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The State Theater is now featuring Anomalisa, an Academy Award Nominee for Best Animated Film.  This stop-motion comedic drama was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman.  Anomalisa features only three different voice actors/actresses, most prominently that of David Thewlis, who plays a self-help author and speaker, Michael Stone. Lonely and disillusioned, Michael experiences all people as identical in face and voice.  Based on Kaufman’s earlier play, also titled Anomalisa, the film is meant to provide a new interpretation while maintaining the original script.  The animation uses puppets created with 3D printers.  Kaufman hopes that when watching the film, the audience is not distracted by the animation, and instead falls captivated into every moment and character.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the State Theater. $8 Students, $10 General Admission. 

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Eva Roos is a senior at the University of Michigan, receiving a Major in Art & Design with Minors in Environment and Music.

Released in the US on January 22nd, The Michigan Theater is now showing 45 Years, a British romantic drama.  The film stars Tom Courtney and Oscar Nominee for Best Actress, Charlotte Rampling, both of which won Best Actor/Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival.  Based on In Another Country, a book by David Constantine, this interpretation explores six days leading up to a British couple’s 45th wedding anniversary party. Kate and Geoff Mercer’s quiet and comfortable marriage is met with unexpected dissonance when they receive notification that the body of Geoff’s first love has been discovered, frozen in time, in the Swiss Alps. Highly praised with a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 45 Years has been recognized for its appeal to those interested in adult cinema.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the Michigan Theater. $8 Students, $10 General Admission.

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Eva Roos is a senior at the University of Michigan, receiving a Major in Art & Design with Minors in Environment and Music.

24 hours of theater! That is what awaits the participants of this semester’s “Red Eye” hosted by the RC Players. Twice a year they write, produce, cast, and rehearse two original pieces within 24 hours. Everyone arrives at 8 pm Friday, February 12th. After a sleep-deprived day they then perform these productions for the public at 8 pm Saturday, February 13th. It is always a fun night and has become an RC community classic. Come enjoy an evening of laughs at the Keene Theater!

Doors open at 7:45. This is a FREE event but arrive early to guarantee the best seats!

Check out their Facebook Event for the latest updates.

NoViolet Bulawayo is the author of Booker-Prize nominated novel, We Need New Names, which tells the story of young girl and her friends as they grow up in a shanty-town in Zimbabwe. That young girl, by the name of Darling, eventually manages to escape to suburban America and must deal with the consequences of leaving everything she knows behind for this unfamiliar land. This reading is a part of the Zell Visiting Writer’s Series an will take place tomorrow (2/11) at 5:30 in the basement auditorium in UMMA and will be followed by a book-signing. There will also be a question and answer section at 2:00 in the Hopwood Room in Angell Hall.

We as a society often discuss the lingering effects of The Economic Downtown (a friend’s mother started calling it Ted) or the Global Recession of 2008. More specifically: That the middle class is now disappearing because of it; that regulation is now needed otherwise 2008 will be a repeat, that the housing industry is back, and yet that the recession is over but is the economy is not well. But do you know how it happened? Perhaps you have had a class where there was a discussion of mortgage backed-securities, ratings agencies, bank bailouts, but you yourself are still a bit fuzzy on what all these terms mean?

Well, truth be told, I took a class on an economic sociology class entitled “Economic Crisis” focusing a bit on the housing market, and on the 2008 recession. And as someone who is at times fascinated by economics and particularly the economics behind the Great Recession, I always seem to be watching something on it. For instance, I saw Capitalism, a Love Story when it came out in theaters, then on DVD again, and then I saw Inside Job, Queen of Versailles, and the Madoff Mini Series etc.

Well for those of us who would like a low-down on the economics behind the Great Meltdown, then this is the movie for you!!! This movie brings about famous guests (Spoiler: Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie) to explain economics of the mortgage crisis. But, it is a comedy and showcases different types of comedic acting and characters who not only understand economics but have interesting and at times head-shaking quirks. The narration and vibrant settings make this film even more appealing. But the most unique aspect of this film is that unlike the other films on the same subject matter- this one showcases the main characters as people who foreshadowed the recession and tried to warn others. How they figured this out and went about this, needs to be seen. Go see it.

Garth Greenwell’s debut novel, What Belongs to You, since its release last month has had countless reviews lauding it. For a debut novel by an author with only a novella and some short fiction here and there under his belt, to be talked about as much as it has is something special. Some critics are even going so far as to call it “The Next Great Gay Novel.” The book tells the story of a man’s relationship with a young “hustler” named Mitko, and how their pasts, their cultures, and their fates intertwine.

Tonight, Garth Greenwell will read from What Belongs to You at the cafe above Literati. The event will start at 7 pm, but as always, get there early if you want a seat.