Visual Arts – Page 44

REVIEW: Lightworks Fall 2014

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

In case you haven’t heard of this wonderful (and free) 2 day event, Lightworks is the biannual film fest that showcases student films made through the Screen Arts and Cultures (SAC) department.

That being said, the norm for student film fests goes something like: most films are not immaculate, and the quality can range from good to pretty awful. Fortunately for us, U of M students consistently churn out films that are at worst watchable, and at best better than many Hollywood films (that means you, Mike Bay).

You can’t have a film event without popcorn, and the hosting Film and Video Student Association (FVSA) was happy to oblige. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the popcorn free, but it had just the right amount of flavoring to enjoy the array of films in the Natural Science Auditorium.

This year was Nicolas Cage themed, with his image, quotes, and movies in every nook and cranny. I thought it was a step in the right direction, as it provided comic relief to the festival and helped group the films into categories roughly based on the titles of Cage films.

Last semester was a particular good stretch of Lightworks films and this semester was able to keep up the pace. I was extremely happy to see that a couple of the 300 level films (intermediate production level) were able to keep up with the higher level films. In fact one of them, Jessie Micallef’s “Between the Lines” was runner-up for best drama.

Furthermore, the independent projects truly showcased what students can do with autonomy. The winner for best drama, and my personal favorite of the festival, was Anthony Khalil’s “Old Stones.” A fictional tale about a son trying to win his father’s favor by playing shuffleboard at a retirement home, it was quirky enough to be a fresh take on the banal sports film genre.

I think the best part about “Old Stones” however, was that it never tried to be some esoteric analysis of the human condition. Unlike a lot of the upper-level projects, “Old Stones” didn’t attempt to go unnecessarily deep in the father-son relationship, nor did it waste time exploring the lead character’s fall from grace as an Olympic curler. Oh, and did I mention the gorgeous color throughout the film? Check it out.

“Cold Cut Comedy Shorts” was basically a live-action Robot Chicken. It was a delightfully incomprehensible collection of random shorts that drew laughs from the audience. The only fault with this project is that, like Robot Chicken, I was left wanting more.

Below is the list of winners from the festival. I recommend the winners from each category. However, one that didn’t even make it onto the list was Brian Collins’ horror flick “Closet,” which I was shocked to see did not even make honorable mention.

Ligthworks Winners

Drama: Old Stones, Anthony Khalil

Runner-Up: Between the Lines, Jessie Micallef

Honorable Mention: Nonna, Sam Gioia

Comedy: Cold Cuts Comedy Shorts, Joe Biglin

Runner-Up: You Can’t Sit With Us, Emily Browning & Jamie Dean

Honorable Mention: A Little Time Away, David Olonoff

Experimental: Easy, Alex Holmes

Runner-Up: The Golden Apple, Andrea Rivera

Honorable Mention: Time Space, Yunzhi Ou

Alternative Narrative: I’m a Wicked Child, Jingru Yang

Runner-Up: Pace of Life, Yihong Chen

Honorable Mention: A Flower to Pick, Jeremy Borison

Animation: Little People, James Reslier-Wells

Runner-Up: Living on the Earth, Layne Austin Simescu

Honorable Mention: Copy Cat, Sam Barnett

Documentary: Cooley Reuse Project Teaser, Jennifer Larson

Runner-Up: SALT, Phillip Wachowiak

Mary Lou Honorable Mention: Unsocial Media, Al Smith

Feroz Honorable Mention: Meta, Charlotte Lichtman

Josh Honorable Mention: Candy Ball, Yunzhi Ou

PREVIEW: LIGHTWORKS FALL 2014

December 10, 2014December 10, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

Have you ever wondered what Screen Arts and Cultures students do each semester? Interested in seeing the next generation of filmmakers? Looking for a relief from studying?

Come to Lightworks!

Where: Natural Science Auditorium

When: December 12 & 13 at 7-10:30 PM

This is a two day event with a ton of student films. If you are strapped for time, at least check out the upper level projects at the end, as they are the best of the best the SAC department has to offer.

REVIEW: FUSION OF CULTURES

December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

Although it got off to a bit of a slow start, Fusion of Cultures soon picked up and jumped around quickly from one act to another. In an effort to keep people around until the end, the schedule of events was hidden from the audience, but I kind of liked the uncertainty, especially since I didn’t gain anything by knowing who was up next.

First of all, the food. There was a range of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and African cuisine, and let’s just make it clear that all of it was absolutely delicious. There may be a variety of finals breakfasts and meals around campus, but this kind of food is rare and should be cherished. I drank a sweet Mango Lassi while munching on fried plantains, refried beans and hummus, to name a few of the dishes that I can remember.

The best part about the food was that it was not even the best part. We (the audience) watched a number of dance routines juxtaposed with poetry readings, videos, and even a fashion show.

As I’m sure we were supposed to see, the variety of cultures that we saw were surprisingly similar. Yes the exact dance moves differed, but all of them had an invigorating, sophisticated quality that one does not normally see at a frat party.

Furthermore, the poetry read was heated, especially in the weak of recent national tragedies. It is a sad fact that much of what we heard was characterized by oppression and discrimination, but that is the truth of our world for people other than white heterosexual males.

Best of all, I think, the room was packed. This season has been especially filled with protests and anger in our society, and Fusion of Cultures was a reminder of why we want and need to celebrate diversity in the United States. Throughout the night I watched dozens of talented individuals perform for a packed room and everyone was enjoying their evening. To me, that fit perfectly with the name of the event.

PREVIEW: Stamps speaker series Françoise Mouly

November 20, 2014November 20, 2014 simoka

Penny Stamps Speaker series presents: Françoise Mouly
In Love with Art …and Comics

Who: Françoise Mouly, art director for the New Yorker since 1993, will be giving a talk as a part of the Stamps speaker series

What: Come listen to someone speak about comics and art and the intersection they played in her life as well as the role they play in her current occupation.

