INSIDE: REDBIRDS STEAL RIVALRY GAME 55-52
THE Take a ride down ’BIRD movie road SPORTS 8
THE VIDETTE PRESENTS
videtteonline
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 Vol. 128 / No. 34
The Oscars are about a month away, so now is the time to catch up on the popular pictures and vote for the best SEE PAGE 7 FOR A LIST OF NOMINATIONS
CLIPS OF OSCAR NOMINATIONS TO BE SHOWN IN UPTOWN NEWS 3
LACK OF DIVERSITY IN OSCAR NOMINATIONS IS NO SURPISE VIEWPOINT 4
‘CREED’ TO BE SPORTS MOVIE OF THE YEAR SPORTS 8
Illustration by ATHENA TAPIA | Vidette Art Director
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THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 3
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015
Have an awardwinning Oscar party Each year, the Academy Awards provide entertainment for movie fans; while many dream of being able to sit in the seats of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, there are still ways to make an at-home viewing just as fun
Fill Out Ballots
A quick search online can provide printable ballots that party guests are able to fill out. A prize (i.e. an “Oscar”) can be presented to the person who makes the most correct guesses.
Charades During commercial
breaks, a game of charades that includes topics and titles of nominated films can help keep the momentum going. Prizes can also be given to the winners.
Pun-ny Appetizers A party is nothing without good food. Whip up dishes that are plays on nominated titles. For example, “The Big Short” stack of pancakes can be served alongside “The Hateful Eight”-layer salad and a Bridge of Pies. Puninspired drinks can also be on the menu. These could include a Hardy Tom Collins or a “Mad Max” Mai Tai.
Normal Theater to showcase Oscar shorts BRENT BADER Senior Reporter
In anticipation of the Academy Awards next month, the Normal Theater will be hosting a series of nights in February to showcase the films nominated in the short film categories. “It’s the perfect thing for [The Normal Theater] to be able to do and a great way for us to share those off-the-beaten-path titles that you wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else that fits right into our mission,” Adam Fox, theater and civil arts manager of Normal, said. The documentary shorts will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 24, the live action shorts will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25 and 27 while the animated shorts will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 and 28. While a majority of the Oscars buzz will revolve around the Best Picture nominees, the short films categories offer a unique viewing experience for local audience members. “I think film as an art form isn’t contained to any particular runtime or length,” Fox said. “I think that showing short films like this is a really exciting way of showing the power of cinema or what filmmakers can be and how so many filmmakers start making shorts especially.” The program is being put together by Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures. Shorts International also puts together the Manhattan Short Film Festival, which has become a favorite at the Normal Theater, and a few of the shorts in that festival will be returning to Normal after being nominated for Best Short Film in their respective
categories. “We’re so appreciative that [Shorts International] are making it this easy to share this great work,” Fox said. With the recent disputes revolving around the lack of diversity in Academy Awards nominations, leading some to boycott the Oscars, Fox believes that while he wishes some of the nominees were more representative of the world today, the short films categories remains a mix of unique titles. “Certainly the short films have some really great representations of international perspective, and also in terms of the creators for them, rather than the mainstream films,” Fox said. These short films are usually not
available in many large multiplexes and is one of the unique opportunities that the Normal Theater is known for hosting. “We’re uniquely positioned because of how often our programming is changing,” Fox said. “We can sort of add things in and react to cultural requests and needs of the community.” A recent example of this is the addition of the film “Labyrinth” to the schedule in the wake of David Bowie’s death. Audience members for the Jan. 16 showing were given
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Pre-Awards Trivia Divide into teams during the red carpet and play Oscarstyle Trivial Pursuit. It can be made inclusive of previous Academy Award winners, or can be strictly geared to this year’s nominees.
TAYLOR LEDDIN | News Reporter
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The Normal Theater is hosting a showcase in February of all the short films nominated for an Oscar.
