6A — Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

George Clooney and the Coen Brothers team up once again
Clooney does Coens and 
disappoints with a drag

Lengthy and uneventful, ‘Suburbicon’ fails to be anything special

Directed by George Clooney 

(“The Monuments Men”) and 
written by the Coen brothers 
(“Hail, Caesar!”), “Suburbicon” 
teases as a dark crime thriller that 
involves irrevocable actions and 
inevitable consequences, set in a 
1950s suburban neighborhood. But 
despite its promising collection of 
Hollywood elites, “Suburbicon” 
is a messy, flat and directionless 
disappointment. The film opens 
with an introduction to the world 
of 
Suburbicon, 
a 
wholesome 

and white-washed Pleasantville 
saturated in a cheesy 1950s 
aesthetic. Tensions ensue when 
a Black family moves in, and the 
community is outraged by the 
breach of their WASP oasis. Flash 
to a crowd of white men foaming 
at the mouth at a town meeting, 
demanding 
the 
neighborhood 

upholds their right to maintain 
segregation. Right off the bat, the 
movie dives into racial tensions 
of the ’50s, white flight and 
the socioeconomic politics of 
integration.

Just as quickly as they appear, 

racial dynamics take a back seat 
as the film spotlights the Lodge 
family, led by Matt Damon (“The 
Great Wall”) as the white-collar 
patriarch Gardner in perhaps 
his worst role to date. The family 
also includes Julianne Moore 
(“Kingsman: The Golden Circle”) 
in a dual role, playing both 
Gardner’s paraplegic wife Rose 
and her twin sister Margaret. 
Here we see another example of 
the hot trend of actors playing off 
themselves, done compellingly by 
Ewan McGregor in “Fargo” and 

James Franco in “The Deuce.” 
Moore is an incredible actor who 
would have certainly been dynamic 
if able to really explore this dual 
role, but unfortunately, the movie 
immediately takes a drastic turn 
that negates this opportunity. 

The crime narrative evolves 

in the film’s crucial scene, which 
happens abruptly and jarringly, 
and is messy in its immediacy. 
The rest of the film is just as 
chaotic and confusing. As a crime 
movie, the progression of the plot 
would have been interesting had 
it been eerie and psychological. 
Instead, Moore’s turn as Margaret 

comes 
off 
as 
superficially 

schizophrenic, 
or 
psychotic 

without the character depth the 
role demands. Damon is worse, 
playing the calculated patriarch 
as stiff and devoid of complexity. 
There is zero chemistry between 
him and Moore that makes their 
motivations wholly unbelievable. 
Maddeningly, Nicky understands 
the gravity of the film’s central 
conflict, but doesn’t do much about 
it; the film is riddled with plot 
holes that all involve Nicky being 
critically aware of his situation but 
somehow unable to voice his truth 
to anyone except the people that 
threaten him.

“Suburbicon” does have a splash 

of the Coen brothers charm that 
flickers to create a shadow of 

satire. A few scenes and lines of 
dialogue are kind of funny, smart 
and subversive, though fleeting. 
Near its end, the film gets so 
violent and bloody that is seems 
like a satirical crime thriller in the 
vein of Tarantino, though it never 
quite gets there. Oscar Isaac (“The 
Promise”) is fabulous as a cunning 
and slick insurance claim agent 
hot on the scent. Aesthetically, 
the film is strong, with some 
creative shots that make the movie 
visually interesting. The score by 
Alexandre Desplat (“Valerian and 
the City of a Thousand Planets”) is 
also exciting and effective.

The film’s weaknesses, though, 

by far outweigh its strengths. 
Tonally, the movie is all over the 
place, trying to be tumultuous and 
eerie but ending up flat. The acting 
is just as one-dimensional. Because 
it has no real protagonist, the film 
just floats in an empty dead space 
that makes connecting with the 
characters impossible. Random 
moments in the movie are devoted 
to showing the neighborhood’s 
crazed harassment of the Black 
family, but this racial subplot 
is completely superfluous and 
irrelevant to the larger narrative. 
Because they get no lines, the 
family members become tokens 
rather than characters. The movie 
isn’t really about racial dynamics, 
so the inclusion of this subplot 
is extremely problematic and 
superficial.

