REVIEW
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MOVIE REVIEW // SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
> Hollywood hits, indie flicks and everything in between.
Contrary to popular belief, this film is not just another Michael Cera vehicle. Fans of the graphic novel series might think it impossible to adapt the book into a movie. However, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The
World has no qualms admitting its comic book roots. The film is a living breathing doodle on the back of some guy's notebook in your English class.
However, Edgar Wright, the director of new cult classics Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, is the true doodler. In this walking, talking graphic
novel, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for mysterious, pink-haired Ramona Flowers (Elizabeth Mary Winstead). But before they can happily date, Scott must fight her seven evil exes who vow that if Gideon (Jason Schwartzman), Ramona's most recent ex, can't have her, no one can. Videogame and pop culture references are abundant in this film, but the realistic romance proves that it also has a real heart at its center.
The film is as delightfully funny as it is visually striking. Michael Cera steps out of the awkwardly shy teen character he has been perpetually playing since Arrested Development. If you can't decide between reading a comic book, playing videogames or watching a movie, do it all in one with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.
CHANCE CARMICHAEL |
RESTAURANT REVIEW // THE BURGER STAND
> The taste of the town, one meal at a time
The best burger in Lawrence might also be Lawrence's most unusual burger.
The Burger Stand at The Casbah, 803 Mass St., and formerly located in Dempsey's, is known for its many burger variations. Ditching the usual lettuce/tomato/orion toppings, The Burger Stand hosts a menu laden with gourmet options, such as the Fire burger, topped with fresh avocado and habanera-cactus jam, or the Smoke, with Applewood smoked bacon, Gouda cheese and chipolte-cocoa ketchup.
The burgers are tasty — a refreshing new take on America's favorite way to serve beef. But the thing that truly makes any burger joint is the fries. And this is where The Burger Stand shines.
Though I wasn't able to sample all the va-
notices of mice, the two I try were delicious — the kind of delicious that makes you wish you had more stomach space to stuff. The truffle fries are sprinkled with parmesan cheese and flavored with truffle oil, a deadly combination that gives their flavor a kick followed by a smooth, satisfying, complicated finish. The sweet potato fries rival them—crunchy with a
cinnamon-y flavor, perfect with ketchup.
Ranging from S7 to S9, the burgers are perhaps the priciest in town, but certainly nothing to complain about, given the attention spent on each one. A side of fries runs S1 to S4, with the truffle and sweet potatoes at a reasonable S2. There isn't much to offer a sweet-tooth, and the options for sides are minimal. But between the hefty burgers and the delectable fries, who needs 'em?
With a full bar and industrial-influenced décor, there is a hip atmosphere, making it a good date location (if you don't mind getting a little down-and-dirty with some greasy food) and the service is superior, too.
THOMAS C. HARDY
MUSIC REVIEW // CEEPHAX ACID CREW — 'UNITED weekly guide to ACID EMIRATES' (PLANET M)
Ceephax Acid Crew's latest album is a collection of ridiculously danceable acid house music that is way more developed than much of the heavy-thumping and repetitive electronic music today. Ceephax, as he is sometimes known, is actually Andy
Jenkinson, the younger brother of the famous electronic musician Squarepusher. One thing that will have electro junkies drooling over this album is the fact that Ceephax relies very little on the use of computers to make his music. The artist generally prefers to use vintage synthesizers like the Roland TB-303, recording straight to cassette, which gives this album its very distinct, heady acid vibe. Some of the standout tracks off of this electro-gem include the opener "Cedric's Sonnet," which could get any dance floor poppin', and "Sidney's Sizzler", which sounds like it could be a great breakbeat Aphex Twin track, but is definitely soaked in Ceephax's sultry, drippy, acid fun. Although fall is looming, give this electronic fun-in-a-box a spin or two before your summer grinds to a halt.
ZACK MARSH
MUSIC REVIEW // ANIMAL COLLECTIVE — 'ODDSAC'
> KJHK's weekly guide to sonic consumption. (FATCAT RECORDS)
Animal Collective's latest project, ODD-SAC, is an intensely psychedelic visual album that spans the various sounds the group has played around with over the years. It's not exactly what you would expect after listening to 2009's blissful Merriweather Post Pavilion.
The ever-shifting and mood-altering tunes match the visuals perfectly. There are highly disturbing images, like a vampiric figure floating in a canoe that creeps up on children making s'mores, a woman peeling back yellow wallpaper as oil spills from behind it, a knight hand-washing brains on a riverbank and a crazed fish-like man playing autoharp in front of swirling, spinning flames. But the scary images are paired with humorous, euphoric and childish scenes. If you're a fan of AC's earlier, more abrasive albums like Here Comes The Indian, you'll enjoy the avant-garde soundscapes and disorienting imagery.
The music is a strange blend of droning tribal-pop with plenty of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. There are individual tracks, but it's often hard to tell when one ends and the next begins. One minute you'll hear brain-frying, looped computer noise while staring at melting, visualized sound-waves, and then you'll see an anonymous long-haired albino grunge freak setting up a
drum kit on a sea of rocks in a gorgeous Pacific Northwest landscape.
