Category: Arts

REVIEW: The LEGO Batman Movie

Maximilian Darr Leave a comment

The LEGO Batman Movie follows Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) as he battles the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) trying to take over Gotham City. In order to do so, however, Bruce Wayne must learn to work as a team, raise his newly adopted son (Michael Cera), and face his own inside fears. The movie is a hilarious success and proves that the last Lego Movie is not a stand alone great, but that the creators really know how to make these movies well.

The movie is largely successful for its pace. Past the inherent silliness of a movie made about Legos, The LEGO Batman Movie is actually a really good comedy action movie. It starts brilliantly;  and the first half hour is full of laughs and constant activity that engage the audience wholly. Instead of this being followed by slow, dragged out parts like most action films, this movie doesn’t seem to falter for even a second. It keeps the fast paced action and the humor keeps up throughout.

You don’t have to be a kid, a Lego fan, or even a Batman fan to enjoy this movie. Although this movie alludes to previous Batman films, the jokes will still resonate with non-fans. The movie has its fair share of butt and fart jokes, but it is largely dominated by clever well thought out humor that lands with everyone in the audience. It is so funny that you will forget you are watching basically a 2-hour ad for Legos.

The LEGO Batman movie is one of the funnier movies I have seen recently and I believe it is the best Batman movie in years.

REVIEW: Celebrate Creativity Art Show & Blueprint Magazine Reception

kebishop Leave a comment

I set foot inside the Duderstadt Gallery, unsure what to expect.  I’ve been to reception events like these before, and even with the promise of free food, they are often dull and unoccupied.  Blueprint’s, however, was shockingly modern and one of the more popular exhibits I’ve attended.  There were people actively engaging with the displays, pointing at a piece and discussing it amongst themselves.  I even had a woman come up to me and ask which of the pieces were my own.  After I told her, she enthusiastically made her way to the other end of the room, giving my display much more attention than it was worth.

The space was open, leaving room to breathe.  Some of the artwork indeed needed a lot of space, and some of the art warranted taking a step back in order to properly absorb it.  Mia Massimino’s “Mattresses” were an example of the former, a literal mattress standing vertically in the center of the room.

That’s what set this event apart from some of the others I’ve attended – the fact that it included more than just photography or painting.  There was poetry lining the walls, taking its rightful place beside images on display.  There was prose, mosaic work, prints, contours, and much more.  This intrigue led me to stay for much longer than I intended, simply enjoying what was in front of me.

The magazine itself is really well-organized.  I haven’t had a chance to give the entire thing a proper read, but it seems to flow very well.  A lot of this is due to the aesthetic of the editing – there is poetry overlapping some of the images, using a gradient overlay as a background.  The fonts are all very minimalist, and although they are not all the same, none of them clash with one another.  Some of the spreads seem to be organized by theme: for instance, pages 53 and 54 are photographs taken by different artists (Priya Patel and Brielle Bonetti, respectively) but both emphasize sparks.

Another thing I enjoyed about Issue 6 was that some of the artworks included a bit of the backstory behind them.  My favorite image so far is on the spread of pages 21 and 22, “Love is Companionship” by Kaiwen Sun.  It is of a man sitting at an easel in a field of what looks like wheat, painting a wooden house in a mountain valley.  This photo caught my eye upon initial glance because of how well the colors go together – the image is filled with saturated golden hues and faded greens.  The man in the photo strikes a romantic image, his white gloves untarnished by the paints he has before him.  The photograph itself almost reminds me of a painting, which was an interesting parallel.

What interested me the most, however, and added to the photograph as a whole, was the text underneath it.  It was a mini love story concerning a man and his wife the photographer encountered during a trip to Grand Teton National Park.  A line from the caption reads: “Love is growing up and growing old together – one keeps the other person company to do the things they love.”  Reading it added a lot to the subject of the photo (whom I’m assuming in the man talked about in the caption) and made him more of a person than just an image.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the art show and, by extension, its excellent job at portraying the magazine.  The show did, admittedly, omit some marvelous works (like the aforementioned photograph), but what would be the point of reading the magazine if all the work was before you on the walls?

PREVIEW: Celebrate Creativity Art Show & Blueprint Magazine Reception

kebishop Leave a comment

Blueprint Literary Magazine is hosting their issue 6 release event & reception with the Celebrate Creativity Art Show tomorrow night from 4-6pm.  The art show has been running from February 13 and will go until Friday, the 24th.  A link to the art show and release event is here – Facebook: Art Show.

