Vol. 1 No. 4 by Waco Weekly

10.30.13 - VOL. 1, NO. 4 - WACOWEEKLY.COM

contents

10.31-11.06

meet the team PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris Shepperd EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matt Shepperd BUSINESS MANAGER Leisha Shepperd MANAGING EDITOR Chris Zebo CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brittany Hicks ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bekah Skinner LAYOUT/DESIGN Sally Franckowiak WRITERS

Sara Gilmore Topher Hawkes Luke Murray Brandon Nowalk

Essentials:

Listen Taste Play Calendar Look

3 8 9 13 14

Exclusive Interview:

NEEDTOBREATHE makes a stop in Waco in support of their Stomping Ground Tour. Learn about the tour and the band’s upcoming album.

INTERNS Kathleen Callison Claire Hand Chandler Hodo Olivia Montagna Cheyenne Mueller Catherine Neil Kaitlin Vickers Dani Wilkins

Waco Weekly is an independent, publication and is not affiliated with the city of Waco.

Taste

6 - Imagine a brownie made Halloweenish. It’s not as scary as you think.

Listen 4 - Katy Perry’s new

album is full of sing-aalongs and new edge.

Look 15 - Brandon gives a rundown of this week’s top 20 box office films.

Opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the editor, publisher or the newspaper staff. Waco Weekly is not liable for omissions, misprints or typographical errors. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher.

1st copy is FREE, additional copies are $0.50 each

LISTEN

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Boy + Kite at True Love By Cheyenne Mueller

Kyle Park at Wild West Waco By Luke Murray

Coming off the April release of his fourth full studio album, Beggin’ for More, Park has been touring relentlessly around the Lone Star and beyond for the past several months in support of the new record. Debuting at number four on the iTunes country chart, the record has been the most successful release of his eight-year career. Encompassing his trademarked style, Park also managed to sneak in some edgy tracks that reveal a whole new facet of the red dirt kid. Refusing to dip songs out of the Texas country still, Park stirred things up and was joined in his songwriting efforts by fellow red dirt heavyweights Cody Johnson and Josh Abbott. When asked about writing with guys like Johnson and Abbott, Park told us, “Writing is a very personal thing; you’re sharing personal information with people and it’s a lot easier when you’re doing it amongst friends.”

Boy + Kite was formed in 2009 in an unlikely place: a hot tub. Back then, Boy + Kite’s frontman Darvin Jones and vocalist/ guitarist Beth Puorro would often sneak into a spa on the outskirts of Austin to swim and pretend to be members of the bourgeoisie. They recorded their first three tracks as a duo in a studio in November 2009. After recording, the two joined forces with Chris (drummer) and Giuseppe (bass) in the spring of 2010. Boy + Kite released their debut album Go Fly the summer of 2011. Since the release of Go Fly, they have been flying high and opening up for acts such as Ume, Quiet Company, and The Toadies. The band also hit the Top 10 Charts on KUT 90.5 in Austin. Their first follow up to their full length Go Fly is a new 5-song EP We Can Go Anywhere We Want. Boy + Kite will be performing at True Love on November 2nd at 8pm.

He said the familiarity among one another gets the creative juices flowing. “There’s no correct or exact formula to writing songs,” said Park. “It’s more about being comfortable with the people you write with. It’s really good writing with people like Cody or Josh, or even Thom Shepherd and George Ducas. Those are guys that I’ve known for a long time and we’ve wrote together several times, and it just comes easy with guys like that.” Park will kick out the footlights at Wild West for a boot-stompin’ show on November 8. Tickets for the show are available at tickets.musiconelive.com.

the scoop WHAT: BOY + KITE WHERE: TRUE LOVE WHEN: NOV. 2 - 8:00 PM

wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • p 3

Exclusive Interview:

Bo Rinehart, NEEDTOBREATHE

LISTEN

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After spending the last couple of years selling out major venues like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and appearing on festival stages at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, NEEDTOBREATHE is returning to smaller stages on their intimate Stomping Ground Tour. One of the last shows on the schedule is right here in Waco, at Common Grounds on Nov. 3.

