NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
washington square news Vol. 39, No. 50
THURSDAY, December 8, 2011
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OWS moves to the NYU classroom
NYU to add sites in India and Brazil
Occupy Wall Street will be taking over the classroom next semester. The Department of Social and Cultural Analysis has announced that it will be offering a course on the movement this spring. The course will explore the history and politics of debt and take a deeper look at the economic crisis the movement is protesting. It will be taught by SCA profesor Lisa Duggan. “Occupy Wall Street has done us all the service of illuminating [the fact] that the economy operates within the framework of political, social and cultural conflicts, and not outside them,” she said. Duggan also hopes students will learn how the current crisis has developed and understand how it has affected the world.
For the 87th year in a row, crowds gathered and sang carols in Washington Square Park for the annual Christmas tree lighting.
NYU’s global network is about to get a bit bigger: The university will open two additional study abroad sites in Brazil and India. The university is in the very early planning stages of opening these two sites, NYU associate vice provost Anne Waters said. “What is under discussion now is what is the best model and what would be the timing,” she said. Waters thinks India and Brazil are the natural next steps in the university’s global expansion plans. “India and Brazil are two incredibly important world economies,” Waters said. “India is the world’s largest democracy, and both India and Brazil are multi-ethnic, multi-racial, re-
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R ABROAD continued on PG. 3
By Gentry Brown
By Rita Solomon
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KRISTINA BOGOS/WSN
Oh Christmas Tree
Wall of wishes brings community together By Nicola Pring What do you want to do before you die? Fall in love? Travel the world? Go skydiving? Now you can share your thoughts as part of a public art project called the “Before I Die” wall in downtown Brooklyn. The original “Before I Die” wall was created by artist Candy Chang on the side of an abandoned building on a New Orleans street. After the project experienced success, she released instructions on how others could create a similar wall. People all over the world have constructed their own “Before I Die” walls to share their dreams with the public. The concept was recently brought to a temporary wall on the Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn, where a new Shake Shack will open in the coming weeks. The wall, which spans half of a block on the corner of Fulton Mall and Adams Street, is painted black so that passersby can write their thoughts in chalk. The responses range from the silly, like “Ride a dragon,” to the personal, like “Make my kids happy” and “See my mom free from
pain.” “There are a few things I’d like to do,” said LSP sophomore Kathryn Van Son, who would have contributed to the project had the supplied chalk not been used up when she visited the wall. “I want to have a motorcycle before I die, and I’d like to go to the Burning Man Festival.” The temporary chalkboard brings life to an up-and-coming
area. Over the past few years, the Fulton Street Mall has undergone significant changes, which include the construction of new stores and restaurants like the soon-tobe-completed Shake Shack. The changes represent a great deal of modernization and development in the area. The “Before I Die” wall is an effort to create a sense of
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Kelly Schott/WSN
New Yorkers scrawled their hopes and dreams on the Brooklyn wall.
New features continue Mario Kart’s solid legacy By Jonathon Dornbush Having sunk more hours into “Mario Kart” titles than I care to admit, I have come to expect a certain pattern from the longrunning series. Every game retains the series’ strong structure, using slight tweaks and additions to make each game feel unique. “Mario Kart 7” fits this pattern, and while it’s not a giant leap forward, the tiny changes make for one of the most sophisticated “Mario Kart” games yet. This is very evident in the game’s more hit-than-miss track selection. Great courses like Music Park and the mostvaried Rainbow Road do an especially good job of incorporating the karts’ new ability to glide through the air and travel underwater. It doesn’t greatly affect gameplay, but it provides plenty of course variation. The same can be said for tracks that are raced in three sections rather than three laps. Furthermore, the legacy tracks
highlight a number of the series’ more memorable outings; many of them are the same as those featured in the familiar Wii and DS entries. “MK7’s” best new singleplayer feature is the signature Mario golden coins, which the player can collect in every level. These can be used to unlock new karts, characters and different wheels and gliders. This should allow players to mix and match to best suit their styles. It’s no “Gran Turismo,” but the level of modification is a welcome addition that incentivizes players to try out every driver and every kart. With the usual extra modes, including Time Trials, Balloon Battle and Coin Runners, the single player is as enjoyable as ever (though it’s disappointing to see that the Mission Mode from “Mario Kart DS” has disappeared). While veteran players will breeze through much of this content, “Mario Kart’s”
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Washington Square news | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | nyunews.com
on the side
Compiled by the
WSN staff
Weekend agenda THURSDAY
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Ornamentalism: The Art of Renaissance Accessories 5 to 6:30 p.m. | 20 Cooper Square, Fifth Floor Take in this panel celebrating the publication of “Ornamentalism: The Art of Renaissance Accessories,” edited by Bella Mirabella, associate professor at Gallatin.
