FTR 4.10.13

The News Record

FOR THE

RECORD

NOT YOUR NORMAL SPRING BREAK

VOL. 1 • ISSUE NO. 12 APRIL 10 - APRIL 16, 2013

UC students travelled to Tanzania to document village life

MOVIE FESTIVAL REVIEW Pg. 2-3 BEER BY THE YARD Pg. 8

Pg. 4-5

APRIL 10-16, 2013 — MOVIE REVIEWS — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

MOVIES

TNR’s South by Southwest awards woodrow goldsmith | senior reporter

For those who couldn’t make it to the heart of Texas in March, South by Southwest’s (SXSW) bounty of new films came from geek gods and relative unknowns alike, making for a varied and fascinating festival.

This variety — which is a standard for the event — peered into what could be the next big thing in the 2013 world of independent movies.

From premieres like “Evil Dead” and “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” to personal, dramatic pieces like “Grand Jury” and audience award-winning “Short Term 12” and even writer/director of “Dazed and Confused,” Richard Linklater’s, “Before Midnight,” there was something for everyone.

With dozens more movies that ranged from Joss Whedon’s modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” to the insightful and beautiful Beatles documentary “Good Ol’ Freda,” the 20th anniversary of the SXSW festival did not disappoint.

But even in Austin you have to take the good with the bad — but no need to worry, there were enough excellent films to make up for the bombs.

Not every movie was perfect. Some were forgettable, but the captivating nature of the festival kept me interested and motivated to see as many films as I could.

Some might call it overkill — others might call it a week at SXSW. PROVIDED

The one you’ll love (if you ever get the chance to see it): ‘Drinking Buddies’

PROVIDED

Mumblecore, a subgenre of American independent film, is a difficult genre to like. It can be dull and ironically insincere because of the varying level of skill displayed by its actors, but “Drinking Buddies” has the advantage of an extremely talented cast and a story that goes in unexpected directions.

Kate (Olivia Wilde) works at a brewery and is in a committed relationship with Chris (Ron Livingston). She also maintains a flirty friendship with her co-worker, Luke (Jake Johnson), who is also in a relationship with Jill (Anna Kendrick).

When the foursome goes on a weekend-long, boozefilled double date, relationships are tested.

It’s not as dramatic as it sounds, though the film does revel in the turmoil between friendships and romance.

The primary actors appear to be having fun, and their

conversations seem realistic and are thoroughly engaging.

Writer and director Joe Swanberg clearly knows how to direct his actors and receives terrific performances from all of them. Wilde, in particular, comes out of her shell to give a natural and believable performance.

Johnson, Kendrick and Livingston also get chances to shine through the clever and surprising script. The typical romantic comedy conventions are happily ignored to make room for more dialogue and chemistry between actors.

Visually, the film stays true to its genre by including long takes, jump cuts and poor lighting, but it works because of the dynamic energy.

In terms of pure enjoyment,“Drinking Buddies” succeeds where most movies fail. By focusing on people and their relationships, Swanberg and his actors emphasize the comedy of the situations while making the drama realistic.

The one that will make you laugh: ‘You’re Next’

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Campy, hilarious and often startling, “You’re Next” is an unexpectedly enjoyable film that takes a tired story and morphs it into a still-not-entirely-original-butentertaining gore fest.

Horror films seem to either shy away from blood and guts or revel in them. This one revels.

“You’re Next” utilizes gore without resorting to grossout territory.

Sharni Vinson plays Erin, whose boyfriend takes her to the middle of nowhere to celebrate his parents’ anniversary. When three masked intruders start killing the family one by one, Erin takes matters into her own hands and begins to fight back.

The pure joy of the movie is derived from hilariously delivered lines, giddy use of blood and a witty script by Simon Barrett. All of this success may be unintentional,

as the film stretches reality to an extreme degree.

But it thrives on the pure ridiculousness.

There are some genuine scares, but for the most part, “You’re Next” enjoys the craziness of the subject matter and the characters. An example of the craziness: Erin lived in a survivalist compound, a fact that helps her survive the majority of the movie.

Vinson’s character is the only one that has any sort of development, which is fine, but perhaps Barrett’s script could have given the other actors more to do besides die.

But maybe that would have ruined the intent of the movie.

