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MOVEMOVE07.10.13 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 29

+UP, UP AND AWAYDOES ‘MAN OF STEEL’ MATCH UP TO THE SUPERMEN OF THE PAST?

LIKE MIKEMOVIE COLUMNIST ALEX LEININGER

ON THE ‘MONSTERS INC.’ PREQUEL

PITCHFORKIN’ ITNEAR OR FAR FROM THE WINDY

CITY, YOU WONT WANT TO MISS

OUR COVERAGE OF THE INDIE FEST

2 MOV E • 07.10.13

It’s funny because, until college, most of my friends had never had all that much in common with me.

I’ve always been an English lover and, more importantly, a math hater. And yet, despite my inclination to curl up into a ball and weep at the mere sight of the quadratic formula, my closest friends were usually the kinds of kids to wave their calculators around like some sort of sacred jewel or carnival prize.

Here’s the thing: I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with essentially wanting to wed and have children with a TI-84, but it’s just never been my thing. And that’s the point.

People are good at different things. I was never a math whiz, and my friends were never quite the grammar and spelling stud that I was. Indubitably. To me, differences are what make friendships interesting and worthwhile. Sure, friends tend to laugh at and enjoy similar things. But if you and your friend are the exact same person, you’ll start to wonder: who’s better at being you?

Now, “Monsters University,” the prequel to the brilliant and beloved “Monsters, Inc.,” recently hit theaters. How do you think Mike Wazowski, Sulley and Randall came to be the way they are?

It’s simple. Sulley and Randall are both scary, constantly competing for the title of “top scarer,” and they hate each other. Mike, as funny as he is, poses no threat to either of the others’ hopes for the scaring title, and it's Mike and Sulley’s differences that make them such a good pair.

Of course, there’s a much better story behind all of that. “Monsters University” explains that story, taking place far before the times of “Monsters, Inc.”

In “Monsters University,” little Mike Wazowski wants desperately to be a scarer. He looks up to the formidably frightening “star scarers” like human children look up to basketball stars. Reading all of the books and studying all of the techniques, he eventually finds his way into the most prestigious scaring school of all, Monsters University. After a few weeks of classes, he finds himself to be the best student, despite the superior talents of many of his peers, including a young and arrogant Sulley.

Getting the best grades isn’t good enough for Mike, though. He wants to prove to everyone that has doubted him before that he is, in fact, scary. To do this, he joins the annual scare competition with his new fraternity brothers, the misfits of Oozma Kappa. In a hilarious and intense series of challenges, the outcasts prove to be more than just OK. But do they have what it takes to win it all?

I won’t give too much away, but the truth of the situation is that hard work only takes you so far if you’re not built for the game. I always loved watching gargantuan human beings dunk basketballs growing up, but I grew up to be 5-foot-11-inches and very moderately athletic. Now, no matter how much I train or practice, I will never have what it takes to be like Mike (Jordan, that is). And Mike Wazowski, a little green ball with horns, will never be able to produce blood-curdling screams at the same rate as a giant lion/bear hybrid. It’s not meant to be.

Now, before you start crying because you’re bad at things like me, think about it for a second. There’s no way you’re terrible at everything! You just have to find what you’re good at. Take this for example: If I challenged Shaquille O’Neal to a limbo tournament, I can almost guarantee that I would be the victor.

“But, Alex,” says the innocent bystander, “Shaq didn’t ask to be that tall!”

Well, you know what? I didn’t ASK to be an average college student doing homework instead of throwing it down on the ball court, OK? All that you can do is make the best of what you’re given and be proud of it, sir/madam.

Now that I’m older, the thing I look for most in children’s movies is the message, and the message in “Monsters University” is simple and beautiful: You can’t be a superstar at anything, but you can be a superstar at something.

ALEX LEININGER on what you should take away from the "Monsters, Inc." prequel

Fanatic Cinematic

cover PHOTO/HEATHER FINN

design/KELLY SHUNNESON

EDITOR/Heather Finn

Photo editor/Lauren Kastner

Like Mike

from

the suit

the man

himself

to

the best movie soundtracks in history

"THE LION KING"

Sometimes, you've got to "put your behind in your past." This summer, a great way to get rid of your worries is by throwing your "Lion King" cassette into the tapedeck, picking up that hottie from across the hall and enjoying the sweet composition of Elton John. With the right music, you and your date might even "feel the love tonight."

Superman is a trademark of DC Comics.

