Movie reviews
Bad Boys II Two Miami cops uncover funny business. “Could be the most vile creation . . . since Patch Adams.” (Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine) Chuck Koplinski’s grade: F. White Oaks Bruce Almighty Jim Carrey is granted sovereignty by God. “A smart, surprisingly thought-through blockbuster.” (Nev Pierce, BBCi) “A fable overwhelmed by special effects and…
Quick takes
Neighborhood college The Council of Neighborhood Associations is sponsoring weekly neighborhood improvement classes every Thursday night through November 6. Learn how to prevent crime, preserve historic structures, and solve problems with creative solutions. Tonight’s sessions–“How to Form a Neighborhood Association” and “Tenants and Landlords”–will be held at the Lincoln Library, Seventh and Capitol, from 6:15…
The med district’s road show
Progress has been slow since Springfield landed Illinois’ second state-designated medical district earlier this year. Its nine-member commission has four vacant seats, and so far the state has provided no funding. Just before sunrise on September 16, 22 people gathered in a Memorial Medical Center parking lot to board a Chicago-bound bus. The group hoped…
Your Turn . . . 10-2-03
Article in poor taste Dear editor, I must say I did not appreciate the recent article on the 233rd M.P. Battalion stationed in Iraq [“Wrong moves, right moves,” September 18]. To compare Infantry with Military Police is like comparing the Boy Scouts with the Girl Scouts. First of all, I am ex-infantry and very proud…
Roadside attraction
I spent much of my childhood on a farm in rural Iroquois County. One of my most pointless chores was mowing the ditches. It was dangerous work. The mower–or the tractor, depending on the ditch–could tip over while you were negotiating the steep inclines. I heard lots of harrowing stories about farmers (my granddad included)…
Bards of the Sangamo
Edited by Corrine Frisch Illinois Rich loamed tumescent earth black as Mississippi silt crusty as brown sugar lies waiting for the plow. Yielding with sensuous delight to the disc and harrow furrowed rows of yawning mouths greedily eat the seed that drops in measured cadence. Then sated quietly quicken through sun lit days and moon…
The swinging cowboy
“Hughie Craig?” asks a patron of the Ramsey Cafe. “Nah, I haven’t seen him.” Dressed like every other semi-retired farmer in central Illinois–snap-front workshirt, white undershirt, and a seed corn cap–the patron tries to be helpful in a polite but curious manner. “Have you tried down at the museum?” he inquires. “You know he runs…
Backstage pass
Springfield Theatre Centre’s 56th season began last week with Neil Simon’s latest Broadway comedy, The Dinner Party. The production winds up this weekend, with performances October 3 through 5. Set in a Paris restaurant, the play brings together three divorced couples in a chance encounter. The show, directed by Darin Harms, features Linda Castor, Rob…
Soiree’s chef
Luke “Cody” Brooks is like a lot of chefs. He is passionate about food and talks about his latest creations with the enthusiasm of a new parent. But Brooks never attended a culinary class. In fact, he dropped out of high school to work full-time and only later earned his diploma. He learned his trade…
Now Playing 10-2-03
Hello in there. How’s it going? Wonderful. What’s new and exciting in the Springfield nightlife? Let’s take a look. The Underground City Tavern proves why it was voted the best live music venue in town, as Brian and the crew come up with another impressive lineup this week. On Thursday, the Bastard Sons of Johnny…
Knoepfle 10-2-03
something about love love is like a bowl so when you break it glue it together if it won’t hold water fill it with apples © John Knoepfle 2003
Trees, part one
If you own an old home like mine, you’re living with someone else’s decisions, such as where trees are planted in your yard. I’m fortunate to have three 40-year-old trees that provide shade in the summer and great fall color. But they also have provide headaches. A sweetgum tree fills my front yard. While its…
Aldermania
Mayor Tim Davlin is full of surprises, especially when it comes to his reorganization plan for city government. It seems every time it’s presented–four times now?–it has involved the same kind of intense, down-to-the-wire effort as a college student’s mid-term project: delivered on time, but with the paper peculiarly warm, like it just came off…
The highway side
TWENTY The truck Jesse Lopez had been driving was registered to West End Trucking on Blue Island Avenue in Chicago. But all I found at the address was a poor man’s bank: a 24-hour currency exchange. The woman behind the bulletproof glass said she’d never heard of the trucking company, Mr. Morales, Jesse Lopez, or…
