by Evan Webb | Mar 12, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
Oz the Great and Powerful is the new fantasy film directed by Sam Raimi and inspired by L. Frank Baum’s Oz series. The first thing to be noted about the film is that it is, by far, not The Wizard of Oz. Aside from the setting and some characters, this film misses on giving one the same feeling the original Wizard of Oz did. I do not know if the film was trying to or not, but if one goes to this film expecting to see The Wizard of Oz, then they will be sorely disappointed. However, if one goes to this film expecting to see a new, standalone story set in the same universe as The Wizard of Oz, then they will be in for a treat. Let me take a moment to make a few comments about 3-D: I hate it. But, I saw Oz the Great and Powerful in 3-D, and thought it worked very well. The opening title sequence of the film was beautiful and brilliant on its own but was made more engaging and alluring by the awesome use of 3-D. There are many circumstances in the film that are made better because of the 3-D element incorporated. (I think this is due to the film being shot in that format instead of post-converted to 3D.) As I mentioned before, it’s best not to go into this movie with expectations of reliving all the great things about The Wizard of Oz. The new film follows a wily, cunning magician named Oscar “Oz” Diggs (James Franco) as he finds himself in more trouble than he...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 8, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
Thursday night, a mixed crowd of Lipscomb students and those from around the Nashville community got a taste of a locally-spun variety show hosted by campus’ own Dr. Lee C. Camp. Tokens, described by Camp as a “theological variety show,” brought its newest broadcast to Alumni Auditorium, taking on a potentially uncomfortable-yet-always eye-opening subject with “The Birds and the Bees and Loving Thee”. The new recording was a bold, high-spirited celebration one of Christianity’s most ‘hush-hush’ topics. Unafraid to reach deep into the Bible to share some of the “post-Sunday School” offerings (i.e. Song of Solomon), Camp used the show to take an awkward subject and make it light, funny and most importantly, discussable. Not only did this episode of Tokens offer some of Nashville’s finest musicians and storytellers a platform to share their talent, but the audience was given enlightening insight into the true meaning behind a few noted passages and their true intent: to shed a light on our longing for God’s love. Camp kicked off the show and appeared periodically as the event’s emcee. The host and his sidekick and leader of the house band (The Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys) Jeff Taylor, provided snarky and well-supported banter throughout the program. Some of Camp’s ‘fact-sharing’ segments had audience members gleefully cringing. The great harmonica player Buddy Greene joined the band for the evening’s show. Starting the night off right was the duo of Sugar + the Hi-Lows, a folk rock team. Their peppy “Two Day High” brought a finger-snapping energy into the auditorium, with the house band backing up in fine fashion. They also performed a...
by Brianne Welch | Mar 7, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
Taqueria del Sol, the new restaurant in 12th Avenue South, has certainly got my vote. The Atlanta-based restaurant opened for the first time in Nashville on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The name of the restaurant makes the diner think of of truly authentic Mexican cuisine, but that is not entirely the case. While Taqueria del Sol is known for fantastic Mexican food, there are some delicious nontraditional items that are much more prominent. The first thing the waiter said to me when suggesting foods to try was that I should try the turnip greens. Now, I had never had them before, and turnip greens did not sound like they would taste good with a taco, but I gave it a shot. I was not disappointed. The turnip greens were spectacular! I make a point of emphasizing them because these turnip greens have been listed as one of the “100 Food You Absolutely Must Try Before You Die” according to Bon Appetit and Garden & Gun magazines. Another menu item that was especially delightful yet different for a Mexican restaurant was the shrimp corn chowder. I have never seen corn chowder as a Mexican dish, but either way, it was absolutely the best thing I tasted. I recommend this dish whenever you visit. Onto some more dishes — tacos and burritos. Taqueria del Sol has some specialty tacos. For example, I had the Memphis taco. It is simply a taco that consists of pulled pork, barbeque sauce and cheese (if you ask). I loved it. The burritos were also fantastic. Several different sauces are offered for the burrito. They offer somewhat...
by Nicci Carney | Mar 5, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
Grammy-nominated keyboardist for Maroon 5 PJ Morton has crafted music for some the biggest and respected acts in R&B, gospel and soul music. Some worried that his gospel-laced, soul-tinged sound would change when he signed with YMCMB last year. He puts those worries to rest with the release of his EP, Following My First Mind. Last Tuesday, he released his new single “Only One,” proving his sound is unchanged. Morton is known putting his silky, soulful vocals with some smooth, jamming tracks, and he has done this with his new song that will be featured on his upcoming major label debut album New Orleans. The song begins with a nice drum lick with PJ’s smooth voice quickly following. “Only One” is a uptempo love song telling the love of his life that she is the only one he loves and lives for. The line that is sure to make anyone fall in love with this song comes in the second verse: “I know that forever is a long time, but there is no other choice in my mind.” It’s guaranteed to make any hopeless romantic fall in love. To accompany beautiful lyrics in the bridge is the sound of some the best horns I’ve heard in years. The production of “Only One” will put you in mind of Stevie Wonder’s music in the ‘80s, mixed with a few of the sounds of today’s R&B. And that’s to be expected, given that the Motown legend has a harmonica solo on this track, providing accompaniment that only Stevie Wonder could pull off. PJ Morton has knocked it out of the park...
by Kelly Dean | Feb 26, 2013 | Opinion, Sports
Sports bring people together- whether playing, watching or practicing, athletics create a community as well as passion and enthusiasm. While Division I athletics bring a lot of this to Lipscomb, it’s not the only way to get involved in sports on campus. Intramural sports provide a wonderful opportunity to get involved, meet people and share that passion for sports you may have in your heart. Offering around seventeen different sports, students are bound to find at least one intramural they are interested with. While some sports show more favor than overs, the wide variety of activities offered are to call for the constant growth in intramural involvement. Considering surrounding universities and their intramurals, Lipscomb offers one of the larger assortments of sports. Trevecca has 10 intramurals they offer to their students, Vanderbilt has around 12 and Belmont’s intramural website could not offer any information on their sports. It’s plain to see by watching the games that students become passionate about the sport they are playing. A break from school work can put anyone in a good mood. They look forward to participating in the sports of their choice each week and spending time with friends. “I think intramurals are just a really good way to bring out your competitive side and to still get to play sports in college if you’re not on a collegiate team.” “It’s also a really good way to make friends because I’ve gotten to know a lot more people in my social or not in it just by playing sports and spending an hour a day being on a team with them,” junior Lizzie...
by Logan Butts | Feb 23, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
With his new film Snitch, director Ric Roman Waugh takes a well-worn film plot (family man goes out of his way to do whatever he can for his distressed family member) and adds something that is rarely seen in these types of movies: a little heart. On most occasions in this sub-genre of film, the violence outnumbers the heart tenfold, which I have no problem with. Sometimes, it’s great to walk into a film like Taken knowing exactly what you are going to get — nonstop action and little else. However, when a movie attempts to break the boundaries of its genre and turn the usual tropes upside down, I will applaud it. Now, don’t get me wrong. Snitch was not some sort of game-changing film for the “father-vigilante” genre that has been going strong since the seventies. I don’t even know if I would recommend the film due to its clichéd dialogue and unexciting action sequences, but it did try something different. I have to give credit where credit is due. After his son (newcomer Rafi Gavron) is arrested for distributing drugs and sentenced to ten years in prison, John Matthews (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is forced to strike a deal that involves him going undercover to infiltrate a drug cartel. Johnson finally seems to be accepting the tough guy persona that was thrust upon him when he broke into acting, as this is one of many recent outings in the action genre after a string of family-friendly movies. What brings Snitch an unusually present heart for its genre is the cast. It is a slow building movie with dialogue...