By Sara Gilmore

WW: Your Drive All Night Tour in the spring was get rid of the extra production trucks, the extra huge, and now you’re doing this intimate college bus, and just get all the guys we need all in one town, small venue tour. What’s up with that? bus and make a show fresh and exciting every night for us?” And we knew it would be a cool Rinehart: I think it started a couple of years ago. experience for the fans to have. We went to Europe and were kind of playing these smaller shows again and kind of felt like WW: Waco is the only Texas date on the the band was being reborn. We were loading Stomping Ground tour. Of all the small, college

“This tour is about us getting back to our roots,” said lead guitar and back-up vocalist “We just fell in love with the interaction with the fans, and Bo Rinehart. “There’s nothing more exciting people have been coming to the shows ready to rock.” than feeling music together in an up close and intimate setting. We’re inviting our fans to - BO RINEHART, NEEDTOBREATHE experience some of our favorite venues across the country that played a big part in making us our own gear, and we all had wedges and we town venues in Texas, why here? the band that we are today.” just basically turned the amps up loud and you Rinehart: I actually have no idea. Most of the could play whatever you want. You didn’t have schedule was all cities we’ve played before, and We caught up with Rinehart last week about to stick so much to a show, and we just fell in that’s why the name of the tour was to get back the tour and the band’s new album, set to drop love with it. It was just us playing music again, to our roots and play in our old Stomping Grounds. in early 2014. If you’re going to the show, here’s so we just fell in love with the idea and thought, But there’s been a few cities that we’ve never a sneak peak at what to expect. “How cool would it be to do this in America and ventured to, and it’s ironic we’re doing that on

pg 4 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

something called the Stomping Ground Tour, but I’m excited about it. We love playing Texas, and I feel like we’ve played in Dallas probably 25 times. And we love Austin, and I think we’ve made the rounds, but we’ve never played in Waco. So it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to see how it goes. WW: You’re pretty well into this tour at this point; we’re kind of catching you on the tail end. What are some of your favorite things about being back in the small show setting? Rinehart: Man, just the simplicity. We choose our set list every single show. We’re changing it up, and I think for me it’s been the easiest tour I’ve ever been on, because, you know, I’m always on my toes, trying to figure out where the band’s gonna go next. So it’s a lot more comfortable and relaxed, but it’s full on rock ‘n’ roll. At one point with this tour we were thinking we were gonna do them acoustic, but we just fell in love with the interaction with the fans, and people have been coming to the shows ready to rock. And I think the fact that we can see your face, and see what you’re thinking, and see what songs the fans are responding to—it just fires us up. I feel like it’s been a while; normally you can only see the first two or three rows and then after that everybody turns into a sea of blurry. But in these rooms, you know, we can really see front to back and know everybody’s in there and have a good time together. WW: I know you guys are kind of previewing a new album while you’re on this tour. Can you tell us a little bit about the new album? Rinehart: We’ve taken a really long time making it, but I think it’s the most “us,” live, as any of the other records. We stuck to all analog and to tape, and I’d say about 95 percent of the record is all live performances. So it definitely sounds more like we do live more than any other record. We definitely pushed the bar a little bit as far as being intimate on the record. WW: Any special things up your sleeves you plan to give fans coming to the Waco show? Rinehart: Well, there’s a mix [of songs]. We’re gonna play some brand new ones. We’ll play a couple of hidden ones that we haven’t played in years. And I think we can basically guarantee it’s gonna be a fun show. The band’s in a really good place, and more than ever we are loving what we do. So I feel like once we step in the room, people are definitely gonna have a good time.

wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • p 5

By Luke Murray

Silverstein Album: This is How the Wind Shifts

Release Date: October 15, 2013

Rating: Sounds Like: Rob Thomas Jon McLaughlin Howie Day

Track Listing: Best I Ever Had Make a Move Finest Hour I’m Gonna Try Who’s Gonna Save Us Everything Will Change Need Heartbreak Every Little Bit Different for Girls Leading Man

Once again, we have another mega-release from the queen of sing-alongs. Perry released her fourth album—her third under the name “Katy Perry”—and the release seemed to be perched at the top of the charts from the moment it went live. Three years and hundreds of tour stops since her multi-platinum smash, Teenage Dream, Perry and her producers compiled a list of 16 potential singles (including her current Top 5 hit, “Roar”) for this new album. These songs will likely supply DJs with mixes and mashups for the next year or two. Perry is a crowd-pleaser, and her addictive melodies and typically motivating lyrics are soundtracks to proms and sorority parties. This time around, with Prism, Perry sticks to her guns—she knows what works and what her fans want. Every song contains a melody that promises to get stuck in your head, and most of the tracks preach on topics that have become standard Perry-isms (long nights, raging parties, love and loss, and the motivational power-ballad). Not one to become mundane, Perry has produced a few tricks on this album to show fans she’s a maturing pop diva searching for some gravity. With songs such as “Dark Horse,” Perry shows her unrelenting talent for hooking us to those repetitive melodies and menacing bass lines, but her lyrical structure is evolving with deeper subject matters—not so typical of the “I Kissed a Girl” chart-topper.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

pg 6 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

••••••

Every Little Bit Need Best I Ever Had

LISTEN

Recommended Tracks

Clay Cook

“North Star”

