2B — Thursday, January 7, 2016
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Best Student Productions of 2015

1. Spring Awakening

Standing out among the

student productions of 2015,
“Spring Awakening” presented
edgy and bold material that
left the audience dazzled, if
not slightly unsettled. Brought
to
campus
by
MUSKET,

Michigan’s oldest student run
theater group, this pop rock
opera enthralled its audience
with shouts of adolescent rage
and passion as it followed
German
school
children

through their struggles with
sexuality and independence.
The musical ebbed and flowed
with the music as characters
broke out of their scenes in
moments of climactic emotion
to
relay
their
unbearable

state of mind to the audience.
Presenting songs that ranged
from
heartfelt
ballads
like

“The Dark I Know Well” to
fits of anger like “The Bitch of
Living,” the music alternately

tugged
at
the
audience’s

heartstrings and inspired them
to jump out of their seats and
join the cacophony on stage.
Meticulously
choreographed

and
designed,
MUSKET

once again graced us with an
adaptation of a Tony Award
winning musical that broke
every boundary, changed the
meaning of taboo and left
nothing to the imagination.
Months
of
preparation

and
production
member’s

dedication made this musical
a standout production of 2015,
and
of
MUSKET’s
lengthy

repertoire.
Sensuality
and

anger
melded
together
to

create a musical that made
problems faced by children in
19th century Germany relevant
to modern college students,
and that is an achievement of
epic proportions.

-NATALIE ZAK

3. Henry IV

SMTD’s
MainStage
pro-

duction of “Henry IV Part 1”
showcased the depth of tal-
ent that SMTD students offer,
while
providing
audiences

with a captivating perfor-
mance of one of Shakespeare’s
most well-known plays root-
ed in history. This play tells
the story of King Henry IV, a
king fearful for the fate of his
kingdom once he steps down
from the throne, given that his
son Hal is next in line and is
driven more by free spirit and
youth than the constitution
of a prince. Lord Northum-
berland and Hotspur threaten
King Henry’s throne believ-
ing the king to be a usurper of
it, and plot to overthrow the
royal family. The SMTD cast
was lively, demonstrating a
clear grasp of the difficulty of
Shakespeare’s language and
the vocal complexity of the

text, which required accents
for multiple characters. Char-
acters Falstaff and Hotspur
gave particularly captivating
performances, as they added a
layer of humor that was well-
received
and
appreciated.

Directed by Performing Arts
Prof. Rob Najarian, the com-
bat scenes were well-staged
and executed and displayed
the hard work and rigorous
effort put in by cast members.
The production took place
in the Power Center, with a
respectable audience turnout,
many of whom were frequent
Shakespeare-goers. For a play
like “Henry IV Part 1,” which
is a challenge for modern audi-
ences to follow, SMTD did not
fail to deliver a performance
of both understanding and est
eem.

-BAILEY KADIAN

Best Films of 2015

Plot-driven and emotionally

powerful, “Marvel’s Jessica
Jones” makes us believe that
superheroes are people too.
Private
investigator
Jessica

Jones (Krysten Ritter, “Don’t
Trust the B in Apartment 23”)
puts her superhuman strength
aside as she struggles to move
on from her past. The Netf-
lix show, based on the Brian
Michael Bendis comic series,
explores common dynamics
of power and manipulation
within the context of a super-
natural world. Among other
outstanding accomplishments,
the Marvel series captures

the
all-consuming
psycho-

logical manipulation of sexual
assault without ever showing
the abuse on screen. Instead,
the show focuses on develop-
ing complicated characters to
drive the 13-episode arc for-
ward. Unapologetic, witty and
inarguably
flawed,
Jessica

brilliantly exhibits a raw vul-
nerability often lost in flashy
dramas, and is able to tell a
moving story while sporting a
single pair of faded jeans and
downing countless bottles of
whiskey.

-DANIELLE YACOBSON

“Hello
friend,”
Elliot

Alderson (Rami Malek, “Short
Term 12”) says, introducing
the viewer to the world of “Mr.
Robot,” a haunting mirror of
today. Unexpectedly hosted by
USA Network, Sam Esmail’s
(“Comet”) “Mr. Robot” draws
from the crises and worries
surrounding
technology

to
explore
loneliness
and

uncertainty in a time of constant
connection and information.

