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Poverty Lines Things fall apart. ‘How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes’ tries to put them back together by opening a dialogue. CZ BOOJF CSVDF
“How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes (with 199 people you may or may not know)” lets the audience chose its own adventure. With $1,000 in cash sitting onstage, viewers vote at the end of the show to decide how the money from ticket sales should be spent. Created by director and Northwestern professor Michael Rohd, the production is part of the Theatre and Interpretation Center’s 32nd season, which features a number of shows focusing on poverty. “I think that public spaces and public opportunities for safe, imaginative, productive dialog around issues of public and social concern are extremely rare in U.S. society today,” Rohd said. “I think that the arts and theater in particular offer an amazing and very useful opportunity for people to come together and be in conversation with each other.” To facilitate that conversation, the show is about 65 percent written and scripted material and 35 percent audience participation, in which viewers talk about the issue of poverty in small and large groups organized by the cast. Ensemble members said by leaving such a significant segment of the show up to the audience, they also left an opportunity for one-off experiences. “We want every show to be different, we want every conversation to be unique,” said Samuel Zeisel, an ensemble member and Communication junior. “If we’re able to relax and not really think of it as a performance, but more think of it as a rare conversation with people we don’t know, I think that we’ll begin to find that it’s a whole lot of fun.” The ensemble has worked with a number of test audiences, including people from across the country who attended the Global Engagement Summit at NU. This variety has helped Rohd, the 16 ensemble members and other students involved refine the material. “We learned things from running test audiences through the process, and we absolutely continue to adjust and learn and make changes, particularly in the participatory section,” Rohd said. For the scripted part of the show, Rohd worked with the student ensemble members, most of whom took a Fall Quarter course on poverty research to inform their writing. “One of the advantages of making new work at a university is you get to bring a team of artists together, students and professionals, and you get to spend a lot of time learning about the subject matter,” Rohd said. “Students don’t just rise to whatever bar we can set — they create a new bar. They’re just fantastic collaborators.” The class consisted of lots of reading and research, along with guest speakers who
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discussed specific aspects of poverty, such as food prices or housing. Zeisel said the class allowed everyone in the production to have a “common vocabulary.” “There’s so much surrounding these issues, and we wanted to come at it with as much humility as possible,” Zeisel said. “It allowed us to feel like we could at least begin to ask the right questions.” Rohd created an outline of the show, and the final product was written during rehearsals in April and May, said Communication junior Daphne Kim, an ensemble member. The process was non-traditional, with some parts of the show written in small groups, some parts written by Rohd and others born out of improvised scenes. When writing the show, Rohd said the team made sure there was not a specific message embedded in the production. He said he encourages anyone who attends the performance to come in with an open mind. “I hope that potential audience members in the NU community don’t turn away because they assume it has something to say and they either already know what it is or they don’t agree with it,” Rohd said. “I hope folks will consider bringing their background and perspective to the conversation.” Zeisel said the show provides an opportunity to break past surface-level discussion and encourage audience members to ask hard questions. “I would love to have an experience in dialogue and conversation that they don’t usually have,” Zeisel said. “We don’t usually get to have these types of conversations with anybody, let alone a stranger.” “How to End Poverty” also gives people the chance to have a meaningful, face-to-face conversation, something Kim said she believes is particularly important. “I think that theater’s one of the last things that forces people to be in a room together in the flesh in this age of online and virtual communication,” Kim said. “Our show is so contingent on people not just watching something but being an active part of it. Combining a theater production with global issues was one of the reasons Kim auditioned for “How to End Poverty.” The Communication junior, who was involved with the sexual violence Essential NU, said she wanted to continue participating in productions that raise important issues. “Linking theater to something that is so urgent and universal as the issue of poverty feels really meaningful to me,” Kim said. “I think that as a politician would with the power of decision-making, we as artists have to be conscious of how what (we) put on stage (impacts) the world.” annebruce2015@u.northwestern.edu
INSIDE: Odds & Ends 2 | Columns 3 | Reviews 4
Page 2 | The Current
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Odds & Ends
‘Old Hickory,’ New Musical ... s for
d wor Five
A N I L E ANG LIE JO
Source: Creative Commons
Angelina Jolie opened up and admitted Tuesday she had undergone a double mastectomy to drastically decrease her chances of getting breast cancer from a genetic mutation that predisposes her to the disease. This revelation has prompted an outpouring of support on social media platforms, as well as from Jolie’s significant other, Brad Pitt. Current and Daily staffers, along with some Northwestern students, chime in on the celebrity’s bold announcement:
D BY PILE FREDA M O C ETH ZAB ELI
Hillary Back/The Daily Northwestern
I’M SO THAT GUY Nick Day, Communication junior and director of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” works with his cast. “Bloody Bloody” is being shown 11 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 11 p.m. Friday, and 8 and 11 p.m. Saturday in the Louis Room.