After two endless hours, it’s hard 

to figure out what “Suburbicon” 
is actually about. Is it a social 
commentary on white flight and 
WASP racism? Is it a subversive 
satire of mob thrillers? Is it a 
cinematic success for Clooney and 
the Coen brothers? None of the 
above.

FILM REVIEW

SYDNEY COHEN

Daily Arts Writer

DAILY FILM COLUMN

Everybody knew, 
everybody knows

Why does human decency only extend so far in Hollywood?

Earlier 
this 
week, 
Kevin 

Spacey joined the growing list 
of 
“everybody 
knew” 
sexual 

abusers after Anthony Rapp came 
forward, detailing how the actor 
came on to him when he was only 
14-years-old. In a particularly 
disgusting turn of events, Spacey 
spun the news into a coming out 
announcement.

Like Weinstein earlier this 

month, Spacey’s digressions seem 
to have been expertly covered up 
by a complicit support system. 
People have dug up Family Guy 
jokes that hint as Spacey’s sexual 
misconduct, and Rosie O’Donnell 
tweeted at him: “we all knew 
about u.”

I was surprised, and a little 

emboldened, by the swift and 
thorough takedown of Kevin 
Spacey. Hours after allegations 
surfaced, his Netflix show “House 
of Cards” was canceled. The 
LGBTQ community attacked his 
conflation of homosexuality and 
pedophilia. The TV Academy 
withdrew 
his 
International 

Emmy Founders Award.

For an industry built of the 

bodies of women and children, 
Hollywood has proved itself to 
be a somewhat sentient beast 
in the last month. Spacey and 
Weinstein’s luciferian falls from 
grace might signal a sea change 
in the way the industry deals 
with one of it’s most rampant and 
complicated problems.

This kind of instantaneous 

and all-reaching condemnation 
is similar to that of Ben Hopkins 
of queer punk band PWR BTTM. 
After allegations surfaced, the 
band was dropped from their 
record label, their music removed 
from streaming services and 
their upcoming tour canceled. It 
was exactly the kind of reaction 

perpetrators of sexual violence 
deserve. It was, in the context of 
basic human decency, just and 
fair.

The reaction didn’t, however, fit 

into the mold of how the music (or 
for that matter, film) community 
deals with sexual assault. There 
was little debate, overwhelming 
support for the victims and, for 
once, some kind of justice.

But, of course, not all reactions 

are created equal. Woody Allen 
still has a new film coming out 
this month and another slated for 
next year. Johnny Depp has three 
movies coming out this year and 

at least two for next year. After 
winning the Academy Award for 
Best Actor, Casey Affleck was 
in one of the years most highly 
regarded indies, “A Ghost Story” 
and has two more films slated for 
2018.

These men are also “everybody 

knew” cases, only with them 
the “everybody” includes us. We 
know. The people who cast and 
work with them know. Their 
agents, producers, directors and 
co-stars know.

It doesn’t make sense that the 

same industry can react to these 
men in such different ways. What 
makes Weinstein or Spacey’s case 
different from Depp or Allen’s?

Kevin Spacey, of course tried to 

use his sexuality to undercut and 
distract from the allegations. His 
sexual misconduct, he seems to 
think, is only condemned because 
he’s gay. Not because he’s a gay 
man preying on underage boys.

Maybe it’s the magnitude of 

Weinstein’s crimes that forced an 
unwilling public to come to terms 
with what it long had known: 
Hollywood (and really, America) 
has a problem with sexual assault. 
It’s much easier to ignore one 
woman than it is to ignore on 
hundred. Maybe it’s the status of 
his victims, who include Angelina 
Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, that 
forces us to acknowledge what 
he’s done.

As a person with a body, and 

more specifically a woman who 
wants to work in a creative 
industry (don’t ask me which one, 
I don’t know yet), this all feels 
very immediate and confusing.

