Entertainment – Page 83 – The Western Howl

By: Kinsey Bushart
Freelancer

First I must confess that I only recently read “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and I had only read it because I am a firm believer in reading the book before seeing the movie. Ransom Riggs’ book is whimsical, funny and more than a little bit creepy.

One character, a boy named Enoch, is so “peculiar” he has the ability to bring inanimate objects to life with the heart of something already dead. If child necromancers, bird-women and evil monsters who resemble Slender Man are something you’re interested in, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is the book for you. Plus, the plethora of sarcastic one-liners and humorous characterization makes it so any fan of fantasy can connect with characters as well as enjoy the suspenseful or light-hearted situations those characters find themselves in.

The movie adaptation itself has trouble keeping to the already written guidelines from the published original. Most movie adaptations from books have a way of wandering off from the original storyline to either simplify the story and thus shorten it, or attempt to make it more interesting. This can be off-putting to some, including myself.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is the same in that regard; with major character changes concerning special abilities and even physical appearances, plus the deletion of entire characters depending on their overall importance to the storyline. These changes effect the movie enough to bother some stickler book fans about ruining the entire thing.

Now this movie does better than other book adaptations, especially compared to films like the Percy Jackson series or “Eragon”, so it’s not really something to be too upset about, unless you’re easily bothered by such things. While not a terrible movie overall (I enjoyed it immensely) the movie adaptation of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” doesn’t do the greatest job matching perfectly with its book, not that it was really expected to.

Contact the author at kbushart16@wou.edu

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The Rolling Stones roll back to their roots

By: Kevan Maloney
Freelancer

The golden oldies are returning to the modern era. To some this means relatively little, but to others this means the world. This return is being heralded by The Rolling Stones, who plan on releasing their new album on Dec. 2. The album, entitled “Blue and Lonesome”, is set to be an homage to their beginnings in the music industry, back when they were a blues band in the late ‘60s and Print early ‘70s.

The release of this is simply amazing considering the fact that most mainstream news of The Rolling Stones is nearly non-existent, with their last album being released in 2005. It’s also surprising that they are actually still quite active, going on tour every few years. Along with the release of the album, The Rolling Stones are planning a European tour.

“Blue and Lonesome” is going to feature 12 tracks which are written by other artists, reimagined by The Rolling Stones. Many of these songs will be ones that they started off playing when they were still up and coming.

This has the potential to bring millennials back to the classic era of rock. There are so many artists that haven’t been followed in decades who are easily as fantastic as artists today. An important result that could come of this is the album’s ability to potentially bridge a generational gap. From personal experience, I know that the music I prefer to listen to, and what my parents listen to, are vastly different.

“Blue and Lonesome” will be the latest edition to The Rolling Stones musical archive that has been around since 1962, over half a century of musical creations.

Contact the author at kmaloney15@wou.edu

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Get in the spirit

By: Alyssa James
Freelancer

We’re in the midst of October and Halloween is right around the corner! Nothing is more exciting than participating in Halloween rocky-horror-colorimdb-com events to celebrate the season. Whether it’s just stopping at a pumpkin patch to get doughnuts and cider, or going through a haunted house, there is an event for every type of person! This year there are a few events that are definitely worthy of checking out.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is being shown at the Majestic Theater in Corvallis on Oct. 21 and 22. If you’re into a fun interactive experience, this is the event for you. There are two showings per day: one at 6 p.m. and another at 11 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online at www.majestic.org.

Another event on Oct. 22 is the annual Zombie Walk that is taking place in Salem. It begins at 6 p.m. on the State Capitol Building steps and ends at 9 p.m. at Taproot. This is a free event. People dress up like zombies and go creeping around the town with their fellow zombies.

The Grand Theater in Salem is putting on a movie night Oct. 30. They will be showing “Hocus Pocus,” a movie in which two kids explore an abandoned house and accidently release three witches, the Sanderson sisters. This is a classic Halloween movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler. It is being shown at 2 p.m. and costs $5 for admission. This event is all ages and sales are at the door only.

If you’re up for it, Halloweentown in St. Helens has many events going on. On Oct. 22 they are having a Bonfire and Bones Goth Extravaganza with DJs Owen and Aurora. This dance has other activities you can participate in such as a costume contest, haunted house and door prizes. It is $10 and all ages. Tickets are available online. Going to St. Helens to see the town all decorated for Halloween with the giant pumpkin is a sight to see. Check online to see what other events are happening there this year.

With midterms right around the corner, these are all great ways to go out, give your mind a break and relax a little. Happy Halloween!

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

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Editor’s Picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s recommendations:
“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” will be five years old in November and it still holds up as one of the best video games I’ve ever played. Few games make you feel like there is a living world around you but “Skyrim” does it perfectly. The storytelling is so rich that little actions make big impacts, making players feel like their playing matters to the world around them. A remastered version of “Skyrim” releases on Oct. 28 on Playstation 4 and Xbox One, I highly recommend it.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” holds up as one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Starring and directed by Ben Stiller, it’s just the most feel-good movie of adventure that I’ve ever seen. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” makes me feel a sense of adventure that movies rarely make me feel. Plus, the soundtrack is fantastic. If you’re looking for a movie to watch, you won’t be disappointed.

Editor’s Disparagement:
I’ve always really liked Bon Iver’s music, but I just can’t get into their new album “22, a million”. There are a few good songs on there such as “29 #Strafford APTS” and “715 – CRΣΣKS”, but for the most part, the album is filled with a lot of strange noises and unnecessary electronic music that makes it difficult to listen to. Listen to Bon Iver, just not their newest album.

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Becoming a YouTube Hero

By: Blayde Biacan
Freelancer

Do you want to become a hero? A YouTube hero, that is. The YouTube hero program is something YouTube has come up with to encourage users to make it a better place and to make the entertainment process unhindered. When I say encourage, I mean there will even be rewards to encourage users to be a part of the YouTube hero program.

The actions that help users earn points towards rewards for these incentives also help to improve YouTube overall. At times when you click the “closed captioning” button, it doesn’t align with what is said in the video. You are now able to edit the subtitles in videos and doing so will earn you a point towards rewards. If you’re watching a video and hear excess swearing, which takes away from a video, giving it a flag warns YouTube that the video may violating YouTube’s new guidelines which were recently set on Sept. 1. If you wish to reap the most points, answering questions on the YouTube help forum will not only help you, but help others with their inquires as well. However, answering inquiries will only get you points if you have the best answer.

These everyday actions can help get you into the YouTube hero community, get closer to the YouTube staff, allow you to to get special sneak previews and even test new products that come out before release.

If you’re interested in becoming a YouTube hero, all you need to do is search “YouTube heroes” on Google and click on the top link to sign up. All you need to provide is an email to sign up and you’re on your way to being a hero. Like any hero, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” YouTube asks for these actions to be used appropriately in order to make it a better place.

Contact the author at bbiacan16@wou.edu

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“Luke Cage”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Marvel’s Netflix shows have proven one thing in the past: they know exactly what they’re doing. “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” both had incredible performances, compelling stories and plenty of details straight from the comics. Marvel’s “Luke Cage” is the next show in the ever-growing lineup, and it follows the footsteps of its predecessors.

Luke Cage made his debut in “Jessica Jones”: the bulletproof man with a mysterious past. The new show picks up right where the first left off. Cage moves to Harlem and tries his best to live a normal life by working multiple jobs and trying his best to lay low. Obviously, things don’t go as planned.

“Luke Cage” makes it clear that everyone is human. Although Luke has bulletproof skin, he reacts to things and feels the same emotions that any human would. On the other side, the villains Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes, a Harlem crime lord, and his cousin, Mariah Dillard, are equally human. The hardships and tragedy these characters endure make them feel both real and relatable. This is done by fabulous performances all around.

The side characters don’t get as much focus as the main characters in “Luke Cage”. While Misty Knight plays a prominent role, her presence almost never seems necessary. Claire Temple plays a larger role. She is the only character to have appeared in “Daredevil”, “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage”. She is what holds these heroes together so her presence in “Luke Cage” is only logical. Her character arch has been building over years in television and I imagine that “Luke Cage” is just a small step in a long journey for her.

One of the biggest differences between “Luke Cage” and previous Netflix shows is the soundtrack. Main events and action sequences are almost always accompanied by music. Scenes at Cottonmouth’s club repeatedly show live music; sometimes the musicians are featured just as much as the actors. The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and is used to convey common themes and emotions.

While the story is very strong, the writing feels a little off at times. There are cheesy lines so predictable they made my eyes roll. Luke Cage, specifically, is super corny. It’s partly his character, getting called out on it by other characters, but it felt a bit distracting.

The show is also a bit more adult than “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones”. While those were very mature in their own right, “Luke Cage” has some pretty strong language and graphic violence. It’s mostly the characters in the show staying true to comics, just as The Punisher in “Daredevil” is more foul mouthed than anyone else on the show.

“Luke Cage” fits well in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are plenty of callbacks to other Marvel films. At one point Luke is referred to as “Harlem’s Captain America”. I’ve wished that there were more ties to the Marvel Universe since Daredevil season one, and I felt that Luke Cage did a very good job. There are huge ties to “Iron Man 2”, and for the first time, Avengers Tower was even in the background of the promotional art.

Overall, I’d recommend “Luke Cage” to anyone. It doesn’t require an extensive knowledge of superheroes, it’s culturally relevant, there’s action and drama and the performances are top of the line. It’s well rounded, wildly entertaining and easily the best Netflix Marvel show yet.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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Editor’s Picks

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Editor’s Recommendations:
No music truly captures autumn like folk. There’s something about listening to folk music on a rainy fall afternoon that really can’t be matched. The mellow bon-iver-color guitar, soft vocals and poetic lyrics just seem fitting in the fall season. Even if you’ve never listened to folk music, I’d highly recommend giving it a try this fall. Some of my favorites are Bon Iver’s album “For Emma, Forever Ago”, Fossil Collective’s “Tell Where I Lie” and anything by Lighthouse and the Whaler.

I highly recommend checking out the movie “What We Do in the Shadows,” directed by Taika Waititi. The film is a mockumentary following a group of vampires who are living in a New Zealand flat in modern day, and it has to be one of the funniest movies I’ve seen all year.

Editor’s Disparagement:
“No Man’s Sky” was made to seem like a video game that had an infinite universe filled with planet sized planets and an unlimited number of procedurally generated plants and creatures. I watched the trailer hundreds of times, I was there at release to pick up the game, and I’ve never been more disappointed in my life. The game’s “infinite planets” are the same thing just colored differently. The discoverable creatures aren’t giant dinosaurs like the trailer suggests, but instead similar-looking small animals that don’t really differ much from planet to planet. The game is repetitive and bland. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

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“Miss Peregrine’s”: from paper to picture

The Rolling Stones roll back to their roots

Get in the spirit

Editor’s Picks

Becoming a YouTube Hero

“Luke Cage”

Editor’s Picks

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