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‘Starved for Attention’
Poetry Reading
6 to 8 p.m. | 20 Cooper Square, Seventh Floor
7 p.m. | Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and VII Photo present “Starved for Attention,” a multimedia campaign exposing the neglected and largely invisible crisis of childhood malnutrition.
SATURDAY
Timothy Donnelley will read from his latest collection of poetry, “The Cloud Corporation.”
FRIDAY
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Undergraduate Poetry Reading
8 p.m. | Black Box Theatre
7 p.m. | Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House
Enjoy a night of enchanting chamber music courtesy of Pauline Viardot.
Undergraduate creative writing students will read snippets of their original poetry and prose collections.
Editor-in-Chief JAYWON ERIC CHOE Managing Editor
KELSEY DESIDERIO
Reception for Anne Rademacher’s ‘Reigning the River’
Deputy Managing Editor
RUSSELL STEINBERG
4-6 p.m. | 20 Cooper Square, Seventh Floor
Assistant Managing Editor
The Journalism Department invites students, faculty and the public to celebrate the release of Anne Rademacher’s new book, “Reigning the River: Urban Ecologies and Political Transformation in Kathmandu.”
Creative Director
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An Evening of Chamber Opera: Cendrillon
Washington Square News
KIRSTEN CHANG TERKA CICELOVA senior staff
university JAEWON KANG city/state AMY ZHANG arts CHARLES MAHONEY features AMANDA RANDONE sports JAMES LANNING multimedia LAUREN STRAUSSER enterprise ARIELLE MILKMAN special issues FRANCIS POON brownstone JAKE FLANAGIN copy jack brooks senior editors elizabeth gyori,
amanda shih
deputy staff
university gentry brown, julie
devito, susannaH griffee city/state hanqing chen, brian
tam, emily yang music parker bruce film/books stefan Melnyk entertainment jonathon
dornbush theater ERIC SHETHAR features EMILY MCDERMOTT dining SARAH KAMENETZ fashion CARRIE COUROGEN sports SANCHAY JAIN, DANIEL
SUNDAY
HINTON
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production MERYLL PREPOSI multimedia DAVID LIN copy MAXIMILÍANO DURÓN,
NYU Symphony Orchestra
JESSICA LITTMAN
8 p.m. | Frederick Loewe Theatre (35 W. Fourth St.)
opinion page
opinion editor JOHN SURICO deputy opinion editors ATTICUS
Come listen to a free performance by NYU’s symphony orchestra, featuring conductor Eric Jacobsen and piano competition winner Andrew Sun.
BRIGHAM, MARIA MICHALOS
advertising business manager
REBECCA RIBEIRO sales manager
Stefanie Yotka
SNAPSHOT
ON THE WIRE
House of horror
On Nov. 28, five sex offenders were arrested in L.A. County for allegedly decorating their homes with Halloween decorations to make them inviting to children. According to officials, one of the probationers had a trap door leading from his bedroom to his basement, where L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said officers found a rope and a chair. According to Antonovich, probationers must keep lights off and blinds drawn on Halloween. — LA Times
circulation manager
MEagan Driver
university sales coordinator
Emilia Mironovici sales representatives
Kaitlyn O’Brien, MICHAEL RYAN, Melissa Ynegas
advising DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
MICHAEL SUMMERS editorial adviser
keith leighty EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Northwestern University
Northwestern’s reputation caused spike in early decision applicants, officials say — The Daily Northwestern
A dog and his owner go for a walk over some rough terrain.
