Author: Moderator

I went to the Filipino Student Association’s  (FASA) Philipine Culture Night (PCN) at the Math Atrium of East Hall this past Saturday, November 7, 2009. I had a few friends performing and had been told that dinner would be served so I happily paid my $10 ticket and went to the show. My 16 year old brother was in town so I thought it would be a good way to spread multiculturalism and umich’s love for diversity through PCN.

PCN included many performances: a modern and traditional dance by the FASA dance troupe, singing by Alpha Garcia, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey, as well as a piano music.

The show had a nice mixture of performances and activities. There was homemade Filipino food served which was delicious. The only bad part about dinner was waiting. There were over 200 people and dinner was dismissed by table. Mine was last. There was live piano music playing during dinner. After dinner it was back to the show.

FASA created a short documentary about love, family, and Filipino pride to segue into talking about Ondoy the typhoon that devastated many. FASA’s proceeds went to the victims in the Filipines.

Overall, I thought this show was excellent. Not only was it entertaining, filling and educational, but it was also for a good cause.

I went into the theatre not really knowing what to expect. A lot of my friends saw the movie before me and I got a lot of mixed reviews.  I really like romance stories, and I really like Rachel McAdams, so I just had to go see for myself.

I have never read the book, but I thought the concept was pretty self explanatory: man and woman fall in love. Man travels randomly through time which puts strain on the relationship. Though the idea seems simple, it was a little confusing at first, watching the present Henry DeTamble (Bana) interact with the future or past Henry DeTamble or seeing the future or past Henry interact with other characters who were set in the present. For example, the day of Henry and Clare (McAdams) are to wed, Richard travels through time, leaving Clare on their wedding day. Fortunately, the future Henry was traveling backward in time while the present Henry was traveling (somewhere) in time.  So the real Henry actually misses his wedding, but Clare is able to still have the wedding.

Not only was the beginning confusing at times, but it was also a little slow. The second half really picks up when the climax of the story keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Well, maybe not the entire audience, but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. The future Henry appears while the DeTambles are having dinner with friends. Future Henry is curled up under a blanket, shivering and bleeding on the ground. He then disappears.

This movie definitely touched the audience. When the movie ended, many of the movie-goers were in tears, including my cousin, who came with me.

I definitely want to check out the book and see how it compares.

“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” based on the popular novel by Audrey Niffenegger, is a romantic drama directed by Robert Schwentke. The book was published in 2003, the movie came out on August 14, but is still playing at Ypsilanti’s Showcase Cinemas.

The film stars Rachel Mc Adams (The Notebook ) and Eric Bana (The Hulk). It tells the story of Henry DeTamble (Bana) and Clare DeTamble, a married couple struggling to endure the hardships that their relationship faces due to Henry’s genetic disorder that causes him to randomly travel through time.

On the internet movie database (IMDb), the movie received 7.3/10 stars.