Culture
Posted inCulture

The Society of Secret Handshakes: Celebrating 100 years in Bend with the local Masons

Eric Flowers

It's not everyday that you get an invitation into the inner sanctum of
a bona fide secret society that's been linked to countless
conspiracies, but then again, calling the Freemasons a "secret" society
is a little misleading.

As several of the Masons, who were happy to share their identities with
me as well as a baked lasagna (with vegetarian option) dinner, told me,
it's more of an organization with secrets than it is a "secret
society." Still, there's something intimidating about walking into a
largely windowless granite building with an upper-level sanctuary for
rites and rituals, wherein all of the members have titles like Master
Mason, Grand Tiler and Grand Sword Bearer, and all of the proceedings
are as regimented as an all-boys' reformatory school.

In other words, it's not for everyone - including women, who are barred
from the society but have their own auxiliary clubs, not unlike the
VFW. It's a place where men can be men, but not in the college
dormitory sort of way. Members take the rituals and the ceremony of the
"Lodge" as serious as a Gulf hurricane.

Posted inCulture

Paging Dr. Ninja: Another year of training for this warrior

Mike Bookey

TOKYO: SOON
Just like on the mountain, without the liftlines and cold toes.The city is a jewelbox spilled across the night. An
alleyway winds across the sprawl. Within its darkness, a young girl
lies curled up in a corner of rubbish. Coughing.

A narrow little
figure in the suit of a salaryman detaches himself from the passing
stream of citizens. Sweat blisters on his brow. A tipsy hitch in his
step-or slipshod animation? it's getting tough to tell-he stumbles
towards the girl and opens his mouth. Almost instantly he's infected.
He
speaks Japanese in English subtitles as she coughs some more and
shudders-subtitles on his part, mutation on hers. Muscles stretch
through her skin. Her body grows, changes. A purple tentacle erupts
from her, a spatter of blood from him. He is left shuddering, coughing
on the pavement in the alley in the city in the night.

Posted inCulture

Cardinal Sin: In Angels & Demons, everyone once again takes Dan Brown way too seriously

Mike Bookey

The truth is down there. If you thought Howard's adaptation of The Da Vinci Code managed to make
ecclesiastical conspiracy boring, just wait for Angels & Demons.

Tom
Hanks-sans his greasy Da Vinci mullet-is back as Harvard symbologist
Robert Langdon, summoned by Vatican officials to help deal with a
potential crisis. Though the book was written before Da Vinci, a few
knowing references here make it clear that the events in the movie
post-date Da Vinci, and therefore the Church understands that Langdon
knows his stuff. In the wake of the death of the Pope, the four
cardinals who are the primary candidates to replace him have been
kidnapped. Evidence suggests the involvement of the Illuminati-the
ancient society of scholars and artists whose pro-science views
antagonized the Renaissance-era Catholic Church. And if Langdon can't
follow the clues to the lair of the Illuminati, the Vatican itself
could be destroyed by a cylinder of stolen anti-matter.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 5/13-5/21

The Source Staff

Big Lebowskiathon
thursday 14
If you're one of those strange
birds who insists that you don't like The Big Lebowski, all we can say
is: "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." But
for all those Little Lebowski Urban Achievers out there, this might be
one of the best nights of the year for you. The Astro goes totally
Lebowski, not only showing the movie, but also holding a best-dressed
contest and, of course, serving up some White Russians. Event begins at
8pm. Movie starts at 9:30pm. Free. Astro Lounge, 147 NW Minnesota Ave.
Flowmotion with Izabella
thursday 14
We
told you about this show last week, but want to reinforce the fact that
if you like dancing, rocking or generally awesome musicianship, you
absolutely must see Flowmotion, Seattle's cross-genre rock outfit. Also
on the bill is Northern California (and Bend favorite) Izabella, who is
touring in support of their new record Drugs & Apple Pie - a record
that accurately captures the band's sunshiney live sound. 9pm. $10. The
Summit Saloon & Stage, 125 NW Minnesota Ave.

Posted inCulture

Vintage Variety: The Taffetas rides into the 2nd Street on a wave of nostalgia

Mike Bookey

The best thing about the ’50s had to be the hair…or the fallout shelters.

Arrival time of intermission is the true test of any stage production. Either it can’t come fast enough as in, “Please, no more” or, if its expediency catches you completely by surprise, it either means you (A) fell asleep; (B) the cast forgot what to do, say, or sing; or (C) the production is actually good and at the same time, entertaining.
The Taffetas, Rick Lewis’ hit Off-Broadway musical tribute to the girl groups of the 1950s, which opened last weekend at 2nd Street Theater here, garnered, you guessed it, choice (c). Good. And entertaining.
The time: 1950s. The place: sound stage at the Dumont Television Network in New York City. Four sisters, a.k.a. The Taffetas, who hail from Muncie, Indiana and like boys (really like boys), convertible Chevys, their mother, and who beam with a wholesomeness that has, in today’s culture, all been forgotten, offer the audience 90 minutes of well-delivered classic 1950s songs, and a little bit of “Taffeta chatter.” The purpose: give a great variety show performance because you-know-who, the man with the golden touch, that swell Ed Sullivan, will be watching. Pause. (Imagine four girls shrieking.)

Posted inCulture

Going Boldly: J. J. Abrams’ energetic Star Trek embraces some of its history, and throws some away

Call me elf ears one more time, Captain Jerk. You tell me, Trekkers and Trekkies: more than 40 years since its inception, what does the
Mike Bookey

Call me elf ears one more time, Captain Jerk. You tell me, Trekkers and Trekkies: more than 40 years since its inception, what does the Star Trek "brand" mean, anyway?