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2013 Arguably considered the mastermind behind John Mayer and the Zac Brown Band, Clay Cook has made another venture into his solo career despite his intense touring schedule with ZBB. Cook co-wrote more than a few of Mayer’s earliest chart-topping hits and became a full-time member of the Zac Brown Band in 2009 as a guitarist and vocalist. He’s taken those singer/songwriter skills and released his fifth solo record. Through 11 tracks, Cook showcases gritty melodies full of vintage guitar-picking and slow, drawn-out chord progressions—along with raw vocals that are full of the character and soul you’d find in typical Zac Brown or John Mayer songs. His fusion of bluegrass with southern rock all within country parameters is anything but new to his fans, but his continued development and the revamping of his trademark style keeps us hitting the play button. Recommended Tracks: North Star, Compared to What

Brett Dennen

“Smoke and Mirrors”

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2013 Take a look at this album cover and you’ll be taken back to 1972; take one listen, and you’ll be in a time when John Denver ruled the radio dial. This old-fashioned charm comes to life in the voice of Brett Dennen—releasing his fifth studio album in an effort to channel the trailblazers of old with vintage lyrics and “easy-listening”melodies. His style is unique, a contemporary-retro fusion which pairs Jack Johnson with Bob Dylan and a Pacific Ocean splash of the Beach Boys on the pop side. He embellishes the record with balanced nuances of blues guitar, pop piano, steady percussion, and even some well-timed tambourine to give listeners a throwback album that marries musical eras seamlessly. A must-listen. Recommended Tracks: You Make it Easy, Only What You Want

Sara Bareilles

Release Date: “Live at the Oct 18, 2013 Variety Playhouse” After achieving number-one status on the Billboard Top 100 for her smash hit “Love Song” and walking away with three Grammy nominations across the span of four records, Sara Bareilles has chosen to release a live record from her recent tour. The set that patches together a mix of original songs along with some iconic covers—including covers of Otis Redding and Sir Elton John. The album, recorded at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, is 13 tracks that consist of Bareilles’ iconic soulfulness and rebellious persona. Her powerful vocals are anything but dubbed, coming through next to perfect via the live recordings. The set list not only contains the crowd-pleasing “Love Song” but also her most recent single, “Brave,” both of which showcase her trend-defying method of singing about subjects other than heartbreak and loneliness on every track. Recommended Tracks: Brave, Gravity wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • p 7

TASTE

Waco Weekly is an emerging community and culture publication that is your source to discover the When, Where, Who and What of the Downtown Waco district. From local business pioneers who are bringing commerce back to the streets to talented artists who are making the landscape here even more beautiful. Every week both local and nationally renowned musicians are entertaining audiences around the area, and daily, local eateries and bars are keeping appetites satisfied. As a voice in the Downtown Waco market, we will be a continuing voice to all that is going on and the best ways you can get involved.

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A Word From Us...

Seasonal fall treat without any tricks

easy pumpkin swirl brownies

Cheap Eats Easy to Make and Easy on Your Green

By DANI WILKINS

Stay up-to-date with Waco Weekly via social media, read our interactive digital issues online on your phone, tablet, or computer, find all of our content each week on our website and pick up our publication in print at various places around town. Waco Weekly Loves Waco!

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Twitter @wacoweekly Check us out on

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Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 stick unsalted butter 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¾ cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups solid-pack pumpkin ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Instructions:

4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan, smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish

5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect.

