2B — Thursday, January 5, 2017
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Best Student Productions of 2016
1. Peter and the
Starcatcher
Michigan’s
theatre
department took on a new
challenge this season with their
performance of “Peter and the
Starcatcher.” As the prequel to
the famous story of “Peter Pan,”
the Tony-award-winning play
performed at the Power Center
this past December. What made
this show stand out among
other
SMTD
performances
was the unique adversity the
theatre department faced, as a
musical it is a departure from
their
typical
lineup
(other
recent productions include “The
Arabian Nights” and “Henry IV,
Part I”). Yet, even with a small
pit band, continuous musical
scores
and
dance
numbers,
the theatre department did a
fantastic job adapting to the
musical
performance
style.
This production involved cross
departmental
collaboration,
like merging lighting, props and
costuming for certain scenes.
The immense effort put into
rehearsals was definitely shown
in the performance as the cast
and crew worked seamlessly in
set changes and effects. “Peter
and the Starcatcher” answered
questions that I’ve had lingering
since I was a child. However,
it taught me more than just
how Tinker Bell came to be.
This
show
exemplified
the
concept of taking chances and
constantly seeking something
out of our comfort zone. It’s for
that audacious kid that is still
deep within all of us, itching to
experience one more journey
while we are still young.
— ERIKA SHEVCHEK
3. Roméo et Juliette
SMTD’s
production
of
Roméo et Juliette was cre-
ative, entertaining and pow-
erful. Staged in the 1950s,
world-famous director Paul
Curran aligned the story of
“Roméo et Juliette” with the
radicalism of the modern era.
Through this decision, Cur-
ran brought out the intensity
of how Romeo and Juliette’s
environment
effected
their
decisions.
The
University’s
Opera Theatre students were
truly impressive; the striking
professionalism
blew
audi-
ences away. The enthralling
fight scenes and chemistry
between the performers made
for a convincing, incredible
performance. With the relat-
able modern aspect of work-
ing
through
differences,
combined with the modern
setting, this production was
unique and unforgettable.
— ALLIE TAYLOR
Best Films of 2016
Filming
a
perfect
hor-
ror movie is really hard, but
filming one with none of the
traditional elements of the
genre, and without profes-
sional actors, and without a
budget, is nothing short of
Herculean. But Trey Edward
Shults, by casting his entire
family and using their home
as a set, did just that with
“Krisha.” With his aunt, Kri-
sha Fairchild, starring as the
titular recovering alcoholic
returning to her family for
Thanksgiving, Shults created
a masterful take on the terrors
of family gatherings. Shults’s
camera
methodically
soars
in a contained space, stealth-
ily dropping in on characters
to reveal their conversations.
“Krisha” is at once lyrical and
horrifying, that rare mixture
of utter terror and beauty. And
to accomplish that with next
to no resources indicates a
supremely bright career ahead
—DANIEL HENSEL
Daniel
Radcliffe’s
performance in “Swiss Army
Man” might have been one of
the best of 2016, but there are
two other Daniels who deserve
even more of the credit for this
bizarre
masterpiece:
Daniel
Scheinert
and
Dan
Kwan,
the collective “Daniels” who
directed and wrote the film.
After establishing themselves
with a number of short films
and music videos (like that
famously
weird
video
for
“Turn Down for What”), the
Daniels really made a name for
themselves this year with their
feature film debut, a gloriously
indescribable fantasy-comedy-
drama … or something. “Swiss
Army Man” feels so much
like it comes from such a
singular mind that it’s initially
surprising to learn it was
borne from collaboration. With
any luck, the Daniels will be
around for a long time, filling
the coming years with movies
at once hilarious and deeply
moving.
— BEN ROSENSTOCK
1. “La La Land”
We are lucky to have movies
in our lives, and “La La Land”
is living proof. It’s a classic
in the making, thanks to the
star power of the magnetic
Emma Stone (“Birdman”), the
almost superhumanly charis-
matic Ryan Gosling (“The Nice
Guys”), and the deft directorial
hand of Damien Chazelle. The
characters sing and dance their
way into our hearts as we are
immersed in a beautiful cin-
ematic world of primary colors,
music, art, dreams, fears and
love — so much love. In a year
filled with cynicism, anger and
so many mediocre and instant-
ly forgettable movies, “La La
Land” is a breath of fresh air. It
does exactly what a good story
is supposed to do by carrying
audiences on a complete emo-
tional journey, one devoid of
any trickery, manipulation or
shortcuts. “La La Land” is sin-
cere in a way that wasn’t sup-
posed to be possible anymore.
But it is possible. Thank you,
“La La Land.” You shine so very
brightly.
— ASIF BECHER
As I get further away from it,
I’m coming to respect “The Edge
of Seventeen” more and more.
It’s a thrilling return to form for
that American staple — the com-
ing-of-age teen comedy — and
the woman behind the camera
is a major talent to be heralded.
