The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 — 19

FILM REVIEW
TV REVIEW

Review: ‘The Chicago Seven’ ‘Someone has to die’ 

is compelling

On the night of Aug. 15, 2020, a 

Black Lives Matter protest marched 
through downtown Chicago. Hordes 
of police officers descended upon 
them, 
encircling 
small 
groups 

of people in a process known as 
“kettling.” They sprayed eyes with 
tear gas, beat limbs with batons and 
indiscriminately shot rubber bullets 
and arrested Americans whose only 
crime was exercising their First 
Amendment rights. Does this sound 
like America?

Unfortunately, it should. 
While the fascism on display in 

Chicago and many other American 
cities in the summer of 2020 may have 
seemed shockingly foreign to many 
Americans, it’s nothing new. It’s all 
happened before.

Aaron Sorkin’s (“Molly’s Game”) 

“The Trial of The Chicago Seven” 
is about another time when police 
smashed their way through American 
citizens: 1968, outside the Democratic 
National Convention in Chicago. A 
coalition of left-wing groups met to 
protest the Vietnam War and were 
denied permits by Chicago’s Mayor 
Richard Daley. When thousands of 
people took to the streets anyway, 
it didn’t take long for police officers 
to remove their badges and start 
smashing skulls. Nights of violence 
followed. 

The left was blamed, of course. 
After Richard Nixon won the 

Presidency, his administration held 
a show trial for seven disparate left-

wing leaders whose organizations 
attended 
the 
protests, 
including 

Tom Hayden from Students for a 
Democratic Society (SDS), played 
in the film by Eddie Redmayne 
(“Fantastic Beasts and Where to 
Find Them”), Jerry Rubin, played by 
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) and 
Abbie Hoffman, played by Sacha 
Baron Cohen (“Borat”), of The Yippies 
and Bobby Seale, played by Yahya 
Abdul-Mateen 
II 
(“Watchmen”), 

of the Black Panthers. They were 
accused of planning a “radical left” 
conspiracy. 

The 
language 
of 
reactionary 

conservatism hasn’t changed, and 
neither has its baselessness. There 
was no conspiracy, and the groups 
behind the “Chicago Seven” simply 
protested together. That didn’t stop 
the trial from going on for months, 
though, and ruining entire lives. 

“The Trial of The Chicago Seven” 

is the rarest of courtroom dramas: 
one that shows the limits, and even 
total failure, of the American justice 
system.

The 
performances 
roar 
with 

urgency, especially the scene-stealing 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Sacha Baron Cohen also effortlessly 

inhabits 
the 
radical, 
drug-fueled 

Yippie Abbie Hoffman who, like 
Cohen in real life, stirred up trouble to 
display the absurdity of the American 
establishment.

For a writer and director known 

for his unrelenting, machine-gun 
dialogue and idiosyncratic characters, 
Aaron Sorkin shows an unusual 
amount of restraint here. Unlike “The 
Newsroom,” his characters rarely 

sound like Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin, for 
the most part, keeps all the brouhaha 
to a minimum and instead lets history 
take the stage. The fluidity of his 
direction, which allows the camera 
to drift from a closeup to a long take 
in one shot, also keeps scenes riveting 
when the dialogue inevitably piles up. 

“Chicago Seven” has moments of 

cheese that might make a cynical eye 
roll, but even the most schmaltzy of 
its scenes have a gobsmacking power 
in this nation’s current, troubled 
atmosphere. While Sorkin made the 
genius choice to intercut scenes with 
news footage and photographs from 
’68, rooting the film in brutal reality, 
there are moments, especially when 
downtown Chicago is filled with 
tear gas and riot-geared national 
guardsmen, that the movie could be 
about the summer of 2020. 

“The Trial of The Chicago Seven” 

is a call to arms that could not have 
come at a better time. Released just 
weeks before the 2020 election, it 
shows how corrupt, racist, oppressive 
and downright silly the American 
government can be at a time when it’s 
at its most corrupt, racist, oppressive 
and downright silly. 

The film displays the destruction 

wrought 
when 
America’s 
law 

enforcement 
and 
justice 
system 

overstep their bounds and persecute 
who they should protect. It shows 
how the American right to protest 
is vital to democracy, and how it can 
perhaps even save America itself. 

This is the history lesson this 

country needs right now. 

