ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, November 24, 2018
East Oregonian
Michael B. Jordan punches up
MOVIE REVIEW
Now a Hollywood
heavyweight, ‘Creed’
star brings big ideas to
production company
Barry Wetcher/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
This image released by Met-
ro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures /
Warner Bros. Pictures shows
Florian Munteanu , left, and
Michael B. Jordan in a scene
from “Creed II.”
‘Creed II’ is
the match of
the franchise
Stephen Caple Jr.’s entry
into this now eight-film
franchise follows Adonis
Creed as the new champion of
boxing. But old rivals come to
strike back as Victor Drago,
the son of Ivan from “Rocky
IV,” challenges Creed in a title
match that pushes everyone to
the limit.
As I have said since the first
entry, “Creed” is the perfect
way to reboot the franchise.
The sequel takes that initial
premise, of the son of Apollo
Creed being trained by Rocky,
and runs with it. The premise
of the sequel feels like a “no
duh” situation. The story felt
like a natural evolution of the
narrative.
Some critics have espoused
that the film doesn’t do
anything new, but I would
argue there is so much you can
do with training montages that
have been the lifeblood of the
franchise. This film also adds
something that the rest of the
franchise hasn’t done and that
is: “What happens to the loser
of a fight?” This adds a good
amount of dramatic weight
as the Drago’s story is more
fleshed out and makes the
events of “Rocky IV” more
impactful.
I don’t have much
negative to really say. The
cinematography is good,
the fights are intense, the
performances by Michael B.
Jordan, Sylvester Stallone,
Dolph Lundgren and Tessa
Thompson are great, and the
music is well used. The one
thing though I would caution
the producers about is making
a sequel to this film. I know
it is tempting to make a third
entry, but “Creed II” ends in
such a way that I felt satisfied
with not having another entry
ever. It felt definitive and a
true passing of the torch from
Rocky to Adonis.
As it stands, “Creed II” is a
near knockout. Sporting great
fights and character moments
that I feel any fan of this series
will appreciate. “Creed II” gets
an A-.
Nicholas Jennings
Pendleton
By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer
NEW YORK — If Michael B.
Jordan’s path to this moment was
condensed and edited, it might
look, appropriately, like a training
montage.
Images of Jordan cutting his
teeth on the Baltimore streets of
“The Wire” and the Texas football
fields of “Friday Night Lights,” fol-
lowed by hints of a soaring talent
(“Red Tails,” “Chronicle”), shat-
tering breakthroughs (“Fruitvale
Station”) and setbacks (“Fantastic
Four”) before reaching, with a pair
of haymakers (“Creed,” “Black
Panther”), heavyweight status.
Parallel to Jordan’s steady rise
has been the 31-year-old’s expand-
ing sway behind the scenes in Hol-
lywood. His production company,
Outlier Society Productions, was
among the first to embrace the
inclusion rider, adopting the pledge
to seek diverse casts and crews just
days after Frances McDormand
referenced it at the Oscars. Jordan
was also influential on a similar
agreement by WarnerMedia, mak-
ing Warner Bros. the sole major
studio thus far to sign up.
“He’s always been a big-idea
guy,” says Ryan Coogler, who
directed Jordan in “Fruitvale Sta-
tion,” “Creed” and “Black Pan-
ther.” “He’s always been conscious
of his own responsibility.”
“Creed II,” which opened in
theaters Wednesday, finds Jordan’s
character, Adonis Creed — like
the actor, himself — adjusting to
Film club changes
meeting day
PENDLETON — Due to
the Thanksgiving holiday, the
Pendleton Film Club will meet
again in December.
In addition, the group has
changed its meeting day to
Saturdays starting Dec. 1 at
6 p.m. The club meets in the
Community Room at the Pend-
leton Public Library, 501 S.W.
Emigrant Ave. The group wel-
comes anyone who is 15 or
older that has an interest in
films, the movie industry or
working on short film projects.
For more information, con-
tact Nicholas Jennings at spir-
itman2015@gmail.com, 541-
379-1012 or search Facebook
for “Pendleton Film Club.”
Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File
In this Jan. 30, 2018 file photo, Michael B. Jordan poses for a por-
trait at a press junket at the Montage Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills,
Calif.
his newfound prominence: reach-
ing the pinnacle of his profession
while still having to fight for what
he believes in. As Steven Caple
Jr.’s boxing drama prepared to
open in theaters, Jordan went door-
to-door in Georgia urging people
to vote in the midterm elections.
