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TechNews I Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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By Rebecca Waterloo
A&E EDITOR

As you may or may not know, the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars)
announced in 2009 they were doubling
the amount of ‘Best Picture of the Year’
choices, from five to ten. This happened
after The Dark Knight was not in the
list of nominees for Best Picture that
year. Both Dark Knight and Wall-E
were highly acclaimed cinema
blockbusters, but neither made
the list. They’ve “returned to
a practice it used more than
a half-century ago, when the
number of films released was
much larger.” (nytimes.com)

You’ve probably had your
heart pumped by multiple movies
in 2010. Now it’s time to turn in the
votes. The list is good, and the race
will be more exciting now that there
are ten choices. Who do you think
will win?

Black Swan

A ballet dancer wins the lead in
Swan Lake and is perfect for the role
of the delicate White Swan - Princess
Odette - but slowly loses her mind as
she becomes more and more like Odile
the Black Swan, daughter of an evil ma-
gician. (Natalie Portman, Vincent Cas-
sel, Mila Kunis)

The Fighter

A look at the early years of
boxer “Irish” Micky Ward
and his brother who helped
train him before going pro
in the mid-1980s. (Mark
Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy
Adams)

Inception

In a world where technology exists to enter
the human mind through dream invasion, a
highly skilled thief is given a final chance at re-
demption which involves executing his tough-
est job to date: inception. (Leonardo DiCaprio,

  
    
  
    
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
   
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
     
   
   
  

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page)
The Kids Are All Right
Two children conceived by artificial insem-
ination bring their birth father into their fam-
ily life. (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and
Mark Ruffalo)
The King’s Speech
The story of King George VI of Britain,
his impromptu ascension to the throne and
the speech therapist who helped the unsure
monarch become worthy of it. (Colin
Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena
Bonham Carter)
" l 127 Hours
A mountain climber becomes
trapped under a boulder while
canyoneering alone near Moab,
Utah and resorts to desperate mea-
sures in order to survive. (James
Franco, Amber Tamblyn)
The Social Network
A chronicle of the founding of Face-
book, the social-networking Web site.
(Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and
Justin Timberlake)
Toy Story 3
The toys are mistakenly delivered
to a day-care center instead of the attic
right before Andy leaves for college, and
it’s up to Woody to convince the other
toys that they weren’t abandoned and to
return home. (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
and Joan Cusack)
True Grit
A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stub-
born young woman track down
her father’s murderer. (Jeff
Bridges, Matt Damon and
Hailee Steinfeld)
Winter’s Bone
An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl
hacks through dangerous social terrain as she
hunts down her drug-dealing father while try-
ing to keep her family intact. (Jennifer Law-
rence, John Hawkes and Garret Dillahunt)
Go to http://oscar.go.com/ for a larger list
of this years nominees.
(All descriptions from imdb.com)

Kuma's Corner: heavy

By Karl Rybaltowski
EDITOR—IN—CHIEF

The Mastodon! (Photo courtesy Andrew Huff/flickr)

 

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The Storm Is Over Now — R. Kelly

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What’s playing on your playlist?
Email ae@technewsiit.com!

The exterior of Kuma’s Corner is a bit mis-
leading. The unassuming pub-like facade of
the building conceals one of the most unique
dining experiences in the city. Kuma’s Corner
is multiple things, but chief among them, two
make it shine: it’s a heavy metal bar and a gour-
met hamburger restaurant, serving up some of
the most inventive burgers in the city while
blasting the music of metal groups such as Nile
or Sleep.

Kuma’s has been around on the Chicago
scene for almost six years now, and since its
inception, the buzz has been steadily build-
ing. This crossed the tipping point not too long
ago when the restaurant was featured on the
WTTW show Check, Please! and received a
great deal of praise. Since that time, waiting
times for a table at Kuma’s Corner can hit two
to three hours around the dinner hours - get-
ting there around opening or after 10 pm.
might be the easiest way to ensure you’ll get a
table within a reasonable time. The policy for
seating people can be somewhat unforgiving,
too - no reservations, and no one’s seated un-
til your entire party arrives. If you’re bumped
down the waiting list because a friend is late...
well, tough break.

Visitors can grab a drink and experience
the ambiance while they wait, examining art-
work ranging from ferocious bears to leather-
clad dominatrices to fantasy themes, all while
heavy metal plays in the background (during
peak hours, the music tends to be more main-
stream, but as the evening goes on, the music
gets heavier and heavier). And a final rule: no
minors are allowed in after 10 pm. on any
given night.

To metal fans, this may sound fantastic. To
those of you who aren’t quite convinced by the
above, Kuma’s Corner is worth a trip for the
food alone, a flurry of gourmet concepts in
gut-busting portions. Appetizers include waf-
fle fries (topped with scallions, melted cheese,

metal, brutal burgers

and BBQ pulled pork) and jalapeno poppers
(stuffed with cheese and chorizo, and served
with a jalapeno raspberry jam), and could
make for a full course in an of themselves.
The main draw of the menu, of course, are the
burgers, and these are a sight to behold.

The burgers all start as 10-ounce burger
patties on pretzel buns, but the different types
available are as varied as they are inventive -
and all are named after the proprietors’ favor-
ite metal bands. From the Neurosis (topped
with cheddar and swiss cheeses, horseradish
mayonnaise, sauteed mushrooms and cara-
melized onions) to the Slayer (a mountain of
waffle fries, hamburger meat, chili, andouille
sausage, onions, cheese, peppers and, as the
menu states, “anger”), the burgers incorporate
as much care in their design as they do sheer
ridiculousness, with delicious results.

Personal favorites include the High on Fire
(with prosciutto, sriracha sauce, a roasted red
pepper, sweet chili paste, and pineapple) and
the Lair of the Minotaur (dressed with pan-
cetta, caramelized onions, a slice of brie, and
bourbon-soaked pears). For those not inclined
toward beef, every burger item can be made
with chicken breast, chicken tenders, or a gar-
den burger instead. It may not be the most veg-
an-friendly establishment, but Kuma’s does try
to accommodate. Prices are steeper than what
one might be accustomed to for a hamburger,
but well worth it - burgers go for $10 - $13, not
including monthly specials.

For a truly unique (and delicious) ham-
burger experience, Kuma’s is a must-try. Just
make sure you plan it out, or you might find
yourself caught in a long line.

Kuma’s Corner is located at2900 WBelmont
Ave in Chicago, a short bus ride (or long walk)
from the BelmontBlue Line. Open 11:30 am. - 2
am. Monday - Friday, 11:30 am. - 3 am. Sat-
urday, and 12 pm. - 12 am. Sunday.