Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
pages 4-5
inside
Stanford Film Festival kicks off with some quirky shorts...pages 6-7
Chris Wedge talks about animation and “Ice Age”...page 8 FRIDAY
Bay to Breakers is quirky as ever, Decemberists kick off their tour...page 9
“Night at the Museum” a huge let-down...page 10
Intermission reviews a thought-provoking French film...page 12
5.22.09
intermission
stanford’s weekly guide to campus culture
VO LU M E 235 . ISSUE 15
a publication of the stanford daily
jason chuang
ALSO INSIDE
photos b
y jason c
huang
FRIDAY
tures that soared well above 90 degrees, a substantial crowd concentration while dancing barefoot and sometimes lying — monica MIKLAS
gathered to follow nine undergraduate dancers perform in, down on sizzling concrete was frankly astonishing. Different contact monica: mmiklas@stanford.edu
around and through Cantor. “permutations” of choreography featured subsets of dancers
The choreography of “Rewired” came from New York- performing in pairs or across color groups and in coordination
based choreographer and Stanford alumna Parijat Desai, who with the space around them. While it may be the heat talking,
spent winter 2009 on campus with an Institute for Diversity several sections of the performance bordered on the repetitive
and the Arts residency. During her residency, Desai also co- as the dancers cycled through choreography.
choreographed an installment in the Department of Drama’s When viewing practitioners of tai chi or yoga, I often feel
“The Waste Land” series. Rehearsal director and Dance that while there is clear admiration for the body control and
Division lecturer Diane Frank arranged Desai’s choreography mindfulness of the practitioners, their movement is not for
— originally intended for a trio of dancers — for the Cantor entertainment. In the same way, the deliberate, methodical
grounds. The piece was cast in triplet, with three groups of structure of the “Rewired” choreography made the piece seem
three dancers performing a unique subset of the choreography almost like an exercise rather than a dance. In contrast to tra-
and interacting with each other in a way that Frank described ditional Bharatanatyam, in which dancers’ movements convey
as “like mathematics” or “a kaleidoscope.” Vibrant jewel-toned a mythic narrative, Desai intended to draw only technique and
costumes in three colors further differentiated the flights of “kinetic information” from the dance form, and use these to
dancers, and the interplay of colors added a satisfying visual “rewire” the movement of a dancer’s body.
dimension to the piece. From artistic and pedagogic perspectives, such a focus on
The staging of the performance meandered from the front new kinetics fits into a grander study of the body’s capacity for
steps of Cantor, through galleries, and to multiple lawns and movement and, according to Frank, the search for “what is
courtyards on the museum’s grounds, with mixed results. innovative within ancient forms” like Bharatanatyam.
Dancers received extensive training in the Bharatanatyam However, as an audience member with an appreciation for
style, which demands extremely specific hand gestures and dance but little formal training, I found myself struggling to
percussive footwork, during the rehearsal process, and on the make an emotional connection to a performance that felt
Cantor lawns, long vistas and the rich green grass amplified extremely rational and academic.
the effect of the subtle choreography, giving even the dancers’ On the other hand, “Rewired” should not be judged for
slightest movements an epic quality. Inside the building, how- failing to be something which it never intended to be. As a site-
ever, bottlenecked crowds craning for a view of dancers and specific work of fusion, “Rewired” intended to focus on struc-
multiple reprimands from museum security broke the sense of ture, both within the dancers’ movements and in the sur-
mystery and wonder, which was so present in the outdoor seg- rounding architecture, and it succeeded at pulling elements of
ments. Furthermore, placing dancers next to visual art does Bharatanatyam’s punctuated style into a very modern staging.
not necessarily draw a parallel between the two, and the bare- While not exactly a piece for the masses, nearly flawless execu- stefanie okuda
FRINGE
Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), paranormal science, bioterrorism, FBI action, a kick-ass for the first time to a parallel universe to meet William Bell (Leonard Nimoy — that’s right,
female lead, a new-age science manifesto with creepily religious undertones and conspiracy the- Spock!). In that parallel universe, Dunham and Bell meet in the twin towers, which were not
ories — throw all that together and you’ve got Fringe, denominated by creator J.J. Abrams as the destroyed by the 9/11 attacks. A glimpse at the newspaper suggests that the White House was
easier-to-follow counterpart to critically-acclaimed Lost. This first season of Fringe introduces destroyed instead. And if you pay careful attention, there is no Statue of Liberty. There are infi-
Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), an FBI agent, and her sidekicks Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and nite possibilities for this alternative universe (universes?).
