Mount Hood

Tackling a trend of sadness

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

The idea of publishing is exciting for writers, but can also be scary. Western student Ollie Bergh, a Bachelor of Fine Arts theater major, recently self published his first book, “The Joy You Hide,” a collection of poetry and a short story.

“The joy you hide” includes 21 poems and a short story called “kintsugi,” in which, taken from the book’s description, Bergh “… tackles a young tragedy like a film.”

Sitting down with Bergh, I was able to get some information about the inspiration behind “the joy you hide.”

“We’re so cynical, our generation, people say ‘the millennials.’ I remember talking with someone and we were one upping each other with our lives, and I just thought that was ridiculous. There’s so much happiness we have in the world everyday, but it’s kind of ‘trendy’ in a way to be sad. So I thought I’d argue that” said Bergh.

Bergh’s favorite poem, and the one where he got the book’s title from, is “our biggest fear.”

“This is maybe the thing I’ve always wanted to say. It’s six lines, but it took me so long to make sure I got every word right. I just really love it. It feels to me like the expression of the book itself” Bergh recounted.

“The runner up would be the poem right next to it, ‘the loneliest generation,’ which for me was super fun because I got all four seasons in there and I created a form that I wanted out of nowhere. I made some rules for myself and it was a fun puzzle that came out. People really like it.” Bergh added.

Bergh compiled his work into the book and published the book himself.

“As soon as I got the book in my hands, I felt guilty. I cheated in a way, I feel. I haven’t gone through the gambit that a lot of young go through which is they write, write, write, write, write their whole life. For me, this has just been a hobby. I didn’t really want to go through the arduous process of going through a publisher, so I thought ‘I’ll do it myself’” said Bergh.

“What I would say to someone who wants to do it is, if someone like me can do it – on a whim, you absolutely have every responsibility to do it. Get your writing out there, and if no one is going to publish it for you, publish it yourself” he added.

Bergh cites the inspirations for the book as our generation’s cynicism, his faith and his experience at Western.

“The biggest direct influences are the people on campus and Dr. Hughes, who has helped me a lot. I think it was my freshman year, I reached out to him and said ‘hey I want to understand what makes a good poem’ and he helped me out with that. Campus itself, the people have crafted me here” said Bergh.

Ollie Bergh’s book “the joy you hide” is available now on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions for $10.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: Logan

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

The popularity of superhero movies recently in Hollywood can be traced back to the 2000 release of “X-Men.” Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier both helped to create a beloved universe that is still around even 17 years later. Both have said that “Logan” is their last appearance in the universe, and a fitting end it is.

From the very beginning, “Logan” is a much different superhero movie than anything done before it. It’s R rating gives it room to be dark, gritty and full of violence. The hacking and slashing that Wolverine had done in films prior is nothing compared to the full-blown decapitation and dismemberment of “Logan.”

The film takes place in 2029, in a very different and almost dystopian America. Corporations are big, even in North Dakota trees are a rare sight and mutants are mostly gone. World-building is done right in “Logan.” The dystopian aspects of the world are learned throughout, rather than forced by exposition.

Logan and Professor X are the two main focuses of the movie and are both different than ever before. Logan is working as a limo driver, trying desperately to make money to provide a physically and mentally ill Professor X with medicine.

These are characters that I’ve grown up with for the past 17 years. To see them in such low places in “Logan” is difficult, but their struggles and character arcs make for an engaging movie. For Jackman and Stewart, their performances are both some of the best in the past 17 years of films.

This is a superhero movie with no costumes, no heroic speeches, but instead real consequences, guilt and lots of regret. This is all shown by compelling performances from Stewart and Jackman.

The film also introduces X-23, a young girl with very similar abilities to Logan, played by Dafne Keen. X-23 is the character that takes Logan and Professor X out of their everyday lives and moves the plot along. She doesn’t say much, but her presence in the film is powerful. She also kicks some serious butt for a child.

“Logan” is a must-see for superhero fans and casual moviegoers alike. The performances are top of the line, the story is tragic and beautiful at the same time and Jackman and Stewart end their “X-Men” careers on a high note. “Logan” is not only the best film in the “X-Men” franchise, it is one of the best superhero movies that there has been in a long time.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

4/4
+ Intense, violent action sequences
+ Incredible performances

Western brings the music

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

With the end of term approaching, classes are starting to pick up with exams and projects. Luckily, Western’s music department has a busy rest of the term planned with student recitals and music performances.

On Thursday, March 9, Western’s music department will be holding the end of the term student recitals. This event gives the public a chance to come and see Western music students perform. The recitals start at 11 a.m. and are located in Smith Music Hall.

Friday, March 10 will be the next show in the Smith Fine Arts Series, Orquestra Brasil with Gilberto Gil. Gil is a well known Brazilian musician and cultural icon. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free with a Western student ID.

Lastly, Western’s percussion ensemble will be performing both classic and modern works on Monday March 13 in Rice Auditorium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free with a student ID.

With the stress of finals approaching, Western music events are a great way to unwind and take some of the stress off.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Drama, Jesus and rock and roll

By: Kinsey Bushart
Staff Writer

The new theater season has begun; the next two shows to be put on by Pentacle Theater are the drama “Emma’s Child” which was originally written by Kristine Thatcher, and the rock musical “Jesus Christ, Superstar” with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.

“Emma’s Child” was originally produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in April of 1995 and this year will be directed by Joe Silva.

According to The Statesman Journal, Silva said that “there was no doubt in his mind about taking it on,” while lead actress Laura Davis, who is playing Jean Farrell, has a personal connection to the plot of the drama.
As the mother of two adopted children herself, Davis had faced various difficulties in the adoption process similar to those of her character.

The story of the play “Emma’s Child” is about a woman named Jean and the attachment she grows for the child she hopes to adopt from a woman named Emma. Over the course of the birth mother’s pregnancy, the hopeful Jean faces many difficulties in her marriage as well as her friendships. This drama about family, hardship and perseverance is one to attend when looking for hope in the future.

“Jesus Christ, Superstar” is a rock musical that debuted in 1971 on Broadway. The story is of the retelling and detailing of Jesus Christ’s final days. The entire musical has no spoken dialogue, with a storyline loosely based on the Gospel’s accounts on Jesus’s final week. It’s chart-topping songs won Andrew Lloyd Webber the Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Composer. The Drama Desk Award is an annual award given in recognition of achievements in the theater among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions.

The musical’s cast has been announced and is available on Pentacle’s website, as well as its director Geri Sanders, though as of yet there is no other information from cast or crew.

“Emma’s Child” is going to be at the Pentacle Theater March 3-24, and “Jesus Christ, Superstar” will begin showing April 14 to May 6.

Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu

Editor’s Picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s Recommendations

One of the best bands around right now is Bear’s Den. Formed in 2012, Bear’s Den is a relatively new band but one that has been making quite a name for themselves in the folk scene.

Bear’s Den has released two studio albums, “Islands” and “Red Earth & Pouring Rain,” as well as four extended-plays. Their newest single, “Berlin” was released in December.

The biggest appeal of Bear’s Den is their accessibility for a wide audience. While their main genre is folk, they do have fast paced rock music as well and sounds that would appeal to country fans. Their lyrics tell stories and are often relatable.

One of my favorite parts of Bear’s Den’s Music is its ability to evoke both happiness and sadness at the same time.

Editor’s Disparagement

Despite receiving decent reviews from critics, I’ve found the new videogame “For Honor” to be very underwhelming. The concept is incredible and the execution is satisfying at times, but the game is a nest of connectivity issues and rough bugs. It’s too rough around the edges to warrant spending $60 on it.

“For Honor” is a multiplayer fighting game that pits players against each other in melee combat. The graphics are stunning and the game has its moments, but Ubisoft is known for their difficult releases for games with unfinished aspects and massive server issues.

The game will be good in time, but until the many issues are worked out and the price drops, buying it now is a waste of money and will only bring irritation.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

A different kind of Shakespeare

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Western students are hitting the stage once again with the upcoming performances of Ken Ludwig’s “Shakespeare in Hollywood”.

Directed by Western’s Ted deChatelet, “Shakespeare in Hollywood” features a cast of Western students who have been hard at work rehearsing for the play.

“‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’ is based around ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare. Oberyn and Puck, the two fairies in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ come to Hollywood and find themselves in Hollywood by accident and have a bunch of hijinks and run around Hollywood making a bunch of mayhem” said Hunter Atkin, sophomore Bachelor of Fine Arts acting major and cast member.

“It’s a fictional story about the making of the film ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ back in the 1930s, it’s a real film” added John Bryant, sophomore Bachelor of Fine Arts theatre major and cast member.

Much like Western theatre’s previous production “All in the Timing,” “Shakespeare in Hollywood” is a comedy focused on bringing laughs and lightheartedness to campus.

“The play’s farcical, which pretty much just means slapstick, ridiculous comedy, way over the top acting, very heightened. It’s hilarious” said Atkin.

“With this being a comedy, we get to lighten the mood with the 1930s setting. It makes it easy to go with the setting. Some of the costumes and props we use coincide with it being in the 1930s, so it is harder than if the play was in modern day, but it didn’t make it difficult and we were still able to have fun with it” added Bryant.

Reflecting on being in the cast, Atkin said, “My favorite part of being in the cast is that Ted, the director, pretty much let the cast decide what’s happening in the play. He let us do whatever we want. He gave us the scripts, gave us the parts and just let us go, so he had an image in his head, but we really just threw out ideas and just did stuff and he just kept it in and kept integrating all of our ideas together.”

“Ted’s a really good director. A lot of directors will just say ‘this is what I want, do it this way,’ but what Ted does with his actors is he will give suggestions, but he’ll also trust his actors and see what they will bring to the table. It’s a nice mix of what we can bring and if something doesn’t work, he can fine tune it” said Bryant.

While working on “Shakespeare in Hollywood,” the cast had a great time working together has cast members and as friends. Asked separately about a story that stuck out during rehearsals, Atkin and Bryant reflected on the same event.

“Our director, Ted, was hanging out and we were rehearsing a bit where one of the characters comes on with a wine glass and gives it to another character very nonchalantly, because he’s the big boss man. We did it a few times and Ted was worried that we were going to drop the wine glass, so he comes up and takes it from one of the characters and asks our stage manager if it was plastic and drops it on the ground, the wine glass shattered and we had to take five minutes to clean it up. It was hilarious” said Atkin.

“Everybody just bust out laughing, it was really funny. We haven’t gotten to a stressful point overall where we’re too stressed about the play or things are tense. It feels really chill throughout because we’re working on such a fun show” added Bryant.

In the end, “Shakespeare in Hollywood” is a fun, audience pleasing comedy.

“Overall, I hope this is a show audiences get to enjoy. It’s a farce, it’s a chance to kick back and have a laugh. I hope it’s an opportunity for students and faculty of Western who may have busy lives, so I hope it’s a chance to leave this world and get immersed in this. Not for our sake, but to give everyone a break from the stresses of life” said Bryant.

“Shakespeare in Hollywood” runs in Rice Auditorium from March 2-4 and 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. with March 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14, $10 for seniors and $8 for Western students.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: Collide

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Part “Fast and Furious” and part “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Collide” is an over the top action film with an incredible cast. The film follows an ex-criminal named Casey, played by Nicholas Hoult, who has to return to a life of crime to save his dying girlfriend, played by Felicity Jones.

From start to finish, both Jones and Hoult give uninspired performances. Their love story is the root of the film, but their bland performances didn’t leave me rooting for them.

Ben Kingsley plays a crime lord named Geran. Kingsley’s performance is over the top. Complete with his distracting fake Turkish accent, every time Kingsley is on screen it’s hard to see past his ridiculousness and to understand what is happening.

The highlight of the film is Anthony Hopkins’ sinister villain, a crime lord who Casey wrongs at the beginning of the film. Hopkins is in his groove with this role as he jumps from monologue to monologue in a style.

The plot is bland, weak and predictable. There’s not much that goes on in between Hoult getting tortured by bad guys and running from them in car chases. The character interactions mean almost nothing unless Hopkins is on screen, and Hoult dealing with the emotional implications of his situation is so cheesy at times that I laughed out loud.

The setting of Germany is one of the best parts. Watching car chases unfold in the German countryside and on the Autobahn is out of the norm of action films and makes for a very interesting experience. Especially when there’s not much to look at during the overly lengthy and uninteresting action scenes.

When trying to have emotional or romantic moments, “Collide” fails completely. The film attempts to be rooted in romance, but any romance appears to be exposition that is rushed so people can shoot each other faster. Casey’s race to save his girlfriend means nothing because there are no emotional connections to these characters due to their lackluster performances.

Overall, “Collide” is a poor excuse for a film and a complete waste of time. The cool German setting and Anthony Hopkins’ performance aren’t even enough to keep this film from being something worth spending time or money on.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

¼
+ Anthony Hopkins being Anthony Hopkins
– Paper thin plot

Listen up

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

Unlike other forms of entertainment that are popular amongst the college crowd such as television, music and movies, there is one that is under-appreciated: the podcast. Podcasts can cover a wide variety of topics, from news to technology to history. For students, there are plenty of podcasts worth checking out.

One such podcast is “Modern Love” through WBUR. It is based off the New York Times column and explores the rollercoaster that is love. The premise of the podcast is sharing stories about love, whether they are truly happy stories or more trivial. A new podcast is released every Thursday and can be found on www.wbur.org/modernlove.

