Archer: Vice may be the weirdest creation since the aardvark. Season five of Adam Reed’s farcical spy series starts off with the bombing of ISIS headquarters and immediately jumps into the business of international cocaine dealing. Addiction, mysterious pregnancy, and country music collide in a truly horrifying way as the gang faces a brand new set of challenges.

Archer constantly tackles multiple plot lines in one season, a tactic that keeps the viewer engaged and entertained. The fifth season takes the idea of multiple plot lines to steroidal levels. Throughout the season the gang must focus on selling all of their cocaine, staying out of the eye of the FBI, furthering Carol/Cheryl/Cherlene’s country music career, managing Pam’s cocaine addiction, and wondering about Lana’s mysterious pregnancy. While it’s definitely a ballsy move to maintain so many plots at once, it creates a very busy season that isn’t always enjoyable.

The two plots I did enjoy were Pam’s cocaine addiction and Lana’s pregnancy. In reality, it highlights the importance of going to a drug detox and getting their help to get rid of addiction.

Let’s talk about Pam. For four seasons, Pam has been the show’s Ugly Betty. She’s constantly put down by her peers because of her weight and less-than-gorgeous appearance, as well as some personal flaws. No matter what, Pam had always found a way to muscle through the hate and prove herself to be a strong character. In season five Pam does a complete 180, becoming bodacious and dangerous because of cocaine. Instead of comical, her faults have become problematic for the group. A good chunk of the season is dedicated to putting a stop to Pam’s addiction, an interesting goal in a show rank with high-functioning alcoholism and sex addiction.

While Pam’s plot line is pretty unique in terms of season-arcs, it doesn’t hold a candle to Lana’s. In the fourth season finale, Lana revealed to the gang that she was pregnant and that the baby wasn’t Cyril’s, despite the fact the two were dating. She’s pregnant throughout the entire fifth season, and it provides many interesting moments of introspection for the kick-ass spy. While it hardly slows her down, the pregnancy causes Lana to confront and explore the dangers of her job, both immediate and potential. Her entire sense of identity has come into question, as she is no longer a spy, but an expecting mother. Even though the pregnancy was completely her choice, it has unforeseen consequences for Lana.

I really don’t like season five (lookin’ at you, Cherlene), so I won’t waste more words than needed on the subject. Archer is available on Netflix and DVD.

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Content Warning: Review contains graphic language and descriptions. Continue at personal discretion.

Trigger Warning: Film contains brief scenes of suicide and attempted rape, as well as graphic violence and self-mutilation.

Also: Spoilers.

Netflix rating: 1.9 stars

Personal rating: 3 stars

Film rating: R

At this point in the semester, I’ve seen some shit on Netflix. From humans sown ass-to-face to Satan in a sweater vest, it’s been a wild ride. However, never before this semester have I been so disturbed. That’s right, David Guy Levy’s Would You Rather has beat out The Human Centipede as the most disturbing movie I’ve reviewed thus far. While The Human Centipede was certainly filled with gore and the dark demons that live in the recesses of the human psyche, WYR was disturbing on a whole other level.

The concept of WYR is not a new one. A group of people is trapped in a house and must do disturbing, violent, unspeakable things to themselves and others in order for at least one of them to survive/escape. Nothing groundbreaking here. What was interesting was the way the film was set up. This group of strangers wasn’t brought together by some social pariah driven by a shitty childhood and/or mental instability. The antagonist seems to be a fairly stable, extremely successful business man who’s in the business of helping others. The only catch is that he chooses how to help by way of “to-the-death” slumber party games.

This was actually a pretty good movie. The film itself was well-made, the dialogue was never over-dramatic or redundant, and every character was distinct and unique–something that really helped drive the plot. However, I couldn’t help but cringe throughout the viewing process. Here I was, a lonely college student on an average weeknight, curled up in my bed watching strangers slowly descend into barbaric, survivalist madness under the gaze of a calm, well-mannered businessman. A man was whipped to death with an African whipping stick, an old woman stabbed with an ice pick, and a man shot without more than ten seconds’ thought.

And there I sat.

Watching.

Just like the man running the game. I sat and watched as these characters shocked and stabbed and beat themselves and each other for the enjoyment of not only the man leading the dinner party, but for mine as well. What society is this where we can believably create characters who enjoy watching financially-crippled individuals fight for their lives in a twisted parlor game? What society is this where this movie is marketed for enjoyment?

And how accurate is this film? How far are any of us willing to go to save ourselves, or the ones we love? Are we willing to maim and injure ourselves and others? Are we willing to kill? Are we willing to die?

