PLAY
REVIEW
out & about
What's your favorite outdoor activity on a nice day?
I like playing sand volleyball because I don't suck at it like other sports.
—Jayne Sperry, Pittsburg, Kan., junior
Flyfishing. I can enjoy the weather and just the calmness of it.
Andrew Hendricks, Overland Park freshman
I like to go to the lake and hang out with friends, or just sit outside and read a book.
—Caroline Smieja, Bremen, Germany, graduate student
Stay inside. I'm kind of an indoors person.I like to watch TV shows like Family Guy and action-adventure films. Susan Agbor, Limbe, Cameroon, sophomore
Swinging at the park on the swing set because you feel the wind in your face as you kick your legs. I'm basically a kid at heart.
—Jessica Smith, Lenexa Freshman
Swimming at the lake. It's fun and never gets boring, especially if you have floaties on.
——Toni O'Brian, Joplin, Mo., freshman
Taking a nice jog around campus. It's a great way to break away from studies and other everyday stress.
—Brandon Nakada, Orange County, Calif., graduate student
Playing on the playgrounds of random schools in the evening, when the kids aren't around.
Michelle Kalen, Olathe sophomore
Smoking hookah outside at Jerusalem Café in Westport.
It's fun, and they also have good hummus as well.
—Charlie Mock, Overland Park sophomore
—Derek Zarda
MOVIE: Miracle at St. Anna
Director Spike Lee's new movie, Miracle at St. Anna, has no resemblance to his break through film Do the Right Thing, the memorable Malcolm X, or his Hollywood-friendly film Inside Man, which starred Clive Owen. No, you will not see Spike Lee in this film. But that doesn't mean it's not a film worth seeing.
St. Anna is the first film in which Hollywood has focused on the 92 Infantry during WWII, aka, the Buffalo Soldiers. Our four main Buffalo Soldiers include Stamps (Derek Luke), Bishop (Michael Ealy), Negron (Laz Alonso) and Train (Omar Benson Miller).
Although every character in this film is heavily stereotyped, including the above mentioned soldiers, each in their own right accurately represents a piece of the African American dream in the 1940s.
The film opens with Negron in his late 50s as a postal worker who pulls the trigger on an elderly Italian man. This action sends the story to a junior New York writer, Tim Boyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is openly baffled as to why a WWII Purple Heart recipient would kill a man in cold blood. With this question in mind, Lee takes his audience back to September of 1944 in rural Tuscany, where our four soldiers had been separated from their company.
Among their trials and tribulations is
a young Italian boy, Angelo, who becomes drawn to Train. The boy holds a mystery within him that unites the separated soldiers in triumphs and temptations alike. If you don't know the difference between a Partisan and a Fascist, I would suggest brushing up on your WWII key terms before viewing this film.
In the end, after celebrating the Buffalo Soldiers, Lee reinforces the belief in a higher being, faith in humanity, and the idea that safety and control leave no room for miracles.
MUSIC: Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
On the path from child actress to indie music sensation. Jenny Lewis has accomplished what most musicians only dream of accomplishing. Fans and critics reacted positively to her career as the primary vocalist of indie rock group Rilo Kiley, and in 2006 Lewis branched out with a solo career and released Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis has also collaborated with the likes of The Postal Service and Cursive.
With her sophomore solo release Acid Tongue, Lewis delivers an album that offers a personal, lively feel with each track. Several guest stars add their touch to her tunes, as well. Elvis Costello belts out his rough vocals on "Carpetbaggers," and M. Ward contributes his guitar skills to the track "Pretty Bird." The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson adds vocals to the title track a harmonious tune with a personal, insightful feel, and actress Zooey Deschanel sings with Lewis on "Trying My Best to Love You," a sweet and lilting song with gospel-infused melodies. "The Next Messiah" is an eight-minute-long anecdotal track that is equal parts country and rock 'n' roll, and "See Fernando" is upbeat with drumming and strumming that contribute
an invigorating attitude to the album.
Lewis's music is earnest and genuine, with elements of pop, country, gospel and rock all packaged together and topped with the indie rock stamp of approval. With Acid Tongue, Lewis has proved her musicianship once again, and carved her niche in the indie world a little deeper.
18
16.7
October 2,2008
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...