Mount Hood

Review: “Two Vines”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Empire of the Sun is known for their upbeat electronic music and their quirky style. Members Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore wear elaborate costumes and are often accompanied by dancers. The spectacle and music are entirely original.empire-colorempireofthesun-com

Their latest album, “Two Vines”, doesn’t try to reinvent Empire of the Sun’s sound; instead, it expands their library and only adds to the sounds of their past albums. Their originality is expanded, rather than changed.

The highlight of the new album is the song “Friends”. One of the most upbeat songs that Empire of the Sun has ever produced, “Friends” blends slow poetic verses with an extremely upbeat chorus that sounds like electronic dance music. This song is made to be played loud.

“High and Low” is another fantastic fast-paced song. “High and Low” is currently the only song on the album with a music video, which features plenty of Empire of the Sun’s signature costumes and dancers.

“Two Vines” doesn’t only have fast-paced songs though. Songs like “There’s No Need” and “To Her Door” slow things down and put more focus on vocals.

The album also has some less memorable songs; “ZZZ” and “Way To Go” are both repetitive and don’t really add anything to the overall sound of the album. “ZZZ” especially is aptly named for how it makes me feel.

The deluxe edition of “Two Vines” was released at the same time as the normal version, and includes four additional songs. One of the songs included is “Walking on a Dream” from the band’s first album. It’s a little strange that they included it, but it’s a great song so I’m not complaining.

The inclusion of “Walking on a Dream” enforces the similarities between Empire of the Sun’s earlier work and “Two Vines”. Someone who’d never heard “Walking on a Dream” probably wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a song from two albums ago.

For the most part, “Two Vines” is a fantastic addition to Empire of the Sun’s library of music. It has both fast and slow songs, danceable music accompanied by meaningful lyrics and stays true to the band’s style. Although slightly brought down by some unmemorable songs, “Two Vines” takes its rightful place alongside the albums before it.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Classic tales retold

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

Walt Disney Pictures has been working hard on making many new live-action movies recently: “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book” to name a couple. Although, they haven’t stopped there. They are in the midst of working on and releasing new live-action movies within the next few years.

The new live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast.

“I knew all the words by heart. I knew all the songs by heart,” said Watson to Entertainment Weekly when asked about the film.

This is going to be the classic fairy tale retold. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it is about a prince who, due to his arrogance, becomes the Beast and must learn to love and receive love before he can turn back into the prince. The story follows the young woman whom he traps in his castle and their love story.

There has also been talk about two other live-action movies. “Snow White” and “Oliver Twist” are in the works, both being produced by Marc Platt, known for such performances as Broadway’s “Wicked.” There is not much information currently about who will star in these movies or when they will be released.

Although information is lacking, we still know a little about each of these movies. “Snow White” will be a musical and will expand on the original story while “Oliver Twist”, though also a musical, will be set in present-day America. Other upcoming movies to watch out for information about are the live-action adaptations of “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.”

“Beauty and the Beast” will be in theaters March 17, 2016.

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

Caretakers of the constellations

By: Kinsey Bushart
Freelancer

“Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” had its first trailer released Oct. 19. In the trailer, the gang of space superheros continue on their journey to, of course, guard the galaxy.

In the minute and a half video, Starlord and Drax the Destroyer have a heart-to-heart conversation, Gamora is an action star, Rocket Racoon blasts a hole in something and is more than likely about to get into some sort of trouble along with his adorable little pal, baby Groot. So, it’s business as usual.

This action packed sequel continues the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is sure to bring the crowds just as much enjoyment as the first “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The film is planned to be released to theaters May 5, 2017.

Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu

Old Man Logan makes cinematic debut

By: Kinsey Bushart
Freelancer

The third installment to the “Wolverine” franchise had its first trailer released Oct. 20, though the movie title, “Logan” was leaked by Hugh Jackman himself two weeks prior.

This “Wolverine” movie is said to be the final film where Jackman plays Logan, a character that Jackman has played since the 2000 movie, “X Men.”

In the “Logan” trailer, mutant populations have dwindled, and those who are born are taken by the government to be used for their abilities. The X-Men are a thing of the past and both Logan and Professor X are alone. Logan himself has become aged and scarred while the Professor lays in a hospital bed.

With the introduction of a new mutant child, it seems that the two ex X-Men may get another chance to continue their work in the protection of mutants. “Logan” is to be released to American theaters March 3, 2017.

Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu

Music at Western (On campus music performances)

By: Katherine Ljungqvist
Freelancer

Research has shown time and again that music can promote mental health, improve sleep quality and relieve stress and anxiety.

According to John Hopkins Medical research, exposure to new music has been linked with increased creativity; for a college student, these benefits can be paramount to a person’s success.

Fortunately for us, Western offers numerous musical performances throughout the year where one can reap the benefits of music.

The Western Oregon University music department is kicking off the 2016 fall term with a number of music events at Smith Hall and Rice Auditorium. Weekly performances are scheduled starting Nov. 5 through Dec. 4, which will include guitar and chamber ensembles, the Western Orchestra, a performance by the Tom Bergeron Brazil Band and a performance by the student run Brazil orchestra with special appearances by the Brazilian Bassist, Wagner Trinidade.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Western’s music department head, Dr. Tom Bergeron, to discuss some of this year’s events and also the major role that Latin American music plays in America’s music education. When asked how students can benefit from exposure to live music performances at Western, Dr. Bergeron responded that these performances offer students “edutainment.” “We’re playing music that we hope you’re going to enjoy, but we’re also trying to … put it into context,” said Bergeron.

Part of how this is accomplished is with the presence of guest musicians such as Wagner Trindade, who lend their knowledge and talents to performances.

Many college music departments feature symphony or jazz ensembles, but Latin American music is a staple in America’s music culture, and is subsequently growing in popularity in American music education.

While many Latin American countries are small enough to stay off the music industry’s radar, Brazil is the second largest country in the Americas as well as the “largest self-contained music industry in the Western Hemisphere.” The presence of Latin American influence in America’s music culture is prominent, which is why it is so beneficial for music students to receive exposure to this element of the industry.

Performances by the Tom Bergeron Brazil Band and other Western music events throughout the year are posted on the music department home page, wou.edu/music and are free to students with their student ID. So if you’re looking for affordable entertainment this year that has educational and mental health benefits, then you should check out the Western music department event schedule.

Contact the author at kljungqvist16@mail.wou.edu

Review: “Doctor Strange”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

“Doctor Strange” is the 14th film in the huge Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has included space, gods and psycho robots. “Doctor Strange” brings the brand new world of mysticism into the universe as well, and does it incredibly.

Not only one of the most visually stunning films Marvel has had to date, but “Doctor Strange” brings fans a completely new side of the cinematic universe with magic and other dimensions.

The film jumps head first into Marvel’s mystical side, while keeping things simple enough for casual viewers to understand how things fit into the universe as a whole. With 14 films, keeping them simple at the core is important, and “Doctor Strange” does this perfectly.

Stephen Strange’s defining characteristic is his arrogance. He’s a world famous neurosurgeon with a massive ego. The film starts with him as an unlikeable character, but Strange grows and is very much human.

What makes this movie so grounded is that all of these sorcerers are human. Some might be hundreds of years old, but they talk like humans and they have the same problems as humans. Everyone in this movie can be relatable, which is an important quality to have in any superhero movie.

Characters are brought to life by incredible performances all around, notably Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange.

The visuals in “Doctor Strange” were some of the best that Marvel has had. Scenes are always accompanied by patterns that are satisfying to look at. Buildings are moving, dimensions are crossing and all of it stays true to the comics and brings Steve Ditko’s incredible art to life.

The side characters don’t play a huge role in the film. The focus is very much on Strange and his origin, so important characters like Wong and Mordo were not given the attention they deserve. But I think it was important to have a large focus on Doctor Strange since he’s the hero being introduced into the Marvel Universe.

The villain, Kaecilius, continued Marvel’s trend of weak and underdeveloped villains. Mads Mikkelsen did a great job playing him, but he made such a little impact that I couldn’t even remember his name when I left the theater. Doctor Strange’s sentient cape has more of a personality than Kaecilius.

“Doctor Strange” expands Marvel’s cinematic universe and definitely has a place in it. The movie loosely mentions characters and events from previous movies, as well as showing off Avenger’s Tower a couple of times.

The most exciting quality about Marvel movies is that they are always setting up the stage for something bigger. There’s always a plan for the future and each movie is just a small part of something huge. “Doctor Strange” definitely feels as if it’s setting up for something great. There’s more to come for Strange and the stage is definitely set for that.

“Doctor Strange” is a great movie. It blends together humor and action, while entering a whole side of Marvel’s huge universe.
Although brought down slightly by unimportant side characters and a weak villain, “Doctor Strange” is one of the best Marvel movies to date.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

8/10
+ Stunning visuals
+ Incredible performances

– Weak, underdeveloped villain

Editor’s picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s Recommendation:
“Norwegian by Night” by Derek B. Miller is a novel about an elderly American man who moves to Norway with his granddaughter and her husband. In Norway he saves a little boy from death and begins a journey running from a killer, the law and his family.library-2-color
The book is a thriller but doesn’t feel that way because of how rich the characters are. I was instantly drawn into the lives the characters were living and every problem they had.
Also great is the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” novelization written by Alan Dean Foster. The book adds details that are left out of the movie. Some deleted scenes from the movie are included, as well as more dialogue between characters that were cut from the film.

Editor’s Disparagement:
It’s becoming more and more practical to shop for books on Amazon. You don’t have to leave your house and prices are generally really cheap. But there’s something about going to a bookstore that will always be better. While Amazon is great for buying books, buying books from bookstores helps small businesses and is great for finding books you would’ve never read if you were only shopping on Amazon. Blindly buying a book to read is difficult on Amazon since ratings are right in front of you at all times.

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