After briefly stopping by the exhibit at the Duderstadt Gallery on North Campus, I was surprised by the modernity of the space.  From a quick glance, there is everything ranging from photography and poetry to sculptures made from mattresses.  Some of the art on display will also be featured in Blueprint’s 6th issue, and magazines will be for sale at the reception.

REVIEW: Stamps Speaker Series Ping Chong

Abby Z Leave a comment

 

Ping Chong receiving the National Medal of the Arts

Before Ping Chong’s talk in this week’s Stamps speaker series, we were reminded of how influential and highly lauded of a figure he is in the art community, having been recently awarded the National Medal of the Arts by Obama himself.  Ping Chong is a seminal figure in American contemporary theater, having created over 90 productions in the span of his career. He was born in Toronto but was raised in New York City’s Chinatown.  He then attended the School of Visual Arts and the Pratt Institute for filmmaking and fine arts respectively, and as he admitted in his presentation, did not expect to end up working in theatre.  He started working with Meredith Monk in 1969, first stepping foot into the world of experimental theater. After collaborating with her he went on to found his own theatre company, now known as Ping Chong & Company.

Cast members from Beyond Sacred

The presentation began by showing a what I estimate to be a 15 minute long video about the cast members of Beyond Sacred and exactly how the project was put together.  It was interesting to get to know each of the cast members, and get glimpses of their personal stories in preparation for the show on Saturday. What was even more interesting was seeing the way that that Ping Chong was able to take real people, and weave their stories together into an inspiring production.  Hearing the cast members speak so highly of his skill and delicacy as a director was extremely inspiring. Watching this video only made me more excited to attend Beyond Sacred and witness the performance for myself. The video is on youtube and I have attached it to the end of the this blog post for your viewing pleasure.

an example of the Undesirable Elements series format

Beyond Sacred is part of his widely known Undesirable Elements series.  He first began this series in 1992 to explore the experiences and identity of various communities, particularly those who identify as outsiders. All of the works in this series follow the same format, which is seated cast members, usually real people belonging to that specific community that he had interviewed and hand selected, reading a script off binders to a rich soundscape and supplementary projections.  This format is highly adaptable to the needs of different communities and relatively quick to produce, while also allowing non-actors who might be uncomfortable with memorizing script or blocking preform and share their stories.

A scene from Collidescope

When Ping Chong finally began his talk, he wasted no time quickly dived into describing one of his more recent productions, Collidescope: Adventures in Pre-and Post-Racial America.  The main plot of the production is that a group of aliens came across the Earth and confused as to why humans were killing each other over race, and summarily set off trying to find answers.  An interesting look into race and class in America, Ping Chong adapts the production for each location it is performed at, bringing in a local event to be discussed by the aliens.

Another scene from Collidescope

The production also showcases his unique skill in blending theater performance, video projections and soundscape into a singular production. He talked briefly about how in the past, traditional theater often ignored the use of sound, instead purely focusing on the script as a text.  He, instead, enjoys using a rich and dynamic soundscape to further the immersive environment of this works. He also talked about how he cast people across all races and genders to play each and every role, to further drive home the absurdity of racial divides when we are all one human race.

Finally, we were given a brief peek into what Ping Chong has coming up in his undesirable elements series.  He talked shortly about a project he is working on about the history and peoples of the state of Alaska.

While I find Ping Chong’s insight into specific piece to be fascinating, I only wish he had talked longer, having only taken the mic for around twenty minutes after the video about Beyond Sacred was finished.  I’m not entirely sure Ping Chong knew exactly what the format of the Stamps Speaker Series was, and I wish all of the students and community members in attendance could have gotten a better insight into his works and creative process.

The Penny Stamps Speaker series will return March 9th with Andrew Logan, and will continue for the rest of the semester with new talks every Thursday at 5:10 in the Michigan Theater.  All of the talks in the series are free to the public and and you can check out the full schedule here.

The video mentioned earlier is linked below.

Trolls review

LitaPitasMusings Leave a comment

Not to be a party pooper but in the first half an hour of this movie, I thought I was going to faint because it felt like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde on steroids! Or perhaps a better description would be an ecstasy trip! Or better yet a Lisa Frank’s fantasy world. I should add that I myself have been compared to Elle Woods because of my effervescence. But, I just thought things were a little too happy and the color of the animation a bit over-the-top.

But, as time progressed this movie contained character arcs, changes, and twists and turns.

Brief Synopsis: The Trolls are little critters who are always happy. Always. They hug, sing, dance, scrapbook, and even poop cupcakes! They even plan hug times. But alas, about 20 years ago they were spotted by the Bergens who cannot feel happy. The only times the Bergens can feel happy is if they devour a troll ( talking about an oral fix in terms of filling a void).

