced today, “Tracey Ullman’s 
Show” is trite.

To her credit, Ullman is an 

incredible 
impressionist. 
She 

pulls off her impersonations 
with such ease and confidence 
that it’s possible to forget she is 
not the real subject. The pilot 
episode features several sketches 
about a “misbehaving Dame 
Judy Dench.” From blatantly 
stealing at the grocery store to 
defacing the tablet of co-star 
Rupert Grint (The “Harry Potter” 
series), Dame Judy Dench tests 
how far she can take being 
Britain’s national treasure. It’s so 
believable that those who aren’t 
that familiar with Dench (myself, 
for example) might not realize 
it’s an impression until after the 
episode ends.

Other impressions include 

German 
Chancellor 
Angela 

Merkel and Dame Maggie Smith. 

Each sketch put the women in 
interesting situations — Smith 
filming an audition tape for sci-fi 
movies, and Merkel throwing a 
tantrum on a private plane. The 
acting is calculated and focused. 
Ullman 
has 
great 
comedic 

timing and a strong presence on 

camera.

But 
the 

problem 
with 

“Tracey Ullman’s 
Show” 
is 
not 

her acting, it’s 
the 
sketches 

themselves. 
The 
writing 

is 
unoriginal, 

and the humor 
in each sketch 
is 
predictable. 

One 
storyline 

which stands out 

in particular is that of Karen, a 
recently released prisoner who 
returns home for the first time 
in 28 years. The “joke” of the 
piece lies in Karen’s discomfort 
with life outside of prison, and 
the changes that have occurred 
since her imprisonment. For 
such a seasoned comic, this 
premise is a rudimentary excuse 
for humor. The worst part of it, 
however, was the employment 
of the “rule of threes.” Time and 
time again, if Karen sees or hears 
of something new, she needs to 
hear its name three times before 
she understands. The repetition is 
just not funny.

Use of techniques such as 

the “rule of threes” belittles the 
viewer. By its nature it’s silly 
and fun, but sketch comedy can 
do more than that. It can incite 
conversation and respect the 
viewer enough to trust that they 
can handle more than the “rule 
of threes.” No part of “Tracey 
Ullman’s Show” inspires thought, 
or evokes emotion. It’s simply 30 
minutes of tired jokes and curated 
impressions.

It’s disappointing to see a 

strong female comedian in what 
could potentially be the role(s) 
of her career fall short. Tracey 
Ullman is clearly talented. She is 
funny. But her show isn’t. It might 
have a different effect on older 
audiences — those who grew 
up watching and laughing with 
Tracey Ullman might think the 
program is prime comedy. Maybe 

it’s unfair to call it based off of the 
pilot episode. As of now, though, 
the 30-minute pilot is 25 minutes 
too long. 

EMILY BICE
Daily Arts Writer

‘Ullman’s Show’ uninspired comedy

Seasoned British impressionist doesn’t succeed in newest show

D

“Tracey Ullman’s 

Show”

Pilot

Fridays at 9 p.m.

HBO

Lights, camera, IGGY! Punk 

rock icon James “Iggy Pop” 
Osterberg 
took 
the 
Detroit 

Institute of Arts by storm this 
past Tuesday to promote the new 
Stooges 
documentary 
“Gimme 

Danger.” The juxtaposition of punk 
rock vibes among the elegance of 
the renowned art museum set the 
stage for the sold-out event, as an 
eclectic mix of individuals poured 
into the theater eager for the film.

“I’m surprised they let the 

Stooges in here,” said director 
Jim Jarmusch (“Stranger Than 
Paradise”).

But no matter the oddity of the 

location, the Michigan premiere 
was a remarkable testament to 
the Stooges, a motley crew of 
Midwestern men who in 1967 
found their sound in Ann Arbor.

Before the film started, we 

made our way up to Rivera court. 
There, shadowed by a mural of 
hard-working automotive industry 
men, a small red carpet was graced 
by Iggy Pop and Jim Jarmusch. 
In true rock ‘n’ roll fashion, the 
men arrived 20 minutes late. The 
court buzzed with excitement 
while Iggy and Jarmusch posed 
for 
photos. 
Noteworthy 
was 

Jarmusch’s suggestion to Iggy that 
they “do the Zoolander face.” Even 
more noteworthy was how well 
they pulled the look off.

Soon after, the group migrated 

to the theater and waited for the 
film to begin. To say the crowd 
was excited is an understatement. 
The moment Iggy walked on 
stage, hordes of audience members 
sprang to their feet, exuberant 
to be in the presence of a living 
legend.

