Mount Hood

Review: “Mystery Science Theater 3000”

By: Darien Campo
Designer

Everyone’s a critic these days.

The fine art of “riffing,” making fun of bad movies through biting commentary, is still alive. On the internet there is no shortage of critics and reviewers all vying for attention on the digital stage, but we must be careful not to forget the original show that taught us how to make fun of movies; the critics who inspired a thousand differs.

Netflix sure hasn’t, and on April 14, they released the long-awaited return of cult-classic “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

For those not in the know: “Mystery Science Theater 3000” was a cult sci-fi comedy series in the ‘90s about a man and his two robot pals trapped on a spaceship, the Satellite of Love, where evil scientists force them to watch the worst movies ever made. In order to keep their sanity, the three resort to riffing on the terrible onslaught of low-budget films.

Watching the show was akin to hanging out with a group of friends and watching the Syfy channel late at night just so you could add your own commentary on top of the movies.

Netflix’s revival and next season of the show focuses on a new human subject, Jonah Heston, played by Jonah Ray, co-host of “The Nerdist Podcast.” Original creator Joel Hodgson personally picked Ray to host the show, while giving him the choice over who would be the new voices of the show’s robot co-hosts, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, voiced by Baron Vaughn and Hampton Yount, respectively. Mad scientists Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank are replaced with their descendants, played by Felicia Day and Patton Oswald.

The show’s format hasn’t changed over the last 30 years, and still focuses on the three hosts riffing on a cacophony of film flops interspersed with short, goofy segments. Yes, the invention exchange is back.

I was amazed at just how similar the revival was to the original. The sets look cheaply made, the segments have a very loose “first-take” feel, some of the jokes are too obscure for anyone to get – it is everything that “Mystery Science Theater 3000” ever was and more.

For returning viewers, you’ll feel right at home from the silhouetted theater to the numbered hallway. For brand new viewers, jokes and references aren’t 30 years old anymore,making it possible to actually follow them, but luckily they never feel like they’re referencing modern pop culture in a pandering manner.

I only have minor gripes with the new season.

I, and other viewers, have noted that the speed that riffs are delivered is way faster than it was in the ‘90s. We’re not given as much time to absorb the film itself, and the rapid-fire jokes break the illusion that these three characters are improvising on the spot. But, for a modern audience’s short attention span, it makes sense.

The “Mystery Science Theater 3000” revival perfectly blends recreating the original show’s campy feel while bringing modern humor to a new audience. This is not just for returning fans, I would invite anyone who loves bad movies to take a look at season 11 of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” exclusively on Netflix.

Keep circulating the tapes.

Contact the author at dcampo13@wou.edu

Review: “The Search For Everything”

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

In 1999, John Mayer made his way onto the scene with his EP “Inside Wants Out.” Over time, he became one of the musicians that had a noticeable presence within the music scene with such songs as “Daughters.”

Mayer had not released any new music since a single in 2014, “XO,” until April 14 when he released his new album, “The Search for Everything.” He partially released this album through two smaller EPs, “Wave One” and “Wave Two.”

For not hearing any new music from him for three years, his style of music has not changed much. It’s not to be expected though, as he is categorized in multiple genres, such as: pop, blues, jazz, country and rock. Despite that, it is definitely an album to listen to in order to chill out and relax.

The first song he released was “Love on the Weekend,” a more country song. It seemed like a weird choice of a song to introduce this album when compared to the rest of the tracks. Having a more a country sound is what set it apart from the other songs, but not necessarily in a good way. It came across as overdone and common.

Through listening to the whole album, the song that stuck out the most was “Emoji of a Wave.” The title in and of itself is an eyecatcher and it added to the song because it incorporates something very familiar to young people: emojis. Along with that, the song builds extremely well for being such a melancholy song. Not once was I bored from listening to it.

One of the more upbeat songs from the album is “In the Blood,” a heartfelt song about the ability to change in life. Along with that, the song “Moving On and Getting Over” has a jazzy feel that would definitely be heard in the back of the coffeeshop.

The album has a total of twelve songs and, when driving, it’s a quick listen. The album ends with the song “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me.” There’s quite a bit of whistling in it, which is reminiscent of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from “Toy Story.” It feels cliché which ultimately left the album on a lower note.

While the album is not the worst, it’s not the best. Other artists experiment and produce albums that have never been heard before, but I think Mayer missed the mark and created an album that is something we have all heard before, and that’s what makes it lacking. The album isn’t bad, it just does not offer anything new, making for a more colorless listen.

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

Review: “LA Divine”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Cold War Kids became alternative favorites with their 2007 album “Robbers & Cowards.” Recently, their single “First” blew up and put them on lots of people’s radars.

Their newest album “LA Divine” released last week and is easily one of the best albums yet. After years of experimenting and reworking their sound, “LA Divine” is an incredible album that finds Cold War Kids at the best they’ve ever been.

