Entertainment – Page 101 – The Western Howl

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[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-two-one” title=”Fed Up”]
By Jenna Beresheim
Staff Writer

Looking for a non-shaming, obesity-epidemic-blasting documentary? Look no further than “Fed Up” by Stephanie Soechtig.

Narrated by Katie Couric and averaging a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, this documentary is well-made and definitely worth the watch. Plus it is free on Netflix.

Popcorn and soda pop not included, but at only an hour and a half, snackage will not be required.

Unlike some other marathon movies that require pre-apocalyptic hoarding to survive to credits, this documentary will be over in a blink. And may even make you re-consider those sugary snacks.

“The message that’s been pushed on us: it’s your fault you’re fat,” Dr. Mark Hyman, the chairman for the Institute for Functional Medicine said, in regards to the obesity epidemic in America:

“Forget about it.”

Top scientists and board members across the country in all forms of public health take a stand to break long-standing problems in the way we view health, debunking myths such as calories are calories, regardless of what form they are in, as well as what it really means to balance diet and exercise.

Instead, the focus is on sugar and how exactly it works in the body — even going so far as to compare junk food companies to tobacco companies.

Following the lives of several children suffering from zobesity, the viewer gets a more personal view of the daily struggles of those who are overweight and cannot seem to break away from it.

No matter how hard these children try, what they do is not working. Until they begin making the “right” changes to their daily life.

Unlike some documentaries, this film does not force the facts upon the viewer or demand a strict allegiance to their cause be made. Instead, “Fed Up” focuses on the facts and providing information, encouraging the public to reduce sugar intake, backing it up with all the right reasons. For those who wish to make the change to their lifestyle, this documentary offers a 10 day sugar-free challenge to break the habit.

FOUR OUT OF FOUR PAWS

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[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-two-one” title=”Avengers: Age of Ultron” last=”true”]By Declan Hertel
Staff Writer

In the first 10 minutes of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Captain America (Chris Evans) does a high-speed endo on a motorcycle, launches into a front-flip, and throws the motorcycle into a Hydra troop truck that spectacularly explodes upon impact. This is utterly ridiculous; it is also TOTALLY AWESOME.

Those two words are the core of “Age of Ultron,” Joss Whedon’s final foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I saw this movie at a midnight showing during its opening weekend, and throughout the entire movie the audience was laughing and cheering as the punches flew, the lasers pew-pewed, and the Hulk smashed everything.

The fight choreography is without flaw and everyone gets their chance to be the butt-kicking action hero. And oh boy, do butts get kicked: “Age of Ultron” takes the over-the-top stylized violence of the first “Avengers” film and ratchets it up to 11, and then says “nah, man, we can go higher.”

The film starts out at “Nuts” with the fight in a European forest that includes the aforementioned motorcycle stunt and keeps pushing until it hits “Completely Freaking Bonkers” in the third act. I won’t spoil any other fight scenes; you’ll thank me.

Joss Whedon is well known for the one-liners and rapier wit he brings to his scripts, and he is on top of his game here. Every character packs as many quips as they can into the 141 minute runtime; they are almost all hilarious, and the ones that aren’t are worth a chuckle.

Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye delivers my favorite of the film right in the middle of the climactic battle, which ought to be a pleasant surprise to anyone who saw the first “Avengers,” where Hawkeye was pretty boring.

To be honest, Hawkeye steals the show. Ultron (a masterful voice performance by James Spader) may have his name in the title, but Hawkeye’s subplot and improved characterization really lend the film its emotional heart.

The addition of a romantic subplot involving Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) made me skeptical at first, but Whedon’s writing and the performances of Ruffalo and Johansson sealed the deal, and I was on board. Well done, Mr. Whedon. Well done.

My only real complaint about the movie is that when you’re driving a behemoth of a story at maximum overdrive as this movie does, bits are bound to fall off. There are a number of small happenings in the movie that are never explained and come off as useless. Whether they actually are or they’re foreshadowing the next phase of the MCU, it’s irritating.

