REVIEW: Arab Xpressions

Abby Z Leave a comment

When my friend and I arrived at the venue, over an hour before the show started and still minutes before the doors opened, we were surprised to see a long line already waiting for us. As we waited to be let into the theater to claim our seats, those around us mingled and greeted each other like old friends, immediately establishing a comfortable atmosphere.  My friend and I delighted in the fact that the event had not one, not two, but three separate geo-filters for snapchat devoted to it. By the time the show was about to begin, the theater was absolutely packed, almost every seat on the ground floor was filled.  

Finally, the show began and our three hosts for the night walked onto stage.  The show was divided into two parts with a 15 minute long intermission in between.  Each part had a good mix of performances and other various short segments, such as some vocal performances, quite a few different energetic Dabke dances, and several short, humorous video clips that were played between segments.  I also was impressed by the mix of tones they were able to balance throughout the night.  There were several touching spoken word pieces about the struggles of being Arab in America, but immediately following it would be lively dance performance.  

While all of the performances were enjoyable, there was a couple segments that particularly stood out to me.  The first one was a video clip in which the Arab Student Association asked various students on the Diag basic questions, like if they could name 5 Arab countries or name a single friendly Arab character in American media.  Only one student out of those interviewed could accurately name 5 separate countries, and everyone was stumped by the second question, revealing some real issues we have with representation in media.  The other segment that particularly stood out to me was a fashion show, where students modeled the fashions of various Arab countries.  

Overall it was a wonderful night, and I applaud the Arab Student Association for making everything run so smoothly.  I can’t wait to attend Arab Xpressions 2018!  The event was just one of the many events planned for this Arab Heritage month, you can check out the full schedule here! 

REVIEW: Dragnet Girl

Abby Z Leave a comment
Ichiro Kataoka performing

This Monday Ann Arbor was treated to something special, a screening of the Japanese silent film Dragnet Girl narrated live by of a modern-day benshi, Ichiro Kataoka. Benshi are traditional “narrators” of silent movies in Japan, that bothwrite and perform scripts for silent movies of all types.  Benshi were extremely popular in Japan during the silent movie era. Now there are about 10 benshi still performing for audiences both within Japan, and across the globe. Ichiro Kataoka is one of the very best amongst this selective number, and he travels the most out of the 10, this night gracing our town of Ann Arbor.

Dragnet Girl is a 1933 Japanese silent film about a gangster, Joji,  who meets the innocent and kindhearted Kazuko.  Kazuko enlists his help in looking after her brother who is slowly getting swept up in the dangers of the udnerworld. Joji’s girlfriend, Tokiko, gets lost in  a haze of jealousy, but eventually falls for the Kazuko’s wholesome charm.  Influenced by the innocent Kazuko, Tokiko dreams of finding redemption herself.

Most surprisingly, I was was able to be completely immersed in the film despite not understanding a word of Japanese myself.  I credit most of this phenomenon to the sheer talent of the benshi, Ichiro Kataoka.  While the intertitles were subtitled in English, the rest of the dialogue was pure, untranslated Japanese.  Despite this setback I was able to understand immediately the gist of what was being said by a mix of context, visual cues, and the pure emotion in the benshi’s voice.

During one particularly emotional scene, instead of focusing on the screen I tried to focus on Ichiro Kataoka’s performance.  I was shocked to see his face contorted into the very picture of despair, his expression matching perfectly with the crying girl on the screen. As he continued his narration and performance, he wasn’t just emoting with his voice but with his entire body. You could see the shift in his face and body as he switched from one character to the next, being able to go from a young crying girl to a gruff aging man in an instant.

This screening of Dragnet Girl was a part of the film series, KURO: The Dark Edge of Japanese Filmmaking.  There are two films left in the series, Ichi the Killer and The World of Kanako.   For more information about the film series and other series held at the Michigan Theater please check out this page. 

Specifically interested in seeing a live benshi in action? Ichiro Kataoka will be coming back for a special screening of an experimental Japanese film during the upcoming Ann Arbor Film Festival, so keep your ears pricked for upcoming news.

PREVIEW: Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis”

brynel Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Peter Smith (UMS Website)

Looking for something to do this weekend? Look no further!  Beethoven is coming to Hill Auditorium on Saturday!  Well… Maybe not Beethoven himself.  But the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra are coming together, conducted by Scott Hanoian, to perform Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis”!

