Thanos’ destructive snap might have only taken a second, but creating his hands took much longer. Alumnus Kelly Port, along with a team of other visual effects specialists at Digital Domain, brought Thanos to life in “Avengers: Infinity War,” leading to an Academy Award nomination for best achievement in visual effects. As the Digital Effects […]
Category Archives: Arts
Q&A: UCLA alum, co-writer of ‘A Star is Born’ discusses characters, messages in film
Addiction, fame and toxic relationships could potentially lay the foundation for an extremely problematic story. But in 2018, these issues were at the heart of a film that racked up eight Academy Award nominations, and widespread critical acclaim. Co-written by UCLA alumnus Eric Roth, “A Star Is Born” reincarnates the tale of two lovers and […]
Q&A: Sound editors of ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ discuss what film would say
If Beale Street could talk, alumnus Michael Benavente would probably know what it sounds like. Benavente, the film’s dialogue editor worked with the Formosa Group, a postproduction sound company, to remove any extraneous background noise and ensure the characters’ voices were audible. “If Beale Street Could Talk” is nominated for best original music score and […]
2019 Oscars predictions
The Academy shed its distaste for showy blockbuster films for the 2019 Oscars. The eight films nominated for best picture have grossed a combined total of $1.2 billion at the domestic box office – the highest-earning batch of nominees since 2011. While predictable political dramas “Vice” and “Green Book” are well within the Academy’s comfort […]
Hybrid dance performance to subvert ‘stuckness’ with humor, self-reflection
Pearl Marill will break out a life-size puppet of herself on stage as a symbol of self-reflection. Marill, an artist well-acquainted with San Francisco’s performance scene, will present her show “You Self Help Me” at Glorya Kaufman Hall on Friday and Saturday. Marill said her performance – a meditation on her personal struggles – will […]
Poet Susan Wheeler comes to UCLA to read, discuss her experimental works
The fun in following Susan Wheeler’s work is getting lost in it, said Stephen Yenser, the curator of poetry readings at UCLA’s Hammer Museum. Wheeler, author and professor at Princeton University, has one novel and six poetry collections under her belt. She will conduct a poetry reading and Q&A at the Hammer on Thursday. She […]
Theater review: Nat King Cole musical ties present with past to provide timely social commentary
It’s hard to say that one can fully understand what’s going on inside a man’s mind. But “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole” attempts to do just that. In the ’40s and ’50s, Nat King Cole (Dulé Hill) was known as a smooth-singing, confident musician who became famous not only for his musical talent but also […]