Marcus Michalik

About me

Marcus Michalik is a Minnesota native, a graduate of the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism, and a staff writer for The Tangential.

workaround

THEATER REVIEW | Penumbra Theatre's "The Amen Corner" at the Guthrie Theater brings Tyler Perry to mind

By Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner has been around for almost six decades now, but as I sat at the Guthrie on opening night listening to the show’s rousing gospel choir numbers and watching its central characters give spirited sermons from the pulpit, I couldn’t help but notice how many similarities there were to the majority of the entries in Tyler Perry’s rapidly growing oeuvre of faith-based films and plays centered largely around themes of morality and spirituality.MORE »

World's Toughest Rodeo at the Xcel Energy Center: Denim, pyrotechnics, and well-worn Wranglers

By Kara Nesvig and Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

Photos By:

Mandy Dwyer

Kara Nesvig: So, Marcus, we went to the World's Toughest Rodeo at the Xcel Center on Saturday night. What did you wear? I think we better address our ensembles straight off the bat; inquiring minds want to know.

Marcus Michalik: I tried to get into as a much of a character from Country Strong as I possibly could, so I put on my best three colors of denim and accented it with a little blue bandana. I think the people would much rather know what you wore, however.MORE »

MUSIC | Glee! Live! In Concert! ranges from gorgeously ethereal to cringe-inducing

By Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

Let me get this out of the way: by definition, I’m a Gleek. I’ve seen every episode of Glee, downloaded at least a handful of the songs from iTunes, and even follow a few of the cast members on Twitter. But I’m assuming that amidst the crowd of screaming girls who flocked to see Glee! Live! In Concert! at Target Center on Wednesday night, I was the only one in the audience who frequently likens watching Glee to a painful endurance test.MORE »

MOVIES | "Prom" makes you forget you actually hated high school

By Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

The funny thing about Prom is that hardly anything actually happens at prom. It’s still a movie, so of course there’s a last-minute declaration of love and a totally embarrassing moment for the prom king, but for the most part, the film’s titular celebration is represented by shots of kids dancing to vaguely suggestive pop tunes and girls complimenting each other’s dresses.MORE »

MOVIES | "Sucker Punch": When Catholic schoolgirls aren't enough

By Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch is the latest in a seemingly neverending parade of action movies that masquerade their own soft-core porn tendencies with a cloak of unearned girl-power pretense.MORE »