Month: August 2012

The music is loud, and the crowd is animated. Local talent is seeping through the speakers and out the door onto the street. Wednesday night at Jazzy’s Rock N Roll Grill is something you won’t want to pass up.

Let’s be honest: Nightlife in St. George is hard to come by—and on a weekday it’s almost unheard of. 

The first time one might experience open mic night at Jazzy’s, located at 285 N. Bluff St., might be a little overwhelming. It’s loud, crowded and a bit muggy, but pay no mind to that. 

Come 9 p.m., Jazzy’s is the place to be. Don’t be afraid to venture over to the small wooden building, located just off north Bluff Street, and make yourself right at home. 

“It’s a great place to come and see some local talent,” said Mckenzie Hansen, a local resident and Jazzy’s regular. “St. George does not offer a lot of different venues for stuff like this—I think what they are doing here is great.” 

The pool table in back makes for a great way to socialize in between and during the guitar playing, vocal excellence and the occasional keyboard extraordinaire, while the satisfying chai teas are playing a melody of their own on your taste buds for the evening. 

“The food and service here are great,” said Danielle Latsis, a sophomore general education major from St. George. “It’d be hard to sit through some of the acts without my Italian soda.” 

Jazzy’s has a laid-back atmosphere that really could make anybody feel comfortable. It’s not hard to sit back, relax and enjoy the show—but what if your aim is to be the show? 

Regulars to Jazzy’s recommend showing up early to get a good spot on the lineup. You don’t want to be too eager, but by signing up for that last slot you might be there all night. It’s a delicate balance regulars say—getting that sweet spot on the list—that can only be achieved by abandoning your fashionably-late ways.

“It’s easy for somebody to come and play here,” said open mic participant Ryan Polatis. “The crowd is awesome, and it’s just a nice break for students and others alike during the week.”  

Whether you are musically inclined, or just inclined to listen to some good music, Jazzy’s is a great little hangout for a variety of different crowds. You’re sure to find something that is music to your ears.

With an increase submission level of film entries, this year’s DOCUTAH looks to bring a little something for everyone.

“If asked to pick my favorite film, I couldn’t do it,” said Christina Schultz, DSC vice president of institutional advancement and DOCUTAH executive director. “It is like comparing apples to oranges. There are so many diverse topics represented. Some films are thought-provoking, some are entertaining and others enlightening. I am confident that our audiences will also find favorites in each category.”

The festival will kick off Wednesday night at Dixie State College Encampment Mall with a student and community-focused event beginning at 7:45 p.m. The event will include an outdoor dance performance before the screening of the first documentary film, “Hip Hop Maestro.” After the film will be a presentation by students of the Dixie Storm Radio and an outdoor Zumba dance party.

Following opening night, the next four days of the festival will feature event screenings and highlight artists, athletes, musicians, humanitarians and social issues. 

Also, following many of the film premieres, viewers will have the opportunity to participate in question-and-answer sessions with movie producers, directors, field experts and academicians.

“Pieces of the Soul,” a film about local artist Matt Clark, will be shown Thursday night, and his art will be on display in the Eccles Fine Arts Center until Sunday. 

The films “Awaken the Dragon” and “Running Through” will be shown on Friday and will feature athletes who have overcome extraordinary odds to achieve success and happiness. Also that night will be the screening of “The Girls in the Band,” which tell the untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their journeys from the late ’30s to the present day. 

Canyon Media will host a recycling carnival in the parking lot of the Eccles building on Saturday to go along with the eco-friendly films that will be showing.

The festival will come to a close Sunday after featuring historical event films. A celebration of the filmmakers and the Raven Awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. at the Megaplex Red Cliffs Cinema Theaters.

Unlike previous years with multiple showings of the films, this year the majority of films are shown only once, artistic director Phil Tuckett said. 

“It’s really more important this year to look at the schedule and circle the films you want to attend because it might be the only screening that the film gets during the whole festival,” Tuckett said.

This is because the festival goes on for fewer days and more selections were made as to what films to show, Tuckett said.

The majority of the films will be screened at the Eccles Main Stage Theater and the Megaplex Red Cliffs Cinema Theaters with special film screenings at other locations around town. Tickets can be purchased at the screening venues or at the Dixie State College Ticket Office. The cost is $5 for a day pass or $20 for an all event pass. Students get in free with their student ID.

For more information and to check out film clips, screening times or location, visit www.docutah.com or pick up a DOCUTAH magazine on campus or in the Jennings Communication building.

The DSC Sears Art Gallery is holding an exhibit that makes it all relative, literally.

“It’s all Relative” is an exhibit showcasing sculptures, India inks, acrylic and pastel portraits created by mother Merle Olson, daughter Darlene Morgan and nephew Brian Challis.

