(11/14/11 5:00am)
Last Monday, after an action-packed intramural football season, only four teams remained to battle it out in the men's and women's flag football championships. Just Take a Forfeit pulled off a scintillating 35-34 victory over Better With the Lights Off for the men's title, as Chris Ferro '13 roped in a two-point conversion with no time left on the clock. In the women's game, No Punt Intended rolled to a 36-0 victory over Dumbledore's Army in the first half of the night. No Punt Intended struck first, with just over four minutes into the period. Mimi Theodore '12 took a pass from twin sister Ali Theodore '12 and scampered into the end zone for a 6-0 lead. Torre's aerial prowess would continually cause problems for Dumbledore's Army's defense. No Punt Intended went up 24-0 at halftime en route to the 36-0 score. The men's game, however, proved to be a much closer affair. Just Take a Forfeit took a 6-0 lead just 1:15 into the contest. The momentum quickly turned with consecutive touchdowns by Alex Tynan '12 and Sean O'Hare ‘12 to give Better With the Lights Off a 12-6 advantage. However, Ferro struck back with 2:38 left in the half to even the score. The teams proceeded to notch two touchdowns each throughout the second half to keep the score tied. The frenetic finale, however, featured two scores in the final minute. With 45 seconds to play, Better With the Lights Off appeared to have won it with a touchdown by David Aquilino '12. However, Just Take a Forfeit then drove the length of the field, with Ferro catching the game-tying touchdown as time expired. Quarterback Dylan Britton '13 then connected with Ferro for the extra point, setting the scene for a wild celebration. With football wrapped up and volleyball underway, intramural athletes can now look forward to what should be an exciting basketball season.
(05/24/11 4:00am)
Correction appendedThe Intramural Softball season came to a close last Thursday with two thrilling championship games.In the men's division, the fifth-seeded Lit Cannons took on the No. 3 seed and defending champions, Hu's On First, in a high-scoring affair.The game started on Wednesday night but had to be postponed after two innings due to heavy rain. Both teams battled through the inclement weather to a 7-7 tie heading into the third inning on Thursday. When play resumed, it was a back-and-forth game with Hu's On First emerging victorious by a 29-22 score. Ben Wiener '11 and Matt Wiener '13 each hit a pair of home runs for the champs. Captain Sean Petterson '11 reached base in all five plate appearances, scoring each time. Lit Cannons got home runs from graduate students Nick Van Kley, Kevin Donnoly, Josh McGrath and Kyle Wiggins, but it was not enough to keep Hu's On First from repeating as IM champs.The women's championship game was one of the most exciting in recent history, ending in dramatic fashion. Tiffany Pacheco '11 made a game-ending leaping catch against the wall in the left-field corner to leave the bases loaded as the second-seeded We Back held on for a 16-15 victory over three-time defending champion BWB. BWB came to bat in the bottom of the seventh trailing by six runs. They were down to their last out, still trailing by four runs, when they mounted a late rally. A walk and three-straight hits brought them within a run and loaded the bases for Amber Strodthoff '11. Strodthoff hit a rocket down the left field line that Pacheco snared with a tremendous catch at the wall just inside fair territory. We Back got first-inning home runs from Mimi Theodore '12 and Abby Blasco '11. BWB's Courtney Ness '13 answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning. We Back's Paige Blasco '11 and BWB's Janelle Rodriguez '14 also hit two home runs each on the day.In other softball news, Taylor Bracken '11 defeated Ethan Davis '11 by a score of 15-2 in the Men's Home Run Derby finals. The women's bracket was a sibling affair, as Abby Blasco bested sister Paige Blasco by a score of 2-0 in the finals.The headline of this article was edited to reflect the following correction: Hu's on First won the men's division of the softball competition, not Lit Cannons.
(05/24/11 4:00am)
The second-seeded baseball team suffered a tough 8-5 upset loss in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament to seventh-seeded Anna Maria College last Wednesday afternoon. Despite an early exit from the postseason, Brandeis finished its season at a solid 24-19, a marked improvement from the previous season. "I think we had a great season," shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 said. "It was a real improvement from the last couple years, and we got noticeably better as the year went on."John McGrath '11, recently named to the All-University Athletic Association baseball team as a first-team selection at pitcher, could not get the job done, surrendering two earned runs while notching five strikeouts over six innings in his first loss of the season. Catcher Chris Ferro '13 started off the action in the second inning with a sacrifice fly to give the Judges a 1-0 lead. However, McGrath could not hold the lead for the Judges in the top of the third inning, giving up three unearned runs. In the bottom of the frame, Brandeis quickly responded with two more runs to even the score at 3-3. First baseman Eric Rosenberg '11, who had three RBIs in a valiant effort to extend his career for another day, belted a two-run single to tie the game. After an inning of scoreless action, Anna Maria regained control of the game in the fifth inning with back-to-back RBI singles, giving the AMCATS a 5-3 lead. Brandeis responded to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning on another RBI by Rosenberg. The game settled down until Anna Maria's bats came alive in the eighth inning. After getting the Judges out of a jam in the top of the seventh inning, Pat Nicholson '11 gave up three runs in the frame. "After loading the bases on a walk, an error and a hit batter, Nicholson struck out the next batter before ceding the game-changing hit. Sophomore third baseman Justin Hyland blasted a two-run double into the gap to give Anna Maria a 7-4 lead. Nicholson would give up another run on a wild pitch to keep the game at 8-4. Outfielder Sean O'Hare '12 added an RBI single in the bottom of the frame, but the Judges would get no closer."We just didn't finish the way we wanted to," Schwartz said of the team's play down the stretch. "We had a rough stretch at the end where I think we could've played better and that carried over to the ECAC game. We made some costly mistakes and didn't capitalize when we had the chances."Following the loss, the team will lose this year's crop of seniors, which includes Rosenberg, pitcher Rephael Stern, Nicholson (though he does have one more season of eligibility after missing last year with Tommy John surgery), McGrath and shortstop/outfielder Tony Deshler. Though the team will certainly suffer from losing key members, Schwartz said the team's future looks bright after a solid season."I think we can build off of this great season and have an even better one next year with a lot of talented incoming freshmen," he said. "Even though this season just ended, I'm already excited for the next one and eager to see what we're capable of.
(05/24/11 4:00am)
Summer is all about spending time outside in the (cross your fingers if you live in New England) beautiful, warm weather. A dark, quiet movie theater is the last place most people want to be when there's laying out on the beach to be done. However, I found some upcoming flicks that just might persuade you otherwise. So here's one film for each month of the summer that will make you want to sit back in the air-conditioned cinema with a nice bag of popcorn and watch. May: Tree of Life Directed by Terrence Malick Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain Malick's film tells the story of Jack (portrayed as an adult by Penn), an 11-year-old Midwestern boy who grows up learning different ways of living from his mother (Chastain) and his father (Pitt). While his mother teaches him to "see with the eyes of his soul," his father instructs him on how to protect himself from the hardships he will encounter in life, putting himself first. The narrative follows Jack's journey from innocence to experience as he grapples with the contrasting approaches to life, which he has been shown. From the trailer, it is obvious that Malick's impressionistic style dominates the movie and, while the plot might seem a little bit melodramatic, the mere beauty of the cinematography itself is worth witnessing. The movie, after its opening run at the Cannes Film Festival, will premiere in the United States on May 27. June: Beginners Directed by Mike Mills Starring Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer Based on the true story of director Mills' father, Oliver (McGregor) meets and falls in love with Anna (Laurent) right after the death of his father Hal (Plummer). Throughout the film, the new romance brings up memories of his father who, shortly before his death, admitted he was gay after 44 years of marriage to Oliver's mother. Hal's honesty in his last days had brought Oliver closer to his father and he hopes to carry the lessons he's learned into his new relationship with Anna.The film presents a basic story in a fresh new way, using interesting storytelling techniques as well as humorous moments to create a memorable spin on the classic father-son relationship tale. Beginners is premiering on June 3. July: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Directed by David Yates and Steve Kloves Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint The final installment in the Harry Potter film saga is finally coming. The second part of the film that premiered last fall, this segment covers all the filmic genres: drama, action/adventure, mystery, science fiction/fantasy, you name it. Harry, having clashed against Lord Voldemort and his minions since the murder of his parents, will finally face his greatest enemy in the ultimate showdown. With the gorgeous cinematography of the previous Harry Potter installment, you can bet that Yates will be at it again, crafting a beautiful visual to accompany the finale to the story that has touched millions of readers and viewers worldwide. It all ends July 15. August: One Day Directed by Lone Scherfig Starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess and Romola Garai Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess) first meet in college at Edinburgh on the day of their graduation. Emma is a working-class girl bent on changing the world; Dexter is wealthy, spoiled and simply wants to have fun seeing the world. The film checks in with them once a year for 20 years on the anniversary of the day they met. Sometimes they are together romantically, sometimes they are not. This is an interesting take on a love story, watching the love grow and fall apart again over time. Although Hathaway's false Scottish accent from the trailer made me cringe, this film is unique enough to pique my interest. Coming to theaters August 19. Squeeze in one more laugh before going back to school: Our Idiot Brother Directed by Jesse Peretz Starring Paul Rudd, Emily Mortimer and Zooey Deschanel This movie is a bit of a wild card: Rudd plays Ned, the titular "idiot brother." After he makes a mess of his life, Ned seeks refuge in each of his three sisters' homes. Once there, he continues to stir up trouble with his consistently upbeat, trusting and carefree attitude. Although the trailer revealed that this film has its share of bathroom jokes, the overall plot seems not only comedic but also somewhat touching. Ned's na'veté is somewhat endearing-presenting a loveably silly and inexperienced protagonist is a good way to keep viewers rooting for his or her success (think Brittany from Glee or Forrest from Forrest Gump). Catch this film August 26.
