Has your friend ever told you a story from their life? A story of their mom’s best home-cooked food, of that terrible first date they went on last week, of crying in the library at 2am. How did it feel to listen to them? Whether the story was funny, sad, moving, or silly – in every case, there is something powerful happening there, something that brings you two closer together by listening to them.

Now imagine hearing stories like that…but from complete strangers!

That’s what a Moth StorySLAM night is like – an audience, a microphone, and the brave storytellers who get up to command the room for five minutes at a time with true tales from their own lives. StorySLAM events happen all over the country, from L.A. to NYC – and tomorrow night, there will be one at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor! The prompt for storytellers is Fortune: prepare a five-minute story about Lady Luck.

I’ve been a big fan of The Moth podcast, which captures this type of personal storytelling in the form of episodes each grouped around a story theme. Each story ranges wildly, but what they all share is that they remind me how much I have in common with complete strangers. It’s a deeply empathetic experience to connect with someone that way. I’m incredibly excited to experience it in-person instead of through my earbuds for the first time! I’m also looking forward to visiting The Blind Pig for the first time, which I’ve heard is a very chill and down-to-earth Ann Arbor establishment.

More details on the event can be found on this page: https://themoth.org/events/fortune-ann-arbor. It’ll be happening tomorrow, Tuesday November 16 at The Blind Pig on 208 S 1st St. Doors open at 6:30PM and the stories will start at 7:30PM! Please note that The Blind Pig is an 18+ venue. You can nab tickets here: https://www.blindpigmusic.com/calendar#!/events/1863. I hope to see some of you there!

Warning: Slight spoilers for All Too Well: The Short Film

Laying on the bed, when Sadie Sink’s character of Her dazedly asks “Are you for real?” she is entwined with Dylan O’Brien’s character of Him. Him and Her appear enclosed in their own clandestine haven.

I already looked up the ages of the actors once the short film was announced. Sink is nineteen and O’Brien is thirty and even entwined together I cannot be fooled that their characters are closer in age. I’m just a year younger than Sink, so her being so intimately held by someone a decade older makes me a bit uncomfortable.

But that’s the point.

If you’ve listened to the original shorter version of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” you would know a story about a woman whose lover left them broken and inadequate. Now, if you’ve listened to the recent “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” you would notice the established narrative unfurl further: a woman — who still feels like a girl — left feeling insecure in the presence of her older lover.

In that first scene, you can already tell so much. Her is sweet-faced with a young flush, her eyes are alert because being there with Him is so new and thrilling for her. Him has a dark beard, betraying his mature age and his eyes are softer — he seems content but doesn’t appear to entertain her same thrill. Sink and O’Brien portray this wonderfully in those first few seconds.

“Are you for real?”

Her asks him initially because when it’s just the two of them everything is enthralling and heavenly.

You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.

This line from the song is important to the film because it shows how when the relationship was treated as a secret just for the two lovers everything was tender and loving. However, as the film will proceed to show, once others are let in that loving foundation will begin to crumble.

Soon enough, the song’s ten-minute version begins to play in the background, and scenes between the lovers run by in coherence with the lyrics. They start out playful, happy, and in love — intensely in love — as they drive through pretty autumn trees. The camera always makes sure to focus on their faces; there is the fall scenery, yes, but mostly it is just them — Her and Him. But then, we see them transition into the plummet of downfall when the music abruptly stops and we hear the actors talk again.

They have an argument. It’s tense. It’s gripping. 

At that moment I cannot help but somehow picture myself in the shoes of Sadie’s character. She feels insecure about something her partner never noticed he did. To him, it’s a small thing and he tells her to stop obsessing. Stop looking for things where there’s no meaning. I’ve looked for such things before, but in my place, I do find meaning, so I understand what Her is going through. She’s hurt because Him doesn’t get her. Soon enough, O’ Brien’s character begins to placate her in a way that almost seems like he’s placating a child, and Sadie’s character seems very much like a child at that moment in her distress and sadness.

