Comedy – Page 13 – [art]seen

A Serious Man: Seriously Good

December 2, 2009December 2, 2009 Jessica 1 Comment

A Serious Man, the new Coen brothers’ film, is not one of those indie flicks that take you on some long-winded journey in an attempt to make you feel empowered and boisterous. But rather, this witty film spins you around and around in circles until you get dizzy. And when you catch your breath to refocus, you realize you are exactly where you started off: comfortable and confused.

A Serious Man, features Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) a father, husband and physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university. He is a figure everyone can relate to. Larry is somewhere in his 40’s, has a stable career, and what would seem like a stable life. His hopeless brother Arthur (Richard Kind) yells at him for being given everything. However, the grass is always greener on the other side, Larry is tormented with the everyday.

The everyday, in Larry’s case is: Bribery from students for a passing grade; a wife heavily engaged in a love affair- ensuing a request for a divorce; a daughter who launders his money for the purpose of a nose job; a financial and emotionally dependent brother; a taunting naked sun-bathing neighbor and an anonymous writer who sends vulgar letters to the University in an effort to hinder his chances at tenure. Okay, so this is not everyone’s everyday qualms; but everybody has those little everyday issues that poke at us, as they squeal for a non-existent resolution.

In an attempt to rid himself of the constantly jabbing everyday qualms, Larry turns to the temple–more specifically, the Rabbi. Larry meets with three different Rabbis, each of which offers little insight into his dilemmas. One Rabbi almost outright argues that it all means nothing and that he should just continue on with his life. Of course this was not the eye-opening insight Larry, or the viewer was hoping for. With this analysis, Larry continues to continue with the everyday, struggling and juggling his problems as the plot bounces between dilemmas.

So, I guess the question becomes, why watch a movie that just makes you dizzy? I am no Rabbi, and I too don’t have an answer. But, perhaps it is a chance to get away from our nagging everyday issues and instead, relish in the fact that squirming characters like Larry are getting no further in relinquishing their personal issues than we all are.

Conclusion: Not a must-see, but a good way to appreciate your own lawn.

Preview: Bill Harley is coming to town

November 18, 2009November 20, 2009 krithika

Ok, so who is Bill Harley and what’s so special about him?

Bill Harley is a two-time Grammy Award winning storyteller and musician. This Massachusetts-based performer is famed for his use of song and story to describe the joys of growing up and family life. He is especially known for his wit and wisdom and is a prolific author. He has won a lot of other awards too- for his books, novels and concert DVDs.

He will give a free family performance at the Ark (The Ark, 316 South Main St, Ann Arbor, MI) on Sunday, November 22 at 1.00 pm.This performance is sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library.

Later that night, there will be a show exclusively for teenagers and adults at 7.30 pm. Tickets cost $15 for this performance.

More ticket information is available on the Ark web page.

I still dig the good ol’ “Dennis the menace” and “Calvin and hobbes” comics. It is said that Bill Harvey’s show appeal to both the young and the old.

So, if you are in the mood for some clean laugh-all-you-can good humor, this is for you. I am going to go as I think the kid in me never died.

Yours truly, Krithika, [art]seen reviewer

Review: Robin Williams and His Talking Rectum

November 1, 2009November 2, 2009 Bennett

Twas quite a night for Hill Auditorium when Robin Williams and his raunchy brand of comedy came to town this past Friday. Having waited since March (after Williams postponed most of his tour in order to have and recover from open-heart surgery) with expensive tickets in hand, the Hill Auditorium crowd was edging to laugh and laugh hard. A sold-out crowd welcomed Williams, and the two jumbo screens streaming live video of his antics all night, with a long and loud ovation.

Early on, Williams showed he had done his homework. While many comedians have an established nightly routine, Willliams spent his first 20 minutes clowning on local issues. Among other topics, he commented on Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan football team (“Coach Rodriguez is having extra practice sessions – not that they’re really helping right now”), Detroit (Canada’s “neighbor with a meth lab”), as well as noting that “Kwame Kilpatrick makes Marion Berry look like Nelson Mandela”. This local flavor won the crowd over immediately.

From there, Williams physicality and character humor took center stage. As we know from his many roles in film, Williams truly becomes his characters. In his 90-minute set, he became celebrities (Gregory Peck reciting porno lines, Arnold Schwarzenegger failing to pronounce “California”, former MLB pitcher Dock Ellis who pitched a no-hitter on LSD, Joe Biden campaigning for “Barack America”, Walter Kronkite telling a sexual joke- to name a few), animals (Scottish raccoons protesting recycling, a cat antagonizing a dog, and more), and he was, often times, himself- speaking about his heart surgery, his alcoholism, his movies, and his family.

Unfortunately, Williams’s material lost its edge in the second half of the show. Gone were the local references or the riffs on current events. Instead, Williams took turns with “Fuck”, “Asshole” (usually referring to his actual ass hole), and “Rectum” to pull laughter from his audience. His especially vulgar set- a slightly uncomfortable scene for this 19 year old surrounded by the 50+’ers that could afford the tickets- relied upon material that, although consistently drawing a strong response, is no longer fresh. Along with his talking rectum, Williams continued to mock the already most-ridiculed person of the decade, former President George W. Bush, as well as prolonged rants on the 2008 presidential campaign and Sarah Palin, along with many other not-so-current events. Yes, Williams has not toured since 2003 so this is perhaps new material for him, but, in the meantime, the rest of the stand-up world, not to mention Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have squeezed this material dry.

Williams left Hill Auditorium to a standing ovation and a pleased crowd. He made funny faces, did impeccable impersonations, and shocked the crowd with his slew of obscenities and innuendos. However, despite his early success in commentary on local issues, Williams’s material failed to showcase his status as a master of modern culture.

Bennett Stein. Ann Arbor, MI. bstei@umich.edu. No Shirt, No Radio-Wednesdays @ Midnight-1:30am. WCBN.

PREVIEW: Robin Williams’s New Aortic Valve

October 28, 2009October 30, 2009 Bennett 2 Comments

First off, an introduction is in order- My name is Bennett Stein. I’m a second year undergraduate student from Ann Arbor. I’ll be writing on this here blog with some type of regularity. I do encourage you to comment on the posts (“Oh man, Bennett, you’re so full of it.” or “Oh man, Bennett, you’re so god damn handsome” or “Meh, Bennett, you’re pretty so-so”), or, in addition, feel free to email me at bstei@umich.edu. Finally, tune in to No Shirt, No Radio every Wednesday night from midnight-1:30am on WCBN (88.3 or live stream) where I will continue to spin the funky and the weird every week.

However, the real deal is that Robin Williams is finally performing at Hill Auditorium this Friday night, October 30. Scheduled to perform here on March 28, Williams was out of commission for the past six months after a surgery to replace his aortic valve, repair his mitral valve, and correct his irregular heartbeat.

We know Robin Williams mostly from his extensive cinematic career that includes an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Good Will Hunting- one of his least funny roles- as well as outstanding performances in classics such as Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire and many others. But, he has also found great success as a stand up comedian. In 2004, Comedy Central named him 13th on the list of “100 Greatest Stand Up Comedians of All Time”.

Williams is back- he grew up in the Detroit burbs – and healthy and should rock a packed Hill Auditorium. Ticket prices are steep but there’s no better working comedian out there these days (broken link, updated!). Find a cracked window-get into Hill this Friday evening.

Robin Williams Stand Up

Bennett. Ann Arbor, MI.

No Shirt, No Radio, Wednesday night 12-1:30am, WCBN (88.3 or wcbn.org)