Mount Hood

From the humor section: Booze and reviews of “Mother!”

Compiled by The Western Howl 21+ staff

Halloween is just around the corner, and to get ourselves ready for all the horror, four 21+ staff members decided to sit down and write our absolute honest reviews of a psychological thriller we hadn’t seen before, “Mother!” (2017). And in order for it to be really honest, we had to be a little tipsy.

These reviews were only edited for clarity and appropriateness, so get ready to enjoy our super-tipsy and very sincere thoughts.This film deals with sensitive themes centered around religion, Christianity and the mistreatment of women. Remember that these reviews are the opinions of the reviewers and do not reflect the opinions of The Western Howl. 

Please remember to drink responsibly.

 

Caity:

Climat change is real, folks. And “Mother!” wants you to know it! So basically, this movie is about Jennifer Lawernece’s worst day ever. She has a house that she worked SO hard on, and her husband (who is trash) continually makes everything hard for her. He lets literally anyone into the home (as long as they worship him… hint hint) even if it makes life hard for her. 

So here’s the thing about this film; if you don’t know a lot about Christianity, you really won’t know much about the movie. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know a ton, but like I kinda got my way through it enough to figure out what was happening. Like, there was a LOT of biblical references. But the whole time you pretty much just want to punch the husband in the face and want to give Jennifer Lawrence a hug. Poor Jenny. This shiz is rough for her.

Overall, I’d say what??? Was that??? And I don’t even think I would understand it IF I was sober. But I can fairly certainly say it was good. Also Kristen Wiig made an appearance and that made me :D!! 

So if you wanna watch it it’s on Hulu. It’ll make you feel bad about how you treat Mother Earth. Like, real bad.

 

Hannah:

Mother! A movie that makes my opinion a fact; religion has f—-d up this earth in a lot of ways and continues to. 

With Him being the “creator” using Mother (our Earth) until her death, just to start all over again in pure selfishness and greed. The creator (god, yes a lowercase g) just takes and takes to please his followers — the followers who only want their sins forgiven instead of facing reality b—-. The directors did an excellent way of portraying how messed up religion and it’s followers are to Mother Earth. Straws, created by religion to help destroy the poor turtles. Plastic bags, created by religion to clog the stomachs of animals. Apparently the Devil is bad and evil, but at least he created some sweet a– lettuce… Thanks for all the dank salad dude, you rock! 

 

Sage: 

I’m sad. Men should watch this movie. Women –watch at your own risk because it could trigger you a lot. I feel like being drunk isn’t a good thing for this movie – mostly because I feel like I can’t do the themes and social commentary justice. There are so many variables here regarding the symbolism. Basically, religion bad (sorry), women are always the ones who suffer (it’s true) and in the end, everybody is f—-d over because of it. AND IT NEVER F—–G CHANGES, Ya’ll don’t do S–T. Ya’ll, it aint that deep, but also it really is.

Anyways, this movie will give you a headache. You have to pay attention but the cinematography makes that difficult as the camera angles shift at every second. It will give you a headache. At first I was like, DANG THIS IS SOME GOOD WRITING. And at the end I was still DANG THIS IS SOME GOOD WRITING but with a side of, hmmm…I want to cut off the heads of the bougwazie (I KNOW THAT’S NOT HOW YOU SPELL IT) and you know that scene in Forrest Gump when Leuitenant Dan wants to fight god and hes screaming at the top of the mast…same? But less chaotic and more just…sad. Sadly fighting god. 

And that’s it, that’s the movie. Profiting off of women’s trauma. HMMMMMM. 

 

Rachel: 

(Managing Editor’s note: Rachel gave more of a play-by-play, so read simply for your enjoyment… and your confusion.)

kats seeing an older creepy man. Some tea? b—- he dont want no drink stop. shes making it anyways. 

Pregnant or pregnot? He didnt want nno tea but they gave it to him anywats, and he didnt watnt to stay the night but htey made him like d–n stop being so controlling. girls got hella linens. why all these old men with young girls? get yo wrinkles outta here. hes working on a new piece.she is unhappy in her marriage b—h leave him youre so young and pretty he is bad for you  get out of othat relationshio you can do so much better.

“Thought you might like some lemonade” *slams lemonade onto table and asks for pain pills* ?? what a b—-h. let this girl work on her wall damn. They goin on a “hike” 😉 ohh hes ‘a nature boy” 😉 oh no toilet broke . ewwwww its like a s–t squid. OMG IS IT THE BABY

?????????????????????????????????????????????????he is supposed to be god.  is she mother earth?? she givin birth now.  oh no. baby is gonre. She crying 🙁 they killed him. theyre eating the baby. good b—h you kill them go go go. WAit hes taking her to the beginning?? is this abotu god failing? Oh shes not her anymore. AHES THE CRYSTAL W T F  O MG . YOU GOTTA KNOW RELIGION FOR THIS MOVIE D–N.Read thr bible before you watch this

good night love tou ALL.