Any character development or deeper meaning would have been a mistake. Luckily, the filmmakers recognized this and made “You’re Next” into enjoyable, horrifying traipse through what could have been a typical home invasion story.

PROVIDED

APRIL 10-16, 2013 — MOVIE PREVIEW — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

MOVIES

The one with bad acting and a plot that will make you sick: ‘Reality Show’

PROVIDED

The darkest comedy in recent memory, “Reality Show” is unbelievable in the risks it takes and how far it is willing to go to prove a point.

But this doesn’t mean the movie is necessarily good.

The production values and acting are sub-par at best, but the idea is so daring, so clever that it’s impossible to look away.

When television producer Mickey (Adam Rifkin) grows tired of the traditional reality show (like the seemingly scripted Kardashian kind), he pitches an idea to follow a family around, filming it without its knowledge.

He soon finds that the family is boring and starts to inject drama, which results in disaster.

The way Mickey and the producers of the show manipulate the family is disturbing.

They add drugs, encourage affairs and cause the father

to lose his job.

The situation escalates to such a point that it borders on disbelief — but that’s the point.

The exaggerated effects of the producer’s manipulation cause the audience to question whether the events could actually happen.

But these ideas are overshadowed by the poor quality of the film.

Rifkin served as writer/director of the film and stars in it too. It’s clear he has a lot of ideas about the state of reality and television today — maybe even too many.

It’s fascinating and genuinely disturbing, but it might have longer lasting success if it had stuck to its original airing plan as a Showtime series.

It’s too bad there couldn’t have been a higher quality of work for such a brilliant commentary.

The one you’ll pretend not to like (but secretly, you will): ‘Broadway Idiot’ “Broadway Idiot” is the story of why and how punk-rock sensation Green Day would let its music become a Broadway musical.

The Grammy-award winning album “American Idiot” (a commentary on post-9/11 America) lends itself to a full-blown production, but Green Day isn’t exactly traditional Broadway material.

Green Day’s lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong seemed on board from the first presentation, as the film will attest. That in itself is a major problem with the movie: There is no conflict.

It would be wrong to present the story in a different way for the sake of drama, but the film almost begins with the band’s approval. The original casting and the birth of the idea are questions the film doesn’t address, which leaves the audience wanting more.

For its part, “Broadway Idiot” is still an interesting story.

Learning about Armstrong and the atypical punk-rocker/ theater-alum relationship he has with the musical’s director Michael Mayer is fascinating.

Hearing Armstrong talk about the relationship he has with other artists in relation to how the cast of the musical acts makes for interesting commentary. Perhaps the music industry is too unsupportive of itself and perhaps Broadway is the way to go. Seeing the cast bond and perform scenes from the musical is entertaining and brings a new respect for those who had to adapt this material to the stage.

Bridging the gap between Broadway and Hollywood has always been a topic of much discussion in the entertainment business. This film is an adequate message for those on both sides.

Not only can it be done, but it can also lead to success for those on and off the stage.

PROVIDED

The one that is like ‘Twilight’ but with nudity: ‘Kiss of the Damned’

PROVIDED

Sexy and stupid, “Kiss of the Damned” capitalizes on the success of vampire romances like “Twilight” and television’s “True Blood” without the built-in fan base of the books.

Instead, the ’80s-inspired sexual romp through vampire romance leaves little to the imagination and will certainly not reach the popularity of recent, similar films.

Joséphine de la Baume plays Djuna, a vampire who meets and quickly falls in love with Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia). Djuna turns Paolo into a member of the undead during a graphic love scene. The couple seems to be happy — until Djuna’s sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) comes to town with evil intentions.

Everything about “Kiss of the Damned” is reminiscent of horror movies of the past, from the font of the credits to the music and acting. The cast is almost laughably bad in

delivering its soap-opera dialogue.

De la Baume escapes mostly unscathed as the seductive Djuna. Ventimiglia sleepwalks through the movie while Mesquida is downright comical as the manipulative Mimi.

The plot is paper-thin and uses every excuse to inject a sex scene, while any twists are obvious and silly. Its influences are countless and they make the “Kiss” an exercise in repetition.