(05/03/11 4:00am)
Correction appendedIn a hectic week near the end of its regular season, the baseball team went 3-4, and now stands at 27-14. Brandeis managed to win two of its first three games during the week but could not get it done during the final weekend of play, dropping three out of four games in back-to-back doubleheaders against Trinity College and Springfield College.Shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 noted that the difficulties the team encountered were ones that had plagued the players all season."The problem is we are just inconsistent," he said. "Some games it's our hitting that shines, others it's our pitching. We haven't been able to put the two together, and that is how you win ball games." In the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, Brandeis fought hard but lost to Trinity 4-3. Coach Pete Varney used six different pitchers during the game, but Stefan Weiss '13 gave up two runs in relief, and was charged with the loss. Brandeis broke out of its offensive funk with a three-run first inning on an RBI single by first baseman Eric Rosenberg '11 and an RBI double from second baseman Sean O'Hare '12. Unfortunately, Trinity put up four runs in the next two innings and the Judges' bats went quiet for the rest of the game. Earlier in the day, despite a complete game from pitcher Michael Swerdloff '13, the Judges could not pull off the win, losing 5-2. Swerdloff was charged with the loss but only allowed three earned runs to go along with seven strikeouts. After Trinity jumped out to a 2-0 lead, the Judges tied the game by the third inning with a sacrifice fly by third baseman Brian Ing '14 and an RBI groundout by first baseman Pat Nicholson '11. However, Brandeis' bats again fell quiet for the rest of the game, and Trinity got to Swerdloff for three more runs to win the game. Nicholson was dominant in the second half of an afternoon doubleheader against Springfield on Saturday, going the distance for the Judges in a 4-0 victory. He scattered five hits throughout the game, not surrendering a single run. Nicholson broke through on the offensive side as well, bringing in a runner on a double play in the first inning and later contributing an RBI single. An RBI double by Ing sealed Springfield's fate. In the first game, the Judges fought hard but could not overcome a big seventh inning by Springfield, losing 11-8. John McGrath '11 pitched six innings, giving up six runs and striking out four, but did not earn a decision in the game. Brandeis broke open the game with three RBI doubles by Nicholson, Schwartz and centerfielder Tony Deshler '11 in a four-run second inning. With a 5-4 Springfield lead in the sixth inning, outfielder Nick Cortese '13 belted a two-run homer and catcher Kenny Destremps '12 added another RBI double to give the Judges a 7-4 lead. However, Brandeis couldn't protect the lead in the top of the seventh inning and eventually lost by a score of 11-8.Last Thursday, the Judges looked to extend their five-game winning streak against No. 4 Keene State University. However, the Judges faltered and lost 8-2 in a game shortened by rain. Colin Markel '14 was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs in four innings of work. Keene State pounced early on Markel, bringing in three runs in the first inning. Brandeis was able to cut the lead to 3-2 by the fourth inning with an RBI double by Nicholson and an RBI single by catcher Chris Ferro '13. However, the Judges' pitching ceded five more runs to Keene, and the team's bats went quiet for the rest of the game.Last Wednesday, Brandeis pulled off an exhilarating 8-7 victory in extra innings over Bowdoin College. Dylan Britton '13 pitched seven innings, giving up four earned runs. Alex Tynan '12 earned his third win of the season, by pitching two scoreless innings to close out the game. Down 4-0 in the sixth inning, the Judges found their offensive groove and knocked in seven runs over the next two innings. Deshler began the onslaught with a two-run homer. In the next inning, O'Hare pulled through with a huge grand slam to put the Judges up 6-4. Deshler came through again with an RBI single to increase the lead to 7-4 and seemingly put the game out of reach. However, Brandeis could not close it out, and Bowdoin tied the game in the ninth inning with two more runs. Destremps provided the biggest homer of all, breaking the game open in the 11th with a solo shot to seal the game at 8-7. The Judges started out the week last Tuesday with a 4-3 win over Endicott College. Swerdloff pitched six solid innings, allowing only one earned run. Markel earned his second win of the season and Ing his second save. By the bottom of the seventh inning and facing a 3-0 deficit, O'Hare broke through with a two-run triple and then scored home on a wild pitch to tie the game at three runs apiece. Ferro executed a sacrifice bunt perfectly in the next inning to give the Judges the lead and ultimately the game at 4-3.Whether or not the team will make the playoffs is unclear, but Schwartz said that, in any case, the team was happy with how the season went. "Despite this weekend, I think we've had a great season thus far," he said. "We started off a little slow but then started finding ways to win games. I think we've proven we can compete and give a lot of trouble to any team out there."Schwartz also felt very positive about the team's prospects for next season."I think the future is bright for our team; we have a lot of talented players even with our departing seniors," he said. "However, the rest of the year is what we need to focus on." Brandeis will play its final game of the season at Amherst College today at 3:00 p.m.Editor's note: This article has been edited to reflect the following correction: Stefan Weiss '13 picked up the loss in the second game of Brandeis' doubleheader last Sunday, not Rafi Stern '11. Additionally, the article incorrectly implied that the team's season was over, when it in fact had one more regular season game.
(04/12/11 4:00am)
In a long week of action for the baseball team, the Judges were on top of their game, finishing with four wins and just one loss. The team finished the weekend with two wins last Sunday against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to improve its record to 17-11."We played really well this week," rookie shortstop Dom Schwartz '14 said. "Our team is finally clicking with solid hitting and defense, as well as some great pitching performance."In the second game against UMass Dartmouth, the Judges' bats made the Corsairs pay in a 14-7 victory. The Corsairs took an early 3-0 lead on three RBI singles in the first inning, forcing coach Pete Varney to pull pitcher Colin Markel '14. The Judges responded quickly, knocking the Corsairs starter out of the game in the bottom of the inning with a six-run frame. The Judges would add two more runs in the second inning, one run in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a commanding 14-3 lead. Pitcher Stefan Weiss '13 came on for Markel and gave up just four hits through the fifth inning. He was tagged for four runs in the top of the sixth, but left-hander Jesse Link '13 came in and closed out the game. Weiss was credited with the win. The Judges were led by outfielder Nick Cortese '13, who went 3-3 with three runs scored. Catcher Kenny Destremps '12 went 3-4 with two runs scored, and second baseman Sean O'Hare '12 finished 2-4 with four RBIs.In the first game last Sunday, Brandeis' Dylan Britton '12 led the charge by allowing just one run on four hits in five innings of action. After Britton gave up a run in the top of the fourth to put the Corsairs up 1-0, the Judges responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Destremps and an error by Corsairs second baseman Dan DeMello.Pat Nicholson '11 moved from first base to pitcher in the sixth inning, and the Corsairs scored the tying run on a single in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the frame, shortstop Tony Deshler '12 singled to right field to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a Cortese groundout, and to third on a wild pitch. Nicholson then brought Deshler home on a walk-off single to win the game 3-2.Nicholson was credited with the win as well, as he had still been pitching. He ended his day 2-4 with one RBI at the plate, and earned the win with his two innings on the mound. However, the Judges' hot play of late was briefly halted last Friday against Wheaton College. The Lyons halted the Judges' five-game win streak, stifling Brandeis for a 6-0 victory. The Lyons, who had won 12 of the past 14 game, sent rookie right-hander Nick Filloramo to the mound. Filloramo pitched a complete-game gem, allowing just six hits. Lefty Mike Swerdloff '13 took the loss for Brandeis, letting up four earned runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings. Last Wednesday, the Judges came from three runs down in the seventh inning to defeat Rhode Island College 5-3. For the first six innings, Anchormen sophomore right-hander David Hoey held the Judges in check. Hoey allowed just three Brandeis base runners and struck out seven Judges in that span. Brandeis starter John McGrath '11 was tagged for two solo homers in the fourth inning and allowed a third run to cross the plate in sixth, leaving the Judges down 3-0. The Judges finally found their stride in the seventh inning. Cortese opened the inning with a single and designated hitter Eric Rosenberg '11 doubled. Cortese scored on a wild pitch and Rosenberg scored on an O'Hare groundout. McGrath retired the side in the eighth inning to keep the deficit at one. In the bottom of the frame, the Judges quickly tied the game at three before Nicholson ripped a line drive to right field to drive in two more runs and put the Judges in front.McGrath did his part in the ninth, fielding a grounder to the mound for a putout to first before striking out the next two batters for the complete game win.The Judges began the week last Wednesday by defeating the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers 9-5. The Judges quickly tagged Engineer senior starter Ryne Barry for three runs on two doubles in the first inning and never let up, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after two frames. The Judges bats stayed hot in the bottom of the second inning. Rookie starter Colin Market '14 allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings, but the Judges' bullpen controlled the bleeding with Alex Tynan '12 hurling two scoreless frames, and Swerdloff closing out the game.The Judges are next in action against Worcester State University today at home on the Stein Diamond. The team then takes on Johnson and Wales University on Thursday and travels to face Western New England College on Saturday. In total, the team has 11 games left on its calendar, wrapping up the season on May 1 with a doubleheader against Trinity College."We have a lot of big games coming up in the next few weeks," said Schwartz. "We have a chance to win a bunch of games and finish off what has been a great season.
