tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41459083613613891042024-03-18T18:40:30.231-07:00OptigrabSee the world my way and you just might go cock-eyed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2432125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-76059590625084302842020-03-19T11:33:00.005-07:002020-03-19T11:33:57.711-07:00Introducing The Memory Tourist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vz1R1kx9u4LfI_fI9kehyphenhyphenYrbZ2IdUEVHAd2JpXtfpdWz4poKkdrz3SyngNyleyOPnMGfg0RUTO7WoSI5UkP7w1KWKUyEIYhM4fyS1zM7VcX2jArH8_1mbjdCGF5ycB_Wpg3e545GzL0/s1600/joaquinphoenix-1584641457742-9048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vz1R1kx9u4LfI_fI9kehyphenhyphenYrbZ2IdUEVHAd2JpXtfpdWz4poKkdrz3SyngNyleyOPnMGfg0RUTO7WoSI5UkP7w1KWKUyEIYhM4fyS1zM7VcX2jArH8_1mbjdCGF5ycB_Wpg3e545GzL0/s640/joaquinphoenix-1584641457742-9048.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>About a week ago, I announced the end of my flagship blog Optigrab. It came after 11 years of helping to shape a career and turning me into the writer that I am today. There was also the promise that soon there would be an announcement, detailing the next phase of my writing career. Well, the wait is over. Tonight at midnight, I will be launching my new endeavor known as The Memory Tourist, where I will still be writing about all things pop culture, but with a very different approach to it. It's a journey that will expand upon what Optigrab was while finding ways to intersect the personal and commercial in an attempt at understanding why media matters to us. </b></div>
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<b>As much as I love writing about pop culture, there was something limiting about Optigrab by the end. I found myself amid the Coronavirus pandemic wondering what exactly I had to say about anything. The idea of keeping up with new trends would soon be falling apart, and I had very little to fall back on. It was then that I decided to take a few cues from other websites and switch the style up. I needed to find ways to be more engaged with what I had to say and, more importantly, I didn't have to rely on current events to give me something to write about. I just needed to go for it.</b></div>
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<b>And thus The Memory Tourist was born. Not only will the style be different, but I am going to try and push myself to update it daily with 1-3 posts that will explore media as it relates to my life. I hope that it's more entertaining and sustainable, branching into territories that I never felt comfortable covering here. While film and TV will still be in the mix, I plan to include everything from music to podcasts, sports, product reviews, and ways to stay positive during a pandemic. I don't have a lot of cures for these troubling times, but I do have the power of the written word.</b></div>
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<b>Among topics that will be discussed in the first week:</b></div>
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<b>-<i>The New Mutants</i> and sympathy for the cursed</b></div>
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<b>-The Madonna Project's entry on the compromised legacy of "Who's That Girl?"</b></div>
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<b>-Hardwood Classics and the love of old NBA games</b></div>
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<b>-Saturday Matinee highlighting the best movie I've seen that week</b></div>
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<b>-Staying positive during a pandemic</b></div>
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<b>-Loving dumb college mascots</b></div>
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<b>-A Wednesday column highlighting writers</b></div>
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<b>-The soap opera of The Houston Rockets</b></div>
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<b>-What's the "Hot Fuss" about The Killers' debut album?</b></div>
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<b>-The frustrating rollout of Sprite Cranberry</b></div>
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<b>And that's just part of it. There's much, much more to come. While this first week will be jam-packed, it is likely that things will mellow out in the weeks to come. Still, I felt it was important to explore as much as possible to give a sense of what I intend to do with this new website. If nothing else, it's the most inspired that I have been in quite a while as a writer. I hope to make it more successful than previous endeavors and possibly make it grow into something more substantial for my career.</b></div>
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<b>Please feel free to join me on my journey at <a href="https://thememorytourist.blogspot.com/">The Memory Tourist</a>. At midnight, everything will begin. Pardon the dust as I redesign the website, adding textures to make the page more appealing to look at. With that said, the writing will be there and ready to go starting at midnight. I hope that you enjoy and thank you for all of your support ahead of time. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-28629733110868190182020-03-13T14:26:00.001-07:002020-03-13T14:26:09.258-07:00This is the End of Optigrab (2009-2020)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RNNKk3vPeNK7bEjSP3VS8ZOo4XODFXR1kJio-y_RbEb8w1w9X2hhW3CAwjVrQS2Gcj4PUgUi2m637LKQSOCtsKh5pyJoW0FmCDqnuZ12CU6TBC1zSMIx2fzPAbwQ-Eyd-Q0q0XocfS4/s1600/the-jerk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RNNKk3vPeNK7bEjSP3VS8ZOo4XODFXR1kJio-y_RbEb8w1w9X2hhW3CAwjVrQS2Gcj4PUgUi2m637LKQSOCtsKh5pyJoW0FmCDqnuZ12CU6TBC1zSMIx2fzPAbwQ-Eyd-Q0q0XocfS4/s640/the-jerk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>The Jerk</i> (1979)</b></td></tr>
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<b>It is with great sorrow that I report on the demise of this website. Effective immediately, Optigrab will cease operation. This isn't a factor made based on any failure of the website's own. It's just that after 11 years, I feel that things have run their course. On an annual basis over the past three years, there has been consistently less coverage with areas of 2019 and 2020 missing weeks at a time. This isn't from a lack of interest, but that my direction for this website has become obsolete. As much as this was always a haven for me to write opinions on pop culture my way, it became limiting in ways that should seem obvious. What started as a place to write about film became a place for TV, music, and podcast coverage. The issue was that in later years it felt awkwardly shaped, and Optigrab never felt like one consistent whole, especially in comparison to my other websites The Oscar Buzz and Willett Reads, which centralized my interests in satisfying ways.</b></div>
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<b>I'll begin by saying that there have been times in the past that I have felt like the end was approaching. I would start the week by trying to outline ideas and come up blank. When you're writing about pop culture, it shouldn't be that way. Instead, I felt limited by only ever covering contemporary subjects or retrospectives that were time specific. While my favorite subjects are always expanding and growing, it felt inappropriate to escape a more formal structure that I was trying to build. </b></div>
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<b>This was my first major blog that I started during my first year in college, and it is responsible for so much that has come since. Without it, most of my current writing career would not exist. I wouldn't have had it as a portfolio of sorts that landed me jobs at the now defunct Cinema Beach and Readwave, and even gained me access to great local theater, such as Long Beach's Landmark Theater's production of Little Shop of Horrors from last year. I am grateful for every opportunity that has been granted because of this blog, and for a while, it hosted some of my best work. I sought to share everything that interested me, and I did so with various columns that started strong but became tedious after a point. For instance, I realized that I wasn't cut out for TV criticism and yet proceeded to cover the pilot episodes of new shows. I don't know why, but it felt important to a website losing its identity.</b></div>
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<b>In what may be one of the more amusing origin stories, this blog didn't start out as a pop culture hub. I was actually part of a writers group where we were assigned a prompt every week and the most creative selection won. This was sometimes about word association, such as using certain nouns appropriately in a text. To the best of my knowledge, that group has disbanded and some of them don't even write anymore. Still, I found myself encouraged to explore things that excited me. With 2009 being the end of a decade, my first prominent project was a Top 100 Movies of the Decade list. From there I would explore different filmmakers I admired and even temporarily titled my reviews "The True Blue ____ Review" as a play on the recent release of James Cameron's <i>Avatar</i>. I also promoted my podcast Nerd's Eye View on there for a hundred or so episodes, though I fear the links may be broken. Also, if you look at my early S.E.O. labels, I clearly had no sense of how to look professional until it became overbearing.</b></div>
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<b>There was so much that went into this blog and it gave me the motivation to explore and grow. However, I am reaching a limit with what I think it can help me achieve. As much as I could happily keep on writing about anything to my heart's content, I need to move on and find a new project. This isn't to say that you're losing me for good. Besides, I still have The Oscar Buzz and Willett Reads still operating regularly. After all, I still have ongoing columns that I want to keep, but I need to navigate them into something more "coherent." This means that I will be starting a new website from scratch very soon that will incorporate everything, but in a way more reflective of my writing and interests in 2020. It will be more relevant and less rooted in a style that I feel that I've outgrown.</b></div>
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<b>For everyone who has supported Optigrab over the years, I want to personally say thank you. It accidentally became a labor of love about a decade ago and in some ways defined me as a writer for that entire time. However, I just don't feel that I have what it takes to make it into what I feel it could be. It will always be a part of me and this archive will still be available for whoever wants to read how I've grown as a writer. It's just that sometimes it's best to start fresh, find a new way to move forward. I hope that this isn't seen as ending, but a transition for me. Maybe I will have better things come along with it. Who knows. I just need to have that fulfillment again as a writer that I feel I have been lacking here for some time. Thank you to all, and take care. I should have something noteworthy to share by 3/20/2020. Besides that, this is my parting thoughts with you. I love you, and take care of yourselves.</b></div>
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<b>And yes, I get the irony of closing up shop on Friday the 13th. This was purely coincidental.</b></div>
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<b>Love,</b></div>
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<b>Thomas Willett</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-74449476911163224322020-03-10T12:43:00.000-07:002020-03-10T12:43:11.547-07:00Review: "Emma" Updates Jane Austen with Infectious Results<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhN9TMtBZniTxm37bFAK_HdBmvQcmEBZulJ6empcuI2FdQMMFucKRsPO-j3Fo8sSpBx0BZSckpsdfwn44t4j4giZ13Bsd76P3hcEiGm507Y9WlQ0vI7jMW70Il2I4FYLRC0KaqBHt0hA/s1600/151714247-ded820b7-dcc3-401d-99ee-8e1423309841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="885" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhN9TMtBZniTxm37bFAK_HdBmvQcmEBZulJ6empcuI2FdQMMFucKRsPO-j3Fo8sSpBx0BZSckpsdfwn44t4j4giZ13Bsd76P3hcEiGm507Y9WlQ0vI7jMW70Il2I4FYLRC0KaqBHt0hA/s640/151714247-ded820b7-dcc3-401d-99ee-8e1423309841.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Emma</i> (2020)</b></td></tr>
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<b>On its surface, <i>Emma.</i> seems like a bit of an unnecessary adaptation. In 2020, who needs another film about women acting mean towards each other, especially if they're rich and spent close to two decades without too many worries? Then again to dismiss this is to ignore the brilliant wit of Jane Austen, who even 200 years after her death has proven the vitality of complicated women in director Autumn de Wilde's take that fits the screwball comedy in with a deeper catharsis in which Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor Joy) grows a sympathetic conscience and understands the weight of the world around her. It's a film brimming with personality and gorgeous period-appropriate imagery, and one that proves how timeless Austen's work is at showing class structures between the lines of madcap love stories that are infectious on their own. </b></div>
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<b>A lot of credit should be given to Joy for delivering a great turn as Emma. Because of her privilege, she believes that she can bump her nose into everyone's business. She knows better than just about everyone else and for a while, it feels like that's true. She exists with nothing more than a smile, spouting Austen prose as she deals with her hypochondriac father Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy). She revels in everyone else's affairs in part because she doesn't believe that she's capable of falling in love and marrying. She'd rather play matchmaker to Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), who is a goofy outsider too scared to ask any man for their hand. Even behind the cute, unassuming face lies a growing sense of deceit, that she is prying too far in. At certain points, the elaborate comedy falls flats into the drama that seeks to make Emma seem like a terrible spinster. It's a gift of de Wilde that it happens so slightly that sometimes the pain happens underneath the laughter. </b></div>
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<b>It is an anti-romantic comedy. Emma spends most of the film more observing the joy of others than seeking a man. Mr. Woodhouse is so helpless that he spends more time asking Emma to stay and live with her poor widowed dad than Emma does courting attention. Anytime that a man hits on her, it always is a diversion to a different relationship. The supporting cast grows full of comical women, all madly in love. They feel like soldiers attacking the fort of Emma, but none can get by her. Her distance from everyone besides Harriet suggests that she is going to end this story the same. At first, it could just be a personal choice, but as time build one has to wonder if it comes in part from her inability to sympathize with others. Even behind her calm demeanor, she grows cruel, and suddenly becomes the moment of silence at a lively party, where it feels like things have turned and everyone judges her.</b></div>
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<b>The drama that follows is compelling stuff, creating a character with such a strong dynamic that it becomes more about a personal struggle to improve one's life than about falling in love. Any dive into the genre is more done as her opening up to others, finding a deeper understanding. Suddenly she can understand the joy that Harriet has when she looks longingly into a man's eyes, wishing to have that fulfillment in her life. It's in the goofy grins that de Wilde holds on, reflecting love at its most pure. The exuberance of passion gives the film a perfect juxtaposition between Emma and the world around her. She resents being in the romantic comedy, and in some ways selfishly wants to go back to a time when her biggest drama was sitting front row at a church, hearing a sermon from a priest whose robes look to be choking him.</b></div>
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<b>The attention to period detail is exceptional, managing to borrow heavily from the wardrobe of the time. The bright colors dazzle against the countryside cinematography as the jaunty score by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge. Exterior shots find the characters constantly exiting carriages, passing by sheep (both in animals and a group of reappearing women who flock around in red). The world is populated with small nuance, where the architecture towers over the characters, managing to feel regal as hallways feel pure and dining quarters feel claustrophobic as if the drama is about to grow intense. It's a beautiful film and one that captures the bliss that period pieces can bring. Where the characters appear in elegiac prose in public, they become less refined in private, allowing their femininity to take hold and enjoy their own mess of issues. The divides allow for more thoughts on Austen's text to become clear, as de Wilde modernizes in subtle ways. She allows the characters to feel more human and flawed, experiencing plights with consequences that are natural, and all while staying true to the setting of the time.</b></div>
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<b><i>Emma.</i> is another period piece that does an exceptional job of being first and foremost entertaining. It helps that it has a great turn by Joy, who manages to be vindictive and sympathetic in equal measure, perfectly blending with the tone in a manner that never lets up its jubilance. If nothing else, it's one of the best examples of how Jane Austen's prose continues to resonate two centuries later, informing how audiences perceive women. Rarely have they been allowed to be this complicated, creating something that engrosses even as it repulses. Even then, it's all so much fun and heartwarming that it's hard to not admire de Wilde's craft. It's a beautiful film that goes down smoothly while defying expectations. <i>Emma.</i> clicks with a life that makes one hope for great things from Joy, who has rarely been this upbeat. The film has so much to love that it will likely only grow in affection as time goes on, much like the novel it was based off of. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-49221371503707109502020-03-09T13:42:00.000-07:002020-03-09T13:42:03.290-07:00Review: "Onward" is a Magical Joyride on a Bumpy Road<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkT0TpDD0_hCCY2mDbLIEH8ICAMnfNayxrxTnAImjESSlQekXzITFPEDfYKtPB4o2E5vcVvu-G26rrDCM3-fDwliJp1BVflFWX1R4uRO30zE1xl7OaDs1-zG1WCNWAnjnihjU-imT5sc/s1600/Webp.net-resizeimage-23-696x442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="696" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkT0TpDD0_hCCY2mDbLIEH8ICAMnfNayxrxTnAImjESSlQekXzITFPEDfYKtPB4o2E5vcVvu-G26rrDCM3-fDwliJp1BVflFWX1R4uRO30zE1xl7OaDs1-zG1WCNWAnjnihjU-imT5sc/s640/Webp.net-resizeimage-23-696x442.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Onward</i> (2020)</b></td></tr>
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<b>Anyone who has been watching Disney films long enough will be familiar with the ticking clock scenario. The most famous example comes in <i>Cinderella</i>, where our protagonist only has until midnight to enjoy life as a princess. For the studio's subsidiary Pixar, they turn the concept on its head with a rather straightforward idea: what if we only had 24 hours to spend with our loved ones? Director Dan Scanlon's <i>Onward</i> explores the subject amid a fantastical 21st-century style quest full of Dungeons & Dragons motifs... and all while only dealing with a pair of brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot's (Chris Pratt) legs. It's a wonderful sight gag that proves the studio's ability to make anything into an endearing supporting character. Luckily the rest still has some magic for those who love seeing unicorns eating out of the trash. It's clever enough to make the ticking clock a memorable experience, even if it never quite feels like more than a silly detour for the studio.</b></div>
<a name='more'></a><b>The story begins as a place of magic, many centuries ago. There were wizards everywhere conjuring up spells as dragons flew with awe through the sky alongside unicorns. It's the perfect set-up for a story not unlike "Lord of the Rings," where all of the archetypes coexist. It's like if Dungeons & Dragons wasn't some piece of fiction, but a place to revel in history. Then one day, science enters the picture as if an antagonist to everyone's joy. It starts well enough with a lightbulb, but soon the magic becomes segregated in favor of turning these kingdoms into something not unlike a modern suburb. In the present day is nebbish Ian, about to celebrate his 16th birthday. All he wants is to break free of his social awkwardness, but his brother doesn't make it easy. He's a metalhead, in love with magic imagery and wearing a jean jacket full of devilish band logos. He even talks with that righteous grunt that your stoned-out cousin would. He's the embarrassing extrovert who is barely charming enough to get through the rest of the story without wanting to push out of his poorly built van Gwenivere. </b><br />
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<b>The plot kicks off with a simple enough promise: Ian and Barley can spend one day with their deceased father using a magic staff and a special stone. The issue is that Ian's timidity keeps the spell from working effectively and what's left is the bottom half of their father. There's no way to know what he's thinking if he's even smiling. It's almost tragic in its absurdity to know that they got the part that can't communicate with them, forced to be lead around by a rope on their journey to find a replacement of the special stone. It begins by digging into Barley's love of fantasy, his obsession finally coming in handy. As they drive around, they bond over magic as Ian learns new spells that slowly become useful to varying degrees throughout the plot.</b></div>
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<b>If <i>Onward</i> has anything going for it, there's plenty to love about the world-building. Much like what <i>Zootopia</i> did with animals, <i>Onward</i> exists by replacing fantasy creates within a satirized confines of a suburb culture. At a local gas station, the Lightfoot Brothers run into a series of fairies who ride motorcycles. They're tough and lead them on a gruesome freeway chase that becomes one of the first intense set pieces of the story. From there the story begins to tear away from its modern ("scientific") setting and finds open fields where quests become more abundant. They must cross bridges, rivers, and outrun the cops to find the stone, and it's some of Pixar's more striking imagery throughout the film. In a story that features memorable supporting characters like The Manticore (Octavia Spencer), it's interesting to see the story bleed these two worlds together as if commenting how science tries to pave over magic, but magic will always win. There are entire points ripped directly out of "Lord of the Rings," or even Indiana Jones. It becomes a rip-roaring adventure as the imagery becomes more grandiose, and it's the heart of what makes the film worth watching.</b></div>
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<b>When it comes to central conflict however, it's a bit too familiar to make this into something greater. As much can be drawn out of Barley and Ian's dynamic, they aren't particularly memorable on their own. They grow and evolve logically with the plot, but this dynamic has been seen before. They're more observers of the great world around them, and it does work for the humor sometimes. By the end, it feels obvious how much this is <i>Frozen</i> for boys, with the conflict of a self-sacrificing introverted magic sibling guiding both stories to their emotional conclusion. To <i>Onward</i>'s credit, the finale is an unexpected thrill ride that finally embraces its fantasy elements fully, creating a contemporary fight scene that presents emotional catharsis through action and whimsy. It's intense, showing Pixar juggling emotions in a way that they do best. In some ways, it makes up for the otherwise droll periods leading up to this.</b></div>
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<b>By the end, the ticking clock scenario isn't one with a satisfying conclusion for everyone. It's more of an excuse to have sibling bonding time, which is a story just as touching. The only issue is that not enough happens that is exciting or new, even in a story with a pair of sentient legs running around. It will entertain the young children out there who enjoy this blend of fantasy and modernism, but for the rest, it's just another conventional story. It does enough right to be considered good, but at this point, Pixar's magic is hard to isolate from everything else they've done. They have told stories like this, but with more nuance and tighter structures. The characters have better moments overall, even if this is wacky enough to fill up an afternoon. Still, in a quest to find a magical world, there probably should've been more inspired whimsy to carry the audience along. </b></div>
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<b><i>Onward</i> doesn't quite reach the heights of Pixar at its best, but it works as a minor film looking to explore how fantasy can unite brothers in terms of shared interests. It gives the audience just enough action to be thrilled, presenting inspired concepts that populate this world with a reliable visual pallet. It will entertain those who have an annoying brother, who feels like he never quite fit in. There's enough to the dynamics to make them a charming addition to the Pixar canon, even if they're far from the most memorable protagonists that this studio has ever produced. It gives enough reason to believe in magic but doesn't do enough with it to suggest why it ever should come back and make the world believe in its awe once again.</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-17670599899035916062020-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:002020-03-05T16:29:27.978-08:00Channel Surfing: Dave - "The Gander"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Dave</i> (2020)</b></td></tr>
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<b>Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.</b></div>
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<b>There is something to be said for the way that FX runs its channel. Over the past decade, they have stood out in the cable landscape as the channel with some of the most acclaimed, diverse work. Then again, any channel that can keep reinventing the miniseries with Ryan Murphy-produced series, and provide some of comedy's most ambitious work with <i>Atlanta</i> and <i>Better Things</i>, there's a clear track record to be had. Not since AMC has one channel been so ubiquitous as a source of quality, making one wonder what every year's Freshman series will contain. This week alone, FX is planning to go into even more interesting directions with the Alex Garland-penned series <i>Devs</i> and their latest comedy, which finds them pulling one of YouTube's most popular stars to create a comedic look at his own life.</b><br />
<b>For the most part, Lil Dicky's reputation is on par with The Rapping Granny from generations before. His whole gimmick is that he's a white rapper who lacks charisma and celebrates such ideas as (ahem) having a small penis. It's a satirical performance and one that has garnered him an unexpected amount of attention from professional musicians. For a man who revels in a milquetoast persona, he sure knows how to stretch a lowbrow joke while getting dozens of celebrities to cameo in his work. Anyone who has seen his conservationist song "We Love Our Planet" will know this pretty well. The only question is if a guy who makes money off of embracing mediocrity deserves to be handed the ropes to a TV show on one of the best networks around.</b><br />
<b>The answer is a bit muddled. <i>Dave</i> feels like a show more geared towards the 10 PM hour on Comedy Central. Their model is a lot looser, allowing for filthier humor and premises that are far more absurd. This can be recently seen in <i>Awkwafina is Nora from Queens </i>and its marijuana-laced humor. On FX, <i>Dave</i> feels like the odd man out, even if that's kind of what he goes for. He doesn't want to feel like he's part of the mainstream, being an underdog in need of cultural acceptance. It's confusing if he will actually get it as the episode travels back and forth between him being a respectable YouTube star with songs like "My Dick Sucks" and not being taken seriously for any reason. It's true that this is the plight of an average YouTube star, who for the most part haven't transcended the mainstream. In this respect, the divide makes sense, though they never allow Lil Dicky to be comfortable in either world.</b><br />
<b>If one wants to know what type of show this will be, they simply need to watch the opening. It is the introductory scene to whatever great vision that Lil Dicky wants to give. As the theme song, played throughout marketing, would suggest this is a chance to know Lil Dicky by his "government name," which is Dave Burd. It's a chance to get a personal look into a story he thinks is important to share. That story is how his genitals are some type of deformed mess as he discovers that the red bumps on bis pelvis are razor bumps. It's an elaborate sequence lacking subtlety that shows what Burd is going to be obsessed about. By the end, he's known more for his shortcomings than any personal gift. He even gets conned by rapper YG (the first of many guest stars on this series) who refuse to work with him and exploits his nonsense for Instagram views.</b><br />
<b>There could be pathos in this show, but Lil Dicky nor the Dave story feels like it's going anywhere. This is far from the first comedic take of a musician on TV. Even on FX, they have explored Donald Glover's strange world on <i>Atlanta</i>. Even then, it's an expansion of his idea that fits the serialized form of TV. For <i>Dave</i>, it's a chance to tell juvenile jokes for a half-hour with occasional moments of brilliance. It should be noted that some of the self-effacing humor lands, but this is the type of series that would resonate more in 2006 than in 2020. The idea of a lame white rapper trying to be taken seriously is something that has long gone out of fashion. To see a white guy get emasculated in a recording studio by hardcore gangsters is nowhere near as fresh or funny as <i>Dave</i> thinks it is. The only real benefit is that Lil Dicky knows deep down how farcical this premise is, and it's easier to go for self-defeating blows than attacking his peers. This isn't to say that Burd lacks talent, but he's clearly manipulating things to make him seem like an underdog when he's capable of being recognized by random people on the street.</b><br />
<b>The show is neither a trainwreck nor a triumph of TV. If Lil Dicky chooses to spend its time satirizing the underdog music biz story with gross-out humor, then so be it. He knows his audience and they have given him enough fame to get here. However, he's far from being charismatic enough to make his lack of charisma on screen charming. Everything about the show has a familiarity that makes it just another lame sitcom. Any jokes that don't involve body parts often feature him awkwardly recounting observations about his Jewishness, or how he seems a bit insecure around black people. That's the joke. There's nothing deeper than that, and even his desire to look cool among either group never goes anywhere. He's just an odd guy looking for acceptance and not getting it.</b><br />
<b>There is a marketing savvy to Burd's character and there are ideas that could work. After all, he did start his career as an advertising executive. He has an understanding of social media that makes his commentary on the divide between Lil Dicky and Dave have potential. The only issue is that he doesn't have enough nuance to give it something new and exciting. This doesn't expand on the mythology of Lil Dicky, sympathizing with him within the confines of pseudo-fiction. All that's here is a wacky story full of dirty jokes that can grow tiresome. As far as FX shows go, this is one that feels more like it's trying to get a new audience to start watching the network than continue an impeccable track record. It's a fine show, but there's nothing lasting about what it achieves by the end. </b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-47274369390887766112020-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:002020-03-03T17:18:23.276-08:00Theater Review: The Ahmanson Theater's "The Book of Mormon" (2020)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMg2nG9TWbF9pO8j7YGBXzoP2U6R7xARhe1h6W1kpke_nRGVhKRd4c8axrLBeyFE9IBJQfJaLrFwWsLAv5VlxHh_d7cLyKMSsMzXkkghUPInUeNOAWnNZy9M8UKzMwMgrdB0qP40G09E/s1600/7_Jordan-Matthew-Brown-Alyah-Chanelle-Scott-Liam-Tobin-The-Book-of-Mormon-c-Julieta-Cervantes-2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMg2nG9TWbF9pO8j7YGBXzoP2U6R7xARhe1h6W1kpke_nRGVhKRd4c8axrLBeyFE9IBJQfJaLrFwWsLAv5VlxHh_d7cLyKMSsMzXkkghUPInUeNOAWnNZy9M8UKzMwMgrdB0qP40G09E/s640/7_Jordan-Matthew-Brown-Alyah-Chanelle-Scott-Liam-Tobin-The-Book-of-Mormon-c-Julieta-Cervantes-2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Book of Mormon</b></td></tr>
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<b>By some miracle, The Book of Mormon remains one of the sharpest satires after opening on Broadway nine years ago. With a profane book by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (<i>South Park</i>) and music by future <i>Frozen</i> composer Robert Lopez, one has to wonder what the secret is for this show, which often pokes fun at religion with vulgarity and offhand irreverence. How can one find the show entertaining years after learning what the punchline is? That's the beauty of this show, whose components are individually so sharp and magnificent that they're more than a joke. They're an exercise in shameless Broadway adoration, finding everyone working to make every second matter. Every joke has just the right level of pause for the laughter to rise from the audience. Even watching Mormons dance across the stage has a delightful quality that recalls the best of the medium, mixing lyrical dexterity with moves that break down dance routines into comical bits that work. This isn't just a satire of religion, but an embrace of musical nerdiness that just so happens to have some of the most jarring rhyme schemes imaginable. What keeps The Book of Mormon fresh? It's the work to make it about more than one joke and make it about the richer subtext of the show.</b></div>
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<b>Coming into the show, it's easy to argue that it's going to be an attack on religion as a concept. After all, the first act ends with the defeated sense that Mormons in Uganda is a bad idea. The missionaries Elder Price (Liam Tobin) and Elder Cunningham (Jonathan Sangster) are in quite a hole, having grown up on the American comfort of pop culture references and theme park attractions. Price is bitter that he's in Uganda instead of Orlando, believing that his mission should have "something incredible" happen. It isn't to help others but to take in the joys of "Sea World, and Disney, and Putt-Putt golfing." By the midway point of Act 1, there is already a doubt of faith met with Northern Ugandan people who haven't been swayed by the many who came before Price and Cunningham. What's going to make them any different? Following "Hasa Diga Ebowai," a song so profane that it denies God and gives the fainter audience members palpitations, it reveals just how tough it will be to have these Mormon teenagers have any impact. They're babies thrown out with the bathwater, forced to deal with the terrible world outside their homes in Salt Lake City.</b></div>
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<b>If one was to look at the broad strokes, they could see how this is an attack. However, it's more of a satire that explores faith in relation to something more realistic. The show builds on the ideas of faith, convincing others to have something that keeps them sane even as they deal with warlords (Corey Jones) and failing health issues. Cunningham is a yutz desperate for acceptance and "imagines" things just to get people to pay attention to him. He literally looks up to Price because of his stature, but also because of his over-confidence. By the end, both men will find their true confidence somewhere in the middle, and it's about understanding the power of ideas to change others. It may construe religion in a way that is at times off-base, but if one looks at it as ideas being used as personal growth, it is actually a rather touching ending, featuring one of the most insane references to The King and I in any show ever.</b><br />
<b>The show turns to mythology as a way to explore how ridiculous ideas may seem to others, but hold a deeper meaning to those willing to see the good in them. In the Music Man-style huckster selling point song "All American Prophet," Price pays tribute to his religion and the belief that nobody knows what God told prophet Joseph Smith (Ron Bohmer), as it was buried in his backyard. One just has to believe. Thankfully the choreography manages to elevate this moment into a stage show full of goofy sideshow attraction flair and enough infectious melodies to let the ideas linger. Sure, it's funny that nobody believes Smith, but it also creates the divide of religion as a concept. There's humor, but its message of just believing is something that one has to do by the end. What we do with those ideas is more important than whether other people believe it.</b><br />
<b>Yes, the show is one of the crassest experiences to ever hit Broadway. An average minute is so irreverent that it makes The Producers blush. However, these moments are drawn from characters, pulled from their own comfort and exposed to worlds that they don't understand. It's funny that Cunningham can't get Nabulungi's (Brinie Wallace) name right, choosing to opt for comical choices like Neosporin, because he's already emotionally-stunted, to begin with. Still, there's heart to the other perspective, as Nabulungi sings "Sal-Tlay-Ka-Siti" as this deeply emotional song about escaping poverty for a world of peace. Already she believes that Mormonism will free her from misery. However, there are some of the show's sharpest, most poignant satire in her optimism, where the belief that America is a nicer place is both true and far from accurate. It's a satire that contradicts every other song by being sad, making one wish not only for her happiness but for one for every audience member watching the show.</b><br />
<b>It also helps that the pageantry is alluring from beginning to end. Moments pop with personality simply by doing one or two things differently from a traditional dance number. In the mission assignment song "Two by Two," the choruses feature upbeat routines of Mormons excited for their mission, dancing with their arms held high in jubilation. When Price fails to get the mission he wants, he fails to join the dance, creating a rift between his elders that will only grow throughout the show. In a later scene, Price invades the warlord's camp and tries to form a peaceful sway while singing "I Believe," (itself recalling swooping chants you'd find in a church) that he refuses to join in on. In these moments, the audience can see character divides while knowingly poking fun at the musical form. It's comedy at its most basic, but it communicates a great deal about how each character relates through song.</b><br />
<b>The Book of Mormon is no spring chicken anymore, but it's also far from the grumpy old man that its status would suggest. So long as the performers have energy, the show will remain a vital look at how America sees itself. Their ideas may not always take hold, but the quest for deeper understanding is something that secularizes religion and understands faith at a very human level. Some of us need it to get through terrible times. You don't have to be a Mormon to appreciate the nuance that the show brings to these life lessons, but it likely enhances the reverence found in the crude humor. Nothing feels shocking just for the sake of shocking. Some moments hold up better than others, but as a whole, it remains one of the funniest musicals of the 21st century because it can poke holes in religion without outright dismissing it. It's a story about why we need faith to survive, and thankfully it has some catchy songs to back it up.</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-88604621386406068582020-03-03T16:04:00.000-08:002020-03-03T16:04:55.362-08:00Theater Review: The Long Beach Playhouse's "Noises Off" <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Noises Off</b></td></tr>
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<b>If someone wants to know the type of production that Noises Off is, just know that the curtain call is preceded by a Benny Hill-style routine with the nine actors running across the stage of The Long Beach Playhouse and up the stairways, pantomiming a scene of madness set appropriately to "Yakety Sax." In any other show, it would be too dissonant. After the previous two acts, it's the perfect summation of a comedy that starts as a mess and only continues to lose its marbles from there. The results are highly entertaining, featuring several uproarious performances somehow keeping the farce from ever becoming too nonsensical. It's one of those madcap routines that only the most adept actors can pull off, and watching this miracle fold out before an adoring crowd laughing every minute is just as fun as anything on the stage. The results make for a fun night out, and one can only hope that The Playhouse keeps these actors around for more rip-roaring productions.</b></div>
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<b>From the minute that the lights go up on Noises Off, there is something off. A voice rises from the speakers, announcing the test-run for a show called Nothing On. At no point in the proceeding two hours is the phrase "noises off" even mentioned. Had an audience member walked in blindly, they would start the show confused, as if walking into the wrong theater. For the first few minutes, it goes so far as to play out like a typical drama as the homely Dotty Otley (Andrea Stradling) answers a phone as she prepares to eat sardines and watch "the Queen's thingy" on the telly. Sure, there are jokes but the artifice isn't made clear until a minor mistake brings forth the voice of a man playing God (or, in the theater world, a director) in the form of Eric Schiffer (Lloyd Dallas), talking from the ceiling the stage directions. Suddenly it's revealed that this isn't going to be your average theater show. Not only is this a test run, but it's happening in the evening hours leading up to the premiere. Let's just say it doesn't start well and Dotty forgetting to grab a plate of sardines is far from the production's worst areas to work on.</b></div>
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<b>The brilliance of the show is how it deconstructs the very idea of theater. It's a behind the scenes look at a theater troupe doing everything in their power to put a show on. The only issue is that there's an underlying animosity that forms as small mistakes create agitation. Actors like Selsdon Mowbray (Lewis Leighton) have issue learning lines and generally unreliable. For most of the first act, there's a sense that he won't even show up. It wouldn't be out of place, especially given that there's also affairs that come to light and Frederick Fellowes (Travis Wade) has an aversion to violence that causes him to faint more often than not. These issues feel worse because no matter, what their first show is tomorrow and the clock is ticking. There is a need for somebody to take control and when that doesn't happen, it becomes one of the most entertaining looks at a play going wrong.</b></div>
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<b>Nothing On plays out three times over the course of Noises Off. The first may be unpolished, but it has enough context to make the rest comprehensible. There is even subtext that shows characters finding motivation, questioning dialogue, and whether Arab Shieks wear trousers around their ankles. Brooke Ashton (Amara Phelps) whips out a phone whenever Lloyd calls "Cut," and often gets lost in it. Small running gags are developed here that have rewarding punchlines in the other versions of Nothing On. The second performance adds the comical choice to present Nothing On from behind the stage, where actors get into fights moments before walking onstage, all while whispering in order to not break the illusion of the performance, audibly being heard on the other side. The audience wonders how the show is being held together, and frankly... it's not. Even without the context of what's happening, the audience gains an expectation for actors emerging backstage ready to continue a fight or solve prop issues that become weaponized. It's here that the actors get their best moment to shine, as it becomes a stage for physical humor forwarding the plot. Even then, it's a miracle that the adrenalized sequence is held together at all. Blink and you'll miss a pantomime that informs the next five minutes. It's so intricate that even the dumbest joke is set up with some innovation.</b><br />
<b>The third performance is best experienced in person. It's hard to describe. Still, the idea of seeing the same show three times may seem tedious, but there's enough difference between them that new jokes arise as expectation is broken by outright chaos (the set even falls apart by the end). It's to the credit of the writing that the ending can be full of gibberish, but still captures the growing antipathy of a cast who can't stand working together. Even better, the actors in these roles are so committed to every bit that it becomes surreal. Theater has rarely felt this careless and coherent at the same time. Every piece feels perfectly timed to the millisecond, and most of all it ends the show with an appreciation for the craft. It's not necessarily that these performers learn to work together, but suggests the difficulty for other shows to keep it together. They could easily fall apart and don't. Noises Off is a special case and one that should be cherished as a piece of very smart comedy, where deconstruction leads to destruction by the end, and it still works.</b><br />
<b>Noises Off is one of those shows that shouldn't work, and yet it does. It defies expectations at every turn, and it's largely because of how fragile the beats are. In lesser hands, the pratfalls and lowbrow humor would feel desperate. The Long Beach Playhouse's excellent cast, it works like a well-oiled machine, never allowing the viewer to rest too long on serious moments. It's a chance to have fun with the very concept of theater, finding actors running around almost as if sped up to reach the next punchline. It's a delightful experience that rewards those wanting something different. It may not always make sense and certain scenes are intentionally confusing, but it's all for the best. It's an experience where the jokes are funnier the more that you pay attention, and if you don't they're pretty good anyways. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-76318877074293275502020-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:002020-03-01T00:00:07.713-08:00Coming April Fool's Day 2020: "Esoteric Shapes"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Over the past five years, I have branched out in my writing career to include short stories. Several times a year, I would publish my latest works onto websites like Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. The work has been sold internationally and even was the basis for a podcast episode (Let Me Read to You). As my writing career evolved, I branched out into novels with "Apples & Chainsaws," expanding the potential for how my writing could be read. But there is one thing that my short stories have yet to achieve. They haven't been available in print. To peruse the couple dozen of stories was to either search blindly or follow my personal journey as I presented the next group. </b></div>
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<b>Well, there is good news for those who have been looking for a way to collect them without going crazy. Coming on April 1, 2020, is the release of my first paperback collection "Esoteric Shapes: Stories About Life's Meaning & Other Nonsense." The book will include 20 original stories including four previously unreleased tales. They're all bound together in one collection exploring through drama, humor, and experimentation the way that we all long for meaning and acceptance in the world. That, and extensive riffs on genre culture. Nothing is off the table as the serious clashes with the absurd in an attempt to find deeper truths. This is no joke (except when it is). It will come out on April Fool's Day 2020 and will be sold on Amazon for $15. Check it out and prepare to see the world a little bit differently. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-86726955972756394922020-02-26T14:02:00.001-08:002020-02-26T14:02:20.041-08:00The Madonna Project: #3. "True Blue" (1986)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>In the history of pop music, no artist has stood out quite like Madonna. From her early days writing infectious songs that challenged societal norms, the fashion icon created a new definition of celebrity and in the process reinvented herself in such alluring ways. With The Madonna Project, the plan is to watch the chameleon grow and change over time, highlighting the various things that make her albums essential, or at least interesting to talk about. Over the course of 2020, this will be a look at everything from "Madonna" to "Madame X" (and possibly beyond) in an attempt to understand: why does Madonna continue to matter, and if that could ever possibly change. It's a tough call, but join me on a journey of finding out what makes her one of the most untouchable Gods of pop. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Album: "True Blue"</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: June 30, 1986</b><br />
<b>Label: Sire Records, Warner Bros. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Certifications:</b><br />
<b>-Argentina (4x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Australia (4x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Austria (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Belgium (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Brazil (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Canada (Diamond)</b><br />
<b>-France (Diamond)</b><br />
<b>-Finland (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Germany (2x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Greece (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Hong Kong (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Italy (4x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Japan (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Netherlands (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-New Zealand (5x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Norway (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Portugal (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Spain (3x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Switzerland (3x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-United Kingdom (7x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-United States (7x Platinum)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Total: 25 million sold internationally </b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Singles:</b><br />
<b>-"Live to Tell"</b><br />
<b>-"Papa Don't Preach"</b><br />
<b>-"True Blue"</b><br />
<b>-"Open Your Heart"</b><br />
<b>-"La Isla Bonita"</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Awards:</b><br />
<b>N/A</b><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Track List:</b></div>
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<b>1. "Papa Don't Preach"</b><br />
<b>2. "Open Your Heart"</b><br />
<b>3. "White Heat"</b><br />
<b>4. "Live to Tell"</b><br />
<b>5. "Where's the Party"</b><br />
<b>6. "True Blue"</b><br />
<b>7. "La Isla Bonita"</b><br />
<b>8. "Jimmy Jimmy"</b><br />
<b>9. "Love Makes the World Go Round"</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>*NOTE: Listen to it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0AhMBAen_scP2GVDBehOYO6Rbbmyz0q">here</a>.</b><br />
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<b>Track Analysis</b></div>
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<b>This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.</b><br />
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<b>Singles</b><br />
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<b>Presented in order of appearance on the album.</b></div>
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<b>"Papa Don't Preach"</b></div>
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<b>For those who thought that "Like a Virgin" was too risque, they were in for a shock right away with this album opener. Where everything was coy and played with imagery before, this song is direct in its message. It's a story of teenage pregnancy as Madonna consults her father. The tenderness in her voice shows her nervousness as she approaches the subject. The lyrics perfectly build and become one of her best singles so far. It's a song that ends in a state of confidence that turns a tragic situation into one of empowerment and hope. She's keeping that baby, and in the process making pop music that is about a different side of love. It's one about facing the consequences of actions, and it's piercing and emotional, but above all catchy and reflective of Madonna's gifts as a vocalist.</b><br />
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<b>"Open Your Heart"</b></div>
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<b>The banging drums followed by Madonna yelling "Watch out!" begin a song about a woman trying to get a man to open up to her. She is desperate for him to love her, and creates a unique perspective on the love song. Where most focus on men trying to win the hearts of women, the reverse has a certain lust in it that is amplified by the excellent instrumentation. The song is a declaration that is hard to ignore, and by the time she sings "I'll make you love me," you kind of believe her. She just has that much intention in her presentation.</b></div>
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<b>"Live to Tell"</b></div>
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<b>Shifting things a bit is a slower song. The build plays with sparse instrumentation that sounds like singing in a dark evening, the stars twinkling overhead. In some ways, it tears apart everything that has made Madonna singles so memorable and finds a new way to draw the listener in. It's a ballad where she sings largely in a lower register, pulling from deep inside her for ideas. Whereas she seems carefree everywhere else, she seems introspective here and is recounting the lessons she learned from her romantic experiences. For a song that has a very slow tempo, it manages to have a lot of melodrama in the melody and captures an emotional catharsis that sticks to the listener as they wind down from those fun nights. </b></div>
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<b>"True Blue"</b></div>
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<b>Madonna goes retro for this single which feels plucked from a 1950s era girl group. The most memorable part comes in the chorus, where the vocals become layered. It isn't just another example of harmony. There are two entire passages being sung, and they add this endearing texture to everything. The way her voice enhances the passion is something that has rarely been better. It helps that the verses are also pretty catchy. She elevates the simple subject matter and lyricism into an art form by committing to the earnest tone. By the end, it's one of those earworms that only Madonna was great at, and it's easy to see why she had long-established permanence by the time this album came around. </b></div>
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<b>"La Isla Bonita"</b></div>
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<b>Another side of Madonna is discovered here as she creates a Spanish dream with salsa guitars, some Spanish, and imagery that recalls San Pedro. It's beautiful and sweeping, capturing a vivid picture of something we haven't seen in pop music before - or at least mainstream American pop music. Here she gives into a soap opera of romance, but packs it with some of her finest productions yet. Her voice sways like the wind from moment to moment, capturing a deep reservation at points that fight with the melody. It's so beautiful and reflects how she was growing as an artist. She made a Spanish motif more than kitsch. She packed it with an emotional substance that makes it hard to ignore as a legitimately great song. </b></div>
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<b>Noteworthy Outliers </b></div>
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<b>Songs on the album that are interesting despite not being singles.</b></div>
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<b>"Jimmy Jimmy"</b></div>
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<b>There's something extremely odd about this song. On some level, it feels reminiscent of the synth-heavy work of DEVO. With a little fine-tuning, it's easy to see that band covering this song and not having it sound out of place. Given the excellent production of the rest of her album, it also comes across as the most novelty on an album with vocal overlaps and audio samples ("White Heat," "Where's the Party"). This isn't a bad thing because it's still catchy, but it's reflective of a prior Madonna who was fading by this point. Even with the 50s pastiche going on underneath the synths, it's mostly a disposable song. Sure, it's fun to follow the exploits of Jimmy, but there's a good reason that she didn't make more songs like this going forward. </b></div>
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<b>Closing Remarks</b><br />
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<b>Where "Madonna" was a triumphant debut, "Like a Virgin" was a great singles album with little else to show for itself. It was released too quickly and didn't give Madonna much to work with. On "True Blue," she feels like she has evolved into something richer, more interesting as a performer. The singles are some of her strongest yet, daring to go in various directions to establish her identity both in bold subject matter as well as styles that show her vocal range expanding. If any album shows the early promise of Madonna best, it's this one. She has officially landed and is capable of much more than a catchy hook. She doesn't just sing, but molds the song around her, setting a precedent that will only become more powerful in time. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>Up Next: "Who's That Girl" (1987)</b></div>
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<b>Album Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Madonna album is the best.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>2. "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>3. "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b></div>
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<b>Single Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the singles from each album in hopes of finding which one is Madonna's best song.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. "Like A Virgin" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>2. "Papa Don't Preach" - "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>3. "La Isla Bonita" - "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>4. "Borderline" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>5. "True Blue" - "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>6. "Lucky Star" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>7. "Open Your Heart" - "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>8. "Holiday" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>9. "Live to Tell" - "True Blue" (1986)</b><br />
<b>10. "Angel" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>11. "Material Girl" -"Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>12. "Into the Groove" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>13. "Dress You Up" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>14. "Burning Up" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>15. "Everybody" - "Madonna" (1983)</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-24342657015174505942020-02-17T17:06:00.001-08:002020-02-17T17:06:40.707-08:00Theater Review: Musical Theater West's "Ragtime The Musical" (2020)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWyzeqnrZIKBrNeuN7Poy_ekTUlH3YZUR8DLVMarJEGr6xpCJpXgIQCrNnbLz7bYJKNzK7HmY6qnmSD7aiKMzhO-K1OCzBtghvhzEUo7jhrf1yS1HDoZSNepuDvLOhkn_X42nWLYg1kU/s1600/LPT-L-RAGTIME-0214-FEATURED-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWyzeqnrZIKBrNeuN7Poy_ekTUlH3YZUR8DLVMarJEGr6xpCJpXgIQCrNnbLz7bYJKNzK7HmY6qnmSD7aiKMzhO-K1OCzBtghvhzEUo7jhrf1yS1HDoZSNepuDvLOhkn_X42nWLYg1kU/s640/LPT-L-RAGTIME-0214-FEATURED-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>There is a certain vision that comes with conjuring up an image of America during the early 1900s. It was a time of prosperity, about to start one of the most revolutionary centuries in the country's brief history - only they didn't know it. Who are they exactly? It's anyone who arrives at Musical Theater West's production of the musical Ragtime and sees the curtain, designed like the Statue of Liberty, and feels inspired. The people who are about to wander the stage may not get along or come from similar backgrounds, and yet their journeys all share one thing in common: the quest for freedom. Without a conventional protagonist in sight, the story takes the audience on a journey, deconstructing the idea of America being a simpler, friendlier place in favor of one that's more honest and with a catchy songbook full of undeniable standards. What follows is a story that may be over 100 years old now, but it's one that feels way too relevant still to ignore.</b></div>
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<b>The story starts simply enough with the prologue "Ragtime." A group of dandies dressed gorgeously in white suits and dresses sings about how great America is. It's a dreamlike description. Nothing can go wrong until the song comically begins the ravaging discomfort of the supporting cast. Over the course of 10 minutes, the stage slowly becomes cramped as the dandies circle everyone from blacks to immigrants to even the deviants like Evelyn Nesbitt (Monica Ricketts) and Harry Houdini (Lance Galgon) who are known publicly for their infidelities. With no more than a stage, over 30 characters are given moments to state their case to the audience, doing their best to make this crowded show sensible. It's a credit to Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' music that it all works. Even if everyone's name isn't known, there's already this sense of familiarity that makes everything going forward more accessible. It also helps that in the small but powerful choreography that the dandies circling the stage in discomfort already reflects the tensions that are about to rise. For a song presented in the appropriate big band swing style, it hides a lot of dark insecurity that will continue to be subverted for the rest of the show.</b></div>
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<b>To chronicle events from here would be a fool's errand, as it spends time growing intimate with every story. In the span of a scene, Ragtime goes from watching Father (Michael Scott Harris) leaving for an Antarctic voyage while Tateh (Gary Patent) sentimentally sings of his boat ride to America, to the vaudeville courtroom scene of Nesbitt standing trial for murdering her husband while riding a swing and yelling "Whee!" (a delightful, higher-pitched catchphrase that will reappear in almost every one of her scenes). The tone is all over the place because of this, managing to reflect one man's joy before sidetracking to another's misery, most notably Coalhouse Walker Jr.'s (Terron Brooks) complicated romance. What's more incredible however is that it all works. There's enough air between each scene that the transition is flawless. Sometimes it has a mirroring effect, showing how Coalhouse came into possession of his car following a rousing factory-like song about Henry Ford (David Kirk Grant). So much exists within the stage that it's a miracle that it works so well. </b></div>
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<b>The world of Ragtime is crowded, and it often feels like characters are barging into each other's narratives. This is more of a feature than a bug, as the show creates this tone that America is not one story, but several. The hat trick of making these all come together is a miracle that shines in key moments. While it all seems rambling in Act I, the second half is where the achievement really lies. The establishment has been mostly done and it's time for key plots to take focus, especially regarding Coalhouse's desire for revenge, and Tateh's journey to Atlantic City. The America that was presented as a shiny new thing is now a bit more complicated, with tensions rising and the back half exploring a potential riot that threatens to tear the story into anarchy. Still, it's done everything right to draw the audience in, finding the more direct show tune numbers as moments for characters to bleed their soul to the audience. It's powerful, and most of all it helps to present a message to the audience of how America's conflict has always been there.</b></div>
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<b>Everything about the show feels bigger than it is. Even the lighting feels at times like it overpowers a scene, as lighting creates abrupt blinding for the audience. The shadowing also becomes rather effective, sometimes even creating bars to symbolize characters trapped in their own doing. There's even a moment meant to depict shooting a film with the overhead lights flickering as actors move in rugged patterns. The stage, mostly designed by a changing digital backdrop, adds to the atmosphere and allows every square inch of the stage to feel used. If one is bored of the foreground, they merely need to shift attention to the back, where the artful design becomes inspiring. The epilogue is easily the most striking, as actors more in silhouette along the back, with few jumping out to add a button to their personal journeys. In that way, it showed how every character is American, following the same line in their own strange ways while looking for something greater to be happy for. </b></div>
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<b>Of course, some stories may feel undercooked depending on which becomes your favorite. With a lot of emphasis on the dandies, Tateh, and Coalhouse, everyone else sometimes has no choice but to exist around them. Considering that the show runs for almost three hours, that's not too terrible of a sacrifice, as a faithful adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's even greater book would run twice the length and maybe be a bit more tedious. Then again, one would love to spend more time with these characters because Terrance McNally's book is ripe with personality and style that conjures up a fondness for the audience, making them desire to be there, even among the darker moments that give the show its charming familiarity. The trends and style may be different, but Ragtime's empathy lies in everything that never went away. Scandal, racial tensions, economic struggles, eccentric personalities, and immigration all still remain. For better or worse, this is America and you have to take the greatness with the areas in need of improvement.</b></div>
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<b>By the end of its running time, Musical Theater West's production has put up a convincing case for why this is one of the most essential, most American musicals ever conceived of. It helps that the music is some of the most infectious, making Scott Joplin-style piano work the most popular it's been since <i>The Sting</i>. Even then, it's more than a novelty. It's an exercise in exploring everything that hasn't been considered when looking into the history and thinking that it was a better time simply because everyone dressed nicer. It was far more complicated than that. Sure it was fun, but that's to ignore the controversies and social dynamics that enriched the culture and lead to innovation. As much as this show can be accused of having too many characters or rambles at times, it gets to the heart of its message loud and clear by the end. America is not one person or type of person. Every one of them is needed to make it what it is. Some stories are happy, others tragic, but the quest for a better life brings them all together. The results, at least from the musical's standpoint, does the unthinkable in making it all seem familiar and yet a snapshot of an era growing more bygone by the day. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-76942629785590510022020-02-17T13:16:00.001-08:002020-02-17T13:16:37.477-08:00Theater Review: 3-D Theatricals' "Kinky Boots" (2020)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMA7B2MaBvnu7XUTMRUcZOeMHvIwxMW2aJcRbCcu8Y3LtNEYRAVVnWCU2ZzbUFAlEtogbV3YbnE3FplyhRqVgy9uUY5r9ZSpLl3O593A5D2rADFd9B1lBFALBTwdaa-OExGPxJOJELUY/s1600/84678884_10157101104978284_8939962692773347328_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMA7B2MaBvnu7XUTMRUcZOeMHvIwxMW2aJcRbCcu8Y3LtNEYRAVVnWCU2ZzbUFAlEtogbV3YbnE3FplyhRqVgy9uUY5r9ZSpLl3O593A5D2rADFd9B1lBFALBTwdaa-OExGPxJOJELUY/s640/84678884_10157101104978284_8939962692773347328_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kinky Boots</b></td></tr>
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<b>In the world of Kinky Boots, there is one thing that unites us all. Male or female, queer or straight, rich or poor, we all need shoes. As the opening song will immediately tip the audience off to "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World is a Shoe." It's something that feels taken for granted, but they're a form of expression and throughout the lavish, enjoyable show they become something more than leather and string laced together. It's a chance to connect shoe factory worker Charlie Price (Lukas Poost) to a world he thought he'd never be involved with: the turn-of-the-century drag queen culture that needs a heel stylish enough for a woman, but strong enough for a man. The worlds blur together as each new song gets the crowd moving and shows that everyone is not only deserving of good shoes, but also of respect.</b></div>
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<b>Charlie starts the story as a familiar type of protagonist. He's a reluctant hero, taking over his father's (Guy Noland) business Price and Son upon his retirement. He has no charisma for business, nor really the drive to make great shoes. His relationships are fine at best, but he barely understands his betrothed Lauren (Emily Goglia) better than running a factory on the verge of closing. Nothing is going right and this sense of letting down a family legacy looms over the show from the beginning. On the other side is Lola (Cornelius Jones Jr.), whose love for a good heel was the constant source of resentment from his father. In both cases, the sons struggle to understand the value of shoes that their fathers don't, and it is what gives the musical an emotional core that makes it more than glitter and sparkles.</b></div>
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<b>The concept from there is silly. Hearing a drag queen go on about how red is an erotic color while burgundy isn't is a concept that is used often not only as a source for wild, campy humor but also as a way to reflect the rifts between Lola and her more heteronormative supporting male cast. Because the men aren't being judged, they don't have to understand the value of colors radiating through a room, nor why a kinky boot is so precious. Charlie is about as whitebread as they come, and to see him clash with Lola following a dazzling club show set during the song "The Land of Lola" feels like the first step into a greater tolerance. It's in simple things, like the difference between transvestites and drag queens (one actually tries to look pretty). Lola comes across as the eccentric gal pal you'd like to have around to talk gossip. In that way, it's helping to break down barriers with the audience, creating an understanding of lingo and cultural signifiers that will make later numbers like "The Sex is in the Heel" come across as more than these goofy fetish songs. They're about value and identity, which is something Charlie has personally lost in his business.</b><br />
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<b>From there the odd couple dynamic is what sells the show. While the supporting cast is sometimes delightful, this is largely a show about two men coming to terms with their own legacies in relation to their father. During the touching number, "I'm Not My Father's Son," both spend a verse discussing how they have let their father down, not quite living up to their approval. With simple turns of phrases, it becomes about more than their lifestyles. It's about how they're similar, looking for acceptance for their own interests. It's a rare moment where Lola isn't sporting a sequined dress, commanding the attention of a room with fiery one-liners that tear down homophobic co-workers. It gives the show more depth and shows that for as much as this is a show about making shoes, it's about achieving one's truest potential. Charlie slowly comes out of his shell throughout the story, becoming more expressive and exciting. </b><br />
<b>Still, one can't help but be taken in by Lola's magnetism, the richest character with an emotional depth not entirely present in the 2005 film it was adapted from. Jones gives her much more of a dynamic, allowing humor to punch through at key times without fading into tired caricature. What's left by the end is an understanding of drag culture through the eyes of someone who feels insecure and vulnerable without a wig on finally getting that moment to find an in-between comfort. </b><br />
<b>T</b><b>his isn't to exclude the phenomenal physicality that comes with the role, often split with a group of drag queen dancers known as "The Angels." With several show-stopping numbers, the show makes up for its sometimes for its Rent-style pop-rock sound with a spectacle that jolts with inspiration. The Act 1 closer "Everybody Say Yeah" is the best example of this as the shoe factory's conveyor belt is cleverly broken into several sections for dancers to move on like a treadmill. It's all so unexpected and, in a show that includes The Angels constantly doing flips and splits, makes one believe in the power of theater. It's the exuberant number that is only outdone by the closer "Raise You Up/Just Be." Even then, seeing Act 1 close with Charlie and his co-workers triumphant thrusting a shoe into the air has confirmed the show's intent. If the audience thought it was silly going in, they'll no longer doubt the value of a shoe.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85VrAlPXCFZbrkW24p-6TCMapCZeS6A2CCTrE1ybN01dpTTULnoOnzpkhegloSUYtsoWHRlP0dlhIt2wHN9SL-7pQnKmI-8YB2y7RkvCePgIulQZXsK2T9HtztuhqTzJP6sr2QZw4SuQ/s1600/86473253_10157101104298284_6879576939972001792_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85VrAlPXCFZbrkW24p-6TCMapCZeS6A2CCTrE1ybN01dpTTULnoOnzpkhegloSUYtsoWHRlP0dlhIt2wHN9SL-7pQnKmI-8YB2y7RkvCePgIulQZXsK2T9HtztuhqTzJP6sr2QZw4SuQ/s640/86473253_10157101104298284_6879576939972001792_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The rest is something that deserves to be seen on its own. Prior to the show's start, it was announced that the props and costumes were taken from the original Broadway production, and it shows. Every outfit has a dazzling level of detail, with every red boot able to shimmer with light, dazzling the viewer in the back row. It's a colorful show and one that believes in self-expression through it. The fun time ends on the highest note, and with dazzling runway lights and confetti, it feels like the self-affirmation party that the show has been alluding to. If a show's measurement for success is leaving its audience wanting more, then Kinky Boots nailed it. </b><br />
<b>For a musical that could easily be a campy ode to materialism, it finds so much more to adore in the manufacturing of a shoe. In fact, it feels like a red herring for what's really being explored throughout the story. Sure, it has catchy tunes and some of the more limber and harmonious drag queens to grace a theater stage, but it's a touching drama at the center about this desire to be understood through self-expression, of two men coming in touch with their identity in different ways. The story follows a sense of understanding that deserves to be shared time and again, especially when the songs are this good. Lola is an immediately memorable character and one who leaves everyone on stage and off better for having listened to her story. Thankfully it continues to resonate with audiences and makes a strong case for paying extra for good footwear at the same time - if not for expression, then at least to meet dress code to see 3-D Theatricals' excellent production again. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-80554378946045068862020-02-15T14:22:00.000-08:002020-02-15T14:22:01.840-08:00Channel Surfing: High Fidelity - "Top Five Heartbreaks"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfgwcWKwlC3KH_wMDpxCGvVRdB1RLYOuydRdX_WQQzZdFkew43naXff7izFpo6zwcRr6b7laNasKc8HuPuv2SXXe47qrOhsKZer_jJMH3lhg3khyphenhyphenvSivN5a0vSHDIWERuHzZA1o_DGyw/s1600/high-fidelity-season-1-review-1581724414342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfgwcWKwlC3KH_wMDpxCGvVRdB1RLYOuydRdX_WQQzZdFkew43naXff7izFpo6zwcRr6b7laNasKc8HuPuv2SXXe47qrOhsKZer_jJMH3lhg3khyphenhyphenvSivN5a0vSHDIWERuHzZA1o_DGyw/s640/high-fidelity-season-1-review-1581724414342.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>High Fidelity</i> (2020)</b></td></tr>
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<b>Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.</b></div>
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<b>In 2000, the John Cusack movie <i>High Fidelity</i> brought to life the story of a record store clerk who was a bit too obsessed with music for his own good. The Nick Hornby adaptation may have been one of the most entertaining exercises in music criticism, but it was also secretly a commentary on people who were a bit too obsessed with their media, reflecting a need to open up and tolerate those who disagree with you from time to time. In some ways, it was almost prophetic of archetypes that now run rampant on Twitter, who spend their waking hours making sure that the world knows their disdain for franchises. So, how do you make it relevant to a 2020 audience without simply resorting to another bloated story of men complaining that women don't like them? The answer is to add a little remix to the heart of the story.</b><br />
<b>At the center is Rob, now played by Zoe Kravitz as this biracial bisexual who spends the first episode playing a familiar tune. It's the story of her Top 5 break-ups, which happen to include the one that opens the story. At the start, it appears that he is in the wrong, incapable of understanding or taking her love. However, the four other people in her Top 5 are people who say a lot more about Rob's life. She goes through a lot of relationships, some ending because of her selfishness and others because of their cheating ways. She is desperate to find something more stable and recalling all of them only forces her to question what she did wrong. The only issue is that it's also forcing her to be locked in the past instead of moving forward.</b><br />
<b>Her family even calls early on to ask her why she isn't dating anymore. There is this intimidation to be a perfect person, and she can't get there. She works at a record store with two people, also totally redone for the show. Cherise (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and Simon (David H. Holmes) have altered their interests but still, hold the same disdain for customers who have inferior tastes in music. There's plenty of comedy to be had from their enthusiastic personalities clashing with the more dour Rob, especially as she tries to cope with her misery of being single. With Hulu releasing the series on Valentine's Day, it creates the perfect irony for the show in that it reflects how much pressure society puts on being in love. For Cherise and Simon, it's more of self-love. For Rob, it's self-loathing behind the counter of Champion Vinyl, also now located in New York. </b><br />
<b>The one moment that shows how much promise <i>High Fidelity</i> has comes early when Rob is discussing the discography of Fleetwood Mac with her ex Mac (Kinglsey Ben-Adir). She prefers "Tusk" to "Rumors," though it is more fixated on the details in the music. She loves how she can hear the relationship drama that made those records, reflecting both her obsession with memorizing track listings as well as production histories. When Mac replies with his regret that he doesn't know more about Fleetwood Mac, it's this sense that Rob is talking to herself, caring more about finding someone with the same interests and knowledge as her. She refuses to listen, and it shows in her need to inform rather than engage. It's a moment of music theory that will hopefully be reflected throughout the show.</b><br />
<b>It helps that Kravitz is an engaging presence, even when draped under dreadlocks and this melancholic tone as she speaks directly to the camera. In some ways this is a radical update on <i>High Fidelity</i> that changes too much, removing certain points entirely. However, updating it for a new audience reveals how accessible this idea still is to the modern age. Even as records become more irrelevant, nicer, there are those who find more satisfaction in knowing everything about the media they consume instead of the people they meet. Rob is tryng to breakthrough but finding it completely difficult. There's plenty to love in the delivery and makes this more than a hacky update of a popular movie from 20 years ago. It's a story of love that is more universal than we'd give it credit for. The question is if Kravitz will remain sympathetic and organic enough to pull it off. </b><br />
<b>In terms of new series in 2020, <i>High Fidelity</i> already feels like one of the few adaptations that can have a lot more to promise. Maybe as the show moves away from the more familiar terrain of the Hornby source material, it can become something more valuable to the conversation. Right now it seems like the best idea that the franchise has had in quite some time, and already is leagues ahead of the misbegotten musical from over a decade ago. Right now it feels like the best time to explore why we're obsessed with things that maybe don't matter enough to shape our lives, but we go down those paths anyways. Whatever it is, it's sure to make for an entertaining Top 5 list on the next episode, when deeper catharsis finally emerges and life can move on for Rob and her friends. </b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-16313488088663384652020-02-15T13:57:00.000-08:002020-02-15T13:57:32.781-08:00At 35, "The Breakfast Club" Remains One of the Best Teen Movies Ever Made<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyokb7hEEezF8wrQC2yh7vUD3x-LRyOcDEYpStwgQIjNNfzMKQ9Ui5ggi_rvbSqvNRam6vmKwJUfVyKKu5lyVWPCm_EHD35t-FmFS9gss5jnMUuAt2cu1dEL-PGbBIR_C83f96DMl-R4/s1600/TheBreakfastClub-Still1_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyokb7hEEezF8wrQC2yh7vUD3x-LRyOcDEYpStwgQIjNNfzMKQ9Ui5ggi_rvbSqvNRam6vmKwJUfVyKKu5lyVWPCm_EHD35t-FmFS9gss5jnMUuAt2cu1dEL-PGbBIR_C83f96DMl-R4/s640/TheBreakfastClub-Still1_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>The Breakfast Club</i></b></td></tr>
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<b>There is this common notion that John Hughes was the quintessential filmmaker of teen angst. With films like <i>Sixteen Candles</i> and <i>Pretty in Pink</i>, he found ways to mold the template into something accessible, often relying on a series of young actors known as "The Brat Pack" lead by Molly Ringwald to present films that weren't only thought-provoking narratives, but featured soundtracks that formed their own legacy. Everything about a Hughes film has become so famous that it's easy to find traces of it in almost every teen drama since with many flat out dropping Hughes' name as if he's this poet laureate of their experiences. Time may change and the flaws may come up, but the human condition at the center of his work will never fade away.</b></div>
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<b>However, there is one question to ask when talking about Hughes: Would John Hughes be John Hughes without <i>The Breakfast Club</i>? Not only does it have his most memorable song cue (Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me"), but its simple premise is essentially a stage drama for every high school archetype to confront each other. Over the course of one morning, they learn the complicated inner lives of each other and discover how similar they actually are. It's the ultimate nightmare wrapped in a powerful life lesson that never goes out of fashion. It helps that it's also really entertaining. Even 35 years later, the film has the power to represent Hughes' ultimate goal with his Brat Pack movies. He wanted to get us to see teens as people deserving of more respect and even empathy. With a film that streamlines these ideas perfectly, he created the perfect teen movie that embodies everything great and awful about being young and naive.</b></div>
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<b>At the start of the film, everyone is powerless. They're like suspects brought in for a police line-up, accused of crimes that have happened at Shermer High School. But what could possibly make them all come in for detention on a Saturday? Nobody comes to school on a Saturday. It's just unheard of. By juxtaposing the image of a lock-up with teenagers forced to be stuck in a school, forced to write an essay on how to follow rules, there is this wonder if they'll actually learn anything. Then again, the essay feels like the subtext made visual, sitting on a table as the five suspects gather around, defying their authority figure Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason), whose unruly desire for discipline already places him as unpleasant. He's a familiar kind of unpleasant. A type of man who would give jaywalkers a demerit when the streets are empty. He also seems terrible because, without his approval, they'll be stuck at Shermer for the rest of their insufferable lives.</b></div>
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<b>Even if they come in as archetypes with their own mysterious reason for being here, they have one thing in common. They are stuck inside, bored and waiting for that clock to roll around, the bell to ring, and for them to return to their regular lives. Some of them, like the rebel John Bender (Judd Nelson) seem like they would've been there anyway, but what could the popular girl Claire Standish (Ringwald) or jock Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) possibly do to belong here? They're in the prison yard, eying each other up and down to determine which person can be loyal enough to be in their inner circle. As the story continues to spiral, arguments break out and the differences make things heated. It's here that things become much more interesting and characters seeming free of flaws, like nerd Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) burst out with a moment to share a problematic home life.</b></div>
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<b>It's here that Hughes' subversion of genre becomes something grander. The prison yard mentality slowly fades away, turning into a huddle as the characters play those teenage games where they dare each other to open up, revealing something so personal that it makes them vulnerable. By the end, everyone is more vulnerable in different ways. The only thing combining them is that it serves as some insular frustration, their difficulty to see the world as something full of sunshine and flowers. It is only in being trapped that they realize the walls that they have put up to their peers, the people they have sneered at in the hallways and never thought they'd hang out with. Those people were not like them because society told them to believe this. It's a problem everyone coming to the film faces, and in some ways, it gets worse outside of high school.</b></div>
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<b>The best detail of Hughes' script is his chance to just let the detention grow into a stage play as if every character is giving a monologue to an unseen crowd in an aside. It's a simple tool, but one that turns outsider/proto-goth Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) into these adorable figures. Where Allison starts as the weirdo, purposely being off-putting to keep everyone away, she begins to accept the people she thought would bully her as being just as vulnerable as her. She gets a makeover and suddenly she's their peer. For a detention that is supposed to be heavily surveilled, a lot of personal growth happens in a way that is accessible to the audience. Everyone has been through their teenage years, having to deal with the insecurity of facing a world that may reject them. Where do they go when their monologue ends? Do they return to the shadows to be ignored, or is there applause waiting for them? Whatever there is, Hughes treats these moments as personal catharsis, especially as one moment mirrors another.</b></div>
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<b>It's true that like all of Hughes' films, it's really entertaining. There is this underlying knowledge that teens are awkward, sometimes self-involved, and falling into trendy language that adults would never understand. As much as this film's soundtrack is rooted in a 1980s tone, there is not enough to distract from its heart. It's the fun accompaniment, turning every breakthrough into something triumphant. Whether it's Hughes understanding teens or shaping their behavior, <i>The Breakfast Club</i> has an undeniable charm to it that breaks through artifice by tearing archetypes down to their core. When there's no jock or geek label, there is only a human trying to get through life, through this detention so that they can go about their life. They don't yet have driver's licenses. They can't just leave town. So much of their own lives feel imprisoned until they're 18, and to make it so direct at school is genius. </b></div>
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<b>Every other film by Hughes during this time can be nitpicked for its dated aspects, notably in regards to problematic humor choices (<i>Sixteen Candles</i> is a minefield for controversy). Anything that can be thorny here is more seen as character traits, of messy teens coming to terms with their mistakes in the hopes of becoming better adults. Everything is organic to character, and in the process validates their experiences. For one of the few times, everyone is allowed to tear down walls and be themselves. They're allowed to open up and create this better understanding of their social dynamics. In some ways, it's the perfect embodiment of what should be happening every day in the world around them, where conversations teach them to be better people. <i>The Breakfast Club</i> is more than a teen movie. It's a lesson on how to break free of the social prisons and understand what makes us all so interesting.</b></div>
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<b>More than any other Hughes film, <i>The Breakfast Club</i> is deserving of its legacy, where every acting beat has inspired another teen movie in the 35 years since. The final shot of the film where John raises his fist in the air has become iconic. Even the poster for the film has been lampooned constantly. Hughes has become somewhat of a demigod for how he treats teenagers as these humans capable of deeper and more mature understanding. Rarely has this been more apparent than it is here. It's one of the few times when it's felt like it exists outside of melodrama and is something more real. Everyone can see something of value in the narrative and feel moved. That is why it continues to be referenced in teen comedies, where Ringwald remains an icon for a generation, even honoring the passing of Hughes at The Academy Awards in 2010. </b></div>
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<b>For a film about being stuck at school on a Saturday, it holds a lot of power. While not a revolutionary idea, it has rarely been this endearing. It's a teenage film meaning to be accepted by a public, and it does so by having a discussion that made it ahead of its time. In 2020, it's more acceptable to discuss and embrace differences within society. In <i>The Breakfast Club</i>, it feels like a teenager was still someone not to trust. In that way, Vernon was the public who sneers at taking anyone that young seriously. Hughes decided to find something underneath their defensive exteriors. It asks the audience on the way out to hold a conversation with someone they think wouldn't like them to see what's going in their life. If the world did that more often, maybe there would be less hostility. It's best to start this quest for empathy early and often because it's only then that society can become more interesting. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-10880698419751925782020-02-13T12:47:00.002-08:002020-02-13T12:47:54.945-08:00Review: "Birds of Prey" Gives Harley (and the Audience) What They Need<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Birds of Prey</i> (2020)</b></td></tr>
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<b>There is a point early on in director Cathy Yan's <i>Birds of Prey </i>where a recently separated Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) describes what a harlequin is. She is a woman who serves men, and to Harley, that was The Joker. Without him, what is she? She's gotten drinks off of everyone in the bar, barfed into a purse, and has given into the impulsive lifestyle of an insecure woman unsure of how to move forward (she's even bought a hyena). She starts the film a trainwreck, becoming loathsome as she blows up old spots that bring her bad memories. As her name suggests: without a man, what is she? Even with a Ph.D. in psychology, she is unable to break the grasp of her own mental prison that would free her.</b></div>
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<b>That is where the story starts, but where it goes from there is one of the most breakneck clever comic book adaptations in many years. It's a story that finds her not looking for love, but the meaning in a life free of a man's grasp, taking on the patriarchy with the most capital-M Misogynistic villain in existence in Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). While Yan can be accused of lacking subtlety in this female empowerment anthem slapped with a gorgeous yet macabre make-up pallet, it features some of the wildest action beats rich with personality and humor as she takes on a world she has wronged. It's also the comic book equivalent of singing Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" at a bar with your gal pals, finding the confidence to stand on one's own as the prisons of everything from the male gaze to self-worth gets explored in ways that show how far blockbuster cinema has come in the past few years. It may still be insane, but its deeper intent makes it a rock-solid experience.</b></div>
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<b>Some may find the technique used to tell Harley's story a bit overplayed, even reminiscent of the fourth-wall breaking hit <i>Deadpool</i>, but it's essential to understand her psychology. Following a perverse montage filling in the first half of her life as colorful cartoons fill the screen, the story cuts to her sitting on the couch of her apartment, downing a can of Cheez-Whiz as she uses her ink pen to add janky tattoos to her leg. She is a wreck, and the voice-over can be seen as such. For the first half-hour, it is almost difficult to get a straight answer out of Harley as she controls the entire film itself. Whole sequences are presented out of order and she often contradicts details that the viewer is seeing. At points, the film even reels backward. This isn't simply a means to make a cool D.C. film. Every choice that exists outside the frame is something existing in Harley's mind, whose scattershot understanding of her current life makes total sense. She bedazzles her eyebrow and constantly confronts a public judging her. She used to be in the star relationship of Gotham, and now she's nothing. How does one live with that?</b></div>
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<b>Every central character in <i>Birds of Prey</i> shares Harley's sense of inferiority at the start of their story. Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) is a police officer who didn't receive a promotion after solving an important case that her partner took credit for. The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seeks revenge against the men who murdered her family. Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) works for Black Mask in demeaning positions. Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) is a pickpocket whose home life is abusive. Together these are the tropes that cinema has given to female characters to reflect their helplessness. They are oppressed, finding their own journeys starting with the same cast out vibe that Harley starts hers with. They all deal with the insecurity differently, as The Huntress acts out, Black Canary and Montoya hold it in, and Harley tries to evade her haters for one more day. </b></div>
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<b>Even with the original title alluding more to the people in Harley's life than herself, most of the story is told from her perspective as she finds a new deal that could stave off conflict for a while. If she can return a diamond to Black Mask, she stands to win a half-million bounty. This is her attempt to replace The Joker (not seen in the film, save for a brief flashback to <i>Suicide Squad</i> which even then only features the side of his face) with a man who may as well be The Joker, but with many more connections, including henchman Victor Zsasz. Need a better reason to follow his orders? Well, he is so rich that he can buy armies if somebody so much as scratches his car. The man's not afraid to reflect the power of men at their worst, objectifying women both through one uncomfortable scene of undressing and by appropriating other cultures by stealing their artifacts because he could. He is comically overblown, but in some ways needs to be to reflect a 2020 view on misogyny, where there are men with a connection to armies who will hurt women who stand up for their rights, ripping them open if they don't go along with their sadistic plans. </b></div>
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<b>That is why the film is packed full of this funhouse view both in costume and set design of women's place in American society. The most apparent comes in the wardrobe of Harley. Whereas one can argue that she dressed for others in <i>Suicide Squad</i>, she's now empowered by more comforting, feminine outfits. She's no less attractive (contrary to what the Twitter bots claim). She looks like she's having more fun and her slow progression throughout the film shows something that comes with having a woman direct this type of movie. The bizarre clothing choices make sense, telling the audience something deeper about Harley's pain and growth. She is trying to have confidence in herself. The same can be said for every character who all have these moments of doubt that show characters not as perfect beings, but vulnerable and prone to mistakes. Harley is a train wreck, albeit an entertaining one. In an era where films like <i>Wonder Woman</i> and <i>Captain Marvel</i> promote perfection and leadership, <i>Birds of Prey</i> is the perfect anarchic substitute, even if she's a villain who was questionable anyway.</b></div>
