The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, October 20, 2016 — 3B
Kerrytown’s Vintage to
Vogue offers boho style
V2V is the kind of store you want your closet to look like
Walking
into
V2V’s
Kerrytown
location
is
like
walking
into
a
Bohemian
dream. It’s the kind of store
that you want your closet to
look like, no matter what you
normally wear. It’s cozy and
impossibly cool, with exposed
wood shelves boasting stacks of
lacey bralettes and crisp denim
jackets. The boutique is a staple
of Ann Arbor shopping.
“It’s funny, a lot of people
don’t even know, but V2V has
been in Kerrytown for over
30 years … It’s got a little bit
of a historic mark,” said V2V’s
Kerrytown location manager
Julia Goulet.
Goulet grew up in Ann Arbor
and returned to the city after
graduating
from
Michigan
State University in 2014. She
took over the position as the
manager
of
the
Kerrytown
boutique just over a year ago,
though she was familiar with it
long before then, and has been
infusing the store with a young,
vibrant energy ever since.
“I’ve shopped with V2V since
I was too young and too broke
MADELEINE GAUDIN
Daily Arts Writer
Suddenly I’ve aged 20 years and I’m now a soccer
mom to two delinquents (Buzzed and Baked).
But alas, the destination isn’t the field on
which my future spawn will make a name for
themselves, but rather the local cider mill
that’s not quite that local when iPhone maps
leads you astray (high key that even sounds
like a WASPY mom 20 years my senior). I
was hoping for an autumnal-themed day of
fun, friends and refined carbs, and I guess
that’s what I got, but alas, let me break
it down. After a rousing drive with my
two compadres, we exited my now reeking
vehicle thanks to Mr. Baked. Buzzed needed
some assistance descending from the height of
my SUV, and as soon as she did she spotted a
spotted dog (haha!). I’m unsure if Buzzed will
remember that nearly her entire autumnal excursion
was spent petting #SpottedDog and reminding Baked and
I that ‘dog’ spelled backwards is ‘god’ so for all we know #SpottedDog is our creator. I then
took a literal two minutes to peruse the apple selection and various #ArtisanalJams which I
now know Buzzed found to be me ‘deluding myself’, and during this literal two minutes we lost
Baked. Baked was later found face deep in a bag of donuts. Buzzed was #TooTurnt to join me
in the donut line, so I never got my donuts. I didn’t even get cider. All I got was a glimpse of a
soccer mom life I don’t want. What a time to be alive!
- Caroline Filips, Senior Arts Editor
A trip to the
cider mill
in this series, three daily arts writers in
varying states of mind do the same activity
and write about their experiences.
this week’s event:
You know the only better way to smoke other than hot-boxing your car?
Hot-boxing someone else’s car while they drive you. (bonus points if
it is to the cider mill). Idk what I’m more excited about, dough-
nuts (donuts????) or nature! Nature is just like meh sober
but high its like ahhhhhh I am one with the earth.
It’s stereotypical but u feel that shit when
you’re high. Maybe I would like yard
work more if I hot-boxed the
garden shed before hand?
*mental note to ask mom about
this possibility* we can bond. DOG.
not a drill. Its ears so so soft. This is the
best day of the semester. (god backwards =
dog fyi.) I’m V sad that we aren’t picking apples off
trees instead they are in bins. This is bullshit. OK Caro-
line is taking way too long in this apple section I’m heading
to the real attraction donuts.
-Daily Arts Writer
Don’t really remember the car ride here, its fine. BUT
I DO remember going to the cider mill when I was a hot
shit middle schooler and thinking it was cool AF to go
somewhere so autumnal with all my besties. We looked
so #fresh in our UGG boots. Nothing much has changed
tbh. Idk how people like walk around these places looking
at the produce and various products, they are deluding
themselves — IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CIDER AND/OR
DOUGHNUTS (donuts?)
So obviously my fellow arts babies and I charge the cider
line … I hope no one can see this flask in my pants…I’m
just trying to make my cider a little more “fun” if you
know what I mean. (I’m trying to be more drunk, in case
you didn’t get it.) I even brought some festive fireball a la
Pitbull’s suggestion to put some kick in mah drank. Also:
dogs. Dogs everywhere. You know what makes anything
better? Dogs. You know what makes dogs even better?
Being drunk. Ily cider, ily dogs, ily daily.
-Daily Arts Writer
baked.buzzed.bored.
STORE PROFILE
I’ve soured on the sports
drama. Tired and clichéd, few
of these films stray from the
prototypical nar-
rative: an under-
privileged
yet
gifted
athlete
crosses
paths
with an excellent
coach, who sacri-
fices work, family
and the like for
the pursuit of suc-
cess. The athlete
struggles at first,
but begins to ascend at a rapid
pace, gaining confidence — to a
fault, perhaps — until they lose
a crucial match. Then, through
a humbling and rededication to
intense training, the prover-
bial trials and tribulation, the
young prodigy outperforms the
old master and emerges victori-
ous in a final competition. Cue
credits. Oh, and for an extra
little kick, add in a white savior
narrative. Maybe you’ll end up
with an Oscar for Best Original
Screenplay.
“Queen of Katwe,” the latest
film from trailblazing director
Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wed-
ding”), strictly conforms to this
narrative structure, but it man-
ages to add a bit of spin on the
genre. First, the film is about
chess, and despite the station-
ary nature of the game, “Katwe”
moves rather quickly thanks to
kinetic cinematography by the
wonderful Sean Bobbitt (“12
Years a Slave”) and quick edit-
ing by Barry Alexander Brown
(“Do the Right Thing”). It’s
incredibly lean. No second is
wasted, and every scene offers
critical information.
