The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/31419
film review film review film review film review film review It’s hammer time _ ‘Thor’ entertains Altered Mental Status, from Milford, switched things up with a swift delivery of beastly growls and thundering drums, setting the crowd into a sea of flying fists and feet. Concert Review Contributed All right kiddies, it’s time to grab your oversized Viking hel- met and celebrate the start of the summer blockbusters. “Thor” is not only the first of this season’s superhero movies, it’s got something more than a big-budget going for it _ it’s directed by Shakespeare veteran Kenneth Branaugh and features some heavy-hitting actors such as Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman. Inspired by the comic book by Stan Lee, “Thor” features the Norse god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth), who is the heir to the throne of Asgard, the spiritual realm for the gods. He is the son of Odin (Hopkins) and is the rival of brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). A hot-headed warrior, Thor gets kicked out of Asgard by papa hammer god. Thor lands in New Mexico and encounters a research team studying storm phenomena led by Jane (Portman). Thor struggles with his loss of powers, and must retrieve Mjolnir, which he believes holds the source of his power. On the way he must battle the SHIELD organization, and a giant metal warrior, while protecting Jane and her friends. Hemsworth, who previously played Kirk’s father in “Star Trek,” plays the character with respect and humor. Picture Eddy Murphy in “Coming to America,” but as a big burley Swedish man cast out of the heavens as opposed to Africa. It’s refreshing to watch a superhero who is so sure of himself, and in all honesty is a bit of a meathead. This is not Spider-Man _ he doesn’t sulk over how tough it is to be a superhero. Thor drinks, fights and takes his woman around the waist. He is an unapologetic man’s man. Although Hemsworth is entertaining, the supporting cast does little more than take up space, including Portman as the main character’s love interest. There’s no chemistry, and Portman seems to merely be a draw for ticket sales. The script was also weak at points throughout the film. Not in the spiritual realm of Asgard, as you would expect, but with the dialog on Earth. “Thor” isn’t the best superhero film, but when compared to most it stands out _ it is far better than “Daredevil,” “Ghost Rider” and “Punisher” combined, which were obnoxious insults to Marvel comics. _ Peter Eklund Grade: B- Bob Mierop and Russ Kanser man the lighting and production of the show. Oneonta metal heads couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with their own rendition of the Mexican holiday _ Cinco de Metal. Although the closest thing to anything Mexican at the event was a bag of Taco Bell and the occasional sombrero, there was mutual celebration for the metal genre amongst the attendees. Because of the recent closing of The Billiards on Chestnut Street, host Russ Kanser of Kanserous Productions was forced to secure another venue on a day’s notice. And so the metal show was at the Oneonta Moose Lodge at 87 West Broadway in Oneonta. The last-minute change of venue probably attributed for the attendance of just over 90. But, those 90 people celebrated. First up for the evening was Avid Rox out of Walton. While the crowd was reluctant to begin moshing to the band’s punk rock sound, things loosened up after the band played an impressive cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Altered Mental Status, from Milford, switched things up with a swift delivery of beastly growls and thundering drums, setting the crowd into a sea of flying fists and feet. Contraband continued the energy flow with their fast- paced bass lines. The band performed a brutal cover of Drowning Pool’s “Let the Bodies Hit The Floor,” setting the Cinco De Metal at the Oneonta Moose Lodge Photos and story by Zach Bender Sword of Truth’s Patrick Young (left) and Nick Suhadolnik perform. crowd in a berserk moshing frenzy. Trippin’ on Sunday drew a majority of the crowd to the show, and didn’t disappoint its fans. From lead singer Axl Velton bashing the floor with a steel chair to guitar- ist Jon Shackleton’s mid-riff guitar spin, the band brought the show’s energy to new heights, making way for local Oneonta celebrities Sword of Truth, who recently opened for Pitbull at OH-Fest. Sword of Truth closed out the night with an abridged version of their CD “Tale of the Misfortunate,” as well as several tasteful cover songs, including the theme song to “Pokémon” and their famous mash-up consisting of several artists, including R. Kelly, Hannah Montana and DMX. With the clash of cardboard swords still ringing in the air, the crowd cheered for an encore of Sword of Truth’s songs “The Goat” and “Crossing Swords” _ the band, of course, yielded to the crowd and continued its performance. Sword of Truth will be performing its final show of the semester at the General Clinton Pub on May 14 at 9:30 p.m. with a $3 cover. The next show by Kanserous Productions will be June 3, featuring Widow Sunday of Massachusetts and The Night- life of Schenectady, as well as other bands as planning develops. _ Zach Bender May 12, 2011 O-Town Scene 19