Smile Politely: Arts

A Separation poses essential questions

Chike Coleman — 2012-05-22T12:59:15+00:00

A Separation is the kind of movie that you only need to experience once because it’s just that special. The film was written, directed, and produced by Asghar Farhadi. It stars Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, and the director’s daughter Sarina Farhadi.

The film centers around Nadir and Simin who are newly separated parents to an 11 year old daughter named Termeh. The big conflict of the story involves the decision of whether the family should move to another country or stay in Iran and take care of Nadir’s Alzheimer ailing father.

The depth of this picture comes from an incident that occurs early on in the film. This incident brings forth questions of religion, morality, and the importance of survival and self-preservation.

The characters in this film are so rich with detail and emotional frailty that it is nearly impossible not to root for the family suffering from the fallout of this very difficult incident. A Separation knows how to control the emotions of the audience at every turn. The turmoil the family goes through in the film’s two and a half hour running time is nothing short of cringe worthy.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

BEST Arts

Smile Politely Editors — 2012-05-14T11:00:18+00:00

Like everything else in life, art is a competition. Forget everything you've heard about the creative process being an intensly personal endeavor that is presented to its audience through the artifice of a socially relevant aesthetic. Forget what you've heard about a work's commercial or critical success being arbitrary to the aesthetic success acheived when an artist finds external meaning for his or her own personal quandries — that's loser talk, and here at Smile Politely, we're not standing for it. Hence, our arbitrary and completely subjective recognition of C-U's art scene as divided by a bunch of random categories we created mere hours before our deadline. Enjoy.

Best Napkin Available: Bacaro

Sure you may think that this belongs in the BEST food category, or not in here at all, but have you seen these? Seriously. These are the finest napkins I’ve ever run across, aside from the homemade ones my fiancée makes. The paper here is soft, thick, and plush. They have a simple, elegant design with a logo that reminds you that you’re going to have to forget about buying half of your groceries for the week because you’ll be spending that money there. They are a work of art. I just went to Bacaro for the first time a couple of weeks ago and when I saw these babies I was impressed. My parents have joked for years how I’m a public bathroom enthusiast, always aware of the cleanest, most well-kept, lavish lavatories around. But these napkins take things to another level. The first time I used one I actually stuck it in my pocket to reuse later because I felt bad about throwing it away. But then I remembered that this is America and I am an American. So in the trash it went. After all, I'd just get to enjoy the whole refreshing experience the next time. Why settle for something subpar?

(JS)

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

Bully: Boys will be boys

Jeff Kohmstedt — 2012-05-13T22:45:36+00:00

Weirdo. Pussy. Faggot. Lesbi-friends. Boys-will-be-boys. This is the lexicon of Bully, the documentary film playing at the Art Theater. The film follows several kids who are bullied and hears from parents of children who have taken their own lives as a result of the physical, but mostly mental abuse of classmates.

The film begins with David Long, a distraught father, describing his son, Tyler, 17, who committed suicide by hanging himself in his closet after years of bullying.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

What is your destiny?

Jeremiah Stanley — 2012-05-13T20:30:29+00:00

Jeff, Who Lives at Home
R
3/4 stars

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a comedy that approaches humor in the way that most indie style comedies do. They’re funny in an ironic and sarcastic manner, keeping a perceived level of sophistication above anything that may venture into straightforward joke or slapstick. Instead, much of the effort is focused on trying to break your heart. They will try to tear you down and then build you up with subtle wit, quirk, and warmth. It’s the kind of thing that makes you smirk and, at times, chokes you up a bit.

I’ve come to grow tired of most films these days due to their formulaic scripts, regurgitated stories, and tired clichés. Fortunately, Jeff brings layers and authenticity. It’s not just brooding and self-absorbed loathing here, despite some of the typical indie comedy methodology I just described. Pieces ultimately fit into place and things are held together, even if they need some improbable help. There’s a greater purpose than just trying to be cool.

