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Arts
Monday, December 5, 2016 — 5A
Classifieds
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ACROSS
1 Poets
6 Ocean breaker
10 Former Iranian
ruler
14 From another
planet
15 Golfer’s club
selection
16 Golfer’s target
17 What the star gets
on a marquee
19 Express
checkout lane
unit
20 “__ Haw”
21 Contemptuous
manner, in slang
22 “Pet” annoyance
23 Dejected
26 Wrap tightly, as
in bandages
30 Poker holding
31 Charged atoms
32 Madame of
physics
34 Guy’s partner
37 Level of optimal
accomplishment
41 Bygone jet,
briefly
42 Act with passion
43 Caution
44 Song at the Met
45 Like most
peanuts
47 Meeting of world
leaders
52 Name on rented
trailers
53 Lane with a nose
for news
54 Pasta suffix
57 Dirt road grooves
58 Honorable ... and
like the starts of
17-, 23-, 37- and
47-Across
61 Emancipated
62 Pigmented eye
layer
63 Watchdog
warning
64 Part of NIMBY
65 Swiss capital
66 Foul, weather-
wise
DOWN
1 It’s drawn in a tub
2 Natural skin
soother
3 Unlike green
tomatoes
4 Star of the ball
5 Tattletale
6 Witty Oscar
7 Astrological Ram
8 Maria __ Trapp
9 Subj. with
grammar
10 Handheld riot gear
11 Marriott facility
12 Advil competitor
13 Macho guys
18 Tempt
22 “The Hunger
Games” nation
24 Severe pang
25 Carnival
26 Drinks that make
a drink last
27 Troubles
28 Vet sch. course
29 Disdainful click
32 Zagreb native
33 N.Y.-based
educators’ union
34 Insect in a dusk
swarm
35 Realtor’s lot unit
36 Allow to borrow
38 Danger
39 Give out
40 Tapered tool
44 Tickled
45 Less than 1%?
46 Give, as
homework
47 Like the beach
during a storm
48 “Star Trek”
lieutenant
49 Alma __
50 Rags-to-riches
author Horatio
51 Lindsay who
played Liz in “Liz
& Dick”
54 Wedding
promises
55 Mature eft
56 Relaxed way to
sit by
58 O’Hare, for
United
Airlines
59 “__ been
thinking ... ”
60 Org.
promoting
hunter safety
By Brock Wilson
©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
12/05/16
12/05/16
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Monday, December 5, 2016
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com
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20TH CENTURY FOX
There’s Something About Mountain Dew.
Has there ever been a Broadway
musical as big as “Hamilton?”
It seems like every time I write
about the show, I ask myself that
question. I’ve never seen anything
from
the
stage
capture the cultural
zeitgeist in such a
big way.
The
latest
iteration
of
this
impact
is
The
Hamilton Mixtape,
an album of covers
and
spinoffs
of
songs in the show.
The list of artists
who
lent
their
voices is impressive: Usher, Kelly
Clarkson, Regina Spektor, Sia,
John
Legend,
Common
and
Jimmy Fallon, to name a few. But,
given how much I love the musical
and some of these performers,
I was surprised by how many
problems
there
are
on
The
Mixtape. A lot of the spinoffs and a
few of the covers are brilliant and
will be songs I listen to regularly,
but some feel uninspired and drag
down the album as a result.
The
biggest
problem
with
The Hamilton Mixtape comes
from some of the covers’ lack
of
emotional
depth.
There
are
undoubtedly
some
good
reimaginings of songs on the
album, but others lack the power
that the theatrical performers
brought to them.
Take “Satisfied” for example.
In the show, that song represents
a moment of anguish for Angelica
Schuyler. She’s watching her sister
marry the only man she’s ever had
a connection with. She sings about
how she loves Alexander, but
ultimately loves her sister more.
The song is one of the emotional
gut punches of the musical and
is ultimately why Renée Elise
Goldsberry won the Tony for
Featured Actress in a Musical this
year. Those are almost impossible
shoes to fill, but Sia doesn’t even
come close. Her rendition lacks
even a fraction of Goldsberry’s
depth. It sounds like she’s just
singing the song, not performing
it and giving it everything she
can. And, ultimately, that’s why it
suffers.
That’s not the
only
cover
that
needs just a little
more
from
the
singers.
Usher’s
“Wait for It,” a
track that gives
depth to the Aaron
Burr character, left
me feeling empty
inside.
Ashanti’s
“Helpless” didn’t
seem to have any of the hopeful
optimism and innocence the song
requires. Plus, Ja Rule’s version
of Alexander’s verse is painful
because of how he whines his way
through it. Also, I don’t know what
the dialogue opening of Jimmy
Fallon’s “You’ll be Back” is, but it’s
not funny in the slightest.
Yet, a few of the covers stick
out above the rest because of how
fresh and new they feel. “Dear
Theodosia” is one of the most
beautiful songs in “Hamilton,”
and the song’s simple piano-based
nature fits Regina Spektor’s voice
perfectly. Spektor and Ben Folds
don’t try to do too much, and just
let the song’s beauty stand on its
own. Also, Kelly Clarkson’s cover
of “It’s Quiet Uptown,” another
one of the musical’s emotional
gut-punches, nearly moved me
to tears the first time I heard
it. In her voice, I felt the pain of
what losing a child is like. John
Legend’s “History Has Its Eyes
on You” doesn’t have much lyrical
depth (as the song in the musical is
very short), but it’s another perfect
match of singer and song.
Where
The
Mixtape
truly
shined was in its spinoffs. In some
cases,
composer
Lin-Manuel
Miranda and the artists took a line
or two from a song and made it
their own. My favorite is probably
“Wrote My Way Out.” The third
track of the album takes two lines
from “Hurricane” and spins them
off into a hook that’s as powerful
as it is catchy. The verses by Nas,
Dave East and Miranda each
have statements about what it’s
like to write your way out of a
rough situation. Miranda’s verse
is particularly strong. His lyrics
have the momentum of a runaway
freight train as he brings ideas
of not fitting in with his peers at
school, but still having the need to
put his thoughts on pen and paper.
There’s also “Say Yes to This,”
which takes the song “Say No to
This,” where Hamilton is trying
and failing to oppose an affair
with Mariah Reynolds, and turns
it to Reynold’s perspective. Jill
Scott’s sultry performance makes
the song seductive, and it’s hard to
resist falling for it.
There are also a couple of
tracks where The Mixtape takes
an existing song from “Hamilton”
and puts it into a modern context.
The most memorable example is
“My Shot.” The hook is the same,
but the verses by Black Thought,
Joell Ortiz and Busta Rhymes
put a modern spin on the words,
updating them to talk about their
perspective on what it’s like to
grab “their shot.” Wiz Khalifa’s
“Washingtons by Your Side” is
less successful, but it passes very
quickly, so it doesn’t leave a lasting
negative impact.
I’m very surprised by how
mixed my feelings were on The
Hamilton Mixtape. Since seeing
the show in August, I’ve fallen in
love with the music, consuming
every possible thing I can that’s
related to the show. Before
listening to the album, I didn’t
think there would be anything
“Hamilton”-related I wouldn’t
enjoy. And, I really did love some
of the tracks. Others just make me
wish for something deeper.
Mixed feels for ‘Mixtape’
ALEX INTNER
Daily Arts Writer
‘Hamilton’ compilation album boasts impressive talent
B
The Hamilton
Mixtape
Various Artists
Atlantic Records
ALBUM REVIEW
Telling a joke that gets the
entire room laughing is the
social equivalent of hitting a
grand slam. Gazing around and
seeing everyone’s brief joy feels
so good that it bears repeating.
Logically, if it’s funny once, it
should at least be equally funny
the second time. More is usually
better, and more laughter is
always
better.
Unfortunately,
with every repeated attempt,
the joke exponentially decays
into the realm of pitiful comedy
occupied by the likes of Dane
Cook and Jeff Dunham.
There are few things more
heartbreaking than witnessing
someone ruin a perfectly good
joke. The timing, context and
delivery all felt so right before
the overzealous jokester got
carried away. This humiliating
act is like watching a baseball
player trip on home plate and
break their femur after hitting
the game-winning grand slam —
it’s a tragicomedy.
Comedy
ages
the
worst
compared to all other movie
genres. Its short shelf life is
because of the fleeting nature of
jokes; dated cultural references
usually fail to align with newer
audiences. It’s not that telling
the same joke becomes repetitive
and exhaustive. It’s that the
jokes just aren’t as relevant to the
modern world.
The
cheesy
and
raunchy
“There’s
Something
About
Mary” was mostly well-received
by audiences and critics after its
1998 release. AFI would even go
on to rank it the 27th funniest
movie of the last 100 years,
ahead of comedy behemoths
like “Ghostbusters” and “Animal
House.” Peculiarly, this “classic”
has aged quite poorly since its
release. Although the famous
pant-zipper gag is punchy and
funny, the excessive amount of
jokes that make fun of people
with disabilities are lazy and
offensive. Laughing at the pain
of others is still the standard
for comedy, but in 2016, we
don’t really laugh at autism and
paralysis. It’s shocking to think
this was ever widely accepted.
Challenging the norm is what
makes comedy so gripping. By
contesting a sensitive subject,
comedians and movies can often
bring light to a controversial
issue. How this is done and who’s
at the tail end of the joke, however,
determines everything. Movies
that satirize systems of higher
authorities tend to age better
than those that bully traditionally
marginalized
groups.
Throughout time, there will
always be something inherently
wrong in the world that can be
critiqued, like bad leadership and
useless bureaucracies.
