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February 12, 2018 - Image 6

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The Michigan Daily

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The cinematic fixation with
paranormal
romance
that
blossomed uncontrollably in the
late 2000s can be traced back to
the iconic literary masterpiece
that started it all: “Twilight.”
When Stephanie Meyer’s best-
selling young adult novel was
adapted into a film saga, teenage
hearts
across
the
country
were revived through Robert
Pattinson’s (“Remember Me”)
portrayal of Edward Cullen — the
flawless, brooding vampire and
love interest of the protagonist,
played by Kristen Stewart (“Snow
White
and
the
Huntsman”).
“Twilight”
and
its
sequels
dominated teenage culture, but
the film had the apparent side-
effect of trapping Stewart and
Pattinson within their roles of
Bella and Edward, a common
repercussion for young actors who
personify a teenage fandom. After
“Twilight,” Pattinson struggled
to be identified as a legitimate
actor, not just ‘the hot vampire
from “Twilight.”’ In Pattinson’s
audition for the film “Good Time,”
he altered his accent to match
that of the character, attempting
to further distance himself from
his previous role and obtain the
part on merit. Pattinson’s lead
role in the film gifts him with
a shot at validating his acting
potential to audiences and the
film community as a whole.
The best way to describe “Good
Time” is perhaps as an urban
version of “What’s Eating Gilbert
Grape,” but darker. Much, much
darker. Foreshadowing the jerky,

spur-into-action style that persists
throughout the remainder of the
film, one of the first sequences
involves a robbery committed
by two brothers, Connie, the
instigator of the crime, and Nick,
who lies somewhere on the autism
spectrum and is not fully aware
of the dangerous situation he is
involved in. Ultimately ending up
in a high-speed chase with the
police, Nick is caught and sent
to prison. Connie manages to
evade the cops, but motivated by
his rightful guilt and love for his
brother, he embarks on a mission
through the maze that is the dark,
neon-lit New York City streets
to obtain bail money for Nick,
spinning a web of messes and
destruction behind him.
“Good Time” is Pattinson’s
opportunity to break the mold
that he has been cast within
— and break the mold he does.
In fact, he shatters it. After
watching this film, it is impossible
for audiences to merely pass
Pattinson off as ‘that vampire
guy’
any
longer.
Practically
the anti-“Twilight” in terms of
acting,
Pattinson’s
expression
of
Connie
as
a
desperate,
manipulative
and
exploitative
young man gives viewers a
character they can chew on.
Connie is someone that audiences
are unclear whether or not to
root for. Unsettled by Connie’s
slimy and sketchy actions and
unsavory usage of the individuals
he
encounters,
viewers
may
admire the lengths he is willing
to go to free his brother, that is,
until they remember that his
brother’s misfortune is entirely
Connie’s fault. Pattinson provides
movie-goers a character that

gives us whiplash. We scorn at his
impulsivity and shoddy attempts
to repair the damage he causes
over the course of his travels, yet
we also cross our fingers, hoping
that he makes it out unscathed in
the end.
It is somewhat understandable
why this film did not receive
an Oscar or Golden Globe best
picture
nomination.
Viewers
tend to gravitate toward films
with
characters
who
grow
on screen, especially evident
through this year’s batch of
nominations, including coming-
of-age films “Lady Bird” and “Call
Me by Your Name.” However,
the
failure
to
acknowledge
Pattinson for his performance
here is without a doubt an
oversight. The dimension that
Pattinson
generates
through
his embodiment of Connie is
fantastic. The idea of a ‘repulsive
hero’ sounds paradoxical, but that
is exactly what Pattinson offers
the audience in “Good Time” —
a moral-free, low-life swindler
that, despite his personality flaws,
is still capable of feeling a pure,
untainted love for another human
being.
There is absolutely nothing
feel-good about this film, and it is
in no way redemptive. However,
though it leaves viewers with knots
in their stomachs, it convinces
them that Robert Pattinson can
no longer be identified solely as
another insignificant actor within
the paranormal genre. Pattinson
proves his acting prowess by
shedding his longtime branding
as “Edward” and coming into
his own, and it is a true pity that
he did not receive the credit he
deserved.

Oscar snubs: ‘Good Time’

SAMANTHA NELSON
For the Daily

FILM

FUELED BY RAMEN

A24

ALBUM REVIEW

Modern music seems to
be
more
and
more
about
crossovers — how do artists
combine
genres,
and
how
do those new and unique
combinations
serve
to
revitalize seemingly defunct
subsets of the musical sphere?
It’s been a tough century
for emos so far — a soaring,

climactic decade at the turn
of
the
2000s
filled
with
flourishing,
aggressively
heartfelt
releases
abruptly

followed
by
a
plague
of
disbanding artists fading into

history. Since then, the genre
has grown several different
limbs,
including,
but
not
limited to, alternative pop,
emo
self-made
Soundcloud
artists and softened emo rock.
Now, I’m all for music
changing with the times, but
even when an artist hasn’t been
off the map for eight years,
there’s inevitably going to be
some
comparison
between
the old and the new. The old
Dashboard Confessional built

