On a hot summer day in 1947,
a rancher noticed some kind of
wreckage on a homestead outside
Roswell, New Mexico. Then the
Army came. And so the theories
of extraterrestrials emerged. The
mystery of this small New Mexico
town has captivated us for seventy
years now. If The CW’s new teen-
soap would have you believe, the
key to this small-town mystery is
that Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason,
“Grey’s Anatomy”) is having some
very close encounters with Roswell’s
undercover alien/sheriff’s deputy.
After a decade, Liz returns to
her hometown, where her dad runs
the Crashdown Café. The Ortechos
have become outcasts after Liz’s
sister killed two local girls while
driving under the influence. This
reputation inspires random, unseen
vigilantes to go after Liz — shooting
up a diner late at night and killing her.
Liz’s crush from high school, Max
(Nathan Parsons, “The Originals”),
now a deputy, resurrects her with his
alien powers by touching her wound,
making very uncomfortable faces and
spraying her down with ketchup. It’s
the meet-cute Hollywood has been
too afraid to give you. Liz is certain
she was shot, though — the clue being
a bullet wound — and sets out to
figure what Max is hiding.
“Roswell” is an impressive feat
of mediocrity. The narrative is
elementary. If you’re afraid you
won’t understand the underscored
complexities
of
this
interracial,
extraterrestrial love affair, fear not.
All the characters announce exactly
who they are and what is happening.
We are told with effective bluntness
that Liz’s arrival coincides with the
10-year anniversary of her sister’s
accident. Along with archetypal
characters, the show also boasts many
complex characters. Characters like
alien-sheriff Max, who says “I stay
here because I like it” one minute, and
“I want to leave” the next, because
who cares about genuine motivation
or character? This inconsistency
makes him dynamic and brooding.
Rest assured, this show requires
absolutely zero brain power to
understand.
If the possibility of potential
political undertones also intimidates
you, don’t worry. As much as the show
tries to be politically-relevant, it never
fails to fumble. Any political jabs
flounder and serve only to distract
from plot inconsistencies. When
political commentary is made, no one
reacts or seems to care, making any
attempt to be subversive benign.
This show is perfect for fans of
NPR. Not because of its reliability and
impressive journalistic reputation,
of course, but because the characters
deliver every line without inflection or
emotion, like static or keeping the fan
on while you sleep, making “Roswell”
the perfect show for easy-listening.
At the same time, the show knows
it needs a little spice. Flashbacks
provide this through fuzzy, sunset-lit
images that tell us nothing about the
characters or plot. These enhance the
mystery by being completely useless.
The show also doesn’t assume
its viewers are dumb, or that it even
has viewers. “Roswell” doesn’t insult
them with complex plot devices,
explanations or even coherency.
Alien sheriff Max drinks nail polish
remover to rejuvenate his alien powers
— no explanation required. The show
distinguishes itself for having not one,
but two secret hideouts: an alien nest
and a secret military base. Both of
these are completely out in the open
where anyone could find them, but no
one does, because the show does not
need to explain logical fallacies.
If you’re pursuing a thrilling,
methodical series with well-executed
twists and dramatic shocks, if
you
seek
consistent
character
development, acting that extends
beyond one stagnant facial expression
per character, and convenient plot
devices that only briefly matter, don’t
even bother with “Roswell, New
Mexico.” You wouldn’t grasp its
understated complexity and brutal
simplicity. I know I didn’t.
MAXWELL SCHWARZ
For the Daily
Entering
the
Taubman
Biomedical
Science
Research
building, I was unsure how the
sterile space of a medical building
could cater to the creativity of a
fashion show on Jan. 19th. But
my preconceived misconceptions
were disproved, shattered by
the
energetic
and
extremely
successful runway show put on
by EnspiRED Runway, a fashion
and charity student organization
at the University of Michigan.
EnspiRED has evolved into
the student-led force behind a
yearly fashion show that donates
all proceeds to a selected charity.