“Monty Python and the Holy
Grail” has aged as gracefully as
David Lynch’s glorious mane of
gray hair. Every joke and scene is
still as hilarious and brilliant as it
was in 1975. There will never be a
day where this movie is not funny.
What sets it apart from other flops
of this time is its ability to takes
risks in the genre and experiment
with basic storytelling elements,
like conclusive endings and tidy
plotlines. Considering the movie
was a standalone and unique
work, time does nothing but
solidify its masterful quality.
Movies that were never lauded
by critics, but adored by a cult
following, like “Tim and Eric’s
Billion Dollar Movie” generally
age beautifully. However, they
seldom break out into more
widespread appreciation as time
progresses. Movies that are so
idiosyncratic only appeal to a
specific group of people that
adore all aspects of the movie;
it’s unusual that this changes
over time. With “Tim and Eric,”
it’s nearly impossible that larger
audiences will eventually grow to
love the movie’s surreal and often
grotesque moments that attract
such a cult following.
Whether or not a movie will
age well to the modern world is
impossible to predict. Although
an ingenious script and innovative
storytelling don’t hurt, people’s
tastes
change
unpredictably.
Many people may find the
classic “Doctor Strangelove” a
bit slow today when compared to
“Sausage Party.”
WILL STEWART
Daily Arts Writer
Unpredictable shelf lives of comedy
Some former classics age like fine wine; others age like stinky cheese
FOCUS FEATURES
Someone has been drinking Mountain Dew... =]
On December 31, 2015, with
about ten minutes left in a year
that had graced us with the first
great “Star Wars” movie since
1983, I decided to do something
I had never done before: I was
going to make a New Year’s
Resolution. I’d tried it before;
I’d told myself that I was going
to drink less Mountain Dew
about 20 times, only to down my
regular three cans the very next
day. No, my resolution would
have to be something measurable
and absolute. With that in mind,
I made my decision: if I saw a
trailer in 2016, I would see the
movie.
And so the madness began.
It started slowly enough. I saw
a movie a week, marking down the
trailers for future reference. By
March, I was up to two movies a
week, which increased to three by
the time summer got underway.
I had never been more broke. I
would wake up the morning after
with my eyes hurting. I ate so
much popcorn it made me sick.
It was incredible.
It may sound obvious, but there
are a lot of movies released in one
year. “You idiot,” you’re probably
thinking, “of course there are a
lot of movies released in a year.”
I knew this, but the reality of the
situation didn’t really hit me until
I realized that even at a rate of
roughly twelve movies a month, I
was still missing some.
What all this amounts to is
that over Thanksgiving break, I
saw my hundredth movie of the
year. What all this means is that,
despite my best efforts, I have
learned some things.
The first thing was that a lot
of great movies fly under the
radar. To be clear, this isn’t me
saying that all indie movies are
the greatest things ever and any
movie with a seven figure budget
is a sign that film is dying. That’s
bull. Several of my personal
favorites from this year, like
“Captain America: Civil War” or
“Deadpool” are blockbusters that
more than earn their hundreds of
millions. However, some movies
like David Mackenzie’s smart,
intense, and surprisingly funny
heist film “Hell or High Water”
and Laika’s animated epic “Kubo
and the Two Strings” barely
manage to make their budgets
back despite being some of the
best that 2016 has to offer.
With that in mind and at the
risk of sounding like a cynic, most
movies are just average. I want to
make it clear that of the 100-plus
movies I’ve seen thus far, I’ve
liked over half of them. It’s been a
good year. I’ve seen far more great
ones than I have awful ones. Still,
I’ve found at least one in every
three films fit into that middle
ground where they contain good
and bad in equal measure. A lot of
these aren’t bad; they just aren’t
memorable.
Having gone through this,
I’d argue against the common
criticism of modern film is that
every movie is either a sequel,
reboot, or remake. There are
plenty of original films released
in a year. Many of them fit into
one of the two aforementioned
categories. They either fly under
the radar of most people, or they
just aren’t all that good. If you’re
looking for an original movie,
chances are there is at least one
playing near you; you may just
have to look past the movies that
have people lining up around the
block.
Finally,
it’s
important
to
keep in mind that if you decide
to
do
something
like
this,
upon finding out about your
financially inadvisable New Year’s
Resolution,
your
roommate’s
girlfriend will forcefully show
you trailers to crappy looking
movies so you have to see them. I
learned this the hard way, and so I
watched “Nine Lives.”
I have one month left in this
experiment of mine, with about
seventeen movies I’ve yet to see.
It’s been bad for my eyes. It’s
been bad for my wallet. It’s been
awesome, and I can’t wait to do
the same thing in 2017 and see
what it has to bring. Besides, of
course, another awesome “Star
Wars” movie.
JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer
100 movies and counting: Lessons
I learned from watching film in 2016
How one New Year’s resolution drove me into a descent of madness
FILM NOTEBOOK
FILM NOTEBOOK