Choreography Project #1

Adam Mohrbacher

Reviewing the Arts

Spring 2009

Choreography Project #I

Last Friday at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago human bodies flew through the air framed by elegant lighting and ingenious bits of prop work and set design. The dance show Choreography Project #1 was composed of seven dances of great variety and passion. These individual dances were all very well choreographed and performed and each one worked well as a stand alone piece and as a small segment of a larger artistic statement. The dances avoided becoming repetitive because each one was able to define itself both in its aesthetics and in the thematic material that the dance was trying to convey. The dances covered a wide range of topics including drug addiction and the power of spirituality. 

The first dance of the night proved to be the most unimpressive of the bunch. This was the only piece where you were unable to truly get a sense of what the choreographer or the actual performers were attempting to convey through their movements. This was also the only dance where the costumes of the dancers were not only unhelpful in relation to conveying some deeper theme or enhancing the overall experience. The dancers in this piece were dressed in what appeared to be jeans and a variety of old T-shirts. This aesthetic choice was not only ineffective but downright offensive. 

However, despite this dreadfully slow start the show picked up steam in the following number. This piece was an impressive and lyrical ode to the struggle of overcoming addictions. The dancers were all dressed in black and white striped shirts with black overalls over these shirts. Their movements were slow and drugged out. As the piece progressed they became more violent, more chaotic, as if they were attempting to break free or crawl out of some hole that they had fallen into. This piece really set the overall tone for the remainder of the show, in terms of quality. The other pieces were also very impressive and most included one or more striking visual props to help clarify the theme and intention of the piece. One, in particular, was a dance that focused on the power of spirituality. The stage for this piece was kept relatively bare, but there was one single bright light in the corner of the stage. The dancers in this piece repeatedly made movements which suggested that they must always return to this light to find a sense of inner balance and peace. This was another example of how the show used simple but staggeringly effective props and ideas to communicate its messages.

For the casual dance fan or a seasoned veteran of the dance community this particular show was more than worthwhile of someone’s time and effort. Dance on its own can often become a very cryptic and removing experience. For me it has often been something that I relate to on a very basic level. I can appreciate the physical abilities of the dancers and enjoy the complicated movements that they make. However, I am often lost when it comes to deciphering the actual themes or deeper messages involved with a dance piece. This was not something I struggled with during my viewing of Choreography Project #1. I was blown away by this powerful and beautiful show.

Breaking Down Orlikoff

Breaking Down Orlikoff’s Sunshine Cleaning

In the most recent issue of our beloved Columbia Chronicle newspaper the calm,  and methodical film criticisms of Mr. David Orlikoff are frustratingly transformed from conventional to a staleness that feels obligatory. His most recent film review concerns the recent release of Sunshine Cleaning, a new “indie” comedy that Orlikoff chooses to consider and chronicle in an extremely bland and arid manner. 

For the first portion of the review Orlikoff fills the page with a series of thoughts concerning the qualities that make up a true independent film, and how Sunshine Cleaning fits in with other trendy “indies” of recent years.  Most of the information presented in this section is essentially a big no-brainer to anyone with an even casual interest in contemporary film. Five entire paragraphs are devoted to Orlikoff’s ramblings about how Sunshine Cleaning is another addition to the recent procession of films that includes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, and finally Juno. Orlikoff continues on throughout this section to state that Sunshine Cleaning is similar to these past films because they are not truly independent works. They are the response from the mainstream studios to make a financial profit by marketing to a specific section of the film going population. Again, none of this information is revelatory, and none of this information is relevant to a discussion concerning the merits of Sunshine Cleaning.

The beginning of the review is so trivial that it makes you wonder whether or not Orlikoff was simply scrambling to fill or meet his required word count. It is difficult to see where this recycled information is needed to enhance or solidify any of the vague points that are made later on in the review. It seems that the point of the initial five paragraphs is to point out to the reader that Sunshine Cleaning is indeed a good film, but it is a film that is buffered by intense studio backing. This could have been conveyed in little more than a paragraph. Did we need to be dragged down memory lane of the past six or seven years of studio produced “independent” film? Apparently this was not only beneficial but essential and it provides an awkward transition for when Orlikoff finally gets around to reviewing the actual film.