"PULP FICTION"

Quentin Tarantino is known for compiling spectacular soundtracks to back his films, but none are as iconic as the soundtrack to his 1994 indie flick "Pulp Fiction." Enjoying a "Royale with cheese," memorizing your favorite biblical passage and listening to "Misirlou" on vinyl is a great way to beat the CoMo heat this summer.

As summer blockbusters kick into full swing this month, check out our favorite movie music ever.

THE STAR WARS SAGA

Two things age well with time: wine and Star Wars. Watching the classic sci-fi film today is every bit as sweet as it was while growing up in your hometown. Let's be honest — without the majesty and nostalgia of the music of John Williams' orchestra, the movies might just seem like a montage of limbs being hacked off via lightsaber.

An avid fan's thoughts on how 'Man of Steel' stacks up against the Supermen of the past

Not many superheroes have seen the big screen as many times as the Man of Steel. With the latest installment in the Superman saga out just last month, I took a look at how the new flick matched up to the hero's past incarnations:

David Freyermuth | associate editor

ROSS WEBSTER IN "SUPERMAN III"To be honest, I’m not

well-versed in the Superman comics. But Ross Webster… who? To sum it up for you, he’s a wealthy businessman

who wants to control the world. Nothing new there.

"SUPERMAN RETURNS"

In the 2006 reboot “Superman Returns,” CGI was obviously not a perfected art. Not only were a lot of scenes poorly rendered, but the suit was, too. Aesthetically, it was a step above the pajamas of the Christopher Reeve’s era, but, come on, those are classic.

"SUPERMAN III"Not only was

the movie campy and advertised as a "comedy," but the soundtrack made it worse. Campy tunes and saving innocent people from burning buildings just don’t mesh.

BRANDON ROUTH IN

"SUPERMAN RETURNS"It’s not that

Brandon Routh was a bad actor, the role was just written poorly. Of all the portrayals of Superman in film, this one has to be the most boring. A lack of moral dilemma and little backstory make it easy to feel detached from his portrayal.

GENERAL ZOD IN "MAN OF STEEL"

I was happy to see that "Man of Steel" didn’t go with the obvious choice of Lex Luthor as the major antagonist. In terms of the threat to the existence of Earth as we know it, Zod is about as fearsome as it gets. With the leaps in technology that have been made since 1980, The Zod in "Man of Steel" leaves the Zod of "Superman II" looking like a pathetic villain.

"MAN OF STEEL"At first, I wasn’t too excited about

the newly designed suit and shield for "Man of Steel." But the new suit is much sleeker, and doesn’t leave Superman looking like a man parading around in a homemade costume. As for the shield, the movie touched on the idea that the "S" on Superman’s chest is really a Kryptonian symbol and not, in fact, an "S," successfully explaining a redesign that only slightly resembles the letter.

"SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE"

It’s impossible to hear the opening “Theme From Superman” and not think of the Man of Steel saving the day. Like the music from "Star Wars" or "Harry Potter," everyone recognizes this score.

HENRY CAVILL IN "MAN OF STEEL"

“Imma let you finish, but Christopher Reeve was one of the best Superman actors of all time!” you yell in public. While Christopher Reeve was an iconic Clark Kent, Henry Cavill in "Man of Steel" takes the cake — and that’s largely due to writing. The Superman in "Man of Steel" is shown as an everyday human with extraordinary abilities, and lives with the constant moral dilemma of protecting his identity and saving the people he has come to identify with. (Plus, Reeve's cheesy lines just tip the scale.)

the villian

the soundtrack

3 07.10.13• MOV E

Recently, I took a road trip to the most exciting city on earth: Kansas City, Mo. And by “exciting,” I mean “incredibly average" — there were lots of fountains and some cool buildings, but it was a mostly forgettable experience.

At some point on my grand adventure, I found myself in an outdoor flea market. Scrambling to find something remotely entertaining in the entire city, I started flipping through a very old cookbook, and found a recipe simply titled, “Lasagna.” I don’t know if it was the regularity and mystery of the 60-year-old cookbook, or the distinct disinterest for the city of fountains that had washed over me, or the fact that I really enjoy a quality lasagna, but at that moment I felt as if it was my duty to make that recipe as soon as I got home. I quickly took a picture of the page and continued on my tour of the least exciting city on Earth.

When I got home, I read the recipe more thoroughly and realized this lasagna was much more complicated than I thought it was going to be. Specifically, I forgot that the basic construction of lasagna required me to create every element of the lasagna individually and then layer them together like a cake. If I were, for example, making a steak, then the only item that I would actually have to cook would be the steak itself. But for this lasagna, and really for any lasagna, I had to cook the noodles, the sauce and any other meats or vegetables that I might want and then bake it in the oven.

This specific recipe, however, only called for sautéed mushrooms, so I only had to make noodles, sauce and mushrooms. Regardless, I was still intimidated by the notion that I was going to have to cook three separate things and then put them together and cook them again.

I started coming up with excuses to not make the lasagna.“That seems like a lot of responsibility,” I told myself. “You don’t

need all that stress in your life. Go order a pizza and watch 'The Bachelorette' until your problems melt away.”

But just as I had officially given up on my lasagna ambitions, something came over me. I felt that obligation to make the lasagna just as I had in Kansas City. It was like a spiritual combination of the tree lady from “Pocahontas” and one of those old Italian housewives from “The Godfather” was commanding me to cook lasagna like my life depended on it. And so, with my weird Italian/Native American spirit guide at my side, I began cooking.

I broke the lasagna recipe down into four steps: noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and baking.

The noodles were pretty straightforward. Boil water, add noodles, wait ten minutes, strain, done.

The sauce was considerably more complicated than that. It required heating up some milk, heating up a butter and flour mixture separately, mixing the two at the exact right time and then cooking it until the exact right time. I was leaning on my spirit guide to help me make a decent sauce, but after I had mixed everything together, I thought that the sauce looked too runny.

I asked my spirit guide if I should add more flour. No response. I panicked and threw a little bit more flour into the sauce, which turned out to be an awful idea because now my sauce was still watery and had floating pieces of flour inside. I decided to cut my losses and consider the sauce “finished,” even though it looked more like wet cement than an actual pasta sauce.

I chopped up a bunch of mushrooms and sautéed them quickly, and by the time I started layering my lasagna, my sauce had actually thickened and looked much more edible than it had at first. I layered the lasagna, threw it in the oven for 45 minutes and thanked my spirit guide for helping me through my struggle.

An hour later, I consumed six servings of amazing lasagna and lied on my couch with an enormous food baby. I decided that cooking and eating massive amounts of lasagna must be what people from Kansas City do for fun, and I gained a newfound respect for what used to be the least exciting city in the world.

Spiritual lasagna

AARON PELLISH on discovering a mystical lasagna recipe

anything but ramen

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY

Why read a book when you can watch Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortenson be heroic to the music of Howard Shore? A great way to spend a lazy Sunday is curled up in a ball with your favorite form of potatoes — whether "boiled, mashed or stuck in a stew" — and listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.

"IDES OF MARCH"

This is simply an amazing and patriotic soundtrack to back the evil, political shenanigans of Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Alexandre Desplat's "The Campaign" is by far the best track on the album. If it doesn't inspire you to better this country and volunteer with all your summer free time, then nothing will.

"O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU"

Before we had the banjo of Mumford & Sons, we had the banjo of The Soggy Bottom Boys in 2001's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" After a listen to "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," you'll be ready to head out into the real world, get a job and get "bona fide!"

Varun Bajaj | reporter

"MONSTERS UNIVERSITY"Pixar sequels can be hit and miss ("Cars 2,"

anyone?), so when news came around there was going to be a sequel to "Monsters, Inc.," there were plenty of reasons to be worried. Luckily though, "Monsters University" is definitely worth a trip to the movie theater. When I saw it, I was one of the few in the audience who was above the age of eight and _wasn't_ a parent, but I can say without a doubt that this movie is meant for our generation. Add in the college theme, and you get something that seems tailor-made for undergrads. And if you don't chuckle every time the characters say "Go MU!" you're missing out.

5 EYEBALLS OUT OF 5

"THE BLING RING"Before you go to see this movie, I want you to

do something. Open up Netflix, and watch all nine episodes of "Pretty Wild," the so-bad-it's-good E! television series about some of the accused teenagers featured in "The Bling Ring." I'll wait.

Okay, so now that we're on the same page, Sofia Coppola's newest movie is a strange ride. The film fol-lows a group of teenagers that robbed celebrities like Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom in the late 2000s. It focuses on the power and obsession of celebrity and does so in a fairly gnarly way. I did not like a single one of the characters in the movie — even the California-ized Emma Watson. But, reflecting on the movie, I think that was the point. These kids are absolutely terrible people.

3.5 KITTEN HEELS OUT OF 5

Brendan Wray | senior staff writer

Your must-watch movie list for this summer

This season's films probably won't be up for any Oscars, but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable. From lovable monsters to the kind that take over the planet,

this summer's flicks offers plenty of variety. These are the films that should be on your must-watch list, with two you can see now and two to look forward to.

Been there, watched that:

Coming soon:"PACIFIC RIM"

It wouldn't be summer without a ridiculous blockbuster with robots and/or monsters. Luckily, "Pacific Rim" brings both to the table in a seemingly over-the-top film. The world has been attacked by strange beasts from the deep, and it's up to the pilots of skyscraper-sized robots to save the day. But what's most interesting about this movie seems to be the pilots themselves — it takes two people to pilot a robot, one for each hemisphere of the brain, causing the pilots to share memories. This movie promises summer thrills and "Cloverfield"-esque monsters, perfect for a summer night.

ANTICIPATION METER: HOTTER THAN MISSOURI SUMMERS

"THE WORLD'S END"Simon Pegg already made my summer as Scotty in

"Star Trek Into Darkness," but his next movie (with Edgar Wright, who brought us "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz") looks to be his next hit comedy. The movie is about a group of friends coming back together to finish a pub crawl from their youth, but with a twist: robots. Yes, along the way the group has to save the world from robots because it wouldn't feel like an Edgar Wright movie without it.

ANTICIPATION METER: BEER + ROBOTS = MUST-SEE

hot!

out of

out of

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Pitchfork Music Festival will bring a variety of sounds, from downplayed to outright eccentric, to Chicago this July 19-21. Many notable indie acts will be showcasing their music, and there are certain to be a few new discoveries for all festival-goers. Even for those not in attendance, Pitchfork has made a lineup of artists worth getting to know. And, lucky for you, MOVE is previewing some of the more notable acts and their newest albums.

Ryan Hemsworth Still Awake EP (Performs at 5:45 p.m. on the Blue Stage.)

Released as a free download just a few months ago, Still Awake EP has proven Ryan Hemsworth to be a formidable new presence on the DJ/producer scene.

With a sound that combines compositional aspects of ambient rock, the soothing tones of chillwave and a handful of beats reminiscent of

hip-hop (except at half the speed), Hemsworth has conjured up an album that is as delicate as it is magnificent.

When viewed as a whole, Still Awake EP is an elegant blending of songs, with each track gently weaving dreamlike synthesizers and nonsensical voices seemingly from another realm. A compilation of seven beautiful tracks, Hemsworth’s impressive release will have you floating amongst the clouds as it transports you to a dreamland – even if you are still awake.

MOVE gives Still Awake EP 4 out of 5 stars.

For a full list of previews — and, eventually, some awesome post-coverage, featuring live performance reviews and photos of the artists — check out MOVE’s website,move.themaneater.com. Also, be sure to follow MOVE on Twitter(@ManeaterMOVE) for live coverage as the festival unfolds.

4 MOV E • 07.10.13

LIZZIE TONTZ on how to add a vintage beach look to glass with frost paint

Overdressed

Even though I’m still folding kusudama for my bridesmaids’ bouquets, I decided to start on a new project for the sake of time. Since my fiancé and I haven’t set a date for the wedding yet, I’m on a somewhat confusing timeline, and I haven’t been sure what needs my attention right now. I decided to work on my centerpieces while we figure out the big details.

While hunting around Michaels in a desperate attempt to use up my 40-percent-off coupon, I happened upon one of their craft idea sheets in the ceramics section. I was instantly inspired by a particular project: frosted glass bottles in sea glass colors.

Anyone who has ever swam in the ocean knows the beauty and peril of sea glass. For those who don’t know, sea glass is made from glass bottles that have been thrown into the ocean and beaten on the sand until the sharp edges have worn smooth. The glossy surface of sea glass has been ground down to a soft frost. It’s beautiful in the latter stages, but you definitely don’t want to get smacked in the face by a broken bottle when you swim under the waves.

I decided that for my vintage California theme, I would include antique frosted bottles that look like sea glass in my centerpieces. I thought I would throw in little fortune cookie messages, or maybe sand and shells, to create a tiny beach right on the table!

The craft sheet called for two shades of Martha Stewart paint (one opaque, one frosted), a bottle, some alcohol and a "pouncer." I had no idea what a pouncer was, so I just got two of the spongy brushes that I used to use in kindergarten.

The concept was simple enough; clean the bottles with the alcohol, pounce a layer of opaque paint onto the glass, and then pounce another layer of frosted paint over the first layer. Voilá, instant beach-worthy frosted glass, right?

Unfortunately, the booklet gave no clue as to what "pouncing" actually meant, and Google didn’t give any hints either. At first I decided that pouncing meant gently stroking up and down to make the lines as smooth as possible, but the end result was too calculated — it didn’t look wistfully antique, while still being fresh and breezy like the ocean. I next decided that pouncing was actually slapping layers of paint on the bottle in the most aggressive way possible, and it appeared to work until the paint dried and my bottles looked like some sickly barnacle cluster had crawled on to them and died.

