A&E8 October 29, 2009 � Mount Holyoke News

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I love Halloween. It is without a doubt my favorite holiday, and I’m ahuge fan of horror movies. Rather than rant about horror I’m going togive you a list of my five favorite movies. Will some of these scare you?Maybe. I’ve found that milage varies when it comes to scares, and someof these have been out for a while. Also, do movies every really and trulyscare people anymore? I don’t think so. Anyway, the list in descendingorder:

5.The Blair Witch Project (1999):With all of the hype around Para-normal Activity, I find myself being drawn back a decade earlier

when a similar movie was wowing the folks at the box office: The BlairWitch Project. It probably seems silly now to all you youngins, but at thetime when Blair Witch came out there was a lot of debate in the first cou-ple of weeks about whether or not it was real. When I saw it, I thought itwas real and it scared me. The movie stuck with me until my friends andI found out it was fake. On a recent re-watch, it held up surprisingly well.Not only is the acting far better than the acting in Paranormal Activity,but Blair Witch is good for the psychological drama as well. It’s scary andtense as hell.

4. [Rec] (2007): Spanish horror film [Rec] was released interna-tionally in 2007, but before it was released in the U.S., there was

the shot for shot remake: Quarantine. [Rec] is far superior in every way.The acting is better, the directing is better and Quarantine tries far toohard to get lesser thrills than the original. The story is the same (a re-porter is following a team of fire-fighters during an overnight shift andthey head to a building to treat an old lady who is a zombie and then theyget locked in by the police and can’t get out.) But [Rec] does it so muchbetter.

3.Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): I know last week I said I was sickof vampires, but there’s one vampire movie that needs to be onmy list. My favorite vampire movie of all time is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.Frances Ford Coppola gives us this lush and rich movie. Though it variesgreatly from the plot of the novel, it is damn good fun. Gary Oldmanshines as Dracula, and even Keanu Reeves getting out acted by the graywig he wears can’t undo the fun of the rest of the cast.

2.Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): In the slasher genre, my favoritemonster was always Freddie Krueger. Snarky, vindictive and all

around amusing, he had so much more personality than the silent stalk-ers of Jason or Michael Myers. While the film series had some missteps(Dream Warriors, I’m looking at you), the original Nightmare on ElmStreet is a true classic, and it launched the career of Johnny Depp whichgives it even more of an edge. Also, Robert Englund is fantastic in his sig-nature role.

1.Silence of the Lambs (1991): I’m sure I’m going to get some flackfor this pick, but my favorite all time scary movie probably

shouldn’t even be considered a scary movie at all. It won a metric ton ofOscars, has entered the lexicon of movie quotes, and one of the secondarycharacters has been named as the AFI’s top villain. The villain of courseis Hannibal Lecter and the movie is The Silence of the Lambs. Everythingabout the movie is good, and there’s a reason that it’s so ingrained intothe culture so many years later. From epic performances to sociologicalthrills to iconic lines, Silence of the Lambs has it all.

Now it’s time for fava beans and a nice chianti.

Paranormal Activity causes chills, justin time for Halloween

For the first time, I screamed in a movie the-ater. You must be wondering, what movie couldprovoke such fear—leaving me literally with nocontrol over my reactions? I tell you now: Para-normal Activity is not for the faint of heart.

Produced on a measly $15,000 and directedby Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity is being de-scribed as one of the greatest horror films of alltime, causing widespread hysteria and even in-spiring cult-like obsessions. If you are looking fora terrifyingly great movie for this Halloweenweekend—this is it.

Similar (but superior) to the idea of The BlairWitch Project, Paranormal Activity is filmed likea home movie, featuring a young couple that livesin a conventional suburban home. After strangeevents, like footsteps and keys being moved startoccurring in their house, the couple, Micah andKatie, begin to believe they are being visited by ademonic presence. They decide to contact a psy-chic with paranormal expertise. The psychic dis-covers that this presence has been following Katiesince she was a little girl and will continue to fol-low her wherever she goes. He warns them thatthey must not try to communicate with it orexude any negative energy because that is whatthe demon feeds on—giving it the opportunity tobecome stronger and more menacing. Frustratedwith the idea that the demonic spirit will not leavethe couple alone, Micah decides to start filmingwith his video camera daily—but especially atnight when the presence is most active, to get

proof of the happenings.The tension builds with every night’s filming,

as the demon manifests itself in unseen and hor-rifying ways, causing Katie and Micah to becomeexhausted from the sleepless nights, frightened,and hopeless of finding a way to get rid of it.Micah starts to aggravate the presence by con-ducting experiments on camera like baby powderon the floor to capture footprints and “borrowing”a Ouija board to try and communicate with it. Youwon’t be able to catch a sigh of relief during theentirety of the movie for the plot becomes expo-nentially more horrifying as the movie pro-gresses. You can almost hear the hearts poundingagainst the audience’s rib cages as every dayturns into night and the inevitable presence of thedemon comes to haunt Micah and Katie. I chal-lenge you to see this movie without covering youreyes even once.

This movie surpassed all my expectations inevery aspect. The acting was raw and real, mak-ing you feel as if you are in the movie yourself, ex-periencing the sheer terror and stress of theparanormal experience. The special effects wereflawless and superbly done.

Orin Peli had a stroke of genius with Paranor-mal Activity. He wrote, directed and edited thefilm; every shot is carefully and skillfully exe-cuted. This movie was only released in certaintheaters, selling out every midnight showing fortwo weeks until fans demanded it be played na-tionwide. The ending will leave you frozen in yourseat.

BBYY AALLEEXXAANNDDRRAA SSCCHHUUCCKK ’’1133STAFF WRITER

Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns, 1874 The idea of Danse Macabre or the Dance of deathis the depiction the death leading a row of danc-ing skeletons from all walks of life to the grave.The earliest depictions of the Danse Macabredate back to a cemetery in Paris in 1424. The im-ages were produced to remind people of howfragile their lives and how vain the glories ofearthly life were.

According to the superstition, “Death” appearsat midnight every year on Halloween. Death hasthe power to call forth the dead from their gravesto dance for him while he plays his fiddle. Hisskeletons dance for him until the first break ofdawn, when they must return to their gravesuntil the next year. This piece by Saint-Saëns ishighly representational, with the opening harpplaying a single note, D, twelve times, signifyingthe clock striking midnight. This then leads tothe eerie E flat and A chords (also known as a tri-tone or the “Devil’s chord”). The solo violin’s Estring is tuned a half step lower to and repre-sents death. The xylophone is used in a way thatimitates the sounds of rattling bones.

“Night on Bald Mountain,” Modest Mussorgsky,1886You’ll probably recognize this one from the scaryFantasia scene with the giant gargoyle, but itwas originally written by Mussorgsky who wasinspired by the Russian literary works of NikolaiGogol detailing the witches’ Sabbath. The piecewas also used in The Wizard Of Oz in a scenewhere the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cow-ardly Lion rescue Dorothy from the WickedWitch of the West’s castle.

Medley from Phantom of the Opera, AndrewLlyod Weber, 1986A medley by the ever popular Andrew LloydWebber this 1986 musical which went on to bethe longest running Broadway show in history.The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novelLe Fantôme de l'Opéra by French writer GastonLeroux. It was first published as a serializationin Le Gaulois from Sept. 23, 1909 to Jan. 8, 1910.Initially, the story sold very poorly upon publi-cation in book form and was even out of printseveral times during the twentieth century, de-spite the success of its various film and stageadaptations.

Overture from Don Giovanni, Wolfgang AmadeusMozart, 1786The overture from Mozart’s opera sets the scenefor the drama that ensues in the 7th most per-formed opera in North America. The opera isbased on Don Juan of Seville, the legendary aris-tocratic lothario who lived during the 1600s. Theopera premiered in Prague in 1787. Danishphilosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote thatMozart’s Don Giovanni is “a work without blem-ish, of uninterrupted perfection.”

“Werewolves of London,” Warren Zevon, 1978Warren Zevon’s iconic rock song has beenadapted for the orchestra. The song is known forits macabre lyrics. And really what is better “awerewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand, walk-ing through the streets of Soho in the rain”?