As we move away from cryptic gibberish about the definition of an independent film the review becomes not only lazy but strangely lifeless. There are multiple paragraphs that touch upon each individual character and a simple rendition of nearly the entire plot of the film. There is not one word of the quality of any components of the filmmaking process, such as the effectiveness of the acting, directing, cinematography, or editing. We are told that the film has characters and should be about characters, but what the heck does Orlikoff want us to understand from this observation? Perhaps he is trying to reveal that this film is more of a character study than a narrative driven film, but his true feelings regarding almost every aspect of the film seem to be completely hidden. 

Finally, he concludes his article by stating that “... the good outweighs the bad, and the missteps seem to be unfortunate miscalculations from a crew as tenderhearted as the characters.” First of all, what missteps? From the review Orlikoff only mentions the age of Oscar as being an issue, and that somethings in the review ..”just don’t work”. Also, is the fact that there appears to be no “malice” anywhere in the film make it a truly worthwhile experience to sit through or fork over your ten dollars for? And where does Orlikoff’s rating of four out of five come from? Where and what is he basing this assessment upon? There seems to be maybe one single paragraph in the entire review that contains a measure of legitimate film criticism. And what is the most significant point that this man chooses to focus on? The age of one of characters and how it comes off as being slightly unrealistic. This review is a sham and casts a dark shadow over the art of film criticism. Orlikoff and the Chronicle itself should be ashamed for the appearance of such an article in their weekly publication. 

The Graduate: A Film for Then and Now

Mike Nichols’ 1968 classic, The Graduate, is a stirring, hilarious, and intimate portrait of American life at the end of the 60’s. The film provides a fascinating examination of the relationships and conflicts that exist between individuals separated by age and class. The main protagonist of the film, Ben Braddock, in a quest to cure his oppressive boredom and disgust with the soulless qualities inherent in his parent’s generation, launches himself into an affair with the wife of his father’s business partner, Mrs. Robinson. This beautiful film is a great example of a media text which is specifically geared towards a specific population, namely the youth population. 

The film, when viewed in its historical context, is symbolic of the dissatisfaction and rebellion which was brewing amongst the youth population in 1968 America and was destined to explode in the early 1970’s. The film remains a perfect statement about each generation of youth and remains relevant today where we find ourselves struggling with disturbingly similar issues. The film explores how each generation strives desperately to not repeat the mistakes of their parents and how each person hopes that they will be able to carve out their own unique place in the world. “The two different generations are also reflected in other dualities: the two rival women (young innocent daughter Elaine and the older seductress Mrs. Robinson), the two California settings (Los Angeles and Berkeley), South and North California cultures (materialistic vs. intellectual), and finally the devision in Benjamin’s character (morally drifting and indecisive vs. committed).” (Dirks).

The themes and ideas explored by The Graduate and the struggles of the main character, Benjamin, are easily relatable to many college students as they attempt to answer serious questions about their identity, their past experiences, and their future plans. It seems to be a reciprocal process for each generation to view their parent’s generation in a extremely negative and critical light. Early on in the film Benjamin is pulled aside by his father’s business partner, Mr. Robinson, and told that there is a great future in “plastics”. This statement can be interpreted as a comment on how Benjamin perceives the lives and behaviors of his parents and their friends. He interprets their lives as being  devoid of any real warmth or purpose, and although they are shiny on the surface, these lives are actually artificial and insincere. Benjamin clearly displays feelings of isolation and apathy for the activities of his parents. In one scene his father relentlessly pushes Benjamin to come out and show off the new scuba suit that he has bought and forced Benjamin to wear. Benjamin is nearly forced into the family’s swimming pool and he sits at the bottom of the pool quietly alone in his own blue world. He mutely stares up at his family and his parent friends who are above the water line.    

