Tag: Film

REVIEW: Đêm Việt Nam

Sappy Leave a comment

I had a blast at this year’s Đêm Việt Nam (DVN)! Pictured above was my favorite performance from the night – the opening act done by The Detroit Lion Dance Association. I didn’t expect to see an actual traditional lion dance; it was my first time watching one as well!

It was fascinating in multiple ways. Exclaimed gasps were heard throughout the venue when the two lions suddenly appeared in the aisles. Their dance incorporated humor and storytelling, and the lions themselves showed so much emotion through their movements and eyes alone. One highlight for me was when the lions pretended to drink alcohol and afterward stumbled onto the ground in a deep slumber; then the sound of the drums awakened them and they gathered their surroundings to the rhythmic beat of the instruments. The crowd favorite was the moments when the lions would rise to face either the audience or each other. I’m truly impressed by the stamina and hard work that must’ve been put into this performance.

 

Despite being a non-dance-based organization, I enjoyed the performances the members of VSA prepared. They incorporated a lot of character and I could tell the students had a lot of fun on stage. I realized at DVN how important lighting is and how it can increase the quality of a viewer’s experience. Darker lighting heightened anticipation in the room; brighter lighting gave playful energy; and pure silhouettes on a colorful background emphasized the movements of the dancers. I think these special effects helped show off the energy the performers wanted to showcase. In my opinion, it also relieved the pressure of giving an immaculate and in-sync performance. The Power Center is an amazing venue and I hope to watch more performances there.

 

Guy/Girl traditional – this was another one of my favorite performances; the chemistry between the dancers was very charming and I loved all the romantic nuances hidden within their dance moves alongside the use of the hats

 

Fans – an example of how the background shift can change the atmosphere of a performance. The dark red was very alluring and the dark green let the shape and colors of the fans standout

 

Traditional Melody – one of the ending acts that incorporates multiple traditional dances and outfits

The event was an appropriate length: not too long that it was tiring or too short that it felt disappointing. I liked the intermittent mini-skits that helped create smooth transitions between different performances too. I even found myself smiling at the heartwarming atmosphere between the club members.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s DVN and hope you guys consider attending in the future too!

PREVIEW: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the third of the standalone films with these characters, and it has been promised to be the biggest one yet. The film follows Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne as they are sucked into the Quantum Realm along with their families. There, they come face-to-face with Kang the Conquerer, played by Jonathan Majors – who we know from the Creed III trailer to be someone even Michael B. Jordan doesn’t want to mess with.

I grew up watching and loving the MCU, but the superhero fatigue is definitely settling in. The newer MCU films have all been just fine, and they all end the same way when you think they might be finally changing it up. That being said, I have found some of the new installments to be entertaining – those that embrace the goofy nature of adapting a comic book on screen. This is what I particularly enjoyed about the first two Ant-Man movies – Paul Rudd is always hilarious and a joy to watch, the ensemble cast fully embracing their ant leader often lets the weaker parts of the films slip by under the radar. I am curious to see how this new film will stand, as it seems to be the most related to the greater MCU and is promising to kick off the next phase of the world. With Quantumania being seemingly so pivotal, I wonder if the balance of comedy and setup will come at the cost of the spirit that made the first two films enjoyable.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be playing at the State Theater at the end of this week, with advance screenings starting on Thursday, February 16.

 

REVIEW: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Nellie Shih Leave a comment

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a surprise hit from Dreamworks, and a sequel to the 2011 Shrek spinoff. The film is directed by Joel Crawford and stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, and John Mulaney. 

The film is beautifully animated, heartwarming, and action packed. The animation style is clearly inspired by that of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but it is unique in that it is stylized to resemble storybooks rather than comic booka. The background art in each scene is stunning. They are designed to evoke a painterly style, with bold colors and visible brushstrokes. The character designs are also fun and dynamic – particularly the attention to individual strands of hair/fur that stand out from the otherwise flatter colors. I was particularly drawn to the designs for Goldilocks and the Three Bears. At this point in the story, the Bears had already accepted Goldie as the fourth member of their crime family, with their stolen knick-knacks and baubles adorning their hair, ears, heads, and weapons.

