Culture
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Micro Cosmos: Silver Moon’s Noble India Pale Lager

The trend in IPA’s over the past few years has been to go obnoxiously big, as evidenced by one local brewery’s not so long ago
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The trend in IPA's over the past few years has been to go obnoxiously big, as evidenced by one local brewery's not so long ago makeover of its IPA. This approach is generally embraced by Northwest drinkers who gobble up malt and hops like a pre-Subway Jared at an Old Country Buffet.

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From the Eye of a Dog: The Art of Racing In The Rain, By Garth Stein

The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein puts a canine in the narrator’s seat and gives readers a chance to experience life
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The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein puts a canine in the narrator's seat and gives readers a chance to experience life through the eyes of a dog. From the clumsiness of birth to the agony of old age, the character of man's best friend, Enzo, guides readers through love, loss and victory as he discovers his passion for car racing.

His owner, Denny Swift, happens to be a race car driver as well as Enzo's hero and some of their best times together consist of watching car racing videos. But as many pets often realize, humans desire to share their lives with other humans and Enzo finds he is literally the odd dog out. Much of his life is spent at home watching the Speed Channel on cable. But it is Enzo's quick ability to compare the sport of car racing with the lessons of life that captures the reader's attention. Throughout the book, Enzo often expresses his desire to spend his next life with opposable thumbs as a human being. But before he can think about reincarnation, he must help Denny get back the one thing they both hold dear.

While Enzo's opinions on evolution and his knowledge of television shows such as Law & Order seem a little far-fetched, readers will enjoy insightful statements from Enzo such as "your car goes where your eyes go," that are developed throughout the book. Stein's attention to detail when describing the bitter personality of crows, observations of Denny's in-laws and rides around a race track are what captures the reader. Most of all, Stein is successful at making us believe we're on hands and knees with a keen sense of smell. As with any good dog story, emotions run high as Stein tackles some of life's most painful experiences. But his playful illusions through Enzo's eyes otherwise keep the book light-hearted and humorous.
Garth Stein Central Oregon Appearances
12pm Friday, August 1. Paulina Springs Books in Sisters. 252 W. Hood Ave. (Signing only). 5pm Friday, August 1. North Soles Footwear. 800 NW Wall St, Bend.
5pm Saturday, August 2. Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver Mall Building.  

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Get Elevated: Bend’s underground art festival, part deux

Underground and off the wall. Last October, Bend got its first taste of the local underground art scene when Oxygen Tattoo decided to put together
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Underground and off the wall. Last October, Bend got its first taste of the local underground art scene when Oxygen Tattoo decided to put together a showcase of local alternative talents. This year, the festival is back, with a name - Elevate Art Festival - a bigger and better line-up of music, art, vendors and several partner organizations including The Rise Up, Grove Presents and B Positiv.
"Last year the turnout was really good, I was really surprised by the amount of people who came out to support us," says Oxygen's Derek Youngberg, "Especially with the minimal amount of preparation that went into [the event] - everything came together in four weeks basically."
Youngberg says that at least six months of planning have already gone into the upcoming festival. The event will include a public art wall, beer garden, raffles, food and vendors selling unique artwork, clothing and jewelry. This year's featured live paint artists include Mark Rada, Chris Wu, Ashley Montague, Chris Callister, Amanda Cancilla, Hawk Chait and Mosley Wotta. Music acts include Grove stalwarts such as DJs Smoke, Moksha, Rada, Swett and Barisone along with Person People and Cloaked Characters.

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E3 2008…Yawn!: The electronic expo announces some cool titles, but the event’s new format isn’t

Resistance 2: One of the few highly anticipated titles in ’09. Each year, the major video game and computer software companies gather to showcase what
Shawn Wallbaum

Resistance 2: One of the few highly anticipated titles in ’09. Each year, the major video game and computer software companies gather to showcase what they have in store for the coming year at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). The show began in 1995 and has been mostly held in Los Angeles with a few different locations tossed in over the years. The show itself was once a huge production with tons of booths for companies and the general public to mingle and try all the new games and consoles, but now it's a different story. Having restructured in 2007, the show is much smaller with the trade show being replaced with smaller events and a name changed to E3 Media and Business Summit. The 2008 show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 14-17 was hardly the colorful gaming event it once was.

Here is a wrap up from the big three players at the convention: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

Sony started its E3 show with a demo of Resistance 2, which was impressive considering that the first Resistance was one of the better launch titles for the PlayStation 3. Also a smart thing for Sony was to re-introduce the "Greatest Hits" titles for the PlayStation 3 which will include: Fight Night 3, Resistance:Fall of Man, Assassin's Creed and more titles for under $30. Responding to Microsoft’s partnership with Netflix, Sony has started its own video download service with movie studios like Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Lionsgate. There was also a preview of the new updated PlayStation Network and a sneak peak at Sony's new title, Home. The approach with Home is to interact with other players and do things in a virtual world like Second Life. On the PlayStation Portable (PSP) front there will be a new bundle for retail in the fall including the PSP system, UMD movie of National Treasure 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Topping it all off was news that Sony will phase out the 40gb version of the PlayStation 3 for a 80gb system at the same price point as the 40gb system ($399.99).

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ABBA Attack: The music never stops

Why, lord? Why? Why, lord? Why? Meryl Streep never ceases to amaze, and what she does in Mamma Mia!, a screen adaptation of the hit
Bob Grimm

Why, lord? Why? Why, lord? Why? Meryl Streep never ceases to amaze, and what she does in Mamma Mia!, a screen adaptation of the hit musical featuring the mighty works of ABBA, is so good that I almost forgave the movie's shortcomings. Almost.

It breaks my heart to report that I didn't enjoy this movie, because I was very excited about it. Let it be said that, while I never saw the play on which this movie is based, I am a huge ABBA fan. Alas, I did little toe-tapping and a fair amount of grimacing at what director Phyllida Lloyd hath wrought. The fun music of ABBA is shoehorned into a stupid story that doesn't deserve these grand melodies.
The story concerns Sophie (the adorable Amanda Seyfried), who is getting close to her wedding day and doesn't know who her father is. She stumbles upon the diary of her hard-working mom, Donna (Streep), and discovers that there are three men who did the deed with mommy who could be her pops. She secretly sends them wedding invitations, making them believe it's Donna who is inviting them.
The three show up for the Greek island ceremonies. They are Sam (Pierce Brosnan), a divorced architect; Harry (Colin Firth), a former rocker type; and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard). One of the men still harbors big feelings for her.

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eX-istential Stew: This installment belongs back in the filing cabinet

The FBI: Screwing up the X-files since 1993.One question was burning in my mind as I strolled out of a screening of The X-Files: I
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The FBI: Screwing up the X-files since 1993.One question was burning in my mind as I strolled out of a screening of The X-Files: I Want to Believe: Why was it made? Was it the product of marketing research - a sufficient amount of X-Files fans loyal enough to see this film no matter what? Did director Chris Carter (X-Files creator) get together with the two main stars (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) and say, "Let's do another movie and see how long and drawn out and boring we can make it?"

This is one huge lesson in vapidity. Now, don't get me wrong, I wanted to like it. I was never a big fan of the series, but I have caught some decently clever and fairly warped episodes in re-runs. Based on that fact alone, I thought I might be more sympathetic to this movie. Even blending in body parts, a pedophile psychic priest, a love interest, missing agents, with a twist on the Frankenstein legend turns out to be a big waste of time. Want to Believe is at the bottom rung of mediocre.
The story unfolds as Mulder (Duchovny) is drawn out of hiding by Scully (Anderson) to assist the FBI in finding a missing agent. They are following a lead from a questionable source: visions of an ex-priest Father Joe (Billy Connolly). Some quasi-intrigue is mixed in with the underlying themes of God versus science versus instinct versus what the FBI says. There's chance for a believable love story between Scully and Mulder (they're now an item) but it's screwed up with tortuous soap opera dialogue. The convoluted clues are not presented well, so we, the audience, have a hard time figuring out why they are even giving them to us in the first place. The incompetence of the FBI in figuring things out is annoying. It was like a "guess how many mistakes are on this page" kid's book exercise.

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Our Picks for the week of 7/30-8/7

Mike Bookey

The Gourds, Wayne Newcome
saturday 2
There are a few bands that Bend can't seem to get enough of and The
Gourds are one of them. The alt-country rockers from Austin, Tex. are
playing a special Bend show for all of us who can't get over the
mountains for the Pickathon festival. All of you who think that you
haven't heard the Gourds, think again. They're the band that cleverly
transformed Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" from hip-hop anthem to rootsy
Americana jingle to the pleasure of many downloaders who thought they
were listening to Phish. 9pm/doors, 10pm/show Saturday, August 2.
Domino Room. 51 NW Greenwood Ave. $15/advanced, $18/door.
 Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo
wednesday-sunday 30-3
Do you like to have fun for approximately four days in a location with other people who like to have fun during the same prescribed time frame at the same location? Well then, my fellow Deschutes County resident, it's time to head up to Redmond for the county fair! Don't forget to take your children to the wholesomely fun activities including, but not limited to, Alice Cooper. What says family fun more than a 60-year-old man slathered in leather and vampire makeup? Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond. 548-2711.

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When the Circus Comes to Town: The wonderful world of Gil Bruvel

Multiple, by Gil bruvelGil Bruvel’s work is otherworldly. His artwork references a mystical, circus-like environment, full of fantastic jugglers, women balancing on the backs of
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Multiple, by Gil bruvelGil Bruvel's work is otherworldly. His artwork references a mystical, circus-like environment, full of fantastic jugglers, women balancing on the backs of majestic horses, masked lovelies lounging while he paints their portraits. His paintings remind me of vignettes from an abstract ballet, with stages set in slightly twisted yet welcoming landscapes.

 His sculptures bring fantasy into the physical realm, as with the life-sized mermaid that will be on display this week at Lahaina Galleries in the Old Mill.
His functional sculptures are the furniture of a wine-soaked dream: a bench titled "Found in Oz" implies that the artist doesn't just imagine other worlds … he goes to them often. How does one artist ask to be invited on a tour to the 'other worlds' of another artist, especially over the phone? It's a touchy subject to ask an artist about his influences, even touchier to assume such influences exist, but Bruvel's paintings are unabashedly surrealist, a modern tradition that has influenced music, literature and film. That was the starting point of our conversation.
 "I, of course, was fascinated with the surrealists: Dali, Max Ernst, Miro-but also Klee and Kandinsky for compositions," Bruvel answers with a French accent that makes the conversation feel quite cosmopolitan.

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Viva La Revolution!: Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Fly me to the moon. Anybody who played PC games in the early ’90s could tell you that the original Civilization, which was released by
Shawn Wallbaum

Fly me to the moon. Anybody who played PC games in the early '90s could tell you that the original Civilization, which was released by MicroProse in 1991, was the most interesting strategy game. A single player game, Civilization let you build a small settlement into a mighty empire. You were allowed to explore, use diplomacy, or go to war. This formula has been updated for PCs and the next generation consoles (Xbox PS3, etc).

Civilization Revolution is one of those games that would seem to be hard to translate to a console. But in this case, the developers were able to take the best parts of the PC version of the game and keep the console owners happy at the same time. The developers mainly cut the game's micromanaging so that players can concentrate on global planning. Developers wisely limited the use of controller buttons, helping the game adapt to the console platform. Design changes aside, the game is in essence the same; construct a Civilization and dominate the world.
The game starts in 3,500 B.C. with a primitive Civilization and ends in a technological future. Between the two time frames you choose how to reign over your virtual nation. Also, in getting started you need to choose a leader. You can choose from celebrity chiefs such as Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, and Cleopatra (Abe in a wooly mammoth pelt? Cleopatra in anything, or nothing…) Each character has its advantages and disadvantages; one may excel at warfare while another might have a large cultural influence.

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Gonzo At Large: In search of an American icon

Hells angel. “Gonzo journalism” is the self-coined phrase that Hunter S. Thompson used to describe his writing because it seemed so far out of control
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Hells angel. "Gonzo journalism" is the self-coined phrase that Hunter S. Thompson used to describe his writing because it seemed so far out of control it defied normal terminology. And it was a word he liked. Over time he became all things "Gonzo." Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson expands on this theme… or tries to.

There have been several films focused on Thompson and I was hoping this was going to be the definitive movie. It holds your attention at the beginning with a Natural Born Killers feel and follows with great interviews and archival footage, but ultimately the story is conveyed a hell of a lot better in Tom Thurman's 2006 film Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.

Gonzo follows Thompson's writing years, detailing his journalistic Fear and Loathing books and articles, his reporting on political campaign trails and drug and alcohol experimentation. The movie begins in Thompson's home of Woody Creek, Colo. showing him firing guns to an exhilarating choice of music, Bob Dylan and the Band's live version of "All Along the Watch Tower." Narrated whimsically by a sometimes on-screen Johnny Depp, it includes interviews with Jimmy Carter and George McGovern. Jan Wenner from Rolling Stone magazine is prominently figured as is a surprisingly reverent (to Thompson) Pat Buchanan.

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