PREVIEW: 44th Annual Ann Arbor Folk Fest – Night 2

JM Leave a comment

On Saturday, January 30th at 7pm ET, The Ark will be presenting the second night of the 44th Ann Arbor Folk Fest – at home edition! Besides being a fundraiser for The Ark, “Ann Arbor’s non-profit home for folk, roots, and ethnic music,” the Folk Fest is also a chance to enjoy some great music. Featured performers on Saturday night include Bruce Cockburn, Dar Williams, David Bromberg, Todd Snider, George Winston, Vance Gilbert, Dom Flemons, Matt Andersen, Crys Matthews, Sierra Ferrell, Andrea von Kampen, and the RFD Boys (live from The Ark stage), with Jeff Daniels, MC. The artists are each expected to perform 20-40 minutes sets.

I am excited for this event because it promises to be a chance to enjoy “live” music being streamed real-time, which is the closest thing we can get to a concert while staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, it is just something to look forward to when so many things have been cancelled!

To purchase a streaming pass for the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, visit https://noonchorus.com/the-ark/. Passes begin at $25, and all ticket bundles include a tax-deductible contribution to The Ark.

PREVIEW: Range of Reaction

Jenna Segal 1 Comment

On Friday, January 29th, Arts in Color will premiere a digital student choreography showcase entitled Range of Reaction.The virtual dance showcase is produced, choreographed, and performed entirely by University of Michigan dance students. Five dynamic choreographers have created short dance films that seek to answer the question “how does the world that we live in right now affect the choices that we make daily?” Range of Reaction showcases thought-provoking art, tackling a variety of topics including colonialism, groupthink, racism, and queer identity.

 

Range of Reaction began as a cathartic discussion of the creative silence COVID-19 has brought to art communities, and transformed into an imagining of what art may look like as our communities heal. Each work was filmed throughout the fall in Ann Arbor, with every party involved strictly following University of Michigan and statewide COVID-19 safety guidelines. This week’s showcase highlights the perseverance of artistic communities, as it offers the premiere of five original works despite the numerous hardships and challenges the pandemic has presented.

 

Range of Reaction will be posted to the Arts in Color Vimeo on Friday, January 29th at 8pm EST and will be available to view free of charge. Supported in part through the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Meta Weiser EXCEL Fund, as well as Arts at Michigan, Range of Reaction is a must-see showcase for those looking for a refreshingly original and thought-provoking performing arts event from the safety of their home.

 

To watch the Range of Reaction Promotional Trailer, visit https://vimeo.com/504178628 . Range of Reaction will be posted to the same channel.

REVIEW: Promising Young Woman

Nellie Shih 2 Comments

Promising Young Woman is perhaps one of the more divisive films of this awards season. Some audiences love the ending of the film, whereas others claim it ruins the entire film. I initially stood somewhere in the middle, but the more I think about it, the more I agree with the latter perspective. And when I think about it even more, I realize that the film as a whole might not be as effective as it hopes to be. The film addresses rape culture, and how the skepticism and victim shaming that come along with it affect not only the victim but also the victim’s loved ones. The film has been marketed as a revenge thriller, but it fails to deliver any real, satisfying sense of justice to its protagonist.

The lead character, Cassie, played by Carey Mulligan, is a young woman who is haunted by a traumatic event that led her to drop out of med school. Formerly at the top of her class, she now works at a coffee shop and frequents bars and nightclubs where she can be found completely wasted, struggling to sit up and form coherent sentences. Each time this happens, without fail, a man offers to take care of her and her home, but they always end up at his apartment where he tries to take advantage of her intoxicated state. However, each time, she reveals she is stone-cold sober and confronts the man about his behavior. Then, once she gets the guy to kind of admit what he did was wrong, she leaves. And this whole plan doesn’t even work. One of the first guys that Cassie confronts is named Jerry. Later in the film, she is scooped up by a man in a fedora, who says, “You’re that girl Jerry was talking about!” when he finds out she is sober. Let’s break that down: Cassie forces Jerry to see the error of his ways, who tells his friend in the fedora about his experience, and the friend in the fedora goes on to do exactly what put Jerry in his situation and fully believes he can get away with it.

Cassie does genuinely make some people feel really bad, and she does so them by employing pretty twisted methods. And then there’s the highly polarizing conclusion to the film. I don’t want to spoil the film, but I will say that the writer/producer/director, Emerald Fennell, described the ending as “realistic.” But this “realism” is unsatisfying as the main instigator of Cassie’s grief may see some sort of consequences, but he never directly admits and recognizes his wrongdoing. As an audience member, I’m unsure what to take away as the message of the film, nor can I find a particularly encouraging message. I don’t believe that Cassie saw any justice or received any closure for her past, and the “realistic” tone to the film was pretty disheartening.

 

Promising Young Woman is available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, VUDU, Google Play, and Fandango Now.