Speaking of the crime family, though they were supporting characters, their storyline was simply but fully fleshed out, as were the storylines for the primary and other supporting characters. The plot is simple: Puss, being a cat, is on his last of his nine lives and he seeks the magical wishing star to wish to regain the eight that have passed. He and the other characters are all racing to reach the star first, and the treacherous terrain protecting the star changes to trouble whichever character is holding the sole map at the time. This is potentially where the film could fall into becoming repetitive, however the engaging and upbeat pacing is aided by the fact the obstacles depicted are all relevant to each characters’ arc. The film does not repeat beats by putting various characters through similar obstacles as there is a single changing terrain rather than showing different paths for each character. 

Another notable aspect of the film is the depiction of death as a character who stalks Puss as he journeys towards the star and announces his presence either by suddenly materializing, stepping out of the shadows with his glowing red eyes, or whistling an ominous tune. His role in the film is also simple but not unnecessary or corny – he seeks Puss’ last life as he has been reckless with his previous eight, and taunts him for only being careful now that he is done to his final one. His character keeps the plot moving without being redundant, causing ripple effects for the other supporting characters. 

Ultimately, this film is deserving of its Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Film, and it was a delight to return to the iconic Shrek universe. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is playing at the Cinemark Ann Arbor 20, and I hope that it will come to the Michigan or State Theater to celebrate its accolades. 

REVIEW: Corsage

Ella Larsen Leave a comment

7:00pm • Sunday, January 15, 2023 • Michigan Theater • SPOILER ALERT

I was easily absorbed into Corsage‘s slow-burning drama and sumptuous visuals. Corsage stars Vicky Krieps as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of Hungary, and imagines her story in the year following her 40th birthday. The movie explores themes of agency, beauty, and power, depicting Elisabeth struggling to free herself from the constricting roles of queen, wife, and mother. Its pace is slow and its tone is elegiac, defined by lush settings (the phrase that came to mind was fan-service) and the haunting, repetitive chords of Camille Dalmais’  soundtrack.

The movie leaned into the ever-salient, patriarchal ideology that a woman only has value to the extent that she is seen as beautiful. However, something I reflected on during the movie was that while Elisabeth was oppressed to the extent that she was a woman, she was also in a position of great power which could make her behavior feel hypocritical. Over the course of the movie, in order to accomplish her own goals of preserving her public image while achieving greater personal liberty, she exerted her authority as queen over her ladies in waiting. In particular, Elisabeth’s favorite confidant, Ida Ferenczy (played by Jean Werner), faced the brunt of the empress’s self-serving ill-treatment. Ida was prevented from marrying, and ultimately consented to impersonate Elisabeth at public functions so the queen did not feel the weight of preserving her image. Elisabeth demanded that Ida assume the austere diet she kept in order to maintain her famous 50cm waistline, while she finally helped herself to candied violets and cream cake. 

Of course, the narrative developed in Corsage was highly fictionalized, bordering on the counterfactual. This helped me put together some of the events which occurred near the end of the movie. In a move which was at the time inexplicable to me, Elisabeth enlisted an 18-year-old countess towards whom she had previously expressed envy to act as her husband’s mistress. This made more sense at the end of the movie, when Elisabeth threw herself off of the bow of a ship, a move which realistically seemed like suicide (or freedom, in the context of the movie’s themes).  This led me to interpret many of the film’s previous events as preparations allowing her to abdicate her many roles.

Overall, I enjoyed Corsage for its artistic cinematography and its complex depiction of power. I would recommend it whether you would like to untangle the film’s many salient themes or simply enjoy the outward beauty of its construction.

