05/22/09 - Intermission [pdf]

inside

A recap of this year’s biggest television finales...pages 4-5 Stanford Film Festival kicks off with some quirky shorts...pages 6-7 Chris Wedge talks about animation and “Ice Age”...page 8 Bay to Breakers is quirky as ever, Decemberists kick off their tour...page 9 “Night at the Museum” a huge let-down...page 10 Intermission reviews a thought-provoking French film...page 12

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FRIDAY

5.22.09 stanford’s weekly guide to campus culture

VO LU M E

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ISSUE

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a publication of the stanford daily

jason chuang

Photos courtesy google images ALSO INSIDE

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SEASON OF DRAMAS AND

S TA N F O R D F I L M F E S T I VA L K I C K S O F F W I T H E V E RY -

COMEDIES

THING FROM QUIRKY

WRAPS UP ANOTHER

S H O RT S A N D D R A M A S T O D O C U M E N TA R I E S

...pages 4-5 google images

...pages 6-7 stanford film festival

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LAST SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHTS, STANFORD STUDENTS PUT ON TWO DANCE PERFORMANCES: ONE BY THE DANCE GROUP BENT SPOON AND THE OTHER THE ANNUAL SOUTH ASIAN DANCE SHOW MELA. INTERMISSION CAPTURED THESE BEAUTIFUL SHOWS IN A PHOTO COLLAGE:

photos b y jason c huang

FRIDAY

5.22.09 BONE TO PICK?

MANAGING EDITOR Joanna Xu

LAYOUT EDITOR Jin Yu

COPY EDITOR Jane LePham

DESK EDITORS well then, email us! [email protected]

Annika Heinle Kyle Evaldez

PHOTO EDITOR

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Amanda Zhang

NEAR-FLAWLESS DANCING HEATS UP CANTOR, BUT tony kramer ast Sunday, the Stanford Dance Division presented “Cantor ‘Rewired,’” an imaginative fusion dance piece that melded the classical Southeast Asian style of Bharatanatyam with post-modern dance. Despite temperatures that soared well above 90 degrees, a substantial crowd gathered to follow nine undergraduate dancers perform in, around and through Cantor. The choreography of “Rewired” came from New Yorkbased choreographer and Stanford alumna Parijat Desai, who spent winter 2009 on campus with an Institute for Diversity and the Arts residency. During her residency, Desai also cochoreographed an installment in the Department of Drama’s “The Waste Land” series. Rehearsal director and Dance Division lecturer Diane Frank arranged Desai’s choreography — originally intended for a trio of dancers — for the Cantor grounds. The piece was cast in triplet, with three groups of three dancers performing a unique subset of the choreography and interacting with each other in a way that Frank described as “like mathematics” or “a kaleidoscope.” Vibrant jewel-toned costumes in three colors further differentiated the flights of dancers, and the interplay of colors added a satisfying visual dimension to the piece. The staging of the performance meandered from the front steps of Cantor, through galleries, and to multiple lawns and courtyards on the museum’s grounds, with mixed results. Dancers received extensive training in the Bharatanatyam style, which demands extremely specific hand gestures and percussive footwork, during the rehearsal process, and on the Cantor lawns, long vistas and the rich green grass amplified the effect of the subtle choreography, giving even the dancers’ slightest movements an epic quality. Inside the building, however, bottlenecked crowds craning for a view of dancers and multiple reprimands from museum security broke the sense of mystery and wonder, which was so present in the outdoor segments. Furthermore, placing dancers next to visual art does not necessarily draw a parallel between the two, and the bare-

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NOT AS MUCH AS THE WEATHER foot, fluid dancers of “Rewired,” who seemed perfectly in place among manicured lawns, seemed incongruous within both the “Pop to Present” and Rodin galleries inside the museum. The stamina of the dancers and their ability to maintain concentration while dancing barefoot and sometimes lying down on sizzling concrete was frankly astonishing. Different “permutations” of choreography featured subsets of dancers performing in pairs or across color groups and in coordination with the space around them. While it may be the heat talking, several sections of the performance bordered on the repetitive as the dancers cycled through choreography. When viewing practitioners of tai chi or yoga, I often feel that while there is clear admiration for the body control and mindfulness of the practitioners, their movement is not for entertainment. In the same way, the deliberate, methodical structure of the “Rewired” choreography made the piece seem almost like an exercise rather than a dance. In contrast to traditional Bharatanatyam, in which dancers’ movements convey a mythic narrative, Desai intended to draw only technique and “kinetic information” from the dance form, and use these to “rewire” the movement of a dancer’s body. From artistic and pedagogic perspectives, such a focus on new kinetics fits into a grander study of the body’s capacity for movement and, according to Frank, the search for “what is innovative within ancient forms” like Bharatanatyam. However, as an audience member with an appreciation for dance but little formal training, I found myself struggling to make an emotional connection to a performance that felt extremely rational and academic. On the other hand, “Rewired” should not be judged for failing to be something which it never intended to be. As a sitespecific work of fusion, “Rewired” intended to focus on structure, both within the dancers’ movements and in the surrounding architecture, and it succeeded at pulling elements of Bharatanatyam’s punctuated style into a very modern staging. While not exactly a piece for the masses, nearly flawless execu-

tion from an immensely talented group of dancers made “Rewired” a meaningful addition to the Stanford dance calendar. — monica MIKLAS contact monica: [email protected]

stefanie okuda

photos by jason chuang friday may 22 2009

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FINALES A LOOK BACK AT THE SEASON ’S END

FRINGE Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), paranormal science, bioterrorism, FBI action, a kick-ass female lead, a new-age science manifesto with creepily religious undertones and conspiracy theories — throw all that together and you’ve got Fringe, denominated by creator J.J. Abrams as the easier-to-follow counterpart to critically-acclaimed Lost. This first season of Fringe introduces Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), an FBI agent, and her sidekicks Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and his father/brilliant scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) as they investigate a series of paranormal/fringe experiments taking place all around the world, collectively called “The Pattern.” While the show was a bit slow at the beginning, it really picks up later in the season. The first season sets up the complex world and theories that is the Fringe universe. But if the first season was the set-up, then the second will really dive into development and getting to know the enemy for the Fringe team. The season finale ended on a cliffhanger, with Olivia traveling

for the first time to a parallel universe to meet William Bell (Leonard Nimoy — that’s right, Spock!). In that parallel universe, Dunham and Bell meet in the twin towers, which were not destroyed by the 9/11 attacks. A glimpse at the newspaper suggests that the White House was destroyed instead. And if you pay careful attention, there is no Statue of Liberty. There are infinite possibilities for this alternative universe (universes?). Abrams has confirmed that season two will be faster and more thrilling than the first. While the theories of MWI may be nothing new, I’m sure Abrams and Co. will find a new way to explore this concept and the unravel the mystery behind the characters in an interesting way. I, for one, am eager to keep watching.