Said
Public
Relations
chair
Skylar Wilkes, “This is a great
opportunity
for
students
to
showcase their talents through
art, fashion and design and really
put on a show that benefits the
community and exposes them to
things that they don’t otherwise
have access to during their time
at Michigan.”
And showcase they did. The
title of the show was Allure
and included six energetic and
dynamic scenes, each showcasing
a collection inspired by different
artistic visions: youth innovators
and go-getters, the hues of
the Earth, the Vitruvian Man,
Gianni
Versace,
the
broken
column and Kehinde Wiley. Each
collection had its own distinct
style manifested through both
the clothing and the models.
Creativity saturated the event,
from the pre-show that included
dance, spoken word and musical
pieces, to the closing collection,
The Red Scene, which allowed
members of EnspiRED to show
their own inspiration for looks
they styled themselves.
In addition to the fashion and
art, attendees were reminded
of the main purpose of the
event: giving back. This year
all proceeds from the show
were donated to Ozone House,
a community based nonprofit
organization that helps young
people in Washtenaw County
through housing and support
programs, teaching essential life
skills, improving relationships
and enhancing their self image.
“It’s bigger than just fashion and
arts, helping people is our top
priority and I wouldn’t change
it for the world,” said EnspiRED
president Vivian Obia.
The show concluded with
an extremely powerful spoken
word piece by two volunteers
from Ozone House, as well as
closing regards from EnspiRED’s
talented Executive Board.
The ability to combine the arts
and charity is no small feat, yet
EnspiRED executed this balance
flawlessly
and
will
continue
to stylishly empower and help
those beyond Michigan’s campus
through fashion.
TV REVIEW
THE CW
Music is a really broad art form. There
are so many different elements that come
into play when we traditionally think of
what makes up music: lyrics, melodies,
chord progressions, arrangement. The
list could be endless. The greatest
challenge for artists is not only finding a
way to perfect each of these elements, but
also finding a way to skillfully mix these
elements into their works. I think when
an artist is able to do this, they’re able
to transcend genres in a way that allows
their work to be viewed purely as art.
When I was introduced to Gregory
Alan Isakov the summer before college,
I was very much not in a “folk phase” of
my life. I was listening to a lot of emo and
pop-punk (as an angsty freshman does)
and couldn’t be bothered with genres
like folk that my parents had brought me
up with. However, one summer night,
right before I was about to leave the
home I’d grown up in, I put on Isakov’s
album This Empty Northern Hemisphere
and found myself more immersed in the
music than I had been in a while. Isakov’s
voice struck me in a way that not many
voices have been able to.
This week, Isakov will be heading to
Ann Arbor as a headliner for the Ann
Arbor Folk Festival on Fri., Jan. 25th.
Mostly known for folk music, the South
Africa-born
singer-songwriter
also
spends half of the year tending to his
farm in Colorado, something that not
every musician can claim. Although it’s
Isakov’s first time at the Ann Arbor Folk
Festival, it’s not his first time playing in
Ann Arbor.
“I’ve always really loved Ann Arbor,”
Isakov stated in an interview with The
Daily. “I had a good friend that worked
in the farmer’s market, and I loved it.
The first time we were there we played
(at) the Michigan Theater, and we’ve also
played (at) The Ark a few times.”
Isakov is no stranger when it comes to
folk festivals, or festivals in general. His
group has also played at Bonnaroo and
the Newport Folk Festival, both unique
in their own right.
“We’ve played a lot of festivals
throughout our time touring, and I’ve
always found them a little bit challenging.
Our music is so intimate, and our
subtleties are sort of our strong suit, and
it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re
playing next to a porta potty at 1:00 PM.”
Isakov said.“When I was a kid, going to
a festival seemed so sweet because I got
to see all my favorite bands in one day.
But then you start playing them and
you realize, especially at the giant ones,
that you’re not seeing every band, you’re
seeing every band kinda stressed out
with no sound check.”
