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Features

FEATURES

Comedy concentrates on identities

Maddie Trier
April 1, 2005

Envision a stage littered with sand and actors dressed in tie-dyed T-shirts - it's a far call from the more obvious picture which comes to mind when thinking about a Shakespearean play. But that's exactly what audiences will get when they go to see the BoarsHead Theatre rendition of William Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors." Co-director Geoffrey Sherman said he and his partner Diana Van Fossen chose to set the play in modern Greece because the contemporary setting makes it easier for the audience to understand. "You look for a modern parallel of the story that's being told," Sherman said.

FEATURES

Films explore extreme sport

Emily Buckler
April 1, 2005

Winter is fading in East Lansing but that doesn't mean northern sports and culture are. On Friday, the MSU Outing Club will host the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour on campus with screenings of short action, animated and documentary films, all of which were shown at the official festival in Banff, Alberta, Canada in 2004.

FEATURES

The revolution

Aaron Foley
March 30, 2005

Who is that guy? That's probably the question people ask when they see someone wearing a portrait of a man with a beret and a stoic expression.

FEATURES

'Kings' compels frustration

Emily Buckler
March 29, 2005

Sometimes, you just can't get away from your family. No matter what events occur in life, most people remain in an unremitting bond with their family members, whether bitter or pleasant, memorable or commonplace. With that in mind, it seems very unlikely that writer and director Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno could be an only child - her story in "Little Kings," about the lives of three brothers in New Jersey, is too involved, and too well-versed, to be written by someone unfamiliar with sibling relationships. In Tibaldo-Bongiorno's film, each brother is struggling with his interpersonal relationships -Dom (Dominic Pace) is in love with his brother Gino's pregnant wife, Lori, played by Rita Pietropinto.

FEATURES

'Timing' jokes with life

Maddie Trier
March 29, 2005

"All in the Timing" offers a variety of jokes from witty to slapstick humor and provides a wonderful evening of laugh-out-loud comedy. The collection of seven one-act plays touches on a range of topics from relationships to bad luck. The show begins with the play, "Variations on the Death of Trotsky." The comedy revolves around the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and how he might have reacted upon finding a mountain climber's ax in his head. Kevin Burnham, who plays Trotsky, masters the calm and unconcerned aura, which is essential to make the show amusing - although it takes a few moments to understand exactly what is happening. Up next is "Singular Kinda Guy," which leaves the audience questioning the sanity of the character.

FEATURES

Documentary catches darker side of life

Emily Buckler
March 28, 2005

If there is one documentary you shouldn't miss at this year's East Lansing Film Festival, it's "Tarnation" by Director Jonathan Caouette. Made entirely out of video recordings from his childhood photographs, answering machine messages, Super-8 film clips, and present-day footage, Caouette reconstructs his family's tumultuous history and complicated present.

FEATURES

Columnist praises progression of film, television

It doesn't matter whether nice guys finish first or last. The fact that guys actually are in the race is an accomplishment in itself. Remember the scene in "Waiting to Exhale" when Angela Bassett's character took all of her husband's possessions and set them ablaze in his BMW?

FEATURES

WEB ONLY: 'Shivah for My Mother' to be shown on campus today

Emily Buckler
March 28, 2005

The film "Shivah for My Mother: Seven Days of Mourning" will be shown at 7 p.m. today in room 147 Communication Arts and Sciences Building, followed by discussion with Director Yael Katzir. "Shivah for My Mother" is a 55-minute documentary filmed in real-time about Katzir's mother's death and the enlightening shivah (a seven-day period of formal mourning) at their home afterward.

FEATURES

'Little Shop of Horrors' comes to Wharton

Maddie Trier
March 28, 2005

In accordance with springtime, a new plant is flourishing at Wharton Center, but watch out - this one comes with a Faustian pact and a taste for human flesh. "Little Shop of Horrors" comes to Wharton Center this week and revolves around Seymour Krelbourn, a florist, who wishes to win the heart of his co-worker Audrey.

FEATURES

Fashionably nostalgic

Aaron Foley
March 23, 2005

OK, so The Spinners, Judas Priest and Donna Summer are nowhere near each other on the musical spectrum, but they do have something in common.

FEATURES

After iPods, what's next?

Aaron Foley
March 23, 2005

It will not be a surprise if droves of video gamers and parents of video gamers flood the aisles of stores nationwide Thursday. A new gaming system, the PlayStation Portable, will be released to the public.

FEATURES

Gallery resembles mini Louvre

Maddie Trier
March 23, 2005

Camouflaged behind dull sand-colored walls and an unobtrusive display window lies a treasure trove of art in Saper Galleries. This large, three-room gallery, located at 433 Albert Ave., displays paintings, sculptures and pottery from about 150 artists.

FEATURES

Romance novels cue emotions, not all sex

I am a closet romantic. Or at least I was until I just announced it to approximately 28,500 State News readers. And I'm going to defend myself before any self-proclaimed feminists start burning their bras in defiance of any chivalrous views I might have.