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Gouging Gas

In an attempt to put the hurt back on the gas companies, an event has been started on Facebook and Myspace that call for everyone to not buy gas on May 15.

The implications are interesting, but we'll have to see how the "event" turns out.

First Underground Event a Success!

Our first event had over 50 in attendance, thank you all so much!

The First Underground Event

Tonight, the Underground, in conjunction with Amnesty International, is hosting a showing of Blood Diamond.

Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) - an ex Mercenary from Zimbabwe - and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) - a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields - has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have. ~IMDB

We chose this film because we believe that it is something that would challenge our readers, and enourage some research when purchasing effects from other countries.

The showing will be tonight, at six in the Garrett-Strong 2550. Extra-credit is being offered for some classes.

Under Review: Grindhouse

Grindhouse was a novel concept devised by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. This movie is actually two movies pasted together with some fake theatre screens and fake advertisements.

The movie is a giant homage to certain kinds of films from the 70s and 80s. These films were usually very low budget and exploited sex and violence in very interesting ways. These films usually didn’t have wide releases, but ended up in run-down theaters on their last leg.

I was not around to see these kinds of films during their theatrical runs, so I never actually got the Grindhouse experience. However; around middle school and early high school, these low-budget exploitation films were the ones that caught my attention.

Tarantino and Rodriguez attempt to give you the Grindhouse experience with this “Back-to-Back Double Feature.”

The Grindhouse Experience

Machete Trailer

Rodriguez regular Danny Trejo stars in Machete. It’s rumored that this might actually become a movie, and I hope it does. Machete is the name of the man who fights for the little man in this very fun looking movie.

Feature #1: Planet Terror

Written and Directed by: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Marley Shelton, Naveen Andrews, Michael Biehn, Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Tom Savini

The Set-Up:

A business deal with ex-military men goes awry and a deadly drug agent escapes into the air around a small Texas town. In short, it turns people into zombies. “Go-Go” dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) feels like her life is going nowhere and feels like she just has useless talents. Dr. Dakota Block plans on taking her son away from her husband and run away with her lesbian lover. Basically…hardly anyone is happy with their life, and people want to move away.

The Review:

Planet Terror was an adrenaline packed rollercoaster with not-so-mindless action and decent dialogue. It was over-the-top. It may have even gotten corny at parts, but that was part of the experience.

This movie started off fairly complex. We have a few different stories. Cherry quits dancing to start a new life. She runs into El Wray, an ex-boyfriend. She also loses her leg to some zombies and Wray takes her to the hospital, to be in the care of Dr. William Block, Dr. Dakota Block’s husband that she was running away from. There is also tension between Wray and the Sheriff, as well as tension between the Sheriff and his brother J.T. who runs the local BBQ restaurant. Oh… and zombies are running around eating people.

Quick Sidebar: Michael Parks is in this movie… as Earl McGraw. If you were unaware, that was the character he has played in both Kill Bill Volume 2 (directed by Quentin Tarantino) and From Dusk Till Dawn (another Tarantino/Rodriguez collaboration).

We have all of these stories flying around, and then we get a missing reel… after which, all of the problems are solved, some people ended up dead, and we have all of the survivors now gathered in one place. Pretty convenient… wouldn’t you say?

It turns out that Wray is some sort of legend with weapons, and he and Cherry had now rekindled their love. They lead the survivors out of town, but they are soon captured by the ex-military. From here, the survivors must break out of the military base before either the military officers of the zombies kill them. It’s simply a classic standoff. It’s excellent.

This movie was just simply fun. It completely felt like old horror films I used to watch at 2 am. Usually… these movies were considered “so good they’re bad.” I don’t necessarily believe in this concept. If a combination of film elements that usually present a bad movie end up pleasing, then the film itself becomes pleasing and rises above these attributes. Planet Terror played with this concept and purposely played to the people who enjoyed these types of movies.

Rating: 8.5/10

Werewolf Women of the S.S. Trailer

This is the Rob Zombie directed trailer starring Nicholas Cage. Nazis and werewolves… sign me up.