Photo Credit: Peter Smith (UMS Website)

This performance will take place at Hill Auditorium on Saturday, March 11 at 8pm.  Tickets are on sale now at the UMS website for $12 – $36 (depending on seating).  For more information, visit: http://ums.org/performance/beethovens-missa-solemnis/.

 

 

PREVIEW: Arab Xpressions 2016

Abby Z Leave a comment

This weekend, 6PM Saturday, March 11th, join the Arab Student Association’s show “Arab Xpressions” at the Mendelssohn Theater.  There will be performances by students in the group, as well as skits and dances by an arabesque dance troupe.   Refreshments will also be served promptly at 6.

Tickets will only be $5 at the door to students.  Half of all the proceeds from the night will be donated to the humanitarian organization Zaman International. There are also several free tickets left at the Office of Multicultural Ethnic Students Affairs left to the first students who show up!

REVIEW: Moonlight Film Screening OSCAR WINNER

Phillip Wachowiak Leave a comment

I’m glad Moonlight won Best Picture over La La Land.  Most  of Moonlight is bleak, yet beautiful; it’s simple, yet incredibly diverse in the range of emotion that flit across the screen.

The film follows Chiron through three stages of his life: “little” catches him as an adolescent boy, “Chiron” offers a few scenes from his teenage years, and “black” shows us a glimpse of the man he eventually becomes. One of the things I liked most about Moonlight was that it never ties anything up neatly in a bow.

At every moment, even in the final shot of the film, Chiron struggles with his sexuality and identity. Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, plays an anchoring father figure during the first third of the film. Then, tragically, he disappears from Chiron’s life due to an off screen death, leaving Chiron floundering when he needs a powerful male figure the most. Chiron eventually becomes a drug dealer, just like Juan, and even adopts the same clothing style and mannerisms as his de facto father.

Although Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for best supporting actor, every single performance in Moonlight is incredible. The film is minimal on dialogue, so the actors do much of the speaking with their faces and body movements. When we do hear someone speaking on screen, the words seem so much more powerful, even though most of the time they’re phrases we hear in everyday conversation.

Somehow Moonlight manages to look incredible on a 1.5 million dollar budget. Much of the film is tinged with cool tones, marked at times by swaths of violent red.  The lighting is deliberate, and complements perfectly a story Juan tells about being called “Moonlight” when he was a boy. The cinematography too is powerful, capturing the range of emotions that occur in each scene.

Moonlight would have felt a lot like a modern day Boyz n the Hood if it wasn’t for the haunting, string-heavy score throughout the film. Almost like in a horror film, the strings quickened during key sequences, but remained beautiful.

I was happy to see a packed room at the Michigan League.  Moonlight is an incredible movie, and I agree in every way that it deserved Best Picture over La La Land. Moonlight has no fears about shoving us face first into questions of what it means to be human without bothering to answer them. Moonlight knows that being human and finding your identity is complicated, and it doesn’t wrap things up in a neat little box.

REVIEW: The LEGO Batman Movie

Maximilian Darr Leave a comment

The LEGO Batman Movie follows Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) as he battles the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) trying to take over Gotham City. In order to do so, however, Bruce Wayne must learn to work as a team, raise his newly adopted son (Michael Cera), and face his own inside fears. The movie is a hilarious success and proves that the last Lego Movie is not a stand alone great, but that the creators really know how to make these movies well.

The movie is largely successful for its pace. Past the inherent silliness of a movie made about Legos, The LEGO Batman Movie is actually a really good comedy action movie. It starts brilliantly;  and the first half hour is full of laughs and constant activity that engage the audience wholly. Instead of this being followed by slow, dragged out parts like most action films, this movie doesn’t seem to falter for even a second. It keeps the fast paced action and the humor keeps up throughout.

You don’t have to be a kid, a Lego fan, or even a Batman fan to enjoy this movie. Although this movie alludes to previous Batman films, the jokes will still resonate with non-fans. The movie has its fair share of butt and fart jokes, but it is largely dominated by clever well thought out humor that lands with everyone in the audience. It is so funny that you will forget you are watching basically a 2-hour ad for Legos.

The LEGO Batman movie is one of the funnier movies I have seen recently and I believe it is the best Batman movie in years.