Month: March 2019

REVIEW: Us

audreymg 1 Comment

I know that Jordan Peele is a cinematic genius and after Us premiered with double the box office earnings of Get Out, apparently everyone else does too. Us was so good. This is a movie you have to see in the theater. I went at a late showing on Sunday night thinking it would be pretty dead; Sundays are for homework. Boy, was I wrong. The theater was sold-out, and that made for a better viewing experience. As my boyfriend and I shouted at the jump-scares, cringed at the gore, and laughed at Peele’s classic one-liners we were surrounded by dozens of others doing the exact same thing. Us managed to do something I had never even considered a possibility by creating a balance between horror and humor; this is why it’s so difficult to pin down Peele’s genre. I am a major scaredy-cat, so I was a bit nervous going into this movie after having seen scissors, masked-figures, and creepy smiles in the trailers. I was definitely frightened during the movie, but I was never fully consumed by terror due to the impeccable style of the film. Right when you thought it was going to get worse, someone would crack a joke, or kill one of the tethered in a pretty funny way. Another aspect of the movie that really pushed it from being a good movie to a great film was the level of detail. Early in the film we see the daughter wearing a shirt with a rabbit on it before learning that rabbits were the food of the tethered. Speaking of rabbits, let’s talk about that first scene. The camera slowly panning out on a wall of caged rabbits with that wonderfully creepy music building in the background truly set the tone for the film. It also reminded a lot of Get Out and the early scene flying over the trees with equally creepy music in the background. Music was one of my favorite parts of this movie and you could tell that the composer for Us was also the composer for Get Out. I hope Peele knows what he’s got and continues to work with Michael Abel for the rest of his film career. Beyond the score, the soundtrack was also pretty great making me particularly excited to hear Noname coming out of the daughter’s headphones. As a film that was all about character development, it would be a sin not to mention what Peele achieved in his writing. The main characters were complex and emotional. The main family was also wonderfully juxtaposed with a laughably one-dimensional, caricature of the white family. To top things off, Peele ends the film with a twist that would make M. Knight Shyamalan proud, making us all question if we had been rooting for the wrong person the whole time.

Image courtesy of the State Theater.

REVIEW: Legally Blonde, the musical

Minna W 1 Comment

Prior to hearing that Musket was putting on the show, I had no idea Legally Blonde was a musical. I knew the story from the 2001 movie starring Reese Witherspoon—which I have really enjoyed in the past. During the show, it was fun to compare the plot and scenes with ones in the movie. I was curious which one came first, so I did a quick search and found out that the movie was produced first. This mak            es the screenwriter’s and director’s artistic choices in the musical even more interesting. Fun fact, Legally Blonde was originally a book by Amanda Brown. The title is a play on the words “legally blind” and “legally bound”—because, you know, Elle is blinded by her binding love for Warner—Ha.  

For the most part, the musical followed the plot of the movie. There were, however, some noteworthy differences. A lot of the scenes were squished or condensed together in the interest of time—such as when Elle and Paulette conversed in the salon and when Vivian invited Elle to the ‘costume’ party.

There were other elements that were unique to the musical as well. Such as Paulette’s fascination with dating an Irish man, which I thought was kind of random. So was the song “There! Right There!” which was about determining if Enrique (the pool boy cross examined in court) was gay or European. Additionally, there was another scene where Elle took the people in the court to a bathroom to present her evidence against Chutney, which was bizarre, outrageous, and almost satirical. Because of these reasons, I thought the musical was much more dramatic and over-the-top than the movie.

I also noticed that Emmett had a much larger role. The storyline focused more on him and Elle falling in love, rather than Elle fighting to get Warner back. There was an entire scene dedicated to Elle taking Emmett shopping and giving him a makeover. In my opinion, it was a weird scene to add, considering that the “makeover” has become a cliche in rom-coms.

Anyway, my most anticipated moment was the bend-and-snap scene. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was infused with humor and amazing choreography. Once Paulette learned how to do the bend-and-snap, a group of boys suddenly appeared and responded to her movement. Their synchronicity with Paulette was delightful to watch. When the scene finally ended, it concluded with a bang: Paulette broke Kyle’s (the UPS guy’s) nose. Kyle fell dramatically and the audience roared with laughter.

