Thisfunktional
Volume 02 Issue 02 Sept. 2015 ISSN 2334-346X
Great sound, powerful vocals, wonderful style The Indie issue
From the editor: Sometimes the best art, music and movies are kept out of the mainstream and stay independent, or indie. While there are some cool mainstream artists, some incredible work gets overlooked, but with the growing movement of artists to present their work their way, indie has gone from more than just a manner of distribution and has become a genre of its own. From music to YouTube webseries, the indie scene is full of some fantastic work. There are some that are hard to stand, and many that are rough or raw, but the vision for the project is fully in the hands of the artist, full creative control where it belongs. The financial risk is there for many of the indie
artist, but that risk is present because of the passion the artists have for their project. Indie films are entertaining, no matter the quality of special effects. Sometime films are more practical because the budget is low, so stuff that may be too fantastical becomes more realistic. Indie music can have a gritty sound, but yet the passion and emotion of the music can sometimes translate much better. Webseries, which might never have had a chance to make it on TV because of the narrow-minded lets-make-money mentality of networks don’t want to take risks, have an outlet like YouTube or Vimeo. The struggle to get money to produce anything is difficult, but for some passionate individuals, the financial risk is well worth it.
Jesus Figueroa Editor-in-Chief of
Thisfunktional
URBAN ROSE- Anima É Cuore Studios Artist Laura Dickenson’s 2012 Challenge work sketch drawn with drawing pencils and made to look fierce. (Drawing courtesy of Anima É Cuore)
Table of Contents
Page 3 - Staying in is the new going out: Indie Written by Eli Kay
Page 5 - Thisfunktional Music: One Machine ‘The Final Cull’ Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 8 - VIP Latino Latin Beat: Le Butcherettes Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 9 - Artist Appreciation: Michael Steger ‘Not so Union’ Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 11 - Jocelyn Arndt
Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 17 - Thisfunktional Review: ‘The Green Inferno’ Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 19 - Mike’s Movie Mayhem iwatchmike gets a new look Written by Mike Pierce
Page 21 - Thisfunktional Interview: Jared Cohn Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 23 - Thisfunktional Podcast: Thisfunktional Podcast Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 25 - Thisfunktional Anime: ‘The Girl who Leapt Through Time’ Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 26 - Thisfunktional Manga; ‘One-Punch Man’ Written by Jesus Figueroa
Page 27 - Thisfunktional’s Month: ‘Drunk Girl’ at CASA 0101 Written by Jesus Figueroa
Staff Editor in Chief Jesus Figueroa
Writers
Eli Kay Mike ‘The Movie Guy’ Pierce
Copy Editor, Design Consultant Jade Inglada
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Staying in is the new Going out
Indie films Written by Eli Kay Staff Writer For the past year, I am proud to say that I’ve been residing in one of the most vibrant, exciting and hip areas in the world the famous Camden Town of London, UK. As you know, Camden Town is known for its Indie style – Independent brewers, Indie music scene and comedy, Indie street food around the famous Camden Market and so much more. But, what happens when you just can’t be bothered to get out of your couch? Some Staying In magic.
What to watch:
“The Lady in the Van” (2015) : What better than a film set in beautiful Camden. A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that’s parked in his driveway. This film is powerful, emotional and sweet. I recommend it with all my heart. “Room” (2015): Filled with emotional roller coasters, this film is about a woman and her 5 year old son, after escaping from the captivity in which they have been held for half a decade. Viewera will identify with the characters as they struggle to adjust to the strange, terrifying and wondrous world outside their one-room prison. “Carol” (2015): Set in 1950s New York, a department-store clerk falls for an older, married woman. A classic but beautiful story about love, loss
and compromise.
What not to watch:
“Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List” (2015): Naomi and Ely are girl best friends. The institution of a “No Kiss List” has prevented the two from going after the same guys, but bonds are tested when Ely kisses Naomi’s boyfriend. A teen film with not much to offer apart from cliche interpretation on how friendships work and trying very hard to add depth to the emotions presented.
What to listen to:
“Fool for Love” By Lord Huron “Call Me If You Need Me” By Tigercats “On a good day” By Above and Beyond “Something sweet” By Julian Heidenreich
What to drink:
The Stone Brewing Company was founded in 1996 and it sells amazing Pale Ale, IPA and, the more English, Porter. It’s perfect for a relaxing night in, accompanied with potato chips or pop corn. For a non alcoholic version, try the non-alcoholic Clausthaler Amber which is the closest in taste to real beer. Kisses from England,
Eli Kay
www.iwatchmike.com or audioboom.com/channel/ iwatchmike
Shows include: Pierce’s Playground, Movie Talk, Daddy talk, Arrow recap, Flash recap, Fear the Walkind Dead recap, The Walking Dead recap, The Strain recap,
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Thisfunktional Music
One Machine hammers out “The Final Cull” Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer Heavy metal band One Machine tear into the metal scene with the released of its latest album “The final Cull” on Sept. 18. With screeching guitar riffs and hard second guitar notes, fierce double petal drum beats and tough vocals, this album is a good example of what metal bands are capable of. Although the album is not a gem, it does so much of the metal aspect right that it is hard not to listen to the album and be impressed. Guitarist Steve Smyth shreds guitar riffs from song to song. Chad Hawkins’ vocals are rough and distract from the beauty of the instrumentals, in a few of the songs. “Forewarning” starts the album in a fantastic direction with melodic guitar notes and is brutally interrupted by the grunts by vocalist
Hawkins. The song also contains heavy bass notes which combined with the drums keep a steady and fantastic rhythm. To start the album its not a bad song as the album gets better as the tracks progress. “The Final Cull,” title track, is a large improvement from the first song. The track opens with a classic metal guitar solo which leads to more rough vocals, but theres not many lyrics.
Bassist Stefano Selvatico complements the guitar riffs of Smyth and guitarist Jamie Hunt to create strong unity behind the loud drum beats. “Ashes in the Sky” brings a softer note to the metal album and shows a fantastic set of vocals for Hawkins. The guitar complimets the soft vocals well and even when the roughness of the screeching vocals begins, the song sounds raw and fierce. The tempo and mood
change comes to a delightful surprise. The song show cases the talent in this band. “The Grand Design” shows a small glimpse of the incredible sound and style the band is capable of. The vocals are still a bit rough, but with the guitar and drums getting a heavier tone the voice is complimented well. The album is focused on the vocals which are hit or miss with each track. The instrumentals are delightful and a great example as to the raw emotion which metal music is capable of showing. “The Final Cull” is the debut album for One Machine and shows promise. The album was released Sept 18 via Scarlet Records. For more information on the band visit: feedtheonemachine.com facebook.com/ onemachineofficial Twitter.com/one_ machine
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Latin Beat
Le Butcherettes strengthen their fantastic punk sound in ‘A Raw Youth’ Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer The powerful vocals of lead vocalist Teri Gender Bender drives the classic punk sound of Le Butcherettes track after track in their laters album ‘A Raw Youth.” Although a strong punk album, the sound of Le Butcherettes is clean and with impactful vocals and great instrumentals. “Shave the Pride” sets the pace and mood. The fierce vocals are showcased over steady punkinspired instrumentals. The inspiring lyrics are well placed among the guitar riffs and steady drum beats. Song after song, the style flows and connects each song together. Some experimental sound keeps the album from being repetitive and continues to entertain. “Sold Less than Gold” is a track which is dominated by the powerful vocals from Gender. The instrumentals mellow down to give her vocals even more strength. “Witchless C Spot” is track which allows both vocals and instrumentals to shine. A steady rhythm for both keeps a balance which charm the listener and shows the melodic nature of the band. Guitar from Gender Bender, the bass from Jamie Aaron Aux and drums from Chris Common combine to accentuate the vocals of Gender Bender. Gender Bender dominates again on “Oil the Shows
if the Critter Knew Any Better” leading the album to a satisfying close. Listening to the album beginning to end is so easy to do. There is no need or desire to skip tracks. The flow is easy going and there is no bad track. Some experimental sounds are found throughout the album, but they only expand the already amazing punk sound of the album. “A Raw Youth” was released Sept. 18. Listen to Thisfunktional Podcast for a clip of one of the songs from the album.
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Michael Steger’s ‘Not So U Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer
The cast of ‘Not so Union’ showed support for cocreator and actor Michael Steger’s project during the premiere in Los Angees, California on Sept. 15. “Not so Union” premiered it’s first two episodes on Sept. 17 with a new episode being uploaded every Thursday until the season finale on Oct. 22. “What inspired this was that I was taking an acting intensive at the time and I wanted to just share with the audience what it takes to make it as an actor,” Steger said. “A lot of people don’t know, they think its just you get a head shots and get an agent and then you make it al of a sudden, but no there’s actually a lot to it.” With a cast full of talented, funny actors the show pokes fun at some of the things actors experience while trying to perfect their acting skills. Some of the moments may seem out of the ordinary,
but surely “Hopefully there will be stuff that people recognize, maybe they’ve even experienced it or know someone in the industry who has experienced it,” actress Bayne Gibby said. “Hopefully it will make them laugh and kind of expose the underbelly of the entertainment industry,” Gibby said as a webseries “Not so Union” takes a different approach as to how they filmed the series. Due to a quick shoot improvising was easy and allowed for funny moments to feel natural. There’s some scenes which the audience at the premiere really reacted to with many laughs and some scenes which were taken more seriously and
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Union’ arrives on YouTube were thought provoking. “I think you have a lot more freedom, not a lot of people looking over your back at al times,” actress Chelsea Taylor said. “It’s much more collaborative, we all do this rehearsal thing which TV doesn’t do. So, we get to come up with all these quirky, goofy things because we have time to do that.” The season has started on YouTube and this first season goes 7 episodes long. Michael and Brandee Steger both hope that people will enjoy this project, which is just them trying to make fun of themselves and some of the stuff they have experienced. At the Hutchingson Grill Michael and Brandee
were excited to talk to their guest at the premiere, but even more so they were excited to see the reaction of the guests. They were able to watch the first three episodes with the guests and hear the laughs and cheers as the audience reacted to jokes. Being on the red carpet, and about to premiere their web series to a crowded room of people anxious to watch, Brandee and Michael still enjoy being able to shoot their first episode. “I think my favorite part was probably the first episode where everything comes together,” Steger said. “It’s just really special because it was the first script we wrote.” Steger’s wife, co-creator and actress Brandee Steger said, “And all these actors come together, that we kind of hand picked, and watching them have beautiful chemistry together it was just like a magical moment.” For more visit notsounion.com or youtube.com/ channel/UCpaj--lw91-LOE34CdyPT1w.
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Harvard student 12 steps out into the M music world to live her music dream Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer
The right time to follow her heart
Singer, songwriter Jocelyn Arndt finds inspiration in music and collaborating with her brother, who complements her style to bring balance to their music. Arndt is passionate about music and takes her writing seriously, but she’s thrilled that she can have her brother Chris Armdt by her side since they are close. “I don’t think there’s a better songwriting partner for me out there. We’ve been best friends for most of our lives—we did have friends in high school, but neither of us ever totally fit in, and our family had a lot of different family pastimes than most of our peers, so we didn’t seem them a lot outside of school,” Jocelyn. “Instead, Chris and I were always the ones to go to the movies together, and go shopping, and play mini golf and do all that stuff.” The sibling rivalry is there and the clashing due to different styles can emerge, but the two find ways to talk things out and do what’s best for the music. “There are definitely times when our sibling status comes out, but we know that no matter how mad we are, we’ll always be there for each other,”Jocelyn said. “On top of that, I think that our songwriting styles and expertise really compliment each other’s. Chris is great with the arrangement, figuring out the song structure and chord structure, whereas I’m better at finding a catchy melody and writing lyrics. Together, we can churn out some pretty cool stuff.” Having her brother as a songwriting partner makes it easy to work on projects at anytime. “If it’s like 1 in the morning and I have an idea, we pause our episode of American Horror Story and go figure it out,” Jocelyn said. Her latest album “Strangers in Fairyland” contains powerful songs which vary in style, but
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“That’s another reason I think it’s so wonderful to work with Chris. There’s no way either one of us could do this without the other.” Jocelyn Arndt “Myth” Co-Host
