Home Blog Page 1077

Questionable call the only blemish in great Whitecaps season

By
EIC
-
0
The Whitecaps expected 2014 to be a rebuild year, but instead, they made the playoffs.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way for the Whitecaps.

A year ago, they had missed the playoffs after stumbling down the stretch, winning only three of their final 10 games. Their offseason wasn’t much better. They lost star player Camilo Sanvezzo, who had 22 goals in MLS and should have won league MVP. They let go of manager Martin Rennie and brought in Carl Robinson, who was an assistant under Rennie. Most — myself included — foresaw a year of rebuilding for the ‘Caps. They had a young squad, and maybe the following year, they could contend for a playoff spot.

Instead, they found themselves in the playoffs after a stretch during which they went five straight games without a loss.  And that’s what made Wednesday night’s playoff matchup against FC Dallas such a treat — although perhaps a bittersweet one.

The Whitecaps came out very flat to start the game, and their only noteworthy chance was a 26th minute long range shot by Pedro Morales. The lone goal of the first half belonged to Dallas, and was due to a mix up between Kendall Waston and Andy O’Brien, which allowed Tesho Akindele to deposit the ball into the lower left corner.

The second half saw the Whitecaps push the pace to start. In the 57th, Morales — who had struggled mightily in the first half —  came off for Kekuta Manneh. This proved to be a brilliant move by Robinson, as Manneh’s shot in the 63rd deflected to Erik Hurtado who tied the game up.

But the big play of the game came in the 81st. Off of a throw in, the ball seemed to go off defender Kendall Waston’s hand in the box. But on the replay, it was shown to go off his arm, an unintentional play that resulted in a penalty. Dallas player Michel Garbini Pereira calmly scored to give Dallas a 2-1 lead. It was a brutal way to end the season — on a very iffy penalty that really shouldn’t have been called.

Despite the heartbreaking loss to Dallas, ‘Caps fans can take solace, as this appears to be a young team on the rise. After two great performances off the bench for Kekuta Manneh, it seems that he should, at the very least, be given a chance in the starting 11 next year by Carl Robinson. With Erik Hurtado starting up front in the most important game of the season, have we seen the last of Darren Mattocks? He’s only in his third MLS season, and at 24, there will be plenty of teams looking for his services. The Whitecaps have also found a star in Pedro Morales, an excellent player to build around, and one who should win the MLS Newcomer of the Year award.

The success of the Whitecaps this year was dependant on their defence. David Ousted led the MLS with 13 clean sheets, and Kendall Waston not only provided stability in the heart of the defence, he also gave the team a target on set pieces and corners. With Steven Beitashour, Jordan Harvey, Andy O’Brien (if they offer him a new contract), and youngster Sam Adekugbe, the defence looks to be set for next season.

The role of management now is to reinforce the front lines, as the Whitecaps lacked a true natural goal scorer this season. Whether it be through the annual draft, trade, or signing a designated player, they need to fill this hole in order to become an elite team in the MLS.

Wednesday night’s game was a bitter pill to swallow, but concluded what was the best season ever in the MLS for the Whitecaps, and what will hopefully be the first of many.

Blagojevic’s 15th goal in 16 games helps Clan win fourth straight game

By
EIC
-
0
Midfielder Ryan Dhillon notched one assist on the night.

On a foggy Thursday evening at Terry Fox Field, the men’s soccer team picked up a crucial 3-1 win over the University of Mary (UM) Marauders.

Their fourth straight win sees the Clan jump to third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings, with the remaining pair of games to be played with a home advantage.

Thursday night’s match got off to a slow start in the rain and fog, but was not without excitement. Joel Malouf looked deadly after moving from his familiar post at right back to striker, and could have fired in an early lead in the opening minutes if not for the Marauders’ keeper, Michael Frenzel. Ryan Dhillon added to the Clan’s pressure with an effort shortly afterwards, stopped again by Frenzel.