The 
film 
is 
a 
fascinating 

108-minute 
journey 
through 

the Stooges’ past, present and 
future. It’s stylistically brilliant 
and 
reflective 
of 
the 
band’s 

offbeat humor, morals and music. 
Jarmusch, the famous champion 
of 
independent 
cinema, 
took 

what could be a run-of-the-mill 
documentary on an iconic band 
and turned it into a love letter to 
the artists who created and the 
fans who followed punk rock. It’s 

a documentary that doesn’t take 
itself too seriously, just like the 
Stooges.

The film chronicles the band’s 

humble beginnings in Ann Arbor. 
To view footage and photographs 
that are practically undiscovered 
of Ann Arbor in the late 1960s was 
especially special for those who 
knew the town. At one point, Iggy 
recounted the night the Stooges 
became a “professional” band and 
were signed to Elektra Records. 
Along with MC5, they were 
performing in what is known today 
as the Michigan Union Ballroom. 
As students, watching footage of 
history made in the same room 
where we go to mass meetings was 
surreal.

Fittingly, surrealism is a theme 

throughout the film. To depict 
events which lack actual footage, 
Jarmusch uses animations. The 
addition of these animations brings 
life to old stories, though it’s not as 
if the stories needed much help. 
One in particular stands out – how 
the band got its name – born out of 
a joke that the members were like 
“The Three Stooges.” When they 
were officially signed by Elektra 
Records, guitarist Ron Asheton 
called Moe Howard, the leader 
of the Three Stooges, to check if 
using the Stooge name was okay. 
Howard’s response, according to 
Asheton: “I don’t give a fuck what 
you call your band, as long as it’s 
not the Three Stooges.”

As the film came to a close, the 

stage was set up for a Q&A session 
with Osterberg and Jarmusch, 
who took the stage with roaring 
applause from the audience. The 
first half of the Q&A began with 
questions from a moderator, prying 
deeper into the details of the film, 
and more importantly, the details 
about the Stooges’ connection to 
Ann Arbor.

When asked about how he 

selected the people he interviewed 
for the film, Jarmusch gave a 
simple answer: he wanted the 
documentary to be as personal 
as possible. He limited it to the 
Stooges and their family, with little 
material from outside sources. 
He even admitted to passing up 
on interviewing David Bowie, 
because he knew he couldn’t resist 
putting the footage in the film. 
Jarmusch displays a startling 

amount of discipline in his craft, 
keeping the film as intimate to the 
Stooges as possible.

Throughout, the two had a 

lighthearted bond, giving relaxed 
answers to what could be serious 
questions. The moderator asked 
Osterberg if he had any input on 
the film, to which he replied, “If 
Jim asked me to write a song about 
him, I wouldn’t expect him to tell 
me how to write it.” It was pretty 
awesome to see such an important 
icon be able to put so much faith 
in the man capturing the band’s 
career on the silver screen.

It became very apparent during 

the session why Osterberg chose 
Jarmusch to direct the film. When 
asked about his connection to 
punk rock, Osterberg replied as 
I’d expect any punk to: the Stooges 
made “working class, ass-kicking 
rock ‘n’ roll and it spoke to me.” 
It was the perfect testament to 
the timelessness of rock ‘n’ roll. 
Over 40 years later, the fans’ 
relationship with the genre has not 
changed a bit.

The Q&A truly shone when 

Osterberg began to talk about 
his time in Ann Arbor. The film 
included multiple shots of him 
and the band on notable locations 
around campus, and the way 
Osterberg spoke about it showed 
his deep appreciation for the town. 
He spoke of the house on Hill 
Street where they first signed to 
Elektra Records. He talked about 
John Sinclair and The White 
Panthers and the little postcards 
they gave out to people on the 
streets. He reflected fondly on the 
revolutionary “hotbed” that was 
Ann Arbor throughout the `60s and 
`70s. The little details about Ann 
Arbor embedded in Osterberg’s 
memory were a beautiful tribute 
to the city where he grew up and 
where punk rock has some of its 
oldest roots.

It was a night of nostalgia come 

full circle to the present. No matter 
how much time has passed since 
that fateful night in the Union 
Ballroom in Ann Arbor, Iggy will 
always be special to punk rock and 
punk rock will always be special 
to its fans. In Jarmusch’s words, 
“look what they gave and look 
how they were treated.” Finally, 
the Stooges got the thank you they 
deserve with “Gimme Danger.”

EMILY BICE & 

DOMINIC POLSINELLI

Daily Arts Writer

‘Gimme Danger’ premieres at DIA

Director Jim Jarmusch and Iggy Pop presented the film last Tuesday

EVENT REVIEW

