The Arts Desks’ weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows 

By SIERRA JIMENEZ — arts@theaggie.org

Book: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien 

We’ve all seen the film series “Lord of the Rings”, or at least have heard of the popular line, “You shall not pass” at least once in your life. If not, you must be living under a rock like Gollum… Oh wait, you wouldn’t know who that is. Looks like it’s time to pick up the original novel and immerse yourself into the alternative fantastical world of Middle-earth. The descriptive nature of the language engulfs the reader into this magical realm and makes it seem as if they were in the mystical world themselves. From the constructed language of Elvish with its own linguistic rules to the unusually detailed map, which charts out every nook and cranny of the different lands of Middle-earth, Tolkien is an absolute genius for putting together this story. Every word and every detail has a larger meaning. In a recent course I took, Literature of Fantasy & the Supernatural (COM 7) with Professor Michael Subialka (highly recommend by the way), we looked in-depth at the way Tolkien created this uncanny, almost-real alternate world that follows its own rules, which the reader must follow to partake in the journey of the ring. Simply by reading this book, one may not realize the amount of effort and attention to detail Tolkien spent to make this world a fantastical reality, allowing the reader to live alongside Frodo Baggins as he journeys out of the Shire. 

Movie: “Walk the Line” (2005) dir. James Mangold

With the resurgence of country music and fashion in mainstream culture, “Walk the Line” is a must-see. This classic country film beautifully captures the life of Johnny Cash. Renowned actor Joaquin Phoenix immaculately embodies Johnny Cash’s life and character with an effortlessly astounding performance, and Reese Witherspoon stars alongside him as June Carter. Both actors performed all the songs without being dubbed and learned how to play their respective instruments (guitar and auto-harp). If you listen to the soundtrack for this movie and the original songs, the resemblance is uncanny. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon incorporated the southern drawl and spunk from the original voices of Cash and Carter as if they had their vocal chords. The acting in the film evoked the passion, frustration and love Cash and Carter both had for each other — along with all the roadblocks in between. No matter how many times I watch the film, I am still in awe of Phoenix’s skillful performance of drug addiction and withdrawal, as well as the lengths he goes to to show the audience how the hurdles of addiction affect the things and ones you love. From the soundtrack to the phenomenal acting skills, this is a classic with a great history and story of American music culture. 

TV: “Workaholics” 

This raunchy, super random comedy may feel like too much for some people, but for me, the overexaggerated frat-boy energy is perfect for taking a break from reality and getting a good laugh in. This sitcom centers around three juvenile men who work at a telemarketer firm and reminds me of an even more explicit, amplified version of “The Office.” The characters Adam DeMamp, Blake Henderson and Anders Holmvik are spin-offs of the actor’s real names — Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm as their absurd characterization of themselves. These goons are the epitome of adult children, slacking off at work and partying all night. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of this show, the inseparable bunch reconvened for a podcast called “This is Important”, (available on Spotify) where you get the same insane energy from the lads but in podcast form that is perfect for a nice road trip. I guarantee it will keep you awake. 

Song: “Test” by Swam

“Test” is Swam’s, a local Davis band, current hit song on Spotify — the single will most definitely swim through your head after one listen. Short and sweet, the song is only 1:48, and its soft, smooth melody gives off a calming energy despite the anxiety-ridden connotation of the word “test” for us college students. Perhaps the band’s name is subconsciously paralleling this thought, but this song in comparison to their other songs reminds me of free flowing, calm water. Creative and unique, the words ripple through your body, sending a sensation of ease. A nice break from the relentless go, go, go of university life, Swam is a breath of fresh air, giving students confidence that you can enjoy — a chance to take a break from constant studies to dabble with hobbies, holding enjoyment over success. Take a gander and support a local band composed of our fellow students!

Written by: Sierra Jimenez — arts@theaggie.org

Remakes can make old films new and superhero movies can be good

By ANGIE CUMMINGS — arts@theaggie.org

Like many, I went into “The Batman” for the primary purpose of seeing the unlikely pairing of Edward Cullen and Zoe Kravitz fight people in all-black outfits. Much to my surprise, I came out of the theater with my not-very-positive opinion of superhero movies thrown up in the air.

“The Batman” (2022) is at least the 10th (relevant) feature-film iteration of the DC Comic character — this is of course excluding the countless cartoon and video game versions of Batman. Because of this fact, it was fairly hard to be optimistic that this movie would provide anything but another brooding white guy in a plastic suit and his latex-clad, femme fatale Catwoman strutting down the streets of Gotham. 

Robert Pattinson provided us with an altogether fresh (yet greasy-looking) version of a young and incredibly reclusive Bruce Wayne, which not only made his whole burdened vigilante schtick make a lot more sense but is apparently incredibly faithful to the comics this film was based on (I personally didn’t know this when watching but it seems to be very appreciated by comic fans). Pattinson’s awkward and borderline paranoid version of Bruce Wayne melds so perfectly with his nocturnal, morally ambiguous alter-ego, making the ultra-suave, playboy bachelor Bruce we have been seeing for the past 20 or so years of seem oddly disjointed from who he is with the mask on. Rather than being a thriving, handsome philanthropist, the 2022 Bruce Wayne looks like he needs a few weeks of sleep (and a shower) and needs to put sunglasses on to shield his sensitive hermit eyes from the morning sun — he’s relatable (I’m slightly joking). 

Opposite this perfectly pathetic Bruce Wayne is Zoe Kravitz’s mind-blowingly sultry yet badass rendition of Catwoman. From her consistent thigh-high lace-up leather heels to her many perfectly-set wigs, Kravitz delivers big on the one thing all Catwomen must do — slay the visuals. Of course, it’s 2022, so being a pretty face is not enough (sorry), but no worries there for Kravitz because she brings her signature cool-girl sarcastic tone along with Selina Kyle’s (Catwoman’s real name) emotional backstory. Major kudos to the creators of this film for having a female vigilante with an actually fully formed character behind all the high kicks and little smirks; it really isn’t something you see every day. 

Perhaps the only solid critique I’d have for this film is the letdown of the “chemistry” between the “bat and the cat.” By the looks of all the press tours and photoshoots, and the general hype around the film, you’d think there might be a danger due to the high voltages of electricity between the co-stars… but that was sadly not the case. Although the scenes Pattinson and Kravitz shared were in no way teeming with passion and chemistry, the two characters definitely complimented each other well (not to mention their matching pointy-eared masks). 

While we may have been put through close to an “A Star is Born” (2018) level of co-star chemistry, it seems this could have all been a (very successful) marketing tactic. Because in all honesty, it wouldn’t even make sense for this version of Batman to be capable of having chemistry with anyone, let alone perhaps the hottest woman he’s ever spoken to (and maybe the only one he’s ever kissed). 

There’s no discussion of chemistry in “The Batman” without talking about Riddler (played by Paul Dano) and Batman’s “anti-chemistry.” There is absolutely no doubt as to how they feel about each other — Batman absolutely despises Riddler, and Riddler is Batman’s number one stan even though he wants Bruce Wayne dead. Even though Dano notoriously gets beat up in the majority of films he’s in, the Riddler remains untouched… perhaps the most annoying thing he could have achieved. 

The one breakout star of the film that I truly was not expecting (and who I truly hope to see a lot more of in the next one) is Colin Farrel in full-body prosthetics as the Penguin. Not only was this loud-mouth mobster the best form of Italian-American representation I could personally ask for, but he was hands-down the funniest person over the course of this three-hour gloom fest. I’m not usually a fan of excessive prosthetics on actors that completely change their appearance (looking at you, Jared Leto in “House of Gucci”) but shout out to the special effects makeup team here because it was truly so seamless. Penguin, I’m rooting for you to cause much mayhem and destruction in the imminent sequel — he really didn’t have much of a chance to shine past the role of comic relief in this one. 

Last, but certainly not in any way least, I must give some major praise to the soundtrack. Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” (1991) has now essentially become an emblem of the movie, with an entire TikTok trend revolving around users brooding with a dark filter and this song playing as they delineate the ways they are the Batman in their own lives. This of course is due to it being an amazing song that is exactly something this version of Bruce Wayne would play through all hours of the night. The rest of the soundtrack captures every bit of the film just as that one does Bruce — complete with both an amazing original score by Michael Giacchino and a top-tier selection of new and old songs. This includes pulsating club music each time we see the sleazy Iceberg Lounge, some classic sappy love songs (including the iconic “Volare” by Dean Martin) to bring in some fun contrast to the dark (and violent) scenes they backed, and riveting classical music to connect everything in between. It’s a wholly entertaining three hours of a pasty emo man brooding around town, fighting crime, solving riddles and either fighting or working alongside his cool new friend Selina. 