The film continues with moments of happiness laced with desperation as the lovers try to clutch onto what they have, moments of hardship where they find that they cannot take it any longer, and moments in the aftermath of their downfall. 

Swift has split the video into sections with titles that enunciate the story behind each part of the video. It’s especially useful so that viewers understand the story she’s trying to convey through her song even better.

It is interesting to notice that Sink’s character is reflective of Swift’s own personality. We see her take to a typewriter after the breakup, much like Swift takes to her songwriting. Then in the final scene, when it cuts to thirteen years in the future, Sink’s character is all grown and played by Swift herself. She’s a famous author in this reality with a novel titled All Too Well. It’s a fun easter egg, and fascinating to imagine where else Swift’s writing prowess might have taken her. 

So far I’ve spoken solely about the experience of Sink’s character. However, O’ Brien did especially well in his part too. He does not make himself seem like a complete jerk, ignorant to his young lover’s feelings. He shows his own moments of regret and remembrance after the break-up. I also do like that the film showed Him’s side of the story as well. Often in Swift’s songs, the heartbreak is all from the woman’s perspective, because Taylor writes through her own eyes. It was refreshing to see the man’s viewpoint, to see how he also valued the relationship.

Taylor Swift has done stunningly in the writing and directing of All Too Well: The Short Film, and I’m sure many fans like myself are pleased with the result of one of their most beloved songs getting the music video it deserved. You all should definitely take the time to listen to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” and the rest of RED (Taylor’s Version). I’m sure you’ll love it.

I have to say, I was disappointed by My Hero Academia’s latest plunge into the film industry. My hopes were especially high for the film after recently re-watching the second installment: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. That was a film that truly amazed. The quality of animation and the intensity of the battles between our beloved characters and the hated villains was on a level of mastery that I hadn’t seen before in an anime film. Besides that, the development of character relationship between Deku and Bakugo ( which are two of the most prominent characters of the anime series if you aren’t familiar) brought an immense amount of satisfaction.

I had expected for that character relationship  growth to continue in World Heroes’ Mission. However, this wasn’t the case. In fact, I’d say that Bakugo’s character might even have regressed, though that might have been due to how little screen time he had during the film. Nevertheless, Bakugo’s dialogue mostly consisted of variations of the phrases “shut up” and “don’t tell me what to do”, which is fine I suppose. It does align with his character, but I couldn’t help but want more. Bakugo has evolved so much over time that his character deserves better than to be handed irritated one liners for the majority of the film.  Though again, there’s only so much to be done when the majority of the plot doesn’t revolve around him.

What the plot does revolve around is the budding relationship between Deku and a new character named  Rody Soul as they make their way across the country in an effort to escape both the  local authorities and the villain group known as Humarise; a terrorist group bent on ridding the world of any and all quirk users. Both Deku and Rody slowly get to know one another as they race to save the world. It’s a unique relationship in the fact that Rody is a morally grey character, used to doing whatever he can to survive in order to provide for his two younger siblings. Seeing him challenge Deku’s selfless motives while struggling with his own inner conflicts was very endearing to watch. It was also hilarious to see how Deku responded to Rody’s poor life decisions. In that way, Rody quickly became a favorite of mine. And his quirk  is one of the most unique and utterly adorable abilities that I’ve seen yet.

In fact, I almost forgot how disappointed in the movie I was while watching Deku and Rody grow into fast friends.  But I was quickly reminded of my disappointment when Bakugo and Todoroki rejoined the main plot. It was time for the final fight scenes after all. And yet, the battle sequences fell flat. There was a messiness to them and a lack of climactic build that just seemed to make them drag on and on and on. It was the complete opposite of the emotionally engaging battles that are in Heroes Rising.

Despite that, the film is still worth watching, just for the sake of Rody and Deku’s friendship.