Don’t Trailer

This is the one directed by Shaun of the Dead helmer Edgar Wright. It’s a very strange mix of images, but very cool. Notice how no one talks except for the narrator. This was done because the film was British. Films from the Grindhouse era usually didn’t have people speak in the trailers for foreign films.

Thanksgiving Trailer

This was probably my favorite trailer. This is the one directed by Hostel director Eli Roth. After seeing this trailer online, I actually looked for it in the video store a couple of times before I remembered that it was fake.

Feature #2: Death Proof

Written and Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Sydney Poitier, Vanessa Ferlito

The Set-Up:

Stuntman Mike owns a car that is “100% Death Proof.” He picks out women to stalk and kill with his car.

The Review:

This is where the film slows down. Planet Terror was very fast-paced. Death Proof is not. Tarantino is somewhat known for his strange use of structure in film. This one does not time shift like the others, but it does have a strange structure.

First, we get to meet a group of girls. Then, Stuntman Mike kills them. Then, we meet another group of girls. Then, they stand-off against Stuntman Mike. It makes a little bit of sense, but it seems to be lost on some people. I wasn’t in love with it myself, but it was different and interesting. I went with it.

The first group of girls that we meet are Jungle Julia (Poitier) and her friends. They hang out at an Austin, Texas bar for a while. They meet and chat with Stuntman Mike. After they leave the bar, Stuntman Mike tracks them down to kill them.

The second group of girls are in the film industry. Zoe Bell (the actual New Zealand stuntwoman who did the stunts for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill) played herself. These women didn’t take that kind of crap from Stuntman Mike. They fought back.

I dug this film, but I see where it would be lost on some people. I wasn’t in love with some of the elements myself. The tone of the movie drastically changed between the groups of girls. I would almost consider this one of its saving graces, because each half of the movie actually moves fairly slowly. Because of the structure, it might be considered somewhat experimental (like most Grindhouse films), but it could also be considered a somewhat broken movie.

Rating: 7.5/10

The entire thing is a bit self-indulgent. Same actors are used. Tarantino not only appears in Rodriguez's film, but also his own. And some of Tarantino's dialogue comes off a bit pretentious.
It's over-the-top, and maybe too violent for some.

However; I enjoyed the over-the-topness of it all. I also found the film to be a little less violent than a lot of the movies I used to watch. The experience was fun and sexy. I really really enjoyed myself.

Overall Experience: 8/10

Oxfam Benefit Concert

Amnesty International will be hosting a benefit concert featuring Five Defy and Woodstone on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 9:00pm at the Pub

The cover charge of $3 will directly go to Oxfam International.
http://www.oxfam.org

Check out how your donations will be spent:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatyoucando/donate/how_donations_are_spent

Remember the Pub is 21 and over only.

Click here to see the event on facebook!

Win a Wii & other prizes!

Grand Opening of the University Wellness Center 3-5pm Tuesday April 17. Must participate in the variety of activities and be present from 3-5 to win great prizes. Drawing will be at 4:50.

A Night Out In Black and White

Come dance the night away with RHA

Come enjoy fun and food with RHA! on Saturday, April 14, from 6:30pm till 11:00pm in the Union Ballroom It You will need to dress formally and it's only $10 for dinner. Following the meal will be dancing and you can charge it to your student account.

You'll need to RSVP through the email you received in your Northwest mailbox.

If you do not have an invite please contact RHA@nwmissouri.edu!

Paul Haggard is too Gay

I just couldn't help myself. Perusing the daily headlines, I found a tidbit on the good reverand Paul Haggard who last month was accused of taking speed with a male prostitute in a hotel. Now the sexual orientation of Rev. Haggard really isn't of concern to me, but he brought this on himself. As it turns out, the Good Word from the pastor has consisted of gay bashing and general hatred towards homosexuals. He admitted to having a "massage" from the cheap gay hooker, and buying the the drugs (but not taking them), and no sex. (right.) Now he has came out of rehab, "completley convinced" he is a heterosexual, and suggesting an eventual return to the ministry.