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Viewpoint
PAGE 4 | THE VIDETTE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016
MY VIEW DELANE MCKLURKIN Columnist
Oscars could be culprit of next civil war
D Editorial Cartoon by Athena Tapia
VIDETTE EDITORIAL
Chicago needs reforms to boost tourism Frequent police brutality has given the city a negative reputation, turning away visitors
C
hicago’s future as an international tourism hub is in jeopardy, according to a recent Chicago Tribune article. Chicago’s reputation has been tarnished over the last year because of highly publicized police brutality cases, an ever-growing reputation for gang violence and political turmoil. Fewer scheduled conventions and an overall drop in visitors to the city could have seriously negative consequences for Chicago’s economy. The November release of a police video depicting a Chicago police officer shooting an African American teen 16 times prompted a Department of Justice investigation into the CPD’s use of force. Another video showing a police officer shooting and killing an unarmed black teen was ordered by a federal judge to be released last week. As fear of gun violence contin-
ues to haunt the nation, Chicago’s reputation as the “gun violence capital of the U.S.” continues to hurt its public standing. In the first ten days of 2016, more than 100 people were wounded by gun violence in Chicago. All of this makes Chicago a considerably less desirable place to visit. Outsiders won’t risk a weekend getaway to a city where they feel their lives are in danger. In some ways, Chicago’s historical reputation as a violent city has been a kind of cultural export. For many people, the city’s name still brings to mind prohibition era gangsters like Al Capone. Many tourists take tours that stop by the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; the old Chicago gangsters are now remembered with a kind of nostalgia. That violent era of the city’s history has spawned tourism
instead of repelling it. Even now, young drill rappers like Chief Keef and Fredo Santana have made successful careers out of depicting the violent gang subculture of some of Chicago’s most impoverished neighborhoods. America’s fascination with a violent Chicago crosses generations and has built a strong foundation for the city’s growing negative reputation. If Chicago wants to sustain a meaningful tourism industry, it needs to make clear efforts to reform its image. To do this, Chicago must prove to the world that it is making efforts to improve upon some of its most ingrained cultural and political institutions that use violence or turn a blind eye to the problem. To draw back on the problem of gang violence, Chicago must make efforts to reduce the poverty, social exclusion and op-
pression that gang culture thrives under. Chicago needs to put more resources and social programs into insuring that children in disadvantaged communities receive adequate education or job training. Chicago’s police force, which has faced accusations of systematically brutalizing minority populations for decades, must be reformed to meet fair policing expectations of the modern age. Tourists will only feel safe visiting a city where they do not feel they will be preyed upon by its citizens or its public servants. One of the most important things a city must do to keep its tourism industry alive is to keep a positive brand and reputation. As 2016 begins, Chicago can either make reforms to improve upon its reputation and its overall culture, or it can slip further into turmoil.
Editorial policy is determined by the student editor, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Columns that carry bylines are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Vidette or the University.
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See page 7 for a full list of nominations
VIDETTE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Vidette welcomes letters to the editor, provided they are no longer than 250 words and are typed and double-spaced. Letters must be signed and contain the major or official title of the writer, the year in school if presently enrolled, address and a daytime telephone number for verification. Names may be withheld upon request, but only after approval by the editor. Letters sent via e-mail to: vidette@ilstu.edu are accepted, provided they include a telephone number for verification.
u r i n g the past few days, my social media has blown up with reactions to the announcement of the 2016 Oscar nominations. Most of those reactions have been negative ones, focused on the lack of diversity in the candidates, for the second year in a row. “How is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches,” director Spike Lee wrote on Instagram; the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has been trending for days; many actors and Hollywood stars are even threatening to boycott the Academy Awards because of its lack of diversity. Even Chris Rock, the host for the Oscars this year, posted on Twitter calling the Oscars “the white BET Awards.” Refuters claim this is merely coincidence and the nominations are completely based on the best movies. However, the selection committee overlooked a lot of last years standout films with minority actors, including “Straight Outta Compton” and “Furious 7,” which was the fastest movie to reach $1 billion in gross revenue in 2015. Rev. Al Sharpton, an American civil rights activist, announced he would be leading a campaign discouraging people from watching the Oscars this year, which premieres Sunday, Feb. 28. Along with Rev. Sharpton’s movement, Lee, who is being honored for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Academy Awards, and Jada Pinkett Smith declared they would not attend the ceremony in protest. Not only are the nominees 94 percent white actors, but it is also 77 percent males, according to the Los Angeles Times. This cannot be a coincidence and minority groups need to take a stand. Personally, after two consecutive years of seeing no other races included in the Oscar nominations, I will not vote in or even watch the awards show. I also will not watch the Oscars in the future unless drastic changes are made from the top-down. After getting a great deal of criticism about the lack of diversity last year, you would think the selection committee would be more careful when choosing nominees. The fact they barely acknowledged the lack of diversity as an issue makes it seem they are intentionally overlooking certain genres or people based on race. If the Oscars continue to ignore the requests and complaints of their viewers, and not identify the problem they created, they will start to lose ratings and money altogether. Things have gotten so bad this award season and it doesn’t seem like things are turning up as quickly as they should be. “We have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years ... We need to do more, and better and more quickly,” Oscars president Cheryl Boone Issacs said. Delane Mclurkin is a columnist for The Vidette and can be reached at vidette_dcmclur@ilstu.edu.
THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015
BRENT BADER Senior Reporter
Illinois State University’s RSOs now have a fun and easy way to reach out to the local community and fundraise. GroupRaise is a fundraising site online that allows non-profit organizations and groups to connect with local restaurants and host fundraisers. A portion of the sales made during that time period will be given back to the group at the end of the session. “We found that coming together as a group and eating together at your favorite restaurants is a very fun and social way to raise money for a group you care about and is very effective,” Sean Park, co-founder of GroupRaise, said. Interested organizations can visit the website at www.groupraise.com and enter their location. From there, you can pick a restaurant, pick a date and book a fundraiser within five minutes, according to Park. After creating a fundraiser, the site offers additional resources to help plan for the event including an RSVP page. “All of us were college students and we looked into simplifying methods of raising money that didn’t work or weren’t really fun,” Park said. Originally, the idea started when co-founder Devin Baptiste was looking for ways to get people to visit a local ice cream shop that he worked at in the winter. He was able to convince the store to let his band play at the restaurant and receive a portion of the funds if it was successful in bringing people in. “Restaurants have these time blocks where they don’t have that many customers and they can now utilize these time blocks to invite a group of people,” Park said. From there Baptiste brought on more people and set up a similar relationship with Mission Burrito in Houston, Tex., which then hosted events for students at Rice University and University of St. Thomas. Since then, GroupRaise has found its way onto about 300 different campuses and is still looking to expand by building relationships with larger restaurant chains. On average, GroupRaise brings about 55 people for every group that registers a fundraising date. “It’s a no-brainer for a lot of restaurants because they understand it’s a win-win,” Park said. Jason’s Deli in Normal sees the potential that it offers their franchise and regularly schedules GroupRaise fundraisers. “I like doing them because our night business is slower,” Alyssa Walden, second assistant manager, said. “We’re more of a lunch place, so actually it definitely increases foot traffic and gives us a chance to impress people that may not have ever been here before.” Jason’s Deli’s average meal price is $9 and they donate 15 percent of the money made during a fundraising session back to the organization that signed with them. The process has been a popular one for the restaurant, which hosts GroupRaise sessions around three times a week. “A lot of our groups are school based or church based, we even do a lot for the animal rescue shelters,” Walden said. Walden says many of the organizations schedule regular fundraisers with Jason’s Deli and it offers a unique and fun experience not only for the organizations, but also for the individual restaurants as well. “It can really make for a fun and productive night,” Walden said.
Vidette Oscar Predictions With award season well under way, Vidette reporter Ema Sasic provides her predictions for who will win an Oscar during the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28. Best Picture: “Spotlight,” Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust With so much uncertainty on who will win Best Picture, the award will ultimately go to “Spotlight.” Based on the true story of The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Liev Schreiber convincingly play a group of journalists that uncover years of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. Based on how committed each actor was and the constant struggles they faced, the movie keeps viewers hooked until the very end. “Spotlight” won Best Acting Ensemble and Best Picture during Sunday’s Critic’s Choice Awards, so the Oscar will be no surprise.