“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” director Nick Day hasn’t slept much lately with the rock musical opening Thursday night. The Communication junior took a break from rehearsal to talk with The Current about guy-liner, Jackson’s legacy and creating 60 characters with 13 actors.
THE CURRENT: Jackson was a pretty controversial president, espe-
cially with the Trail of Tears and Corrupt Bargain. What is your stance on his presidency? ND: I am a history major, and I don’t pretend to be an authority on such things, but researching the history behind this show and Jackson has been pretty THE CURRENT: What should people expect from the show? fascinating to me. He’s certainly controversial, and there’s a lot to be embarrassed NICK DAY: It is a kind of play that nobody will have seen before. It’s a by about his legacy, but he nonetheless fascinates me, because it’s quite rare in wonderful hodge-podge of styles and sensibilities and themes and interests studying history to encounter a president who was so unapologetically bold, so kind of overrun by his own passions and his own ideologies that intellectually. It’s wild, it’s unpredictable and it’s bloody. carried him to do insane things and there’s just a lot to be learned THE CURRENT: How did you bring a rock musical to life from that. I don’t know how I stand on it because doing the show and doing my own research has led me to see him as a human within the Louis Room? Q&A with... ND: It’s quite an interesting process. Going from the moment being ... that’s sort of the point of the show too is that he’s a I chose this show a year ago, I knew I wanted it to be big and very complicated person, much like we all are. loud and bright and super bold. So, me and Rachel Marchant, who’s the producer of the show, accumulated an amazing team THE CURRENT: How do you create an emo-rock of designers. We talked to people early and often to get them president? CHELSEA SHERLOCK ND: Well, there’s a lot of guy-liner involved, a lot of black on board because the show is extremely complicated in terms fingernail polish — first step. The script does a lot of that work of design. You know, it covers hundreds of years of history, and moves really fast — no scene lasts longer than maybe three or for us. It’s an extremely well-written show. I guess the biggest four minutes — and takes place over a multitude of locations, has thing I can say is that it’s just unapologetic. more than 60 characters and is also a full-fledged rock musical with a THE CURRENT: What musical number is stuck in your head when you band and about 15 musical numbers, and all of those need to be like you’re in leave rehearsal? a rock concert. ND: I would say the opening number, “Populism, Yea, Yea!” It’s a super, THE CURRENT: Why did you choose “Bloody Bloody” for your super repetitive song. It’s quite loud, and it’s totally thrilling to watch. Now that musical? we’ve staged it and we have lights and everything, it’s burned in my mind, just ND: I was really interested in doing the kind of play that seemed to ask too the image of watching that song. much of the people performing it. So, having 13 actors try to play 60 characters trying to cram all of the stylistic, thematic things into this shows. chelseasherlock2017@u.northwestern.edu
NICK DAY
I
Source: Kathleen Bock