I hope there is a lesson to be found here. Those that preach the loudest against the deviant behavior have something to prove to themselves. This isn't to say all arguments against homosexual or otherwise deviant behavior is without merit. There is clearly standars of any religions, and requirments to be a part of them. Religion can have a profound and fulfilling place in the lives of many. I also believe it to be a personal experience. Recruting as part of the faith is a requirment for many to reach "heaven" or "nirvana" or whatever. Acting as the moral police based soley on the Bible would be judging others...still a bad thing in the good book last I checked.

Paul Haggard; You are a sorry individual, but tearing down the devide between the blind christian gay-haters and the rest of the civilized world. Thanks.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5164921

Glibney to Speak

Gibney, an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and director, is the creator of "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," which was widely praised at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He also served as producer for "The Blues," an Emmy-nominated series made in association with Martin Scorsese.

He'll be in MLPAC at 8 p.m.

Under Review: Smokin' Aces

Written and Directed by: Joe Carnahan

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Alicia Keys, Common, Ben Affleck, and Jason Bateman

The Set-Up:

Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven). Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year 5 straight years in a row. Magician extraordinaire. He also, recently, started dealings with the mob. These dealings have split the Sparazza family in two. Primo Sparazza is dying and it is tradition to kill your enemies before you die, so Sparazza is paying $1 million to the person who brings him Israel’s heart. Israel has just made a deal with the FBI to snitch on members of the mob, so the FBI wants him alive. Israel is under protective custody and has been hiding out in the penthouse suite of Lake Tahoe’s Nomad Hotel and Casino. Three ex-cop bail bondsmen, seven hitmen, a mysterious Swede, and the FBI all merge on the penthouse level of the Nomad Hotel and Casino… All Hell Breaks Loose.

The Review:

“Badass” is a word that comes to mind when reviewing this movie. It’s a massively insane set-up that you just have to love because of how insane it is. This movie takes its time. Some people did not like this, but I ate it all up. Most of the movie is setting up for the last half hour or so, and boy is that half hour a doozy.

The hitmen were my favorite part of the movie. They were very colorful, imaginative, and interesting to watch. Even their names were cool as hell. Sharice Watters and Georgia Sykes (Alicia Keys) were the only hit-women of the group. Georgia was going undercover as a prostitute, because Israel goes through a bunch of prostitutes in the movie. Sharice is covering her from a room in the hotel across the street. The gun she uses is like something out of Alien. Oh… and Sharice is in love with Georgia. Then there’s Pasqual Acosta aka El Estrago (The Plague). Acosta is known for the methods by which he tortures his victims, most notably with a metal spike that comes out of his sleeve. And there’s Lazlo Soot, a mercenary for hire. His specialty is disguise. No one knows anything about his background or even what he looks like. And, saving the best for last, there are the Tremor brothers. Oh goodness… the Tremor brothers. They don’t really have a method or specialty. They just deal in carnage and mayhem. They craziest group of guys I’ve seen on screen in a while.

Affleck, Bateman, and Garcia walked through their roles. Their performances weren’t exceptional, but they were good for what they were. The standouts in my eyes were Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, and Ryan Reynolds. They were just solid in their roles. Jeremy Piven gives us an Aces that goes from happy-go-lucky on stage, to a complete asshole, to a cracked out man clinging to his last shards of humanity. Ray Liotta… is just Ray Liotta. He gets overlooked a lot, but he has his moments in this movie. It’s Ryan Reynolds that steals the show as FBI agent Richard Messner. His character just has a bad day in this movie. Ryan Reynolds plays it to perfection.

I just loved this movie. There’s too much to talk about in this little bit of space. It’s an exercise in coolness. It’s not shy about it either. It’s not screaming “Look at me! Look at me!”… but it gets your attention nonetheless.

Favorite Quote: (Moving Ben Affleck's mouth so Affleck seems to be talking to him) “Don't worry, I forgive you for what you did." --Chris Pine as Darwin Tremor

Rating: 9.5/10

Democrats - Lame Ducks?