Written by: Angie Cummings — arts@theaggie.org

The Arboretum’s sculptures also make a case for the value of public art

By CORALIE LOON —- arts@theaggie.org

Last winter quarter, students in ART 151 (Intermediate Sculpture), led by instructor Robin Hill, were told to create public sculptures answering the question: What do you care about? For a few weeks, the Arboretum became an outdoor gallery where strangers could witness a vast, visual collage of student experiences.

One of the largest pieces was “Harbinger,” a 4’x4’x9’ acorn created by Kathleen Mackey, a third-year art studio major and Sacramento City College transfer student. Mackey was inspired to create the giant acorn after being taken on a tour of the redwood grove and finding out that they were eventually going to be replaced by oak trees.

“I was so bummed to see that it was going to be gone, and I kind of went through a sense of grief,” Mackey said. “I started thinking about grief and how close it feels lately; it feels like everyone’s had a loss lately. I wanted a piece that sort of was a commentary on that, that gave people the space to think about what they have in the moment.”

For Mackey, the physical construction of the acorn was cathartic of her inability to create large pieces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having the freedom to go big and integrate art with nature was something that characterized the other artists’ sculptures as well.

Kimiko Young, a fourth-year Spanish and education/art double major, created “Invisible Pain,” a sculpture of an oversized hand attached to a hollow tree stump. The hand, pierced with nails and sharp pieces of wire, powerfully captures Young’s experience with Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), which she describes as nerve damage to the hands and feet that can extend to other parts of the body.

For Young, this project was about making the invisible visible. 

“I wanted to give a visual representation of what my pain with experiencing PN looks like to people who don’t feel it and who can’t see it,” Young said, “because I get these symptoms such as numbing, tingling, burning, pinching, stabbing and tightness, and none of it is visual.”

Young’s goal of highlighting invisible disabilities was also shared by artist “eeuphomia” (@eeuphomia on Instagram), a third-year art major. Their piece, “Picnic Day,“ featured two ghosts having a picnic made up of monster-like fruit with oversized eyes and teeth.

“My art focuses on trauma,” eeuphomia said. “I thought I could talk about eating disorders, just because it is a taboo topic, and it’s kind of a funny way to introduce it because everyone goes there to eat a snack or hang out.”

For this piece and others like it, being in a public place such as the Arboretum is central to conveying a message about invisible pain.

“Having it in a public space, I feel like it reaches more people just because pedestrians walk there,” eeuphomia said.

Mackey also reflected on the value of public art. 

“I think the wonder that people feel when they don’t expect to be confronted with art can be a really special thing,” Mackey said. This “wonder” can make art even more memorable or meaningful, since it seems to seek out the viewer rather than the other way around.

One piece that confronts the viewer in this way is “Need Balance, Please Advise” by Marissa Brooks, a third-year molecular and medical microbiology major and transfer student. Brooks, who views life balance as an area of struggle, said her inspiration came from realizing she was not struggling alone. 

“There’s got to be more people, especially when they come to the Arboretum. A lot of people are looking for a break,” Brooks said.

Her project, composed of a chair and desk covered in small toys, books and a poignantly-placed scale, invites the spectator to sit down and write in a journal, answering the question: What do you have on your plate?

To Brooks, the interactive aspect has been the best part. 

“There’s a story in there about somebody’s struggle with cancer, and even just somebody wrote ‘I miss you dad.’ I wasn’t expecting it to be so connected,” Brooks said. “It’s funny to be on a campus as large as Davis and be in these classrooms, and some of them have 300 people in them, but to also feel so disconnected from everybody. So this really gave them a space to come together.”

For a few weeks, this collection of student-made sculptures did just that. The pieces were removed from the Arboretum on March 8, but photos and discussions of the pieces can be found on Instagram under the hashtag #ucdart151winter22.

Written by: Coralie Loon — arts@theaggie.org