PHOTO BY Rachel Kaplan
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Columbia University
Undergrads taking smaller federal loans — The Columbia Daily Spectator
KATIE THOMPSON About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday through Thursday during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods. Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact managing editor Kelsey Desiderio at managing@nyunews. com or at 212.998.4302.
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nyunews.com | Thursday, December 8. 2011 | Washington Square news
ABROAD continued from PG. 1
NYU to add abroad sites in Brazil and India ligiously diverse societies. It is incredibly important that these complex, dynamic societies, cultures and economies are part of our global network.” Since the multi-year planning stages for the Brazil and India sites have just started, academic offerings, specific locations and opening dates have not been determined. The university will conduct internal surveys to determine the structures of the two programs, said Christopher Nicolussi, senior director of student services and support at the Office of Global Programs. Once this is determined, he said. the next step will be to decide where in the countries the sites will be.
“The work is mostly done with individual schools and faculty and departments here in New York before we start doing research on the ground in the country,” Nicolussi said. Waters said she thinks NYU’s global sites will play a vital role in the two countries. As these countries develop economically and politically, education will be a priority, Waters said. “NYU’s Global Network University is an intriguing model for leaders in those countries to consider,” she said. Gentry Brown is a deputy university editor. Email her at gbrown@nyunews.com.
OWS continued from PG. 1
Occupy Wall Street moves to the NYU classroom “I’m really excited, because Duggan decided to target her class around urgent questions regarding the ongoing movement,” said Zenia Kish, a Ph.D. student in American Studies and one of the teaching adjuncts for the class. There will also be a graduatelevel class from SCA on OWS offered by Jeff Goodwin in the spring. CAS junior Vijay Mirchandani said he thinks the class will educate people who haven’t been following the movement thus far. “The fact that the economy and Wall Street are increasingly a part of everyday life is all the more reason for people to know about it,” she said. Peter Bearman, professor of sociology at Columbia University, also expressed enthusiasm about the new course. “OWS as a topic of study offers prismatic opportunities to consider the changing shape
of inequality in our society and the dynamic processes of repertoire change in social movements globally, from the picket line to the sit-in, to the consideration of life course trajectories, among other themes central to the sociological apprehension of the modern context,” he said. Angelique Nixon, a professor from Susquehanna University and a member of the People of Color Caucus of OWS, plans to attend the class as a future guest speaker. He said he doesn’t think this class will be the last revolving around OWS. “[Students] should study the movement to get a better understanding and know about perhaps the largest social movement of the time,” Nixon said. “It should matter to everyone. It’s currently happening within student movements.” Rita Solomon is a staff writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.
File photo by Kelsey Ledgerwood
Next semester, SCA professor Lisa Duggan will teach a course on OWS.
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Christmas tree lights up, despite rain
By Jordan Melendrez
Prior to last night’s Christmas tree lighting, Washington Square Park Association president Anne-Marie Sumner said the event would take place rain or shine. And she kept her word. Despite the dreary weather, the holiday spirit was on display as about a hundred New Yorkers trickled into the park to watch the annual ceremony, which has been a tradition since 1924 — before even the Rockefeller Center tree lighting. “I go every time,” Sumner said. “From my perspective [the tree lighting] is a very positive experience. It always has been.” Sumner said that while in the past the event has had over 800 attendees, the usually popular program was not as crowded this year because of the showers. “I feel like the weather is less seasonal, but everyone is in the spirit,” said Corrine Colgan, 22, who braved the elements with her best friend to attend the lighting. The WSA handed out free songbooks so that everyone in attendance could join in Christmas carols. A brass quartet accompanied the audience. Former NYU president L. Jay Oliva led carols with the WSA staff in front of an audience of all ages. The countdown commenced
KRISTINA BOGOS/WSN
Hundreds gathered in Washington Square for the annual tree lighting. at 6 p.m., after a medley of Christmas songs. The audience cheered, applauded and snapped photos as the 45-foot pine was illuminated with multi-colored lights. Gallatin sophomore Rebecca Benett said the holiday cheer was not dampened, despite the rain. “I didn’t even know it was today,” Benett said. “I was just walking by. I think it’s great. I just really like Christmas in the city.” Will Falzon, clad in a Santa costume, was handing out candy canes to younger guests along with his wife, Doreen.
