The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, January 23, 2018 — 5

There seems to be a trend in our
society where once the calendar
switches to Jan. 1st, we begin a
new plan of exercising, self-care
and dieting. The gym gets packed,
people get yoga class packages and
fridges become full with fruits and
veggies. Typically, we stick with
these goals for the month of Jan.,
but it seems to go all downhill after
that.
Reasons for this vary, whether
it be school or work or extra
commitments. We let the first few
weeks of the new year bring us
hope for a fresh start, and we turn
these hopes and resolutions into
actions. But I can’t help but argue
that this fitness plan we all hope to
achieve doesn’t have to begin in the
first month of the new year, and it
certainly doesn’t have to end there.
Resolutions of self-care and healthy
lifestyles can be put into action at
any time of the year, and we don’t
have to give up on these goals as the
year progresses.
Of course, keeping yourself
motivated or starting a new routine
in the middle of the year is easier
said than done. But that’s my
question, not only for myself, but
others who do the same: Why is it
so difficult to start over at any time
or to maintain our resolutions?
I won’t lie. I love setting New
Year’s resolutions, especially when
they pertain to my mental wellness
and physical health. I was the person
who rarely swam last semester, but
I’ve started to hit the pool again. I
was also the one who never cooked
for myself and ate absolute junk,
but since the new year, I have now
made almost every meal at home
a healthy one. I acknowledge
these accomplishments and new
types of behavior — and I want to
congratulate myself — but in some
way, I feel guilty.
I realize that it took me until

the new year of 2018 to start over
and reconsider my lifestyle, when
realistically, I needed to begin
this health kick and revive my
motivation months ago. I watched
not only myself, but also some of my
friends, become mentally affected
by their lack of physical health and
vice versa. With full consciousness,
I saw my aspirations for healthy
habits go down the drain.

This lack of motivation and
eagerness to give up is somehow
rooted in the pressures of the
new
year.
There’s
a
mutual
encouragement that Jan. is a great
month to start new routines and to
become motivated again — there’s
no doubt there. Nonetheless, we’re
stuck in this idea of “new year, new
you,” and that the turn of another
year is the time, and the only time,
to begin again. Although it seems
that we know this to not be true, we
follow it anyway.
Other than time itself, there
are other factors that play a role
in delaying our desired lifestyles.
We allow other commitments and
plans to come before the gym or
to come before cooking a well-
balanced meal. Sometimes we feel
like we have to finish the essay
before we sit down to meditate, or
we would rather go to the movies
than put on our running shoes. We

make the excuse that we don’t have
time to do it all, but I recently lived
the simple and cliché revelation
that is, “you have to make the time
to do it.”
After this hiatus of exercising, I
came full circle and acknowledged
how absolutely difficult it is to start
fresh again, but also that it’s not
impossible. It’s that nervousness
one feels when they leave the house
for the first time in a long time
to go out and exercise. There’s a
worrisome notion that we have
other and more important things
to do rather than execute a healthy
lifestyle. But that’s what designs
this type of lifestyle: It’s not about
trading one for the other, it’s
factoring in exercise and self-care
into our daily routines.
That’s where I, and maybe so
many others, went wrong. I saw
my plan of getting fit again as a
burden, as something that I had
to do, as another thing on my
plate. It stressed me out. But once
I felt my blood pumping and my
body generating endorphins, I
discovered how badly I needed
exercise (and not just for the
month of Jan.). I’ve decided to
implement these healthy actions
into my everyday life, and I’m
starting to become fully conscious
of the effects, both mentally and
physically. Now that it has become
a habit, I believe there’s nothing
stopping me.
The new year doesn’t always
have to be the starting line. Even
for those of us who do use it as
the starting line, it doesn’t mean
we lose track of the race a couple
weeks in. Being confident in our
goals, applying them every day,
creating that routine and realizing
that we can begin again whenever
and wherever — these are all
components of maintaining our
health plans and goals.

New Year, new plan?