Daily Arts Writer Andrew Warrick 

can be reached at warricka@umich.edu

Rating pop culture’s canines

The phrase “all dogs go to heaven” has 

been tossed around a lot. Most notably, the 
popular 1989 animated film of the same 
name leads us to believe that all dogs, 
regardless of behavior or upbringing, are 
deemed “good” in the eyes of society. This 
is simply and unequivocally false. Some 
dogs are good. Others aren’t. Today, I’d like 
to review the profiles of some recognizable 
canine characters throughout popular 
culture in order to deduce whether or not 
these childhood icons are worthy of our 
reciprocated affection. 

Toto from “The Wizard of Oz”
The Cairn Terrier that portrayed 

Dorothy’s companion Toto in the 1939 
film “The Wizard of Oz” was in fact a 
dog actress named Terry. In classic prima 
donna fashion, Terry was paid a salary of 
$125 per week for her work on the film. 
I’m pretty sure that’s more than what 
the Munchkins got offered. Surprisingly 
enough, her toe was accidentally stepped 
on and broken by a Munchkin actor, so 
they didn’t even use her for the whole 
movie shoot – lame. After the film’s 
success, her owner had an autobiography 
published for her titled “I, Toto,” which 
is pretty egotistical, even for a dog. Terry 
passed away in 1945, but her grave was 
later demolished to free space for the 
ventura highway in Los Angeles.

Evaluation: Terry was a classic 

Hollywood elite, and is therefore a Bad 
Dog.

Balto 
The 1995 animated movie “Balto” 

is inspired by the real life story of a 
Siberian Husky of the same name. A 
sled dog belonging to musher Leonhard 
Seppala, Balto gained fame in 1925 after 
leading his sled team on a medicine run 
from Anchorage to Nenana, Alaska, in 
order to combat a diphtheria outbreak. 
Ten months later, a statue of Balto was 
erected in New York’s Central Park, 
where he was present for the statue’s 
unveiling. After Balto died in 1933, his 
remains were mounted by a taxidermist 
and donated to the Cleveland Museum 
of Natural History, where his body still 
resides today (creepy).

Evaluation: 
Controversy 
still 

surrounds whether or not Balto was 
actually the lead dog on his own sled 
team, based on other mushers’ claims 
about the dog’s track record. Still – it’s 
much easier to live in blissful ignorance 
and assume that Balto is in fact a Good 
Dog.

Clifford the Big Red Dog
Clifford is a big red dog. What more is 

there to say? He is a menace to society. 
His size is often inconsistent: While he 
is shown being about 25 feet tall from 
paws to head, Clifford can appear much 
larger in picture books and television. 
His owner, Emily Howard, often rides 
him like a horse. The two live in New 
York City, where keeping a dog of 

normal proportions is already a logistical 
nightmare. The creators of the show of the 
same name have confirmed that Clifford 
can grow and shrink depending on the 
life force of the children around him. I 
can only deduce from this information 
that Clifford must be a mutant.

Evaluation: Clifford is a monstrosity, 

a mistake of human hubris. He must be 
stopped. He’s a Bad Dog.

McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an 

anthropomorphic animated bloodhound 
created by advertising agency Dancer 
Fitzgerald Sample in the 1980s to spread 
crime awareness and personal safety 
information, usually through the ad 
council. The same advertising agency 
is famous for inventing the Wendy’s 
commercial tagline “Where’s the beef?”. 
McGruff sounds like he smokes two 
packs of cigarettes a day and labels 
himself as a crime “Pre-tective,” which is 
not a job. Aside from being a total narc, I 
don’t think McGruff ever prevented any 
real crimes, and was merely a totem to 
deal with manufactured public fear over 
rising homicides in the late 1970s.

Evaluation: As much as I’d love to 

follow his advice and “Take a bite out of 
crime,” I am admittedly very frail. No 
amount of preparation could equip me to 
defend against a home invader. And for 
the most part, I trust my neighbors – Bad 
Dog.

Air Buddy
After some research, I discovered that 

Air Buddy is the true name of the athletic 
golden retriever featured in the 1997 
sports comedy film “Air Bud.” Prior to 
being given his franchise name, he was 
known as “Old Blue,” and serves as the 
companion of an alcoholic clown. I wish 
I was making that up. After being given 
to and consequently rescued from the 
pound, his new owner Josh discovers his 
uncanny ability to play basketball. Buddy 
ends up leading Josh’s middle school 
team to a championship victory. The 
movie grossed $28 million dollars, and 
the rest is history. In the 1998 sequel, “Air 
Bud: Golden Receiver,” it turns out Buddy 
is also incredibly skilled at American 
football.

