by Erin Franklin | Sep 23, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
“Queen of Katwe” tells the inspiring true story of chess-prodigy Phiona Mutesi’s rise from poverty in Katwe, Uganda, to become one of the greatest chess masters in the world. The film begins with 10-year-old Phiona (newcomer Madina Nalwanga) going about her daily life by selling corn in the “slums” of Uganda. Her father tragically died recently, so her mother (Lupita Nyong’o) is left to raise four children alone. The Mutesi’s don’t have an easy time — the oldest child runs off with a “bad guy,” they’re evicted from their home, a storm floods their new house, etc. Through Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) — the soccer player turned missionary — Phiona discovers the game of chess. While chess becomes a great resource on which Phiona can focus her energy and high intelligence, it does not solve all her problems; the film does an excellent job of showing that an escape from poverty is not an easy transition. “Queen of Katwe” was shot on location in Uganda, providing an honest look at Mutesi’s childhood home, and all the colors in the film are especially vivid and beautiful. The majority of the film’s actors are Kenyan. Be sure to stick around for the credits to see them interact with their environment; viewers will get to see the actors stand beside their real-life counterparts at the film’s conclusion. Nyong’o delivers the best performance, portraying an incredibly complex character with skill and emotion. Phiona’s mother is strong, yet she needs her older children’s help so that they can pay their rent and have food at night; therefore, she struggles with Phiona’s running off to play chess. The film...
by KJ Lauck | Sep 23, 2016 | News Slider, Opinion
Fast paced, gun-slinging action and a formula too familiar, The Magnificent 7 packs some punch (and some dynamite) into two hours of non-stop action. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) collaborates with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke for a journey back to Wild West. The stage is set in the first few scenes as the town of Rose Creek is under the control of a ruthless industrialist named Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). The opening sequence takes place in a church where Bogue establishes his character’s ruthlessness, as he takes the men out and kills half a dozen of them and sets the church ablaze. That is when Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and Teddy Q (Luke Grimes) set out to unite the seven, as Cullen also seeks revenge. Each member of the seven is introduced western-style by killing someone in dramatic fashion. Chisolm, a very matter-a-fact warrant officer played by Denzel Washington, clears a saloon single handily. Chris Pratt’s character Josh Faraday, is introduced as a wise-cracking, trickster who’s good with a deck of cards. Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is a sharpshooting ‘Texican.’ Goodnight Robincheaux (Ethan Hawke), a legendary Confederate marksman and Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), a knife-wielding, ninja-like sidekick come as a package. Next up is the gentle giant known as Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio). After a night in a canyon, an Indian ambush seems inevitable, but instead the soft-spoken Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) becomes the seventh member. The Magnificent 7 makes each introduction very unique and specific to the character. Each violent introduction gives the character personality without the need for much dialogue, and that is a strength of the movie. The first time...
by Karina Gutierrez | Sep 23, 2016 | News Slider
Lisa Steele, Assistant Dean of Intercultural Development, created M.A.S.K (Multicultural Awareness Skills and Knowledge) Chapel for students looking to intersect religion and culture. “I based everything on Romans 12:2,” Steele said. “It says, ‘do not be conformed by the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind so that you know God’s good, pleasing, perfect will for your life.’” Steele said she likes the “do not conform but be transformed” phrase because she wants to transform people’s minds to realize that every culture brings something important to the table. Steele’s vison started out as a short, focus chapel, but M.A.S.K Chapel is now permanently located in the Ezell Chapel. Recently, Steele had the opportunity to visit Manhattan to present at the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities to explain what the chapel is and how it works. “M.A.S.K. came from the idea of a cultural pyramid,” Steel said. “You have to be aware that there are other cultures, which is pretty easy. Beyond that you have to have the knowledge, and, lastly, practice the skill.” Steele said she hopes students will leave Lipscomb with a diploma in one hand and cultural competence in the other hand. “Now, if you want to work for State Farm insurance, for instance, you need to be culturally competent,” Steele noted. “Pretty much any job you take here in Nashville, you’re going to be interacting with other cultures.” M.A.S.K. hosts panels, guest speakers and student activities each week to keep students involved. “I have everything booked up from this semester to the next semester,” Steele said. Mason Borneman, a...
by Micah Dempsey | Sep 22, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s soccer (5-2, 1-0) defeated the Stetson Hatters (2-4-2, 0-1) with a score of 2-0 Wednesday night at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. This win extended the team’s win streak to 4-1 after wins against Belmont and SIUE last week. After the first half, neither team successfully put the ball in the back of the net. The Bisons missed several close call opportunities; one of which included a race in the 35th minute where redshirt sophomore forward Logan Paynter sprinted down the field with only one defender to beat; yet, he was tackled in the box, and no foul was called. “We needed to bring a more aggressive approach to defending and bring more energy,” coach Peter Lowry said. “The emphasis [at halftime] was having more urgency on the ball, and we won because we outworked them.” As Lipscomb emerged from halftime at a 0-0 tie, junior midfielder Eduardo Reza caught a ball on his left foot just outside the box, and in he 50th minute immediately shifted the ball to his right foot before sending the ball to the left post and giving the Bisons a 1-0 lead. “We knew we needed more intensity; we were looking for a goal and it fired us up,” Reza said. In the 77th minute, redshirt senior forward and midfielder Josue Chavez played the ball back and forth with junior forward Brandon Braumuller, eventually resulting in a powerful shot to the back of the net for Chavez, his first goal of the season. “The team has been emphasizing pushing through lately,” junior Brandon Braumuller said. “We refuse to be satisfied until the full time has been called.” Possession offense and defense closed out...
by Lindsey Nance | Sep 21, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Just last week, the Lady Bisons ranked 12th in the Mid-Major Poll — the highest the Bisons have placed this season; this national attention is due, in part, to some of the team’s talented newcomers. Freshman setter Morgan Elmore is one addition to the successful program. Elmore said she had many other schools going after her for a volleyball scholarship, but Lipscomb was an easy choice for her. “I love the family atmosphere of the team, how hard everybody works and the relationship between the teammates,” Elmore said. The standout from Louisville, Kentucky, is majoring in dietetics and is focused on carrying her competitive drive over to her schoolwork as well as with her athletic career. Elmore has high hopes for this season, and said it’s important to stay motivated and hungry as a team to meet their goals. “I hope that as a team we can truly come together to accomplish some great things and make it to the NCAA tournament!” Elmore said. Another newcomer added to this year’s roster is freshman Maddie Phillips. Phillips’ main contributions to this year’s team are her blocking skills and height. She had many other schools calling her as well, but said she was drawn to Lipscomb by the academics and closeness of the volleyball team. “I really like that it’s a small school and has smaller class sizes,” Phillips said. “Lipscomb is giving me a great education along with a new family on the volleyball team.” Another reason she chose to come to Lipscomb is because of the talented coaching staff. “I really like Brandon because he is always there for...
by Whitney Smith | Sep 19, 2016 | News Slider
The project team for the nMotion transit plan presented its 6 billion dollar proposal to the Nashville Metro Transit Authority and the Regional Transit Authority board earlier this month. This plan, which will be enacted over 25 years, could have significant influence on students’ public transportation choices. Junior biology major and student government secretary Vince Law said he believes public transit options like this one may have a major impact on students. “I think if the city were to invest in really good public transportation, Lipscomb’s parking would probably be a lot better just because if we were to institute maybe a no-freshman-car rule, that would be a viable option because there would be better transportation for people to get around the city,” Law said. Major aspects of this are a commuter rail and a light rail, but perhaps the biggest gain for students is the purposed addition of new crosstown and through city-routes accessible from Lipscomb. According to the recommendations, the projections of population and ridership growth are high, but senior law, justice and society major Rachel Parker has her own idea for what can be done to get Lipscomb students to take advantage of the transit and rethink the ideas they have about public transportation. “Market it to students to say, ’Yes, you can use our public transportation system efficiently to get where you want to go,’” Parker said. “I don’t think a lot of students know that bus transportation is free to students, and if they do know, it does not have a very positive connotation that you can get there efficiently.” After spending time living...
