Viewpoints » Arts and Entertainment

Nicholas Sparks takes over

karaschouw — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:27:51 +0000

One of the most popular romance novelists, Nicholas Sparks has sure made a dent in the reading world and movie business. With over sixteen books many are being made into movies, some even hitting the best sellers list. The Notebook is one of the most known books and has sure made a good read and even better movie.
“Many people perceive love in their own lives, but doubt if other people do. And those who don’t have it hope that someday, they will. I think The Notebook tapped into that feeling.” Said Sparks after writing The Notebook.
The Notebook movie went into much more detail than the book as the characters fall in love and, of course, face a decision that is in our everyday lives. The Notebook is sure a movie that pulls at our heartstrings as Ali, the female character makes a decision that dictates what her whole life will turn out to be. Whether she chooses Noah, her one true love, or a lawyer that can give her everything and more. All in all, Ali develops Alzheimer’s and she can’t remember the life she lived with the one she chose to love. “The notebook is a great movie, my grandpa has Alzheimer’s, and I cried because it reminded me of him. I still think it’s a great movie!” says Jessica Heckel, a junior at Mountain View
Nicholas Sparks brings the love and the trouble of love right to the page, showing what life can really be like. Like always, Sparks always makes it right in the end, even if it makes you cry. “when her eyes met mine, I felt something click, like a key turning in a lock. Believe me, I’m no romantic, I’ve heard all about love at first sight, I’ve never believed in it, and I still don’t but even so, there was something there, something unrecognizably real, and I couldn’t look away” this is my favorite quote form Sparks book, Dear John. It sets a realistic image as to how someone can feel the first time they meet.” Says Marina McBride, a junior at MVHS.
Dear John and The Last Song are making their way to the top of the box office. Dear John followed the book very well even if there are the differences in the characters. John Tyree, played by Channing Tatum was close to perfect in the casting. An only child living with his dad who didn’t do much for him even though he tried. So John enlisted in the army after dropping out of school. And that proves to be a big mistake, as he has to be shipped away while he is falling in love with Savannah. Savannah Curtis, played by Amanda Syefried wasn’t the best choice for the role. As she was suppose to play a country girl with an accent she seems to civilized to me. Not to mention the fact that they made her blond.
The Last Song is a newer book form sparks and is now a major motion picture. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are the leading actors for the movie and it is said to be one of the best romance films of the century. It’s seemed that Miley Cyrus has stepped away form her roll as Hannah Montana to do something completely new. It is hard to see Cyrus as someone other than Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart. That is who she is, not only in her Disney channel show, but also in real life. Living the best of both worlds by being two people. In my opinion Miley Cyrus had never been a good actor and the fact that she brought her own song into this movie just ruined the whole thing, but, other than her dorky comedy of Hannah Montana, she plays an emotional role, dealing with love of a boy she met during the summer, and her troubled relationship with her father. I think Miley is heading in the right direction, growing up, and maybe one day, become a well liked actress.
The Last Song, kept to the book, they even said most of the same lines in the book as the movie. The idea of the movie came to Sparks when he learned that Cyrus wanted to work with him. So, Sparks worked with the producers and directors to write the screenplay. After that, Sparks began to write the book. Changing the setting of the characters to match his writing styles.
I have read the book and have seen the movie, and I have to say that the book is much better, yet again; all books go into much more detail. Getting inside the heads of even the smaller characters.
Nicholas Sparks is a great Author and his books shine. Sparks will continue to write, and hopefully they are as good as his previous, pull at your heartstrings, novels.

MVHS Music

cameronspringstun — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:08:26 +0000

Who comes to mind when you hear about local bands? Most likely not a name like It Lays In Ruins or The Treedwellers. Since the dawn of time, the high school garage band has been bringing harsh feedback and poorly recorded demos into the music world. This is where all famous musicians started. This is where it all begins. Whether they be soft rock, acoustic, metal, techno, or hardcore, they all love to play their music, and are doing their best to further their genre.

The road to being signed to a record label is a long, arduous one that requires many hours of practice and a lot of bad audiences. These young thespians of the smelly garage variety may not have fully developed their skills as musicians quite yet, but their presence and heart more then make up for it. Generally the atmosphere at the practices and shows is a fun and lively attitude, but when the music starts it’s all seriousness. Being as passionate as they are about their music, criticism is taken harshly.

