Category: Arts

REVIEW: Eternals

Ruth Leave a comment

Well, despite the critics attempts to “splat”  Eternals as a movie not worth watching, I have to say that I respectfully disagree with their professional opinion. And as I suspected, most of the audiences that have seen Eternals agree with me. As of now, the audience score on the Rotten Tomatoes review site is at 81%, a stellar percentage rate for any movie.

Granted, Eternals isn’t without its flaws, but they’re largely insignificant in the grand scheme of things. To begin, the story started off a little weak, speckled with subpar acting and action sequences; action sequences that would have been impressive opportunities for the cosmic powered eternals to display their abilities. But the amount of super powered punches and energy blasts it took to take down a couple measly Deviant monsters brought about the impression that the Eternals really weren’t all that powerful. To make matters worse, the eternals seemed to be “showing off” their powers, seemingly self satisfied with their performance despite the fact that some poor child’s father got eaten because they showed up late.

Despite that unfortunate beginning, the movie progressed on very well. Despite such a large cast of characters, there was a surprising amount of time spent developing them as individuals. This was something I was very appreciative of due to the fact that it can be fairly easy for movies with large casts to ignore  the individual development of characters that is needed for the audience to truly care about film and it’s progress. If you don’t care about the characters, it’s hard to care about anything happening on screen. And I definitely cared about these characters. In fact, it’s safe to say that I was close to crying at one point.

I think the strongest aspect of Eternals was the casts chemistry. The relationships and friendships that evolved with these characters were unique and very real to watch. And the diversity that was shown through this film was amazing!

If you haven’t watched the film already, I’d truly advise it! Take the critics reviews with a grain of salt. Eternals might follow certain expected MCU film consistencies (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing by any means), but it also holds a uniqueness all its own.

Also, the after credit scenes caused quite a lot of screaming in the audience, so now you have even more reason to go. But don’t worry! I won’t spoil it for you. No doubt the internet already spoiled it for you.

PREVIEW: Men on Boats

IseeUsee Leave a comment

Men in Boats is a new production from the department of theatre and drama that features an all-female cast. It is a satire about “a team of 10 men led by naturalist John Wesley Powell set out on an expedition to catalogue the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon—the first white settlers to do so.”

I am excited to see this because every SMTD production I have gone to has been phenomenal. Right from the acting to stage setup to the lighting all is done impeccably. The all-female cast also has a lot to bring to the table especially considering this drama has comic elements in it. I am looking forward to seeing how they bring in comedy to a play set in 1869 that makes current audiences laugh. Regardless of how the play tackles this, I am sure it will be a unique experience so if you want to see something amazing during the weekend head to https://tickets.smtd.umich.edu/5216 to buy yourself a ticket to this fun event.

PREVIEW: Eternals

Ruth Leave a comment

Well, Eternals is now being dubbed the MCU’s worst rated movie with it’s rotten tomatoes score rating having dropped below 60%. However, I still have hope for the film! In my experience, the audiences opinion usually reflects a different view of the film than the professionals who critique it. And I’m usually one to side with the audience. I’ve absolutely adored films that were hated by the critics. And how can I not be excited for such an amazing diversely casted film? On top of that, one of the  Eternals characters named Makkari is debuting as the MCU’s first deaf superhero!!

If you’re the least bit interested in exploring the lives of ancient beings with incredible powers living on earth in secret, get movie tickets to see Eternals. At the very least, support the films diversity!

I can’t wait to see what MCU Easter eggs lie in store!

REVIEW: Halloween Concert

Ruth Leave a comment

I was very excited to attend this event due to the fact that orchestra Halloween concerts have a special place in the nostalgic part of my heart. I myself, was part of many Halloween concerts back in my high school days. It was always the most well attended concert of the year and it wasn’t hard to understand why with everyone dressed up in costumes.  There were skits that were performed by very enthusiastic teachers, an exuberant amount of spooky decorations, and candy that was handed out to the audience in droves.

Sunday night’s concert definitely took me back to those fun times (though there was no candy handed out unfortunately). It was very entertaining to see the orchestra’s choice of costumes and I was especially impressed by the sections that coordinated their outfits. Some of my favorites were the Mario gang, the variety of sandwich people, and the party of nuns. Of course, it was also especially entertaining to watch the T-rex heads bobbing about  to the melody of the pieces that were played as the musicians got into the rhythm of the music.

There were several little exchanges throughout the concert as conductors changed out; little Halloween skits if you will, where one conductor would run off the stage in fear as the next conductor appeared on stage, cackling and waving her wand as witches do. I really appreciated the effort put in by the conductors to take advantage of those transitions and making the experience even more enjoyable for the audience. It really was a treat to watch.