“You’ve been doing one thing
for 20 years. Constantly working at
it, trying to grow and become suc-
cessful, or whatever your version
of success is. And then you have a
moment in time where everything
seems to be coming together at the
same time. Everything seems to be
happening. But you live in a soci-
ety, in a world that’s kind of going
to s---,” Jordan said in a recent
interview. “So to be able to use one
to help the other, is something. To
try to find your voice.”
It’s an answer with shades of
Jordan’s typical performance: ear-
nest, thoughtful, tinged with pain.
Then he exhales.
“I don’t know, man,” says Jor-
dan. “Honestly, there’s a lot going
on right now and I’m trying to find
my place in all of it, professionally
and personally.”
A big part of Jordan’s quest
was “Black Panther,” in which
he played Erik Killmonger. The
part is ostensibly a villain, but in
Jordan’s hands, Killmonger —
a wounded, fatherless warrior
bent on reparations through vio-
lence — has a depth uncommon
if not outright alien to comic-book
films. Between Killmonger and the
Wakanda leader T’Challa (Chad-
wick Boseman) is a larger dia-
logue, one fraught with history,
between African identity and the
African diaspora.
“Making a movie, you rarely
come out the other side the same.
You either grow or regress. I came
out a different man,” says Coogler.
“The conversation that was had
between T’Challa and Killmon-
Festivals
Winter Market
•Dec. 7-9
•Various wineries in Mil-
ton-Freewater, Walla Walla re-
gion
www.wallawallawine.com
Some events free. Amidst
the festive atmosphere of the
season, winemakers and cellar
staff provide samples of future
releases straight from the wine
barrel.
•Friday, Nov. 30; 4-7:30 p.m.
(ladies only)
•Saturday, Dec. 1; 9 a.m.-4
p.m.
•SAGE Center, 101 Olson
Road, Boardman
www.visitsage.com
Free. Features boutique
clothing, homemade gifts,
home decor, beauty products,
jewelry, specialty items and
more. Ladies Night Out in-
cludes door prizes, live music
and refreshments. Family Day
includes a photo booth and ex-
hibit displays (541-481-7243).
Holiday Stroll
•Friday, Nov. 30; 4:30-7 p.m.
•Downtown Pendleton
www.facebook.com
Free. Celebrate the holiday
season with tree decorating,
visit from Santa, tree lighting (6
p.m.), raffle drawings and hot
chocolate. (541-304-3912).
Hermiston Festival of
Trees
•Saturday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.;
Sunday, Dec. 2, noon-4 p.m.
•Hermiston
Community
Center, 415 S. Highway 395
www.facebook.com
$40/dinner & auction. Tick-
ets are sold-out for the dinner,
but adults may attend the auc-
tion at 8 p.m. No-host bar avail-
able. $5/suggested Family Day
donation, featuring tree view-
ing, holiday crafts and activities,
pictures with Santa.
•Friday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m.; Sat-
urday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
•Pendleton
Convention
Center, 1601 Westgate
www.sahpendleton.org/
foundation/winterfest
$40/gala event. Formerly
the Festival of Trees, features
prime rib/salmon dinner, silent/
live auction, music, dancing,
table games, gift shopping.
Free/Family Day, with lots of
holiday-related activities. (541-
Holiday Barrel Tasting
Winterfest Light Parade &
Chili Feed
•Saturday, Dec. 8; 6 p.m.
•Downtown Pilot Rock
Free. Enjoy the lighted pa-
rade followed by hot chocolate
and a chili feed in the council
chambers. (541-443-5832).
Welcome Santa Drive
•Saturday, Dec. 8; 6-8 p.m.
•Main Street Boardman to
SAGE Center
Free. SECO Pallets sleigh
delivers Santa Claus to the
SAGE Center parking lot, 101
Olson Road for pictures, hot
chocolate and goodies (541-
303-3221).
Art, Museums &
Authors
Art of the Gift
•Tuesday-Saturdays,
10
a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays, noon-
4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St.
www.pendletonarts.org
Free. The holiday exhibit
and art/craft sale runs Nov. 23-
Dec. 31. (541-278-9201).