“Reply All” is a podcast with a different focus: the internet and technology. However, according to Nick Quah from Vulture, “Despite the name, ‘Reply All’ isn’t a podcast about technology – it’s a podcast that tells gorgeous, painfully human stories that happen to have bits of technology sprinkled in.” To find out more about this podcast or to subscribe to it, visit www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/.

For a more well-known podcast, TED Talks are available to listen to through the TED radio show, co-produced by NPR and TED. TED Talks discuss creative ways of thinking, new inventions and out-of-the-box ideas. At www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/, there is more information about where to listen.

Whether hanging out in a dorm, driving around or waiting for another next class to start, listening to a podcast can be an entertaining way of spending one’s time.

Contact the author at ajames16@wou.edu

Review: “Legion”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Marvel’s plan to take over the world has been well-executed so far. In both film and television, Marvel has continually put out great content and the newest TV show “Legion” is no different.

Currently in its first season, FX’s “Legion” follows the Marvel comics character David Haller as he begins to learn that his lifelong mental illness is, in fact, his strong mutant abilities.

The first two episodes of “Legion” started the series off on a fantastic note. The trailers and promos didn’t reveal many plot details, so viewers were left in the dark until the show premiered.

“Fargo” writer Noah Hawley brings his masterful writing to the show, making viewers question the reality of the situations from start to finish.

The premiere episode follows a nonlinear timeline, so the show has viewers constantly second guessing themselves from start to finish.

The premiere episode also features a fabulously made one-shot action scene. Marvel has played with one-shots in the past, specifically with seasons one and two of “Daredevil” and I think that the one shot in “Legion” takes the cake.

The characters in “Legion” are brought to life by stunning performances. David, played by Dan Stevens, is a relatable, funny and tragic character. Stevens does an excellent job of showing David’s struggles with mental illness and his change as the world around him opens up.

Rachel Keller plays Syd, another patient in the hospital and ally of David. She also does a great job of portraying her character’s mental illness.

The emotional connection between Syd and David is one of the biggest highlights of the first two episodes. They have to work together to adapt their feelings for each other to their illnesses.

After only two episodes, I’m already fully engaged in the lives and struggles of the characters. Between Hawley’s writing and the fantastic lead performances, “Legion” is one of the best new shows around. Still early in the season, now is the perfect time to start watching.

Catch “Legion” on FX every Wednesday at 10 p.m.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Community spotlight: My Mom’s Basement

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

It’s difficult to drive down Main Street in Monmouth without seeing the blue building with the words “My Mom’s Basement” on the front.
Within walking distance of Western, My Mom’s Basement is both a game store and a gathering place for people to come and play card games or board games together.

“We just had our seventh year anniversary last month. We’ve been here serving the community for all that time.” said Michael Haynes, owner of My Mom’s Basement.

“Magic the Gathering is the most popular game in the store,” said Haynes. “They have over 20 million people across the world playing this game. We offer a wide variety of singles and packs for the game and we also offer both sanctioned and unsanctioned events for people to come in and play, and we have regularly scheduled games that we play every week.”

Magic the Gathering is the world’s most popular strategy card game. My Mom’s Basement does weekly “Friday Night Magic” events every Friday at 6 p.m. For those interested in Magic the Gathering, there is an online version of the game called “Magic Duels” available for iPhone, PC and Xbox One to learn the ropes. My Mom’s Basement also offers a free welcome pack for those who’ve never played but it’s first come first serve.

“We also sponsor ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ on Wednesdays. That is the number one role-playing game in the world currently. We offer games, books, dice and all the accoutrements that go with it,” said Haynes. “We’re also entertaining other games that are gaining in popularity like ‘Yugioh’, ‘Pokemon’, a game called ‘Force of Will’ and other board games and card games.”

For those who have never played these games before, My Mom’s Basement is a friendly and welcoming place to come in and learn.

“We’ve pretty much always got somebody here that’s willing to sit down and play and teach, so just walk in the door,” said Chad Harrington, Western graduate and My Mom’s Basement staff member.

“We actually have games for people to come in, sit down and play. We have demonstration games. People don’t want to spend $80 and find out it’s a crappy game. They can come down here and say ‘I’ve always wanted to try that’, pull it off the wall and see if they like it,” said Haynes.

Haynes also stressed that My Mom’s Basement is a social place where people can get together and play. Coming with a group of friends is encouraged.

“A lot of these games get a bad reputation because there’s a whole thing of ‘nerds are so secluded and reclusive’,” said Haynes. “They have this really bad reputation of being non-social and that’s not the truth at all. All of these games, you have to be social.”

“You wouldn’t believe the kinds of people who want to come in and sit down,” added Harrington. “There are people from all walks of life here. We have firefighters, paramedics, people from all walks of life can get together and join in some kind of a fantasy.”

My Mom’s Basement opens at 12 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “A Cure for Wellness”

By: Kiley Prom
Freelancer

From the director who has brought us modern-day classics such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Ring,” comes a poor excuse for a horror movie set in an isolated spa in the Swiss Alps.

The story follows the young protagonist, Lockhart, an executive at a financial institution in New York City, as he travels to the Swiss Alps to retrieve his company’s CEO from his extended vacation. From the moment Lockhart reaches his destination, he can already tell that it wasn’t an ordinary day spa. After being told the history of the grounds by a sketchy cab driver, he walks into the spa with the full intention of bringing back the CEO in no-time-flat. Sadly, his retrieval mission doesn’t go as planned and he begins to learn the true secret behind the secluded wellness center.

The first 40 minutes of the movie are very well done. The aesthetics are absolutely stunning and add to the suspense and intrigue of the film. The story is just engaging enough to keep the audience interested. Once the movie hits about the middle mark, however, the quality quickly goes downhill.

With the way the first half went I expected there to be a big climax, but it never came. The beginning of the movie gives a sense of excitement, but by the third act, the excitement is gone because there are no answers.

The story seemed to be at a stand still and had me glancing at the clock wondering how there was still over an hour left. Honestly, I felt like I could have walked out of the theater halfway through and came back for the last five minutes without missing anything.

The number of plot holes and unexplained phenomena going on were almost laughable as the director, Gore Verbinski, tried to throw in as much randomness as he could just to get a reaction out of his audience. Verbinski also decided to make viewers uncomfortable by turning the film into a worse “50 Shades of Gray,” complete with awkward sex scenes and nudity, but with a repulsive incestual twist.

There was the potential for a good film, but it fell just short of what it was trying to accomplish. The cinematography was beautiful, and the score was one of the best I heard in a film as of late, but it was too long, making it hard to stay invested especially with no climax. This is the kind of film where waiting for it to come out on Netflix isn’t a bad idea. At least then there’s the possibility to fast forward through the mundane parts.

Contact the author at kprom15@wou.edu

1/4
+ Great cinematography
– Squandered ending

Review: “The Lego Batman Movie”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

The original “Lego Movie” (2014) introduced a different kind of Batman. Batman was funny, poked fun at previous Batman adaptations and knew how to kick some butt. “The Lego Batman Movie” brings that concept back but this time on a much larger scale.

Will Arnett’s overly confident, sometimes childish and emotionally damaged Batman is hilarious from the very beginning. He’s sympathetic, struggling with loneliness and a major fear of attachment, but he’s also constantly making jokes.

Batman himself is a very well-rounded character. In “The Lego Movie”, Batman’s negative qualities are shown without much of the positive, but “Lego Batman” makes a point to highlight both.

The supporting cast is great as well. Michael Cera’s Robin is adorable and loveable and Zach Galifianakis gives a humorous performance as the Joker, albeit not the most sinister Joker. All the voice acting is top notch. Each actor brings their unique style to these characters, creating something entirely new out of a well known character.

The all-star cast doesn’t stop there; Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill reprise their roles as Superman and Green Lantern, Billy Dee Williams voices Two-Face and Conan O’Brien voices The Riddler. The incredible cast is not utilized very well though, with many of the supporting characters only having one or two lines in the whole film. Billy Dee Williams, for example, has a lot of publicity for playing Two Face, yet he only says 10 words throughout the entire film.

At its core, “The Lego Batman Movie” is about family. The story of Bruce Wayne’s parents being murdered is common knowledge among superhero fans, but this film takes it one step further by highlighting Batman’s emotional struggles with attachment. While “The Lego Movie’s” big moral is creativity, “Lego Batman” puts a huge focus on teamwork.

One of the best parts of the universe that “The Lego Movie” created was the merging of different film franchises, and “Lego Batman” does the same thing. Film’s worst villains, such as Voldemort, Sauron, King Kong and Daleks challenge Batman while reminding viewers that the film is still set in a massive universe.

The film also did a great job of parodying Batman and DC movies. Multiple jabs were thrown at “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v Superman.” There are throwbacks to multiple different “Batman” films as well, poking fun at some of the ridiculousness of them.

“The Lego Batman Movie” is not only hilarious throughout, but it has every aspect of a good Batman film. There is fantastic character development for Batman and Robin throughout. I found myself caring more about these Lego characters than I did in either the “Dark Knight” franchise or “Batman v Superman.” The team dynamic and growth is extremely rewarding.

From start to finish, “The Lego Batman Movie” is engaging, accessible for any audience and absolutely hilarious. With well written jokes and strong characters, “Lego Batman” is not only one of the funniest films so far this year, but also one of the best Batman films there has ever been.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

 

4/4

+ Team dynamic

+ Excellent voice acting

Live music hits campus

By: Kevan Maloney
Staff Writer

Western hosts an array of enticing and unique live performances throughout the year. The Edgar H. Smith Fine Arts Series provides an excellent way to see many new acts and performances. In it’s 40th season, the Smith Fine Arts program is in the process of hosting six acts.

These six acts include everything from a band that mixes many different styles and language to a large scale orchestra, to a dancing troupe. This series of musical and performance acts is exceedingly diverse and has a little something for everyone.

Half of the six acts have already been performed, but there is still a chance to see the last three acts.

Coming on Feb. 20 and 21 is Jayme Stone’s “Lomax Project.” The project is a musical act focusing on song collected by Alan Lomax over the course of his life. These songs are diverse and varied, from all walks of life.

Following that, Smith Fine Arts program is hosting Micky Dolenz with The American Metropole Orchestra on April 15. This act has Micky Dolenz giving his rendition of popular songs from the ‘60s with the help of the American Metropole Orchestra.

The last act being hosted is Danilo Perez with The Western Hemisphere Orchestra, Western’s orchestra, on June 10. Danilo Perez is a world renowned composer and pianist. His partnership with Western is huge for the school.

These performances are the next editions to 40 plus years of the Edgar H. Smith Fine Arts Series. It was created in 1976 by Dr. Edgar Smith, who was a huge advocate of the arts. The series was named after him in 1979 in honor of his death.

The board of 18 members is also carrying on his legacy as an educator. The series is built on giving Western and surrounding areas performances as well as providing educational opportunities.

Contact the author at kmaloney15@wou.edu

And The Razzie goes to …

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

The Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as The Razzies, is an award ceremony that recognizes the worst in the film industry. The 37th annual Razzie Awards will be covering a variety of different categories all focusing on the poor and unfavorable aspects of some of the films from 2016.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the categories that will be presented include: worst picture, worst actress, worst actor, worst director, worst supporting actor, worst screenplay, worst supporting actress, worst screen couple/ensemble and worst prequel/remake/rip-off/sequel.

I decided to look it up and consider the categories to make my own predictions of who will be awarded The Razzies throughout that infamous night of celebrating the substandard features of 2016 films. Here are my predictions of the winners for the 2016 Razzies:

Worst picture: “Dirty Grandpa”
Worst actress: Megan Fox – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”
Worst actor: Ben Affleck – “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Worst director: Roland Emmerich – “Independence Day: Resurgence”
Worst supporting actor: Nicolas Cage – “Snowden”
Worst screenplay: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Worst supporting actress: Kate Hudson – “Mother’s Day”
Worst screen couple/ensemble: “Gods of Egypt”
Worst prequel/remake/rip-off/sequel: “Zoolander 2”

The Razzies will take place on Feb. 25 at 12 a.m. PST. Anyone can watch these awards on The Razzies’ YouTube channel, “razziechannel,” or stay updated through their Facebook page or Twitter account.

Now that the stressful midterm season has just passed, it may be a relaxing and fun way to destress by getting some friends together to make predictions of who you think deserve these awards and then on the night of The Razzies, get together to see if your predictions come to be true.

Contact the author at ajames16@wou.edu

Predict me an Oscar

By: Blayde Biacan
Staff Writer

The 89th annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, is recognizing many great people and films this year. Many of the selections this year have a great diversity of cultures depicted in the movies.
I’ve watched the films nominated and predicted the winners for some categories. The following categories and nominees are:

Animated Feature Film – “Zootopia”
Directing – “La La Land”
Cinematography – “La La Land”
Editing – “Arrival”
Music: Original Song – “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana”
Writing: Adapted Screenplay – “Arrival”
Visual Effects – “Doctor Strange”

For this particular Oscar ceremony there is a lot of controversy over the movie “La La Land.” The musical looks good and uses a lot of long takes. It also received 14 Oscar nominations, rivaling “All about Eve” and “Titanic.” Both lead actors, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, received Oscar nominations. The only backlash that this movie received is from critics on how it depicts jazz culture, which can be compared to pop culture in how it could be misrepresented and may not be true to its roots, which is why it may not win as many categories as some would expect it to win.
The films nominated offer a lot of diversity in setting, such as in “Moana.” It is based off of Polynesian culture when they used to sail the seas, especially when finding new land. In the film “Lion,” it shows the Indian culture and also how the protagonist has to get used to other cultures throughout the movie.
There are many other categories that I have not mentioned with great nominations and even many more categories that include “La La Land.” The Oscars will be premiered live on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. PST in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Contact the author at bbiacan16@wou.edu

Comedy comes to Western

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Western students have been hard at work on the upcoming theater production “All In The Timing.” Written by David Ives, “All In The Timing” is a set of six one-act plays that focus on wordplay. The play is directed by Western’s own, Dr. Kent Neely, and also stars six Western students.

Each one-act has its own characters and comedic style, so each actor gets to play multiple characters throughout the production.

“Each of the one acts heavily relies on the absurdity of language, specifically talking about [Universal Language] we literally speak gibberish for about half of it,” said Lindsay Spear, a junior in the Bachelor of Fine Arts acting program and cast member.

The one-acts featured in “All In The Timing” include “The Philadelphia,” “Universal Language,” “Mere Mortals,” “Sure Thing,” “Words Words Words” and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.”

“They’re all really funny. David Ives was a smart guy and he really used that to create comedy. That’s a big part of it. It’s just a really enjoyable show,” said Nick Hulscher, a sophomore in the Bachelor of Fine Arts theater program and cast member.

Asked about working with the rest of the cast, Spear responded, “Everybody has brought their own style of comedy to it. Since we’re all playing different characters, it’s nice to see how everyone handles different characters and different one-acts.”

“There’s only six of us, so we were almost all there every night for rehearsals and since we all already knew each other and it was such a small group, we got close really quickly and that let us connect on more of a personal level in the scenes,” added Hulcher.

Recounting her favorite part of being on the cast, Spears adds, “‘Universal Language’ is probably one of the the hardest plays I’ve ever been in because I start off speaking English, but as it goes on I speak more and more of this gibberish language Unamunda and at one point we’re supposed to scat in this Unamundan language and the one day we finally got it right we both started screaming. It was so much fun.”

“It’s not a series show. You should go into it expecting to laugh. Don’t expect some serious tragedy because it’s really the opposite,” said Hulcher. He describes the set as a comedy club with a brick wall in the background.

“All in the Timing” runs in the Rice Auditorium Black Box studio Feb. 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional 2:00 performance on the 11th. Tickets are $14 or $8 for a Western student.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Editor’s picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s Recommendations

“Runescape” is a special kind of game. It’s one that has lasted the test of time, still going strong after 16 years. With over 80,000 players still actively playing, “Runescape” is still an increasingly popular game.
“Runescape” is an online fantasy game where your options are endless. You can take on almost

Photo from the episode “Wayne Dream Team”

any fantasy role imaginable, levelling up your many skills as you go. The game also features hundreds of quests to take players on journeys and adventures throughout the world.
Having played “Runescape” for over ten years on and off, I can fully recommend playing. Even in college, chopping some trees after class is a great way to wind down.
While Runescape’s playerbase has significantly decreased over the years, updates are still being made and new players are joining all the time.

Editor’s Disparagement

The new DC comics show “Powerless” on NBC has a lot of potential. Set in the DC Universe, “Powerless” follows the powerless employees of Wayne Security in Charm City.
The premiere was nothing but a tacky workplace comedy. With cheap jokes and poor performances, “Powerless” makes terrible use of its star studded cast, which includes Alan Tudyk, Vanessa Hudgens and Danny Pudi.
With every bad joke the show also threw in the name “Bruce Wayne” or “Batman.” Fully aware that the DC aspect is the only selling point, “Powerless” drowns viewers in poorly timed references.
Only the premiere has aired, but if the show doesn’t improve greatly, it’ll get cancelled in no time. For those curious about watching it, I’d say it’s a complete waste of time at this point.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “Rings”

By: Kiley Prom
Freelancer

Continuing the route of its predecessors, this unnecessary third movie in “The Ring” franchise follows the story of the girl who’s never used a brush, as she continues her murder streak through old pirated VHS tapes.

Updated for 2017, the characters make use of current technology such as quicktime files and cellular phones, as well as keeping to the roots by starting with the original VHS tape.

Fit with a stereotypical young love between a 26-year-old who viewers are supposed to believe is a freshman and a girl who can’t attend university for a reason they never care to elaborate on, this new installment is unnecessarily packed with plenty of cheesy romantic comedy tropes.

“Rings” follows what many horror movies have done before by casting an actress with tremendously bad acting and breathing problems, and an actor whose only memorable moments are the few times he takes off his shirt.

“There’s no hiding” from this strange plot that includes a random girl on the side of the road whose presence is confusing at best until the last 20 minutes of the movie.

The film also takes our main couple on a wild goose chase, sending them back and forth between the only three buildings in the small town of Sacramento Valley, in search of the decomposed corpse of Samara.

“Big Bang Theory’s” Johnny Galecki, or Professor Gabriel as he’s referred to in the film, makes his appearance as the occult leader of students who spends his freetime showing anyone willing to watch a film from a VCR he procured at a garage sale. His character turns the already far-fetched concept of a girl coming out of the TV into a science fair project.

Vincent D’Onofrio shows up in the latter half of the movie as the saving grace of the film, playing a very convincing role as a blind man whose character becomes much more memorable as the film goes on.

The filmography was well done, all things considering. The director, F. Javier Gutiérrez, incorporated heavy use of imagery that he featured in single framed shots throughout the film. Gutiérrez also included a lot of religious symbology such as a church, crosses, as well as a painting of the Virgin Mary that contrasted with the demonic nature of the film. The director also seemed to take some pointers from popular directors before him, cashing in on the dolly zoom effect utilized in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Vertigo,” to create a feeling of disorientation.

The movie itself has no scary moments aside from a few jump scares you can see coming from a mile away, and some uncomfortable moments for the entomophobes in the audience.

Other than a few plot holes, such as the protagonists phone never running out of battery despite using it as a flashlight for over 30 percent of the film, and a confusing timeline, “Rings” is not bad. It’s not the best horror movie of all time, nor the best in the “Ring” franchise, but it did manage to keep me engaged for 100 minutes without falling asleep. However, the movie offers no rewatch value.

Contact the author at kprom15@wou.edu

3/4
+ Great supporting cast
– Unrealistic plot holes

Editor’s picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s Recommendation:

A large amount of “Star Wars” content outside of the films relies heavily on the characters and events in them. True originality is difficult to find in the “Star Wars” universe; the recent “Rogue One” struggled with that.

Luckily, the animated television show “Star Wars: Rebels” has the perfect amount of originality. The show follows a crew of rebels, long before “A New Hope,” on their many adventures.

“Rebels” doesn’t rely on the movies at all. When an event or character is referenced, it’s done for pure enjoyment rather than plot reliance.
All characters have their own struggles and arcs that viewers easily get attached to. The character relationships are so rich that reliance on the movies is not necessary.

Editor’s Disparagement:

ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” has aired alongside Marvel films since “Thor: The Dark World.” The show takes places in the cinematic universe and follows Agent Coulson from “The Avengers” and his team of agents.

The show’s concept is exciting but the execution is not great. Existing alongside Marvel films doesn’t excuse the weak plots and thin characters.
When a new film releases, the show minorly ties in. Watching the show made the beginning of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” make more sense, but it took 13 episodes of boring filler to get there.

One or two moments of payoff per season is hardly a reason to watch a show, and that’s just what “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” requires viewers to do.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

The dethroned king of gaming

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

I had the kind of grandparents who referenced everything related to video games as “a Nintendo”, which was an easy thing for individuals unfamiliar with gaming to do with how prominent the name was.

Despite large success since 1997, Nintendo was at its financial peak with 2006’s Wii, selling 101.1 million units as of 2016, more than both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Since then, Nintendo has been pushed to the very back of the console market, with the WiiU selling only 13 million units. Not only was the WiiU the lowest selling Nintendo product, but it sold less units than any of Sony’s or Microsoft’s consoles. The WiiU’s hardware just couldn’t compare with the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

While the original Wii’s hardware couldn’t keep up with the modern consoles, the main selling point was fun. Both “Wii Sports” and “Mario Kart Wii” quickly became fan favorites and helped contribute to the console’s success. The WiiU lacked memorable games and couldn’t run popular games, so it was much less desirable and the sales of other modern consoles soared instead.

2017 will see the release of Nintendo’s new console, the Switch. Nintendo told The Wall Street Journal that they’re producing three million units to start out and are anticipating selling 10 million by the end of 2017, almost catching up to the WiiU.

With optimized hardware to play modern games, such as “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, and a large list of new original games including “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Super Mario Odyssey”, Nintendo is attempting to appeal to gamers on all levels.

The $300 price tag isn’t stopping fans from taking to social media with excitement. The console has already developed a large fanbase online with users on sites like Reddit collecting all the information they can.

The Nintendo Switch releases on March 3, 2017, with more games and support releasing later.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou

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