But the singer-songwriter doesn’t
feel this way about every festival. “I’ve
always wanted to play the Ann Arbor
Folk Fest,” Isakov stated. “I love playing
theaters and venues inside. It’s much
more intimate.”
This event is also special for Isakov
because he doesn’t get a chance to play
as many festivals anymore. During the
summers, he works full time on his farm
in Colorado, leaving little time to tour and
attend festivals, making this opportunity
that much more of a treat for him.
“When I record something, I kind of
think about one person listening to it,
like you’re having a conversation with
one person, like you’re there in their ‘89
Toyota pickup truck,” Isakov explained.
“And when you’re in front of a crowd …
That’s a different medium so you can
get away with different things.” But
although
recording
and
performing
are two totally separate activities for
Isakov, he appreciates the spontaneity
that comes with live shows, saying that
he loves how live shows can be “different
every night.”
Folk is a genre that can be inherently
intimate, and Isakov recognizes this, both
when recording and when performing.
“When I was in high school I was in
a metal band … and when I was playing
in bands like that, I would always come
home and write songs that were really
quiet, and I don’t know why that is. And
I would go, ‘OK, what kind of music is
this? This isn’t metal, this isn’t rock …
it’s not what I want to play but it’s just …
happening,” Isakov said.
Gregory Alan Isakov is one of the
strongest voices in modern folk today,
and continues to grow with each album.
Isakov will be performing at the first
night of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival
this Friday night, Jan. 25th, along with
Brandi Carlile and a whole slew of other
talented artists.
STYLE EVENT REVIEW
When I started this column
in the fall of 2017, I pitched it to
the then-managing arts editors
as “The Neverending Column
on
the
Neverending
Story”:
an entertainment and media
column centered around the
complete sequelfication of mass
media and the idea that in the
current marketplace, any story
that is profitable will never see
its end. Over the past year and
a half I’ve branched out a bit
into other topics as well, but
this notion of stories without
end has continued to fascinate
me, for if a story doesn’t have
an ending, can it even really be
called a story? Since the days
of first-grade writing, we are
taught that everything we write
must have a beginning, middle
and an end. Take one away and
you lose that structure. Lose
that structure and you risk
losing the story. I have the spent
many words in this column
bemoaning this phenomenon,
decrying Hollywood’s increased
to desire to squeeze every last
drop it can out of an idea, until
the idea has become little more
than a bad parody of itself. And
yet in 2019, as the decade draws
to a close, it appears that three
of the biggest entertainment
products of the last decade may
end as well: Marvel’s “Avengers,”
Disney’s new “Star Wars” trilogy
and of course HBO’s “Game of
Thrones.”
Each of these properties will
spend most of the year marketing
their next installment as the
final chapter of their respective
series. In all three cases, this
will be misleading at best and an
outright lie at worst. Let’s take
each one individually, starting
with “Avengers: Endgame.”
Last year’s “Avengers: Infinity
War” was marketed as though
it was “Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows Part II” when
really it was “Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows Part I.”
“Endgames”’s marketing looks
to be a little less misleading since
the film (due to be released on
April 26) will presumably wrap
up the cliffhanger from the
last movie and is ostensibly a
capstone to the overall Thanos
arc that began with 2012’s “The
Avengers.” But the claim that the
film will be an “ending” in any
sense is somewhat debatable.
Part of it definitely depends on
what the actual storyline of the
film consists of, which may or
may not be the deaths of a handful
of beloved characters (such as
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man or
Chris Evans’ Captain America).
But
because
the
“half-the-
universe-disappears”
gimmick
that concluded “Infinity War”
has already been somewhat
undercut by the trailer for
“Spider Man: Far From Home”
— showing Spidey back in action
(you can’t keep a good spider
down for long) — it’s hard to see
how much impact “Endgame”
will have on the wider MCU.
Will there really be no more
“Avengers” movies? We know
there’s going to be more Black
Panther, more Doctor Strange
and more Spider-Man. Even
Loki, who was last seen being
impaled by Thanos with a sharp
tool, will return for a streaming
series on Disney+ next fall.
