Classifieds Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com ACROSS 1 Anemic 5 Dukes not among royalty 10 Huge production 14 Rod in a hot rod 15 Kate’s sitcom pal 16 Pilaf base 17 *Rain-X auto product 19 Like port, usually 20 Lacking a key 21 *Manhattan theater district locale 23 Proofer’s mark 25 Feathery layer 26 Oomph 29 Set apart from the group 33 Org. with the staff of Aesculapius in its logo 36 Big name in gas 38 Slam-dance 39 Compressed video format 40 *Electrician’s basic knowledge 43 See 22-Down 44 Mane area 45 Like some buckets 46 Cotillion girl 47 Move more product than 49 Absorb, as a cost 50 Nonpro sports gp. 52 Trapper’s trophy 54 *Many a military spouse 59 Subtle difference 63 Continental coin 64 Far-reaching ... and a literal feature of the answers to starred clues 66 Brought up 67 Like nocturnally counted critters 68 Unrestrained party 69 Cotton bundle 70 Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA 71 Water testers DOWN 1 Bedtime drink, in totspeak 2 Freeway sign 3 Chop House dog food brand 4 Laments loudly 5 Sources of morals 6 Not in the pink 7 Cabbage dish 8 Laundry room brand 9 Views 10 Dry-__ board 11 Risky purchase, metaphorically 12 Tea preference 13 Relinquish 18 Be frugal with 22 With 43-Across, fraternal order 24 Alley scavenger 26 Handled clumsily 27 Writer Zola 28 Special-interest government spending 30 Aerial maneuvers 31 Not paying attention 32 Howe’er 34 Greek sorceress 35 Cut taker 37 Sue Grafton’s “__ for Corpse” 39 1988 Motown acquirer 41 Safari grazer 42 Arrive by auto 47 Sharer’s word 48 You can see right through them 51 Dwelling 53 Deck that’s worth a fortune? 54 “Dragnet” star Jack 55 Subtle glow 56 Triumphant shout 57 One who insists on the spotlight 58 Ready for print 60 Fictional sleuth Wolfe 61 “La __ aux Folles” 62 “Grand” ice cream brand 65 Denver-to-Des Moines dir. By Jeff Stillman ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 03/29/17 03/29/17 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, March 29, 2017 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis xwordeditor@aol.com WINTEK CORP AUCTION Wintek Corporation and Wintek Electro‑ Optics Corporation are auctioning off overseas assets and equipment. Bid pe‑ riod: announcement date 8 March 2017, bid closing date: 21 March 2017, bid opening date: 22 March 2017. For more details, go the Reorganization section at our website at: www.wintek.com.tw ARBOR PROPERTIES Award‑Winning Rentals in Kerrytown, Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 2017. 734‑649‑8637. www.arborprops.com BROADVIEW APARTMENTS ‑ Spa‑ cious & peaceful North Campus living!! 1 & 2 bedroom apartments with pricing that starts at $1110 per installment!! FREE parking, FREE laundry, and FREE shuttle service! Call today for specials! 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According to a 2015 statistic from online blog Bitch Media, women only make up 14.3 percent of performers, though that number has increased since then. In a 2014 article from the Huffington Post, Lynne Parker, founder of the Funny Women Awards, noted this gender disparity isn’t necessarily due to the lack of female talent, but more with regards to women not being given enough opportunities. There has always been a clear lack of female visibility within the comedy industry, especially on television, where FX’s “Louie” and HBO’s “Crashing” feature male stand-up comedians and their quests to make people laugh. Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” the new 1950s screwball comedy from “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, challenges that idea and the male hegemony of stand-up comedy with a story about a female comic. Like the stand-up act of its novice but talented protagonist, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” starts off a bit shaky, but slowly gains traction once it gets to the good stuff. Rachel Brosnahan (“House of Cards”) stars in what could be her breakout role as Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a spunky and sophisticated Jewish housewife from the Upper West Side with a knack for entertaining people with jokes. Initially, she supports her devoted husband Joel (Michael Zegen, “Boardwalk Empire”) in his side career as a stand-up comedian. But after a falling out between the two, Midge takes matters into her own hands, using her newfound autonomy to put her comedic chops to the test. Along with its spectacular cast, smart script, impeccable production design and captivating characters, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” also works as a clever social commentary with feminist undertones. Instead of portraying overt finger-wagging or heavy- handed denouncements of sexism in the late 1950s, the show avoids clichés by focusing on Midge’s journey from domestic homemaker to an independent woman. Initially, Midge isn’t seeking to be a stand-up comic, though the opening sequence, in which she gives her own toast at her wedding, seems to show a secret desire for the profession. Later on, when she discovers Joel stealing an act from comedian Bob Newhart, Midge suggests coming up with an original idea, which leads Joel to doing an awkward, stale set and eventually admitting his affair with his secretary. Even when a devastated Midge asks for help from her tempestuous father Abe (Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”) and mother Rose (Marin Hinkle, “Two and a Half Men”), she is coerced into finding Joel to win him back. As the show gradually pulls away layer after layer, Midge becomes more and more complex, showing us that she is more than just the thoughtful, caring housewife and mother Joel and her parents want her to be. This is mostly a credit to Brosnahan, whose three-dimensional performance deftly balances between buoyant confidence and vulnerability. While Sherman-Palladino’s trademark for fast-paced dialogue and punchy one-liners propels the story forward, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” truly shines in its quieter moments. In an early scene, a dolled-up Midge sneaks out of bed to roll up her hair and put on a face mask, but wakes up just in time to do her makeup again, as if nothing had happened. This moment, as insignificant as it may seem, demonstrates just the kind of expectations Midge is forced to conform to in order to be seen as the pristine, perfect housewife. Granted, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” falters in some aspects. Sherman-Palladino’s continues to incorporate her hallmark pop culture references, but the esoteric, somewhat antiquated humor might not land with every viewer. Occasionally, the