If you like emotionally charged, cutthroat capitalist plays about ruthless real estate agents, office politics and the decline of the American Dream, then the Live Arts theater’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross is just the play for you. But if, like me, you find yourself more inclined toward sparkly musicals with complicated plots, colorful costumes and belting ensembles, then, frankly, it is not.

Glengarry Glen Ross (the play’s moniker is taken from names of real estate properties) is about a small band of unscrupulous, middle-aged real estate agents who will go to any lengths to achieve their own ends. Plot-wise, not much happens, as Glengarry Glen Ross is a play about, above all, characters — their flaws, their ruthlessness and, most of all, their desperation.

Live Arts’ actors succeed in portraying their roles, particularly Michael Volpendesta as the scheming, big-mouthed Richard Roma and Chris Patrick as John Williamson, the cold, callous boss who both looked and acted so much like Benjamin Linus from the TV show Lost.

Learn more about the show – check out Live Arts online

The sets were simple but nevertheless well constructed, with the first act taking place in a Chinese restaurant and the second act taking place in a ransacked real estate office. The Live Arts theater is so intimate and the audience is so close to the stage that you feel as if you’re in the same room as the characters, and — sitting in the first row — I was so close that I could see the spittle fly from the actors’ lips, which happened quite often, as they never went five minutes without screaming obscenities at each other.

Although the play is supposed to be a comedy (admittedly, a black comedy) about office politics, The Office it simply is not. There is no stapler-in-Jell-O humor here, just vaguely depressing conclusions drawn about the triviality of life and the corruption of the American dream. Yet somehow, it had no particularly deep musings to offer the audience about life beyond convincing each and every one of us never to go into real estate. Perhaps all of this would have been acceptable had the dialogue been witty and poignant. But personally, I didn’t find a bunch of pathetic, mid-life crisis-ing old men with potty mouths à la middle school students shouting at each other to be particularly clever, convincing dialogue. I left the theater feeling, not enlightened or entertained, but as if I personally had just been repeatedly cursed at and insulted by a bunch of angry men in hideous paisley ties for an hour and a half.

Acclaimed exotic dancer-turned-scriptwriter Diablo Cody had a lot riding on her shoulders. After taking home a trophy at the 2008 Academy Awards for penning Juno, Cody became the new it-girl of the indie, offbeat comedy world. With her sophomore attempt, she makes a concerted effort with director Karyn Kusama (Aeon Flux) and leads Megan Fox (Transformers) and Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls) to ignite Jennifer’s Body with the same spark that ignited Juno. Despite some merits to its name — a killer script and Fox being named No. 2 on the “2009 ‘Maxim’ Hot 100” — Jennifer’s Body is not a total hit.

The film centers on Jennifer Check (Fox), a character with whom we are all too familiar. Despite her infinite beauty and popularity, she is painfully insecure and, as a result, manipulates and preys on her less genetically gifted friends for a confidence boost. But when a small-time, alternative, man-makeup-wearing band kidnaps Jennifer as a sacrifice to Satan to score a record deal and fame — yes, this really happens — she goes from mere adolescence evil to full-on, flesh-eating, demon evil. Now preying on hopeless and unsuspecting boys, Jennifer creates her virtual buffet of man using her irresistible physical assets, and it is up to her “best friend” Needy Lesnicky (Seyfried) to find a way to stop her.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two years, you know Megan Fox is smokin’. So smokin’, in fact, that a few dozen popular male news sites banded together to create a Megan Fox media blackout day Aug. 4 to combat her overexposure. This very overexposure creates perhaps the “fatal” flaw in the film. Full of satire regarding teenage sexual desires, the ridiculous, backbiting conventions of the high school world and just basic pop culture, the film’s script is literally coursing with sexual charge. Fox — who has made a career out of exploiting her own sexuality — is head of the class in this hot mess of sex, lies and flesh consumption as Jennifer. Her own history of shameless and gratuitous dirty banter in the press, however, makes her casting seem much more like another lame, “look-how-hot-I-am” publicity vehicle than it does a wise, artistic choice. This nagging suspicion makes it incredibly difficult — if not impossible —  to see Fox’s performance for what it is: rather decent and nearly surprising. Either way, when your much-talked-about persona clouds the judgment of your creative work, you know something is amiss in your career.

Despite the questionable casting, in contrast to the impeccable ensemble in Juno, Cody does stick to her gifts: The girl knows how to write a script. The dialogue is not exactly the quick, witty banter of her previous effort, but rather comedy of a darker breed — one that might be harder to digest at first. Regardless, Cody is truly versatile as a screenwriter, infusing horror and dark comedy in a uniquely intelligent way.