THE OFFICE The fifth season of NBC’s “The Office” wrapped up last Thursday with a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings and surprisingly few cliffhangers. It felt more like watching an old episode of “Friends” without the laugh track. That being said, one can’t help but love it. “Company Picnic” starts with another stellar prank from Jim, though this time the joke is on Michael, and everyone (even Dwight!) is in on it. The episode then departs from the usual stuffy office setting as the characters attend Dunder Mifflin’s annual company picnic. Michael makes a blunder at the picnic by revealing that the Buffalo branch was closing. Yet, in his reunion with Holly, he is surprisingly sweet and chooses not to make a move on her. Scranton branch unites against corporate (in their ominous matching black t-shirts) in an epic volleyball game. Pam,

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— joanna XU contact joanna: [email protected]

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injured at the game, is rushed to the hospital with Jim where the big news of the episode is revealed as soon as the nurse asks, “Any chance you’re pregnant?” The camera lurks outside the hospital room, and although we can’t hear the conversation, viewers can see through the blinds as the doctor informs them of Pam’s pregnancy, leading to another adorable Pam and Jim moment. “Company Picnic” could easily have been the end of the entire “Office” series. Everyone’s favorite couple is blissful, Michael seems to finally be safe in his job, and even Dwight is getting along with the group. The show’s writers are going to have a tricky time creating tension next season. — meghan BERMAN contact intermission: [email protected]

And after another 24 hours, Jack Bauer can finally go to sleep (and go to the bathroom. Seriously, is that what he does during commercial breaks?) Season seven of “24” has certainly had its ups and downs, but as it reaches its conclusion, this will stand as one of the best seasons of the show. While it did not have the incredible originality and vitality of the first season or the tension of the fifth season, it was solid from start to finish, delving into Jack’s humanity more than any other season. By taking away CTU, Jack is forced to confront the actions of his past. This is symbolized, in particular, by his relationship with FBI agent Renee Walker. While she initially serves as his foil, chastising him for his torturous ways, she is slowly pulled into his dark and twisted world where the ends justify the means. This comes to a climax in the final scene of the season, where she gives up her career to obtain vital information coercively from a criminal who would otherwise walk free. It is a testament to Renee’s arc over the season how unsettling this scene was to watch. It’s unfortunate that Jack’s story line at the close of the season was not as exciting as Renee’s. He does have some pulse-pumping moments of his own, though. The scene when he escapes from the operating table using only a small knife is particularly exhilarating. As a whole, putting Jack on his death bed from his exposure to the weaponized bio-agent took away one of the show’s main assets — the raw power of Jack Bauer

as a character. Hopefully, he will be back to fighting form next season after a last-minute stem cell treatment from his daughter, Kim (whose story line was nowhere near as ridiculous as ones in previous seasons. Random cougar, I’m looking at you). Tony Almeida, thankfully, receives some closure towards the end when he reveals his true motivations: revenge for his fallen wife. This serves as a nice bit of resolution to explain, at least to a partial degree, why the character seemed to flip sides every other episode. All in all, this season had all of the traditional tension, anxiety, and racing against the clock that makes “24” such a compelling television drama. — p a t r i c k K E L LY contact patrick: [email protected]

GOSSIP GIRL For almost two years now, The CW’s hit show “Gossip Girl” has been a guilty pleasure of mine. This fairly lengthy relationship started with a bang: “Gossip Girl” gave me cheap thrills that I hadn’t experienced for years — ever since the troubled teen Ryan Atwood moved into Orange County. “Gossip Girl” gave me a spark, a light, when I was beginning to give up on the teen drama. “Gossip Girl” was good to me, and I was good to “Gossip Girl.” Just several weeks into the first season, I found myself backing the show up as friends called it names. I protected it, watched it grow . . . and “Gossip Girl” gave back to me. Season One quickly went by and the wait for Season Two was almost unbearable. Then finally, one fateful Monday, it came back to me. The characters were all back together after a summer separated. The back and forth, on-and-off love between Blair and Chuck was almost immediately revisited (and unfortunately, visited again and again all season long). Nate Archibald, struggling for money, is accepting cash for sex from a much older, married woman. Dan and Serena are together, then they aren’t, and then they are again. Season Two certainly looked promising. Sadly, I was completely wrong about the future of “Gossip Girl.” All season, the show continued to spiral into a complete mess, with terrible writing, nonsensical plotlines, flat acting and—gasp—bad hair. As the show got more and more ludicrous, my disdain for wasting an hour of my life grew. Finally, the season finale approached, and I made a pact — if this episode was as crappy as the rest of the season, I would not be back for Season Three. Unfortunately, it was just as terrible as the rest. It’s graduation time on the Upper East Side, and for some reason, Serena goes completely dramatic and decides to uncover the identity of Gossip Girl. This leads to a murder mystery element, where everybody is suspicious of each other. As tensions mount, friendships look as though they are destroyed. For the millionth time, Chuck rejects Blair’s love, and her heart is broken. Jenny Humphrey decides to throw her hat into the ring for the new Queen Bee (who really takes high school that seriously?) and is told to come up with the juiciest piece of gossip to be crowned. As painfully skinny and horribly styled

Little J finds Blair at her weakest in the bathroom, she appeals for the crown. Blair tells her woefully, “You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you.” This line is delivered with such ridiculous intensity that it’s hard not to laugh at how completely lame this show is. By the end of the season finale, the only elements that I felt at peace with were the engagement of Lily and Rufus, and the coupling of Blair and Chuck (finally!), but I doubt that will last for long. For those of you who disagree with me and think this season was television genius, fret not. The writers worked it out so that most of your favorite characters are at NYU for college, so more mishaps can take place, only now it’s collegiate style. As for me, I won’t be watching. “Gossip Girl” is like crack — if you aren’t already hooked, don’t try it. And if you are, it’s probably best for your health to wean off slowly. — annika HEINLE contact annika: [email protected]

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

GREY’S ANATOMY “Grey’s Anatomy” has had a shaky run in the past couple of years. Thankfully, season five brought the show back to its roots: good, old-fashioned melodrama. This season focused strongly on the individual lives of the characters, paying more attention to the emotions rather than the surgeries. The show’s ability to punch you in the emotional gut could not be more pronounced than in the season’s latter episodes leading up to this two-hour finale. With Meredith and Derek’s pending wedding as well as Izzie’s constant struggle with cancer, viewers were on edge going into the finale. The first hour of the finale, “Here’s to Future Days,” focused on Izzie’s decision to undergo a hazardous brain surgery at the risk of memory loss. The rest of the characters had their own surgeries and problems to deal with — most notably Cristina and Owen’s up-and-down relationship. Highlights included Izzie asking George for surgical advice and Alex trying to convince Izzie to tear up the DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) form that she had just signed. The first hour ended with Izzie choosing the surgery and George deciding to join the army — by far the episode’s biggest surprise.

XOXO, Intermission.

The second half, “Now or Never,” took all the tension and emotion from the first half, and doubled it. After Izzie’s surgery, we discovered that she lost her short-term memory, forcing Alex help her recover it. Meanwhile, the other characters were kept occupied with a John Doe trauma case and efforts to convince George to not join the army. The show’s most memorable and emotional moments flooded the final 10 minutes of the episode, barely giving viewers time to react: John Doe was in fact George, and both Izzie and George fell upon death’s doorstep, leaving viewers guessing as to which characters will survive until next season. The “Grey’s Anatomy” season finale succeeded on multiple levels. Besides making viewers shed tears (or flat-out cry), the show also succeeded in marking significant developments for several characters. Meredith and Derek are entering married life, Bailey is leaving her husband, Cristina and Owen are back together and Izzie and George are . . . dead? Needless to say, the show’s writers have a lot of material to work with next season. — k y l e E VA L D E Z contact kyle: [email protected]

photos courtesy google images The “Desperate Housewives” two-hour season finale ranked among one of the most nerve-wracking episodes of the show’s five seasons. The suspense was driven by the storyline of psychotic Dave, whose delusional visions brought Edie back for a cameo. Dave has been bad news since the season premiere, but as he plotted to kill the adorable and young MJ, he became a thing of nightmares. While Gaby’s shallow life lessons to her children kept things lighter, the fear of MJ’s fate drags on through the two hours. The Bree-Orson saga will continue into the next season as Orson has blackmailed Bree into staying married. The closest thing to a cliffhanger is Lynette’s announcement that she is carrying twins. Compared to the time leap of last year’s finale, this season ended with some resolution. Will Gaby be able to handle her teenager? Will Tom get to pursue his college dreams while having to provide for even more children? Will Katherine be out for revenge against Susan for stealing her fiancé? These questions will keep viewers wondering until fall, but ultimately, they are questions that can wait. At least the episode ended with a happy wedding, as the writers proved once again that anything that happens on Wisteria Lane can be undone. — chloe BADE contact chloe: [email protected] | CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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friday may 22 2009

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STANFORD FILM FESTIVAL his past week, the south of France played host to some of the most glamorous celebrities in the business at the annual Cannes Film Festival. For those of you dreamily waiting for the day when you will walk down the red carpet with all the stars, fret no longer, for we have the (semi) next best thing here at Stanford, in our very own Cubberley Auditorium. Think we’re joking? There actually will be a red carpet, a Grand Jury and a prize equivalent to the “Palme d’Or” (Cannes’ Best Picture). This Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 21 to 23), the Stanford Film Society will present “Show And Tell: The 2009 Stanford Student Film Festival.” This festival will consist of two nights (Thursday and Friday) of student films covering a wide range of genres including dramas, comedies, art house, documentaries, music videos and interstitials. On Saturday night, prizes will be awarded. And we’re not just talking about a gift certificate to Fraiche — think something much bigger. Of the 60 films submitted, winners will receive such prizes as iPods, camcorders and digital cameras. However, those aren’t even the big winners. The filmmakers that win the Grand Jury prize will be sent on a trip to Los Angeles, where they will get to meet with the Executive Vice President of Warner Brothers Pictures, Bill Guttentag (also a Stanford graduate). Intermission was privileged enough to get an advanced screening of some of the movies. We were pleasantly surprised with the high caliber of many of the films. Forty-four films were accepted into the festival, and, from the handful that we

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saw, most seem very entertaining. There will be approximately 100 minutes of film shown each night. Look forward to funny movies about mismatched tour guides, or dramas that modernize the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Encounter two lonely people unknowingly sharing a cup of tea in a lovely art house piece. Or, enjoy a music video all about regulating genes. Not to hype it up too much (I don’t want you to be disappointed) but look out for The Fan, a very creative film shown from the perspective of an oppressed individual. The amount of material at the festival is varied and fun to watch. It came as a bit of shock seeing how much talent and filmmaking prowess was shown in this small sample of films. Unlike schools such as USC or UCLA, Stanford isn’t exactly known for its cinematic potential. This lack in film expertise is exactly the reason the film festival this year has been vamped into a glamorous weekend celebration. According to co-chairs of the festival Ellie Wen ‘09 and Jesse Krompier ‘10, the problem of feeble arts at Stanford has motivated the Stanford Film Society to make this event better than ever. Filmmaking should have a bigger, better presence on campus. Krompier could not emphasize enough how he wanted this event to bring more students into the Stanford Film Society and the film community on campus in general. As Krompier put it, “We are trying to build an atmosphere of excitement on this campus, and we certainly need to tighten the community.” So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, or even if you’ve already made plans, cancel everything and head over to the film festival. Come to the event and meet other students interested in making and watching movies. And at the

FACEBOOK (INTERSTITIAL) ROBBER BARONS

ORPHEUS (DRAMA) ABTEEN BAGHERI-FARD AND JAY KILACHAND

same time, get a glimpse of the movie making potential here on campus. It truly seems like it will be a great, well-organized event, close in quality to that of Cannes. You may even run into Leonardo DiCaprio. But don’t count on it. — annika HEINLE and cameron SOKOLIK contact annika: [email protected] contact cameron: [email protected]

RE-ENACT (ART HOUSE) WILL ROGERS

This extremely creative comedy documents the oppressive life of a ceiling fan. Forced to eternally spin without any acknowledgment from the people below, the fan claims that its life is tragic. With this original perspective, the audience gets a glimpse of what it’s like to be controlled by someone else. Maybe we should be nicer to our things, one day they might retaliate . . .