I would go on longer, but thinking back to this movie is actually fucking me up to the point that I think I need to wrap this up. But hey, maybe that’s just me. My sister loved it – cracked up at it, even. However, I’m fairly certain my sister is Satan, so that’s not much of a surprise. If this movie sounds like your cup of tea, be my guest. It won’t disappoint. However, if you – like me – are pretty easily affected by movies that delve into the dark corners of the human psyche and refuse to leave, you may want to pass on this one. You can always take a crack at an episode of How I Met Your Mother or Buffy the Vampire Slayer to get your daily Netflix fix.

The post 2-Star Review: Would You Rather appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Released February 5th of this year, Cascades is the second album from indie duo High Highs. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Jack Milas and Oli Chang deliver beautiful, ethereal tracks throughout the entire album while still showing off their variety and creativity.

Listening to this album, I ended up with two distinct categories: Stevie Nicks-esque tracks, and General Indie tracks. While High Highs definitely has a very unique sound, there was no denying how closely a few of their tracks resembled the musical styles of the aforementioned artists. So, I will divide up the songs accordingly.

Stevie Nicks-esque Tracks

The album starts with “Boxing,” a powerful track that utilizes the singers’ knack for gorgeous harmonies and dreamy synth-heavy melodies. “Cascades,” the title track, follows suit. Well, really, the entire album follows suit, but “Cascades” follows “Boxing” really well. The two are similar enough tracks that there’s a kind of flow as the songs change, but different enough that the second compliments the first. “Boxing” has a quiet, focused energy, while “Cascades” is much more explicitly high-energy. And, obviously, both possessed the beautiful, otherworldly-feel I like to attribute to Stevie Nicks’ style.

That being said, I did a bit of a double-take when “How Could You Know” came on; it’s very reminiscent of the beginning of “Planets of the Universe.” Now, the entire album has a nice retro vibe to it, so the similarity came up in a couple other songs as well. It was just really evident here.

“Vision” was kind of a forgettable track. While its level of synth-iness put it in the “Stevie Nicks-esque” category, it actually reminded me a bit of “Human” by The Killers (come to think of it, this album art looks suspiciously similar…). I really didn’t see a lot of revolutionary  qualities in this track, which isn’t to say it’s bad, just not as impressive as the other tracks.

“Ocean to City” has a nice rock beat that pushes the melody and keeps it at a good pace. Definitely a “leisurely drive on the coast” track.

General Indie Tracks

“Sun” and “Movement” were the top two General Indie tracks; that’s not to say they were bad songs. I did find myself missing the synthesizer that had been sacrificed for guitar and percussion, but that’s a matter of personal taste. These tracks do exemplify the range of the duo, even if that range lands them in a category named “General Indie Tracks.”

“London, After Rain” and “Fastnet” were two chill tracks that I really enjoyed. “Fastnet” especially reminded me of Oh Wonder’s laid-back, jazzy/synthy style. “London, After Rain” had a nice folksy vibe to it that comes up in a couple other tracks. In this one, though, that folksiness really gets to shine. Another great feature of “London, After Rain” is the brass moment about halfway through. The warm tone is perfect for the smooth, almost hypnotic feel of the track.

“Catch The Wind” seemed to incorporate moments from every other song, which was cool but also earned it a stern side-eye. While these guys are obviously extremely talented, a track like “Catch The Wind” reminds the listener that they do have a bag of tricks they’re pulling from and relying on.

Overall, High Highs’ second album was enjoyable. Their music is fun and energetic, and while it probably wouldn’t make for a great party mix, this album is great to have playing whilst working feverishly on your Literature assignment that’s due in nine hours – or, whatever class you personally like to procrastinate on.

Cascades is on Spotify, and you can check it out below:

The post Album Review: “Cascades” by High Highs appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Content Warning: Review includes adult themes, explicit language, and drug/alcohol/sexual references. Proceed at personal discretion.

Also: Spoiler Alert

Netflix rating: 1.8 stars

Personal rating: 4 stars

Movie rating: R

Released June 19th, 2015, The Overnight follows married couple Alex and Emily as they begin their new life in Los Angeles with their young son, RJ. What starts out as a friendly dinner with neighbors Kurt and Charlotte and their son Max turns into a night of alcohol, weed, and questionable motives.

I personally loved this movie. The dialogue was realistic without being dumb, and the situations were ridiculously hilarious to the point that you just stop questioning things. Yeah, there’s a guy on screen flaunting his dick. Yeah, the four of them are watching an arousing breast pump commercial. Yeah, the kid totally just walked in on his parents gettin’ it on. You get used to that kind of shit in this movie.

What was surprising to me was how well the plot was constructed. The whole time, my friend and I (that’s right, I watched this with someone else. More on that decision later) were asking ourselves, “Are Kurt and Charlotte swingers? And if so, are they straight swingers? Gay swingers? Do they care? Is Adam Scott‘s dick really that small, or is this an instance of phenomenal post-production editing?” The plot was compelling. As the audience, we’re kept in the dark about a lot of things, and not just Kurt and Charlotte’s motives. Alex and Emily have their own secrets, which is great. It makes them more human, more realistic. Instead of just being two average adults thrown into a crazy situation, they’re real people with real struggles.