So the next time a filmmaker wants to make a movie about vampires, some sort of assurance that there will be originality, or a cohesive story, or good actors, or anything that will make an enjoyable experience for the audience should be necessary.

Hopefully someone learns this lesson from “Kiss of the Damned,” because there’s not much else to take away from it.

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APRIL 10-16, 2013 — COVER STORY — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

APRIL 3-9, 2013 — COVER STORY — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

Getting back to basics, students spend break in Tanzania COLLEGE LIVING

dani kokochak | senior reporter

U

niversity of Cincinnati students visited impoverished villagers during spring break to document their lives and improve their living conditions.

Two interdisciplinary honors seminar classes — Documentary Studies in Tanzania and Humanitarian Design: Thinking Across Disciplines — travelled to Tanzania with the Village Life Outreach Project, a nonprofit organization based in Cincinnati whose mission is to promote life, health and education in impoverished villages.

“This is one of the best trips we have ever taken. The students were hardworking and they came in prepared ... culturally and logistically,” said Chris Lewis, founder of VLOP. “They had worked hard to get their projects going on the front end, so when they got to Tanzania everything went smoother than any other trip that we have taken.”

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Students in the humanitarian design class worked on projects to improve living conditions for people in three target villages: Burere, Roche and Nyambogo.

Students worked in small groups on different projects, including building a stove prototype, building a hand-washing station prototype and designing desks and chairs for schools.

The class will continue to receive feedback from VLOP and villagers on the success of the projects in the villages.

The documentary-studies class showcased different aspects of life in the villages by conducting interviews with villagers and capturing video footage.

A documentary using the footage gathered in Tanzania will premier in May. The students were challenged to step outside their comfort zones and work in primitive conditions, and both classes were successful in the completion of goals set for the trip, said Elissa Yancey, journalism professor.

“Any chance that students have to be taken far from their comfort zone and to work in conditions that they are very unfamiliar with can really test them in ways that no scantron test can,”Yancey said.

200 UC students and faculty traveled to Tanzania with VLOP. Students travelled home to Cincinnati with wider perspectives on culture they could not have experienced if not for the trip, said Michael Zaretsky, the UC professor for the humanitarian design class.

Meredith Stoller, a third-year middle education student and part of the humanitarian design class, worked directly with school children for an art exchange project.

Hand-drawn photos — exchanged between groups of American and Tanzanian children — examined similarities and differences between the lives of children from different cultures, an activity Stoller planned and organized.

A class of American children drew pictures of what they liked to do, along with a short description — which was translated into Swahili — and the pictures were brought to Africa for the Tanzanian children.

The Tanzanian children did the same activity, and many pictures have been brought back.

Working so closely with schoolchildren in an impoverished country widened Stoller’s

perspective as an educator.

“The Tanzanian government expects parents to buy books, which is unrealistic.

So, pretty much no [child] has a book. As a teacher that’s going to be out in the field, [imagining] not having a book to work with is very daunting,” Stoller said. “It’s amazing what those teachers can do with little to no resources.”

Despite limited access to food, water and healthcare, the Tanzanian people displayed an inherent happiness and kindness.

During the students’ time in the villages, positive attitudes stuck out, said Blair Jones, a first-year mechanical engineering student in the documentary studies class.

“You see all the commercials that show the hunger, the pain and the problems [in Africa]. Yeah, those are there, but they are happier than we are — I can guarantee you that,” Jones said.

“They have so little and they are so happy.”

When the villagers were asked during interviews and conversation why they were so happy, they explained they had no reason to be unhappy, Jones said.

Although the purpose of the trip was to bring aide and recognition to the three villages, students said they took away even more than they were able to give.

“While the projects actually do have an impact on the communities there, it is the impact those communities and those people had on us that will be much more lasting,” said Daniel Ruter, a third-year biology student in the humanitarian design class.

In the months before the trip took place, both classes studied Tanzanian culture to prepare as much as possible. Communication and planning with VLOP also played a vital role in preparation before the trip.

Understanding the communities helped

When the villagers were asked during interviews and conversation why they were so happy, they explained they had no reason to be unhappy.

with the planning of the projects and film strategies, but students found that, upon arriving, working directly with Village Life and the villagers was the key to success.

