Home Blog Page 924

Clan lose in four sets to Northwest Nazarene

By
EIC
-
0
The team’s game tonight will be against third place Western Washington

The SFU Women’s Volleyball team suffered a 3–1 defeat against Northern Nazarene on Saturday. Northern Nazarene pulled into a tie for first place in the Conference, improving their record to 10–2. The loss dropped the Clan to 5–7 in Conference Play.

The Clan came out slow losing the first two sets 25–15 and 25–11. However, they bounced back to take the second set 25–17 before succumbing 25–20 in the decisive fourth set. Tessa May led the team with 12 kills and five blocks. Emma Jennings had nine kills, one ace and four blocks, and Devon May finished the game with a total of nine kills.

Coach Schmidt responded to Saturday’s game, stating, “We started slow Saturday so I was happy how our team responded after the break between sets two and three. Overall, our offensive output wasn’t able to match [Nazarene’s] and that was the biggest difference in the game. We’ve been working to improve our hitting efficiency as a team and we will continue to focus on that for our upcoming matches.”

The team was in Alaska two weeks ago where they split their two matches. Coach Schmidt also related how the team was fortunate to experience zero-degree temperatures as opposed to the frigid and icy conditions of last year’s late November trip. However, due to midterms, most of the team’s downtime was spent studying rather than sightseeing.

This week the Volleyball team has two matches at home. This Tuesday at 7 p.m., they take on Western Washington and their 10–2 Conference record. The Clan did manage to take a set from WWU in a 3–1 defeat earlier in the season.

Coach Schmidt outlined the keys to victory in this match: “WWU has a very balanced attack, so strong serving will be important tomorrow night. If we can eliminate some of their options with their passing, it will make it easier for us to defend. And on our side of the net, we will need to execute on offense. We will need to be aggressive and find ways to score.”  

On Thursday at 7 p.m., the Clan will take on Montana State University Billings, who are ninth in the conference. The Clan will look to sweep the season series against Billings after a 3–1 victory on the road earlier in the season.

Deux ans de votre vie is a story of unlikely love

By
EIC
-
0

This tour de force of a show from Théâtre la Seizième confirms why they are one of the leading theatre companies in Vancouver. With a sparse set and witty dialogue, three actors command the stage in this story of forced love.

Brigitte (Jessica Heafy) is sick of coming home to find her brother, Jérémie, suicidal in her closet, so she endeavours to set him up with the first single girl she finds. That happens to be Chloe (Julie Trépanier), who is minding her own business in the grocery store, looking at razors, when Brigitte tells her that she has the opportunity for a free year’s supply if she’ll come to her office for a meeting. Brigitte manipulates her by having her sign a contract that, unbeknownst to Chloe, says she will need to be in a romantic relationship in order to evaluate her free razors.

Chloe struggles to find a boyfriend under pressure, but of course Brigitte has a quick solution. She tells her to go home and meet the new love of her life. While this plot requires some suspension of disbelief, this was the part that was the hardest to accept. Jérémie (Cory Haas), assumedly at the direction of his sister, breaks into Chloe’s apartment and is waiting there for her when she arrives home from an appointment with Brigitte. Of course Chloe is skeptical at first, but she quickly comes around to the idea that they could fall in love.

I don’t know about you, but if I came home to a strange man in my apartment who casually admitted to climbing in through the window, I would probably be calling the police. Instead, Chloe savours the aroma of butter chicken (she had told Brigitte she likes Indian food) and imagines going to bed with Jérémie.

All three of these actors filled the stage with their confident performances, and I found Brigitte to be the most compelling character with her remorseless attitude and conniving scheme — she even spies on the couple from outside their window to make sure things are going according to plan.

Unlikely plot elements aside, the story served as an intelligent commentary on the contrasting lifestyles of singledom and coupledom. Brigitte revels in the fact that she is free to live her life alone and sprawl across her entire bed, while Jérémie and Chloe can’t imagine life without each other.

 

Fresh and varied performances at The Interplay Project 2015

By
EIC
-
0

It was a warm October night at the Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre (MACC). In the spotlight, the performer poured herself a glass of red wine. She then undressed, piling her clothing and shoes on the table, and took a generous swallow straight from the wine bottle. Closing her eyes, she took a few moments to draw into herself (as if unaware she was half-dressed in front of an audience), sensing her mind and her body. Then she stepped up the microphone.

In an intriguing solo piece, Volume One, Clare Twiddy used a looping station to layer her own expressive and earthy voice. As she sang, her whole body responded in voluminous, and at times spastic, movement. From the song, a contemporary dance phrase was built and sung with abandon while reaching, turning, and diving.

This was the first of six experimental short performances in The Interplay Project, produced by Jane Osborne and Vanessa Goodman of The Contingency Plan. This interdisciplinary “performance lab” was hosted this year for the fourth time at the MACC. It is a multifaceted, fresh, and festive performance in which almost anything can happen. There was a delightful energy in the intimate theatre: before and after the performance, audience members and performers laughed and chatted to a backdrop of ‘80s records.

The performances themselves had little relation to each other. They were an energetic mix of dance, music, painting, theatre, and even woodwork (notably in Chris Wright’s comical attempts to literally construct meaning in Sheer Folly). In the blackouts, I had to mentally reset, banishing all expectation of what might happen next.

In Peril of Combusting Seas, for example, featured three black-clad male performers who rolled, jumped, and crawled across the stage, only pausing to adjust their orange toques. The costume combined with the frantic, almost comical, soundscore reminded me of convicts escaping from prison.

In Performentation, we heard the actress Victoria Lyons repeat herself again and again: “My name is Victoria, I am a middle child, I’m in a new relationship. . .” as her body was manipulated by dancers and painted life-sized in the background. And the minimalist, audience-participation piece, The Trail ended mysteriously, with the dancer Julianne Chapple handing out a personal note to one audience member, who promised to read it at home then throw it away.

The performances called up notions of identity and searching, the role of the artist, and the exchange between writing and performance. The Interplay Project was all at once refreshing, entertaining, and unfinished. It is a great platform for new ideas, and Jane Osborne explained that strong projects often keep evolving to be featured in festivals around Vancouver. The ethos of the event is a spot-on mix of collaboration, innovation, and community, allowing a variety of contemporary artists to take the stage in Vancouver.

Pumpking Carving on Campus

By
EIC
-
0

SFU’s Red Cross Club held a pumpkin carving contest to raise funds. Which pumpkin is your favourite?

You can vote here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1507346622909854/

Created by:
Paige Smith & Eric Smith

The Peeeeeeeeeek!

By
EIC
-
0

It’s that time of year again, boys and ghouls: The Peak‘s Halloween issue is here. Check out some of our spooky Halloween content. . . if you dare.

Decorative contact lenses have potential to cause infection by Amanda Smith

SFU post-doc publishes science fiction novel by Jamal Dumas

Woohoo, Boohoo: The Kraken vs. The Loch Ness Monster by Jessica Whitesel

When done right, Halloween costumes can be empowering by Max Hill

More tricks and less treat this Halloween by Yemidale Ajayi

Comic Connoisseur: Wytches is a top-notch father-daughter thriller by Justin Stevens

Cinephilia: Goodnight Mommy is an unsettling psychological tragedy by Josh Cabrita

The timeless tale of Dracula comes to the stage by Xiu Qi Chin

Five horror comedies that scare and entertain by Jonathan Pabico

Five spooky video games to try this Halloween by Max Hill

Take a walk with the Lost Souls of Vancouver by Kendra Wong

The scary history of sports curses by Bartosz Wysocki

HUMOUR: TSSU aligns with Prince of Darkness to settle university dispute by Justin Stevens

How to avoid offending anyone with your Halloween costume this year by Jacey Gibb

Ways to improve your club’s Halloween mixer, based on science by Joey Ju

Comic Connoisseur: Wytches is a top-notch father-daughter thriller

By
EIC
-
0

There was a time when the simple idea of a witch existing was enough to send a chill up your spine. Long before the bubbling cauldrons, the broomsticks, and the poorly exfoliated green complexions, a witch was the most terrifying supernatural entity of them all, rivalling even zombies and vampires.

