Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 118 min.

I’ve often wondered why the spirits of the deceased are so darn vague in their warnings to loved ones in the movies. They make such a big deal about their appearance, often startling the party being haunted. But then, instead of explicitly stating the threat, warn that one should “beware” of something vague on the horizon. Perhaps they’re on a schedule and can’t float around for very long, or are just taking a wild guess themselves (although their calls always seem to come true), or maybe they simply enjoy messing with people.

Crimson Peak has its share of these moments. On a technical level, the ghosts are rather fantastic to witness when they do appear. Yet while this beautifully filmed effort is fun when the spirits visualize and the action occurs, it also gets a little too hung up on the Gothic melodrama. And that’s when the mind wanders to the simple story’s plot holes and other more earthbound questions that can’t be clearly answered.

Set in the late 18th century, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young aspiring novelist who yearns for freedom and independence. When she falls for Baronet Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), she finds herself traveling across the Atlantic to his dilapidated and very haunted estate in England. Also in the mix are the husband’s intense and controlling sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain) and one Dr. McMichael (Charlie Hunnam), who desires Edith’s affections.

Of course, things aren’t as they initially appear. In fact, it isn’t long before viewers will be pretty certain of exactly what dastardly activities are taking place. As described, there’s a heavy emphasis on the courting of Edith and the financial straits of Thomas and Lucille Sharpes. In fact, it’s all melodrama for the first thirty minutes. This includes a long and slow-moving opening act. And the screenplay shows most of its cards early on, giving away a lot of mystery behind the protagonist’s suitor in the process. Frankly, the motivations of more nefarious persons involved aren’t nearly as shocking or interesting as they should be.

As the story moves to the haunted locale and the characters become more overtly hostile, the flick slowly begins picking up momentum. It’s certainly campy, but there are some startling moments and visual panache as spirits disturb the estate’s newest resident. This includes a wailing form covered in red clay with a cleaver firmly wedged in its head. Scares and action sequences are what director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim) specializes in. And as events broil and violent action is taken, there are some great individual scenes of shapes moving in the background and stalking their prey.

It’s unfortunate that the movie is so stiff, stately and reserved until the final act. An update of classic horror tropes would be welcome, but by the time the enjoyable confrontational fracas arrives (featuring one devilishly strong and wince-inducing moment), it feels like too many obvious clichés are slavishly observed, rather than being twisted and toyed with. In the end, there’s not a whole lot to this spook-fest that viewers won’t see coming well in advance.

Crimson Peak is certainly a wonder to look at and features a well-orchestrated finale (which may make it worth the price of admission alone). However, audiences will have to endure a few awkward and ineffectual melodramatic beats before they arrive at the more effective material they came out for. It isn’t among the director’s best works and ultimately leaves scare fans with both a sweet and sour taste in their mouths.

Kellwood served in WWII, won Congressional Silver Medal

Staff Reports

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Code Talker Private Joe Hosteen Kellwood died Sept. 5 at the age of 95.

Kellwood was a Navajo Code Talker who served in World War II. He was trained at Navajo Code Talker’s School at Camp Elliott in San Diego, Calif. Kellwood was the recipient of the Congressional Silver Medal.

“Our Navajo Code talkers are iconic and Private Joe Hosteen Kellwood was no exception. He, along with our other revered code talkers, was able to save our nation, our freedom and our lives by using the sacred Dine’bi’zaad.  For this, he will always be remembered and honored,” Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said.

Vice President Jonathan Nez said the Navajo Code Talkers are a vital piece in the histories of both the United States and Native Americans. Beyond bullets and bombs, these young Marines were able to save the Nation by translating military code into the Navajo language.

“In our administration, both President Begaye and I have been able to work for the betterment of Veteran’s services that are provided across our Nation,” Nez said.

“The Veteran’s pillar in our administration is founded in historical service of our Navajo Code Talkers. They deserve much more credit than they are given nationally. But here on the Navajo Nation, we hold them close and dearly. It’s a tragedy for us to lose even one.”

The Office of the President and Vice President is calling upon the entire Navajo Nation to come together in prayer in honor of the service of Code Talker Kellwood. The Office sends condolences to Kellwood’s family and those he left behind.

Cajaun Cleveland put a lot of work into preparing for the 100^th Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Queen pageant. Before the competition, she competed in the Navajo Technical University pageant in November and won. Less than a year later, she became the Ceremonial Queen on Aug. 10.

In an interview with the Sun, Cleveland discussed what she had to do to prepare for the Ceremonial Queen pageant. She said she went to ceremonies, talked to people in her community, along with former queens, and overall just tried to become more connected with her culture.

“I really had to put a lot of work in, because I had a lot of self-doubt and I couldn’t think about that. I gained self-confidence throughout this process and I began getting connected culturally with myself,” Cleveland said. “It brought out the best person in the world that I could be.”

Cleveland is from the Diné tribe, and her clans are The Towering House Clan, born for the Bitter Water People, her maternal grandparents are of the Black Streak Wood People, and her paternal grandparents are of the White Mountain Apache people. She was born in Gallup, and currently lives in Timber Ridge.

She attends NTU as a nursing student and wants to become a midwife nurse after graduation.

In her free time she competes in rodeos. When asked if she has a special talent, she mentioned that she is one of the only women she knows of who can actually trim the horses’ hooves.

Cleveland said one of the reasons she wanted to become Miss Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Queen was to inspire Indigenous youth.

“I also want to strongly encourage our youth to get connected with their cultural selves to make the best person out of them and to put their best foot forward every single day,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland said one of her favorite parts of the competition was getting to know the other girls in the competition in the week before.

“We made the best bonds and the best relationships, and after the coronation they just went back home to their own homesteads. […] They became my best friends within a week’s span,” Cleveland said.

The women competed in six different categories: traditional talent, traditional food, essay, photo, personality, and an interview.

Cleveland said the food competition was her favorite part of the pageant.

“Each of the contestants’ tables represented them and their personality as an individual. When you tasted [their cooking] you knew that it came from love, it came from the heart,” Cleveland said.

She made a traditional Navajo cake for that part of the competition.

“I did make it in the ground the night before because I wanted the judges to taste what it tastes like coming from the ground,” Cleveland explained.

Melissa Sanchez is the executive director of the Intertribal Ceremonial Office. Over the past couple of weeks  since the pageant, she said she’s enjoyed getting to know Cleveland.

“Having gotten to know Cajaun better over the past few weeks, I feel she’s going to be a really great ambassador,” Sanchez said. “She’s familiar with the area, she’s familiar with the event. She truly does love her culture and she loves learning about it.”

Sanchez said one of the things the judges look for when they’re picking a Ceremonial Queen is that the woman has the potential to be a great ambassador for Indigenous people and an abundance of cultural knowledge.

Cleveland said one of her goals as the Ceremonial Queen is to get people to come out to the next Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial. “It’s a really great event to attend, and I would only wish for more people to come out and experience this event and to really represent not only my Indigenous people but Indigenous people all over the United States […].”

To see Cleveland’s schedule as Miss Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Queen and book her for events, go to https://www.gallupintertribalceremonial.com/pageant/ceremonial-queen-schedule/.

By Molly Ann Howell
Sun Correspondent

Rating: ««« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 123 min.

It isn’t often that a movie reviewer will actually suggest paying a premium to check out a film. This week is an exception. The Walk takes the famous story of Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the World Trade Center skyscrapers and maximizes the visual content for full impact. The movie itself isn’t without some issues, but one cannot watch it without admitting that it looks spectacular. If you’ve ever considered seeing a movie in IMAX 3D, but were waiting for a title that really takes advantage of depth, this is the one.

The narrative is told through Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Petit’s story was previously depicted in the exceptional 2008 documentary, Man on Wire. The Frenchman describes his start as a performer and how his unusual dream came to be. Over six years, he is assisted by mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley) and takes on various accomplices to help him pull off his act of “anarchy.” In order to attempt the feat, it also involves sneaking into to a massive building full of construction workers and setting up equipment without being seen.

Movies with an odd protagonist and a strange goal can sometimes be difficult to relate to. This movie doesn’t get as detailed, or as deep as it should. But, Gordon-Levitt plays the man with a winning personality and a sharp sense of humor. The character is likable and his flowery explanations are a bit silly, but there’s just enough information to at least help us understand his motivation. He admits he’s “mad” and he may also be an attention seeker, but the film shows us how he develops his specific talent and skill over the years. He’s very good at what he does and one could argue that he simply wants to take it to the next level and do something impossible.

However, some of the human moments featuring cast members feel exaggerated. As the big event approaches, Petit begins to bicker with his significant other and crewmembers around him. These story bits feel as though they are forced in to add human drama and tension to the walk, but they don’t feel natural. Obviously, the actors had to compete with the incredible scenery and effects work, and as a result emotional moments are directed in a grander manner than they perhaps needed to be.

It’s a minor qualm though, mostly because the movie looks so wonderful. The 3D work is excellent, emphasizing the great distances below. Not only that, but the image incorporates both foreground and background elements effectively. The walker’s balancing pole extends out of the screen during certain moments and bolts occasionally pop out of the frame. Some may consider the effect gimmicky, but this reviewer applauds the filmmaker’s use of all fields of vision.

While much of the final third may be almost entirely created via green screen, it still looks believable. The secret operation into the building creates some fun caper hi-jinx (particularly when a co-conspirator with a fear of heights is suspended over a shaft running down the entire length of the building). And the stunning walk itself creates genuine moments of tension as Petit moves slowly across the thin line. For a minute or two, the film effectively captures what it must feel like to be suspended in the air hundreds of meters above the ground.

It’s certainly a Hollywood retelling of an incredible true story and takes a less-than-subtle approach to the material, but the Gordon-Levitt’s likable turn and the technical skills on display make it entertaining nonetheless. The Walk may not be perfect, but it is an enjoyable stroll that features some spectacular views.