The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, November 26, 2018 — 5A

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Making a good sequel is an 

art that few movie franchises 
have mastered. The success 
of “The Incredibles” hinged 
on the fact that the original 
audience had grown up and 
would pay to see it simply 
for the nostalgic feeling it 

invoked. “Harry Potter” had 
a built-in sequel, though flops 
like “Percy Jackson and the 
Olympians” have shown that 
this 
doesn’t 
always 
mean 

immediate 
success. 
“Ralph 

Breaks 
the 
Internet,” 
the 

second movie in the “Wreck-
It Ralph” series, had neither 
nostalgia nor a pre-written 
plot on its side, but maybe 
that’s exactly what made it 
such an entertaining thing to 
watch.

The movie opens with a 

FaceTime call with its creators, 
already setting the tone for the 
kind of fourth-wall breaking, 
sub-tweeting 
moments 
to 

come. It moves on to Vanellope 
(Sarah Silverman, “A Million 
Ways to Die in the West”) 
voicing her concerns about 
wanting 
more 
excitement 

from life. It’s a cliché but 
relevant sentiment, especially 
in the Millennial generation, 
whose dry humor the movie 
tries to mimic. On the other 
hand, Ralph, voiced by John 
C. Reilly (“Step Brothers”), 
is 
a 
very 
one-dimensional 

character. Where Vanellope 
spends hours considering her 
place in the digital world, 
Ralph simply wonders when 
he’ll have his next root beer. 

It’s this simplicity though, that 
gets the whole movie going and 
what eventually helps Ralph 
break the internet. 

Physically 
depicting 
the 

internet, 
in 
itself, 
is 
an 

interesting 
concept. 
But 

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” 
doesn’t just leave it at lovable 
characters 
or 
creating 
a 

complex metropolis to show 
the online world. The internet 
that 
Vanellope 
and 
Ralph 

encounter is also a fierce 
reflection of the way our world 
works. Each person connected 
to the internet is represented 
by 
a 
small 
block-headed 

person, oblivious to everyone 
and everything around them, 
just like in the real world. Even 
within Ralph and Vanellope, 
we see generational differences 
in the way people perceive the 
internet — Vanellope’s intricate 
understanding mirroring that 
of the young people who grew 
up with it and Ralph lumbering 
around the online world with 
only a vague concept of what 
the internet is. The movie 
uses Ralph and his innocence 
to explore the savage nature 
of an ever-changing public 
opinion, especially regarding 
those that gain quick internet 
fame. One scene shows Ralph 
standing among and staring at 
a never-ending set of columns 
filled with internet comments, 
a jarring portrayal of the way 
people can become lost in the 
negativity of internet trolls.

Where 
“Ralph 
Breaks 

the 
Internet” 
exploits 
the 

downfalls of our society, it 
also works to fill the void 
of strong female characters 
missing in film and Disney 
movies especially. Vanellope 
is a curious and outgoing 
character; 
contrasted 

with 
Ralph’s 
unassuming, 

blubbering 
demeanor, 
she 

comes 
across 
as 
an 
even 

stronger person. As the film 
so blatantly points out in the 
Disney 
princess 
dressing 

room, this kind of dynamic is 
uncharacteristic of cartoons 

and is a refreshing change 
to the typical Disney trope. 
What’s 
more, 
the 
major 

supporting 
characters 
are 

women in leadership roles — 
Shank (Gal Gadot, “Wonder 
Woman”) is a firm gang leader 
and Yaz is “head algorithm,” 
making decisions that affect 
the fate of the internet. Her 
role is reminiscent of Meryl 
Streep’s 
iconic 
Miranda 

Priestley in “The Devil Wears 
Prada.” The movie goes one 
step further and not only 
breaks stereotypes with its 
own characters but pushes the 
Disney princesses into a space 
that’s less about their damsel 
in distress status.

This 
being 
said, 
“Ralph 

Breaks the Internet” doesn’t 
set itself up for longevity; the 
jokes rely heavily on a detailed 
understanding 
of 
current 

internet culture, the thing 
that matters most is that Ralph 
and Vanellope end up with the 
kind of friendship we all want 
in our lives. Understanding 
their differences is an integral 
message of “Ralph Breaks the 
Internet” and brings the movie 
home. 

EMMA CHANG
Daily Arts Writer

“Ralph Breaks 
the Internet”

Cinemark Theaters

Walt Disney 

Pictures

‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ 
is a heartfelt, timely sequel

FILM REVIEW

The internet 

that Vanellope 

and Ralph 

encounter is also 

a fierce reflection 

of the way our 

world works

“I do solemnly swear that 

I will faithfully execute the 
Office of President of the 

United States, and will to the 
best of my ability, preserve, 

protect 
and 
defend 
the 

Constitution of the United 
States.”

These 
are 
the 
words 

spoken by every US president 
before they take office. It is 
an oath that has been heard 
by hundreds of millions of 
people, echoed by 44 men. It 
is a promise to the people of 
the United States that they 
will work in their elected 
position 
with 
dignity 
and 

integrity, a promise to uphold 
the values and laws laid out 
in the nation’s constitution. 
In “Enemies: The President, 
Justice, and the FBI,” a new 
four-part documentary from 
directors 
Jed 
Rothstein 

(“Made in America”) and Alex 
Gibney (“The Clinton Affair”), 
it is a promise that is often 
broken.