2. Melt chocolate and butter in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

6. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

pg 8 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

White Out Party at Downtown 301

By Cheyenne Mueller

PLAY

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On October 31, Downtown 301 will be featuring DJ Odyssey & D3X for a special White Out Glow Party. Don’t fret if you’ve procrastinated getting a costume for Halloween; grabbing a white t-shirt from Wal-Mart is significantly cheaper than anything from a Halloween boutique shop, and you’ll be glowing underneath the dazzling black light show as Downtown is filled with high-energy techno. The event is only for ages 18+. The cover charge for patrons 21+ will be $10 in advance and $15 at the door. If you’re under 21, all tickets cost $20. Advance tickets are available at Ninfa’s on Franklin Avenue, and there will be glow products available to purchase on location. The doors open at 8pm, with the show beginning at 9pm, and you must have a valid ID to enter.

wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 9

Deck the Halls by Junior League of Waco

By Chandler Hodo

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Deck the Halls is a 3-day Christmas market that will take place from November 1-3 at the Waco Convention Center. It will feature 75 merchants selling gourmet foods, jewelry, seasonal decorations and home décor, artwork, and clothing for men, women, and children. There are also multiple events associated with the market, such as VIP preview shopping, a “Ladies Night Out,” events for children, and more. The shopping event is hosted by the Junior League of Waco, a group of women striving to make positive changes in the Waco community for women and children. Deck the Halls has been their biggest fundraiser each year since they started the holiday market in 2005. Funds from the event will be donated to local community service projects and nonprofit programs. VIP preview shopping will take place on Friday, November 1 from 9-11am. Guests will have the opportunity to browse items from 75 merchants before the market is open to the public. This event costs $35 and also includes a 3-day market pass, a continental breakfast, and cocktails for guests 21+. “Ladies Night Out” is Friday, November 1 from 7-10:30pm. Women 21+ are invited to enjoy catering and an open bar while they bid on silent auction items. There will be raffle tickets for a chance to win big prizes, including a trip for 2 to Las Vegas. Tickets for this event are $65 and include a 3-day market pass. The “Gingerbread House Extravaganza” is the perfect event for the little ones. They can decorate their own gingerbread houses while enjoying Blue Bell’s holiday ice cream favorites, and they also have a chance to win door prizes. This event is on Saturday, November 2 from 3:30-5pm, and a market pass is required for entry. There will also be an additional $25 fee per gingerbread house. Those who wish to shop at the market can purchase a 1-day pass for any day of the weekend for $7 in advance and $10 at the door, or a 3-day pass for $17 in advance and $25 at the door. A market day pass bundle, which includes 20 day passes, can also be purchased for $100 for those shopping in a group. Children six and under get in free. The Deck the Halls Market is perfect for holiday shopping and getting into the Christmas spirit. General shopping at the holiday market will be open from 11am-5pm on Friday, from 10am-6pm on Saturday, and from 11am-4pm on Sunday. Tickets are available for purchase online at jlwaco.org.

the scoop WHAT: DECK THE HALLS WHERE: WACO CONVENTION CENTER WHEN: NOV. 1-3 pg 10 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

PLAY

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Baylor Opera Theater Presents:

Turn of the Screw By Dani Wilkins

First Friday in Downtown Waco

By Cheyenne Mueller Forget TGIF; this Friday it’s TGIFF (Thank God it’s First Friday)! Every first Friday in Waco, the community floods the streets of Downtown to celebrate local arts, to wine and dine, and to hear music both on the streets and inside venues throughout town. While some shops change their First Fridays hours each month, Papillon Antiques will be open from 10am-7:30pm (sips and bites 5-7:30pm), The Croft Art Gallery from 6-9pm; Anthem Studios from 6-9pm; Barnett’s Pub from 5-11pm; and Covet Antiques & Treasures from 10am-5:30pm.

A haunting, classic novella is fixing to terrify Waco in real life. From November 4-10, the Baylor Theatre Opera is bringing Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw to Jones Theatre. The story begins as an anonymous narrator recalls a Christmas Eve gathering where guests share ghost stories. One guest – Douglas – pipes up with a story about two children, named Flora and Miles, and his sister’s governess – a woman he once loved. His story then shifts to the perspective of the governess and a strange experience she encounters. As she strolls the grounds of her estate one evening, she realizes she’s not alone. There are figures that freely walk the grounds of the home and peer inside, a startling revelation that becomes the stories arc and has made The Turn of the Screw a classic chiller. For ticket information, visit baylor.edu/ theatre.