Where: Michigan Theater

When: 5:10pm

Admission is free.

More info HERE

REVIEW: Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition

November 4, 2014November 4, 2014 Tsukumo

Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition made me think about being human in a technology-heavy and science-driven world. And no, you don’t have to be a physics nerd to appreciate this performance (because I certainly am not). In fact, I’m going to focus on the non-scientific aspects of this performance.

The stage set-up was pretty simple: 10 Mac screens in the very front, 10 slightly bigger screens a few feet back, and 2 big screens behind them all. In between, there was a table of equipments set up for the two human performers to add life to the work — playing morse code at each other, experimenting with different tuning forks, solving cryptic crossword puzzles, and so on.

The two human performers typed out messages that were impossible to process real-time, because multiple screens showed totally different messages. We can only focus visually on one aspect — what the performer is doing, what one (not both) of them is typing, or what is on the front screens. That’s human. As humans, we can’t do everything.

As humans, we sometimes find discomfort in scientifically-produced “music”. superposition explored the effects of using booming bass, almost inaudible low-frequency drones, piercing high pitch, clashing near-frequency notes. These cause mild physical pain and discomfort. Sharing these emotions make us human, too.

Another aspect of human-ness was in the pitch forks. In this segment, the two performers each took a pitch fork tuned to “A” — but with different frequencies, used in orchestras worldwide. The U.S. American standard is often A=440Hz, but in other countries, any frequencies from A=419.9Hz to 454.7Hz are possible (source: 10 small screens in the performance). And indeed, they sound different. The performers played two of these 10 differently-pitched tuning forks at a time, which cause the vibrations to clash against each other. This reminded me of how much tuning A can be a source of conflict between musicians. Even the difference between using A=440Hz or A=442Hz to tune can cause problems to orchestral musicians that are expected to play perfectly in tune all the time. These cultural differences and conflicts are very much human — computers can’t feel the anger and frustration that come with them.

But, in the end, what is the significance of this human-ness in today’s world?

The fun part of this performance was my attempt to figure out what the performance actually means. There is no definite answer. superposition asked me a very vague, open-ended question — what’s the humans’ role in a society where technology and science replaces a lot of our roles? Hashtag: food for thought.

REVIEW: Nightcrawler

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 Phillip Wachowiak

What they don’t tell you about this movie is that, when it is eventually shown on television during Halloween marathons, it can be paired perfectly with the Christian Bale-helmed American Psycho. Honestly, I will be shocked if we don’t see at least one academic paper comparing the two parables of lunacy, featuring two of our greatest actors giving exceptionally creepy performances. That being said, this is not that academic paper so I will not bring up American Psycho until the end.

Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is quickly established as a man who will do anything necessary to make a living. The film follows his rise (or descent?) into the world of Los Angeles crime journalism via taping footage of crime scenes. He rises to the top of his league by increasingly malicious deeds and the stakes climb as we discover how much of a monster he truly is.

Being a film major myself, I know the struggles of filming night scenes. Anyone who has owned a camera or camcorder knows the pain of seeing grainy night footage cloud clear memories. That is one reason why the plethora of darkness throughout Nightcrawler is so gorgeous–the blackness is milky smooth and you find yourself truly immersed in the lunacy of our protagonist, Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal). The majority of the film is shot in the dark, with only a handful of day shots as punctuation (that also have deeper meanings I am sure). However, the story is of a budding LA crime videographer and his questionable ethical decisions. This is not a film for the daylight.

At first I did not enjoy the cinematography. Throughout the film it is rough and unfinished, competent but not extraordinary. Then I realized: this is a film about a blossoming videographer. The genius of the cinematography is that it mirrors his own high-strung education in camera work and framing. Nightcrawler is quite a reflexive film, with not only images of cameras strewn everywhere and footage on videoscreens, but direct on-screen references to framing and camera jargon such as wide-screen lenses and megapixels.

In this way, lovers of filmography and photography are given a chilling reminder of boundaries in capturing life through a lens. The cinematography hammers this point into our faces by trading shots between Lou’s camera and the “official” camera of the film.

So here's my number just call me maybe... — So here’s my number just call me maybe…

I enjoy James Newton Howard’s work, but the music felt inconsistent.

In this case, it seemed to be a reflection of the film’s own inconsistent message. Describing anything would give too much away, but the ending scene leaves the audience questioning its message more than anything. At some points the music is hopeful and cheery, reflecting Lou’s rise as a result of diligence and hard work. Other shots are adrenaline fueled and guitar driven. Then there were the pieces that matched the overall dark town of the film. Each would have worked in their own right, but spliced together they felt uncertain of which story they wanted to tell.

This brings me back to the comparison between American Psycho and Nightcrawler. At the end of American Psycho, we find that Bale’s character was only imagining his maniacal fantasies. He tries his hardest to confess his crimes, but no one seems to believe him or even bother paying attention to him for that matter. This is a dark commentary on the apathy of the corporate world and high-class society. What is the real lesson of Nightcrawler? The best I could think of is our failure as a society to address disturbed individuals when we have the chance.

Throughout the course of the film Lou interacts with many people. Several question his judgment, but none of them makes an effort to actively confront him or even help him. And this is not the kind of individual that suddenly develops a psychotic personality, this is a man who has been molded by the people around him.

Somewhere in this film there is a powerful moral lesson, but the film itself does not make that leap. Instead we are left with a morally questionable ending. We are left waiting for someone else to step in and fix the problem for us. Perhaps that is the film’s message, a commentary on our complacency and unwillingness to question what we see before our eyes.