DAILY HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMN

ERIKA
SHEVCHECK

‘Call Me By Your Name’ is
an artful portrait of love

Words are only part of a story.
What connects words, the silence
and observations, the sensory
details that provide feeling, are
just as vital. In “Call Me By Your
Name,” director Luca Guadagnino
(“A Bigger Splash”) paints a
palpable visual splendor for us, as
he renders a love story that unfolds
between Elio Perlman (Timothée
Chalamet, “Ladybird”) and Oliver
(Armie
Hammer,
“Nocturnal
Animals”),
when
feelings
overcome words.
The film, based on the novel
by André Aciman, traces Elio,
a
17-year-old
French,
Italian,
Jewish amalgam, who spends
his adolescent summers in an
idyllic, magical town in Northern
Italy, where his days consist of
transcribing music and reading
by quaint ponds. His routine is
disrupted when his archaeologist-
professor father, played by Michael
Stuhlbarg (“The Shape of Water”)
hosts Oliver, an American student,
for six weeks as part of his studies.
Oliver’s crude Americanism stands
out from the Perlmans’ understated
European sophistication, from his
oversized, ill-fitting dress shirts, to
his overuse of the phrase “later,”

to the aggressive, ill-mannered
way he cracks open an egg shell,
devouring it primitively, like an
American would. Upon Oliver’s
arrival, Elio is intrigued.
Guadagnino illustrates a serene
and relaxed summer landscape
that is an ode to Italy and Greco-

Roman Classics. We get a feel
for the characters’ world, with
the aid of a sublime soundtrack.
Through
voyeuristic
peeks,
aided by a perfect mise en scène
of immaculately-set tables with
Nutella and juicy fruit, our senses
become fully entranced and a part
of their reality. We feel Italy’s dewy
summer on our skin, and we taste
the sticky-sweet apricot flesh on
our tongues. The film is a tactile
experience, almost even too lush
and overwhelming at parts. It is
arrestingly visceral. Sensual.
Chalamet is the obvious star
here. Though a newcomer to the
industry, his performances in
both this and “Ladybird” have

put him high on the Hollywood
radar,
resulting
in
various
nominations,
particularly
up
against adroit legends like Tom
Hanks and Denzel Washington.
His acting is refined and laid-back
— the opposite of overacting. It’s
almost too good. He mesmerizes
us by appearing relaxed while
paradoxically displaying a full
range of emotions. He could fold
shirts on screen for two hours
straight and would somehow
entertain us still. Their chemistry
is tangible, but Chalamet impresses
and outshines Hammer. But after
all, it is his movie.
The film could’ve easily fallen
into the cliché conventions of
a queer love story, but it never
does, nor does it aim to moralize.
It is about male friendships, the
discovering of sexuality and most
importantly, the discovery of
one’s place in the world, which it
doesn’t truly answer but leaves us
wondering.
“Call Me By Your Name” shows
us the best parts of love and the
absolute worst. Given the film’s
often scant use of the verbal, there
are simply no words to describe
its effect. It builds you up, only
to break you down, leaving you
vulnerable, bawling in the theater
with people around you looking to
see if you are okay.

SOPHIA WHITE
Daily Arts Writer

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

NETFLIX

‘Black Lightning’ saves TV

Admittedly, when I first
heard
word
of
The
CW’s
latest action drama, “Black
Lightning,”
I
felt
myself
internally
combusting
at
the thought of yet another
superhero show. However, in
a major plot twist, I found DC
Comics’s
“Black
Lightning”
— with its fierce character
dynamics, shocking realism and
divergence from the norm — to
be a refreshing and impressive
jolt of energy for the genre.
Black
Lightning’s
origins
and means of introduction are
different from the standard,
as
Jefferson
Pierce
(Cress
Williams, “Prison Break”) has
actually been in retirement
from his superhero career for
nine years, in favor of more
subdued fighting for justice as
a high school principal. It is
only when both his city’s law
and order and daughters’ safety
are compromised by a notorious
gang, the 100, that Jefferson is
convinced to get back into the
business of fighting crime and
restoring the state of Freeland.
In
this
way,
“Black
Lightning” is not just your
typical
superhero
story
highlighting a young, suave
renegade, fictionally fighting to
save the girl, defeating the evil
villain or starring in crossovers
with other superheroes. “Black
Lightning” doesn’t need the
hype of an “Arrowverse” (CW’s
superhero universe) crossover
event to show its worth. Its
relevance in the real world and
spotlight on true injustice, gang
violence and systematic racism
is necessary representation in
our current political landscape.
“Black Lightning” veers beyond
basic good vs. evil tropes, as