At times, the film’s score,
composed
by
Alex
Heffes
(“The Last King of Scotland”)
bristles with vivacity. That,
combined with occasional slow
motion flourishes, grants us the
ability to experience what our
protagonist, the gifted Phiona
(newcomer Madina Nalwanga),
must feel as she approaches
each match.
Second, the film is set in the
titular Katwe, one of the outer
slums of Kampala, Uganda.
Far
from
the
typical American
landscapes
of
other
feel-good
Disney
films,
Katwe
is
harsh
but
culturally
rich.
Ugandan
pop music plays
throughout
the
film and each shot
is full of vibrant
color. Nair, a Kampala resident,
is uniquely able to bring the
city’s communities to life. It’s a
sort of reclamation of the Africa
that has been defined by Western
description: a land of destitution
and disease. There’s plenty of
that in Nair’s Uganda (the film
takes place in a slum after all)
but it’s not her focus. Rather,
Nair turns to the socioeconomic
dynamics in Kampala: the city
skyline looms in the distance
and casts a shadow over the
slum. The young Katwe chess
players, led by their coach,
Robert Katende (David Oyelowo,
“Selma”), are awestruck when
they first encounter the wealthy
secondary schools of the city.
“Katwe” also offers an unusual
depth of character, though it is
limited by the common tropes of
the genre. Oyelowo gives as rich
a performance as ever. Lupita
Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”),
who plays Phiona’s beleaguered
and
overwhelmed
mother,
confirms her status as one of
our greatest living actors. And
the Katwe children, entirely
new actors plucked off the dirt
streets of Katwe, bring a fresh
vivacity unmatched by other
films that used similar casting
methods, like Laurent Cantet’s
“The
Class”
and
Naji
Abu
Nowar’s “Theeb.”
There isn’t anything terribly
new to discover about the human
spirit here — as always, we have
to try hard to succeed and we
shouldn’t give up — but the film
tells these canonical lessons
better than its predecessors.
These lessons are as old as time,
but Nair’s direction breathes
new life into them.
Of
course,
“Katwe”
fits
cleanly
within
the
Disney
“feel-good”
family
sports
drama genre, which is to say
it comes with its fair share of
flaws. The story’s structure is
mostly unoriginal and its plot
is predictable, though with
a true story such as this one,
there isn’t much to do to fix it
without betraying the source
material. Katende’s speeches
and coaching are overwrought
with
chess-themed
maxims
that may make you roll your
eyes more than a few times.
There is also the occasional
dramatic
saturation:
scenes
that needlessly add to the
weight of the film. A brief scene
in which Katende tells a story
of his mother comes to mind.
Heffes’s score can also verge
into John Williams-impression
mode, with clear orchestral
swells meant to signal a key
emotional moment.
“Katwe”
reminds
me
of
another
film,
“Wordplay,”
a
documentary
about
a
crossword puzzle competition.
Both prove that the specific is
universal. Both depict a niche
activity, one that is hard to
depict as entertaining. Yet both
succeed in showcasing talent
and ambition in all aspects of
life. We need more adventurous
films like these.
DISNEY
Boop.
DANIEL HENSEL
Daily Arts Writer
Disney film a fresh, culturally rich take on the feel-good sports movie
B
“Queen of Katwe”
Walt Disney
Pictures
Rave & Quality 16
‘Queen of Katwe’ makes
chess a compelling watch
FILM REVIEW
to,” Goulet said. “I shouldn’t
have been shopping there.”
Goulet described her personal
style as “boho with an edge. A
little bit, like a very slight edge,
like a dull butter knife.”
“I
believe
most
often
simplicity is key,” she said.
Throughout
the
store,
simple and classic sweaters are
paired with tassel necklaces,
and bright floral dresses hang
alongside structured fall coats.
The boutique makes Goulet’s
personal style accessible to
a wide audience with brands
like Free People, Ella Moss and
Velvet.
“You want pieces that are
going to be a part of your
capsule wardrobe and you can
wear them multiple different
ways as opposed to out one
night,” Goulet said.
Aside
from
the
standout
classics, every season there
are certain pieces that catch
Goulet’s eye.
“One was actually in The
Daily, in the photo shoot,”
Goulet said. “The army green
jacket with the beading on the
arm — that was one that I was
initially drawn to. It’s kind of
nice to have something a little
jazzed up.”
Other breakout styles have
been
leather
skirts,
floral
dresses and even denim minis.
“If you asked me even a year
and a half ago, the one trend I
promised I would never buy
into — and I totally did — was
the mini jean skirt,” Goulet
said. “Because it reminded me
of when I was in seventh grade
and had them from Hollister.”
Historically, the store has
attracted an older clientele
than other boutiques in Ann
Arbor. Goulet said she has
been “trying to appeal to a
younger base … just trying to get
ourselves known to the college-
age group.”
In recent months, there has
been a shift in the demographic
of customers at V2V as more
University
of
Michigan
students seek out the boutique
for
higher-end
pieces
and
brands. Part of the attraction is
the vibrancy and quirkiness of
Kerrytown and the careful eye
with which Goulet curates the
store.
“We’ve got character, and
that’s what I love about the
store,” she said.
There isn’t
anything new to
discover about the
human spirit.