From a technical point of view, this film was probably the best one we saw. The setting and lighting was very instrumental in establishing the proper mood. Specifically, the ringing could drive a person mad. This drama is a modern take on the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A man loves his neighbor, but she is involved with another man. Consequently, the man must decide how to appropriately act and whether love is truly worth it.

Do you have any clingy friends? Friends that invite you to lunch? Friends that make a Facebook event to invite you to lunch? If yes, it’ll make you chuckle. — cameron SOKOLIK contact cameron: [email protected]

MEET THE ART (DOCUMENTARY) BERNADETTE CAY

The only way I can describe this film is trippy. The filmmaker uses a very original method to capture a phenomenon that is simply cool to watch. The filmmaker asks random people to reenact what they are currently discussing while he records the audio. Then the same people switch roles and while they reenact it, he plays the audio that he just recorded. I know, really confusing. You have to see it for yourself.

LIES JESSE KROMPIER

THE FAN (COMEDY) JESSE KROMPIER

LE REGAZZE BEN CORTES

L’ESCARGOT JESSE KROMPIER

This documentary recounts the history of the moving picture. At first, this topic may sound dull, but it is actually extremely interesting, especially because the birth of the moving picture occurred right here at Stanford. Apparently it all started when Leland Stanford himself beseeched Eadweard Muybridge, a photographer, to investigate whether the legs of his prize-winning horse ever left the ground all at the same time. The rest is history. Who (aside from art history majors) knew?

DEAD LOVE ABTEEN BGHERI-FARD AND JAY KILACHAND photos courtesy stanford film festival

HAIGHT STREET KIDS SHIRA SHANE

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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ABTEEN BAGHERI-FARD

BEHOLDER ROXANNE TETI

LOTUS NILIMA ABRAMS

TOURGUIDE IAN MACARTNEY

STALLING WYATT ROY friday may 22 2009

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An animated discussion

RESTAURANT REViEW

Perfectly Engineered Cooking

Chris Wedge

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rance is widely considered to be the home of the world’s best food, while California is frequently regarded as a center of cutting-edge innovation — both politically and technologically. So what could be better than combining the first-rate culinary influence of France with a fresh kick that could only exist in California? The answer is not a great many thing, and this little fact can be confirmed through a visit to Sent Sovi Restaurant in Saratoga. Located about 30 minutes from Stanford on Big Basin Way in Saratoga, Sent Sovi occupies a small unassuming storefront with a distinctly old-fashioned-looking wooden sign hanging outside. The dining room is small and intimate — though not claustrophobic — and is generally elegant, though with some rustic relief thanks to plentiful copper accents on the walls. But the real excitement begins when the menus arrive. A dinner at Sent Sovi can be taken as a prix fixe or a la carte. The seven-course tasting menu is $75 with the option of adding on wine pairings. If ordering a la carte, starters are in the low teens while mains are in the thirties. But unless money is not an object, the way to go is with the weekly special prix fixe: three courses with two paired wines for $45. The special does not offer any choice, but does change every week. This week, the starter was a generous-sized piece of arctic char (a salmon-like fish) cooked to 117.5 degrees Fahrenheit — just hot enough to clear everything from a food safety standpoint and make the skin perfectly palatable, while still leaving the full flavor that makes the fish worth eating. With nothing seasoning the fish besides a little olive oil and salt, the result was simplistic perfection. While substantially busier, the “Hangtown Fry” on the a la carte appetizer menu was nothing short of spectacular. First, it includes an 18-hour cooked bacon confit that provided the crispy, smoky flavor of bacon with the decadent richness of pork belly. Also on the plate were two flash-fried Bluepoint Oysters, generously breaded and crispy on the outside, while still packing an almost-raw oyster taste inside. If that wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake was a sunny-side-up quail egg topped with sturgeon caviar. The main course on the weekly special was a slow-cooked braised short rib. Similar to the char, cooking at a low temperature for a long time allowed for an even, natural flavor while still being sufficiently cooked. The first bite was almost jaw-dropping and while the ‘98 Cabernet Sauvignon was excellent, the richness of the short ribs might have better been complemented by something more like a petite syrah. Initially, the dessert listed simply as “compressed fruit” seemed uninspiring. But it became apparent that this wasn’t any ordinary fruit salad when the chef had to come to the table to explain what was actually going on. A brilliant complement had been chosen for each fruit: orange brandy for the apple, vanilla for the cantaloupe, and simple syrup for the watermelon. Each fruit then was infused with its complement and put into a vacuum chamber causing the pores in the fruit to fill with the added liquid. Chef Slone, who started out as an engineer at UCLA, went onto describe the intricacies of the vacuum chamber and all of the magic one can accomplish with it. He explained, for example, the ability to achieve a low-temperature boil, “because obviously PV=nRT,” citing the ideal gas law as it applies in his kitchen. After compression, the fruit was served in a sweet-but-tangy soup of Indonesian peppers that, in one word, was genius. Dining at Sent Sovi is far from cheap — but the $45 special dinner is an absolute steal. The food is top-notch, the staff is knowledgeable and professional and the atmosphere is classy but not stuffy. Combining all of these aspects makes for a nearly perfect experience. If you have trouble picturing it, just imagine the typical chaos and misery of a meal at the Axe and Palm and then imagine the complete and total opposite. It’s worth every penny.