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<b>The set design shows the divides between how men see women and how women see themselves. In a late scene where characters are dropped into a carnival maze of twisted colors and lights, the walls are lined with portraits of women, presented in exaggerated styles all showing signs of distress. The antiques that Black Mask has in his cavernous layer also feel like they're more to ogle at. Even the choice to incoherently parody Marilyn Monroe's famous "Diamonds Are Girl's Best Friend" moment from <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes </i>is itself commenting on the stereotype of women in media. Monroe was seen as a sex object, though those with a good nose for film study will recognize Monroe was always secretly in charge of the room by playing dumb. It raises questions as to how Harley sees herself, or if she just gives in to this submissive notion that she adores materialism and will do anything. If anything, seeing women dressed stylishly as themselves is too rebellious for these scenes, where even a jailbreak full of sprinklers doesn't end with a wet t-shirt exposing what's beneath. No, it's the start of a dizzying, delightful sequence of comedic action at its finest.</b></div>
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<b>The story may have its fair share of inconsistencies and outright dumb moments, but it's easily the most shameless comic book movie in several years. Yes, it's the story about female empowerment, but for once everything is allowed to be silly without feeling tied down by dark and gritty trends or bogged down in serious speeches establishing a theme. No, this is just a movie where a bad guy breaks into the prison using a beanbag gun and a cannon that shoots sparklers before doing backflips to take down brute men. Even if this is one of the more grounded comic book movies to an extent, it's allowed to get away with so much silliness, and Yan exploits that to a delightful degree. It's a story where women interrupt their fights to compliment each other, keeping up morale by discussing their post-violence plans like going out for pizza. It's stark and refreshing while also creating this deeper understanding of what the film has been building to: women learning that they don't need men to be happy and that they're stronger together than apart. </b></div>
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<b>This is the coming out party that people wanted for Harley Quinn, and the film works literally as such. One doesn't have to see <i>Suicide Squad</i> to understand this film, though it helps if one wants to see the difference between the male and female gaze, with the latter exploring more of a defense tactic, proving that women are strong and not just hot in short-shorts. In fact, there's something more attractive about their strength, their charm as they come together with this sole revelation by the end. Not only have they defeated what is one of the D.C. Extended Universe's (unfortunately) few memorable and theme-significant villains, but Harley's inner monologue has finally course-corrected itself. The way that the voice-over works in the film shows personal growth, that she's literally able to think for herself outside of the context of men. As Kesha's banger "Woman" ends the picture, it feels like the audience got something that's become rare in this influx of comic book culture: a downright fun movie. This is the type of cinema that Harley was made for, not the dreary bro-tastic nonsense of <i>Suicide Squad</i>. Hopefully there will be more of it, because it's one of the most addictive theatrical experiences of 2020 so far. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-70316194288401972812020-02-07T18:14:00.001-08:002020-02-07T18:14:34.908-08:00Podcast Portal: MusicalSplaining<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQPgEb_b9vc9NqE3a86mJ_tHkIOJSJ9EEGsHNxFVmeiGIVzbHGXjLpsVDDTGmyMLNltVQjd6UcCDQuzCs0okXxIuZ3VQmwGbS40hGcd3A5uryBEEzOcGIPz2dDw34DmdWrz_sgqDQKCE/s1600/blob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQPgEb_b9vc9NqE3a86mJ_tHkIOJSJ9EEGsHNxFVmeiGIVzbHGXjLpsVDDTGmyMLNltVQjd6UcCDQuzCs0okXxIuZ3VQmwGbS40hGcd3A5uryBEEzOcGIPz2dDw34DmdWrz_sgqDQKCE/s640/blob.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Welcome to Podcast Portal: a spontaneous column that will highlight podcasts of all genres that are lesser-known or new shows that are worth giving a listen. With the medium continuing to grow, it is hard to acknowledge all of them. However, I am going to try and find as many noteworthy titles as possible to share and hopefully expand your mind to the greatest growing medium out there. If you have any podcast that you feel is worth adding to the Podcast Portal, please make sure to inform me whether through the comments or through an e-mail (information in the sidebar). </b></div>
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<b>SHOW: MusicalSplaining</b><br />
<b>HOSTS: Lindsay Ellis, Kaveh Taherian</b><br />
<b>NETWORK: N/A</b><br />
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<b>EPISODE BEING DISCUSSED: "01: Cats"</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b><br />Despite negative reception and an even lower box office number, Tom Hooper's <i>Cats</i> has inspired quite the cult following in just shy of two months. For fans of theater and bad taste movies, it was a strange concoction that found so many weird ideas coming together to form madness. It's being hailed as a cult movie in the making, just a V.O.D. release away from being forever stamped onto the echelon of midnight movies. It has inspired so much love alongside its vitriol, and few have felt as inspired as YouTube personality Lindsay Ellis, who keeps promising one day to produce so much <i>Cats</i> content. Well, that day has theoretically started with the launch of her new podcast series MusicalSplaining. No, it's not exclusively about Cats. It's not going to go song-by-song and explain why it's a delusional masterpiece. It is the starting point, but not the endgame.</b><br />
<b>The endgame is more to annoy co-host Kaveh Taherian. Between Ellis and Taherian is two sides to the theater debate: those who love it and those who hate it. For those who have been to YouTube recently, it's easy to see where Ellis falls. What's more striking is being introduced to Taherian, who has a doozy of a story regarding Cats that involves a trip as a child that featured his father snoring and a divorce not long after. It's one of the entertaining components of the show that makes for a promising experience. The hosts could get by on a Q&A format of Ellis basically explaining the strange world of Andrew Lloyd Webber and be able to make years of entertaining content. Instead, she is seeking to make Taherian, who claims to base his own identity on hating musicals, to like them through reviewing live professional productions.</b><br />
<b>The concept sounds fresh, especially since most shows dedicated to Broadway have the base-level affection already in place. There is a knowledge of The Phantom of the Opera that Taherian clearly lacks. In that way, trying to get into theater has been a difficult proposition given that it's a world of heightened melodrama that requires paying a little extra for better seats. The perspective between these two provides the sense of an expert guiding the newbie through the world, creating an understanding in the divide as they hope to meet somewhere in the middle. The results are entertaining enough when they're talking about the more absurd elements, but becomes something essential when it gets to the heart of theater as a passionate art form.</b><br />
<b>The episode's focus on Cats is one that's full of entertaining dives into the show's weird history, including how the long-dead T.S. Eliot earned a Tony Award for the show simply by writing a kids book. It's wondering how this perverse ballet become an international phenomenon and had dicey songs involving Growltiger. It's a history lesson as well as one exploring what makes a show good or bad. It asks audiences to question the value of a show that feels dated and frozen at a different time. Cats was an easy episode to start with given its recent phenomenon. It was even more entertaining to challenge a newbie to get it without much of a cultural context. As a whole, it's a strong debut that makes one wish that they could hit a new touring production every week.</b><br />
<b>MusicalSplaining is a show that feels like the start of something special. As they ended the show by rattling off potential future episodes, there is this sense of glee in hearing Ellis introduce Taherian to a world that he doesn't know, and in the process hopefully more through podcast. Who knows. Maybe the impact of Wicked will be seen as more than pedantic when it comes around, or the Hadestown episode will be as strong as Ellis' love for it. There's so much room to explore a love of theater by trying to explain it to the last possible person to get it. One can hope that they cover every show in existence because, as Ellis suggests, Love Never Dies is a show that's probably going to break him before it's over, and one can't help but want to hear what that sounds like.</b><br />
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<b>OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5</b><br />
<b>WORTH A SECOND GO?: If you're a fan of theater, it feels like an easy yes. Provided that the show sticks to this entertaining format, it can help to create a new conversation around musicals that finds a way to turn a new audience onto them. More than that, hearing Ellis talk passionately about Webber has become an enjoyable past time and one that feels like it's only to grow into something more fascinating with time. More than that, one can hope that Taherian has more entertaining stories to share. There's a lot to love in these two, and it may be the best example of annoying people to be made into a podcast yet. </b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-30039434014124214072020-02-07T17:47:00.000-08:002020-02-07T17:47:08.689-08:00Channel Surfing: Katy Keene - "Pilot"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTMVfAL5VCnqNUQtZn4dULuyDwor58QQElezUT8Y28NJDfgrED70A9IXCwhN3PEYCS3Rr9uxvLkw-TDeq0CSoWO9nDmWtWl-BhiciLXudqG7POmgvFYw-FdMXF5BYWcEVe0RW5B2bMko/s1600/3f99ec2a-119b-454b-b200-6e1af1f67c4b-ahr0cdovl3d3dy5uzxdzyxjhbweuy29tl2ltywdlcy9plzawmc8ynjgvntqyl2kwmi9lyxr5s2vlbmuucg5n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1020" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTMVfAL5VCnqNUQtZn4dULuyDwor58QQElezUT8Y28NJDfgrED70A9IXCwhN3PEYCS3Rr9uxvLkw-TDeq0CSoWO9nDmWtWl-BhiciLXudqG7POmgvFYw-FdMXF5BYWcEVe0RW5B2bMko/s640/3f99ec2a-119b-454b-b200-6e1af1f67c4b-ahr0cdovl3d3dy5uzxdzyxjhbweuy29tl2ltywdlcy9plzawmc8ynjgvntqyl2kwmi9lyxr5s2vlbmuucg5n.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Katy Keene</i></b></td></tr>
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<b>Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.</b></div>
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<b>As far as network shows go, there's nothing as crazy as the world that <i>Riverdale</i> has built. What started as a show that sought to turn the cutesy 50s-style comic into an adaptation full of sex and violence has become a phenomenon spanning both The CW and a spin-off on Netflix with <i>Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i>. The flagship series has slowly been turning network TV into something darker for the teen dramas out there. <i>Nancy Drew</i> came back with similar results, only this time adding more fantasy elements. With all this in mind, it's quite something to know that their second spin-off, the first with deliberate ties to <i>Riverdale</i>, is far from the seedy murders that they're known for. In fact, it's almost difficult to think that they take place within the same universe.</b><br />
<b>This isn't a bad thing, as <i>Katy Keene</i> is a welcomed addition to the world of teen dramas. Having made her debut on an episode of <i>Riverdale</i> the day prior, Katy (Lucy Hale) is a fashion-forward relative of Veronica Lodge who decides to room with co-star Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray). The formula from there is prototypical spin-off material. Even if the audience is introduced to this New York through the eyes of Katy, it's clear that the series wants to quickly establish its connections. Josie is looking for a music career and meets Katy as she's moving into the city. There's so much optimism as Katy presents her narrative in a <i>Sex and the City </i>Carrie Bradshaw-type voice-over that makes the world sound much more optimistic and full of potential. Then again, a show like this has no other reason to exist. As Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York" plays, it's the cliche debut to a series clearly playing with the checkmarks.</b><br />
<b>Supporting character Jorge (Jonny Beauchamp) is introduced to Josie as Katy says "You're going to love him." It may be a moment between two characters, but it's one of many moments that feels like <i>Katy Keen</i> addressing the audience directly. By deliberately establishing intent, it hopes to get to the point quicker and in unsubtle ways. Josie finds a music career simply by walking up to a guitarist in the park and singing "There's a Rose in Spanish Harlem." There's no slow build. Maybe that's the point. This is all establishment and there's no time for formalities. What is important will be the future. Even then, it all feels a bit too pat, as if the writers are forcing opinions of characters onto the audience in a fashion meant to be clever.</b><br />
<b>Of course, <i>Katy Keene</i> is capable of rising above this. The show focuses on Katy as a person living in New York, pursuing a job in the fashion industry as she deals with high-end clients and finds the social life to be remarkable. Remember Jorge? He's also a drag queen named Ginger Lopez. Jorge wants to be on Broadway and, when an audition goes wrong, he defiantly says that the rejecting theater director will one day know his name. It's all again a bit too pat, but if it gets the show to somewhere bigger, then so be it. Katy gives up her safe job for a fashion icon in order to pursue a job with people who treat her right. It's fair enough, as the audience is taught to like the supporting cast and sympathize with glamor divas like Katy as they become underwhelmed by the opportunities of following the elites. They're still dying to be in that life, but they want to do it their way.</b><br />
<b>This show hits all of the familiar patterns necessary for the show to work. It doesn't necessarily do anything revolutionary with them, but through a story that establishes character, it presents a different side of <i>Riverdale</i>'s atmosphere. In fact, it's refreshing to find a world that isn't immediately plagued with the sometimes unbearable darkness. Here it's more of a story regarding independent women trying to make it in the big city. The glitz and glamor are all an excellent tapestry to the show, and it helps that Hale gives the show an engaging protagonist capable of making any big reveal feel more jubilant than it is. This is a show that already knows what it is and hopefully will only continue to grow from there. The fact that there are humor and personality also helps. While a lot of things may be a bit too convenient at times, the chemistry exuded by the cast is positive. It makes such hokey moments as Katy watching Ginger stand up for herself feel like the start of something special despite being no more than another telegraphed moment from the writers.</b><br />
<b>Is the show something special? In certain ways, it's a hodgepodge of ideas from better shows. Even the choice to play "Welcome to New York" gives a familiarity that doesn't help things. With that said, the show has already proven it capable of standing on its own against <i>Riverdale</i> and <i>Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i> with a story that is likely to become more independent of its source material, showing just how diverse the world of Archie Comics can go. Maybe one day these shows could even compete in terms of quality, though it feels like things will only continue to mold from here, building a TV universe on par with CW's superhero Arrowverse. For any fault it has as another teen drama, it makes up for with a cast that feels more cohesive than most other CW shows currently going on. It defies following trends in favor of making something different. Let's hope it stays that way.</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-27070220331405543802020-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:002020-02-06T14:23:29.629-08:00The Madonna Project: #2. "Like A Virgin" (1984)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPicVwDk7J5upIs7POIPHn1lwOl_qxIWDmfxMqLsAvoktUr1wGwNMEigrkCnU16ixd68SO4DzxI7iFAbzCoILXRlyv5bcOj4hxSc6jfABrKI8zkSuxjdTaYHKIV9koJ63S2x0Pg7wDJDY/s1600/madonna-like-a-virgin-album-cd-cover-1024x1006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1024" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPicVwDk7J5upIs7POIPHn1lwOl_qxIWDmfxMqLsAvoktUr1wGwNMEigrkCnU16ixd68SO4DzxI7iFAbzCoILXRlyv5bcOj4hxSc6jfABrKI8zkSuxjdTaYHKIV9koJ63S2x0Pg7wDJDY/s640/madonna-like-a-virgin-album-cd-cover-1024x1006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>In the history of pop music, no artist has stood out quite like Madonna. From her early days writing infectious songs that challenged societal norms, the fashion icon created a new definition of celebrity and in the process reinvented herself in such alluring ways. With The Madonna Project, the plan is to watch the chameleon grow and change over time, highlighting the various things that make her albums essential, or at least interesting to talk about. Over the course of 2020, this will be a look at everything from "Madonna" to "Madame X" (and possibly beyond) in an attempt to understand: why does Madonna continue to matter, and if that could ever possibly change. It's a tough call, but join me on a journey of finding out what makes her one of the most untouchable Gods of pop. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Album: "Like a Virgin"</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: November 12, 1984</b><br />
<b>Label: Sire Records, Warner Bros. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Certifications:</b><br />
<b>-Australia (7x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Belgium (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Canada (Diamond)</b><br />
<b>-Finland (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-France (2x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Germany (3x Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Hong Kong (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-New Zealand (5x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Spain (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Switzerland (2x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-United Kingdom (3x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-United States (Diamond) </b><br />
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<b>Total: 21 million sold internationally </b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Singles:</b><br />
<b>-"Like A Virgin"</b><br />
<b>-"Material Girl"</b><br />
<b>-"Angel"</b><br />
<b>-"Into the Groove"</b><br />
<b>-"Dress You Up"</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Awards:</b><br />
<b>N/A</b><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Track List:</b></div>
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<b>1. "Material Girl"</b><br />
<b>2. "Angel"</b><br />
<b>3. "Like a Virgin"</b><br />
<b>4. "Over and Over"</b><br />
<b>5. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"</b><br />
<b>6. "Dress You Up"</b><br />
<b>7. "Shoo-Bee-Doo"</b><br />
<b>8. "Pretender"</b><br />
<b>9. "Stay"</b><br />
<b>10. "Into the Groove"</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>*NOTE: Listen to it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YH4mOwWryW6O64eEzallgnjxMquJFN9">here</a>.</b><br />
<b>*NOTE: Listen to "Into the Groove" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ewsdfeM-nQ">here</a>.</b><br />
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<b>Track Analysis</b></div>
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<b>This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.</b><br />
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<b>Presented in order of appearance on the album.</b></div>
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<b>"Material Girl"</b></div>
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<b>When thinking of Madonna, there are few songs as ubiquitous as this one. After all, she is The Material Girl. While she tries to live that moniker down the older she gets, it's one of the inescapable charms. It doesn't hurt that it's one of the most bubbly songs about consumerism to ever exist. You can't help but get the chorus stuck in your head, especially as she creates one of the most echoic anthems of its kind since Marilyn Monroe sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." It may be airheaded when compared to everything else she's done, but who's to deny that the clever sense of dominance she displays in the song isn't already establishing her as a queen of the genre? It's a catchy song and maybe one of her least meaningful, but that's not such a bad thing when what follows is an expansion of character that makes her more diverse than we'd ever give her credit for. If nothing else, this was underplaying what was to come.</b><br />
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<b>"Angel"</b></div>
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<b>The second song on the album produces the one single that's faded a bit with time (save for a recent use on <i>Stranger Things</i>). With that said, it's far from as disposable as the second-tier tracks of "Madonna." In fact, there's something fun to the bouncing instrumentation as she sings a love song about someone being an angel. It's got this haunting, New Wave approach that shows the small ways in which she's planning on becoming more eclectic with time. Most of all, her lower register allows for the song to have a seductive quality that is sometimes bashful, but always full of a personality that's already developed. It's a fun song that shows her gifts for making the idea of falling in love something tender and sweet. </b></div>
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<b>"Like A Virgin"</b></div>
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<b>Most of what came before felt like it was building to this moment, the triumphant arrival of Madonna's wordplay. She would only continue to play with religious imagery in her work, but here she manages to use the idea of virginity in ways the tow around the idea of decency in music, and in the process develops a persona that will define the rest of her career. There's so much life in the song, where a simple "Hey" comes with a sense of eroticism that likely caused controversy. At the end of the day, it's just a well-crafted tune that is longing for your attention, and the fact that it feels dirtier than it is only shows how much power Madonna has as an artist over her spectators. </b></div>
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<b>"Dress You Up"</b></div>
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<b>There is nothing wrong with this song. It's got every hook in place and will get you moving when you approach a dance floor. The only issue is that when compared to the other singles on this album, it's a bit too simple-minded in production. It has the familiar seductiveness in lines about dressing you up in my love "from your head down to your toes," but it's not much else. It's fun and captures what makes her great as a performer in her ability to draw the listener in during the verse before exploding on the chorus. It's just that halfway through all of the tricks have been heard and they're fine. Nothing really develops from there. As a second-tier hit, however, it's actually pretty great.</b></div>
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<b>"Into the Groove"</b></div>
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<b>In another song that's second-tier hit material, this one came later into the process than the others. It came on a reissue, which meant in some ways that it was an afterthought when compared to the other nine songs. That doesn't mean it lacks anything, even if it's more simple-minded than "Dress You Up" in what it wants to achieve. It's "Holiday" on ecstasy, singing lustfully about dancing together as a form of expression. It's goofy and it's hard not to underplay that even then it really gets the crowd moving. It works because the chorus has violent drums and bass only jolting the soul more, and in some ways, its simple theme only makes it more palatable to dance to.</b></div>
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<b>Noteworthy Outliers </b></div>
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<b>Songs on the album that are interesting despite not being singles.</b></div>
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<b>"Shoo-Bee-Doo"</b></div>
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<b>While the outliers on this album range from solid to some of Madonna's most disposable work so far, this cut midway through the album has a sense of the performer to come. We've already heard "Material Girl" make her into the bubblegum star then "Like A Virgin" into a seductive soulstress of wordplay. Now we get a performer who feels like she's breaking into something personal, bearing her soul as her voice goes deeper inside herself, making such a silly title pave the way for meaning and depth. While it's not the only song on here to do so ("Love Don't Live Here Anymore"), it's the only original that feels like it has something more of substance to offer in giving a sense of Madonna as an individual, as an artist wanting to do more than dance. It's her calling card for longevity.</b></div>
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<b>Closing Remarks</b><br />
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<b>On one hand, this is exactly the door-busting album that it's sold as. It was more than an album, from the iconic artwork to the music videos and performances, Madonna albums now have storied legacies of artistry and controversy. The 21 million copies sold is a testament to her ascension into pop stardom, and it's hard to think that she'll only get more interesting from here. However, it's all a bit muddled when pulling back from the brilliant singles that grab the listener and form permanent residence in their head. The other songs are largely disposable, with the final stretch being arguably some of her least memorable work to date. While this continues to prove her gifts for the singles, it doesn't have enough. "Madonna" was an album, by comparison, that felt like every note was meticulously thought over. "Like A Virgin" only has that half of the time, likely due to the quick release after the first album. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>Up Next: "True Blue" (1986)</b></div>
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<b>Album Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Madonna album is the best.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>2. "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b></div>
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<b>Single Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the singles from each album in hopes of finding which one is Madonna's best song.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. "Like A Virgin" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>2. "Borderline" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>3. "Lucky Star" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>4. "Holiday" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>5. "Angel" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>6. "Material Girl" -"Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>7. "Into the Groove" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>8. "Dress You Up" - "Like A Virgin" (1984)</b><br />
<b>9. "Burning Up" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>10. "Everybody" - "Madonna" (1983)</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-64113526353954569702020-02-04T14:19:00.000-08:002020-02-04T14:19:08.727-08:00TV Retrospective: "BoJack Horseman"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDsW1_p6mJqSIBazIncY5csJQm8s7AQEe-mehudeMXRWrbt89ChTgLry1sZT1p7OVaRNXp6DzvPKY1OpYFJIY6FhgwJD2lLJ53Igv5v_GfYLFHJ4fc0M_WSQ0Wijgxp7MOIKnKrQ3eHQ/s1600/bojack-horseman-finale-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDsW1_p6mJqSIBazIncY5csJQm8s7AQEe-mehudeMXRWrbt89ChTgLry1sZT1p7OVaRNXp6DzvPKY1OpYFJIY6FhgwJD2lLJ53Igv5v_GfYLFHJ4fc0M_WSQ0Wijgxp7MOIKnKrQ3eHQ/s640/bojack-horseman-finale-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>When Netflix introduced a Hollywoo(d) satire lead by a 90s sitcom star played by a horse, it seemed like the type of gimmick that wouldn't last. After all, what show with talking animals could think of producing any lasting emotional catharsis? That is what makes the gradual success of <i>BoJack Horseman</i> a wrecking ball that redefined TV with one of the most incredible runs in the streaming service's history. It was a show that took the background gags previously defined by <i>The Simpsons</i> and made them even crazier, requiring a remote to be in hands at all times. However, it also found a way to take the Hollywood culture of excess and explore themes that evolved with the show. What started as a reflection of a (horse)man suffering from depression slowly began to be about a world of loneliness that impacted everyone. It was a story that could explore toxic masculinity and asexuality as well as absurd plots about a game show that was lead by J.D. Sallinger. <i>BoJack Horseman</i> was the crazy show that found humanity at its ultimate highs and lows and in the process opened up its audience to the cruel world just out of frame. It was a show like no other, and one that will be difficult to ever imitate.</b></div>
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<b>In the episodes leading up to the finale, <i>BoJack Horseman</i> was a show that explored its crazy, limitless potential for animation in some insane ways. Writer Diane Nguyen (Allison Brie) suffered from writer's block by having the words come to life to attack her emotional insecurity. Todd (Aaron Paul) had a rekindling with his mother while faking a kidnap from Margot Martindale. Meanwhile, BoJack (Will Arnett) had the most surreal experience as he experienced dinner and a show with people who had died throughout the show's history. Black humor abounds and there are allusions to him drowning in a pool as the animation continues to warp into the abstract, itself becoming uncomfortable in a redundant sense of delusional happiness. Still, in those moments BoJack never strayed far from the heart of what the show was about.</b></div>
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<b>During the dinner scene, BoJack is seen faced with the deceased parties who died often through traumatic forms. For instance, his uncle died in military combat. This leads BoJack to the belief that acts of valor make him feel guilty for being happy. Meanwhile, he is forced to deal with people whose lives he leads into misery through drug overdoses and hangings that were less than pleasant. Nobody seems happy, and they all perform wild acts leading to a mysterious exit, an absence that feels haunting as BoJack faces a door entering into blackness. He doesn't know what is there, but he knows that he must escape the emptiness that lies beyond. He wants to live, and in a show that has found BoJack at the edge of irrelevance, it's the optimistic tool that leads into the finale. For a show that often can be very funny, the choice to spend its penultimate episode not with a positive revelation but in despair is bold and even fitting.</b></div>
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<b>After all, the life of BoJack is on that has been trying to escape depression at every turn. Even if early episodes can be construed as a wacky comedy, they slowly build to revelations of death as BoJack is forced to deal with a past that finds him being abused and neglected. While everyone else tries to move beyond it in their personal life, he is stuck in the past that eventually comes back to hurt him. He is the aggressor in Me Too-style revelations that cancel him from culture, forced to remove his name from his beloved TV show <i>Horsin' Around</i> and removed from friendships that were once the sole existence of his joy. Then again, he has to deal with Todd finding self-worth, or Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) trying to find love in a world as a single mother. Diane has moved on and discovered that she's better without BoJack in her life, and it's sad for the best. If there's anything that the six seasons have lead to, it's that <i>BoJack Horseman</i> is taking to task an adult form of regret. Somethings cannot be undone.</b></div>
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<b>In a show that has seen BoJack dedicate a whole episode to comically getting to an underwater premiere, or Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) hosting a birthday party that goes horribly wrong, it has never strayed far enough away from the internal conflict of its characters. Mr. Peanutbutter, the perennial upbeat character and star of <i>Birthday Dad</i>, becomes insecure in his newfound depression after being broken up with. Diane finds a complacency in her new relationship that is almost too comfortable. As much as the previous seasons have been about struggling to fit, this is the first time that the show has moved onto new things and found some satisfaction within them. There's sudden joy in finding life outside of Hollywoo. There's meaning in finding a life that doesn't cater to egos and artificiality. For some, that's harder to find. BoJack thinks he's found it when he teaches an acting class, but that proves to just breed new egos and connect him to the brutal past that gave him addictions.</b></div>
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<b>That is what makes the finale all the more piercing. It doesn't end with another hairbrained scheme that ends with a great punchline. Well, there is a punchline, but it's one that is far sadder: "life's a bitch and then you die, except maybe life's a bitch and you keep on living." As BoJack sits on the roof with Diane, the woman he began the series affectionate towards, there is no clearer sense that they're not right for each other. Diane has accepted her new life and can't be drawn into BoJack's life. She hates her old self and loves her new life. The sense that they'll never see each other again becomes tragic, but there's this underlying sense that life away from fame will be okay for both of them. Still, to see a friendship come to an acceptable ending is terribly sad, especially when Diane suggests that BoJack put too much control over her and that life without him has been great. They sit in silence, realizing that their lives will likely continue without each other. Is it all a metaphor for death? hat lies next? It's the open-ended existential question that the show has been building to. Those who have learned to move on have found joy, but can BoJack?</b></div>
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<b>The Netflix series was part of a newer class of sitcoms that not only deconstructed the meta-humor of its subject but went deep into the heart of its characters. Without any need to censor or cut to commercial, <i>BoJack Horseman</i> could grow in experimental directions and fluctuate its scenes to go as short or long as they wanted. By doing so, it found a way to look into the abysmal nature of humanity and find some optimism in the therapy. Cartoon animals have rarely been as emotional and powerful as they were here, finding ways to turn a whole exploration of society's modern woes into a comical show of background gags colliding with dark moments that couldn't be told through any lighter tone. It would just be too unpleasant. Still, this set a bar that isn't likely to be met by any other show for fear of plagiarism. It was one of a kind experience that created sympathy around an unlikeable character without rejecting him of his crimes. It was bold and pushed limits, but also asked us to think about our own lives. For a show that rose from the dregs of underdog status, it became a phenomenon like no other, and that's only part of why the show is a cornerstone of how Netflix has changed the game for the better.</b><br />
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<b>Overall Rating: 5 out of 5</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-60253051933491282132020-02-03T14:45:00.001-08:002020-02-03T14:45:45.662-08:00Review: "Miss Americana" Finds the Value of Self-Worth in a Troubling World<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLmWjvLURZrfm7dgIZi6SYvK1PElSkCi1Lg3jVe3mTwHL3nxvClABxpDEJuarRjEqBcTkIe1TozIuwed-cbyVbw_39LXBca2m8aO8LkE6M-mBd-xpc5mMQ59bgUI3t0CUHXEOk0EN9J0/s1600/taylor-swift-miss-americana-100418-1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLmWjvLURZrfm7dgIZi6SYvK1PElSkCi1Lg3jVe3mTwHL3nxvClABxpDEJuarRjEqBcTkIe1TozIuwed-cbyVbw_39LXBca2m8aO8LkE6M-mBd-xpc5mMQ59bgUI3t0CUHXEOk0EN9J0/s640/taylor-swift-miss-americana-100418-1200.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Miss Americana</i></b></td></tr>
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<b><b>A lot of ink has been spilled on the name of Taylor Swift over the past 15 years. From her early days in country to her shift to pop music, her transparency has made her the source of acclaim and revulsion. But what about the woman behind the words, of an artist whose only job was wanting to be loved by the masses? There's a lot to unpack in director Lana Wilson's <i>Miss Americana</i>, which finds the star at one of her most vulnerable points following the backlash to her "Reputation" album and a need to break her silence on political issues. It's more than a celebration of pop's most successful artist of the 2010s, it's a chance to reveal that no matter how famous people get, their struggles on a human level are universal, reflective of their environment and need to feel like a useful member of society. While she may have more Twitter followers than you, her story dealing with sexual harassment, internet bullying, and Kanye West all create a perspective of a woman just trying to get by. She does so with a power that only takes its truest forms in the third act, becoming one of the most enlightening, essential pop docs of recent years. </b></b><br />
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<b>Wilson's camera goes further than most camera phones are often allowed. In a rare opportunity, she is welcomed into the inner circle of Swift. She is seen in the studio, singing out ideas with producer Jack Antonoff and collaborator Brendan Urie. She sings the ideas that she has written on her phone, trying to find the missing lines as Antonoff rambles an idea off. There's something joyful about her discovering the final structure of a song. It's even more powerful to see her sit at a piano and play it out, discovering the genius of a performer who has been trained to write, write, write. The final product of these scenes will be the "Lover" album, though the story will proceed to jump around before launch day arrives. This is a story that will not only give people an idea of how producing an album occurs but how Swift sees herself becoming an empowered person, approaching 30, as she feels like she finally understands what matters to her.</b></div>
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<b>There is some emphasis on her beginnings if just to provide a context for the later chapters. The home video gives us performances of her singing as a teenager at clubs, getting the approval of her peers. She seems unstoppable, and it's what propels the first chapter of her story. She is the one artist who transcended the country charts and found love on the pop stations. She won Grammy Awards, sold millions, and has become one of the defining voices of the era with a nonstop barrage of hits. She seemed unstoppable... until the Kanye West moment. Before that, she had one mode: I need to please people. It's how she became successful and to see her perform in that time is to see that smile emerge nightly as she finds a connection. However, there is something missing. It's her, but not one allowed to speak openly about what matters to her. After all, country music is the genre that infamously disowned The Dixie Chicks following Anti-Bush rhetoric. Swift couldn't sacrifice a career in its prime with her beliefs.</b></div>
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<b>Following the Kanye West moment, it felt like the world was shifting. Suddenly when West bum-rushed the stage during her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, she became scrutinized. It's one of awards show's most infamous moments now, and the fact that West would later suggest he "made that bitch famous" only reflects misogyny that was in the environment. It's here that Swift begins to feel depression from no longer being able to please. "Reputation" was built like an album addressing her haters in a very vitriolic tone. Suddenly her career was uncertain, and her sudden absence from the spotlight was more of a chance to get away from the backlash than anything else.</b></div>
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<b>Wilson manages to capture Swift during these moments at her most vulnerable. With nobody else to please, how does she love herself? Among the things discussed is her eating disorder, a sexual harassment lawsuit, and the internet bullying her as a pariah. She was just a woman in an unfortunate situation, unable to please people because of the standards put on women in the industry. Any sign of arrogance was to shield herself from the pain that came with the world attacking her. By placing Wilson in the living room of Swift's home, the audience gets to hear those conversations of Swift slowly unraveling before her mother, feeling hopeless. She is able to express herself through music, and yet there's no way to feel like she's validated. She can't speak up because that's not what good country artists do.</b></div>
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<b>If nothing else, the shift in Swift's perspective towards the latter half is something that all 20-somethings faced during the past five years. With the 2016 presidential election, there was a division politically in America, and suddenly people became activists almost out of necessity if just to save the country from potential peril. To watch Swift finally find self-actualization is to find her approaching her 30's and discovering that she needs to have something of value socially in order to have any staying power. To see her plan a Twitter post regarding Tennessee resident's need to vote is to see a woman experiencing her last moments of repression. As her publicist hits 'Send', there is a joy through the room that things will change. It's not dangerous in the way that she's changing image, but that she finally feels like she said something meaningful.</b></div>
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<b>As much as this is autobiographical to Swift's life, it feels like a story that's essential to the moment. It's about a woman who is only beginning to understand that with her larger-than-life platform that she must use it to better the world. It will come with several hurdles, but to see her stumble now and then only makes her more human. Suddenly "Lover" seems like more than another random album. It feels like a commentary on her desire to become more vocal about her desires for women's and gay rights. She is beginning to feel more human because she's not out to please everyone. She merely wants to please herself with messages of love that will make her feel valuable. She's not young and reckless anymore. She's a statesman for the music industry, and she better use that platform well.</b></div>
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<b>One doesn't need to love Swift's music to appreciate this, but it doesn't hurt. This is the story of struggling to find yourself in your 20s and discovering what your self-worth is. It's more than producing love songs to the general public of adoring fans. It's about making something that matters to you, making every note feel like it comes from someplace personal. <i>Miss Americana</i> shows that just because Swift is more popular than you, it doesn't mean that she escapes problems rampant in modern culture. If anything, her life condenses those issues on a global stage and makes them feel like a time capsule not only of her growth as a person but how the world needs to better itself. This doesn't end with a satisfactory note of her achieving all of her goals. It's more the start of her wanting to get there, and no celebration feels as exciting as this.</b></div>
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</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-60154687055953072332020-01-17T13:39:00.001-08:002020-01-17T13:39:43.809-08:00CD Review: Eminem - "Music to Be Murdered By"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfyc6GYKtUQoRrQ0KqBU9ouIYs4UBppf39jlXZL0ExJPCJrvVEPC3fzPvePO_WJlpLVkr8WwZuw7EGDqKn6G2NZ_J2ta4PZDK1_I2lVlIS9H5vE9bsNXlayWrf7HSTFq4Brm576X7WCs/s1600/1579260311_eminem-music-to-be-murdered-by-stream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfyc6GYKtUQoRrQ0KqBU9ouIYs4UBppf39jlXZL0ExJPCJrvVEPC3fzPvePO_WJlpLVkr8WwZuw7EGDqKn6G2NZ_J2ta4PZDK1_I2lVlIS9H5vE9bsNXlayWrf7HSTFq4Brm576X7WCs/s640/1579260311_eminem-music-to-be-murdered-by-stream.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>You have to give Eminem some credit. For being an artist who made his name dropping songs that courted controversy within seconds of pressing play, he still has an allure that keeps audiences coming back. He is one of the most viable rappers in a genre that still praises youth and vitality. Eminem has seen the genre change so frequently that his earliest work on "The Slim Shady LP" sounds like a bygone era. And still, he keeps pushing along, sticking to his guns as he finds new targets to take down. There is a reason that his recent beefs with Machine Gun Kelly and Nick Cannon were met with anticipation when his diss track would eviscerate them and "end careers" of the poor naive victims. Even as he approaches 50, he has proven to be an anomaly in rap: he's still young and hungry, even if one could argue that he has nothing left really to prove.</b></div>
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<b>That is likely a reason he has taken up the new tradition of dropping surprise albums. Following 2018's "Kamikaze," he has been on a tear, trying to stay ahead of his critics and peers with rhymes that have a lyrical dexterity that is unmatched. Even then, it has felt like his anger hasn't really been directed in a way that once made him vital. With his 11th album, "Music to Be Murdered By," he pulls a bigger surprise: he finds a way to apply his horror rap pastiches to a contemporary lens that actually has insight and depth. While arguments could be made against how the album is produced, there's no denying that Eminem (a man once known for not caring) has found a way to care with a subversive technique that gives the album some levity. It's shocking, sure. That's to be expected. However, it feels like a portrait of the American psychopath, doing everything to understand not why he is so mad, but why we all are.</b></div>
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<b>While Eminem has always reveled on a blue sense of humor, there's something that feels especially clever on this album. The title refers to a similar Alfred Hitchcock album where the famed director pokes fun at his listeners being killed throughout the course of an easy listening album. Like Hitchcock, Eminem has used horror theatrics for show and the choice to use audio clips of Hitchcock using his own macabre senes of humor shows that what he's doing is nothing new. Audiences have been clamoring for the grotesque since the dawn of time when penny dreadfuls made Victorian society feel far more dangerous. Eminem is just following in the classical tradition of his peers, and for the first time, he's not afraid to put himself into that context.</b></div>
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<b>The only real difference is that Eminem is far less subtle than Hitchcock. The opener "Premonition" features the umpteenth time that the rapper has depicted murdering/burying a woman. It's almost his calling card and to have it on an album with "Murder" in the title seems obvious. After all, this is what he does. The album is followed by "Unaccommodating," which finds Eminem comparing himself to international terrorists from the past 20 years, all who have a negative and violent reputation in America. The best that can be said is that this is the warm-up act for what's to come. It's an artist addressing the media, asking why we perceive certain figures the way that we do. </b></div>
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<b>One of the problems early on is that Eminem is too autobiographical in his music. Yes, there's a heightened sense of fiction to be found here, but that doesn't stop him from continuing the play-by-play of his bitterness towards critics. He targets Rolling Stone magazine in particular for giving "Kamikaze" a bad review, forcing himself to ask what his critics want of him. Instead of being the rebellious spirit who takes joy in taking down young kids doing mumble rap as the genre's boomer grandpa, he has a sense of pain of his own vitality. It's true that he's always attacked his critics, but now it just feels like he grasping at straws. There's no emotional catharsis in it, and that's one of the issues with the album.</b></div>
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<b>Like "Kamikaze," his latest gets in its own way constantly as Eminem tries to address his critics in ways that are bitter jabs, taking away from any lyrical content that would be vicious or exciting. Yes, the album is about murdering everything that is wrong in the world, but these targets feel especially insignificant when placed on his later targets. It's an album that features him coming to terms with wild partying ("Those Kinda Nights") and marital affairs ("In Too Deep"). They're familiar territory, but there's something fresh about it as if we're seeing the one side of growing older that Eminem is willing to discuss. He's vulnerable to bad relationships, and it kind of explains why he's got loneliness underneath all of his raps. His shock rap only gets him so far, and it's here and in "Never Love Again" where he addresses it on a deeper, emotional level. "Never Love Again" is a song about quitting drugs written like a bad break-up, and it shows some signs of the man that Eminem currently is. It's compelling and reflects what he does best: being vulnerable even with his defenses up.</b></div>