DDaanncciinngg sskkeelleettoonnss,, wweerreewwoollvveessaanndd pphhaannttoommss,, oohh mmyyOn Halloween, the Mount Holyoke College Orchestra will perform a uniqueconcert that will certainly set the tone for a spooky night. Check out thesefacts about the evening’s music selection.

A&E 9October 29, 2009 � Mount Holyoke News

Pittsburgh Collective returnsto campus with a big bang

This Thursday night the Pittsburgh Collective, a 20-member jazz band, will perform in Chapin Auditorium,bringing. The Pittsburgh Collective, which brings togethera fushion of sounds, is led by director and Associate Pro-fessor of Music, David Sanford.

Sanford, who started on the trombone at age nine andis an accomplished composer, credits his inspiration as de-riving from a hybrid of places such as jazz, new music,rock, movie soundtracks, world music, drums, buglecorps, and even non-musical influences. He explained,“One sound I loved and used for big band was the ‘E-flatgroan’ a tight curve of a subway in Rome made.”

His music is a blend of jazz and classical styles, a mixof Gunther Schuller, an American composer and jazz mu-sician, calls “third stream.” “Ages ago someone coined theterm ‘neurotic funk’ for a song that I didn’t write but loved.I think it fits,” said Sanford. The Pittsburgh Collectivetravels whenever possible, as it can sometimes be difficultto coordinate so many schedules. The ensemble had a

busy season from 2006 to2007, but has not been as ac-tive this past year partly be-cause Sanford’s son wasborn in the fall of 2007. Thegroup hopes to play in Mon-treal, Denver and New Yorkin the next six to eightmonths.

Sanford says that con-ducting is the “best seat inthe house.” Even thoughmuch of the music is writtenout beforehand, the music is dif-ferent every time it is per-formed because it relies so heavily on what the playersbring to it in the moment. Sanford feels that the MountHolyoke community has been very supportive of the Pitts-burgh Collective in the past. “We played the Iron Horse[Music Hall in Northampton] in ’05 and a contingent ofthem came up for that, which was really wonderful,” hesaid.

S a n f o r dfounded the band in2003, which is todaycomprised of a com-bination of musi-cians fromUniversity of North-ern Colorado,which he attendedas an undergradu-ate, New EnglandC o n s e r va t o r y ,which he attendedas a graduate stu-dent, other groups

he has written music for, and other musicians from thearea. The band had been a goal of Sanford’s since hisyears as an undergraduate student, when he composedtwo recital pieces which are now in the band’s collection.

The Pittsburgh Collective is performing this Thursday,Oct. 29, at 7:30 PM in Chapin Auditorium.

BBYY AALLEEXXAANNDDRRAA MMOOLLNNAARR ’’1133CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Blanchard Art Gallery’s newest exhibit is the Clothesline Project, a programthat displays shirts that express the plights of female victims of violence. The exhibitfeatures around 600 shirts which were created by students from the Five Colleges and issponsored by Mount Holyoke’s Sex and Gender Based Violence Awareness committee(SGBVA). “We hope the exhibit will spread awareness of campus resources and createsupport for the campus community,” said Emily Wazlak ’12, a member of SGBVA who

helped organize the event.Established in Cape Cod, MA in 1990,

the Clothesline Project seeks to helpwomen who have been victims of violence.As the Project’s website states, “58,000 sol-diers died during the Vietnam War. Duringthat same period of time, 51,000 women

were killed mostly by men who supposedlyloved them.” This fact sparked the formationof many women’s groups on Cape Cod whosegoals were to “consciously develop a programthat would educate, break the silence and bearwitness to one issue—violence against women.”Thus, the unique idea of creating shirts andhanging them on a clothesline was developed.

According to the Project’s Web site, theactivity provides an outlet for women whohave experienced brutality to express their

concerns and emotions. The activity is mutually beneficial. Women decorate a t-shirtwith their sentiments and then it is presented for others to read and learn about theproblems of violence related to females; stories are articulated and then hung up toshare.

Each shirt color corresponds with a different type of abuse. For instance, a whiteshirt represents women who have died due to violence; black shirts symbolize womenwho were harmed based on political views.

Coordinator of Health Education and SGBVA advisor Karen Jacobus said that “eachshirt is decorated to represent a particular woman’s experience by the survivor or bysomeone who cares about her, so [the shirts] have words and pictures.”

Jacobus stated that the goals of the Clothesline Project are, “to bear witness to sur-vivors as well as victims and to educate, document, and raise awareness” of the issuesregarding violence and women. Also, creating and displaying such a shirt makes thehealing process easier for a woman.

This year, SGBVA wanted to keep the exhibit in a private space compared to beingout on the lawn, as has been the case in previous years. Wazlak said that the location inBlanchard is a balance between a private and public viewing; people can have access inthe gallery, but it is not so open as like outside. Resources and representatives from on-campus counseling services will be available during the exhibit at certain allotted times.The SGBVA’s goals are also to give support to victims of violence. Jacobus said that theProject “provides a Five College and nationwide network of support, encouragement,and information” for students.

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BBYY ZZEENNYYAA MMOOLLNNAARR ’’1133CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Five College sudents use art to promote gender violence awareness

WWaannttiinngg ‘‘NNoobbooddyy’’ bbuutt tthhee WWoonnddeerr GGiirrllssThis South Korean pop group is burnin’ up the US charts

Meet the five singers—Mimi, 17, Sohee,17, Sun, 20, Yenny, 20, Yubin, 20—of theWonder Girls. These five South Koreansingers are one of the first pop sensationsto have made it big from Asia. Their debutstarted with their hit show MTV WonderGirls on MTV Asia and the girls hit it big.They became pop stars in their home coun-try, as well as in America; they opened inthe United States for the Jonas Brothers,gaining them not only one opportunity toshowcase themselves but 44 more concertdates.

Here are some quick facts about thequirky pop group.

1.They’re a first.The Wonder Girls have gone far-

ther than any other pop group knownin South Korea. Other Asian groupshad to pave the way, but thesesingers have made their mark.Some Korean groups say that theirappeal to specifically teenagegroups has helped them gain

popularity; teenagers are likely to catch onto this type of trendy music and virallypass it on. They are the first Korean groupto make it to the top 100; theirbillboard hit “Nobody”ranked 76 out of 100.

2. Their ways haveinfluenced Ameri-can pop culture.

Like how the

YouTube craze Ok Go’s, “A Million Ways”created endless fan tributes , the WonderGirls “Tell Me” sparked fans to make theirown video remakes of the song. In addi-tion, the Wonder Girls’ 60s fashion has in-spired groovy retro fads. As stated inInStyle, the group said they look up tofashionistas such as Beyonce and Au-drey Hepburn for their own personallook.

3. They're practically sis-ters with the JonasBrothers.

Well, they’re not re-ally sisters with theJonas Brothers, more likejust really tight withthem. Not only did theyopen with the JonasBrother tour and havea total of 45 scheduledconcert dates withthem, but the boyband has given thepop stars constant

support as well. In fact, Joe Jonas was seenwearing a Wonder Girls shirt! Time on theroad has bonded them over birthdays, con-certs and many other events.

4. Confidence and charisma—they have itall.

Their dream didn’t just happenovernight; they worked hard without re-turning to South Korea for almost a year.They finally achieved success—their 76Billboard spot. In the future they plan tomove further; they are not planning ongoing back to Korea but instead hope tospead their influence to Northern Americaand Europe. Future goals include: analbum, and publicizing themselves acrossAmerican magazines, newspapers andT.V. shows.

The Wonder Girls realize that it takesa lot of work to make it big, but are willingto put forth that effort. Their manager, J.Y.Park, said, “A lot of people are doubting us,but I want to break that mindset. It is nowthe beginning and we will give it our all.Even if we fail, we will fail with pride.”

BBYY SSHHAARRAANNYYAA SSHHAANNKKAARR ’’1133CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Photo courtesy of Wonder Girls World

Photo courtesy of David Sanford

Photo by Joanna ArcieriThis is one of the shirts on display as part of theClothesline Project.