6A — Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘U.N.C.L.E.’ is stylish fun
‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ an imperfect, but unappreciated thriller
In 2015, director Guy Ritchie
(“King Arthur: Legend of the
Sword”) released “The Man From
U.N.C.L.E.,” a Cold War spy caper
featuring Henry Cavill (“Batman
vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”),
Alicia Vikander (“Submergence”)
and Armie Hammer (“Call Me
By Your Name”) as a motley crew
of international spies hunting
for a missing warhead. The film
seemed to be one nobody had
asked for, adapted from a low-
brow 1964 television series of
the same name. What’s more,
it opened just weeks after spy-
movie
blockbuster
“Mission
Impossible: Rogue Nation.” As a
result, ticket sales were less than
spectacular. With tepid critical
reviews, the film came and went
as little more than a blip on the
2015 summer movie radar. Today
the film remains one of the most
underrated spy films to come
out of the last decade, featuring
dazzling stylization, irresistible
cast chemistry and an electrifying
soundtrack.
The spy flick was once a pillar
of popular cinema: Filled with
suave machismo, high fashion and
exorbitant amounts of innuendo,
the style of the classic spy movie
is a cultural icon. Today, they
don’t make spy movies like they
used to; box offices are dominated
by dark, gritty films like “The
Bourne” series, and even the
once-campy “James Bond” films
now boast sleek, blue-tinted color
palettes.
“The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
is an homage to a bygone era of
film. It doesn’t concern itself with
deep, troubled backstories or a
dark, moody aesthetic. The film
meticulously recreates the style of
the classic spy film, from its split-
screen action sequences to its
dramatic camera zooms. The film
revels in this campy, carefree style
with just enough modern flair
to not feel dated. Critics panned
the film for prioritizing style over
substance, which it did. However,
positing that criticism of this
kind of film is like comparing
Dr. Pepper to fine wine. The film
wasn’t made to be deep — it was
made to be stylish and fun, a goal
it achieves in spades.
The
cast’s
chemistry,
too,
stands out as a highlight of the
film that was largely overlooked
by critics. Each of the main
characters is likeable on their
own, from Cavill’s suave Napoleon
Solo to Hammer’s stalwart Illya
Kuryakin to Vikander’s charming
Gaby. Together, however, these
three feed off of one another
and create a cast dynamic that’s
downright
irresistible.
The
characters all serve as excellent
foils for one another, such as in
a scene where Illya sits in a hotel
room and quietly plays chess with
himself, trying (and failing) to
ignore Gaby drunkenly dancing to
Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me.” The
interactions between the film’s
main characters are repeatedly
grin-inducing, and they’re part of
what makes the film as much fun
as it is.
Speaking of “Cry to Me,” did I
mention that this soundtrack is
incredible? Because it is. Not only
does the film sample numerous
’60s Italian pop classics (including
one particularly memorable scene
featuring
Peppino
Gagliardi’s
“Che
Vuole
Questa
Musica
Stasera”), but it also contains
numerous
standout
original
compositions. A large virtue of
these original compositions —
composed by Daniel Pemberton
— is how well they fit the action
taking place on the screen. For
example, during a car chase the
engines may rev in unison with
ripping electric guitar riffs, or
the cars may bounce along a dirt
trail to the beat of the soundtrack
piece. This synchronization is
subtle, but it lends the film a
unique cadence that’s all its own.
It may not be a dramatic
masterwork, but from my first
viewing of “The Man From
U.N.C.L.E.” back in 2015, I
knew the film was significant
as a tribute to the golden age of
on-screen espionage, and all the
bravado, style and campiness
that came with it. It’s absolutely
an imperfect film, and not one I’d
ever try to pretend is flawless, but
those flaws rarely seem to impact
the
experience
of
watching
the film. Instead, “The Man
From U.N.C.L.E.” is the type of
cinematic experience that thrills
and entertains for every second of
its 116 minutes.
CBS
“Life in Pieces” airs Thursdays on CBS
‘Life in Pieces’ is busy but
bland as it enters season 3
CBS’s attempt to compete with ‘Modern Family’ falls flat
My face blank and my spirit
blasé, I sat in front of the screen
on a gloomy Thursday night in
hopes of laughing at the outlandish
endeavors of the Short family. And
yet, there was nothing — nothing
in the entirety of that half-hour
episode that evoked a genuine
laugh or even the slightest chuckle.
While
the
season
three
premiere of CBS’s “Life in Pieces”
wasn’t particularly awful, it felt
generically stale in plot and tired
in attempting (for a third year) to
level with its prime-time sitcom
“competition,”
ABC’s
“Modern
Family.” It’s disheartening that a
series with an innovative, vignette-
style structure and proficient
cast appears to be traveling on
a downwards slope, but after
two seasons of the same old,
scheduled humor, it’s clear why.
A show highlighting four distinct,
rarely
interlinking
plotlines
simply translates to a whole lot of
confusion, not the intended, nicely-
segmented chronicles of a chaotic
family. Even more perplexing,
sometimes there’s a tying-together
point, and sometimes there’s just
not.
To start off season three,
we pick up with newlyweds
Matt
(Thomas
Sadoski,
“The
Newsroom”)
and
Colleen
(Angelique
Cabral,
“Enlisted”),
whose nightmarish honeymoon is
looking materialistically brighter
after Colleen is granted two million
dollars in settlement for her fall off
of their motel balcony. But after the
couple receives the bad news that
the motel has filed for bankruptcy
and the settlement is off, they are
forced to abruptly end the whole
family’s
Vegas
getaway.
This
short story features the all-too-
predictable arc of the newly rich
losing all of their money, and while
it was admittedly entertaining to
watch the misfit family pop bottles
on a party bus, it felt like this story
ends before it gains any ground.
The second vignette focuses
on Greg (Colin Hanks, “Dexter”)
and
Jen’s
(Zoe
Lister-Jones,
“Whitney”) feeble and ineffective
attempt to crack their daughter’s
pacifier addiction. Again, while
this short story brought up some
very contemporary and amusing
issues, such as Jen’s request that the
fictional “pacifier fairy” be a man
who battles against sexism, all-in-
all, it left me feeling disinterested
and
unaffected.
Even
with
Hanks and Lister-Jones’s natural
chemistry and quarreling, their
comedic timing and brilliant facial
dialogue are frequently underused
in a mediocre plot.
Then there’s the two final
stories (which blended together
into one in my mind), in which
the young and emotionally lost
Sophia (Giselle Einsenberg) runs
away to visit the rubble of the
family’s
recently
burnt-down
house, while elsewhere, Tyler
(Niall Cunningham) announces
that he and Clementine (Hunter
King, “Hollywood Heights”) are
“romantically unsyncing” (AKA
divorcing). Both of these vignettes
open up scenarios for heartfelt
child and parent conversation, but
these moments come off as forced
and easily-fixable. In a sitcom with
the premise of illustrating tried
and true familial adversity, would
it really be that hard to showcase
some authenticity?
The only real redeeming quality
to “Life in Pieces” is its star-
studded roster of talent, which
shows up to play no matter what
uninspiring tropes and worn-out
plot lines they are constrained to.
The cast carries the series on its
shoulders; it’s just regrettable that
we only see so little of them in such
fast-paced episodes. If you blink,
you might miss Hanks masterfully
throw some side-eye after a
witty remark or James Brolin
(“Westworld”), as family patriarch
John, curmudgeonly react to his
family’s bizarre antics. And if you
miss that, you’ve essentially missed
all the entertainment.
After enduring two seasons of
similar dissatisfaction and yearning
for originality, I unfortunately
came to expect this lackluster of
a “Life in Pieces” premiere. After
all, the title slide reads: “One big
family. Four short stories. Every
week.” And if that doesn’t sound
like the basis of every sitcom ever,
then you’re likely still stuck on
creator Justin Adler’s bandwagon
— believing in the unforeseen
potential of this imitated, insipid
comedy.
MORGAN RUBINO
For the Daily
TV REVIEW
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
UMS brings Chanticleer
This
Friday,
the
Grammy
award-winning group Chanticleer
will perform “Heart of a Soldier”
at Hill Auditorium. Chanticleer
blends 12 male voices to create an
“orchestra of voices.” The group
performs interpretations of vocal
literature
and
contemporary
compositions.
The show tells stories about
soldiering by traveling through
history through music, looking at
music by William Byrd about the
Babylonian Captivity and the fall
of Jerusalem, and by Janequin
about the Battle of Marignano. It
also looks at popular pieces from
the world wars and ending with
a reminder of peace with music
composed by artists such as John
Musto.
“This
concert
is
slightly
different from what might be
called
a
‘typical
Chanticleer
show,’”
wrote
Chanticleer
Music Director, William Scott,
in an interview with The Daily.
“Those shows started with very
early music, perhaps Gregorian
chant, and ended with some
combination of Gershwin and
African-American spirituals. This
program, on the other hand, ends
with a message about peace that
is not only timely but, we hope
elegant and moving.”
Chanticleer does not stop at
just the music. Instead, the group
also displays the emotional and
theatrical realms of soldiering.
From loss to betrayal to rage to
hope, there is an intense range for
the soldiers they portray.
“It is a program of lights and
shadows, happiness as well as
sadness, fast music and slow, in a
variety of languages and styles,
with giddy sound effects alongside
poignant reminders of how much
better peace is, after all,” Scott
wrote.
In
doing
so,
Chanticleer
encompasses
the
entire
experience of being a soldier
with grace, touching its audience
members in the process. They are
coming to the University as a part
of Veterans Week.
“We have had many veterans
come up to us with tears in their
eyes, thanking us for the way
the program seems to point out
the ennobling contribution of
soldiers to our country’s (and any
country’s) past,” Scott wrote.
Scott noted how gratifying it
is to have touched people in such
a way. He also wrote that many
people especially enjoy singing
along in pleasure to the pop songs
“My Buddy,” “Boogie-Woogie-
Bugle-Boy” and “Where Have All
the Flowers Gone.”
“As always, music touches
people in a visceral and sometimes
vulnerable spot,” Scott wrote.
“I hope we sing the program
convincingly, in tune, with good
diction and style and that the
audience will feel that they have
enjoyed going on this musical
journey with us.”
The U-M Glee Club will also
make a cameo appearance in the
performance. Scott noted that
one of his favorite moments will
definitely be when the Glee Club’s
singers join in singing Jennifer
Higdon’s touching “Our Beautiful
Country.”
Chanticleer began discussing
the concept because the duality
between history and emotions
seemed
interesting.
They
received exciting responses from
composers
Mason
Bates
and
Musto and moved on to create the
compelling program that is now
“Heart of a Soldier.”
“What we hadn’t known at
the time we started planning this
program was the incredible need
to remind ourselves of the siren
call of peace that so needs to be
heard right now.”
NITYA GUPTA
Daily Arts Writer
MAX MICHALSKY
For the Daily
“Life in Pieces”
Season 3 Premiere
Thursdays at 9:30
p.m.
CBS
WARNER BROS
Guy RItchie.
FILM REAPPRAISAL
Chanticleer’s
“Heart of a
Soldier”
Hill Auditorium
Friday November
10th @ 8 P.M.
$12-56