Mount Hood

Descend into the “Darkest Dungeon”

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

I like my games to hurt.

I have no interest in waltzing through a modern “press A to win” game. I don’t want to be told I’m great just because I sat down and pressed start. I want to be tasked with proving it.

The booming market for indie games has begun to supply me with the beat downs I crave, and one of my favorite entries in the “brutal-difficulty-as-fun” genre just got a full-release on January 19 after a very long period of early access: Red Hook Studio’s debut game, “Darkest Dungeon.”

“Darkest Dungeon” casts you as the heir to a gothic mansion (and all the dungeons and catacombs beneath it) that happens to be infested with all manner of creepy creatures. To take ownership of the house, you must recruit adventurers from all over and send them into the depths to clear out the beasties.

The game is an interesting mash-up of genres: the main meat of the gameplay comes from sending parties of adventurers into the randomly generated dungeons, and the game plays out like a standard RPG. But it also shares some similarity with sports simulation, wherein you have a roster of “players” you can outfit and upgrade to better fight the monsters below.

In addition to the physical damage your men will take, “Darkest Dungeon” is unique in presenting the psychological toll that confronting horrifying abominations bound to take on your heroes. Heroes have a meter that represents their mental health and letting the stress pile up as you adventure may just drive them insane, causing them to desert, cower, or even attack their compatriots. The small hamlet outside the mansion has all manner of amenities to help your adventurers regain their heads, for a price.

“Darkest Dungeon” is a fantastic example of subtle innovation in video games; it mashes mechanics old and brand new together with an unlikely genre combination and puts it all in a beautifully dark environment. Instead of trying to create something totally unique, they created a great game that feels familiar, yet does things no one has even tried before. I love it.

“Darkest Dungeon” can be purchased from darkestdungeon.com through the Steam platform.

“The Book of Mormon” returns to Portland

By: Brianna Bonham

I went into “The Book of Mormon” as a super fan who had never seen the show, expecting only the greatest, side-splitting show I had ever seen. I was not disappointed and plan to see it for a second time as soon as they swing back to Portland.

The exciting journey of the unlikely companions Kevin Price (played by Billy Harrigan Tighe) and Arnold Cunningham (A.J. Holmes) took the audience on a hilarious journey to Africa where the Elders set out to be heroes.

Tighe and Holmes both played their characters brilliantly. Tighe played the haughty, egotistical character of Elder Price perfectly. He made him loveable at times and obnoxiously self-absorbed in others. He performed with very strong vocals throughout the show while maintaining the goofy choreography, and his enunciation was always spotless.

Holmes brought Elder Cunningham to life from the moment he rang his first doorbell. He was very consistent with his character voice and movement during the run of the show, and I never once noticed it waver. He made the audience sympathize with Cunningham and root for his eccentric ways.

The supporting characters and ensemble were all entertaining and performed as a strong unit. The blend of their voices was beautiful as many spoke and sung in a character voice or with an accent throughout the performance. Alexandra Ncube, who played Nabulungi, had a beautiful voice that gave the audience chills as she sang her ballads.

The set, lighting, sound, and pit were all astounding as they were quick with changes and cues. There were a couple moments where microphones cut out but the actors and technicians worked to overcome the obstacle and carry on the show.

The lighting was very effective in many scenes, and really impressed me during a tap number in “Turn It Off,” and in “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.” The lights brought the stage to life and accentuated the scenes nicely. Sound was always right on time with actor’s signals, and sounds such as the gunshots were very effective.

The show is absolutely amazing and one that I would not mind spending money on again. It brought lots of laughter and a great story to Portland.

Take a Trip to “Misfortune County”

By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

With the New Year here, moviegoers have begun talking about the films they’ll be seeing over the next 12 months. Students and faculty at WOU, however, get the chance to start their year off with a movie made by students right here on campus.

WOU students Nathaniel Dunaway (Fifth-year, Theatre), Darien Campo (Junior, Visual Communication and Design), and Burke De Boer (Junior, BFA Acting) started their indie film studio Body in the Window Seat back in 2012. Since then, they’ve made three films and are currently in the production of their fourth.

I got a chance to sit down with director Nathaniel Dunaway to talk about the studio’s latest film, “Misfortune County,” which they will be showing on campus on January 29th.

“Misfortune County” is a Western film set in the 1900s in Eastern Oregon’s Malheur County. The film revolves around the mission of an assassin who goes by the name of Lady Vengeance, a revenge killer for hire. Dunaway said that the movie is a Western with comedy woven in, and that the film looks at the idea of quests in cinema.

Dunaway comments that it’s almost a cross between “True Grit” and “The Wizard of Oz,” adding the quest aspect to the Western genre.

The film was shot in Central Oregon, in the Ochoco National Forest. It opened up December 31st in the studio’s hometown of Prineville, OR at the Pine Theater to a full house.

Making a film set in 1900 certainly has its challenges; Dunaway talked about having to find costumes that reflected the time period and having to be very precise with camera positioning to avoid showing anything contemporary. Horses were also used for the first time in one of their films. All shots involving the horses were filmed in one day, and the actors had to be trained the same day as filming. Dunaway says the use of horses adds a lot to the realism of the Western genre, since they’re so important in both classic and contemporary Western films.

“I’m inspired by classic westerns, is the most general way to put it,” Dunaway said, listing “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and “True Grit” as key inspirations.