Both agreed that seeing the children so happy was their favorite part of the event. Stella and Margot Story, four and six years old, respectively, were enjoying their candy canes but found one flaw in the event as a whole. “I like it,” Margot said about the tree. “But where’s the star?” The WSA will host another event on Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. underneath the Arch. Again, rain or shine, there will certainly be holiday cheer. Jordan Melendrez is a staff writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.
SPORTS
Leondis gets Violets back on track By Russell Steinberg Coming into Wednesday night, the NYU women’s basketball team had lost two straight games, including one it let slip away last week at Baruch College. And for a moment against Manhattanville College last night, it looked like more of the same. After seeing a commanding lead whittled down to six amid a flurry of missed opportunities on the glass and struggles defending in transition, NYU sophomore Diana Leondis stepped to the line with just under 90 seconds left to restore some order to the once 4-0 Violets. She calmly sunk both free throws to put NYU back up eight. The Violets would sink ten total from the line in the final minute and a half, including four from senior Cara Bonito, en route to a 71-57 victory at Coles over a Valiants team that beat them last season. “Free-throw shooting is a major topic for us,” head coach Stefano Trompeo said. “Having Cara shooting over 85 percent at the free-throw line, you have to love
that.” Bonito has now made 35 of 41 free throws this season. With the win, NYU improved to 5-2 on the year. Senior Tana Bertino led all scorers with 15 points while Leondis (14) and senior Bianca Storts (10) also scored in double figures. Though the game got close down the stretch, the Violets were ahead for most of the night. After a back-and-forth first few minutes, NYU used a 14-6 run to take a nine point lead into the locker room. The Violets kept their momentum into the second half as their lead ballooned to 18 off a fast break layup from Bonito with 12:18 to play. NYU was shorthanded Wednesday night with senior Erica Franke academically ineligible. So instead, it was an unlikely leader who stepped up the most in the second half. Leondis scored 12 of her 14 points and made all five of her field goal attempts, including two three-pointers, in the final 20 minutes. She came into the game averaging just 6.7 points
per game. “She is very even keeled, very steady,” Trompeo said. “I feel like it’s going in every time she shoots.” Another key for NYU in the second half was ball control. Turnovers, especially against the full court press, had been a problem all year. Though NYU averaged 23 per game coming in, the Violets coughed it up just 15 times on Wednesday and seemed well-prepared when it mattered most. “We spent a lot of time on setting up a specific press break that we thought would help us,” Trompeo said. “We took care of the ball very well.” With the win, the Violets can go into exams and their post-semester break on a positive note. After a three-week layoff, they will be back in action on Dec. 30 when they host Brooklyn College at 6 p.m. at Coles. Additional reportinåg by Mary Jane Dumankaya. Russell Steinberg is deputy managing editor. Email him at rsteinberg@nyunews.com.
