As CultureMap reported a few weeks ago, the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts has lost its 18 pianos after a partnership with the Fred Forshey Piano company ended. Officials launched a plea to help replace the instruments and have raised $16,450 in funds from alumni and community donations, according to Piano Department director Rodolfo Morales.
Although the figure is impressive, it still falls way short of the school's goal to replace 12 pianos — 10 uprights and two grands.
To give you some idea of the funds remaining to be raised, a grand piano runs around $12,000.
The school is currently operating with only three pianos to serve the entire student body. The instruments are used across disciplines for rehearsals by the dance, drama and vocal departments and must be replaced.
"They are the life blood of what we do here at HSPVA; to have a school without pianos is inconceivable," Morales says.
Donations are tax-deductible. If you'd like to help, checks can be made out to: HSPVA Friends (Piano Project) and sent to HSPVA Friends, 4119 Montrose Blvd., Ste. 210, Houston 77006.
Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures
Milly Alcock in Supergirl.
Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.
When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.
Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.
Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.
Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.
Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.
Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.
While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.
Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures