EMU's "King Kong at Ninety: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation" celebrates the creativity behind the film that helped launch the Creature Feature

Fri, 02/03/2023 - 11:30am by christopherporter

While spending an hour-plus perusing Eastern Michigan University’s exhibit King Kong at Ninety: Visualization in the Art of Stop-Motion Animation, I was struck by how, in some ways, it’s probably harder for young film buffs to stumble upon the old classics.

Admittedly, nearly all movies that survived are available to us at any moment now, but that tsunami of choices also means viewers must specifically seek out a film like King Kong (1933) instead of merely tumbling out of bed before your parents get up on a Sunday morning, turning on the TV, and sampling that week’s “Creature Feature”—a genre largely spawned by the runaway blockbuster success of King Kong.

"Are we not drawn onward to new erA" Encourages Understanding the Climate Crisis From an Unconventional Perspective

Tue, 01/24/2023 - 12:30pm by strattonl

“The Plastic Bag Store” Uses Art to Raise Awareness About The Pervasive Problem of Plastic Packaging

Fri, 01/20/2023 - 2:00pm by strattonl

It’s an unnervingly perfect coincidence that when you emerge from the installation/play The Plastic Bag Store (TPBS) presented by University Musical Society (as part of its No Safety Net series), you see a cafeteria space with boxes of individually packaged snacks for sale on a rack.

Fraught reunions with old friends are at the core of Penny Seat's "First Snow"

Thu, 12/08/2022 - 1:45pm by christopherporter

The prospect of seeing friends from high school, after a years-long separation, always feels fraught. Will it be awkward? Will they judge you? Will you judge them? What will you talk about? Will you somehow ruin perfectly contained, long-packed-away memories?

Encore Theatre's “A Christmas Story: The Musical" sings the praises of the classic film

Tue, 11/29/2022 - 2:15pm by christopherporter

A stage musical based on a beloved film classic—like, say, A Christmas Story: The Musical, now being staged at Dexter’s Encore Theatre—can be a double-edged sword. 

Jeff Daniels' “Pickleball” serves up intense characters and a faulty narrative

Wed, 10/12/2022 - 12:30pm by strattonl

When I was 8, I performed at a dance recital with my tap classmates. As the girls around me on stage made a few mistakes, I glared at them (according to my amused parents), furious that they were ruining my moment.

The musical "Hands on a Hardbody" explores class empathy, big personalities, and personal connections

Mon, 08/22/2022 - 10:00am by christopherporter

Some narrative setups just prove too irresistible to pass up.

Let's Go Boo: Ben Mathis-Lilley’s witty "The Hot Seat" looks at U-M's 2021 football season from a fan's perspective

Mon, 08/22/2022 - 8:00am by christopherporter

One of my favorite parts of Slate senior writer (and rabid longtime Michigan fan) Ben Mathis-Lilley’s new book, The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, and Occasional Games of College Football is a list of fan site comments during U-M’s second game of the 2021 season.

An Ode for the Anthem: Mark Clague’s “O Say Can You Hear? A Cultural Biography of the Star-Spangled Banner”

Mon, 07/11/2022 - 10:00am by christopherporter

It seemed a little on the nose to be reading U-M associate professor Mark Clague’s new book, O Say Can You Hear? A Cultural Biography of the Star-Spangled Banner, on the 4th of July—at U-M’s Camp Michigania, no less—but that’s nonetheless when and where I absorbed enough national anthem-themed information to sweep an entire Jeopardy! category.

Wherever You Are: Geoff Sobelle’s experimental theater piece explores what it means to be "Home"

Wed, 04/27/2022 - 9:00am by christopherporter

Among the many, many things that have changed over the last two years is our sense of “home.”