Mount Hood

Listen up

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at ajames16@wou.edu

Review: “Legion”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Community spotlight: My Mom’s Basement

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “A Cure for Wellness”

By: Kiley Prom
Freelancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at kprom15@wou.edu

1/4
+ Great cinematography
– Squandered ending

Review: “The Lego Batman Movie”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

 

4/4

+ Team dynamic

+ Excellent voice acting

Live music hits campus

By: Kevan Maloney
Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at kmaloney15@wou.edu

And The Razzie goes to …

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact the author at ajames16@wou.edu

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