(04/05/11 4:00am)
The baseball team looked sharp as it continued its homestand last week, winning all three of its games to improve to 13-10 on the season. Brandeis easily defeated Suffolk University and then proceeded to score 19 runs en route to sweeping a doubleheader against Worcester Polytechnic Institute last Sunday afternoon. Rookie shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 was proud of the team's effort."We're getting much better and that shows based on our wins this week," he said.In the second game against WPI, the Judges were able to hold on for an 8-7 win after a furious comeback by WPI in the ninth inning. Pitcher Michael Swerdloff '13 turned in a dominant performance for his second win of the season, giving up two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high 11 batters. Brandeis scattered eight runs throughout the game, beginning with back-to-back RBI doubles from catcher Chris Ferro '12 and first baseman Eric Rosenberg '11 in the first inning. Following a sacrifice fly in the second inning, Sean O'Hare '12 and Brian Ing '14 contributed consecutive RBI singles in the third inning to stretch the lead to 5-0. In the sixth inning, Brandeis continued its offensive outburst, with an RBI triple from outfielder Tony Deshler '11 and then a final RBI single from outfielder Nick Cortese '13. With an 8-2 lead in the seventh inning and star pitcher Pat Nicholson '11 on the mound, the Judges thought that they had locked up the victory. However, Nicholson ceded a grand slam, and suddenly the game was within reach for WPI. However, Nicholson calmed down and secured the last two outs to secure an 8-7 win. Schwartz said that the Judges should have been able to avoid such a close call."This proved to us we need to be competitive in every match, not only at the start but also in the bottom of the seventh inning, regardless of the outcome," he said.Earlier in the day, Brandeis' offense was even more prolific, pouring in 12 runs to take the game by a score of 12-5. Dylan Britton '13 pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on the day. Nicholson, McGrath, and pitcher Alex Tynan '12 all put forth scoreless efforts to keep the game out of reach for WPI. The Judges began their run-scoring binge with a two-run homer by Ferro in the first and a crushing three-run long ball by Deshler to give the team a lead it would never relinquish. After three more runs with the small ball, the Judges ended the game with an explosive four-run sixth. Nicholson ripped a single to left field, which brought in Cortese and Deshler, Ferro bashed an RBI triple and Rosenberg belted a sacrifice fly to ensure a 12-5 Brandeis win. The Judges started the week against Suffolk University last Wednesday with a 6-4 win. John McGrath '11 earned his fourth victory of the season, giving up three runs and striking out five in 7 and a 1/3 innings of work. Nicholson went the rest of the way, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings to notch his first save of the season.Suffolk held on to a 2-0 lead going into the fourth inning before Brandeis' bats finally awoke. After back-to-back singles, Ferro dropped a perfect bunt single, driving Cortese home. O'Hare then drilled a grounder right to the pitcher, but the ball was mishandled, allowing Nicholson and Ferro to race home to give Brandeis a 3-2 lead. In the fifth inning, the Judges capitalized on more poor defense from Suffolk. After Britton reached first on an error by the shortstop, he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Schwartz and a ground out by Deshler. Cortese then smacked a grounder to short which was mishandled, giving Britton the opportunity to race home. Ferro then put the game away with a 2-run double, giving the Judges a 6-2 lead. The four run lead was all the Brandeis pitching staff needed, and the team won 6-4.Overall, Schwartz was positive about the team's direction at this point of the season. "We're heading in the right direction, but there are still a lot of things we can improve on at the plate, on the bases and in the field," he said. "Once we cut down on some of the little mistakes, we will be a really tough team to beat."Brandeis will host Tufts University this afternoon at 3 p.m.
(03/29/11 4:00am)
As anyone who saw the Rabb steps last week could gather, the Brandeis Korean Student Association went all out when it came to advertising for this year's K-Nite, the club's annual celebration of Korean culture. Those who came to Levin Ballroom on Saturday night learned that KSA put an impressive amount of work into the show, giving the audience a 2-hour whirlwind of music, dancing; tae kwon do; K-pop; and addictive, free yogurt drinks. Each K-Nite is built around a different theme, and for this year's,"Korea 101," KSA used a clever framing device built around a school day, in which each performance was presented as a "class," with a short skit introducing each one. It was a small part of the show, but it tied everything together well. The show itself opened with a rendition of "Aegukga," South Korea's national anthem, before segueing into a Korean history class taught by KSA President Dong Hyun Lee '12. It outlined South Korea's rapid development after the Korean War, which according to Lee left the country in such a dismal state that General MacArthur said it would take a century to recover-a prediction that Korea disproved by turning into the powerhouse it is in only 50 years. Next period was "Korean Music Class," featuring a performance by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's traditional Korean folk ensemble "Oori Crew," who performed traditional Korean poongmul music, a style that utilizes different types of drums and gongs. After the Oori Crew's performance, the stage was given over to the modern dance performance, in which students danced to K-pop standards from Korean pop stars Shinhwa, Miss A and Tae Yang. Students Christy Kang '13 and Ga Eun Lee '14 choreographed the former two, and they were joined by Sean Norton '12 to choreograph the final performance, "I Need A Girl." After this came the tae kwon do demonstration (or "gym class") from the Newton branch of the Jae H. Kim Tae Kwon Do Institute. This started out normally enough: Students would demonstrate different forms, moves and strikes. But then they brought out the boards. Breaking boards is a time-honored tradition in demonstrations of martial arts, and what happened here left everyone talking for the rest of the night. There were flying kicks through a plank that barely missed the holder's face, students elbowing through a pile of planks and what can only be described as a real-life version of the "bicycle kick" move from Mortal Kombat. It was insane, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Of course, this act would be hard to follow, but the KSA ended the first part of the show on a high note with a fashion show, featuring modern-day school uniforms before bringing out the final two ensembles: spot-on recreations of the robes worn by historic upper-class men and women, as well as the clothes of Korea's kings and queens. During intermission, the audience was given free samples of Yakult, a yogurt-based drink that's incredibly popular not only in Korea, but all across Asia, as well as parts of Latin America-not to mention Levin Ballroom, where the Yalkut supply was drained only a few minutes after they started serving it. The second half of the show began with a performance by the KSA band, which sang renditions of Korean rock favorites as well as a Korean version of Blondie's "Maria." This was followed by a presentation by the executive board, which included a speech given by Grace Noh '11 on the Korean Language Table at Brandeis, a student-founded tutoring program that helps Brandeis students to learn Korean, which compensates for the University's lack of an official Korean language program. The program has grown from three students to 14 in only a few years, and the Table hopes to get the University to begin offering Korean language classes at some point in the near future. After this, the winners of KSA's raffle were announced. The first and second prizes-an iPod Touch and a Polaroid camera, respectively-were awarded to elated students. With the evening winding down, there was time for one last performance: the fan dance. This is a performance that's held every year at K-Nite, and ended the show on a high note as the audience filed out to the Usdan Student Center to enjoy a free Korean meal provided by Boston Yasu, a Korean restaurant in Boston.K-Nite was, first and foremost, a celebration of Korea and its culture. But this year's show was also a celebration of the KSA itself, which has made great strides in the past few years. Twenty years ago, it consisted of about 10 members, but now its e-board alone has 17, and KSA Vice President Sujin Han '12 said that with Brandeis' admittance of more international students, Brandeis's Korean population is now in the hundreds. This made the night that much more important-not only as a tribute to Korea itself, but also as a testament to the vitality of Brandeis' community of Korean students.
(03/29/11 4:00am)
The baseball team began a 13-game homestand last week, completing a stretch of five games in 6 days with a 2-3 record, which leveled the team's record out at 10-10 for the season. The team started the week on a high note, but fatigue took its toll last Sunday as the Judges faltered against Framingham State University in an afternoon double-header.Brandeis' offense was shut down by the Rams in the team's second game, earning only one hit-a single by Tony Deshler '11 in the first inning. Colin Markel '14 was tagged with the loss, giving up 3 runs, 1 earned, in 4 2/3 innings of work as the Judges lost 4-0. The first game between the two was even worse for Brandeis, as Framingham State handed the team an 18-3 loss, Brandeis' worst defeat of the season. Pitcher Dylan Britton '13, coming off a domineering performance earlier this week, was shelled and only lasted one inning.In the bottom of the first inning, after Britton was tagged for 4 runs, the Judges showed some signs of life. Catcher Chris Ferro '13 brought in a runner from second on a well-placed single and a routine grounder by first baseman Pat Nicholson '11 was overthrown by the Rams' shortstop, leading to two more runs. From there, however, the Rams kept pouring in the runs, and the Judges were shut down the rest of the way. Shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 was disappointed with the team's performance."We definitely had the potential to beat these teams and our squad is really coming together as a whole, but our main problem is that we're still making a lot of fundamental mistakes both offensively and defensively," Schwartz said. "If we can just cut down on these fundamental errors and correct our mechanics, we can get a lot more wins." Last Thursday, in the team's third game in as many days, the Judges exploded for a season-high 12 runs and 14 hits in a 12-6 rout of Salve Regina University. John McGrath '11 pitched seven strong innings, ceding only one earned run while adding eight strikeouts, earning his third win of the season. Brandeis jumped out to a quick start with five runs in the second inning. Outfielders Nick Cortese '13 and Tony Deshler '11 and Schwartz all contributed RBI singles, while Sean O'Hare '12 drove in two more with a crushing double. The third inning played out almost the same as the Judges delivered four more runs, again with RBI singles by Cortese and Schwartz as well as a two-run double from O'Hare. Last Wednesday afternoon was a different story as Brandeis had a classic low-scoring duel with the Wentworth Institute of Technology before losing 5-4 in extra innings. Michael Swerdloff '13 started for the Judges with a solid performance, giving up three runs in seven innings of work.Brandeis relied on the small ball for much of the game, only recording one extra-base hit through 10 innings of play. The game was tied at three after nine innings before Wentworth went in front on a two-run double in the top of the tenth. Third baseman Jon Chu '12 hit an RBI single to make it a one-run game, but it was as close as Brandeis would get, and the team lost 5-4.The Judges started off the homestand with a commanding 8-3 victory over Salem State University. Britton scattered three runs, only one of them earned, through seven solid innings while also notching seven strikeouts. In the first inning, Chu launched a sacrifice fly and first baseman Eric Rosenberg '11 belted a two-run single to jump out to a 3-1 lead. In the fifth, the Judges gave Britton all the support he needed with RBI singles by Chu and Nicholson, as well as back-to-back RBI doubles by Rosenberg and Cortese. Dylan, Brian Ing '14, and Alex Tynan '12 all pitched well in relief to cement the 8-3 victory.Schwartz was positive about the team's progression through the season. "We've been playing well for the most part lately and I think we're getting better as the season goes on," he said. "Once again, if we improve on some basic aspects and become more consistent, we can rack up victories." Brandeis faces Suffolk University tomorrow at 3 p.m.
(03/22/11 4:00am)
After being postponed a day due to rain, the baseball team weathered the storm to win a nail-biting 6-5 victory over Bridgewater State University last Friday. The Judges improved to 8-7 on the season after holding on against a frantic comeback by the Bears. Brandeis designated hitter/pitcher Pat Nicholson '11 was the standout in the game, going 3-for-5 with a key RBI double and shutting down the Bears over the last 1 1/3 innings to earn his second save of the season. Nicholson said that, though he is used to playing both sides of the ball, he hasn't contributed much offensively in the past."I'm generally used to hitting and pitching in practices, and did so in the past, but haven't really done [much] offensively in college," he said.Brandeis tacked on three runs in both the third and fourth innings to jump out to a 6-0 lead. In the third, rookie shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 led off with a single, and second baseman Sean O'Hare '12 belted a deep sacrifice fly to drive him home for a 1-0 lead. Third baseman John Chu '12 was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by catcher Chris Ferro '13. Nicholson then had his biggest hit of the day with a clutch two-run double to extend the lead to 3-0. The Judges continued their offensive surge in the fourth inning, hitting three doubles to score three more runs. Right fielder Andrew Cohen '13 began the onslaught with a double and then stole third on the next pitch. Schwartz hit a double of his own to drive Cohen home, continuing his torrid start to the season. Ever since starting at shortstop against the University of Rochester in the team's first University Athletic Association game, Schwartz has hit at a .333 clip and driven in five RBIs.O'Hare then hit the third double down the left field line to drive in Schwartz for a 5-0 lead. Chu finished the team's production with a RBI single, providing Brandeis with all the runs needed to secure the victory.In total, the top five of the Brandeis order-Deschler, O'Hare, Chu, Ferro and Nicholson-combined for nine hits and five RBIs.However, the Bears did not lie down quietly. After being shut down by John McGrath '11 for four innings, Bridgewater State was finally able to rattle him in the fifth inning with back-to-back homers to cut the lead to 6-3. McGrath would calm down to deliver two more strong innings, but the Bears tagged him for another run in the eighth inning to end his night. McGrath finished the day with seven solid innings of work, giving up four runs on five hits and adding seven strikeouts. "He is an excellent starter and I'm glad we saw him at the top of his game," Nicholson said of McGrath. "He's an integral part of our pitching staff and crucial to how we do in the future."In order to get the next three outs Brandeis had to use three pitchers. Before Nicholson took over for the final four outs Jesse Link '13 and Colin Markel '14 recorded two key strikeouts but in the process surrendered runs on a double and a wild pitch. Michael Swerdloff '13 came in for just one batter, hitting him with a pitch. Nicholson walked the first batter he faced, bringing in a run that was credited to Link. With the bases still loaded, Nicholson got the out and was able to shut down the Bears the rest of the way."Overall, we played pretty well," Nicholson said. "[We] especially locked down on defense. Defense wins games; it's as simple as that."Nicholson did still feel that the team has room to improve and must work on not letting their opponents back into the game."We almost let this game, and others earlier in the season, get away from us," he said. "We need to learn to put games away if we want to build upon our success."Brandeis opens up a 13-game homestand with three games this week. The team hosts the Wentworth Institute of Technology tomorrow and Salve Regina University on Thursday and conclude play this week with a Sunday doubleheader against the Framingham State University Rams.
(03/15/11 4:00am)
Foil Julian Cardillo '14 was the only member of the either Brandeis fencing squad to qualify for the NCAA Championships after competing in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY last Sunday.Cardillo, who was named Fencer of the Year in the Northeast Fencing Conference March 1 after posting a record of 24-1 on the year, finished seventh among the 32 foil fencers despite the fact that he came into the day as the ninth seed. To qualify for nationals, a fencer in the Northeast region must finish in the top eight in their weapon category."To be able to pull such a great result and be able go to Nationals is pretty unreal," Cardillo said. "I know that Brandeis doesn't have a lot of [first-years] who qualify on a regular basis, so I'm happy to put a spot in history for myself and for Brandeis."Coach Bill Shipman said that he was pleased with how Cardillo performed against the tough competition he faced from premier fencing schools such as St. John's University and Harvard University, noting that he was aware of Cardillo's realistic chances of qualifying."We knew he had a shot at [qualifying for nationals]," Shipman said. "He had a good season and was seeded pretty high. He showed a lot of composure and confidence in his fencing today."While Cardillo will move on to nationals, which takes place from March 24 to the 27th at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, the eight other men's fencers who qualified for regionals at Vassar concluded their seasons last Sunday."We were hopeful a couple seniors would make it [to nationals], but they didn't quite pull it off," Shipman said.In saber, captain Adam Austin '11 finished 13th out of 34 fencers in the group, concluding his career at Brandeis. "[Austin] had a pretty good day but didn't quite make the final round," Shipman said. "He had a couple bad breaks. . It was a little disappointing for a guy who worked so hard for 4 years."While Austin finished 13th, sabers Jon Rollock '11 and Mark Borreliz '14 placed 15th and 28th, respectively.Épée Alex Powell '12 placed 12th in the épée standings, while Mike Zook '13 recorded a 29th-place finish among the 36 fencers. Harry Kaufer '13, the final épée fencer for the men's team, placed 32nd. Sean Norton '12 also competed in foil with Cardillo, and he finished 31st overall.Although nobody qualified on the women's squad for nationals, saber Zoe Messinger '13 thought the team performed admirably against their opponents."I feel like today we had a very good day," Messinger said. "I feel like all the girls fenced their best. We all pulled through and fenced really strong. Although none of us made it to the NCAAs, I think we fenced strong enough to give the Brandeis team a good [representation] for the end of the year."On the women's team, épée Leah Mack '14 finished 10th overall among 49 épée fencers, proving to be the best ranking for any women's fencer from Brandeis. Emma Larkin '14 finished 11 spots behind Mack, while Kristin Ha '14 finished 38th overall.Foil Vikki Nunley '13, an NFC All-Star selection, recorded a 16th-place finish in foil. Hallie Frank '14 was the only other women's fencer to compete in foil, where she finished 32nd overall.In saber, Messinger and captain/NFC All-Star Anna Hanley '11 placed 17th and 22nd, respectively, out of 38 fencers, while Kayla Cronin '14 finished in 38th.Overall, Cardillo saw great effort and motivation from everyone on both squads, making for a successful day of fencing. "The effort was there," Cardillo said. "The cheering was there. We had a lot of motivation, and at the end of the day, everything worked out in a good way for us."Editor's note: Julian Cardillo '14 is a Sports staff writer for the Justice.
(02/01/11 5:00am)
The 2011 Academy Award nominations were released on Jan. 25, signaling the beginning of the final round of the 2010 awards season. As of 2007, there were 5,835 members of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, split into 15 different branches-these include writers, directors, cinematographers and animators. Each branch is allowed to vote only for nominees in its own category-for example, directors are only allowed to vote in the Best Director category. All members are allowed to vote for best picture. Since 2009, there have been 10 nominees in the Best Picture category, though most categories remain at five. This year the nominees for Best Picture are Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit and Winter's Bone. The real competition, however, is between The King's Speech and The Social Network, the two films that have been doing the best at other award shows this season. These two films are drastically different, highlighting the division in the Academy between older and younger voters. The King's Speech is classic Oscar bait, featuring actors who have won or been nominated before, including Colin Firth, who was nominated last year for A Single Man. It is also a period piece set in England directly before World War II and features a protagonist overcoming a handicap-in this case, a stutter. All of these factors make it a classic "Oscar movie." It is also nominated for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay and more. The Social Network details the creation of Facebook, giving a vicious account of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. None of the actors are big stars-discounting Justin Timberlake-though director David Fincher was previously nominated in 2008 for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and writer Aaron Sorkin has found acclaim both in film (A Few Good Men) and television (The West Wing). The Social Network is appealing to younger voters, and many in the AMPAS see it as a way to lure a new generation of viewers to the ceremony, which is currently not as popular an event as it was in the 1990s and early 2000s. In the Best Director race, the nominees are responsible for the top five Best Picture Nominees: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan, David O. Russell for The Fighter, Tom Hooper for The King's Speech, David Fincher for The Social Network and Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit. Russell and Hooper are the only two in this category who have not been previously nominated. I would like to see Aronofsky win this award because his Black Swan is dark, violent and sexual, and I think it is the nominated film in which the director's view is clearest. Aronofsky guided what could have been a tacky and obscene picture and instead made it artistic, beautiful and terrifying.The nominees for Best Actress are Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine. I think Annette Bening has the best chance of winning this award, as she has already won best actress at the Golden Globes and was nominated for a Screen Actor's Guild Award and an Independent Spirit Award. Bening has received a lot of acclaim for her role as Nic, one half of a lesbian couple whose children bring their sperm-donor father into the family's lives. She was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for Being Julia and in 1999 for American Beauty. The Best Actor race is again between The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg and The King's Speech's Colin Firth. The other nominees are Javier Bardem for Biutiful, Jeff Bridges for True Grit and James Franco for 127 Hours. Firth is most likely to win this award, as he plays a man dealing with and overcoming disability; this type of storyline is famous for attracting Oscar votes. Some recent nominees and winners who played disabled heroes include Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, Sean Penn in I Am Sam, Jamie Foxx in Ray, Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby and Julie Christie in Away from Her. This category is more interesting this year, however, because Franco is both nominated for Best Actor and hosting the awards with Anne Hathaway. It will be interesting to see how the producers of the show display Franco winning or losing.Best Supporting Actress is similar to most of the categories of this year's awards in that the probable winner is already known. Melissa Leo, as Alice Ward, the strong, selfish mother of two boxing contenders in The Fighter has already won the Golden Globe and New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and will most likely pick up a statue at the Oscars. Other nominees in this category include Amy Adams also for The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech; Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit; and Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom. Though Leo will in all probability win the Oscar, I would like to see 14-year-old Steinfeld receive recognition for her remarkable portrayal of a young girl searching the uncivilized U.S. territories for her father's killer. Young actors and actresses rarely win awards, as most Academy voters consider older, more experienced nominees to be more deserving. However, Steinfeld impressed me as the true star of this film, keeping up with fellow actors Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin. She also showed a range of emotions more vividly than either Carter or Adams. In some ways, the Best Supporting Actor race is the most heated of all the acting categories this year. Nominees Christian Bale for The Fighter and Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech are thought to lead the pack, though Jeremy Renner is a close third for Ben Affleck's The Town, and John Hawkes and Mark Ruffalo also give great performances in Winter's Bone and The Kids Are All Right, respectively. I think Christian Bale will win for his performance as the real life crack-addicted former boxing champion Dicky Eklund, particularly as producers of the film have publicized Bale's commitment to the role, including losing weight. It would not be surprising, however, to see Geoffrey Rush win, as The King's Speech momentum is likely to carry over into this category as well.
(12/07/10 5:00am)
Last Saturday at the Brandeis University Invitational, Brandeis hosted Haverford College, Yale University, St. John's University, Brown University and Cornell University. The men took a 1-3 record at the event, falling to 5-4 on the season, while the women went 2-3 and are now 7-4 overall.Cornell does not have a men's fencing team, and thus only the women's team faced Cornell.The men's team's first match was against St. John's, and Brandeis lost 22-5. The fencers battled in saber, falling 5-4, while in foil they were defeated 8-1. They were swept 9-0 in épée.Against Brown, Brandeis lost 14-13, winning 7-2 in épée and 5-4 in saber but losing 8-1 in foil.Brandeis also lost its meet against Yale by a score of 16-11. The team won 6-3 in saber but lost 7-2 in foil and 6-3 in épée.The men took their only victory of the day against Haverford, winning the match 15-12. Brandeis lost 5-4 in foil but defeated Haverford in both saber and épée, winning by scores of 6-3 and 5-4, respectively.Saber Ben Schmidt '14 thought that the team fought well despite its record."Overall, I think today was a strong effort," he said. "We could have done better. We really pulled together at the end."Schmidt also said that fighting shorthanded played a role in the team's struggles this weekend."We were suffering from some illness, and there were some injuries," he said.Lucas Gelwarg '13, a saber on the team, also thought that the team did well against tough competition. "We had St. John's first, which is one of the best fencing teams," he said. "After that, the team started to rally around Adam [Austin] '11 and Jon Rollock '11, and they did a good job of pumping up the team and we showed a lot of good effort against Brown. It carried over to the meet after the lunch break, to the Yale and Haverford meets. We showed a lot of effort after the St. John's meet.""It's hard coming off of Thanksgiving, but coach [Bill Shipman] kept it the same as usual, and we brought the same intensity that we bring to practice," he added.Gelwarg also said sickness was a major factor for the team."Sean Norton '12 was sick for the first half of the day, . but he was able to come back," he said. "It was good that he was able to come back, because he's a great leader for the foil squad and for the whole team." The women's team defeated Haverford by a score of 18-9 and Brown by a score of 15-12 to open the meet. Against Haverford, the women won 8-1 in saber and 6-3 in épée, only dropping the foil bouts by a score of 5-4. The women swept Brown in saber, earning victories in all nine matches, but lost 7-2 in foil and 5-4 in épée. Brandeis' prowess in saber, however, was enough to carry them to victory.The women lost their three meets against St. John's, Yale and Cornell. Against St. John's, Brandeis was defeated 18-9, losing in saber (7-2), foil (6-3) and épée (5-4).The team played a tight meet against Yale and was narrowly defeated 14-13. Brandeis lost 6-3 in foil and 5-4 in épée but took a 6-3 victory in saber. Cornell defeated Brandeis 21-6, winning 8-1 in saber, 7-2 in foil and 6-3 in épée.Saber Anna Hanley '11 was optimistic about the women's efforts at the meet."The women's team pulled through a lot of injuries, a lot of illness, and just a lot of hardship to even just show up and . pull off some wins," she said. "I'm really proud of what we accomplished." Vikki Nunley '13, who fences foil, fell ill during the meet, and Alex Turner '11, who is normally a saber, acted as a foil in Nunley's place. "[Turner] fenced foil in high school, but she has been a sabrist in her whole time at Brandeis," Hanley said. "It was taking one for the team, and she did quite well," she said.Hanley also said that the team will build off of the team's defeats for future meets."I think we'll definitely do a lot better," she said. "We had a really tough time-especially against Cornell-today. Cornell, a team who we usually beat and dominate, actually, we just got smashed by. I think in the future, we will learn how to focus quicker and work together as a team. We do have a lot of new freshmen, and we'll only get better."The fencing team is off until Jan. 22, 2011, when it will compete in the Northeast Conference Meet at Brown.
(11/23/10 5:00am)
On a weekend filled with sunny, 70-degree weather, the men's ultimate frisbee team, Tron, put on a shining performance at the UOA National Championships in Greenville, N.C.. The team finished the tournament with a 2-6 record, good for seventh out of eight competing teams.With a seventh place ranking and low expectations, Sean Petterson '11 was proud of the team's overall performance."The teams we played against were much more athletic," he said. "We went into the tournament knowing that we would have a tough time holding against these teams, but we ended up doing so in every single game. And that's something we are all happy about."Tron first played the Dartmouth College Pain Train, and stumbled out of the gate. They fell behind 4-1 early but stayed within 3 points for most of the game. The Pain Train eventually capitalized on this lead, finishing 15-11.Tron played the University of Virginia Night Train next, losing 12-9. Despite the loss, Petterson was proud of how the team played. "Virginia's ultimate team consistently ranks in the top 10 ultimate teams in the country," he said. "But we were still able to play well against them." Tron also played the University of Connecticut and the Virginia Polytechnical Institute Burn on Saturday. They lost 15-11 to the UConn Grind and 15-3 to the Burn.Tron's first game on Sunday was against the University of Pittsburgh, the team that finished fourth in the UOA 2009 National Championships. Pittsburgh beat Tron 15-9. Again, Petterson was proud of the team's ability to match up against such a strong team. "Pittsburgh is one of the top teams in the country, he said. "15-9 is a phenomenal score against them. In the past, they would beat us 15-1 or 15-2. The fact that we scored 9 points against the fourth-best team in the nation is something we're very proud of."Tron won its last two games to end the weekend, beating James Madison University 16-14 and the University of Tennessee 9-7. Brandeis was losing 14-12 against James Madison but then scored 4 consecutive points to win the game. In the game against Tennessee, Petterson said the team played well both offensively and defensively. "After playing seven games, we were exhausted, but we pushed through. We wanted it more than them," he said. Petterson said that Tron had a very successful fall season and that the UOA Nationals tournament was a great way to finish it. "Going into the fall season, we did not expect to do much better than we did last year," he said. "After winning our first three tournaments, we ... knew we had much bigger hopes this season. Making it to Nationals is our crowning achievement," Petterson said. "This weekend, we definitely put Brandeis ultimate on the map.
(11/02/10 4:00am)
Campaign season is one of the most exciting times in a democratic society. It is a yearly reminder that all Americans are indeed active members of their government and need not passively accept the policies that sometimes seem dictated from on high.Unfortunately, the pitfalls of democracy also become blindingly clear around this time of year. There is a general dumbing-down of complex political discussion, often into sentence-long tag lines or banners that come to dominate the political climate. Nowhere is this trend more evident than on television campaign ads.As a disclaimer, I am probably already biased against televised campaign commercials because I find the very concept of them existentially confusing. Why, in this one medium of political discourse, are politicians so honest about the fact that they are openly trying to "sell" themselves to constituents? More importantly, how could any politician believe that it only takes 30 seconds to win my vote? The intended purpose of campaign commercials cannot be to educate viewers to allow them to make informed decisions at the polls. These politicians are merely making emotional appeals to viewers by calling each other liars and hypocrites and pulling out-of-context quotes from previous speeches in order to distort one another's opinions.Some campaign commercials go beyond this standard of general uselessness and are downright childish and offensive. A recent Massachusetts advertisement created and sponsored by Republican congressional candidate Sean Bielat took a cheap shot at his opponent, Representative Barney Frank. The bulk of the commercial is an animated clip of a cartoon body attached to an image of Frank's head dancing underneath an illuminated disco ball while the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG logos float past in the background.The advertisement suggests that Frank, as chair of the House Financial Services committee, is largely to blame for the current financial crisis. It achieves the impressive feat of being simultaneously uninformative and unfunny.Depending on personal interpretation, the advertisement could be-and has been seen-as offensive to homosexuals in its mockery of gay stereotypes, as the political blog Talking Points Memo describes the ad's depiction of the openly gay Frank "as a hip-swerving disco queen in a rumpled suit."Advertisements like this are an insult to voters' intelligence. Furthermore, I find it incredible that intelligent politicians like Bielat are comfortable running such deintellectualized and crude advertising campaigns. Bielat is not a down-home politician in the breed of Sarah Palin, who capitalizes on her lack of sophistication. He holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and master's degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and he does not seem to downplay his intelligence as many Republican candidates have in recent months.It is especially disheartening to see this kind of conduct among political figures who should know better.As I mentioned, there is also the possibility that these ads are part of a trend of "dumbing-down" political discourse on TV. At question is the extent to which television as a medium for political propaganda is effective and appropriate, but perhaps the deceptive nature of these ads is not out of character with the rest of the political climate on TV.The educational content of nightly news programs such as the O'Reilly Factor and The Countdown with Keith Olbermann is limited to say the least, and the television shows have become little more than shouting matches between talking heads. If television had ever been a functional medium by which citizens could educate themselves about politics, it certainly no longer is today.These are not new problems, nor are they unique to this year's election. As the national political climate becomes increasingly partisan, television becomes a battleground for immature attacks like Bielat's, and attack ads are part of this political expression. Hopefully, the majority of Americans are educated enough to see past these attempts by politicians to manipulate and sway their votes and are capable of making informed decisions free of the influence of political slander.
(11/02/10 4:00am)
A trap can only be sprung so many times before it breaks. But Saw, the successful horror film franchise, has been springing its traps for the past seven years, and it hasn't managed to break down thus far. With Saw 3D, however-supposedly the final installment of the series-things unfortunately start to come apart. The franchise has long taken criticism for putting too much emphasis on its macabre traps that pit unwitting subjects against themselves, forcing self-mutilation and psychological torture as a way for people who are unworthy of their lives to reclaim them. This has been the titular villain Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) mantra for the past seven films, and despite its flaws has been an unyielding device for what has been a surprisingly strong story. Despite all the torture and gore, Saw always had a wonderfully intricate story at its center, delicately plotted over the course of these films and containing twists that have an impact on the story's development. At the heart of this development has been Jigsaw himself, who went from being a body laying on a bathroom floor in the original Saw, to a multilayered character with increasingly deep motivations. Even after the character's death in Saw III, he has been kept alive through flashbacks, videotapes and his ever-increasing band of apprentices. At the end of the last film, the surprisingly strong Saw VI, Jigsaw's last remaining apprentice, former detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandaylor) was seen tearing off half his face in order to bust his way out of the reverse-bear trap planted on him by Jigsaw's ex, Jill Tuck (Betsy Russel). This exciting ending built up anticipation for an upcoming power struggle between Hoffman and Tuck. But unfortunately this struggle, while one of the highlights of Saw 3D, was downplayed in favor of meaningless filler with a self-help guru named Bobby Dagen, (Sean Patrick Flannery) a self-proclaimed Jigsaw survivor who organizes a support group for fellow survivors. As Dagen is once again lured into a game, the majority of the film's runtime is taken up by him walking through a series of traps in which he must rescue victims with whom he is associated. This scenario proves a huge problem for the film, as it adds very little to the overall plot and provides nothing other than filler to pad out the story. It doesn't help that we already saw a version of this idea in Saw VI, except its execution was far more interesting. Here the traps are meaningless, serving merely to boost the film's 3-D engine, providing fodder for those waiting to see body parts launched from the screen. However the emphasis on the 3-D portion of the film proves a major detractor, as the traps' outcomes become increasingly predictable, and whatever former ingenuity they contained is dropped in the favor of spreading as much blood as possible. Bobby Dagen's support group also acts as a mean of reintroducing Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), the main character of the original film, and a character whose ultimate fate has been a topic of heated fan debate until now. I myself have been an avid Dr. Gordon fan since the beginning and eagerly anticipated his return. Sadly, his presence in this film is used more as a way to appease the fans than anything else, and his actual impact on the film's events is very minimal. He appears only in a few brief scenes-including the film's excellent opening-but afterwards remains almost entirely absent until the ending. His ultimate impact, however, does provide a certain amount of satisfaction that should leave fans pleased. Nevertheless, I find the character's motivations to be somewhat questionable. Those who remember Dr. Gordon in the first film will be hard-pressed to identify with his portrayal here.The aforementioned war between Hoffman and Tuck, meanwhile, fares better than the other half of the story but still plays out very differently than I imagined. Rather than a war of wills between the two, it turns into a manhunt, with Tuck fearing for her life and Hoffman relentlessly pursuing her. Seeking protection from Hoffman, Tuck turns to police Detective Gibson (Chad Donella), who she believes is the only person who can protect her. This is another weak aspect of Saw 3D, with Gibson proving the least interesting of all the film series' various detectives. Gibson's backstory and former association with Hoffman is also a bit of a stretch, with no real bearing on the plot, seeming to be only an excuse to extend the film's runtime. However, this story's conclusion is handled well, with Hoffman slaughtering an entire police station to get to Tuck, and their ultimate confrontation is quite satisfying.Despite some great moments, Saw 3D fails to deliver. It's definitely one of the weaker installments of the series, and screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, who handled the growing franchise so well in the past, seem to have forgotten how to balance the traps and gore with a good story and appealing characters. The film's directing by Kevin Greutert is serviceable, though fairly unimaginative. Greutert's style, vivid and frenetic in Saw VI, is rather muted here, with dull color tones and fairly straightforward camera usage. The best sequence from a directorial standpoint is the first trap sequence, which takes place outside in front of a massive crowd. This idea is a huge departure from the series' usually well-contained traps. By placing victims into a public arena, Jigsaw's influence suddenly seems more widespread and significant. This idea isn't followed up on, and the rest of the film's traps are returned to the usual underground rooms and tunnels. The acting is pretty good overall. Bell appears for what amounts to little more than a cameo, but during his few scenes, he brings to the table the usual shimmering menace and reserved bravado that makes Jigsaw such an intriguing character. Mandylor does a good job as the sadistic and brutish Hoffman. Despite my early uncertainties of Mandylor's ability to portray a worthy successor to Jigsaw, over the course of the past few films, he's managed to prove himself as a ruthless villain and a far greater physical presence than Jigsaw ever was. Russell doesn't have much to do this time other than cower or scream, but her performance is still effective. Flannery is rather unremarkable as Dagen, who proves to be an entirely unnecessarily character, and Donella is laughably bad as the equally uninteresting Detective Gibson. Elwes, meanwhile, does a good job in his few scenes as the bitter and resentful Dr. Gordon. It's a performance very different from his portrayal of the earnest doctor fighting to save his family (who aren't even mentioned this time out) in the original Saw, and it will leave many fans scratching their heads. Nevertheless Elwes manages to just barely justify this offbeat new Gordon.Saw 3D suffers from subpar writing and directing, and an over reliance on traps that should have served as the background. It didn't help that Jigsaw is barely featured in the film. I suppose this was inevitable, considering the character has been dead since Saw III, but Bell's great performance was missed here. It's uncertain at this point whether the film series will return for an eighth installment. Despite the film's vicious promotion as the final installment, money talks, and if Saw 3D does well, I wouldn't be surprised if more films come along. Judging from Saw 3D's ending, another movie could prove interesting, but only if writers Dunstan and Melton can recapture the magic found in some of their earlier writing. If that is possible, then hopefully this broken trap can be fixed.
(10/26/10 4:00am)
Sean Norton '12 never saw himself as much of a dancer. In high school, he was involved in activities like fencing and music, and although he would sometimes try break dancing with his friends, he says he wasn't very good. When Norton started college, the Philosophy major and Business minor had no plans of getting involved with dance. He was quick to join a fraternity and get involved with church activities, but he did not think of joining Adagio. Two years later, Norton is one of the founders of Brandeis' first hip-hop dance group, Kaos Kids. He is the group's off-campus coordinator and has taught a dance class at Brown University. Norton now cites dance as one of the biggest parts of his college experience even though his involvement came somewhat unexpectedly.The turning point came in the second semester of Norton's first year. Will Bedor '10, one of Norton's fraternity brothers, was getting a group of guys together for Adagio's spring show. He asked Norton to join the group."I kind of thought it would be a lot of fun to do; there was not much more incentive other than that," says Norton.Norton says he loved his first dance show in Adagio, and it inspired him to want to get better. "I [thought] it was just really, really fun. We just had a really good time dancing together, and I wanted to keep doing it," says Norton.During Norton's sophomore year, Bedor approached him again, this time to start a hip-hop dance crew. The crew started off casually and was what Norton describes as a "small, tight-knit family." However, as time went on, the group started holding auditions for the group, and Norton, along with Bedor, Samanthan Cortez '13, Kayla Sotomil '10, Ben Harel '12, Yuri Gloumakov '13, Rebecca Schlangel '10 and Shaquan Perkins '13 founded what would become Kaos Kids. Kaos Kids now has 17 members and has performed at various Adagio shows, the Fall Fest Variety Show and October's Sustainability Rocks benefit concert.Last summer, Norton continued to get more involved with dance, as he "took a lot of classes with Project D in New Jersey." Norton eventually auditioned for the dance company and was accepted. Norton says that Project D "improved my dancing style and mentality when it comes to running a dance company and crew."His involvement with Project D introduced him to a dancer who gave him an opportunity to teach a student dance class at Brown University."A guy from Project D is a grad student at Brown right now, and he approached me toward the end of the summer and asked me if I'd like to come teach a class at Brown. He hooked me up with that, so that was my first time really teaching a dance class ever. I'd love to do it again," Norton says. Norton says that dance is greatly influencing his college experience by "giving [him] something to look forward to" and that Kaos Kids is helping to fill a dance niche on campus. "There's so many groups on campus, we have religious coexistence groups ... and culture groups. ... I think that one of the things that wasn't here before was a real hip-hop dance group, and hopefully we're adding to the culture at Brandeis," Norton says .In the future, Kaos Kids will be performing at events including Dance Fest with Adagio, Mela and a student's senior project, just to name a few. Norton also hopes the group will be able to perform at Brown and other off-campus events. Norton hopes that even after he graduates the legacy of Kaos Kids will continue."I would love to see everyone grow together as dancers. I want us to move together well [and] learn different styles, not just hip hop but dance as a whole, [and] be able to go out and compete with other schools such as Boston College [and] BU Fusion. Even if it's after I graduate, I would love for Kaos Kids to eventually be able to compete at the college level," Norton says.On the personal level, Norton would also like to continue his involvement with dance after he graduates. However, while Norton says he would love to dance professionally, he is unsure if it is an economically feasible option."If there was a way where I could have a comfortable life and not necessarily have to worry about income and keep dancing, I would love to keep doing it," he says.Shaquan Perkins '13 is one of the founders of Kaos Kids and also the group's logistics coordinator. Perkins, who has been involved with dance since high school, describes Kaos Kids as a "family," as does Norton, and says that the group's atmosphere is "magnificent."Perkin says that he feels that the group is helping to bring awareness of hip hop to campus and that his favorite part of Kaos Kids is "seeing my Jewish kids get down." Still, he has high ambitions for the group and says that he hopes "that the group brings hip hop to Brandeis and allows Brandeis to just accept hip hop to the campus. [I hope it] helps bring awareness to the genre and other parts of dance and I hope the group gets to perform every chance we get.
(10/05/10 4:00am)
Ten minutes into The Social Network, I realized I hadn't had this much fun at the movies in months. True, I missed Piranha 3D, but I still think it's saying something. The Facebook movie is good. No, the Facebook movie is awesome. Rewind 3 months. When I first heard that David Fincher was making a "Facebook origins movie," I felt a sharp sting of disappointment. Then I heard that Justin Timberlake was co-starring, and I nearly had a panic attack. My thoughts at that moment: "How can a movie about Facebook possibly be any good? Are the scripts in Hollywood really that bad? Justin Timberlake, why must you add insult to injury?"I made a huge mistake: I assumed the film would be as emotionally vacuous as Facebook itself because, after all, that's what it's about, right? Wrong. The film isn't really about Facebook at all; it's about people. Specifically, The Social Network is about a Harvard computer nerd named Mark Zuckerberg (played with nasty, quick-witted egotism by Jesse Eisenberg) who is unashamedly obsessed with increasing his social status. As Zuckerberg's girlfriend points out to us in the first scene right after she breaks up with him, the reason he won't be accepted by girls or exclusive Harvard clubs isn't because he's a nerd; it's because he's an asshole. The film opens with Zuckerberg's breakup because it's the primary, though likely not first or last, rejection that fuels Zuckerberg's online creation. Like Sean Parker, the creator of Napster, Zuckerberg doesn't care about money, fame or girls in their own right: He cares about them as status symbols, as F-you's to a world he views as hostile and exclusive. Facebook is born out of Zuckerberg's vindictive desire to prove something to those who he felt wronged him. At its core, The Social Network is Revenge of the Nerds 2.0, and it's extremely entertaining. From the first scene, The Social Network, like the website it derives its name from, is absolutely addictive. The film gets your pulse running without guns or an ounce of violence-it does it with people talking, thanks to Aaron Sorkin's (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) lightning-fast script. The dialogue flies 100 words a minute, and if you blink, you might miss it. Sorkin loads scenes with tension and then explodes them with one character verbally bashing another into a psychological pulp. Everyone, including Justin Timberlake, shines in The Social Network. With Sorkin's razor-sharp dialogue flying out of their mouths, the actors don't really have any other choice. The real trick, however, is believability, and they all pull it off. Andrew Garfield, recently cast as the new Spiderman, is particularly great as Zuckerberg's cooler and calmer right-hand man, Eduardo. One of the film's best moments occurs as verbal blows begin to fly between a very pissed-off Eduardo and the über-cocky Parker (Timberlake); we realize that Eduardo can fight back, and we almost want to cheer in the aisles. Again, the battles in this movie are verbal- whoever can adequately humiliate or belittle his opponent wins. David Fincher captures the pent-up, frenetic energy of each scene with his characteristically smooth, unwavering camera. Fincher is infamous for his fastidious directing style, and I assume he saw a thing or two of himself in Zuckerberg's do-it-perfectly-or-go-home mentality. People's feelings, for both Fincher and Zuckerberg, seem subordinate to the project at hand. Perhaps this is the shared trait that makes them each masters of their respective fields. My only problem with The Social Network lies with a 2-minute rowing montage that appears around the center of the film. Surely, the montage serves as a break from the nonstop dialogue, yet I found it wildly out of place. The photography here, as in the rest of the film, is gorgeous, and Fincher demonstrates his proven flair for stunning imagery, but the scene is unnecessary. It's as if he placed a bizarre television advertisement smack in the middle of the film. I would willingly watch this pretty little music video on YouTube, but in the context of the film it feels uncomfortably placed. The score, (recorded by Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails) much like the Dust Brothers' Fight Club score, is dark, electronic and perfectly fitting. It gives a sinister tone to what could otherwise be fairly pedestrian scenes and, as I imagine it, sounds exactly like the music that would play in Mark Zuckerberg's head as he plans his online retribution.I must add that the The Social Network is surprisingly funny, and many scenes play out beautifully as dark comedy. The film is at its best when the characters spit facetious insults at each other as if this was modernized Shakespeare. Is the story totally true? Does it really matter? It's like Glengarry Glen Ross with college students. What more could you ask for?