Anchoring the show with

a
powerhouse
performance,

Malek captures the disturbed
figure of Elliot, a hacker that
simultaneously knows so much
and so little about himself
and those surrounding him,
including the enigmatic title
character devilishly played by
Christian
Slater
(“Breaking

In”). Wracked by social anxiety,
addiction and hallucinations,
Elliot becomes the unreliable
narrator of a series that begins
as a techno-thriller and spirals
into a dark, twisted odyssey of
personal identity in modern
times.

In an era where people project

carefully constructed identities
online and corporations wave
an invisible hand of influence
over every aspect of everyday
life, “Mr. Robot” challenges
viewers to look through the
shadows of ambiguity, peel
back the layers of deception and
dig through all the bullshit that
makes up society to reveal the
insanity behind it all and ask
the question: What is real?

-MATT BARNAUSKAS

2. “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Someday, there will be a

wonderful documentary in the
vein of “Hearts of Darkness”
about the making of “Mad Max:
Fury Road.” The film went to
development hell and back —
and emerged an iron-clad war
machine, roaring its engines
and screeching its tires through
the cosmic roads of Valhalla.
Here, the unparalleled star
power of Tom Hardy (“The
Dark Knight Rises”) and Char-
lize
Theron
(“Prometheus”)

combines
with
impeccable

cinematography
and
heavy

reliance on practical action set-
pieces to form a rhythmic chase
movie that’s simultaneously
larger-than-life and painfully
human. This is a tremendous
action film that even manages
to eschew the “guy movie”
label with its refreshing inclu-
sivity. It’s amazing to see a new
blockbuster that excels in both
cinema art and crowd-pleasing
so flawlessly. “Mad Max: Fury
Road” is an achievement that
anyone can enjoy.

-JACOB RICH

No one had quite the breakout

this year like comedian Aziz Ansari
(“Parks and Recreation”). Any fan
of Ansari’s standup knows that he
loves to talk about modern issues,
whether it’s the growing omnipres-
ence of technology or the underly-
ing insanity of monogamy. With
his new 10-episode Netflix series
“Master of None,” Ansari further
infuses insight and depth within
his topical humor by giving viewers
a refreshing take on the coming-
of-age narrative. In an age where
hyperconnectivity and ambition

reign over the average millennial,
Ansari captures the deep-seated
anxiety and excitement that comes
with life’s unpredictability. Not
only is the show endlessly funny,
beautifully filmed and well-acted,
but “Master of None” also works
on multiple levels. It charms as a
witty romantic comedy, thrives as
a thought-provoking commentary
on race and gender and gives a poi-
gnant portrayal of a man uncertain
of what he wants in life.

-SAM ROSENBERG

3. “Room”

For 9-year-old Jacob Trem-

blay, who plays 5-year-old Jack,
this will be known as “the per-
formance that started it all.” As
Jack and his 24-year-old mother,
Ma (Brie Larson), physically and
mentally transition from their
kidnapped life in captivity in
a tiny shed to “the real world,”
emotions spin out of control both
on screen and in the audience.
Instead of distinct bursts of sad-
ness, anger, or happiness, it’s a
powerful movie-long sensation of
sadnessangerhappiness.

Watching a young boy experi-

ence his firsts (first friend, first
bowl of ice cream, first haircut)
while also seeing his mother
struggle with PTSD makes us
feel everything at once. Compos-
er Stephen Rennicks enhances
these moments with a soundtrack
that causes streams of crocodile
tears just as a wide smile starts
to spread. When the end cred-
its appear, this amalgamation
of emotions subsides and one
thought remains: our past is and
always will be a part of us, but it
doesn’t define us.

