ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, December 17, 2016
East Oregonian
MOVIE REVIEW
BRIEFLY
‘Rogue One’ is a dark, exhilarating blast
By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer
“Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story” seemed suspicious on
paper, like any film saddled with
the dreaded “spinoff” label. For a
while all the odds looked stacked
against it too — reshoots, script
changes and a director in Gareth
Edwards whose last blockbuster
“Godzilla” had visual flair but
no humanity, not to mention
the fact that the film would be
asking us to learn a dozen new
characters with strange names,
none of which were Skywalker or
Solo. And of course as with any
franchise there’s that ever-present
knowledge that, in some ways, this
is another line-item on a corporate
profit sheet.
As it turns out, those should-be
liabilities were only assets in
the end. “Rogue One” is a bold
and stirring adventure film that
will have both fans and casual
observers spellbound. It is easily
the most exciting blockbuster
in recent memory this side of
“Mad Max: Fury Road,” and that
includes “The Force Awakens,”
which now looks lazy and bloated
with sentimentality and fan service
in comparison to the subversive
ingenuity of “Rogue One.”
How refreshing it is to have a
truly contained film that doesn’t
have any objective beyond the
story at hand. There is nothing
to advance, nothing to tease, no
“maybe we’ll find answers in the
next movie in 2 years” here. It
is just allowed to be what it is,
which is an intense and visually
engrossing powder keg of a film.
It’s a simple idea, really: Who
are the rebels who stole the plans
for the Death Star? That pivotal
action kicked off the original “Star
Wars” and it’s pretty inherently
dramatic.
Loosely, “Rogue One” is rooted
around the plight of Jyn Erso,
whose father Galen Erso (Mads
Page 3C
G.P. to throw
annual Christmas
extravaganza
PENDLETON — A variety
of musicians will take the stage
during the annual Great Pacific
Christmas Extravaganza.
Sure to ramp or amp up
your holiday spirit, the event is
hosted by J.D. Kindle and the
Eastern Oregon Playboys. The
fun gets started at 1:30 p.m. at
Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton.
It’s an all-ages event and there
is no cover charge.
Christmas tunes, both
familiar favorites and original
renditions, will play long into
the evening. Also, Santa Claus
is on the special guest list.
For more information,
call 541-276-1350 or search
Facebook for “Great Pacific.”
Rare plant named
after rock guitarist
Jimi Hendrix
Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm Ltd. via AP
This image released by Lucasfilm Ltd. shows Felicity Jones and Diego Luna, right, in a scene from
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
“Rogue One: ”
★★★★
PG-13, 133 minutes
Mikkelsen) is a scientist who once
worked for the Empire. He gets
drawn back in by the ambitious
Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn)
to help finish the Death Star,
leaving Jyn, played by Beau and
Dolly Gadsdon as a young girl,
and Felicity Jones as an adult, to
survive on her own. Jyn is sort of
raised by a rebel extremist in Saw
Gerrera (an over-the-top Forest
Whitaker), but much of this is left
both unseen and unexplained.
What we know is she’s a child
of war, and an almost apathetic
one at that, until she’s rescued
from imprisonment by a group
of rebels hoping her familial
connections might help with their
efforts against the Empire. There
she’s put together with a deadpan
droid K-2S0 (Alan Tudyk) and a
spy, Cassian (Diego Luna), who’s
given a secret mission within the
mission. Eventually they meet
the blind Jedi Chirrut (Donnie
Yen), his decidedly more practical
companion Baze Malbus (Wen
Jiang) and the conflicted pilot (Riz
Ahmed), forming a motley crew of
unlikely heroes.
The real feat of “Rogue One”
is that Edwards and screenwriters
Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy
create a world with actual stakes,
making the audience feel for and
worry about characters we’ve just
met. It doesn’t rely on decades-old
nostalgia, although there is a bit
of that too in mostly unobtrusive
ways. There’s also some CGI
that veers pretty dramatically into
the uncanny valley. But like the
somewhat slow and disjointed
beginning, eventually it all just
washes over you, especially as
the riveting action kicks in, taking
you from the trenches to space and
back again. The only downside
of the thrilling battles in the third
act is that it means less time with
the leads — especially Jones,
Luna and Mendelsohn, whose
performances make up for the
script’s occasional deficiencies.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story” is one of the best Star
Wars films ever made. Only time
will tell if it will surpass “The
Empire Strikes Back” as the
franchise standard bearer. There’s
a compelling case to be made.