20 years later, Princess Poppy is in charge ( her father King Peppy used to be ruler of the roost)- and she is as optimistic and happy as they come. She decides to throw a party to the celebrate the 20th anniversary of the escape from the Bergens. But a rather grey (on inside and outside) troll named Branch says that this would be a terrible idea- because it would attract the Bergens. And he ends up being right.

Some trolls get captured. Poppy realizes that she is one of the only ones who is one of the only ones who is willing to go to Bergenland to get rescue them ( this made me sad and wonder if most of the Trolls happiness and kindness was superficial). On the way she gets captured by spider- like animals in the forest and Branch comes to her rescue.

They make it to the Bergenland where it is soon discovered that the trolls are being guarded by the scullery maid Bridget. They also discover that she has a crush on the prince of the Bergens. They strike a deal with her- that if she frees them, then they can turn her into ‘Lady Glitter Sparkles.”

Eventually the date happens. And later.. the trolls are captured. Partially thanks to a mole troll. Branch gets some color in him. And well… you will have to see the movie to see the rest.

I will say that there are two characters who confess their love by ‘romantic hugs.’ And I was surprised that there were no kisses between such characters! Perhaps, you the reader can guess which two characters romantically hug? The Bergen couple or the troll couple..

The film gives some good messages. Especially that happiness is inside all of us- and that we need a way to access it. A friend of mine recently was saying that she felt that I was discussing a crush/love interest way too much. Her reasoning was that I needed to find God to mainly focus on and that perhaps I had a void. According to the Bergens, you found happiness by eating trolls. I guess Poppy’s answer would be to access the happiness inside you- the happiness that all of us have.

On college campuses many of us do try to look externally to find happiness. Especially through temporary devices of pleasure. Starbucks coffee. Clothes from Pitaya; friends, and even “friends.” With so much stress in a new environment– it’s easy to understand why. But perhaps, we need to be reminded of Poppy’s message- that we have happiness within, we just need to access it.

So if you are thinking of accessing this message or boosting your happiness within go see this movie! With the exception of me most mind find the bright coloredness of this film an amazing world to enter into.

OHHHH and Before I forget I wanted to say that The 70’s music was great as was the 70’s style roller rink segment. Having lost a parent recently, the song “Sound of Silence” was a great one to hear. But for those boosting pleasure and happiness, other songs from hippie, funk, disco era are omnipresent. So go, see and be happy!

REVIEW: Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity Ping Chong

Phillip Wachowiak Leave a comment

Ping Chong + Company spend hours interviewing volunteers for their “undesirable elements” series. For Beyond Sacred, they chose 5 Muslim New Yorkers.

All five of these individuals came to the stage, sat down, and began reading autiobiographical scripts.

We heard from Tiffany Yasmin Abdelghani, a woman whose Muslim father stopped practicing and when prompted about the faith told her “I don’t do that anymore.” Lost for many years, she sought out Islam on her own and chose to convert and wear the hijab.

Ferdous Dehqan emigrated from Afghanistan to escape the destruction caused by the Taliban as it swept through the country. He expressed his frustration at people when they see him and assume he is a terrorist, when he hates the Taliban just as much, if not more the average American.

Kadin Herring brought with him the perspective of a young, African-American queer man. Not only does he have to contend with anti-immigrant and questions about his faith and allegiance to his country, but he also has to face the daily struggles of being a black man in the United States.

Amir Khafagy described his upbringing caught somewhere between Arab and Puerto Rican culture, as well as his experiences with class struggles.

Maya Syed told us about her path to becoming a human rights and gender equity advocate, from volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic to helping immigrants understand their rights in New York.

Beyond Sacred was different from any other play I had experienced before because it involved real people telling real stories–no actors and no fabricated scripts.

The overall message from the night was something along the lines of “minorities are regular people too.” All of the actors expressed frustration at constantly being asked questions about Islam or terrorism, and about all the looks they receive from people on a daily basis.

Furthermore, the actors explained how they felt they had to act as model Muslims as a way of overcompensating for the perceived violent nature of Muslims by much of the world. Lumping all Islamic cultures together is also ridiculous, they added, pointing out that Indonesia is nothing like Saudi Arabia, which is nothing like North Sudan.

After attending an event like this, I wondered what it would have been like hearing professional actors read the same scripts. I have to admit that I think professional actors would have done better, and made for a more moving performance. Instead, I left the event feeling like something was missing. A little over an hour was all we had to hear the stories of five complex people. How could that ever be enough time?

I wish I could’ve recorded the performance. Luckily, here’s a link to a brief audio snippet.