-RACHEL RICHARDSON

2. Tribe

What defines a person? The

group they were born into or the
group they identify with? How
does this personal association
influence a person’s interests? How
does it affect the way they treat
those they love? Rude Mechani-
cals, a student run theater group,
posed these questions and more in
their production of “Tribes” this
past fall. Exploring the strained
dynamic of an aggressive and
overwhelmingly critical family of
five, “Tribes” centers on the deaf
Billy and his talkative and highly
opinionated British family. The
play expands on the silent world
of the deaf when Billy is thrown
into the path of Sylvia, a woman
who grew up in a deaf family and
is slowly growing deaf herself.
Having lacked support and emo-
tional guidance in his bitterly sar-
castic family, Billy seeks support
in Sylvia, and begins exploring
the tribes he never before identi-

fied with. Distinguishing itself
among the student productions of
2015, “Tribes” consisted of a cast
of six, all of whom worked to bal-
ance the family’s cries of anguish
and anger with Billy’s silent, stoic
demeanor. Tirelessly rehearsing to
perfect their British accents, the
cast worked with coaches simulta-
neously to accentuate their vowels
and enunciate with their hands.
The set introduced a version of
closed captioning, allowing the
characters to mime out the lines in
American Sign Language and have
the audience experience no loss
of understanding. Rude Mechani-
cals’ dedication to their characters
and production reflects a level of
integrity that usually character-
izes plays that come and go in
nationally renowned theaters, but
instead is conveniently available
right here on campus by passion-
ate students of all majors.

-NATALIE ZAK

Best TV
Shows of

2015

4. “Spotlight”

“Spotlight” is not a hero’s film.

Portraying the journalists who
uncovered the 2002 child abuse
scandal in Boston’s Catholic dio-
cese, the film adopts its reporters’
restraint and illuminates the story
rather than engaging in “prestige
cinema” self-promotion. Stripped
of stylistic frills and cheap sensa-
tionalization, no one escapes its
critical eye. Both the victim and
perpetrators’ lawyers navigate
moral grey areas, and refresh-
ingly, the complexities of each
party’s strategic decisions are not
demonized, glorified, or glam-

ourized. The victim portrayals are
also handled with care, appeal-
ing to audience empathy without
exploiting personal experiences.

This unobtrusive cinematic

philosophy lets “Spotlight” ask
big-picture questions. How do
institutional
structures
affect

transparency? Are strategic sac-
rifices morally unacceptable or
necessary? And most importantly,
if people all over Boston turned a
blind eye to this for years, what
could you be missing?

-VANESSA WONG

5. “Brooklyn”

“Brooklyn” follows a woman

faced with a series of tough alter-
natives. Eilis loves living at home
in small-town Ireland with her
mother and sister — but what if
she left for America and forged an
independent life? Eilis loves Tony
— but what about all the other
men out there, especially the ones
she has more in common with?
Eilis finds a spot of happiness in
her rapidly-changing life— but
what if homesickness and grief
threaten to wreck it all? What’s a
girl to do?

It speaks to “Brooklyn” ’s quali-

ty that viewers are so immediately

invested in Eilis’s fate. You’re right
there with her, weighing every
option, feeling every stab of pain
and smiling at every turn of fate.
Saoirse Ronan provides Eilis with
the subtle shades of a true master.
Her nuanced performance is easi-
ly one of the best of the year. Eilis is
a relatable everywoman, but she —
and the film itself — doesn’t want
for surprises. “Brooklyn” isn’t a
thriller (thankfully, there aren’t
any explosions or jewel heists),
but the movie successfully ramps
up the tension and delivers unex-
pected delight.

-CHLOE GILKE

2. “Master of None”
3. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”

4. “Mr. Robot”
5. “Fargo”

After a remarkable inaugural

season, “Fargo” had to answer
questions about whether lightning
could strike twice. Much like “True
Detective,” expectations were high
for its sophomore effort. However,
unlike the HBO limited series,
“Fargo” was able to pull off a sec-
ond season that improved upon the
first. The series told a story which
had a higher degree of difficulty,
featuring a full-on gang war among
the Gerhardt crime family, which
runs the Fargo and Kansas City
crime syndicate. This intersected
with the story of Ed Blumquist
(Jesse Plemons, “Breaking Bad”)
and his wife Peggy (Kirsten Dunst,
“Spider-Man”), who accidentally
run over the youngest Gerhardt son
with her car. What’s truly remark-
able about this season is how it
brings the disparate stories togeth-
er, and has everything click. The
season builds the individual pieces
into a whole that is as tense as it is

quirky. There’s an extraordinary
juxtaposition between the “Min-
nesota Nice” tone and the brutal
violence of the gang war. It’s as hor-
ribly gruesome as it is hysterically
funny. (Only “Fargo” could insert a
UFO into a scene and have it actu-
ally make thematic sense.)