SAN DIEGO (AP) —
California researchers have
named a newly discovered rare
plant after Jimi Hendrix.
The plant, found in Baja
California, Mexico, has been
christened Dudleya hendrixii,
or “Hendrix’s liveforever.”
Liveforevers are a kind
of succulent with enormous
lifespans.
This one is a stalky plant
less than a foot tall with
pinkish-white flowers that dies
in summer and re-sprouts in
fall.
San Diego State University
says a former graduate student,
Mark Dodero, discovered the
plant — supposedly while
listening to Hendrix’s song
“Voodoo Child.”
The university says Dodero
and Stephen McCabe of the
University of California, Santa
Cruz, decided to name it for
the late rock guitarist.
WHAT TO DO
Festivals
Living Nativity
•Saturday, Dec. 17, 6-8 p.m.;
Sunday, Dec. 18, 4-6 p.m.
•First
United
Methodist
Church, 191 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston
Free. Live animals and actors
portray the Biblical story of Je-
sus’ birth. Refreshments served
inside the church. Also, Saturday
includes live entertainment by
Desert Aire Dulcimers.
Christmas Extravaganza
•Sunday, Dec. 18; 1:30-8
p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
Free/all ages. Live music
hosted by J.D. Kindle and the
Eastern Oregon Playboys. The
holiday festival features lots of
musical guests and Santa.
Art, Museums
& Authors
Student art + Telera Mc-
Cullough & Amy Fink
•Saturdays/Sundays; noon-5
p.m.
•Arts Portal Gallery, 508 N.
Main St., Milton-Freewater
Free. Exhibit features artwork
from Central Middle School and
Mac-Hi students, as well as the
felted wool work of McCullough
and Fink. Runs through Dec. 31.
Art of the Gift
•Tuesday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4
p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St.
www.pendletonarts.org
Free. Unique holiday gift
shopping of more than 35 artists.
Also, in the gallery are gorgeous
antique American stained glass
windows from the collection of
Frank Duff. Handcrafted furni-
ture by Bruce Gianotti and Jeff
Blackwood also on display and
available for sale. Runs through
Dec. 31.
“Deadly Medicine: Creat-
ing the Master Race”
•Monday - Saturdays, 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Institute,
near Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
$10/adults, $9/senior citizens,
$6/youths, free/5 and under or
$25/family of four. Features a
traveling exhibit from the United
States Holocaust Memorial Mu-
seum, which examines how Nazi
leadership used science to help
legitimize persecution, murder,
and ultimately, genocide. Runs
through Jan. 7.
“Celebrate Family”
•Monday-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-
5 p.m.
•Crossroads Carnegie Art
Center, 2020 Auburn St., Baker
City
www.crossroads-arts.org
Free. Features the Bingham
family artists Pam Bingham
(pottery), Greg Johnson (wood-
working), Seth Bingham (metal
art) and Amanda Jakobson (sign
maker). Much of the artwork is for
sale. Runs through Dec. 31.
Paul Hoelscher
•Tuesday-Sundays, 10 a.m.-
6 p.m.
•Peterson’s Gallery, 1925
Main St., Baker City
www.petersonsgallery.net
Free. Features the charcoal
and ink artwork of Paul Hoe-
lscher. Runs through Dec. 31.
Music
Phoebe Gildea & Noah
Brenner
•Saturday, Dec. 17; 7;30 p.m.
•Kirkman House Museum,
214 N. Colville, Walla Walla
www.kirkmanhousemuseum.
org
$25. Introducing their CD re-
lease featuring Gildea’s soprano
voice and Brenner’s harp-play-
ing. The classic Christmas col-
lection features old and familiar
favorites.