Writer and Director brother duo Mark and Jay Duplass utilize Jason Segal (Jeff) and Ed Helms (Pat) to their maximum effectiveness and help foster a great on-screen rapport between the two comedy veterans. I’ve been a fan of Segal for years and he brings out the deeply rooted pain and tenderness in Jeff. He’s a sage-like figure hiding inside a slacker pothead.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

The Avengers is worth the hype

Chike Coleman — 2012-05-09T16:00:37+00:00

The Avengers is one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. The hype Marvel flooded consumers with was well worth the wait for the film’s release. Joss Whedon (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse) wrote and directed this superhero team up movie. The plot involves something called the Tesseract, a cosmic cube that has unknown potential energy. Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) decides to steal the cube and use it to open a portal to another world to start an invasion and war that very well may destroy Earth.

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, decides that it is time to initiate the Avengers’ initiative after being bested by Loki when the Tesseract was stolen. This initiative involves bringing together Earth’s mightiest heroes to do battle with Loki and his army to save Earth. This means that Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansen), all need to check their egos and play nice to preserve the greater good.

The main appeal of this film is that if you enjoyed any one of the previous Marvel films from the last four years, then you’re set. Each hero gets his or her own moment in the spotlight. It almost goes without saying that I love seeing all of these heroes on screen together fighting to save the Earth, but the thing I was most impressed by was the event that really forced them to put their egos aside and work together. The moment comes rather unexpectedly in the film and it is a moment that has a level of emotional resonance for anyone who has watched any of the previous four films.

My favorite aspect of The Avengers is its visual style. The film very much resembles the look of those first Avengers’ posters with battles going on throughout parts of Midtown in New York.

Another thing that struck me about the film is how funny it is. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. does have some great lines, but everyone gets a chance to crack a moderately funny one liner— even the Hulk.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

American Reunion reunites the classic characters

Chike Coleman — 2012-05-08T18:00:39+00:00

American Reunion is one of those movies that you’d expect would fail because it is the fourth sequel in the long dead original American Pie franchise. Surprisingly though, the fourth entry proves to be the funniest the series has offered thus far.

American Reunion rounds up all of your favorite characters from American Pie: Jim, Michelle, Finch, Oz, Stifler, Kevin, and Heather all return for their 13-year high school reunion. Jim, Finch, Oz, Kevin, and Stifler are all contemplating whether they made the right decisions in their lives after graduating from college.

Some of the boys have done well for themselves and others feel a bit lonely and long for the glory days of high school when they were popular. Jim and his wife Michelle are having problems in their marriage because they have been unable to have sex since their son Evan was born. Before the reunion begins, Jim is reintroduced to a girl named Kara, who he babysat as a teenager. She is obsessed with making Jim the person she shares her first time with and Jim has to decline and avoid her throughout the film. The other storylines of the film are pretty basic and Jim’s is the one that gets the most laughs.

I hate the character of Steven Stifler but, in an ironic turn of events, he is the character I ended up caring about most. Stifler was always the life of the party in the American Pie films and in this story Stifler is a nobody because he is the guy that is still trapped in high school. To be honest, I know guys like him and to see it depicted on screen so well by actor Sean William Scott hurt a bit more. I found myself constantly pulling for Stifler’s friends to cut him a break while simultaneously hating Stifler for his gross level of immaturity.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

Jeff Kohmstedt and The Fifth Kraut

Mark Laughlin — 2012-05-02T14:50:51+00:00

Local writer Jeff Kohmstedt has published a novel. It’s called The Fifth Kraut and is about a tight-knit group of four high school boys of German ancestry in suburban Chicago in 1990. The clique allows a new boy — the “fifth kraut” — to start hanging out with them, and from there, lives and events go in unexpected directions over the course of senior year. I spoke with Kohmstedt recently about his novel, getting published, and the craft of writing fiction in general. Kohmstedt himself has documented some of the trials and tribulations of the writing life in Smile Politely articles that you can access here and here.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

Ebertfest recap

Smile Politely Writers — 2012-04-30T10:00:20+00:00

Joe Versus the Volcano

This film’s selection for opening night surprised a lot people. I guess Ebert has developed a fondness for it and he has wanted to show it at his festival for 10 years or so. Ebert’s wife, Chaz, admitted at the screening that even she had never finished it because it was just “too weird.”

Sure, Joe is often weird and cheesy at times, but it’s actually pretty good. The humor is subtle at times and ridiculous at others, the way many 90s movies are. Most importantly, the film has a heart that many comedies — and romantic comedies for that matter — lack today.

The studio created a special new digital print for the festival and it looked impeccable on the screen thanks to a $250,000 projector. Director of Photography Stephen Goldenblatt was on hand for the Q&A and discussed filming in actual film versus digital. Film forces you to get it right the first time or not at all, and it’s evident that Goldenblatt was able to do so here. He captures the different styles throughout the film with precision and clarity.

Joe is a relatable film, despite its absurdities. Joe Banks is a hypochondriac who has essentially stopped living and he needs to find inspiration and a reason to exist. Meg Ryan’s portrayal of DeDe /Angelica /Patricia (it’s nice to see Meg Ryan play something other than herself, in two of these roles) help facilitate Joe’s life-change and his soul is revived. It speaks as an awakening to those who need an awakening in his or her life at some point; this film just takes it to the extreme. If you haven’t watched Joe, give it a chance. It's not like any other film I have seen and that just doesn't happen often. It’s bizarre and magical and it should leave you with some warmth and, possibly, lift your “brain cloud.” (JS)

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

Weiskamp makes poster printing a community experience

Claire Melvin — 2012-04-25T16:15:17+00:00

Weiskamp Screen Printing has become a staple business in Champaign-Urbana for screen printed graphic t-shirts. This year, the business will be celebrating it’s 30th year of serving the Champaign-Urbana community.

Weiskamp's owner, Ed Weiskamp, is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Architecture and has always been interested in graphic design and screen printed poster art, but he’s found that the business for screen-printing really lies in designing and producing custom t-shirts.

At Weiskamp, you can get t-shirts made for your bar crawl, family reunion, your softball team, or whatever you want. However, there is more to Weiskamp than just t-shirts.

In 2008, Weiskamp attended a talk at the Krannert Art Museum by Jay Ryan--a graduate of the University of Illinois and now a well-known screen print artist-- on the art of screen printing. Weiskamp was surprised to see that there was such an eager following for this kind of art production. He also learned that it was a member of his own shop that turned Jay Ryan on to screen printing.

Weiskamp describes this as the impetus that led him to reconsider poster art in screen printing and to begin hosting his own poster art workshops.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of these screen printing workshops, where I learned about the process of screen printing and given the opportunity to make some posters of my own.

The most amazing part about this workshop is that it's completely free! I’ve attempted amateur screen printing by myself in the past, but I have never had the opportunity to work with high-quality, professionally made, screens and equipment. It was a blast!

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}

The magic of Ebertfest returns

Jeremiah Stanley — 2012-04-25T11:00:32+00:00

Ebertfest is unlike your ordinary old trip to see a movie. There’s a buzz in the air. Maybe it’s just Ebert’s name, or the stars that come out to be a part of the experience. My thought is that it’s something more though. We’re fortunate to have an annual event like Ebertfest, on top of all of the day-to-day great film happenings around town.

Ebertfest turns things up a notch though because of its grandeur. There’s something so perfect about it being held at the Virginia Theater, which is celebrating it's 90th year this year. It all just makes sense. It’s a large scale that somehow still maintains such intimacy. When I visit I feel nostalgic for something that is beyond me, perhaps a past of which I wasn’t actually a part. I feel the same way going to an old baseball stadium, like Wrigley Field. There’s history there. The experience is sweetened.

I’m probably in the minority here when I say that "Wild and Weird" is the event I look forward to the most this year at Ebertfest. Last year, the Alloy Orchestra captivated me with their accompaniment to the classic Fritz Lang film Metropolis. It was the reason I wanted to start writing film reviews.

This year the Alloy Orchestra will be playing along with a selection of rare silent shorts. Alloy is a three-man ensemble but the sound they generate makes them worthy of their namesake. They utilize their "rack of junk" and electronic synthesizers, creating a unique sound that refreshes silent film into something full, rich and completely new. They’re versatile, powerful and energetic. If you’re a fan of silent film then this is going to blow you away. If you’re not a fan, you’ll probably become one.

Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}