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Washington Square news | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | nyunews.com
FEATURES Activities board president shows what’s in her bag By Jessica Littman
NYU Water Bottle Between classes and club meetings, Rhee carries around a snack and some water to hold her over when she doesn’t have time for a full meal. “This was my first NYU paraphernalia, so I was really excited,” she said of the purple plastic bottle, which she brings along with either an energy bar or a bag of chips. Planner Rhee keeps her life organized by writing everything down in her planner. She also carries a full-sized notebook to take notes at club meetings. “When you’re in clubs and you’re trying to get involved with school, it’s hard to get through much without writing it in a planner,” she said. La Morte D’Arthur Rhee is reading this old English text for Holy Grails, her
edited by AMANDA RANDONE features@nyunews.com In addition to being president of the Class Activities Board for the Gallatin class of 2015, Gallatin freshman Victoria Rhee is also an editor of the Gallatin review and a member of the Gallatin Business Club. With a full class schedule to boot, she keeps her oversized red bag packed with essentials. The contents are what keep this busy, on-the-go student capable of surviving the day.
Gallatin first-year interdisciplinary seminar. Though she plans to incorporate global aid issues into her concentration, she takes this class because of her love of science JESSICA LITTMAN/WSN fiction literature. Rhee’s planner and water bottle keep her running. “[Sci-fi] includes a lot of Middle Ages Student Activities Board books, so I thought it would be Constitution interesting to actually [learn] When she came to NYU, Rhee the history behind it,” she wanted to avoid becoming oversaid. whelmed with too many activities. “I chose Class Activities Barnes and Noble Nook “I only started recently car- Board because I thought it would rying this around because I’ve be all-encompassing,” she said. only recently started having As president of the Class of 2015 time,” Rhee, a self-described Activities Board, Rhee helps orbookworm, said. She recently ganize activities and events to finished Joseph Conrad’s “Heart bring freshman together. of Darkness” on her Nook in an effort to read more classic lit- Jessica Littman is a staff writer. Email her at jlittman@nyunews.com. erature.
NYU alum Dan Porter helps millions procrastinate By Brittany VanBibber Dan Porter still wears tennis shoes with his suits to work everyday. And as the CEO of social gaming company OMGpop, he remembers to keep things relaxed. Prior to taking up the reins at the firm, Porter received his Masters in Latin American Studies from NYU in 1995. He also worked as a New York City public schoolteacher, was a president of Teach for America and worked in investment banking. “It’s okay not to know what you want to do,” he said. “It took me probably 10 years alone to figure out what I wanted to do. I wasn’t afraid to do a lot of different things. And now I love what I do.” As an NYU alum, Porter still works hard to maintain strong ties to the university. The OMGpop office is on Bleecker Street, only two blocks south of Washington Square Park and hires current NYU students and graduates. “The most common thing we look for in students is for developers in mobile,” Porter said. “If they’re artists, the number one thing that we look for is actually stuff that they’ve done. To come in with artwork for a game or a game you made on your own, even though it’s not super polished, is huge.”
In the midst of a booming gaming industry, Porter recognized the extent to which games gave companies the opportunity for expansion and creativity. “More and more, I saw how people were behaving and spending their leisure time, and it became very clear to me that games were much, much bigger, if you wanted to reach college students, kids, people in general,” Porter said. “They were spending more leisure time in games.” OMGpop currently has 25 million users but hopes to expand to 100 million in the next few years. Games can be played on mobile devices, through Facebook and on OMGpop. CAS sophomore Misha Ponizil, who is currently interning at the company, described Porter as “influential in deciding new games, allocation of resources [and] long-term decisions.” “I think he knows the image of OMGpop really well and is good at maintaining that while building a stable, profitable company,” she said. But above all, Porter believes in the power of games to connect and interest people. “Games aren’t just for nerds anymore,” he said. Brittany VanBibber is a staff writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
VIA OMGPOP.COM
Porter gave up his job as an investment banker to start OMGPop. WALL continued from PG. 1
Wall of wishes brings community together