That said, this only mattered to me after the movie was over, and I wiped the doofy smile from my face.

In all honesty, if you’ve liked the MCU so far, you’ll love “Age of Ultron.” If you hate the MCU, you’ll likely hate this too. But if you’re just looking for two hours of plain old escapism, you can’t do much better than this.

THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FOUR PAWS[/fruitful_ibox][/fruitful_ibox_row]

The Western Howl

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Oregonians Do It

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By Jenna Beresheim
 Staff Writer

Oregon is known for waffling weather patterns and stubborn residents who refuse umbrellas or the cancellation of plans. If you find yourself amongst the list of friends willing to trek to the beach regardless of the time or weather, below is a rough list of activities to get you out of Monmouth and those daily doldrums.

For those tenacious trail travelers, Oregon holds hundreds of hiking options. If waterfalls are on the menu, try Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls, Sweet Creek Falls, or the ever-popular Silver Falls. Hankering for History?

Jacksonville hosts recently acquired parklands through a gold-mining town, while Cape Disappointment holds a museum along the same trail members of the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled.

Trails are certainly not the only outdoor option in Oregon. The Oregon Caves in Cave Junction are a great opportunity to unleash the inner spelunker. The coast is always a free option with a scenic drive, while also hosting options for those willing to spend a few bucks, such as the Newport Aquarium. For those animal lovers, The
World’s Largest Petting Zoo in Bandon may be a better option. Or for an up-close-and-personal experience with wild animals, try out the Wildlife Safari in Winston.

With Portland only an hour away, the bustling city is great for an all-day stay or a quick walkthrough. Stop by Little Big Burger for affordable, delicious bites while grabbing Voodoo Doughnuts for dessert. If it happens to be the first Thursday of the month, all art galleries will be open and free to the public for First Thursday. Voicebox Karaoke is another popular spot, but for the introverts, Powell’s is also a quick jaunt away.

To support local communities while also getting to shop wares and farm-grown produce, pop into a Saturday Market. Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, and Portland are all great for a morning expedition that will not eat up the rest of the day. Knock out grocery shopping in a vibrant, friendly community while promoting self-sustaining family farms.

Considering imbibing in true college spirit? Impress your friends with an extensive knowledge of liquors by visiting breweries within the state. The Bend Ale Trail boasts 14 breweries and comes with a handy pamphlet for a “self-guided” experience. Brewvana is hosted out of Portland seven days a week in multiple forms: walking tours, bus tours, and private tours.

For something a little closer to home, The Coin Jam in Salem is a 21 and over arcade and grill. The Oregon Garden in Silverton stretches out in 80 acres of botanical glory, but for a smaller-scale feel, Lavender Lake Farms is a mere 2 miles away on Highway 99.

In the end, Oregon has a little something for anyone and everyone, no matter what weather the state throws at us. In true Oregonian fashion, dress in layers and prepare for minute-to-minute shifts in the elements—don’t let Mother Nature tell you what to do with your weekend.

The Western Howl

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Thrusters to Max: “Kerbal Space Program” Releases 1.0

By Delcan Hertel
 Staff Writer

The relatively recent explosion of independent video game development has given the world many great games that AAA developers like Activision and Microsoft Studios wouldn’t spend their time and money on making. Some of these indie passion projects have become beloved, critically lauded favorites among gamers, such as “Braid,” “Super Meat Boy,” and the best-selling PC game of all time, Markus Persson’s “Minecraft.”

With this freedom of expression, many indie developers create games that fill specific, obscure niches. One of these niche-filling games is Squad’s “Kerbal Space Program,” which officially left Early Access after over four years and released version 1.0 early this week. “KSP” is a game where the player runs a NASA-like space program, constructing spacecraft to be manned by little green men called Kerbals and launching them into orbit, or the far reaches of the solar system.

While the concept is a simple one, the game itself is anything but. The piecing together of a space-worthy vessel is a daunting task: you are given a huge menu of pieces and parts that you must assemble into a vehicle that will not only leave the ground, but break through the atmosphere and reach the stars.

Many players never get past this stage (either for frustration, or they’re like me and just like to watch things explode), but those that do are in for a greater challenge: flying the thing. Squad has spent years perfecting their physics simulation, from air resistance to gravity and even the nitty-gritty bits I can’t pretend to understand. All the realities of space travel are working against you as you reach for the stars. And it’s really difficult to get there.

So how has the game captured the imagination and acclaim of so many gamers? For one, the game is very scientifically accurate. While Squad does not pretend that the game is 100 percent faithful to reality, it is very close.

But more so than that, it’s because success is an incredible feeling. The first time you successfully orbit Kerbin (the “Earth” of the game), it’s a huge victory. Then it becomes second nature, so you reach further to the Mun, then even further, to the red sands of Duna, or to the cavern at Moho’s north pole, each time knowing that you are earning these victories.

Every inch gained is a massive achievement. Sometimes even failures result in great gameplay challenges: didn’t have enough fuel to return home from Duna? Mount a rescue mission!

While the base game itself has a great deal of content, a huge modding community offers many additions like highly customizable interfaces, mining capabilities, more planets, and a giant banana to attach to your ship for some reason.

“Kerbal Space Program” has become huge since it first appeared in 2011. Its massive, dedicated player base even includes Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, who said in a Reddit AMA, “Kerbal is awesome.”

If you have even a passing interest in space travel, pick up the demo. If you like the demo, grab the full game, and boldly go where no Kerbal has gone before.

The Western Howl

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Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

By Stephanie Blair
 Staff Writer

Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their an- nual chance to show off their directing prowess.

Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays. This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.

Natalie Piper, fourth-year se- nior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Strop- pel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.

“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.

The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in
the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gu- rus, and slapstick humor.

“It is the story of a newly married couple and their attempt to get their Zen-Buddhist cousin and roommate out of the house.” Kintz said. “It has been a blast to direct such a talented and versatile group of actors, who re- ally know how to entertain!”

The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn- of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.

“Directing is a strange craft; it re- quires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said. “It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”

This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Audi- torium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to stu- dents with an ID.
For more information, please con- tact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838- 8462.

The Western Howl

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Solitary Women

By Nathaniel Dunaway
 Entertainment Editor

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing a pair of films that, as well as sharing the fact that they are both great movies, share similar themes, chiefly that of the complicated female protagonist on the edge of society. They involve ladies who are loners, who are strange, and are therefore unwelcome strangers to those around them. Before breaking down each film more, I’ll just say this: both are highly recommended, and both are currently playing for a limited time at the incomparable Salem Cinema.

“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
3 paws out of 4

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about this film is “style.” It’s dripping with it. Shot in gorgeous black and white and self-described as “the first Iranian vampire spaghetti western,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is the story of The Girl, a nameless, lonely vampire, played by Iranian-American actress Sheila Vand.

The Girl stalks the streets of Bad City, a small hamlet of perpetual squalor, where there is (among other things) a ditch full of corpses that no one seems to pay much attention to. Newcomer Arash Marandi also stars as a greaser punk who becomes transfixed by The Girl. The cat that plays Arash’s pet cat in the film is also a great performer. The film is based on a graphic novel by Ana Lily Amirpour, who also directed.

In a recent interview with “The Moveable Fest,” Amirpour, when asked why she gravitates towards horror, replied: “Do you think it’s a horror film? If there’s a vampire in the story, you’re in a certain realm. But I think it’s more like a John Hughes film than it is a horror film.”

My only disclaimer is that if you’re put off by black and white movies or by subtitles, do the following: get over it, and go see this movie.

“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter”
3 ½ paws out of 4

In 2001, a Japanese woman named Takako Konishi was found dead in a snowy field in Minnesota. According to an article by Paul Berczeller in “The Guardian,” a misunderstanding between Konishi and the local police a few days before her death led to the media believing she had died while looking for the money hidden by Steve Buscemi’s character in the film “Fargo” (in reality, Konishi’s death was ruled a suicide). This led to an urban legend surrounding the event, and that urban legend led to the film “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” which takes this seemingly absurd premise and runs with it, to deeply troubling results.

Directed by David Zellner, the film stars Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi (“Pacific Rim”) as Kumiko, a socially awkward, solitary woman living in Tokyo, who is obsessed with treasure-hunting. On one of her adventures, she discovers a damaged VHS copy of the film “Fargo,” and believes it to be a clue to finding a large stash of money, which Steve Buscemi’s character in the film buries in a field. Convinced of the movie’s authenticity, Kumiko steals her boss’s company credit card and travels to Minnesota to find a treasure that isn’t actually there.

The film does an expert job of sticking with Kumiko, focusing loyally on her quixotic journey, and of making Minnesota feel more foreign to the audience than Tokyo. Like “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Kumiko also features an impressive performance by an animal, this time a pet rabbit named Bunzo.

My disclaimer for this film, the first half of which is entirely subtitled Japanese, is the same: get over it, and go see it

The Western Howl

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It’s raining men, hallelujah!

By Katrina Penaflor - Campus Life Editor

For the past two years, I have regretted not attending the annual drag show. My friends who went always raved about the hilarious and slightly scandalous performances, and I just knew I was missing out on something good.

So this year, when I saw tickets being sold in the Werner Center I immediately purchased one. The theme was “Out of Pandora’s Box,” which I found exciting because of my love for Greek mythology.

The night of the show, the auditorium was packed. I had never attended a drag show before and as I sat in my seat I honestly had no idea what I was in store for. I knew there would be dancing and laughter, but I was not prepared for the magnitude of performances I was about to see.

Drag show advisers and performers, Gabbi Boyle, Joe Hahn, and Yumi Kong, got the crowed pumped up before the show began and encouraged viewers to sing and cheer during the numbers.

The show was narrated by Megan Habermann who told the story of Pandora, a creation of the gods, and how she fell in love with Persephone.

The first dance number literally blew me away—like eyes glued to the stage and jaw-dropped impressed. The cast was a large ensemble and a majority of the group took the stage during the first number. I was drawn in by the choreography and how in sync all the dancers were. No one missed a beat and everyone on stage gave attitude and flavor to the performance.

I was immediately captivated and found myself shouting out and singing along to the rendition of the Pussycat Doll’s “Buttons” – a personal favorite of my mine.

Apart from the dancing, the storyline was equally as entertaining. I was desperate to know what was going to happen between Pandora and Persephone and what kind of obstacles Hades was going to throw into the mix.

One of my favorite numbers of the night was the performance to the Weather Girl’s “It’s Raining Men.” I wanted to get out of my seat and dance along with the people on stage. I also envied Hera’s ability to dance in heels that I would fall over in if I took two steps. I could not stop myself from singing and cheering, and probably annoying every person who sat around me.

The gods and their descriptions in the show where wonderfully accurate and each actor provided their own twist to the characters. The costumes were another plus to the show. They were bright and eye-catching and helped bring the characters on stage to life.

Overall “Out of Pandora’s Box” kept audience members smiling, singing, and laughing. The show embraced owning one’s sexuality, and the flawless performances proved dedication amongst the performers and crew.

My final words of advice are to get your tickets early next year. The drag show is something you do not want to miss.

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

By Stephanie Blair
 Staff Writer

Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their annual chance to show off their directing prowess.

Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays.

This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.

Natalie Piper, fourth-year senior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Stroppel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.

“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.

The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gurus, and slapstick humor.

The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn-of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.

“Directing is a strange craft; it requires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said.
“It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”

This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Auditorium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to students with an ID.

For more information, please contact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838-8462.

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

BIGGER, BOLDER, MORE SUGAR?

Oregonians Do It

Thrusters to Max: “Kerbal Space Program” Releases 1.0

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

Solitary Women

It’s raining men, hallelujah!

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

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