As a director, Dunaway said that he’s “influenced by the Coen Brothers’ command of the grammar of filmmaking without heavy camera work.”

Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg are also inspirations, as well as John Ford, who Dunaway said defines what the Western genre is.

Dunaway started writing “Misfortune County” in Feb. 2015. In writing, a lot of inspiration for the character’s dialogue was taken from Western novels, as well as the works of Mark Twain.

“Writing was very enjoyable. I like to build a good story,” Dunaway said.

As this is Body in the Window Seat’s third film, Dunaway talked about some differences in directing.

“For this film, I was able to choose actors who I knew would memorize the lines, so in that sense it was easier to direct the actors and I could spend more time with the actual camera work,” he said.

Dunaway also noted that the studio was much more professional and efficient in the film’s production; he was able to take more time with each shot, and production, which took a total of 20 days, was easily the most enjoyable part of making the film.

Also, technical improvements helped in a very direct way: “Misfortune County” is the studio’s first film where the audio and video were recorded completely separately.

“Misfortune County” takes place in a very different time period, a time that Dunaway says is romanticized in Western movies.

“There’s a character in the film named P.W. Foster who comes to Oregon from Philadelphia and expects the west to be full of adventure, but what he finds is a more realistic west; but at the same time we wanted to embrace the Western genre,” said Dunaway.

Dunaway also commented that the film doesn’t celebrate main character Lady Vengeance’s ways, and that she could never be an assassin if not for the lawlessness of the time period.

As a director, there are some stylistic elements that Dunaway loves to put in his films. All three of Body in the Window Seat’s films feature dream sequences and take place in Oregon. Dunaway likes to express hopefulness with his films, the idea that no one is stuck as who they are. With the characters, Dunaway said that he likes to nod to movies he likes in his films, particularly with the names of his characters, giving them names from other movies or the names of actors.

Darien Campo served as the sound designer for the film. All of the music in the film was original, but it was sparse, taking inspiration from “No Country for Old Men” in that sense. Dunaway described the music as subtle, that it is sort of following. The film’s music is orchestral in nature, also a first for the studio.

Body in the Window Seat is currently in production of their fourth film, a mystery-comedy called “Todd Got Clobbered” directed by Darien Campo. “Todd Got Clobbered” will be filmed on Western Oregon University’s campus.

You can catch Body in the Window Seat’s showing of “Misfortune County” starring Paige Scofield, Burke De Boer, and Jim Churchill-Dicks on Jan. 29 in Hamersley Library room 106. The showing is free and starts at 6 p.m.

Demonic possession terrifies in horror comic

By: Ben Bergerson

Pivoting from zombies to demons, “The Walking Dead” comic creator Robert Kirkman takes readers for a dark trip in his 2014-released comic series “Outcast.” He and artist Paul Azaceta conjure up striking frames of the traumatic life of the main character, Kyle Barnes.

Kyle has been plagued his whole life by people close to him and he doesn’t know why. His dark past has haunted him until he is approached by his childhood reverend who takes him to visit a boy who the reverend claims is possessed.

What starts as a simple favor turns into the beginning of a search for answers about the strange things that seem to follow Kyle around. Teaming up with the reverend and an ex-cop, Kyle sets out to finally unlock the truth about his past.

“Darkness Surrounds Him,” the first volume, is a perfect read for winter term; it’s scary and a page-turner. Kirkman makes exorcisms and supernatural encounters (which in other works tend to be overdone) incredibly understated. This adds to the mystery and suspense that drives the comic.

Fans of “The Walking Dead” won’t be disappointed with Kirkman’s intense writing. Azaceta takes the tortured words of Kyle Barnes and translates them into harrowing images, creepily staring out from the pages. The mix of deep blue and hot orange on the page evokes a melancholy set on edge.

“Outcast” is a powerful, chilling tale that will make you want to turn on all the lights and lock your doors. Its haunting images and tense dialogue will leave you wanting more.

The comic is published by Image Comics, who also publish “The Walking Dead” and, another personal favorite, “Saga.” You can subscribe to the “Outcast” series directly from imagecomics.com, or you can order by volume on amazon.com.

Grab your holy water before diving in; you’ll need it.

Writing Sins and Tragedies

By: Stephanie Blair 
Copy Editor

In 2006, Panic! At the Disco’s first album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” was released. Now, 10 years later and with only one original band member remaining, their fifth album has been released: “Death of a Bachelor” (DoaB).

As a long time fan, I immediately pre-ordered upon hearing the announcement of a new album. Their last release, “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die,” was an integral part of my senior year of high school. To say that I had high expectations of DoaB would be an understatement.

I had doubts after hearing some early releases, such as “Victorious” and “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time,” but as a late-90s/early-2000s kid, I always listen to an album all the way through in the order it was meant to be played in before I make any judgments.

Now that I’ve had a week to listen to it in and out of order at all different times of day, I can definitively say this:
I hate this album.

Unlike previous records, the songs do not ease into each other and share a voice that is easily identifiable as the album’s theme. In fact, most of the songs don’t sound like they should come from the same artist, let alone the same record.

There are some songs that sound like old Panic! – most notably, “Emperor’s New Clothes.” Others have a pleasing, brass-heavy sound that I had hoped would permeate the album (examples include “The Good, the Bad and the Dirty” and “Hallelujah”), but that isn’t the case.

Most disappointingly, as a long time alternative fan, the majority of the tracks, including “Crazy=Genius” and “Victorious,” have vacuous lyrics with a distinct lack of the wit expected with the Panic! name and a scattered, disjointed style.

So while there are tracks that I enjoy, overall I was disappointed. This is clearly Brendon Urie using the Panic! At the Disco hype to sell what is really his first solo album, now that all of the other founding members have left.

I wanted to like you, DoaB, I really did.

Music Festivals Invade the West Coast

By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

For me, the New Year means a lot; it means a new term, a chance for new accomplishments, and a lot of upcoming music festivals.

The most notable and recently announced festivals of 2016 are Coachella in Southern California and Sasquatch on the Columbia River Gorge.

Just 18 hours south of Monmouth, in the town of Indio, CA, hundreds of artists and thousands of fans will gather for one thing: music. 2016’s Coachella lineup includes bands like Guns & Roses, Ice Cube, Calvin Harris, M83, Of Monsters and Men, among others.

Coachella will run the festival twice, on April 15-17 and again on April 22-24, with identical lineups.

One of Coachella’s most notable aspects is the fashion scene. Year after year people come wearing flower crowns and outfits resembling what was commonly seen in the ‘70s.

A little closer to home, Sasquatch features four days of some of the most notable figures in alternative music, most notably The Cure. Sasquatch also features a lot of up and coming musicians, including Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Houndmouth, and Saint Motel, as well as other popular artists including M83, Grimes, Kurt Vile, and Florence and the Machine.

Sasquatch runs May 27-30 with a cost $350 for a 4-day pass, while a 3-day pass for Coachella will cost $400.

For both festivals, one of the most popular and memorable parts of the experience is the camping. The festivals are multiple days, and a lot of people take the opportunity to camp with their friends in designated campgrounds instead of staying at a hotel.

Sasquatch is also a good thing for Oregon music fans even if you can’t make it to the festival because Portland is bombarded with concerts before and after the festival while artists are in the area. If there were an artist you like playing at Sasquatch, it’d be smart to check up on their tour dates because there’s a good chance Portland will pop up.

Tickets for both festivals are on sale now and going fast, purchasable online at coachella.com and livenation.com.

Alan Rickman Dies at 69

Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

It has been a rough month.

First, Lemmy Kilmister, bandleader of Motӧrhead and an inspiration to me as a musician, passed away of an extremely aggressive cancer.

Then David Bowie, a massive creative inspiration in both music and acting died unexpectedly of a cancer kept secret.

And now, the latest in an awfully depressing parade, Alan Rickman, an actor I respected and loved immensely, has passed away after a battle with cancer.

I don’t know how to continue this article. What is there to say? All three of these men changed my life in some way. And now they’re gone.

I didn’t know any of them personally. None of them knew that Declan Hertel existed. But they still touched my life and made me want to be better at my chosen pursuits. And now they’re gone.

I’m trying really, really hard to not be depressed about it. I’m trying, guys. I want to remember them for all the good they did for the world, and for me. Bowie taught me it was okay to be an oddity and embrace what made you strange. Lemmy taught me that you should live large and as loud as possible. Alan Rickman taught me that persistence and a passionate love for what you do will see you through the low times.

But no matter how much they meant to me and countless others, they were still, tragically, mortal.

And honestly, that’s what makes them as great as they are. If they were somehow more, if they really were the superhumans we thought they were, then their accomplishments would diminish. The fact that they had the same limitations as the rest of us makes their triumphs greater, and truly worth remembering.

While the world has darkened for their passing, maybe their legacy will allow someone new to brighten it.

So long, gentlemen.

“The Hateful Eight” Review

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

I love Westerns. I love the films of Quentin Tarantino. I love comic ultraviolence. I love snappy, stylized dialogue. I love single-setting stories. I love Tim Roth.

What I’m getting at is I knew I was going to love this movie before I set foot anywhere near the theatre. And boy howdy, did I.

Tarantino’s latest film brings us Minnie’s Haberdashery, a small cabin in the mountains of Wyoming, where two bounty hunters, a wanted woman, and the soon-to-be sheriff of Red Rock, WY, hole up with four other strange and seedy characters to wait out a blizzard. As everyone is locked inside, it becomes clear that not everyone is really a stranger to everyone else, and that some of them may be working toward some hidden agenda. Unraveling the mystery is the three hours’ traffic of the silver screen, and it is just freaking fantastic.

“The Hateful Eight” features a cast full of multiple-movie Tarantino collaborators, notably Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”) and “Reservoir Dogs” alums Michael Madsen and Tim Roth. I love when directors develop a cadre of actors: as they become more and more in tune with each other’s style and vision, it turns the process into one creative whole, rather than trying to herd a lot of disparate people toward a nebulous end. “The Hateful Eight” shines for this reason: the majority of the cast has worked with Tarantino before, several of them many times, and this camaraderie allows everyone to understand what they’re working toward and make it great.

I mentioned this in the opening, but it bears repeating: this film is really, really gory, even for a Tarantino film. If it’s likely to result in a shower of blood and viscera, someone probably does it to someone else during “The Hateful Eight.” Sure, ninety percent is played for laughs, but it’s seriously intense.

I’d also like to address one of the oddest criticisms of this movie that I have been seeing consistently: that it is boring. I have seen the word ‘boring’ used to describe this movie. This is completely unbelievable to me: if you found “The Hateful Eight” boring, I want to know what a tremendously exciting life you must lead to be bored by this film. This film is engaging, exciting, and excellent, and I think you ought to see it.

