FOR RENT SERVICES 3 & 4 Bedroom Apartments $1500‑$2800 plus gas and water contribution. Tenants pay electric to DTE Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3 w/ 24 hour notice required. 1015 Packard 734‑996‑1991 5 & 6 Bedroom Apartments 1014 Vaughn $3250 ‑ $3900 plus gas and water contribution. Tenants pay electric to DTE Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3 w/ 24 hour notice required 734‑996‑1991 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 6 1016 S. Forest $5400 4 827 Brookwood $3000 4 852 Brookwood $3000 4 1210 Cambridge $3400 Tenants pay all utilities. Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3 w/ 24 hr notice required CAPPO/DEINCO 734‑996‑1991 STORAGE FOR STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD. Specials from now til 9/9/18. Indoor ‑ Clean ‑ Safe ‑ Closest to campus. Reserve online @ an narborstorage.com or call 734‑663‑0690 Classifieds Call: #734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com AMAZON ‘Mrs. Maisel’ stands out with lovable protagonist New York City in the ’50s was truly a time. The cars were gaudy, the clothes were lavish and the women were confined to the domestic sphere, subordinate to their husbands. It was a lifestyle few dared to question, and for a while, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, “Patriots Day”) was among the compliant. Midge is the ideal housewife. She measures herself every day to ensure she keeps up her figure. She waits to take her makeup off until her husband is asleep, and she has it back on by the time he wakes up. She supports her husband’s hopeless side job as a comedian, even bribing club owners with homemade brisket to get him the best time slot. The world according to Midge is perfect, and for the first 30 minutes of the Amy Sherman- Palladino (“Gilmore Girls”) comedy, it seems like things are going to stay that way. But “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” would not be the unsuspecting gem that it is if our title character did nothing, well, marvelous. Though her quick wits and thick vintage New York accent are charming, the moment you fall in love with Midge is the moment her life falls apart. After her husband Joel (Michael Zegen, “Brooklyn”) admits to an affair with his secretary and leaves her, Midge downs a bottle of red wine and drunkenly taxis to the club that she would usually attend to watch Joel do his (stolen) comedy routine. With her makeup running and her usually-compact physique bloating, Midge turns the story of the worst day of her life into a uproarious comedy routine, one that catches the attention of both the star-spotting bartender and the policemen that cart her away for public indecency. It’s a sharp departure from the pastel and pristine homemaker we’d seen before, but one that propels the episode and the series into something worth watching. “Marvelous” hits that sweet spot between funny and touching that so many comedies try yet fail to achieve. And at a time when our male comedic heroes are dropping one by one, the magic of “Marvelous” is crusaded by women, from the writers behind the scenes to the actresses lighting up our screens. Midge is not a housewife in need of saving: She is painted as a strong female whether she’s making latkes or pursuing stardom as a potential stand-up comedian. She reeks confidence so much that it leaps off the screen and fills the viewer with assurance that absolutely nothing will ever stop this woman. It’s rare to find a show in which not a single aspect feels wrong or out-of-place, but “Marvelous” is truly about as flawless as a show of its genre can get. Everything from the upbeat, retro soundtrack to the pleasing aesthetics of old- time New York to the lovable banter between Upper West Side Midge and take-no-shit Susie (Alex Borstein, “Family Guy”) crafts a show that is worthy of nothing but praise. Best of all, “Marvelous” is just a lot of fun to watch. Viewers are treated to the story of a bad-ass Jewish woman who finally comes into her own all while making unlikely friends, fighting off an unworthy ex and breaking into the comedy industry, an industry which, to this day, is dominated by men. It’s enough to inspire you to dump your lowly lover or write that book you keep putting off until tomorrow. Or, at the very least, down a glass or two of red wine and share your secrets with the world. You never know who might be listening. SAMATHA DELLA FERA Daily Arts Writer “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Series Premiere Amazon NO FILTER Comic Broussard wants to make you laugh & think When people think of what Ann Arbor is known for, things like academics, sports and culture usually come to mind. Most of the time, Ann Arbor’s comedy scene is left behind in comparison, forced to fight for some recognition. However, with historic venues like the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, bringing in comedians like Matthew Broussard, the scene seems to actually be thriving, and not just surviving, despite the lack of attention. Founded almost 34 years ago, the venue opened when comedy clubs weren’t really that common. “It was really the beginning of this industry, there weren’t that many comedy clubs across the country before 1980,” said cofounder Roger Feeny in an interview with The Daily. Since then, the club has really built a name for itself, which is why it’s able to bring in such big name comics, including Matthew Broussard. Broussard’s witty style of comedy is a perfect fit for the crowds of Ann Arbor. “They’re a smart crowd,” Feeny explained. “They’re very intelligent and very up on their popular culture, which brings us to Matthew.” Not only are Broussard’s jokes clever, but he also has the brains — and a degree — to accompany them. Before pursuing his career in standup, Broussard completed a degree in mathematics at Rice University. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue the strategic art of making people laugh. And this decision seems to have been a good one for him. Since moving to LA, Broussard has been featured on programs like Conan and Comedy Central, as well as a variety of other TV shows and movies. Even though he’s strayed a bit from his mathematical background, these skills have actually been able to help Broussard with his routines, weaving their way into his jokes from time to time. “Joke writing itself is about finding patterns and breaking them,” Broussard said in a phone interview with The Daily. “And having a background in math really helps with that kind of analytical thinking. And while his main goal is to get a laugh from the audience, he also likes making them think. “I enjoy a joke where you laugh, but after the show, you realize you now know a little tid-bit you didn’t. You can maybe one-up people in a conversation at a party when people ask where … Propecia comes from,” Broussard explained. But his jokes aren’t purely academic. Broussard also draws upon observational humor and references to pop culture. “I just want to address this up top: I look like a douchebag,” he said on a recent stand-up he gave on Conan last year. “It’s not a joke, I just want to let you know that I know… I’ve seen mirrors, I know that even before I started talking, most of you didn’t like me. And that’s okay, because ’80s movies have taught you to not trust someone with my hair and bone structure.” While his jokes have found success in the mainstream, Feeny believes that they resonate particularly well with Ann Arbor audiences. “Talking about smart audiences, Matthew touches on subjects that you never hear comics touch on, like physics and grammar,” Feeny stated. “You wouldn’t expect these bits to be funny. But the first time he came in, he impressed us greatly.” Feeny attributes his success here to the fact that the club draws in such a smart audience. Even though it’s a bit colder than Los Angeles, Broussard still looks forward to coming back to Ann Arbor for a second time. When asked about Ann Arbor and the Comedy Showcase, Broussard stated: “It’s one of my favorite clubs. The crowds are just so smart, and they’ll go anywhere with you. They’re far smarter than I am, and far more educated than I am. It’s really a treat. My favorite things is a smart audience, and Ann Arbor has that.” RYAN COX Daily Arts Writer Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase presents “Matthew Broussard” Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase Friday, December 7th @ 8 & 10:30 p.m. Saturday, December 8th @ 8 @ 10:30 p.m. $14 in advance, $16 at the door NEW LINE CINEMA ‘Elf’ is peak Christmas Over the course of November, I was subjected to “A Bad Mom’s Christmas,” “Daddy’s Home 2” and “The Star” in rapid succession. These movies have two things in common. One, they are all ostensibly Christmas movies. Two, they’re all godawful, poorly written messes made with all the thoughtful consideration of a Christmas card with your name spelled wrong. When the best movie of any given bunch costars Mel Gibson as a hot shot former astronaut who has to learn to say “I love you” to his son, it’s enough for even Santa to let out a “Humbug.” That’s part of the reason I was so excited for this Thanksgiving Break. Not only would I be able to spend time with family and gorge myself on buttery dinner rolls, but my family would be beginning our holiday season as always: watching Jon Favreau’s (“Iron Man”) “Elf.” Having grown up with the movie, I’ve always had an appreciation for it that, as I grew older, perhaps could have been chalked up to simple nostalgia. There was something different when I sat down to watch “Elf” this time, though. Maybe it was the string of duds I was coming off enduring. Maybe it was the aligning of the sun and stars. Maybe