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Show Friday, October 14, 2005 Page 6 Arts & Entertainment Phone: 626-7105 A & E Editor: David Fairchild Fairchild s Flicks Choirs prepare for fall show "History of Violence" Actors Viggo Mortenson and Maria Bello should be bowing their heads in shame on this movie. Not only is this movie an insult to good script writing and movie making, but it's nothing more than an excuse to push the limits of sex and violence with the Motion Picture Association censors. Tom, a small-town father and husband, kills two men when they attempt to rob his diner and kill a customer. He's suddenly a national hero. The event catches the eyes of mobsters from Pittsburgh, played by Ed Harris and William Hurt. The mobsters think Tom is really a man named Joey, a ruthless killer who has a crime to answer to. They stalk his family and won't accept that they have the wrong man. The family's life is thrown upside down and Tom finds himself in the center of an untrusting relationship as father and husband. This movie stinks. It's embarrassingly predictable, the characters are poorly developed and there's absolutely no resolution to thepartsthatmatter.Itleaves viewers disappointed. Toss this film out with the Wildcat litterbox. Mark Henderson, WSU Department of Performing Arts professor, prepares his students for their upcoming fall presentation. WSU choirs will perform Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Val A. Browning Center Austad Auditorium, $3.50 for students. By Nikki Garrett sr. a&e reporter | The Signpost There's something for everyone at the Weber State University Concert and Chamber Choirs' Fall Choirfest2005. Choirfest will be held Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Austad Auditorium. Directed by Mark Henderson, WSU Department of Performing Arts professor, the Choirfest features many different pieces of music. "I think, definitely, my favorite is a Latin piece called 'Vere Longuores Nostoros,'" said Gabrel Conner, a WSU vocal performance sophomore. "It's very old, but it's the kind of piece that you hear in cathedrals. That old, almost Gregorian chant sound. And then my favorite piece from concert choir is probably 'Ave Maria' by Bruckner.'" Conner sings bass in both the concert and chamber choirs. If "Ave Maria" may sound familiar to many who normally wouldn't hear this kind of music, it's because it is sung by the nuns in "The Sound of Music." Other music performed will be "A Brazilian Psalm," by Jean Berger; Stanford's choral masterpiece, "The Blue Bird"; and "Three Choruses by ee cummings," by Peter Schikele. One of the traditions of the WSU Choirfest is a song composed by one of the WSU professors. This Choirfest will feature "A Light Exists in Spring," by Henderson, which is set to a text by Emily Dickinson. Another tradition ofWSU choir concerts is the student conductor. "I'm directing one song in this concert," said Melanie Barnum, a WSU choral'music education senior. "It's called 'Highland Mary.' The poem was written by a Scottish composer, Robert Burn, and he met this woman, Mary- I don't know if that's her real name. And they fell in love and he talks about his feelings when they met and how euphoric it was and then she actually dies while he knows her and then he talks kind of about how she was taken away from him too soon and how he misses her. It's a really pretty song." Henderson believes in exposing the students to as many styles and genres as possible. "We try to get a very wide variety of styles into our programs," Henderson said. "This concert will include works from 500 years ago as well as just in the last few years. The "Short People" song shows how unfounded and mindless most. See Choirs page / 's choice haunted house rev e good, the bad and the stup By David Fairchild a&e editor | The Signpost The haunting season has returned. Candy and decorations fill the store shelves. People are deciding whether to dress up as a witch or a toilet bowl for the upcoming holiday. Halloween has become the second largest celebrated holiday, both in celebration and in money spent, second to Christmas. As the season unfolds with the change in leaves and the chill in the air, the haunted houses have returned to Utah for another year of fear and entertainment. This year, one of the haunted house industry's own enters the field, taking with him first-hand knowledge of what it takes for a haunted house to put on a good show. Lazarus Maze ;, For people who want a more timid haunted house, this is the house for them. /It has a subtle feel, subtle props and simple acting. It's new to Ogden this year. • . For the Hallowenthusiast, this house deserves a rotten marshmallow award. Ogden city, in its wisdom (insert stifled laugh here), has basically banned any new haunted houses in its city. Because of this, Lazarus Maze was destined to fail from the beginning. For the most part, it's Ogden's fault. First of all, this house isn't allowed to have a customer line. So instead of waiting in a line, customers - if they