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Magazine which they would choose one at random to listen to. “Then, as our tastes started developing, we gravitated towards certain styles. I’ve always been a huge fan of the big voices. A lot of my inspiration comes from people like Janis Joplin and Grace Slick and Elton John and Christina Aguilera, people whose voices are distinctive and recognizable without any context, Jocelyn said. “Chris, on the other hand, has always been more into the music side of things. For a while as a kid, his favorite genre was instrumental swing and bee-bop jazz. Then, he picked up a guitar, and became a huge blues fan. His biggest inspirations are Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. I think our differing tastes are a big part of the way our music is stylized.” “Strangers in Fairyland” is an EP which Jocelyn said the songs were split down the middle and they each had to compromise to get the songs done. “Nevermind” and “Gaslight” we’re two songs that Jocelyn was able to get a larger input on and show more of her influence. “While I’m proud of everything on the album, I’m especially proud of the songs that are more from me,” Jocelyn said. “I don’t think they’re any better, but knowing that I’m the one who really made those tunes work and turn into what you hear on the EP is a really wonderful feeling. Chris is probably most proud of One Kiss and Icebreaker for the same reasons; he took the lead on writing those two.” A new album called “Edges” is scheduled to come out sometime this fall. “It’s going to be a full length, so there’ll be at least 11 songs on it, and I’m super excited,” Jocelyn said. “I think it’s some of our best material yet. Our producer is really psyched too—he even got Danny Louis from Government Mule to step in on Hammond for a few songs, and Tony Micelli to lay down some vibraphone tracks. Nothing is quite finished yet, but keep your eyes peeled, because I think it’s gonna be an awesome set of songs.” Much like being able to collaborate with Danny Louis from Government Mule, Jocelyn says she wishes to collaborate with many musicians. “There’s nothing I love more about art than the
14 are consistently strong songs which showcase her magnificent vocals. Although the siblings work together, Jocelyn said they don’t know how that style came about. They just wrote music without worrying about genre or style. “When we’re writing songs, we never really think about what they should sound like, we just try to make each song as good as it can be without worrying about genre or anything like that,” Jocelyn said. “Because of that, we definitely have some outliers, but I think the majority of our music is in a sort of indie-blues-rock zone with a little jazz thrown in.” Each sibling steered towards different genres as they became music enthusiast. Chris went the classic rock and blues direction, whereas Jocelyn went more into the contemporary, indie-style music. “When we write songs together, our preferred genres sort of bleed together into whatever it is we’re coming out with, so it ends up a big mashup,” Jocelyn said. “That’s another reason I think it’s so wonderful to work with Chris. There’s no way either one of us could do this without the other.” Jocelyn admits that working on songs is work, hard work and much of it. “There’s no stroke of inspiration or moment where everything fits together and suddenly makes sense. It’s just plowing through, trying different chords and forcing ourselves to hammer away at every last detail until it is finally done to our satisfaction,” Jocelyn said. “And I absolutely love that.” Then Jocelyn said there are times when they can sit down and the music seems to flow out of them. A song could be done in a matter of minutes. Those songs are a pleasure for her to listen to because they just got together so well for both of them. “I think that’s my favorite thing about being a songwriter, I’m proud of everything we write together, but hearing the songs when they’re exactly as we both planned them to be, and knowing that neither of us had to compromise our ideal image of the song to get them there—that is such a great feeling, it’s hard to even describe,” Jocelyn said. Growing up the two siblings were privileged to have a room half-full of books and half-full of CDs
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Straight Forward- Singer-songwriter Jocelyn Arndt against a wall. way it lets you connect with people,” Jocelyn said. “Playing with other musicians, working with other people, figuring out what makes them tick and hearing their emotion through their songs—those are some of my favorite things.” There are many musicians who Jocelyn hopes to write songs and collaborate with. Her collaboration doesn’t end with just musicians but also producers who she would like to work with as well. “In an ideal world, I’d get to write a duet with Ed Sheeran, have co-writes with Elton John, Grace Potter, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Gaga, and get a song produced by Mark Ronson, but those artist are out of our reach right now,” Jocelyn said. “Until they’re my peers, we’ll keep chugging away and writing songs as best we can with whoever we can, and maybe one day we’ll get to do that co-write with Elton John.” Aside from writing music the sibling duo are full-time Harvard students and diligently work on getting their work done so they can get to
write music. “It can definitely get pretty tough at times. There’s a lot of homework done on bus rides, and things like that—it really hones our timemanagement skills,” Jocelyn said. “But we really love both so much, even though there’s so much work involved, it just seems fun. We have our bad days like everyone else, but then we get to go play a show in front of a few hundred cheering people, and that is enough to turn anyone’s bad day around.” The most important thing Jocelyn said they have come to realize about how to deal with both Harvard and being a musician is that Harvard will always be there. “It’s been around since 1636, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,” Jocelyn said. “Our chance at a career in music, on the other hand, will never be higher than at our current ages. So while it’s nice to have Harvard to fall back on, music is our focus right now. Each one provides a sort of break from the other when we need it, but we’re musicians first and Harvard students second.”
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Thisfunktional Reviews
Terrifying Chile trip seen in ‘The Green Inferno’ Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer Eli Roth terrifies audiences once again with “The Green Inferno” and does it in a frightening way. Roth scared audiences out of tourism of Europe with “Hostel,” then the creepy film “Clown” shows that even a good intension can lead to a bad time. “The Green Inferno” follows New York college freshman Justine, played by Lorenza Izzo, as she joins a student run activist group. Izzo is a likable character and captivates the audience with a naive innocence. She is sweet and charming, but is also fierce and idealistic. The student activist group leader Alejandro, played by Ariel Levy, seems headstrong and righteous as he charms the group into undertaking mission after mission in hopes of making a positive change in the world. Levy is a dominant male presence in the film with and can keep the attention of the audience. He can carry a scene and strong. Alejandro leads the group of activist into the Peruvian jungle in hopes of saving the Amazon. Justine learns quickly that her idealistic views, and her admiration for Alejandro, has lead her on a dangerous journey. Justine trusting Alejandro leads to her life being threatened by a militia leading bulldozers through the jungle. Just as she feels like the horror is over, misfortune takes her into the path of natives, who are cannibals and believe in horrific traditions. While the film is focused on the cannibals and their
SAvages- Justine, played by Lorenza Izzo, center,
surrounded by the savage tribe in the jungle of Peru.
traditions and customs, it also has time to make social commentaries on serious real issues that affect the world. The issue of demolishing the world’s rain forest, the horrendous female genitalia mutilation and the manner in which politics works. While the film continues with gruesome kills and acts of cannibalism, it is not a film which will scare with jump scares or unrealistic supernatural creatures. The film preys upon a sense of what other cultures and civilizations do, may be different and terrifying. The customs of this tribe out in the middle of the jungle, which has little if any contact with the outside world, are a great way to add more terror to the film. There’s few things more terrifying than being stuck in a place without being able to communicate with the native people, not knowing their customs, not knowing what will happen next and not having anyone looking for survivors. “The Green Inferno” is out in theaters on Sept. 25. Check audioboom.com/thisfunktional for more.
Fall Lineup
Mondays
9:00-10:00 P.M. ET/PT
Tuesdays
8:00-8:30 P.M. ET/PT
Wednesdays
8:00-9:00 P.M. ET/PT
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Mike's Movie M
?
'MOVIE GIRL OF THE MONTH'
Who will the next Movie Girl be? Check out the questions that need to be answered to be a Movie Girl of the Month on iwatchmike.com. Email answers to: mikethemovieguy@gmail.com
ATTENTION FEMALE MOVIE FANS! Want to be my ‘MOVIE GIRL OF THE MONTH?’ Just answer the questions below and send 12 or more photos of yourself to mikethemovieguy@gmail. com. Name: Age: City: What’s your favorite action movie? What’s your favorite comedy? What’s your favorite drama? What’s your favorite horror? What’s your favorite sci-fi & fantasy? What’s your favorite chick flick? What was the last movie you saw? What movie are you looking forward to seeing? If you could be a character in ANY movie, who would it be? and why? What’s the perfect movie snack? What the one movie everyone should have in their DVD collection? What movie should have NEVER been made? What’s your Twitter? What’s your Facebook? What’s your Instagram? What’s your Website? Please send 12 or more photos – they can be any type. Just CUT & PASTE the questions and answers – and send everything to mikethemovieguy@gmail. com.
A new look for Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer There’s a new look for iwatchmike.com and new home for podcasting, audioboom.com/channel/ iwatchmike. A small change makes a big difference, it was about time to improve and make things more user friendly. The quality of work will continue to be the best possible, but in hopes of being more accessable and easier to navigate iwatchmike has made some changes. All that it took was a small push from the site crashing. As for podcasting, Mike ‘The Movie Guy’ will continue on with Pierce’s Playground, TV recaps and Movie Talk, but a new segment will be
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r iwatchmike.com added called Daddy Talk. Mike is a movie guy who lives on the internet and finds many things to share with readers, but also a father who is diligent and caring to his son. For people who have been on iwatchmike.com, a small change has occured where it’s not just entertainment news and movie reviews, theres some post following Mike’s journey with his first son. Readers will continue to enjoy the same non-censored, no holding back reviews and comments from Mike, but also expect to have more kid friendly post. Find and interact with Mike on his blog iwatchmike.com and social media.
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Thisfunktional Interview
Actor Jared Cohn of ‘Sharknado : Heart of Sharkness’ Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer “Sharknado” has become a pop culture phenomenon with fans usually on the edge of their seats for a whole year before they get a new movie. “Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness” is a prequel to the film starring Jared Cohn, which tries to explain how the Sharknado started. “This is a mockumentary about the creation of the top secret, first version of Sharknado. Like sort of an origin, prequel tale,” Cohn said. “My character is a very ambitious, eccentric filmmaker. The best part of playing him was that in the movie he was one of the
original partners of The Asylum, so we got to shoot a lot of scenes in the real executive offices there. And I got to interact and actually act with the real owners of the company, David Latt and Paul Bales.” Sharknado took audiences by surprise in it’s first movie and keeps going year after year. The latest “Sharknado” this year included many cameos from some of the biggest names. “I thought that was the best one so far,” Cohen said. “They got some amazing cameos. I mean, Mark Cuban was the president. Doesn’t get much better than that.” Getting to be a part of this franchise was an incredible opportunity that Cohn just couldn’t pass up. “It’s a cultural phenomena! People everywhere know about Sharknado. Why wouldn’t I want to be apart of it?” Cohn said. Cohn was afraid of sharks going into the project, but he knew that people really loved sharks. “Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness” has a release date of Oct. 6.
Le Butcherettes
Out in store NOW
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Thisfunktional Podcast
Thisfunktional on audioboom Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer
Thisfunktional is now podcasting on audioboom and bringing some interviews to the audio podcasts. The first Thisfunktional Podcast has been posted and introduces host Jesus Figueroa, @Thisfunktional of thisfunktional.com. In the podcast thisfunktional talks about what to expect from future podcasts and answers the Pivot Questionnaire. The Pivot Questionnaire is the questions which James Lipton asks at the end of each interview on “Inside the Actor’s studio.” The second podcast is an interview with MasterChef 6 winner Claudia Sandoval. She became the first Latina to win MasterChef. As winner she gets $225,000 and a cook book deal. Sandoval was a special guest at an event at the New School of Cooking in Culver City, Calif. where she held a small cooking lesson sponsored by Chef Merito. More podcasts will be added regularly and most will include exclusive content which will not be heard anywhere else. Visit audioboom.com/thisfunktional or thisfunktional.com for more.
Blog: Thisfunktional.com
Social Media: Twitter: @Thisfunktional instagram.com/thisfunktional thisfunktional.tumblr.com facebook.com/thisfunktionalLA
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Thisfunktional Anime
‘The Girl who Leapt Through Time’ takes viewers on a journey Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer “The Girl who Leapt through Time” tells a comingof-age story which entertains while keeping aware of important issues which occur while growing up. Beautifully drawn and brilliantly written, the anime captivates with a balance of animation style and well-paced story elements. A chance occurrence gives Makoto the ability to travel through time. The ability can either be used for the good of humanity or selfishly abused. Makoto is a young high school girl who spends her days carefree with her friends Chiaki and Kosuke. Makoto squanders her time-leaping ability before she discovers she has a small tattoo on her arm which shows the limit to the amount of times she can time leap. Her aunt Yoshiyama talks to Makoto that she has the ability to time-leap and warns her to use it wisely. The story is fantastic and shows a steady progression from beginning to end. Although it is a time-traveling story, the film logically progresses and shows the tought process and connecting of the concept in a good manner. The scenery is beautifully drawn with a softness that gives the anime a calm feel. The characters are connected well and the audience cares for all main characters. “The Girl who Leapt Through Time” is available now.
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Manga
‘One-Punch Man’ hits manga shelves Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer “One-Punch Man” is an entertaining and fascinating story which takes you along on an incredible journey. Saitama isn’t the most intimidating hero to look a, but he can’t seem to find a villain who can match up with him, so he defeats them with one punch. Page after page, the story is funny and entertaining while telling the origin story of a hero who unexpectedly beats every opponent with one punch. The story is written by ONE and is actiondriven. The artwork by Yusuke Murata is fantastic
anime style with great shading. Demons born to destroy humankind to mutants created by science and other villains are part of some of the fantastic designs nn the pages of the first anime. The issue introduces the reader to a great hero who is just a hero for fun, much like he claims in the manga. The different situations, like having a strange apprentice, helps to establish Saitama as more than a one-dimensional character who looks for fights worth having. Distributor Viz Media has put “One-Punch Man” on the shelves and is available for digital download. “One-Punch Man” was also published under Viz Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
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Casa 0101 to premiere ‘Drunk Girl’ Written by Jesus Figueroa Staff Writer
Co-founder of Casa 0101 Josephina Lopez has made the theater into a place where people can have a voice and share it freely, much like in the new production “Drunk Girl and other stories your mother warned you about becoming.” The series of short plays, skits and monologues deals with the sensitive but serious issue of abuse towards women. Lopez said that the play is meant to be thought provoking, if people are offended by it they should reflect on why it is offending them. The plays are written by Lopez as well as Rocio Diaz and Libette Garcia, who took inspiration from their lives to write their plays. “It was a little hard to write between the tears,” Garcia said. “This was a very personal piece for me, so there were alot of tears.” Garcia starts off her personal statement for the play with, if not now when because she felt that what she wrote needed to be shared. Lopez said that many things that men do, like having intercourse with a drunk woman, is considered rape and men don’t know that. The play touches on these topics and bravely puts them on stage. “We are not trying to offend men in general, because of the designers feel like it’s men-bashing,” Diaz said. “Some men might feel that way, but we are not trying to offend men. We are trying to educate them and we are trying to make them think, trying
On-stage- Samuel Solorio rehearses
on the ‘Drunk Girl’ stage at Casa 0101’s main theater. (Photo by Jesus Figueroa)
to make them aware.” Lopez is proud to have a spot where so many talented people can come to express themselves artistically, be vulnerable and still feel safe. “Drunk Girl” is part of Casa 0101’s 15th (Quinceañera) Anniversary season. Many actors and directors come from helping in the production of “Chicas, Chicanas y Chisme.” “Drunk girl” will feature nine actors plays 68 roles in 16 plays. The 16 plays are split between three directors Claudoa Duran, Maria G. Martinez
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as part of 15th Anniversary season
and Elvia Rubalcava. Duran is also a producer and helps the two other directors. The production wasn’t something Martinez understood and wanted to be a part of from the beginning, but quickly, while reading the plays, she noticed why these productions were chosen to be part of “Drunk Girl.” “It clicked when I herd other women talk about how important it is to bring men onboard. If we say we are going to be ready, we are never going to be attacked by a man, we are never going to get raped, we are never going to be taken advantage of, it’s like we
are always going to live our lives on guard ,” Martinez said. “If we say no, we are going to teach the men, we are going to educate the men on what is rape.” The subject matter is sensitive and may cause men to feel blamed or that the production is male-bashing, but Lopez says that men really need to think about why this makes them uncomfortable. “You are going to not only have people walk away thinking, you are going to have people really laughing and really able to put it in a form people can swallow,” Duran said. “In the beginning I was afraid that people would feel (that it bashed men),” Rubalcava said. “Working with the actors and seeing the stories in rehearsals I don’t think it’s malebashin or that men would take offense to it. What is offensive is the horrific statistics of how often women are sexually abused.” One of the male actors Samuel Solorio said, “it really highlights or is focusing on a specific subject. If it seems a little unfair, maybe it’s just possibly because it’s such a problem in society.” “Drunk Girl and other stories your mother warned you about becoming” premieres Sept. 25 with shows every weekend until Oct. 18. Art exhibit at “Luz (Light), Heart and Unity: The convergence of them all” featuring works by Megan James (of Riverside), who will be exhibiting hand sketches, and Raymond Kitamura (of Los Angeles) who will be exhibiting mixed media inspired by Japanese esthetics Wabi Sabi will be on display at the Jean Deleage Art Gallery, located in the lobby outside the main stage, throughout the four-week run of the play and close on Nov. 8.
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