TechNews | Tuesday, NovemberZSth, 2014 “Interstellar" an impressive sci-fi experience Kyle Stanevich BUSINESS MANAGER Humanity is at risk and only one man can save them all. Sounds like a very simple plot overdone in seemingly most recent movies. While Interstellar does loosely follow this plot, it is nowhere near a simple movie. Once again, Christopher Nolan delivers an— other complex but fantastic movie. Without giving too much plot away; Earth is growing uninhabitable. The solution is to travel through space to find a new planet to call home. However, this only serves for the backbone for the rest of the movie, and while this journey is going on, the focus is more on the path toward this goal, and all the mishaps and barriers in the way. Visually this film is a success. In- stead of trying to rip off the style of 2001: A Space Odyssey, a similar space voyage film, In- terstellar sticks heavily to the dark theme seen in so many other Nolan films. While it does pull a few scenes directly from 2001, it doesn’t attempt to copy the style scene for scene. Other Winter is here, finally. Yes, I know I might sound insane, because no one likes Chi— cago’s winter, but as far as it doesn’t hurt my face, I just love it. The semester is almost over, freedom is on its way, but have you thought what you’re going to do during the winter? I know many of you might be thinking that Chicago’s winter is best enjoyed if spent in hi- bernation: hunkering down indoors, basking in the glow of a full—spectrum lamp, ordering pizza, streaming Netflix. But what if I just give you enough reasons to go out and enjoy the winter this time? I know no one will trust me on this, but when I came across this list I really wished that I Was around for the winter break to enjoy these activities. This season, make a resolution to get out and about. I was reading an article which said that Paul Simon, The Breeders, Justin Timberlake, and Jay Z are just a few of the art- ists coming to town. Buying an early bird ticket is always a good option. Going downhill ski- ing or even snow-boarding without leaving the Midwest sounds perfect to me. Spend some time with your loved ones by cuddling up by a fireplace in a public space, or hit the salt caves, or a spa. Let’s start with the Thanksgiving Pa— rade, which is taking place on November 27. than the awe inspiring space shots that come along with a sci-fi space movie, the scenes on the ground are also great. Nolan does a good job providing each different location in the film an entirely new, but memorable environ- ment, and each with its own set of relevant nat- ural obstacles. On top of this, it was shot using 35mm film, making the experience even better for moviegoers who have the chance to see it in some select theatres. The soundtrack is also exciting, and sometimes takes over the entire film. To some moviegoers, this might be displeasing. After the credits started rolling, I overheard many others in the theatre express their discomfort that the music was so loud that they could not hear what the characters were saying at certain points. At those points, it doesn’t really mat— ter what the characters had to say, so the mu- sic and actions were enough to get the point across in a more powerful way. Delving beneath the surface of In- terstellar reveals a set of complex themes. How are the characters driven to do what they do? How much do emotions play a role I know you might think that you can watch it on TV, but going all the way downtown with a bunch of friends and witnessing this Thanks- giving tradition in person is definitely worth it. Chicago’s annual Thanksgiving Parade takes over State Street (between Congress Parkway and Randolph State) with a procession of floats, marching bands and local celebrities. Also don’t forget that it’s free, and free stuff is in decision-making? This film brings up many physiology topics, and explores them all from different characters’ points of view. There is no character that is entirely right, and no charac- ter that is entirely evil. Even the robots built to assist the humans on their journey are set to have less than 100% honesty. What would a sci-fi movie be with— out some basis in science. Unlike other Nolan films (the Dark Knight series, Inception, etc) the science of Interstellar is much closer to re- ality that some dreamt up gadgets. Relativity, black holes, higher dimensions, and genetics are all called into action. From a combination of these topics, many questions are brought up. such as re-population with clones, time run— ning at different speeds for different people, interactions with other higher order life forms, and ideas sent back through time. Often when movies bring up mod- ern science, critiques latch onto any slight differences between the science of the movie and how it would really work. However, Inter- stellar has not had this sort of critical science complaints. Neil deGrasse Tyson has many always good. I am not sure how many of you might have been to Zoolight at Lincoln Park Zoo, but while scrolling through the pictures it seemed to be fun. For photo fanatics like me Image courtesy of cityofchicago. org this is a perfect place to be because lights al- ways look good in photos. The first 1,000 peo- ple through the gates each night receive special glasses to view the lights with, and everyone times pointed out inaccuracies of movies, but for Interstellar he has not been so harsh, even complimenting the movie saying, “These are fascinating questions that make great fodder for science fiction stories. And we don’t know what’s in a black hole so take it and run with it.” And if you are turned away from this movie because of its seemingly heavy hitting and complex topics brought up, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a physicist or psycholo- gist to enjoy this movie. The actors are all well placed, especially Matthew McConaughey as the composed engineer and pilot turned corn farmer. Plus the interactions between humans and robots slip in some witty lines to break up the serious parts. As a film, it is an exploration of emo- tions and what drives people to do what they do, disguised as an intense sci-fi movie. Ifyou can get over the extremely loud music by Hans Zimmer, everyone should find it enjoyable. Plus it is one of those films that lead to long discussions on the way out of the theatre. Image courtesy of interstellarmoviemet Holiday SeasOn in Chicago offers much to do Shireen Gul COPY EDITOR can enjoy nightly ice carving demonstrations, hot beverages and ice skating on the 200’s rink. Here’s the link to the event http://wwwlpzoo. org/events/calendar/zoolights Another interesting thing to do would be ice-skating at the Millennium Park. The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink is open until March 9, and skate rental is $10. Plus, come an hour before the rink opens for free skating les— sons on Thursday to Sundays. Last but not the least, one of my most favorite places to hang out during the holiday season is Navy Pier. It hosts an annual indoor winter carnival, but this time it has a se- lection of new activities, including a toboggan tunnel, winter mini—golf and a 15-foot “snow tubing” hill. The most famous attractions in- clude the Blackhawks ice-skating rink, a Ferris wheel (trust me, its better in cold) and vari- ous carnival rides. You can also snap a picture with Santa or maybe just decorate a cookie and Snapchat it to your friends. You can also find out about more activities on timeoutcom. I got most of the in- formation from there, so if you want to know about things happening around, just sign up for their updates and they will send you email. Until then, people who are staying here, enjoy your break and stay warm. And lucky people like me, who are getting to go back home, en- joy your homemade food and unlimited family love.