B4

Disney lm nails the feeling, lacks in story

Voice Correspondent

The Washtenaw Voice

January 13, 2014

The Washtenaw Voice

January 13, 2014

B5
Theodore and Samantha to the soulpouring, life-sharing conversations, make this couple the definition of what we all seek in our relationships. Theodore shows Samantha the world, and she shows him how to be caught up in amazement by it. But suddenly, while viewers are lost in rapture of the perfection of this couples love, an eerie, uncomfortable feeling will wash over them as they remember that this is a story about a broken-hearted, broken-down man falling in love with his computer. Beyond the love story, this lm is a depiction of the ongoing the merger between our dependence on each other and our dependence on technology, and the increasing detachment among the human race. But rather than condemn, it shows not only the sadness, but also the beauty and the inevitability of this evolution. Primary colors and retro costume design help to keep this incredibly lofty movie grounded. But the performances, more than anything, make it relatable. Phoenix may be the only person who could portray the loveable, pitiable, and somewhat creepy Theodore so perfectly. His frantic giddiness during the high points and his stoic depression during the lows prevent this lm from ever feeling dull, despite 90 percent of the movie consisting of Theodore alone, communicating with Samantha via earpiece. Its remarkable how with only her voice, Johansson brings Samantha to life. The earnestness in the tone of her voice and the way she delivers her lines makes Samantha feel more human-like than so many human movie characters. At one point she questions whether her emotions can be considered real or if they are just the result of programming. It will bring you to tears. What thought could be more human? This question has been central throughout centuries of philosophers musings. Every piece and every moment of this lm ties together in Genre: Comedy, one of the most comDrama, Romance plex, yet accessible Runtime: 126 minutes lms of recent years. Rating: R This layered story will be watched and rewatched and analyzed and re-analyzed for years to come. It is a classic of our time.

Mr. Banks not so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

By EMILY ROSE Saving Mr. Banks is the story behind the beloved 1964 Disney classic, Mary Poppins, when Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) is determined to garner the rights from author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson). The year was 1961, just six years after Disneyland opened in Los Angeles. Her book royalties are becoming scarce, which forces Travers to meet with Disney once again to try and create a movie deal. Disney had promised his daughters he would turn the novel into a movie, but dealing with Travers is not that easy. She will not comply unless they fulfill her every wish. Thompson plays the snobby Australian writer to the T. The movie shows several flashbacks to Travers childhood, as she grows up with an irresponsible father (Colin Farrell). He drinks himself to death, causing the mother (Ruth Wilson) to consider suicide. The children needed a nanny to take care of them, and the story of Mary Poppins was born. The producers could not have picked a better actor to play Walt Disney. The widely beloved Hanks nails the acting and looks the part of the legend that is Walt Disney. The best part about the movie is the soundtrack. The Sherman Brothers (B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman) were the musicians for the original Mary Poppins soundtrack. In Saving Mr. Banks, the brothers do a great job of updating the music, but still keep with the classic 60s tone. The costume design for all the characters is spot on, as was the set design. The filmmakers did a great job of making you feel as if it was the mid-1960s again. The movie has a good storyline, but it is very anti-climactic. I was waiting for that moment where you were on the edge Genre: Drama of your seat, but it Runtime: 120 minutes never came. This Rating: PG-13 is a movie that I wont be dying to see once it is released on DVD.

The human experience captured by Her

By NATALIE WRIGHT
Managing Editor

Grade: B

COURTESY PHOTO | LATIMES.COM

In poetry of color, light, music and language, writer/director Spike Jonze simultaneously portrays the innite possibilities and the innite limitations of the human mind. In Her, his rst solo-writing venture, Jonze has created a story that is equal parts heartfelt love story, haunting science ction and philosophical exploration. The lm, set in some unspecied place and time in the future, follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his new operating system, or OS, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). This OS is the rst with articial intelligence, meaning her personality and knowledge expand with every moment and experience. Like Samantha, the audience will nd themselves discovering new emotions that build on each other exponentially and are nearly impossible to put into words. Viewers will easily lose themselves in this alluring love story and the personality it takes on. Everything from the cheesy jokes exchanged between

Grade: A+

COURTESY PHOTO | HERTHEMOVIE.COM

Hut-K Chaats at a glance Prices: Expect to pay $7 to $10 for a typical lunch or dinner meal, which includes a beverage. If you go: For a snack-like meal, try the Dahi Sev Puri, or for a more substantial meal, order the Samosa Wrap-Roll. If feeling adventurous, try Katies Surprise. For more information: www.hut-k.com or call 734-786-8312.

Indian street food makes inroads in Ann Arbor

the corner of Platt and Packard in Ypsilanti, and near Main Street in Marks Carts in Ann Arbor, and soon Swaroop Bhojani is passionate near South Campus in Ann Arbor. about comfort food, but not the kind The researcher-turned-foodie, you are thinking of. He is passion- who holds a doctorate degree, is pasate about healthy, raw comfort food sionate about giving people the food chaats, to be exact, and a wide variety that their bodies want and that they of other creations. will love the same food that changed Bhojani is the owner of Hut-K his life six years ago. Chaats. Thats when Bhojani was diagnosed Chaats, he explained, refers to with Type 2 diabetes, like millions of Indian street food. The word describes other Americans. He was taking medifood so good you want to lick the last cation to control the condition, but bit off the plate, according to Bhojani. was not content with that solution. Hut-K Chaats has locations on He began researching nutrition and By DAVID FITCH
Staff Writer

Philosophy of food presentation Who: Swaroop Bhojani What: Understanding the Fuel We Feed Ourselves When: Jan. 30, 6-8:30 p.m. Where: Ypsilanti District Library-Michigan at 229 West Michigan Ave.

Swaroop Bhojani and his wife Sumi create foods using whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables and lots of spices. Bhojani tries to go back to basic foods that taste great and will give the body what it needs. The best part of this food is the way you feel afterwards, he says. DAVID FITCH | WASHTENAW VOICE

started to try to get off of his diabetes medication. I put together a diet for myself, Bhojani said. The diet sought, among other things, to replace processed sugars, oils and processed foods with healthier options. He began eating more whole grains, using fruits and vegetables to sweeten food, and using healthy herbs to season food. It worked. Bhojani was able to get off his diabetes medication. He and his wife, Sumi, started the business in an effort to share their newfound health and nutrition with others.

Bhojani looks at the bodys systems as machines, and like machines they must me cared for, he said. How do you take care of these machines? There is no other way than food, he said. In 2012, Bhojani left his position as a radiation oncology researcher at the University of Michigan. He says that he doesnt miss his old job; he has found his passion. And dont worry, Hut-K Chaats doesnt skimp on avor. Staying true to its Indian roots, the restaurant dishes up avorful, colorful, delicious dishes for a reasonable price.

Their menu features chaats, comfort foods like soups and salads, wrap rolls, an assortment of beverage concoctions, ice cream and a collection of back 2 roots foods, featuring pizzas and other various creations. The produce is fresh, the atmosphere is clean and inviting, and the food is delicious, or nutrilicious, as Bhojani likes to say. So, whether you are a hardcore carnivore or a health-food guru, Hut-K Chaats will offer something new and different from nearly any other dining option in the area.

FTL entertaining space adventure, and a bargain

By MIKE ANTHONY
Voice Correspondent

Scorsese in top form in dark, edgy Wolf of Wall Street

to do with more than just business. The day-to-day life at the brokerage is portrayed as an endless and exceptionally well-funded frat party. One of the lms opening shots is of Belfort playing darts in the office with a dwarf. As in using the dwarf as a dart. Belfort does prodigious amounts of Quaaludes and cocaine throughout, and gives passionate/insane speeches to his workers that are somewhere between Alec Baldwins memorable speech in Glengarry Glen Ross and the ravings of a drunk high school football coach. Typical of a Scorsese lm, Wolf is fast-paced and visually creative. DiCaprio frequently breaks up scenes by stepping away from the action and addressing the audience directly. Scorsese, who is always loath to let his camera to stop moving, gives us the voyeuristic feel of penetrating into the heart of something. Wolf has an expansive 179-minute runtime, but it just never lets up enough for it to feel nearly that long. Belfort is an extremely challenging role, and DiCaprio is fearless in going to whatever lengths necessary to keep the comedy and tension high. And Hill does an admirable job keeping up in a role that demands depths of him that weve never seen. Scorseses After Hours (1985) remains one of the strangest of all American comedies, a pitch-black lm that left the viewer wrung out as the stress of its events became almost unbearable. Wolf is his rst crack at humor since, and its similarly hard to pin down. The laughs are near-constant, but always feel hollow. What happens on screen is hilarious, but its hilarious because its so wildly perverse. What is Scorsese up to here? Is the comedy designed to involve and thus implicate the audience? To imply that were all guilty for our nations state of scal ruin? That our collective passivity and naivet allowed men like Belfort to run us into the ground? Few comedies beg such questions. The Wolf of Wall Street proves yet again that in the realm of American lms, there is Scorsese and the rest.