Another scene I also really enjoyed was Brooke’s exercise routine/jump-rope choreography. The sequence was so creative. I was blown away by the actors’ athleticism; they basically danced and jump-roped at the same time. I have never seen anything like it.

And of course, I must comment on how much I appreciated having real dogs starring in the show. Reggie the campus corgi appeared, and the audience exploded in cheers and applause which was really funny. Bruiser Woods, the Chihuahua, was also adorable. I awwwed every time he appeared on stage. I was so impressed by how well both dogs behaved. If I was a dog (which is a weird thing to think about), I would have freaked out at the bright lights and loud noises.  

You can checkout behind the scenes videos on Musket’s Facebook page, under “videos.”

REVIEW: Legally Blonde

Angela Lin Leave a comment

Legally Blonde is the story of positivity, hard work, and feminism, embodied by the great and legendary Elle Woods. MUSKET’s performance elevated this musical to stunning heights, full of laughter and empowerment and the best talent on campus.

The musical started out with squealing sorority girls excited about Elle and Warner’s potential engagement. When the fabulous Mika Secada emerged as Elle Woods, she instantly dominated the stage with her pink attire and commanding presence, even after Warner breaks Elle’s heart with his egoistic dreams. Dominic Dorset portrays him as a suave man fit right into Harvard, and Elle studies hard to get in to chase after him, even performing a lovely cheerleading routine sprinkled with law jargon to convince the Harvard men of her capabilities.

Once in Harvard, preppy girl Vivienne Kensington (Mackenzie Mollison) is out for Elle’s blood, but soft and geeky Emmett (Michael Dietz) is there to show her she belongs. Nevada Riley, Kaitlyn Tom, and Ryan Moore made the perfect Greek Chorus, giving Elle the strength and encouragement to be the Elle Woods we all admire.

In the hair salon, we meet Paulette, and Emma Cook’s dialect and hairstyle and outfit rivaled the Paulette in the original movie. Her positivity and energy was contagious, and she dominated the stage as well. One of the biggest stars of the show was Reggie the Campus Corgi, the crowd erupting into applause and cheers as he waddled his way across the stage after Elle helped Paulette win her dog back.

Sydney C. Shepherd played Brooke Wyndham, the accused fitness guru with style and moves. The extraordinary choreography of “Whipped Into Shape” involving synchronized jump roping was really impressive as the cast did a thorough workout to this extremely catchy song. Probably the best part of this number was when Ryan Moore’s jump rope flew out of his hands, and he started jumping up and down with his own unique flair that made it super entertaining to watch.

The vocal power of this cast was extraordinary, especially Secada’s performances. As she danced and marched around in stilettos, she proved how powerful and confident women could be. From fashion icon to winning lawyer, her positive and outgoing mindset helped her succeed, and Secada grabbed this narrative we’re all familiar with and turned it into her own. Vivienne’s unwavering support for Elle after Callahan assaulted her was even more poignant as Mollison sang “legally blonde”, nailing that run over and over again.

The set was simple and beautiful, yet it screamed Elle Woods. The revolving walls brought us between the bright pink walls, the blue salon, and Harvard with effective ease. Once again, the pit’s brilliantly-played music matched Elle Wood’s spirit and gave her an upbeat soundtrack to her life. This all-star cast, from Cook to Mollison to Reggie to Secada, turned this story about a sorority girl turned lawyer into a moving tale about self-empowerment and the importance of believing women. Bruna D’Avila and MUSKET exceeded expectations again with this very pink, very enjoyable, and very powerful musical.

REVIEW: GenAPA Cultural Show 2019: “TECHNICOLOR: Vivid past, vibrant future”

Minna W Leave a comment

This was my first time attending GenAPA’s annual cultural show. There were so many performances that I surprisingly enjoyed and would otherwise not have seen if I had not gone to see TECHNICOLOR. Each performance showcased a unique aspect of Asian and Pacific American culture. A video, played before each group’s performance, described what ‘technicolor’ as well as the Asian and Pacific American community meant to each student group. There were thirteen featured groups and performers in total. Below, I will mention a few of the performances that I particularly enjoyed.

Sinaboro, Korean traditional drumming group, was the opening act. Throughout their whole performance, the musicians remained seated on the floor of the stage. Their joy and passion for samulnori was delightful to observe (samulnori is a genre of percussion music that originated in Korea. The word samul means “four objects”, while nori means “play”. Samulnori is performed with four instruments: a small gong, a larger gong, an hourglass-shaped drum, and barrel drum). The way the musicians played their instruments was almost like a dance, and it was fascinating to watch.

Michigan Hula’s performance was also intriguing. Prior to the show, the only exposure I had to hula dancing was through the movie, Lilo and Stitch (really sad, I know). You know the scene where Lilo went to hula class? Yup, that’s it. I really appreciated hearing, what I believe is, the Ipu (percussion instrument made from gourds that is often used to provide a beat for hula dancing) and the language the dancers chanted and sang during the performance.

Taekwondo put on a skillful, entertaining, and also humorous performance. The taekwondoins began by monotonously demonstrating different kicks and moves. And then the music came on, and the audience went wild. They demonstrated jumping and spinning kicks and fast kicking techniques. They broke wood boards and performed with nunchucks. It was a blast.

DB3 was one of my favorite performances during the show. They are a male k-pop dance crew. During their performance, they danced hip hop as well as k-pop. Seeing their performance made me feel like a judge on the show, World of Dance. The dancers were so in sync and the choreography was refreshing and stunning. I’ll be looking out for their shows in the future.

Overall, TECHNICOLOR was a blast. There was a wide-range of performances which showed different aspects of Asian and Pacific American culture. The show was both educational and entertaining. In terms of the crowd, there was a great turn-out. A lot of people came out to support their friends and also clubs they enjoyed. I am so glad I went this year.

REVIEW: 24th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners

audreymg 1 Comment

I had many thoughts and expectations going into the 24th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners while riding Commuter North up to the Duderstadt, and none of them were correct. I was going in with little idea as to what kind of art I would see in this exhibition. Drawing on my experience with art galleries, I was expecting a sparsely-filled space with the kind of art that people feel the need to step back and frown at to feel sophisticated. That was not what I saw in the Dude’s gallery space showing the many ways this project defies preconceived ideas. The walls were full of paintings and drawings while sculptures and other three-dimensional pieces sat on stands and other pieces sat in boxes waiting to be shuffled through. The room was organized according to theme with one section holding more whimsical pieces while another featured darker art. I immediately realized that my idea of art worthy of a gallery was being challenged; I had never thought about crochet finger puppets sitting in an art museum. I realized something I hadn’t considered before attending this exhibit, I have no idea how prisoners gain access to art supplies. Paints and pencils are reasonably easy to come across, but what about all the crochet work featured in the gallery? I could easily see crochet hooks being considered weapons and banned from prisons. This led me to appreciate the ingenuity of the work I was looking at. There were several boxes and even a clock which had been crafted entirely from popsicle sticks cut and glued together to look like wood. I realized that making art in prison requires much more than the traditional kind of creativity which society associates with artistry; it also requires creativity in finding and using resources to express their artistry. Another preconception I had going into this exhibit was that the art would be mainly influenced by the experiences of prison. While there were quite a few pieces that dealt with the failings of the carceral system and the societal failings that have contributed to the incarceration of such a large portion of our population, there were also many pieces that dealt with the more positive aspects of life. Some pieces were fantastical while others were landscapes. Overall, the exhibit did a fantastic job of displaying the universal nature of art and creativity.

 

 

Birds of Passage Poster

PREVIEW: Birds of Passage

Abigail Fox Leave a comment

Birds of Passage (Spanish title: Pajaros de Verano) is screening at the State Theatre this week (beginning Friday, March 22). An epic crime film that received the Colombian nomination for best foreign language film for the 91stAcademy awards and was selected for the December shortlist. The drama centers on a Wayúu indigenous family during the illegal drug trade of the 1960s and 70s, illustrating the moral costs of the all-encompassing pursuit of power and wealth. The film will be screened daily at the State Theatre, with audio in Spanish, Wayuu, and Wiwa, with English subtitles.