“You can’t be here in Cincinnati, Ohio and say ‘This is what they need.’ You need to have conversations and figure that out with them,” Stoller said. “I feel like I can do so much more after just being there and talking with them.”

The students communicated with the Tanzanian villagers through translators.

Working through the language barrier proved to be a challenge in the beginning, but resulted in meaningful relationships with the translators.

“When the translators are translating, they are just translating what you are saying.

Your tone of voice, what is really meant behind what is being said, isn’t translated,” Jones said.“Once we got across that, we got a bunch of good stuff.”

In addition to working with people outside of their cultures, students in the two interdisciplinary classes had the opportunity to work closely with people outside of their majors.

“It was interesting to work with an e-media student, a journalism student and a photojournalism student to put together this video. We come from different areas… and I think that is helpful preparation for real world work,” said Caroline Bozzi, a fourthyear architecture student and part of the documentary studies class.

The honors seminar classes, with a focus on global studies, are meant to prepare students for working in diverse communities after college.

“We want students to discover whatever it is that they are passionate about. Having these global experiences really helps students learn more about themselves … it helps open their eyes to things and people and places and cultures that they perhaps hadn’t thought about before,” said Debbie Brawn, administrative director for the university honors program.

The honors program provided students with a financial grant for the trip and aided the professors in organizing the logistics of the trip.

Each student received $1,000 in grant money from UC Honors.

“The most exciting part about these trips is watching the students’ world open up while they are there,” Zaretsky said. “It’s really amazing to see.”

PHOTOS BY mADISON SCHMIDT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

TELLING TRUE STORIES (Top left) An employee of the Shirati Health Center checks on those in need of medical attention. (Top right) Students of the honors journalism and humanitarianism classes take photos of the landscape in Kenya shortly after leaving Tanzania.

(Below) Sarah Jernigan, a second-year communication student, plays with the children at the Nyambogo primary school.

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APRIL 10-16, 2013 — REVIEW — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

THEATER REVIEW

Students perform, stage classic play HOLLY YURCHISON | CONTRIBUTOR For the students in Dramatic Arts for Thespians (DAFT), the whole world is a stage — even a lecture hall.

DAFT is a theater troupe for nondrama students at the University of Cincinnati. The student group organizes and performs a full-length play every year.

“People involved with DAFT come from a wide variety of majors,” said codirector Elena Elder. “I think right now we have majors from every college at UC represented.”

Since DAFT’s creation in 2010, the group has performed “Peter Pan,” a variety show titled “DAFT Acts Out” and successfully mounted the classic, “Arsenic and Old Lace” Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Co-directors Elena Elder, fourth-year secondary English education student, and Kiya Fix, second-year electronic media student, along with their meltingpot cast of student performers, brought genuine suspense and hilarity to Zimmer Auditorium.

The plot entails a pair of spinster aunts whose mission it is to ease the suffering of elderly gentlemen by poisoning them with their homemade elderberry wine and burying them in the cellar.

The aunts, played by Emma Seymour, first-year psychology student, and Rachel Krallman, second-year social work student, delighted the audience with their matter of fact attitudes and gentle mannerisms.

The plot thickens when their nephew Mortimer, played by Cody Hendershot, second-year English student, discovers the aunt’s mischievous activities.

Mortimer is superbly shocked, alarmed, angered and eventually relieved when everything works out in the end after one very long night in the Brewster household.

Austin Jutte, a second-year psychology student, is perfectly cast as the sinister Jonathan Brewster, Mortimer’s brother.

Jonathan further complicates the plot with his own murderous intentions. Jutte brought the brooding, malevolent and homicidal Jonathan to life on stage.

Natalie Brdar, second-year English

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student, perfected the character of Elaine Harper with her attention-grabbing stage presence and strong dramatic flair.

Elder and Fix, both made highly amusing cameo appearances as two dead bodies in the window seat.

Overall, DAFT provided an entertaining performance.

The less-than-ideal acoustics in Zimmer Auditorium made it hard to hear the performers who are not accustomed to projecting their voices.

Audience members seated in the fifth row had an especially hard time hearing during the first act.

The performers seemed to warm up quickly. As the play progressed and the action picked up, so did their volume.

All performers appeared at ease with the material and the show only had a few slight pauses for dropped lines.