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alex yu ave you ever seen the movie “Ice Age?” What about “Horton Hears A Who?” Last Wednesday, the mastermind behind these adorable animated films visited Stanford. Chris Wedge is an Oscar-winning director and producer of animated films, as well as the co-founder of Blue Sky Studios, a company that focuses on realistic, computer-generated character animation. Wedge graduated from the film department of SUNY-Purchase and received his master’s degree at Ohio State in computer graphics. He wrote and directed “Bunny,” which won an Oscar for the best animated short film. Wedge’s talk on Wednesday night focused on the process of creating animations step by step. He played various clips of the easily recognizable, adorable squirrel Scrat from “Ice Age.” Wedge was very down-to-earth, explaining the collaborative effort of creating animation. He emphasized the amount of detailed work that goes into Blue Sky productions. Lighting, sound and character design are all micromanaged. The movies start as primitive black and white cartoons, which then go through a long creative development. Instead of writing a script, artists paint colorful storyboards called color keys. “Everyone takes their job making cartoons very seriously,” joked Wedge. Someone has to design and create every single branch, vine and leaf you see in the movies. Wedge and his team created their own animation software, developing an algorithm that tracks light rays in a scene and relays the information back to the camera pixel by pixel. This illuminates their movies, diffusing light so that the setting looks livelier and more complex. Wedge described his philosophy as an attempt at nonverbally conveying emotions and stories. “Trying to put a storybook on film is a romantic notion for me,” he said. “In animation, you get to invent a world and immerse the viewer in it.” Wedge played clips from his movie, “Robots,” and explained how he took his team to a junkyard in Connecticut to find inspiration. This July, “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” will be released. The movie continues the story of Scrat the squirrel, Manny the mammoth and Diego the tiger. Scrat incessantly searches for his acorn and, along the way, finds romance with a lady squirrel. Wedge’s discussion was fairly interesting and made one appreciate the amount of hard work that goes into making animated movies.

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— meghan BERMAN contact meghan: [email protected]

— theo POLAN

google images

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contact theo: [email protected]

photos courtesy google images

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ince early in the year, rumors about Bay to Breakers getting ruined by new city regulations have circulated through chain emails. Concerned groups debated if it would be the same without the floats that tote kegs and ice luges. While many were relieved about the proposed ban on nudity, everyone was far more excited when the whole thing got tossed. Officials still threatened to persecute visibly intoxicated participants, setting a warning that probably was warranted anyway. This Sunday began like every other year . . . a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call that requires extreme willpower to resist ignoring. While many groups plan a theme, Stanford students tend to represent the “rally gear” that is inevitably just something thrown together. The 6 a.m. CalTrain was flooded with students who have left their yawns and grogginess back on cam-

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pus. The hour-long train ride was the biggest party public transportation has ever seen. Once the hoards unloaded the train by the AT&T Ballpark, everyone followed the masses to the starting line. With beers in hand, cheering bystanders threw tortillas at the serious runners, reminding the racers that most of the 60,000 people would be cruising behind them. Once the floats were unleashed, the real “race” began. The classic costumes, like the group of salmon, walked the 7.2 miles upstream, inviting participants to join them and spawn. This year, Somali pirates and swine flu existed in multiple forms, reminding San Francisco of the overlap of CNN headlines and pop culture. A group dressed as the Great Wall of China strictly guarded mile four, linking arms in a Red Rover fashion, challenging participants to break through. Overall, the costumes served as a conversation starter, as all the participants acted like old friends. The steep hill of Hayes Street did not slow down the fun, as bands and boomboxes filled the street, leading to blockwide belting of everything from Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “My September.” Confetti fell from the sky, acting as a marker for the true purpose of the event: to celebrate San Francisco. Many did not make it all the way to the end, as people started resting along

— chloe BADE contact inter mission: [email protected]

photos courtesy google images

START OF A HAZARDOUS LOVE

pon arriving at 18th and Telegraph in Oakland hours before the Decemberists concert, I was shocked to see that there were a lot of people lined up outside, waiting for the doors to open. I shuffled to my place in the back of the line, checking out the crowd that had showed up hours earlier than I did. There were parents accompanying their excited middle school kids, Cal students, middle-aged women — overall a wide variety of people. After standing in line for an hour, I realized that this is an enormous venue, much bigger than the intimate stages The Decemberists are used to playing. The concert was also sold out, which meant that there was going to be a huge crowd. I paled at the thought of not being against the stage at lead singer/songwriter Colin Meloy’s feet, but when the doors opened I was aggressive, winding up exactly where I wanted to be. Then there was even more waiting for the opening act to come on stage. The theatre was buzzing with excitement, as Oakland was just the second stop of the Short Fazed Hovel tour. After an hour, the opener, a group called Other google images Lives, came on stage greeted with enthusiastic and encouraging applause. The group performed an amazing set, highWith that sentiment, Other Lives finished up their incredlighted by a beautiful cello and haunting piano. Their music ible set and left the stage, leaving The Decemberists to take the sounded like a hodgepodge of genres, leading them to be classified as “post-folk.” They were very well-received by the audi- grand stage. The backdrop was set up to look like the album ence, but the most applause that they were given came once cover of their recent release, “Hazards of Love” (reviewed in lead singer Jesse Tabish said, “I’d like to say thanks to the Intermission last April). Without any words to the audience, Decemberists for letting us come with them. They’re amazing, the band began performing their whole rock opera continuously, not speaking or taking a break between songs. For those aren’t they?”