If other space adventure games like Mass Effect or the latest Star Trek game left you yearning for more space travel, then Subset Games FTL: Faster Than Light just might be the game for you. And at one-sixth the cost of a normal game there is no excuse not to try it. FTL is a space-strategy rogue-like game in which you command a ship with the goal of delivering vital data to the Galactic Federation in hopes of defeating an army of rebellious human supremacists. To do this you will take command of a single ship with the ability to travel faster than light. You and your crew will travel from sector to sector completing missions, assembling crew, bartering for weapons and droids, and upgrading your ship while you prepare to lead the Galactic Federation in one nal showdown with the rebel forces. FTL is inuenced by table-top board games meaning you will spend the whole game looking down at a cross section of your ship and the tiny sprites of your crew as you command them much like the bridge scenes in Star Trek. Part of the beauty of FTL is that even though you arent directly in the action like most action games, its masterful use of sprites and sounds will have you feeling true dread when pirates board your ship, or when a rogue solar are starts a re in your engine room and you can no longer run away

from the slavers bearing down on you. Moments like this really set FTL apart from other games. The way that FTL pulls you into the moment always amazes, and its able to do this better than most triple-A games. Also, while on the subject of sights and sounds, its important to note that FTL has one of the best game soundtracks period. Beautiful yet subtle, the soundtrack of FTL sets the mood perfectly without being intrusive or distracting. As fun as FTL is, it can be extremely unforgiving, and it will take potentially dozens of attempts just to make it to the nal area for the rst time. FTL randomly generates each game, and all deaths are permanent, meaning you will be restarting a lot. Luckily, FTL can be beaten in under an hour, and death isnt usually frustrating since it normally feels like it was your fault. All this adds up to create a game that realizes space travel and the feel of commanding your own spaceship better than most other games. At just $10, FTL is a game that is affordable and an absolute must-play for gamers of all kinds. And with mods and a free expansion coming that will add new ships, weapons, enemies, upgrades and a plethora of other things FTL could easily keep you entertained for dozens of hours. FTL is available through Steam, GOG.com, Amazon, or directly from the developer at FTLgame.com and is available for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, and with an iOS port expected early this year.

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Biography Runtime: 179 minutes Rating: R

Grade: A

COURTESY PHOTO | THEWOLFOFWALLSTREET.COM

By ERIC GARANT
Staff Writer

COURTESY PHOTO | GAMEREVIEW.COM

The Wolf of Wall Street sees legendary director Martin Scorsese approach familiar ground in a new way. The lm tells the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a stockbroker who amassed great wealth in the 1990s by taking advantage of clients and ignoring the law.

Scorsese is probably the worlds foremost director of movies about organized crime. A lm about a group of men working outside the law to ll their pockets is right in his wheelhouse. But his past work down this line Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and The Departed, to name just three were all serious dramas. Wolf is a strange and decadent dark comedy. Belfort is a family man when the story begins, but is soon taken in by

the temptations of the Wall Street lifestyle, which involves a lot of sex and even more drugs. Matthew McConaughey, in an unforgettable cameo, plays Belforts rst boss. He takes the young broker out for a lunch that would scare off a man with any sort of moral compass. After losing his rst job as a stockbroker when the market crashes, Belfort takes up work selling penny stocks, which are lousy investments

but allow him to earn a 50 percent commission. He sleazily pushes the near-worthless stocks onto unsuspecting clients, building up enough wealth to open his own rm, Stratton Oakmont. There, he surrounds himself with cronies and teaches them how they, too, can defraud people out of their life savings. His lieutenant is Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), a shambling man whose devotion to Belfort may have