The NBA Finals Playoff series is set to start in Oakland on Thursday, June 4 with tipoff at 6 p.m. PST. The Golden State Warriors are favored to win the series with in-form Stephen Curry coming in off the back of game three against the Rockets where he broke the record for most three-pointers scored in a playoff season at 67 and counting. Klay Thompson is also heating up for the Warriors sinking 20 points in the final game against the Rockets. This is the Warriors first finals appearance since their last NBA title win in 1975.
The Cavaliers and Lebron James are arriving to the big stage battered and bruised. With at least four players experiencing day-to-day injuries (including James), the Cavs played one less game but are still feeling the physical side. This didn’t stop James’ trophy-hunting side from putting up a triple-double in the overtime game three, and a respectable 23 points in game four against the Atlanta Hawks. Looking for a boost, Kyrie Irving returned to the starting line-up after missing two games and posted an efficient 16 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
Games are expensive. This is the sad truth of all gaming, be it video, board, or roleplaying: it is a costly hobby. However, efforts to make gaming more accessible have been made.
For video games, Valve (Team Fortress 2, Portal) has the Steam platform, a program that allows users to buy and download games, along with providing support for multiplayer gaming and a social network based around games.
Steam is known for its massive sales, especially during the winter and summer, where they mark down every game on their marketplace by a significant percentage and offer bigger deals on popular games day to day. But these huge sales are rare, and gamers are still on the lookout for cheap games.
Enter the Humble Bundle. Every few weeks on humblebundle.com, a bundle of games is put up for sale, and customers can pay what they want for them. You must pay at least $1, but the more you pay, the more you get.
The Humble Bundle typically offers several tiers of games; the first tier is “pay-what-you-want,” and the second tier requires that you beat the average price (at the time of this writing, the current Bundle has an average of $5.51).
The second tier is generally where the better, more well-known games lie. Relatively recently, Humble Bundle introduced more tiers with fixed prices for a third tier, generally around $15-$20 to get the biggest name games in the bundle. If you pay their highest asking price, you’ll receive all the games from every tier, often getting $250+ worth of games for $20.
“How could this possibly be,” you say? Well, dear reader, it can be because it is for charity.
The proceeds are split between the game developers and one or more charities, which have included Child’s Play, a charity that provides gaming consoles to children’s hospitals; Electronic Frontier Foundation, a “non-profit digital rights group”; Charity: Water, which provides clean drinking water to developing nations, and the American Red Cross, among many others.
Customers are given the opportunity to split their money between the developers and the charities however they want, with a default 10 percent going to charity.
When I first heard about the Humble Bundle, after the initial excitement of 10 games for a dollar, I thought, “How could this possibly be a success? Why doesn’t everyone just give the minimum and be done?”
It turns out that many people are very charitable indeed, even when it would be very easy not to be. In the current bundle, the total amount given (with six days left at the time of this writing) is $462,963.85, and the biggest donation is $1,000.
Since its start in 2010, the Humble Bundle has also introduced Weekly Bundles, Book Bundles, Mobile Bundles for Android, and the Humble Store, which functions like the Steam store, but with a charitable angle.
Humble Bundle is a service that is well worth taking advantage of. You get your cheap games, and the rest of the world gets a little bit brighter. I think the world would do well with more such services, but for now, Humble Bundle will do.
Literature can be an escape from everyday life, a place to retreat from reality. And yet, for many, these retreats are not as accommodating- or as representative–as they should be.
In 2012, Roxane Gay, writing for the Rumpus, surveyed books reviewed by the New York Times in 2011. She discovered that 90 percent of these books were written by white authors.
“That is not even remotely reflective of the racial makeup of this country,” Gay said, “where 72 percent of the population, according to the 2010 census, is white.” In addition, nearly 67 percent of the books were written by men.
It’s not just in adult books that this lack of diversity is found. Also in 2012, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) did a survey of 3,600 books for children. Of all these books, only 7.5 percent were about non-white characters.
CCBC also reports that, over the last two decades, the percentage of children’s books written by or about people of color has remained near 10 percent, instead of the 37 percent that would more accurately reflect the population of the United States.
However, CCBC’s data indicates that the percentage of these books rose in 2014, up from 10 percent to 14 percent. It’s a small step, but still in the right direction.
There are improvements in other areas as well. According to Diversity in YA, at http://www.diversityinya.com, 47 LGBTQ+ books were published by mainstream publishers in 2014, a 59 percent increase from 2013, a number is still distressingly small considering the huge volume of books published every year.
And yet, like the percentages on racial diversity, the numbers are improving.
There are organizations that strive to take progress even farther. One such organization is the We Need Diverse Books Campaign, created in 2014 as a result of the lack of diversity in literature, especially in books directed towards young people.
On their website, http://weneeddiversebooks.org, the campaign defines itself as an organization that “advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.”
Representation is, as the We Need Diverse Books Campaign says, essential. Even aside from the desire to see oneself reflected in the pages of a book, diversity in literature, especially in books directed towards children and young adults, can teach empathy and self-confidence.
Better representations gives readers a broader, and more accurate, view of the world. Diversity is also something that anyone can contribute to. Through readers purchasing diverse books and encouraging better representation, the publishing industry can be directed towards literature that better represents all readers.
In sharp contrast to my colleague Nathaniel, I hated “Mad Max: Fury Road.” I hated it because it was a perfect action film and, therefore, has ruined all other action films for me.
