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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A

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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

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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