Latin comedy diva Sara Contreras helps kick off Hispanic Heritage Month at SBU

Originally published in The Bona Venture on September 20, 2013

Sara Contreras (pictured with the tiara) poses with some of the students who attended her Sept. 14 comedy show.

The St. Bonaventure Latin American Student Organization (LASO) partnered with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to bring comedian Sara Contreras to campus last weekend. Her performance kicked off Hispanic Heritage month, which runs through Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Josh Maxey, a senior political science major and president of CAB, said he knew Contreras, star of Showtime’s Latin Divas of Comedy special, would deliver a hilarious comedy act with a great message.

“We thought bringing in an act that would not only provide comedy, but offer words on what it means to be a Latina in America, would be the best way to help celebrate this important month,” Maxey said.

Nicky Rivera, a senior finance major and vice president of LASO, agreed.

“Since last year, LASO has been wanting to revamp its organization,” Rivera said. “We loved the idea of bringing a comedian to campus that would relate to our student body and Sara Contreras was a perfect fit. Sara is the first Hispanic comedian this campus has had in a long time.”

Contreras performed an engaging routine, interacting with audience members about their names, majors and ethnicities. Rivera said he appreciated her ability to relate to each student in the audience.

“There were jokes in her performance that I thought only Hispanics would understand,” Rivera said. “But as I looked around the auditorium, I saw everyone in the audience laughing. She did a great job of not isolating anyone from her performance.”

Sister Elise Mora, O.S.F., an adjunct faculty member in the department of modern languages, also liked how Contreras poked fun at all races, including her own.

“Whether the humor is Jewish, Catholic, Polish, Italian, black, white, etc., there’s plenty of ‘grist for the mill’ and no one can pull it off better than a person who belongs to the same group he or she is poking fun at,” Sister Elise said.

Sister Elise also enjoyed the performance, even with a few raunchy jokes in the mix.

“There were lots of  double entendres and innuendos. But it was nothing that isn’t the daily fare on television,” Sister Elise said. “She certainly managed to get and hold our attention.”

While Contreras referenced certain audience members during her routine, freshman history major Jacob Hazen got a firsthand experience of her enthusiasm when she invited him to dance with her onstage as part of a joke.

“At first I didn’t want to, but the crowd started cheering me on so I decided, ‘no choice here!’” Hazen said. “As I walked up the steps, I felt like I was a member of The Beatles. I hadn’t been on a stage like that in a long time. Her routine with me was a ‘cougar in the club’ joke and after a little while, I was having a blast.”

While Diana Roque, a junior sociology major and president of LASO, loved Hazen’s stage debut, she said Contreras’ story is just as important as her comedy.

“It gave the students awareness of the success there is in Hispanic heritage,” Roque said. “Contreras is a successful Latin comedian and speech therapist, so I believe she set a good example for students.”

Rivera thought Contreras’ comedy stylings offered an insight into Hispanic culture and acted as a perfect way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Usually, when learning about a different culture, one cannot fully grasp the culture’s excitement and energy through books or lecture,” Rivera said. “But by bringing a comedian to our campus and having her kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, people were able to learn while laughing and having fun. I think that’s one of the best ways to learn.”

We’re off to see the wizard! “Oz” casts a spell on audiences

Image courtesy of nerdist.com

Originally published in The Bona Venture on March 15, 2013

After 74 years, we have an open invitation to investigate the man behind the curtain.

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” stars James Franco (“127 Hours”) as the great wizard himself, determined to be world-famous by modeling himself after Harry Houdini. As fateful as the original movie’s weather patterns, a tornado foils his great escape plan after he cons half a carnival, and he begs for a chance to live so he can be a better man.

Awakened by an overwhelmingly bright and technicolor landscape, Oz’s hot air balloon arrives in — you guessed it — the absolutely stunning land of Oz. The witch, Theodora (Mila Kunis, “Ted”) greets him, thrilled to meet the man who fulfilled the late king’s prophecy, which promised a man named Oz would fall from the sky and rescue the citizens of Oz from the hands of the wicked witch.

Theodora’s sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz, “The Lovely Bones”), also a witch, plots Oz’s demise, tempting him with the riches he will inherit should he become king and fulfill the prophecy. After saving the life of an adorable flying monkey named Finley (voiced by Zach Braff, “Scrubs”) and rescuing a super-sassy China doll (voiced by Joey King, “Ramona and Beezus”) from her shattered village, Oz heads to the dark forest, gold in mind, with determination to destroy the witch.

When the ethereal, gentle Glinda (Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”) greets him at the palace in the south, Oz faces the truth about who is good and who is evil. He isn’t too excited about his new duty to rescue the charming, peaceful people of Oz, Munchkins and tinkers alike, and embarks on an even bigger quest to fulfill the prophecy.