his father/brilliant scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) as they investigate a series of paranor- Abrams has confirmed that season two will be faster and more thrilling than the first. While
mal/fringe experiments taking place all around the world, collectively called “The Pattern.” the theories of MWI may be nothing new, I’m sure Abrams and Co. will find a new way to
While the show was a bit slow at the beginning, it really picks up later in the season. The explore this concept and the unravel the mystery behind the characters in an interesting way. I,
first season sets up the complex world and theories that is the Fringe universe. But if the first for one, am eager to keep watching.
season was the set-up, then the second will really dive into development and getting to know — joanna XU
the enemy for the Fringe team. The season finale ended on a cliffhanger, with Olivia traveling contact joanna: joannaxu@stanford.edu
THE OFFICE 24
The fifth season of NBC’s “The Office” wrapped up injured at the game, is rushed to the hospital with Jim And after another 24 hours, Jack as a character. Hopefully, he will be
last Thursday with a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings and where the big news of the episode is revealed as soon Bauer can finally go to sleep (and go back to fighting form next season
surprisingly few cliffhangers. It felt more like watch- as the nurse asks, “Any chance you’re pregnant?” The to the bathroom. Seriously, is that after a last-minute stem cell treatment
ing an old episode of “Friends” without the laugh camera lurks outside the hospital room, and although what he does during commercial from his daughter, Kim (whose story
track. That being said, one can’t help but love it. we can’t hear the conversation, viewers can see breaks?) Season seven of “24” has cer- line was nowhere near as ridiculous as
“Company Picnic” starts with another stellar prank through the blinds as the doctor informs them of tainly had its ups and downs, but as it ones in previous seasons. Random
from Jim, though this time the joke is on Michael, Pam’s pregnancy, leading to another adorable Pam reaches its conclusion, this will stand cougar, I’m looking at you). Tony
and everyone (even Dwight!) is in on it. The episode and Jim moment. as one of the best seasons of the show. Almeida, thankfully, receives some
then departs from the usual stuffy office setting as the “Company Picnic” could easily have been the While it did not have the incredible closure towards the end when he
characters attend Dunder Mifflin’s annual company end of the entire “Office” series. Everyone’s favorite originality and vitality of the first sea- reveals his true motivations: revenge
picnic. couple is blissful, Michael seems to finally be safe in son or the tension of the fifth season, for his fallen wife. This serves as a nice
Michael makes a blunder at the picnic by reveal- his job, and even Dwight is getting along with the it was solid from start to finish, delv- bit of resolution to explain, at least to
ing that the Buffalo branch was closing. Yet, in his group. The show’s writers are going to have a tricky ing into Jack’s humanity more than a partial degree, why the character
reunion with Holly, he is surprisingly sweet and time creating tension next season. any other season. seemed to flip sides every other
chooses not to make a move on her. Scranton branch — meghan BERMAN By taking away CTU, Jack is episode. All in all, this season had all
unites against corporate (in their ominous matching contact intermission:
forced to confront the actions of his of the traditional tension, anxiety,
black t-shirts) in an epic volleyball game. Pam, past. This is symbolized, in particular, and racing against the clock that
meghanb@stanford.edu
by his relationship with FBI agent makes “24” such a compelling televi-
Renee Walker. While she initially sion drama.
serves as his foil, chastising him for — p a t r i c k K E L LY
his torturous ways, she is slowly contact patrick:
pulled into his dark and twisted
pskelly@stanford.edu
world where the ends justify the
means. This comes to a climax in the
final scene of the season, where she
gives up her career to obtain vital
information coercively from a crimi-
nal who would otherwise walk free. It
is a testament to Renee’s arc over the
season how unsettling this scene was
to watch.
