Buzz Magazine: Jan. 24, 2013 by Buzz Magazine

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VOL11 NO3

January 24, 2013

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album review

calendar

movie review

sci-fi books

e d i to r ’s N ot e

Sama n t h a ba ka l l

What buzz thinks of A$AP Rocky's Long.Live.A$AP.

Your guide to this week's events in CU.

Should you make Gangster Squad a priority?

on readbuzz.com Buzz and Savoy 16’s

Academy Awards Contest

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Interested in seeing a play? Check out the “stage” section of A&E for reviews of the latest hit theater productions, including the most recent of The Goodman Theatre’s Other Desert Cities. FOOD & DRINK: In preparation for Restaurant Week, head on over to the Food and Drink archives of readbuzz.com to catch up on the features we’ve written about Wedge, 301 Mongolia and Big Grove Tavern.

MOVIES & TV: Now is the perfect time to rediscover our column Hidden Gems. The latest gems include the films Separate Tables and Five Easy Pieces.

COMMUNITY: Y’all ready for this? We’re pumpin’ up da jamz this week on readbuzz.com

1ST PRIZE = 52 MOVIE PASSES

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Vote at Savoy 16 or visit readbuzz.com/academyawards

MUSIC: Come check out a new Music Mentalist; this week we’re reviewing Eighth Notes and

2 buzz January 24-30, 2013

Quarter Rests!

While perusing the many wondrous corners of the web, I came across an article from Thought Catalog (Don’t judge. I know all of you have read articles from there.) Unlike most of their articles that are self-reassuring, ego-rebuilding and sometimes true to the heart, this one was a gem: “Read These Hilarious Amazon Reviews For A Banana Slicer.” Genius. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between what’s real on the internet and what’s totally fake (See numerous responses to The Onion articles). This one was too good to be true. Surely the writers at Thought Catalog couldn’t be this funny? “‘Use a knife!’ they say. Well ... my parole officer won’t allow me to be around knives. ‘Shoot it with a gun!’ Background check.. HELLO!” SW3K said. “What can I say about the 571B Banana Slicer that hasn’t already been said about the wheel, penicillin, or the iPhone ... this is one of the greatest inventions of all time,” Mrs. Toledo said, in her comment titled “Saved my marriage.” “The curve of this product is directly proportional to my penis. I recently tied this to my package and used it as a slap chop for bananas. thanks banana slicer,” Pen15 chimed in. WHAT! This thing slices bananas. This had to be fake. Or was it? So I did some investigating on Amazon.com and sure enough, the first comment on the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer page was by our same law abiding citizen, SW3K. Except Thought Catalog left out the best part: The resolution to his/her errant behavior that is so like Thought Catalog to include — “No longer consumed by seething anger and animosity towards thickskinned yellow fruit, I was able to concentrate on my love of theatre and am writing a musical play about two lovers from rival gangs that just try to make it in the world. I think I’ll call it South Side Story. Banana slicer ... thanks to you, I see greatness on the horizon.” Naturally, one would assume that there is just a plethora of people with way too much time on their hands trolling the reviews page, which is totally fine with me. This is comedic relief at its finest, because I’m sure somewhere amidst the goofy, trolly, unrealistic and totally false 2,396 reviews, I’m willing to bet there’s one really funny true one. As a side note: No report on the validity (couldn’t find it, yet) of Pen15’s comment yet on Amazon’s page, but one can only assume that that one is wholly legitimate.

The only way this could be better is if there was a little gremlin swimming in it

HEADS UP!

LIKES, GRIPES & YIKES LIKES LIKE Evan Lyman

ARTISTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT BY THOMAS THOREN The newest art exhibit at the University YMCA, titled “Artists on the Environment,” kicks off Thursday, Jan. 24. It will feature the work of local artists Molly Briggs, Glen Davies and Viktoria Ford. Their work will be on display in Murphy Gallery beginning at 6:30 p.m., with a talk by the artists at 7 p.m. and the event ending at 8 p.m. The exhibit, located at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, is free and open to the public. The art will be on display daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Feb. 23. The gallery is part of the University YMCA’s “Art @ the Y” series, and aims to “explore the topic of the environment through [the artists’] individual painting styles and subject matter,” according to the YMCA website. “Each offers a unique vision that invites the viewer to explore their own relationship to the world around them and the ecological challenges of the day.” The artists’ work has appeared in galleries and exhibits ranging from Krannert Art Museum to the Art Institute of Chicago. Whatever usually brings you to the Y, be it a deep appreciation for the environment through your membership in SECS or just an empty stomach waiting for a Thai food lunch, you now have an extra reason to make a trip there and appreciate this community’s capabilities.

BUZZ STAFF

COVER DESIGN Tyler Schmidt EDITOR IN CHIEF Samantha Bakall MANAGING EDITOR Nick Martin ART DIRECTOR Michael Zhang ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Tyler Schmidt COPY CHIEF Jordan Ramos PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Zach Dalzell IMAGE EDITOR Nick Martin PHOTOGRAPHERS Constantin Roman DESIGNERS Yoojin Hong, Chelsea Choi MUSIC EDITOR Evan Lyman FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Jasmine Lee MOVIES & TV EDITOR Joyce Famakinwa ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Jessica Bourque COMMUNITY EDITOR Tom Thoren CU CALENDAR D.J. Dennis COPY EDITORS Neal Christensen, Karl Schroeder DISTRIBUTION Brandi and Steve Wills STUDENT SALES MANAGER Molly Lannon PUBLISHER Lilyan J. Levant

TALK TO BUZZ ON THE WEB www.readbuzz.com EMAIL buzz@readbuzz.com WRITE 512 E. Green St., Champaign, IL 61820 CALL 217.337.3801

We reserve the right to edit submissions. buzz will not publish a letter without the verbal consent of the writer prior to publication date. buzz Magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students. © ILLINI MEDIA COMPANY 2012

EVAN LYMAN

Music Editor

Music Editor » James Blake: No, I’m not talking about the tennis player. I’m of course speaking of the 24-year-old British producer/ singer-songwriter whose presence haunted me for almost the entirety of 2011. If you’re not familiar with Blake’s stuff, check him out on Spotify and then go to Exile on Main and ask if they have it, because it’s that great. He’s probably a headphone artist, although much of his music can easily be enjoyed with others in a more relaxed setting. Perhaps my favorite thing about Blake’s music is that it’s so current. It’s digital. He occasionally uses auto-tune. But like his friend and collaborator Bon Iver, Blake’s ability to use these state of the art tools to convey emotion is top notch. And that’s why we listen to music, right? Because listening to James Blake, it’s impossible not to feel what he’s feeling: pain. GRIPES GRIPES Nick Martin

NICK MARTIN

Managing Editor

Managing editor » Sneak Dissers: If you’re going to talk stuff, don’t go crouching around like a ninja, sneakily dissing me at every turn. Say it to my face, lady-dog. If you think my shirts are stupid because they’re always stained with grease, just say it. If you’re gonna say my hair is lopsided because I cut it myself, just fudging say it! If you think my glasses are too loose and that’s why they’re always falling off my head, be a man and say it out loud, to my face and body, assface! I’m sick and tired of people posting YouTube comments about me or Instagramming my face and making it into a meme called “Gross Guy,” who’s always doing hilariously whimsical, gross stuff. ENOUGH WITH THE POOP TALK. MY GUNS ARE FUN AND THEY’RE ABOUT TO BE THE ONLY ONES!