Yet, a great script does not always a great movie make. It takes just that little bit of sparkle to push a film over the top. In Juno, that sparkle was single-handedly possessed by Ellen Page, who ceaselessly charmed her way into our hearts and DVD players as Juno MacGuff. Because Megan Fox seems too gimmicky, the weight falls solely on Amanda Seyfried’s shoulders — and unfortunately, she just does not quite live up to Page’s legacy. Notwithstanding, Jennifer’s Body is definitely not a complete waste: interesting direction, a punchy soundtrack and of course, the clever, yet twisted depiction of high school from the mind of Diablo Cody keeps the film alive.

While bored in an insufferable English discussion, I did what all my peers did: I took the “Where will Kayne interrupt you?” quiz on Facebook. So where will Kayne interrupt me? When I get married, when I “lose it,” when I get dumped? False. Kayne interrupted me when I wrote this letter.

What is it these days with the notion of celebrity? In this celebrity-drenched, celebrity-obsessed, celebrity-drooling culture, anything a star says, wears or dates informs our sense of identity. It becomes the next trend and then boom! Girls are flashing their panty-less privates, guys are beating up their successful girlfriends and puppies are being snatched by coyotes. Kidding! But in reality, the general populace is much too concerned with the comings and goings of celebs and sometimes decline to remember the rich, traditionally-minded aspects of our culture.

What culture is there to be found around Grounds these days? Besides the incoming of Bono to Scott Stadium, self-appointed guru of all things culturally-relevant, there are plays to be seen, art galleries to pop into and film screenings not to be missed. Feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of US Weeklys in Teeter? Hit up Live Arts’ latest production, the award-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross — although our reporter may not have been pleased with its fast-paced, spittle-flying plot. Needing some culture outside the Chick-Fil-A in the Pav or the repeats of Dumb and Dumber on TBS? Venture out of your dorm Sunday nights for an OFFscreen film — this week, we review two of the season’s screenings, bringing foreign film into your everyday existence. If you missed the Emmy awards this year (wait, when was that?), we give it to you straight — the winners, the losers, the overlooked stars. Speaking of stars, the University and Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra played under the stars to a packed Amphitheater — a small sign of hope that just because it wasn’t celebrity-endorsed, there are still some lovers of classic culture out there.

Alas, we here at tableau sometimes pick some misses instead of hits — although we try every week to bring you only the juiciest, most worthy cultural offerings. Unless you are a devil-worshipping, record-deal-seeking indie band, feel free to skip Jennifer’s Body (no, Megan Fox is not a celebrity we seek to emulate). Although some may lament the outpouring of attention paid to celebs, I guess they have some value. What else would we do without Kayne Facebook quizzes?

—stephanie garcia

Directed by Brillante Mendoza of the Philippines, Serbis (2008) vividly and realistically depicts the despondent tale of the Pineda family’s struggle to survive in an inner Philippine city. Nanay Flor (Gina Pareño) is the matriarch of the family, as she provides her numerous relatives with work at the run-down and almost bankrupt cinematheque which functions both as the family’s home and business. It is already odd enough that this family lives out of an old movie theater, but what makes it even more peculiar are the films they show. Featuring adult films, their home is constantly infested with people seeking pleasure in a seemingly hopeless world. Also, unknown to the Pineda family, the cinematheque functions as a haven for male prostitutes and their gay patrons who conduct their own business among the dark aisles of the theater.

Thus, Serbis, which means service, depicts two services. The Pineda family is provided with the means to live, and outsiders are provided with a place to seek pleasures — some of which are illegal. Composed of intensely realistic scenes of the Pineda family’s daily challenges and chores — from cleaning up a flooded bathroom to the chaotic chasing of a wandering goat out of the theater — the film invokes sadness and pity with a splash of humor. Mendoza exposes each family member’s personal hardship that he or she must cope with while simultaneously maintaining the family business. Although the viewer is not sure as to how each of these more personal issues will unfold, he is left with little hope for a positive resolution.

At one point during the film, in reference to a legal issue about the marital status of Nanay Flor’s estranged husband, she says that she doesn’t care about the money — she just wants the truth. Ironically, however, Nanay Flor is arguably running an immoral business to make money. Conflicting emotions and actions like this are present throughout the film as the characters search for a balance between staying alive and maintaining a sense of morality. Though the Pineda family’s life may be considered a simple way of living, it is anything but. The family must deal with religious, political, sexual and economical issues, and Mendoza will not give in to satisfying the audience with any clear answers.

Cinematically, Serbis reads more like a documentary. Shot with a hand-held camera, the film is given a sense of realism that would otherwise not be present. This feeling of authenticity significantly adds to the emotions seeping through the film, as the audience feels as if these events really did happen and as though this family really does exist. Leaving the audience confused, shocked and doleful, Mendoza does a fantastic job of portraying a harder world that is often forgotten about amid the constancy of our own lives. Given five stars by the Metro Cannes Daily, critic Jerome Vermelin says, “Mendoza is indeed brilliant! Serbis … is without a doubt the most torrid in competition (at Cannes); also one of the most surprising.”