“Enemies” 
follows 
four 

of the biggest presidential 

controversies of the past 50 
years. It starts with Nixon’s 

SAMANTHA DELLA FERA

Daily Arts Writer

Timely ‘Enemies’ explores 
presidential controversies

TV REVIEW

Watergate 
scandal, 
then 

progresses 
into 
the 
Iran-

Contra Deal and the Clinton 
trials 
before 
ending 
on 

Trump’s Mueller probe and 
the accusations of election 
interference 
from 
Russia. 

Trump is only named as the 
subject of a single episode, but 
his presence is obvious and 
available in each of the series’s 
episodes. A newscast recapping 
the 
beginning 
of 
Russian 

meddling at the Democratic 
National 
Convention 
cuts 

to a ’70s anchor reporting 
the DNC at Watergate had 
been bugged. Clips of Trump 
denying Russian collusion fade 
to Reagan denying a hostages-
for-arms 
deal. 
Trump 

complaining about a “witch 
hunt” turns into Clinton being 
questioned 
about 
Monica 

Lewinsky. There is no doubt as 
to why a series on presidential 
scandals is being released in 
2018.

Based 
on 
the 
novel 

“Enemies: A History of the 
FBI” by Tim Weiner, a former 
correspondent to The New 
York Times, “Enemies” is not 
trying to offer analysis or an 
opportunity for viewers to 
think deeper. The series is 
essentially a history lesson 
from a cool, young professor. It 
tells viewers the information 
they already know but this 
time accompanied by effective 

graphics 
and 
compelling 

interviews.

This is not to say the show 

is not worth your time. As 
headlines 
become 
more 

shocking by the day, “Enemies” 

reminds us that not all that 
much has changed. There was 
a time people never thought 
the president would think of 
himself above the law, until he 
did. A time they didn’t think a 
beloved leader would collude 
with international enemies, 
until he did. A time no one 
thought an offensive man with 
no political experience and 
an insatiable ego would be 
elected, until he was.

“Enemies” gives viewers the 

tools necessary to challenge 
the outdated sentiment that a 
president must be trusted and 
respected. There is no reason 
to trust a man that seems like 
he has something to hide. 
There is no reason to respect 
a man that breaks his word 
to the people that gave him 
his job. We are taught since 
elementary school that the 
president is the most highly 
regarded figure in our society, 
the leader of the free world. 
That one day, we too can be 
president. 
“Enemies” 
asks: 

Why would we want to be? The 
past five decades has seen an 
incredible amount of corrupt 
leadership, and that is just 
those who got caught. Perhaps 
it’s time to stop telling kids that 
they can be congressmen or 
senators or even the president, 
and instead encourage them 
to be the ones that hold those 
people accountable. 

SHOWTIME

“Enemies: The 

President, 

Justice, and the 

FBI”

Episodes 1 - 3

Showtime

Sundays at 8 p.m.

This is not to 

say the show 

is not worth 

your time. 

As headlines 

become more 

shocking by the 

day, “Enemies” 

reminds us that 

not all that much 

has changed

There was 

a time people 

never thought the 

president would 

think of himself 

above the law

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By Pam Amick Klawitter
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/26/18

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

11/26/18

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Monday, November 26, 2018

ACROSS
1 Identical
5 “Mountain” soft 
drinks
9 Burn the midnight 
oil at college
13 Urgent request
14 Forgo the church 
ceremony
16 Lo-cal
17 Concern after 
heavy rain
19 Inflated ones 
often clash
20 Kinda
21 Airport near Tel 
Aviv
22 Isn’t feeling up 
to par
23 Like G-rated 
movies
27 Natural soother
28 Salon jobs
29 Singer Jimmy or 
actor James
32 Litter member or 
user
34 Sewn 
connections
38 Bruins legend
39 Shore dinner
42 “Not happenin’”
43 Pace for Paganini
45 Noon on a 
garden dial
46 Like Godiva
47 Choir voice
50 Tool for a duel
52 American 
Revolution leader
58 Woman’s name 
often spelled 
without its “e”
59 Progressive 
spokeswoman
60 Airport concern
62 Multi-platinum 
Diamond
63 Very loud, 
musically ... its 
symbol hints 
at four puzzle 
answers
66 Boarding site
67 Cosmologist Carl
68 Chicago 
commuter 
system, familiarly
69 Snow 
conveyance
70 Earns after taxes
71 Doomed

DOWN
1 Sun protection 
nos.
2 __ a sudden

3 Stiller’s partner
4 __ Kodak
5 Bit of OED info
6 Building add-on
7 Literary Virginia
8 Clues for a 
bloodhound
9 Detox diet
10 Unbending
11 Coral island
12 Having lots of 
loose ends
15 Vedder of Pearl 
Jam
18 Flag down, as 
a cab
24 Focuses of 
activity
25 Passing words?
26 Website for 
handmade art
29 Morse code unit
30 Palindromic 
“before”
31 Drew Brees’ 
asset
33 Texter’s 
gratitude
35 Gasteyer of 
“SNL”
36 Draw graffiti on, 
say
37 Noted seashell 
seller
39 Decide not to 
call, in poker

40 Feudal holding
41 Seacrest 
morning 
co-host
44 Like some den 
walls
46 Directives
48 Spats
49 Borrowed, as a 
library book
51 Predicted takeoff 
hrs.
52 Dracula’s 
canines

53 Tatum or Ryan
54 Bring together
55 New York’s 
Ausable Chasm, 
e.g.
56 Yale founder 
Yale
57 Budget noodle 
dish
61 Egg-white 
omelet’s lack
64 Bit of body ink
65 Shoo-__: easy 
winners