Nowadays, though, these enchantresses are depicted with the same terrifying tact as a Twilight film. The only witches we see depicted today are either child-friendly or overly sexualized. However, Scott Snyder and Jock’s Wytches seeks to change that for good. At long last it would seem that the witch is getting a long-overdue makeover — or better yet, a de-beautification.

Wytches follows the story of Charlie Rooks, a children’s book author who moves his family to the remote town of Litchfield, New Hampshire after his younger teenage daughter is accused of murdering her bully. However, when his daughter, Sailor, goes missing, Charlie embarks on a feverish hunt to find her. Nothing can prepare the desperate father as he comes face-to-face with black magic, an eerie bald woman, and the ancient evil of the wytches.

At its core, Wytches is a story about a father, a daughter, and their special bond together. Part of what makes this story fresh in comparison to others is that the father is significantly younger than what is usually depicted. He is a young dad, trying his best to do right while still being prone to mistakes and bad decisions. Sailor is also a well-written character who is depicted realistically with her many traumas and psychoses.

Together, the two share in many heartfelt moments that allow readers to become invested in them and all the more concerned with their well-being throughout the story.

With a fresh and nightmare-inducing new look, the creators successfully revamp witches for a modern audience. What was once laughable is now enough to leave you scarred for the foreseeable future and in need of a night light. Jock’s designs are nothing less than the fuel that make up the most viscerally harrowing of night terrors.

Jock’s artwork also succeeds in building suspense throughout out the story. Chaotic and dynamic panel layouts help to depict the twisted story in an engaging way. Each scene is more captivatingly intense than the last, and each will leave readers eager to see what happens next. 

Wytches is well-written horror thriller which can stand on a petrifying pedestal with the best of the genre. By peeling back the layers of beautified fluff that have long kept witches away, Snyder and Jock reinstate these old-school occultists back to their place as the supernatural champions of the horror genre.

Cinephilia: Goodnight Mommy is an unsettling psychological tragedy

By
EIC
-
0

Children need their mother’s love; mothers innately care for their children. With this double-edged sword, Goodnight Mommy terrorizes our minds by imagining a scenario where either a mother is neglectful, or a boy is unreceptive to his mother’s care. Finding out which one is the case provides Goodnight Mommy, the feature-length debut from Austrian filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, an ambiguous and horrifying thrust.

Elias and his twin brother, Lukas, both of whom are adorable seven-year-olds, live in a remote mansion surrounded by a picturesque landscape and a glistening lake. Their mother begins behaving erratically and viciously after a mysterious accident left her face disfigured; her visage now hides behind a white bandage that obscures her identity. The boys suspect that perhaps their mother has been abducted and replaced by an impersonator (cleverly, we’re told the mother used to be an actress), but when the mother takes off her bandage, revealing her face and identity, there is a shocking shift in perspective as the perpetrator becomes the victim and the innocent the guilty.

Contrary to almost every mainstream scare flick, Goodnight Mommy is almost entirely bolstered by its atmosphere and narrative, not loud noises or jump scares. The unsettling mansion, captured in dark contrast to the bright sun that glistens outside the house’s walls, is filled with hollow and lifeless objects: a mantel of female mannequins and photographs that capture imposingly out-of-focus people as their subjects.

Susanne Wuest, who plays the mother, gives a performance that is both creepy and tragic, and the twins, Lukas and Elias Schwarz, are similarly adorable and off-putting. The difficulty distinguishing the boys is, in hindsight, a subtle mask for a dazzling twist.

Because of Goodnight Mommy’s sleight of hand and powerful performances, we not only experience the film viscerally, but also contemplate it poignantly. The more you undress its layers, decoding its metaphors and symbols, the more apparent it becomes that cliches and tropes which have literally been overdone to death have in this film been reinvented in a mesmerizing art-horror hybrid. Goodnight Mommy feels like The Sixth Sense and The Omen by way of Funny Games, yet that hardly explains its unique melding of ambiguous storytelling and body horror.

You may have heard that this is one of the scarier horror films of recent years, and that would be correct, but what’s most surprising is that beneath the torture, violence, and scares is a psychological tragedy, a twisted psychodrama of grief and delusion. It’s not just a film with blood, guts, and creepy lullabies; Goodnight Mommy challenges the audience’s identification process.

One of the more compelling parallel images is the tribal mask Elias wears and the bandage which covers his mother’s face. Both are disguises, but where one hides sorrow, the other points to an evil you may not see lurking beneath the surface. A mother could be hiding a secret behind her bandaged pain, or maybe a cute face is the real mask.

The timeless tale of Dracula comes to the stage

By
EIC
-
0

Timeless Halloween stories about creatures of the night still remain at the core of this creepy festive season; similarly, even with modern adaptations of vampires such as the Twilight series’ Cullen family and Smith’s Salvatore brothers, traditionalists will insist that the original Dracula is still the scariest and darkest of them all.

This season, Ellie King of the Royal Canadian Theatre Company brings her version of Dracula to the stage — three stages, in fact, in Surrey, Vancouver, and Maple Ridge. Ellie King has been wanting to bring Dracula to life in her own vision for over 20 years, but something had always stopped her. It was either not the right time, or she couldn’t find the right people to cast, or there wasn’t enough funding. That is, until now.

Based on the 1927 John Balderston-Hamilton Deane stage version, King still makes this production her own, namely through two main changes: the creation of a “steampunk universe” and a change in the gender of Abraham Van Helsing, who becomes Anna Van Helsing.

King felt that the world of Dracula “lent itself well to living in a steampunk universe.” That change translated to an innovative aesthetic that combines themes of technology with 19th-century industry designs in terms of stage and costume design, something she believes will be very interesting to see onstage.

Indeed, when I saw the performance, I appreciated the aesthetic and the way the set changed, reassembling the background like turning the cogs in a machine. The fog served two purposes: besides being used to create an eerie cloak, the harbinger of Dracula, it also called to mind the steam of the industrial era.

King’s creation of a female archenemy of Dracula was in reaction to the sexual repression in those days. She already had susceptible female characters fall prey to Dracula, as in the case of an unlucky Lucy Seward, and wanted to see a strong woman comfortable in her own sexuality take on the vampire, one who could resist his supernatural powers and stand her own ground. “There is a layer of sexual tension between Dracula and Van Helsing,” King remarked, sounding almost gleeful. “It will be very interesting to watch it unfold.”

Speaking of Dracula, King emphasizes that her version of Dracula will not be for young children. “I’ve had some people watch us during rehearsals and go, “Oh, wow, that’s terrifying.” Yes, Dracula won’t be some Twilight teen-angst vampire. “He’s a scary, unpleasant animal, and we’ll be exploring his very animal side.”

Parts of Dracula were genuinely chilling to the bone, delivering on King’s vision to create a terrifying, animalistic character. King definitely pushed the stage lights to their full use, creating intense suspense and anticipation when the lights would go out right at the most climactic moments. I could almost feel the audience holding its breath as the lights flashed on and off in lilting, dramatic rhythm, unwrapping the scene in vignettes.

The only thing I was disappointed by was the ending. There was a huge buildup of tension throughout the entire production that fell flat at the vanquishing of Count Dracula. It was so anticlimactic that I was jerked out of the fantasy. I actually just sat there, blinking, as the coffin rolled away, the curtains parted, and the cast members lined up to take a bow. That was it?

Dracula’s last breath was overdramatized and campy — the very thing that King did not want her production to be, and it was just so out of place. It was a very unsatisfactory end to an otherwise outstanding production.

Dracula is presented by the Royal Canadian Theatre Company until October 31. For more information, visit rctc.com.

Five spooky video games to try this Halloween

By
EIC
-
0

Forget horror movies and Stephen King novels — when it comes to scaring yourself silly this season, it’s all about video games. Whether you’re a fan of top-down roguelikes, point-and-click shockers, or atmospheric RPGs, there are an impressive number of creepy, disturbing, and downright terrifying titles for you to pick up and play this October. Here are five of my all-time favourite horror video games.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Very, very few games inspire quite the same level of oh-God-what-is-that-kill-it-with-fire reactions as Amnesia: The Dark Descent. In fact, in terms of sheer heart-pounding, fist-clenching immediacy, you’d be hard pressed to find a better game available. Part dungeon-crawler and part Lovecraftian mystery, The Dark Descent makes survival horror, a genre many have struggled to stretch into feature-length format, look effortless. I myself played it in high school with a few friends — one of us would play, and the rest of us would watch — and it was downright terrifying. Good luck getting through this one on your own without reaching for the lightswitch.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Named for the Biblical story in which Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his son, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth manages to somehow be doubly as disturbing and terrifying as its source material. This game is crude, juvenile, disgusting, and punishingly difficult — and I love every single minute of it. A top-down 2D roguelike which borrows more than a little of its aesthetic from the original Legend of Zelda, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth features enough secrets, collectibles, and challenges to warrant hundreds of hours of obsessive gameplay, though its active fan community will ensure that you won’t have to mourn the loss of your social life alone.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