The exhibit, which clearly states that all the art runs in the family, is what Morgan calls a dedication to Olson to “keep her artwork alive and to remind the community of a what a great artist stood among them.”

“You’re born with artistic abilities,” Morgan said. “It’s what you do with those abilities that really further your career.”

Olson, a self-taught artist, recreated her surroundings by painting many of the landscapes she witnessed while she travelled the U.S., and found a love for painting national parks.

“My mother was my mentor,” Morgan said. “While I was born with a love of art and creating things, she helped me realize the minor details like, say, where to place a rock. She was always honest and critical, which was helpful as I grew as an artist.”

Morgan’s specialty is creating portraits with India ink washes, which is a black pigment made mostly of carbon that is either rolled into sticks or used with a paintbrush.

“India ink is a tough medium,” Morgan said. “It takes a lot of time and a close eye. You can’t paint over India ink, any mistake is visible. The white on the paper is the paper. The rest is black ink.” 

Challis specializes in creating abstract art. He said he loved to sculpt anything, but put most of his energy into abstract sculpting.

“I can’t really tell you what some of my favorite sculptures are since they don’t exactly have limbs or things I can name,” Challis said. “But one of my favorites is six hands all intertwined.”

Challis said he’s had many mentors throughout his life but was mostly self-taught. He said he hopes people see his art as a personal and emotional expression that, when shared, makes the artist vulnerable. 

“It’s all Relative” will begin Friday alongside DOCUTAH’s “Ceramic Capture,” which will be set up in the lobby outside the Sears Art Gallery in the Eccles Fine Arts Center.

The artist reception will be held Friday from 7-9 p.m, and the exhibit will run until October 12.

Throughout my movie-going experience, I have been waiting for a summer like this one, a “Super Summer,” because of the three big superhero movies on the big screens.

However, sometimes big expectations can be big disappointments. Moviegoers need to keep their eyes and ears open for those good or bad indicators. It makes sense: if a producer is dumping a lot of money into making a movie, he or she has to believe it’s worth it. 

Traversing on a high wire of expectations and an estimated cost of about $260 million, I had many doubts as to whether “The Avengers” could hold up and have that explosive summer opening I wanted it to have. I pictured four superstar superheroes scrambling for a major lead role, making a mess, and just ruining the whole team for everyone. It’s not much different than that one Miami basketball team.

However, I did see “The Avengers.” I loved it, it kept me on my feet, and I was very impressed with how well the actors played together — the perfect punch-kick combo. Sadly, not everyone would agree with me.

“I didn’t like ‘The Avengers’ because it’s action the whole time,” said Rachel Clark, a freshman general education major from St. George. “Usually I like action movies, but there was nothing building up to the action, just action, action, action.”

There were two more superhero movies through mid-summer. Someone keeps making those, so people must love those movies —  I do anyway. Both movies, “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” were fantastic.

It hasn’t been a long time since the last Spider-Man film, so from first glance it seemed a little odd to me to see an entirely different Spider-Man feature coming out in theaters. But because a girl invited me to see the movie with her, I figured I should and, in turn, was very pleased with my choice. The movie exceeded my expectations and I left the theater filled with righteous indignation and a yearning for some sort of superpower. 

However, “The Dark Knight Rises” could have been better than it was, mostly if it was just a bit shorter. The movie just dragged on and this was supposed to be a Batman movie. That dragging on emotion is saved for unbearable movies. There were also some struggles in the cast — especially with Anne Hathway’s role. She wasn’t what I’d expect a Catwoman to be like. She didn’t seem very crafty or promiscuous, and I don’t speak solely for myself.    

“I expected ‘Batman’ to be better than it was,” said Clayton Graft, a junior business major from St. George. “There was nothing really that caught my attention and brought me into the movie like [‘The Dark Knight’]. My girlfriend also hated Anne Hathaway as Catwoman because it isn’t her kind of role.”

Graft also said he and his girlfriend saw a few other films over the summer, including “Ted” and “Nitro Circus.” They both were amazed with “Nitro Circus,” and they disagreed on whether “Ted” was worth watching. Graft said “Ted” was hilarious and his girlfriend said the film crossed the line beyond dirty.

The safe rule for avoiding two hours of watching a terrible movie is simply listening to what others have to say. There are those films which will surprise viewers, but a lot of the time, if someone hates a movie, someone else hates it as well.

I like to ask theater workers which movies are worth seeing. Just like a waiter in a restaurant, theater workers should know what’s on the menu.

After I have listened to a great band or scarfed down a hot pocket at the right temperature, I scream, “Encore!” That’s how I want to feel when I see a great movie. I want to leaving that theater begging for more. Superhero movies, a lot of the time, will have a cookie ending after the credits — setting something up for a sequel. After the credits in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the scene developed so many unanswered questions, I have the jitters knowing I’ll have to wait for a sequel.