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, “The Revenant” On the tails of winning Best Director last year for “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” Alejandro G. Iñárritu will make history by being the first repeat winner in 65 years. The sequences captured in “The Revenant” use natural lighting and are shot entirely outside in Argentina, Canada and the United States. In addition to depending on a few hours of daylight, fast-paced scenes were captured clearly, vividly and left a lasting impression on audiences. The complexity of this film’s directing proves Iñárritu is ready to collect the award again this year.
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant” With four previous Academy Award acting nominations, 2016 is finally the year that Leonardo DiCaprio will take home an Oscar. DiCaprio put himself through many challenges while filming “The Revenant,”
including sleeping in an animal carcass, heading into frozen rivers and eating raw bison liver. Much of the movie is based on his facial expressions and action, which makes his performance even more impressive. DiCaprio truly gave it his all so an Oscar is expected.
Best Actress: Brie Larson, “Room” Brie Larson stood out as an early frontrunner for an Oscar when she won her first Golden Globe. Larson displayed an emotional performance in “Room” as she and her son are held captive in a small room. As the two ultimately make their escape, Larson shows the struggle of a mother trying to help her child adjust to a new life, as well as learning how to live free herself. The passion and emotion Larson brings to the big screen make her a standout in the Best Actress category.
Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone, “Creed” Rarely can anyone say that they have had the chance to play the same character over the span of 40 years. Sylvester Stallone’s beloved Rocky Balboa is back in “Creed” to help a next generation boxer. His chemistry with Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis “Creed” Johnson, is exciting and he shows that after seven “Rocky” movies he still has the same energy and fight from the first one.
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl” While most people thought Alicia Vikander would be nominated for her performance in “Ex Machina,” her role in the “The Danish Girl” is just as incredible. Based on the true story of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener, played by
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Vikander, Gerda’s husband realizes that he has always identified as a female. As their relationship changes and Elbe becomes one of the first known sex reassignment recipients, Vikander shows the pain of a woman losing her husband and
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the life she once lived. Through all of the sacrifices and suffering, Vikander’s performance is touching and will earn her her first Academy Award. EMA SASIC | News Reporter
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THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 6
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016
ISU French program hosts coffee hour TAYLOR LEDDIN News Reporter
Taking a second language course is often a staple in a college student’s course requirement. While they learn the language, students are also introduced to cultural aspects of the language’s home country. The idea of expanding knowledge of languages and cultures is important to Illinois State University’s
language department, who has implemented a meet-up for students looking to learn French. The French Coffee Hour, held every week at the Coffeehouse in Uptown, is open to any student looking to gain knowledge of the French language. Administered by French graduate assistant, Sean Curtin, the meet-up offers students a chance to use French outside of the
classroom. “[The coffee hour] gives people more practice to speak everyday French,” Curtin said. “It just gives them more spoken practice in general while helping to get more realworld French experience.” S t u d e n t s gather at the Coffeehouse every Tuesday to
THEATER
NEWS IN BRIEF
continued from page 3
Bloomington-Normal sees housing market increase Last year showed improvement for the housing market of Bloomington-Normal after 2014 proved to be a difficult year. Sales overall increased by 5.6 percent, while new construction and existing home sales increased by 15 and 5 percent, respectively. According to WJBC, Bloomington-Normal Association of Realtors President Amanda Wycoff attributes the increase to 2015’s mild winter. “It’s really difficult for clients to pull the trigger on buying a new home when they can’t see the roof due to a foot of snow,” she told WJBC. Wycoff feels hopeful about more improvements in 2016. With the average price of a home up 0.9 percent, a stable housing environment is reflected for Bloomington-Normal.
The Normal Theater is constantly looking for ways to innovate and provide unique experiences for its community members. “I think we’re a theater of the community,” Fox said. “We really
converse in French and expand their vocabulary. It is not mandatory for students enrolled in a French course, but is set up to aid their understanding. “The Coffeehouse helps to create a friendly and chill atmosphere,” Curtin said. “The meet-up is very open and low-pressure
are here for the residents of this community and the programming that we do is all about trying to offer different programming experiences for them.” Brent Bader is a senior reporter at The Vidette and can be reached at vidette_babader@ ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @baderwrites.
