Gavin Hood Tackles the Vagaries of Modern Warfare with “Eye in the Sky”
Having made a film about a youth gang leader in Johannesburg (Tsotsi, winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), a questionable interrogation process used by the United States (Rendition), a rogue superhero (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and a child prodigy whose psychic abilities are corrupted by the military (Ender’s Game), one would think that…
“Wedding 2” Keeps Things Bland, Safe
Why some movies are successful at the box office and others aren’t has always fascinated me, particularly those that have very low budgets yet go on to gross ridiculous sums of money. A prime example of this occurred in 2002 with Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that plays like an extended…
A lifelong champion
Courtney and Evan Westlake (back) with their children, Brenna (front left) and Connor (front right). Photo courtesy of St. John’s Hospital. Hospital visits, surgeries and long baths at St. John’s Hospital are the memories four-year-old Brenna Westlake of Sherman lives with as her parents share her lifelong journey with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin…
Director’s pace, cast’s strength save Allegiant
Having salvaged the Divergent series with his fine work on Insurgent, director Robert Schwentke pulls off a similar stunt with Allegiant, the first part of the third entry in Veronica Roth’s dystopia trilogy. Though no one will ever argue that there’s anything remotely original about the story of the author’s heroine Tris and her continued…
Jet-set architecture? In Springfield?
The State House Inn, designed by Henry L. Newhouse II, was the most stylish hotel in Springfield when it was built. After a 2003 reincarnation, it retains the title today. PHOTO COurTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLlECTION AT LINCOLN LIBRARY Much in the way that human corpses become food for the worms, dead eras become food for…
Airline fee fleecing
Jim Hightower PHOTO BY LARRY D. MOORE If you take the word f-r-e-e and rip the “r” out of it, what do you get? Two things, actually: One, instead of “free” you get “fee” – and then you get mad. This is happening to millions of airline passengers who’re discovering that the advertised price of…
Record spending in campaign against McCann
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS “He was a god in that district,” a high-level Rauner guy told me about state Sen. Sam McCann’s poll numbers from before this year’s Republican primary campaign began. Benchmark polling taken months ago showed McCann (R-Plainview) had a voter approval rating of about 70 percent. Sen. McCann “really was everywhere” in…
Letters to the Editor 3/24/16
CHRONICLE OF SUFFERING Deep respect to Illinois Times reporter Patrick Yeagle for his excellent report entitled “Death by a thousand cuts” (March 10). I encourage everyone of conscience in the Springfield community to read it and consider making a personal donation to one or more of the five charities being decimated in our backyards. Mr.…
Editor’s note 3/24/16
For this week observed by Christians as Holy Week, the Episcopal Church House of Bishops issued “A Word to the Church” about today’s political rhetoric. It is worth broad circulation. Here is the text in part. The full text is at episcopalchurch.org. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher “In a country still living under the shadow…
Race tensions at the turn of the century
Though life was slowly improving for millions in Illinois as the 20th century opened, many still struggled for fairness, including women, the poor and minorities. In several instances, racial tensions exploded into some of the landmark moments in American social history. After the Civil War, some blacks began to migrate north, looking for better job…
2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for public service
Grace Beahm/postandcourier.com See a presentation by Mitch Pugh – a Riverton native, UIS alumnus, editor of Charleston, South Carolina’s The Post and Courier and 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for public service – during an ECCE Speaker Series program on Thursday, March 24. Pugh was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his role in editing a five-part series…
The colors and scents of spring
Enjoy the Springfield Park District’s 43rd annual showcase of spring flora, available for viewing daily between now and April 3. More than 800 Easter lilies, hyacinths, tulips and narcissus will be on display amid lush, tropical foliage at the Washington Park Botanical Garden Exhibition Hall. Washington Park Botanical Garden is one of Illinois’ largest horticultural…
Socialize for a cause
The Springfield Social Club is a philanthropic group that aims to provide social, cultural, altruistic and networking opportunities to local professionals of all ages. The club was formed in 2007 by Dave Martin and Jenny Waldinger. Springfield Social Club gatherings are held monthly at a local bar or restaurant. In lieu of club dues or…
Art for Abe’s sake
Each year the cover of Capital City Visitor, published by Illinois Times, features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln by a central Illinois artist. This time we decided to hold a contest as a way of finding the best, freshest Abe possible, while offering exposure to local talent. The first place winner was Kevin Atterberry but…
Cooking Lithuanian for the ultimate comfort food
Kugelis PHOTO BY Eden, Janine and Jim VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG I don’t eat horseshoe sandwiches – or pony shoes, for that matter. My vote for the world’s best comfort food is kugelis, a Lithuanian grated potato casserole, copiously topped with a mélange of melted sour cream and sautéed onions, bacon and bacon drippings. Due to an…
Budget crisis hurts disabled living outside Illinois
Keith Drazner, center, with his parents, Sharon and Frederick. PHOTO COURTESY SHARON DRAZNER For the last 20 years, Keith Drazner has lived in a Wisconsin group home for people with developmental disabilities. At the end of March, however, he faces eviction because his home state is having a budget crisis. Keith is one of 44…
Fired city officer sues, claims bias
With one lawsuit pending in state court, a fired Springfield police officer has sued the city in federal court, claiming that he was terminated because he is black. Loren D. Pettit, who was earning more than $72,000 a year when he was terminated in June 2014, was the first officer in the history of the…
Teenage statesmen
Last weekend, high school teens filled the roles of legislative assistants, lobbyists, senators and representatives of the Democrat and Republican caucuses in the Illinois General Assembly, bringing their own set of bills to be heard in the Illinois Statehouse. The Illinois YMCA Youth and Government program hosted its 67th annual simulation at the Statehouse on…
Tully monster mystery solved
These 3-D printed models of the Tully monster were created by the Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center in Springfield. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Since its discovery in 1958, the Tully monster has left scientists guessing. Not anymore. New research shows that the animal which serves as Illinois’ state fossil isn’t related to modern…
POT, KETTLE, BOTH BLACK
Fans of the salacious in Springfield are no doubt acquainted with Springfield IL Exposed, the website that shames people by posting mug shots of purported prostitutes and posting nude or nearly nude pictures of people too unsophisticated to realize it’s a bad idea to let anyone take photos of you in the altogether, because you…
JOHN LEWIS ON SCREEN
In October of last year, Brookens Library at UIS, as part of its ongoing “One Book” program, hosted a personal appearance by civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, D-Georgia, who had just published the second volume of his graphic novel-memoir March. Now the library has acquired the rights to screen a brand new documentary about…
Intelligent script grounds Justice
Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. PHOTO COURTESY Warner Bros. Pictures With the exception of the recent Star Wars release, no film has generated a sense of anticipation like Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Every press release, on-set picture and trailer has…
Blues club turns 30
Shawn Holt and the Teardrops play the Illinois Central Blues Club 30th anniversary celebration on Sat., March 26 at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Meadowbrook Road. PHOTO COURTESY BLIND PIG RECORDS Per usual, there are gigs galore going on all over town this weekend. Even though the Easter holiday is happening on Sunday with…
Matt Poss Band
For more than a decade, this band of musical brothers from the Effingham area have pounded the pavement and graced the stage to bring their proven and provocative mix of country, bluegrass, rock and blues to the masses. From tours in Europe to entertaining the troops (literally) in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, you will find…
Papa’s got a brand new hag
PHOTO COURTESY AMY ALKON Amy Alkon My boyfriend travels a lot, and when he’s away, he wants to video call over FaceTime. Well, I look absolutely hideous on FaceTime, and I don’t want to do it. And really, who doesn’t look scary on FaceTime? Megan Fox? Scarlett Johansson? I get that he loves me and…
Garden for life
Maddie Meyer checking the depth for planting an apple tree. PHOTO COURTESY ASHLEY MEYER I have vivid memories of wandering through the thousands of tomato plants that were grown on my great-grandfather’s market farm. Lima beans were a delicacy in our family. When they were in season I played in the shade of the giant…
personal thanks poem # 4
personal thanks poem # 4 I’m not the one hoss shay yet buthad an irate heart recently as manyIT readers know came out okey dokenow a member of the stent sister- (andbrother-) hood: pills exercise dullsvillefood no-no’s but want to say this hereat Memorial ER I was swarmed overlike bot flies on a you-know-whata most…
