The girl who interested the world

by Scott Recker

By far, the most daunting task of reading the novel The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the first 150 pages— that is, unless you have a thirst for Swedish politics and economics. But, if you hold on, you're rewarded with an intense story intertwining corruption, a family's dark history, broken social systems, and, of course, this decade's favorite anti-heroine, Lisbeth Salander, an anti-conformist loner who refuses to let her shitty hand of cards keep her down or dependant — not to mention her being the best kept secret in the private security industry as an uncanny investigator with a photographic memory. In David Fincher's American film, you don't have to wait for the payout — the master of compressing intricate plot info into short scenes that often let a single shot say 2,000 words, gets right to the point.
Famous journalist Mikael Blomkvist is down on his luck: He loses a libel case, which drains his bank account. If that's not bad enough, the case shakes Millennium's (the magazine he publishes) future so badly, it doesn't look like they will be able to stay alive for more than a few months. That's when he gets an offer he can't refuse: Former dominant corporate CEO Henry Vanger hires him to write his memoir, but what he really want is for Blomkvist to investigate the most detestable people he knows — his family — regarding the murder of his niece 40 years prior. The old man has been obsessed with the case for decades, but never has come close to cracking it. When new clues are uncovered, Blomkvist demands a research assistant, which through a pretty hilarious series of events, where he finds out Salander investigated him for the Vanger job, he hires the girl with the dragon tattoo to help him out. And together they find out the truth. The dark, kind-of-happy, really messed-up truth.
Bottom line: David Fincher came through, compressing a complex plot with delicate issues into a fast-paced film with the same bite as the book. It's actually pretty amazing how he trimmed the fat without losing the story. And the visual experience is just as creepy as the read, with drawn-out, desperate situations complemented by Trent Reznor's ominous, but never overwhelming score. With the exception of the opening credits (a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"), the former NIN frontman and digital metal genius keeps the story going (and you on the edge of your seat), without taking over the action and anticipation scenes — a place where so many movies go wrong. Strap in. It's a wild ride. And, while it's not perfect, I don't think any other director could have done it better.

Concession Stand

by Jason Webber
Answer This! (3 stars)

What It’s About: Everyone knows a guy like Paul Tarson (Christopher Gorham). He’s that encyclopedia of useless information who you want on your team in games of “Trivial Pursuit.” Problem is, he’s a 30-year old manchild who has no idea what he will do after grad school (again, we all know someone like this guy). But the citywide pub trivia tournament just might be his ticket to proving that he’s more than a one-trick pony. Maybe.

What We Like: The main reason everyone in the region will want to go see this film is because it was shot at and endorsed by the University of Michigan—first time they’ve ever officially lent their name to a film. There’s live footage of a U of M football game (Let’s Go Blue!) and plenty of U of M landmarks on display. Having said that, “Answer This!” is also a pretty cute-n-quirky coming of age film that may not be exactly groundbreaking but is perfectly entertaining. We’ll take it!

Opens Friday, October 21 at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

Dangerous fish, rockers, politicians and patriots.

There's been a lot going on the last few weeks. And now that the chaos has calmed (well, with Halloween and our City Politics issue coming up, not really...but since I already started the sentence, I'll roll with it). We have videos from four very different events. I'm talking from interviewing the attorney general in Columbus to talking with a local rocker at Frankies to watching a chef clean a 40-pound Asian Carp to the first day of Occupy Toledo different. Random — yes. Kind of awesome — we think so. You be the judge. If you like what we're doing with short videos around town, let us know what we should be filming more of. It is, after all, for you, the reader. We're not hard to find — hit us up on Facebook, shoot us an e-mail, drop off a letter (even though the last time that happened, the author classified me as an "inconsiderate asshole." Hey, you can't win them all). The point is, if we are going to do this, we want to do it right. Help us out.

Video One: Chef Marcel cleaning an Asian Carp



Video Two: TCP's Julian Garcia interviewing Dean, singer/guitarist, of Mindfish



Video Three: Walk-through of the first day of Occupy Toledo



Video Four: Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine talking about the grandparents scam

TSA Mural

Toledo artist Har Simrit Singh helps TSA students create a mural.