it was the eggnog. Whatever the reason, halfway through the movie, I had to a realization. This wasn’t just a good Christmas movie. For increasingly cynical times, “Elf” is just about the most perfect Christmas movie imaginable. There’s an earnestness, heart and imagination to every frame that is almost unmatched. At the center of it all is Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, one of the best roles of his career. Ferrell has made a career out of playing man-children in movies like “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights,” so the role of Buddy — a human raised by Santa’s elves — is perfect for him. But where parts like Ron Burgundy relied on audiences laughing at his more juvenile moments, the abject glee of Ferrell’s performance here makes it feel much more like we’re laughing with him. Even jokes that shouldn’t work, like an eleven-second long monster of a belch, do because of Buddy’s enthusiasm and Ferrell’s spot-on comedic timing. Also key is Favreau in the director’s chair, wisely not allowing real world logic to get in the way of the story he’s telling. It’s a world where the North Pole is portrayed as a partially animated wonderland filled with stop- motion arctic puffins. Heavy use of forced perspective is used to allow for Ferrell to tower over the other elves in indoor sets that do terrific worldbuilding all on their own. There’s an obvious contrast between this world and New York City, but Favreau finds the perfect balance between the two tones. He also makes sure to ground everything in Buddy’s story. The job woes of Buddy’s father, Walter (a perfectly deadpan James Caan, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) is something any of last month’s movies would have built entire agonizing scenes around. Here, they’re kept short and even add to the emotional heart of the film. There’s a thankful lack of dated references, as well, that’s positively refreshing given more recent comedies. Yes, “Daddy’s Home 2,” I’m sure all those “Sully” references will play just as well in 14 years as they do now. But eventually, it all comes back to the heart of it. Buddy the Elf lives in a cynical world. The children’s books executives are money- grubbing jerks. Santa Claus (Ed Asner, “Up”) has become reliant on technology instead of Christmas spirit and, in a hilarious bit of implied backstory, has had at least one run-in with the Central Park Rangers. There’s no singing in the North Pole. It’s a world just like ours. There’s a certain catharsis, then, to watching Buddy’s optimism slowly win over everyone around him. The finale, bolstered by John Debney’s (“The Jungle Book”) terrific score, is nothing short of magical, and in a time when even Christmas feels in danger of succumbing to the monotonous daily grind of modern living, that little bit of magic and spirit “Elf” offers is something to hold onto. JEREMIAH VANDERHELM Daily Arts Writer NO FILTERFFILM NOTEBOOK TV REVIEW COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW ACROSS 1 “Yeah” 6 Whack 10 They’re corny 14 Spaghetti Western director Sergio 15 Refine 16 Spread for dinner, say 17 Two foes of Rocky 20 Request to go out, maybe 21 Cease 22 Airs 23 Mountain nymph 26 Form of love in Paris? 27 Two loves of Homer 32 Implies 33 One may accompany a finger snap 34 Small battery 35 Mine entrance 36 Meddle 37 Artist’s array 38 Large brewer 39 Blunted blade 41 Blots 43 Two specialties of Spock 46 “Heartburn” novelist Ephron 47 San Diego State athlete 48 Advances 50 Chemical suffix 51 Fertility clinic supply 54 Two priorities of Blondie 58 Between ports 59 Bridge site 60 A lot 61 Milk by-product 62 Oracle 63 Entourage DOWN 1 It parallels the radius 2 Get wind of 3 Hurrying, with “it” 4 Acapulco article 5 Cock and bull 6 Sterne’s Tristram 7 Hopper on a pad 8 Gothic novelist Radcliffe 9 Important place for good manners 10 Pupil’s cover 11 Cassini of fashion 12 Honey bunch 13 Ground cover 18 Soul mate? 19 Feature of many a list 24 Common medical advice 25 In-flight info 26 Name at the end of many a “60 Minutes” episode 27 MLB Network analyst Martinez 28 Put on 29 What supply shortages often do 30 Big dos 31 Bridge column word 32 Caesarean section? 36 Clinton transportation secretary Federico 37 Tony relative 39 Low-price prefix 40 Service aces? 41 Stunned 42 NYC dance troupe 44 Kind of 45 Stadium sign 48 Eye piece 49 Arch type 50 Convenience 52 Competes 53 Bad marks in high school? 54 Margery of nursery rhymes 55 Female antelope 56 Floor cleaner 57 Tabloid topic By Paul Coulter ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 12/08/17 12/08/17 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: RELEASE DATE– Friday, December 8, 2017 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis xwordeditor@aol.com 6 — Friday, December 8, 2017 Arts The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com