SSU Students Shine on Celluloid

>> A record number of students participated in Campus Movie Fest this semester, and with over 40 student films submitted, 16 were chosen for screening at Spreckles Hall on Friday, Sept 26.

CMF is a program that provides all the necessary filmmaking equipment to teams of college students interested in making a five-minute movie.

Students have the opportunity to see their films on a big screen, and get a chance at winning a variety of prizes.

"Campus Movie Fest is a little bit like a party, but with a lot more technology," said Taura Cheitlin, introducing the diverse selection of films by Sonoma State University students.

Awards were presented for Best Picture, Audience Choice, Best Comedy, and Best Drama, and, this year, students were encouraged to explore the theme of social justice.

As such, the screening showcased films ranging from a documentary on gay marriage, to an MTV-style montage celebrating air, and everything else in between.

"I think the best part for me is giving students the opportunity to do something they might not be able to do otherwise, because of lack of resources," explained Abe Mohammadion, the Bay Area Tour Manager for CMF.

"It's always cool to see something that stands out, that is unique, or hasn't been done before." said Mohammadion.

As Spreckles Theater filled up quickly, students eagerly cheered and clapped as they recognized their names, friends, and movies on the big screen. Despite low budgets, students produced a creative selection of films, showcasing impressive special effects, story writing, and technical skills.

Films were judged by a panel of SSU faculty and students, who critiqued the films based on three areas of focus.

Firstly, judges consider the content of the film, determining whether the story is interesting, and whether or not it makes sense. Secondly, the technical aspects of the film are critiqued, including the quality of editing, sound, and cinematography.

Finally, judges evaluate the movie's overall quality, based on how engaged they were, and whether they would want to watch the film again.

"Hands of Change" garnered the award for Best Picture, to an eruption of applause and fevered shouts. Filmmakers Breea Lauglis, Tiffany Ardisana, and Jen Brown asked SSU students to write what they would like to change about the world on their palm.

The final product is a montage of hands, shot in black and white and set to acoustic guitar, emphasizing the fact that the power of change is "in your hands."

Onstage, the girls accepted their award by thanking all the on-campus students who had appeared in their short film.

"We knew we wanted to do something with social justice. We contemplated a couple different questions. We wanted it to be a really open-ended question for students," explained Lauglis.

Elsewhere, "A Long Way Down" by Kelsey Gilchrist and Cheitlin took home the prize for "Best Comedy." The film features a businessman riding the elevator from his office down to the street.

It focuses on all the unpleasant individuals he has to share the elevator with along the way, including a woman speaking loudly on her cell phone, a man changing into running clothes, and a man with no sense of personal space.

"I was in an elevator and I started thinking 'Who are the last people I'd ever want to be in an elevator with?'" said Gilchrist.

The inspiration for "Bearded," the winner of the "Best Drama" category, started as a discussion of possible movie scenes.

Jon Finger and his fiancée Lily Harms had several sequences they wanted to include in the movie and so, they brainstormed a "Bonnie and Clyde" story to link the scenes together.

"We wanted to do more than just action this time," says Harms, referencing the team's previous film projects, which are more action rather than narrative driven.

The film also included several details that may not be immediately apparent to a first time viewer.

For example, the bearded figures appear, sans disguise, early in the film itself.

"My roommate started seeing more the second time she watched it," said Finger. "Having people see more when they see it again is awesome."

Other film highlights included the eerie "Friendship Surgery," in which a group of roommates remove their friend's gallbladder, "Hardline," a video game parody of "To Catch a Predator," and "Dissolving Doors," a documentary exploring SSU's student financial troubles.

All and all, CMF screened some impressive efforts this year, proving that when left to their own devices, there is no limit to what students can create.

For more information about the Grand Finale screening, or to watch any of the CMF films, visit www.campusmoviefest.com.

All That Glitters Is Not Harry Winston

>> When Marilyn Monroe performed "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" over 50 years ago, she sang "Talk to me/Harry Winston/Tell me all about it."

The undiminished allure of a Harry Winston diamond, particularly when set in an engagement ring, is the focus of "Chasing Harry Winston," the newest novel from bestselling author Lauren Weisberger.

Weisberger's previous novels, "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Everyone Worth Knowing," feature very similar storylines in which a thinly disguised Weisberger sacrifices love, friends and family as she slaves away at her "dream job" until, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, she quits.

And in predictable fashion, she becomes a writer, and lives happily ever after. "Chasing Harry Winston" only slightly diverges from the "Weisberger formula" and chronicles the story of three, twenty-something Manhattan-ites on the search for sex, love and marriage.

It isn't an original plot line, but Weisberger does her best to give the story a fresh take, new characters, and updated pop culture references.

The newly, and unhappily, single Emmy is the romantic of the group, a firm believer in long-term relationships. Despite her best intentions, she comes off as something of a prude.

But aside from her one-dimensional obsession with marriage and children, Emmy is the book's most human character, and her determination to get in touch with her inner sex-goddess is the most compelling of the three story arcs.

Leigh on the other hand is a junior editor at a major publishing house with, as Weisberger informs us, an absolutely perfect life: a dream job, luxurious apartment and perfect boyfriend.

Readers know her life is perfect because Weisberger tells us repeatedly, though her actual descriptions of Leigh's life seem to conflict with her assessment.

Though it is immediately obvious to the reader that something important is missing from Leigh's life, she comes to the realization painfully slowly.

Adriana is a drop-dead-gorgeous, Brazilian sex kitten and proof that "Sex and the City's" Samantha Jones has become a "chick lit." archetype.

But much like Samantha, Adriana's coolly calculated seduction and emotionally detached approach to sex, makes her a caricature of the sexually empowered woman and unrelatable.

Recognizing their need for drastic life changes, Adriana and Emmy make a bet to change their lives significantly within the next year. While Emmy sets out to expand her sexual horizons and sleep with at least one man from every continent, serial-dater Adriana embarks on "Ring Quest '08," determined to end the year with an engagement ring on her finger.

Though Leigh doesn't enter the bet, important changes are inevitably around the corner for her as well, in the form of a brilliant, handsome novelist she is assigned to edit.

As always, Weisberger generates very human dialogue that evokes, with impressive accuracy, very human interactions between men and women.

Weisberger has a keen and satirical eye for the odd, backwards behavior of women in love, and her characters often undermine their own best intentions in their search for happiness.

When Leigh receives an email from a man she is, against her better judgment, attracted to, she responds by doing, "What any sane female faced with such an email would do; deleted it to resist the temptation of replying, cleared the trash to resist the temptation of recalling it, and then called tech support to restore all her recently deleted e-mails."

Weisberger's most unusual creation is Otis, an African Grey parrot with poor body image and a penchant for watching "The Hills."

The book's best comic moments come from Adriana's diligent efforts to rebuild the parrot's self-esteem by feeding him organic grapes and Fuji bottled water and teaching him a new, positive body-image vocabulary.

Unfortunately, the laughs in "Chasing Harry Winston," unlike Weisberger's previous novels, are few and far between.

The book's humor is in Weisberger's quirky diction, which gives a sense of colorful melodrama to the utterly mundane, such as Emmy's description of herself and her friends as the "three ringless wonders," or her revelation that, "Having sex with three perfectly polite and handsome men does not a femme fatale make."

Weisberger is heavy handed in illustrating how desperate her characters are, and, as a result, there is very little about them, besides their desperation, that is memorable.

Emmy's pathetic attempts at one-night stands are a series of disasters, because she cannot be attracted to anyone with out immediately hearing wedding bells: "It had taken [Emmy] less than four minutes of small talk to deduce that he would make the perfect husband. But no! She wasn't going to fall into that trap again. Sex good. Attachments bad."

But the hollowness of Weisberger's characters ultimately takes away from how their story arcs progress.

At the end of the novel, none of the leading ladies are any closer to the pinnacle of geological perfection that is the Harry Winston diamond.

Reggae Rocks the Commons

>> Santa Cruz based The Expendables played their unique blend of reggae and metal to a full house on last Saturday, for the Back to School concert in the Commons.

Demand was high for the show, with tickets selling out a mere day and a half after going on sale.

"It was amazing. It was a small venue, the crowd was into it and the band was stoked. It was perfect," said student Adam Lapham.

Also hailing from Santa Cruz, Dirty Penny opened the evening with 45-minutes of unadulterated classic rock.

From their hair to their clothes, Dirty Penny channeled iconic 1980s rock bands like Motley Crüe and Guns N' Roses.

The acoustics in the Commons were unforgiving and unfortunately, guitarist Jonny Pryce's riffs were often masked by the overwhelming sound of the drums. But despite this, Dirty Penny gave a thrilling performance, interacting playfully with the crowd between songs and keeping energy high.

A rainbow of flashing light illuminated the band as they pranced and stomped around the stage.

"This song is about living rock and roll. Rock and roll! Not reggae!" screamed vocalist Binge Daniels, referencing The Expendables.

For a crowd so heavily primed for the thick sounds of reggae, the energy between Dirty Penny and the crowd was positively electric.

Yet as soon as The Expendables appeared, the crowd rapidly pressed forward against the stage.

Enthusiasm for the band was palpable, and it seemed to feed their performance as they took stage.

Early into their set, the band offered up a rousing version of "Down Down Down," a reggae song with a distinct pop influence.

In "Bowl for Two," a tale of "stoner love," the band featured a more traditional reggae vibe. The song was catchy, even if it wasn't too subtle.

"Oh I/ I packed this bowl for two/ And I/ I'm gonna wanna smoke it with you," sang Geoff Weers.

Weers' silky voice carried well in the hall, and between songs he eagerly called for the audience to dance, clap and sing along. He gave an energetic on-stage performance, a striking contrast to his reserved, low-key persona off-stage.

The band cites a wide range of influential artists, including The Police, Steel Pulse, NOFX and Metallica.

The four members have varying taste in music, and each member brings a different style to the song writing process, giving The Expendables a sound that is not straight-ahead reggae, but reggae that's infused with metal and punk.

The members of the Expendables are childhood friends, who formed a high school band "just to jam," explained drummer Adam Patterson.

When a former band mate's mother needed live music for a party she was hosting, the group learned a few cover songs, volunteered themselves, and The Expendables were born.

"We used to joke that every band member was expendable because we were all so bad," explained Raul Bianchi.

But it appears their music skills have improved since high school. "[If you're in a band], just keep playing," said Patterson, attributing The Expendables success to the band members' single-minded focus on their music.

Towards the middle of the show, "Sacrifice", one of The Expendables best-known songs, showcased some impressive guitar work by Bianchi and got an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

And when the band left the stage, cheers of "Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" drew them back out for a two-song encore that included a reprise of "Sacrifice."

"What song do you want to hear? Sack of rice?" Weers shouted back, seeming to draw energy from the overwhelming enthusiasm of the crowd.

All in all, the concert was successful in allowing the music, rather than the bands' theatricality, to connect with the audience.

SSU Professor sheds light on Jack London

>> Jack London is perhaps best remembered for his stories about wolves and dogs.

But “The Radical Jack London: Writings on War and Revolution” by Jonah Raskin, the Chair of Communications at Sonoma State University, offers a new, insightful look at the enigmatic London. The book is a collection of London’s lesser-known, political writings. Raskin reveals London’s passionate and volatile nature, his fervor for socialism, and his unrecognized literary range.

Raskin does not always shed a flattering light on London, refusing to gloss over the more disturbing aspects of London’s character, including his racism, sexism, deep depression, and toxic childhood. Through his unflinching portrayal of London, Raskin makes important connections between London’s life and art, discovering the ways in which London’s experiences shaped his politics and writing.

“[Growing up], he didn’t feel like he was in a family. He used all of that. It all inspired him,” says Raskin. “I think he was writing for people who feel like orphans.”

The book opens with an introductory essay in which Raskin describes the short four decades of London’s life, from his lonely childhood in Oakland to his later years on his Glen Ellen ranch. The essay provides a context for the collection of volatile writings that follow.

When describing his life, London made little distinction between fact and fiction, confusing critics and biographers. Rather than framing his biography as a simple exposition of the dates and major events of London’s life, Raskin turns his focus on London’s own work, letting the elusive author speak for himself.

“He funneled his own experiences into his characters- male, female, animal. He wrote his own fictionalized autobiography again and again- in the “Call of the Wild (1903), in which he appeared as an underdog who masters the world; in “Martin Eden” (1909), in which he presented a self-portrait of the artist as a bourgeois success and depressed suicide victim; and in “John Barleycorn” (1913), a fictionalized memoir about his alcoholism,” writes Raskin.