signed a death waiver Tuesday. It was my first, and maybe not my last. Why, you ask? A little old thing called a “Tough Mudder.” The Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world. A Tough Mudder, such as the one I will be competing in Saturday, is a 12-mile physical torture zone encompassing 22 to 25 obstacles designed by the British Special Forces, including, but not limited to, 10,000-volt barbed wire, 20-foot trash bins of ice, trench tunnels and 12-foot walls. Oh, and not to mention everything on the course is slathered with Mudder’s signature mixture of mud and butter. Why would anyone do this, you ask? Well, for one — it’s charitable. The organization has raised more than $5 million for The Wounded Warrior Project since it was founded in 2010. So basically, it’s like Dance Marathon on steroids. And besides, you get free beer at the end. Reading this, you’re probably thinking I’m some crazy fitness rat in search of a fix. Read my theater review — I’m not. On the contrary, the phrase “good workout” always seemed an oxymoron to me. I didn’t see a shred of appeal in the scraping of the ab machines, the powdered rancidity of sorority girl sweat, the lingering burn even hours after a session. So when my two best girlfriends showed me the Tough Mudder signup page, I outright refused. But then I thought about P-Wild, and how I’d hiked eight straight days on the Superior Trail in Michigan. I thought about the 3,000foot mountains I’d climbed in New Zealand. I thought about my three years of Dance Marathon and the mental determination required
“Act before it’s too late.” — Edward Cox
“Angelina Jolie, you go, girl.” — Roshni Rawlani
“Not pre-med; what’s a mastectomy?” — Alex Burnham “Psh. Her body, her choice.” — Shelby Thordarson
“Taking action, I like it.” — Jen Reese “She made a good decision.” — Chelsea Sherlock “Ignore the haters. Good choice.” — Sowa Imoisilli “She’s a beautiful, brave woman.” — Michele Corriston we’r This e ob wee sess k ed w ith
THE T MUDDOUGH ER
SAM
MY
CAI to complete the fifth OLA and sixth blocks. And I decided this is just one more thing I can do. So, for the last five months I’ve been on a training schedule and a high-protein diet. I’ve had a reason to buy running sneakers for the first time since high school gym class. I’ve been stalking the Mudder website, reading blogs from Mudder champions and sneaking in push-ups wherever I can. I was especially excited when I saw it listed in Marie Claire as the “New Workout Craze.” For once, I’m trendy! On Friday, my team of six (including my older sister) will binge on pasta, dye our hair hot pink and watch ass-kicking girl movies until we pass out. On Saturday, we’re waking up at 7 a.m. to get to Seneca, Ill., where we’ll put our lives on the line for some good, dirty fun. The Tough Mudder motivated me to get fit in a way I never would have on my own. And this wasn’t about losing weight — it was about being able to see myself as a strong, determined, gogetting woman who can add a Tough Mudder to her (hopefully) long list of accomplishments. I highly encourage anyone and everyone to sign up for a Tough Mudder: There’s one in Michigan on June 29. It will ignite your sense of adventure in a way that is nearly impossible during the daily tread of Northwestern life. Most importantly, it will make you feel invincible — a feeling each and every one of us desperately needs. Get tough! Get muddered!
samanthacaiola2014@u.northwestern.edu
...
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Current | Page 3
Columns
column
column
BALLERS AND TIARAS
BLAIR A LA CARTE
ROHAN NADKARNI GIDEON RESNICK
BLAIR DUNBAR
NBA FASHION COLUMNISTS @ROHAN_NU @GIDEONRESNICK
FOOD COLUMNIST
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors are both scrappy underdogs that have made drastic changes to their jerseys over the years, and their run in the 2013 Playoffs inspired us to reminisce about their threads.