DSC_4586

However, it was the Marauders who capitalized on their chances first, as Marauder midfielder Aaron Brennan was gifted space outside the box to thump in a 25-yard strike past Clan goalkeeper Brandon Watson. The Clan looked frustrated at the setback, with many players getting vocal to motivate a response.

Late chances in the final minutes of the first half would come, as Calvin Opperman’s dangerous shot into the area was blocked by the defence, before Jovan Blagojevic nearly headed home an equalizer from Joseph Martin’s cross.

After surviving the onslaught before the break, the Marauders could not escape a stunning comeback initiated by the play of Jovan Blagojevic.

DSC_4714

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Coquitlam native used his crafty footwork and deadly finishing to equalize. Immediately after, the captain scored again, achieving his conference leading 16th goal in
Cristiano Ronaldo-like fashion (celebration included). 

“He’s playing like a senior that has the ability to be a professional,” said head coach Alan Koch — who recently saw his SFU goal scoring record, notched as a player in 1998, overtaken by Blagojevic. “He’s turned games around and he’s been doing it all season long, he turned it around tonight and we’re grateful we get the three points.”

DSC_4931

Following the brace by the Clan’s number nine, Niko Schroettle buried the winning result, after heading in a corner kick from Robert Hyams in the 61st minute of play.

“These guys are mature enough now,” added Koch. “I think we learned early in the season that we were looking too far ahead, now we just go one game at a time, we took care of business, and we know Saturday’s game is just as big so we’ll need to take care of business again.”

DSC_4673

Men’s basketball play alumni game

By
EIC
-
0

Men’s basketball opened their season at home with an exhibition game against SFU alumni. Although the game did not count for anything, it was a fun opportunity for the current team to play the stars of yesterday, and practice before the season gets into full swing.

“We’re trying to simulate games as best as we can,” said head coach James Blake. “[We’re] bringing in officials, playing with the alumni [who] are good basketball players, they’re a little bit out of shape, but they’re smart.”

DSC_8369

Indeed, the alumni team got the quick start scoring the first five points of the game. However, the current team quickly took the lead and slowly increased the gap, winning the first half 69-48.

“[The alumni] frustrated us in the first half because they were breaking our press, and we were getting hands and deflections on balls but we weren’t turning them over enough,” commented Blake.

DSC_8374

The alumni team featured former stars of the Clan including 2007 graduate Aaron Christensen, and 2010 graduates Sean Burke and Kevin Shaw. The team also had two players who played for the Clan just last year: Dillon Hamilton and Ibrahim Appiah.

Hamilton, who arrived at SFU as a transfer from the University of Western Ontario in December 2012 and graduated just last month, said of the team, “I loved it right when I came [here].”

DSC_8459

In his last season with the Clan, Hamilton led the team in free throw percentage, making 14 out 15 attempts.

“It’s funny,” he exclaimed, about playing against the Clan as an alumnus, “It’s just like being back on the team.”

DSC_8437

During halftime, Hamilton admitted, though, that it was a challenge facing his old team: “We’re just trying to keep up with them, they’re getting a lot of open three [pointers] because we can’t run back.”

The alumni had a hard time at the beginning of the second half, going long stretches without scoring, and at one point falling 43 points back to the current Clan. However, they were resilient, and with great play from Hamilton, Appiah, and Burke in particular, they cut the gap at one point down to only 22 points, at 111-89.

DSC_8498

In the end, the current Clan were too much for the alumni. With standout performances by Adam Westfall, Sango Niang, and Roderick Evans-Taylor, as well as freshman Patrick Simon, they won 122-91.

Coach Blake was pleased with the team’s play in the second half, saying, “As the game went on, we got some good reps and that pace that we want to play.”

DSC_8544

He stressed, however, that the team still isn’t playing to its potential: “We want to play a really fast, exciting style of basketball. We’ve done a little bit better job at it over last week, but I think we can play a lot faster.”

The Clan will get their first true test on the road, as they open their regular season in Moscow, ID, before returning to the West Gym for their home opener against Northwest Indian College on Friday, November 14.

