ACROSS
1 Fey of “Whiskey
Tango Foxtrot”
5 Ready to rock
10 Mug shot subject
14 “I got this!”
15 Wheels since
1986
16 Adidas rival
17 Attire with a
spreadsheet
design?
19 Minor points
20 Under
21 More than tickles
23 Liquor in a
Singapore sling
24 Disreputable
court proceeding?
26 Unskilled in
29 Hebrides tongue
30 Arrived, in a way
31 Hardly an original
34 Office
administrations
38 Superstation that
broadcasts some
Cubs games
39 Old Testament
prophet
41 Creature for
whose shape
Anguilla was
named
42 “Broca’s Brain”
author
44 Speed away, with
“out”
45 Syrup brand
since 1902
46 Cuts (off)
48 Sacred crawler
50 Extracts from
Wrigley Field’s
walls?
55 Monopoly
quartet: Abbr.
56 __ network
57 Emit
60 Greased auto part
61 Transports for
fertilizer?
64 Scholarship
consideration
65 Umbilical variety
66 Lover’s greeting
67 Old U.S. pump
sign
68 Bluto and Pluto
69 “Echoes in Rain”
singer
DOWN
1 Ring site
2 Sydney band
originally called
The Farriss
Brothers
3 “Good work!”
4 Swallowed one’s
pride
5 Needle point?
6 Soreness
7 Museum
offering
8 Miss on
“Jeopardy!,” e.g.
9 Involving nudity,
maybe
10 Cure-all
11 1980 Tony
winner for Best
Musical
12 Bat mitzvah, e.g.
13 So yesterday
18 Superboy’s
girlfriend
22 Disinfectant
brand
25 Like many “Buffy”
settings
26 Kittens play with
them
27 Lingerie brand
28 Whirling toon
32 Drink with a
Zero Sugar
variety
33 __ out a meager
existence
35 Mark on a Dear
John letter,
perhaps
36 Zeus’ jealous wife
37 One who doesn’t
pick up much
39 __ Gay
40 “The Complete
Short Game”
author
43 Fettuccine sauce
45 Bar attraction
47 Ministry
49 Bed with
enclosed sides
50 Absurd
51 Annoys
52 Celebrated
seasons
53 Pipe cleaner
54 Chemise fabric
58 Salon
assortment
59 Site for
handicrafts
62 “Reflection”
musician
63 Issuer of five
million-plus IDs
annually
By C.C. Burnikel
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
01/05/18
01/05/18
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Friday, January 5, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com
Classifieds
Call: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.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
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
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
FOR RENT
CHECK OUT OUR COOL
www.michigandaily.com
WEBSITE.
NOW.
‘Ferdinand’ starts off
uneven, ends triamphant
“Ferdinand” tells the story of
the titular bull, a pacifist forced
into a world where he is pressured
at every turn to give in to the
violence around him. It is only
through constant perseverance,
bravery and faithfulness to his
moral code that he eventually gets
his chance at a return to a peaceful
life.
In other words, “Ferdinand”
is pretty much “Hacksaw Ridge”
with adorable animated bulls. And
it’s actually quite good.
If you’re a cynic like me, the
quality of Blue Sky Studios’s
newest outing may come as a shock,
as the marketing made it appear as
nothing more or less than a cash-
in on a beloved children’s tale.
It would check all
the lowest common
denominator
kid’s
flick boxes: There
would be at least
one scene with all
the main characters
dancing
and
at
least two montages
backed by pop music — one upbeat
song and one slow song — that
will be dated by the time the Blu
Ray hits shelves. There would
also be a plethora of pointless
animal sidekicks who don’t add
anything to the plot but do sell
Happy Meals, plenty of poop and
fart jokes to keep the kids giggling
and a talented enough voice cast
to trick parents into thinking
there might be
something under
the surface.
And yes, there
is plenty of all
that,
montages
and
all.
More
importantly,
however,
there
actually is something more going
on. There are plenty of poop
jokes, but there’s also smart
physical comedy. There are not
one, but two trios of pointless
sidekicks — one of horses, one of
hedgehogs — but there are also
JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer
“Ferdinand”
Quality 16, Rave
Cinemas Ann Arbor
20+ IMAX
20th Century Fox
genuinely funny characters with
distinct personalities, including
a
lab-created
“Franken-bull”
who “says nothing and feels
nothing, including pain.” There
are dance sequences that come
out of nowhere and end just as
pointlessly as they began, but
there’s also a heart to “Ferdinand”
that it unabashedly wears on its
sleeve.
The
first
two
acts
of
“Ferdinand” are defined by the
struggle
between
these
two
parts of itself: the genuinely good
animated film it wants to be and
the shameless cash grab that it’s
expected to be. The resultant tone
is uneven as the movie flails wildly
from poignant to groan-inducing
on an almost scene-by-scene basis.
A fantastic conversation between
two characters discussing their
insecurities is followed shortly
by the aforementioned dance-
off. A hedgehog-centric caper
gives way to a maturely delivered
revelation with a serious impact
on Ferdinand (John Cena, “The
Wall”). A fun chase scene ends
only for another nearly identical
chase to immediately begin —
this one set to a wildly out of
place Pitbull cover of The Rolling
Stones’s “I’m Free.”
However, that second chase,
boring as it is, gives way to the
third act and climax, which is
not only hands-down the best
sequence of the movie, but one of
the best scenes of any animated
movie this year. It’s laudably
thoughtful and restrained, with
even the rapid-fire dialogue of Kate
McKinnon’s
(“Ghostbusters”)
incorrigible “therapy goat,” Lupe,
falling silent. In fact, there’s little
dialogue at all, as director Carlos
Saldanha (“Rio”) chose to do most
of the storytelling through visuals
alone. Like all the best children’s
movies, “Ferdinand” doesn’t talk
down to its intended audience
and instead allows the kids in the
theater to consider everything
that’s happened and everything
that’s at stake. Of all the things I
was expecting from “Ferdinand,”
a climax that gave me goosebumps
wasn’t one of them.
That’s what I got though, and
that scene and the movie it came
packaged in was one of the most
pleasant surprises of the year.
To be clear, “Ferdinand” isn’t
perfect. It gives into the lesser
impulses that have previously led
Blue Sky to make films like last
year’s “Ice Age: Collision Course”
too often for it to be truly great.
But the heart on display, and the
way it is usually communicated
through terrific voice acting and
a willingness to get real with kids
about the realities of bullfighting
makes it worthwhile; a worthy
adaptation of Munro Leaf’s classic
book.
Required Listening:
kicking off the new year
Back in August, the indie rock
gems in Lemuria put a “secret
LP” up on their webstore. About
a week into December, the
band finally announced that
the secret release would be a
brand-new studio album titled
Recreational
Hate.
However,
don’t let the dismal title fool
you: The album is full of feel-
good, indie-pop riffs, and it’s
the perfect way to start out
2018.
“More Tunnel” reminds us
that it’s OK to not yet be able
to see the light at the end of the
tunnel. “Christine Perfect”’s
cathartic chorus and pop hooks
are excellent mood-lifters to
start the new year during the
dead of winter. The jangling
drum beat, tangled guitars and
muted trumpets on “Wanted
to Be Yours” mingle perfectly
with the lighthearted tale of
falling for a stranger. It’s an
album full of possibilities and
new beginnings, all without
being
gushingly
optimistic
and retaining the humanity of
failure.
In a year where pop music was
rather lackluster, its presence in
other genres fills the gaps left in
2017. Recreational Hate not only
fills but also bridges the gaps
between the realism of rock and
shimmer of pop. It’s no secret
that 2017 has been a rough
year in America, arguably even
historically, and Lemuria sent
this shitty year packing with a
bang, equipping us to take on
the new year with a refreshingly
grounded album.
Recreational
Hate
stands
out as a wonderful hybrid of
indie, rock and pop, attaining
accessibility without sacrificing
impressive musical prowess.
Dropped during the turmoil of
December, which is saturated
with end of the year lists and
emotional closure, the album
is a pop-soaked sucker punch
through the gloom to keep us
moving. Lemuria is a damn good
band, and their talents have
never shone quite as brightly as
on Recreational Hate.
— Dominic Polsinelli, Senior
Arts Editor
Next to the bubblegum pink
backdrop of the “Boys” music
video exists the cutting edge,
synth-infused dystopia of Pop
2. Such is the duality of man or,
more specifically, the duality
of Charli XCX. To solely know
her as the mastermind behind
Stormzy
seductively
eating
cereal or Tom Daley smiling
like a goddamn movie star
while soaking wet would be
to rob her of her true genius:
She’s a visionary pushing the
boundaries of pop.
Pop 2 is pop 2.0. Distorted
echoes
of
half-completed
melodies
take
the
place
of
tired
choruses;
rough
experimentation
takes
the
place of polished superficiality.
Charli XCX’s eclectic mix is a
welcome reprieve from both
the monotony of mainstream
chart-toppers and the hellscape
2017 became. With Pop 2 you
could follow Charli XCX down
the rabbit hole. Cruising in the
backseat of a neon Porsche, you
stumble into a glittering fantasy
of dizzying afterparties and
pulsing strobe lights.
Pop 2 is a mixtape; a sprawling
collection of scattered pieces.
The swaying vocalization of
“Tears are rollin’ down my
face, now you gotta go, go,
go” in “Tears” stands next
to the pounding destruction
of
“Crashed
your
daddy’s
Lamborghini / Charli, baby /
Pull up, pull up to the party”
in “I Got It.” The spontaneous
electronic crash of “Femmebot”
stands
next
to
smooth
minimalism of “Porsche.” These
songs are not cohesive.
Yet, they all seem to exist
within the same futuristic fever-
dream. Charli XCX’s impossibly
pitched,
Autotune-slathered
voice coats every track with an
otherworldly saccharine sheen.
Within the twisted, almost
extraterrestrial, expanse of Pop
2, Charli XCX offers up a new
way to shape the genre.
So the next time you find
yourself pushing 100 mph down
a dark highway, allow Pop 2 to
blast and let Charli XCX turn
the empty unknown between
flickering street lights into a
supernova.
— Shima Sadaghiyani, Daily
Music Editor
Recreational Hate,
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Lemuria
Pop 2,
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Charli XCX
SYFY
‘Happy’ is anything but
Based off of the comic book
series by New York Times best-
selling author Grant Morrison
and artist Darick Robertson,
“Happy!” is anything but. Syfy’s
newest crime dramedy is far
from joyful. It’s jam-packed
with uncomfortable amounts of
blood, violence, kidnapping and
badass fist fights. The comedy
follows the life of alcoholic
ex-cop turned hitman, Nick Sax
(Christopher Meloni, “Wet Hot
American Summer: Ten Years
Later”), who can see Happy
— the imaginary friend of a
little girl named Hailey (Bryce
Lorenzo, “Orange Is the New
Black”).
While the plot is rather
random and curious, the show
keeps up with it at a good pace.
There are a lot of moving parts
that don’t necessarily seem
to fit. For example, Hailey is
kidnapped by this empirically
creepy man dressed as Santa.
He puts her in a box (so
scary), and her flying unicorn
imaginary
friend
(Happy)
escapes and finds Nick. There
is no context given as to why
Nick is the only person who can
see and talk to Happy (which
actually leads to some pretty
funny yet concerning moments
when Nick appears to be talking
to himself). Happy seems to
believe Nick is the only person
that can save Hailey — but why?
OLIVIA ASIMAKIS
Daily Arts Writer
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
TV REVIEW
6 — Friday, January 5, 2018
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com