I didn’t know that movie genres could be won, but “Mad Max: Fury Road” has won action films.
I couldn’t look away for a second. “Mad Max” is, for my money, the most visually beautiful film since 2009’s “Avatar.” The vibrant orange and blue color palette brings the wasteland to life, deftly avoiding the brown deluge that often plagues post-apocalyptia.
Every element of the world — from the absurdly dangerous automobiles to the religious fervor of the War Boys; even the bungee-suspended, pajama-wearing flamethrower-operator/war-guitarist (take a second to absorb that) — just feels… right.
Without exaggeration, I say even the weakest action sequence in the film is far and away better than any other I’ve seen recently. Every scrap is executed with complete abandon, reveling in the madness without a care in the world; it’s an attitude best expressed by Nux during an utterly unhinged battle sequence: “What a day! What a LOVELY day! “
Have yourself a “lovely day” at the cinema. Go see “Mad Max.”
Western’s student-run campus radio station KWOU now has an official app available through the Apple iTunes Store.
The app, called “KWOU: Western Oregon Radio,” is free to download, and features common radio and podcast app features, such as “Listen Now” and “The DJs,” the latter of which gives a rundown of the station’s 20 DJs and shows, including Space Legs, Renegade Riley, and Domination Nation.
“It has been a long process to finally get it out,” said KWOU Station Manager Iain Dexter. “But, we appreciate the work that Bruin Mobile from UCLA has done to help get this out. I am extremely excited to finally have the app ready for students and the Monmouth community to download and make access to our station much easier.”
“Weekly Schedule,” “Events,” and instant connection to KWOU’s various social media platforms are also available through the app, as well as information on how to get involved with the radio station, a part of Western’s student media.
The app requires iOS 7.0 or later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
“I’m looking forward to seeing KWOU grow through this introduction to mobile devices, which is what most people use to listen to music and the radio” said Clara Pratt, KWOU’s technical engineer.
KWOU joins Abby’s House as the two student-led organizations on campus with apps available through the iTunes Store.
“With any new technology, there are always initial kinks to work out,” Dexter said. “Currently, we are updating information, but you’ll always have access to our music and shows.”
In addition to the app, listeners can access KWOU at wou.edu/kwou.
The surge in indie games has brought with it a new genre of game: interactive slapstick. Funny games used to be games where you do a thing, someone says a joke, repeat. While those games still exist in fine form (“Portal 2” is a prime example), there is a new sort of comedy game that derives humor from its physics or controls.
Below is a list of very fine examples of the genre, and all come with high recommendations from me.
“Surgeon Simulator 2013”
This game is an example of an absurd control scheme used for humorous effect. In “SS2013,” you must perform complex surgeries with the use of only one hand.
The arm and hand are controlled with the mouse, and each of the fingers and the thumb are operated with the A, W, E, R, and Spacebar keys on your keyboard.
Picking up a scalpel becomes a gargantuan task, never mind using it to any great effect.
On more than one occasion, I’ve taken the heart I’m to transplant and accidentally thrown it full force into the patient’s face and watched it fall to the floor, never to be seen again. After many failed attempts, I finally completed the operation by removing everything from the man’s chest cavity and plopping the heart in. This is good enough in “Surgeon Simulator.”
“Goat Simulator”
The other main type of interactive slapstick comes from odd usages of physics. The developers of “Goat Simulator” left in every bug and glitch that didn’t crash the game, created a monster that plays like a demented “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” awarding points for tricks and stunts like running up walls, getting thrown across the map by a speeding truck, or knocking over a crowd of people by headbutting some poor sap into them.
That’s all you do; run around the map and cause mayhem as a goat. And it somehow never gets old. Every time you fire it up, you find some new way to mess with everything.
“Octodad: Dadliest Catch”
“Octodad,” a fusion of the above two methods of interactive slapstick, is a heartwarming game by Young Horse Inc. about a suburban father trying to be the best dad and best husband that he can possibly be while keeping his dark secret safe from the world, and even from his family; his secret being that he is, in fact, an octopus.
The player must guide the titular cephalopod through simple activities, like making breakfast, while controlling each of his super-elastic limbs individually.
But you also have a secret to keep, so you must fight against your rubbery appendages and try to accomplish these mundane tasks as mundanely as possible.
You’ll be doing well, walking around the kitchen, making small talk with your family, and then one false move later you’ve thrown the milk across the kitchen, and then as you go to retrieve it you knock over some chairs, and that sends your leg flying into the air and you flip into the wall, and after much hilarious flailing, you finally deliver a bowl of cereal to your daughter, who thanks you wholeheartedly. And all is right.
Next week, Western’s department of theatre and dance will hold open auditions for its summer outdoor production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
Director David Janoviak will cast a combination of student and community actors in Shakespeare’s classic pastoral comedy. Parts for approximately 12 men and six women will be available.
The auditions will consist of an optional prepared Shakespearean monologue as well as cold readings from the script. No preparation is necessary to audition, but a familiarity of the play is highly recommended.
Audition dates are Friday, May 15 from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, May 16 from 12 to 3 p.m. in the Math / Nursing Building, room 108.
The play will rehearse Monday through Friday evenings (6-9:30 p.m.) beginning on June 22 and will perform from July 30 through Aug. 1 on the outdoor stage adjacent to Rice Auditorium.
The part of Jaques is precast. All other parts are available.
“As You Like It” is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, and features the famous phrase “all the world’s a stage.” It tells the story of Rosalind and Celia, cousins who run away to the Forest of Arden, where they find true love.
For more information, please contact Professor David Janoviak (Director) at 503-559-1551 / janovid@wou.edu
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[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-two-one” title=”Fed Up”]
By Jenna Beresheim
Staff Writer
Looking for a non-shaming, obesity-epidemic-blasting documentary? Look no further than “Fed Up” by Stephanie Soechtig.
Narrated by Katie Couric and averaging a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, this documentary is well-made and definitely worth the watch. Plus it is free on Netflix.
Popcorn and soda pop not included, but at only an hour and a half, snackage will not be required.
Unlike some other marathon movies that require pre-apocalyptic hoarding to survive to credits, this documentary will be over in a blink. And may even make you re-consider those sugary snacks.
“The message that’s been pushed on us: it’s your fault you’re fat,” Dr. Mark Hyman, the chairman for the Institute for Functional Medicine said, in regards to the obesity epidemic in America:
“Forget about it.”
Top scientists and board members across the country in all forms of public health take a stand to break long-standing problems in the way we view health, debunking myths such as calories are calories, regardless of what form they are in, as well as what it really means to balance diet and exercise.
Instead, the focus is on sugar and how exactly it works in the body — even going so far as to compare junk food companies to tobacco companies.
Following the lives of several children suffering from zobesity, the viewer gets a more personal view of the daily struggles of those who are overweight and cannot seem to break away from it.
No matter how hard these children try, what they do is not working. Until they begin making the “right” changes to their daily life.
Unlike some documentaries, this film does not force the facts upon the viewer or demand a strict allegiance to their cause be made. Instead, “Fed Up” focuses on the facts and providing information, encouraging the public to reduce sugar intake, backing it up with all the right reasons. For those who wish to make the change to their lifestyle, this documentary offers a 10 day sugar-free challenge to break the habit.
FOUR OUT OF FOUR PAWS
[/fruitful_ibox]
[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-two-one” title=”Avengers: Age of Ultron” last=”true”]By Declan Hertel
Staff Writer
In the first 10 minutes of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Captain America (Chris Evans) does a high-speed endo on a motorcycle, launches into a front-flip, and throws the motorcycle into a Hydra troop truck that spectacularly explodes upon impact. This is utterly ridiculous; it is also TOTALLY AWESOME.
Those two words are the core of “Age of Ultron,” Joss Whedon’s final foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I saw this movie at a midnight showing during its opening weekend, and throughout the entire movie the audience was laughing and cheering as the punches flew, the lasers pew-pewed, and the Hulk smashed everything.
The fight choreography is without flaw and everyone gets their chance to be the butt-kicking action hero. And oh boy, do butts get kicked: “Age of Ultron” takes the over-the-top stylized violence of the first “Avengers” film and ratchets it up to 11, and then says “nah, man, we can go higher.”
The film starts out at “Nuts” with the fight in a European forest that includes the aforementioned motorcycle stunt and keeps pushing until it hits “Completely Freaking Bonkers” in the third act. I won’t spoil any other fight scenes; you’ll thank me.
Joss Whedon is well known for the one-liners and rapier wit he brings to his scripts, and he is on top of his game here. Every character packs as many quips as they can into the 141 minute runtime; they are almost all hilarious, and the ones that aren’t are worth a chuckle.
Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye delivers my favorite of the film right in the middle of the climactic battle, which ought to be a pleasant surprise to anyone who saw the first “Avengers,” where Hawkeye was pretty boring.
To be honest, Hawkeye steals the show. Ultron (a masterful voice performance by James Spader) may have his name in the title, but Hawkeye’s subplot and improved characterization really lend the film its emotional heart.
The addition of a romantic subplot involving Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) made me skeptical at first, but Whedon’s writing and the performances of Ruffalo and Johansson sealed the deal, and I was on board. Well done, Mr. Whedon. Well done.
My only real complaint about the movie is that when you’re driving a behemoth of a story at maximum overdrive as this movie does, bits are bound to fall off. There are a number of small happenings in the movie that are never explained and come off as useless. Whether they actually are or they’re foreshadowing the next phase of the MCU, it’s irritating.
That said, this only mattered to me after the movie was over, and I wiped the doofy smile from my face.
In all honesty, if you’ve liked the MCU so far, you’ll love “Age of Ultron.” If you hate the MCU, you’ll likely hate this too. But if you’re just looking for two hours of plain old escapism, you can’t do much better than this.
THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FOUR PAWS[/fruitful_ibox][/fruitful_ibox_row]
Oregon is known for waffling weather patterns and stubborn residents who refuse umbrellas or the cancellation of plans. If you find yourself amongst the list of friends willing to trek to the beach regardless of the time or weather, below is a rough list of activities to get you out of Monmouth and those daily doldrums.
For those tenacious trail travelers, Oregon holds hundreds of hiking options. If waterfalls are on the menu, try Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls, Sweet Creek Falls, or the ever-popular Silver Falls. Hankering for History?
Jacksonville hosts recently acquired parklands through a gold-mining town, while Cape Disappointment holds a museum along the same trail members of the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled.
Trails are certainly not the only outdoor option in Oregon. The Oregon Caves in Cave Junction are a great opportunity to unleash the inner spelunker. The coast is always a free option with a scenic drive, while also hosting options for those willing to spend a few bucks, such as the Newport Aquarium. For those animal lovers, The
World’s Largest Petting Zoo in Bandon may be a better option. Or for an up-close-and-personal experience with wild animals, try out the Wildlife Safari in Winston.
With Portland only an hour away, the bustling city is great for an all-day stay or a quick walkthrough. Stop by Little Big Burger for affordable, delicious bites while grabbing Voodoo Doughnuts for dessert. If it happens to be the first Thursday of the month, all art galleries will be open and free to the public for First Thursday. Voicebox Karaoke is another popular spot, but for the introverts, Powell’s is also a quick jaunt away.
To support local communities while also getting to shop wares and farm-grown produce, pop into a Saturday Market. Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, and Portland are all great for a morning expedition that will not eat up the rest of the day. Knock out grocery shopping in a vibrant, friendly community while promoting self-sustaining family farms.
Considering imbibing in true college spirit? Impress your friends with an extensive knowledge of liquors by visiting breweries within the state. The Bend Ale Trail boasts 14 breweries and comes with a handy pamphlet for a “self-guided” experience. Brewvana is hosted out of Portland seven days a week in multiple forms: walking tours, bus tours, and private tours.
For something a little closer to home, The Coin Jam in Salem is a 21 and over arcade and grill. The Oregon Garden in Silverton stretches out in 80 acres of botanical glory, but for a smaller-scale feel, Lavender Lake Farms is a mere 2 miles away on Highway 99.
In the end, Oregon has a little something for anyone and everyone, no matter what weather the state throws at us. In true Oregonian fashion, dress in layers and prepare for minute-to-minute shifts in the elements—don’t let Mother Nature tell you what to do with your weekend.
The relatively recent explosion of independent video game development has given the world many great games that AAA developers like Activision and Microsoft Studios wouldn’t spend their time and money on making. Some of these indie passion projects have become beloved, critically lauded favorites among gamers, such as “Braid,” “Super Meat Boy,” and the best-selling PC game of all time, Markus Persson’s “Minecraft.”
With this freedom of expression, many indie developers create games that fill specific, obscure niches. One of these niche-filling games is Squad’s “Kerbal Space Program,” which officially left Early Access after over four years and released version 1.0 early this week. “KSP” is a game where the player runs a NASA-like space program, constructing spacecraft to be manned by little green men called Kerbals and launching them into orbit, or the far reaches of the solar system.
While the concept is a simple one, the game itself is anything but. The piecing together of a space-worthy vessel is a daunting task: you are given a huge menu of pieces and parts that you must assemble into a vehicle that will not only leave the ground, but break through the atmosphere and reach the stars.
Many players never get past this stage (either for frustration, or they’re like me and just like to watch things explode), but those that do are in for a greater challenge: flying the thing. Squad has spent years perfecting their physics simulation, from air resistance to gravity and even the nitty-gritty bits I can’t pretend to understand. All the realities of space travel are working against you as you reach for the stars. And it’s really difficult to get there.
So how has the game captured the imagination and acclaim of so many gamers? For one, the game is very scientifically accurate. While Squad does not pretend that the game is 100 percent faithful to reality, it is very close.
But more so than that, it’s because success is an incredible feeling. The first time you successfully orbit Kerbin (the “Earth” of the game), it’s a huge victory. Then it becomes second nature, so you reach further to the Mun, then even further, to the red sands of Duna, or to the cavern at Moho’s north pole, each time knowing that you are earning these victories.
Every inch gained is a massive achievement. Sometimes even failures result in great gameplay challenges: didn’t have enough fuel to return home from Duna? Mount a rescue mission!
While the base game itself has a great deal of content, a huge modding community offers many additions like highly customizable interfaces, mining capabilities, more planets, and a giant banana to attach to your ship for some reason.
“Kerbal Space Program” has become huge since it first appeared in 2011. Its massive, dedicated player base even includes Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, who said in a Reddit AMA, “Kerbal is awesome.”
If you have even a passing interest in space travel, pick up the demo. If you like the demo, grab the full game, and boldly go where no Kerbal has gone before.
Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their an- nual chance to show off their directing prowess.
Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays. This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.
Natalie Piper, fourth-year se- nior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Strop- pel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.
“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.
The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in
the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gu- rus, and slapstick humor.
“It is the story of a newly married couple and their attempt to get their Zen-Buddhist cousin and roommate out of the house.” Kintz said. “It has been a blast to direct such a talented and versatile group of actors, who re- ally know how to entertain!”
The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn- of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.
“Directing is a strange craft; it re- quires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said. “It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”
This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Audi- torium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to stu- dents with an ID.
For more information, please con- tact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838- 8462.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing a pair of films that, as well as sharing the fact that they are both great movies, share similar themes, chiefly that of the complicated female protagonist on the edge of society. They involve ladies who are loners, who are strange, and are therefore unwelcome strangers to those around them. Before breaking down each film more, I’ll just say this: both are highly recommended, and both are currently playing for a limited time at the incomparable Salem Cinema.
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” 3 paws out of 4
The first word that comes to mind when thinking about this film is “style.” It’s dripping with it. Shot in gorgeous black and white and self-described as “the first Iranian vampire spaghetti western,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is the story of The Girl, a nameless, lonely vampire, played by Iranian-American actress Sheila Vand.
The Girl stalks the streets of Bad City, a small hamlet of perpetual squalor, where there is (among other things) a ditch full of corpses that no one seems to pay much attention to. Newcomer Arash Marandi also stars as a greaser punk who becomes transfixed by The Girl. The cat that plays Arash’s pet cat in the film is also a great performer. The film is based on a graphic novel by Ana Lily Amirpour, who also directed.
In a recent interview with “The Moveable Fest,” Amirpour, when asked why she gravitates towards horror, replied: “Do you think it’s a horror film? If there’s a vampire in the story, you’re in a certain realm. But I think it’s more like a John Hughes film than it is a horror film.”
My only disclaimer is that if you’re put off by black and white movies or by subtitles, do the following: get over it, and go see this movie.
“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” 3 ½ paws out of 4
In 2001, a Japanese woman named Takako Konishi was found dead in a snowy field in Minnesota. According to an article by Paul Berczeller in “The Guardian,” a misunderstanding between Konishi and the local police a few days before her death led to the media believing she had died while looking for the money hidden by Steve Buscemi’s character in the film “Fargo” (in reality, Konishi’s death was ruled a suicide). This led to an urban legend surrounding the event, and that urban legend led to the film “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” which takes this seemingly absurd premise and runs with it, to deeply troubling results.
Directed by David Zellner, the film stars Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi (“Pacific Rim”) as Kumiko, a socially awkward, solitary woman living in Tokyo, who is obsessed with treasure-hunting. On one of her adventures, she discovers a damaged VHS copy of the film “Fargo,” and believes it to be a clue to finding a large stash of money, which Steve Buscemi’s character in the film buries in a field. Convinced of the movie’s authenticity, Kumiko steals her boss’s company credit card and travels to Minnesota to find a treasure that isn’t actually there.
The film does an expert job of sticking with Kumiko, focusing loyally on her quixotic journey, and of making Minnesota feel more foreign to the audience than Tokyo. Like “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Kumiko also features an impressive performance by an animal, this time a pet rabbit named Bunzo.
My disclaimer for this film, the first half of which is entirely subtitled Japanese, is the same: get over it, and go see it
For the past two years, I have regretted not attending the annual drag show. My friends who went always raved about the hilarious and slightly scandalous performances, and I just knew I was missing out on something good.
So this year, when I saw tickets being sold in the Werner Center I immediately purchased one. The theme was “Out of Pandora’s Box,” which I found exciting because of my love for Greek mythology.
The night of the show, the auditorium was packed. I had never attended a drag show before and as I sat in my seat I honestly had no idea what I was in store for. I knew there would be dancing and laughter, but I was not prepared for the magnitude of performances I was about to see.
Drag show advisers and performers, Gabbi Boyle, Joe Hahn, and Yumi Kong, got the crowed pumped up before the show began and encouraged viewers to sing and cheer during the numbers.
The show was narrated by Megan Habermann who told the story of Pandora, a creation of the gods, and how she fell in love with Persephone.
Photo by Shannen Brouner
The first dance number literally blew me away—like eyes glued to the stage and jaw-dropped impressed. The cast was a large ensemble and a majority of the group took the stage during the first number. I was drawn in by the choreography and how in sync all the dancers were. No one missed a beat and everyone on stage gave attitude and flavor to the performance.
I was immediately captivated and found myself shouting out and singing along to the rendition of the Pussycat Doll’s “Buttons” – a personal favorite of my mine.
Apart from the dancing, the storyline was equally as entertaining. I was desperate to know what was going to happen between Pandora and Persephone and what kind of obstacles Hades was going to throw into the mix.
One of my favorite numbers of the night was the performance to the Weather Girl’s “It’s Raining Men.” I wanted to get out of my seat and dance along with the people on stage. I also envied Hera’s ability to dance in heels that I would fall over in if I took two steps. I could not stop myself from singing and cheering, and probably annoying every person who sat around me.
The gods and their descriptions in the show where wonderfully accurate and each actor provided their own twist to the characters. The costumes were another plus to the show. They were bright and eye-catching and helped bring the characters on stage to life.
Overall “Out of Pandora’s Box” kept audience members smiling, singing, and laughing. The show embraced owning one’s sexuality, and the flawless performances proved dedication amongst the performers and crew.
My final words of advice are to get your tickets early next year. The drag show is something you do not want to miss.
Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their annual chance to show off their directing prowess.
Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays.
This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.
Natalie Piper, fourth-year senior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Stroppel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.
“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.
The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gurus, and slapstick humor.
“It is the story of a newly married couple and their attempt to get their Zen-Buddhist cousin and roommate out of the house.” Kintz said. “It has been a blast to direct such a talented and versatile group of actors, who really know how to entertain!”
The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn-of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.
“Directing is a strange craft; it requires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said.
“It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”
This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Auditorium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to students with an ID.
For more information, please contact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838-8462.
Fans of the band Tool have been waiting nine years for a new album. A year after their progressive epic “10,000 Days” was released, the band found themselves embroiled in a long and costly series of lawsuits with their insurance company over the company’s refusal to take care of an artwork dispute.
The resulting eight-year legal circus finally concluded last month, allowing the band members to get back to writing and recording music. There’s no projected release date for the new album, but according to guitarist Adam Jones in an interview with Yahoo Music, the band has 10 songs currently in the works and one already in the can. The band hopes to have the album finished by the end of the year, but won’t rush production just to meet an arbitrary deadline.
I say, good on them: we Tool fans have been waiting a long time for a new record; we’re willing to wait a little longer for something truly worth it.
The news of Tool getting back in the studio for real came just before the 22nd anniversary of their debut LP, 1993’s “Undertow.” I decided to revisit the record to share how it holds up two decades later and perhaps draw new ears to it, though to be honest it was also just a really good excuse to listen to it again (as I write this parenthetical, I am about halfway through my second listen today).
One aspect of “Undertow” that stands out immediately is that Tool’s sound has a subtle similarity to funk. The band has a masterful grasp of “groove.” For a hard progressive/metal band like Tool, a comparison to funk might seem strange, but there are few bands today that rely so much on having a real groove as Tool.
The syncopated rhythms present throughout the entire record would not be out of place on a Parliament/Funkadelic release. Another similarity shared is the prominence of the bass guitar. The aggressive, sharp attack of Paul D’Amour’s basslines gives all the songs a solid bottom line, a sound and technique that would be continued and improved upon by Justin Chancellor after D’Amour’s departure in 1995.
On a similar note to the album’s “grooviness,” “Undertow” is a record that makes me want to get up and move. Not to dance in the way that a radio pop song might inspire, but just to stand up and move around to the music to prove that I’m alive.
The pounding, varied rhythms resonate in the bones, and the deep sound of the instrumentation of Maynard James Keenan’s honest and deeply emotional lyrics resonate in the heart and mind. Keenan is one of the most open and honest lyricists in recent rock music, and his lyrics get under the skin and dare you to open up.
Twenty-two years later, “Undertow” still holds up. Tool’s sound would become more refined and complex on later releases, but “Undertow” is dripping with primal energy and feeling, pulling the listener into this dark world much in the way the title suggests.
The plan was to play “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” – one of the latest original offerings from Netflix – in the background while I wrote this piece so that it might have reminded me of things to talk about. What actually happened
was I ended up re-watching the whole series and upon finishing, realized my deadline was in three hours and I needed to write the review.
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is an easy show to get lost in as it follows the trials and tribulations of Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper, “Bridesmaids”), a young woman trying to make it in New York after being saved from the underground bunker she was kept in as part of a doomsday cult. As the brainchild of one of the foremost comic geniuses of our time, Tina Fey (“30 Rock,” “Mean Girls”), the show is irreverent, hilarious, quotable and uplifting.
The ensemble cast is without a weak link. Kemper’s Kimmy Schmidt is undoubtedly the star of the show, and she plays the unbridled enthusiasm and adorable cluelessness of the character very well. But she is given a run for her money in every single scene she shares with any of her co-stars.
Tituss Burgess, who originated the role of Sebastian the Crab in “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway in 2008, plays Titus Andromedon, the gay, black, insecure struggling actor Kimmy rooms with upon her arrival in New York City. The chemistry between Kemper and Burgess makes the friendship of their characters a delight to watch (“read a nature video!”).
There is one actor who really does steal the show every time she appears, and that is the insanely talented Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”). Krakowski plays Jacqueline Voorhees who is a rich New York wife, a constant slave to trends and her absentee husband, and Kimmy’s employer. If there is anything perfect about this show, it is Krakowski’s performance.
The humor in “Kimmy Schmidt” depends on fully embracing not only these strange, silly characters but also the pacing and proper delivery of the well-crafted dialogue, and no one in the cast is better at both of these than Jane Krakowski. It is truly a pleasure to see her rock it in every scene.
In addition to the regular cast members, there are many high-profile guest stars throughout the run of the show, which will be especially appreciated by fans of television. I found such great delight in their reveals, it seems a shame to spoil them, so I won’t.
I have nothing but good things to say about “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” It starts strong and just keeps going, like Kimmy herself. Beyond the pitch-perfect comedy, the show has an uplifting theme: the world is tough, and sometimes it seems like too much to handle, but if you believe in yourself and never stop moving forward, nothing can keep you down for long.
As brilliant-but-bleak shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men” leave the air, perhaps “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” signals a shift toward brilliant-and-bubbly in the world of television. I’m excited to find out.
THAT there still existed people who do not know the gist of “Fifty Shades of Grey” until I overheard a couple of guys talking about Christian Grey’s Red Room.
While at the gym a couple of days ago, I heard two very brawny men talking about their feelings after watching the movie. More specifically, Christian’s “kinky play room” and how they “never saw that coming.”
For those who do not know, (I am speaking to the male population) “Fifty Shades of Grey” is based on E.L. James’ New York Times best-seller “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which is the first installment in the Fifty Shades trilogy. Known for its descriptive and intense sex scenes, “Fifty Shades of Grey” has earned a reputation among women.
Released on Feb. 14 for publicity reasons, as anticipated, “Fifty Shades of Grey” debuted at No. 1 in the box office and grossed roughly $94 million worth of ticket sales.
And, much like my Valentine’s Day, there was nothing romantic about “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
In short, English student Anastasia Steele meets a young and very attractive business tycoon that is Christian Grey. Fast-forward through a bunch of awkward encounters and Christian becomes spellbound by Anastasia.
The sexual tension between the two increases to the point where Christian draws out a contract asking for Anastasia’s consent to become his submissive, which is the huge curveball of the story.
However, it becomes apparent the duo wishes for two different things: Anastasia wants Christian to be her boyfriend but Christian wants Anastasia to be his submissive. Anyway, they have lots of crazy, wild intercourse while in this limbo of deciding what to make of their maturing relationship.
The whole thing is confusing yet intriguing to the female populace.
So, being female and all, I was curious to see what all the hype was about. If you know me, you know I make a habit out of reading a book before it becomes a major motion picture. This was no exception.
Upon cracking the spine into my paperback edition while waiting to board my flight at the Portland airport, I received what I felt were judging and disapproving looks from those who saw what I was reading.
Although I feel obliged to admit that reading erotica is somehow superior or more accepting than viewing it, I might as well have been casually flipping through a Playboy magazine. I’d say both meet the same reading level requirement. Unlike other best-selling books, “Fifty Shades of Grey” did not require any analysis or discussion of extended metaphors.
According to Business Insider, “Fifty Shades of Grey” has become the first e-book to sell one million copies on Amazon’s Kindle; most likely because people wanted to avoid the same disdain-filled looks that I received for publicly reading erotica — an amateur mistake on my part.
For those who did not like the book (or the “Twilight” saga for that matter), there is a 100 percent chance that you will not enjoy the movie. The same can be said for any novel-gone-Hollywood.
The movie completely adheres to the plot of the book. But yet, it fascinates me to learn that people expect the movie to somehow make better the storyline, as follows:
Guy meets girl. Guy likes girl. Girl likes guy.
Guy pushes girl away. Guy pulls girl back in.
(Repeat this process two or more times.)
Girl is confused.
Girl doesn’t like this.
But guy is hot.
So, girl keeps going back.
Here, we have what has become the standard millennial relationship consisting of awkward interactions (at first), dining-out expenditures, sexual tension, fighting and disagreements.
Despite the fact that reality television exists, why would anyone want to watch a movie about a normal (or rather dysfunctional) couple? Insert vampires and werewolves and– voila!–“Twilight”! Subtract wildlife, add millionaire status and one BDSM contract and – voila! – “Fifty Shades of Grey”!
Although I will gladly admit that I know nothing about BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Sadism and Masochism), there is much controversy surrounding the portrayal of the BDSM community at large. “Fifty Shades of Grey” creates speculations that BDSM-ers are clearly offended by.
You didn’t see angry vampires and werewolves complain to the Huffington Post when “Twilight” stereotyped their lifestyles. Not every Native American is part of a wolfpack and vampires don’t actually sleep in coffins. In fact, they don’t sleep at all.
Similar to how Stephenie Meyer was not inspired by vampires and werewolves to write Twilight, James did not write “Fifty Shades of Grey using the BDSM community as her muse. To be clear, James did not dedicate the Fifty Shades trilogy to the BDSM-ers. If that was the case, then, yes, be pissed.
Anyway, Fifty Shades is a highly unrealistic story about a millionaire abused as a child – who doesn’t actually exist, which is why it is fictional. Being a CEO, 27 years old AND attractive is already an impossible feat. If someone is that attractive, they have to be crazy or have had traumatic experiences as a child that highly influences their adulthood.
So, yeah, fictional.
It’s about as practical as Harry Potter: once you remind yourself that Daniel Radcliffe is not the chosen one and can’t actually cast a Patronous Charm, it’s easier to understand that Jamie Dornan is not a dominant and doesn’t actually own that many gray ties.
After reading unsavory movie and book reviews, ranging from nitpicky to LOL-worthy, I don’t know how else to say that “Fifty Shades of Grey” is just another craze developed for our entertainment purposes. We pay to be immersed in a world that isn’t ours for a couple of hours out of the day.
“Oh my god, Dad! You’re sleeping with my
wife?”
This is the somewhat sanitized version of a
sentence I once said out loud while playing Paradox
Interactive’s 2012 grand strategy game,
“Crusader Kings II,” which marked its third anniversary
this month.
In CKII, the players take control of the head
of a medieval dynasty and do everything they
can to become rich, powerful, and above all,
long-lived. The only “objective” is to make your
dynasty last until 1453, although this is hardly
the appeal of the game: CKII is a sandbox game
at heart, meaning you are dropped into a huge
living world to do anything your heart desires.
There is an incredible amount of detail, not least
from the impressive level of research put into
historical accuracy.
Each character in the game is represented by
a ton of little symbols and numbers representing
their abilities, opinions, and character traits.
You can interact with these characters in many
ways, such as sending assassins to kill them,
sending them gifts, arranging marriages, and
requesting their excommunication. Learning the
significance of all these bits is key to keeping
your family on top, and there are a ton of bits.
Not to mention that in addition to keeping
yourself un-murdered and your heirs in the
hands of teachers who will bestow the best traits
upon them, you must also run a kingdom. You
can mess with everything from tax policy to succession
law to even more nitty-gritty bits; it’s all
up to you. This results in a difficulty curve that
more closely resembles a wall, but the CKII community
is nothing if not obsessive: there are a
great many guides and tip collections to ease the
process. Give some of these a perusal and you’ll
be bumping off meddlesome uncles in no time.
One thing I didn’t expect on first playing the
game is how darkly hilarious it can be. Being assassinated
on the orders of your 8-year-old mentally
disabled nephew; becoming your son’s lover
only to have him murder you for your titles; a
maimed blind man with typhus winning your
grand tournament; all of these are fair game.
There is no shortage of “ha ha, what?” moments
throughout any given play-through. Also incest.
Lots of incest.
CKII has, on average, 2,500 players active at
any given moment. Thanks to nine expansions,
37 minor DLCs, and a thriving modding community
(there is a very popular “Game of Thrones”
overhaul mod), CKII is very much alive with no
end in sight, three years post-release. That’s
more than many games can say after six months.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to unite
all of Western Europe into one giant France, if
you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sire 30
children by eight mothers, if you’ve ever wondered
what it’s like to marry your syphilitic
daughter to an enemy duke and gain all his titles
and lands when he dies from the syphilis
you “totally didn’t know about,” “Crusader Kings
II” just might be the game for you.
In regards to the newer MGM James
Bond films, many reviewers have complained
that the series has gotten too
serious, too dour.
Even after the release of “Skyfall,”
the most well-received Bond film in
decades, reviewers were calling for the
spy genre to take its foot off the gritty
pedal and remember its roots: its
jetpack, laser-watch, snappy one-liner
roots. For anyone who agrees with
these sentiments, the new film “Kingsman:
The Secret Service” should be at
the very top of your to-watch list.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn (“Layer
Cake,” “Kick-Ass”), “Kingsman” is
an England-set throwback to the spy
genre of the 1960s. Though it takes
place in modern day and employs modern
technology as an important plot element,
the feel of “Kingsman” is rooted
deeply in the nostalgia of the 60s.
The film stars newcomer Taron
Egerton as Eggsy, a troubled young
man and the son of a secret agent who
belongs to a private spy agency separate
from government control or regulation
called the Kingsman.
Eggsy becomes the protégé of another
Kingsman named Harry Hart,
played superbly by Colin Firth (“The
King’s Speech”), and undergoes training
along with a handful of other potential
candidates all vying for the
chance to become an agent themselves.
The cast is rounded out by Mark
Strong (“Kick-Ass”), Michael Caine
(“The Dark Knight”) and Samuel L.
Jackson (too many options).
The latter serves as the film’s main
villain, one Mr. Valentine, an immensely
wealthy and environmentally
concerned individual who hatches a
diabolical plot to incite a “cull” on the
human race to reduce the population
and help save the planet. Like any
good Bond villain, Valentine is distinguished
by a unique physical abnormality,
his being a comical lisp.
Although its comedic elements
make the film oftentimes laugh-outloud
funny and a joy to watch, where
“Kingsman” really shines is in its action
sequences. And seeing as this is
the director of “Kick-Ass” we’re talking
about, that’s no surprise.
But director Matthew Vaughn outdoes
himself here. The fight scenes
in “Kingsman” are incredible. Some
of the best action I’ve seen in a very
long time. The church fight (yes, I said
church fight) is the bloodiest, boldest,
and funniest scene since the shootout
in the third act of “Django Unchained.”
It’s an ambitious and effective mix
of intense choreography, CGI, Steadicam,
and constant gunfire. Your jaw
will be on the floor.
What also makes “Kingsman” great
is its loyal attachment to the source
material which inspired it. From bullet-
proof suits and lethal umbrellas to
lighter grenades and poisonous pens,
Kingsman agents are supplied with
enough handy (if ludicrous) gadgets to
impress even Desmond Llewellyn’s Q
in the Bond films. But it is also “Kingsman’s”
self-awareness that sets it
apart.
At one point Colin Firth’s character
remarks that today’s spy films are no
fun, and later, Samuel L. Jackson’s
Valentine comments that it’s the part
of the film where he’s supposed to unveil
his grand plan and kill a character
in some elaborate manner. “But,”
Valentine says, “this ain’t that kind of
movie.”
And he’s right. It’s not that kind of
movie at all. Truth be told, I’m hardpressed
to describe just what kind of
movie “Kingsman” is. Other than a really
good one, that is.
KWOU, Western’s premier online radio station, will be hosting the Winter Kickback Dance next month in preparation for the highly anticipated release of their new app, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
“It is an exciting time for KWOU right now,” said Station Manager Iain Dexter, “and we expect both the dance and the app to be a success.”
Taking place in the Pacific Room in the Werner University Center on Saturday, March 7, the Winter Kickback will feature multi-colored lights, glow sticks, and electronic dance music.
Four KWOU DJs will be presiding over the dance, which is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Alex Rockow, aka DJ Rockslide, will be headlining, with Mike Dang (DJ Dang), Garrett Hardie (ItsThaGman), and Tobi Monden (Tobi-Wan Kenobi) serving as DJs.
Rockow pitched the idea of the dance, which will be done in the style of a rave, to Dexter last fall, but planning didn’t officially begin until January.
“I go up to raves in Portland at least once or twice a month,” said Rockow. “Everybody is loving and inviting, and I wanted to bring a little bit of that [to Western].”
“[The dance] is designed to be upbeat and energetic, where people can come out and burn off some energy and stress before the upcoming Dead Week and Finals,” added Dexter.
The hope is that the dance will bring more attention to KWOU, and therefore, more DJs and listeners.
Dexter also added that “we are hoping to make enough money to help pay for [the station] app. The app has already been made and is in the process of being submitted to Apple.”
Beginning Feb. 23, KWOU will be selling tickets for the dance on the second floor of the WUC every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $4 if ordered beforehand and $5 at the door. Tickets for Non-Western students are $8.
