0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - 5A EVENT PREVEW Festival to feature Chinese cinema Electric Shadows Film Series to bring five popular works By KATHLEEN DAVIS DailyArts Writer A cinematically stunning his- torical revenge thriller that chron- icles the life of the kung-fu master who trained Bruce Lee. Electric A roman- tic comedy ShadOWS: that follows UM Premiere a ditzy Bei- jing socialite Contemporary as she moves Chinese Film to Seattle to have her mar- SeneS ried lover's Wednesday,Sept. baby with- 10 to Wednesday, out scandal, Oct.8 but mostly because of The MichiganTheater her love for "Sleepless in 9 p.m. Seattle." A sci-fi mystery about ayoung detec- tive trying to solve the mystery of agiant sea serpent stalkinghis city at night. Varied as these summaries are, they describe three of five Chinese films to be shown at the upcoming inaugural Electric Shadows Film Series, presented by the Lieber- thal-Roger Center for Chinese Studies and UM's Confucius Insti- tute. The institute, established by former University President Mary Sue Coleman, serves to strengthen ties between educational pro- grams in Ann Arbor and China. Electric Shadows will run from September 10 to October 8, and all screeningsare free and opentothe public and accompanied by Eng- lish subtitles. The films described above ("The Grandmaster," "Fiqding Mr. Right" and "Young, Detec- tive Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" respectively), along with "Ameri- can Dreams in China" and "Jour- ney to the West" were chosen for being the most popular and excit- ing Chinese language films of2013. The festival is curated by Markus Nornes, professor of Asian Cinema in both the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University.. Electric Shadows Film Festival is not the first of its kind in Ann Arbor. Regular film series have been held over the years through UM's centers for Japanese, Kore- an, South and Southeast Asian and Chinese studies, and are frequent- ly met with great acclaim. In fact, the University's Center for Japa- nese Studies film series began in Ann Arbor in 1975, making it by far the oldest Japanese film series in America and, accordingto Nornes, likely anywhere outside Japan. Over the years, the University has featured numerous Chinese language films in Ann Arbor, however many of these have been documentaries rather than mainstream blockbusters. Elec- tric Shadows will mark the first mainstream Chinese film series presented by the Confucius Insti- tute at the University, a large step for fans of Chinese cinema in Ann Arbor. Nornes is happy aboutthe ways the University has been accom- modating for Asian cinema in the past, and is optimistic about the possibilities for the future. According to Nornes, his position as Professor of Asian Cinema at the University was also the first of its kind in North America, a springboard he's used to col- laborate with the Asian centers on campus to bring unique film events to Ann Arbor. With this inaugural collaboration with the Confucius Institute, there is potential for even more pos- sibilities for future Chinese film eventsi "Because this is one of my research specialties, I've often been involved in the selection of films and invitation of guests (for Asian film events)," Nornes said. "These included bringing one of the greatest action stars of Hong Kong cinema, and even inviting the programnmer and filmmakers of a banned film festival to show their films in Ann Arbor. They have always been exciting times." While Nornes' professional focus is typically on Japanese cin- ema, specifically documentaries, his expansive knowledge in these two fields has helped him create an exciting and thorough festival lineup for Ann Arbor residents interested in mainstream Asian film. "There is great diversity in this selection, from arty action films to straight ahead melodramas," Nornes said. "They are all in a popular mode of filmmaking that is really engaging." Nornes noted that this engag- ing style of film is not unlike contemporary American cinema. Similarities between these films and recent American movies are certainly present, whether this was the intention of the filmmak- ers or not. For example, the sec- ond film in the series, "American Dreams in China," is a fast-paced business drama about college friends with an innovative mon- eymaking idea that propels them into fortune and leads to endan- gered partnerships. The film quickly brings to mind David Fincher's 2010 box office hit "The Social Network," in both plot and engagingcinematic style. "(This style) mirrors the diversity of our own cinema in America, and Chinese filmmak- ers tweak things according to their own artistic, cultural and historical sensibilities," Nornes said. "Viewers with little expe- rience watching Chinese film will be fascinated by the echoes they'll see between the genres and approaches they are used to here and their Chinese versions." Dude, where's my bike? 'Sons of Anarchy' drags in season premiere FX's motorcycle gang saga is running out of gas By CHLOE GILKE Daily TV/New Media Editor In the final minutes of the sev- enth-season premiere of "Sons of Anarchy," an innocent man is beaten and tor- tured while a + Southern rock cover of "Bohe- Sons of mian Rhapso- dy" plays in the AnaWhy background. Season Seven While "SoA" is Premiere reliably violent and difficult to Tuesdays watch, the rea- at10p.m. son I cringed and covered )X my eyes this time wasn't just out of sympa- thy for the rival gun-runner. I couldn't stand to watch Jax Tell- er (Charlie Hunnam, "Pacific Rim"), the supposed hero of the series - the man who wanted to change the gang for the better and live a peaceful life with his high school sweetheart, the dis- senting voice and idealistic son - pour salt in a man's wounds to avenge a murder his poor victim didn't commit. It's frustrating to be a long- time viewer of "Sons of Anar- chy." As the series limps toward its end, moments like this have become more typical. That's due in part to the fact that there's more of "Sons" to watch than ever before. The premiere is 75 minutes long without com- mercials and the show uses that extra running time to insert moreunnecessary musical mon- tages set to classic rock covers (the opening of the episode is a five minute montage to "Never My Love" that serves zero pur- pose). The entire first half hour of the episode could have been cut with little consequence, as most of it just reestablishes the score from last year. Dragging conversations are interrupted with violence that only exists to ramp up the body count, usually at the expense of the women and characters of color on the show. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if every female character on the show wasn't either dead, gonna die or a porn star. Gemma Teller (Katey Sagal, "S Simple Rules") used to be one of the most colorful characters on the show, but lately she's been=reduced to a . sad caricature of an Evil Mom. The injustice is evident in the usually-great Katey Sagal's performance, as she mumbles her lines with little conviction or interest. Gemma is walking on eggshells after the murder of her daughter-in-law last season, trying to throw the cops and Jax off her trail by passing it off as an act of gang violence. This could be good material, if only Gemma's motivations were more clear. Who exactly is she devoted to? Why would she allow the club she's so adamant to protect fall into danger under the leadership of her reckless, grief-stricken son? Gemma is an inscrutable witch in black leather, the potential of a great anti-heroine wasted with poor plotting and halfhearted performance. Since everybody on "Sons" is always so miserable, it's not easy to find joy in watching the show. I didn't write the pre- miere date on my TV calendar and didn't watch my screen- ers until the last minute; not because I didn't want to, but because I don't want to see how it all ends. It's inevitable that the end is gonna hurt like hell - I've read "Hamlet," upon which "Sons" is loosely based, and I've browsed interviews and fan speculation about who will die. (There's practically a time-stamp on the bottom of the screen, telling you that poor Juice is episodes away from meeting the Reaper.) But unlike Shakespeare, which deals out the pain and tragedy in a three- hour play and five quick acts, by the time it's over, "Sons of Anarchy" will have dragged the agony to 92 hours. Despite the slow parts, the most brutal moments of "Sons of Anarchy" are viscerally painful and point toward the power of this show. Somehow, these rough and rude men slip through the cracks of their poorly-written dialogue and brand themselves onto your heart like the SAMCRO tat- toos that decorate their backs. I wince my way through a hundred musical montages and lament the poor character development of Gemma Teller, because I hate that I care so damn much. I'm harsh, because I know "Sons of Anarchy" could be powerful and good (if not great) if it simply would get all its shit together. And I know I'm going to watch regardless of whether it actually does that, because I'm a sucker for misery porn and I can't look away. Daily in the Alley up cycles art Dally in the Alley is like the laid-back love child of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and Sonic Lunch. Artists, musicians and vendors line the streets of the Cass Corridor in Detroit, winding between alleyways and behind PAIGE apartment PFLEGER complexes. Twinkle lights are strung between build- ings and across parking lots, dangling over soundstages and hand painted signs that read "whatupdoe? Dally 2014," appropriately adorned with rainbows. The event draws an eclectic crowd, from the local Detroit hipsters to frat bros from Michi- gan State. The performers and artists that make the event what it is, however, have one thing in common: They create art that fosters community in the city, and promotes Detroit for what it really is - a kick-ass creative commons accessible to everyone. "Dally has always been one of my favorite events," Najah Neimah, a Detroit resident and University alumna said. "The neighborhood comes together, there's good music, great ven- dors, and amazing food. I love the pierogis," she added with a laugh, "Gotta' go get some." This is Neimah's seventh time at Dally, but this year is differ- ent. Instead of walking the rows of vendors, she stands beneath a white tent amongst racks of vin- tage clothing. She's selling her line of hand-picked clothes for her business, Norah's Vintage. Amongst the lineup of Dally vendors, there were more vin- tage stores and some clothing vendors with a twist: print shops that screen-print Detroit-centric designs on T-shirts. Detroit- based SMPLFYD carries stores throughout Detroit and even the U.S., like City Bird, owned by a University grad, or Signal Return in Eastern Market. "We are really able to get our- self out there to crowds that nor- mally wouldn't see us," Justin Fishaw, co-owner of SMPLFYD said. "It's a very collective, eclec- tic crowd. That guy has one of our shirts on," he said, pointing at a man walking by in a Tiger t-shirt with the word DETROIT stamped on the front. Snap-back hats that read "Detroit Players" and a shirt that shows off The Supremes, one of Motown's legends, hang from the tent walls. He swats at a few bees that are buzzing around him - an infestation that is pretty common for Dally. He was stung twice last year. A lot of Dally artists use something less conventional than clothing as their canvas, like Kyle Dubay, who makes home-decor out of reclaimed wood found across the city for his business, Woodward Throwbacks. The table is scat- tered with burnt wood coasters, or placards that stamped with "Motown," "8 Mile" and more. Under the table are wooden six pack carriers, equipped with a handle and a bottle opener on the side. "They're all a little bit differ- ent," Dubay said to a customer eyeing the carriers. "Even the handles, some of them are broom handles, some of them are pieces of railings." Though the products vary, Dubay picked each out of dumping sites or out of the streets of Detroit. Found object art is a popular trend in the city. Aubrey Smythe and his wife, Elena, take found objects from the city and repurpose them into something new, whether it be jewelry or a collaborative painting. The Smythe's busi- ness, Armageddon Beachparty & Co., matches the vibe they give off - bohemian style vests, dreads laced with beads, and necklaces of wrapped copper wire. "Everything we paint on is from the streets of Detroit in an attempt to clean up the city," Smythe said. Not surprisingly, found object art is a popular trend in the city and at Dally. With Detroit's historical buildings and neigh- borhoods, a pile of bricks or bro- ken glass could be considered relics of a different time. That's part of what makes the current art communities in Detroit so innovative - they are building upon what most would consider torn down, taking objects and inspiration from the ashes and arising to create the Detroit that stands today. Pfleger is dallying around the city. To join her, e-mail pspfleg@umich.edu. f 4 ,s.