It Lays in Ruins are a 5-piece deathcore band that have been together since late summer 2006. They are made up of David Metcalf on lead guitar, Cutler Sneckner on rhythm guitar, Spencer Snyder on drums, Travis Bieghler on bass, and Peter Olufson on vocals. Their main musical influences include bands like The Devil Wears Prada, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, and Miss May I. They’ve shared the stage with bands such as Winds of Plague, At The Throne of Judgement, Arsonists Get All The Girls, and Suffokate. When asked what they see for the future, David said, “Our band is just having fun and writing the music that we like playing. Music is more to us than just music and we plan to continue playing for a very long time.”

They have an upcoming show in Klamath Falls on November 19^thso if you get the chance, check them out and see what you think. And if you get the chance, try and look for underground shows to see these great, young, local bands.

What would you rather see?

alexherberger — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:57:26 +0000

Theres a lot of movies coming out right now in October, we just wanted to see what most people liked at the moment.

Would you rather see?

Where The Wild Things Are: 13

Zombieland: 6

Law Abiding Citizen: 2

Disney Buys Marvel

rachelcook — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:07:48 +0000

By: Rachel Cook

Marvel, the people who brought us Spiderman, The Punisher, The Incredible Hulk, X-men, and many other super hero classics, but is now actually Disney.
A question that super hero fanatics like myself must ask, why did Disney buy Marvel? We all know Disney as the proud owner of Cinderella, The Lion King and Bambi. Don’t get me wrong, all three of those movies are true cartoon classics, but I don’t quite view the Incredible Hulk as being a cute and cuddly fawn, or a rags to riches love story. I can’t help but fear that there will never be another Punisher again.
In late August, the Walt Disney Company bought Marvel for four billion dollars. According to CNNmoney.com, the deal will allow Disney to sell Marvel’s vast array of characters and properties across different media platforms and in many more markets. Marvel offered over 5,000 characters to Disney to do whatever they please.

Last year, Iron Man made over $100 million dollars. If a movie came out for every one of the Marvel characters that were sold to Disney, and each movie made about the same amount as Iron Man, the profit would be well over 4 billion dollars. In 2004, a very extraordinary Marvel character, The Punisher (Frank Castle) became the main character in a movie, The Punisher starring Thomas Jane. The Punisher included a great deal of violence, language, and other explicit content, which is why it was rated “R”. Not many Marvel movies have an “R” rating, but some, like The Punisher, are directed for mature audiences. Now that Disney owns Marvel, one can hardly imagine another Punisher movie due to the fact that Disney doesn’t typically make “R” rated movies. Plus, The Punisher is not The Punisher without the extreme level of violence and action. With all the money that has been brought in from movies such as, Spiderman, Iron man, Fantastic Four, and many others, I’d say that Marvel was doing fairly well without Disney.

Marvel is definitely worth way more than 4 billion. Disney should stick to cute and cuddly, and leave the real action to the professionals.

October, Pumpkins, and Ghosts, Oh My.

haylehudson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:46:21 +0000

By: Hayle Hudson

Pumpkins, Ponies, Hay and Haunts. October is the month where you can do everything from pumpkin picking, pony rides, getting lost in a corn maze and being scared out of your wits by ghosts, creepy crawlers of the night, to knocking on strangers doors and getting candy from them.

October is many peoples favorite month. The leaves start falling and the pumpkin patch comes around, the haunted house scares you, then comes Halloween. With Halloween you get to dress up as anything you can imagine, get enough candy to last you for months, and then eat it all in one night.

The pumpkin patch comes every year to the same exact place and still manages to wow. This year Central Oregon Pumpkin Co. and DD ranch in Terrebonne are planning to send us all on a Safari Adventure. That’s this year’s theme. From an aerial view the corn maze is a group of Safari animals. On your way through the maze you’ll wind your way through an elephants trunk, get lost is a zebra’s stripes, and carefully make your way through a lions mane. With the help of your trusty map and your best navigational skills, you might just make your way out. But, the maze isn’t the only awesome thing at the pumpkin patch. There are pumpkins, of course. Miles and miles of homegrown pumpkins just waiting for you to come and take a few home. But there is always a twist about these pumpkins. Picking them isn’t the only thing you can do, you can shoot them out of a cannon. That’s right, shooting a pumpkin miles into the air and watching it come down and splat. All for just $2.50 a shot. Its open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6pm. There are also pony rides for the young, a zoo train that takes you for a ride around the pumpkin patch, a free petting zoo, and a fresh Harvest Market. You can find anything from mini pumpkins, gourds, squash, and Indian corn, all with the perfect fall colors to decorate your house. The pumpkin patch opened September 26^th and is open all the way until October 31^st The hours are 12pm to 6pm Monday through Friday and 10 am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets for the maze are $7.50 for kids 12 and up. $5.00 for kids 6-11 and children 5 and younger are free.