community in the neighborhood. “I think the best thing about [the wall] is that it brings people together,” Van Son said. “What people want to do [before they die] is the kind of thing that everybody has thought about. The wall is the kind of thing that Facebook strives to do — bring people together from all over the place. This is a more active way of doing that.” “I think it’s really inspirational
to see all of the things that other people want to do before they die,” Gallatin sophomore Alyssa La Spisa said. “I think it’s nice that it’s an interactive piece of artwork that everyone gets to contribute to.” Shake Shack plans to remove the wall before the end of year when construction on the new restaurant is complete. Nicola Pring is a staff writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
nyunews.com | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | Washington Square news
ARTS
edited by CHARLES MAHONEY ARTS@nyunews.com
Director Julia Leigh muses on debut film ‘Sleeping Beauty’
VIA SLEEPINGBEAUTYfilm.com
Leigh has caught the world’s attention in her debut film By Anna Robertson At first glance, Julia Leigh, creator of the controversial new film “Sleeping Beauty,” seems quiet and unassuming, not the mastermind behind the intensely sexual thriller. But her film made a powerhouse debut at the Cannes Film Festival and has subsequently become one of this year’s most talked about films. Leigh began her artistic career as a novelist, writing the critically acclaimed novellas “The Hunter” and “Disquiet.” Named Young Novelist of the Year in 2000 by the Sydney Morning Herald, Leigh knew her craft well. But the transition from book to film was not an easy one. “The process [of writing a novel] is completely different [from writing a screenplay],” she said. “It’s really impossible to compare [the two]. One of the main differences is that in prose, you have to give a lot of thought to the movement between time and space. Film is easy. It’s just a new log line.” “Sleeping Beauty” highlights the exploration of movement through time and space. But while the film was inspired by the classic fairy tale, the two plots are worlds apart. The movie tells the story of a college student named Lucy, who forays into prostitution. She joins a brothel
where she is drugged each night so she is unconscious during her encounters with clients. “I read the Disney story, obviously,” Leigh said. “But I also read the original fairy tale, which is quite brutal. I also read two novellas, one by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and another by Yasunari Kawabata, which both talk about older men who pay to sleep with young, drugged girls.” She added that she was also inspired by disturbing information about similar real-life situations that she discovered on the Internet. While the film’s content could be sordid, it purposely desensitizes the viewer with its frank and unflinching nature — exploring the psyche of Lucy’s sexual experiences rather than glamorizing them. “My goal was to try to create the right condition,” she said. “Be uptight about small things. It was sort of a leap of faith.” This condition that she mentions almost hypnotizes the viewer, creating both numbness and a sense of hyperawareness by the end of the film. “[It took] 10,000 decisions to create that effect: the pace, the look, the sound design.” Leigh recalled. “Every breath was calibrated.” While the film’s subject matter may not be universally appealing, “Sleeping Beauty” has received as much attention as Leigh put into it. Those minute details draw the audience into a whole new world, which was fascinating though far from reassuring. “I like that the film has an effect on people,” Leigh said with a chuckle. “I like to think that filmmaking is not a popularity contest, [and while] producers might disagree, I’m comfortable in the risk zone.” Anna Robertson is a staff writer. Email her at film@nyunews.com.
KART continued from PG. 1
New features continue Mario Kart’s solid legacy
strengths have always resided in its multiplayer modes. And thanks to its accessibility and the newly added communities, “MK7” is no exception. These communities allow you to create races with specific rules (such as limiting the use of items), which can then be played online. With the smooth online gameplay, “MK7’s” online offering is one of Nintendo’s best on a handheld and will have you playing the game for months to come. “MK7” is everything you would expect from a game in the “Mario Kart” franchise. It’s fun, frantic and generally familiar with a few intriguing additions.
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Each track is beautiful, the racers are well-animated and the 3-D effect is subtle yet effective, proving that Nintendo has a handle on the hardware. I’d love to see Nintendo pack even more content into the game, but the upgraded additions of old tracks, the new items and a new first-person play perspective make for an incredibly satisfying kart racer. “MK7” offers a great showcase for what the 3DS can do; more so, it shows the strength of the “Mario Kart” formula. Jonathon Dornbush is entertainment editor. Email him at entertainment@nyunews.com.