Dashboard Confessional’s
‘Crooked Shadows’ is flat

SAM LU
Daily Arts Writer

COMMUNITY CULTURE

Courtesy of Yaa Gyasi

Crooked Shadows

Dashboard
Confessional

Fueled by Ramen

its empire on early 2000s “emo
acoustic punk,” embracing the
slowed down guitar chords
that characterized the era.
Their latest release Crooked
Shadows is an effort to show
off a more grown-up version of
that raw emotion to the world;
however, because of the huge
gap that exists between the
last release and this one, the
contrast is more of a gulf than
a seamless transition between
styles. If you were to listen
to Dashboard Confessional’s
discography in order of release,
you’d definitely be able to tell
when the hiatus happened.
Crooked
Shadows
starts
plainly
enough
with
“We
Fight,” a track that gradually
moves from a somewhat bland
ticking beat to a rousing chorus.
First and foremost, lead singer
Chris Carrabba’s voice has lost
the gentle, tender vulnerability
embodied
by
old
tracks
such as Dusk and Summer’s
“Stolen,” instead adopting a
gritty aggressiveness that is
reminiscent of a crunchier,
more roughed up OneRepublic.
Sadly,
Crooked
Shadows’s
biggest disappointment was

also what I’d been most excited
for — the collaboration with
Lindsey
Stirling.
Stirling’s

unique calling card is how
she manages to twist classical
violin
into
producing
all
kinds of new, fiercely badass

sounds. However, “Open My
Eyes” is sorely lacking in the
balanced intensity and energy
that I’ve come to expect from
music associated with Stirling.
The result is an appallingly
lukewarm track that sounds
like
a
pop
song
with
a
violin added in — perhaps
a sad attempt at imitating
Yellowcard’s
violin
infused
style — rather than an effort to
create something that would
truly stand the test of time.
Albums
are
statements.
They’re even more significant
when they bookend hiatuses.
Even when artists completely
change their styles, at their
core, musical releases are still
an extension of the creator’s
character. The problem with
Crooked
Shadows
is
that
Dashboard
Confessional’s
character doesn’t seem to be
coming through. Moreover, it
seems to be trying to fit into a
niche that’s already dominated
by groups such as Paramore,
Fall Out Boy and Twenty One
Pilots.
What’s the verdict? Stop
trying to make emo happen —
it’s not going to happen!

The problem

with Crooked

Shadows is that

Dashboard

Confessional’s

character doesn’t

seem to be coming

through

Yaa Gyasi explores home
and history in ‘Homegoing’

A pristine white castle, in
all its majesty, claims its place
on the Gold Coast in Ghana.
Magnificent on the outside,
inspiration struck from the
cold
underbelly.
While
the
perfection on the outside was
unchanging, Yaa Gyasi spoke of
the smell that still today plagues
the dungeons of the castle. The
lingering smell of wrongdoings,
of evil that endured while above
colonial wealth thrived. It was
during these 20 minutes that
Yaa Gyasi spent in the castle
where the story of “Homegoing”
began. A haunted castle that
reveals the curse of slavery; a
beginning that we wish to be
just a fable.
Yaa Gyasi’s unfaltering voice
filled the Rackham auditorium

accompanied
by
the
silent
attention of many Ann Arbor
fans this past Tuesday. Opening
the night with a reading, Gyasi’s
voice emphasized the strong
presence of time in her novel. As
she read aloud, her voice had a
fluidity and tranquility — beauty
stemmed from a borderline
monotony. Her voice always
marching
forward,
without
lingering or rushing, mimicking
time. Just as the structure of the
book spends an equal amount
of pages on each character,
Gyasi spoke with an entrancing

consistency.
Structural
predictability mimic the ticking
of a clock — the passing of days,
to years, to seven generations,
to tie together the lives of 14
individuals.
The night was intended to be
a conversation with Yaa Gyasi
and two University professors.
While at times the questions
were thought provoking, some
felt as though the professors
were trying to get a specific
response from Gyasi regarding
her own work. Gyasi, however,
remained authentic and relaxed
in her responses regardless of
the moments when the structure
of the lecture was pushing on.
Yaa
Gyasi
spoke
of
her
research, inspiration and ideas
with an unrehearsed elegance.
She was humorous in her self
reflection,
joking
with
the
audience while allowing them to
relate on a personal level. Gyasi
recalled the day she walked
into the castle in Ghana. She
described the castle’s beautiful
outside, only to then be shown
the dungeon, which still reeked
of history’s wrongdoings.
Many
themes
surfaced
throughout
the
night.
The
meaning
of
freedom,
inheritance and home all came
into question. Gyasi focuses on
more than just legal bondages,
the inheritance of trauma and
the true expanse of home,
constantly going beyond the
physical. It is in the emotional
and the spiritual that her
novel has captivated so many.
Through these aspects, people
of all backgrounds can relate
to and understand the story
beyond historical facts.
Every individual has their
own unique history that goes
beyond
their
own
lifespan.
The connection we feel to our
ancestors drives the feeling that
life is more than just biology —
an unexplainable inheritance
that we feel, that we do not have
to know. While an unintended
consequence, Gyasi spoke of
how many people have talked

to her about their decision
to purchase a 23andMe DNA
testing kit. The reaction of
Gyasi’s readers to go in search

of their own heritage speaks to
the profound power of ancestry
portrayed in the novel.
Gyasi spoke of how she grew
up with “Homegoing.” While
she never felt she could claim
Ghana as a home, having moved
away at two years old, she did not
feel like the United States was
home either. But what if home
can be more than somewhere
you point to on a map, more
than the place you think owns
you? The term “homegoing”
refers to the African American
funeral tradition which revolves
around the idea that once you
die, your soul returns home. The
funeral ritual is a celebration
of
the
deceased
returning
home. Among the many themes
“Homegoing” reflects on, this
one lingers: Home can be people,
a collection of places, a feeling, a
security or even yourself. Home
does not need to be a physical
place; home can be inside of you.

ISABEL FRYE
Daily Arts Writer

While the

perfection on

the outside was

unchanging, Yaa

Gyasi spoke of

the smell that still

today plagues the

dungeons of the

castle

The meaning

of freedom,

inheritance and

home all came

into question

6A — Monday, February 12, 2018
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

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