Evaluation: I am glad this dog is not 

real because he’s clearly much more 
coordinated than me. Good Dog.

Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 
is 
the 
eponymous 

character 
and 
protagonist 
of 
the 

animated television franchise “Scooby-
Doo,” created in 1969 by the American 
animation 
company 
Hanna-Barbera. 

He is a male Great Dane and lifelong 
companion of his owner, amateur 
detective Shaggy Rogers. The duo love 
to eat tall stacks of club sandwiches and 
run away from monsters. He can also 
talk sometimes, which is pretty cool. The 
2002 live action film “Scooby-Doo” — 
y’know, the one where the gang travels to 
a haunted resort island, and Scooby’s pure 
protoplasmic soul is nearly sacrificed via 
cult ritual — remains a hallmark of early 

2000s cinema.

Evaluation: How can you not love 

Scooby? Good Dog.

Scrappy-Doo
Take everything you love about 

Scooby-Doo and throw it out the window. 
Scrappy-Doo is the complete opposite. 
Introduced to the franchise in 1979 
as Scooby’s nephew, Scrappy is quite 
possibly the most annoying addition to 
any children’s cartoon franchise. Scrappy 
has no basic, subtle, relatable or even 
recognizable character traits with which 
viewers can connect. His whole schtick 
is that he can talk without a speech 
impediment, unlike his uncle Scooby. 
While his smarts often help to advance 
the plot, Scrappy’s shrill and high-pitched 
voice gets easily rattled into your brain. 
Even after encountering hundreds of life-
or-death situations, he still thinks he can 
beat up the monsters himself as per his 
signature one liner: “Let me at ’em!”

Evaluation: The idea for this dog 

should’ve stayed in the boardroom. Bad 
Dog.

Snoopy
If you have no clue who Snoopy is, I 

don’t know why you bothered to get this 
far into my article. Snoopy is a beagle 
who belongs to Charlie Brown, the main 
character from a comic strip franchise 
that hasn’t made anything new in a very 
long time. I digress. Snoopy is a black 
and white beagle who spends his free 
time imagining alternate lives, including 
being an author, a college student known 
as “Joe Cool,” an attorney and a British 
World War I flying ace. He constantly 
refers to his owner as “that round-headed 
kid” and has seven brothers. Snoopy’s red 
doghouse defies the laws of physics, and 
is shown to be bigger on the inside than 
the outside.

Evaluation: Snoopy might be a dog, 

but his acuity for extreme wonder and 
boredom encapsulates the vast expanses 
of the human condition. Begrudgingly, 
he’s a Good Dog.

LIGHTING 
ROUND 
(NO 

REASONING WILL BE PROVIDED)

Marley from “Marley and Me” – BAD
Blue from “Blue’s Clues” – GOOD
Old Yeller – GOOD
Spuds Mackenzie – GOOD
Dogbert from “Dilbert” – BAD
Gromit – GOOD
Beethoven – GOOD
Beethoven 2nd-5th – BAD
The Dog from “Duck Hunt” – BAD
Beverly Hills Chihuahua – BAD
Dalmations 1-79 – GOOD
Dalmations 80-101 – BAD
Pluto — GOOD
Goofy — BAD
Marmaduke – BAD
Muttley from “Wacky Races” – BAD
Snoop Dogg – GOOD

Daily 
Humor 
Columnist 
Maxwell 

Barnes, a senior studying Communication 
and Media and the proud owner of a Betta 
fish named Lebron, can be reached at 
mxwell@umich.edu.

ANDREW WARRICK

Daily Arts Writer

MAXWELL BARNES
Daily Humor Columnist

BEN SERVETAH

Daily Arts Writer

Dressed in expensive fashion, the 

first characters we meet in the new 
Netflix mini-series “Someone Has to 
Die” are Cayetana (Ester Expósito, 
“Elite”) and her brother Alonso 
(Carlos 
Cuevas, 
“Merlí. 
Sapere 

Aude”), who pass time shooting 
pigeons 
at 
their 
family 
range. 

Cayetana tells her brother that 
someone named Gabino has finally 
returned to marry her. He freezes. 
Before we can decide whether it’s out 
of anger or worry, Alonso takes aim, 
screams and shoots. 

Frantic violins guide us through 

a wealthy home. Regal, yet sinister. 
It’s a place where appearances are 
kept, 
traditions 
are 
prioritized 

and unadjusted newcomers are not 
welcome. So it’s no surprise that when 
Gabino (Alejandro 
Speitzer, “Enemigo 
Íntimo”) 
returns 

with Lázaro (Isaac 
Hernández), 
an 

attractive Mexican 
ballet 
dancer, 

their 
friendship 

becomes a magnet 
for accusations of 
homosexuality.