Now, in true Tarantino style, I’d like to go on a tangent: please, for the love of art, take every review you read with a grain of salt, especially negative reviews. People have vastly different tastes in art, and any review is just that one person’s opinion. Don’t take anyone’s word as gospel. I loved this movie. You may not. I have hated movies you may love. The point is that this is all just my opinion and my interpretation. And because you and I, dear reader, are not the same person, we will likely differ somewhat in our opinions. That’s part of what makes art beautiful: it may not speak to everyone, but for those it does speak to, there’s nothing better.

The Death of David Bowie

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

There is no one else in the world I could think of who could be so deeply abnormal as to turn their own death into a piece of art. But David Bowie certainly was and it puts an impossibly perfect cap onto an excellent and diverse career.

I listened to the first half of “★” (pronounced “Blackstar”) when it came out, and was very impressed by it. The spacey, dark electronic sounds of the title track were a surprise to me, but much like the other weird parts of Bowie’s repertoire, it scratched an itch I didn’t know I had before I heard it.

The third track, “Lazarus,” stood out as another gem, not least because of the music video that accompanied it. The song’s first lyrics are “Look up here, I’m in heaven / I’ve got stars that can’t be seen / I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen / Everybody knows me now.”

In retrospect, it should have been painfully obvious. But there are some people who are so iconic, so ubiquitous, so seemingly immortal that we all begin to believe that they’re immortal.
Upon hearing the news of his death, I immediately set to listening to “★” again. It was as obvious as it should have been at first: David Bowie had, absolutely and intentionally, given us a parting gift: one last hurrah. And it was glorious in the purest form of the word.

Bowie created a piece of performance art out of his death, one that I will be forever thankful I was able to experience. He released an album, gave us two days to process it, and then died, revealing its true genius and meaning. While I think the album is great purely on musical merit, it had a higher, ethereal level of greatness that only became clear after he passed, and will never be experienced again in the same way. It’s a work of art that existed to those who heard the album before he died, and only to them. It lasted for a short time and now is just a memory. I’m still kind of reeling from the whole thing.

David Bowie, you were a great artist who inspired many, including myself, and told us all that it’s totally cool to be an oddity, because he knew what it was like to be one. I’ll leave you with my favorite of his lyrics:

“These children that you spit on / As they try to change their world / Are immune to your consultations / They’re quite aware what they’re going through.”
Goodbye, David Bowie. The stars look very different today.

Box Office Force: “Star Wars” Soars

By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (TFA) opened on Dec. 18 with the biggest worldwide opening weekend of all time at $529 million. Since then, TFA has become the top-grossing movie in America, surpassing James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The film has broken numerous other box office records, including the top grossing IMAX opening of all time.

Reviews for the movie have been mostly positive; TFA is currently sitting pretty on a 93 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews say that the movie is great for veteran fans and newcomers alike. In a review for Empire magazine, Helen O’Hara said, “It packs a planet-sized punch, launching a new generation of characters who – by the end – take a place next to Han, Leia, and the rest. Star Wars is back, and this is just the beginning.”

Fans don’t have to wait long for a new Star Wars film; Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” comes out this December, starring Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Hannibal”). “Rogue One” takes place between episodes III and IV. After “Rogue One” in December, fans will have a six-month wait until episode VIII in May 2017 and Episode IX in 2019.

Anthology films much like “Rogue One” will also be coming out. In 2018, a Han Solo movie directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie,” “22 Jump Street”) will be coming out, as well as a Boba Fett movie in 2020.

Rumors have resurfaced recently that Ewan McGregor has been in talks for three upcoming movies with Disney. Fans have been asking for a Kenobi movie for a long time, focusing on Obi-Wan’s life during the 18 years between episodes III and IV. Ewan McGregor also had one line hidden in “The Force Awakens,” reciting Alec Guinness’ famous “These are your first steps” so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him reprise the role as a ghost in future Star Wars films.

New Star Wars material is available right now, too, if you can’t wait until December. Disney has released a number of new canon books including Check Wendig’s “Aftermath” and Claudia Gray’s “Lost Stars.” There are also a number of comics out and more are being rapidly released. There is also Disney’s “Star Wars: Rebels,” which will be returning to finish out season two later this year.

“The Force Awakens” is out now, and there are plenty more Star Wars adventures to be had in the coming months.

“The Revenant” nominated for 12 Oscars

By: Conner Williams 
Editor in Chief

With the recent box office takeover by “Star Wars,” not much else has had a chance to catch more than a glance from moviegoers.

But whether or not the lightsaber fever dies down, Alejandro Inarritu’s “The Revenant” should be on your list of movies to see, and soon. Inarritu also directed “Birdman,” which won the Oscar for best motion picture last year. “The Revenant” has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards.

It’s no surprise that a film that required an actor to survive sub-zero temperatures, freezing rivers, and eat a raw bison liver would have Leonardo DiCaprio (“Titanic,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) as the lead. DiCaprio’s co-stars also deliver strong performances, including those from Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Dark Knight Rises) and Domhnall Gleeson (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Ex Machina”).

DiCaprio has often gone to great extents to give noteworthy, passionate performances, but his role in “The Revenant” takes it to a whole new level.

“The Revenant” is the true story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a 19th century fur trapper who is viciously mauled by a bear and left for dead by his comrades. Glass must utilize all of his survival skills to rehabilitate his body and withstand the extreme conditions in order to exact his revenge.