Men have touched my body 

who I haven’t wanted to, they’ve 
yelled and me followed me, made 
me feel afraid of them. But I’ve 
never felt trapped by them or 
indebted to them. I’ve never been 
made to feel that my silence and 
my success were one in the same.

So it’s a little (a tiny bit) 

heartening to see an industry 
that I (maybe) want to enter so 
swiftly and thoroughly the men 
that abuse their power and status 
to make less powerful people feel 
afraid and unsafe. But, I’m not 
completely convinced.

Because there will be more 

cases that emerge where we sigh 
and say “everyone knew.” And 
there are still people that we 
know about, who we let succeed 
nonetheless. Hollywood is still a 
hypocritical, self-serving piece of 
garbage. But maybe, just maybe 
it’s getting better.

MADELEINE 

GAUDIN

‘Suburbicon’

Paramount 

Pictures

Rave and 
Quality 16

STYLE
Erdem knocks it out of the 
park with an H&M collab

Luxury replaces cheapness in latest line with Swedish retailer

For 
a 
notoriously 
cheap 

brand, H&M spares no expense 
to promote its high fashion 
collaborations. This year for their 
partnership with British-based 
designer 
Erdem 
Moralıoğlu, 

which releases Nov. 2, they 
hired famed filmmaker Baz 
Luhrmann (“The Get Down”) 
to direct the promotional video. 
The short film is undeniably 
odd; it depicts a love triangle 
set in a mysterious country 
estate in shambles and includes 
dialogue so cringeworthy it 
makes you shudder with second 
hand-embarrassment. However, 
despite its adherence to weird 
tropes, the film is rhetorically 
effective: it makes you want 
to buy the clothes. The short 
is optically spectacular, every 
shot saturated with multi-hued 
flowers and attractive people 
dressed to the nines.

The 
collection 
itself 
is 

impeccably done; the clothes 

have 
a 
luxurious 
intensity 

to them, coupled with a fine 
attention to detail. There is a 
dichotomy among the pieces: 
half are defined by their crisp 
tailored lines, while the other 
half posses a more relaxed, 
flowey silhouette. All of the 
looks, however, are united by 
their sense of romanticism. 
While weird, the Luhrmann 
film does the collection justice, 
because — thanks to its modern 
take on Victorian style (lace, 
high collars, long sleeves) — if 
you were to find yourself in an 
old manor filled with flowers, 
looked after by an eccentric, 
Miss 
Havisham-esque 
lady, 

this collection is precisely the 
thing to wear. Of the collection, 
a few looks are outstanding, 
particularly the double-breasted 
gray wool womenswear suit and 
its floral brocade twin, as well as 
a silk pajama set, intended to be 
worn by both genders.

But the question still remains: 

will this collaboration be as 
lucrative 
for 
the 
Swedish 

retail giant as the ones of 

the 
past? 
Unlike 
Balmain, 

Alexander Wang or Versace, 
who 
all 
previously 
debuted 

collections with H&M, Erdem 
does not carry worldwide name 
recognition. Additionally, most 
of the pieces are priced at a 
point — about $200-299 — that 
a typical H&M shopper might 
balk at, a conscious decision on 
part of the designer. 

“I wanted to create something 

that was the opposite of fast 
fashion; I love the idea of 
creating pieces people would 
have forever,” he said in an 
interview with Fashionista.com. 
“Classic pieces that feel relevant 
in 10 years, 20 years.”

Which is precisely what he 

did. This collaboration excels 
because it is more than just junky, 
cheap clothes smeared with the 
brand name. Yet despite the lack 
of ostentatious logos, anyone 
familiar with the designer will 
instantly know you’re wearing 
one of his pieces. This collection 
is indistinguishable from his 
main line, yet is about one-tenth 
of the cost.

