The Clackamas print., November 28, 2007, Page 3, Image 3

Clackamas Print
Arts Culture 3
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007
fiwiatdinty the holiday, icascn
Ilf Walters
s' Culture Editor
holidays are approach­
decorations spring up
Hr blasts out the
of their coming
ie season of ridiculously crowded
[lambovant decorations and cheesy
oh, that is the holiday season.
•seems like the holidays keep “start-
>ner every year.
s soon as, or sometimes even before,
:en is over, signs herald the coming of
the season.
What is it about the holiday times that
make everyone want them to be so long?
Is it the connection that it has to thoughts
of happiness and goodwill toward all men?
Who knows, maybe some kids are
actually not afraid of a fat man in a red suit
coming down their chimney at night to bring
them presents.
Whatever the reason may be for the
holiday season becoming longer, the signs
that it is approaching appear to be multiplying
as well.
Winter time
has its normal
signs popping up
everywhere, such
as coats, jackets,
hats and sweaters
being broken out of the back of the closet, or
the inevitable coming of almost endless rain
in Oregon.
But then there are those who specifi­
cally proclaim just how quickly the holidays
are approaching.
“The mall - how crowded it gets ...
shopping and maxing out your credit cards”
are tire first signs that the holidays have
begun, said student Kim Miller.
And then there is television - December
is the official month when all movies having
All photos by Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print
LEFT: Several penguin cookies wear frosting scarves and
happy expressions.
ABOVE: Trees are covered with holiday decorations inside
the Clackamas Town Center.
RIGHT: The Starbucks Coffee cup, covered in snowflakes,
with a holiday sleeve encircling it for good measure.
anything to do with winter, and especially
Christmas, get played. “Jingle All The Way,”
the original “Home Alone,” “It’s a Wonderful
Life” and “Santa Claus” are just a few of
those that seem to be on the tube every single
year.
‘“The Santa Claus’ movies with Tim
Allen; those are so funny,” Miller said.
That is not even counting the chil­
dren’s movies that are shown every single
year without fail - “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer,” anyone?
“‘Frosty the Snowman’ -1 see it all the
time,” Eric Wenlund said.
Nate Courtney knows that the holidays
are here when he starts “hearing all the
(Christmas) songs on the radio.”
Usually, right around the end of
Thanksgiving is when radio stations go into
a holiday-song frenzy which lasts until the
end of December. The most ridiculous song
played might possibly be “I’m Dreaming of
a White Christmas.” Really, is there anybody
who
actu­
ally thinks
that is going
to happen in
this part of
Oregon?
Even
Starbucks
starts using
holiday cups
for their hot
drinks around
the beginning
ofNovember.
Where
will it all end?
Only
time
will tell.
violosical story comes to theaters
legend throughout the film, put­
ting his own spin on the truth.
No one but he knows what actu­
ally happened, so those who
would later write of the tale
would relay his version of the
)us Anglo-Saxon
story.
is now an enter-
In the poem Beowulf is
portrayed as a great hero who
ig motion picture
bravely confronts and slays the
monsters without any regard
ient
Anglo-Saxon
for his own well-being. In the
agy hits the big screen
movie, although still a brave
3 legend of “Beowulf.”
hero, he is very arrogant and
>wulf” is an Anglo-
somewhat narcissistic. He
epic poem written
makes mistakes, lies, and in
i the eighth and elev-
the end, it only harms him and
nturies. It tells the story
those he cares about.
'arrior named Beowulf
Devout Christians may be
ittles three antagonists:
turned off by the heavy pagan-
ter named Grendal that
istic imagery and seemingly
the Danish king’s Mead
anti-Christian tone of the film.
¡rendal’s mother and a
In one scene, the dragon bums
a church.
movie is a fully com-
Keep in mind that the story
tiimated fantasy that
of “Beowulf’ was told by
s to Explain some of the
Pagans long before the time of
’ behind the mon
Christ, and it wasn’t officially
written until
the clergy, who
were the only
literate
men
of their time,
actually put it
on paper.
The movie is
for fans of the
fantasy genre,
the “Beowulf’
poem and hero­
ic pictures.
Devout
Christians and
scholars
of
Anglo-Saxon
mythology
should
keep
an open mind
when seeing
this film - it’s
Matthew Garrison Clackamas Print
ilf” is playing nationwide in theaters, including Regal Cinema off just a movie.
i Kornafel
icfawias Print
sters. Why does Grendal attack
Mead Hall? What is Grendal’s
mother? Why was the dragon in
Grendal’s cave?
J.R.R. Tolkien’s main inspira­
tion to write “Lord of the Rings”
was the story of “Beowulf,” and
it shows in this film. The Danish
town surrounding the hall is a
close representation of Edoras,
the town of King Théoden of
Rohan. Mead Hall looks like the
Golden Hall of Edoras, and the
monster Grendal immediately
reminds the viewer of Gollum
from “Lord of the Rings.”
As a movie, “Beowulf’ is
very entertaining. The voice
acting by Anthony Hopkins and
Angelina Jolie is well-done.
Anyone who has read the poem
will notice that Hollywood
took some creative liberties in
attempting to clarify parts of
the plot that were left up to
the reader’s imagination in the
initial story.
Beowulf tells the original
Avenue in Oregon City, just a couple of miles from the college.
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