for once, the “bad guy” role is
encapsulated by two levels of
sincerely destructive villains
—
Tobias
Whale
(Marvin
“Krondon” Jones III, “Harry’s
Law”), the gang kingpin of
the 100, and the corrupted
white police force that racially
discriminates and profiles on
the job.
Aside from the sharp and
commanding performance of
Williams as the namesake, the
female leads are equally (if not
more) badass and captivating in

their portrayals and character
potential. With the tease that
Jefferson’s
eldest
daughter,
Anissa (Nafessa Williams, “One
Life to Live”), has inherited
some of her dad’s powers and
superhuman
skills,
it
will
be intriguing to see how her
capacity for influence will be
unveiled in the future, given
that she is already such a social
justice warrior. On the other
hand, his younger daughter,
Jennifer (China Anne McClain,
“A.N.T. Farm”), will most likely
undergo the expected route of
development for her reckless,
party-girl archetype, reigning
in her disregard to help her
family
and
leaving
some
spontaneity to be desired.
Another
winning
aspect
of “Black Lightning” lies in
its
mesmerizing,
prismatic
soundtrack,
which
features
hits
ranging
from
Nina
Simone’s soulful remake of

Billie
Holiday’s
“Strange
Fruit” to Kendrick Lamar’s
robust “Backseat Freestyle.”
The musical selections do a
stunning job of enhancing the
tense moments of the episode,
spotlighting
Black
culture,
amplifying Black voices and
ultimately
tying
together
the cinematic quality of the
series. I found myself focused
not only on the drama and
turmoil
happening
between
the characters, but also really
listening to the lyrics of each
song and uncovering their more
profound purpose.
The only place where “Black
Lightning” stumbles a bit is
in some of the more logistical
elements of a series premiere.
Unless
you’re
extremely
familiar
with
the
“Black
Lightning” comics, the average
newcomer
viewer
is
left
majorly in the dark regarding
the backstory of Gambi (James
Remar, “Dexter”), Jefferson’s
presumptive mentor, tailor and
makeshift nurse who is inserted
into
the
mix
mid-episode.
Besides that slight snag, the
special effects of the episode
came across as mediocre and
cheesy at times, as did the fight
scenes and costuming of our
hero.
Setting itself apart from the
majority of other superhero
dramas,
“Black
Lightning”
has the capability to charm
anyone,
from
devoted
DC
die-hards to novice action-
seekers. In combination with
a good old cliffhanger ending,
introspective characters and
quite a large deal of justice
at stake, “Black Lightning” is
stacking up to be one of The
CW’s most thrilling breakout
hits. This genre-bending social
commentary
is
innovative
and exactly what we’ve been
waiting for.

MORGAN RUBINO
Daily Arts Writer

TV REVIEW

“Call Me By
Y
our Name”

Sony Pictures
Classics

State Theatre

FILM REVIEW

Porches plays the introvert

Porches has mastered the sound
of the zealous introvert. At their
core, each of his songs address
the specific ambivalence of this
personality. He walks by the party
and wants to dance, but needs to be
alone. He craves solitude, but still
wants to give more of himself, still
wants to love. There’s a pull to the
outer world and a safety in hiding
from it.
It’s fitting, then, that the home
is the soul of his third and newest
album, and also its namesake. On
The House, questions that seem
simple on the surface — whether to
stay in or go out, whether to get up
or go back to bed — become pivotal.
What he decides in those moments
represents who he is as a whole.
Each decision is the outfit he has
chosen to wear. That is, if he decides
to dress up and go out at all.
Take his shift between the first
two tracks. On “Leave the House,”
he sings over a paced, spacious
synth line: “I just wanna leave
the house … / Maybe take a walk
around.” He needs air and leads
us to believe he’s going to set out
to find it. It’s an uncharacteristic
moment of willful exposure for
an artist who produced his entire
last album in a single bedroom in
New York City. But immediately he
contradicts himself. “I think I’ll stay
inside,” he tells us in the first line
of the absolutely gorgeous second
track, “Find Me.” He can’t escape
the fear of everything outside.
It’s all about moving inwardly
again, right when we thought he
was moving outwardly. The song,
ironically, is also the most generous
and danceable on the whole album,
complete with a huge, bouncy beat
and an exuberant trumpet section.
Porches
has
increasingly
defined his project by playing
with this mental back and forth.
No conversation about Porches is
complete without ample mention of
ambivalence — this is certainly not
music for hardliners. Tellingly, so
many of Porches’s verses land on a
final line that begins with “but.”
What makes The House so much
bigger, and so much more powerful,
I
daresay,
than
the
already