Christmas Art Show &
Sale
•Saturday, Dec. 8; Sunday,
Dec. 9; 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
•Oxford Suites, 1050 N.
First St., Hermiston
Free. Features paintings,
jewelry, prints, Christmas cards,
Western art and metalwork by
local artists. Refreshments
served
com).
(janbeitel@outlook.
Whitney Minthorn Photo
Exhibit
•Monday-Thursdays;
11
a.m-7 p.m.; Friday-Saturdays;
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
•Hermiston Public Library,
235 E. Gladys Ave.
www.hermistonlibrary.us
Free. To recognize National
Native American Month, display
features the work of the profes-
sional photographer/re-toucher
who grew up on the Confeder-
ated Tribes of the Umatilla Indi-
an Reservation. Runs through
Nov. 30.
“Seeds of Culture: The
Portraits and Voices of
Native American Women”
•Monday-Saturdays;
10
a.m.-5 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Insti-
tute, near Wildhorse Resort &
Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
$10/adults, $9/senior citi-
zens, $6/youths. Matika Wilbur,
a visual storyteller from the
Swinomish and Tulalip peoples
of coastal Washington, has
been traveling and photograph-
ing Indian Country as part of
her Project 562. The portraits
are accompanied by written
narratives and audio of the in-
terviews. Runs through Jan. 5.
“Yellowstone In Winter:
Solitude, Struggle, and
Surprise”
•Monday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5
p.m.; Saturdays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
•Pendleton Art + Frame, 36
S.W. Court Ave.
Free. Features work of
Pendleton photographer Deb-
bie McIntosh. Runs through
Nov. 30.
Music
Terry Robb
•Saturday, Nov. 24; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
Wildhorse reels in holiday movies
eomediagroup.com
“It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stewart and Donna Reed will be shown at
the Wildhorse Cineplex in December.
MISSION — During the weeks leading
up to Christmas, a trio of holiday-themed
movies are featured during Reel Classic
Matinée Movies at the Wildhorse Cineplex
The film screenings are Wednesdays
at noon at the theater at Wildhorse Resort
& Casino, located off Interstate 84 Exit
216. Upcoming movies include Dec 5:
No cover. All ages. Plays
some mean, hot blues with feel-
ing and conversely, ice-cold in-
strumentals so impressive that
he could be called an “acoustic
guitar master.”
Expertease
•Saturday, Nov. 24; 8 p.m.
No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission.
No cover.
Live Music Thurs-
day-Naughty Pine
•Thursday, Nov. 29; 7-9 p.m.
•40 Taps, 337 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton
No cover. Richland band
plays a mixture of “lover’s rock”
and chill reggae.
James Dean Kindle, Roger
Conley, Aaron Engum,
Peter Willis
•Friday, Nov. 30; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. All ages. Pend-
leton musicians bringing talent
and experience to the stage
— playing country, jazz and
traditional Norteño. Expect the
unexpected!
DJ Alan
•Friday, Nov. 30; Saturday,
Dec. 1; 8 p.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission.
purchase.
Brass Fire
•Saturday, Dec. 1; 7-10 p.m.
•Red Lion, 304 S.E. Nye
Ave., Pendleton
No cover. Features regional
horn band, playing the music of
Santana, Chicago, Elvis, Earth
Wind & Fire. Demo CD avail-
able for $8.
Dan Galucki
•Wednesday, Dec. 5; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. All ages. After
years of playing drums for
Wooden Indian Burial Ground
and Run On Sentence, Dan
Galucki brings his own musical
project.
Hermiston Community
Christmas Concert
•Friday, Dec. 7; 7 p.m.
•Hermiston High School au-
ditorium, 600 S. First St.
w w w. h e r m i s t o n . o r. u s /
parks-recreation/home
Free. Adults and youths 14
and older have been warming
up their voices for the annual
holiday concert. Donations ac-
cepted for Agape House.
Funk Factory
•Friday, Dec. 7; Saturday,
Dec. 8; 8 p.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission.
Ring Praise Music Min-
istry
Night life
•Saturday, Dec. 1; 2:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church,
201 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle-
ton.
•Sunday, Dec. 2;11:30 a.m.,
Grace Presbyterian Church,
703 S. Main St., Milton-Freewa-
ter.
