Fun “Wish Upon” Exceeds Expectations
A new take on the classic horror tale The Monkey’s Paw, John R. Leonetti’s Wish Upon proves to be far more fun than it has a right to be. Driven by a winning performance by actress Joey King and told at a brisk pace, this thriller may be hardly original, but it proves capable enough…
Back in the saddle
The village of Sherman has hired Michael Stratton, former director of the Springfield Park District who departed the district under pressure four years ago. The Sherman board of trustees unanimously approved the hiring of Stratton on Tuesday as village administrator and director of economic development. He will be paid $60,000 a year and serve at…
Sincerity, Humor Make “Big Sick” a Winner
Director Michael Showalter and his cast pull off an impressive high-wire act with The Big Sick, an account of the early days in the relationship between Pakistani comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily. The first act follows the usual rom-com beats but then the film abruptly shifts gears as one of the main characters…
Effective, Haunting “Beguiled” Hard to Shake
While I often object to remakes of films that were well made the first time around, Sophia Coppola’s The Beguiled, a redo of the little-known Clint Eastwood feature, proves to be a worthy exercise. It not only reflects a shift in sensibilities between one filmmaking era to another, but key changes in the script cast…
The next big thing
Every parent knows how hard it is to have a serious conversation when there’s a two-year-old throwing a tantrum in the next room. Thank goodness enough grownups in the General Assembly ignored the governor’s whining on the second floor to solve (sort of) the state of Illinois’ immediate spending crisis. Now the legislature can focus…
Nothing ended last week
After years of ugly gridlock and weeks of groups and political leaders whipping up an already disgusted populace over a 1.2 percentage point income tax increase, lots of legislators were understandably on edge last week. Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) tweeted ahead of the votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s vetoes of a budget package that…
Letters to the Editor 7/13/17
THE BUDGET BURDENThe Illinois legislature has overturned the governor’s veto, thereby implementing a budget unseen by the state in more than two years. In order to pay its spiraling liabilities and avoid junk bond status, the legislature has seen fit to raise the income tax rate and the corporate tax rate, each more than…
Editor’s Note 7/13/17
It is a great relief that a reasonable state budget and a tax increase to pay for it have become law. This was accomplished by overriding the governor’s veto, with the help of some courageous House Republicans, including Springfield’s Sara Wojcicki Jimenez. There is more trouble ahead, however, because the governor is threatening to veto…
Patients will die if Congress doesn’t act
Thousands of Americans could die waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to approve new, lifesaving treatments if Congress fails to reauthorize a 25-year-old law this summer. The legislation, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, charges pharmaceutical companies in order to fund the FDA. Without this legislation (renewed every five years), the FDA wouldn’t have…
A captivating concert
On Thursday, July 13, enjoy the award-winning sounds of Celtic-Americana duo Switchback during July’s “Music at the Museum” concert, a monthly concert series that showcases all styles of music. The concerts are produced by Chris Vallillo and held the second Thursday of each month. Switchback, which features Chicago and Lansing, Iowa-based musicians Brian FitzGerald and…
Celebrate the beauty of Springfield
Enjoy a revitalization of Springfield’s premiere downtown food and music festival this weekend during the Amaranth Apple Festival, whose name is a nod to Springfield’s most famous poet Vachel Lindsay, who wrote of the mystical fruit called the “Amaranth Apple” in his 1920 novel titled The Golden Book of Springfield. The food aspect of the…
Obama: The Call of History
On Tuesday, July 18, enjoy a presentation and book signing by New York Times reporter Peter Baker in honor of his new book, an Obama biography titled Obama: The Call of History. Baker was hired by the New York Times in 2008 as chief White House correspondent. Baker covered the entirety of the Obama presidency…
The truth about stats and dogs
I’m a woman looking for a new boyfriend and considering various online dating sites. Some have long questionnaires and they factor your answers into an “algorithm” to match you with the best possible partner. Are these sites significantly better than the others? – Site Seeker Sites using these compatibility “algorithms” would seem to have some added…
Living memorials
Memorial. What a fitting middle name for Lincoln Memorial Garden. The founders of this gem on the shore of Lake Springfield envisioned a living memorial to honor Abraham Lincoln and his association with Springfield. They succeeded in creating a garden reflective of the landscape that would have been familiar to Lincoln, and many generations of…
Legacy’s Newsies is dazzling, topical
“Wrongs will be righted if we’re united. Let us seize the day!” These words might sound more like fiery pro-union rhetoric than a lyric from a high-spirited musical romp. Turns out it’s both. The production of the Disney musical Newsies, which opened this past weekend at the Legacy Theatre in Springfield, is one of only…
AG dings Rauner for FOIA violation
One year after signing a law aimed at forcing government to turn over public records, Gov. Bruce Rauner has been cited by Attorney General Lisa Madigan for failing to respond to a request for records. The governor also failed to respond to the attorney general when the matter was forwarded to Madigan’s office for enforcement…
Illinois to Trump: “No”
It all began with a June 28 letter sent to the secretary of state of each state and signed by commission vice chair Kris W. Kobach. The letter requested that states share “publicly available voter roll data” with the commission, including “dates of birth, political party (if recorded in your state), last four digits of…
Deliberate pace nearly undoes Apes
Without question, the special effects on display in the new series of the Planet of the Apes films are phenomenal. Using the latest in digital technology coupled with motion-capture performances, the sense of realism that’s created to bring the movie’s simian characters to life is unnerving and brings a sense of authenticity that the previous…
Fruit of the Amaranth Apple
Congrats to our friends Tammy and Larry for getting hitched on Saturday, hosting a reception at George Rank’s, then taking the party to the Amaranth Apple Festival in downtown Springfield. May the union be long lasting and long loving, and may I continue to see you all Fridays at the round bar. For the rest…
Joel DaSilva
This nationally renowned blues/roots musician is hitting the road as part of his “Fire and the Fury Tour” and preparing for the latest release of a new album that’s the follow-up to his acclaimed 2014 release, Durty Howlin’ Blues. The road trip included an appearance at the Tremblant International Blues Festival in Quebec last weekend,…
nada poem # – well, maybe 100
a recent column in wall street journalreported the effect of classical music oncows – news to them of course in nycI’ve been telling you for ages what cowslike (the three b’s) don’t (1812 cannons)they checked this, found it true, carriedresearch further – a pisciculturalistreports fish farms pipe song into theirponds (we all know whale tunes…
Kohlrabi, for a change
Kohlrabi is an odd-looking vegetable with an odd-sounding name. Easy to grow and widely available at local farmers markets, this alien-looking vegetable is as versatile as it is weird. A member of the brassica family, kohlrabi has been cultivated in Western Europe since the 16th century, and has its first recorded mention in the United…