Help Wanted- Business Opportunities Gymnastics Instructors and Ninja Sport Instructors Wanted! We have openings for gymnastics instructors as well as instructors for our newest program - Ninja Zone (no experience required - Think American Ninja Warrior!) in the area’s largest, best equipped gymnastics facility, Rising Stars Academy. We are looking for mature, dependable, high-energy individuals willing to work with children of all ability levels. Experience is preferred, but not required as we will train the right individuals. Background check and references are required. Email resume to karin@risingstarsacademy.com or print off application online and drop it off at 2902 Gill Street, Bloomington 61704 (off of Airport Road). www.risingstarsacademy.com Landlord assistant: Leasing agent + light maintenance, cleaning, easy painting.
Taylor Leddin is a news reporter for The Vidette and can be reached at tleddin@ ilstu.edu.
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way we speak in class’.” The French Coffee Hour meets at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Coffehouse in Uptown Normal. The meet-up is open to any student, faculty member or Bloomington-Normal resident looking to learn French.
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and works to get [students] speaking French.” Both students and faculty of the language department gather each week to better vocabulary. “We have a topic of the week, which is generally movies,” Curtin said. “Students are always curious to learn slang. One of the biggest questions is, ‘How do they really speak in French?’ and the most common answer is, ‘Not the
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Features
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016
THE VIDETTE | PAGE 7
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Oscar nominations for 2016 Top One of the biggest TV events of the year is coming up Feb. 28; be sure to catch up on the nominees for the major categories Best Picture
Best Animated Film
Best Leading Actor
“The Big Short”
‘“Anomalisa”
Bryan Cranston, “Trumbo”
“Bridge of Spies”
Cate Blanchett, “Carol”
“Boy and the World”
Matt Damon, “The Martian”
Brie Larson, “Room”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Joy”
Michael Fassbender, “Steve Jobs”
Charlotte Rampling, “45 Years”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Danish Girl”
Saoirse Ronan,
“Brooklyn” “Mad Max: Fury Road”
“Inside Out” “Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“The Martian” “The Revenant”
“When Marnie Was There”
“Room” ‘“Spotlight”
Best Leading Actress Best Costume Design “Carol” “Cinderella” “The Danish Girl” “Mad Max: Fury Road” “The Revenant”
“Brooklyn”
Compiled by Rebecca Davis | Features Reporter
REVIEW:
‘The Big Short’ brings on big emotions MOLLIE MCDONNELL Features Editor
With a star studded cast and high expectations, “The Big Short” leaves you shocked, confused and, honestly, a bit disgusted with the world in which we live. The plot is twisted and jumbled with various trading and stock lingo, which makes it a bit hard to follow at points. But don’t worry, guest cameos from completely random stars like Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie fill in to make it much more clear or at least they try. In the film, Ryan Gosling plays stock trader Jared Vennett, who also narrates much of the film. Gosling’s character works alongside Steve Carrell’s character, Mark Baum, convincing Baum’s skeptic group to invest in a risky trade betting against the housing market. But Vennett wasn’t the first to think of this adventurous trade. Michael Burry, a trader played by Christian Bale, was the first to figure out the math for this unheard of bet. The quirky loner Burry bet against all odds to short the housing market, which he predicted to fail in 2008. Meanwhile, the banks he bets against continue to take his money and have their laughs behind his back. As if that isn’t enough confusion to keep you on your toes, the plotline also follows two young stock market hopefuls (played by Finn Wittrock and John Magaro) as they follow the same risky bet, along with the help of their wise, retired mentor Ben Rickert, played by Brad Pitt. While this cast list already seems quite packed, other characters are randomly thrown in the mix
RSO
to Know
Wikipedia Photo
The Big Short, based on the novel by Michael Lewis, involves big numbers, bets and the big loss of the American public in 2008.