DSC_8554

DSC_8486

Women’s wrestling look to improve after season openers

By
Peak Web
-
0
SFU won 43 out of their first 48 matches on the first day.

The SFU women’s wrestling dual team opened their season in Oklahoma City, OK at the Cliff Keen Duals on October 24 and 25. Starting strong, the women won 43 of their 48 matches during the first day of the tournament.

However, the women would fall short of their goal on the second day of the competition, placing fourth overall in the tournament. Though it was not the outcome the women’s team had anticipated, wrestling coach Justin Abdou was not disappointed in their performance, keening in on areas for improvement.

“In our matches we gave up too many [extra] points.” said Abdou. “In the final dual the girls simply ran out of gas, [with] the girls wrestling their 10th match of the weekend.”

Accolades were also expressed by coach Abdou for senior Bailey Halvorson, 155 lbs, “[who] was solid all weekend, [competing] with poise and control, [wrestling] the way we expect our seniors to.”

Additional members of women’s wrestling traveled to Calgary for the Dino Open, where freshman Alyssa Wong won the 67 kg weight class, with mentionable performances from Maegan Kuruvita and Vanessa Gonzales. 

“For [their] first tournament of the season, it went how [one] would expect,” said women’s assistant coach Justina Di Stasio. “The girls showed their strengths when [winning], and showed the areas they need improvement on [within the matches] they lost. Hopefully we can correct some of these areas before our next competition.”

The women’s wrestling team then returned to Burnaby to compete in the Clan International, along with the men’s team.

Clan lose rematch against Western Oregon

By
EIC
-
0

Last Saturday, the Clan travelled to Monmouth, OR for a rainy, windy rematch against the Western Oregon University (WOU) Wolves, who bested them at home on September 13.

In that game, the Wolves won 38-14, and gameplay was marked by little offence in the first half; SFU did not take the lead once.

Saturday’s game was not very different — at least, not in the beginning. In the first half, only 17 points were scored between the two teams, with a touchdown each, and an SFU field goal.

SFU’s opening drive seemed to hint at momentum: they gained 50 yards, 18 of which were on a pass, caught by running back Stephen Spagnuolo from quarterback Ryan Stanford. However, after that play, the Clan were only able to notch three more yards and were forced to punt the ball.

SFU made some decent yardage in their drives throughout the first quarter, but it would be the Wolves who drew first blood, scoring the only points of the first quarter — a touchdown..

WOU quarterback Ryan Bergman threw a 35-yard pass to Wolves receiver Tyrell Williams, putting the Wolves on the board, up by seven, and ending the scoring in the first quarter.

SFU, though, answered rather quickly in the start of the second quarter. Having only gained one yard before the quarter switch, Stanford threw a 60-yarder to wide receiver Lemar Durant, putting the Clan at WOU’s 19-yard line. Spagnuolo would gain five and seven yards in two consecutive rushes to put the Clan at first and goal.

However, they lost two yards on their next play, and Stanford was unable to pass into the endzone for the touchdown. SFU was able to put up their first points of the night, however, with a 26-yard field goal by Tiernan Docherty.

With three points on the board, the Clan did not wait long to put up their own seven-pointer.

After the Clan were able to keep the Wolves to just one yard on their previous drive, middle linebacker Jordan Herdman intercepted a Bergman pass. This time, Stanford wasted no time, and threw another bomb — this one 51 yards — to Durant.

SFU had the 10–7 lead going into the half, and with a tight defence, they looked to be headed to their third victory of the season.

Looks can be deceiving, though, and the Clan would only muster two more field goals, while the Wolves found their offence in the second half, putting three touchdowns on the board.

“The weather was a factor and with the lead at halftime that we had, I really thought we could take the extra possession in the second half and try to build on our lead,” head coach Jacques Chapdelaine told SFU Athletics. “We did not do [that] unfortunately.”

Western Oregon scored their second touchdown of the afternoon, just under five minutes into the third quarter, when SFU allowed a 35-yard Wolves pass.

The Clan responded with two consecutive field goals, to reclaim the lead. The first one was a 39-yarder by Docherty, after a 52-yard drive. The second came at the beginning of the fourth quarter, after a 5:33 drive that took the Clan to Western Oregon’s eight-yard line.

The failure to convert for a touchdown, though, on either of these drives foreshadowed the direction in which the game was heading.

After preventing the Wolves from gaining a single yard, the Clan looked primed for another touchdown, or at least a field goal, having made it to the goal line. However, a bad hut would cause Stanford to panic and throw an interception. Although the Wolves only made six yards on the resulting drive, this signalled the end for the Clan.

Western Oregon scored two more touchdowns, off of 29- and 54- yard passes, and the Clan could not manage a first down in either of their responses, feeding the Wolves the 27–16 victory.

Despite the late game turnover, Stanford had a solid night putting up 299 passing yards. However, he had a below 50 per cent passing percentage and had a hard time converting for touchdowns, despite multiple lengthy passes to take the Clan near the endzone.

Durant had a great night, notching 184 receiving yards, as did Spagnuolo who led the team in rushing yards with 132 yards. Jordan Herdman once again led the team in tackles with six solo tackles and four assists.

The team is now 2-2, and remains at sixth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), and will play their remaining games at home at Swangard Field.. The Clan have three more games remaining, and will play them all at Swangard Stadium.

Meet the Clan: Bayne Bosquet

By
EIC
-
0
On the field, captain Bayne Bosquet plays an agressive game, and isn't afraid to make the big hits.
On the field, captain Bayne Bosquet plays an agressive game, and isn't afraid to make the big hits.

Screen Shot 2014-11-06 at 5.18.40 PM

Most sports, including lacrosse, are team games; they are not necessarily driven by one individual, but by a group of players working together putting up a cohesive effort.

However, on most teams there are leaders, those that push their teammates to work that much harder, and who keep the team focused and ready for the win.

Defenceman Bayne Bosquet bears that responsibility on SFU’s lacrosse team. One of four players voted by the team to be captain, he now enters his second season carrying that honour.

It’s not a responsibility that Bayne takes lightly, saying, “It’s a big honour being the leader up here, I try to lead by example. I think a big role that I have to take on [. . . is] being a senior captain up here.”

He is one of two senior captains on the team, along with midfielder Sam Clare, and he explains how his role changed as he transitioned from a junior to a senior captain: “I think it’s just the maturity level, going from junior to senior you just have a little bit more experience, and a little bit more awareness of the game.”

WEB-MTC-1-Anderson Wang

As a senior, he has gone through many of the things that his teammates are experiencing, such as joining the team as a freshman, and having to learn to focus on the smaller details.

“When I first came to SFU, I was pretty raw — I’d say uncoached,” Bayne said. “I think there’s a lot of things that are just minor but have shifted my game to the next level.”

Elaborating, he adds, “[Like] just being aware of where everyone will be for your slide, in defence when [you] go to the net, someone has to fill your position, so just being aware you know who’s got your back and who doesn’t have your back, and just being able to do that without thinking about it.

“[I learned that] there’s shifts in the game, going up and down, that you just have to ride it at a common motion all the way through. There’s always a lot more time than you think on the clock,” Bayne explained. “Don’t rush things; there’s a time to go super hard, and there’s a time that you just have to sit back on your man and just wait for that opportunity to arise.”

He also remembers the process of bulking up as a young player: “There’s a lot of physical prep coming up here. I came into [SFU] 165 lbs and I’m 200 lbs [. . .] I think in my freshman year I gained 25 lbs, that’s a pretty good amount of weight to gain.”

He recalls the academic experience of being a freshman, having learned the importance of time management, saying, “I think going from a freshman thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got so much time’ and then realizing, ‘Oh no, I’ve got a midterm next week, or two days from now and I should start studying’, it’s been a big step up being like, ‘I’m going to prep for my midterm two weeks in advance.’”