On the face of it, “Star Wars”
may be coming to a more
conclusive
ending
than
the
MCU.
Unlike
the
sprawling
Marvel saga, Lucasfilm has not
announced any more films after
the release of “Episode IX”
next Christmas. But if anyone
out there actually believes that
there won’t be, then they clearly
haven’t been paying attention.
Back in 2012, Disney bought
Lucasfilm to the tune of 4 billion
dollars, so they’re not about to
pack up and call it a day after
one trilogy. How successful
“Star Wars” will continue to
be, though, beyond the sequel
trilogy remains to be seen. Last
year’s Han Solo prequel did not
fare well at the box office, and
it’s an open question whether or
not audiences will continue to
flock to “Star Wars” movies that
don’t feature legacy characters
like
Luke,
Han
and
Leia.
“Solo” seemingly proved that
recasting such characters may
not be advisable either, and it’s
anyone’s guess what direction
the franchise will go in. At one
point in time, Lucasfilm had
announced a trilogy from “Last
Jedi” director Rian Johnson as
well as a new trilogy with the
“Game of Thrones” showrunners
at the helm, but since those
announcements over a year ago,
nothing more has been said
about those plans. Regardless, it
seems improbable that “Episode
IX” will be the last “Star Wars”
movie, and depending on how
well it does, don’t be surprised
if episodes X, XI and XII aren’t
closer than we think.
As for “Game of Thrones” —
the last water cooler show, king
of television, heir to Tolkein and
protector of the HBO realm — the
final set of six episodes premieres
in April and then the world of
Westeros will be left behind.
That is, until the release of one of
the five different spin-off series
that HBO has been developing.
The first of these, tentatively
titled “The Long Night,” already
has a cast and crew lined up,
and could be ready as soon as
summer
2020.
Meanwhile,
George R.R. Martin still claims
to be working on the next book in
the “Song of Ice and Fire” series
upon which the show is based.
Like Star Wars, I’m skeptical
of the prospects of a “Thrones”
spin-off. Will audiences really
care about a very similar story
with a bunch of characters they
don’t know anything about? Is
the ancient history of Westeros
really
that
interesting?
If
Martin’s recent tome “Fire and
Blood” is anything to go by, the
answer may be no.
No matter how it all shakes
out, it seems perfectly plausible
that come 2020, all three of
these
blockbuster
franchises
will be past their glory days. If
the 2010s have been defined by
superheroes and dragons, by
legacy sequels and the return
of decades-old series, what will
the entertainment landscape of
the next decade look like? It’s
hard to say. Always in motion,
the future is. When Walt Disney
bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the
same year “The Avengers” came
out, they couldn’t have known
how strong brands like Netflix
and Hulu would become, or how
important streaming would be
to the overall entertainment
landscape. “Game of Thrones”
has been HBO’s biggest show
since it premiered in 2011 and
it’s hard to imagine what the
network will be like without its
flagship program going forward.
In a way all three of these brands
will face the same problem when
the dust settles and “the end”
has come and gone. What is “Star
Wars” without a Skywalker?
Can the Marvel Universe still
soar without Robert Downey
Jr. at the helm? And will there
ever be a show like “Game of
Thrones” again? There’s no way
to know. For now, though, fans
and executives can just sit back
over the next year and enjoy the
final lap.
IAN HARRIS
DAILY ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN
Trilogies: Is 2019 the end?
For the EnspiRED
MARGARET SHERIDAN
Daily Style Editor
42nd Ann Arbor Folk
Festival
Friday, Jan. 25th &
Saturday, Jan. 26th
Doors @ 6 p.m.
Hill Auditorium
$42-$60 single night,
$75-$110 series
“Roswell” is not very good
“Roswell,
New
Mexico”
Pilot
The CW
Tuesdays @ 9 p.m.
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Isakov on 42nd folk fest
RYAN COX
Daily Arts Writer
5A — Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com