(08/24/10 4:00am)
It isn't easy being a 22-year-old music sensation. After putting out two widely successful mixtapes and a cornucopia of college tours on weekends while finishing a college degree, Mike Posner has had a lot on his hands the past few years. Now, fresh out of college and ready to pursue a professional music career full time, the Detroit native has released his first official album 31 Minutes to Takeoff. The 12-track album, consists of almost exclusively new and never-before-heard material from Posner. The only track that has been previously released is the summer anthem and currently the seventh ranked song on iTunes, "Cooler than Me.""Cooler than Me," the first single off the album, is an excellent example of how Posner's style has changed over his music career. From his beginnings as a 16-year-old making beats and tracks in the basement of his Southfield, Mich. home to his major label deal with J-Records (RCA/Sony) in July 2009, Posner has evolved from a rapper (yes, he did rap at one point in his career), to singer and producer. The first amalgamation of the track was released on his free mixtape in early 2009. The song, made in a makeshift dorm-room record studio, had a fairly basic combination of guitar, piano and created beats. While the lyrics in the original and recently released track are the same, the original was much simpler and also included an additional verse from longtime friend and collaborator Big Sean. In late 2009, Posner released his second mixtape One Foot out the Door, hosted by Boston radio and mixtape DJ Clinton Sparks. On it was the clubbier, electro-dance "gigamesh remix" to his biggest single. The song showed how, in just a few months, Posner grew as a producer, creating more advanced beats though overshadowing the essence of the original song with the fanciness of his production. Unfortunately, his official single that has been rocking airwaves sounds a lot more like the "gigamesh remix" than the mixtape original. Missing the simplicity of the first release and a Big Sean cameo, the song shows a Posner who has advanced as a producer but lost some of his charm.This element is noticeable on the entire album from the first 53-second track titled 31 Minute to Takeoff-a title that both alludes to the quick rise in fame and an easter egg that occurs 31 minutes into the album right before the aptly titled track "Delta 1406"-to the last track entitled "Falling." No longer is Posner the goofy pop singer/producer who remixed popular songs such as "Kiss me Thru the Phone" and "Evil Woman." Instead, he is a singer who is reminiscing on his quick rise to fame instead of basking in what got him there. While it is refreshing to hear a different message from such a young star, the replacement for fame boasting is girl-chasing. The album has too many songs about love gained, lost and all the one-night stands in between. The song "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" shows this transition. In the song he is boasting about his ability to get girls home with him with lines such as, "Girl I don't even need to say sh*t to make you feel right girl you know you like that" and "You act like you gonna leave but I know that you'll stay." He follows up this song with the likes of "Cheated," an ode to an ex-girlfriend who broke his heart and whom he claims he "should have cheated on" because "nobody told him he was dating a whorrr." Later in the song, if this weren't enough, he calls the lady in question out by full name-first and last. I wonder if she is the same one who felt "cooler than him." From track to track, it seems like there isn't much on his mind aside from girls. The whole thing feels a bit sleazy.Don't get me wrong; there are certainly some gems among his album. The first song, the 53-second intro, "31 Minutes To Takeoff" is simple and elegant with a beautiful backbeat. The short track even gives a small treat to fans of his mixtapes where he alludes to the opening and closing tracks of his first release Tick and Tock respectively when, referring to his rise to fame, he says, "It was just a matter of" followed by the sound of a clock. This strong introduction leads into one of the best songs on the album, the danceballad "Please Don't Go." On this track, Posner is able to balance out being an all-star producer with his scratchy-soft vocals. My favorite track, though, is titled "Do U Wanna." On it, he samples the fantastic Ray LaMontagne and finds a way to turn the slow trumpet riff into a catchy pop song.Overall, 31 Minutes to Takeoff is not a bad album; I would call it hit and miss. Watching Posner perform here last February, I have seen the energy and enthusiasm he has toward his music and his fans. After years of listening to his music, I know of his talent as a music maker and a producer. This album, though, does not completely showcase all that he has. I would recommend checking out songs individually instead of as a whole album. There are dance tracks for those looking for a club-infused beat, and there are slower tracks looking for more Posner soul, but the two rarely overlap. It will be interesting to see which music path Posner will choose to pursue on his following album. Regardless, his talent is undeniable, and I hope he continues to produce music for many years.
(05/25/10 4:00am)
Soul music tends to incorporate a wide variety of musical genres. It is rooted in gospel and rhythm and blues, dating back to Curtis Mayfield and the outbreak of "sweet soul" that swept the northern inner cities of the United States 40 years back. On Thursday, May 6, the same "call and response" R&B music from the contemporary likes of R. Kelly, Janet Jackson, Black Eyed Peas and more echoed through the South Campus Commons as Brandeis' coed a cappella group Voices of Soul presented its annual spring show.Since its inception in 2001, Voices of Soul has been highly regarded at Brandeis for its contagious rhythms and unique compilations of contemporary R&B. It is no secret that a cappella at Brandeis, with a plethora of musical competition, is a large time commitment; to be the best, members of such a cappella groups often meet several times a week for practice, performance and publicity purposes. But the most distinguishing factor of Voices of Soul is not so much its wealth of talent as the admirable accomplishments of its current members. Jeremy Sherer '10 established the Brandeis branch of J Street U, an Israel advocacy group for college campuses. Lisa Fitzgerald '10, the group's current musical director, implemented a nonprofit support network for Quito, one of Ecuador's many women's shelters, during her time abroad there last year. Lexi Kriss '11, the group's unassumingly talented and energetic main beatboxer, was heavily involved in orientation last fall and Ji Yun Lee '11, who has also served as an orientation leader in the past, has been noted around campus for her impeccable sense of style and continues to be an active participant in Brandeis' Korean Student Association. And while the list of involvements continues to grow for the group's 16 members, this semester show aimed to introduce the audience to both the group's musical talents and its array of diverse participants. The group began the show with one of its most recognizable pieces, "Black or White," originally sung by Michael Jackson. Fitzgerald's soprano solo set a high energy level for the show's opening with her expressive style, complemented by harmonies by Rani Schloss '11 and Kriss' highly energetic beatboxing. The group's humorous choreography garnered giggles from audience members at various points throughout the evening, as when the group "got down" in recovering its rendition of Jay Sean's "Down" from the struggling vocals of its beginning soloist. Alicia Keys' "No One," however, needed no recovery with a vivacious and powerful solo from Stephanie Johnson '13, whose ability to reach and connect a varying scale of notes sent a chill across the room and caused audience members to cheer throughout the song. Following Johnson's outstanding introductory solo, Kriss switched the stage lights off, and all that lit the South Campus Commons was an incandescent light from above. The group formed a semicircle and danced with attitude to the beat as Sherer entered the foreground, rapping about themes of discrimination, terrorism, love and humanity. Other individuals stepped into the center, continuing the group's original free-flowing rap to the piece. In the group's performance of "Together Again," a song popularized by Janet Jackson, the energy started low with a solo from Geraldine Rothschild '12. Her strong, controlled voice served as a natural progression to the upbeat key change that the audience anticipated from familiarity with the original song. As the song progressed to a faster pace, I found it hard to fully appreciate the group's unique harmonies with the sopranos in front overshadowing the tenors and altos in the back row. The group's configuration throughout the show, however, was in no way stagnant. For the next song, "No Diggity" by Blackstreet, the male group members shuffled to the front of the stage while the ladies took their places in the back. With soulful runs and lively instrumentals of "hey-yahs" and repetitive "no diggitys," the song incorporated several soloists who gave audience members an extensive taste of the eclectic voices within the group. While some of the baritone solos were slightly muffled and rushed, others exhibited all that Voices of Soul had to offer: Lucas Silva's '13 featured an impressive falsetto; Joshua Kahane's '12 displayed his finely tuned vocals; and Darlene Zephryne's '12 had a sultry twist.As occurs in most of?Brandeis' spring semester shows, Voices of Soul reached moments of bittersweet sentiment as the group bade farewell to its longstanding senior members. Sherer, whom Kriss called the "godfather of the group," and Fitzgerald, who claimed she found she found her soul in the group, performed the fitting Al Green classic "Just the Two of Us," which was followed by emotional speeches from the group's younger members, who recounted their personal and professional interactions with the soon-to-be graduates. While Lee will continue her role as president of the group, the responsibilities of musical director will be divided between Kriss and Schloss. Although group members expressed doubt in their ability to continue without the guidance and support of their beloved seniors, the songs performed at their semester show leave me with faith that Voices of Soul will continue to improve and thrive on the talents and enthusiasm of its rising leaders.