Bayne tries lead by example in many ways, but his hard-hitting play stands out among these. “I feel like I play a pretty aggressive style of defence, I like to push out on the man, I like to get in their hands, I like to be a takeaway defender, really, with good body and I like the big hits.”

Despite the inevitable individual focus of an interview such as this, it became quite clear that Bayne greatly values his team, attributing his passion for lacrosse to the team environment.

“I think what really drew me to lacrosse was the fact that it is pretty close-knit, and a lot of the kids who were older than me played lacrosse,” he says.

It also doesn’t hurt that he comes from athletic parents: his mom was a volleyball player and his dad a golfer. As a tribute, he combined their numbers, two and eight, when choosing his own jersey number 28.

Rounding out the interview, Bayne returned to the benefits of team sports, explaining that  lacrosse has helped him academically: “Just being in a team atmosphere always helps, [it has helped me be] able to work with people, be a problem solver, and my people skills are definitely improved.”

FUN FACT:
FAVOURITE NHL TEAMS:

Initially, he said that the Boston Bruins are his favourite team. However, he was wearing a Vancouver Canucks hat, and when this was pointed out, he said with a laugh, “I know! They’re my two favourite teams!” He assures us, though, that he was cheering for the Canucks during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

Shirley Gnome brings her provocative music back to Vancouver

By
EIC
-
0

At 8:00 p.m. on a Saturday night, my boyfriend and I found ourselves at Little Mountain Gallery, an intimate, down-to-earth venue on a side street off of Main. The next street light was 20 metres down the road. The odd car passed by every so often; other than that, it was relatively quiet, with the occasional laugh from a nearby cafe drifting lazily across the night air.

There was a completely different vibe inside the gallery — that of the perfect intimate theatre. We were enveloped in positive energy that radiated off of the bare walls, hummed beneath the music, and burst forth from exuberant conversations taking place around the room. We were right on time for the show, but there were still people trickling in.

Shirley Gnome stood by the ticket booth and welcomed us, excitedly recognizing The Peak and offering me a small clip-on pink hat. It was a miniature version of her own sparkling cowboy hat, and every woman in the room was wearing one; for 90 minutes, we all sat in smiling, laughing, female solidarity.

Shirley Gnome wowed me — and just about everyone else in the room — with her stunning personality and gorgeous voice. Gnome gives off a very light-hearted vibe that pulls all those in the room together. She would purposely mess up on camera (it was a live recorded show), joking that they could always edit it out later. You know you’ve got a commanding, likeable presence up on stage when you can get the entire room to erupt into enthusiastic, loud farts in amazing synchrony on command.

I can’t speak highly enough of Gnome’s voice; she was so versatile, able to sing anything from songs with a country spin to soft rock and pop. She captured the entire room from the very first note she let out. She was preceded by Scarborough, a singer-songwriter who impressed the crowd with his improvised songs about household items, and gave her just as much praise as the average audience member.

What makes her truly talented is her keen and discerning consciousness about the world, which really shines through in her lyrics. The greatest compliment you can pay a writer is to tell them that they listen well, and Gnome definitely listens to what the world is telling her. She skilfully gleans social norms, cues, and mannerisms from conversations with friends, and from random observations of the most normal, everyday situations, giving birth to her brilliant, subversive, and ironic lyrics.

The show was pure gold, flowing through the audience and making us all feel rich. Don’t be fooled by the most obvious theme of her albums, with titles such as C*untry Music; even though all of her songs are about sex, most of them have really positive messages, and are downright hilarious. I can’t really say more without giving too much away, but during those 90 minutes, we heard songs about bad sex dreams and glittery vaginas (literally). Shirley Gnome is a magical musical wonder. Look out for her; she’s a star on the rise.

Elspeth Pratt honoured with Mayor’s Arts Award

By
Peak Web
-
0
Portico (2011) is part of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
Portico (2011) is part of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s permanent collection.

Three years ago, when looking to pursue a second degree in visual arts, one characteristic made me choose Simon Fraser University over the multitude of art schools that offer post-secondary education in the Vancouver area: the art practices of the faculty members themselves. Among all of the practicing artists teaching courses in Vancouver, one of them stood out to me more than any other — Elspeth Pratt.

By a turn of coincidence, Pratt evaluated my entry portfolio during the admission process, though, as of yet, she has not been one of my professors. That being said, it was a pleasure to conduct a short phone interview with her, to get a sense of her teaching career prior to becoming the associate director of the School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU in 2010, and then obtaining the director position in 2013.

Hailing from both Winnipeg and Toronto, and earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Pratt finished her M.F.A. studies at UBC before going on to teach at the University of Victoria in the mid-80s. Afterwards, she also held positions at the Emily Carr College of Art and Simon Fraser University.

I discovered that one of the first exhibitions of her work was as a participant in the now legendary October Show in 1983. This exhibit was the first artist-run warehouse show to take place in Vancouver, and was organized in order to contest the Vancouver Art Gallery’s selection of artists during their historical retrospective that same year — Vancouver: Art and Artists 1931-1983.

Of course, there have been many other exhibits of her works in Vancouver since then. In 2008, Kathy Slade curated a solo show of her art entitled Nonetheless, which took place at the Charles H. Scott Gallery. A monograph of Pratt’s work bearing that same title was later published in 2011. (I happened to pick up a copy of this publication at last year’s Vancouver Art/Book Fair, as it is the main reference tool when studying her work.) Also in 2011, Pratt was commissioned to produce a site-specific installation at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s offsite location titled Second Date. The piece was presented from June 29 until January 8, 2012.

I even stumbled upon one of her pieces this past summer when visiting the VAG. The work, titled Portico (2011), was part of the Out of Sight exhibit that featured recent acquisitions to the gallery’s permanent collection, and I remember taking the time to examine it carefully.

This particular wall study is assembled from wood, particle board, and laminate, which are basic construction materials for today’s urban spaces. Through a succinct selection of diagonal shapes and the presence of two triangular negative spaces, Pratt manages to maintain a constant struggle with gravity that places her work at the crossroads of painting and sculpture, while addressing the architecture of the gallery space itself with her selection of materials.

It seemed only logical to me when I read that Elspeth Pratt had been honoured with a Mayor’s Arts Award in the Visual Arts category a few weeks ago. Even more exciting to me though, was learning that she will be teaching my fourth year Studio course next term.

Stickboy tackles bullying at the opera

By
EIC
-
0
Dealing with a universal theme, audiences can relate to this powerful story.

Fans of opera be warned, this show is far from typical. It is, in fact, so much more. Part beauty, part tragedy, and many parts pain, Stickboy did not fail to deliver at the Vancouver Playhouse.

The show, directed by Rachel Peake, was adapted from Shane Koyczan’s autobiographical book of poetry of the same name, with music composed by Neil Weisensel. According to Leslie Dala, the Vancouver Opera’s music dramaturge, they first approached Koyczan in September 2013 and asked him to transform his story into libretto for the opera to perform. 

Mixing classical with contemporary styles of music, traditional operatic libretto with spoken word, and live theatre with animated visuals created by Giant Ant — the company behind Koyczan’s viral “To This Day” video — Stickboy pushes boundaries to its advantage. The busy, visual opera certainly had something for everyone, but focused on one universal theme: bullying.

From the perpetrator, to the victim, or even a bystander or someone close to someone who has been affected, bullying can greatly alter the lives it touches. Stickboy took the story of bullying one step further. Based on Koyczan’s real life experiences in Yellowknife and Penticton, it illustrates just how destructive bullying can be. It also plays on the realization that we all have a monster inside of us, and that we all have the capacity to do terrible things.