» Fake Shoes: Shoes? I thought I was supposed to put them on my feet and walk around and all, but you’re telling me these shoes are made out of pita flatbread? These aren’t footwear! These are pita pockets! I’m not putting my shoes in something made for falafel! Once water hits this delicious bread, it will disintegrate, and then what am I to do about dancing shirtless with all of my friends?

» Going to Jail for Gun Possession and Getting Sued for Child Support from an Eighth Grader: Sir Sosa, the Chief of Keef himself is in jail right now. The honest-to-God, actually-not-making-this-upreason is, he had Pitchfork.com film him shooting off an automatic weapon, despite this being a violation of his parole. Worse yet, Keef was recently sued by a 15-year-old girl for birthing one of Keef’s children in 2010 (making Keef 15 at the time, the girl 12). Seems like Mr. Keef should reconsider the negative impact he has on Chicago’s hip-hop community, hmm? Plus, all his beats suck. YOU KNOW THAT’S THAT SHIT I DON’T LIKE! January 24-30, 2013 buzz 3

movies & TV Week of Friday, January 25 – Thursday, January 31, 2013 Rust & Bone (R) 35mm print Fri: 5:00, 7:30 | Sat & Sun: 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 Mon - Thu: 7:30 PM Mulholland Drive (R) David Lynch’s surreal masterpiece in 35mm Fri, Sat: 10:00 PM | Wed, Thur: 10:00 PM 126 W. Church St. Champaign

Take the CUMTD Bus www.theCUart.com

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MON. 1/28 5:00 & 7:00 LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST WED. 1/30 4:25, 5:40, 6:55, 8:10 ONE NIGHT STAND - WED. 1/30 7:30 PM THE BEST OF RIFFTRAX LIVE: PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE - TH. 1/31 7:30 PM

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4 buzz January 24-30, 2013

Snubs and Surprises

Buzz reacts to the 2013 Academy Award nominations

By buzz Movies and T V Staff

he 85th annual Academy Awards nominations have been announced, so it's time to take a closer look at the upsetting and the unexpected.

Snubs

Django Unchained — Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Supporting Actor, Quentin Tarantino for Best Director Django Unchained marks the fifth time DiCaprio has appeared in a Best Picture nominee but has not been nominated himself. He has never won an Oscar. Sure, you can argue that Leo plays his characters with similar affectations, often offering an undifferentiated, anxious enthusiasm. But what if that identical energy is just damn good? Regardless, Calvin Candie marks Leo’s most colorful and unique character role to date. And it’s not every day that the eccentric Tarantino offers you an expertly crafted live-action cartoon to bounce around in. Although he has scored two Best Director nominations in the past, Tarantino was snubbed again, despite dreaming up a ceaselessly bold narrative and splattering it with his fearless, deft control on screen. Django is easily one of his best. If only they could award both men at the same time, with DiCaprio in full Calvin Candie regalia and Tarantino mounted with some of those jelly-flesh explosive effects heBUZZ loves so much. Then we’d really have an award show worth watching. —Ben Mueller THURSDAY JANUARY 24 corp note...keep this same size always This is Not a Film — Documentary Feature Most of the documentary features for the 2013 1 Xcomplete 5.417 with effective approaches season are to serious conflicts that have occurred across 1/8th page the world, and one engaging investigation of an enigma in the music industry. But the absence of NO BUZZ AD 12/27 OR 1/3 any nominations for Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, who illegally shot This is Not a Film while Panahi was under house arrest, is, quite frankly, a damn shame. Faced with a prison sentence of up to six years and a ban on filmmaking, Panahi documents himself, with the help of Mirtahmasb, performing daily activities that revolve around his film career on the line. A bold, creative statement in the face of cruel authority, this is one project that needs the support of artists everywhere to stand behind Panahi and Mirtahmasb so that the right to expression remains a due universal freedom. —Adlai Stevenson Argo - Ben Affleck for Best Director C’mon, man. What does this guy have to do to get the Academy’s attention? Argo is up for Best Picture, but Affleck directed his ass off for this one. In my opinion, it was the most enjoyable movie to watch out of all the other nominees. It was awesome to witness the knuckleheaded friend from Good Will Hunting absolutely kill it in a leading role and have him direct the hell out of an Oscar-nominated film. Steven Spielberg was a no-brainer. Ang Lee did something only a few have done before. But Affleck needs to be up there

Oscar and his family. Used with permission from Ebb and Flow Photography and Creative Commons.

with these guys. Did you see his freaking Golden Globes speech? It was phenomenal. Argo took home best film and best director at the Globes; Affleck deserves some more love from the Academy. This guy is wicked smart. —Patrick Filbin Lawless — Guy Pearce for Best Supporting Actor Yeah, I said it. If any of you have seen this movie and you disagree, then you’re dumb and I hate you. And if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you do. His performance as Deputy Charlie Rakes was my favorite villain of the whole year (yes, including Bane). I haven’t seen Pearce this good since, well, ever. He was the only guy who stood up to Forrest Bondurant (Bane!) and his moonshining brothers just because he believed in the almighty power of a Thompson submachine gun. I understand this was a tough category to sneak into, with the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Alan Arkin and Christoph Waltz. I get that. But De Niro wasn’t even the De Niro we all love and praise. I knew Lawless wouldn’t get as much recognition when it came down to it, but I was super bummed when Pearce didn’t get the nod. —Patrick Filbin

Surprises

Flight – Denzel Washington for Best Actor Flight is one of those films that only works because of its lead actor. To say that Denzel Washington helps carry Flight would be an understatement, because in the hands of a lesser actor it would have crashed faster than the plane. What should be an intense character study of a man who has finally given in to years of alcohol abuse is instead a messy and overwrought soap. Washington more than pulls his own weight, but this nomination is a surprise because the material on the page gives him almost nothing to work with. The script would be better suited for a mid-

season episode of one of those hour-long cop/ detective/law procedural shows that networks like CBS seem so fond of. —Joyce Famakinwa Silver Linings Playbook – Multiple Nominations David O. Russell will return to the Oscars just two years after The Fighter, now with a film that’s received eight nominations. Bradley Cooper plays the mentally troubled Pat, who’s trying to get his past life in order when he meets Tiffany, an unsettled young woman with her own baggage and another impressive, tough turnout from Jennifer Lawrence. Cooper and Lawrence don’t portray themselves to be kooks, but instead as frantic, irascible individuals who require trying measures of patience from their equally messy families. However, that doesn’t take away from its zany humor, even with the foreseeable plot of the movie. But does it deserve to take home its majority share from the Academy? Hard decision. —Adlai Stevenson Beasts of the Southern Wild – Dwight Henry for Best Supporting Actor Everyone is buzzing about the nomination of 9-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis, and while it is her character, Hushpuppy, who brings the viewer into the dreamlike southern bayou known as The Bathtub, it is Dwight Henry as her father, Wink, who pulls the film back to reality. On screen, Henry displays an almost never-ending amount of raw energy that isn’t always pretty to look at. It is a challenging role, but Henry never gives into scene chewing; he focuses on containing this very explosive character. Wink is the kind of role that a veteran actor might struggle with, so this is even more impressive coming from a firsttime actor. The fact that his work is overlooked is simply disappointing. —Joyce Famakinwa

Arts & Entertainment

Earbuds, iPads and cyberspace Five sci-fi novels that accurately predicted the future by Jessica B ourque

The World Set Free by H.G. Wells The novels of H.G. Wells (aka “The Father of Science Fiction”) consistently predicted the ways that science and technology would determine human progress. In his career, Wells effectively predicted World War II, lasers, army tanks and the moon landing, among other things. But perhaps Wells' most eerie prophecy comes from his 1914 novel The World Set Free, in which he predicted atomic warfare and nuclear weapons. Wells had a working knowledge of physics and biology from his university studies and applied this understanding to many of his sci-fi novels, including The World Set Free. In the novel, Wells writes, “Indeed, up to the middle of the twentieth century the only explosives known were combustibles whose explosiveness was due entirely to their instantaneousness; and these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange even to the men who used them.” This is about 30 years before the first real atomic bomb was invented. Because of its uncanny predictions and scientific accuracy, The World Set Free was praised by several in the scientific community years after its release. In fact, physicist Leó Szilárd, the man who invented nuclear chain reactions and founded the Manhattan Project, read and admired The World Set Free in 1932, just one year before he began working on the atomic bomb. Perhaps this is purely coincidental, but who’s to say that Wells’ novel didn’t inspire Szilárd to pursue the creation of the A-bomb?

Neuromancer by William Gibson Neuromancer is a cyberpunk story set in a corporatocracy, or a world controlled by corporate powers, and is considered one of the most important sci-fi works of all time. While its depiction of corporate society is mildly similar to what we have today, it's Neuromancer’s portrayal of “cyberspace” (a word actually coined by Gibson) that is strangely prophetic. Prominent novelists and critics have often argued that the novel created the blueprint for Web development. When Neuromancer was written in the early '80s, the internet existed, but only in a quite primitive form, and the personal computer was a fairly new concept. Gibson introduced the idea of the World Wide Web in Neuromancer, describing in fantastic and accurate detail a global network of computers and data sharing; the World Wide Web as we know it wouldn’t be “invented” until almost a decade later. Gibson foreshadows the “unthinkable complexity” of today’s virtual world, writing, “Cyberspace ... A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system ... Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data.” Granted, Gibson took the idea of cyberspace much further, writing about “jacking in” to a 3-D world through a “deck,” a device equivalent to a modern laptop. However, today’s technological

advances are proving that some of Neuromancer’s more fantastical predictions may not be far off.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke This novel was developed alongside Stanley Kubrick’s cinema masterpiece of the same title and actually wasn’t released until after the film’s debut. While the 1968 novel depicts and predicts a plethora of technological advances, most of them pertaining to space exploration, it seems to be the inspiration behind some beloved Apple products. One of the book and film’s main characters, a supercomputer named HAL 9000, is obviously similar to Apple’s intelligent personal assistant software, Siri. While Siri cannot interpret and reproduce emotions like HAL can (thank goodness!), it can do everything else HAL does. Samsung also accused Apple of “stealing” the idea for the iPad from the film adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The lawsuit points to specific clips from the film in which the two main characters were using personal tablet devices that were very similar to the design and function of the iPad. Arthur wrote about the personal tablet in great detail saying, “He would plug in his foolscap-size newspad into the ship’s information circuit and scan the latest reports from Earth ... He quickly searched the headlines and noted the items that interested him. Each had its own two-digit reference; when he punched that, the postage-stampsize rectangle would expand until it neatly filled the screen.”

one of the largest disseminators of news.) Fahrenheit 451 also depicts a population saturated and obsessed with media; given that research has proven that Americans spend on average five hours in front of the TV, three hours online and one hour on their phones per day, it’s safe to say that Bradbury was right about this as well. Another, more obscure, prediction Bradury

makes in the novel is the invention of earbuds, or as he calls them, “thimble radios tamped tight.” Characters in Fahrenheit 451 use these “thimble radios” at all hours of the day, putting them in their ears to access “an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind.”

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson Colonizing Mars has long been a topic of sci-fi novels, but Red Mars provides the most scientifically grounded and eerily accurate depiction of Mars colonization. For the novel, Robinson conducted extensive research, looking into every aspect of Mars’ climate and topography to see exactly what it would take to head an expedition and sustain life on Mars. In the novel, Robinson explains his research in painstaking detail, down to the formation of specific volcanoes. Mind you, this novel was written years before NASA or any other space exploration corporation had even attempted a Mars expedition. While there haven’t been any colonizers on Mars just yet, several corporations have began funding projects to do just that. This idea that corporations are on the forefront of Mars colonization was also pioneered by Robinson, who had a conglomerate of corporations fund his characters’ expedition in Red Mars.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Bradbury’s famous 1953 novel focuses on the death of books, the decline of print media in general and America’s obsession with media. As far as predictions go, Bradbury’s idea that newspapers will die as society craves shorter, headline-based news is spot-on (Twitter is now

Typical day in space. Used with permission by Per Olof Forsberg and Creative Commons.

