Oregon Daily Emerald
Pulse Editor
Jacquelyn Lewis
jacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com
Page 8
Drums & Tuba's
instrumental
music leaves §
room for
interpretation.
Thursday, October 3,2002
Monsterama returns to WOW Hall Saturday
In an effort to recreate a drive-in theater
atmosphere, WOW Hall is mixing fear films
with popcorn.
Helen Schumacher
Pulse Reporter
Giant bugs will be invading WOW Hall on Sat
urday when the local venue has its Monsterama 2
movie showing. WOW Hall will show two insect
fear films, “Godzilla vs. Megalon” and “Beginning
of the End,” in an effort to recreate the drive-in
theater experience.
The 1973 flick “Godzilla vs. Megalon” centers
on what happens when a robot sends Godzilla to
rescue people from a giant beetle called Megalon
sent by the underground kingdom of Seatopia.
Released in 1957, “Beginning of the End” is
about a journalist who uncovers an Illinois State
University science experiment that resulted in gi
ant locusts taking over Chicago.
“(These movies) reflect the social mindset of
people at that time — their fear of untapped sci
ence and government experimentations,” WOW
Hall board of directors Vice Chair Robin Shurtz
said. Shurtz suggested the idea for Monsterama.
Shurtz, who also teaches Incredibly Strange
Films, a class at Lane Community College, is an
avid fan of old science-fiction movies. He first
thought of showing old movies on the big screen
when he noticed outdoor drive-ins in his area be
ing replaced by other buildings.
“It came from an idea I had
almost 10 years ago, when the
American drive-in dried up,”
Shurtz said. “The American |
pastime of going to the drive
in was disappearing and the
WOW Hall gave me an op
portunity to try and recre
ate it.”
Traditionally, only live
performance acts are featured
at WOW Hall. However, publi
cist Bob Fennessy said WOW
Hall purchased a projector at
half cost and thought Mon
Turn to Monsterama, page 11
“Smallville ” offers
cheesy storylines,
sexy characters
Mason West
Movies/Music/TV Columnist
Welcome back to Eugene and the new school year
and blah blah blah. This column will be a place to read
interesting factoids and ramblings relating to the
worlds of music, television and movies. To maintain
my sanity, I will end up favoring one of the three false
idols in each column. But rest assured, balance will be
maintained in the big picture.
It’s the start of the year and everyone is busy put
ting their lives back together. The basic necessities of
life must be taken out of storage and reconnected —
which is why, as a work-related necessity, I’m getting
cable. That is, when AT&T has the time to do it.
Plugging in the ol’ coaxial was ..
a tough call because 1 try to stay
away from TV during the school
year. We’ve all caught ourselves
watching “The American Presi
dent” for the 20th time on TNT
just because it’s on, and I take ex
treme steps to prevent that. In an
act of unprecedented restraint,
last year I was devoid of even the
local broadcast channels — until
I went to London.
See, London is one of the most
expensive places on earth to live so I ended up watch
ing lots of TV. It started because after 10 p.m., the
British broadcast channels are havens for soft porn
such as the disturbingly erotic David Cronenberg film
“Crash.” But as couch potato mode lucked in, I was up
for watching pretty much anything — which brings
me to “Smallville.”
One of my flatmates was really into The WB’s ado
lescent Superman spin-off and I ended up watching
along, pint in hand. When I first heard about the show,
the premise of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor being
friends as teenagers just didn’t jive with what I know
about the Superman mythos. And everybody knows
Superman is going to end up with Lois Lane, but Smal
lville has us rooting for Clark and Lana Lang to make
super babies. You understand my reservations.
So how did I get hooked? Well, it started when Lana
stripped down to her panties. The episode involved
plants mutated by kryptonite that remove people’s in
hibitions before they slip into comas. Stupid plot? Yes.
But Lana is too sexy for me to complain.
After a few more episodes, I found the show has im
pressive character complexity in addition to Lana’s
hot, hot body. Teen-Lex is played extremely well by
Michael Rosenbaum with enough innocence to make
his frequent generosity toward Clark seem genuine,
while always hinting at the evil within that will make
him Superman’s nemesis. And surprisingly, Clark’s
adopted father, Jonathan Kent (formerly Bo Duke
from “The Dukes of Hazzard”), has a dark side that
hasn’t been portrayed in past Superman-related shows
and movies. But I’m just making excuses.
Turn to Selling out, page'll
Mason
West
Selling out
Szaszcsavas, a
group of related
musicians,
hails from
Transylvania.
Courtesy photo
Hung-ary for Music?
Hungarian Gypsy music group
Szaszcsavas performs tonight as
partof the ‘World Music Series”
Jacquelyn Lewis
Pulse Editor
In the traditional university setting,
students learn about other cultures in the
classroom. However, the School of Music
offers a different experience, where schol
ars and community members can learn
about different ethnic groups through im
mersion in music and dance.
The music school will present Hungarian Gypsy
Music from Transylvania on Sunday as part of its
World Music Series. The performance will take
place 8 p.m. at Beall Hall.
“The World Music Series is a series of
concerts and usually lecture demonstra
tions emphasizing music from various cul
tures throughout the world,” ethnomusi
cology Assistant Professor Mark Levy said,
“especially more traditional, older layers
Bob Dylan to play at McArthur Court
Courtesy photo
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is considered one of the most prolific artists of
?the 20tfi oenttiwV mV I
Concert preview
It’s not every day that a living
legend stops by the neighbor
hood for a visit. But that’s exact
ly what’s happening at 8 p.m.
Saturday when singer-song
writer Bob Dylan and his band
perform at McArthur Court.
One of the most prolific
artists of the 20th century and
considered by many to be
nothing short of a lyrical ge
nius, Dylan is riding the crest
of a resurgence in popularity.
This latest tour comes on the
heels of two well-received al
bums and an Academy Award.
Dylan won multiple Gram
mys for 1997’s “Time Out of
Mind,” including Album of the
Year, Best Male Rock Vocal
Performance and Best Con
temporary Folk Album. In
2000, he won an Oscar for
Original Song for “Things Have
Changed” from “Wonder
Boys.” His last album, “Love
and Theft,” also won a Gram
my and has been called “one of
the most important albums of
Dylan’s career.”
That’s no small praise, since
his career spans some 40 years
and 45 albums.
The performance, nearly
sold out, is sponsored by the
House of Blues in collaboration
with the UO Cultural Forum.
Those who want to scoop up
the few remaining seats can
contact Ticketmaster outlets.
Student discounts are avail
able on tickets purchased at
the UO Ticket Office in the
EMU.
— Ryan Bomheimer