to round out the story and show the different perspectives of the people during the downfall of the housing market. I was, however, a bit disappointed by the lack of connection between the big people on Wall Street and the unfortunate souls actually impacted by the turn of the housing market, but that is the point: to portray the heartlessness of these top dog bankers. With the many characters whose motives are
connected in intricate ways, the film keeps viewers on the edge of their seat. But by diving into the film and the deep concepts of trading and Wall Street, anyone without a degree in economics or accounting is stuck trying to catch up throughout the entire film. While we all know the outcome of 2008 and the turn of the housing market, this film based on the non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, gave us a bit more insight as to what happened to the big guys on Wall Street. And needless to say, it is absolutely disgusting. After the turn of 2008, many Americans were left homeless while a few savage bankers bet against the banks, and the best interest of the American people, made big bucks. Not that the banks were any better; they were able to come back and many top corporations were bailed out from the government, only having to cut some of their workers, you know, the regular people. If this movie did not leave you with an urge to pull your money from the banks and spit in the face of the next investment banker you see, you probably didn’t see or experience any of the impact from the housing market collapse of 2008. The film certainly made you think about the concepts and the point, which was based on true events, but ultimately, it could have been a bit smoother. Some of the Wall Street lingo made my head hurt, almost as much as the lack of consideration these characters had for others. It was a film worth seeing once, and once was enough.
VIDETTE RATING
Redbirds for Bernie lead campaign efforts REBECCA DAVIS Features Reporter
Not many past political candidates have had quite as strong of a following as 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. His policies and ideals resonate especially with college-aged voters, which might explain why there is an RSO dedicated to his campaign on campus. Redbirds for Bernie is a group of about 20 Illinois State University students who support Bernie Sanders during his run for presidency. Being active on campus and increasing awareness on presidential candidates and voter registration helps keep political interest high on campus. “Our main purpose is to raise awareness, but we are unofficially affiliated with Bernie Sanders,” Mark Adams, Redbirds for Bernie president, said. “We’ve spoken with the state representative who does his campaign work, but we don’t work for him. We’re just fans.” While they are not directly connected, the group works to help Sanders’ presidential race. “We try to do the campaign work, but on a student oriented level. We hold events, hold demonstrations on campus and try to get students thinking or encourage them to come talk
to us,” Adams said. In addition to spreading the word about Bernie Sanders, Redbirds for Bernie helps and encourages students to register to vote in upcoming elections. “I’m the head of voter registration, which means I put forth initiatives for students to vote on campus,” Ellen Ross, senior English major, said. “So I help register people to vote as well as discussing with them how they can register to vote.” Aside from spreading the word about Bernie Sanders, Redbirds for Bernie also raises awareness on other political topics that are set to educate others on government happenings around them. “We did a teach-in back in November on the Bruce Rauner budget crisis, and have tried to collaborate with local labor unions and [ISU RSO] College Democrats,” Adams said. “We’ve done a lot of coalition work to try to vocalize our concerns and educate people on the cutback by Gov. Rauner.” Students interested in joining Redbirds for Bernie can attend weekly meetings at 7 p.m., Wednesdays, in Schroeder Hall Room 244 to get involved.
Things to do this weekend ISU hockey at U.S. Cellular Coliseum It’s a big weekend for Redbird sports; the Illinois State University hockey team will play against Indiana Tech Saturday, Jan. 23. This is the D1 team’s final game of the season, so make sure to get out and support your skating Redbirds! The game begins at 1 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Tickets are $10 on Ticketmaster.
The Neverly Brothers in Bloomington “The Neverly Brothers: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Evolution” perform 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts. The group performs a range of rock hits ranging from 1950s “American pioneers” to the 1964 British invasion. Renditions of songs by Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and several more are sure to leave audience members with a delightful blast from the past. Tickets start at $25 for adults and a $5 off discount for students.
‘Moonwalkers’ at the Normal Theater The Normal Theater will host a showing of the film “Moonwalkers” this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The action-comedy film is set in 1969 during the Apollo 11 moon landing conspiracy. After failing to locate the legendary Stanley Kubrick, a CIA agent (Ron Perlman) instead decides to team up with a rock band manager (Rupert Grint) to stage the moon landing. This film (based on a true conspiracy theory) will begin at 7 p.m. and is $7 general admission and only $5 for students.
Bloomington Thunder home game Didn’t get enough hockey in at Thursday’s game? Never fear! Junior hockey team the Bloomington Thunder will play against the Youngstown Phantoms 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Tickets for the games can be purchased online at Ticketmaster, with prices as low as $7 for seating.