With Franco’s depressing Oscar hosting experience hanging over his name, he exceeded expectations as Oz. He plays him honestly, creating a believable and endearing character, even when he cons every woman (or witch) who flirts with him. He’s a hero worth rooting for – no matter how many hearts he breaks.

Williams, Kunis and Weisz all tie for the hottest witches of all time (besting even “Hocus Pocus’” Sanderson sisters) While Williams’ pure beauty casts the strongest spell over her admirers, Kunis’ Theodora can best be described as a surprise. While it took a few minutes to remove her association with Meg Griffin, her character on “Family Guy,” she offers the film’s strongest performance, rocking leather pants and a couple of unforgettable hats.

King’s China Girl and Braff’s Finley round out the charming cast, creating the dream team of fantasy sidekicks. The writers get bonus points for dividing an appropriate amount of one-liners between the two characters, letting them hit their peak as comic relief and not instigating any eye rolls.

For a movie that was seemingly a prequel to the 1939 classic, “Oz” proved a welcome surprise. Without abandoning my love for the Stephen Schwartz musical/Gregory Maguire novel “Wicked,” “Oz” offers a completely different, clever and equally satisfying explanation for the original story of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Is this Disney’s hint at a remake of “Wizard of Oz”? It’s too soon to see any news in a crystal ball, but “Oz: The Great and Powerful” offers all Ozians the best attempt Hollywood can offer.

‘Les Mis’ delivers a stunning performance

Originally published in The Bona Venture on January 24, 2013.

Image courtesy of impawards.com

Mispronounced by most and adored by seemingly all, “Les Misérables” has been receiving rave reviews and irritating amounts of award buzz. While some claims of it being the greatest movie of all time are a little far-fetched, it proves impressive beyond expectation.

“Les Mis” is chock full of fantastic performances. Best all-around goes to Hugh Jackman (“X-Men”) as Jean Valjean, a prisoner who steals a loaf of bread and becomes involved in an incredibly complicated sequence of events tying into a student revolution in France. With an incredible vocal range and intensity, his Valjean seemed more real and raw than the tradition set by longtime Valjean actor Colm Wilkinson, who made a sentimental cameo as the Bishop in the early portion of the film.

What can be said about Anne Hathaway as Fantine? Perfection. Hathaway (“The Dark Knight Rises”) took advantage of Tom Hooper’s brave “singing live” concept and gave the darkest, most tragically beautiful rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” ever recorded.

Vocal quality of the ensemble cast as a whole is just as wonderful as a live show, again thanks to the cast singing live. Broadway and West End stars Samantha Barks (Eponine), Eddie Redmayne (Marius Pontemercy) and the entrancing Aaron Tveit (Enjorlas) all dominated their hour of the film, proving that taking a chance on casting stage stars definitely paid off and should be done more often. Musical fans should also note the impressive cameos of Original Broadway cast member Frances Ruffelle and West End hottie Hadley Fraser as Whore #1 and Army Officer, respectively, showing off their talent in their six-line solos.

Other movie musical stars gave memorable character performances, including Amanda Seyfried (“Red Riding Hood”) in an appropriately frail portrayal of Fantine’s daughter Cosette, and “Sweeney Todd” stars Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen as the hilariously conniving Thenardiérs.

Newcomers Isabelle Allen (Young Cosette) and Daniel Huttlestone (Gavroche) fulfilled the adorable quota for the movie, both holding their own against blockbuster film stars and inducing tears during their tragic situations.

To round out the performance aspect, we have the constantly berated Russell Crowe (“Robin Hood”). He wasn’t terrible, but he shouldn’t make his Broadway musical debut anytime soon. While his character approach to Javert brought new grit to the vengeful police captain, it wasn’t all vocally there. He had his moments, especially during “Javert’s Suicide,” but I’m just 99 percent sure no one taught him how to breathe properly or pronounce vowels when he sings.

Production-wise, “Les Mis” is visually stunning. Utilizing some powerful wide shots and an amazingly synchronized opening sequence, it was just as beautiful to look at as it was to listen to, despite some frighteningly intimate close-ups during the powerhouse musical’s darker numbers.

The hair and makeup departments should receive all the awards. For a movie on such an epic scale, the impressive attention to detail had everyone, from the main characters to the background extras, looking like they belonged in 19th-century France; dirt, missing teeth and all. They should also be commended for a very believable aging of Jackman, as Valjean endures 17 years of running and self-discovery. Brava to an Oscar-deserving 24-person hair and makeup team.

Whether you’re a Broadway aficionado or looking for something to see with your $5 movie ticket, “Les Mis” is a must see. Go experience a piece of cinematic history, take in a whole new world and hear the people sing the song of angry men.