The Pumpkin Patch isn’t the only thing central Oregon is known for around this time of year.

Every year at the Deschutes County fair grounds in the Dairy Barn, volunteers put on the traditional “Haunt at Juniper Hollow”, and this year they’ve added the new “ Dark Intentions”, a place where only bad things happen… even to good people. Please keep in mind that these are both meant to be very scary and it’s recommended for kids 12 and up. But the final say is left up to the supervising adults. “chicken exits” are located all throughout the Haunt. The dates on the Haunt are October 8,9,10,15,16,17,22,23,24,28,29,30 and 31^st. Tickets may be purchased at the Haunt, online or at The Halloween Headquarters located in the Bend Factory Outlet Mall. Ticket windows open at 6:30 pm and the Haunt starts at 7:00 pm. These Haunts are a fundraiser so all purchases are final. There will be no refunds given if you exit the Haunt or the tickets are unused.

So Happy Halloween to all, and enjoy the awesome activities that Central Oregon provides us with.

Inglourious Basterds Review

alexherberger — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:30:29 +0000

Tarantino has done it again! Inglourious Basterds beats your senses unmercifully, like the “Bear Jew” does his victims. Tarantino does not care if he offends you, or if he crushes all stereotypes under his heel, and he most certainly does not mind using his movie as a psychological experiment on the viewers. He is a master at cranking up the tension and then releasing it into a situation leaving you laughing and yet wondering if you should be disgusted instead.
During World War II a group of Jewish American soldiers known as the “Basterds” are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French Jewish woman who runs a move theater in Paris, which is targeted by the soldiers because of the guests attending the next film premier.
The acting in the film is brilliant! The best performance would have to go to Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa. His character is cunning, sly, sadistic, charming, and downright evil. Landa kills anything that he feels is in his way, and enjoys it. He calls himself a “detective”, while everyone else calls him the “Jew Hunter”, for that’s what he does.
Even though I suggest this movie to all, it is not for the faint of heart, nor anyone under the age of 17 (without a parent). This movie is rated R; for sexual content (no actual nudity), violence, gore, profanity, alcohol, and some intense fighting scenes. As much as I loved this movie, I thought there could be a lot more violence (and I did hope for a lot of it) and I was disappointed,I give this movie an 8/10.

Is Nerd the New Black?

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:25:17 +0000

By Matt Funk
Over the past few years, popular culture, specifically Hollywood, has shifted heavily in favor of what used to be considered “nerd” stuff. Comic books, sci-fi, and fantasy movies have become increasingly more prominent. This trend has been building moment quietly for a while, and shows no sign of stopping.
Let’s examine the evidence.
The last few years have produced countless comic book movies. There are the obvious superhero films: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Spiderman, X-Men, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy, Fantastic Four and many others. These are some of the highest grossing movies every year, and they are all “nerd” movies, based on comic books that have been continuously published since as early as the 1930s.
There also the less obvious movies that most people didn’t even realize were comic adaptations: 300, Sin City, V for Vendetta, 30 Days of Night, Constantine, Wanted, and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. These movies represent some of the most artistic and praised films released in recent years.
The super saturation of comic and pop-culture films in the box office doesn’t look like it’s going to let up this year, either. Next week has the release of Watchmen, based on the most acclaimed graphic novel of all time. This movie looks to follow on WB’s success with darker toned superhero movies such as the Dark Knight. That will be followed up by Xmen Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Transformers 2, and G.I. Joe, among others.
Why then does no one read the source material? With the outstanding exception of Watchmen, sales for comics show little to no increase when movies based on them are released. You would think that if people liked the movie that they would want to go out and read more stories with the characters. Why don’t they?
Some people aren’t aware that comic books are still published. This is an odd misconception that many people have. Since their inception in the early 1900s, comics have never stopped being published. This myth is baffling and seemingly baseless.
Another misconception is that comics are for little kids. Most comic readers are in their twenties or thirties. The stories, as shown by most of the movies already listed, are anything but immature.
“I don’t know why, but Watchmen is the first movie that’s actually bringing people in,” says Duncan McGeary of Bend’s only comic retailer, Pegasus Books. “It’s cool how many people that don’t read comics want to see this [Watchmen] movie.”
Now that “nerd” culture is becoming more acceptable, you can do yourself a favor: go read a comic book.

Coraline: Charming and Creepy

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:21:05 +0000

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Set in an unnamed small town in Oregon, which looks very familiar if you have ever visited or lived on the wet side of the mountains, Coraline weaves an enchanting and creepy ghost story.

At several points during the film I found myself wondering if Coraline was ever intended for children, though it is technically a children’s film. There were moments that were certainly unnerving, as only a Neil Gaiman story can be, that resulted in the younger children in the theater crying or loudly proclaiming that they wished to leave.

Teenagers and adults, especially those who are fans of Peter Selicks’ work ( Selick collaborated on The Nightmare Before Christmas), would certainly enjoy this artistic fairy tale.

Coraline herself is a girl who appears to be between 10 and 12. Her mother and father don’t really have time to garden or like dirt but are writers for a gardening company. They even have mugs to drink coffee from that say I Love Mulch as they hunch over computers. This is akin to what I am doing now, seeing as I barely have time to watch movies because I am too busy writing movie reviews.

Coraline is frequently ignored by her busy parents and truth be told she does not do much that would make them want to spend time with her. Coraline is fairly obnoxious and strong willed.

At the start of the film, Coraline and her parents are moving into an ornate Victorian house called the “pink palace”. They have three neighbors, one in the attic and two in the basement. The man in the attic is a retired Russian circus performer who spends his days training mice for his mouse circus.

In the basement there are to women who, in their youth, worked in the adult film industry. Now they spend their days reading tea leaves and playing cards with their many beloved Scotty dogs. There is a very disturbing scene where, in the alternate world, the old women put on a show for Coraline, mostly naked. If you have an aversion to seeing scantily clad claymation puppets do dance routines, I would not suggest this movie.

Her adventure begins when she goes through a tiny door in her new house and finds herself in an alternate world where everything is better, her house, the neighbors, and especially her parents. The only strange thing is everyone has buttons instead of eyes. Her “other mother” wants to sew buttons on her eyes and keep her there forever. Despite how creepy this is Coraline is tempted by the offer, for a very short time at least, which is certainly a testament to how unhappy she was at home.

Coraline soon discovers that her “other mother” is not her dream come true but a monster that steals the souls of unhappy children.

After this revelation, Coraline must save her parents and the souls of other little children from the creature. Part of what makes the story so enjoyable was the fact that Coraline is able to use her obstinate and obnoxious qualities to her advantage, showing that girls who are not sweet and nice can still be heroines.

Overall, Coraline was a truly delightful movie. The claymation was lovely and the 3D effects were a natural extension of an already multidimensional medium.

Soba Noodle a Reliable Downtown Favorite

admin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:53:18 +0000

In a building downtown that has served as a movie theater and several different restaurants is Soba Noodle. Soba Noodle is a local restaurant with several locations in Bend and Sisters.

Walk into Soba and you are greeted by dim lighting which somehow still manages to be friendly with the help of large windows in the front of the building. The brick walls are ornamented with Asian themed photos and paintings by local artists.

Judging by the customers at Sobas’ downtown location, the restaurant is popular with all types of people. There are trendy looking teenagers in skull caps and skinny jeans, young parents with small children and older couples who give you the feeling they once participated in more than one war protest.

One of the reasons for this is probably the prices at Soba Noodle which are much less than the average restaurant downtown and more than say, a slice of pizza at Pizza Mondo. The plates average around six dollars depending on sides and drinks. This makes it affordable for almost everyone and keeps Soba Noodle busy when other businesses and restaurants downtown are being forced to close their doors with the economy on the downturn and rents on the rise.

The quality of the food is pretty in line with the pricing. The meals are very tasty but not so remarkable that you want to jump on the table and start singing.

In my opinion the best part of Soba Noodle is the variety of things on the menu. There are noodle and rice dishes, salads and soups. The cool thing is many different ethnicities represented in the food. From Thai to Chinese to Jamaican whatever you are in the mood for you can probably find on the menu. Another great thing is they are more than willing to substitute any meat for tofu, making it vegetarian friendly.

If you have never gone in Soba Noodle then I strongly suggest giving it a try.

By: Tamara Lee