Tag: Movies

PREVIEW: Darkest Hour

Laura Dzubay Leave a comment

The Oscars are almost upon us, and all the buzz surrounding recent movies is finally going to come to a head. Lady Bird turned heads last fall for its run as the best-reviewed film ever on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has proved both stunningly unexpected and stunningly controversial; and Call Me By Your Name has received praise for its intimate presentation of a 1980s gay romance in Italy.

One of the few Big Picture nominees that I actually haven’t heard that much about, surprisingly, is Darkest Hour. Darkest Hour stars Gary Oldman — a longtime seasoned actor, who may be recently remembered for his role as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise — as Winston Churchill during his early days as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It promises to resemble both a character study of Churchill himself as well as a document of many of the political conversations behind World War II and the spread of Nazi Germany. This will be an interesting angle because one of the other big films this year, Dunkirk, portrays the other side of those conversations: the actual military conflict.

Darkest Hour looks to be a serious and impressive political drama, and I look forward to seeing whether it will live up to its peers. It is currently showing at the Quality 16 in Ann Arbor.

PREVIEW: The Post

Laura Dzubay Leave a comment

Journalism is an exciting, varied, and often under-appreciated field; recent attacks on “fake news” constitute a common example of the criticism under which journalists often fall. But journalism is really one of the most crucial and demanding fields out there, and the questions of ethics and courage are ones that journalists often have to face. The challenges undertaken by journalists came into the spotlight (sorry—I had to) in 2015 with Spotlight, and this year the subject is back with The Post.

The Post chronicles The Washington Post (of course) in their attempts to publish the Pentagon Papers. In addition to journalism, of course, I’m very interested in the Pentagon Papers, their political implications, and the ways in which they affected public perception of the U.S. Government. I’m excited to see how The Post handles these questions in a way that is both respectful of history and relevant in 2017.

The Post is currently playing at the Michigan Theatre.

PREVIEW: Pitch Perfect 3

Aria Gerson Leave a comment

There were only a few weeks left until I started high school, and the first thing on my to-do list was to see a movie.

Everyone at camp that summer had been talking about this film, making jokes and references and telling me I just HAD to see it.

That movie was Pitch Perfect.

Soon, it became one of my favorite movies. I learned the cup song, incorporated “aca” into my vocabulary, and recreated the audition scene every time “Since U Been Gone” came on the radio. It was like High School Musical but for teenagers, before we realized that no dorm room looked like Beca’s (I wish) and that college parties didn’t actually contain riff-offs.

Now I’m actually in college, and I know these things. I’m morally opposed to sequels and (especially) trilogies. And yet, despite all those things, I’m going to see Pitch Perfect 3 because of the nostalgia, yes, but also because I know that regardless of whether it’s a good movie in the critical sense, I’ll laugh. I know there will be catchy songs involved. And I know that I’ll be entertained.

In the first movie, Beca, an aspiring DJ, is a freshman in college and in the second, she’s a senior with a slightly different group of girls around her. The third movie chronicles their adult lives out of college and what happens when the OG Barden Bellas reunite for one last time.

Pitch Perfect 3 is the final movie in its namesake musical comedy trilogy. It is rated PG-13 and playing in theaters nationwide.

PREVIEW: M-Agination Film Festival

Phillip Wachowiak Leave a comment

First, watch this film:

That’s only a taste of what you’ll see at the 16th Annual M-Agination Film Fest.  M-Agination Films is a student group operating out of UAC. Producers work with directors, actors, and other film crew members to make passion projects a reality. All films made throughout the year are screened at the festival in April.

When: Thursday, April 6. Doors open at 8 PM and the show starts at 8:30

Where: The Michigan Theater

Cost: FREE!

Also includes FREE T-SHIRTS & POPCORN!

Link to Facebook Event

Link to the M-Agination Films Vimeo Page

PREVIEW: Moonlight Film Screening OSCAR WINNER

Phillip Wachowiak Leave a comment

February is Black History Month, but that doesn’t mean appreciation of Black History has to be contained in that single month.

On March 7th, there will be a FREE screening of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight at Hatcher Grad Library.

When: Tuesday, March 7 @ 7pm

Where: University of Michigan League Ballroom

Cost: FREE

See the film that snatched Best Picture out of the hands of La La Land!

Mahershala Ali won an Oscar for his role in this film, which follows the life of a young black man as he makes the transition from child to adult in Miami.

 

REVIEW: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Phillip Wachowiak

Do not be deceived–Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is depressing. What begins as an off-beat comedy escalates slowly, but surely to a moving climax, and finally to a bittersweet ending. I don’t cry during movies, but this one made me want to cry more than The Fault in Our Stars.

Warning aside, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is an absolute must-see film.

The plot: “We follow Greg, a high school senior who is trying to blend in anonymously, avoiding deeper relationships as a survival strategy for navigating the social minefield that is teenage life.  He even describes his constant companion Earl, with whom he makes short film parodies of classic movies, as more of a ‘co-worker’ than a best friend. But when Greg’s mom insists he spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer – he slowly discovers how worthwhile the true bonds of friendship can be.”

I was pleasantly surprised multiple times at the little eccentricities–the parents walk into Greg’s room and he frantically attempts to close his porn windows, conversations touch upon sexually assaulting fluffy pillows, strange and exotic lunches, etc. Anyone who felt awkward or different in high school can relate instantly to this film. It captures the imaginative, uncertain energy of being a senior in high school without all the banal school tropes that you’d find in something like Glee.

If nothing else, watch this film for the camera work. It’s impossible to miss the ridiculously wide angles and outrageous telescopic views and swinging camera, and it makes you feel like you’re adventuring along with our characters.

After watching the film, I wondered why we don’t see more creative approaches to camera movement and lenses. Compare Me and Earl and the Dying Girl to any Hollywood blockbuster and the shot selection of those high budget films seems so much more stale in comparison.

Finally, the acting can only be described as on-point. Each of the main characters delivers a genuine and heartfelt performance, but it’s the supporting actors that really shine. Molly Shannon plays Rachel’s mother, who copes with the sickness of her daughter with hilarity. Nick Offerman (who plays Ron Swanson in Parks and Rec) plays against type as a strange, introverted father. Lastly, Jon Bernthal (of Walking Dead Fame) plays a badass history teacher.

If you only get to watch a handful of movies this summer season, make Me and Earl and the Dying Girl one of them. The trailer is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qfmAllbYC8