Swinton turns in Oscar-worthy performance in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ By Jeremy Grossman Every mother hopes for the day when her son finally grows up and takes responsibility for his own actions. But with Kevin (Ezra Miller), it seems like that day will never come. And as he grows into a young man and his behavior becomes more heinous, his mother’s life changes in horrific, unthinkable ways. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” stars Tilda Swinton as Eva Khatchadourian, a woman distraught by the birth of her son, Kevin. When Kevin is born, Eva’s life falls apart. She’s forced to abandon her love of traveling. She’s forced to listen to hours of screams and yells. She’s forced to endure Kevin’s insults, like “fat” and “stupid,” though her goodnatured husband (John C. Reilly) insists that he’s just doing what little boys do. Firmly suggesting that it’s possible for a mother to hate her son, this film is not afraid to ask the tough questions. Perhaps the most powerful one — stringing the film along from beginning to end — is whether or not a mother is truly responsible for the person that her son grows up to be. Kevin becomes such a hated figure that the townspeople slap Eva in the face and harass her in the grocery store. But
why pick on Kevin’s mother? She doesn’t even like him. A story this morbid could have devolved into a dull, depressing muck, but director Lynne Ramsay puts an entertaining and twisted spin on suburban life. With bubbly background music like Buddy Holly’s “Everyday,” Eva’s story seems almost like a fairy tale. But Ramsay has a taste for irony. In fact, “Kevin” is a testament to her ability to tell several different types of stories at once: drama, comedy, thriller and mystery. The mystery doesn’t become clear until the end, however, as the tension builds up to a shocking climax. But Swinton deserves the most credit for this film’s success — nobody else could have played this role. For an actress who’s known for playing excellent villains (The White Witch in the “Narnia” series, Karen Crowder in “Michael
Clayton”), it’s wonderful to see her play a woman so unapologetically natural. Swinton is unafraid of raw emotions and isn’t concerned with giving a showy, Oscar-bait performance; rather, she tries to be real, playing the type of person we sit next to on the subway each day. She’s dying on the inside, desperate for a friend and barely able to keep it together. It is also nice to see John C. Reilly in a meaty role, and Ezra Miller gives a chilling performance. If audiences don’t know his name by now, they undoubtedly will soon. The film, however, completely belongs to Tilda Swinton. It is handsdown her greatest performance and possibly the best performance of the year. Now go home and tell your mother you love her. Jeremy Grossman is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.
Courtesy of Oscilloscope Pictures
“Kevin” delivers a refreshing mix of drama, comedy and mystery.
A-list cast can’t save exhausting ‘Melt’ characters By Alex Greenberger While there is nothing wrong with experimental filmmaking, there are certain standards we expect films to live up to. There’s not really a problem with the fact that Mark Pellington’s “I Melt with You” does not present itself for a full hour; that’s an artistic choice. But there is truly an issue with Pellington’s obnoxiously jumpy style and Glenn Porter’s horrible, fractured screenplay. “I Melt with You” is less a shock to the system because of its unnerving subject matter and more jolting because of its inept narrative structure. Porter’s screenplay tells the story of four middle-aged old friends who decide to take a week-long trip to Big Sur. There’s a lot of drinking, a lot of sex, a lot of cocaine. Maybe that sounds like a relaxing vacation, but the dark core of their vacation is unexpectedly revealed halfway through. “I Melt with You” features a big cast with pretty faces, which includes Carla Gugino, Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven and, believe it or not, former porn star Sasha Grey. This is what it uses to lure you into its trap. The film’s shining star, Jeremy Piven, for example, delivers an absolute tour-
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Pellington’s heavy-handed direction holds back “Melt.” de-force performance. But all of the cast’s performances, no matter how good or bad, are undermined by their terrible characters. For whatever reason, Hollywood has trended towards writing characters that are self-loathing and disgusting, and the trend continues here. Porter’s characters are impossibly aggravating — so annoying that one might wish they would end their vacation after the first ten minutes. However, the audience has to endure another 100 or so minutes with these characters. They all overstay their welcome. Even worse is Pellington’s direction. Pellington, who used to work
as a music video director, incorporates a lot of punk-sounding music to underline his characters’ emotions. He combines this overblown, so-so music with poorly edited montages of creepy, nasty imagery. There are scenes of crashing waves, tumbling driftwood, screaming men and candlelit faces all in just one montage. It’s difficult to watch — and not just because the sounds created during these montages are nearly unbearable to hear. They’re nauseating and blatant. “I Melt with You” is at the tail end of a trend. It follows the post-modern conventions of movies, such as “Fight Club” and “Donnie Darko,” featuring hyper-stylized filmmaking and dark imagery. Even the opening credits suggests this with its quick flashes of phrases such as “I can’t get hard” and “I’m older than 40.” But these sentences aren’t sad or deep. They’re hysterical because they’re far too blunt. Like that sequence, most of the film leaps over the line that separates artistic stylization from a visually assaulting mess. Alex Greenberger is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.