REVIEW: Blame Game

kayrenee Leave a comment

In Beach Bunny’s popular music, a powerful indie-rock sound propels lyrics of heartbreak and defiance that feel honest, vivid, vulnerable, and grounded. Their newest EP, Blame Game, is based in this characteristic and well-loved sound, but it also branches out in a new and exciting direction. In previous releases, lead singer and songwriter Lili Trifilio has tested the waters with social commentary by addressing the tension between Eurocentric beauty standards and her personal quest for love. In Blame Game, however, she takes on a bolder tone as she names and condemns broader societal norms surrounding victim-blaming and toxic masculinity. 

The title of the first track, “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used),” plays with the idea of gendered expectations for romantic relationships, relieving women of the pressure to be a “good girl” and instead calling out toxic masculinity. The track begins powerfully with just bass, percussion, and Trifilio’s brazen lyrics. She resists the idea that her emotions are frivolous and can be ignored in order to satisfy her partner. The lyrics do not include raging insults or ill wishes, but rather, they address patterns of dishonesty in romantic relationships. As the song progresses, Trifilio takes control of her situation by drawing attention to her partner’s immaturity and insincerity, asserting that she’s tired of “fuckboy” culture and she’ll no longer fall for empty promises. 

Featuring some of the catchiest rock instrumentals on the EP, “Love Sick” turns inward. A deeply introspective track, “Love Sick” explores Trifilio’s insecurities regarding romance. With vulnerability and clarity, Trifilio expresses an intense emotional exhaustion as she sings, “I’m getting tired of breaking and healing / I’m getting sick of patching myself up.”

“Nice Guys,” features oscillating major and minor harmonies along with bright, powerful chords that make the track a truly intriguing listen. Certain lines stand out as edgy and humorous, like “If your ego had a zip code, it would be a whole state wide,” but overall, you can feel that Trifilio’s exhaustion present in the previous two tracks is also present here. She is drained from pouring her heart into people who put on a façade of kindness but don’t genuinely have feelings for her. “Nice Guys” is a call for sincerity, a call for “someone who actually wears hearts inside their eyes.”

The final and title track of the EP, “Blame Game” tackles deeply-rooted sexism in American society. The lyrics speak to experiences not so different from high school dress codes, for example, where teachers might tell young women to cover their shoulders as not to distract the boys. Trifilio addresses these sexist, heteronomative expectations head-on. With a thick layer of sarcasm, the chorus reads, “Guess it’s my fault my body’s fun to stare at / Sorry my clothes can’t keep your hands from grabbing / Yeah, it’s my problem, I’m asking for it / Guess you’re the victim and I’m the suspect.” As a society, we’ve normalized blaming women when they’re the victims of unwanted sexual advances, claiming their physical appearances warrant abuse. “Blame Game” thoughtfully questions these norms and uplifts the experiences of victims, empowering all womxn to love their bodies thoroughly and without guilt.   

Trifilio and her other amazing band-members have put together a jam-packed EP; I definitely recommend giving Blame Game a listen!

REVIEW: Once Upon a River

Lucy Leave a comment

When the movie began, there was a quick succession of jarring, high intensity events, without much background about the characters or context for them. As the movie progressed, the storyline moved slower and slower, which caused my interest to wane. I liked the movie as a whole, but I would most likely not recommend to a friend, because of the lack of character depth and the slow pace of the movie.

One point I think that is important to discuss about this movie is the lack of character background or profundity. Right away, the main character experiences several tragedies and traumas, and the audience barely knows who she is, so it is hard to know if these are routine, or actually traumatic. We as an audience aren’t given almost any background about what her life usually consists of, which makes these first few events very disorienting. This also made it somewhat difficult to empathize with her struggles at first. I find that this often happens when a movie is adapted from a book, which can have a much richer expansion of details and exposition, as well as elaboration on thoughts of the characters. This was especially tough because the main character was meant to be mostly quiet and broody, so I feel like the movie audience missed out on a lot of her personality and feelings about what was going on in her journey.

Something I loved about the movie was that the characters were all so different and interesting people. As the main character travels along the river and beyond, she comes across people with such rich and unique lives. However, I felt like the movie lacked woefully in giving them their full background and history that would have really improved the movie. However, what I did learn about the people she met was so intriguing, especially because I felt like I was getting a glimpse into a world that I have never experienced or even brushed up against. I found it especially interesting to see the characters in the movie because it was set in rural upper Michigan.

This movie was certainly unique, but the underdeveloped characters and lack of excitement made it less enjoyable than it could have been. I think that the book was probably very enjoyable and interesting, but the adaptation into a movie did not exactly do the story justice. While I was definitely fascinated by the storyline and characters, I would not choose to watch this movie again or recommend it to others.

PREVIEW: Promising Young Woman

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Promising Young Woman stars Carey Mulligan as a … promising young woman whose future was derailed by a mysterious event. The film is presented as a black comedy thriller, and it is writer/producer/director Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut.

Critics have praised Mulligan’s performance, and she is said to be one of the frontrunners for a Best Actress Oscar nomination and possibly win. The film overall has received positive reviews, however the ending of the film seems to be very divisive, with some saying it ruins the entire movie.

I’m excited to see this film for myself as Golden Globe and Oscar nominations are approaching!

Promising Young Woman is now available to rent.