January 24-30, 2013 buzz 5

food & drink

bottles of beer on the wall

Home brewing ales and lagers

by Jasmine Lee

n the last five to 10 years, the craft beer movement has taken over the beer drinking scene. Taste and quality is now preferred over branding and quantity. Small batches of beer that emphasize locality, personality and authenticity appeal to drinkers who like a nice dose of history and theory alongside their glass of ice cold brew. Even food has its sustainability movement – it’s only fair that beer enthusiasts get to develop an inventive niche of their own. As such, the current trends in beer riffs off that focus on artisan craftsmanship and individuality: home brewing. Yes, that’s right, people of all shapes and sizes are boiling, brewing and bottling their own concoctions of malt, water, hops and yeast. This do-it-yourself venture ranges from introductory how-to kits that can be found online or at any fancy kitchen supply store, to extensively researched methods and brewingspecific equipment. To be fair, this current interest in home brewing isn’t a newfangled idea. Home brewing has existed since ancient times, and we’re all pretty familiar with Prohibition and its legends of illegal bathtub brewing. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter re-legalized craft brewing, effectively opening up the market for home brewing, and voila, here we are today. But let’s turn to some recent home brewing converts to hear what they have to say about their experiences: self-professed beer snob Zack Sasnow, first year graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, and buzz’s own Tyler Schmidt, a senior in art design as well as the magazine’s Assistant Art Director. Both men are beer lovers, wading through all of its varieties and offerings since they’ve turned 21, and both have had their share of the good, the bad and the “OH MY GOD” moments as they’ve embarked on the home brewing path. » buzz: Can you explain what is so appealing about beer? » Sasnow: It’s like coffee or wine or anything else like that, it’s kind of a thing you acquire a taste for. I’ve been buying beer routinely since I turned 21. There’s a huge difference between the people who like beer versus people who like home brewing beer. The craft beer versus your usual Bud Light [and] Natty Light – there’s a huge difference I feel that a lot of people don’t know that. It can be a little daunting. Craft beer can be a more artistic process, there’s a lot more to it, the ingredients are a lot more varied; it’s got a heavy dose of snobbery in it as well. I hated the taste of beer the first time I tried it, but after a while you start finding beers you like you try more similar to that and it just broadens your [taste] and I can basically drink anything other than Bud or Miller and find something to be happy about. » Schmidt: I started getting into beer when I turned 21. I knew there was a lot of beer I didn’t really care for, but I also knew there were a lot of different types of beer I had never even tried. That led to trying more craft breweries, which can be more experimental with their ingredients and flavors. Beer in its essence is cold oatmeal tea.

6 buzz January 24-30, 2013

The flavors are derived from the types of sugars, grains, hops or other ingredients the brewery put in it. The biggest appeal of beer to me is the complexity of it. There are a bunch of different flavors you can find in a single bottle. For example, I had a bottle of Newcastle Werewolf the other day and it had sweet caramel flavors that moved to have some sour bites of fruit mixing in, as well as the bitterness of coffee toward the end. Every beer has a different flavor, go with different foods and have a different drinking experience. I prefer beer to liquor basically for the more variety of options available. I’ve never really enjoyed the flavors of most spirits without having to mix in several other liquids to change the taste. Beer is just fine by itself. » buzz: What compelled you to start home brewing? What keeps you interested in it? » Sasnow: Um, from my perspective, I’m really DIY about everything – I’ve built my own bike, I’ve built my own computer. I just like making things on my own, so for me, I like beer, I like building things on my own, I like cooking. So it really combines – why don’t I make my own? And my roommates, actually, one of them got a kit for Christmas, so I kind of piggybacked off of him and we used it, and I started buying my own stuff, and now I basically have my own equipment. It’s a good idea to have dedicated equipment for beer, because anything you start using for multiple things, it’ll start affecting the taste. But your basic kit will come with a plastic bucket to ferment the beer in, some basic things like a spoon, a thermometer, you usually have to buy your own pot, because you need a giant pot to boil the beer in, but aside from that, there’s a billion things you can buy, the more advanced you get. There are forums online, they’ve got giant 10-gallon kettles and they do things on an outside propane burner. It goes anywhere from basically heating stuff up and pouring it into a jug to 10-gallon kegs and a room dedicated to it. Kits are just basically a bucket, spoon and a couple other things – real bare bones. I’ve kind of stopped following recipes. The thing about beer is basically it’s malt, water, hops and yeast in some way, shape or form. So a lot of recipes, obviously there’s a lot of varieties of malt you use, a lot of varieties of hops you can use and yeast is a huge thing, too. The thing about following recipes, it’s good if you want to get an idea for how style of beer is made or if you want to mimic something you’ve found at a store, but I like to screw around with it. Like, I’ve recently started making beer with jalapenos in it. So, I mean, if you want to start deviating like it, recipes aren’t that useful. And since I’m an engineer, I tend to get interested in that kind of stuff. » Schmidt: It was really just something I had been wanting to try for a while. My dad brewed for a bit when I was really young, I had watched a few documentaries about it as well and my cousin began brewing his own beer a year beforehand. I really wanted to brew to just try it out and see what I could do. You should consider trying it if you like beer and want to try making one for a

Beer brewing ingredients. Photo credit, Zack Sasnow.

specific type you like, or want to experiment and create new flavors. You only need to look toward downtown Champaign to find a home brewer done good. Destihl’s CEO Matt Potts, who ditched the lawyer trade after realizing a passion for home brewing, is the company’s Brewmaster. The company’s website explains that in 1995, Potts’ wife gifted him a home brew kit for Christmas, and much like Sasnow and Schmidt, he fell in love with the technical and creative process. He then “traded in his briefcase for a mash paddle, went to brewing school and opened the first Destihl in 2007.” See those giant copper barrels taking up prime window real estate? All the beer served in the restaurant is their own, which is brewed at both their main Normal and Champaign locations, allowing for a staggering 65 varieties rotated day in and day out. Skip down the block to Dublin O’Neil’s, and there is another home brewer by the name of Josh Huddleston, operations manager for the bar and restaurant. In addition to his extensive knowledge and experience in commercial brewery, Huddleston also dabbles in home brewing with his brother-in-law. He even is a member of the Buzz Brew Club, Champaign-Urbana’s own community of home brewers. When I went in to talk with Huddleston, he was in the midst of planning for Restaurant Week, meticulously and democratically discussing the menu with the bartender. That eye and concern for detail also applies to his interests in making beer at home. He nods and says, “I enjoy the his-

tory and the theory and the philosophy, I enjoy trying to replicate something that is commercially out on the market. A lot of beer is chemistry, so that depends on altitude, so you do things to adjust the acidity of the water or the minerals of the water to try to replicate it to the area. I think that’s another unique part of it.”

How to home brew beer, as told to buzz by Tyler Schmidt

Take your grains and put them into a cheese cloth and seep them in a pot of boiling water for about an hour. Take out the grains. The remaining water is called the mash. Add the mash to another boiling pot of water with malt extract or sugars as well as hops. Hops are what give beer the bitter flavor and aromas. You add different hops in at different times; for example, you add hops that bitter the beer in at the beginning of the second boil, while you would add the aroma hops toward the end of the boil process. After an hour, you need to cool the mixture, called wort, down to about 90 degrees. You then siphon your wort into a carboy, which is basically a giant glass jug, and add yeast. The yeast eats the sugar in the wort and converts it into the necessary sugar that will turn your liquid into beer. You then cap the carboy with an airlock and let it sit for at least two weeks. After that, you can chose to transfer to a secondary fermenter carboy for additional time or choose to bottle it. It’s basically a big waiting game with a day or two of work.

2 3 4

community

Driving the Future Home

Late night MTD driver Linda Jayne protects and lends a shoulder for University students by Brendan Denison

lack shoes in one hand and a smartphone in the other, a lone young woman was crying at the corner of Goodwin Avenue and Gregory Drive at 3:45 on a wet Sunday morning. Linda Jayne stopped her white van at the intersection and saw her through the windshield. It was a cold night, and the girl was dressed only in a denim jacket, a black shirt and a short, black mini skirt. Jayne rolled her window down and called out to her in a strong Southern drawl, “Hey, honey, where ya headed?” The girl replied with an address in the southwest area of campus, and Jayne opened the van’s tall glass doors for her. The girl boarded without hesitation and sat in a gray leather seat two rows back before her eyes disappeared into her cell phone. Between sniffles, she muttered that she got into a fight with a guy earlier that night. Jayne’s route, 335 SafeRides, is a limited MTD service that taxis up to three people anywhere around campus outside the standard bus routes, providing them with an alternative to walking alone at night. Normally her passengers are required to call to schedule a pickup, but sometimes on busy weekends, unscheduled passengers are hailed to Jayne’s van when her judgment sees fit.

Linda Jayne is a Safe Rides driver. Photo by Constantine Roman.

“We keep our eyes open out here,” Jayne said, peering back through her rearview mirror. She wears large, oval glasses with thin, metal rims and a red MTD polo shirt. Her thick, brown ponytail falls to her waist, hidden from the sight of most passengers, who rarely see her standing. At 56 years old, her wispy holler ripples to the back of her van as if her own two boys were seated behind her. Jayne has seen plenty during her four years with SafeRides, but she sure hasn’t seen everything yet. “Even on the same street, your little world expands every day,” Jayne said. “So there’s a new light over there, or a new fence, or that got torn down. Every day, you expand, you grow and you learn, and life just always gets better.” Born in Jacksonville, Fla., and raised in the outbacks around Tallahassee, Fla., Jayne spent her childhood working on cars with her uncle. She couldn’t find work as a female mechanic in the private sector, so she enlisted in the Air Force and became an aircraft mechanic. “Can’t stop me now!” Jayne said, reminiscing. She moved to central Illinois in 1979 after she was honorably discharged, then met her current husband, Jim, after adopting a cat from his

aunt. She did building maintenance, delivered newspapers, worked at Solo Cup Company and managed a Wendy’s for three years. She had been driving a Schwan’s grocery delivery van for five years when one of her customers, a bus driver, suggested she apply for an MTD job. Jayne began working in 2005, and spent several years driving various routes before settling in with SafeRides in 2008. “There’s a lot of variety here,” Jayne said. “It keeps you from getting bored.” Although she had heard plenty of horror stories from coworkers about belligerent, drunken SafeRiders, Jayne found driving a regular bus route too boring. After getting to know dozens of frequent SafeRide passengers, Jayne has refined a natural exuberance for meeting new people and learning something new each night. “If you love me, then you see me as being enthusiastic,” Jayne said. “If you don’t love me, you see me as being obsessive.” She ensures passengers’ safety by asking them exactly which address they’re heading to and dropping them off closer to home and away from busy intersections. “Thanks for playing!” Jayne says whenever a passenger disembarks. She knows that any evening, Tuesday through Saturday, could bring a wild crowd. She is assigned the southwest sector of campus, which covers the Six Pack dorms near Memorial Stadium and the bars on Green Street. Delightfully joining in on the fun and laughter, she regards all the drunken jolliness as free entertainment. “I’m always telling my kids out here, if I didn’t pick on you, you’d think I didn’t love ya,” Jayne said. “But I’m a mom, so I just pick on everybody.” Joking aside, she will also sense when a rider is too quiet and will provide a concerned ear, asking if anything is wrong. “Sometimes, the kids just need someone to talk to,” Jayne said. Most conversations are congenial small talk, although others take unexpected turns. After hearing one student’s name, Micah Tryva, Jayne asked, “I haven’t heard a name like that before. What’s it from?” Tryva explained that her first name was taken from the Bible and her last name was given by her adoptive father, but she’s really Spanish, Mexican and Italian. “Bless your heart, honey, you got all kinds of culture up there,” Jayne said. “Thank God there was somebody that wanted you and needed you.” “Right, exactly,” Tryva replied. Jayne asked if she had any brothers or sisters, and Tryva said she has a half-sister she has known since she was 4. “I don’t think she counts as half if she’s just adopted you,” Jayne said. “That’s full sister there.” Other nights, students spark random conversation all on their own.

“Hey, how’s your night going?” asked John Cole, a bearded graduate student on his way home from work on a Saturday night just after 11. “I don’t know if this is the case out here, but where I come from, the late night buses that you have to call, we always called those the drunk buses. I assume you got a lot of people and students you have to accommodate.” “There’s not a person on here who’s drunk,” Jayne said. “There’s no one on here drunk right now, and for the most part I can pick up 60 kids and maybe six of them are drinking. I’m picking up kids like you.” Jayne has met many hard workers over the years, from freshmen to graduate students completing their Ph.D degrees. She’ll make plenty of pickups at Temple Hoyne Buell Hall on Sixth Street, which provides studio space for art students. On one quiet Wednesday night, she picked up London Walter, an urban planning major who had been working until midnight. “I just finished a project, so now I need a drink!” he said. When she was between the ages of 18 and 21, Jayne was “happy and drinking,” too, although she added, “I also had to work 40 hours a week and take care of myself. I was trying to make sure I kept the lights turned on and food in the house.” Although Jayne didn’t attend college, she knows just how hard it can be to give up on an education. Before she enlisted, she began taking classes to become a physical therapist while volunteering at a children’s home, but quit after her first semester. “Failure isn’t the problem,” Jayne said. “Everybody fails, and you have to forgive yourself for that.” Jayne was once called out to north campus by a group of students who had found a girl passed out behind some bushes. She got the girl awake and on board, but when they were in the heart of campus, the girl suddenly demanded that Jayne open the van’s doors. “I opened the door because I thought she needed some air and was going to throw up,” Jayne said. “But when I did, she ran.” Instead of running toward her house, she ran toward the Quad, into an area Jayne didn’t have access to. She called the police, and the girl was found and transported to Provena Covenant Medical Center for alcohol poisoning treatment. Later that night, Jayne picked the same girl up again to take her home from the hospital. Yet when she asked her what happened, the girl didn’t remember passing out behind the bushes, or even being on SafeRides. Jayne didn’t bother telling her that she had been on her van earlier. “No sense in upsetting her anymore,” she said. Even though she never saw the student again, Jayne still hopes the girl can be safe in the future. “You have bad days, but life always gets better,” Jane said. January 24-30, 2013 buzz 7

MUSIC

CATCHING UP WITH DJ BELLY

CU mainstay talks Urban Love Hymns, trap and where he's going next BY JOEY FIGUEROA

Belly (aka Kevin Miller) has made a name for himself around CU and has become one of the most well-known and hardest working DJs in the area. He’s been a mainstay at the recent Pygmalion Festivals and has rocked other high profile musical festivals such as North Coast and Summer Camp. You can normally catch him at local spots like Cowboy Monkey and High Dive. Recently, buzz sat down with DJ Belly. » buzz: So how did that Big Freedia collaboration come about? » Belly: Well, I’ve kind of been pushing that style of music in my DJ sets. The event organizer reached out to me when he booked Big Freedia and knew that I have been playing that kind of stuff. It was actually supposed to happen last year, but it ended up not working out. »buzz: What first got you into making music, since you do the different genres? » Belly: The first music I did was definitely hip-hop. That was really what got me hooked on doing the DJ thing. But then after a couple years, I started hearing the dubstep sound and got into doing that more, and did that primarily for a while. Now, I kind of just do a little bit of everything. » buzz: Going through your website, you have some

new trap mixes, which is kind of the sound right now. Would you say you try to adapt to the sound? » Belly: It’s funny because when I first got into dubstep, I kind of did the Trap stuff that’s coming out now, like deep bass lines and similar drum patterns. I kind of veered away from that the more dubstep got more popular, but when Trap started gaining popularity, I was like okay, cool. Because it’s more like hip hop, so when I do house parties around, I’d play that dirty south style. » buzz: What happened to that Dubstep Masquerade show you used to do? » Belly: After a couple years of doing the dubsteponly show, we decided it was just a little too much for the crowd. The vibe wasn’t really the same when we first stating doing it, so we don’t do that particular party. » buzz: So, in 2010 you released Urban Love Hymns. Is that your only full-length album? » Belly: Well, that was a really limited run of like 100 discs, I did CD only. I was going to put out an album for free download online, but the songs I would use are already up for free download. There’s other stuff I’m holding back on to put out. Right now, I’ve just been putting out little singles or tracks I’ve remixed or even a small EP from time to time that I throw out there to keep

DJ Belly scratchin' the cats. Used with permission from DJ Belly.

pushing more content instead of just working on an entire album and not really having any stuff come out for a while. » buzz: So when you make a track or a mix, it’s more for your live shows instead of solely to put out an album or something? » Belly: Yeah, I use them for shows, and then I throw them on my SoundCloud page for free download. So yeah, I haven’t been working on a full album per se. There’s a couple things I’ve started to work on, but we’re looking at late 2013 until those are put together. Exhibitions Opening Thursday, January 24, 2013 Private Members’ Reception 5–6 pm Public Opening Reception 6–7 pm (museum open until 9 pm) Blind Field Jacob Lawrence Processing the Everyday Moshekwa Langa For complete descriptions of exhibitions, programs, events, and sponsors, visit kam.illinois.edu.

8 buzz January 24-30, 2013

» buzz: Since you do so many types of music, do you have any particular genre that you like to make the most? » Belly: It just depends on how I’m feeling when I make the song. I’ve totally liked making one style, it’s just like, “I kind of feel like making a hip hop track today." Sometimes I’ll make downtempo indie kind of stuff or sometimes I’ll make pumped up, party-style or heavier dubstep stuff. DJ Belly hosts Open Decks at Radio Maria on Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

Krannert art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Fine and Applied Arts 500 East Peabody Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 217 333 1861

Spring 2013 ExhibitionS Exhibition S Krannert art MuseuM

Image: Cao Guimarães and Carolina Cordeiro, Campo Cego (Blind Field) (detail), 2008. C-print. Courtesy Galeria Nara Roesler. © Cao Guímarães and Carolina Cordeiro.

music

A$ap Rocky - Long.Live.A$ap

album review

Harlem internet sensation releases near-perfect debut

ack in the summer of 2011, a virtually unknown kid from Harlem named Rakim Mayers had everyone asking questions. Why is this dude from New York trying to sound like he’s from Houston? Why are there so many white girls in this dude’s music video about swag, drugs and being trill? Why is this dude rocking French braids? Who the hell is A$AP Rocky? All eyes were on this young, fresh, grill-wearing face and, despite much skepticism, Rocky took advantage of his newfound fame and took hiphop to a whole new level. Rocky rode the success of his highly anticipated and analyzed debut mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP to snag a wide array of feature spots alongside the likes of Swizz Beatz, Rihanna and T.I. throughout 2012. After various heartbreaking delays, the prolific Harlem rapper’s debut album, Long.Live.A$AP has arrived to kick off the new year. It is a game changer to say the least. Rocky’s songs often offer up dark, gritty content comparable to the likes of NWA and other early gangster rap. He has mastered both the rapid, relentless Midwestern flow and its drawn-out Houston counterpart, and he never skimps on the

calendar

low-pitched, distorted voice effects that would make DJ Screw bob his head. He also exemplifies the flashy and stylish persona of a NYC rapper. He has combined some of the best features of East Coast, West Coast and Southern hip hop, and the end result is his own unique style that remains consistent despite the wide range of influences. After accepting a $3 million contract from RCA Records, some were concerned Rocky would stray from his unique style, but he does a great job of maintaining his niche while also tailoring a few songs to match mainstream preferences. The first two official singles off the album are both catchy, radio-friendly songs that show Rocky’s trademark style and can please a large audience. Rocky navigates through the bubbly, fast-paced, hit-boy produced “Goldie” with ease by switching up flows on the dime while bragging about the reasons he must have so many haters. “Fuckin’ Problems” features the star studded cast 2 Chainz, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but Rocky holds his own. The other obvious choice for a potential radio hit is the Skrillex collaboration, “Wild for the Night.” Skrillex does his thing with the rapid, bone rattling synthesizers while Rocky

by Joey Figueroa

★★★★✩ utilizes his brisk, Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony-esque flow to create an electric banger that is sure to be the new rager theme song. One of the best parts of the album, especially for returning A$AP Rocky fans, is the familiar collaboration with Clams Casino. He offers production on “LVL” and “Hell,” which features Santigold. Rocky hooks up with another frequent collaborator on “PMW (All I Really Need)” as he goes bar for bar with Schoolboy Q about the necessities in life over a bass heavy, snare driven instrumental by T-Minus. And speaking of collaborations, one of the main highlights of the album is the HitBoy produced “1 Train” to which Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T. all lend a hand to make a monstrous track that also boasts wailing strings, thumping piano melodies and an old school drum loop that forces each MC to bring his best flow. While Long.Live.A$AP has all the hottest features, Rocky saves his most meaningful bars for his solo tracks. He speaks about the connection between religion and the not-so-righteous parts of his life on “Phoenix,” goes almost entirely a cappella without a blink on “Suddenly,” and

A$AP Rocky performing at Coachella, 2012. Used with permission by Wikipedia Commons and Creative Commons.

scares away all the haters on the dark and violent “Jodye.” With his winning personality, relentless devotion to his own Harlem-based crew (A$AP Mob) and unparalleled fashion sense, A$AP Rocky bleeds hip-hop culture and is one of the undisputed leaders of the new school.