According to Dala, the show “talks about the thing we all have within us — the capacity to harm others, or to just be bystanders who do nothing about it. All of us can think of times we’ve been one, or both, of those.”

The story follows ‘the boy,’ played by Sunny Shams, as he navigates the tough terrain of childhood, with scenes at age 10, age 13 and age 17. The settings range from classrooms, playgrounds, and treacherous hallways, to his sanctuary at home, featuring both graphics and Koyczan’s pre-recorded narration between scenes.

Some of the most poignant scenes revolve around his bedroom door, as a caring and concerned grandmother passes a notebook under the doorframe. Conversations are splayed across the pages, and moving visuals play on the screen behind them. Differing, perhaps, from many shows, Stickboy does not provide its audience with any reasoning for its horrors; it only offers “because” as an answer, and doesn’t feature any precise ending, because one generally doesn’t get either in real life. 

With it’s ability to tackle themes that many shy away from, Stickboy seems to resonate with audiences, and was well deserving of the minutes-long standing ovation it received. There are plans to adapt the opera into a shorter play, with the aim of traveling to elementary schools throughout BC.

Stickboy is presented by Vancouver Opera October 23 to November 7 at the Vancouver Playhouse. For more information, visit vancouveropera.ca.

Nightcrawler thrills and repulses

By
EIC
-
0
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this film that plays with our desire for violence.

A horrible tragedy happens, the news gets the story, and then the circus starts. Anchors talk about the school shooting or terrorist attack for hours, speculating and spinning without proof. They depict the event graphically, instilling fear in their viewers. People watch for hours, craving more and more details. It’s a form of twisted entertainment and we love it; Nightcrawler explores this.

A current topic appearing in many different movies is that of media, and the bias behind corporations that run media outlets. Deserving culprits include Fox News, for their shifty and deceptive perspectives and manipulation of uneducated and less discerning viewers, as well as the political and social left wing cheerleader, CNN, whose stories may spin the truth better than the Democratic Party. 

Nightcrawler is about the media, but less about the behind the scenes of a station. Admittedly, it does focus on how ratings drive the material put on television, but its master stroke lies elsewhere — it shows you the horrors of a news station that picks its stories based on their visual power and fear factor, and then tells you how you are a part of the process.

This is an ingenious film that thrills you with its images and graphic violence, and then repulses you as you begin to realize that you crave these violent depictions. We go into these kinds of dark, gritty movies looking for someone to die, and then are thrilled by the spurting of their blood. The spectator is as involved with the unethical situation as the characters.

Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut presents a sordid story of underground crime journalism in LA. Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a man struggling for work, videos car hijackings, fires, and murders for the news. He captures raw images of dying, upper class whites, and sells them to Channel 6 News; they take the footage and manipulate it, so that viewers are drawn to their station. Lou doesn’t care about ethics; his aim is to capture the perfect shot of the dying, struggling victim, as these images can be sold to the station at a higher price. Everyone in Nightcrawler has a monetary value; people cease to be human. They are products for Lou to capture and sell, commodities for the station to publish, and a pathway to high ratings.

As Lou drives from crime scene to crime scene, the audience is invigorated by the proceedings. We don’t know the victims, but we are intrigued and thrilled by their horrible situations. We voyeuristically watch their final moments, as those who watch Channel 6 News do. I was simultaneously enraptured and repulsed.

Nightcrawler is a daring movie that succeeds on its surface level and leaves you thinking about more than a roaring mustang on the streets of LA. It’s an art-house action film with brains and brawn. Long takes and fluid hand-held cinematography build tension with slow movement within the frame, before the sequence explodes and the average shot length diminishes, cutting more frequently, and consequently increasing the tension in scenes.

This is the odd movie that you want to see, then not see, then see again, before not seeing it. Nightcrawler is action-packed, playing on our desire for violence before making us look in a mirror and revealing us as the culprits who fuel this immoral form of journalism. We demand the violence; they provide the supply.

1...1,0761,0771,078...1,419Page 1,077 of 1,419

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024