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<b>In what is likely to be his most controversial song since "The Eminem Show" era, "Darkness" is a song that takes his serial killer persona to another level. It's clear that he watches the news (it's been explored haphazardly on the album "Revival"), and here he takes on the Mandalay Bay mass shooting from the shooter's perspective, claiming that he doesn't want to be lonely anymore. It's a terrifying moment and one that feels like Eminem using his murder imagery for something grander. He wants to understand why someone would shoot a crowd of people. Unlike his earlier albums, there's no punchline. There's just this inherent sadness as the song incorporates gunfire and screaming crowds into the song. It's a moment on par with "Stan" that captures the dark core of Eminem, doing his best to understand this insane world. Is it irresponsible? Maybe. Even then, Eminem has been accused of inspiring murderers in the past. It feels like it would be irresponsible not to do it.</b></div>
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<b>The best that can be said is that this is the most that he has desired to be a showman since "The Marshall Mathers LP 2," and with far more inventiveness in it. Maybe that's because he's brought an interesting variety of guests on the album (Ed Sheeran, Royce da 5'9", Anderson Paak), but it's just that this is one of his most realized albums in over a decade. It isn't just a chance to hear him once again describe brutally abusing women's bodies, it's about trying to put his violent tendencies in a context that is just as joyful from his youth, but also self-reflecting of knowing what the consequences are. He's aware of the theatrics that he and Hitchcock have given the world, but the difference is that Eminem has the conscience to be personal. Songs like "Stepdad" aren't new in the subject, but continues to show the rapper coming to terms with his past, moving away from attack his mother and choosing one of his rare male enemies. Sure, it sounds like a petty teenager complaining, but to place it into the bigger tapestry is to paint an interesting portrait of a man who is likely thankful to still be a relevant artist.</b></div>
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<b>Then again, it's a charming dissonance to hear Eminem as more than a performer coming to terms with his past and place in media. His attacks on other performers (notably Machine Gun Kelly and Nick Cannon) are still clever little jabs that prove his gift for taking others down. He still has a vitality at his bitterness that works on its own but makes sense within the context of his warped and depressing lifestyle. The only issue, if there is any, is that for as much as he hates contemporary trends in rap, he also has a strange affinity for outdated pop culture references, such as <i>Beavis and Butt-head</i> and <i>A Fish Called Wanda</i>. He's constantly rapping about how Wu-Tang Clan influenced his life. While it's an admirable way of making Eminem a performer from an era, it makes his choice to take down those younger than him confusing. We get it. Mumble rap sucks. Why do you need to take it down to prove your own relevance? Just embrace old age and keep your dirty jokes. It's kind of more fun.</b></div>
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<b>The big issue with Eminem, especially following "Recovery," is that he has a production that works against the album's charm. Clocking in at 64 minutes, the album feels overlong not because of the substance of the lyrics, but because every song has lost an anarchic edge. Every autobiographical reveal feels undone by the fact that the choruses all have a vibrant sound that is big, striving for pop hooks that are meant to add grandiose emotion. The album has moments that are lean and brutal, but they're undone by choruses that find the artist feeling self-aware about getting a Top 40 album. Considering how long he's been a commodity, his self-consciousness feels unwarranted. The good news is that there are moments that have more edge than his past three albums ("I Will"), but hearing Eminem try to sing or find deeper emotional catharsis doesn't always work. This is a rebel trying to be accepted, and the circle doesn't fit into the square. The best that can be said it's often more interesting than a failure, though at 20 songs it does feel overlong. </b></div>
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<b>Still, his choice of fast rap doesn't feel impressive so much as a recurring motif meant to keep the audience's attention. It does serve some rhythmic intrigue, but it's not often enough that these moments produce memorable moments. It's him chasing "Rap God," while proving that his slower moments are far more interesting, especially as he plays with rapping to the beat and failing in humorous ways. He is a performer who rarely relied on this technique early in his career and now has become an overlong gimmick that is cool at first but becomes tiresome here. On the bright side, he's not as burdened to insult mumble rap here as he did on "Kamikaze," but you also just want to believe that he'll return to what made his work sincere. He's too self-aware as a performer to really stray from pop techniques now, and that's what keeps him from being as vital. Drop the hooks and throw a sledgehammer to form. Only then will he be as exciting as his angry lyrics suggest.</b></div>
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<b>Still, Eminem's choice to make an album coming to terms with how America views violence has created an album with such audacity that its pitch-black humor feels like more than chintz. Here it comes across as an exploration of how abuse informed his relationships and addiction, as well as how he perceives it through the media. Even the Hitchcock samples playfully show how he's the heir apparent, needing to shock in order to explore something deeper. Why is this disturbing? Eminem finds moments where he reaches another plain of insight, and it is why he's still relevant. While one can continue to argue how much longer he's going to be interesting or exciting, it's amazing to know that he's the one rapper who never went away. Most wrecking balls usually retire after awhile. Eminem, a voice of destruction for almost 25 years, is still going strong. It's almost more exciting to think about it than listen, but every now and then he earns his place.</b></div>
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<b>Rating: 3 out of 5</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-22153161747042896082020-01-15T16:36:00.000-08:002020-01-15T16:36:04.374-08:00"Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time" Pays Tribute to the Series on a Thrilling, Emotional Level<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWpl-hwFfk-K1rQ9d4zwlco3FTDx6lzbKCmYPthgu97Gjcc-X8aDozFTvzmLSaCUaIrnfe9JZG_FE9ID9PML78ge1btdfQPwSmYtnDrjBu-ZwHcZnd7rAmtS9Cyua8uwclwCM034ADKI/s1600/jeopardy-goat-night-3-still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWpl-hwFfk-K1rQ9d4zwlco3FTDx6lzbKCmYPthgu97Gjcc-X8aDozFTvzmLSaCUaIrnfe9JZG_FE9ID9PML78ge1btdfQPwSmYtnDrjBu-ZwHcZnd7rAmtS9Cyua8uwclwCM034ADKI/s640/jeopardy-goat-night-3-still.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Left to right: James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter</b></td></tr>
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<b>Love him or hate him, but James Holzhauer may have been the greatest twists in modern <i>Jeopardy!</i> history. While he clearly found a way to buck the system by using gambling logic to work the board, he was a figure that was magnetic to viewers, bringing people to the 35-year-old show in a time when uncertainty was starting to kick in. Alex Trebek had just announced he had pancreatic cancer, making his future on the show difficult to predict, and ways to pay tribute to the show all but felt behind him following <i>Jeopardy!</i> enjoyable All-Star Champions series that brought together dozens of champions from throughout the decades to compete on teams. If anyone was to look at it now, it felt like a tribute to Trebek's power, that he made these everyday people into icons of intellectual accomplishment. </b></div>
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<b>Even then, the world was only a few months from Holzhauer's divisive ascension, once again raising questions as to what a <i>Jeopardy!</i> champion looked like. More importantly, he brought in the ratings and an insane amount of winnings. For the first time in over 15 years, there was someone out there who was good enough to break a million, and one that could take on the man most synonymous with <i>Jeopardy!</i> not named Trebek: Ken Jennings. That's the crux for the quiz show's biggest novelty gambit to date: <i>Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time</i> (shortened to <i>Jeopardy!'s GOAT</i>), pitting Holzhauer and Jennings against Brad Rutter: the man with the distinction of winning the most money on any game show ever. For the first time, Jennings could battle someone of higher intellect that wasn't an IBM Computer, and it could still be plausible. Holzhauer was what the show needed to pay tribute to one of TV's greatest game show hosts. The results, much like the ratings, were the perfect send-off and culmination of a life in pursuit of knowledge.</b></div>
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<b>Despite being around for several decades, the past two weeks of January 2020 were the first time that <i>Jeopardy!</i> aired in primetime that had nothing to do with being pushed back by outside factors. It would also be the first time that it ran for an hour, though people asking how the show could sustain its energy for that long simply need to know that it's just two episodes stapled together. The person who acquires the most money off of two games wins that night with episodes running anywhere from three nights for a clean sweep, or seven if there was a three-way tie for that third win. The uncertainty is something that <i>Jeopardy!</i> always strived on, and having Holzhauer's intensity with Jennings' competitiveness meant that it would be like watching a death match with facts. Those tuning in the first night may get whiplash knowing that the Jeopardy Round ended without an interstitial commercial break. It was exhilarating to watch three masters of the game answering questions quicker than most of the home viewers could process. More than anything, it felt like the show wasn't lying.</b></div>
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<b>There were certain factors working against <i>Jeopardy!'s GOAT</i>, most notably Rutter. While it has long been suggested that Jennings envies Rutter for beating him so many times, there was a sense that the third-greatest of all time didn't have the energy to keep up. One night he failed to make Final Jeopardy and on another, he ended with a bankrupt score. For as much charm as the man carried to longtime fans, he was clearly worn out and made the game a runaway for his competitors. He never won once and at one point admitted to his memory fading. It raises many conspiracies (which is all they are) that any contemporary champion would've done a better job in that third spot, such as recent favorite Austin Rogers. Still, it was a competition between three men who dominated <i>Jeopardy!</i> in different ways (Jennings for most wins, Holzhauer for most records, and Rutter for most money), and that was enough to make the concept fall into place, simultaneously becoming a thrill ride and a tragic reminder that older champions have slower reflexes due to aging.</b><br />
<b>Still, it was <i>Jeopardy!</i> as usual. The only difference was that it was in primetime and there was this underlying sense that it was a moment of expression from Trebek. The host hadn't necessarily been the most open man prior to his cancer diagnosis but had taken the past year as a chance to essentially enjoy his job in more apparent ways. It's in the All Star series, or his budding relationship with Holzhauer that felt like a weird odd couple sitcom within the show. Still, the fourth and final game came with some of his most emotional moments to date on the show. He has become more vulnerable to crying when a sweet sentiment has been made, and it felt like this was his chance to share his most personal note yet.</b><br />
<b>With the games winding down and the end becoming inevitable, Trebek reached out to his three champions and thanked them for participating. However, there was a sense of mortality to what he was really getting at. Jennings and Rutter had been used to returning for various championships throughout the series' run, but Trebek's comment felt like a period on a long sentence full of commas and ellipses. To him, this was the end for his three champions. Once it was decided who was the greatest, there was no point to keep playing. It was the end of their legacy on the show. At that moment, there was this haunting sense that the comment held some richer subtext, though Trebek hasn't announced any plans for retirement. Still, the knowledge that it is coming soon, the choice to create a metaphorical goodbye may be one of the most powerful moments that the show will ever produce. It put into clarity why <i>Jeopardy!</i> wasn't just a game show. It was a way to share a love of knowledge, and nobody did it better than Trebek.</b><br />
<b>It should be said despite these small emotional moments, the episodes qualify as some of the most competitive and exciting games of <i>Jeopardy!</i> produced in recent years. The gimmick of seeing Holzhauer play against Jennings was more than an excuse to air two episodes in primetime. It was a chance for Trebek to find the full potential of the show and celebrate it. Not only was it fun to see who got to the buzzer faster, but it was in the camaraderie, where Holzhauer bagged on his cohorts for stealing his "all the chips" approach to betting on Daily Doubles, or how Rutter stood no chance of winning. It was all in good fun, and that was what made it incredible.</b><br />
<b>In some ways, it was anticlimactic to name Jennings the greatest of all time. Even those who didn't watch the show knew his name. He was the biggest success story in the show's history, using his success to follow his dreams and became a celebrity of knowledge because of the show. He symbolized the power of <i>Jeopardy!</i> to change the world of its contestants for the better, and had done so for 15 years for one contestant who entered on a whim. While that doesn't diminish the success of Holzhauer or Rutter (or anyone who gained a small cult from the show), it only felt right that the man who all these years later still had that twinkle in his eye when looking at questions, buzzer in hand, feeling ready to take on any challenge. Jennings in that way is all of us and symbolizes what can be achieved. It was about more than finding out this fact. It was about understanding the gift that Trebek gave the world, and in that moment having one last enjoyable, tearful victory lap that left the show at its best. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-49238834794524128782020-01-15T14:58:00.003-08:002020-01-15T14:58:30.369-08:00The Madonna Project: #1. "Madonna" (1983)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTYs2AScO5YAwpqKJvADM4_lR_SOWo8uuwQeG1BCkMgbswXExs95X_ZbsAVb7o6ZZvC5g3y_smn01fwM9AlYqvW0h1TXEeW71-HqmGy_bml3wAzU8Jedk5aTpCuz7XBp3vU5j2DoJurE/s1600/Madonna-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTYs2AScO5YAwpqKJvADM4_lR_SOWo8uuwQeG1BCkMgbswXExs95X_ZbsAVb7o6ZZvC5g3y_smn01fwM9AlYqvW0h1TXEeW71-HqmGy_bml3wAzU8Jedk5aTpCuz7XBp3vU5j2DoJurE/s640/Madonna-300x300.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>In the history of pop music, no artist has stood out quite like Madonna. From her early days writing infectious songs that challenged societal norms, the fashion icon created a new definition of celebrity and in the process reinvented herself in such alluring ways. With The Madonna Project, the plan is to watch the chameleon grow and change over time, highlighting the various things that make her albums essential, or at least interesting to talk about. Over the course of 2020, this will be a look at everything from "Madonna" to "Madame X" (and possibly beyond) in an attempt to understand: why does Madonna continue to matter, and if that could ever possibly change. It's a tough call, but join me on a journey of finding out what makes her one of the most untouchable Gods of pop. </b></div>
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<b>Album: "Madonna"</b></div>
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<b>Release Date: July 27, 1983</b><br />
<b>Label: Sire Records, Warner Bros. </b></div>
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<b>Certifications:</b><br />
<b>-Australia (3x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-France (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Germany (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Hong Kong (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Italy (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-Netherlands (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-Spain (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-South Africa (Gold)</b><br />
<b>-United Kingdom (Platinum)</b><br />
<b>-United States (5x Platinum)</b><br />
<b>Total: 10 million sold internationally </b><br />
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<b>Singles:</b><br />
<b>-"Everybody"</b><br />
<b>-"Burning Up"</b><br />
<b>-"Holiday"</b><br />
<b>-"Lucky Star"</b><br />
<b>-"Borderline"</b></div>
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<b>Awards:</b><br />
<b>N/A</b><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Track List:</b></div>
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<b>1. "Lucky Star"</b><br />
<b>2. "Borderline"</b><br />
<b>3. "Burning Up"</b><br />
<b>4. "I Know It"</b><br />
<b>5. "Holiday"</b><br />
<b>6. "Think of Me"</b><br />
<b>7. "Physical Attraction"</b><br />
<b>8. "Everybody"</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>*NOTE: Listen to it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu1bNPINWWg&list=PLF0FA793B7E32C714&index=2&t=0s">here</a>.</b><br />
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<b>Track Analysis</b></div>
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<b>This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.</b><br />
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<b>Singles</b><br />
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<b>Presented in order of appearance on the album.</b></div>
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<b>"Lucky Star"</b></div>
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<b>Here we are at the start of Madonna's discography, and where do things begin? Why, with the sound of a star shooting across the sky, moments before the infectious beat hits and drops us into her lap. From this moment on, she controls us with her bravado, managing to make even the most repetitive of beat have a hypnotic effect on the listener. It's triumphant, reflecting the range of her as a performer as she presents a side of pop that is both fading but about to be rejuvenated. The song remains one of her best early songs because of how infectious the beat is, making it feel like it could go on for three minutes or six (in some cases, it did). In the process, it avoids borderline kitsch with goofy lyrics that wink at the listener as she gets seductive. As far as openers to a debut go, this one is arguably among the biggest, most indicative procession of what's to come.</b></div>
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<b>"Borderline"</b></div>
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<b>What can be said about early Madonna, at least on her debut, is that she's lovelorn and creating some of the richest ballads of the era. In this case, a synth piano plays underneath as the beat flutters to life, bringing with it a performance that eeks with lust and desire of pushing love over the borderline. While her vocal stylings would become more explicit later on, there's something fun and coy about how the latter half feels like she's about to burst into jubilation. It's a pop song barely confined by its own passion, and it's so much fun to hear the song enter the bridge, which goes quiet in the calm before the storm. </b></div>
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<b>"Burning Up"</b></div>
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<b>One could argue that of the five singles on this album, this is the least memorable. Whereas most of the others have had some cultural cache, this one has become forgotten to time. There's nothing wrong with it either, especially as Madonna bridges the gap between the 1970's disco glam and the 1980's synth-pop to follow. It's fun and gets to the point quick enough. Even then, there's not as much substance or memorable charm to it. It's the upbeat pop song that will get people to the dance floor, and sometimes that's enough. You buy into her passion, but that may just be how good of a performer she always was, clearly eager to entertain from the very beginning.</b></div>
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<b>"Holiday"</b></div>
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<b>One note that becomes apparent when researching this album, it's that this is the only song that Madonna has played in the decades since on almost every tour. Speaking as she's clearly driven more by dance, it makes sense. The loopy beat is hypnotic, managing to be among the best of Top 40 earworms despite not really going anywhere during long portions of the song. It's a song about celebrating and having a good time, and sometimes that means getting lost in the rhythm. It's a simple enough goal and clearly, it worked enough for her to keep performing it. </b></div>
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<b>"Everybody"</b></div>
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<b>The beginning of Madonna's career is the end of the album as well. This has the distinct honor of being her first-ever single, and luckily she only got better from here. That isn't to say that she's bad, but it definitely has the unpolished charm of someone eager to entertain but lacking a deeper vocabulary in the realm of lyrics. It does the trick of capturing the passion and lust that infuses itself through the rest of the album, and as a second-tier cut, it's not so bad. With that said, it closes out the album on more of a comfortable beat than anything that stands out on its own, keeping people dancing with joy. For a young performer, that's all you could really hope to do. </b></div>
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<b>Noteworthy Outliers </b></div>
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<b>Songs on the album that are interesting despite not being singles.</b></div>
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<b>"Physical Attraction"</b></div>
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<b>While most of this album is already brimming with lust and desire, this is one of the moments that predicts the side of Madonna to come. Along with the synthesizers pumping their way through the song, the thrusting motion of the beat is outdone by the lyrics' desires to give into a physical attraction. There's the familiar romantic tenderness that she has put into the rest of the songs here, but it somehow feels richer, like she had to be edited out of blankly saying something dirty. It's fun in ways that the best moments on this album are, and it helps pad out the back half of the album.</b></div>
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<b>Closing Remarks</b><br />
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<b>What's incredible is that this album is only eight songs long and 63% of the tracks are legitimate singles. With over 10 million sold internationally and launching one of pop's biggest figures, the album is both welcomed and understated. When the pop songs hit, you understand why Madonna never left the mainstream. She has a voice that resonates at any register. When the album hits the familiar pockets of disco and synth-pop, it still works but feels like an artist still finding herself. For a debut album, one could do a lot worse than this, especially with such a strong opening that continues to be among her most played work. It's a good album, but her impact on history makes it feel quaint and the lengthy tracks (a product of disco's love of dance rhythms) are sometimes a little much. Still, it's not a bad way to start, especially as it alludes to the deeper, more sensual side of her and the fact that she would be churning out hits for the rest of time. Welcome, Madonna. Your impact continues to be felt. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Up Next: "Like a Virgin" (1984)</b></div>
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<b>Album Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Madonna album is the best.</b><br />
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<b>1. "Madonna" (1983)</b></div>
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<b>Single Rankings</b></div>
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<b>This section is dedicated to ranking the singles from each album in hopes of finding which one is Madonna's best song.</b><br />
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<b>1. "Borderline" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>2. "Lucky Star" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>3. "Holiday" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>4. "Burning Up" - "Madonna" (1983)</b><br />
<b>5. "Everybody" - "Madonna" (1983)</b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-81656620000899355392020-01-14T16:00:00.002-08:002020-01-14T16:00:18.987-08:00Theater Review: MyArt's Annie (2020)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN53J4L8Px7rQL4NIiCkEZlSJ5D1PJxXnKChrX6xOgh__gIgdIFhRLvnxuMtuPczTfqw2XmygfmR624rkMPq7HPloKzl6Kki2Gg3H223TrUSpRGhJ7Wsp3Ei1h74UD7Ma5gjODgIiy9ZU/s1600/annie-banner-e1452619696126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="602" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN53J4L8Px7rQL4NIiCkEZlSJ5D1PJxXnKChrX6xOgh__gIgdIFhRLvnxuMtuPczTfqw2XmygfmR624rkMPq7HPloKzl6Kki2Gg3H223TrUSpRGhJ7Wsp3Ei1h74UD7Ma5gjODgIiy9ZU/s640/annie-banner-e1452619696126.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>There is a timeless quality to the Tony-winning musical Annie. Based on the 1920's cartoon character Little Orphan Annie, the show follows her journey to find a family while singing one of Broadway's greatest songbooks. It's a story that becomes more endearing when paired with a young cast that is worth their mettle. and that is exactly what makes the current production by MyArt at the Robert L. Brigham Performing Arts Center all the more essential. The group that caters to getting children into performing live theater has found their calling with a show that uses the massive supporting cast to its full potential while bringing to life the heart of a story full of joys and simple desires. By the time the show closes with another rendition of the classic "Tomorrow," it comes across as a celebratory moment that sends the audience home on a high note. It's more than another rendition of Annie. It's the perfect understanding of why this show has and will continue to endure and why MyArt deserves your attention. </b></div>
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<b>There is something more to Annie than watching children with smiling faces sing peppy songs. While not a minute goes by that doesn't radiate with joy, what makes the show far more successful is the rich subtext. This can be seen in the opening number "Hard Knock Life," which finds the young cast doing a dance routine full of lyrical dexterity and mopping and sweeping of floors. Despite the joy, it encapsulates a sadness that comes with being orphans. They're lonely, abused by Ms. Hannigan at her orphanage. They don't have families that give their life meaning. All they have are the antagonistic joys of annoying their authority figure by stamping on her foot and calling her names. The show quickly paints Hannigan as the villain of the piece, though those watching closely will notice that her bitterness is just as much from a lack of love, listening to the radio in hopes of finding love. The difference is that the orphans' hearts are pure and Hannigan has grown jaded, looking for quick fixes to "Easy Street."</b></div>
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<b>The choice to use the 1920's and the Great Depression as a backdrop only help to create the fantasy world of Annie. When she escapes the orphanage and wanders the street with her dog Sandy (yes, there is an actual dog in MyArt's production), the musical finds a way to mix the pep with the harsh commentary in songs like "Hooverville." It's also here that the audience gets the first look at what the show can become. In an elaborate number, the young actors get to sing the comedic takedown of Herbert Hoover, helping to show the sadness and desperation that a lack of money has placed into their laps. If the orphanage is bad, even with Hannigan randomly starving them, things are worse out there. It's a cruel world, and the show's ability to mix the dark tones underneath Annie's journey is an incredible feat.</b></div>
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<b>With that said, Annie has no delusions of the world. She's just as much a survivor as those she meets. If anything, the plot that follows with Daddy Warbucks is the type of Great Depression fantasy that still feels timely. Who wouldn't want to find a family that's so secure financially and has the self-awareness of love that they are willing to take you to meet the president (himself a delightful, upbeat caricature who does the good fo the people)? Yes, there is something that should read like Annie giving into the lavish lifestyle that could be false, but the story does a great job of showing the other side that by the time Warbucks shows up, he is more than the shiny new toy. He is a figure for good, and what child doesn't dream of having more figures like Warbucks, willing to tend to their every whim?</b></div>
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<b>The complex layers are made better because this is at its core a chance to display a struggle that we all face in life. Watching a cast of young actors sing such upbeat numbers as "Tomorrow" and "Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" captures the desire to be happy that is told to us by the media. The only difference is that this version seeks to confront reality and fiction in those statements. In the case of Annie's most memorable song "Tomorrow," she sings of optimism that lies beyond this moment. The world is dark and grey now, but the sun will come out tomorrow. It's the struggle to keep looking for brighter times that is inherently woven into the music that gives it depth. With a great cast like this, the songs come across as genuine explorations of happiness, which go beyond material needs. Warbucks' affection for Annie isn't based on how big his luxurious mansion is. It's how Annie fills a void, making the number "Something Was Missing" all the more touching.</b></div>
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<b>While the adult roles are played appropriately, many supporting roles are played by young actors in the MyArt program. From top to bottom, they all do a great job of finding the right level of comedic folly and a deeper understanding of the emotional subtext of the show. Annie, in particular, handles her many numbers with soul, holding her own against the older cast. If one was to witness what makes this one of their best productions yet, they simply need to watch the "NYC" sequence: a number meant to highlight the reasons that the city is a great place to live by dropping the audience into many of the dazzling sights. There's definitely plenty to be awestruck about, as dancers perform chorus lines and do backflips while extras in radiant costumes wander across the stage. Signs lit from overhead only help to make the number pop. What the show lacks in budget, it makes up for in heart and performers who want to put on a great show.</b></div>
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<b>By the end, it's quite a sight. It helps that every last song is a classic, managing to get lodged in the audience's head moments after it ends. There will be countless moments where the audience becomes overwhelmed with the positive emotion onstage, drawn from a cast who gel very well together during key moments. Even the dog has a way of winning over everyone's hearts. The show is built in a way to tear down cynicism and find the heart that one should share for humanity. Sometimes all it takes is watching kids embrace theater, understanding a nuance that is lost with adulthood. Everyone has their bad days, but the trick is to keep going and not let the world get you down. Annie is inspiring in that way, and MyArt's ability to tap into that with a great young cast makes it all the better.</b></div>
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<b>For those who are interested, Annie will be running for one more weekend and it's definitely worth checking out. It conveys the magic of Annie as a show with a cast of young actors taught by MyArt to put on a show. The results every time are exciting, especially when they result in something as enjoyable as this. While it should be known that there is some casual swearing (specifically repeat use of "damn") and drinking (for comedic effect), none of it involves the young cast and is done without malice. For those who want to learn more about the organization and possibly be involved in future productions, please visit <a href="https://myart.org/">https://myart.org/</a> for more information. It can't hurt. In fact, it may lead to brighter tomorrows for the actors in your life. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-84183547580196735392020-01-08T16:51:00.000-08:002020-01-08T16:51:18.117-08:00Coming Soon: The Madonna Project<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Madonna</b></td></tr>
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<b>Last year, I embarked on a journey to listen to every album that Tom Waits had released in a column that I called The Tom Waits Project. The plan was to see what made him a singular voice in the world of music by exploring his attributes as well as his varying styles. While it was indeed one of the more involved columns that I ran, it gave me a deeper appreciation for what he gave to the world as his style (and voice) changed. With that said, it was a fun time and left a lot of curiosity. Would I dare do another musician and create an annual tradition? There are after all many with a substantial body of work who deserve to be explored. With that said, I wanted to try someone who was just as diverse as Waits, but whose career was even more impactful on the zeitgeist. That is why, starting next Wednesday, I am going to start the 2020 series known simply as The Madonna Project.</b></div>
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<b>On one hand, it's the simplest choice for a project like this. Madonna over course of almost 40 years now has revolutionized and defined what it means to be a pop star. With 2019's "Madame X" proving that she still has some cultural cache, one has to wonder what makes her so special. Considering that the "Project" series is an attempt to make sense of these figures, it makes sense to dive in and explore personally what each of her albums means. </b></div>
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<b>The rules will mostly be the same for what they were during The Tom Waits Project. For starters, this will be a dissection of the highs and lows of each album as well as various information regarding chart success and singles. The bigger difference this time around is that I will not be tackling live albums (or remixes, since Madonna has several to her name). Soundtracks will be included but will center specifically on work that she contributed (see: "Who's That Girl?") I will also not be doing a track-by-track breakdown, as it was too time-consuming during the previous Project. I want to instead focus on what the singles meant in greater context while highlighting what makes the album special or relevant. There will be rankings as well in an attempt to find the best Madonna album, though it may be interesting to see how her later work falls.</b></div>
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<b>I chose Madonna for a variety of reasons. The ones that go beyond cultural importance are ones that are shared with Tom Waits: I simply haven't heard a lot from her. Yes, I have theoretically heard all of "The Immaculate Collection" on the radio, but I can't tell you what the tracklist for "Like a Virgin" is or how it differs from "Like a Prayer." To me, this is as much understanding as it is expanding my knowledge of pop music history. Yes, it will come at the cost of listening to questionable albums like "American Life," but that should hopefully be interesting in connection to her body of work by that point. </b></div>
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<b>By the end, the goal is to have an appreciation or knowledge of what has made Madonna a pop icon for several decades by exploring her music. The series will run every three weeks and focus on 17 of her albums (provided that another doesn't come out during this time). I don't necessarily set out to like these musicians, but one can hope it's a convenient side effect. After all, Madonna has knowingly defined pop music in ways that are both explicit in her music but also in just how performers are allowed to behave. The goal, in a sense, is to understand the trajectory of pop music of the latter half of the 21st century through one artist. Hopefully that will pan out. </b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4145908361361389104.post-56485528257440616342019-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:002019-12-31T00:00:01.479-08:00Listmania: The Top 10 Movies of 2019<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from <i>Uncut Gems</i></b></td></tr>
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<b>The end of 2019 is upon us. That could only mean one thing for Listmania. It is officially time to honor the best of cinema in 2019. Over the next two days, I will be counting down the Top 40 movies of the year, recognizing the wide variety of films that made the year a little better and will be talked about for years to come. It was an excellent year for dramas as well as genre films ranging from horror to action. It's hard to say goodbye to the year, but at least these films will be with us to remind us of how great it was to sit in a cineplex and cheer in awe as the images moved on screen. It's the one thing that's always pure about years as fraught with tension as this.</b></div>
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<b>1. <i>Marriage Story</i></b></div>
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<b>The idea of people falling in and out of love is a subject often explored on film, though rarely with as much nuance as director Noah Baumbach's personal story of divorce. With career-best performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, the story explores the quest to understand why these two fell in love even as their world falls apart, all of the world judging and forcing them to take sides. It's a heartbreaking story where minor grievances once taken as innocent are now weapons for custody, but it's also one full of humor and humanity in a way that only the best films can capture. This is a story that feels like every detail comes from an open wound of an experience, where the only way to move on is to let the hurt come out. In the process, it shows how difficult it is to get divorced not only legally, but in that, it's sometimes much worse than how each party feels. </b></div>
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<b>2. <i>Parasite</i></b></div>
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<b>Everybody wants a piece of the pie in <i>Parasite</i>. They're all trying to become wealthy in the hopes that they'll gain the respects of the entire community. Of course, that's because those in the gig economy at the bottom of the mountain are constantly bombarded with the waste from above from a careless public. Part of the film's charm is that despite many characters having villainous undertones, nobody is inherently evil and that we're all fighting a desperate battle. The real enemy is money, where society doesn't respect you without it. It's the finest work by Bong Joon-ho and manages to be a film that explores a crisis of international proportions on a human and even accessible level. There's nothing like <i>Parasite</i> because of its endless uses of symbolism both bold and subtle as well as plot twists that more than warrant going in blind. It's a masterpiece that only becomes richer (pun intended) the more that it's thought about. </b></div>
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<b>3. <i>Little Women</i></b><br />
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<b>In the world of literature, few books have mattered as much as "Little Women" thanks to its depiction of women exploring their own agency. Every mundane detail shouldn't be a page-turning achievement, and yet it's impossible to forget the magic that comes from the March sisters. Director Greta Gerwig's adaptation is faithfully remixed to fit themes closer together as she goes on a quest to not only tell the story but understand the struggles that Louisa May Alcott took to release it. While still charming and infinitely endearing, the one thing that makes this an essential update of the text is its ability to engage with its meaning in a modern lens. This isn't just some bogus female empowerment anthem, it's about applying it to everyday life and finding various parables whose poignancy hasn't lost any of their musters. It's a powerful film full of great performances, notably from Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh, that answers the question: why adapt a story with seemingly no action? Oh, there is a lot of action. It just happens to take place deep inside every character's willingness to follow their own path.</b></div>
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<b>4. <i>The Farewell</i></b></div>
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<b>Billi finds herself at many crossroads throughout the film. She is an American visiting family in Asia and thus must follow the customs of a collectivist society. She is a failure in a moment when she should be a success. Most importantly, she is emotionally distraught when everyone expects her to be brave. The dichotomy that goes into Awkwafina's phenomenal performance is a thing of wonder, managing to make a personal story about letting go into something even more complicated. How do you enjoy the potential last moments with your grandmother when she may die of cancer at any moment? It's a drama that's heartwarming in showing a family bonding in ways only the deepest emotions could truly capture. It's a love letter to grandmothers everywhere, the sweetest people on Earth. It's also one of the best dramas about family in many years. </b></div>
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<b>5. <i>How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden Kingdom</i></b></div>
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<b>In what may be one of the most incredible feats of the decade, Dreamworks has created over nine years a trilogy that's just as visually breathtaking and emotionally satisfying as anything that Pixar had done. To watch dragons soar through the clouds as John Powell's echoic score plays is to witness the magic of family entertainment. In the final chapter, the world has grown bigger and the sights more majestic as Toothless and Hiccup learn that while they love each other, certain things must be sacrificed to better their lives. As a result, it's one of the most ambitious, emotional, and satisfying conclusions to an animated trilogy since, well, <i>Toy Story 3</i>. The franchise doesn't seem to be going away, but for now, it can rest assured that it created a fantasy trilogy that's fun for the whole family. </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8B5FI-5iSl_9VD4panDfS7CfJRwZZY63_Ors3KY-6N_7kDzVUtaaN_SxOGhn84cZtwwjuc1anSR6O3sHxo7q6vN3tPdSlxblKT2GLlQDmNU9iwUTRJx6JA5xnV0mb1feYu7nqaBSbww/s1600/under_the_silver_lake-980x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="980" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8B5FI-5iSl_9VD4panDfS7CfJRwZZY63_Ors3KY-6N_7kDzVUtaaN_SxOGhn84cZtwwjuc1anSR6O3sHxo7q6vN3tPdSlxblKT2GLlQDmNU9iwUTRJx6JA5xnV0mb1feYu7nqaBSbww/s640/under_the_silver_lake-980x0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b>6. <i>Under the Silver Lake</i></b></div>
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<b>The journey through Silver Lake, CA is presented as a hazy neo-noir where the answer is not the point. In fact, one could argue that there is no definitive answer to the mission that Andrew Garfield is on and is, in fact, an exploration of his own failings as an adult. He's a bit misogynistic, often unable to pay his rent but able to find hidden messages in old gamer magazines. Are there really as many clues as he claims, or is it all just a big tease? That's part of the fun of the story, and its winding path is an atmospheric delight into one of the year's most colorful, deranged series of characters that redefine seedy underbelly. What's here is a chance to get lost in the wonder and discover a world that feels bigger than any one scene. It's about a feeling, and the uncertainty creates one of the greatest commentaries on conspiracy theorists this decade. </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivN06ExQByPy93qDDITSwULOGCCCAAccUghW3fyC_y6GG0nWKRQDO82QpEIAKzxM3BYLO6w17gxt-dkr_2hIoDdBBpP6AYZ2FnoNKV2AA2r8GfyjvGDpnSQVC2RkIRk3Yi1gWkUCgI2Y/s1600/lupita-nyongo-us-movie-600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivN06ExQByPy93qDDITSwULOGCCCAAccUghW3fyC_y6GG0nWKRQDO82QpEIAKzxM3BYLO6w17gxt-dkr_2hIoDdBBpP6AYZ2FnoNKV2AA2r8GfyjvGDpnSQVC2RkIRk3Yi1gWkUCgI2Y/s640/lupita-nyongo-us-movie-600x400.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b>7. <i>Us</i></b></div>
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<b>It could be argued that Jordan Peele's home invasion film never quite hit the cultural resonance that <i>Get Out</i> did. However, it was evident that he wasn't going to pigeonhole himself in one style of filmmaking. There's a lot more humor infused in the horror this time, making the action pop with a humorous irreverence as it explores the social divides between upper and lower classes. With Lupita Nyong'o's best performance in over five years, the film's duality is upsetting and made more nerve-racking with help from Michael Abels' screeching score. The journey into our neighbors' homes results in a journey of greater heights and richer imagery, proving that Peele will never let us off easy. We'll have to sit with his work for a long time before it loses its muster, and <i>Us</i> is one that feels more defiantly so than <i>Get Out</i>.</b></div>
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<b>8. <i>The Lighthouse</i></b></div>
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<b>Journey deep into the mouth of madness, and you're likely to find Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe there, still fighting over whether he cooks a good lobster. It's a story that finds two men traveling to the edge of reason, only finding themselves helpless in claustrophobic spaces as waves crash on their lighthouse. Does a month pass, or even a day? Are any of the characters even real? There's so much that's abstract in this realism that the film is open up to interpretation. With that said, it's a film with such a torturous tone that it can only be appreciated by those willing to go through the grievances and quirks of men who have nothing to lose. It's also one of the most demented films of the year, incapable of being spoiled because of its atmospheric, tonal chaos that assaults the viewer until they're left confused. There is no film like this and Pattinson would be in a mental asylum if he did anything crazier than this. It's art at its most confrontational, and its lack of clarity only makes it better. </b></div>
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<b>9. <i>Uncut Gems</i></b></div>
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<b>In a career full of manic performances, Adam Sandler has never been as neurotic as this. Every scene he's in is a few moments short of giving the audience a heart attack, and The Safdie Brothers continue to perfect the modern gritty crime thriller. It's a journey into an obsession with a man who has nothing to lose in part because he hasn't achieved anything. He's negotiated wealth into his life through shady trades and good networking. By the time he's taking bets on Spurs games, he's gone through a whole spectrum of emotions, in the process showing the depths of Sandler's gifts as an actor. The film holds him upside down and shakes every last instinct out of him, and the results are appalling and breathtaking. It's a story that starts with praise and ends in revulsion, finding the tragic arc of a man losing his dignity. It is a compelling character piece and one that refuses to leave the audience alone long after the credits have rolled. </b></div>
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<b>10. <i>Hustlers</i></b></div>
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<b>For a story full of robbing and exotic dancing, it's a surprising, empowering story that finds a sympathetic economic story coming to life. Featuring one of the great casts of the year, this comedy finds Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu depicting a friendship being torn apart as every obstacle gets them closer to trouble. Even then, director Lorene Scafaria subverts the male gaze by using sexuality against them in clever ways. These women aren't victims of their economic woes, but more heroes who love each other. Some of the film's best moments feature the titular hustlers gathered together, celebrating the finest things that life has to offer. It may be a story of cheating the system, but for once it's a justified one with a career-best performance by Lopez. All it takes is two women sitting in a fur coat on the roof to capture the endearment of working together to make a difference. The world is cruel, and having someone by your side makes it a tad easier.</b></div>
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