02/06/09 Intermission

8/14/2019 02/06/09 Intermission [PDF]

1/7

inside

B i t i n g t h e i r l i p sStanford students Claire Slattey,

Vanessa Petrosky and Zach Chotzen-

Freund put on Lips Together, Teeth

Apart for their senior project

A L S O I N S I D E

intermission2.06.0

FRID

stanfords weekly guide to campus culture

VOLUME 235 . I S S U E 1

a publication of the stanford

RVCA Design Director Kristin Reiter dishes on her job, closet, and life ... page 3

Exclusive Intermission interview with Coraline director Henry Selick... page 4

Film review of animated stop-motion horror fantasy film Coraline... page 5

Benjamin Button not up to par; Super Bowl commercials either...page 6

Lips Together, Teeth Apart: seniors dramatize middle-aged frustration...page 7

courtesy bleachblac

Fashion is the sky, in t

street, fashihas to do wideas, the wwe live, whahappening.- Coco Chan

C o r a l i n e

a film review and exclu-sive interview withDirector Henry Selick

steve lesser


2/7

PAGE 2 THE GRAMMY AWARDS...

2.06.0

well then, email [email protected]

F

BONE TO PIC

MANAGING EDITJoanna Xu

LAYOUT EDITORSKairen Wong

Jin Yu

COPY EDITORSamantha Lasarow

DESK EDITORSAnnika Heinle

Kate Hayes

PHOTO EDITORAmanda Zhang

With movie awards season officially underway, you are probably a little tired of hearing the news, Slumdog Millionaire wins . . . again! Luckilyfor you, the monotony is about to be broken.This Sunday, the Grammy Awards take center stage again. Though the show has been pretty dull the past few years, this years performances will

be a little more exciting: U2, Coldplay and Radiohead will all be performing. Here at Intermission, we want to let you know whats up for awards

and, of course, help with those betting pools we know you will be throwing your money into.

Record of the Year will definitely be going to the most deserving of the nominees: M.I.A., for Paper Planes. Hey, we told you Slumdogwas

cleaning everything up this year, and this hit is on its soundtrack. Dont bet on Viva La Vidaby Coldplay; while this song is nominated for basically

every category, a lawsuit claiming its a rip-off is sure to taint its success. For the same reason, it probably wont win the Song of the Year award.

Instead, that honor will likely go to American Boy by Estelle, featuring Kanye West.

Teens will be happy to hear this: The winner of Best New Artist will probably be triple teenage heartthrobs The Jonas Brothers. If the boys dont

win, beware of a teen riot. The winner of Best Female Pop Vocals will clearly go to the most popular girl of the summer Katy Perry. While I

Kissed A Girlmay not be the best song of the group, it was downloaded over three million times on the Internet.

Best Male Pop Vocals is a little bit trickier to predict. Jason Mraz had a smash hit in Im Yours, but Intermission is going to hesitantly place aproverbial bet on Ne-Yos Closer. This song is, on average, played on rotation every 3.5 songs on all top-40 stations. If youre looking to make money

on this category, look to Ne-Yo.

Probably the most important category of the entire show,Album of the Year, will be won by an unlikely duo. While Lil Waynes Tha Carter III

may seem the natural and smart choice, Intermission implores you not to choose it. This award is going to go to Robert Plant (former member of Led

Zeppelin) and Alison Krauss for their collaboration,Raising Sand. The Academy of Recording Arts will always give this award to old-timers, no mat-

ter what kind of young talent is included in the category.

We hope you have a great Grammys this year, and using our picks, make the money you need to pay for tuition! . . . or at least, a cup of Fraiche.

(Disclaimer: Intermission is not responsible for the loss of thousands of dollars.)

annika HEINLE

contact annika :

anhein le@stanford .edu

courtesy mia

courtesy jonasbrothers.com

courtesy

yearofthegentleman.com

courtesy estelle.com


3/7

intermission (i): First, tell us a little about

what you do with RVCA, your day-to-day

activities, etc.Kristin Reiter (KR): Well, Im the design

director for RVCA, which means I work with

Creative Director/Founder PM Tenore on

checking out all the designs that we get. I

work with the art and marketing depart-

ments to make sure that everyone is cohesive

and speaking the same language. I deal most-

ly with mens clothing, womens clothing and

accessories.