show teeters into formulaic territory, such as when Midge interacts with famed comedian Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby, “Take This Waltz”) towards the end of the episode. The pilot is also a bit long, clocking in at about an hour. But perhaps if it’s picked up for a full season — the episode is one of several in Amazon’s annual pilot season — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will definitely find ways to improve on its flaws and expand on its best qualities. It might even help pave the way for female stand-up comedians to finally get the platform they deserve on and off television. SAM ROSENBERG Daily Arts Writer AMAZON STUDIOS ‘Mrs.’ a surprise charmer “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Pilot Amazon SINGLES REVIEW Nearly six years since their last album, Gorillaz return with four singles that signal a step toward a dancier, more mainstream influence. The “band” — actually one real player, Damon Albarn, and four virtual members — con- tinue their trend of integrating progressive genre trends with emerging talents. In the first and arguably best single, “Ascension,” the band recruits conscious rapper Vince Staples to lend a political tinge to the club banger. The track is produced by the typical Gorillaz duo — Remi Kabaka and Damon Albarn — but gains its dance- floor appeal from Anthony “The Twilite Tone” Khan. With a track record of songs like Kanye West’s “Mercy” and “Don’t Like.1,” Khan is likely respon- sible for elevating the track to its current commercial appeal. Staples offers his uniquely danceable-yet-meaningful lyri- cism (see “Norf Norf”), having people grooving while he talks about how “This the land of the free / Where you can get a Glock and a gram for the cheap.” The track not only features produc- tion curated for hip hop chart success, but at two minutes and 35 seconds, it’s the perfect length to crossover to mainstream radio. In “Saturn Barz,” the band con- tinues to embrace recent trends, enlisting dancehall icon (and frequent Drake collaborator) Popcaan. The track is quintes- sentially Gorillaz — laced with dark beats, Popcaan alternates verses with Damon’s classic heavily distorted vocals. What makes the song stand-out is the unexpected nature of Popcaan’s feature: The beat is far removed from the steel drum percussion of Popcaan’s personal discog- raphy, creating an unlikely, yet successful, pairing. The juxta- position of Popcaan’s usually reggae-influenced lyricism with the Gorillaz’s deep underground hip-hop beats create a pairing that’s worth a listen. In contrast to “Saturn Barz,” the third single “Andromeda” is heavily dance-influenced. With rapper D.R.A.M. contributing, the track is the house-iest Goril- laz song yet; slowly layering beat over beat, the single does groovy dance music so well that it could have Chromeo on production. The disparity between “Saturn Barz” and “Andromeda” is great, leaving listeners interested to see how Albarn ties the project together. The last single, “We Got the Power,” featuring Jehnny Beth of Savages, is hardly listenable. Perhaps the single would be bet- ter received if not on a Gorillaz album, but it’s overly empower- ing lyrics and lackluster beat are nauseating, making you almost believe it’s a farce of a pop song (which it could very well be). When considered in context of a full album, the song may make more sense … hopefully. Stay tuned for the full album release on April 28th to find out. - DANNY MADION Various Gorillaz Parlophone COURTESY OF THE MODERN JUNGLE ‘The Modern Jungle’ is an odd look at globalization The line between a film being experimental and a film just being weird is often pretty thin. “The Modern Jungle” straddles that line. Ostensibly telling the story of don Juan (Juan Juarez Rodriquez) and his neighbor Carmen (Carmen Echevarria Lopez), this film is part documentary, part narrative, part spiritual journey and only partway to giving the audience a reason to care. The film opens in a theater, and we soon realize the film we are watching is in fact just the first of several framing devices used to compound the story. There are spiritual sequences, dream sequences, a four minute long advertisement for the corporation that is the supposed villain of the piece and two main characters who stumble through it all — narrative and cohesion be damned, all in the name of art. “The Modern Jungle” professes to be about industrialization, globalization, and the ways in which these things can impact real people at the ground level. And while there are parts of the film that clearly touch on that, there are also long stretches of disjointed scenes and actions that seem to connect to each other in no discernible way. The director of the film, Charles Fairbanks (“Pioneers), explained afterwards that some scenes were filmed documentary style with some aspects done up and faked for the camera. Without knowing which scenes are which, it’s hard for this film to succeed as either a documentary or a piece of fiction. If the audience does not know what was real and what wasn’t, then how can it interpret the thing it is watching on the screen? A number of scenes feature Juan talking directly to the camera for long stretches with no response. These scenes are truly uncomfortable and confusing to watch as a viewer, and no indication is given of who he is talking to or why no one is responding to him. At the time it seemed that he was supposed to be talking to one of his employers at the corporation, but Fairbanks later confirmed that in fact this was Juan talking to Fairbanks, who said for a variety of reasons he did not want to respond. This sequence only adds another layer to the confusing whole that is “The Modern Jungle” rendering the audience utterly baffled. As a work of experimental art, the film can safely say it succeeds in being experimental, but to the detriment of possible enjoyment an audience could gain from it. It’s hard not to wonder what the point of it all is, and when the director later confirms that, “There really was no specific message I wanted to convey,” the viewer is left leaving the theater with countless questions, but only one that truly matters: What did I just watch? IAN HARRIS For the Daily “The Modern Jungle” 55th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival Michigan Theater PARLOPHONE The viewer is left leaving the theater with countless questions, but only one that truly matters: What did I just watch? ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL TV REVIEW 6A — Wednesday, March 29, 2017 Arts The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com