Arts and Culture Articles
Save me, Indy!
Indiana Jones and the glory of videogames
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Unless you've spent the last 25 years living under a rock, it's a safe bet that you grew up as a fan of Indiana Jones.
It's hard not to love the films, given their sharp sense of pulp adventure and the famed archaeologist's signature everyman charm. Now, with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just over the horizon, what can a good Dr. Jones fan do to satiate the wait?
The rise and fall of Nim Chimpsky
New book tells the fascinating story of a chimp raised as human
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Throughout Elizabeth Hess' new book, Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human, it's hard not to adore the title character.
The in-depth piece of non-fiction chronicles the life of Nim, a chimpanzee born in 1973 in an Oklahoma research facility who became the subject of a controversial experiment in language acquisition established by Columbia professor Herbert Terrace.
(Not yet) big in Japan
Portland pop youngsters Soutern Belle aim across the sea
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For the ragged musicians of Portland's Southern Belle, Tokyo is not just a destination--it's a consummate manifestation of the group's giddy ambitions.
Dark Meat tastes better
Hailing from Georgia, Dark Meat is taking the country by ... collective?
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With tags like "collective" and "neo-psychedelia" attached to them, Dark Meat could easily be understood as yet another attempt to revive the flower-power good times of the '60s.
That would be a gross misunderstanding.
Sex, alcohol and madness
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire at the Artists Repertory Theatre
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Hunter S. Thompson once said "I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me."
The same words could easily have come from the mouth of Tennessee Williams, one of the most respected modern playwrights and author of A Streetcar Named Desire, which is now playing at Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre.
Filming at the edge of Earth
German auteur Werner Herzog at the Northwest Film Center
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Werner Herzog is relentless.
Once during an interview he was shot with an air rifle, paused, told the reporter "it was not a significant bullet," and continued the interview while blood oozed from his stomach.
Stoner bros unite
Funny, stupid and mostly harmless, the new Harold and Kumar goes up in smoke
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Harold Lee and Kumar Patel. Two guys you probably thought you'd never be seeing again. But you were wrong.
And while the scenery has changed (the pair are now on the run from the Department of Homeland Security instead of trying to find their way to White Castle), this stoner duo has not.
Some people make art
Professor Harrell Fletcher opens new exhibit downtown
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Some people have really interesting stories that are waiting to be told. Some people live their lives unnoticed by most. They may do memorable things in their time, and they may make life better for dozens of people. Their memory, however, will be relegated to a photo album or a dusty cassette tape recording of their voice, completely overlooked by the rest of the world.
Iron Man
Don't believe the hype! Iron Man is fun, but it isn't the Jesus of superhero movies
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Summer is here!
This is obvious for two reasons. First, I'm sweaty. Second, the first summer blockbuster, Iron Man, just made a shit-ton of money ($98.6 million in the opening weekend, to be exact). Whoopee. Now we can look forward to months of insipid sequels and formulaic cash cows with big dazzling effects.
Invoking the past (and future) of T'ai Chi
Horatio Law's participatory art at the Southwest Waterfront
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On the first Saturday in May, a group of concerned citizens was gathered in the Southwest Waterfront Artist in Residence (AiR) studio, asking questions and looking worried about the implications of what they were about to do.
Please, sir, can I have Another?
Portland band Another Cynthia creates a delicious musical jambalaya
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Another Cynthia isn't just another indie band.
The serendipitous collection of six--Ian Mackintosh (vocals, guitar), Abe Smith (vocals, guitar), Jason Mackie (vocals, guitar), Ian Mouser (bass), Jackson Coffey (drums) and Ben Braun (keys/sampler)--have something fresh to offer.
The QB Snap: Buzz from Portland State's Queen Bee Ryan W. Klute
PSU's dirty little secret: porn
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I like to keep my fingers on the pulse of the Portland State social scene. This usually means I know which professor has a sick kitty or when freshmen break-up, but sometimes, my tireless and creepy vigilance pays off.
Film in brief
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One of the producers says in the production notes that he considers this movie as "something of a throwback to an earlier era of filmmaking." He must be referring to the 1980s, because this feels like the kind of slick, mindless thriller Adrian Lyne used to make--for better and for worse. For a while, it has the guilty-pleasure allure of a 9 1/2 Weeks or a Fatal Attraction, and it certainly resembles the British director's aesthetic with its good-looking characters, urban setting and cool, steely grays and blues.
TV Party: Get out of our brains! Down with advertising!
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Commercials are a necessary evil of television. If we didn't have people selling us things, we wouldn't have network TV--it's what pays the bills. And that's fine.
