The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, October 9, 2017— 5A

ACROSS
1 “Death of a
Salesman”
salesman Willy
6 Abysmal grades
9 “__ Cross”: 1949
Lancaster movie
14 Friend’s opposite
15 Minor point to
pick
16 Convened again
17 Unwise act that
could be
dangerous
19 Video game
pioneer
20 Singing syllable
21 Vicinity
22 Type of cleansing
acid
23 Actress Skye
25 Time-out for a
cigarette
27 Upper crust
groups
29 Courage and
fortitude
30 Done in, as a
dragon
31 Swoosh
company
34 Cold War state:
Abbr.
35 Dashboard music
provider
39 Oral health org.
42 “Piece of cake!”
43 Real doozies
47 Dips for tortilla
chips
50 Agree
51 Pre-talkies movie
55 “Please leave
your message at
the __”
56 Illegal lending
tactic
57 Wrath, in a hymn
58 Round green
veggie
59 Helped
60 Hot chili
designation, and
a literal
description of the
starts of 17-, 25-,
35- and 51-
Across
63 “The Accidental
Tourist” actress
Davis
64 Z, alphabet-wise
65 Start of a tennis
point

66 Opinion piece
67 Part of GPS:
Abbr.
68 Passover feast

DOWN
1 Southpaws
2 Winning at craps,
say
3 First lady after
Michelle
4 Wee hrs.
5 PBS “Science
Guy” Bill
6 Huge, in verse
7 “Hawaii __”: TV
cop show
8 T-bone, for one
9 Buster who
played Flash
Gordon
10 Sharp comeback
11 Turkish travel
shelters
12 Continuing
stories
13 Place for a new-
car price
18 Sunday service
24 Suffix with diet
26 911 situation:
Abbr.
28 Disney doe
31 CIA cousin

32 “__ not up to me”
33 Vitally important
36 Relax
37 Overhead trains
38 Kick out of office
39 Appease
40 Yellow-disked
flowers
41 Refers casually
(to)
44 Spotted wildcat
45 Rattle

46 Soft-shell clam
48 Williams of tennis
49 Very soon
50 From the States:
Abbr.
52 Small winds
paired with
drums
53 Literary twist
54 Heaps praise on
61 Beast of burden
62 Golfer Trevino

By Janice Luttrell
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/09/17

10/09/17

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

RELEASE DATE– Monday, October 9, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

xwordeditor@aol.com

J

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E

WARNER BROS.

‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a 
groundbreaking sequel

“Blade Runner” was a sci-

fi behemoth. Certainly, the 
movie has some uncomfortable 
moments 
and 
questionable 

demographic representations 
— all of the extras are Asian, 
yet 
no 
primary 
character 

is 
— 
but 
these 

shortcomings 
aren’t enough to 
delegitimize 
the 

masterpiece’s 
artistic triumphs. 
Even 
after 

three 
decades 

of 
filmmakers 

trying to replicate 
its 
intricacies, 

nothing 
has 

matched the visual creativity 
of 
Ridley 
Scott’s 
(“Alien: 

Covenant”) 1982 classic.

But this high praise doesn’t 

automatically 
warrant 
a 

sequel. The movie’s ending, 
ambiguous enough to keep 
us nerds debating for literal 
decades, doesn’t beg to be 
resolved 
in 
a 
follow-up. 

Replicating “Blade Runner” is 
a task too daunting for anyone, 
even Scott himself, to tackle 
— except for Denis Villeneuve 
(“Arrival”).

No other director could 

better 
guarantee 
that 
a 

“Blade Runner” sequel won’t 
horrifically disappoint. The 
French-Canadian 
visionary 

is 
on 
Hollywood’s 
hottest 

winning 
streaks, 
following 

the 
critical 
and 
popular 

adoration of “Sicario” and 
“Arrival,” two riveting and 
cinematographically stunning 
movies. With “Blade Runner 
2049,” the streak not only stays 
alive, but intensifies.