 

 

REVIEW: The Muppet Christmas Carol

Sappy Leave a comment

I hope everybody is having a wonderful break and a happy holiday season! This past Sunday, December 18th, the Michigan Theater was overflowing with Christmas joy. Although the showing of The Muppet Christmas Carol began at 1:30 pm, at 12:30 there was already a line at the door! The theater had planned a variety of surprise events, such as free hot chocolate from Sweetwaters, a free piggy bank, Santa Claus, and carolers that performed both outside and inside on stage. It was so much fun to see how excited everybody was, and the workers even dressed up with Christmas headbands and sweatshirts. It’s lovely to see how hard the community has worked together to put on this event!

For those curious about the movie, The Muppet Christmas Carol reminded me a bit of The Grinch, since both involve a protagonist that’s initially unwilling to celebrate Christmas before coming around. I didn’t know that the movie was based on A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens until Gonzo poses as the author himself; alongside Gonzo (in the film ‘Charles’) is Rizzo, and these two muppets act as the narrator for the film. Although I didn’t read the book, they made a powerful comedic duo that added a voice unique to the film.

Since most of the audience was children, parents, and the elderly, I was shocked by how different the viewing experience was; the laughter was a lot more boisterous and there were a lot more questions and comments; in addition to the muffled voices of the muppets, it was hard for me to hear the lines in the movie, so without subtitles, I struggled to understand the plot at times.

Something that impressed me was how well the directors incorporated both muppets and humans into the film. I knew the film was old, but the interactions between the muppets and humans were natural. It didn’t occur to me how old the film was until I saw the visual effects, though; it’s been thirty years since it was released!

To be completely honest, I didn’t enjoy the film as much as I hoped. Although it’s a children’s movie, I wish there was more background information given, and the character and plot development seemed rushed: the loud audience definitely made the event less enjoyable as well. Still, I can see how this film would be adored by muppet fans and those who watched it when it released or while growing up.

Merry Christmas everybody and have a happy new year!

REVIEW: Tokyo Godfathers

Sappy Leave a comment

I loved Tokyo Godfathers. Contrary to my expectations, it was not a tear-jerker movie, which was refreshing and much-needed for this stressful finals season. The comedic timing had the whole audience laughing, and the directors did an excellent job of turning an initial dark introduction and setting into a lighthearted movie. There were a lot of plot twists that was both funny and dramatic, and while I wouldn’t describe it as a heartwarming film, it had a perfect balance of sweet and dark humor.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but if you’re interested in hearing a brief description, the story revolves around three main characters, each with their own unique background. They’re all homeless and have been living together for an indefinite amount of time (at least six months?). Despite knowing one another for that long, they don’t know how each of them became homeless or how they lived beforehand. Their daily routine suddenly changes on Christmas after finding an abandoned baby in the dumpsters. They embark on a journey to find the mother of the abandoned baby. The concept of ‘family’ is seen all throughout the film and is the driving point of the plot. The importance of family extends to side characters as well, which is what develops important character growth for the main characters too.

My favorite character is Hana, who is the motherly figure in the trio. I love how caring and passionate she is, and she really brings energy and life to the other characters through her enthusiasm. As someone who likes poetry, her intermittent haikus are also fun and give a special perspective to what traditional Japanese haikus are like. A lot more can be conveyed from the standard five, seven, and five-syllable phrases in Japanese compared to English. In a different context, I think Hana’s haikus would be appreciated more for their beauty, but it certainly served to heighten the comedic sense of Tokyo Godfathers.

Of course, the voice actors contributed largely to how vibrant the film is too. I also appreciated that the color palette of the film was rather subdued and mundane because it still showcased the darker aspects of the story, which highlighted the funny aspects even more.

For those uninterested in anime as a genre, I still think this movie would be worth it. Even though it is a family-based film, it’s not the most child-friendly though, so keep in mind who you want to watch it with. I’d definitely watch Tokyo Godfathers again, and I highly recommend you guys watch it too!