NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 40, No. 19
War exhibit exudes peaceful message
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
nyunews.com
NYU tunes in to first presidential debate
By CLEO ABRAMIAN
Seventy-four years later, it is still difficult to understand the full impact of the bombing of the Spanish city Gernika. The 1937 bombing that killed hundreds during the Spanish Civil War is the focal point of NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center’s current exhibit, “The Bombing of Gernika — The Exhibit — 75th Anniversary of Guernica/Gernika Bombing, 19372012.” It hopes to clarify this complex event and inform the public about the watershed moment in Basque history. On April 26, 1937, German Luftwaffe planes conducted an aerial attack on the Basque town of Gernika causing mass destruction, ruining three-fourths of the city’s buildings. As their primary symbol of democracy, Gernika in ruins left the Basque people devastated. Over half a century later, the implications still resonate heavily with the Basque people. Aizpea Goenaga, the director of the
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JULIE DEVITO FOR WSN
Students gather in the Greenwich Hotel lounge to watch Obama and Romney battle it out during the first presidential debate. By ANDREW KARPAN The first debate of the 2012 presidential season was — outside of a few dabbles into the health care debate — focused entirely on the economy. “The question here tonight is not where we’ve been, but where we’re going,” President Obama began in his opening statement, asking America to embrace a new economic patriotism that focused
on the middle class. Former Gov. Mitt Romney, however, declared that the last four years of Obama’s polices were no more than ineffective big government policies and suggested an alternative track to prosperity. “It’s going to take a different path, not the one we’ve been on,” Romney said. “That’s not the right answer for America. I’ll restore the vitality that gets America working again.”
The Republican presidential candidate cited energy independence, trade reform, education, the deficit and helping small businesses as his main issues. Beginning the debate on the issue of taxes, Obama agreed with Romney on the need to lower the corporate tax rate but pointed out that Romney’s tax proposals, which ran up to 5 trillion dollars, were excessive for
middle class Americans. Romney responded by denying the validity of Obama’s accusation while accusing his opponent’s policies of raising the cost of living for the middle class. “I’ll call it the economy tax. It’s been crushing,” Romney said. “I’m not looking to cut massive taxes and to reduce the
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From the director of ‘Precious,’ a disturbingly funny new film
By ROHAN NARULA
Even Matthew McConaughey or Zac Efron’s biggest skeptics may change their mind after seeing director Lee Daniels’ (“Precious”) newest film, “The Paperboy.” The film is based on the novel by Peter Dexter, and is Daniels’ triumphant return to racy, southern film noir. Set in the early 1970s in the swamp-laced town of Latey, Fla., the film compellingly captures the dirty racial mysticism of that time and place. Ward (McConaughey), an idealistic Miami Times reporter, returns to his hometown to investigate the conviction between Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) and the murder of the notorious Sheriff Thurmond Call. Ward is joined by his African-American writing partner Yardley (David Oyelowo) and
femme fatale Charlotte (Nicole Kidman). However, the film’s protagonist is Ward’s younger brother Jack (Efron), an expelled college student who leads the group on their journey. Having lost his mother at a young age, Jack becomes obsessed with Charlotte in an Oedipal passion. The relationship between Jack and Charlotte drives the movie’s plot — his innocence coupled with her sexual antics offer some true moments of hilarity. Later, when Jack is stung by a jellyfish, Charlotte shoos off a pair of girls who want to make the sting better by urinating on it. “If someone’s gonna pee on him,” she says, “it’ll be me.” She proceeds to do just that. But the film is not without flaws. The movie loses a lot of momentum during the middle portion, and
while the climax is strong, the film may have already lost the interest of some viewers by that point. The film’s real strengths are in its characters and their adventure. Charlotte knows the power of her sexuality, and her story shows how that power can ensure her survival. But it also shows how this same power can aggravate her weaknesses. Kidman does an excellent job in portraying Charlotte’s complex character: a woman who wants only love and protection but has also been destroyed by that desire. Surprisingly, Efron plays the dreamy-eyed, sex-obsessed Jack to great effect. He effectively conveys both the innocence of boyhood and the maturity that comes from being in a broken family. Jack’s love for his elder brother, his kindness and
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Efron and McConaughey deliver surprisingly strong performances. affection to his family maid Anita (Macy Gray), as well as his obsessive love for Charlotte, are all captured very well by the young actor. McConaughey manages to hold his own as Ward, efficiently bouncing off Jack and Charlotte. But Ward’s internal anguish is not effectively conveyed, and it drags
the movie down. Regardless, “The Paperboy” is an engaging, frightening, moving and at times brilliant film — albeit a difficult one to watch. Rohan Narula is a contributing writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.