January 24 - 30, 2013

Submit your event to the calendar: Online: Click "Submit Your Event" at the217.com • E-mail: send your notice to calendar@the217.com • Fax: 337-8328, addressed to the217 calendar Snail mail: send printed materials via U.S. Mail to: the217 calendar, Illini Media, 512 E. Green St., Champaign, IL 61820 • Call: 531-1456 if you have a question or to leave a message about your event.

thursday 24

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Live music & karaoke Station Theatre, 8pm Johannes Brahms’ In- Russian National Balstrumental Music with let Theatre: Swan Lake Krannert Center for Piano: Ian Hobson Performing Arts, 7pm Smith Memorial Hall 7:30pm Chillax with DJ Belly friday 25 and Matt Harsh Movies & theater Radio Maria, 10pm Krannert Uncorked Bloody Bloody Andrew Krannert Center for Jackson Performing Arts, 5pm Station Theatre, 8pm

Miscellaneous CUcomedy.com’s Comedy Karaoke The Clark Bar, 9pm Cosmopolitan Club University YMCA 7pm

Movies & theater CU Film Society’s Visiting Filmmaker Series: Cory McAbee’s Crazy & Thief Art Theater 7:30pm

Saturday 26 Live music & karaoke

Movies & theater

Abe Froman Project Bloody Bloody Andrew Mike N’ Molly’s, 8:30pm Jackson Station Theatre, 8pm tuesday 29

sunday 27

Miscellaneous

Food & festivals

Tuesday Night Trivia Jupiter’s at the Crossing 7pm

Industry Night Radio Maria, 10pm

Live music & karaoke Cleveland Quartet Award Winner: Jasper String Quartet Krannert Center for Performing Arts, 3pm

Salsa Night with DJ Juan Radio Maria, 10:30pm Numinous Flesh Concert Indi Go Artist Co-op 3pm

Movies & theater

Miscellaneous

Lounge Night Radio Maria, 10pm Hootenanny Rosebowl Tavern, 8pm

Shoe Stories Spurlock Museum 1:30pm

Wednesday 30 Food & festivals Caribbean Grill Lunch to Go Refinery, 11am

Live music & karaoke

Irish Music Session Bloody Bloody Andrew Dublin O’Neil’s 8:30pm Jackson Open Decks with DJ Station Theatre, 8pm Belly Radio Maria, 10pm monday 28

Live music & karaoke Movies & theater Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Station Theatre 8pm January 24-30, 2013 buzz 9

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magazine

Does your period look like this?

TASTE FOR THE WICKED Sticky sweet desserts undergo the dark treatment

jonesin’

by Matt Jones

“Pass/Fail” -- you’d better pass!

by Sherry Yua n

Hansel and Gretel. Used with permission by Bloody Disgusting and Creative Commons.

an alternate fairy tale realm where Hansel warns, “Don’t eat the f#$%ing candy,” and Gretel equips herself with a crossbow, the classic Brothers Grimm tale takes a turn for the gory in the action thriller Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. While the traditional tale incorporates a baked wicked witch alongside a life-sized gingerbread house, the Grimm siblings also had a penchant for the violent. What other stock storybook characters can Hollywood brew into darker versions? Will a Sinister-ella off her evil stepsisters by slicing up their feet? Meanwhile, Malice in Wonderland poisons the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat with her deceptively charming “Eat me” cookies; mess with a girl’s size one too many times and she just might make you something sickly sweet. Or perhaps Rapunzel, feeling sick that her mother sold her out for a lettuce craving, decides to hang the witch with her braid and escape the tower. Bad puns and strange story lines aside, the new take on Hansel and Gretel, the seasoned witch hunters, offers a dark twist on traditional sweet treats. Given dismemberment scenes and other impending promises of gore, the sugary nonsense just won’t cut it. Desserts with a darker edge not only ooze sophistication, they enhance the delicate sweetness of any treat. Consider a traditional Black Forest cake doused in kirsch (a cherry brandy syrup), mounds of whipped cream and brandy-soaked cherries amidst a bed of chocolate cake. A fitting dessert for Hansel and Gretel, the baked good derives its name from the infamous Black Forest in southwest Germany — a likely ominous place for two children to lose their way. To revamp this sweet dessert with an edge, consider both dark chocolate and black cherries to substitute their counterparts. With a greater cocoa-to-butter ratio, the cake will drip in dark chocolate angst and swirl in the dark burgundy syrup of soaked black cherries. The gothic version of the German Black Forest cake promises a moodier enjoyment in comparison with the classic. Brownies, already a chocolate lover's fantasy, transform into more mature delicacy with a hearty dose of real cocoa powder, coffee and spices. The trusted baker of food blog Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perelman, swears by a dark brownie

batter spiked with espresso, chipotle powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Voila, a dense bittersweet chocolaty indulgence with a hint of action-packed spices to make things a bit more exciting. Such a dessert perfectly rivals the in-your-face R-rated witch combat in Hansel and Gretel. In fact, when contemplating your own beautiful, nightmarish treats, think in terms of dark chocolate, dark roasted espresso coffee and berry syrups. Consider a coffee ice cream drizzled with melted dark chocolate and strawberry syrup after a hard day of destroying witches. For a sweet twist, top traditional éclairs with a healthy dollop of glazed raspberries. Nutella crepes topped with blood-red berries and a liberal dash of chocolate shavings can hardly darken any mood. While chocolate covered strawberries are a romantic treat, sweeten the deal with dark chocolate ganache laden with some espresso powder. The caffeine surprise gives a slightly bitter bite to the otherwise sugary dessert. Any combination of the trifecta of dark red berries, espresso powder or dark chocolate may yield a treat fit for a witch’s last meal. What to drink with all those newly darkened desserts? Equally sinister refreshments must cleanse the palate. Popularized by the title sequence in Dexter, blood orange juice provides a citrus spin on a day spent rooting out wickedness. The ruby red flesh of the fruit surely inspires bloodlust as well. Given the colder climate in Germany, why not fall into camaraderie with Hansel and Gretel with a warmer set of drinks? To traditional hot chocolate, sprinkle in cayenne pepper and cinnamon for a spicier brew. The cop favorite, straight black coffee, cleanly cuts the sweetness of the aforementioned creamy sweets. Serious Eats suggests pairing dark chocolate and like desserts with a fruity red wine such as Grenache or Shiraz. The added bonus is the visceral, blood-like visual of your red wine glass, a physical manifestation of wicked refinement. In preparation for that Hansel and Gretel premiere or to indulge the super antihero in you, consider darkening your treats to suit the mood. No wrong can be committed with a heavy dose of Dutch-pressed dark cocoa powder, an invigorating dose of espresso or an assortment of bloody berries dowsed in syrupy liqueurs. While not easy on the waistline, let’s hope these desserts fuel you for your next adventure on the dark side.

Across 1 Crafted 5 Trendsetting 8 Wife of the late Steve Irwin, a.k.a. “The Crocodile Hunter” 13 “Wonder ___ powers, activate!” 14 ___ the crack of dawn 16 Bolt who bolts 17 Three-piece suit piece 18 Rogen of “The Guilt Trip” 19 Artless 20 Lottery ticket that’s also a coupon? 23 Person who vilifies ad writers? 24 “106 & Park” network 25 Dr.’s org. 26 Abbr. at the bottom of a letter 27 Airline whose last flight was in 2001 28 The Magic, on scoreboards 29 Enticed 31 Enemy 32 Go back and forth 33 The purpose of milk, in the mind of a cat? 37 Bushy-bearded natural health expert Andrew 40 Landscaping stuff 41 “Animal House” college 45 “Ermagerd,” in shorthand

46 “___ for Alibi” (Sue Grafton mystery) 47 Singer Bachman 49 Mighty Joe Young, for one 50 Memorial designer Maya ___ 51 Grabbed the end of Indiana Jones’s weapon? 54 What your card says when Toronto’s NBA team sends you a present? 56 Woodsy home 57 Where flour is made 58 Stephen Strasburg’s team 60 “In ___” (Nirvana album) 61 “On the Waterfront” director Kazan 62 Drug bust unit 63 Underneath 64 Make eggs 65 Once more

Down 1 “Jersey Shore” network 2 Totally rad 3 Rotating power tool part 4 Diary writing 5 Anjelica of “The Royal Tenenbaums” 6 Old treatment for poisonings 7 Hedge maze possibilities 8 Arctic expanse 9 Those things, in Tijuana 10 Sherbet variety

11 Monaco’s region 12 How bunglers operate 15 “Oh yeah, I forgot there was another one” 21 Fail to be 22 Staircase post 23 Most populous state, in college nicknames 30 Grapeseed or sesame 31 Dahlia delivery option 32 Weekend retreat 34 1990 NBA Finals MVP ___ Thomas 35 “What’re ya gonna do about it?” 36 Key for Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 37 New member of the pack 38 Qatar, for one 39 Award bestowed by the Annals of Improbable Research 42 38-down neighbor 43 Letter 44 Salesperson 46 Urgent infomercial line 47 Muse of comedy 48 During leisure time 52 Give the third degree 53 Everlasting Gobstopper inventor 55 Surrealist Joan 59 Sty dweller

January 24-30, 2013 buzz 11

movie review

gangster squad

★★✩✩✩

VOTE TODAY!

Buzz and Savoy 16’s Academy Awards Contest

1ST PRIZE = 52 MOVIE PASSES Vote at Savoy 16 or visit

readbuzz.com/academyawards 2013(Jan24)3-8pg-vErT-buzz

THIS WEEK KR ANNERT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

TH JAN 24

5pm

Krannert Uncorked

7pm

Russian National Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake

7:30pm

Johannes Brahms’ Instrumental Music with Piano: Ian Hobson, piano, Smith Memorial Hall, 805 S. Mathews, Urbana // School of Music, Sinfonia da Camera,

// Marquee // Marquee

the Center for Advanced Study, and Kranner t Center

SA JAN 26

10am

MLK Community Celebration and Writing Contest Presentation // Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement

Used with permission by Warner Bros. and Creative Commons.

by Amanda Wielgus

ith its impressive cast and stylishly dynamic setting of 1940s Los Angeles, there were plenty of reasons to be excited about Gangster Squad. The possibilities seemed immense, but unfortunately, director Ruben Fleischer, who thus far has only traversed the comedy and action genres, gets downright entrenched in the latter and ultimately squanders the potential of a great cast playing out a classic story in an aesthetically magnificent time period. Gangster Squad centers on real-life gangster Mickey Cohen’s (Sean Penn) reign of power in Los Angeles and an undercover outfit of police officers’ efforts to bring him down. The Gangster Squad is headed by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), a risk-taking and violence-prone war vet untouched by Cohen’s reach into the LAPD. O’Mara’s squad utilizes surveillance and brute force nearly equal to that employed by Cohen, to fight the mobster’s tyrannical power. Gangster Squad’s most troublesome quality lies in its identity as an action movie. One can’t help but wonder why Fleischer would revel in slowmotion gunfights instead of the cinematically beautiful cityscapes that a re-created 1940s Los Angeles offers. Curtis Hanson succeeded with this venture in L.A. Confidential (1997), and Gangster Squad owes this recreation for its authenticity. That’s not to say that it is an inauthentic film by any means. The most visually pleasing aspect of the film is the setting; the nighttime exterior shots of downtown L.A. and the interiors of fancy, big band nightclubs. The style is there, but it’s ulti-

12 buzz January 24-30, 2013

SU JAN 27

mately abandoned in favor of some rather cheesy and commonplace action genre conventions. Dialogue is one place where Gangster Squad’s status as an action film fails it. Lines are too simple and too many serve as calculated markers for the beginning of some major series of events, their predictability rendering them meaningless. Such weak dialogue combined with an overt reliance on action leaves little room for character development, which is a shame considering the excellent casting. We don’t learn too much about the characters past their introductions; still, some actors perform well in limited circumstances, most notably Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen. As the villain, Cohen isn’t expected to develop much, which allows Penn to fully take on the brutality of the character, and not once does Penn relent in his menacing portrayal. Josh Brolin as Sgt. O’Mara fits the square-jawed American World War II veteran very well, not only in appearance, but even more in his determinist and fight-for-what’s-right demeanor. Nonetheless, Fleischer, who thought they better utilized material for a badass action movie, wasted this excellent cast and setting. Sure, violence is an appealing part of a film called Gangster Squad, but it needn’t be the centerpiece. The potential of the film certainly peeked through when the lights and marquees lit up downtown L.A. and big band and jazz tunes played in the background, but no matter how enjoyable these things are, Gangster Squad could not overcome its mistreatment as an action film.

3pm

Cleveland Quartet Award Winner: Jasper String Quartet // Marquee TH JAN 31

5pm

Krannert Uncorked

7:30pm

February Dance

7:30pm

Stefan Milenkovich, violin

// Marquee

// Dance at Illinois // School of Music

THESE SpOnSOrS MaKE gOOD STuFF HappEn:

Russian National Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake Craig Sutter Cleveland Quartet Award Winner: Jasper String Quartet Lois & Ernest Gullerud

Diana Sheets & Stephen Levinson

C A L L 3 3 3 . 6 2 8 0 • 1. 8 0 0 . K C P A T I X

Corporate Power Train Team Engine

Marquee performances are supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council— a state agency which recognizes Krannert Center in its Partners in Excellence Program.

40 North and Krannert Center —working together to put Champaign County’s culture on the map.