WolfStore sells backpacks to help families in need

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

The WolfStore at Western has recently obtained new stock from the brand Adventurist Backpack Co. Adventurist Backpack Co. is co-owned and founded by the wife/husband duo Matilda Sandstroem and Kelly Belknap.

Sandstroem and Belknap have teamed up with Western to sell their minimalist backpacks on campus in an effort to raise awareness about students and families in need. For every backpack purchased, 25 meals are provided to families in need through their partnership with Feeding America.

Their story began while backpacking around the world in 2017. After witnessing many families struggling with hunger, the pair decided they wanted to take action.

“Wanting to do what we could to help, we prepared meals each morning and filled up our backpacks, handing the meals out to anyone in need throughout the day,” they stated on their website. Adventurist Backpack Co. was founded upon their return to the U.S. They were able to fill up their backpacks with 25 meals each, hence why 25 meals are provided to families in need with each purchase of a backpack.

The backpacks have a minimalist design, and are made with high-quality all-weather materials, along with minimalist elements from Sweden — Sandstroem’s home country.

Belknap and Sandstroem, after successfully integrating their backpacks into Urban Outfitters, have begun partnering with other universities around the country by selling their backpacks in campus stores.

“We partner with university hunger programs in order to donate a percentage of net profits from each backpack sale to help provide “meal swipes” so that food insecure students are able to eat at the dining halls on campus and also have access to a mobile food pantry, or to local food banks,” Belknap said.

Adventurist Backpack Co. has a goal of providing over 250,000 meals by the end of their third business year. Nearly 100,000 meals have been provided to families in need across the world since the business began in 2017.

“We aim to be at the forefront of brands using business to do something larger than just provide a great product or service, but to help change the world for the better through entrepreneurship,” said Belknap.

More information on Belknap and Sandstroem’s story can be found in the WolfStore and on their website http://www.adventuristbackpacks.com. They can also be found on Instagram at the handle @adventuristbackpacks, and can be reached at hello@adventuristbackpacks.com for any questions.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@mail.wou.edu

Spooky DIYs for Halloween

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Looking for cheap and fun ways to decorate for Halloween this year? Try out these DIYs to get prepped for the spooky season.

 

Witch’s Potions

Make some witch’s potions to set on a windowsill, at the front door or just miscellaneously around the house. Start by taking any old, preferably glass bottles lying around, such as a wine, cider or seltzer bottle. Fill the bottle with some sort of liquid — water dyed a different and/or unnatural color, juice, or something carbonated to give the potion a bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble look. 

Take the witch’s potions up a notch by adding in various “ingredients”. Add in gummy worms to give an impression of living things being included, or some substance such as ketchup to thicken the liquid, increasing the murkiness and mystery.

 

Floating Ghost

Create a spooky ghost to hang from the ceiling using simple household items. Take a round object like a tennis ball to use as a head, then gather some spare cloth thats cut into a square — length of cloth may vary depending on desired decoration size. Glue the tennis ball to the center of the cloth and attach thread to the top once dried.

Googly eyes can be glued on to add a cuter spooky feel. Variations of the tennis ball could be a balloon, a stress ball or other ball. Cloth can be from old sheets, clothes or various fabrics.

 

Witch’s Spellbooks

Utilize old books that are no longer in use by transforming them into witch’s spellbooks. Head to a used bookstore and pick up some tattered books – or just use older books lying around the house. Cover the book in shabby cloth by either gluing or taping it on. Alternatively, painting the book also works, the goal is just to hide the cover.

Wear down the pages by dampening with water, or coffee to stain the pages to age the book further. Take a lighter or match to the edge of the pages – if the cover is paperback, this works too – to add to the wear and tear.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo Cora McClain (Witch’s Potion)

Photos by Caity Healy (Floating Ghost and Witch’s Spellbook)

Lonney’s Hawaiian food truck review

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Lonney’s Lunch Wagon is a food truck located at 152 Main St W in Monmouth. Opening at the tail end of 2018, Lonney’s serves Hawaiian-Asian style cuisine that comes in both smaller and larger sizes.

Lonney’s initially started out with owners Donney Ito and Leon Abrew selling lunch plates out of their houses as a way to earn money while attending Western. Eventually the two expanded and thought it would be a good idea to start a food truck business in town.

“(The) love and support we got from everyone here was too hard to leave,” the two explained over Instagram. Ito and Abrew wanted to provide a solid food option for the people in Monmouth and for the Western football team that supported the pair from the beginning.

The idea to sell Hawaiian food came from the fact that Abrew and Ito are both from Hawaii. However, according to Lonney’s, “We actually only have one ‘Hawaiian’ dish, (which) is our Kalua pig.” 

Their menu consists of many different mixtures of Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, and some Fillipino dishes, but just stick with the label “Hawaiian food” for simplicity.

The menu rotates every other day, with chicken, beef and pork options available daily, and seafood available on Saturdays. Lonney’s does not have a secret menu, but allows their customers to customise their meals with different sauce options they have for the day. If the Loco Moco is on the menu, any dish on the menu can become a “moco,” meaning that they will add over-easy eggs and gravy to your plate.

Abrew and Ito say their signature dishes are the Hurricane Katsu or Hurricane Chicken. Both dishes are drizzled with a mild spicy mayo, a sweet sushi sauce and are sprinkled with furikake on top. However, the dishes they recommend to first-time customers are the Loco Moco or Bulgogi.

“(We) recommend the Loco Moco or Bulgogi because so many people order the Hurricane every time that they don’t get a chance to try (them),” the two explained over Instagram. “Loco Moco is probably the most underrated plate that we have.”

The Loco Moco is homemade Hawaiian style hamburger patties with an over-easy egg and brown beef gravy, and the Bulgogi is homemade Korean teri-marinated beef.

Along with food, Lonney’s sells pop sockets and, in the past, t-shirts. They’re currently in the process of bringing more t-shirts in.

Lonney’s also advertises for customers to “leave their mark” on the back of their wagon by putting a sticker on it that represents home. 

When asked if they wanted to add anything else, Ito and Abrew had this to say.

“Thank you so much to EVERYONE for supporting us and welcoming us with open arms. There’s a lot of sacrifices we make to be able to run this business, but getting to provide good people with good food makes it all worth it.”

Lonney’s Lunch Wagon can be found on Instagram with the handle @lonneyslunchwagon and on Facebook. The business is open Monday–Friday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and on Saturday from 12 p.m.–3 p.m. Occasionally, Lonney’s holds “drunchies” hours, which usually occur from 11 pm–1:30 am. 

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Hannah Greene

Save the pumpkin seeds: My go-to festive recipe

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Instead of tossing the seeds after gutting a pumpkin, turn them into a festive, tasty snack for the fall season.

 

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Start to finish: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 1 ½ cups

 

1 ½ cups of pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons fine sea salt (and more for serving)

2 teaspoons of olive oil, coconut oil or nut oil (such as walnut)

2 teaspoons of favorite spice blend (such as curry powder, harissa and chili powder)

 

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 cups of water and season with 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil.

    Scoop seeds from a pumpkin while water is boiling. Add the pumpkin seeds to a bowl filled with cold water and swish them around until the seeds float and are mostly clean.

    Add the cleaned seeds to the boiling salted water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and pull away any remaining pumpkin attached to the seeds.

    Scatter the seeds onto clean dishcloths and pat them very dry. Mound the dried seeds onto the prepared baking sheet. Add the oil and any spices on top then toss until well coated. Spread the seeds into one layer. Bake, stirring the seeds at least once until fragrant and golden around the edges, 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Caity Healy

The Cascadia Chamber Opera: A group more focused on the art than the money

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

I should start by saying, I have never been to an opera before. Whenever this artform was mentioned before, I pictured a huge theater, an audience full of wealthy people with little binoculars and people on stage yelling so loudly that they could shatter a glass. On Oct. 6, my mind was changed: The Cascadia Chamber Opera surprised me entirely with their stunning performance.

The Cascadia Chamber Opera was founded in 2009, compiled by a group of local and regional musicians presenting opera in a concert format rather than a full performance. A concert format is a more laid back version; the singers are dressed nice, but not in costumes, and they only have a pianist accompanying them, rather than a chorus and full band. They performed songs from different pieces, creating a more diverse performance.

This format allows the group to travel, which is far different from most opera houses that typically stay stagnant due to their large stage props. 

The Cascadia Chamber Opera is a unique group that aims to disrupt misconceptions about opera — such as the idea that it is an elitist artform. They keep all of their tickets low in cost, and often free for students to reinforce their motto of accessibility. 

“Our mission is to bring opera to more people, accessibility is key,” said Bernie Robe, a board member for the group.

This was apparent from the start, with their low prices: $8 for general public, $5 for seniors and students, and completely free for Western students. They are an all English opera group, which they decided to do to make their performances feel less intimidating for people who don’t have experience with opera.

Their performance was from the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, victorian composers who based much of their music on mocking British society, according to the artistic director Bereniece Jones-Centeno. Jones-Centeno guided the performance at Western, introducing the plot before each song that way anyone could enjoy, regardless of their previous knowledge of that piece.

With the guidance from the artistic director, I was able to sit back and enjoy the lively performance by the singers. While there were no costumes, nor set pieces, the artists delivered with their spectacular voices and expressive faces.

Each new character that was introduced was properly conveyed from the way the singer would interact with the audience, winking or scowling while belting notes with perceived ease. 

While there were around 20 songs sung, stopping at around nine for intermission, the show felt fast paced and engaging—  never a dull moment with the playful lyrics and energetic performances from the singers.

Before their performance I interviewed Jones-Centeno who discussed the importance of opera.

“The main idea with opera is that it is all encompassing, using the expression of the human voice, opening it up and telling a story through singing it… telling the human story,” Jones-Centeno said.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos by Never Retallack

A comparison of Batman’s arch nemesis: The Joker

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

“Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?” This quote from “Batman” (1989)  will ring true with the Joker, a character from the DC Franchise first introduced into the Batman comics in 1975 as a supervillain. His character is quite complex and has been interpreted many different ways throughout time. I will analyze each Joker that has been represented in film from as early as the 1960s.

“Batman” (1966): In this classic Batman TV series, Cesar Romero plays the devious Joker. The way this Joker was portrayed was quite comical; Romero was dressed in the typical makeup and green hair, but his evil plots often failed and he couldn’t even beat Alfred, Batman’s butler.

“Batman:The Killing Joke”(1988): This animated movie was based off of the comic of the same name, and starred Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker.

This was a darker version of the character, shooting and paralyzing Batgirl before stripping her naked and taking pictures of her. Joker also says something that insuates he went as far to rape her afterwards as well. This appalling behavior was the first hint that the Joker wasn’t just a simple trickster. The writer, Alan Moore, says he regrets writing the comic, as the public outcry over this behavior towards Batgirl caused a large backlash for him.

“Batman” (1989): Jack Nicholson was known for his crazed character in “The Shining” (1980), and this equally crazed portrayal of the Joker followed the comics quite closely. The villain starts off as a normal man— that is until he falls into a vaut of chemicals — transforming him into a ruthless and cunning criminal. Nicholson’s Joker was unnerving but still followed a twisted humor, yet was not quite intimidating.

“The Dark Knight” (2008): As stated by the LA Times, this film is a turning point for the Joker, with Heath Ledger’s twisted performance of an unhinged villain who wreaks chaos and terror on the city of Gotham. Ledger’s Joker hinted at a sign of mental illness, never revealing his backstory in this film, but hinting at the terrors he’s faced throughout his life. The past Jokers were portrayed as silly and angry characters, resenting Batman and the wealthy, but Ledger’s often slipped into a crazed madness —  not quite angry, but seemingly calm in his destruction.

“Suicide Squad” (2016): Jared Leto’s interpretation of the Joker led to a lot of backlash when first released; this modern day gangster version was bizarre in the world of Joker. Leto also received criticism due to his method acting, even going as far as to send used condoms and dead rats to his castmates. This showed the mentality of this Joker; a twisted man who enjoyed to cause discomfort, and that is what was delivered in “Suicided Squad.”

“The Joker” (2019): This film has received some concerns similar to the movie, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” that showed the notorious killer Ted Bundy as a family man —  a character to sympathize with. There was similar concern with “The Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, as it led audience members to try and sympathize with the classic villain and even view Thomas Wayne (Batman’s father) as the antagonist. 

Phoenix played the saddest version of the Joker: losing his access to medication, living with his ill mother, being mugged several times and being ridiculed for his dream of being a stand-up comedian. This doesn’t take away from the horrendous crimes he commits, although the audience is left wondering whether what they see is reality or all part of his delusion. 

“The Joker” was not for the faint of heart, containing far more graphic scenes than ever used before, often leaving audience members gasping in horror and watching with mouths agape.

 

Overall, the classic villain, the Joker, has been a prominent member of the Batman franchise, and he has been portrayed in a variety of different ways since the 1960s. His origin story was based off the comics for several of the earlier Batman films, where a struggling crook frustrated with society falls into a vat of chemicals and becomes a disfigured and devious monster. 

Ledger and Phoenix’s portrayal were outliers among all the films released; Ledger’s Joker was shrouded in mystery, never revealing his origin story, while Phoenix’s was void of a chemical influence. Both of these Jokers were more twisted than the others, showing unmistakable signs of mental illness, and rather than the comedic Romero or cruel Nicholson, they were shown as sad men driven to madness.  

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of dccomics.com

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