Last Friday, I went to the Wexner Fall Student Center
Party. The main attraction of the party
was the showing of an Annie Leibovitz exhibition. I’ll be honest – I didn’t really like
it. When I think of photography, I think
of powerfully emotional or evocative pictures, such as the picture of the view of planet Earth from the Moon or photos of soldiers reuniting with their families. The image of a naked John Lennon clinging to Yoko Ono like some type of oversexed koala really just didn't do it for me.
However, the party did have a saving grace: there was a screening of Joss Whedon's horror film The Cabin in the Woods. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it. This movie is notable not only for having a plot (a rarity in a horror film), but for taking every trope and cliché of horror movies and twisting them into new and refreshing ideas. Every time I thought that something was going to happen, two things happened: either the event occurred in a completely different way than I thought it would, or the event didn't happen at all. When the latter of the two options occurred, the movie went out of its way to point it out, essentially saying "Ha ha, we got you there, didn't we?" The film is essentially a satire of those 'torture porn' slasher movies that are all the rage in the box office these days. It is impossible for me to go into a full review of the movie without spoiling the entire plot, so I will cut myself off here, but I highly recommend this movie to anybody who is even the slightest bit interested in horror movies -- and even to those who are not.
I also attended the Annie Leibovitz exhibit and was very impressed. I had seen some of her famous work, but her entire collection was great. Thanks to the Wexner for putting it on and the free pizza!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jen. The photos were okay, some of them were great. I thoroughly enjoy your description of the John Lennon photo! Also, the movie was excellent in my opinion - it is everything you said it was! The satire element was pretty refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me laugh! :)
ReplyDeleteI also went to the party and I really loved some of the photographs! I saw "Cabin in the Woods" as well. I'm still not sure what I think about it to be honest. Parts of it were absolutely hilarious, and it certainly kept me guessing most of the time, but overall it's not a movie I would go see again. Maybe I was just taking it too seriously or something. But I enjoyed the experience, and it was great to go spend a night out with my friends!
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Wexner Center Party on Friday night but I was able to view the Annie Leibovitz exhibit yesterday with my mom. I really enjoyed a lot of the photography that was taken of famous people. I recognized a lot of the faces and felt that the exhibit was relatable. The other part of the exhibit was unique and different. I didn't enjoy it as much but it was still nice to look at. (:
ReplyDeleteI was also lucky enough to attend the Annie Leibovitz exhibit. Contrary to my roomie, I absolutely loved it. I think it is amazing that Ohio State was able to bring such an influential and groundbreaking artist like Annie Leibovitz to Ohio State. As Bob Dylan fan and an even bigger John Lennon fan, it was incredible to see her portraits of them up close and personal instead of just over a computer screen. I found the rest of her work captivating as well (i.e. the portraits of Mick Jagger and Rolling Stones fans pressed up against a fence waiting for their arrival in Cleveland). I truly feel that I am so lucky to attend a university where these kinds of experiences are possible.
ReplyDeleteAlong with a group of my friends, I also attended the exhibit at the Wexner Center. I love looking at art and it was quite interesting to see all the pieces. I wish I would have gotten a chance to look at more of her photographs but the movie was starting soon. I am not one for horror movies, even ones that are more satire than horror. But it was really fun to spend time with my friends and have a wonderful evening. I can't wait for the next exhibit to come to the Wexner Center!
ReplyDeleteFriday, I was able to go to the Annie Leibovitz showing at the Wexner Center. I was really happy to do so because in high school I had already studied some of her creations in my digital photography class. I was thrilled to actually see them printed out full size as she would have liked because it gave it a whole additional level of realness, a presence - somehow different from being presented from a digital projector or computer screen. Aside from visiting the gallery I also watched the movie, “The Cabin in The Woods.” Initially I thought it was going to be a sample of student films or something, but it turned out to be a full length horror-comedy film. From this visit I realize how much the Wexner Center has to offer, and I am definitely more excited about the upcoming events. (:
ReplyDeleteThe Wexner center party was a really fun time. It was nice to walk around with my fiends and look at pictures that were really intriguing and made you think. All of the different people or objects in the photograph really represented a view of the world or of life. I love it when a piece of art can make you stop and think. Or when a simple photograph can take your breath away. It really demonstrates everything that the human mind has to offer. And of course, there was the showing of The Cabin In The Woods. That movie had the special effects of a modern day movie with characters that were stereotypical of 90s horror, so in other words, it was one of the best things ever. While maybe not as influential as the art on the walls, it did still bring up points that would make you think. Or maybe I'm just being a conspiracy theorist here. Either way, I'm glad I went to the Wexner center and got to experience that. There are some memories that will go a long way in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter growing up with Annie Leibovitz's photography books in my house, it was amazing to get to see the photographs in person. The Wexner Center did a great job of showing them and coordinating the event. There was something there for everyone to enjoy, whether it was the art, Cabin in the Woods (despite the terrible drop-off ending) or simply the pizza and free t-SHIRTS. It was overall a great event that I was glad to be able to attend.
ReplyDeleteI too, was able to be privileged enough to attend the student party. This was my first "art gallery" type of experience. I thought it was great that OSU welcomed students into the Wexner for free, it gives some of us a chance to get to experience just a little bit more of the world. Although getting to see the photos was great, my favorite part of the evening was getting to take a picture with President Gee (something on my freshman year bucket list I can now cross off).
ReplyDeleteI personally loved the Leibovitz exhibit. I had seen it before when it came to the High in Atlanta, but I was young then. Still, I loved her photography so I was so excited to be able to see it again. My all-time favorite photo of hers is the one of Johnny Depp and Kate Moss. I don't know why, but I fell in love with this photo back in Atlanta's exhibit, so I mostly spent the entire night searching for this one. They had it! I was so happy to see it again.
ReplyDeleteThe movie afterwards was really good. After being introduced over the summer to Joss Whedon's directing/writing style with "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog" I was really excited to see "Cabin in the woods." It actually did scare me a few times! And overall I thought it was really well done.
Annie Leibovitz had some interesting subjects for her photos. I didn't know recognize a lot of the subjects who were famous people in fields that I don't know much about. I liked the ringing bell.
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool of the Wexner to give students a free showing, food, and tour of the exhibition.