“Blade Runner 2049” is set 

30 years from the original and 
follows a similar plot. Hunting 
replicants is once again the 
main objective, but this with 
added 
complications. 
Agent 

“K” (Ryan Gosling, “La La 
Land”) is in charge of “retiring” 
— code for killing — replicants, 
or fake humans created by the 
Tyrell Corporation. But after 
finding 
suspicious 
objects, 

his job gets more difficult. 
Describing the rest of the plot 
is arduous, not only because 
it’s 
complex, 
but 
because 

every detail revealed is a mini-
spoiler. Scott and the movie’s 
producers cracked down on 
leaking any information before 
the release, which now makes 
sense. The whole movie leads 
you in one direction only to 
drag you back scenes later. 

And though you 
might get lost 
in 
the 
second 

act, it all wraps 
up neatly in the 
end.

Ryan 

Gosling’s 
performance as 
K is much like 
Harrison Ford’s 
(“Star Wars: The 

Force Awakens”) in the original 
— he balances a macho bravado 
with 
gaping 
vulnerabilities 

just like Ford’s Deckard. K 
struggles the entire movie with 
coping with his identity and 
his past. He lives an isolated 
life only to be accompanied by 
his AI girlfriend Joi (Ana de 
Armas, “War Dogs”). Without 
ever wandering into overtly 
highbrow 
territory, 
“Blade 

Runner” trudges through the 
nuances of existential dread 
and isolation. Much bleaker 
than the original — which is 
saying quite a bit — “Blade 
Runner 2049” is one of the 
darker 
dystopian 
tales 
in 

recent memory, and certainly 
of the blockbuster sci-fi genre. 

At 
the 
forefront 
of 

loneliness 
and 
isolation 
is 

K’s pseudo-relationship with 
Joi. He returns from work, 
not to a real human, but to 
an AI imaginary girlfriend 
programmed to make him feel 
loved. In this regard, “Blade 
Runner 
2049” 
definitely 

steals a bit from “Her,” but 
calling this theft isn’t valid. 
Joi isn’t quite as developed as 
Samantha, the AI from “Her.” 
However, the movie’s lazy 
one-dimension depiction of Joi 
is a social commentary in and 
of itself. This AI projection 
is manufactured to fit the 
stereotypical feminine roles 
in 
a 
masculine-dominated 

society: She’s a homemaker, a 
manic pixie dream girl and a 
cheerleader all at once. In this 
regard, the sequel definitely 
has a greater social conscience 
that its predecessor.

De Arma’s performance as 

Joi was likely the most difficult 
to 
execute, 
yet 
the 
most 

rewarding. Complemented by 
stunning CGI that glitches 
between accurate projections 
and stuttering malfunctions, 
her performance transcends 
Joi from being just another 
robot-type to a character we 
genuinely care about.

Villeneuve’s direction and 

Roger 
Deakins’s 
(“Skyfall”) 

cinematography are a match 
made in heaven. Incorporating 
the visual elements of the 
original 
while 
staying 

entirely authentic, the duo 
delivers breathtaking shots of 
dystopian Los Angeles. “Blade 
Runner 
2049,” 
in 
simpler 

terms, is one of the best 
shot movies of all time. It’s 
hypnotic, expansive, elaborate 
and 
gorgeous. 
Deakins, 

throughout his long and Oscar-
less career, has made Earth 
look like a different planet. He 
can take a typical landscape, 
and with his signature lighting 
and wide angle lenses, portray 
it as if it were some uncharted 
land. “Blade Runner 2049” is 
no exception. Los Angeles in 
2049 will probably not be the 
sunshine-deprived, billboard-
laden metropolis as seen in the 
movie, but Scott and Deakins’s 
world is one of the most 
detailed ever.

Die-hard fans will likely 

disagree, but “Blade Runner 
2049” 
is 
unnecessarily 

longwinded. Clocking in at 
163 minutes, it risks deterring 
viewers who either haven’t 
seen the original, or have and 
found it somewhat slow. Still, 
it’s about as good of a sequel 
as we could ever dream of, one 
that begs to be seen on the big 
screen.

Recent reboots of successful 

franchises, like “Mad Max: 
Fury Road” and “The Force 
Awakens,” have been instant 
classics in and of themselves. 
Suffice to say, we can expect 
many more of these to come. 

“Blade Runner 

2049”

Warner Bros. 

Pictures

Rave Cinemas, 

Quality 16

WILL STEWART

Daily Arts Writer

DO YOU LIKE ALL THINGS 
FASHION & LIFESTYLE? LIKE 

PRETENTIOUSLY RUMINATING 
OVER YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS 

AND AUTHORS?

