Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Cheryl Minns, Art Editor Marts@theotherpress.ca This issue: (Y Age of invention and imagination in ‘The Comedy of Errors’ (Y Northwest Fan Fest invades New Westminster (¥Y The Fast and Furiosa And more! Take a trip back 1n time with ProgFest III » Experience 1970s progressive rock at Douglas College Cheryl Minns Arts Editor Marts @theotherpress.ca rogFest IH, the latest concert fundraiser presented by the Community Music School (CMS) at Douglas College, will celebrate the songs of 1970s progressive rock music with tribute bands Earthbound and the Undoing on June 27. ProgFest debuted in 2009 as a concert by Earthbound, a progressive rock band featuring CMS coordinator Bob Caldwell. The band, which formed in the 19708, decided to get the group back together and add some new members for their ProgFest performance. “The first ProgFest was quite successful. We had one last year, and then we're doing our third one this year,” Caldwell said to the Other Press. “There are a lot of fans in the Lower Mainland that like this music. People from all over of various ages, everything from students here to older audience members.” Progressive rock began in : the United Kingdom and became : known for its lengthy, symphonic: : songs full of time changes, tempo : : changes, and heavy themes. The : : music is demanding on both : the performer and the listener, : who has to follow along with the : complex piece, but ultimately : offers a very rewarding musical : experience. ProgFest II will feature : Earthbound and the Undoing, a : Genesis tribute band that began : in 2012 performing the band’s : progressive rock hits. “Genesis considered : themselves storytellers through : music. Each song would have a : story involved,” Caldwell said, : explaining the group’s style. : “They were very British, of : course, so a lot of the themes : were British-oriented.” Earthbound will be playing : the hits of King Crimson, : including their 1969 track “21st : Century Schizoid Man.” “Tt was about life in the 21st century. It was ahead ofitstime. : : But it’s kind of relevant today and : : the lyrics of the day kind of relate : : to where society is these days.” The event will also feature a : silent auction and raffle prizes, 8S DOUGLASCOLLEGI with all proceeds going to the : CMS. The ProgFest fundraiser concert could become an annual event, according to Caldwell, > and include more bands and : performances. “This year, it’s Earthbound : and the Undoing. Ina few years, : it'd be great to have it over a : weekend and have six bands play,” : : Caldwell said. ProgFest III will take place at 8 p.m. on June 27 in the Laura : C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre : on the fourth floor of the Douglas Saturday, June 27, 6PM ee eR MET ack lio | douglascollege.ca/cmsconcerts College New Westminster > campus. Tickets are $20 for adults : or $15 for students and seniors. : They can be purchased at the : door or by phone through the : Community Music School at 604- : 527-5469. Paved with good intentions » Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ review Adam Tatelman Staff Writer OOOO ans tend to agree that Ben Affleck’s ultimately passable Daredevil failed to adequately explore the inherent ironies of a street-level, mobster-mangling vigilante who works by day as a blind, penniless attorney with a devout Catholic conscience. Fortunately for fans of the Frank Miller/Klaus Janson comics, the Netflix original series Daredevil resurrects the Man Without Fear in all his morally conflicted glory. Blinded in a freak accident and violently torn from his washed-up prizefighting father, young Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) discovers his remaining senses have grown to superhuman acuity. Through these new planes of perception he bears witness to the crime and corruption desecrating Hell’s Kitchen, New York. He opens a law firm with : his law school pal Frank “Foggy” : Nelson (Elden Henson), taking : hopeless cases that no one else : will touch. Together they defend : Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), ? a woman-with-a-past type, from : a false murder charge that’s : part of a vast criminal cover-up : permeating the highest levels of : power. The setup delivers a seamless : stylistic mix of Neo-Noir, : courtroom drama, and ‘7os’ : martial arts movie savagery, : simmered to perfection with : tense, intimate scenes that take : their time building to their : respective emotional climaxes. It’s : engrossing from the start, and the : chemistry between the actors only : : improves with time. Everything : : feels necessary and the tight script : deftly avoids the boring, brooding : moments that often occur in : today’s modern comic book : adaptations. This is fortunate : since, in a minuscule 13-episode : season, the faintest whiff of filler : would bea death knell. Behind it all stands Wilson : Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). : Presumably the villain, his : place as the Kingpin of Crime : is something he views as a : necessary evil in his mission to change Hell’s Kitchen for the : better, and he’s not afraid to rub : elbows with the Yakuza, Russian : mobsters, and embezzling : stock traders to achieve his : twisted vision. Despite his : power, he is socially childlike : and maladjusted. Therefore, : the advances of femme fatale : Vanessa Marianna (Ayelet Zurer) : dovetail with Murdock’s myopic : crusade, creating a perfect storm : to threaten the stability of his empire. The thematic strength of : Daredevil lies in its parallels : where one scene reflects another. : Fisk’s opulence and Murdock’s : simple lifestyle clash, and : both express their loneliness. : Page’s dogged pursuit of those : who framed her contrasts : veteran reporter Ben Urich’s : (Vondie Curtis-Hall) fear for his : bedridden wife’s safety—each : must decide what they are willing : : to lose in seeking the truth. This : is not a just a superhero show; : this is tangible human drama. Special mention must be : made of the stunts and fights, : comprised of complex one-shot : sequences and practical effects. : In an age where Marvel Studios : (subsidiary of squeaky-clean : Disney Ltd.) wows millions with : bloodless, green-screen carnage, : it’s shocking to see them produce : : anything this raw. Thankfully, : Netflix’s lack of network : television censorship allows not : only for mature combat but for : complex storytelling worthy : of standing alongside modern : classics of crime drama like The : Wire or Low Winter Sun. The series is evidently : connected to the Marvel : Cinematic Universe, but does : not require viewers to have seen : the films to enjoy the show. The : Avengers’ Battle of New York : isthe reason Hell’s Kitchen is : at the mercy of profiteering construction companies, but : that’s all you need to know. : Being the first of several Netflix : exclusives planned by Marvel, I : hope that Daredevil’s powerful, : self-contained narrative isn’t : compromised for the sake of fan- : pleasing crossovers. The obvious hinting at a > second season makes episode : seven feel a little out of place; : however, Daredevil was green- lit for another season two : weeks after its debut. I’d have : preferred a greater focus on : Murdock’s revenge against his : father’s murderers, which was an : important aspect of his character : in the comics. That aspect is : glossed over in the show to the : detriment of his relationship : with sardonic sensei Stick (Scott : Glenn). Given the intermittent : flashback structure of the show, : it’s possible this will be explored : later, maybe with a 26-episode : season.