It’s unfortunate that Jack’s story
line at the close of the season was not
as exciting as Renee’s. He does have
some pulse-pumping moments of his
own, though. The scene when he
escapes from the operating table
using only a small knife is particular-
ly exhilarating. As a whole, putting
Jack on his death bed from his expo-
sure to the weaponized bio-agent
took away one of the show’s main
4 intermission assets — the raw power of Jack Bauer
6
GOSSIP GIRL
For almost two years now, The CW’s hit show “Gossip Girl” has been a guilty pleasure of mine.
This fairly lengthy relationship started with a bang: “Gossip Girl” gave me cheap thrills that I
hadn’t experienced for years — ever since the troubled teen Ryan Atwood moved into Orange
County. “Gossip Girl” gave me a spark, a light, when I was beginning to give up on the teen
drama. “Gossip Girl” was good to me, and I was good to “Gossip Girl.” Just several weeks into
the first season, I found myself backing the show up as friends called it names. I protected it,
watched it grow . . . and “Gossip Girl” gave back to me.
Season One quickly went by and the wait for Season Two was almost unbearable. Then
finally, one fateful Monday, it came back to me. The characters were all back together after a
summer separated. The back and forth, on-and-off love between Blair and Chuck was almost
immediately revisited (and unfortunately, visited again and again all season long). Nate
Archibald, struggling for money, is accepting cash for sex from a much older, married woman.
Little J finds Blair at her weakest in the bathroom, she appeals for the crown. Blair tells her woe-
Dan and Serena are together, then they aren’t, and then they are again. Season Two certainly
fully, “You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you.” This line is delivered
looked promising.
with such ridiculous intensity that it’s hard not to laugh at how completely lame this show is.
Sadly, I was completely wrong about the future of “Gossip Girl.” All season, the show con-
By the end of the season finale, the only elements that I felt at peace with were the engagement
tinued to spiral into a complete mess, with terrible writing, nonsensical plotlines, flat acting
of Lily and Rufus, and the coupling of Blair and Chuck (finally!), but I doubt that will last for
and—gasp—bad hair. As the show got more and more ludicrous, my disdain for wasting an
long.
hour of my life grew. Finally, the season finale approached, and I made a pact — if this episode
For those of you who disagree with me and think this season was television genius, fret not.
was as crappy as the rest of the season, I would not be back for Season Three.
The writers worked it out so that most of your favorite characters are at NYU for college, so
Unfortunately, it was just as terrible as the rest. It’s graduation time on the Upper East Side,
more mishaps can take place, only now it’s collegiate style. As for me, I won’t be watching.
and for some reason, Serena goes completely dramatic and decides to uncover the identity of
“Gossip Girl” is like crack — if you aren’t already hooked, don’t try it. And if you are, it’s prob-
Gossip Girl. This leads to a murder mystery element, where everybody is suspicious of each
ably best for your health to wean off slowly.
other. As tensions mount, friendships look as though they are destroyed. For the millionth time,
XOXO, Intermission.
Chuck rejects Blair’s love, and her heart is broken. Jenny Humphrey decides to throw her hat
into the ring for the new Queen Bee (who really takes high school that seriously?) and is told to — annika HEINLE
come up with the juiciest piece of gossip to be crowned. As painfully skinny and horribly styled contact annika: anheinle@stanford.edu
— chloe BADE
contact chloe: cbade@stanford.edu
| CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 |
with all the stars, fret no longer, for we have the (semi) next lonely people unknowingly sharing a cup of tea in a lovely art
best thing here at Stanford, in our very own Cubberley house piece. Or, enjoy a music video all about regulating genes. — annika HEINLE and cameron SOKOLIK
Auditorium. Think we’re joking? There actually will be a red Not to hype it up too much (I don’t want you to be disappoint- contact annika: anheinle@stanford.edu
carpet, a Grand Jury and a prize equivalent to the “Palme ed) but look out for The Fan, a very creative film shown from
contact cameron: iamcam@stanford.edu
d’Or” (Cannes’ Best Picture). the perspective of an oppressed individual. The amount of
This Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 21 to 23), the material at the festival is varied and fun to watch.
Stanford Film Society will present “Show And Tell: The 2009 It came as a bit of shock seeing how much talent and film-
Stanford Student Film Festival.” This festival will consist of two making prowess was shown in this small sample of films.
