The Wake

alt='FN'/>Set in Minneapolis and St. Paul, nobody is a movie for MSP lovers, artists and indie folk. The movie stars Lindeman (local actor Sam Rosen), a frustrated graduate student at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. After being declared “done with therapy” by his shrink, he struggles to find a way to regain the ever-so-inspiring depression that had guided his previous projects. The drama of the film unfolds as Lindeman becomes more and more frustrated with a looming final critique and only a few ideas for his final sculpture that, in his words, “kinda sucks.” As he experiments with such subjects as death, love, homosexuality and militant veganism, Lindeman realizes whoring himself out to the various philosophies and radical lifestyles of his colleagues will not give him the unique identity he is looking …

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“We think we’re in the present, but we aren’t. The present we know is only a movie of the past.” — Ken Kesey Only three weeks after the chaotic RNC in St. Paul, the Hollywood production “Battle in Seattle,” narrating the 1999 WTO protests, came blockbusting into Minneapolis at the Uptown. In the aftermath of severe police intervention in the anti-war activities in St. Paul, the film’s dramatic representation of similar events drew on our own memory to make a powerful statement on oppositional politics and globalization. While filmmaker Stuart Townsend concludes the film by proclaiming the WTO protests a “success” story, it would be hard to consider our St. Paul anti-war/RNC activities a success: we were crushed by police force, our mainstream media stifled debate, the convention went off without a hitch, and the …

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For those who can’t seem to function when the Twins lose and subsequently use their bedroom as a personal jail cell to ponder the reasons for the loss, ESPN’s new virtual “Play-by-Play” may just be the new remedy.

The new visual aid, which has been in the works for a full year, combines virtual athletes—for example, Madden NFL players—with real live anchors to demonstrate scenarios for upcoming games and replay past sequences. The idea is to help audience members understand team-specific strategies
and plays.

What if Tavaris Jackson from the Minnesota Vikings escaped that tackle at the 25-yard line? Virtual “Play-by-Play” could simulate an exact replica of the play, demonstrating what could have happened if Jackson completed the pass to Adrian Peterson.

Debuting during ESPN’s “NFL Countdown,” the new improvement will serve as an aid to a …

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Splat!

The sound is music to the ears of paintball enthusiasts everywhere. It’s also a sound that can be heard around campus, if you listen closely enough. But that wasn’t the case until recently.

After playing paintball throughout high school and during his first year of college at St. Mary’s, John Thomason transferred to the University of Minnesota and was stunned to find no club team affiliated with the National Collegiate Paintball Association (NCPA), a league designed specifically for college students.

Thomason decided to take initiative and sought to launch a paintball club team. “Being that the U has such a large student body, I knew I could find enough people to get the club started,” he says.

The paintball club became recognized by the U of M last September and launched with six members; since that …

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As the calendar rolled from February to March a year ago, things looked awfully glum for the Gopher men’s basketball team. Holding a 9-21 record, the Gophers were still adjusting from a mid-season coaching change, and looking towards a very uncertain future.

What a difference a year makes. With new head coach Tubby Smith at the helm, the Gophers have returned to respectability. His Gophers entered this March with a 17-10 record (7-8 in the Big Ten) and as outside contenders for a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The effect that Smith has had on the fan base has been remarkable. Students are once again filing enthusiastically into Williams Arena for each home game. Judging by the promotions at the games and the t-shirts worn …

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Growing up, Beth Novak always loved to dance. When she first came to the University of Minnesota back in the autumn of 2004, she wanted to keep dancing. When she didn’t make the university’s prestigious Dance Team, she found that there were no options for a person in her position short of becoming a dance major. So she created one.

Now a senior in the Carlson School of Management, Novak has watched the dance team she and a pair of high school friends created grow and flourish over the past three years. What started out as a student organization consisting only of an informal dance clinic has now developed into Premier Dance Team (PDT), an established club team that competes against other regional dance squads.

In its first year, the program was simply a spring …

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Today I rushed toward Cooke Hall 308 where the University of Minnesota Vo Lam Kung Fu workout takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Knowing nothing about the true nature of Vietnamese Vo Lam kung fu, I envisioned bloody boxing matches and street brawls that looked like screenshots from my two favorite fighting video game series, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. In point and actual fact, many of the philosophies that I have encountered in books on Shotokan karate and Shaolin kung fu highlighted the importance of harmony and self-defense. Until chatting with Josh, the instructor, about the characteristics that make Vietnamese Vo Lam kung fu unique and observing him teach the participants practicing the martial art, I thought I might only see people strike each other. Josh reminded me that martial …

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Sure hovering over a checkered board for a few hours doesn’t seem all that exciting, but neither does sitting on your ass watching television if you think about it. So while some people are shocked by the amount of drugs Anna Nicole Smith had in her system, others stare at figurines of horses, kings and queens looking for answers. The tournament chess club at the U focuses their attention on implementing new strategies on the board to crush their opponents.There are many misconceptions about people who play chess, which is unfortunate because it closes the door to others who probably would have an affinity for the game. Chess is universally known as one of the most complex games where a variety of moves are employed. With moves like castling, dragon and the King’s Indian Defense …

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The University Juggling Club has experienced times of great popularity and spells of waning interested, but through it all they remain one of the most unique groups on campus with a visible presence.On a sunny day while walking to class, students can spot the club performing different tricks. It’s enough to convince any student that they ought to be doing something besides going to class on a beautiful day. Dazzling maneuvers entice onlookers and evoke admiration.The group reached a critical mass in the early ‘90s when they performed at various university functions and garnered appreciation for their skill level. The members of the group during that time parlayed that acclaim into an annual festival. The Mondo festival is now one of the largest in the country with participants coming from all over to take in …

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“Last year’s success led to the National Dodgeball League’s second annual Amateur Championship Tour,” NDL Operations Director Niki LaGrano answers when I ask her about the NDL’s decision to start a second tour. LaGrano makes the popularity of dodge ball evident. Although the Amateur Championship Tour originally began with four stops, 16 now make up the tour to satisfy the public’s growing interest. LaGrano says, “The NDL brings dodge ball across the country at both the local and national levels and hosts games for corporations, parties and charities in Dodge-It centers.” Adding to the excitement of dodge ball, the NDL’s second annual tour offers local winners the chance to earn cash prizes and move onto the next level of competition in Las Vegas on Aug. 17 and 18. By attending the Saturday, Mar. …

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Remember when swing dancing was all of sudden hip and trendy due to a commercial? We were all blessed with the music of Cherry Poppin Daddies, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Brian Setzer. I know we’ve all moved on from those days, discarding our dancing aspirations like the slap bracelets of our youth. Although some of those bands bastardized the swing music genre, swing dancing is alive and well, thriving off the original hits. U-Swing is a student group on campus that still is jumpin’, jivin’ and wailin’ away to swing music.“It’s something different, open to everyone and something you can do for the rest of your life,” said vice president Sammy Hilby.U-Swing is open to anyone interested in learning to dance. Partners aren’t necessary and guest teachers often stop by to …

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Driving around Los Angeles at 4 in the morning looking for an In-and-Out Burger, we realized that none of us had ever been to Los Angeles, we didn’t have a map, and that the men in the car next to us were not smiling and waving. Going to a national paintball tournament is always an adventure. The combination of young people traveling more or less on their own, the ever-present need to save money and the fact that most paintball players seem to be just a little bit crazy makes for interesting times. This realization was only reinforced that night as I fell asleep in a hotel room along with 12 other people and all their equipment. One player staked out the closet, using a backpack for a pillow, while a teammate slept underneath the …

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The University of Minnesota men’s baseball team looks like a solid squad again this year. The team returns 12 seniors and a potent offense that looks to help the Gophers to a Big Ten title and an NCAA bid. This year’s team has loads of talent and experience, but the season may rely upon the emergence of young pitchers.Manager John Anderson has been impressed with the pitching thus far, but the group has some work to do.“You can’t beat quality teams unless you pitch well,” Anderson said.Nearly half the pitching staff is comprised of underclassmen and the staff has performed well, posting a 4.22 ERA thus far. The squad has enjoyed success in the early season based upon solid performances from the pitchers.While some may worry about the youth of the pitching staff, the …

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