As far as the music itself was concerned, the entire concert was superb. I would expect nothing less from such a talented group of individuals or any orchestra at the University of Michigan for that matter. It was very clear to see  how much work the students put in to their craft and how much they enjoy playing. Their energy made me want to grab my violin out of the closet and annoy all my neighbors with my practicing.   And I loved the fact that the orchestra incorporated encores into their performance; not just one, but two! The audience got to enjoy two extra songs that weren’t in the program! And it seems the last one to be played is a tradition in the realm of the Halloween concert so if you like Ghost Busters make sure you get tickets for the Halloween concert next year.

 

REVIEW: The Halloween Concert

IseeUsee Leave a comment

The best end to Halloweekend was surely seeing the Halloween concert at Hill Auditorium. The majestic venue of the event, the fervour of the audience ranging from babies to people who had seen the concert over 10 times (!) and of course the concert itself was a truly fun experience. I had the pleasure of going there with a few people who had performed in orchestras before and they asserted that this was one of the best orchestra performances they had seen. Very few other orchestras can compare to seeing musicians dressed in bunny costumes and peanut-butter Jelly sandwich suits perform.

Right from the music pamphlet to the way the performers entered the stage, all was done according to the holiday theme and there were no dull moments. Timed at a short and sweet 1-hour duration, the concert moves at a refreshing pace and keeps the audience captivated. I liked the selection of pieces that were performed and the mastery of the performers. As a newcomer to classical music seeing such a huge orchestra perform was exciting. It was hard to believe that all the music I heard came from just the orchestra. The power of the music was extraordinary and the sheer skill of the performers was awe-inspiring. It was beautiful to see all the performers bringing their skills together in harmony to create an experience for the audience. The hard work, talent, and coordination of the performers were a marvel.

The show “ended” with Rhapsody in Maize and Blue in a passionate Wolverine way but then we got the special traditional ending that wowed everyone (there was a dance break involved!).

This was about the Halloween concert’s 47th year and the cheering proved what a classic feast it is for the locals here. I would recommend everyone who is in Ann Arbor during Halloween to at least go once to see the Halloween concert to get a taste of this local Ann Arbor/University of Michigan tradition.

REVIEW: Rocky Horror Picture Show

Lucy Leave a comment

Happy Halloween everyone! This has been a great weekend, and seeing the Rocky Horror Picture show was absolutely a highlight for me. What a fantastic movie, shadow cast, and audience for my first experience with this cult classic.

To start, the movie was absolutely silly and made no sense at all. This was partly because it was just a nonsensical movie in general, but also because the crowd was shouting things over the dialogue for a good amount of the show. Sometimes, this was a bit annoying, but I understood that most of the people there had seen the movie many times before and did not need to hear the dialogue to know what was going on. But most of the things people were shouting were very raunchy and hilarious. Once I figured out some of the themes (e.g. you shout certain things when a certain person comes on screen) I was shouting right along with them. It made the movie a lot more interesting, even if it did make it harder to follow.

REVIEW: The Rocky Horror Picture Show – [art]seen

I also really enjoyed the addition of a shadow cast. This was a group of people with minimal costumes and props who were sort of acting out what the characters were doing on the screen. I thought this was a very smart addition as so many people had seen the movie before so it made it a lot more interesting. The actors also sometimes did different things than what was on screen, usually for comedic effect, so it aided the movie comedy and gave it another layer. If it had been my 20th time seeing this show I would definitely have been bored by just the movie, so they were an awesome addition. Plus they were great dancers and actors!

But one of the best parts of the entire experience was definitely the audience itself. The show was sold out, with every seat filled (except those empty for Covid spacing). I could tell everyone there was genuinely excited about the experience. There were a ton of fun costumes, interesting interpretations of many of the characters, and just some generally awesome outfits. The whole time the audience was fully engaged with the performance, and there was lots of clapping and shouting during the more memorable scenes of the movie. I had never seen it before so the movie was new to me, which made people’s commentary even better, because a lot of it was anticipatory. For example, when something silly was about to happen people started chanting for it, and were cheering and clapping when it happened. I don’t think there was a moment of silence from the crowd for the entire film. My favorite part was when everyone got up and danced to one of the songs, and I swear the entire crowd was on their feet singing and shouting.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show' gets the shadowcast treatment at Michigan Theater | The Scene

To anyone who was at the movie, thank you for sharing that experience with me. If you missed it, don’t worry, there is always next Halloween! This was one of the most fun movies I have ever been to see, and I can’t wait to go again soon.