wonderful Pool, is that Porches
seems to celebrate and understand
his ambivalence better than ever
before. There’s something beautiful
in how assured he is in being unsure.
He lets himself sink inwardly and
lets himself question that desire to
do so. He gives room for both: the
feeling, and the reaction to it.

The
difficulty
of
such
a
personality is how to handle the
external — that’s a broad word, but it
covers a lot of important bases here.
The biggest external for Porches
is other people. Navigating love as
someone who needs separation
as much as the air they breathe
becomes a constant question: How
do you express it? How do you give
it in a way that your partner wants,
when so much of yourself rests
within rather than without?
Porches isn’t really sure. The
conundrum is too large for a solitary
introvert to solve. Instead, he simply
narrates
his
own
experience,
explaining how he’s trying to
figure it out. The result is some of
his clearest and most emotionally
resonant writing to date.
Nowhere
is
this
better
showcased than “By My Side,” one
of the most arresting moments on
an album that is filled with so many
that stop you in wild appreciation.
“It’s my fault / This I know / It’s just
hard to swallow,” he sings, speaking
to a hurt lover. But this track grows
far deeper than just an apology. As
much as Porches loves to be inside
the house, he learns about himself
by those on the outside, and when
he says to her, “I will call you by
your name / If you call me by mine,”
you nearly want to cry, because
the weight of that moment, the
drawing of lines in the sand, is so
instantly understood in the context
of his own internal fight. This once
internal question of whether to stay
inside or go out is reflected onto
this relationship, and then reflected
back onto himself, altering his self-
perception. The relationship is a
mirror, but the thing is, he doesn’t

want it to be. That he goes on to
say most of the time he has no idea
who he even sees in that mirror
is the crux of the problem. It’s the
essence of this album. With so
many conflicting thoughts and
desires, how do we begin to know
ourselves? How do we decide to
exist?
As much as this sounds like
a narrative, The House is better
described as a mood. Continuing
the trend he began on Pool, he
creates a lot of the emotional work
through the production. As sonic
arrangements, these songs are well
polished, absurdly addictive. The
progression and crescendo of “Ono”
does as much, if not more, work
to translate feeling as the lyrical
clarity of “By My Side.”
He works with a similar synth
palette as Pool to create this
effect, but The House sounds
more alive, conjuring expansive
worlds, whereas Pool contained
itself within a singular bedroom.
Each song is its own room, fully
furnished, and while every room
is consistent aesthetically with the
last, they all offer the listener a new
discovery, a new chaise lounge to
dance on and a new framed photo
to gawk at. Walking through The
House is supremely enjoyable.
We’re guided out of the home
on the final track, “Anything U
Want.” He paints a scene with two
characters: “Julie on the bed as
warm as night falls,” and “Ricky on
the field with some makeup on.” It’s
a concise pastoral, a scene largely
about love, but about the home too,
and the country and the things we
want to be for the people who love
us back. Introversion is so easily
misunderstood as selfishness, but
here, Porches is generous to the
point of giving himself entirely.
He offers his world, singing “Tell
me everything you want to hear
/ I want you to hear it / Tell me
anything you want to feel / I
want you near it.” The album,
in retrospect, was always about
others. Even from afar they guide
Porches through his ambivalence,
cutting false paradox and landing
at an answer that’s perhaps even
more complicated than the question
we started with, of how to live and
love as an introvert. Which is that
somehow, we learn to love alone.

“Black
Lightning”

Series Premiere

Tuesdays @ 9/8C

The CW

MATT GALLATIN
Daily Arts Writer

ALBUM REVIEW

The House

Porches

Domino Record
Company