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Washington Square news | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | nyunews.com
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nyunews.com | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | Washington Square news
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OPINION
edited by JOHN SURICO opinion@nyunews.com
SOCIETY
Year of revolutions gives society hope for the future By Maria Michalos We must bid adieu to yet another year. 2011 is approaching its fateful conclusion, and we will soon welcome 2012 with all of its unforeseeable glory. Although it appears that we have little control over what will be manifested in the year ahead, we need to bring in the year with hope, lacking inhibitions. We should be cognizant of the past but ready to take on the future. With a new beginning quickly approaching, we would do well to recall the moments that led up to this point, the decisions that determined how the world now functions and how we will engage with all that remains palpable to us. It seems as though every year has become more fleeting than its pre-
not only undermined the oppressive regimes of brutal dictators, but also laid the foundation for protests throughout the world. The expectations we set for our governments have ostensibly been altered forever and individual political systems, whether autocratic, democratic, socialist or communist, are irrelevant. We have viewed a dramatic alteration in how much people are willing to tolerate and how far people will go to obtain a more just tomorrow. Protesters from Tahrir Square to Syntagma Square to Zuccotti Park, in challenging the status quo, have been the loudest and most pivotal voices of 2011. They have fought valiantly for the most basic human rights, for the mere opportunity to carry out their lives simply and
decessor, and with the end of 2011 drawing rapidly nearer, this year has proven itself to be no different. We are living during a period that has been rife with political adversities, environmental disasters and economic devastations. We have been bombarded by images of confusion, calamity and turbulence, with little, if any, signs of sheer stability. While our minds don’t immediately associate prosperity with the multitude of revolutions and uprisings occurring throughout the world, they are obvious indications that diverse societies are changing, people are transforming their individual perspectives and our sense of understanding is altering too, perhaps for the better. The beginnings of the Arab Spring ignited a potent change — one that
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without fear of an unsure future. Activists and crusaders have joined in solidarity, echoing their grievances and demanding that their lives no longer remain determined by government and military rulers. Some have given up their lives for the possibility of seeing even a modicum of their heroic efforts prevail against systems that have long been mired in corruption, torture and injustice. It is true that we have lived through a year of uncertainty and unprecedented destruction — a nuclear power plant explosion, tsunamis and hurricanes. 2011 has seen its share of dire circumstances, but the revolutions that have taken place on an international scale should not be seen as part of any tragedy. We owe it to the youth in
every corner of the world challenging complacency, to the 84-year-old woman who was pepper sprayed in Seattle and to the prospect of a prosperous future to internalize and understand these movements as the heart of a global transformation that is unequivocally necessary. We have the ability to bring in the new year with a fresh outlook if we have faith that the future, regardless of inevitable obstacles, is full of hope. Protesters throughout the world have substantiated that potential and made hope all the more palpable. Maria Michalos is a deputy opinion editor. Her column, “On Point,” is about social justice and appears every Wednesday. Email her at mmichalos@nyunews.com.
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Washington Square news | Thursday, December 8, 2011 | nyunews.com