Region

Now presenting, burlesque Dench

By Alyson Brodsy and Anne Rebeck · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

It is very rare that a movie can make you both laugh and cry, but "Mrs. Henderson Presents" does just that. And, very rarely do you see a film with humor and nudity that stays within a tasteful class range and never crosses the line to sleezy. Set in London, circa 1937, Laura Henderson (played by Dame Judi Dench) is an upper-class widow who is left with a large amount of money when her husband passes away. Alone and bored, Mrs. Henderson decides to purchase a theatre, which she names The Windmill. With the help of her hired manager, Vivian Vann Damm (Bob Hoskins), it is soon in business, yet the venture seems to be a failure not too long after its conception.

SENIOR Salute

By Alyson Brodsy and Bryan Lufkin · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

For many members of IU's class of 2006, the past four years have been the party of a lifetime. Coming to Bloomington with your parents and a car full of "dorm room essentials" might seem like only yesterday. Soon you'll be getting ready to walk into Assembly Hall to receive your diploma. Most seniors will attest to the fact that their time at IU went by way too quickly, and now they're ready to move on to the next chapters of their lives. They're ready to get jobs, go to graduate school or -- for some -- move back home into their parents' basement, Xbox and Doritos in hand.

A South African cinematic triumph

By C. Warner Sills and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

The Afrikaan word "tsotsi" roughly translates to "thug." On the surface, the film "Tsotsi" is about the life of a young street-raised gangster named Tsotsi, in the same vein as 2001's "City of God." However, below its skin the film is more a stark look at redemption and one man's desire to break away from the harsh innate life of the slums is South Africa. "Tsotsi" chronicles a group of South African hoods as they reap mayhem throughout their run down shantytowns and the upper class, bourgeois sectors of the city of Johannesburg. Tsotsi (newcomer Presely Chweneyagae in a daunting and brilliant debut) is the leader of the small gang of thugs who spend their days robbing business men on the subway, getting into bar fights and have little or no concern for the social struggles around them.

An enjoyable evening with friends

By Alyson Brodsy and Tony Sams · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

The crazy thing about Nicole Holofcener's "Friends With Money" is that I didn't notice there wasn't a plot until I'd reached the end, but by then I had enjoyed the movie enough that it didn't really matter. Ostensibly, "Friends With Money," bestowed the honor of opening film of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, is a study of women and their relationships to each other and to their husbands. In that regard, it doesn't beat too far off the path of Holofcener's previous films -- 1996's "Walking And Talking" and 2001's "Lovely & Amazing," also studies of women and their relationships -- but hey, when something works for you, keep it working.

All About ME:

By IDS staff and Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

Eamonn Brennan, a junior studying journalism, was recently selected to become the summer editor in chief at the Indiana Daily Student. "I have gotten a chance to lead the sports desk these past few months and I realized that I want to take a higher leadership role at the paper." So why does he feel he's ready to take on such an important position at the IDS this summer? "It's the general idea that I have a major role in shaping the way people can hear and learn about their world." Overall, Brennan is looking forward to spending time in Bloomington this summer.

What they say is true

By Alyson Brodsy and Maggie Bozich · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

With warm weather each spring comes a time for change and a chance to move on. It happened to me in preschool, the sixth grade, ninth grade, senior year of high school and it's happening again in less than two weeks. Before I went away to college, everyone I talked to told me to enjoy my four years of college because they would go by too fast. I remember thinking to myself, "yeah, yeah, I'll enjoy it." That might be the one piece of advice I wish I would have listened to -- not to say I haven't enjoyed my time in college. The past four years seem like one big blur, but they might be one of the best blurs of my life. College was nothing like I thought it was going to be and was everything it should have been. It's funny how a mere four years can change you.

O'Riley gets lost in Elliott Smith's world

By Alyson Brodsy and Ryan McLaughlin · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

Christopher O'Riley is best known for his classical piano renditions of songs by the British alternative-art rock band Radiohead, which he first began playing during set breaks of "From the Top," a National Public Radio program which he hosts. The popularity of the songs led to the release of two albums; True Love Waits: Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead and Hold Me To This: Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead. Although many Radiohead fans praised his work, there have been some critics of O'Riley who claim he is only profiting from the use of the band's name. However, anyone who is remotely knowledgeable in the realm of music would be a fool to say that O'Riley is not an incredibly gifted pianist and meticulous in his arrangements.

Truckers lay down the blessing

By Alyson Brodsy and Ty Schrock · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

The Drive-By Truckers might be the last true rock 'n' roll band. They still believe in the spirit and possibilities of a dying art, and do so without irony or excuses. A generation ago, they likely would have been huge rock stars, but in today's apathetic and splintered rock scene, they are just another great band that you'll never hear on the radio. A Blessing and a Curse, the band's seventh album, is essentially everything you'd come to expect from a DBT album, with its loud guitars, occasional twang and tales of the hard life.

A pocketfull of Italian new wave

By Alyson Brodsy and Will Hernandez · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

"Fists in the Pocket" emerged during the 1960's New Wave era in Europe, which was heavily dominated by directors like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Although this film might not be as popular as many of the other titles released during that time period, it's still highly subversive, groundbreaking and a remarkable debut by Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. The film examines the lives of what seems like a typical Catholic middle class family in the Italian countryside. This is a family that, despite its quarrels and lack of communication, appears relatively normal at the surface. Augusto, the oldest brother and patriarch, is the only character in the family with any stability, but he fails to maintain any order or control.

'Silent' night, unholy night

By Alyson Brodsy and Chris Wisner · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

When nighttime comes and little Sharon Da Silva (Jodelle Ferland, soon to be seen in Terry Gilliam's "Tideland") lays her head down to sleep, there are times when her parents awaken in horror as she is sleepwalking outside and shouting out "Silent Hill." Concerned for her daughter's well-being, Rose (Radha Mitchell, "Finding Neverland") goes against her husband Christopher's (Sean Bean) wishes, taking young Sharon to Silent Hill, the mysterious place she mutters about. As they race up the mountain drive, Rose swerves to avoid hitting a girl in the road, banging her head and leaving her knocked out until daylight when her worst fear returns: Sharon is missing. What happened to the town of Silent Hill? It was built on top of a coal mine where fires never stopped burning, resulting in catastrophe.

The darker, gorier side of European backpacking

By Alyson Brodsy and John Barnett · Thursday, April 27,2006 12 a.m.

Two young American men (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) set out on a backpacking trip looking to hook up and trip out in the European countryside, only to find themselves held captive and tortured in a seedy, debaucherous youth hostel in Slovakia. Produced by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Eli Roth, "Hostel" is a warts-and-all gorefest whose Unrated DVD incarnation pulls even less punches in the torture department than the already blood-soaked theatrical cut.

IU's Straight No Chaser celebrates 10 years of being All-a-chord

By Alyson Brodsy and Molly Peters · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:59 p.m.

For the past 10 years, IU's only men's a cappella singing group has been gracing venues across the nation with its harmonized sound. The student-run group was founded in 1996 by Dan Ponce. Since then, Straight No Chaser has molded itself into IU's premier men's singing group, said junior Tyler Trepp, Straight No Chaser member and music director. The current group consists of nine members, who have formed a steady fan base by performing twice a week at various fraternities, sororities and other groups on campus, in addition to performing at other universities and off-campus events. Straight No Chaser will perform its spring concert celebrating its ten-year anniversary 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium.

Young not among Texans' top choices

By Alyson Brodsy and Kristie Rieken · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:50 p.m.

HOUSTON -- Sorry, Vince, but you won't be playing for your hometown team. The Houston Texans will take Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush or North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick in Saturday's draft, general manager Charley Casserly said Wednesday. The Texans dashed the hopes of fans who have been clamoring for the team to pick Vince Young, a Houston native who led the Longhorns to a Rose Bowl win and the national championship over Bush and USC.

Technology, sport and the fan

By Alyson Brodsy and Andrew Shaffer · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:48 p.m.

It's tough to imagine yourself in a time period as you are living through it. I'm sure Americans in the 1850s were saying to themselves, "Wow, can you believe we're living in the Industrial Revolution?" And while I am sure the devastation was all around them, Americans in the 1920s and '30s were not saying to each other, "So how about this Great Depression? At least we'll be in the history books, huh?" Believe it or not, we live in the Age of Technology. Just open your eyes. Laptops, cell phones, iPods and the Internet have launched our entire being into another stratosphere.

Pacers possibly lose 2 starters for Game 3

By Alyson Brodsy and Cliff Brunt · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:47 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Any hopes the Indiana Pacers had of getting through the playoffs relatively healthy vanished by the end of their Game 2 loss at New Jersey. The Pacers enter Game 3 today with starters Peja Stojakovic and Stephen Jackson and reserve Jamaal Tinsley nursing injuries. The situation is all too familiar for a team that has used 32 different starting lineups this season while player after player has gone down.

Hoosiers top Sycamores in 11 innings; Huddleston doubles home winner

By Chris Sauer · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:44 p.m.

Twenty-two strikeouts. Eleven innings. One run. After the IU softball team's game against instate rival Indiana State last night, these were all the numbers you needed to know. Thankfully for the Hoosiers, the one run belonged to them as they scored in the top of the eleventh inning to take the 1-0 victory. With the win, the Hoosiers move to 26-22-1 on the season. The 22 strikeouts were from senior Mariangee Bogado, who was one strikeout shy of tying the team record she set earlier this season on Feb. 24. Bogando also one-hit the Sycamores. "I was just going out there trying to get outs to continue to keep my team in the game," Bogado said. "I wasn't thinking about the strikeouts at all."

Hoosiers head to nationally televised Penn Relays

By Rick Harker · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:43 p.m.

As they have for most of the season, the IU women's track and field team will participate in a meet this weekend. There is just one difference: this weekend's meet will be nationally televised on NBC. The Hoosiers will compete in the 112th annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia, which starts today and goes through Saturday. The nationally televised meet has IU pumped to compete this weekend. "The best teams in the nation compete every year at this meet, including North Carolina, Duke, Arkansas and Tennessee," said senior distance runner Larra Overton.

Not my muffins

By Alyson Brodsy and Joanna Borns · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:41 p.m.

I came into work earlier this week, and I noticed something strange sitting on my desk: muffins. Old muffins were on my desk. The presence of these muffins caused coworkers and passers-by to ask me: "Are those your muffins?" No. I would like to set the record straight. I want the entire community and world at large to know that while those muffins were in fact on my desk, they were not mine. I did not put them there. I had no plans to consume them. Not my muffins. While some sort of desk easement by estoppel might have transferred the rights of the old muffins to me, I hereby reject any ownership or claims to the muffins.

Will I stay or will I go

By Alyson Brodsy and Amy Obermeyer · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:39 p.m.

At graduation this year, they might as well have a big, green interstate sign that says, "You are now leaving Indiana." Because, if on May 5 you find yourself in Assembly Hall wearing a creepy black gown, chances are, you probably are. Granted, many of you probably want to leave this state, and I can't blame you. The weather is inhumanely erratic, we are close to neither mountain nor beach and it's darned near impossible to find a nonstop flight to anywhere (even Chicago).

Tales from a happy warrior

By Alyson Brodsy and Brian Stewart · Wednesday, April 26,2006 11:38 p.m.

When I became an Indiana Daily Student columnist, a friend suggested "Fighting Words" as my nom de plume. And although I didn't take her advice, experience has proven my friend's judgment right. The ideas I've promoted most assiduously since joining the IDS -- manly self-confidence, a muscular and idealistic foreign policy, the march of globalization and moral absolutism -- have not exactly won me broad support on what is often a soft and relativist campus.