Do you have any clingy friends? Friends that invite you to
nights (Thursday and Friday) of student films covering a wide Unlike schools such as USC or UCLA, Stanford isn’t exactly
range of genres including dramas, comedies, art house, docu- known for its cinematic potential. This lack in film expertise is RE-ENACT lunch? Friends that make a Facebook event to invite you to
lunch? If yes, it’ll make you chuckle.
mentaries, music videos and interstitials. On Saturday night, exactly the reason the film festival this year has been vamped (ART HOUSE) This extremely creative comedy documents the oppressive life
From a technical point of view, this film was probably the best
prizes will be awarded. And we’re not just talking about a gift into a glamorous weekend celebration. According to co-chairs one we saw. The setting and lighting was very instrumental in
certificate to Fraiche — think something much bigger. Of the of the festival Ellie Wen ‘09 and Jesse Krompier ‘10, the prob- WILL ROGERS of a ceiling fan. Forced to eternally spin without any acknowl-
establishing the proper mood. Specifically, the ringing could
— cameron SOKOLIK
edgment from the people below, the fan claims that its life is contact cameron: iamcam@stanford.edu
60 films submitted, winners will receive such prizes as iPods, lem of feeble arts at Stanford has motivated the Stanford Film drive a person mad. This drama is a modern take on the trag-
tragic. With this original perspective, the audience gets a
camcorders and digital cameras. However, those aren’t even Society to make this event better than ever. Filmmaking should ic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A man loves his neighbor,
glimpse of what it’s like to be controlled by someone else.
the big winners. The filmmakers that win the Grand Jury prize have a bigger, better presence on campus. Krompier could not but she is involved with another man. Consequently, the man
Maybe we should be nicer to our things, one day they might
will be sent on a trip to Los Angeles, where they will get to emphasize enough how he wanted this event to bring more must decide how to appropriately act and whether love is truly
retaliate . . .
meet with the Executive Vice President of Warner Brothers students into the Stanford Film Society and the film commu- worth it.
Pictures, Bill Guttentag (also a Stanford graduate). nity on campus in general. As Krompier put it, “We are trying
Intermission was privileged enough to get an advanced to build an atmosphere of excitement on this campus, and we
screening of some of the movies. We were pleasantly surprised certainly need to tighten the community.” MEET THE ART
with the high caliber of many of the films. Forty-four films So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, or
were accepted into the festival, and, from the handful that we even if you’ve already made plans, cancel everything and head (DOCUMENTARY)
over to the film festival. Come to the event and meet other stu- BERNADETTE CAY
dents interested in making and watching movies. And at the
This documentary recounts the history of the mov-
ing picture. At first, this topic may sound dull, but
it is actually extremely interesting, especially
The only way I can describe this film is trippy. The filmmaker
because the birth of the moving picture occurred
uses a very original method to capture a phenomenon that is
right here at Stanford. Apparently it all started
simply cool to watch. The filmmaker asks random people to
when Leland Stanford himself beseeched Eadweard
reenact what they are currently discussing while he records the
Muybridge, a photographer, to investigate whether
audio. Then the same people switch roles and while they reen-
the legs of his prize-winning horse ever left the
act it, he plays the audio that he just recorded. I know, really
ground all at the same time. The rest is history.
confusing. You have to see it for yourself. L’ESCARGOT Who (aside from art history majors) knew? DEAD LOVE
JESSE KROMPIER ABTEEN BGHERI-FARD
LIES LE REGAZZE
AND JAY KILACHAND
JESSE KROMPIER BEN CORTES
photos courtesy stanford film festival
6 intermission 7
friday may 22 2009
6
An animated discussion RESTAURANT REViEW
Perfectly Engineered
Chris
with
Cooking
Wedge F
rance is widely considered to be the home of the world’s best
food, while California is frequently regarded as a center of
cutting-edge innovation — both politically and technologi-
cally. So what could be better than combining the first-rate culi-
nary influence of France with a fresh kick that could only exist in
California? The answer is not a great many thing, and this little fact
can be confirmed through a visit to Sent Sovi Restaurant in
Saratoga.
Located about 30 minutes from Stanford on Big Basin Way in
Saratoga, Sent Sovi occupies a small unassuming storefront with a
distinctly old-fashioned-looking wooden sign hanging outside.
The dining room is small and intimate — though not claustro-
phobic — and is generally elegant, though with some rustic relief
thanks to plentiful copper accents on the walls. But the real
excitement begins when the menus arrive.
alex yu A dinner at Sent Sovi can be taken as a prix fixe or a la carte. The
seven-course tasting menu is $75 with the option of adding on wine
ave you ever seen the movie “Ice Age?” What about “Horton Hears
1
3
TO
he explained by the presence of an ancient, Levy pits against Stiller to accentuate his character’s uncertain-
N ig h t a t t
10...
golden Egyptian tablet in the museum that ty and tentativeness. If this all seems formulaic — that’s
Museum animates its inhabitants. In “Battle”, Stiller because it is.
PG sy reprises his role as Daley, who now has While the setting in the sequel has changed, the stale plot,
/F an ta
A d ve n tu re an
er s th at become an extremely successful inventor of flat humor, and uninventive dialogue have not. Levy seems
gu ar d di sc ov
A m us eu m us es di sp la ys to products such as the “glow-in-the-dark intent upon revisiting stereotypical gimmicks throughout the
e ca
an ci en t cu rs
co m e to li fe .. . flashlight,” the “super-big dog bone” and film. For instance, as if the conniving, slightly annoying, but
the “un-losable key ring.” redeemably endearing monkey routine had not been exhaust-
Yet feeling unfulfilled with his life (a theme painfully ed over ten years ago in “Dunston Checks In,” Levy bombards
traced throughout the film), Larry soon finds himself back at us with it. This includes borrowing a scene from the first
the Museum of Natural History where he learns that many of “Night at the Museum”, where Stiller and the monkey engage
| CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 |
6
9 ROXY’S ON A BOAT!
.27.0
ampus heated up this past week! Besides the scorching across the dance floor as
LINE U P
C weather, last weekend played host to Stanford’s annual par- he was “observing” us,
9-5
ties “Exotic Erotic” and “Cowabunga.” Needless to say, there making sure that we
were plenty of reasons and chances to scratch that itch. But of are all safe as the waves
5.22.0
course, the question on all of your minds is: How did Roxy spend rocked the ship. Our
her weekend? Roxy is pretty much over the traditional party scene, eyes locked, and the
and instead spent her Friday night ON A BOAT. next thing Roxy knew,
F A common spring quarter staple among dorms is boat dance, that cute first mate was
which essentially ends up being a booze cruise in San Francisco Bay. torpedoing her porthole
5pm: Relay For Life Roxy loves boat dances because not only are they a great change of in one of the bathrooms.
Wilbur Field pace to a stuffy frat house, but she gets to enjoy one of her favorite After Roxy was all warmed up,
come support the fight against cancer kinds of men — seamen. There’s nothing like rocking an already she decided to go for a hat trick — setting
rocking boat, enjoying all the seamen from all the semen. Hmm, her periscope on the ship’s captain. Of
8pm: Stanford Student Film Festival Roxy thinks she might have gotten that spelling mixed up. course Roxy believes in aquatic safety and would never want to dis-
Cubberly Aud.
But of course, getting your sail off on a boat is not as easy as it tract the captain from piloting the boat — a captain’s duty does
check out the filmmakers Stanford has to offer
sounds, and there are definitely right and wrong ways to go about come first after all. Roxy’s favorite nautical rule is that the captain
doing things, especially during a boat dance. First off, Roxy quickly always goes down with the ship. Since the ship wasn’t going down,
ignored all the other Stanford guys that were hitting on her. Roxy she decided to instead. Roxy could tell the captain was enjoying his
Sa can tap that any time of the week — tonight was all about the crew time because he had to crash the boat into a couple of waves to hide
members . . . and their members. The first man-candy that Roxy the rocking on the bridge.
