6A — Monday, February 16, 2015
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Storytelling is still 
valuable for all ages

By BAILEY KADIAN

For the Daily

When I was little, I insisted 

that my dad tell me stories before 
I went to bed. I didn’t have any 
guidelines — I just wanted a 
story. They ranged from child-
hood memories at our cottage to 
days at school to anything else 
that came to his mind while sit-
ting at the edge of my bed.

Bedtime stories serve as a way 

for children to feed their grow-
ing imagination with pieces of 
narration. Children have youth-
ful spirits that long for adventur-
ous and exciting stories. And I 
don’t think I am all that different 
now. My imagination still yearns 
for some sort of adventure and 
I, along with presumably many 
others, turn to storytelling as a 
means of satisfying that desire. 
My eagerness to expand my 
imagination through storytell-
ing is just as prevalent now as 
it was 10 years ago. My dad’s 
description of “a warm and 
sunny day at the cottage” or “a 
cool, but beautiful football Sat-
urday” sparked the growth of 
my imagination. Storytelling, 
whether 
through 
literature, 

film, music or my dad’s sponta-
neous narratives, exists as a way 
for us to learn more about our-
selves through an exchange of 
reality for fictional exploration.

Now, I’m the nightly sto-

ryteller for my younger sister 
Tess. As I have grown to real-
ize the importance of this ritual 
through my own childhood, it 
comes as no surprise that my sis-
ter is just like me. She wants to 
listen to stories, too. There is an 
art within storytelling in which 
every person longs to engage. 
My sister and I aren’t the first 
children to insist on bedtime 
stories, and we certainly won’t 

be the last.

Storytelling 
will 
always 

remain a dominant part of our 
culture, but we must realize 
that there is a crucial compo-
nent to this practice that can-
not subside: the need to feed our 
imagination through our own 
creativity.

In this rapidly developing 

world, 
technology 
is 
every-

where, and children most often 
hear stories through digital 
media such as TV, games and 
whatever is immediately avail-
able electronically. As a result, 
young children are not devel-
oping their visual imagery, but 
relying on the images already 
handed to them. The exchange 
of storytelling from person to 
person is valuable, and though 
our culture is moving past the 
simplicity of it, I’m not sure 
that’s much of a benefit to our 
society.

We know the entertainment 

industry is vast and will continue 
to grow because people want to 
consume entertainment that is 
relatable. Psychological research 
has even proven that storytell-

ing involves the process of our 
brain projecting ourselves within 
the story being told, creating an 
attachment and interaction with 
the work. As such, we can better 
understand ourselves. And, I’m 
not sure I’ll ever figure myself out, 
so I’ll take all the help I can get.

The value of my father’s bed-

time stories comes from the free-
dom I had to imagine. The way 
his stories were recited to me was 
real, the way they were recalled 
was real and through their hon-
esty, I was able to connect with 
them. 
Our 
imaginations 
are 

fueled by creativity and it is cru-
cial we nurture these elements. In 
an age where we want to make an 
impact on the world and develop 
our minds to achieve amazing 
things, the core of that pursuit is 
found in the vastness and depth of 
our imaginations.

So am I too old to listen to 

bedtime 
stories? 
Yeah, 
that 

would probably be childish. 
But do I still want to grow and 
develop my imagination through 
a story, just as I did when I was a 
child? Yes, I do, and I encourage 
you all to do the same.

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

“Dad, can you tell us about the time someone tried to mess with the Zohan?”

‘50 Shades’ won’t 
please audiences

The BDSM-lite film 
almost lives up to 

its potential 

By CHLOE GILKE

Managing Arts Editor

By 2014, E L James’s erotic 

fantasy “Fifty Shades of Grey” 
had sold over 100 million copies, 
been 
translated 

into more than 
50 languages and 
unseated 
J.K. 

Rowling’s “Harry 
Potter” series as 
the 
fastest-sell-

ing novel of all 
time. Some critics 
reviled the book 
for its inaccurate 
portrayal of the 
BDSM 
commu-

nity and glorifica-
tion of an “abusive” relationship, 
but U.S. sales continued to sky-
rocket. With a novel this virile 
and phenomenal, the obvious 
next step was to adapt it into a 
movie so the series could rake 
in even more cash — and, more 
importantly, give millions of fans 
the opportunity to see all the 
bondage-suffused, manipulative 
romance played out on a screen, 
not in their imagination.

As I have never read James’s 

novel, I wasn’t entirely sure 
what to expect when I saw “Fifty 
Shades.” But upon leaving the 
theater, I was struck by how seri-
ously the film took itself. “Fifty 
Shades of Grey” rejects its trashy 
pedigree, using an R rating and 
the stylistic specificity of film to 
transform the scruffy plot and 
find its inner goddess. Director 
Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Nowhere 
Boy”) swathes the film in desatu-
rated tones and gorgeous close-
ups and sets the action to the 
pulsing musical beats of Beyoncé 
and The Rolling Stones. The film 
uses every tool in its cinemato-
graphic playroom to let viewers 
know that this isn’t the same fan-
tasy they read on their flight to 
Newark. It’s a slow, sleek and sexy 
film, markedly subtle even when 
it doesn’t have to be.

The film’s two-hour runtime 

unfolds in languid confidence. 
At times, the deliberate pacing 
borders on sluggish, but often-
times this carefulness works in 
the plot’s favor. After Anastasia 
Steele (Dakota Johnson, “Ben 
and Kate”) attempts her fate-

ful interview with millionaire 
entrepreneur 
Christian 
Grey 

(Jamie Dornan, “The Fall”), the 
pair take almost 40 minutes to 
climb into bed. But their ensuing 
foreplay is delightfully fun, and 
these awkward encounters serve 
as a means of demonstrating who 
they are as characters. Christian 
meets Ana in the hardware store 
where she works and asks her to 
show him where he can buy the 
cable ties, ropes and tape he needs 
for his handyman collection. It’s 
a cheeky way to introduce that 
Christian is into all things kinky, 
and Ana can’t look into his dreamy 
gray eyes without blushing.

The film is surprisingly well-

cast, and Johnson’s performance 
as Ana is especially strong. She 
embodies the dichotomy of Ana’s 
character perfectly — despite her 
contractual status as a submissive, 
she’s smart and self-confident, 
always setting her limits and pull-
ing back when Christian doesn’t 
treat her with respect. Dornan 
gives a slightly less compelling 
performance as Mr. Grey, but with 
those eyes that seem to simulta-
neously scream “fuck me” and 
“I have a room full of zip ties and 
tape and I might use them for more 
than just sex stuff,” he embod-
ies the character even without a 
spectacular performance. Despite 
rumors that the two actors despise 
one another in real life, they exude 
chemistry whenever they share 
the screen. Especially in the more 
tender scenes where Christian 
exposes his emotional vulnerabil-
ity, Johnson and Dornan shine as 
a couple.

But their romantic encoun-

ters translate rather poorly to the 
screen. Maybe it’s because the film 
is rated R instead of the NC-17 that 
the book surely merits, but the sex 

scenes are remarkably unsexy. 
Nudity isn’t a crucial component 
for a scene to be steamy; still, it’s 
unfair that the woman must bare 
all and the camera cuts away 
before viewers could glimpse a 
naked man. For a film shamelessly 
marketed for female viewers, and 
written and directed by women, 
the film displays Ana like some 
piece of spineless meat rather than 
the strong lady we (and Christian) 
know she is. Christian holds his 
whip and leers at her, while the 
camera shows her suffering from 
his point of view. The screen rarely 
affords us her perspective. This is 
quite a far cry from a novel narrat-
ed by Ana. And much of what goes 
on in the playroom doesn’t read as 
particularly titillating. Everyone 
around me in the theater burst 
into giggles when Christian tick-
led Ana with a giant, absurd prop 
peacock feather. This silliness is 
characteristic of the sex scenes in 
the rest of the movie; for an adap-
tation of an erotic novel, the bed-
room action is fairly flaccid.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” may be 

best encompassed with the words 
of Christian Grey: this movie is 
“fifty shades of fucked-up.” While 
it’s endowed with a good cast and 
features solid filmmaking, like 
Christian himself, the movie has 
a hollow heart. With the abusive 
undertones implied in Christian’s 
final seduction and an ending 
that gives viewers the cinematic 
equivalent of blue balls, the film 
wipes out any semblance of fun 
it built up in the previous two 
hours. “Fifty Shades” tries to be 
serious, but its inner goddess gets 
buried under a mountain of nar-
rative problems that might have 
been avoided had the film just 
embraced the beautiful trash it 
was meant to be.

B-

‘Fifty 
Shades 
of Grey’

Rave and 
Quality 16

Universal Pictures

Kanye goes couture

By MARA MACLEAN

For the Daily

Just a few days before New York 

Fashion Week, square, crinkled, 
plastic packages were sent to 
some of fashion and music’s big-
gest names. After a few cryptic 
instagrams of the anorak invites 
from Eva Chen and Khloé Kar-
dashian appeared online, Kanye 
West revealed Yeezy Season 1, his 
sportswear 
collaboration 
with 

Adidas, would be shown on Feb. 12 
as part of fashion week.

Yeezy Season 1 didn’t seem to 

be as much about the clothing, 
but more about West’s reasoning 
behind creating. He shared his 
philosophy in a voice recording 
before the models were illuminat-
ed in uniform rows.

“I want people to feel like it’s 

OK to create and follow what their 
dreams are and not feel boxed in. I 
want people to feel like awesome is 
possible,” he said.

West paired with conceptual 

artist Vanessa Beecroft to cap-
ture “the relentless pace of con-
temporary lives.” The collection 
featured many nude bodysuits à la 
Beecroft on models of all shapes 
and sizes. The ripped sweaters 
and oversize sweatshirts were 
not particularly new to the run-
way, but unique additions to an 
athletic wear line nonetheless. 
The jackets and outerwear, like 
the white shearling coat, were 
standouts as compared to the 
rather blah collection.

The line’s accessories — leg 

warmers, oversized backpacks 
and leather duffels — proved 
stronger 
than 
the 
muted 

bodysuits. The Yeezy Boost, a 
chukka boot inspired sneaker, 
was the show’s focus, and right-
fully so. The sneaker showcases 
everything West stands for: inno-
vation, beauty and simplicity.

Love him or hate, Kanye’s 

determination to create is admi-
rable. The collection, in terms 
of aesthetic quality, was not 
exactly comparable to Thakoon 
or Comme des Garçons. How-
ever, there is much to be said 
for West’s commitment to doing 
something different, even if it’s 
30 plus looks involving tights.

He wanted to show that no 

artist should fear creating or 
awesomeness. West is consumed 
by the idea of what impact he 
will leave on the world. Some 
believe this to be arrogant or 
narcissistic, but aren’t we all 
trying to leave a positive impact, 
whatever that may be? Kanye is 
pursuing every different route of 
art in the hopes of a great effect. 
So what if he calls himself a 
designer? He’s trying, he’s creat-
ing, he’s promoting this lifestyle. 
And he has Anna Wintour’s 
backing.

But even if fashion isn’t his 

forte, West closed the show with 
his new single “Wolves” featur-
ing Sia and it was dope.

ADIDAS ORIGINALS

Yeezy season approaching.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

“I’m fifty shades of fucked up.”

FILM REVIEW
COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

STYLE RECAP

