A new kind of heist: Your mind is their mission
July 22, 2010
“Inception” combines a fast-paced heist film with serious psychological and ethical questions.Photo by Jeremy NguyenYou fall into a dream without knowing how you got there. You dream that you’re falling, but not hitting bottom, and then you wake up—that’s called “the kick.” You can also wake up by getting killed in your dream. How do you know that it’s you who’s dreaming? Your totem. It’s a small weighted object that is yours alone so you know when it’s your dream you’re in, and when it’s someone else’s i.e. dream sharing.
You got that?
With only a few exceptions, 2010 summer flicks have been a bit of a snoozefest. Where are the explosions? Where are the mouth-gaping shots of vast foreign places with the heroes emerging over the horizon? Where’s the adventure, the fast cars and the big guns? Leave it to Christopher Nolan to put out just what you’re asking for. But “Inception” is more than an adventure on foreign soil; it’s an adventure on land that we’re all foreign to: the mind.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, the best in his profession of extraction. With the technology to enter people’s subconscious through their dreams, extractors go deep into people’s minds and find and steal information. It’s a kind of theft that leaves no fingerprints, only a remnant of something you can’t be sure even happened when you wake up.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is his pointman, Arthur. Gordon-Levitt has been on a spell of indie movies, playing anything from a calloused gay prostitute to a hopelessly romantic greeting card writer, so the only surprise in adding this role his resumé is that it’s not something you can see at the Sundance Film Festival.
Although often playing a quick-witted angsty youth in films like “Juno” and “Whip It,” Ellen Page is the architect on this team of dream pioneers. Her character, Ariadne is hired to work on the next near-impossible assignment: inception.
Instead of stealing an idea, inception is planting an idea. While it sounds simple enough, “no idea is simple when you have to plant it in someone’s mind.” Inception is pure inspiration and therefore must be buried so deeply in the subconscious that it can’t be traced. It needs to look like an original thought or it will not stick. It’s a feat most find impossible, but Cobb (DiCaprio) and his team take on the challenge.
The client: Saito (Ken Watanabe), a major player in the business of energy.
The goal: To implant an idea into the head of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the leader of an opposing energy corporation. This idea is intended lead to the end of his father’s energy empire, which borderlines that of a world superpower.
While attempting inception, Cobb must battle his own memories, his wife and the guilt of his past in order to make a future for himself and his children. Inception can be his way out of his own tunnel of dissatisfaction with reality.
Big money productions are charted territory for DiCaprio, star of “The Departed,” and more recently “Shutter Island.” Just like in those roles, DiCaprio is entrancing as the lead with a mysterious past and a torturous motivation. Page’s character is more openly compassionate than any other roles we’ve seen her play, and while she was only ten when DiCaprio starred in “Titanic,” she shows no lack of experience acting alongside the blockbuster icon.
It’s no surprise to see Gordon-Levitt in his role as Arthur, or any role, really. He continues to play characters who push him in a different direction than he’s tried before. Marion Cotillard (Oscar winner for Best Actress in 2008 for “La Vie En Rose”), has an elegant, but villainous and disturbing performance as Cobb’s wife.
Other than the paternal, British guidance we expect from Michael Caine, his name on the poster doesn’t seem to be more than a nod to the fact that this is a Christopher Nolan film. But it’s not hard to see that this is written and directed by the same guy who did “The Dark Knight.” The movie is big. Big names, big chase scenes, big explosions, big crime.
The film is, at it’s heart, a heist movie. A team is assembled, each with their own expertise. A plan is devised. Research is done. There are glitches, bad guys and guns along the way. But when nothing in a dream is quite as it seems, the next move is harder to predict.
When you can live in your dream, and build it up or tear it down at will, reality seems foreign and confining. In this place where you acknowledge all of the possibilities of your subconscious, you can create a new reality, but it’s all still in your mind. Five minutes in the real world is an hour in your dream, so you can live for hours, days, even years, and wake up as though you’ve stolen time. So if you had the option of that escape, would you take it? And how far would you let it take you?
It’s a question which I challenge anyone to try and tackle while finding yourself deeper and deeper into the dream realms Nolan has created. “Inception” takes the audience to a world where the subconscious is not a state of mind, but a location more concrete than we can comprehend. “Inception” is complex and imaginative without boundaries. At times, the complexities have you feeling a little perplexed, but you are in the careful hands of the man who brought you “Memento” and “The Prestige” and before you know it, you can take a deep breath, and you’ll surface all the wiser having seen the unreality of a dream.
Contact Katelan Cunningham.2010 Sidewalk Arts winners announced
April 25, 2010
2010 Best in Show WinnerPhoto by Photo by Dennis Burnett, courtesy of SCADMore than 600 students competed in the 2010 Sidewalk Arts Festival in Forsyth Park on April 24. The alumni and prospective students categories saw more than 100 participants each and nearly 100 participants competed in the first Cyberwalk Arts Contest.