Director
J. J. Abrams has let it be known that he wasn't a huge fan of Star Trek
before diving into this prequel re-launch of the franchise. It was a
risky move for Paramount Pictures, because perhaps more than any other
property in all of pop culture, Trek depends on the buy-in of the
die-hards.
Abrams (Alias, Mission: Impossible III) has shown
that he knows both how to deliver brainy action, and how to leave his
distinctive thumbprint on an existing franchise. With Star Trek, he
turns out a terrifically energetic, highly entertaining summer
adventure. The only question is whether it means anything in particular
to call this story Star Trek.
It's certainly true that the names
of the protagonists are familiar. Following in the footsteps of his
late father, young hotshot James Kirk (Chris Pine) enlists with
Starfleet to become an officer; the half-human/half-Vulcan Spock
(Zachary Quinto) is already first officer to veteran Capt. Pike (Bruce
Greenwood). When a mysterious Romulan called Nero (Eric Bana) threatens
the very existence of the planet Vulcan, Kirk and Spock find themselves
together on the brand-new starship Enterprise, attempting to prevent
planetary genocide.

Posted inCulture

Slice and Dice: Rampaging Claw-man takes it to the lower level

Mike Bookey

Rule number 1: Never take wolverine to the spa. Wolverine is predisposed to make a ton of money ($87 million thus far),
but it doesn't live up to expectations. Most of it feels like a big
waste of cinema, wasting far too much time alluding to sequels and
prequels. As a result, it doesn't stand alone-it goes in too many
directions, stagnates into a world between camp and high drama, and
leaves too many characters alive for any sense of closure. Compelling
flicks like Watchmen and the first X-Men raised the bar, and Wolverine
languishes way below.

The story begins in 1845 with two brothers with
some sort of "gift," who bond via patricide and roam through a montage
of wars-Civil War, WWI & II and Vietnam. Never aging past 30 or so,
it becomes apparent however that these brothers have very dissimilar
attitudes. Logan aka "Wolverine" (Hugh Jackman) has a conscience
whereas Victor aka "Sabretooth" (Liev Shreiber) regales in flaring
tempers, death and destruction. Wolverine has bones that grow out
between his knuckles like swords, uncanny superhuman strength and can
ingest bullets into his system while his wounds heal. Ditto for
Sabretooth, but he just grows fingernails. After surviving execution in
'Nam, Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston) helps them start a new life in a
rag-tag mercenary band of thugs.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 5/6 – 5/14

The Source Staff

The Taffetas

through may 23

Flip to the Culture section to read a review of this play, set in the 1950s and centered on four singing sisters from Muncie, Indiana. Running Apr 30-May 23. Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm. 2nd Street Theater, 220 NE Lafayette Ave. 312-9626. $20/adults, $18/students and seniors.
Epic Trail Ale release party featuring Quincy Street, Sweet Harlots

friday 8

We have a review of this Epic Trail Ale in the Microcosmos column in the Dining section, but we'd also like to alert you to the release party of the beer - which benefits the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance and the Tumalo Langlauf Club - what a sweet outdoor trifecta, eh? There's also bluegrass from Quincy Street and all-female tunes from the Sweet Harlots. 7pm, Silver Moon Brewing Co. 24 NW Greenwood Ave. Donations accepted.

Posted inCulture

Something Close to the American Dream: My night of Bunco

Call me the tumblin’ diceLast month I found myself the substitute player at a Bunco party where every one of the thirteen women was a
Suzanne Burns

Call me the tumblin’ diceLast month I found myself the substitute player at a Bunco party where every one of the thirteen women was a former high school cheerleader. Me, the person who skipped any high school assembly remotely promoting "spirit" to drink coffee at Denny's, the classic dichotomy of Us vs. Them, the Jocks vs. the Goths, intense as gang warfare.

When I received the invitation to be a substitute player in the form of a cheery call from my sister-in-law, a twinge of post-angst nostalgia ground beneath my thirty-five-year-old bones. I was forced to cross a line no less important than a political or religious conviction, hanging out with my hometown's ex-cheerleaders. Still, I said yes, intrigued with the chance to observe my generation's version of something close to the American Dream.
I won't pretend to grasp why some girls want to be cheerleaders any more than I can understand why groups of women all over the country meet once a month to roll dice. And I hated to admit it, but I was nervous. As they say, I didn't want to throw away the "street cred" I had earned from years of calf-busting platform shoes and Morrissey concerts and too many bottles of black nail polish to count just to fit in - even for one night.

Posted inCulture

Mafia Monopoloy: Latest Godfather has the goods

I started out with no respect for The Godfather II. In The Godfather: The Game, classic scenes from one of the world’s greatest movies were
Mike Bookey

I started out with no respect for The Godfather II. In The Godfather: The Game, classic scenes from one of the world's greatest movies were fumblingly recreated with a videogame engine, and the gameplay never coalesced into a coherent experience. With things tending in that direction, I thought that a videogame sequel named after an even better film could only get worse.

But after the first few minutes, I realized that The Godfather II was leaving the movies far behind. Sure, there were a few characters that made the awkward transition into the game world. And the basic scenario takes its cues from The Godfather Part II. But for the most part, the videogame sequel concentrates on tweaking the core gameplay that the first game established.
The Godfather II is, at heart, a game of mobster Monopoly. Even though it affects a Grand Theft Auto III style, most of the game is about building and operating a mafia empire. There are occasional car chases and plenty of shootouts, but The Godfather II wisely limits the number of "drive around" missions, and concentrates on team-building and business operations. It's all about managing the turf and making money from whores, junk and dope.

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