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the grass in Golden Gate Park. This was especially true, as the 90-degree heat continued to climb. By mile five, the drink of choice became water, as volunteers handed out the entire 1.5 liter bottles instead of Dixie cups. The biggest trick about making it to the breakers on the West side of the city was the trek back to the CalTrain station by the bay. The ride home was filled with photographers reviewing their finds and naps all around. Despite early panics about the changes of Bay to Breakers, it was more fun than ever without the drama. Only two people were cited for public urination, which, in a city like San Francisco, is certainly a success.

unfamiliar with “Hazards of Love,” it tells a complex story of two star-crossed lovers that are unable to be together because of an evil queen. The band sounded incredible, with Colin Meloy’s strangely endearing voice pealing out through the back of the theatre, all the way up to the top of the balcony. Becky Stark, of Lavender Diamond, performed the vocals of Margaret, the woman in love. While Stark’s voice was nothing if not ethereal and beautiful, the guest star that stole the show was Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, who sang the part of the queen. Her low range powerhouse vocals, combined with infectious stage presence, had the audience cheering louder for her than the band itself. After completing the entire album, the group took a short break and came back onstage for another set of some of their other hits. Playing songs like “Grace Cathedral Hill,” “The Crane Wife 3” and “O Valencia!” The Decemberists captivated the audience for the entire second set. The group then returned for an encore of hodgepodge tunes that the band seemed to play just because they enjoyed playing them. As the audience spilled out of the theatre, the refrain that Colin had asked to stick kept playing in our heads, sweetly sung by his strange voice — “Hear all the bombs fade away . . .” — annika HEINLE contact annika: [email protected]

friday may 22 2009

9

MOViE REViEW

A

DISAPPOINTING

“NIGHT

AT THE

owadays, it seems that the motion picture industry is littered with hackneyed, uncreative adaptations and useless sequels constantly reminding us that the corporate film world is a business valuing dollars above all else. Unfortunately, “Night at the Museum:

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Battle of the Smithsonian,” the follow-up to 2006’s “Night at the Museum,” does nothing to alter this notion. Directed by Shawn Levy (of “The Pink Panther” and “Cheaper by the Dozen,” both remakes that led to irrelevant sequels), “Battle of the Smithsonian” struggles to overcome a profusion of problems — namely tedious, unimaginative writing and the omnipresence of contrived gags that are misses far more often than they are hits. In the first film, Ben Stiller, true to form, plays an average guy, Larry Daley, who takes a job as a security guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York — only to discover that the museum’s exhibits spring to A SCALE . O ts a ON st F l a life each night. This phenomenon is th e v it explained by the presence of an ancient, he N ig h t a t t golden Egyptian tablet in the museum that Museum animates its inhabitants. In “Battle”, Stiller PG sy reprises his role as Daley, who now has /F an ta A d ve n tu re an at become an extremely successful inventor of er s th gu ar d di sc ov A m us eu m sp la ys to di es products such as the “glow-in-the-dark us ca e an ci en t cu rs . .. fe flashlight,” the “super-big dog bone” and li to co m e the “un-losable key ring.” Yet feeling unfulfilled with his life (a theme painfully traced throughout the film), Larry soon finds himself back at the Museum of Natural History where he learns that many of

MUSEUM”

the exhibits he befriended in the first film, like the cowboy Jedediah Smith (Owen Wilson), Roman general Octavius (Steve Coogan) and Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), are set to be put in storage at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. — where they will no longer be able to enjoy the benefits of the magic tablet. To prevent this, one of the exhibits, a monkey, steals the tablet and brings it to the Smithsonian, thus bringing all of its inhabitants to life and setting the plot of the film. As Larry tries to help his friends retain their threatened vitality, he must contend with the Egyptian King Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who wants the tablet for himself in order to take over the world, all the while coming to terms with himself. Oh, and he also has to negotiate the romantic overtures of a vivacious, self-assured Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), whom Levy pits against Stiller to accentuate his character’s uncertainty and tentativeness. If this all seems formulaic — that’s because it is. While the setting in the sequel has changed, the stale plot, flat humor, and uninventive dialogue have not. Levy seems intent upon revisiting stereotypical gimmicks throughout the film. For instance, as if the conniving, slightly annoying, but redeemably endearing monkey routine had not been exhausted over ten years ago in “Dunston Checks In,” Levy bombards us with it. This includes borrowing a scene from the first “Night at the Museum”, where Stiller and the monkey engage | CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 |

twentieth century fox

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SMALLVILLE Season finales are supposed to be EPIC. Always. No excuses. Also, in the case of Smallville, titling a season eight finale “Doomsday” creates a level of expectation. Unfortunately, this episode lacked that overall “wow” factor and failed on more levels than it succeeded. Let’s start with the good. I was personally pleased and surprised when the show’s writers decided to kill Jimmy off, thereby breaking a major adaptation rule. Good for them — just don’t kill Lois Lane. Besides that, Clark learned an important lesson at the end of the episode that will finally help to put him on the path of being the hero that he’s meant to be. Having Davis Bloom, the human, kill Jimmy helped to show the darkness in humanity — something that Clark needed to realize. Now let’s talk about the bad, which I’ll have to make brief despite its many occurrences. The “fight” between Doomsday and Clark was an epic disappointment, especially the conclusion. Although having Lois travel to the future was an interesting concept, I would have much rather seen more development in her relationship with

Clark. Finally, although Clark realizing that humanity isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be is important — I would have liked to have seen more of an “ending” rather than just having Clark leave. Pretty much every Smallville season finale consists of Clark leaving in a huff of angst. After eight seasons, I think we are all getting sick of it. Looking into season nine, I think that Smallville has had a great and healthy run — but it’s time to end it already. The characters are running out of places to go, and Clark has already faced some of his biggest enemies. My fingers are crossed that Clark will finally open his heart up to Lois and learn how to freakin’ fly already. — k y l e E VA L D E Z contact kyle: [email protected]

photos courtesy google images

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30 ROCK The season finale of 30 Rock, “Kidney Now!” featured a star-studded cast of guest actors, including Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Clay Aiken. The plot is simple: in an effort to find a kidney for his biological father Milton Green (Alan Alda), Jack (Alec Baldwin) calls in all of the favors he’s owed to put together a musical fundraiser. While the stars certainly provide a few good laughs, (example: Mary J. Blige says, “We all believe in this cause so much we’re doing this for free. Except Sheryl.” Sheryl Crow’s response is, “That’s right, I’m the only one getting paid.”), 30 Rock is not a show that needs celebrity help. Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan keep the laughs rolling plenty well on their own. Throughout the course of the episode, Liz (Fey), following Jack’s advice, decides to “get hers,” and goes on a media blitz as a relationship expert based on a skit called “Deal Breaker.” Unfortunately, as Jack puts it, “Suburban 7th graders have more experience than [she] does.” Meanwhile, in the episode’s least funny thread, Tracy fights his fears and returns to his high school to give a speech at graduation. Still, even this produces some great one-liners (Tracy: “Just be yourself, and I guarantee every single one of you will be President of the United States.”) The show vaguely hints at what might happen next season, but it’s hard to distinguish between a real hint and a throwaway joke. When Tracy gets an honorary high school diploma, he tells Grizz, Dotcom, and Ken that they’re all going to college. Meanwhile, Jack tells Liz that TGS has two years left, max. I doubt that the show is really going to drastically change along either of those lines, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to see it. All in all, this finale was a great way to top off one more great season, so I’m committed to watching anything they put into season four. — alex WILLEN contact alex: [email protected]