Take the family and plan to have dinner in one of the local restaurants, and then go shopping in surrounding venues. Not only does going out help benefit the local economy, but some of the shops actually give back; some of the ticket proceeds and a portion of sales from various events will be donated to non-profit corporations. One staple of First Fridays is music. There will be live music playing on almost every street corner to soundtrack your escapades. Music will be playing at several venues across Downtown Waco, so before you commit to just one band, have some ice cream and walk around for a bit. You may be surprised where the evening takes you. Because First Friday often highlights various shops, check out their Facebook page for more information at facebook.com/ FirstFridayWaco. wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 11

PLAY

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3 Apps You Won’t Regret Downloading By Luke Murray

THE DROWNING Halloween festivities are in full swing, so here are some ghoulish apps you can’t pass up this haunting season. Let’s kick off with everyone’s favorite: zombies. The Drowning is a first-person shooter game with 15 different environments for you to march your zombie-slaying brigade through. With an unmatchable ability to customize your arsenal—from crossbows to M16’s to rocket launchers—there’s no realm of the undead you can’t quash. Pop heads on your way to take down the zombie bosses while racking up copious points to score new gear. Dubbed by Mashable and Gamezebo as one of the best shooter-simulator games for the smartphone/ tablet domain, this game makes zombies come alive on your devices...only to kill them again. – FREE CRAFTSY Craftsy offers how-to videos for all things Pinterest-worthy, including the best way to make the most of your Halloween costume. Covering everything from quilting to gardening, baking to photography, and even jewelry making, Craftsy offers professional interactive courses with detailed instructions on how to make your craft dreams come to life. With more than 500,000 classes available for enrollment, Craftsy has become the world’s largest provider of digital craft instruction. The user-friendly interface even allows you to take notes during videos for you to refer to later. Watch your courses on the go, between obligations, or at night during those 30 minutes you spend on your phone before bed. – FREE HAUNTED HOLLOW Ever wanted to create your own virtual goblin factory? Haunted Hollow, a strategy game, gives players numerous options for building their very own army of fright. Choose from vampires, zombies, witches, werewolves, and mummies as soldiers in your fight against rivals. Construct a mystery mansion with choices such as the Mad Scientist’s Lair or the Forbidden Temple, which serves as home bases for your creatures of the night. Send your army into town to fight and stake claim to the village and its people. Win battles and gain points for new members of your clan and power upgrades for the next bout. – $0.99

pg 12 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

FRIDAY

MONDAY-TUESDAY

SUNDAY

Grab a friend and head down to First Friday in Downtown Waco.

Baylor Opera Theater presents Turn of the Screw at Jones Theatre.

NEEDTOBREATHE brings their “Stomping Ground” tour to Common Grounds.

PAGE 11

PAGE 4

WEEKLY // EVENTS OF

OCTOBER

30 - NOVEMEBER

06,

2013

FIND MORE AT: WWW.WACOWEEKLY.COM/CALENDAR

FRIDAY

Matt Kimbrow

11/01

“Through the combination of psychology, suggestions, misdirection, and of course a little theatrics, I demonstrate the power of the untaped mind.” says Blake Adams. Hosted by Common Grounds, Adams harnesses his sixth sense to astonish spectators with telepathy, prediction, psychokinesis and ESP. Tickets are available online.COMMON GROUNDS 1123 S. 8th, Waco, Nov. 1, 2013 8:00 PM $5

KYLE PARK

THURSDAY 10/31 WHITE OUT PARTY

Wear white clothing so you can glow under the amazing light show for ages 18 and up. There will be a cash bar, and glow products will be available to purchase. The cover charge for 21 and over will be $10 in advance, and $15 at the door. For under 21, it’s $20. Advance tickets are available at Ninfa’s on Franklin avenue. Doors open at 8pm, and the show starts at 9pm. MUST HAVE ID to enter.

DOWNTOWN 301 301 S 2nd St. Waco, Oct. 31, 2013 8:00 PM

SUPERBAND ATX

Superband ATX is composed of five undercover superheroes: the Speed, Wild Thing, Superbass, Captain ATX, Wondrous Woman, and Ass Kick. They play covers from a wide variety of musicians, ranging from Taio Cruz to Rage Against the Machine. CINEMA LOUNGE 921 Lake Air Dr, Waco, Oct. 31, 2013 9:00 PM

SATURDAY 11/02 BOY + KITE

Austin-based band Boy + Kite rustled up a bit of a bang around town upon the release of its debut album Go Fly in 2011. The record lodged itself in the charts of the city’s NPR affiliate. They’ll be performing at 8pm at True Love. TRUE LOVE 414 Franklin Ave., Waco, Nov. 2, 2013 8:00 PM