If you haven’t heard of this relatively obscure gem, I wouldn’t be surprised — it was a commercial flop upon its release in 2002, and has only really attained a deserved classic status in the past few years or so. Spanning centuries and boasting a plot as convoluted as the 19th century novels it borrows from, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a rich and visually remarkable action-adventure that features the distinction of actually simulating you, the player, slowly losing your sanity along with your character. The game will even fake “crash” or cut out the sound at crucial moments to underline your mental instability. Now that’s what I call immersion.

Resident Evil 4

This survival horror has the distinction of being the first M-rated game I ever played, and I can’t imagine a better introduction into the world of adult gaming. As the sixth (I know) main entry in the popular Japanese horror series, this game manages to distill everything great about the series into one incredible experience: namely, killing zombies and traipsing through haunted eastern European towns and abandoned castles with the president’s kidnapped daughter in tow. Difficult but never unfair, Resident Evil 4 will challenge you without leaving you frustrated or stuck — something many modern games could learn to emulate.

The Walking Dead: Season One

No, no, not the TV show. I’m talking about the actually good adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels. (Sorry, fanboys.) Playing as Lee, one of a team of survivors during a zombie apocalypse, you’ll be forced to make careful decisions and pick up on clues to keep yourself and those you care about alive. Featuring some of the best writing and voicework the medium has to offer, The Walking Dead: Season One is a point-and-click adventure that amounts to the most ethically challenging Choose Your Own Adventure novel you’ve ever read. Except, you know, with zombies.

Five horror comedies that scare and entertain

By
EIC
-
0

During the Halloween season, it’s all about scares and lots of candy. But amidst all the fear, Halloween has plenty room for humour. So for those of you who prefer a bit of comic relief with your fear, here are five horror comedies that provide the best of both worlds.

Shaun of the Dead

The film tells the story of Shaun, an everyday salesman who now has to fight off zombies while mending his relationship with his girlfriend, Liz, and tolerating the silliness of his best friend, Ed. Shaun of the Dead has become a cult classic, but perhaps its biggest contribution is how it demonstrates that, even during a zombie apocalypse, a pub is still the safest place to be. Thank goodness we have the Highland Pub, am I right?

Scary Movie

Scary Movie centres on Cindy Campbell, a young woman who goes through a series of weird and humorous experiences that recall plot points and elements from famous horror flicks and suspense thrillers. It’s silly, as all spoof films should be, and film buffs will enjoy trying to spot all of the various horror film references that are being made. If you ever host a movie night and can’t decide on a horror movie, throw in this film for a bit of levity.

What We Do in the Shadows

This film tells the story of four vampires live together, and struggle to become accustomed to the way of life in 21st century Wellington. What We Do in the Shadows has a unique mockumentary style, and includes plenty of dry humour. If first year SFU students think it’s difficult to adapt to a new school, this film shows that it’s even harder to be accustomed to a whole new century.

The Cabin in the Woods

This horror comedy tells the story of a group of college students who travel to an isolated cabin, only to be terrorized by monsters that have been unleashed by a technological facility that comically attempts to create the environment and conditions of a traditional horror film. Joss Whedon fans will know just what to expect from the filmmaker’s usual brand of slick humour. 

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is about a ghost named Betelgeuse  who is assigned the task of scaring off a family who has recently purchased a house that his employers, two fellow ghosts, used to own. This hilarious classic was directed by legendary filmmaker Tim Burton, who also has horror comedies such as Dark Shadows and Corpse Bride to his credit.

1...923924925...1,414Page 924 of 1,414

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024