GIDEON RESNICK: When the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis, I was still being introduced to NBA Street. At the time, the Grizz had a much more intimidating logo, a full-body bear with sharp teeth and claws. That is the type of image upon which a franchise can build, like butter for Paula Deen’s or Eminem circa 1998 for Dre’s career. In the 2013 Playoffs, the Grizzlies are sporting jerseys with this blue Brother Bear-looking animal that makes them look like they all went to a “Disney on Ice” show and got tripped up at the merchandise table. It looks like the Animorph bear version of Zach Randolph, basically two transformation levels higher than his basketball-playing state. ROHAN NADKARNI:
According to exhaustive Wikipedia research, grizzly bears live in the “uplands of Western North America.” If the Grizz was going for a color change, why not mix up the logo? How about the Memphis Whiskey? The Memphis Hospitality? I’d say the Memphis Catfish, but we already know that mascot would scar way too many children for life.
GR: The jerseys of the Golden State Warriors have evolved over the years almost as much as David Bowie’s sexuality. The current one has a solid blue circle with Big Birdyellow trim, and sports the Golden Gate Bridge inside the circle, also in Big Bird yellow. It’s pretty tame, particularly in comparison to the previous one that had a blue, chiseled guy with a lightning bolt in his hands. It’d be nice to see the Warriors bust out their old threads, even if it’s just to mess with Emperor Popovich’s head. They already got him to wear a tie, so the sky’s the limit. RN: I actually prefer the Warriors’ new jerseys, which remind me of their old old jerseys. In ’70 and ‘71, Golden State rocked the bridge in circle logo as well, but that time, the blue and yellow scheme was reversed. The blue-chiseled dude reminded me way too much of the villainous horde from your favorite sci-fi movie. What the Warriors should really do is embrace the 1970s cult classic aptly titled “The Warriors.” All players should be required to wear headbands tied around their foreheads that look like the cut-off sleeves of red T-shirts. And they should make all the uniforms into buttoned vests. (I can’t link to the Snapchat I took of myself with a vest drawn on my shirtless body.) It can’t be worse than their odd-fitting short-sleeved unis. RohanNadkarni2015@u.northwestern.edu GideonResnick2015@u.northwestern.edu
Danger! Danger! Always pay attention to the warning signs — even when you’re falling head over heels. LAKEN HOWARD
DATING COLUMNIST @LAKENISAHORCRUX
time to bolt for the train ASAP. In light of recent personal events, I’ve decided you need to know how to recognize The first thing to remember is that you and react to a potentially unsafe or creepy don’t owe anything to anyone with whom situation. I say this because on Saturday, I you’re on a date. Regardless of how many met up with a guy at a bar expecting him to times you’ve been out with them previously, be the intimidatingly handsome paragon of if he or she does something like get aggresaccomplishment, yet I somehow found myself sively sexual, you are not at all obligated to dying to escape after only half an hour. stick around or even explain why you want to Why, you ask? Because with no posileave. Honestly, if you’re eating a meal tive signals from me whatsoever, and you don’t want to stick him or he thought it appropriate to lean her with the bill, it’s a good idea across the table and literally to always carry cash so you column shove his tongue as far down can dramatically slap down $20 and get the hell out my throat as he could. Several times. Now I’ll be the of there to avoid waiting first to admit I should have around and making things even more awkward. bolted as soon as he first did it, but as I’m sure you know, it Likewise, never put can be a little awkward to just yourself into a tricky situarun screaming from a crowded tion like being in a private setbar. ting with someone you’ve never met. This guy tried to get me to I should have realized right away invite him back to Evanston, which was this guy was no good. The first adjective that popped into my head when he started an obvious red flag. Remember that no mattalking was “slimy.” Clearly, my gut instinct ter what you have discussed before — maybe was correct. If I had been smarter, I would you sexted with someone, heavily flirted or have made up some reason why I had to even talked explicitly about hooking up — leave in the near future so I could be sure he you are not required to follow through with wouldn’t try to prolong the date or get me anything. I suggest keeping things friendly alone. This guy even tried to guilt me into until you meet someone, because you never having sex with him, saying something like, know if you’ll actually be attracted to that person in real life. “I’ve had a rough week.” When he continued to try to make out with me as we walked down the street after we left the bar, I knew it was lakenhoward2015@u.northwestern.edu