KYLE PARK

The Texas country star may have only been on the music scene for a few years, but he’s already become a fan favorite with songs

such as “Somebody’s Trying to Steal My Heart” and “The Night Is Young.” He’s “Leaving Stephenville” and bringing his most recently released album, Beggin’ For More, to Waco. WILD WEST WACO Nov. 2, 2013 8:00 PM

SUNDAY

NEEDTOBREATHE

The newly renovated Common Grounds will be hosting NEEDTOBREATHE for a more intimate show. The concert will be the band’s only Texas stop along their “Stomping Ground Tour.” Starting at 8pm, the venue will fill up fast, so be sure to get there early. COMMON GROUNDS 1123 S. 8th, Waco, Nov. 3, 2013 8:00 PM

Have an event for our calendar? Submit it at

www.wacoweekly.com CALENDAR

11/03

••••••

WEEK

Design | Branding | Web

wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 13

- By Brandon Nowalk -

Wadjda INDIE (PG)

The Counselor COMEDY (R)

•••••• LOOK

Wadjda is the first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, and it’s directed by a woman, Haifaa al-Mansour. With no Saudi Arabian film infrastructure, such as movie theaters or studios, Wadjda is partly a movie about Saudi Arabia for foreigners. So there’s plenty of exposition about the rules of society, particularly the gendered customs. For instance, Al-Mansour sometimes had to direct from the back of a van so as not to intermingle with the male crew members. Naturally, Wadjda is the story of a cute young rebel, a budding capitalist propelled primarily by profit motive, saving up so she can buy a bike and race the neighbor boy. Meanwhile, her mother is single because she can’t give Wadjda’s father a son. It’s beautiful for the document alone, seeing the streets of Riyadh in action, but the finale soars, boiling everything down to two women supporting each other in a culture that doesn’t.

“If you think you can live in this world and not be a part of it, well, all I can say is you’re wrong.” That’s what Brad Pitt’s high-powered dealer tells the counselor, played by Michael Fassbender. People are always telling the counselor about the world. He doesn’t seem to get it. Before the movie begins, events have already been set in motion that will destroy him. What’s he going to do about it? That’s not the question. Well, it’s a question, but in this hard noir world of El Paso and Juarez, Capitols of violence in the Americas. We never get many details. There’s some kind of drug deal that the counselor and his buddy played by Javier Bardem get into with Pitt and the cartel. The counselor is new to this, so when a cartel runner goes down and the deal goes south, everybody turns on him. Bad news for his new fiancee, Penelope Cruz, the good girl to wild, cheetahtattooed Cameron Diaz’s femme fatale. But the plot isn’t really the point. Written by Cormac McCarthy, who wrote The Road and No Country for Old Men, The Counselor is more about taking its time to consider this world. One of the most chilling lines comes late in the movie. “You know what I love about Americans? You can always depend on them.” There’s a gender war going on, too, but what’s really provocative is the repeated accusation that simply being American is to profit off of atrocity. On the other hand, as every character in The Counselor would say, what are you gonna do? It’s directed by Ridley Scott, who hasn’t made a great movie in decades, and it shows. The Counselor is propelled by this tension between Scott’s high-toned action and McCarthy’s bitter rumination, every scene threatening to turn into pure camp, and some of it does. Diaz’s whole aesthetic is out-of-this-world phenomenal from the cheetah eyeliner to the gaudy accent jewelry, but Fassbender’s naturalism never quite meshes with her pulpy performance or Bardem’s goofball. Then again, maybe that’s the point.

pg 14 • WACO WEEKLY • October 30, 2013 • wacoweekly.com

Top 10 Modern Horror Movies For ten great modern Halloween recommendations, we begin with John Carpenter’s The Thing, a kind of Alien film set in Antarctic but bleaker. The ‘80s indie movement extends to horror with Evil Dead II, a funny, scary cabin-in-the-woods movie. Scream may be a rundown franchise now, but it still zings as it codifies (and then upholds or subverts) the rules of horror. Adventurous buffs may get a kick out of Peter Tscherkassky’s Outer Space, a short film available online. In the late ‘90s, Japanese horror (J-horror) gained international attention, with terrifying movies such as Audition and Pulse. For zombies, 28 Days Later remains the best since Romero, and for vampires, both Let the Right One In and its remake are winners. As for the remakes, the Rob Zombie Halloween movies stand supreme. Finally, the littleknown Pontypool combines mounting dread with conviction as the apocalypse begins.

1. Bad Grandpa

Johnny Knoxville gets out the old-age make-up to play an 86-year-old man taking his 8-year-old grandson across the country. Their goal? To prank an unsuspecting populace, like a cross between Borat and Jackass. R (92 min.)

2. Gravity

In this revolutionary 3-D rollercoaster, a space mission gone awry forces astronauts Sandra Bullock and George Clooney to fend for themselves among various space stations and to get back home. PG-13 (90 min.)

3. Captain Phillips

Based on a true story, Tom Hanks stars as the captain of a U.S. ship transporting supplies to Kenya when his ship comes under attack by Somali pirates in this journalistic depiction of international institutions colliding. PG-13 (134 min.)

4. The Counselor

Michael Fassbender stars as a lawyer who gets involved in a cartel deal that goes wrong in this hard-bitten, star-studded neo-noir. Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, and Javier Bardem co-star. R (117 min.)

5. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Our hero, Flint Lockwood, voiced by Bill Hader, leaves his job when he finds out the machine responsible for the original is still in operation, leading to another avalanche of foods crossed with animals. PG (95 min.)

6. Carrie

After getting picked on at school, a young outcast, Carrie, develops telekinetic superpowers. Then one of the girls feels guilty and gets her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom; the rest is horror history. R (100 min.)

7. Escape Plan

In this high-concept action flick, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up to escape from a dangerous, off-the-grid, maximum-security prison

that puts all the prisoners in clear glass boxes on stilts. R (116 min.)

8. 12 Years as a Slave

The Toronto Film Festival winner by chic arthouse director Steve McQueen chronicles the abduction of a free northern black man (Chiwetel Ejiofur) and his enslavement for 12 years on southern plantations. R (133 min.)

9. Enough Said

Julia Louis-Dreyfus befriends a hippie poet (Catherine Keener) and her exhusband James Gandolfini at the same party. Her relationships with each start to threaten each other. Her college-bound daughter only cranks up her emotions. PG-13 (93 min.)

10. Prisoners

When the daughters of two neighboring families are kidnapped on Thanksgiving, the parents take matters into their own hands, even as the police investigate in this starstudded drama (Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal). R (153 min.)

11. Insidious: Chapter 2

Patrick Wilson may have gotten his son back from the demonic spirit world, but is it really his son? And why are the demons so intent on possessing him? Rose Byrne co-stars. PG-13 (105 min.)

12. Rush

Beefy Chris Hemsworth squares off with brainy Daniel Bruehl through the ‘70s as they compete in races across the globe. The only thing is, as an opening monologue tells us, there’s a tragedy in their future. R (123 min.)

13. Baggage Claim

As the only unamarried woman in her family, Paula Patton and her friends use their airport connections to cook up a plan to help her find the “one” among her exes across the country. PG-13 (96 min.)

14. We’re the Millers

A road trip comedy about a bunch of outcasts playing an all-American

family (Jason Sudeikis as dealer dad, Jennifer Aniston as stripper mom) to sneak into Mexico and retrieve a marijuana package for a quick buck. R (110 min.)

15.The Fifth Estate

New British “it boy” Benedict Cumberbatch plays Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, on his quest to expose secrets and evade prosecution. Also starring Peter Capaldi, David Thewlis, and Daniel Bruhl. R (128 min.)

16. Runner Runner

Justin Timberlake plays a grad student who gets into online poker to pay his tuition. When he’s cheated out of his savings, he discovers an offshore site with an enticing criminal opportunity. Ben Affleck co-stars. R (91 min.)

17. I’m in Love with a Church Girl

Ja Rule anchors this Christian movie as a reformed drug dealer whose loyalty to his old friends in the racket and pressure from the feds threatens his new relationship with a good influence. PG (118 min.)

18. All Is Lost

Robert Redford plays “Our Man,” a survivor of a shipwreck that leaves him stranded on a life raft with diminishing resources as he tries to get home. Directed by JC Chandor (Margin Call). PG-13 (106 min.)

19. Don Jon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes, directs, and stars as a Jersey Shore caricature and porn addict who finds actual sex unsatisfying. Enter Scarlett Johansson’s vapid princess and Julianne Moore’s night school classmate. R (90 min.)

20. Despicable Me 2

The heroic Anti-Villain League hires Steve Carell as a grumbling supervillain turned adoptive father to help fight a new supervillain. Featuring the voices of Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, and Russell Brand. PG (98 min.)

wacoweekly.com • October 30, 2013 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 15