The songs are entrancing to say the least, and recall the repetitive, noisy pop of Feels and Strawberry Jam, along with the acoustic/electronic clashing dissonance of Spirit They're Gone... Danse Manatee and Sung Tongs.
ODDSAC is a breath of fresh air, and it's encouraging to see a band step out of its realm and experiment with a seemingly forgotten artform.
ALEX TRETBAR | ALEX TRETBAR
08
19
10
e L. Collins, CNAH
student involvement
BY NICOLAS ROESLER nroesler@kansan.com
A new student organization on campus is trying to bring sustainable energy issues facing the country to students at the University of Kansas.
The KU Energy club aims to educate students about energy by bringing together students with key players in the energy field, such as industry leaders, policy makers and academic faculty, to openly discuss all methods of energy reform and the energy issues today.
The KU Energy Council is a group of 15 distinguished professors from the schools of engineering and business. Its main goal is to heighten the awareness of energy research at the University. For three years, the Energy Council has studied fossil fuels and worked with policy makers to affect how Kansas handles its energy.
"The coal plant is a big issue right now," said Greg Loving, KU Energy Club co-president and a junior from Salt Lake City. "So we could have somebody from the industry, a government official, and somebody who's protesting it. I think when you have all that dialogue is when you really get some positive interaction."
Loving, along with co-president Brian Larkin, a senior from Garden City, sought help from the KU Energy Council in establishing this new club.
GOALS OF ON-
CAMPUS GREEN
GROUPS:
KU Energy Club:
• Promote the collaboration of academia, industry leaders, policy makers, and students with interest/expertise in the energy field
• Encourage positive discussions on solutions to energy challenges
SEE ENERGY ON PAGE 3A
Environs:
- Promotes environmental awareness
- Encourages sound environmental practices within the university and Lawrence
- Opportunities to gain experience towards the same end
- Source: http://www.
ku.edu/students/orgs/
Emerging_9499.html
- Provide KU students with educations supporting environmentally sustainable design
Source: http://groups
ku.edu/~environs/
Howard Ting, KANSAI Jill VanCoevern, operator of the Jawhawk Ink Print on Demand, assembles a textbook from scratch in less than 8 minutes. VanCoevern told I took less than a day to get trained on the five-step process in assembling the textbooks.
Emerging Green Builders:
New program offers cheaper books to students
BY KELLY MORGAN kmorgan@kansan.com
Howard Ting/KANSAN
This summer, Hewlett Packard selected KU Bookstores to house a pilot for its Print-On-Demand book printing program. The program brings a publishing center to Jayhawk Inc. on the second floor of the Kansas Union and now allows them to quickly create textbooks and other course materials for a fraction of the cost. While only a few months old, the program has quickly gained popularity among departments on campus.
"It has been a much higher volume than what we intended," said Estella McCollum, director of KU Bookstores. "We've probably produced around 5,000 books in a month. It's been incredible."
"If a student were to come up to us and say that we were out of a certain textbook that they needed, we could just tell them to go grab a coffee and when they come back the book will be ready for them to pick up," McCollum said.
The draw for many of these departments lies in the removal of the hassle that comes with printing books off campus.
"If I were to go off campus to another place it would probably take about a week to 10 days to get," said Robin Holladay, administrative associate senior for the English department. "Here it was done in four days."
Books not bought individually can be created in as little as eight minutes.
The final product is a neatly bound book complete with a laminated cover.
Holladay said.
“What sold me on it is the fact that you can take your file, send it to them and they download it and do whatever they do with it printing-wise, and it really comes out clear and crisp.”
"The cover is a lot better."
"One example of a course where we were able to significantly decrease the cost of the books was with Professor Holmes' psychology
"We've probably produced around 5,000 books in a month. It's been incredible."
For students, the Print-On Demand program means cheaper book options on the shelves of the KU Bookstore.
ESTELLA MCCOLLUM
Director of KU Bookstores
and his course
packs." said
Rachel Barnes,
custom materials
buyer for KU
Bookstores.
"It used to be $45,
we've goten
it down to
$22."
The price decrease comes
from the bookstore's ability to cut production costs by not having to pay for shipping or labor.
"We are really here trying to provide a good service." McCollum
said. "We don't want students to feel like we're robbing them, ripping them off. It's just kind of changing that perception of what we're here for."
In the future, KU Bookstores would like to expand its services to further accommodate the needs of students and members of the Lawrence community.
"Wed like to go past even publisher and custom course materials, into individual creative works," McCollum said. "Whether it be for a class project or just personal interest, we want to allow students the ability to come in and easily print their own materials in a bound format."
Edited by Abby Davenport
index
Classifieds...4A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
Students keep smoking despite statewide ban
New bill poses fines for smoking in designated public areas. Despite the proposed benefits, many smokers are dissatisfied. STATE | 2A
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