DIGITAL GET DOWN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
THE CURRENT
ASSISTANT DESIGN ASSISTANT EDITOR EDITOR DESIGN Chelsea Peng Annie Bruce Jen White EDITOR
WRITERS
James Bien Alex Burnham Maria Fernandez Sammy Caiola -Davila Blair Dunbar
Elizabeth Freda Laken Howard Rohan Nadkarni Gideon Resnick Chelsea Sherlock
Many people will say baking is a science. I’ve always thought of it more as an art, particularly in terms of presentation and especially when it comes to baking a pie. What could be more of a work of art than a beautiful raspberry or apple pie topped with interwoven lattice? Sure, there is some chemistry involved, but the crust and the top of the pie are entirely art. Here are a few ways to ensure your pie looks like a masterpiece people are eager to eat. First, there is the lattice top. This consists of a series of perpendicular and parallel strips of crust placed on top of the filling. Interwoven strips look like a handwoven basket. Although daunting to many beginners, making interwoven lattice is relatively simple. First, roll out the dough meant for the top of the crust. Then, using a knife, cut the dough into long strips. Thinner strips look more classically elegant while thicker strips appear more rustic. Lay the first set of strips in one direction across the filling. Next, add the second set of strips in the opposite direction, weaving them into the first set. Weaving means taking a strip and alternating between placing it under and over the first set of strips already on top of the filling.
“
What could be more of a work of art than a beautiful raspberry or apple pie topped with interwoven lattice?
If you don’t want to go through all the trouble of doing latticework, you can simply roll out the dough for the top crust and cover the filling. Then, to give your pie just a little more flair, when creating vents at the top of the crust, turn the slits into an interesting design. Make a diamond or flower or sand dollar pattern. One of my favorite things to do is cut shapes from the dough like I would when I make cookies. Places such as Williams-Sonoma sell “pie cutters.” I have a set of cutters in the shape of various leaves. When I make French silk pie, which typically doesn’t have a top crust, I cut out leaves from the extra pastry. Then I bake the leaves on a cookie sheet and place them on top of the pie. I might put a layer of leaves around the edge or create the look of a lattice top. You can even use cutters to cut out shapes in the top of a crust, and then put the crust on top of the pie. Now your vents will be in the shape of leaves! There are so many ways to give your pie that finishing touch, which is what makes baking pies so much fun. All you have to do is get a little creative. blairdunbar2015@u.northwestern.edu
Page 4 | The Current
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Reviews
Have you met “The Mother”? After eight seasons, the answer is yes. “How I Met Your Mother” fans finally saw the mother in TELEVISION the season eight finale “Something New.” However, REVIEWER it will take the ninth and final season for Ted to officially meet her and for us to learn even her name. Playing the mother, Broadway star Cristin Milioti showed up at a train station, bass guitar and yellow umbrella in hand, embarking on her trip to Farhampton to perform at Barney and Robin’s wedding. As early episodes have shown, Ted will finally see her at the wedding after multiple close encounters with his unnamed future wife. “HIMYM” left me unsatisfied. I know what the mother looks like now, and over the course of the show have learned many other details about her and what the future is for the characters, but there are so many annoying unknowns that I’m left frustrated and desperate to learn about in the next season’s premiere. The only true certainty left from this episode is that Robin and Barney are happy together and ready to get legend — wait for it — married. They end the t el e v i si o episode by heading to Farhampton for their wedding, riding in a limo driven n by Ranjit, who I’m very glad they remembered to include in the episode. He definitely deserves a wedding invitation. Barney and Robin’s soulmate status was reaffirmed when they met their archenemies and worked together to break them up. “They’ve always been our archenemies — they just only revealed themselves,” Barney says. This scene showcased “Krirsten,” played by Casey Wilson, from “Happy Endings” and Keegan Michael Key, two under-appreciated comedians who I hope become recurring characters. MEET Ted is miserable throughout this episode, planning to sell his house and move to T M other HE PAREN Chicago to avoid watching Barney and Robin live in marital bliss. This is kind of point” rem T Wit m ai other. h less because a) viewers