In frustration, I began painting crazy circles on my bottles with long strokes, continuously manipulating the paint even as it dried. A few layers of this madness later, and what I had came the closest to looking like a professionally frosted bottle. Sure, I can see a few swirls and scallops where the paint didn’t settle perfectly like I wanted it to, but I doubt anyone will actually be picking up the bottles and comparing swirl patterns.

Although I’m using my painted glass bottles for wedding purposes, they’re actually really versatile and will make pretty apartment decorations once I’m married. For a dorm room or apartment, frost glass paint is a fast way to add an antique look to any glass surface, and the paint is easily available at any craft store. I would love to buy simple glass ornaments next Christmas and add frost paint to make them look like they’re covered in a layer of snow. I’d also love to buy a bunch of glass tea-candle holders and frost them in sea glass colors. That would be a nice touch for my centerpieces.

Whatever you end up painting, make sure that you learn how to "pounce" or your projects might end up looking barnacle-y — like mine.

Read exclusive content

ONLINE@ move.themaneater.com

TV: Sarah Kloepple on the must-see show for journos

Fashion: Morgan Young on fresh summer makeup

Pitchfork: The indie festival from start to finish

DIY or Die

Cloudy with a chance of Iskov

and so much more!

A Pitchfork preview

Avid postcard collector and lover of plants, Gregory Alan Isakov’s love for music is in full bloom with the upcoming release of his third album.

“I always played music,” Isakov says. “It was just kind of part of the day. I worked on a farm for about seven years. The past couple of years I’ve just been playing most of the time. It’s kind of like both things that I love, and I try to balance out both of them.”

In the past year, Isakov has performed alongside groups such as The Lumineers and The Head & The Heart. His current tour supports the release of his new album, The Weatherman, and included a stop at Mojo’s on July 8, where The Seven Hats opened.

“I love playing shows, and it’s difficult for me because I’m kind of a hermit,” Isakov says. “It’s a lot of social time everyday. I meet a lot of people on the tour. I’m always blown away that people take time out of their lives and come see us play. It’s really mindblowing.”

Traveling has always been a part of Isakov’s life, beginning with his move from South Africa to Colorado in pursuit of a horticulture degree. His love for gardening doesn’t get to come on the road with him (aka no cacti in the tour bus windows), however.

When he’s out on the road, Isakov writes postcards to his long list of pen pals. He says he may just have postcards from almost everywhere in America. You could even say Isakov has a green thumb for writing.

“Traveling a lot and spending a lot of time by myself, I write a lot of short stories and poems,” says Isakov. “A lot of it makes its way into the song all at once. It starts with just little tiny things that I notice, and I follow it down the road.”

The idea behind The Weatherman started with a short story about a woman who lived in a country trailer home. Isakov says the weatherman became a character in the story, an ever-present figure in the background. From that, the idea of weather in everyday life grew.

“I was traveling a lot when I was writing the record, and I noticed that people really connect with the weather,” Isakov says. “It’s kind of like this basic way to connect with total strangers. Everyone is just talking about the weather all the time. You can be sitting next to somebody on a train, and the first thing that might come up would be weather. It’s this thing we all connect on."

Isakov says he also came across the idea that there’s a guy on TV reporting the weather, and he’s telling the future.

“It’s this crazy amazing thing, and no one cares,” says Isakov. The Weatherman delivers soulfully introspective tunes with an unpolished

finish, or what "feels more real," according to Isakov. Recorded in a small studio called the Mountain House, The Weatherman gets back to Isakov’s horticultural roots by incorporating a natural sound native to the environment it was grown in.

“A lot of the songs that I wrote for this record were about nature and space and really expansive ideas,” Isakov says.

He adds that he strives to try out new things and ways of doing them, even if he doesn’t know if they’re good at the time.

“I think that’s why I love (songwriting) so much,” says Isakov. “There’s a lot in there to explore.”

The Weatherman dropped July 9, and its homegrown tunes are guaranteed to, well, grow on you.

Follow us on Twitter

@ManeaterMOVE

Lauren Rutherford | senior staff writer

Ryan Berry | reporter

You don't have to be in Chicago this summer to appreciate these up-and-coming indie artists.

Photo courtesy of gregoryalanisakov.com

Photo courtesy of pitchforkmusicfestival.com

Gregory Alan Isakov hits the stage at Mojo's with a new album in tow