The award sponsors this year were American Greetings, Gray’s Reef and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Savannah.
The following is a complete list of winners in each category:
Best in Show
Individual Student
Group—Students
Alumni
Cyberwalk Arts Contest Award—Students
Cyberwalk Arts Contest Award—Alumni
Gray’s Reef Best Underwater Environment Award
American Greetings Award
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church “Where the Spirit Meets the Art” Award
Drawing Minor Award
Graduate Student Award
Prospective Students – Undergraduate
Best replica of a famous artwork: Kari Schneider, Bloomingdale, Ga.
Best use of color: Gabrielle Luppacchino, St. Vincent’s Academy, Savannah, Ga.
Best special effect or optical illusion: Alnesha West, Groves High School, Savannah, Ga.
Best nightmare: Olivia Israel, Rosman High School, Brevard, N.C.
Best comic hero: Cesar Bautista, Groves High School, Savannah, Ga.
District Quarterly releases “Love & Lust”
March 6, 2010
New "Love & Lust" issue PHOTO BY JESSI GILBERT
District Quarterly released its second issue, “Love & Lust,” yesterday. Students, faculty and staff came to the Pei Ling Chan Gallery last night for the release party. DJ Cumulo spun love and lust themed music and every student received a free copy of the new issue. Student Media also announced the theme for spring quarter’s issue, materialism.
To see the “Love & Lust” issue online, visit the District Quarterly Web page. To submit content for the Materialism issue, e-mail content to quarterly@scaddistrict.com by March 19.
Jeremy Nguyen with his illustration PHOTO BY JESSI GILBERT
DJ Cumulo spinning love and lust music PHOTO BY JESSI GILBERT
Casey Crisenbery shows his cover art PHOTO BY JESSI GILBERT
“Art Monsters Arttack!” by Jeremy Nguyen
October 12, 2009
Go Get Comics
September 30, 2009
New comics ship out Wednesdays, but do you know where to get your weekly fix of funny books? Savannah has a few comic shops where students pick up a variety of reading material, from local comics shops to various bookstores. Here’s a rundown of all the places that carry comics in town.
Homerun Video & Comics and More
Primarily a video and DVD rental store, Home Run Video has a wide selection of mainstream and indie titles. A little bit cramped, this store is a big draw to SCAD students who live in the downtown area.
Located on Bull and Liberty Streets, only a few blocks from Oglethorpe House, one can usually run into a fellow SCAD student from all sorts of majors getting their weekly comic fix. They are a source for some of the newest books, but SCAD alumus Brett Muller likes them for their older issues as well.
“They have a ton of back issues. Half of their inventory is back issues. They go months back, even years back, so if you are looking for old books, those two are the places to go,” Muller said.
Another perk of shopping at Homerun Video is that they double as a video rental store, but triple as an adult film vendor.
The Comic Box
One aspect that gets forgotten is the friendliness of a store. That is a main reason that many in the SCAD community head out to The Comic Box. This shop isn’t downtown, but many consider it worth the 10 minute drive to 1100 Eisenhower Dr.
The mainstream selection of weekly titles is just as good as others, but because the store is clean, organized and not cramped, more students have given their loyalty to them.
Sequential art professor John Larison likes the Comic Box because they are “nice, they know their stuff. Some of them get a little cranky, but I like that.”
And although it may be an afterthought for most stores, alumna Kara Leopard said, “Even though I’m a girl they treat me nice.”
Ex Libris
In addition to textbooks and art supplies, the school bookstore carries a wide selection of primarily graphic novels. They also have a selection of non-mainstream titles.
“I didn’t know much outside of mainstream comics, so when I started going to Ex Libris I noticed Top Shelf and Fantagraphics books. It exposed me other things I didn’t know where else to go to get,” graduate student Jarrett Williams said.
“And it was right there by the dorms so it was convenient for freshmen, especially when you have your SCAD card and you’ve got the money to spend on them,” Williams added.
Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million
The two big bookstores are located further from the downtown area in the southside of Savannah. Located in the Oglethorpe Mall, Barnes and Noble carries a lot of graphic novels with multiple copies. The two stores are virtually the same, but if you can’t find a certain book at one, most tend to just cross the street to the other.
“They tend to have a larger selection of the big trades, omnibuses, and Essential collections. They have a larger stock of those than Comic Box or Homerun would have,” SCAD alumus Ricky Bryant said.
“They have a good selection of manga and graphic novels that I can’t find anywhere else. And you can always order anything,” he added.
Jen Library
For those students on a budget, Jen Library is an excellent source for free comics. They have a selection of mainstream and indie titles, but it’s also a source of nonfiction comic-related periodicals.
Students can read about the industry, the history of comics, biographies of creators and the culture as a whole. The Jen Library also receives donations from many industry professionals, animation houses and comic book publishers themselves.
Fourth-year sequential art major Allie Robke noted that, “A little known fact about the library is that we have volumes and volumes of comic books in the special collections department that nobody goes up and checks out.”
“A lot professors and students have donated comics over the years. The library is slowly but surely going through those and making them accessible to us as they log them into the catalog,” Larison said.
Graduate student theses are also catalogued on the bottom floor and are available for checkout for five hours at a time. It is common practice to read up on a thesis from one of the former grad student turned faculty members before a class of a new quarter begins.
Norris Hall Room 101
Many a sequential art student graced the couches of Norris Hall’s Lobby and read a book or two from the building’s personal collection.
But that memory is long gone for students waiting for a bus as the couches have been replaced by wooden benches, and the books have been moved into room 101 on the first floor.
The books aren’t available for checkout, but they can be used as reference material while you’re working on the lightboxes or general student workspace. Most books come from choices made by the faculty, so some hard to find trades are now easy to find on the shelf.
Other Comics
There are plenty of options in the Savannah area for students to get comics, but some argue that the most priceless comics come from SCAD students themselves.
Many sequential art students have webcomics online, and others print and make their own in the form of mini-comics. There is a burgeoning community of comic artists at SCAD, and they are easy to find.
SEQALab is a student-run podcast that is recorded weekly where members discuss the craft of comics, the industry, and departmental news. The podcast is available for download on iTunes and streams at SEQALab.com.
Contact Jeremy Nguyen
Remembering Professor Mullins
June 29, 2009
JEREMY NGUYEN Comics Editor
comics@scaddistrict.com
Professor Jeremy Mullins’ memorial service was held June 22 on Tybee Island by the lighthouse.
I knew Professor Mullins briefly, working with him and other sequential art students on the SEQALab podcast.
When they branched out on their own and created their current website, I wanted to be a part of it. I sent Mullins an email about some of the topics I wanted to cover and he was welcome to my suggestions
The first moment I could, I went to Norris Hall and met up with graduate students Rashad Doucette, Jarrett Williams, Nat Landry and of course Professor Mullins.
I was blown away by the knowledge of the older students, how fast they were on their feet, how they kept the entertainment level high and energetic and how good the chemistry with Mullins was.
At the time, Mullins was not their professor. He was one of their friends who was just goofing off about comic books. They laughed, they cursed and they “put each other on blast.”
I drove into the Tybee beach parking lot, looking for any familiar face that would be able to point us in the direction that the congregation might be in. There were a few people dressed in black suits with ties who let me know I was in the right place.
I approached the gazebo slowly as I could tell that the service had already begun. I wasn’t sure how to act because I hadn’t observed the mood of it. Was everyone standing in silence, gushing tears out onto the sandy boardwalk?
As I walked closer there was a sudden eruption of laughter. Walking even closer I could make out a single voice followed by an even bigger laugh. Individuals were sharing their fondest memories of Mullins.
A few of them were intimate moments shared with him and their experiences with his classes. Many spoke about their careers as students and artists and how he was a hard teacher.
Other anecdotes highlighted Mullins’ love for rap music and neckties. But the unifying themes were of his sense of humor, quirky characteristics and his gentlemanly approach to life.
After laughs were shared over the memories recounted, the Mullins family led the way to the water across the sandy beach with a urn in hand. I had thought that I was near the back of the group, but after making it halfway across the beach, I glanced over my shoulder back to the gazebo to see even more people walking through the sand. It surprised me how many people had made it. It was a warm summer day and summer quarter had just begun.
Most of the students Mullins knew had graduated and stated on Facebook that they weren’t able to come. But despite all that, people wanted to wish him off well.
The Mullins family formed a circle with the urn in the center and huddled together to see their son off for the last time as all his friends, students and colleagues looked on.
They broke free of their embraces and headed to the water. We watched the ashes pour out into the ocean being swept away by the light breeze and rolling waves. When the last of it was emptied, we all held our breath. Each person was in their own, holding silence and not making a move.
Finally, out in the water, Mullins’ mother broke into sobs. It was then that I felt he was gone. As I watched his mother grieve, my eyes began to blur with tears. I wiped away a few tears and looked around to see others completely broken down.
The sound of our crying was lost as the waves broke, crashed and slid across the sand towards us.
Street Style: Trends around Arnold
May 15, 2009
JEREMY NGUYEN Comics Editor
comics@scaddistrict.com
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Not all SCAD students are a part of the annual SCAD Fashion Show, but a handful do understand the nature of style, trends and what to wear to look good. Photographed in and around Arnold Hall (the hub for a variety of personas), District caught students in between classes unaware and asked them a few questions to find out where their fashion sense comes from.
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Bradley Bowers, 23 Industrial Design/ Fourth-year Atlanta, Ga.
If you catch Bradley Bowers on the street, it’s likely he’ll do most of the talking. His clothes balance his outspokenness, maintaining a low profile with a few pieces for emphasis. That’s why he wears a lavender tee, grey skinny jeans from American Apparel, with desert boots from Banana Republic, because it all maintains a neutral color scheme.“I like to keep it subtle except for one or two things that are bold and loud,” Bowers said. Who is your fashion icon? “Milan Vukmerivic. He’s the creative director of Trussardi. He has an understated style. If anyone I try to emulate, it would be him.” |
| Brooke Boston, 20 Fashion, Fashion Accessories/ Second-year San Antonio, Texas Her love for clothing that is unisex combined with her idea of wearing comfortable clothing answers why she wears the boyfriend jeans. “They are just the first thing I grabbed this morning.” A patterned tunic from Anthropologie accentuates her femininity, but her attitude behind those Saks-issued sunglasses lets you know she’s not the cute and bubbly type. What she had to say about comfortable clothing: “My mom always says that if you don’t like what you’re wearing, you’re probably not going to have the best day.” |
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Maria Candanoza, 18 Painting, museum studies/ First-year Bogotá, Colombia Maria likes to stay relaxed and fit, and her clothing reflects that. Her top is from Anthopologie, pants from Zara and her shoes are off the walls of Nine West. She dropped a few names of her favorite designers like Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Laggerfeld. Her style works in a tan and brown palette and brightens it up with a navy blue knit cap straight from Urban Outfitters. She wears what she feels is hers, keeping it simple and fashionable, “I don’t think I fit into any stereotype,” Candanoza said. If Maria could raid anyone’s closet, whose would it be? “My mom and Mischa Barton.” |
| Erik Schwartz,19 Illustration/ First-year Holliston, Mass. Longboarder Erik Schwartz wears clothes for comfort; the look is just an added bonus. He enjoys wearing “cool shoes with cool sweaters,” to stay comfortable while skateboarding from point A to point B. “Usually it’s fitted clothing,” Schwartz said. Completing the look is the Camelback backpack on his shoulders, which lets others know that he’s in the know of all the practical gear it takes to be a skater. If Erik were to raid any celebrity’s closet, whose would it be? “Les Claypool. He was the bassist for Primus. He’s got this crazy, funky style.” |
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| Aaron David Kissman, 20 Photography/ Second-year Phoenix, Ariz. When Aaron Kissman walks by, he bears confidence that allows him to find no need to honor your existence. You’re not a part of his world. His fashion sense is strictly his own, and his influences are few, but your first impression might be Johnny Cash. He has the black tie and boots but opts out the blazer for a cardigan. He maintains a mysterious persona behind deep black sunglasses like the Mod scene of the ’50s. With a laugh, he said of his style: “My mom says ‘Downtown Bohemian Chic.’” What clothing store does he shop at the most? “H&M because it’s cheap and I don’t have to shell out the big bucks.” |
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Charity Troy, 20 Art History/ Third-Year Bridgetown, Ala. The sweet, reserved Charity Troy might surprise you. “My favorite type of music is metal,” she said. Troy rocked this outfit for the first time since her mother got it for her a two weeks ago. Though not a big follower of the fashion world, she does have a very practical way at shopping for clothing, “I just see outfits I like, and I buy them and put them on,” Troy said. When asked if she was into the metal head scene, she said, “I used to. I am glad to be back in cute dresses”. “Here [In Savannah], I go to Civvies and Urban Outfitters, and I go to the mall when I’m back home.” |
| Funfere Koroye, 19 Industrial Design/ Second-year Nigeria Funfere Koroye channels his fashion idols Kanye West, Pharell Williams and Andre 3000 because of their hip-hop sensibilities mixed with a little bit of class. His influences stem from all over including America, Italy and London. “I mostly shop in London. Half the stuff on me is from Top Shop, which is a store in the U.K.,” he said. He sees his style as a British-American fusion and is confident in his ability to wear futuristic and retro clothing because it is “mixing the old and the new together”. Is there any label that people have given you? “Everyone that sees me calls me Kanye West. …. [jokingly] I don’t really see it, but people see it. I’m always called Kanye West. “ |
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Photography by Alan Vance
“Headlines and Punchlines” by Jeremy Nguyen
May 12, 2009
Need to reach a District staff member? New contact information available
May 6, 2009
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“Headlines & Punchlines” by Jeremy Nguyen
May 4, 2009
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