•Monday, Dec. 3; 6:30 p.m.,
Faith Presbyterian Church,
1005 S.E. Ninth St., Hermiston.
www.ringpraiseministry.org
Free. Christmas concert
featuring Phyllis Tincher on
handbells and Sean Rogers on
keyboards. CDs available for
Saturday Night Trivia
•Saturdays; 9 p.m.
•Midway Bar & Grill, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
Free. Show what you know
for fun and prizes.
Karaoke w/DJ David
•Saturdays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
Wino Wednesdays
•Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m.
•Echo Ridge Cellars, 551 N.
Thielsen St., Echo
Fishtrap offers fireside readings
MOVIE REVIEW
Liberty Films
The most valuable and
respected source of
local news, advertising
and information for
our communities.
ger, what it means to be African —
I didn’t know I needed that movie
as much as I did until after I made
it. I look back and I say: ‘Man, I
really needed that. I needed that
conversation.’”
The performance has made Jor-
dan one of this year’s leading sup-
porting actor contenders for the
Academy Awards. Coogler praises
his friend’s vulnerability in a com-
plicated role.
“He was one of the few Afri-
can-American characters and he
was carrying the weight of that cul-
tural representation,” says Coogler.
“Mike brings a lot of the empathy
with him, as a person and as a per-
former. That’s one of the things
that makes him special. Almost as
soon as you see him, you empa-
thize with him.”
A sequel to the acclaimed 2015
spinoff (it grossed $173.6 million
worldwide on a $35 million bud-
get), “Creed II” was fast-tracked
by MGM in part to capitalize on
the success of “Black Panther” and
Jordan’s growing profile. Caple,
whose feature debut was the 2016
indie film “The Land,” had his first
meeting with producers around
Thanksgiving last year. By the first
week of January, he was in Phila-
delphia getting ready to shoot.
Caple preserved and expanded
upon
Coogler’s
naturalis-
tic approach, and the film’s best
scenes unlock raw intimacies out-
side the ring. Especially notable
is the chemistry between Jordan
and Tessa Thompson, who plays
Adonis’ girlfriend (“Mike feeds off
of Tessa a lot,” says Caple), and the
surprising pathos of the father-son
relationship between Ivan Drago
(Dolph Lundgren) and Viktor
Drago (Florian Munteanu). In an
echo of “Rocky IV,” the younger
Drago is Adonis’ foe this time.
WHAT TO DO
278-2627).
Pendleton WinterFest
PENDLETON
Page 3C
“Scrooged” starring Bill Murray; Dec 12:
“It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stew-
art; and Dec 19: “A Christmas Story” fea-
turing Peter Billingsley.
Tickets are $5 and include a small foun-
tain drink and a small popcorn. For more
information, visit www.wildhorseresort.
com/cineplex.
ENTERPRISE
—
Three Wallowa County
writers with diverse back-
grounds will share their
works during the upcom-
ing Fishtrap Fireside.
Those featured are Tan
Hermens, Daniel Iacob and
Rob Taylor. The fireside
also includes an open mic
for audience members to
share their stories. The free
event is Friday, Dec. 7 at
7 p.m. at 400 E. Grant St.,
Enterprise. Light refresh-
ments are available.
Raised on a farm in
Pennsylvania,
Hermens
ventured West, where she
lived among Tlingit Indi-
ans in Alaska and then
taught Yupik Eskimos on
the Yukon Delta. She is an
oral storyteller influenced
by her connection to the
Yupik people.
Born in Romania, Iacob
moved to the U.S. at age
9 after Romanian Revo-
lution and collapse. He
later received a bachelor’s
degree in creative writing
and a master’s in poetry.
His long prose poem, “Lost
in America,” was a Top 10
finalist in a contest judged
by Sam Moulton, editor of
Outside.
Taylor was born and
raised in New York City
— eventually finding is
way to northeastern Ore-
gon in 2002 where he took
a job with The Nature
Conservancy.
Wander-
lust took him briefly to
work as a restoration ecol-
ogist at the Midway Atoll
National Wildlife Ref-
uge in the Pacific Islands
before returning to Wal-
lowa County.
The Fishtrap Fireside
takes place the first Friday
of each month from Octo-
ber trough April. For more
information, contact Mike
Midlo at mike@fishtrap.
org, 541-426-3623 or visit
www.fishtrap.org.