Meanwhile, the show’s cinema-

tography remained top-notch, as it
again made good use of the snowy
landscapes. An expanded ensemble
features magnificent performances
from Patrick Wilson (“The Con-
juring”), Jeffrey Donovan (“Burn
Notice”) and Jean Smart (“Frasier),
each of whom look like they’re hav-
ing a great time playing tough char-
acters. This year, “Fargo” showed
that it could do something unex-
pected in its second season: bring
even the most contrasting elements
together into something better
than its first.

-ALEX INTNER

6. “Phoenix”
7. “Creed”

A beautiful web of secrets

and
suspense,
“Phoenix”

takes a loud plot and quiets
it, finding power in subtlety
rather than overt drama. Nelly
Lenz (Mina Hoss, “Barbara”),
rendered unrecognizable in a
concentration
camp,
returns

to Berlin at the end of the
war in search of her husband.
She finds him at Phoenix, the
location of her prewar gig as
a nightclub singer. He doesn’t
recognize her but offers a cut
of her own inheritance if she
agrees to impersonate herself.
Why does she agree to it? We

don’t know, for “Phoenix” itself
is as secretive as its characters,
keeping its audience on the edge
of epiphany. Because it doesn’t
get lost in its own plot, the film
is able to become a powerful
picture of the world in the
aftermath of trauma, where
victims and their tormentors
walk
the
streets
together.

“Phoenix” is a mystery of
identity, a drama of betrayal,
and a beautiful testament to
human survival capped by one
of the strongest final scenes in
recent history.

-MADELEINE GAUDIN

In a year filled with franchise

reboots like “Mad Max” and
“Star Wars,” “Creed” rises above
them all. Taking the “Rocky”
mythos and turning it on its
head, director Ryan Coogler
delivers an honest and often
brutal picture about fathers and
names. It’s a distinctly millenni-
al meditation — making a name
in a world already dominated
by those of our parents — that’s
placed front and center in the
unforgiving, vicious boxing ring.
The struggle of our hero, Adonis
Creed (Michael B. Jordan, “Fan-
tastic Four”), perfectly inter-

links with the struggle of his
mentor, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester
Stallone, “The Expendables”), a
relic of a time long past, search-
ing for meaning in the modern
day.

The result is a beautiful

reflection of love, legacy and
family, captured by some of the
finest cinematography of the
year (including a one-shot, two
round fight scene), tense action,
powerful performances and a
marvelous score. “Creed” has
the heart of a fighter, and the
punch of a champion.

-JAMIE BIRCOLL

6. “Orange is the New

Black”

The
highly
anticipated

third season of “Orange is the
New Black” brought a new set
of unexpected twists, backsto-
ries and comical and endear-
ing subplots that underpin
the series by adding a unique
flavor to the overarching plot.
Like previous seasons, the
precarious balance between
comic relief and poignant
storytelling succeeds in its
eccentricity. Its supporting
characters continue to come
out of the woodwork through
flashbacks,
allowing
their

individuality and vulnerabil-
ity to shine. In the third sea-
son, the inhumane treatment

of the inmates by Litchfield’s
new
business-minded
cor-

porate managers renders the
deputies powerless in making
decisions that affect the day-
to-day lives of the women.
However, the show illustrates
how through small acts of
defiance and creativity, the
women take some of their
power and individuality back.
Netflix’s binge-worthy sea-
son has no lack of hilarious,
uncomfortable
and
touch-

ing moments that continue to
weave together an unconven-
tional and moving story.

-SHIR AVINADAV