On a day-to-day basis? That sort of

depends. I review a lot of sketches and do a

lot of fittings. RVCA also does a lot of collab-

oration work with different artists and peo-

ple, whether thats skaters, surfers or super-

models like Erin Wasson. My days are gener-

ally quite crazy, but its nice because theressomething new every day.

i: RVCA is a great surf/skate company, but its

not particularly known for its clothing line.

How would you describe the line?

KR: I would describe it as utilitarian work-

wear, but with a styled twist. [The line] has a

lot of modern pieces. The foundation of the

original RVCA clothing line is mens. All of

the clothing lines a bit unisex I wear a lot

of the mens products as well! Even now, with

the womens line, its a bit more tomboy-ish.

Which is why Erin Wasson is the perfect face

of the womens line because yes, shes a

supermodel, but she also has a distinct

tomboy flavor.

i: Tell me about the fashion blogosphere. Any

favorite blogs? Experiences?

KR: Well, as you know, Rumi [owner of

highly popular blog FashionToast.com] is my

good friend. She kept bugging me to start a

blog myself, so I did. The blogosphere is defi-

nitely a cool place though when I first

joined I didnt know about all these unwrit-

ten rules, like how if someone frequents

your blog, you kind of have a responsibility

to comment on theirs as well. Its become agiant community where you can meet peo-

ple and make crazy new friends. It can be

overwhelming sometimes because I cant

respond to everything always. Being involved

in fashion? Thats my world! So my blog is

related to everything about my work, too.

i: I love the way you dress its unique, but

very comfortable and compatible

with your personality. What advice

do you have to give to college girls

looking for a similar confidence in

what they wear?

KR: For me, I grew up in theMidwest, so I grew up in T-shirts

and jeans. I developed my fashion

sense by forcing myself into new

situations, introducing myself to

odd people and getting into things

that I was unaware of before. I also

work in a male-dominated compa-

ny, so I cant always venture out

into the totally inappropriate. But I

still dress like myself. You know, I

used to get kicked out of class for

being a distraction! I think Ill

always be an outsider. Your own

personal style has to have an evolution.

i: What are your favorite types or pieces of

clothing?

KR: No. 1 is jeans, usually RVCAs. I also love

tomboy-ish boots, adore T-shirts, love a great

jacket especially the loose, blouse-y type

and of course, a great dress. I know, its

surprising it offsets everything.

i: What about favorite designers?

KR: Tons! First is probably Henry Duarte. Its

hard to find him because he only does cus-

tom work now, but hes basically a really

amazing L.A. designer who does a lot of cus-

tom denim and 70s-inspired clothing. He

knows fit like no other and is a designer

definitely worth researching. I also love

the designer behind Grey Ant Grant

Krajecki. Hes another L.A. designer

thats really close to me. I love everything

80s and 90s, and early Versace under

Gianni, not Donatella. Im in love withNicholas Kirkwood shoes.

i: Favorite places to shop?

KR: One of my absolute favorites is a

vintage shop in Hong Kong. There are a

lot of places I love right now

Maxfields in L.A. is super cool. I have a

few favorite vintage shops in Huntington

Beach, such as American Vintage. I find

a lot of inspiration pieces there! South

Beach has great summer stuff, Palm

Springs too. And of course, New York has

magnificent stores.

[Joanna asks about a vintage shop that she

saw Lady Gaga go to in Los Angeles]

KR: I also loveLady Gaga. Shes amazing!Thats where the whole massive shoulder-pad

things came from. I also put up a clip of early

Versace/Balmain video on my blog; in my

opinion, thats sort of where all the inspira-

tion is coming from now.

i: How essential do you think money is to

style?

KR: Not at all! I work closely with Eri

Wasson, and shes got amazing style, s

course a ton of her pieces are ridiculo

high-end. But weve gone shopping b

and we both love vintage pieces too. H

great style comes from her awesome e

I think thats true of everyone. Rumi,shes great at mixing high-end and low

pieces, looking fabulous in it. Most p

cant go out and buy $1,200 shoes eve

son all the time, but they still look fab

and stylish!

i: Finally tell me a fashion week sto

KR: Aggh . . . fashion weeks are alway

crazy. Once, there was a fashion week

that was a 24-hour event for me: I fle

red-eye, went to the Alexander Wang

went to his after-party and didnt slee

fashion week there are always a mil

things going on. Of course, its a fun t

but for me its also a bit stressful just

Im working.

Oh and Ill be going again to NYork in three weeks for Erins present

the Erin Wasson x RVCA line. Her lin

awesome, and were super excited to s

everyone!

joa

contact

joannaxu@stanfo

friday february 6 2009

Kristin Reiter, RVCA design director

Erin Wasson is a Texas-born model, sand designer. She has walked the runw

designers such as Armani, Cavalli, KaLagerfeld and Gucci, and advertised ipaigns for Michael Kors, Rolex, TiffanCo., H&M and Maybelline. She styledseasons for notable designer Alexandeand has since then started two lines jewelry called LowLuv, and the other clothing line called Erin Wasson x RVwhich is a collaboration with the surfbrand RVCA. Erin x RVCA will be avain leading department stores and bouworldwide on March 1.

Meet...ERIN WASSO

Light-haired vintage-junkie, artfully grungy, fabulously unique Kristin Reiteris the design director of RVCA for a reason. She tells the world why throughher popular fashion and inspiration blog, bleachblack.com, which is a collab-oration with her close friend,Valerie. There, she posts pictures of mind-blowing vintage discoveries, do-it-yourself (DIY) instructions, drool-inspir-ing designer items and just about anything that inspires her. It sure inspiredIntermissions Joanna Xu, so she gave her a call:

all pictures courtesy bleachbla

courtesy feb. 2009, fashion magazine


4/7

intermission4


th Henry SelickQ&Antermission?

Henry Selick is a dedicated man. Nearly eight years

after Selick first read an unpublished manuscript of

Neil Gaimans eventual bestseller,Coralinearrives

n theaters a technical marvel.Coralineis the first-ever fea-

ure-length film shot entirely in stop-motion spectroscopic 3-

D,a painstaking process requiring 512 photographs for each

econd of moving picture.Intermission recently spoke to Mr.

elick about his latest film, his inspirations and his artistry.

ntermission (i): What first drew you to Neil Gaimans manu-

cript and the project in general?

Henry Selick (HS): I found when I started to read Neils

manuscript,it felt like coming home.It felt like I was in tune

with another creative person who was from the same planet

hat I was. I could actually see a movie by the time I was

alfway through.

To imagine the film,theres kind ofthe hook of Coraline

wishing for something more than what she has,and we all do

hat.I think everyone sometimes imagines that they have

ther parents or another child or another life.I liked that

here were classic influences Alice in Wonderland going

own the rabbit hole but also open enough to let me do a

Grimms fairytale,Hansel & Gretelsort of thing.

Ultimately I liked the inventiveness ofthe story but-

ons for eyes,the darkness ofit, the dry humor . . .really,

heres nothing about it I didnt like.

From reading the production notes to the film,its so

impressive how much work went into it, from how long it

took to make each of the puppets [two months] to the effort

it takes to shoot even a few seconds of stop-motion in spec-

troscopic 3-D.With all the technical undertaking that went

into the film,which parts are you most proud ofor most

excited to show to your audience?

HS: Theres no one technical area Im really most proud of,

but what Im most proud ofis that the technology is sub-

sumed and that it supports the story.Im most proud that

technology didnt overwhelm the story and the characters.

Even the 3-D is pretty in your face sometimes,but again, its

serving the story.

There are a few things Ill mention though that really

stick out for one,we had a huge number ofcombinations

with the faces [Coraline was capable ofover 200,000 different

facial expressions,whereas Jack Skellington in Nightmare

Before Christmascould make about 150].We did that by

splitting upper and lower face,and then having a sculpt for

every different mouth shape and controlling these independ-

ently ofmouth,e yes,brows,etc. In the refinement of

Coralines expressionse veryones really we took things

to a completely new level.

More aspects:atmosphere.The old TV specials are pretty

clunky,and everythings very solid.I was going for something

where light was transmitted through leaves and where every-

thing was alive,not just characters walking through a dead

world.So even clouds are shifting,trees are swaying,individ-

ual blades ofgrass are blowing.

i: A lot of the people associated with

this project,from Neil Gaiman to

members ofthe crew, have expressed

how much they wanted to make a

story that resonated with future gen-

erations,with children not even

born yet.What about this film and

its themes do you think will remain

resonant beyond its initial reception

and the excitement surrounding the

film?

HS: Well,again,beyond the themes,I

think theres something in the nature

of stop-motion,the textural qualities

and things beyond that its time-

less.You could show any kids any

[early stop-motion];you could show

them the original King Kong,and

theyre just fascinated by it. Its just

that,I think, everybody as a kid goes

through a phase where they believe

their dolls or toys are living things,

and it doesnt take much for them to

believe that they could come to life,

and maybe thats what makes it time-

less.

Theres something with stop-

motion where you can come back to

it after years and its just alwaysold-

fashioned it feels like

its from another time.I think it

travels well through history they still put out

those old Christmas specials,Nightmarenever goes away,

and in terms ofthis story I think it goes right back to what

we said earlier.In t he classical sense of Grimms Fairy Tales,

these are stories that get to the core ofwho we are as people,

sitting around a campfire and trying to scare the hell out of

each other.Ultimately,the one modern thing about it that

Im very happy with is her family is more real. [Coralines]

mom is a bitch sometimes thats just who she is but shehas a fierce love for her family; shes the one who gets the job

done.I think presenting a perfect family is really wrong I

think its bad for children,to make them desire that, and so

Im extremely glad that we have this sort of a family that,at

the end of the film,theyre friendly to each other,but its not

like everything changed and is wonderful all ofa sudden.

i: It feels like almost every year now,whatever Pixar CGI film

comes out gets lauded as re-revolutionizinganimation,but

in terms of your own films,working primarily in stop-

motion and almost constantly with a more gothic undertone,

do you think theres something about stop-motion animation

that lends itself to this darker,almost more surreal kind of

storytelling? Why would you choose to tell your darker sto-

ries in this particular kind of animation with all the technol-

ogy now at your disposal?

HS: Well,if you look at the history ofstop-motion,it lived in

two very different place as special effects to make the

monsters and creatures in old films,and these were the dark-

er uses ofit, and then there were also the more cartoonish

uses ofthe form [for old Puppetoonsshort features and

stop-motion Christmas Specials like Rudolph the Red Nosed

Reindeerand Frosty the Snowman].

I think a lot ofthe perception oflinking the gothic ele-

ment to the medium of stop-motion is really Tim Burton

and his great story of the interplay between two holiday

worlds [The Nightmare Before Christmas],being the first

stop-motion feature of prominence.I knew Tim and worked

with him;we share a lot of sensibilities.Im also attracted to

darker things,scary things,so the work Im going to do is

going to be a cousin of that in the same way I got together

with Neil Gaiman.Stop-motion to me sort ofshakes with life its imper-

fect,you feel the artists hands.Its inherently creepy but its

also very warm.Its real stuff thats what it is.

matt GILLESPIE

contact matt:

[email protected]

CORALINEFiLM REVIEW

thevit

alstats

. ONASCALEOF1T

O1

0

.

.

.9Cor

aline

PG

Animated

Coraline f

indsapa

ralleluni

verse

but cansh

eeverget

home?

Theres something electric and sinister about stop-

motion animation.While stop-motion (essentially the

practice of photographing miniscule adjustments madeto models or puppets in order to produce the illusion of

motion) has been around almost as long as motion pictures

themselves,it has only come of age in the last 15 years.

The film that first brought stop-motion to the masses,as

well as the first full-length stop-motion feature film ever cre-

ated,was Tim Burton and Henry Selicks The Nightmare

Before Christmas.Fifteen years later, Selick returns with

Coraline,and its nothing short of a miracle how far he, cou-

pled with Tim Burton,has brought the genre. Coraline

explodes offthe screen (literally,as its the first film ever

filmed entirely in stereoscopic 3-D) like nothing youve ever

seen before at the movies.Its a technological masterpiece four

years in the making, but beneath the films astonishing aes-

thetic lies an incredibly simple,heartfelt story, and its from

this narrative that the true magic ofthe film emerges.

Coraline Jones,a blue-haired teen voiced by Dakota

Fanning,has just moved from Michigan to rural Oregon,

being uprooted from her best friends in the process.Shes

stuck in the middle level ofa grim new apartment with her

preoccupied parents and some less-than-desirable neighbors

the lower floor is occupied by a pair of ancient British

actresses,and above her resides Mr.Bobinsky,an eight-foot

Russian eccentric who spends his days eating beets and t rain-

ing his circus mice.Add into the mix a vaguely stalker-esque

neighbor boy named Wybie,and its easy to understand why

Coraline so desperately wishes to find an escape from her

dreary surroundings.

Luckily,she doesnt even have to look outside her own

home to find a completely intoxicating alternate reality of

adventure.Through a portal, Coraline discovers in an upstairs

room ofher new house, she is transported to the Other

World,which looks exactly like Coralines real world if it

were to be remade with everything an angsty pre-teen couldever desire.While Coralines real mother can be bossy and dis-

interested,Coralines Other Mother caters to her every need

whole tables of her favorite foods,a bedroom

plucked straight from a fairy tale and a quick

fix to Coralines all-too-persistent prob-

lems with Wybie. Coralines real

father always means well,but hes

boring and more than a little distant;co

Other Father,who plays piano and buil

Technicolor garden in Coralines spittinCoraline becomes thoroughly enthralle

new world where she is,finally,the com

ones attention.

Everything in the Other World see

except for one glaring abnormality: eve

sewn on in place oftheir eyes. What be

nuisance for Coraline she shows littl

being loved tenderly by button-eyed co

simply because she is being shown atten

to a nightmarish reality as Coraline rea

Mothers true intentions are far more si

becomes caught in a struggle with the p

World to save herselfand her family fro

enticing hold.

To reveal nearly the entire plot of

its magic.Selick, adopting the bestsellin

Gaiman,has taken what could be thoug

ventional storyline in the vein of Grimm

spun something entirely new with it. C

technical mastery and visual pomp,is r

story of what it means to be brave,and

ly insurmountable odds in the name of

which we love and cherish. Its a film th

(and,yes, perhaps at times terrify) you

dazzling effects and incredibly sympath

film that adults will appreciate for both

and its protagonists pragmatism.Cora

and,when called upon,incredibly brav

model any parents would hope inspires

In a world that seems to be spiralin

ward,Coralineis a godsend, a thoroug

imaginative piece of filmmaking by a m

sionate about his material and at the cr

m

courtesy http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/coraline/trailer


5/7

intermission6

Its that time of the year again

folks: roll out the red carpet and

place your bets on which

movies you want to win that cute

little statue we all call Oscar. In

honor of this glitz and glam, we at

Intermission are bringing you

weekly reviews of this years much

buzzed about Oscar-nominatedfilms.

First on the chopping block this

week is Brad Pitts latest movie The

Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Nominated for 13 Oscars, including

best picture and best actor (Pitt),

this film is going to be one of this

years biggest contenders. At the end

of the day though, does the film

actually live up to its accolades

or is it just more Hollywood over-

hype? If youre as curious as the case

of Mr. Button is, youll keep read-

ing.

If you want to know what to

expect from this film in terms of

style and form, imagine if the films

Big Fish and Forrest Gump had

a love child a child named

Benjamin Button. Right away, peo-

ple who have seen the two afore-

mentioned films will see the simi-

larities in Benjamin Button right

down to the, well . . . button.

The film starts off with an old

woman on her deathbed as her

daughter begins to explore the fan-

tastical life of Mr. Button by reading

his diary. We are immediately intro-

duced to the origins of his birth: if

you havent already guessed from all

the commercials and movie trailers,

Benjamin is unique in that he agesbackwards. In the beginning of the

film he is a wrinkly old baby, and as

the years go by, his body gets

younger and younger. However,

despite the reverse physical aging,

Benjamins mind ages normally.For

example, even if his body looks 70

years old, Benjamin is at the intel-

lectual level of a seven-year-old.

