+ +
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25(2014
PAGE 7A
COLUMBIA PICTURES
Denzel levels playing field in 'The Equalizer'
"The Equalizer" based off a 1980s television show, distinctly feels like a big action movie from the '90s, with an older, simple-living, do-good er hero who can masterfully take out the bad guys and faces a villain who is more memorable than him.
Denzel Washington is the kind of talented and charismatic movie star worth seeing in any film, and he's among the best at striking out with controlled fury. In "The Equalizer", he plays McCall, a retired killer of some sort living a new life as a Home Depot manager, spending each night at the same diner reading literary classics. There he befriends another regular, Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a young prostitute trapped in her situation by Russian gangsters.
When her situation gets too dire, McCall steps in and gives the gangsters a chance to let her go. They decline his offer, so McCall kills each of them with astounding brutality. This is visualized similarly to the recent "Sherlock Holmes" movies, as time nearly stops and McCall analyzes his surroundings, noticing the details, the available items to use as weapons and how to attack each enemy — then quickly does so with absolute precision. A shot glass through an eye socket here, a corkscrew to the neck there, whatever works.
The awesome burst of
extreme violence is ultra-gratifying after the preceding character-building scenes, and the contrast between these vigilante actions and how McCall comes to work the next day as his encouraging helpful self is amusing. As his routine carries on normally for a little while, merciless Russian mob enforcer Teddy (Marton Cskakas) arrives in town to deal with whoever is responsible for the slaughter.
Teddy doesn't mess around, quickly rising above typical, forgettable action villains as Csokas imbues him with a slithering unpredictability and gives a livewire to his no-nonsense demeanor that creates palpable tension every scene he's in. He and Washington have several bracing encounters with each other, and McCall sets out to dismantle the Russian mob operation once Teddy refuses to quit pursuing him.
Following his success with "Olympus Has Fallen," director Antoine Fuqua has built an even more thrilling action spectacle here, crafting his best work since the other time he directed Washington in "Training Day." He
has a stylish hand for the action, making each sequence exciting and intensely felt, although he occasionally goes over the top.
The sound of the film leaves an impression as well, especially in the booming IMAX, as the atmospheric score by Harry Gregson-Williams and the robust sound design deepen the danger and strengthen the violence.
Thanks to the engrossing performers, Richard Wenk's screenplay overcomes most of its genre tropes (besides McCall being nearly invincible, although his skills are so cool that it's not too bothersome). The time spent developing the characters so viewers are actually invested in them is appreciated, as is the thoughtful wit in the dialogue.
Washington's performance oscillates between a calm, pleasant and semi-OCD regular Joe to an unstoppable, cold-blooded agent of justice like a flip of the switch, reminding us why he's one of Hollywood's most enjoyable and dependable leading men
and dependable reading men.
And if all that wasn't entertaining enough, "The Equalizer" ends with a resourceful, exhilarating showdown in Home Depot that takes advantage of the hardware and tools as instruments of death.
If only all trips to the hardware store were that satisfying.
— Edited by Sarah Kramer
Lawrence Public Library to sell donated books
VICKY DIAZ-CAMACHO
@vickyd_c
"I grew up in a home that didn't have any books," said Georgann Eglinski, retired KU law professor and lawyer, who has volunteered for the program for almost 15 years. "There's something about owning a book — the joy of seeing people finding books that they love, a child finding a favorite book, maybe [one] they borrowed from the library. It's just fantastic."
Friends of the Lawrence Public Library will host a book, CD and DVD sale today through Saturday. Items will cost $5 or less. The sale will take place on the Kentucky Street side of the library, located at 707 Vermont St. Memberships to the Friends of Lawrence Public Library will be sold at the door for $10.
The books are donations from the community and students can find many college textbooks in the collection as well. This year, the sale has approximately 25,000 books, 3,500 DVDs, almost 5,000 children's and young adult books, and several hundred audiobooks, said Kandyce Horn, Friends program manager.
Eglinski said the sale not only raises money for the library but also circulates more books into homes around the community. Every month, the money earned helps fundraise for literacy programs at the Lawrence Public Library such as the Summer Reading, Book Club in a Bag and Read Across Lawrence. Fundraising is steered by Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, a nonprofit organization founded in 1972.
The Friends organization is operated by a number of former University staff, alumni and current student volunteers. This year, 15 students will volunteer. One of the founders, Mary Burchill, former librarian at the University law library, is the current chairperson.
"There's something about owning a book — the joy of seeing people, finding books that they love, a child finding a favorite book..."
"There is a social aspect to the organization, volunteers
GEORGANN EGLINSKI Program volunteer
become friends with one another and build relationships outside of the Friends. Plus, it's just a fun place to volunteer," Horn said. "Volunteers tend to be drawn to causes that have meaning to them, most of us are voracious readers and many are retired educators and librarians, although many other professions are represented as well."
Horn began as a volunteer but said she couldn't pass up the opportunity to work for an organization whose primary mission is to raise funds while redistributing books at an affordable price into the community. Beyond the continued support of the organization's mission, Horn said there are a number of reasons why people continue with the Friends.
"Every day is different because you never know what books you might be sorting, a volunteer may find something they have been looking for or never knew they needed," she said. "You can see what your contributions have affected each time you walk through the library."
Edited by Logan Schlossberg
Nighy sees similar struggles for gays and striking miners
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
When Bill Nighy was a young actor at the National Theatre in London, older gay cast members would talk to him about the country's harsh policies, which forced them to stay in the closet.
Being gay, recalled the rangy 64-year-old British actor, "just stopped being an imprisonable offense in my lifetime. They could get seven years for any public display of affection. One of the things I don't understand is why (the government) should feel they should get involved in anybody else's sex life."
"Even when the fear of imprisonment ended, the discrimination didn't. It was only 30 years ago that a national newspaper in England could describe the gay community as the slime of society and no one commented," said Nighy, who became a favorite with American audiences in such films as "Love Actually" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."
He spoke earlier this month from Toronto where his latest movie, "Pride," was screening at the film festival. In the true-life drama, which opens Friday, Nighy plays Cliff, a gay, shy former miner who has kept his sexual orientation a secret out of fear that coming out will leave his life in shambles.
Set during the yearlong national miners' strike in 1984, "Pride" revolves around the birth of the Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners movement and how these activists help the mining community of Onllwyn in South Wales. Though many of the union members and townspeople are initially antagonistic to the group, Cliff and several of the women in the town, led by Imelda Staunton's spirited Hefina, warmly embrace the activists.
"it's beyond refreshing to get a movie that treats these decent men and women who worked in the mining
Thirty years ago, according to Nighy, the miners were being treated as badly as the gay and lesbian community. "The miners' strike was for the most part misrepresented at the time," he said.
community with dignity and respect," said Nighy, who comes from working-class roots. "They were being beaten up by the policeand being invented as enemies of the state."
the conservative government,led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,Nigly added, "wanted to crush the trade union movement and they started with the miners because they were the strongest."
If it wasn't for Nighy and Staunton, "Pride" might not have been made. "The film couldn't be green lit until it had some recognizable actors," noted Matthew Warchus, who directed the CBS Films release.
Ben Schnetzer, who plays
"The miners' strike was for the most part misrepresented at the time."
BILL NIGHY Actor
gay activist Mark Ashton, said working with Nigy was a "master class in film acting - getting to watch him work and craft his character."
Since his real-life counterpart is dead, Nighy got some insight into Cliff from chatting with surviving members of the mining community. There was some heartening news that Nighy discovered.
"Apparently subsequent to these events he found a partner" he said.
One of the most poignant scenes in "Pride" is when Cliff comes out to Hefina while they are making sandwiches and she tells him matter-of-factly she's known his secret for nearly two decades.
Nighy said he often has to "pinch himself" over his good fortune of working multiple times with such noted writers as Richard Curtis, Tom Stoppard and especially David Hare.
The actors, said Warchus, didn't need any direction for that sequence.
"I set up the camera," Warchus said. "I said, 'Do you want to rehearse?' And they said, 'No, let's give it a go.' And that was that. What you see is the first take."
"I've worked with David Hare all my life," he said. "I think he counted the other day and it comes up to 10 times."
Three years ago, Nighy starred as the cool and rather sexy _ at least to the over-40 crowd _ master spy Johnny Worricker in Hare's thriller "Page Eight," which aired on PBS "Masterpiece Contemporary." This November, Nighy returns to PBS as Worricker in two new thrillers written and directed by Hare:"Turks & Caicos" and "Salting the Battlefield."
Nighy gets to work opposite Christopher Walken in "Turks & Caicos," with the latter playing a quirky character who may or may not be a CIA operative. "He is a hero of mine," Nighy said of Walken. "I think probably he is the funniest man I ever met in my life."
Nighy also teamed up with Hare this year in the London West End revival of Hare's romantic drama "Skylight", which the actor originally did 17 years ago. That production, which also stars Carey Mulligan, is heading to Broadway in the spring.
He'll also be returning next year with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in the drama "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." Richard Gere is checking into the sequel to the surprise 2011 breakout hit "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."
Though Nighy worked steadily in theater, TV and movies, his career didn't achieve international recognition until his award-winning turn as a washed-up rock star in Curtis' 2003 comedy "Love Actually."
Nighy, who was 53 when "Love Actually" was released, acknowledged he really doesn't know if he could have handled that type of success as a younger man.
"I wasn't very good at being young," he noted."I made a bit of a meal of it. If I had known if things were going to work out, I would have arranged to be more cheerful along the way."
+