This timeless film still holds relevance to the state of America in the present day. As our world lies in current economic, social, and political ruin my generation can only look upon the horror that our parent’s generation has brought about with genuine shock, disgust, and perhaps if we are lucky, hope. We must hope that we can inherit this awful mess of a planet and work to make the world a better place. On a much smaller scale, Benjamin Braddock sees hope for his own personal future through Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine. After engaging in a torrid, exhausting, stressful, and somewhat depressing affair with the sexy yet pathetic Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin sees Elaine as something untouched, innocent, and full of spirit. However, it is almost by accident that Benjamin discovers that Elaine is someone whom he could forge a real connection with.  During one scene Benjamin is forced into taking Elaine out on a date. He intentionally behaves in an extremely rude and even offensive manner due to Mrs. Robinson’s warnings that she does not want Benjamin involved with her daughter. Because of his crass behavior Benjamin moves Elaine to tears and this triggers a extremely important character change inside of Benjamin. Benjamin realizes that Elaine is someone who has not surrendered to many of the qualities that Benjamin observes in his parent’s generation. She is someone who is the prime of her life and is ready and able to experience pain, hope, desire, fear, and most of all love. This is exactly what he needs to break him out of his daze and set him out on a more direct path to a sense of happiness.

The Graduate does not necessarily provide many answers to the questions it raises, but the general idea of wholeheartedly pursuing your own source of happiness and hope is explored in a terrifically complex manner. The film’s final statement on this idea comes with the final scene, where Benjamin steals Elaine away from her nasty parents and her arranged marriage to the odious Carl Smith. As the two run away from the church they board a strange bus which appears to be traveling to the middle of nowhere. The couple sits and laughs at their good fortune of finally escaping the harmful influences of their parent’s generation but slowly their smiles fade away right before the film ends. The film is smart enough to recognize that a rebellious reaction to a certain lifestyle or pattern of thought doesn’t really provide any sort of definite answer. I believe that with this final scene the final point of the film comes across. Everyone, including our parent’s generation, and their parent’s generation, and their parents generation is trying to make their own path through life the best they can, and nobody knows where their life choices will take them. Benjamin and Elaine’s struggles are not over by any means. They are responsible for making their lives how they want them. However, they have finally taken positive steps to live their own lives and move away from exterior influences. 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/graduate/

http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html

Professional Sports: What's the Deal?

Adam Mohrbacher

Reviewing the Arts

Spring 2009

Professional Sports: What’s the Deal?

When I was young baseball was my life. I lived for the weekly games on television, I wore baseball themed shirts and hats, even the pictures that I drew in my notebook were primarily centered on baseball players making plays in the field or blasting home runs over the fence. Many of my waking hours were devoted to this one single sport and I was an active participant of school and city baseball leagues for nearly a decade of my life. I remained enthralled with the sport until I entered high school and everything regarding my perception of this activity experienced a sharp and definitive transformation. 

 

As I grew older my infatuation with the activity of watching and playing professional baseball began to dwindle. I developed the viewpoint that all professional sports were a simple fruitless distraction. I began to feel that individuals who were passionate about consistently watching and following the progress of their chosen team throughout each respective season were silly and stupid for being interested in such a worthless activity. This perspective is something that has been maintained and even strengthened to the present day. I believe that professional sports, and the money, time and sensationalism involved, is one of the most brainless, ego-centric, and overall greed-infested aspects of our society. This institution and the people who commit their own time, money, and efforts to it, are devoid of any real benefits to the human spirit.

 

However, upon closer inspection of the culture and practice of watching and following professional sports teams I begin to understand the how and why behind the unbridled joy and enthusiasm that many people possess. Watching sports plays into one of the most basic and primal human emotions which is the need to see conflict and the emotionally satisfying experience that can be attached to having “your side” win the “battle”. To some there is a certain dramatic quality to be found in sports. There is a quality which to some would be the equivalent of the drama found in a good book, play, or film. Sports also seems to be another arena were human beings can come together and share a common interest. There is a tradition of camaraderie and friendly rivalry that exists in these types of environments which is an extremely attractive quality for most people.

Essentially, sports serves as just another form of leisure and entertainment. Many of the reasons for why I find films, television, and novels so enjoyable are reasons that you could also apply for someone who is an passionate fan of professional sports. It is another form of entertainment which helps to being individuals together and promotes relaxation and lively discussion. I am simply a individual who fails to see the drama, the excitement, the passion, and the appeal of a tradition that has consumed so many.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_people_watch_sports

www.funadvice.com/q/sports_60538

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports