Potential Projects

Hey everyone! I am going to take a moment to list possible things we can get involved in this semester that I know about so far:

-Amii would like some people to do an event for 9/11
-The CAGED event can be staged
-Freeze in Kline
-Organic Canvas '11
-Brian wants to do Paparazzi
-Begin screening Game of Thrones each week
-Another Beatboxing workshop by AmstarKatz
-PC's are thinking of making Manor into a haunted house this October
-Officially sponser NaNoWriMo on campus
-Retool and restart the URF book club
-Donut Ninjas!

If anything comes to mind, be sure to mention it at Homecoming!


<3 Jono

Homecoming

Join URF for food, stories, strange dancing, gender bending, new friends, old friends and probably a cake. Just in Village J starting at 7! Help us start the year off well!

<3 Jono

Hey, Summer?

So I'm chilling here trying to think up stuff to work on in URF this year, and for the sake of this blog I will definitely post the Weekly Update as well as mail it. That should help keep the information flowing.

Hope everyone is enjoying summer!

<3JN

Bard URF Returns!

URF is going to come back next year! We have been approved for three suites in Village J and things are only starting to get crazy! Our updated list of residents are below:

Adam Bowman

Jay Barett

Matthew Cosgrove

Matthew Hughes

Sarah Longstreth

Diana Crow

Rachel Finkelstein

Becky Lipnick

Victoria Konopacki

Izzy Filkins

Samantha Rosenbaum

Julia Koerwer

Tiago Moura

Myan Melendez

and me! Jono Naito!

We also look back on a year of amazing work and saying goodbye to some of our residents. Still honorary members who always have a home with us, Ben Sobine, Bart Robello and now CJ Sulze are on our list of fabulous and unforgettable alumni.

*Holds up champagne* here is to crazy art *clinks*

Spring things

No idea if anyone even reads this! But I'm rolling in anyway.

Aside from playing Pokemon White and festering in the hell on earth that is cub scout related activities, I have spent much of this break glued to TCM. The next screening I've enlisted our little community movie theater for is "Shortbus," in an effort to trample my house with the queer brigade (a little more). Good idea, Bard deviant sexual maniacs--stop by; I think it's in two weekends (update when I get back, and I'm sure I'll facebook spam it).

Anyway, after that I'm going to vote to instate a "fuck new media" feature and foist film noirs and other old stuff on these people. Just as many old lesbians in these as anything else, not to mention sex and murder.

Upcoming things! To do my job, Contemporaneous has a show on April 1st in Hudson with some Bard composers and fabulous premieres. If you're able to go, don't miss it; these guys put on a hell of a show and this is a hell of a program.

BUT MORE RELEVANTLY TO US WE HAVE OUR APRIL FOOLS' ROCKY SHOW THAT NIGHT (first Friday after break) AT MIDNIGHT IN WEIS AND IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME. Way different from our normal offering too--edited movie with various hilarities and funny costumes and Gaga galore. Be there!

In the performance art sphere, look out for our "Caged" collaboration with the social justice dorm upstairs, coming this spring to follow up our wildly successful Dark Dining meal (below; expected to return next year, as, hopefully, are we). And stop by Village J first floor any time to get active (by which we mean sit on our couch and watch stuff)!

Still not on our mailing list? Email sl4629@bard.edu and I will HOOK YOU UP.

Upcoming Events

Review: Black Swan

Normally I am not compelled to write a review, but maybe that is already a testament to this movie that I wish to comment.

I’ll start with something that one may immediately critique: the innocence of Natalie Portman’s ballerina character at the beginning will throw you off, but you will accept it soon enough, or even miss it as the roller coaster moves forward.

The cinematography is varied, nearly every shot is made special. Wrought with symbolism, subtle effects that almost seem to be inventions of the mind and both careful camera movements (for dancing) and rough changes (for real life) that keep what you are seeing lively and interesting.

The pinnacle of the performance is Portman, who plays every angle of anger, pleasure, innocence, forced cooperation and lost sensations with true merit and fervor. I can only say little of the extent of her performance that actually honors its range and depth.

Will you like this movie? I don’t know. You will either adore it or despise it. Each moment will drag you through intense moments of hilarity, madness, fear, sensuality and passion as this movie, preposterous as it may be, captures you for every moment. The mixing of unnerving sounds with the murmurs and crescendos of the music of Swan Lake itself highlight the scenes well, and regardless of your suspension of disbelief you will feel involved in all of Portman’s confusion and fear in her interactions with an excellent supporting cast. In a movie where you are not sure what is real you are only sure of what you see when Portman rehearses with the company, and that you are having some true visceral reaction to everything else.

No matter your opinion, the common person would agree that it was worth seeing, either to love or laugh at. And I feel anything worth your time is truly commendable entertainment.