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5.22.0 F 5pm: Relay For Life Wilbur Field come support the fight against cancer

8pm: Stanford Student Film Festival Cubberly Aud. check out the filmmakers Stanford has to offer

Sa 8pm: Stanford Student Film Festival Cubberly Aud. prizes awarded for films shown on Thursday and Friday 7pm: Fleet Street Spring Show Dink check out never-before-heard songs!

ROXY’S

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BOAT!

ampus heated up this past week! Besides the scorching weather, last weekend played host to Stanford’s annual parties “Exotic Erotic” and “Cowabunga.” Needless to say, there were plenty of reasons and chances to scratch that itch. But of course, the question on all of your minds is: How did Roxy spend her weekend? Roxy is pretty much over the traditional party scene, and instead spent her Friday night ON A BOAT. A common spring quarter staple among dorms is boat dance, which essentially ends up being a booze cruise in San Francisco Bay. Roxy loves boat dances because not only are they a great change of pace to a stuffy frat house, but she gets to enjoy one of her favorite kinds of men — seamen. There’s nothing like rocking an already rocking boat, enjoying all the seamen from all the semen. Hmm, Roxy thinks she might have gotten that spelling mixed up. But of course, getting your sail off on a boat is not as easy as it sounds, and there are definitely right and wrong ways to go about doing things, especially during a boat dance. First off, Roxy quickly ignored all the other Stanford guys that were hitting on her. Roxy can tap that any time of the week — tonight was all about the crew members . . . and their members. The first man-candy that Roxy targeted on the boat was the bartender. Roxy has her priorities down, and knows that all it takes is a good quickie behind the bar to get free drinks for the rest of the night. The beautiful thing about bars is that the bartender can still make his drinks while I’m having mine down below. With the bartender’s notch added to my legendary belt, Roxy’s next target was the first mate. Roxy spotted her cabin boy from

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across the dance floor as he was “observing” us, making sure that we are all safe as the waves rocked the ship. Our eyes locked, and the next thing Roxy knew, that cute first mate was torpedoing her porthole in one of the bathrooms. After Roxy was all warmed up, she decided to go for a hat trick — setting her periscope on the ship’s captain. Of course Roxy believes in aquatic safety and would never want to distract the captain from piloting the boat — a captain’s duty does come first after all. Roxy’s favorite nautical rule is that the captain always goes down with the ship. Since the ship wasn’t going down, she decided to instead. Roxy could tell the captain was enjoying his time because he had to crash the boat into a couple of waves to hide the rocking on the bridge. Then Roxy’s mission was complete. Once the ship docked on dry land again, she quickly cleaned up all the ocean spray and joined the rest of her land-lovers. Good thing Roxy didn’t tell any of her boat dance conquests that she’s a pirate, or else they might have made her walk their planks . . . or climb the mast . . . or heaven forbid, scrub the poop deck — which Roxy is not a huge fan of at all. XOXO, Roxy SASS

S 7pm: Spiritually Uplifting Open Mic CoHo a mixture of poetry, different kinds of music and jamming

M 8pm: Jazz Jams CoHo just chill out and relax

T 7pm: Tango Night CoHo learn it for the ladies 4:30pm: An Evening with Kal Penn Kresge it’s Kumar! talking about politics!

W 8pm: Stanford Latin Jazz Ensemble CoHo caliente!

Th 8pm: Justin Saragueta CoHo another fabulous CoHo concert

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in slapping each other in a back-and-forth that, unless you are eight years old, becomes more frustratingly uncomfortable by the second. It is not as if “Battle at the Smithsonian” does not boast a gifted cast. Aside from those already mentioned, Robin Williams (Teddy Roosevelt), Christopher Guest (Ivan the Terrible), Ricky Gervais and Bill Hader (General George Custer) lend their considerable talents to the film. Hader and Guest, in particular, transcend what is, for the most part, overworked dialogue to provide amusing caricatures of their respective historical figures. However, the film’s writing really does not do justice to this ensemble of actors, many of whom must work awkwardly with lines aimed at a younger audience. Furthermore, Levy and company fall short in crafting the magical world they aim to create. Much of this can be attributed to a brutally formulaic narrative that Levy tries to inflate with a series of amateur themes that would make a sixth-grade book report seem erudite by comparison. And while the film operates under a far-fetched, fantastical premise that allows one to look past certain plot inconsistencies (of which there are many), some are simply too egregious to ignore — such as when Earhart flies Larry from the Smithsonian to New York, undetected, in her famous Lockheed Vega 5b plane, which evidently is still equipped with fuel after all these years. Ultimately, “Battle of the Smithsonian” is a children’s movie and I would not recommend the film for anyone else. While Stiller can be counted on to deliver a couple of good laughs, “Battle” is just another rudimentary, manufactured product off the assembly line that skirts logic and intelligence all in the name of contrived comedy. — derek KNOWLES

8pm: Robber Barons Spring Show Campbell Recital Hall let them tickle your funnybone

contact derek: [email protected]

friday may 22 2009

11

MOViE REViEW

SHALL

WE KISS?

Shall We Kiss?” opens with an invigorating lack of pream- charming viewing. Perhaps its most “French” quality is its ble. A woman asks a man on a street corner where she can find a taxi, but he knows of none nearby. When the two unhurried pace, which provides a richness to seem ready to part, he thinks better of walking away, and from much of the material, but which does strain the the time he walks back to her, the two stay together far later viewer’s patience. It’s a 96-minute movie that feels into the night. They find themselves in a car, and the man, at least an hour longer. This happens as a result of Gabriel (Michaël Cohen), asks the woman, Judith (Virginie Ledoyen), for a goodbye kiss. Gabriel is careful and desiring, and Judith is interested and hesitant, but the pull and tension of their conversation lies entirely outside of their words. Their tone and their diction sound more like two scientists discussing a theorem than two attractive people expressing their attraction. It’s the first, and the most fascinating, of conversations in the film where characters search for a way to control their feelings in the sturdiness of calm words. The energy of these first scenes flags somewhat over the film’s full running time, but the intrigue of how events will resolve themselves lasts until the final frames. Neither Judith nor Gabriel is single, but she explains to him her reservations not by appeals to loyalty, but to photos courtesy paramount pictures precedent; she has a story weighing on her mind. She then begins narrating the experiences of Émilie (Julie Gayet) and Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret), two friends who the film’s structure, which writer-director Mouret (also acting wind up finding a kiss a far more complex thing than either of adeptly as Nicolas) stages as essentially a never-ending series of them had expected. The film unfolds and increasingly inter- conversations between two people. Even his camera-work feels uncomfortable unless he has two characters in frame at the weaves the two pairings over the rest of its running time. It’s a very French concept for a very French movie. “Shall same time. In the rare instances of close-ups, or the stillWe Kiss?” came out in Europe in 2007, as “Un baiser s’il vous scarcer scenes with only one character, he makes sure to pair plait,” but has only made it across the Atlantic recently. That on and double with another of the same variety. The film is as its own will be enough to turn many away; those who can’t insecure in lingering on one person as some of its characters stomach the combination of wit and red wine — a perfectly are with their partners; yet with each successive tour-de-force forgivable stance — should avoid this movie if at all possible. of restrained dialogue, the film comes closer to saying, and For those with the taste for it, though, “Shall We Kiss?” offers a finding, something profound about love and lovers’ fleeting

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MOViE REViEW

“DANCE FLICK:” A

A

FAILED PARODY

Herein lies the greatest problem with Dance Flick, apart different take on the film, laughing uproariously throughout from the ostentatious humor. While the Wayans satirize the the film’s 83-minute run time and erupting into applause duradmittedly contrived aspects of such by-the-book pictures, in ing the closing credits. The Wayans seem to depend upon a ironic fashion, they have similarly regressed to the same for- demographic of viewers that don’t mind watching a series of mulaic level of the films they parody, wherein their endless gags tied together by any means. There might be somespoofs have become its own genre deserving of thing redeemable about this concept if any of these gimmicks parody. At one point during an altogether were at all creative or did not rely on jokes involving uncomuncreative and unoriginal musical numfortably stupid slapstick, but this is not true of Dance Flick. ber performed by Jack (Brennan Clearly some people can endure, and even enjoy, a film that Hillard) where he sings about finds box office success with a relentless stream of comedy being gay, the Wayans involving farts, testicles and disfigured vaginas. For everyone ts. a t s l inevitably — even though else, Dance Flick is not for you. ita he v ck everyone knows it’s coming t i l F nce — throw in a blatant D a — derek KNOWLES Brokeback Mountain allusion, c o n t a c t d e r e k : d k n o [email protected] 13 nd cles a to thus proving that they are not P G -m e d y n U s Co homa team up e cer T above reusing jokes that t dan egan Whit ce battle. e e r t S arguably were never funny and, b e a u t i f u l Mn a g r e a t d a n te i worse yet, grew old about three c o m p e years ago. Furthermore, with the whole movie consisting of transparent setups to agonizingly clichéd punchlines, the Wayans seem to live by the creed that if something isn’t funny the first time, then perhaps repeating the same gimmick throughout the film will elicit a different response. In this case, it never does. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of my Dance Flick experience was that the audience in the screening appeared to have a much O

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— eric MESSINGER contact eric: [email protected]

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ll you really need to know about Dance Flick is that it is a Wayans brothers movie. If you have seen any of the latest installments in their ongoing series of spoofs, such as Little Man, White Chicks or Scary Movie, then you know what I’m talking about. From the cheap attempts at humor all the way to the entire cast and “creative team,” Dance Flick is littered with the proverbial, lowbrow type of comedy that has come to define the Wayans. Operating on an absurd premise designed to parody any number of recent films, ranging from as far back as You Got Served to Edward Scissorhands, Dance Flick, like all of the Wayans’ movies, is characterized by a painful — but not unexpected — brand of comedy that is presented with all the subtlety of a Looney Tunes episode. For instance, in the first 10 minutes of the film, a woman is crushed to death after being hit consecutively by three different cars, a pregnant street dancer graphically gives birth during a performance, a character named Ms. Cameltoé (Amy Sedaris) is introduced, and Megan (Shoshana Bush), a naïve white girl with aspirations of participating in dance battles, applies blackface before going to a club. Officially directed by Damien Wayans in his directorial debut, Dance Flick tells the story of Megan and Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans Jr.), a street dancer with an ambiguous sexual orientation, who team up to win a dance contest. Ultimately, the plot — or rather, the compilation of scenes — is unimportant. The film, written by almost the entire Wayans family (Keenen, Shawn, Marlon, Craig and Damien), parodies more sincere competitive dance-themed movies like Step Up and Save the Last Dance.

understanding of it. In a film so reliant upon scenes between two people, individual performances don’t call attention to themselves, and rarely do the actors have to carry a great weight by themselves. You get the sense that they could, however, as the ensemble work is uniformly excellent. Ledoyen finds herself handling the most complex material as Judith, a narrator in many senses; but she rises excellently to the occasion and is particularly stellar in handling the film’s bittersweet ending. All in all, “Shall We Kiss?” is a sometimes-trying but altogether rewarding experience. It offers fine conversation and charms you over and over with its small discoveries. In its characters’ attempts to find wisdom (and escape) in storytelling and formality, you can see much of what the film itself offers: not solace, exactly, but a comfort. More films would do well to have such modest aim — and to so patiently attain it.

intermission google images