Cover Stories
Deep focus
ROB STEWART NEARLY gave his life to make his film, Sharkwater — not because he was attacked by sharks, but because of his encounters with humankind. Stewart set out to make “a pretty film about sharks” and instead captured an intense, suspenseful, all-too-human drama. Sharkwater was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film…
College Issue: Workin’ it
RUNNING ERRANDS TODAY? The cashier at Walmart, the “gofer” at your lawyer’s office, and the barista making coffee for your quick pick-me-up may all have homework on the brain. With an estimated 44,000 students enrolled at Savannah area colleges and universities, chances are good that the front line workers at many Savannah businesses are doing…
Building on a decade of fine film
Building on a decade of fine film The Gray’s Reef Ocean Film Festival may be on our cover this week, but last Friday I had another film festival on my mind, when I attended a reception at The Mansion on Forsyth Park to kick off the Savannah Film Festival’s upcoming 10th anniversary. While the main…
A lean green quality-of-life machine
THOUGH IT OFTEN plays second fiddle to Forsyth Park, its older sister to the north, Daffin Park boasts its own venerable pedigree. The first notable achievement in the career of famed urban planner John Nolen, known as one of the pioneers of landscape architecture, Daffin Park was built in 1907 and signalled the coming southward…
New releases
Matt Brunson Shoot ‘Em Up ** A confirmation has proven difficult to nail down, but it’s long been rumored that Clive Owen, who was seriously considered for the role of James Bond, turned it down early in the series revamping process, presumably because the Oscar-nominated Closer actor wanted the freedom to explore more serious fare.…
Screenshots
3:10 To Yuma *** 3:10 to Yuma proves to be a rarity among remakes. It doesn’t slavishly copy the original, nor does it update it for modern times. Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, the 1957 3:10 to Yuma retains its status as a solid Western, typical of the psychologically rooted oaters that…
A taste of this week’s live gigs
Akil (of Jurassic 5) Special appearance (w/Quanstar) at this “Alternative Hip-hop night” by a founding member of the recently split rap act. $10 at the door. Tues., 11 pm, The Jinx. Argyle Original rock/metal/ska/punk/funk. Fri. – Sat., 9 pm, Fiddler’s (downtown). Baroness With their international notoriety on the rise and an amazing brand-new CD on…
Your feedback
Soundman for Chappelle appearance responds Editor, I just read Jim Reed’s recent commentary about the Dave Chappelle show, and I have to say that he has a realistic concern. I was brought in as a contract engineer (thanks for the almost-mention, by the way) but had nothing to do with the system itself. One of…
College Issue: The play’s the thing
“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” —Gloria Steinem A PINT-SIZED model kitchen complete with pans and utensils, stacks of books and a painting easel with rows paints sat set-up, but unused in a classroom at the Savannah Technical College. Right next…
Peace out
LONG BEFORE today’s grim nexus of 9/11, jihad and Iraq, the United Nations voted in 1981 to set aside a single day of global ceasefire so the warring people of the world could celebrate peace, however fleeting. Two decades later, in 2002, the idea of declaring a single International Peace Day began, to be celebrated…
Baby mama drama
A woman became upset when her “baby daddy” refused to take their one-year-old son to an appointment with a lawyer. An officer was dispatched to the scene on a report of a person with a knife. The officer arrived at Atkinson Avenue and Hale Street, did pat-downs on the man and the woman, and determined…
College Issue: Savannah to Sydney
THE FORMULA for MTV’s popular Real World series couldn’t be more simple, or more addictive: Get a diverse bunch of college-age hotties together in a big party house, fuel them with alcohol and let the cameras roll 24/7. While that’s certainly the case with the latest installment, Real World: Sydney, there’s a new, local twist:…
Can’t make this stuff up
Cultural Diversity Sweden’s army turned down 600 draftees in July, claiming that it did not have enough officers to supervise them, but about 350 of the conscripts launched a formal protest, demanding to serve. Said one, “I was upset. What was I going to do for a year?” The National Service Administration arranged for 100…
College Issue: Better sushi through science
THOUGH FEW locals seem to know about it, one of the most expansive educational facilities in the entire region is the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. An independent arm of the state university system, the Institute (which usually just goes by “SkIO”) hosts several different entitities on its sprawling campus along the Skidaway River — the…
Screenshots
3:10 To Yuma *** 3:10 to Yuma proves to be a rarity among remakes. It doesn’t slavishly copy the original, nor does it update it for modern times. It’s respectful of its predecessor, and when it does make changes from the existing template, they aren’t preposterous or pandering — rather, they merely take another logical…
College Issue: Write on
LOCAL UNIVERSITY and city police train together following the Virginia Tech shootings. Georgia students become ineligible for HOPE scholarships. A popular university student leader dies just weeks after his leukemia diagnosis. These news items, of interest to many Savannahians, are particularly relevant to the students and faculty of Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU). And, they…
No End in Sight screens Sunday
NO END IN SIGHT ***1/2 “This is absolute Fantasyland. These people — I don’t know what they were smoking, but it must have been very good.” So says author James Bamford about the members of the Bush Administration and their actions regarding the Iraq War in this absorbing documentary. At this point in time, all…
Diary of the planet
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College Issue: Clickin’ it old school
WHILE MOST of us have taken the plunge into digital photography — whether as eager enthusiasts, casual cellphone clickers or reluctantly through the demands of our profession — a small but dedicated local group seeks to keep alive what they call the “magic of the darkroom.” And they’re gaining a lot of support. Callling themselves…
Whackronyms
“Whackronyms”–familiar phrases, incidental initials. by Matt Jones You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle…
College Issue: Don’t have a cow
THERE’S NO NEED to stress about vegan and vegetarian fare in Savannah. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s really not that hard to find here. By taking a good look at the menu and asking the right questions, you can find what you want virtually anywhere. But to get you started, here are some of my…
The ol’ college try
Back when I was with the Creative Loafing organization — one of the first players in the alt-weekly movement in the U.S. media and still a major presence — the company’s founder, Debbie Eason, imparted a lesson to me that I still remember. She said that contrary to popular opinion, our readers aren’t identifiable by…
College Issue: Get on the bus
SO YOU’RE NEW in town. Don’t know your way around, got no wheels. Catch a CAT (the acronym for the local bus system Chatham Area Transit). I’ve been a bus operator in Savannah for 21 years and I’m here to tell you how to use and abuse us. Do not hesitate to use public transportation;…
College Issue: Complete Internet Radio Article Interviews
Dear Readers, In the course of researching this week’s College Issue feature on Internet Radio (and specifically, the local web-based outlet WRFS, or SCAD Radio), I conducted lengthy interviews with two key players at that Savannah station, and one internationally-known expert and lobbyist at the forefront of the legislative battle over webcasting royalties. Regrettably, space…
Exhibits and openings
First Annual P.U.R.E. Exhibition — Photographers Using Real Elements is a local cooperative devoted to celebrating the darkroom process in photography. This show features the silver gelatin photography of Kathleen Thomas, Bill Ballard, Michelle Phillips and others. Through Sept. 30 at the Starland District’s Starlander Café, 11 East 41st St. 7times6 – Chroma Gallery’s annual…
The inexplicable success of Heroes
Last September I made up my mind that I could only watch one show on Monday nights. Would I choose Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the highly anticipated drama from multiple Emmy winner Aaron Sorkin which kicked off with one of the best pilot episodes ever filmed? Or would I opt for Heroes, Teen…
Very superstitious
How many superstitions do you believe? It’s bad luck to throw a hat on a bed. Thirteen is an unlucky number. But are separated twins cursed to die on the day they learn the truth about their birth? Of course not, but it sure makes for some great theater. Willy Russell based his smash-hit West…
College Issue: The nicest garage in the world?
Well, it’s that time of year again. Time for area colleges and universities to not only welcome back returning students, but to introduce many to both a new school and a new town. Yet plenty of the young people filling dorm rooms and off-campus apartments have a great deal more on their minds than acing…
College Issue: Internet radio
FOR DECADES, many prospective college students both here and abroad eagerly awaited their time away at school as an opportunity to get into broadcasting — if even on a small scale. Long before the days of podcasts and micro-transmitters, if you were a budding teenage announcer or news person, there were only three possible ways…
Noteworthy shows
4th Annual Hinesville Blues & BBQ Concert w/Eddie Kirkland Few musicians can claim to have played alongside the iconic bluesman John Lee Hooker in his formative years, as well as with soul titan Otis Redding in his salad days, but those memoir-worthy achievements are guitarist and singer Eddie Kirkland’s calling card. Known as The Gypsy…