Duo films from Up Late at State
Paige Meisenheimer | Vidette Photo Editor
Rachel Kouba, Giuseppe Santino and President Mark Adams gathered at the State of the Union Watch Party to show their support of Sanders.
“We eagerly seek new students to join, even if they are just curious or if they are strong Bernie supporters. We are pushing up on primary season and now we actually have things to do to prepare. We need volunteers and everyone is encouraged to come,” Adams said. Visit Redbirds for Bernie on their Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/isuforbernie16, or find them on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ isuforbernie.
Up Late at State will hold a January movie night at the Uptown Normal Theater featuring free food, giveaways and a double feature. The first film “Jurassic World” (featuring Chris Pratt) will begin at 10 p.m. followed by “Trainwreck” (featuring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader). The event will take place 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. this Saturday night. Compiled by Gianna Annunzio | Features Reporter
Sports
PAGE 8 | SPORTS | THE VIDETTE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016
Winning cures all, sort of ’Birds stop bleeding of three-game losing streak with ugly 55-52 win over Bradley ZACK CARPENTER Sports Editor
It was the furthest thing from pretty, but the Redbirds got the job done, defeating Bradley, 55-52, Wednesday night at Carver Arena in Peoria. In the 121st meeting of the I-74 Rivalry Series, Paris Lee (16 points on 6-of-9 shooting) and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (15 points) led Illinois State (10-10, 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference) to its fourth straight win over Bradley (3-17, 1-6). But nobody is going to be showcasing this game film in any coaching clinics any time soon. “Our offense is unbearable to watch sometimes,” Dan Muller, Illinois State University head coach said. “This will be the case every game until the end of time: against the zone you have to make some shots. When you see 35 minutes of zone and you miss open shots it’s gonna hurt you.” ISU shot just 34 percent from the floor and Bradley finished 31 percent on field goals. The squads combined for 27 turnovers while also leaving plenty of points on the charity stripe as well, as the ’Birds hit just 11-of-20 (55 percent) and the Braves finished 18-of-27 (67 percent). Despite tallying the most points against the Braves in his two-year ISU career, it took Akoon-Purcell an inefficient 16 shots to reach the 15 mark. And although he led the ’Birds with 16 points, his fourth straight game recording double digits, Lee had a season-high five turnovers. Lee hit the game’s biggest shot,
VINCE PINTO | Photo Editor
Paris Lee held the ’Birds with 16 points, while achieving a season-high of five turnovers, at Wednesday night’s win against Bradley. a 3-pointer to extend the Redbirds’ lead to 52-44 with 3:37 remaining to hold off Bradley’s comeback bid. But the point guard’s final turnover was nearly back-breaking, a giveaway in the game’s final seconds to give the Braves one final gasp. Holding a 53-48 lead following a missed Bradley 3-pointer, Lee came up with a defensive rebound with 23 seconds left but sailed an outlet pass over Akoon-Purcell’s head out of bounds.
From there it was a free throw contest to finish the game. Bradley’s Ronnie Suggs, who led his team with 16 points, nailed a pair of free throws to cut the edge to 53-50 before the Braves’ Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye sandwiched two free throws between one each from Tony Wills and Akoon-Purcell. With the score standing at 55-52, a final heave from half court at the buzzer from Suggs sailed right to send the Redbirds back to Normal
with a .500 record and stop the bleeding of a three-game MVC losing streak. “Down the stretch we just didn’t execute the game plan,” Lee said. “We got loose because we thought the game was over because of the score. We just didn’t play to win. We started playing the score instead of playing the way we’re supposed to play. […] A win is a win, you take it and run with it, but we’ve definitely got room to improve.”
“Not a beautiful game by us. […] Our ball handling and decisionmaking, once we got that lead, wasn’t really good,” Muller said. “But I’m satisfied [with the win], I really am.” The Redbirds will welcome in Northern Iowa (10-10, 2-5) to Redbird Arena 3 p.m. Saturday. The Panthers are coming off three straight losses, most recently a 74-55 drubbing at the hands of conference-leading Wichita State on Wednesday.
SPORTS MOVIE REVIEW
‘Creed’: Mesmerizing resurrection of ‘Rocky’ franchise
B
ack in May of 2015, while searching online for what new films would be hitting theaters over the next year, I stumbled upon MY VIEW the poster for one that immediately grabbed my ZACK CARPENTER | @ZCarp11 attention. Sports Editor It was the picture of a fighter standing in the ring complete with all of the clichés of a boxing movie poster: bloodied up, shirt off, mouthpiece in, exasperated look on his face. Being a big fan of previous boxing films like “Raging Bull,” “The Fighter,” and “Cinderella Man,” I immediately began digging around to find out more information. What I got was something I had high hopes for, basically, potential for a phenomenal movie. The lead actor underwent a tremendous bodily transformation to play the part, the director had a track record of making solid films, and, of course, the trailer made it look fascinating. But ultimately, when I finally saw it, I was left thoroughly disappointed. The movie in question? “Southpaw.” In short, it was terrible. Obvious plot, unrealistic, sloppy, poor script and putrid acting – with the exception of Jake Gyllenhaal, who did a nice job in the lead role. I had big expectations for it, and came out of the theater pissed off that I actually wasted money to see it. So when I saw another boxing movie which seemed eerily similar set to come out just a few months later, I rolled my eyes. “Here we go again,” I thought. That is the main reason I put off seeing “Creed” for over a month. Even when a couple friends told me how great it was, I ignored them (these were the same friends who loved “Southpaw” mind you). But eventually, I couldn’t avoid the commercials and extended word-of-mouth from peers that relentlessly dished out praise for the film. So I caved. And let me tell you, sometimes peer pressure can be a positive thing. The hype for “Creed” is real. “Creed” is the seventh film in the “Rocky” franchise, and this one is refreshingly different but surprisingly similar to the previous six installments without limping through the eye-rolling campiness or obviousness which almost always comes with Hollywood franchise sequels.
The film tells the story of Adonis “Creed “ Johnson (played by an electric Michael B. Jordan, who has never been better in showing his acting range), the son of the late legend Apollo Creed, Rocky’s rival-turned-friend in the first four films. From its captivating opening scene showing a troubled Creed in a boys home, to its satisfying conclusion, my eyes were transfixed throughout the entire story. Writer-director Ryan Coogler, who may not have been an Oscar snub but definitely deserved at least a Golden Globe nod, poured his best work into “Creed.” His stylish, intimate direction is what made the film work. He borrows a technique Martin Scorsese used to direct “Raging Bull.” Coogler films the three fights in the film in completely different fashion. The first he films outside the ring from the perspective of fans sitting ringside. The second fight, the best one, is an enthralling, hypnotizing full two-round fight, shot all in one take. It was the peak of the film, shot documentary-style with such intimacy and closeness it felt as if you were right alongside Jordan and his sparring partner (the sequence took a reported 13 tries to nail, a testament to gorgeous filmmaking and persistence to create something unique and dazzling). The final fight is shot with several different techniques, traveling inside the ring, down to a trainer’s view and eventually into wide shots showing the ring from afar. For “Creed,” Coogler reunited with Jordan, his teammate on 2013’s heartfelt, and heartbreaking, “Fruitvale Station.” With “Fruitvale” the only film under his belt, Coogler was still virtually a rookie filmmaker. But his persistence is what actually got the film made. Script in hand, Coogler begged Stallone, star and creator of the “Rocky” franchise, to join in the collaborative process and come back for Round 7. After much deliberation, Stallone finally agreed to be a part of the project. Everyone is surely glad he did. The one most excited that he reprised his role is Stallone, who is currently considered the frontrunner for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor after snagging a Golden Globe in the same category. Stallone was not the only one to strut out his acting chops in “Creed.” With this film, Jordan continues to add to his resume and he has established himself as the next Will Smith. In fact, he has potential to even surpass The Fresh Prince. Mark my words, Jordan has an Oscar win in his future (that is, if the Academy
MCT Photo
actually decides to diversify in the near future, but that’s a whole other can of worms to open up). As soon as the film ended, it was obvious there was going to be at least one sequel on the horizon — possibly even an entire new series surrounding this new character. “Creed 2” is already in the works, and if Coogler comes back to partner up with Jordan for Round 2, you can bet I’ll be getting my ticket for opening night. I might even buy the poster.