The band released two singles leading up to the full album release. “Love Is Mystical” is an upbeat, danceable tune that quickly blew-up on the radio. The band collaborated with Bishop Briggs for the single “So Tied Up,” which was a bit of a let down compared to the first single. The collaboration with Bishop Briggs isn’t very strong: her presence in the song is weak, especially for being the only collaboration on the album.

All of “LA Divine” held my attention, each song standing wonderfully on its own. The song “No Reason To Run” was the highlight of the album for me. The track blends Cold War Kids’ upbeat, fast paced sound with some of the most heartfelt lyrics in the whole album.

All songs on “LA Divine” are pretty short. The 14-song album zooms by way too quickly, with some tracks only 30 seconds to a minute. “LA Divine” is so good that it deserves to be played over and over, I just wish it didn’t go by so fast.

The album ends with “Free To Breathe,” a slow, emotional tune that ends the album on a weak note. Cold War Kids puts most of their focus in the album on up-tempo danceable alternative music, so ending the album on such a slow note feels disconnected from the rest of the album.

“LA Divine” is the best Cold War Kids album yet. Each song stands on it’s own and rarely are there times without great written lyrics and feet-tapping goodness.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Turn the music up

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

As the weather begins to warm up, students may be wondering what to do in their free time. For music fans, the answer is simple: go to concerts. Seeing a band or artist live may require some planning and cost, but the memories can last a lifetime. Over the next few months, a variety of different artists will travel to Oregon to play their music.

Based originally out of Seattle, Fleet Foxes is an indie folk band who made their way onto the music scene in 2006. After taking a break in 2103, they came back in 2016 and now have a new album, “Crack-Up,” planned to release on June 16. They will be performing at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland on May 18 and at Edgefield in Troutdale on Sept. 16.

For a concert that is more local, The Sleep Millennium, an indie space-rock band, will be playing at The Space Concert Club in Salem for their debut performance on May 21. This event is 21-plus and will cost $15. More information will be provided at spaceconcertclub.com. To experience a fresh new sound, this concert is worth checking out.

From a small town in the United Kingdom, Ed Sheeran pursued music vigorously. Last month, he released his third album “Divide.” With that new album, he is also on tour and will be coming to the United States. For the pop-lovers, he will be at the Moda Center in Portland on July 30. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com from 39.50 to $89.50 depending on seats.

A throwback band for many, Rooney started up in 1999 and is still performing today. Categorized as alternative and indie rock, their latest album, “Washed Away,” came out last year. They planned to come to Portland last December but rescheduled their concert for this upcoming July 26 at the Doug Fir Lounge. The show is 21-plus and tickets for this show cost $16 and went on sale April 7 on ticketfly.com.

A British rock band, Catfish and the Bottlemen, will be playing at the Roseland Theater in Portland on May 27 and at the Moda Center on August 2. Although they started the band in 2007, they began to be more noticed with the releases of their first three singles followed by their debut album “The Balcony.” Following that, in 2016 they put out another album entitled “The Ride.” Tickets for the Roseland show are $25 and can be purchased through Roseland Theater’s website.

For those who enjoy spending time at music festivals, Musicfest Northwest’s Project Pabst will be happening on Aug. 26 and 27. Project Pabst is a two-day musical festival taking place in Portland. Beck, who broke into the scene in 1985 and has been present ever since, will be performing on the 27th during the festival; this event is 21-plus. Tickets are available at ticketfly.com and range from $65 for a one-day pass to $99 for a weekend pass.

No matter the preference of genre, there are concerts happening locally for all to enjoy.

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

Artist spotlight: Kristie Martinez

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

For Western student Kristie Martinez, senior dance major, following her passion is what college is all about. Dancing since she was three, Martinez says that she has always known that she wanted to dance.

“For the most part I just always thought that I would be a dancer, so education is now something I’m tackling because I want consistency in my career,” said Martinez.

Martinez moved to Oregon from the California Bay Area with her daughter to attend Western’s dance program.

“I moved up here to pursue the academic end of dance, I decided randomly that I wanted to be a professor of dance,” said Martinez. “I’d been doing a lot of the small companies in the Bay Area and a lot of modern companies, and pay isn’t always great and rarely do you get health benefits. There really is no assurance.”

“I randomly said teaching makes sense for me now, so I just went for it. Someone told me about Western and I applied and got it and moved my daughter and I up here. Immediately I was notified through the dance department here that one of the professors, Darryll Thomas, that him and his wife run a company and that if you wanted any possible teaching jobs to get your resume in immediately.”

Through that, Martinez was connected to the Rainbow Dance Company, who she has been with ever since.

“I joined the company and I’ve been with them for three years. I’m going to continue with them for a fourth year before I go to grad school,” said Martinez. “It’s a touring company, we perform in the spring dance concert, we go to Canada a lot. I love it, it allows for a lot of creative freedom. I can continue my performance and then pursue the academic end. It’s been a good blend.”

Martinez says that her biggest accomplishment of a dancer has been finding her voice.

“When I found a style of dance called “release technique,” it’s an anti-movement to the formatted Graham and Limon, it’s all about freedom and releasing, using organic movement. When I found that it was like ‘yeah, that’s me, that’s what I want.”

When she’s not dancing, Martinez also loves cooking and reading about mythology. Martinez loves that many rituals can be shown and told about through dance, which has helped to influence some of her dancing at Western.

“I’m actually a mythology nut. I love mythology and cultural anthropology. I love to read books on myth and my overall goal of dance is to merge the two. I’ve done two pieces here at Western, one was based on voodoo ritual and the second was based on the Native American process possession and their beliefs on that.”

Martinez’s goal is the be a dance professor and have a resident company.

“I want to leave some sort of teaching philosophy. I have one mentor here, Les Wantanabe. To me, he’s one of those teachers whose lessons will be repeating in my mind for the rest of my life. I want to be that teacher, if I could be that one day, that’d be awesome.”

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “Norse Mythology”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Fans of comics and superhero movies are well aware of the lives of Thor, Loki and Odin. This is exactly what pulled author Neil Gaiman into the world of Norse mythology and began his inspiration for his narrative collection of Norse myths.

“Norse Mythology” is Neil Gaiman bringing his narrative style to ancient Norse myths and, for the most part, it makes for an incredible experience.

Initially, I was very put off by the book. The first few chapters are a very dense, mundane read that feel more like a textbook than a collection of stories. The chapters are short, but are packed full with names, attributes and brief histories of many different gods.
It’s not the best way to start, but it’s necessary to understand the characters in the stories that follow.

The stories themselves are great. Gaiman makes Norse mythology accessible and fun for newcomers and his focus on Thor, Loki and Odin give fans of those characters a deeper look at their origins and roots.

Gaiman uses his knowledge of mythology from “American Gods” and “Anansi Boys” to breathe new life into these old tales. The characters seem very alive; their feelings and emotions jump off the page.

The book begins with the creation of the world, then moves into stories about the gods and their adventures and origins and ends with Ragnarok, the end of everything.

Some of the stories end up feeling weak, however. “The Master Builder,” for example, finds the gods dealing with a man who is wagering Freya the sun and the moon on whether or not he can build them a wall in one season. This story feels long and drawn out, the tension of whether the gods will prevail disappears and is replaced by hope that the story will end soon.

Other stories are entertaining throughout. “The Death of Baldur” is easily the most heartfelt and compelling story in the book. The side characters feel as alive as the main characters and I found myself not wanting the story to end.

My biggest criticism of “Norse Mythology” is that it’s too short. The book ends way too quickly, especially considering that it deals with such a rich mythology. Four or five more stories could easily fit into the book and further add to the depth of the characters.

There are times when the characters do feel really weak. Gaiman has a habit of writing dialogue as Gaiman, rather than the characters that he is writing. This isn’t as much of an issue with the characters of Thor, Loki and Odin, since the book’s main focus is on them. Characters like Balder, Frey and Heimdall don’t get enough enough time in most stories to form their own voices, so Gaiman takes over.

“Norse Mythology” is a fantastic look into the world of Norse myth. The characters are more alive than ever before and Gaiman brings his masterful writing to these narratives, breathing new life into these old tales. Though the book is short and some stories are a bit boring, “Norse Mythology” is a great read for anyone interested in Norse myths.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Community spotlight: The Elsinore Theatre

By:Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

With the start of spring term, school and work are starting to pick and up finding fun things to do is getting harder. Not too far from Western though, there’s a fun and affordable activity for all ages.

Salem’s Elsinore Theatre is only a 20 minute drive from Western, in the heart of downtown Salem. The theatre has been around for over 90 years.
It’s a beautiful and historic place to check out, not to mention there are a ton of fun events there, too.

The Elsinore Theatre is currently in the middle of its Wednesday film series. Each Wednesday, a different classic movie is shown. The films are shown each Wednesday at 7 p.m. for only $6, the next, “The Wizard of Oz” being on April 5.

For those over 21, some of these films also have wine pairings. There are two upcoming films with wine pairings: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on April 19 and “Singin’ in the Rain” on May 17. The times and prices for these events are the same and are still open to those under 21.

On April 28, LaserSpectacular will have a live concert laser show to the music of Pink Floyd. The show will feature “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Best of Pink Floyd.” Tickets are $15-$30 for students, depending on seating, and the doors open at 7 p.m.

The Elsinore Theatre also features a plethora of locally produced theatre events. With frequent high school drama festivals and shows from Theatreworks, the Elsinore never goes too long without an opportunity to see a show. The next show from Theatreworks is “Junie B Jones” on May 11. There are two showtimes: 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Tickets for this show are $14.

For a slightly higher price, the Elsinore also regularly has famous musicians and comedians do shows as well. Gordon Lightfoot will be playing a concert on June 12. Tickets for this are between $49-$69. Country singer Ned Ledoux is playing a show on June 30 for only $20-$30.

There’s a little something for everyone at the Elsinore Theatre. Tickets to these events and more information about these and upcoming events can be found online at elsinoretheatre.com.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu