ANN ARBOR – If January felt like it was never-ending, February came and went in the blink of an eye. Next week it will be March. Maybe February went by quicker because love was in the air. The sentimentality of a cheesy Hallmark holiday has away of grabbing a hold of even those who don't celebrate. Love, it seems, is all you need. So as it is the final weekend of February, it is our strong recommendation that you end the month on a high note and attend as many events as you can with that someone special in your life. Sure, going solo has its perks, but sharing in something that's fun and exciting is always better with a partner in crime. Life, as The Muppets once said, is a happy song when there's someone by your side to sing along.
Friday
Recommended Videos
2018 Oscar Nominated Shorts at the Michigan Theater
If there's one thing we love when it comes to the world of cinema, it's short films. Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selects what they feel are the very best in short films in the live action, animation and documentary categories. Take it from us, the animation is usually the most fun, with the live action being a nice mix of comedy and drama, while the documentaries are gripping, brutally honest and, yes, depressing. In other words, watching these films offers a catharsis that is hard to find from a single feature-length motion picture, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by missing your chance to see what the world has to offer in these different categories. You still have a chance to see the animation and live action shorts before Oscar Sunday.
Animation -- screenings begin at 7:30 p.m.
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"Dear Basketball" - Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant
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"Negative Space" - Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
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"Lou" - Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
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"Revolting Rhymes" - Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer
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"Garden Party" - Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
Live Action -- screenings begin at 9:45 p.m.
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"DeKalb Elementary" - Reed Van Dyk
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"The Silent Child" - Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton
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"My Nephew Emmett" - Kevin Wilson Jr.
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"The Eleven O’Clock" - Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
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"Watu Wote/All of Us" - Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen
Family Mew-vie Night
If you're a cat person, the Humane Society of Huron Valley's Tiny Lions Lounge (off of Jackson Road) is the place to be for their Family Mew-vie Night, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older. You can bring pillows, sleeping bags or blankets, along with drinks and snacks, but popcorn and water are included. We're paw-sitive you won't regret attending. Learn more here.
Saturday
56th Ann Arbor Film Festival Poster Release Party
A few weeks ago we spoke with the designers of this year's Ann Arbor Film Festival posters, Karen Stein and Ben Gaydos. Together, Stein and Gaydos created goodgood in 2008, and the company is behind this year's unique look and design. "We really wanted to riff off the idea of an experimental and avant-garde festival," Stein said via email. "We played with combinations of imagery, hand-drawn typography, strong colors (red and black) and overall, just a playful layout to express what the festival is all about." The poster release party will be at the Ann Arbor Art Center from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Coffee and baked goods will be provided.
The A Cappella City, USA Festival
The Huron Valley Harmonizers host this year's A Cappella City, USA Festival. In addition to Huron Valley, this year's festival will also feature Evergreen (Eastern Michigan University), Full Value, Stark Raving MADrigal Singers, Women's Chamber Chorus and Voices in Pop. "Per capita, the Ann Arbor area has more a cappella singing groups than anywhere in the country," said William Stutts Jr., one of Huron Valley's members. "The University of Michigan alone has 16 groups, not counting the others in Washtenaw County. The Huron Valley Harmonizers are one of them, and we wanted to create an event to bring together those groups in an effort to introduce themselves make more connections in the community." The festival starts at 7:30 p.m. at Genesis of Ann Arbor.
Sunday
Nature Storytime: 'Big Earth, Little Me'
You and your child can explore and appreciate the outdoors with live animal visits, hikes, stories and hands-on activities. This week they will read "Big Earth, Little Me" by Thom Wiley and help to discover several ways everyone can help save the world. The fun begins at 10 a.m. at the Leslie Science and Nature Center.
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