Daily Arts is looking to bring on new writers to their Style and 

Book Review beats! Email 

arts@michigandaily.com for an application.

COURTESY OF DERRICK AUSTINSON

The Wonder Years expand 
talents with new EP, show

The Wonder Years have had 

an impressive career arc since 
their inception in 2005. From 
their humble rise with the pop 
punk staple The Upsides to 
2015’s epic, moving No Closer to 
Heaven the band has grown at 
an exponential rate, selling out 
most of their shows to perform 
for a deafening fan base. But 
just over two weeks ago, The 
Wonder Years decided to toss 
us a curveball in the form of an 
acoustic EP titled Burst & Decay, 
which consists of toned down 
versions of seven of their songs.

In support of the EP, the band 

is currently finishing up a short 
run of full band acoustic shows, 
and I was fortunate enough 
to catch their hometown date 
in 
Philadelphia 
last 
Friday. 

Typically, The Wonder Years are 
known for high energy shows, 
largely thanks to the aggressive 
passion of their fans. At their 
acoustic shows, the band turned 
their typical formula on its head, 
replacing cathartic punk and 
alternative rock with intricate, 
tender compositions that beg 
more for quiet understanding 
rather than an explosive pit.

For the second time, I made 

a quick trip out to Philly to 
experience the band in their 
hometown. The Wonder Years 
performed to a sold out crowd 
at the Theater of Living Arts 

(or TLA for short), probably 
the largest venue on the entire 
tour. The atmosphere of their 
hometown 
shows 
is 
almost 

indescribable; the city clearly 
loves the band as much as the 
band loves the city that shaped 
them. 
Hearing 
their 
new 

acoustic rendition of “Coffee 
Eyes” in the city was achingly 
beautiful, whose chorus has 
frontman Dan Campbell yelling, 
“There’s always been a table for 
me here.” Singing along with the 
Philadelphians brought a sense 
of belonging unlike any other 
show of theirs.

While the crowd’s singing 

still 
(and 
probably 
always 

will) 
rivaled 
frontman 
Dan 

Campbell’s in terms of volume, 
the crowd as a whole was able 
to experience a vastly greater 
intimacy with the band’s lyrics. 
Replacing 
riffs 
and 
chords 

with synth lines and acoustic 
harmonies shifted the focus onto 
the words that Campbell sang. 
As acoustic renditions, the songs 
feel less finite and gut punching. 
Campbell expertly navigates his 
lyrics on these new versions, 
using soft croons far more often 
than his signature booming 
vocals.

In forcing the audience into 

this intimacy, every plucked 
guitar string and flowing synth 
note held a greater emotional 
weight. If anything, these new 
arrangements prove that The 
Wonder Years is a band of 
incredibly talented musicians. 
Their intimacy cast a spell across 

the crowd, one characterized by 
a captivating stillness previously 
unseen at the band’s shows. 
While these shows are marked 
by this impressive change of 
pace, impressive doesn’t really 
do 
the 
band’s 
performance 

enough justice. The Wonder 
Years 
completely 
exceeded 

expectations, proving that they 
have come a long, long way as 
musicians whose roots are in pop 
punk.

The Wonder Years took a 

leap of faith with this acoustic 
EP and tour, and Campbell 
acknowledged this at the show. 
The band is well aware of their 
usual 
expectations 
and 
just 

how much they subverted them 
in performing acoustic. Yet, 
this high risk came with high 
reward. By taking the time to 
rework old music with new 
musical 
composition, 
they’ve 

given their long time fans a 
reason to reflect and grow with 
the band. With these acoustic 
renditions and performances, 
the band has shown a capacity 
for growth and change that is 
essentially nonexistent in their 
contemporaries — time after 
time again, The Wonder Years 
have proven that they are so 
much more than just another 
pop punk band. In gearing up for 
the release of their sixth album 
in 2018, The Wonder Years could 
not have more perfectly gifted 
their fans than with a gorgeously 
arranged 
acoustic 
EP 
and 

small, intimate performances to 
showcase their reworkings.

DOMINIC POLSINELLI

Daily Arts Writer

FILM REVIEW
MUSIC REVIEW