“Seventeen” is better written
than it is directed, but Kelly
Fremon Craig knows the qual-
ity of the script she’s written.
It’s spiky, full of edgy jokes and
elegantly constructed scenes of
dialogue; take, for example, any
of the scenes between Nadine
and Mr. Bruner (a testament to
Craig’s direction that she was
able to coax this hilarious of
a performance out of Woody
Harrelson (“True Detective”)).
Her choices are also nuanced;
she conveys a remarkable facil-
ity with the subtleties of her
characters, and it’s a monumen-
tal achievement — on both her
part and that of Hailee Stein-
feld’s (“True Grit”) beautifully
modulated performance — that
Nadine is impressively irritat-
ing and heartbreakingly sympa-
thetic in equal measure. Really,
it’s Craig’s ability to legitimately
achieve emotional poignancy
that imbues her work with an
uncommon sense of urgency.
If Craig is the spiritual succes-
sor to John Hughes, then I’ll be
unspeakably happy. And if she
chooses any other direction,
I’ll be just as excited; rarely are
feature debuts more emotion-
ally perceptive than this one,
and rarely do they herald such a
promising future.
— NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT
2. “Moonlight”
Though it challenges prevail-
ing conceptions of masculin-
ity, sexuality, poverty and race, to
describe “Moonlight” in terms of
symbolism or theme would be to
misunderstand its beauty. At its
heart, “Moonlight” is simple: It’s
a story about Chiron, a black boy
coming of age in Miami. Told in
three parts, each titled after one
of Chiron’s nicknames, the camera
moves fluidly with its characters
to paint a searing portrait of their
inner lives. We see Chiron meek
and small, tormented by bullies
and bashfully approaching his first
homosexual encounter. We see
him ashamed and worried about
his drug-addicted mother (Nao-
mie Harris, “Spectre”), finding a
father figure in Juan (Mahershala
Ali, “House of Cards”), a crack
dealer who cares for him in his
own home. We see Chiron older,
bigger, growing different, staying
the same.
It’s a refreshing and unflinch-
ing realism. There are no arcs of
conclusion other than those initi-
ated by the characters themselves.
The social commentary comes not
by way of agenda, but from the
reality of life. Rather than create
characters to be vehicles for uni-
versal themes, “Moonlight” eludes
generalization, choosing instead to
step into Chiron’s life and make all
of its facets visible.
— VANESSA WONG
2. The Drowsy Chaperone
Performed
in
the
Lydia
Mendelssohn theatre, SMTD’s
musical theatre department
did a wonderful job with their
production of “The Drowsy
Chaperone,” a hilarious and
upbeat show set in the Roaring
20s. The story follows an old,
lonely man as he shares a vinyl
record of his favorite musi-
cal — also titled “The Drowsy
Chaperone” — with the audi-
ence and watches it come to
life in his apartment. The cast
and crew did an impeccable job
with all aspects of the show,
including elaborate sets and
costumes, comedic timing and
vocal harmonies. The show
kicked off the musical theatre
season wonderfully. A perfect
mix of funny, lighthearted,
sentimental and deep, it was
the perfect show to lighten the
mood. It will be worth watch-
ing what the musical theatre
department presents this term.
— ELI RALLO
Best New
Directors
of
2016
3. “Manchester By The Sea”
In the grand tradition of “The
Shawshank Redemption,” “Man-
chester by the Sea” is arguably
the hardest film of the year to get
through, yet it is also one of the
most rewarding. Anchored by
titanic lead performances from
Casey Affleck (“Ain’t Them Bod-
ies Saint”) and Lucas Hedges
(“Moonrise Kingdom”), the film
is a mournful, achingly human
study of grief and coping that is
simultaneously funny, heartbreak-
ing and poignant. Director Ken-
neth Lonergan (“You Can Count
on Me”) uses his newest movie to
examine sorrow and life in a way
that few do; there’s no classic cli-
max here, no concrete resolution
— there’s only two people desper-
ately trying to navigate their rap-
idly changing circumstances, and
the way Lonergan brings those
characters and that struggle to
life through flashbacks and humor
reveals the director’s maturity and
elevates “Manchester by the Sea”
to masterpiece levels of filmmak-
ing.
— JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
4. “Arrival”
“Arrival” is surely the best
science fiction movie of 2016.
In a sort of linguistic mys-
tery, Amy Adams (“Nocturnal
Animals”) and Jeremy Renner
(“American
Hustle”)
must
decipher the language of the
“heptapod” aliens whom have
landed their 12 ships across the
Earth and discover their pur-
pose on our planet. Both actors
deliver engaging performances
that are highlights of the film.
“Arrival” is not only visually
entertaining in the way that
any good science fiction movie
should be, but thought-provok-
ing as well. After watching the
movie, one can’t help but dis-
cuss the logic of the film with
others, and its commentary on
the role of language, politics
and human society.