“Someone Has to 

Die” is the follow 
up effort of Manolo 
Caro, who debuted 
his 
critically 

acclaimed dramedy 
series “The House 
of 
Flowers” 
in 

2018. 
With 
this 

new three-episode 
mini-series, 
Caro 

has 
ditched 
the 

humor and amped 
up the drama for 
a 
period 
piece 

about 
wealthy 

conservatism 
during 
Spain’s 

Franco regime. 

Ten years before 

his return, Gabino 
was sent to live in 
Mexico. His arrival in Spain marks 
the first time anyone has seen 
him since he was a child. Within 
the context of the series, the two 
countries represent very different 
ways of life. Spain is a world where 
manners 
and 
practicality 
pump 

through its veins like venom. There 
are strict expectations of how one 
should behave, and if anyone dares 
try to wrinkle its “perfect” image, 
every pillar of its structure is 
designed to eradicate them. Mexico 
represents the opposite. It’s a free 
world with less money, less rules and 
more personal expression. To Spain, 
its very existence is a plague to be 
spat on and forced into submission. 

Gabino’s time there has given him 

pride and clarity: two traits that 
prove particularly dangerous. He’s 
not insecure about his sexuality or 
his right to express it. He’s able to 
see his family’s manipulation for 
what it is, and his refusal to submit 
to it means that it’s only a matter 
of time before the systems of Spain 
weed him out.

To 
make 
matters 
far 
worse, 

Gabino’s father, Gregorio (Ernesto 
Alterio, “Unknown Origins”), also 
happens to be in the least convenient 

profession 
possible: 
managing 
a 

facility that imprisons, overworks 
and tortures homosexuals. 

This 
dynamic 
of 
being 
a 

homosexual in a world that is 
hell-bent on destroying anything 
different is where most of the show’s 
tension comes from. It’s a structure 
that is so simple and so effective that 
it stands to point out how limited 
stories there are about the plight 
of LGBTQ+ members. Whether in 
Spain, America or anywhere else 
in the world, there is so much more 
progress that needs to be made in 
the fight for gender and sexuality 
justice. 

There are two sides to Gabino’s 

family, and their contrast is not 
unlike the one between Spain and 
Mexico. Gregorio is a product of 
his 
mother. 
Cold-blooded, 
and 

deeply instilled with the virtue that 
business and beliefs come before 

love. 
Gregorio’s 

wife, Mina (Cecilia 
Suárez, 
“The 

House of Flowers”) 
is 
more 
in 
line 

with 
Mexico. 

She’s 
passionate, 

understanding and 
prioritizes her love 
for her child over 
all else. To Gabino, 
Mina is the only 
human 
being 
in 

their rich Spanish 
society that accepts 
him for who he is. 
In this way, she 
is the sole beacon 
of 
hope 
for 
his 

happiness.

There 
is 
so 

much 
about 
this 

show that works 
well. It’s carefully 
constructed, 
sufficiently 
engaging 
and 

unafraid to make 
artistic 
choices 

when it wants to 
deliver an emotion. 
The 
score, 
as 

mentioned before, 

is fantastic. Recurring haunting, 
anxiety-ridden strings paint such a 
vivid portrait of affluent tension. In 
fact, there’s no aspect of the show 
at all that comes off as particularly 
weak. 

However, 
“Someone 
Has 
to 

Die” lacks a certain vigor which 
keeps it from being one of the more 
memorable projects to debut this 
year. The culprit may be its format. 
With 
only 
three, 
approximately 

hour-long episodes, the finale feels 
rushed. The first two episodes were 
wonderfully paced, but by its ending 
I wished that Caro had taken it 
further. So many interesting seeds 
were planted for each character that 
never got the pay off they deserved. 
Because of the lack of time, the series 
became 
more 
plot-focused 
than 

character-based, and it lost out on a 
lot of opportunities for hard-hitting 
moments as a result.

Though it may not have reached its 

full potential, “Someone Has to Die” 
does a compelling job at exploring an 
important piece of LGBTQ+ history.

Daily Arts Writer Ben Servetah can 

be reached at bserve@umich.edu.

NETFLIX

With this three-

episode mini-series, 

Caro has ditched 
the humor and 
amped up the 

drama for a period 
piece about wealthy 

conservatism 
during Spain’s 
Fraco regime.