can't just walk right into the house - will have to wait in their vehicles until a representative from the house comes to the customer's car and tells them it's their turn. This is simply nonsense. People going to Lazarus should be aware that they might have to wait in their vehicles. This house is small: Smaller than small. With a mental hospital theme, it has about 15 rooms and they all look the same. There's little variety here. The few actors in this show seemed bored, and try as they might, were ' unable to frighten or entertain customers. In short, the sets are poor, the actors fit the sets and the environment is awful. v. However, of all the haunted houses in the Ogden area, this house has the potential to grow into a well-distinguished house, possibly one of Utah's best. Haunted houses have the capability of changing from year to year, even getting better. Don't cancel this house out just because it has a bad first year. , Watch for this one in future years and see if it grows. . >. 1 Admission to the show was $8, but it has been lowered to $5. ; ; ; It's located at 600 Exchange Rd. in downtown Ogden. • The show is closed to the public Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but offers private parties. Daytime tours are offered on Mondays and it is open to the general public Thursdays through Mondays. For more information visit .www.Iazarusmaze.com. .. , • • .,.•'•'• This editor has worked with many haunted houses and simply enjoys the entertainment they bring to their appropriate markets. A good show is a good show and a bad show can only get better or it will disappear. These reviews are based on five qualities that every haunted house production should have: Settings, sound, actors, the wait in line and whether or not it's entertaining. Each quality represents one point in the rating scale so readers can rest assured these reviews remain unbiased in anyway save the one point for the editor's own enjoyment of the show. These reviews aren't from someone who thinks they are an expert just because they think they know what scary is. These reviews are realistic views from a paying customer and a professional in the field of haunted housing. Someone who knows why haunted houses work and what enthusiasts want to see in haunted houses. These reviews are simply reccomendations to help readers know how to get the best entertainment out of their hard-earned money. Enjoy the show. You can reach reporter David Fairchild by calling 626-7105. Haunted Hollow Nightmare on 13th Great show this year; actually saw some actors this rime. This show is set outdoors and gives customers the chance to be in the real environment such as running water and caves. Customers get out of the haunted houses, but they lose a little of the magic and illusion that haunted houses can only provide in confined interior quarters. The actors were on the ball and the sound and lighting was great. Anyone who goes to tliis show should be prepared for the outdoors, take a jacket and a pair of good shoes to walk in or else it could get uncomfortable. The line could move a little quicker and the ticket booth wasn't exactly the friendliest. Be warned, it gets dark here and visitors should expect to walk on uneven ground. Great show. The ticket prices are fair; $12 for adults and $7 for children under 10. For more information visit www.hauntedutah.com/ hauntedhollow. Unfortunately, this haunted house relies on too many automatic scares. Customers who watch their step and don't want to be scared can see exactly where to step to avoid this. The scenery is great and detailed, but only detailed to match the automatic scares. It has a phenomenal "Pirates of the Caribbean" section that takes customers on a winding journey through a pirate ship. This is the highlight of the show and is fun just to walk through. They also have a room that snows. This is a show for people who don't like to be scared and might have been dragged to the show by a group of friends. Anyone looking for a scare won't find one here, but the show itself is entertaining for those who want to take the time to watch each room. The actors enjoy saying, "Boo" and "Rarr" and it gets annoying. The sound effects are great and the makeup is simple and it's clear there's not a monster under the make-up. It's easier to laugh at some actors silliness than to be afraid of them. All in all, it can be a fun haunted theme show, but not scary in the least. The biggest downfall to this show is the customer's wait in line in the Nightmare Theater. On a slow night, it takes more than an hour to sit in a black room and be entertained by the same automatic actors over and over again. It gets boring. By the time we entered the show, we were ready instead for the exit. If you have a slab of rock with paint drying, bring it with you while you wait in line so you have something to do. Prices are $13 for adults and for $3 more guests can get into an additional 13 rooms. Nightmare on 13th is located at 300 W. 1300 S. in Salt Lake City. . • See Reviews page |