The Mix
•Saturday, Dec. 17; 8 p.m. No
cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission
Sunny Ledfurd
•Saturday, Dec. 17; 9:30 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
https://thepheasant.tick-
etleap.com
$25. An evening of music
with Sunny Ledfurd and Cory
Peterson.
Great Pacific Christmas
Pageant
•Sunday, Dec. 18; 1:30-8 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
Free/all ages. Plenty of guests
(TBA) and Christmas music, both
traditional and otherwise.
Small Souls with Nitty
Gritty
•Monday, Dec. 19; 7-9 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
Free/all ages. Brian Rozen-
dal and Bryan Daste transform
minimalist folk songs into lyrical
soundscapes.
21 and older. East. Drink.
Think. Teams of 2-8 compete in
trivia contest with other teams.
Live host and prizes.
carbine-action 200-shot Range
Model air rifle.
Nuketown
Wine tasting
•Friday, Dec. 23; Saturday,
Dec. 24; 8 p.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission
•Fridays, 4-8 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo.
•First/third Friday each month,
8 p.m.-midnight
•The Packard Tavern, 118
S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton
www.facebook.com/groups/
pendletonopenmic
•Saturday, Jan. 14; 7 p.m.
•Hermiston High School, 600
S. First St.
www.desertartscouncil.com
$20/adults, $10/students (ad-
ditional $5 at the door). Present-
ed by Desert Arts Council, it fea-
tures a new line-up of community
stars who hit the dance floor with
members of the Utah Ballroom
Dance Company.
Karaoke w/DJ David
Cabin Fever
•Fridays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
•Saturday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m.,
Dutch oven dinner show; Satur-
day, Jan. 21; 6 p.m., show only
•Hermiston Conference Cen-
ter, 415 S. Highway 395
$38/dinner show, $15/show
only. John Wambeke & Friends
present a musical variety show.
Tickets available at Cottage
Flowers, 1725 N. First St., Herm-
iston.
Night life
Karaoke Competition
•Saturday, Dec. 17; 8 p.m.-2
a.m.
•Sub Zero Restaurant &
Lounge, 100 W. Highway 730,
Irrigon
No cover. Signups start at 8
p.m. Cash prizes for winners.
DJ music
•Saturdays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Karaoke w/DJ David
•Saturdays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
Whiskey Wednesday Game
Night
•Wednesdays; 3-7 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
No cover. Xbox 360, Nintendo
Wii, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo
64.
Digital Karaoke
•Thursdays and Fridays, 8
p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Mac’s Trivia Night
•Thursdays, 8 p.m. No cover
•Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton
Open Mic
DJ and dancing
•Fridays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Cimmi’s Late Night Martini
Lounge
•Fridays; 9 p.m.-midnight
•Virgil’s at Cimmiyotti’s, 137 S.
Main St., Pendleton
No cover. Features martinis,
mixology and music.
Theater & film
“A Christmas Story: The
Musical”
•Dec. 16-17, 23; 7:30 p.m.
•Dec. 17, 24; 2:30 p.m.
•Elgin Opera House, 104 N.
Eighth St.
www.elginoperahouse.com
Reserved $17/$8. Set in the
fictional town of Hohman, Indi-
ana, the musical follows 9-year-
old Ralphie Parker and his quest
for the Holy Grail of Christmas
gifts — an Official Red Ryder
Dancing with the Hermis-
ton Stars
Hot tickets
•Trans-Siberian Orchestra:
The Ghosts of Christmas Eve:
Dec. 30, Moda Center, Portland;
Dec. 31, Key Arena, Seattle. $41-
$76 via www.ticketmaster.com
•Cabin Fever: Jan. 14 & Jan.
21, Hermiston Conference Cen-
ter. $38/Dutch oven dinner show,
$15/show only via Cottage Flow-
ers, 1725 N. First St., Hermiston
———
Want to get your event list-
ed in our calendar? Send in-
formation to tmalgesini@eas-
toregonian.com, or c/o Tammy
Malgesini, 333 E. Main Street,
Hermiston, OR, 97838.
HERMISTON
Melonville Comedy Festival offers laughter in the new year
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
A pair of regulars on the
Bob & Tom Show will return
to the Melonville Comedy
Festival stage after the new
year.
Dwight
Slade,
who
performs on some of the
biggest comedy venues across
the globe, will headline the
show. Gabriel Rutledge, a past
winner of the Seattle Interna-
tional Comedy Competition,
is the middle act. The pair
previously brought laughs
to Hermiston about 10 years
ago. In addition, Chase
Mayers, an up-and-coming
funny man from Louisiana,
is the opener and will serve as
master of ceremonies.
The Melonville Comedy
Festival is Saturday, Jan. 28
at 8 p.m. at the Hermiston
Conference Center, 415 S.
Highway 395. Tickets, which
are $35 each, are now on sale
for the 21-and-over event.
Midway Tavern will offer
a no-host bar. In addition,
athletes and coaches from the
local Special Olympics team
Contributed photo
Gabriel Rutledge
Contributed photo by Will Radik
Dwight Slade is the head-
liner for the Melonville
Comedy Festival Satur-
day, Jan. 28 at the Herm-
iston Conference Center.
Chase Mayers
will sell food to raise money
for expenses.
The annual comedy
festival started in the early
1990s as a fundraiser for the
Umatilla County Fair. Serving
on the fair board at the time,
Warren Smith assisted with
booking national acts to the
fair’s Main Stage. Bringing
comedians to town, Smith
said, was cheaper than
arranging for bands because
they didn’t come with lots
of equipment or a big entou-
rage. Because of that, Smith
took on producing the show
when the fair board decided
to discontinue the festival
several years later.
Contributed photo
Smith likes to laugh and
stand-up comedy shows are
limited in the Hermiston area,
he said. As long as people still
support it, Smith will continue
arranging for the yearly show.
Trying to keep tickets at
a reasonable price, Smith
brings in talent that are known
around the comedy circles.
However, they don’t come
with the high ticket prices
of top acts, which can cost
upwards of a couple hundred
dollars, he said.
“I like to make the show
affordable so everyday people
can come out,” Smith said.
The winner of this year’s
Boston Comedy Festival,
Slade aspired to do stand-up
as an adolescent. At the age
of 14, he would sneak out
of the house with one of his
friends and they would pedal
their bikes to local open mic
nights. When he was 18, Slade
placed third in the Euphoria
Comedy Contest. He then
headed to Hollywood, where
he was one of the youngest
comedians ever to perform at
the famed Comedy Store.
During the comedy boom
of the ‘80s, Slade headed
to Portland — where he
still resides — to get more
valuable stage time. The
move resulted in establishing
himself as a premier comic
in the Pacific Northwest —
opening shows for Jay Leno,
Jerry Seinfeld and Dave
Chappelle.
In the ‘90s, Slade garnered
more radio time and even
released a pair of comedy
albums. Following that was
his feature film debut in 2000
in “Inconceivable.”
From there, Slade made
appearances in three pres-
tigious North American
comedy festivals — Aspen,
Chicago and Montreal. That
success led to international
exposure at Scotland’s Edin-
burgh Fringe Festival. He
also has performed for United
States troops in Afghanistan
and done a tour in Israel.
Rutledge, who finds
humor in everyday life, also
is the author of “Happiness
Isn’t Funny.” He has made
TV appearances, including
on Nickelodeon, Comedy
Central and HBO. A pair
of his comedy albums are
among the top ten on Sirius
Satellite radio. He resides in
Olympia, Washington.
Hailing from Louisiana,
Mayers is a comedy club
headliner throughout the
Gulf Coast region. His
unique accent and mixture of
storytelling and observations
draws audiences in wherever
he performs. He made his big
screen debut in “The Butler.”
The show, Smith said, is
sure to tickle the funny bone.
Hilarious and entertaining, it
may not necessarily be polit-
ically correct but it won’t be
raunchy or indecent, he said.
Tickets are available at
the Hermiston Chamber
of Commerce or www.
melonvillecomedyfestival.
com. For more information,
contact Smith at 541-561-
7488, melonvillecomedyfes-
tival@gmail.com or search
Facebook for “Melonville
Comedy Festival.”
———
Contact
Community
Editor Tammy Malgesini at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539