The movie doesnt really have a

plot but can be best understood as a

movie explaining what life would be

like if you aged backwards.Since the

premise here is really just a mans

aging, the film chugs along at an

appropriate pace and by appro-priate I mean incredibly slow. The

film clocks in at two hours and

48 minutes.

This is not to say that the

film isnt interesting; like all

good epic (and epically long)

movies, this one is chalk full of

quirky and interesting charac-

ters (think Big Fish again).

As Benjamin goes through life,

his relationships grow with

these characters and are all

affected by the fact that he has

to watch all of his loved ones

grow older and die.

The film also has aspects of

a love story which is achieved

through interaction between

Benjamin and Daisy, played by Cate

Blanchett. It is through this rela-

tionship where the films poetics

truly shine. Benjamin meets and

(not surprisingly) falls in love with

Its Oscar time! Mr. Button, youre up first

the vital stats.ON

ASCALEOF

1TO

1

0

.

.

.7The Curious Caseof Benjamin ButtonPG-13

Drama

A man who is born old and gets

younger every day nonetheless

experiences love, loss and life.

FiLM REVIEW

A

hhh . . . the Super Bowl. The

thought of this annual celebra-

tion brings many the thought offriends, chicken wings and cold beer. For

me, the Super Bowl is somewhat bitter-

sweet. In the fall of sixth grade, I was the

No. 1 female middle school draft pick. My

promising career was cut short when a 32

cross-Z-buttonhook went horribly wrong.

I shattered my rib cage and experienced a

compound fracture of my left femur. The

heartbreaking injury left me with a hollow

shell.

To this day, I am unable to watch a

single play of the game I loved so dearly.

However, theres still a part of the national

phenomena that I can enjoy: the commer-

cials. Over the years, I have become an

expert in this area. Ive had numerous

essays published, three in premier maga-

zines, and I am working on a 900-page

masterpiece documenting the progression

of the Super Bowl commercial. Its an art,

if you ask me.

Between Super Bowl XXIV and last

years XLII, America experienced a strong

increase in commercial quality, which led

many to believe it would only keep getting

better. Regretfully, this year was somewhat

of a letdown. I have picked my favorite

five to analyze where things went wrong.

Keep in mind, this is only my expert opin-ion and I may have missed a few due to

my intense paranoia of witnessing the

game.

The frontrunner this year was from

our friends at Audi; they aired the only

commercial with a real, live mega-hottie

badass actor: Jason Statham. It was smart,

entertaining and spanned many decades.

Jason, evidently looking for a new car in

which to make his many getaways, wrecks

both a BMW and a Mercedes (both in the

past, maybe the 50s and 70s, respective-

ly). He ends up liking the new A6. It must

have responded to his touch just the way

he likes it.

The next is from Doritos. It involved

classic spontaneous comedy: a crystal ball

smashing a vending machine, and later

colliding with the boss genitals. I love

genital collisions. Coming in at a close

third was Diet Pepsi-Cola Max the diet

cola for men. Throughout the entire com-

mercial, men are taking everything from

hitting their heads to more genital colli-

sions, showing just how manly diet cola

really is. Fourth, we have Bud Light. A

simple board meeting is taking place,

a man is thrown out of a window fro

three stories up. Who doesnt want tothat? A very believable fall, too.

Last,but certainly not least, is Co

Cola. A man is enjoying an afternoon

in the park when the nearby bugs stea

Coke. Enter a beautifully animated

MouseTrap-like progression, which en

with all the happy bugs loving their p

dle of Coca-Cola. This was by far the

cutest commercial of the event.

While I no longer watch the mos

important football game of the seaso

Im glad that I can still enjoy chronicl

the best commercials of the event.Th

year had some winners, but also som

ures. I look forward to next year retu

to the caliber I have come to expect.

annika HE

contact an

anhein le@stanford

Super Bowl commercials: from cute to funny

| continued on page 8 |

courtesy audisa.com

courtesy paramount p


6/7


Stanford students Zach

Chotzen-Freund, Vanessa

Petrosky and Claire Slattery

performed the play Lips

Together, Teeth Apart,a 1991

dark commedy by Terrence

McNally, as their joint senior proj-

ect.

There is something both

uncanny and marvelous about

watching actors in their early

twenties master the fraught emo-

tions of adults struggling with

middle age.Lips Together, Teeth Apart

shows a day in the life of two cou-

ples as they try to celebrate the

Fourth of July at a New York

beach house on Fire Island. The

house seems like paradise, but in

reality, it was recently given to

Sally in her brothers will, and for

that reason reminds everyone of

her brothers struggle with AIDS

and a gay lifestyle that relied on

the seclusion of Fire Island.

Although the group thanks God

they arent gay, their own lives are

far from straight-laced and sim-

ple.

Each characters opening linespresent an aspect of their person-

alities that they want to portray to

the public. First on stage is

Chotzen-Freund, playing Sam, the

gut-scratching, middle-aged man

who tries to act confident. Next,

Petrosky stomps onto the stage as

Sally Sams wife the distressed

artist struggling with her brothers

death. John, played by Nathaniel

Nelson, is the snooty husband who

hides behind a New York Times

crossword. Slattery plays Johns wife

the perky Chloe, dropping in

French phrases between her inces-

sant friendly suggestions and

offerings of food and drink.

These seemingly stereotypical

characters, however, soon reveal a

sarcastic and more complex per-

sonality that they hide from the

public eye. Although they are sup-

posed to be on vacation, the ten-

sion between these couples is evi-

dent from the start as they silently

wrestle with their own inner

demons. Private monologues

quickly reveal to the audience the

truths each character is trying to

hide. After a few more one-liners,

we understand that the other char-

acters already know these truths;

however, as actors in their own

right, they are able to act ignorant

and keep their lips together for

now.

As the play progresses, the

monologues join into the openconversations, and every unspoken

word that had been neatly avoided

adds to the foreshadowed chaos.

Through witty jabs and comedic

arguments, the true dynamics

among each of the characters

comes to light. The script offers

interesting commentary on con-

temporary issues, but also does

incredible justice to the timeless

theme of letting fear prevent us

from the stirring experience of life.

These actors succeed at creating

their characters individual person-

alities and a gripping group

dynamic that allows for subtleties

and outbursts. Equally enjoyable to

watching the characters in the spot-

light is observing the expressions

and actions of the characters in the

shadows.

These actors give life to what

some Stanford students are wit-

nessing their parents go through

and what others fear will eventually

happen to themselves. Although the

subject matter is heavy at first, the

evolution of the characters and plot

allows for moments of genuine

compassion within and amongst

the couples. At times funny, at

times sobering, but consistently

compelling, this senior project is a

theatrical experience not to be

missed.

The play opened last night in

Prosser Studio Theater, located in

the back of Memorial Auditorium.

The remaining performances are

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

at 8 p.m., with a matinee at

on Saturday afternoon. Tick

be sold at the door for five d

gwen W

contact

gwenw@stanf

Lips Together: uniting seniors with middle-aged ang

steve


7/7

intermission8

7pm

Bob Marley TributeCoHocelebrate Bob Marley turning 64

7:30pm

Vagina MonologuesCubberley Aud.see the incredible play celebrating femininity

8pm

Lips Together, Teeth ApartProsser Studio Theatrecaptivating senior drama project

M

T

W

Th

Sa

Su

F

7:30pm

Bon Bon BallRoble Gymbecause you know you love Viennese dance

8pm

Poetry SlamCoHoit will make you instantly hipper

7pm

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa @ FliCKSMemAudi like to move it, move it

8pm

Jazz Jam SessionCoHoif you need to relax and chill out, man

9pm

Comedy Night750 Pub, GCCits good to laugh

7pm

Tango DancingCoHolearn it for the ladies

8pm

A Concert in Black and WhiteMemChua concert telling the tale of a black man andwhite man

LINEUP

2.06.09

-2

.1

2.

09

Though the good weathers gone, Roxy was left looking for the

hot spots for an outdoor campus hookup this past week. But getting

your lovinon outside isnt easy, even for a pro like Roxy. Theres

always the risk that youll run into your 75-year-old math professor

while grinding against the Quad, and worse yet, the risk that he will

want to join. This in mind, Roxy decided to evaluate a few of

Stanfords naughtiest nooks.

The Cactus Garden

Roxy has often heard rumors that the cactus garden is a free-for-

all hookup spot on campus. While she appreciates the value of most

things long and hard, cacti spines may just not be among the bunch.

Dont misunderstand: risk is key to any element of a sexy outdoor

romp. But thinking that youre pleasuring one thing and then realiz-

ing youve got your legs wrapped around a spike with a five-syllable

Latin name is a few steps short of terrifying.

Tip: Theres such a thing as too long and too hard, and a cactus isthat thing. No room to roll, no place to prop: no place for Roxy.

The Observatory

The observatory is an ideal hookup spot if you are with your new

girl or guy open space, limited chance of getting caught by your

roommate (unless you like that) and just think of the pick-up line

opportunities. None of that, Im over the moon for you, business.

Get creative: Oh sorry, I thought that was the telescope. Or,Just

reach down here and turn this knob. Or for you science nerds,Im

hotter than a blue giant right now.

Tip: Avoid the Uranus jokes. And dont get the metal equipment

stuck anywhere you wouldnt want to explain to a doctor.

The Escondido Playground

Roxy actually knows people who have gotten their freak on at the

Escondido Elementary School playground at night. While Roxy wasinitially disturbed, she realizes there are some upsides to doing a little

playing yourself. Youve got swings, and well, you get the idea there.

You have great position opportunities on the slides, as long as things

dont get too slippery. Best of all, there are those little holes in the fort

you can, lets just say, stick your head through.

Tip: Night hours only. A playground may be great for some

swinging, but jail isnt exactly sexy unless you have some very unusual

fetishes.

The Faculty Hot Tub

Rumor has it that this is the

hot spot for SAE guys to take their

dates. (By dates, Roxy means

unwitting victims.) A hot tub is a

sexy spot to get things . . . flowing.

But the deal breaker here is the

word faculty. Theres nothing to

get you, well, down like the mental

image of Hennessy and

Etchemendy chilling there in their

Speedos.

Tip: Lets be honest. You dont

want to get anything stuck in a jet

in the first place, but the idea of

your physics professor finding

you dangling there in the

morning is even worse.

Avery Aquatic Center

Everyone loves a late-

night skinny dip, and what

better place to get wet than

Stanfords recreational pool?

Make your own pool rules:

Rough play required; pets

(verb, not noun) are mandato-

ry; excessive noise strongly

recommended.While swim-

ming and sex are great ways to

get your blood pumping,

swimmers should also be

warned theres a chance the

police will show up. But dontthink of such a scenario as a

drawback. Think of it like this:

free handcuffs.

Tip: Just make sure you

dont get tied up in a lane

divider. Or, if you like it like

Roxy does, make sure you get

tied up in a lane divider.

Outdoor survival guide, Sass-style

her at first sight when they are young chil-

dren. However, due to Benjamins condi-

tion, he is quite the physical mismatch for

Daisy. The film continues to build on this

mismatch over the years, as the couple seems

to never be the

right age for

each other.

Only at about two

hours into the

film are Daisy and

Benjamin finally

right for each

other, which

means that femaleaudiences will

have to wait a

while before Brad

is finally attractive

on screen.

I wont spoil the

ending for you,

but the film definitely contains some poetic

ad nauseam, making us in the audience feel

like the movie is overexerting itself to make

us -appreciate the beauty of the story and

its characters. This point then brings up the

biggest issue that I had in the film

that it was just trying too hard. Watch

motion montage sequences with rom

ly dramatic music gets tiring quic

believe me,this film is full of these, an

moments where we are expected t

down and. But for me, the tears jus

come.

Bottom line: The Curious

Benjamin Button is a good movthat is it. Its just good, not great. I

going to bother contesting the fact th

nominated for so many Academy Aw

I do think that there are much stron

contenders in the mix.Stay tuned for

of those films in the upcoming week

kyle EV

conta

kedemon@stanf

CONTINUED FROM BENJAMIN BUTTON PAGE 6

02/06/09 Intermission

Documents