Category: Film

REVIEW Lightworks Film Festival

Phillip Wachowiak

As I mentioned in the preview, Lightworks is a biannual film festival put on by the Film Video Student Association (FVSA), showcasing works produced in students by Screen Arts and Cultures (SAC) production classes.

One warning to potential future festival-goers: dress up! I was lucky to be coming from an interview, so I walked into the Natural Science Auditorium in a shirt and tie thinking I would be out of place—only to be surrounded by sweater vests, make-up, and slacks. This is by no means Cannes or Sundance, but I was pleasantly surprised to see so many students dress up for the festival because, after all, it IS a film festival.

One more thing: arrive early! FVSA provides free popcorn, drinks, and other movie theater food to people that get there in time.

The biggest caveat for these kinds of film fests is that they are composed almost entirely of student films. While I was stunned to see such beautiful work from students in upper level production classes, there were also sub-par films scheduled into the program. By the same token, none of the films were universally terrible; one film’s audio problems ruined an otherwise good feature, a few films had questionable camera work that called attention to the operator rather than the images on the screen, and of course, instances of poor writing. Most importantly, these were the exceptions, rather than the rule to a wonderful (and free!) film festival right on campus.

I found out by the middle of the first evening that the programs passed out each night were terrible incorrect. What resulted was a roller coaster of films—some that were in the order of the program, and others arbitrarily sprinkled in or taken out. In one particular instance I was overjoyed to see a documentary about the homeless people living in Ann Arbor, but this came at the expense of a documentary about the Detroit music scene that never showed.

Many of the films are taken directly from the pages of college life. “Sublet” dealt with three college boys who sublet a room to a hot girl—hilarious and topical. “Quick Step to Columbus” followed the Ballroom Dance Team to the national championships in Ohio, and “The Great Escape” was about an attractive GSI who has to escape a frat house after accidentally sleeping with a frat brother. “College Town” was easily one of my favorites of the entire festival. Imagine the drama of Glee and High School Musical without anyone breaking out into song, mixed with a slightly more biting comedic feel, and you have “College Town.” Not only was the production value cinema-quality, but the writing and acting was spot-on.

Several films took the risky step of incorporating the fantastic into their storylines. After taking a few SAC classes myself, I know first-hand how difficult it can be to make anything other than a straightforward film set in reality. “Residual Dreams,” and “Grasp” were very different films with common themes of love and horror; these stood out because they truly pulled off the horror genre. “Cooking With the Stewarts”—based on the simple premise of a holiday special with several celebrity Stewarts, was absolutely hilarious.

Lightworks was just as good, if not better, than many previous film fests I have attended. No matter which film festival you attend, there will be a dichotomy of good and bad films, and the great festivals leave you with satisfaction. I came to Lightworks with few expectations of any kind, and after attending Fall 2013, I can say for certain that I will be back in the spring.

Review–Ching’lish

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Thursday evening I attended a screening of a theatrical performance of the play Chinglish by David Henry Hwang. I was interested in checking out this comedic examination of cultural and linguistic barriers between the US and China because I relate to the problem–in my visits to India, I go through a lot of goofy exploits trying to adapt to the different culture. I’m happy to say I enjoyed the play very much. The entire audience was in uproar, laughing at a show full of great performances inspired by a stellar script.

 

This production could not have been possible without support from multiple on-campus departments and groups: the Confucius institute, the Department of Theatre & Drama, The School of Music, Theatre and Dance: Collaborative Student Assembly, The International Institute, The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Center of Chinese Studies, MESA/Trotter Multiethnic Student Affairs, Basement Arts.

 

Ching’lish is the story of a small time Cleveland businessman trying to weasel his company in as the head of Chinese-English signage translations for major Chinese buildings, but this businessman speaks no Chinese, making negotiation particularly difficult. He relies on a talented translator who helps to avoid some major translation errors. These dialogues are a comedic goldmine. Failing to recognize the importance of enunciation while speaking Chinese, the businessman accidentally makes several lewd comments during his meetings. Fortunately, his translator navigates through these goofy gaffes and business relations start.