Each piece by London is prefaced by a brief analysis in which Raskin acts as a guide, gently directing the reader toward towards the aspects of each essay or short story that gives the most insight into London’s character.

The story of London’s tempestuous, and often tragic, life reads like a novel. Raskin’s writing is fast paced, concise and gives new life to London and his writing.

The book divides London’s life into four parts, exploring the differences in the writings from each period, and the gradual evolution of London as a writer over the course of his life.

Raskin opens the collection of writings with “Pessimism, Optimism and Patriotism,” an essay London penned for his high school’s literary magazine. The piece reveals London’s intense politics, even as a young writer.

The first two parts are composed principally of London’s essays, in which he criticizes the harsh realities of capitalism and outlines his hopes for a socialist world. In part three, London’s non-fiction gives way to several short stories and excerpts from his novels. Despite the change in writing style, London’s attack on capitalism is not slowed.

In “The Apostate,” he describes Johnny, a child laborer in a jute mill. London describes the dehumanizing effect the assembly line has on Johnny in what Raskin calls “a grotesque, macabre, and fantastic parable.”

Raskin also includes a chapter taken from London’s 1908 dystopian novel, “The Iron Heel.” Written as a warning of oligarchy, London imagines a grim future for America. It is a political novel that feels relevant, even 100 years after its original publication.

Though London remains a mysterious literary figure, Raskin’s book is incredibly informative, exploring the ways in which London was both a product of his time and environment. Yet, “The Radical Jack London” emphasizes London’s relevance today.

“He looks very modern. He looks like could be a student here on campus today,” says Raskin of the book’s cover photo, which features London writing, using a boulder in place of desk, staring boldly into the camera.

Perhaps that is what is so intriguing about London. Despite his death over ninety years ago, he is still a voice for our generation.

SFI Showcases Singing Sita

>> The colorfully animated “Sita Sings the Blues,” the first feature-length offering from independent filmmaker Nina Paley, makes its Northern California debut this week.

The Sonoma Film Institute will be screening Paley’s unique vision of the “Ramayana” at Warren Auditorium in Ives Hall. Screenings will be held on Friday, September 12 at 7:00 and Sunday, September 14 at 4:00.

The self-proclaimed “Greatest Breakup Story Ever Told,” tells the analogous stories of the traditional Indian “Ramayana” and the breakup of Paley’s modern marriage.

Paley wrote, directed, produced, and designed the 82-minute film by herself, doing all the animation using Flash, and occasionally watercolors, on her laptop over a period of five years.

Three witty shadow puppets narrate the parallel stories of Sita, the leading lady of the “Ramayana,” and Nina, the filmmaker herself. Sita, a Hindu goddess, follows her husband, Rama, into 14-year exile, only to be kidnapped by a Sri Lankan king.

Though Sita stays loyal to her husband, she faces a maze of temptations. Meanwhile, Paley describes her broken marriage in honest detail, including how her husband –in India on business- ended their marriage via email.

“The aspect of the story that I focus on is the relationship between Sita and Rama, who are gods incarnated as human beings, and even they can't make their marriage work,” Paley explained to WIRED magazine.

The exotic story and vibrant animation are set to the vocals of Annette Hanshaw, a radio star from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Her jazz and blues recordings give vibrant life and voice to Sita. Paley’s animation style is wildly imaginative: the animated Sita resembles Betty Boop, the Sri Lankan king sports multiple heads, and Rama’s skin is the color of blue bells.

Paley uses varying visual styles, and the film includes several stylistically rotoscoped sequences. The psychedelic animation features a cast of hundreds, including flying monkeys, evil monsters, gods, goddesses, warriors, sages, and winged eyeballs.

“I hope they laugh [when they see the film]! Also I hope that they would actually read the real Ramayana. For a lot of people this is going to be their first encounter with the Ramayana, and it shouldn't be,” stated Paley.

Paley’s quirky film was named “Best Feature” at the Amnecy Animation Film Festival, and “Best American Film” and the Avignon Film Festival and received an hoorable mention at the Berlinale Film Festival.

Tickets for “Sita Sings the Blues” are free for SSU students, $5 for general admission, $4.50 for seniors and non-SSU students, and $3.50 for SFI members and children under 12.

For more information on “Sita Sings the Blue” or other upcoming films, call (707) 664-2606 or visit SFI’s website at www.sonoma.edu/sfi.