Speaking of their struggles, this movie was great at addressing those struggles. Because of the rating and the nature of the humor in the film, there was absolutely no beating around the bush. Instead of just saying, “I have some body image issues,” Alex straight-up starts a dialogue about his small penis. Instead of just passive-aggressively suggesting that her breasts are less than stellar, Emily discloses her insecurities regarding her breasts post-breastfeeding. These are two serious problems for both of the main characters, and they’re extremely relatable. The fact that they are dealt with as real insecurities and not the butt of jokes is great. Some men have small penises, and some women have less-than-perky, full breasts after breastfeeding. These are real issues, and instead of using them as humor devices, the filmmakers actually opened the door to accepting these insecurities and starting healthy, honest conversations.

That’s not to say the entire movie was focused on “loving yourself.” Not at all. If anything, the takeaway message I got from The Overnight was something along the lines of, “Marriage is tricky, people get desperate, and we’re all a little weird. Basically, all you can do is roll with the punches.” I’m okay with that message. No one in this film has anything close to a perfect sex life, but in the end the two couples put the love they have for each other first and work out the kinks as best they can.

As I’m typing this review, I’m extremely aware of the fact that I’m misrepresenting this movie. I’m getting into analysis and interpretation, which is fine, but it’s also very misleading. If you’re going to watch this, be prepared. There is full-frontal nudity, weed in a bong, copious amounts of alcohol, and a little more vomit than I wanted to see. I’m not a squeamish gal, but I’ll take Jason Schwartzman’s unapologetic penis over Adam Scott’s orange, chunky puke any day of the week. That shit’s just uncalled for.

My recommendation? Watch this film. It’s hilarious, well-made, and honestly such a breath of fresh air in a society that makes Nicholas Sparks books into movies. One tip: choose your fellow audience members carefully.

My friend and I have a rule: if we’re going to sit down and watch a movie, we’re going to watch one neither of us has seen. Of course, this rule doesn’t seem to apply so much to them, but I digress. Anyway, we don’t pre-screen. We just jump right in. Now, if you’re as comfortable with your movie watching companions as my friend and I are, I say turn on the telly and never look back. However, if you’re on a date, trying to bond with a new friend, or hoping to reconnect with a family member, this may be a film better watched alone. But hey, it’s your life. I fully encourage you to live it the way you see fit.

In the end, The Overnight was not the best movie ever made. Not even close. But it was good, and I would solidly recommend it to anyone looking for a good laugh and an inspiration for their next art project (you’ll get the reference once you watch the film. Which you will. Trust me. The curiosity will kill you.)

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Memorable Tracks

Dancing on Glass definitely takes the cake for catchiest track. It’s the perfect mix of groovy synth and modern pop beats. A cheerful song with a more serious concept, Dancing on Glass is the perfect mix of summer fun and stoned existentialism.

With its driving synth bass and structured harmonies, Rescue Me has a more futuristic vibe to it. While the lyrics may not be the most creative or original (he says “rescue me” 22 times in a row. Yeah, I counted), turn it on and try not to bop along. I dare you.

You know that song that makes you want to drive into the sunset with your friends? Always is that song. It’s feel-good and happy-go-lucky to the core – until you look up the lyrics. Suddenly, you’re car ride looks like it’s heading towards a cliff instead of a beautiful sunset. St. Lucia has a real talent for taking serious thoughts and ideas and lightening them up with some cool synthesizer and even cooler harmonies. Damn you and your deceptions, St. Lucia. Damn you.

More Memorable Tracks (but memorable for being disappointing)

Remember Rescue Me? I liked that song. Apparently, so did Jean-Philip – so much, that he copy-and-pasted it and made Physical. The lyrics are mad different, I’ll give you that, but on an album that has such a consistent sound, you’ve got to be able to distinguish your tracks. Physical was not a great example of successful distinction.

Help Me Run Away is actually not a bad track. It’s just too 80’s for me. St. Lucia borders pretty hard on 80’s funk throughout the album, but Help Me Run Away really went all the way. Once again, the concept of running from your demons and needing to escape your own head is great. However, there was nothing outstanding about the actual music. In concert it might be more impressive, but over Spotify it sounds more like an overenthusiastic final number of some cheesy rom-com.

Tracks that were “meh”

So the range I was talking about earlier? Stay actually took the music to a very different place. However, I wasn’t totally sold on that new place. I had Imagine Dragons running through my head the whole time, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I’d like to think St. Lucia tries a bit more for originality than was expressed in Stay. Would I dance to it? Hell yeah. Am I impressed? Not really.

The Winds of Change. Oh, god. The fact that the title is the cliche to end all cliches puts it at the bottom of my list. The lyrics are really poorly constructed in the song. It’s a perfect example of writing some lyrics, getting way too attached, and then throwing them on the first generic riff you can think of. I’ve written that song, believe me, I know the struggle.

Game 4 U is pretty hip and happening. Not a horrible song, but not totally spectacular either. Same thing with Home, although Home was kind of like Help Me Run Away. I’m really not digging the full-on 80’s funk. As an artist, you show so much more skill when you take a certain style of music and put a modern twist on it than if you just recreate something we’ve all heard time and time again.

General takeaway? St. Lucia’s definitely got talent. Is the album a home run? No way. It is a good place to start, and I’m interested to see what the group pulls out in the future. If any of the songs intrigued you, you can find the whole album on Spotify or check out a few tracks below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jhk9Rhd53o

The post Album Review: Matter by St. Lucia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

For some (including yours truly), the answer to the last question is usually theatre-related – acting, playwriting, or directing. Whatever your answer, it’s safe to say that majoring in Theatre in college does not guarantee you a job in theatre once you get out into the real world. Theatre is an extremely competitive field, and the hard truth is that most people just don’t “make it big” like they thought they would.

So you’re in your mid- to- late-20’s, and you’ve realized that while you had plenty of fun in college, the dog-eat-dog world of theatre isn’t for you. What are you to do with your degree, especially if you don’t have a second major to fall back on?

The truth is, being trained in theatre gives you a much larger skill set than you might think. From enhanced communication skills to an ability to work under pressure, there are tons of qualities in theatre majors that will give you a leg up in the professional world. Here are just a few ways to use that degree that you may not have thought of when signing up for your first acting class:

Human Resources Manager

One thing that employers are always on the lookout for is good communication skills. Theatre majors are very likely to have excellent communication skills because of the focus put on listening in performance classes. When someone is able to be present and listen, they are better able to communicate effectively. This skill is an important part of any Human Resources department, and with companies opting for outsourced human resources in the UK, it’s now easier to find a job in this field. As the person in charge of things like staffing and work design, being able to communicate clearly and effectively is a necessity. Not only does the manager have to be able to relay instructions and important messages, but she or he will also be communicating with a wide array of people. A manager who is able to get their thoughts across concisely as well as think on their feet would be a welcome addition to any team.

In addition to effective communication, HR practitioners also play a crucial role in shaping workplace culture by recognizing and celebrating achievements. The ability to learn to celebrate your successes at work significantly enhances team morale and fosters a positive work environment. Celebrating milestones and accomplishments not only boosts individual motivation but also reinforces a sense of shared purpose and appreciation within the team. This practice can transform the workplace into a more engaging and supportive space, where employees feel valued and inspired to contribute their best. A manager who understands the importance of acknowledging success and incorporating it into the company culture will be instrumental in cultivating a dynamic and thriving workplace.

Program Coordinator

“Critical thinking” may not be the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think “Theatre major,” but it should be. To be successful in any area of theatre, you have to be able to problem-solve. Whether a scene isn’t coming together right on stage or the budget doesn’t allow for certain special effects, everyone involved in a production needs to be able to think outside of the box. This quality is extremely important for program coordinators. How can you expect someone to coordinate schedules and activities if they can’t be resourceful or think for themselves? There’s so much organization and preparation that goes into theatre, and that makes Program Coordinator a great option for any struggling Theatre major.

Teaching

This may seem like a no-brainer, but a Theatre major’s options extend far beyond teaching acting classes. To quote Amy Farrah-Fowler (Big Bang Theory), “At its essence, teaching is a performance art.” A teacher is responsible for her or his students’ education, and for many students simply relaying pieces of information one-after-the-next isn’t enough. A teacher needs to be able to engage and entertain students, and who better to do that than someone with that specific training? While you would need a second major (such as English or History) and a teaching certificate in order to teach with a school district, teaching assistants and teaching aides aren’t always required to have certificates. If you’re considering teaching as a career, then you should learn more about the Washington teachers retirement system to secure a comfortable and reliable retirement in the future.

Whether you’re being hounded with questions at a family gathering or questioning your college path, knowing your options as a Theatre major (or minor, if that’s easier to fit in) is important. Many people enjoy theatre but don’t think being trained for it in college will have any merit in the “real world.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. So many important skills are learned in theatre classes that are hardly ever taught in less artistic departments, and all of these skills will be applicable in the workforce.

Sources

• https://www.pdx.edu/careers/what-can-i-do-with-a-degree-in-theater-arts
• https://qatar-weill.cornell.edu/cpd/pcRole.html
• http://www.snagajob.com/i/education-jobs/

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