know the house Ted renovated is the one shown when Ted talks to his Fans ning, actre only one s — an s children and b) Ted meets his true love soon and stays friends with everyone. The scene does d Ted s Cristin M eason of “ Sourc e: Fac H — sti have a great line when Ted brags about renovating his house himself, saying “It was pretty manly Hopefully ebook ll rem ilioti was fi ow I Met Y a n o i a u n until I mentioned Ryan Gosling in ‘The Notebook,’ huh?” the ninth season will lly sh r in the dark a own as Marshall has to choose whether to go to Rome with Lily or accept an offer to be a judge in open with the wedding and Ted the bout h er nam New York. Marshall’s scenes are the funniest in the episode, especially when he is proposing meeting the mother. Thank goodness fans e. have been rewarded with at least seeing her because this is ways to be a judge while in Rome. “I can’t telecommute? I couldn’t be the crazy speaker-phone judge? Could I be a hologram? Animatronic robot like Abe Lincoln from ‘The Hall of Presidents’ becoming one of the longest stories ever told. It’s left for the final season that I control from afar with a joystick?” Sadly, the answer was no. to connect all the clues about the mother’s identity and what happens between now Flash-forwards have shown that Marshall is in fact a judge in the future, but whether he and 2020. becomes a judge this year is up for debate. This episode provides little resolution, but instead lures viewers into having to watch the premiere of the final season. chelseasherlock2017@u.northwestern.edu
CHELSEA SHERLOCK
HOW YOUR I MET MOTH ER
“I’ve had dreams of Boston all of my life,” sang Ezra Koenig, lead singer of VamMUSIC REVIEWER pire Weekend, on “Boston (Ladies of Cambridge).” Part of the band’s 2008 release “Vampire Weekend,” “Boston” chronicles mythical caprices of the Massachusetts capital. However, five years later, Koenig and his gang of Columbiagraduated 20-somethings focus on a different city (New York) and different thematic ideas. “Modern Vampires of the City,” released May 14, is the band’s third studio album, following the Grammy-nominated “Contra” of 2010. The spacious sound of this compilation stems from antiquated musical tendencies of Vampire Weekend: calypso, ska, Afro-pop, reggae and baroque. And yet “MVOTC” differs from the cramped anxiety of “Contra.” Singles such as “Step” and “Ya Hey” offer powerful rhythm and exquisite piano arrangements. Calm tempo controls the progression throughout both tracks, disabling the sprawling erraticism found on songs like “California English” from “Contra.” This isn’t to say “MVOTC” contains no upbeat ballads. “Diane Young,” two-and-a-half minutes of crushing percussion, reaches an apex a minute before the song ends and evolves into an orgiastic combination of synthesizers and distorted electronic guitar. But, as Koenig has said, each song on this album seems to have a purpose. “If Diane Young won’t change your mind …” says Koenig on the hook, alluding to the specter of death. “Do you think you can go ‘til the 18th hole?” A prime example of the matured Vampire Weekend, “Diane Young,” among many songs, discusses mortality. “Wisc i s mu dom’s a gift but you’d trade it for youth/Age is an honor — it’s still not the truth,” sings Koenig on “Step.” Other tracks focus on faith in the modern world. “America don’t love you/So I could never love you,” Koenig harmonizes about God on “Ya Hey.” “MVOTC” is both straightforward and metaphysical, traits “Contra” lacked. “Horchata,” a standout of the 2010 release, contains lyrics about drinks, pincher crabs and sandals. “Obvious Bicycle,” the opening track for “MVOTC,” references existentialism and the insignificance of life amid a minimalist beat and a pendulum of sweet piano. “You oughta spare the world your labor/ It’s been 20 years and no one’s told the truth,” Koenig sings with poignant declaration. And whimsicality, although reduced, still exists on “MVOTC.” “Finger Back” contains a high-pitched Koenig singing against ecclesiastical organs and crashing drums, fast-paced melody flashing in and out of the song. “‘Cause this Orthodox girl fell in love with the guy at the falafel shop/And why not?” the singer ruefully asks. But this break from the transcendental nature of “MVOTC” is an exception to the rule. Although one other song, “Worship You,” is reminiscent of “Contra” in terms of musical performance, the majority of “MVOTC” distinguishes itself from the sophomore attempt. And even “Worship You” breaks into an incomparable horn section, a dazzling spectacle of brass music reconstructed and channeled through a synthetic output. Vampire Weekend employs a magical lyricism, enchanting and wonderful, that underscores its development as a group. In this case, improvement is synonymous with maturation, both sonically and lyrically. For the indie pop group, an interminable expanse of possibility looms on the horizon.
ALEX BURNHAM
Source: Facebook
TOGETHER AT LAST Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan’s chemistry is lacking at times in “The Great Gastby,” but their characters’ relationship remains a driving point of the film — and an enjoyable one at that.
ELIZABETH FREDA
“The Great I truly cared about reading. The movie focused entirely on Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy, which, for a film Gatsby” is one of adaptation, seemed fitting. Director Baz Luhrmann those classic novels MOVIE REVIEWER I have read time and managed to weave in other aspects and plot points of @EFREDAMEDILL time again. Set in an the novel beautifully, all while linking back to Gatsby era of decadence, Jay and Daisy. Luhrmann’s casting was also on point. Leonardo Gatsby’s quest for the American dream never fails to leave me DiCaprio not only has the looks to play Jay Gatsby, but he hopeful and idealistic. When trailers for the movie adaptation gentlemanly way he carries himself also truly makes Gatsby’s were released almost a year ago, I couldn’t wait to see the flick. character come to life. The trailer cuts were dramatic and thrilling, and the soundCarey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan was another great track held a lot of promise. choice. Her poise and elegance lent to the develWhereas many films pick their most dramatic scenes for the trailer, “The Great Gatsby” had opment of her character, and her emotion was movie no shortage of grand moments from which palpable when events came to a head and Daisy to choose. The entire film was a high-energy had to choose. Nonetheless, I wasn’t crazy about the onand theatrical experience, with overly emoscreen dynamic between DiCaprio and Multional acting and extravagant costumes. The scenery complemented the film well because ligan. Gazes that should have held a thousand it was also over-the-top, but I found that the emotions made me feel like Gatsby was merely graphics looked cheap and took away from the staring down a stranger, and Daisy’s emotions authenticity of the film. seemed equally empty at times. Alone, DiCaprio I was also extremely disappointed with soundand Mulligan portrayed their characters well, but track. In the trailer, songs like “No Church in the there was little on-screen chemistry. They felt more Wild” by Kanye West and Jay-Z, as well as “Love is Blindlike friends, contrary to the major plot points of the ness” by Jack White, set a perfect emotional tone for what was film. about to ensue. In the film itself, I felt the soundtrack did not Overall, “The Great Gatsby” is a pleasing film and definitely match up with the on-screen action, and at points, I even felt a didn’t leave me bored. The movie’s plot did the novel justice, as strong disconnect between the two. If the songs of the sounddid the majority of the casting decisions. However, it felt gaudy and exaggerated at times when it should’ve felt sophisticated and track were meant to correspond to a completely different era, exhilarating. I think my preexisting love for all things “Gatsby” a little more thought should have been put into the production made the film far more enjoyable, and I’m sure other audience of the film score. members will feel the same. On another note, I appreciated the adaptation of the book. Words from the novel were projected on screen as Nick Carraway spoke, and I felt connected again to one of the first novels elizabethfreda2015@u.northwestern.edu
THE GREAT GATSBY
E R I P VAM KEND WEE
afburnham@u.northwestern.edu