Filmed in the heart of the Canadian wilderness (and in Argentina when the snow melted) with nothing but natural light for the cameras, all those involved in the making of the film had to dig deep in order to make this project happen. The crew often times had less than two hours of daylight to work with before the sun would set once again. There were even some instances in which filming almost ceased due to several severe frostbite scares.

DiCaprio gives the performance of a lifetime by doing anything necessary in order to give the film the most authentic feel possible, including refusing to eat a fake bison liver for fear that it would not look real. DiCaprio also stripped naked in below-freezing temperatures for one scene and jumped into an icy river for another.

While not as daring a request as surviving extreme weather conditions, DiCaprio did have to grow and maintain a scraggly, dirty beard for nearly a year, even during breaks in filming.

After four best actor Oscar nominations, this looks to be DiCaprio’s most complete, complex, and sincere role. Many film writers have predicted that “The Revenant” will be the film that brings it home for him. The official nominations will be announced on Jan. 14.

A mildly erotic collection of poetry and short prose

Screen Shot 2016-01-08 at 4.07.43 PM

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

Where to begin? Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure, as I’ve never reviewed anentire book of poetry before. But I guess I’ll start with “Dirty Pretty Things” was very good. Fair start?

Now on to actual details, to let people know what in the world I read and why anyone else should care to read it.

The author of the collection is Michael Faudet. I first discovered Faudet’s writing on Tumblr while scrolling through my feed.

I had never read anything of his before and his poem “A Question for Anna” caught my attention. It was only one line long, so perhaps it still falls under the category of prose.

It read, “Do you know what a palindrome is Madam?”

I couldn’t decipher what it was about this line that caught my attention, but I think it had to do with how clever it was. Madam, obviously falling under an example of a palindrome, completing the cheeky joke.

From there I kept reading Faudet’s work on his blog and eventually received “Dirty Pretty Things” for Christmas.

Let’s start with the introduction, which was interesting and odd in all the best ways. Instead of a regular run of the mill insight on the work of the author, the intro talked about the book “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

The importance of this was to describe the significance of the story to Faudet and his girlfriend and poet Lang Leav, who wrote the introduction. I enjoyed this candid insight to the relationship of the two writers because it laid the groundwork for possible inspirations behind the fantastical and dream-like voice the author has.

A majority of the poetry and writing is quite short, sometimes two or three lines long and nothing over four pages.

The reoccurring theme of Faudet’s writing is the overwhelming array of emotions that occur when one falls in love.

From the initial sexual interest, to the heartbreaking realizations of loving someone who doesn’t love you back, “Dirty Pretty Things” gives an honest look into the mind of a male speaker who is completely enthralled by his female muse.

A strong point for me was Faudet’s daring attempt at expressing characters’ sexual encounters with one another. He wrote with such whimsy, that the eroticism of it all nearly came across as some kind of dream. With characters dancing from bed to bed with nothing to worry about but his or her pleasure.
The only downside to this was at times the overuse of the words “fu*king” and “panties,” and “sex” tended to drag the writing down, and left a tackiness to some of the later poems.

I wouldn’t say this book is for everyone, as it often teeters back and forth from erotic to tooth-achingly sweet. I also could have done without the clichéd rhyming that occasionally popped up, and a few of the poems were just too short for me to pull meaning from.

But if looking at the work as a whole, I think Faudet created a clever and unique look at modern love. I appreciated his portrayal of characters who didn’t shy away from their sexual desires, and weren’t afraid to openly cry tears of joy and pain.

In addition, the way the words on the page were displayed visually were quite beautiful. I would absolutely read Faudet’s writing in the future, and would be interested in reading Lang Leav’s as she has spoken of her writing being inspired by Faudet.

The force has awoken, a little too easily

By: Conner Williams 
Editor in Chief

ATTENTION: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS, BUT SOME MAJOR PLOT POINTS HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY OMITTED

I’d like to start this review off by saying that I am a huge “Star Wars” fan; I bought my ticket to see “The Force Awakens” for the first showing available minutes after they went on sale. My friends and I arrived to the theater more than three hours early and hung out discussing our theories until the lights dimmed and our hearts began to race with anticipation.

I was utterly amazed. “The Force Awakens” was a roller coaster of emotions for me, filled with nostalgic moments and ones of sadness. I walked out of the theater in true awe, for one of my favorite series was back. I saw it again a second time days later, and loved it even more. But it wasn’t until the third time I saw it that I was able to put my crazed fanboy sense of pride aside and look at the movie for what it truly is.

Look, I liked the movie. The filmmakers used plenty of great props and costumes rather than CGI, which I thought was fantastic. It did a great job of providing viewers and long-time fans with plenty of nostalgic, emotional scenes that reminded us why we loved the series in the first place.

But that’s just the thing: I don’t need a reminder of why I love the series; I already know why I do. I wanted something new, something innovative, not the same plot with new characters and special effects.
And let’s be honest, things were way too easy for Rey. She goes from some nobody scavenger on a desert planet to one of the most powerful force users in the galaxy in a matter of hours (assuming the film’s plot occurs over the course of a day or two), pulling Jedi mind tricks without even knowing what they were beforehand, and beating a trained force-user in lightsaber combat (yes, I know he was injured, but I still find it hard to believe she got off without a scratch).

I also thought the film was a bit too comedic in some scenes that ought not to have been made funny. Kylo Ren gets informed of bad news and then throws a temper tantrum? All that does is make him seen less menacing. Now we have a laughable bad guy. The new droid (BB-8) served its purpose of comedic relief, but it seemed like there was just too much of it. “Star Wars” is traditionally lighthearted, but there are some aspects, like powerful force feats and all-powerful bad guys, that just should have been taken more seriously.

3 out of 4 paws.

Baker Street boys return

By: Conner Williams 
Editor in Chief

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: BBC’s “Sherlock” is one of the greatest television shows in history.

Each episode seems to be more cleverly written than the last, and this one takes the cake by a waterfall.

The long-anticipated special episode entitled “The Abominable Bride,” which fans were told is a standalone and is separate from the series, took us back to the origin of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch, “Star Trek: Into Darkness”) and John Watson (Martin Freeman, “The Hobbit”): Victorian-era London.

Complete with wonderful costumes and time-period props, the episode takes us back to the time when it all began, when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle conceived the brilliant crime-solving duo that has inspired countless detective narratives for more than 100 years.

The game is afoot as Holmes and Watson take on yet another seemingly incomprehensible case of murder and mystery. A woman dressed in a bride’s gown is spotted on a balcony shooting at multiple people before she turns the gun on herself. Then, hours later, she is reported by a police inspector to have murdered her husband in cold blood. How could she, whom had just committed suicide hours before, have killed this man?

Reluctantly sporting his trademark cap at the insistence of Watson’s words, “You’re Sherlock Holmes, wear the damn hat!” Holmes unravels the mystery thread by thread only to reveal that it isn’t what he thought it was; it’s something much greater, a resemblance to a case that has haunted him for years. No, Holmes must solve this case in order to solve another, a case that has baffled him and left his mind twisted from the day it happened.

I absolutely love the way that “Sherlock” episodes twist and turn all over the place, keeping me guessing as to where they are going next. This particular episode took me down a winding path that kept showing me what appeared to be the end of the road, but was actually yet another twist.

“Elementary, my dear Watson,” as Sherlock would so often tell his faithful companion as he tried to keep his bearings during the case. I felt similarly to Watson as I tried to keep up with the constant barrage of unexpected surprises this episode had in store.

The fourth season of “Sherlock” is, regrettably, tentatively scheduled to premiere sometime in the beginning of 2017.

If you missed “The Abominable Bride,” you can catch it again on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. on PBS, or you can stream it online at pbs.org/masterpiece beginning Jan. 11.
Did you miss me?

Space fights never felt so good

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

This movie kind of transcends the need for a review. I guess the only reason you might want to read criticism is if you wanted to know if it goes the way of the much-maligned prequels.

Ladies and gentlemen, it does not.

“The Force Awakens” is really great.

The thing about the prequels is that George Lucas wanted to make “Star Wars” different. He wanted to move it beyond the lighthearted, action-packed, Saturday morning serial-inspired films that they were by introducing diplomacy and trade negotiations. While those things can be engaging and exciting (see: the “Star Trek” TV shows), they’re not Star Wars.

This is what is great about “The Force Awakens:” it is made by people who grew up with the original Star Wars, and they know what made it so near and dear to their hearts. The fact is, it doesn’t take itself or its world terribly seriously, and doesn’t try to be hard sci-fi or an adult political drama. It’s a story of ACTION and ADVENTURE in SPACE! It’s got massive spaceship dogfights! It’s got adorable robots! It’s got battles with SWORDS MADE OF LIGHT! It’s full of wisecracking, swashbuckling heroes! It’s fun! It’s space fantasy of the highest degree! The original trilogy was awesome then, and it is awesome now. THIS is why. THIS is what “The Force Awakens” remembers about Star Wars, and what it executes with perfection.

All the series newcomers turn in excellent performances. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega’s Rey and Finn are characters that I will follow anywhere through the galaxy. Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is an intriguing new masked villain. Seeing the familiar faces of the original trilogy was a delight. I loved everything about this movie.

I would have said that this is a movie near exclusively for fans of the series, based on a great deal of humor coming from references to the previous films, but then a friend of mine who had never seen any Star Wars loved it. This is the sign of a good reboot. Totally enjoyable and accessible by newcomers to the franchise, but dripping with fanservice for those who have stuck with it all this time. I applaud all those involved with “The Force Awakens;” I think you did us longtime Star Wars fans proud, and created many, many new ones in the process.

Now, a franchise as big as Star Wars is going to have people going to the theatre, many of whom are longtime fans, who hate the movie before they walk in. At this point in its release, you, dear reader, have probably heard them espousing their bitter opinions. I would like to recommend that you don’t listen to those people and go see the movie for yourself. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t, but don’t let someone who hates movies tell you to hate this one.

But as for my verdict, “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” is really, really great. If you haven’t seen it already, ohmygod do it now.

Jessica Jones” hits hard on Netflix

By: Ashton Newton 
Staff Writer

Earlier this year, Marvel’s cinematic universe got a new hero with Netflix’s original “Daredevil,” which added to the world of the Avengers with a darker, adult tone.

On Nov. 20, the follow-up, “Jessica Jones,” was released on Netflix to add to the new street-wise line-up.

These shows are two of four planned, with “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist” coming at a later date, that will ultimately lead to The Defenders being formed and getting their own show.

Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter, “Breaking Bad”) is an alcoholic private investigator with super strength and the power to jump really high as she tracks down her enemy Kilgrave (David Tennant, “Doctor Who”), who has the terrifying power of mind control.

Along the way, Jessica gets help from some familiar Marvel faces including Luke Cage and her best friend, Patsy Walker.

I personally loved the show. I enjoyed seeing how the reality of the Marvel cinematic universe isn’t truly all Asgardian rainbows and Avengers towers, and how people with abilities leave devastation and pain behind.

It is definitely a dark show, aimed at adults, but I think as a comic fan, and a fan of superhero movies, it was an extremely rewarding watch.

One of the coolest factors of the show is that being on the streets of New York with this super powered character shows that the citizens in Marvel’s cinematic universe are beginning to open up and accept the fact that there are people with abilities among them.

I think this is especially important to show with characters like Spiderman, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel being introduced into the universe soon.

The trailer was also released last week for the next Captain America movie, “Civil War,” which will be released in May of 2016.

The movie shows how a new piece of legislation limiting the powers of the Avengers and other people with super hero abilities divides our protagonists into two opposing sides.

It will be interesting to see if the repercussions of the movie affect Marvel’s street-level heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones as well.

“Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil” are both streaming on Netflix now, with “Daredevil” season 2 and “Luke Cage” coming in 2016.

Unconventional Christmas movies

In Bruges
By Declan Hertel, Entertainment Editor

Two Irish hitmen are ordered to hide out in Bruges, Belgium after a job goes horribly wrong. This sounds like a terribly un-Christmas film, I know. But beyond the movie taking place during Christmas, it has several elements of the Nativity story in it: a couple can’t find a place to stay to see out the trial ahead of them and it centers around the fate of a young boy, to name two.
The pretty Christmas-y themes of redemption, forgiveness, and selflessness make up the fabric of the narrative, and as characters talk about the charming, beautiful Bruges being a “fairy tale town,” the film, which starts in absolute realism, becomes more and more like a fairy tale.
A fairy tale full of guns, blood, and about one profanity per sentence spoken, but a fairy tale nonetheless.
While it’s not “about” Christmas, Christmas is the foundation “In Bruges” is built on. It’s currently streaming on Netflix. Spike your nog and check it out.

Edward Scissorhands
By Darien Campo, Staff Writer

If you’re looking for an unconventional Christmas film to celebrate the holidays, look no further than the 1990 classic “Edward Scissorhands,” which is truly one of the oddest films I’ve ever seen.
The story revolves around a young man (Johnny Depp) constructed by an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price.) Before he can finish his creation, the inventor passes away and leaves the young man in an incomplete state — with a collection of scissors in place of his hands (don’t think about it too much).
The protagonist finds himself dragged into a bright, pastel-colored suburban paradise where everyone knows everyone else and rumors travel quickly. He finds it hard to fit into suburbia (what with the aforementioned scissors for hands) but manages to fall in love with a beautiful young woman (Winona Ryder). As the Christmas season approaches, tensions rise and Edward’s new life is threatened.
Tim Burton brings us a delightfully out of place character who’s fun to watch, and easy to relate to.
Edward has one of the biggest hearts in cinema, and is easy to love (even with scissors for hands).

Gremlins
By Stephanie Blair, Photo Editor

Nothing screams “the holidays” like a 1980s mom defending her kitchen against green-blooded demons, so if you’re into that kind of thing, go ahead and throw “Gremlins” in the VCR.
Set in Kingston Falls, U.S.A, “Gremlins” is the story of a kid named Billy trying to support his family while his eccentric father hacks it as an inventor. Billy works at the bank with Kate, a quiet, pretty girl he has a crush on.
There’s also an evil old lady with bad eyebrows; a crazy, racist neighbor; and Billy’s faithful, but mischievous dog, Barney.
It’s a cute family movie taking place just before Christmas. And then things get weird.
Billy’s father gives him a Mogwai, a little three-fingered, Furbie-looking creature that has three strict rules:
No bright lights- sunlight will kill him. Don’t get him wet. Never feed him after midnight.
After accidentally breaking the second two rules, Gremlins begin to wreak havoc on the town.
It’s the perfect holiday-family-horror film. Christmas spirit, young love, and murder by microwave; who could ask for more?

Board games for the holidays

By: Declan Hertel
 Entertainment Editor

Families often play games at Christmas, and they are often dull. I am here to save you from the holiday gaming blues with some great, inexpensive games to bring the family together.

“Gloom: Second Edition” – For telling all-new dark Christmas stories.

“Gloom” is a fun little card game with a Tim Burton/Edward Gorey feel, wherein you preside over a family of Victorian miscreants and deadbeats and make them as miserable as possible before sending them to the grave.

Most of the fun of the game is making up stories about exactly how Lord Wellington-Smythe came to be “Cursed by the Queen,” and then “Beaten by Beggars.”

If your family doesn’t have the dark and wicked sense of humor the game wants, try “Once Upon a Time,” which has similar storytelling bits, but in the vein of fairy tales. Both are $20.

“Forbidden Desert” – For uniting the family in perilous times.

Your airship has crashed while on an expedition! Rebuild it and escape before you’re swallowed up by the Forbidden Desert! This cooperative exploration game demands teamwork to recover the lost parts of your vessel.

Each character has a different set of abilities, and finding the best strategy to utilize them and get home safely is key to getting home, along with efficiently and quickly exploring the desert as the sandstorm rages on. No one gets left out because everyone has to help out.

With planning, patience, and a little luck, you just might make it out alive. $20 – $25.
“Bang!” – For when the figgy pudding hits the fan.

Tensions can run high around the holidays, and sometimes you just need a good old shootout to get back on track. “Bang!” is a card game that simulates the gun battles at high noon from old “spaghetti western” movies.

The Sheriff and his Deputies have got to eliminate all the Outlaws and the Renegade, the Outlaws need to kill all the lawmen, and the Renegade needs to be the last man standing.

The catch is: no one knows who’s who. Watch carefully and take notes, because when the lead starts flying you just might catch some!

If you’re looking for a simpler, cheaper shootout game, you can’t go wrong with “Poo,” wherein zoo monkeys fling poo at each other. It’s quick, dirty, and a lot of fun.

“Bang!” is $25, “Poo” is $10.

“The Good Dinosaur” review

By: Declan Hertel
Entertainment Editor

Pixar’s latest film, “The Good Dinosaur,” is a curious little piece. It’s quite a good little piece, but it is definitely curious.

It holds the distinction of being the second Pixar film this year; “Inside Out,” which was released in June, was great, but this is a first for Pixar, who has never released more than one film in a single year.

It’s clearly a “kids’ movie,” as opposed to a “great kid-friendly movie,” like the rest of Pixar’s repertoire. It’s an intriguing step for Pixar, especially as we look ahead to their faster release schedule for the coming years.

Firstly, let me say that “The Good Dinosaur” is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The vibrant landscapes, the fluidity of movement, the detail on the characters, it’s all stunning.

I mentioned two weeks ago that “Toy Story” still looks really good 20 years later, and it does, but it looks like a B-grade student project next to “The Good Dinosaur.”

There’s hardly a frame in this movie that couldn’t stand on its own merit, visually speaking.

But this leads us to one of the curiosities: sometimes the movie comes off as experimental in animations that were strung together to create a movie.

This is reinforced by the episodic structure of the movie; it’s more of a series of islands than an A-to-B progression, highlighting that this might not have been a grand-concept picture from the get-go like “Finding Nemo” or “The Incredibles.”

This method of storytelling is not inherently a bad thing at all, and actually makes for an interesting feel for “The Good Dinosaur,” which is to say that it is is a “boy and his dog” story in the American South, but with dinosaurs.

This is weird, but ultimately really cool, and allows southern baritone Sam Elliott (the narrator in “The Big Lebowski”) to voice a giant T. Rex, which is just tops.

Elliot’s character, Butch, brings up another strange part of “The Good Dinosaur:” it couldn’t decide how grown-up it wanted to be.

It had all the goofy antics one would expect from a movie like this, but also features, among other moments, Butch telling a story about how he drowned a crocodile in its own blood.

There were several moments that could be genuinely unsettling to a small child, and several were unsettling to me (though the child two rows behind me seemed to thoroughly enjoy the movie).

It’s almost unfortunate that Pixar has such a great overall track record: we expect greatness from them now, so a film like “The Good Dinosaur” that is just “solid” will likely get overlooked. It’s definitely worth a watch, but it is especially worth your time if you’re a diehard Pixar fan like your faithful author.

It keeps that innovative spirit that Pixar is known for, yet features many “kid flick” clichés. It feels familiar, yet is a fundamentally different movie than they have ever released before. It’s greater than the sum of its parts, but in an odd way.

All I know for sure is that it’s immensely interesting. Watch it, and if you see me around, let’s talk about it.

“Toy Story” Turns 20

By: Declan Hertel 
Entertainment Editor

We all know you’ve got to grow old, but growing up is dumb and you shouldn’t do it.

One school of thought would be perturbed by finding out that “Toy Story,” Pixar Animation’s first feature-length film, turns 20 years old on Nov. 22. But I think that the upcoming anniversary is a perfect opportunity to rewatch it for the zillionth time, and revel once more in what is both one of the best pieces of animation in history, and an indelible part of this generation’s childhood.

A solid percentage of my childhood memorabilia is “Toy Story” related. I still have all my Woody and Buzz Lightyear dolls and action figures, and every year the first item I put on the Christmas tree is a Sheriff Woody ornament.

One of my best friends has Woody and Buzz shoes and a big poster of the alien toys on her bedroom wall, and I have met a great many people with similar stories. “Toy Story” is a big deal for a lot of people.

But why? Why does this tale of talking toys still resonate so deeply with the babies of the mid-nineties?

Maybe because we had it while our brains were in their earliest stages of development, and it is thus etched into them. Maybe because after all the amazing technological advancements of the past few years, “Toy Story” still looks freaking fantastic.

Both of those things apply, but I think it has endured for another reason, one that I talked about in regards to Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” some time ago: it speaks to you in different, powerful ways depending on/no matter how old you are.

As a child, I watched it with glee, and imagined my own toys coming to life and having adventures. During my adolescence, I watched it and saw memories of a simpler, more imaginative time. Now as a twenty-something, I watch it and appreciate how honest and heartfelt the movie is.

My parents watch it and appreciate that a piece of children’s entertainment is so sophisticated and enjoyable to adults (not to mention the “growing up” theme of the later installments: my mother and I both openly wept during “Toy Story 3”).

I will always welcome Toy Story’s anniversaries: it’s another excuse to see what else it holds for the new phase of my life I find myself in. And now I’m going to watch it again.

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