Greetings bearcats!

As I’m sure a few of you know, the president gave his annual address to the nation last Tuesday. The primary topic was the Iraq war, and a few domestic issues. As has been the case for the last 6 years, the popular “buzzwords” such as “terrorism” and “security” were dropped. This I expect from President Bush. What I don’t expect is a Democrat controlled house and senate to take it lying down. I’ll keep my political affiliation to myself for now, but one thing I learned from the time I was an intern at our nations capitol is that divided government works best when the gloves are off.

Congratulations to Democrats for winning over the legislature, however Bush bashing only works for so long. Republicans have perfected the art of spin and a semblance of unification. Democrats need to work on consistency if the group doesn’t want to be the party of “least evil.”
As a side note, didn’t anyone else notice how ticked off Condi Rice looked at the address? That is one smart lady, and it certainly seemed like something was bothering her. Dick Cheney also lost interest in the speech at one point…or at least he stopped standing and clapping to give his ticker a rest. For awhile you could almost see his mouth move as Bush was speaking.
I’ve included a link to an impressionist named Frank Caliendo who does an insane impersonation of Bush and Cheney.



http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/2/231307.shtml

myNorthwest Demonstration

The new Northwest Web Portal, myNorthwest, will be demoed January 30, at 3 in the Student Union Ballroom.

The new portal will provide a customizable homepage you build and a personal notification system built around your major and school activities.

SAC Entertainers End Up On National TV

Last semester I had the pleasure of seeing two amazing stand-up comedian do their thing at Mary Linn, thanks to the advantageous SAC. Now, both of these fine comedians have had a special on Comedy Special.

Andrew Kennedy brings his comedy home, focusing on his life as the child of a Dominican mother and a British father. With citizenship in three countries and after living in many more, Kennedy really brings home the idea of ethnicity and culture. Funny from beginning to end, Kennedy is an up-and coming to keep an eye on.

Jeff Dunham is a man of many personalities. An award winning ventriloquist and funny man, Jeff brings a show with heaping portions of fun, and even a bit of insanity. From Walter, Peanut, Jose Jalepeno (on a stick), and the newly introduced Dead Terrorist, Jeff brings characters to life in ways that would impress Pinocchio. A riot (literally, there's enough characters on stage) beginning to end, I highly recommend attending his show, or taking a look at his DVD.

Under Review: Strangers With Candy

Starring: Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Dan Hedaya and Ian Holm

The Set-Up:

This is a movie based on a Comedy Central show of the same name. It also starred Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello. Amy Sedaris stars as Jerri Blank. Jerri is returning to her childhood home after 32 years of living on the streets and in prison. When returning home, she discovers that her father, Dan Hedaya, has been in a coma for 32 years and is now remarried with a teenage son (Yes, I realize that the father could not have a son if he was in a coma… or could he?). Jerri decides to pick up her life right where she left off. At the age of 47, she’s returning to high school.

The Review:

This movie assaults you with hilarity from the very beginning. The movie opens with Jerri leaving prison and reflecting on the lessons she learned in prison. A monologue asking “Can I change?” is going in the background as images of Jerri surviving prison by brawling and stabbing fellow inmates plays on the screen. Amy Sedaris knows this character and knows all of the humor behind the character. The delivery of the monologue mixed with the physical humor on screen shows us this from the very beginning.

That is what this movie does. The comedy in this movie works because of the blend of over-the-top performances with the soft-spoken acting of the rest of the cast. This movie would not work as well as it does without each aspect. Certain characters present the crazy situations, and the comedy comes with the flat responses to these situations. It also works the opposite way. Characters overreact to situations.

So how well does the movie work? It works pretty well. The script gives us many memorable lines and the cast gives us great performances. The pacing is pretty good, but starts to lose it’s footing about three quarters of the way through. The film does pick up and gives us a good ending, though.

Favorite Quote: “I think I deserve better, don't you? Hey, I know this is hard on you. It would be hard on me, too, if I broke up with me. I know what you're losing.”

Rating: 8/10