Art of Prevention

If you weren't able to make it to the Art of Prevention at Space 237, check out this exhibition walk through.

Listen with the Staff — Tame Impala, Tom Morello, Decemberists, A Michigan Tribute to Neil Young, Foster the People

Alex's Pick
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker [Deluxe Edition] - 2011
4/5 Stars
Psychedelic hypnotic-groove rockers, Tame Impala, hail all the way from Perth, Austrailia. Their recently released album, Innerspeaker, can be compared to Strawberry Fields Forever-era Beatles, early MGMT and the more satiated side of The Black Angels. Solid record from start to finish. Noteworthy songs : "It's Not Meant To Be," "Desire Be Desire Go" and "The Bold Arrow of Time." www.facebook.com/tameimpala



Scott's Pick
The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello) — World Wide Rebel Songs
4/5 Stars
When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker decided to make stripping union rights his first priority upon entering office last winter, Tom Morrello was one of the first in line to give him hell. He immediately wrote protest songs and traveled to the state's capitol in February to fight — producing the album Union Town and helping, with many others, to make Walker's political longevity as promising as Snooki becoming a brain surgeon. Instead of laying off Walker and other union-terrorizing politicians, Morrello, as the Nightwatchman, released his second album of the year, World Wide Rebel Songs, a super intelligent and angry full-length disc that doesn't just aim to kick these white-collared zeros in face when they are crawling around scrapping for supporters, but uses the powerfully charged tracks as an attempt to slice a jugular or two. He keeps the songs fresh with not only some of the best protest lyrics I've heard in a long time, but also with his ability to pair optimistic, warm instruments with confident, pissed-off and relatable lyrics. "Are you going to stand around, or are you going to be free," the harvard grad and former Rage Against The Machine guitarist growls on the title track. He's the true working-class hero. A modern day Thoreau, except he isn't afraid to refer to today's tyrants as motherfuckers. Key Tracks: "Black Spartacus Heart Machine," "Save the Hammer for the Man," "World Wide Rebel Songs."



Matt's Pick
Decemberists - “Calamity Song" (Video)
4.5/5 Stars
Like a lot of longtime listeners, I was thrilled when the Decemberists, darlings of the sweater-vest-and-thick-glasses set, took a healthy step back from the prog-folk excesses of 2009’s The Hazards of Love with this year’s The King is Dead. There aren’t even any songs about pirates or chimney sweeps, just pure, sparkling songcraft and ecstatic wordplay. (With a few ballads, like the criminally ravishing “June Hymn” thrown in.) I’ve been telling people it’s the best R.E.M. album in 20 years, which is entirely appropriate since guitarist Peter Buck guests on a few songs.
This week, the band premiered the new video for “Calamity Song,” with Mr. Buck himself dealing the old-school “Reckoning” jangle. And the video, directed by Parks & Recreation’s Michael Schur,  is a wonder. There’s certainly a lot of overlap between the Decemberists’ fanbase and that of the late revered cult author David Foster Wallace, and the “Calamity Song” video is a meticulous recreation of a crucial scene from Wallace’s magnum opus, the sprawling Infinite Jest. The song itself is a whimsical look at Apocalypse, with a wildly catchy melody, and the lyric already included an Infinite Jest reference. (“...in the Year of the Chewable Ambien Tab.”)
Schur introduces the audience to Eschaton, Wallace’s insanely elaborate fictional sport played by the students of an elite tennis academy (did you know those were a thing?). The kids simulate a global nuclear war on a tennis court, with tennis balls standing in for missiles. Naturally, this requires extremely complex computerized scoring, and naturally, the band sits and watches from courtside. And naturally, since all’s fair in love and thermonuclear exchanges, the scene devolves into farcical chaos.
IJ geeks will love the spot-on details, like the referee’s color-coded propeller beanies, and the fact that singer Colin Meloy is clearly standing in for Michael Pemulis, the novel’s tragic Falstaffian sidekick, with his jaunty sailor’s hat. Wallace wasn’t the hippest guy in the world, but I feel like he would have liked the Decemberists, with their nerdy charm and love of language. And he’d have loved to see one his tour de force comic set pieces brought to the screen. There’s joy in the End of the World, and Schur and the Decemberists make it look pretty fun.

(The video’s not embeddable, sadly — but check it out at npr.org.)



Christy's Pick
Headed For The Ditch: A Michigan Tribute to Neil Young - Various Artists
4.5/5 Stars
Like indie music and bands including The Hard Lessons, Saturday Looks Good to Me and The Casionauts? Check out a fairly new compilation album which pays tribute to Neil Young featuring indie bands from Michigan. Headed For The Ditch: A Michigan Tribute to Neil Young with tracks including "Soldier", "Southern Man", "Barstool Blues", "Saddle Up the Palomino" and "Hey Hey, My My" provides a look at the different progressions in Young's career. The album is Lower Peninsula Records' debut release and is pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl with a 16-page hand-sewn booklet with handwritten notes from participating artists. Check it out here www.lansingscene.com/lprecords.



Julian's Pick
Foster the People - Torches
3/5 Stars
Okay, this entry normally should be tossed due to radio overplay of a certain single and the popularity from the certain single with the college hipster frat and sorority set. But fuck it, the album is addictive and actually really stellar. Besides "Pumped Up Kicks" (that certain single) there are quality tracks that are both fun to dance to and musically badass. Foster the People are definitely following the sounds of MGMT, by producing tunes with hip electronic beats and clever lyrics that often get hidden behind the danceparty-way they are presented. The first track "Helena Beat" is parallel to their first single in terms of catchiness but far less repetitive and crescendos into more of a riotous ending. "Waste" is an intelligent little diddy again with a club-like kick. And the closing track "Warrant" will undoubtedly make you want to start boogying. My favorite track has to be "Houdini" — again super catchy and I want to know how the lead singer stretches his vocals during the verses. Hate to admit it — for some reason, I'm so jeal. The band is legit, at least for their first album. Hope they are like MGMT and continue to grow despite overexposure. 

21st Amendment Brewing — Liberating Beer

A wheat ale brewed with watermelon juice. A dark IPA. A double IPA served with carrot cake. There seems to be a million things that could go wrong with those mixtures, but 21st Amendment Brewing Company, based in San Francisco, pulls each one off — and they kick ass at doing it. On Wednesday, Doc Watson's held a beer tasting for the 11-year-old micro brewery and I, along with the rest of my table, was blown away by the carefully crafted flavors that were as smooth as they were unique. Here's a breakdown of the five that we tasted:

Come Hell or High Watermelon
Wheat Ale - 5.1%
When looking over the list, I thought this would be the one that didn't appeal to my taste. As what seems to happens often, I was wrong. Of all the fruit-infused beer I've had, this is one of the most smooth — probably because it is brewed with 100 percent watermelon juice. A perfect beer for a hot summer afternoon.

Brew Free! or Die
IPA - 7.0%
One of the members of our table has never met an Indian Pale Ale she liked — except this one, which our local 21st Amendment rep Bob told us is not all that uncommon for this extremely light and balanced IPA. If your in mood for a hoppy beer, but not one that blitzkriegs your throat, here's your savior.

Back in Black
IPA - 6.8%
A dark pale ale — how the hell does that make sense? Well, I don't really care because the hops perfectly surround Back in Black's roasted, malty heaviness. A few mirco-breweries have been playing around with this style recently, and it has been categorized as Cascadian Dark Ale. This was my favorite, and is one of the innovative brews I think every craft beer fan should try.

Monk's Blood
Dark Belgian Ale - 8.3%
The two owners of 21st traveled to Belgium to develop this recipe — a dark ale brewed with Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and black mission figs, aged on oak. I wasn't crazy about it, but it was the favorite of the other two people at my table. So it goes.

Hop Crisis?
Double IPA - 9.7%
If you don't like hoppy beer, don't try Hop Crisis. If you're not a hop coward, be prepared for your taste buds to take a long, hard trip down fizzle avenue. Paired, what seemed to be oddly, but as we found out, appropriately, with carrot cake, Hop Crisis provides the kick an IPA lover will appreciate. (Below is a video of 21st Amendment's local rep, Bob, explaining the beer in much more detail than I am capable of.)

Frank & Jesse at the OT

Frank & Jesse performing at the Ottawa Tavern Friday, August 19.