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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’16] SMUS Shakes it Up with Disney’s Camp Rock!

CAMP-ROCK_4C NOTE: Reblogged from Two Hungry Blokes & written by Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

LOCATION:
St. Michaels
University School
3400 Richmond Road
Saanich, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Fri Aug. 26 – 7pm
Sat Aug. 27 – 2pm
Sat Aug. 27 – 7pm

Sometimes it’s tough to decide on what to take on as the first Victoria Fringe Festival presentation for the 2016 season. This year, the decision was a no-brainer and I had to see the results of what St. Michaels University School (SMUS) Summer Musical Theatre program produced. The folks involved always deliver a quality educational curriculum to teach the next rising stars the basics while having fun at the same time. On opening night, they put on the musical version of Disney’s Camp Rock.

This show highlights the musical stylings of bands like The Jonas Brothers and the modern sounds of the past decade. Like ’em or not, those who grew up to these tunes had a rollicking time with this production. James Shaw admits to not being fond of today’s music whereas I’m open; at least I keep up when he can not, thus making me the ideal candidate to look at this production. His limitations in what he likes to talk about make for better opportunities for me to talk about my fondness for modern Disney.

Opening night was not without a few chuckle-worthy moments, gaffes included; the group was able to roll with it and continue on. They also helped each other out on stage when lines were forgotten and I believe that’s the heart of what this program extols than to provide a higher calibre show other local professional theatre schools like Canadian College of Performing Arts works on. I’ve seen their production of Little Shop of Horrors years ago, and that was a memorable show to which I grinned like a Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland when rubber bands were shot towards audiences!

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Can You Imagine Kubo and the Two Strings in a Heavy Metal Concert …

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Technically, in the movie Kubo and the Two Strings, the protagonist is playing a three-stringed shamisen (a lute). This instrument was originally a Chinese creation and it was introduced in Japan in the 16th Century. There is a tonal quality which always gives me shivers upon hearing, and when this movie’s early trailers came out, just waiting for the final product had me in anticipation for a very long time. To get me into the mood, I was oddly humming along to AC/DC‘s “Hells Bells.”

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What’s (Sadly Not) Happening with Sazan Eyes?

The supernatural is wonderfully represented in Yuzo Takada’s Sazan Eyes; it is exotic and steep in Tibetan lore.

Sazan Eyes

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Late last year, King Records teased at a new Sazan Eyes in the single by voice actress and singer Megumi Hayashibara. The song “Samhāra ~Sei Naru Chikara~” (Samhāra ~Holy Power~) released with very little fanfare September 2015, and Anime News Network (ANN) reported that it was going to be used for a new 3×3 Eyes anime rumoured to be under development. Footage from the original OVAs was used and since then, no further reports have been brought forth about this series’ status. A year is coming close to pass and I want to know what’s happening!

I love this world created by Yuzo Takada. The supernatural is wonderfully represented; it is exotic and steep in Tibetan lore. The politics which goes on between the ladies and lords made me a huge fan. With these powerful immortals running around Earth, the world is not going to remain safe. However, with a helpless human Yakumo turned zombie warrior, the last remaining Sanjiyan Unkara (a powerful mystic), Pai, might find peace if only other magical entities were not chasing after her.

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Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals — How Can This Game Evolve? (Part One)

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

As fun as this game is to catch a new Pokémon for the first time, the quest to catch them all is not easy. There’s a handful which requires travelling far and wide for, and others where the nests have not been identified yet. The latter requires exploring the entire town or city for. To be dedicated, the player has to start keeping a physical or mental journal, recording times when these pocket monsters have been spotted and hopefully returning to catch them on a regular basis. Over time, these critters can be raised and trained to fight other Pokémon.

Each Pokéstop is a landmark to admire. If this game is to evolve, I propose that the company work with museums and national parks to create new gyms and stops truly worth exploring. I do not like the fact it’s tailored for urban centres. The more mobile data being sent is indicative of which Pokémon can appear. I ask what happened to the thrill of the hunt at out-of-the-way places? The promo trailer made going out of urban centres and to large parks exciting!

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Ben-Hur Goes To The Races and Loses, A Review

BenHurPoster By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

I would rather watch Les Misérables again than try to suffer through the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur by Night Watch‘s director Timur Bekmambetov. What went wrong? For one thing, Hollywood really must stop with remaking classics under the thought a story will look better with improved special effects. Some classics are best left untouched. Movies with loose Biblical connections seem cursed; it’s like the Devil is doing his job too well to get the masses to turn away from these type of films.

John Ridley is one of the co-writers of this movie. He’s best known for 12 Years a Slave, and the name should be familiar enough to those who know his work from the mid 90’s with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The John Larroquette Show. Mind you, with those films, there’s star power at the lead to really help carry those two fantastic shows. When Jack Huston is pegged to star as one of the major leads, not everyone will be familiar enough with his resume. He played Pete Musane in American Hustle and I recall seeing him in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This latest film will not elevate him by any means, although I would love to see him and James McAvoy appear together in any future project. They share a similar type of acting style.

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[Victoria, BC] Pokémon Go “3rd Saturday” Event To Expand Next Month

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Approximately 130 people attended Fev Games‘ and Vancouver Island Pokémon Go Syndicate‘s “Third Saturday” event at Beacon Hill Park in the City of Victoria, British Columbia, on August 20th. This city was one of six selected to test the waters for a regular event for enthusiasts of this mobile game to engage in and players of various experience levels arrived to test their mettle. This product swept parts of the world by storm, and in who showed up, the hardcore was here trying to catch them all. Another hotspot had its casual players mulling about but for those who want to see their hometown shine, they were at this nesting zone for waterfowl and Pokémon alike.

Other cities included Chicago, Illinois; Melbourne, Australia; Ottawa, Ontario; Riverside, California and Townsville, Australia. The Press Enterprise reported online that “more than 1,200 players took to the streets near City Hall” in Riverside and numbers will no doubt vary, depending on the size of a city’s population.

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