— JOSEPH WAGNER
1. Kelly Fremon Craig
2. Trey Edward Shults
3. Daniels (Scheinert, Kwan)
4. Robert Eggers
“The Witch” could be the most
carefully made movie of the year.
In preparation for filming, direc-
tor Robert Eggers painstakingly
researched and recreated a Puri-
tan New England homestead using
period-appropriate tools and mate-
rials. He could tell you the exact
dimensions of the windows and
how many candles you would need
to light a room. All that research
and precision (all five years of it)
paid off for Eggers. “The Witch”
is completely immersive. Eggers
pulls his audience so deep into the
world of the film that the horror
unfolds in tiny moments all around
us. It’s claustrophobic — a difficult
feeling to create at the edge of the
colonized world. The family has all
the space they need and yet Eggers
makes it feel as if they are on top of
each other, and we on top of them.
Eggers is working in a very old, but
cinematically overlooked corner of
horror. He’s walking in the world
of Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shel-
ley — heavy-velvet Gothic horror —
and it’s wonderful. Eggers could be
the director the genre needs to pull
it back to its roots and propel it back
to artistic relevance.
— MADELEINE GAUDIN
5. “The Lobster”
6. “Sing Street”
How does one describe the
most idiosyncratic film of the
year? “The Lobster” is what
would happen if a bunch of aliens
who had never been to Earth
before made a documentary
about modern human mating
rituals. Dating, marriage and
the single life are absolutely
skewered
by
surrealist
director
Yorgos
Lanthimos
(“Dogtooth”), whose completely
absurd sci-fi premise (if these
singles can’t find a partner in
45 days, they’re to be surgically
transformed into an animal of
their choosing) only obscures
the much darker true subject of
the film — the bizarre hurdles
our species jumps through to
engage with love and sex. Colin
Farrell (“In Bruges”) roots this
brilliant satire in a fascinatingly
dry performance that he isn’t
receiving nearly enough awards
attention for.
— JACOB RICH
A high school boy becomes
enamored with a girl and will do
anything to win over her attrac-
tion. This plotline is just about as
cliché as they get. Add a catchy
New
Wave-inspired
original
soundtrack,
multidimensional
characters and a heartwarming
story, and the result is one of the
most endearing coming-of-age
movies in years. Irish filmmaker
John Carney’s (“Once”) musical-
comedy tells the story of Cosmo
Lawlor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and
his goal to create a New Wave
band in order to win over the heart
of Raphina (Lucy Boynton, “Miss
Potter”), an aspiring model. Cos-
mo’s band, surprisingly, performs
many tracks that would blend in
seamlessly on an ’80s radio sta-
tion. In the spirit of Duran Duran
and other New Wave sensations,
the soundtrack reintroduces what
made New Wave so much fun —
even if some of it hasn’t aged too
well. Amidst family conflicts and
bullies, Cosmo’s older brother,
Brendan (Jack Reynor, “Trans-
formers: Age of Extinction”), is
his driving force. “Sing Street”
is as much about the music and
romance as it is self-discovery and
making sacrifices for loved ones,
showing the complexities of ado-
lescence, family and love.
— WILL STEWART
5. Travis Knight
Stop-motion animation is
one of the most complex and
intricate cinematic art forms,
and one of the most breath-
taking if done successfully.
With his directorial debut
“Kubo and the Two Strings,”
stop-motion maestro Travis
Knight demonstrates his mas-
tery of both technique and
storytelling. The film follows
the journey of young Kubo, as
he fights to protect his fam-
ily’s honor while fulfilling
his yearning for adventure.
Knight’s brilliance is evident
in the way in which he crafts
the film’s animation to create
a world built from origami —
the film is constructed from
folded paper-like segments
that move together to create
a cohesive and dynamic aes-
thetic. Knight also weaves
Japanese mythology, tradi-
tion and ideals with West-
ern narrative techniques in a
seamless fashion. A seasoned
professional
in
the
world
of stop-motion, Knight has
worked with the esteemed
Laika Entertainment to head
critically acclaimed projects
like “Coraline” and “ParaNor-
man.” His directorial work
on “Kubo,” however, sets him
apart from other names in
the industry as a director to
watch; his work carries a force
of creative innovation unseen
in the previous hallmarks of
stop-motion.
— SYDNEY COHEN
Add one cup of laughter, a
pinch of funny people, three
tablespoons of hilarity and
what do you get? A recipe for
fun and Midnight Book Club’s
first show of the year. Midnight
Book Club is one of the several
improv troupes here on campus.
They specialize in a specific
type of improv called long form
where the show is entirely
made up on the spot and
that scenes branch off of one
another to continue jokes. The
auditorium was buzzing with
an air of contained excitement,
and after watching this group,
I can say I was certainly not
disappointed. I was laughing
out loud at all of the jokes made,
and each member of the group
was electric with energy and
humor. Midnight Book Club is a
group you do not want to miss
this semester.
— ELLIS HYMAN
4.
Midnight
Book Club