TESS TOBIN
Daily Arts Writer

COCO, A CHAMPION HAVANA 

BROWN CAT, NEEDS A WIN-

TER HOME IN MICHIGAN 

His owner will be down south and 

on ex 
tended trips from December 

to the begin 
ning of June. He is an 

affectionate, fully declawed, and 

inside only neutered male cat, 5 years 

old. His owner will supply food, 

kitty litter, etc. plus $300/month to 

the foster person or family. In the 

unlikely event that Coco needs medi‑

cal attention his owner will cover that 

expense. Full‑time adoption may be 

HELP WANTED

ARBOR PROPERTIES 

Award‑Winning Rentals in 

Kerrytown 
Central Campus, Old West 

Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 

2018. 

734‑649‑8637 | www.arborprops.com 

FALL 2018 HOUSES

# Beds Location Rent

 11 1014 Vaughn $7700

 9 1015 Packard $6525

 6 511 Linden $4800

 6 1016 S. Forest $5400

 6 1119 S. Forest $4350 

 6 1207 Prospect $4900

 6 1355 Wilmot Ct. $5075

 5 515 S. Fourth $3700

 5 935 S. Division $4000

 5 1024 Packard $3700

 4 412 E. William $3200

 4 507 Sauer Ct $3600

 4 509 Sauer Ct $3600

Tenants pay all utilities.

Leasing starts Nov. 10th

Reservations Accepted till 11/8.

CAPPO/DEINCO

734‑996‑1991

MAY 2018 – 6 BDRMS HOUSES

811 Sybil ‑ $4400 

Tenants pay all utilities.

Showings Scheduled M‑F 10‑3

24 hour noticed required

DEINCO PROPERTIES

734‑996‑1991

FOR RENT

ACROSS
1 Olympic 
swimmer Buster 
who played Buck 
Rogers
7 Naughty
10 Queequeg’s 
captain
14 “Yowzah!”
15 365 días
16 Place for a long 
winter’s nap
17 Restaurant 
review pricing 
symbol
19 __ bar
20 Physicians’ gp.
21 Cheese couleur
22 Like some bread
23 Out of __: not 
together
25 Grad’s memento
28 Wagering 
parlors: Abbr.
31 Printer problem
32 Key with no 
sharps or flats
35 Slatted window
40 British 
Columbia’s 
capital is on it
42 Where a tennis 
server’s doubles 
partner is usually 
positioned
43 Most cordial
44 Like this ans.
45 Diamond bag
46 Equal chance
51 Slide __
55 Slangy negative
56 School whose a 
cappella group is 
the Whiffenpoofs
59 Albany is its cap.
60 Nabisco cracker
61 “Baby Got Back” 
rapper, and a hint 
to this puzzle’s 
circles
64 Extra
65 Boxing legend
66 Catty?
67 Cookie monster?
68 Center of 
Austria?
69 Fly to flee

DOWN
1 Musical endings
2 Unlike most 
airline seating
3 Poe’s middle 
name
4 Statement amt.

5 Spoil the surprise
6 English 
nobleman
7 Olympic skater 
Oksana
8 Country in SW 
Afr.
9 Put on
10 Place to say “I 
do”
11 Port-au-Prince’s 
country
12 Singer whose 
fans are called 
Claymates
13 __ to light: 
reveal
18 “Just a few __”
22 Gradual 
absorption
24 Marine snail
26 Open a bit
27 City in central 
Kansas
29 Not the least bit 
challenging
30 Mimosa time
32 Glamorous 
Gardner
33 Yoga class need
34 Statement amt.
35 Hot tub water 
agitator
36 Stomach 
problem

37 RSVP 
convenience
38 Officeholders
39 July hrs. in 
Georgia
41 “Bates Motel” 
actress Farmiga
45 Shine
46 Terra __
47 Self-evident 
principle
48 Opening words
49 Reduces to rubble

50 Four-time NBA 
All-Star __ Irving
52 Not illuminated
53 Rhone cathedral 
city
54 Lauder of 
cosmetics
57 Emotional boost
58 Former union 
members?

61 Posed (for)
62 __-de-France
63 Oktoberfest quaff

By Matt Skoczen
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/01/17

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

11/01/17

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