8pm: Stanford Student Film Festival targeted on the boat was the bartender. Roxy has her priorities Then Roxy’s mission was complete. Once the ship docked on
Cubberly Aud.
down, and knows that all it takes is a good quickie behind the bar to dry land again, she quickly cleaned up all the ocean spray and joined
prizes awarded for films shown on Thursday
get free drinks for the rest of the night. The beautiful thing about the rest of her land-lovers. Good thing Roxy didn’t tell any of her
and Friday
bars is that the bartender can still make his drinks while I’m having boat dance conquests that she’s a pirate, or else they might have
7pm: Fleet Street Spring Show mine down below. made her walk their planks . . . or climb the mast . . . or heaven for-
Dink With the bartender’s notch added to my legendary belt, Roxy’s bid, scrub the poop deck — which Roxy is not a huge fan of at all.
check out never-before-heard songs! next target was the first mate. Roxy spotted her cabin boy from
XOXO,
Roxy SASS
S
7pm: Spiritually Uplifting Open Mic
| CONTINUED FROM “MUSEUM” PAGE 10 |
CoHo
a mixture of poetry, different kinds of music
and jamming in slapping each other in a back-and-forth that, unless you
are eight years old, becomes more frustratingly uncom-
fortable by the second.
M It is not as if “Battle at the Smithsonian” does not
boast a gifted cast. Aside from those already mentioned,
8pm: Jazz Jams Robin Williams (Teddy Roosevelt), Christopher Guest
CoHo (Ivan the Terrible), Ricky Gervais and Bill Hader (General
just chill out and relax George Custer) lend their considerable talents to the film.
Hader and Guest, in particular, transcend what is, for the
most part, overworked dialogue to provide amusing cari-
catures of their respective historical figures. However, the
T film’s writing really does not do justice to this ensemble of
actors, many of whom must work awkwardly with lines
7pm: Tango Night aimed at a younger audience.
CoHo Furthermore, Levy and company fall short in crafting
learn it for the ladies
the magical world they aim to create. Much of this can be
attributed to a brutally formulaic narrative that Levy tries
4:30pm: An Evening with Kal Penn
Kresge to inflate with a series of amateur themes that would make
it’s Kumar! talking about politics! a sixth-grade book report seem erudite by comparison.
And while the film operates under a far-fetched, fantasti-
cal premise that allows one to look past certain plot incon-
sistencies (of which there are many), some are simply too
W
egregious to ignore — such as when Earhart flies Larry
from the Smithsonian to New York, undetected, in her
8pm: Stanford Latin Jazz Ensemble
CoHo famous Lockheed Vega 5b plane, which evidently is still
caliente! equipped with fuel after all these years.
Ultimately, “Battle of the Smithsonian” is a children’s
movie and I would not recommend the film for anyone
else. While Stiller can be counted on to deliver a couple of
Th
good laughs, “Battle” is just another rudimentary, manu-
factured product off the assembly line that skirts logic and
8pm: Justin Saragueta intelligence all in the name of contrived comedy.
CoHo
another fabulous CoHo concert
— derek KNOWLES
8pm: Robber Barons Spring Show contact derek: dknowles@stanford.edu
Campbell Recital Hall
let them tickle your funnybone
friday may 22 2009 11
MOViE REViEW
SHALL WE KISS?
Shall We Kiss?” opens with an invigorating lack of pream- charming viewing.
“ ble. A woman asks a man on a street corner where she can Perhaps its most “French” quality is its
find a taxi, but he knows of none nearby. When the two unhurried pace, which provides a richness to
seem ready to part, he thinks better of walking away, and from much of the material, but which does strain the
the time he walks back to her, the two stay together far later viewer’s patience. It’s a 96-minute movie that feels
into the night. They find themselves in a car, and the man, at least an hour longer. This happens as a result of
Gabriel (Michaël Cohen), asks the woman, Judith
(Virginie Ledoyen), for a goodbye kiss. Gabriel is careful
and desiring, and Judith is interested and hesitant, but the
pull and tension of their conversation lies entirely outside
of their words. Their tone and their diction sound more
like two scientists discussing a theorem than two attrac-
tive people expressing their attraction. It’s the first, and
the most fascinating, of conversations in the film where understanding of it.
characters search for a way to control their feelings in the In a film so reliant upon scenes between two
sturdiness of calm words. people, individual performances don’t call attention to
The energy of these first scenes flags somewhat over themselves, and rarely do the actors have to carry a great
the film’s full running time, but the intrigue of how weight by themselves. You get the sense that they could,
events will resolve themselves lasts until the final frames. however, as the ensemble work is uniformly excellent.
Neither Judith nor Gabriel is single, but she explains to Ledoyen finds herself handling the most complex material
him her reservations not by appeals to loyalty, but to as Judith, a narrator in many senses; but she rises excellent-
photos courtesy paramount pictures ly to the occasion and is particularly stellar in handling the
precedent; she has a story weighing on her mind. She
then begins narrating the experiences of Émilie (Julie film’s bittersweet ending.
Gayet) and Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret), two friends who the film’s structure, which writer-director Mouret (also acting All in all, “Shall We Kiss?” is a sometimes-trying but alto-
wind up finding a kiss a far more complex thing than either of adeptly as Nicolas) stages as essentially a never-ending series of gether rewarding experience. It offers fine conversation and
them had expected. The film unfolds and increasingly inter- conversations between two people. Even his camera-work feels charms you over and over with its small discoveries. In its
weaves the two pairings over the rest of its running time. uncomfortable unless he has two characters in frame at the characters’ attempts to find wisdom (and escape) in story-
It’s a very French concept for a very French movie. “Shall same time. In the rare instances of close-ups, or the still- telling and formality, you can see much of what the film itself
We Kiss?” came out in Europe in 2007, as “Un baiser s’il vous scarcer scenes with only one character, he makes sure to pair offers: not solace, exactly, but a comfort. More films would do
plait,” but has only made it across the Atlantic recently. That on and double with another of the same variety. The film is as well to have such modest aim — and to so patiently attain it.
its own will be enough to turn many away; those who can’t insecure in lingering on one person as some of its characters
stomach the combination of wit and red wine — a perfectly are with their partners; yet with each successive tour-de-force — eric MESSINGER
forgivable stance — should avoid this movie if at all possible. of restrained dialogue, the film comes closer to saying, and contact eric: messinger@stanford.edu
For those with the taste for it, though, “Shall We Kiss?” offers a finding, something profound about love and lovers’ fleeting
MOViE REViEW
“DANCE FLICK:” A FAILED PARODY
ll you really need to know about Dance Flick is that it is Herein lies the greatest problem with Dance Flick, apart different take on the film, laughing uproariously throughout
Wayans’ movies, is characterized by a painful — but not unex- inevitably — even though s t a else, Dance Flick is not for you.
TO
ita l
he v
2
10...
pected — brand of comedy that is presented with all the sub- everyone knows it’s coming t F l i ck
tlety of a Looney Tunes episode. For instance, in the first 10 — throw in a blatant D a
nce
— derek KNOWLES
minutes of the film, a woman is crushed to death after being Brokeback Mountain allusion, c o n t a c t d e r e k : d k n o wles@stanford.edu
13
hit consecutively by three different cars, a pregnant street thus proving that they are not P G -m e d y s U n
nd
cles a to
Co homa team up
dancer graphically gives birth during a performance, a charac- above reusing jokes that cer T e
t r e e t dan egan Whit ce battle.
S
ter named Ms. Cameltoé (Amy Sedaris) is introduced, and arguably were never funny and, b e a u t i f u l Mn a g r e a t d a n
te i
Megan (Shoshana Bush), a naïve white girl with aspirations of worse yet, grew old about three c o m p e
participating in dance battles, applies blackface before going to years ago. Furthermore, with the
a club. whole movie consisting of transparent set-
Officially directed by Damien Wayans in his directorial ups to agonizingly clichéd punchlines, the
debut, Dance Flick tells the story of Megan and Thomas Uncles Wayans seem to live by the creed that if
(Damon Wayans Jr.), a street dancer with an ambiguous sexu- something isn’t funny the first time, then
al orientation, who team up to win a dance contest. Ultimately, perhaps repeating the same gimmick
the plot — or rather, the compilation of scenes — is unimpor- throughout the film will elicit a different
tant. The film, written by almost the entire Wayans family response. In this case, it never does.
(Keenen, Shawn, Marlon, Craig and Damien), parodies more Perhaps the most alarming aspect of my
sincere competitive dance-themed movies like Step Up and Dance Flick experience was that the audience
Save the Last Dance. in the screening appeared to have a much
12 intermission
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