 

The acting in throughout the play, but particularly in the comedic scenes, was excellent. The comic timing was spot on, each actor carefully tiptoeing the line between believable and farcical. The protagonist’s role as an earnest businessman in an absurd predicament is both sympathetic and humorous. His translator’s devotion to Chinese culture was clear in the performance–he spoke in flawless, unaccented Chinese. The Chinese developers and politicians embodied the distinct cultural character of the country–I could feel a cultural difference between American and Chinese business tactics through body language alone.

 

I think the performances were so successful in large part because of great writing. The writing centers around idea of communication gap due to linguistic and cultural barriers. The story’s dramatic problem relates directly to its theme–you have two parties who want to start a business translating each other’s languages. In order for them to start this business, they need to translate each other’s language successfully. The stakes of every scene are compelling for this very reason–if translation in a single business deal goes awry, it is a bad omen for the businessman’s long term goals. Moreover, the source of tension is also the source of comedy–this is a comedy of communication error. A common pitfall in writing humor is succumbing to gags over plot and character development. Hwang avoids this pitfall with his clever subject matter–the more ridiculous a scene, the more characters are growing as they learn to avoid repeating their mistakes.

 

I believe treading the line between comedy and drama serves to enrich as much as entertain. The first step towards problem solving can only begin when we stop running away from the problem and start to face it. Humor is a good coping mechanism for reason, as it exposes flaws while keeping things light.

Watch and maybe even contribute to this show.

kickstarter/preview video

A short excerpt from a scene.

Review: Stamps Series Presents Joseph Keckler in “I, as an Opera”

keshav

The Michigan Theater hosts a Penny Stamps Lecture Series every Thursday at 5:10pm, open to the public. This past Thursday, the series replaced the lecture with a performance by Art and Design school alumni Joseph Keckler. Keckler performed segments of “I, as an Opera”, a multimedia opera performance. Keckler’s performance felt particularly personal, he began with a humorous conversational anecdote which served as seamless transition directly into the performance. What followed was a kaleidoscopic exploration into Keckler’s life, mind, and soul.

I admit I have no prior experience watching opera, but since Thursday I have scoured the internet for more information and feel safe to say Keckler’s presentation was quite original and innovative.

(A quick digression—I’ve never been interested in opera, nor did I ever expect to be, the fact that I have since googled opera speaks volumes about how creative and immersive this performance was.)

TL:DR, “I, as an Opera” is a humorous retelling of a really bad shrooms trip. I can not confirm or deny
On one hand, the tone of the piece was really funny, because the experiences Keckler sang about were so absurd, and hearing about a bad drug experience via opera singing is probably something I will never get to see again. At the same time, the story was quite disturbing—at one point Keckler tells about his drug-induced sensation of demonic possession.

I felt the inherently humorous concept of presenting a drug story through the conventions of opera is an incredibly bold idea, one that would probably never work in a traditional operatic performance. This is why Keckler’s unique spin on the opera worked so well. Rather than fill the stage with an elaborate set and a large cast, he used a projector to present a variety of visuals to the audience—a lightshow while talking about the positive aspects of the mushroom experience, a silent reel of his old singing teacher while recounting memories from the past induced by the psychedelics. This unique style both accentuated the personal nature of the narrative and successfully demonstrated the mind-warping nature of the story.

There was one other person on stage for about 5 minutes—a man dressed up as a minotaur near the end. Other than that, Keckler performed on stage alone. The one man show style created an intimate connection between lone performer and audience. Keckler also interacted directly with his projections. The audience saw the most important visual representations of the experience—absolutely no extraneous details. This performance, from start to finish, focused entirely on one man on a lot of drugs, and his disjointed journey through his own mind.

The visual details we did see gave us a greater insight into the psychedelic, introspective nature of the experience. Keckler projected images of strobing, colorful lights to illustrate his warped visions during the experience. Much of his performance also delved into memories of his teenage years, time spent learning singing. During this part of the performance, Keckler exhibited a silent film featuring a talking head of his singing teacher. She broke into a series of tangents about Keckler’s personality and habits. Whether this was her opinion or Keckler’s projection of his self-image is unclear. Regardless, this scene illustrated a psychedelic exploration of the self.

Keckler’s performance was a compelling introduction to opera. His performance focused on subject matter that is relevant and entertaining to today’s youth, but he told his story using an archaic style. This marriage between modern themes and classical storytelling made for a refreshing experience.

Watch Joseph Keckler‘s video short based on the opera here

PREVIEW: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at the Michigan Theater

Thor

Ni!

As King of the Britons, I order you to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail tonight at 7 PM at the Michigan Theater.

Remember: You don’t vote for kings.

You’ll learn a few things, such as the ASB velocity of an unladen swallow (African or European? I don’t know that!), how to identify a witch, or how to stop an English invasion. You have to know these things when you’re a king, you know.

Make sure you get your tickets, or I shall say “Ni!” to you again.

Note: This is a Passport to the Arts event! If you show your Passport, the event is free!

BONUS: How I Became King


REVIEW: GROOVE

nina.j

GROOVE

On Friday night, the student group Groove put on an energetic, fast paced performance in the Michigan Theater. The bi-annual event has a different theme each year and this season the subtitle was “Innocent Until Groovin’ Guilty.” The evening opened with a spoof film of a criminal case in which Groove members were prosecuted for making too much noise. The convicts were detained in a cell and when they were finally freed, they sprang forth from the silver screen onto the stage and began drumming with spirit. Using non-traditional instruments, such as garbage cans, bicycles, ladders, umbrellas, newspaper, and more, the show turned regular objects on their heads and made them entertaining in a whole new way. The performers also demonstrated their talent with traditional instruments, like guitar, drum set, electric violin, and keyboard. Each scene told a story using a variety of wild costumes and lots of bold singing and acting. One of the funniest sketches was a rap battle between two sections of a middle school band in which the lyrics spoofed off of popular rap songs but using lyrics associated with pre-pubescence and the terrible awkwardness of middle school. Another memorable sketch was a play on the James Bond theme, where some Groove members were taken hostage while others came to the rescue, all the while hammering away a beat.

The audience was totally packed and seemed to love every second of the show. It takes a lot for a student group to pack a full house at the Michigan Theater!  Some fans were also there to support to opening acts, EnCore and Rhythm student dance groups, as well as interluding musicians James Cornelison and Julian Allen.  The exciting evening concluded with a sentimental- albeit comedic- farewell to the senior Groovers as well as an audience shout out from a large sum of Groove alumni who had returned to Ann Arbor for the special event. It was a totally energetic evening, full of comedy, musical talent, and pure entertainment.


PREVIEW: UMMA’s 24-Hour Art21 Screening

nina.j

UMMA’s 24-Hour Art21 Screening

If you find yourself at the UGLI this Staurday night, studying into the wee hours of the morn and, nearing dawn you need a study break, never fear! Entertainment is on the way. UMMA and the UGLI are teaming up to present a 24-hour marathon screening of Art21. PBS’s series features one hour pieces on famous twentieth century contemporary artists. The episodes to be aired this weekend will include celebrated  names such as Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui, Cindy Sherman, Matthew Barney, Barry McGee, Laurie Anderson, Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, John Baldessari, and many more (ninety, to be exact, because this event honors 100 working artists). The series invites viewers into the studios, homes, galleries, and creative spaces of these pioneering stylists. This behind-the-scenes look is inspiring to artist types and others alike.  So whether you intend to be at the library this weekend or not, you will certainly have something enjoyable to do!

For more information on Art21, click here. The Facebook event and the UMMA’s student blog The Annex will also tell you everything you need to know about the screening. See you there!