This group of performers and technicians has a lot going for it. They put on a full-length play with limited resources. DAFT relies on grants to pay for things like props, set pieces and advertising. The funding for “Arsenic and Old Lace” came from a diversity grant.

“The Diversity Grant funds events that promote diversity around campus,” Elder said. “We received the grant because of the diverse nature of our cast, some of the gender bending roles that we decided to have for the show and because the show was open to anyone who wished to come, drawing a diverse crowd.”

Because of funding from the grant, Zimmer Auditorium’s inadequate conditions for a theater production were made workable with breakaway backdrops and set pieces that could be quickly removed for daytime classes.

For this once-a-year production, it was well done.

DAFT meets every week to work on projects, learn from guest speakers, view other local theater productions and have fun.

“This year we have also started to try offering workshops,” Elder said. “And we hope to expand next year and offer some different things.”

DAFT is always interested in new members. Check them out on Facebook at www.facebook/dafttheater.

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All apartment rental/sublet advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

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REMEMBER THAT TIME ON SPRING BREAK IN ORLANDO BACK IN ’84?

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APRIL 10-16, 2013 — FOOD — NEWSRECORD.ORG — FOR THE RECORD

Food

Yard House provides diverse menu

Upscale sports bar opened newest location in March, offers more than 130 menu items including American-fusion cuisine, vegetarian dishes

emily begley | senior reporter Yard House officially opened its newest location at The Banks March 24, introducing Cincinnati to the restaurant’s extensive menu, friendly staff and impressive atmosphere.

The Yard House experience is accompanied by a fun and casual atmosphere.

The restaurant could best be described as an upscale sports bar, a feel created by dim lighting, faux candles and wide-screen television conveying news and sporting events.

A great selection of classic rock music can also be heard through a contemporary stereo system.

Towering windows create a beautiful view of Cincinnati guests can enjoy during their meal.

The building also has an indoor patio — an excellent addition to the experience in the spring and summer months.

Offering more than 130 menu items of American-fusion cuisine, guests are not limited when choosing their meal. Options include a wide variety of appetizers, pizzas, burgers, pastas, steaks and sandwiches.

The spinach cheese dip is a highly recommended way to begin any meal at Yard House. Baked with feta, jack, parmesan and cream cheese, the rich dip is made even more delicious with crispy flatbread.

The dish’s crunchy texture is almost addictive, making the challenge of saving room for an entrée difficult, but well worth it.

Among the many highlights of Yard House is its diverse vegetarian menu. There are Vegetarian options throughout the menu, making it simple for vegetarians to select a meal without the burden of altering components of the dish to make it meatless.

Using gardein chicken and beef substitutes, vegetarians can enjoy many of the restaurant’s dishes with

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meat alternatives made from soy, wheat, vegetables, pea proteins and ancient grains.

Although the concept of meat alternatives tends to raise eyebrows, the gardein chicken used in the mac and cheese dish is nearly indecipherable from the real deal.

The taste and texture are almost identical to chicken, making the meal a particularly appealing choice for vegetarians.

In the delectable dish, wild mushrooms and truffle oil compliment campanelle pasta, cheddar and parmesan.

The ingredients create a delicious combination and put a unique twist on traditional macaroni and cheese.

An elongated bar lies at the heart of the building, where guests can be seen enjoying a wide range of lagers and ales. The beer menu features more than 100 tap handles, adding to the restaurant’s unique appeal.

Friendly staff also makes a significant contribution to the restaurant’s appeal.

Waiters are particularly attentive and polite, genuinely attempting to ensure the comfort and satisfaction of guests.

Empty plates are taken away as soon as they are pushed aside, and staff members are more than willing to provide their personal opinions and suggestions in regard to the menu.

One drawback of Yard House is marginally expensive prices. For an appetizer and two entrées for a party of two, the bill totaled about $60.

Entrée salads, pizzas, burgers and sandwiches range from about $10 to $15, while seafood, steaks and ribs fall between about $20 and $30.

The restaurant is a wonderful choice for special occasions, but the cost is a little high for a spontaneous dinner for two.

Regardless of the occasion, however, Yard House’s excellent food, appealing atmosphere and friendly staff make it difficult to leave feeling anything but satisfied.

EMILY BEGLEY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER