I've been doing these posts on my Facebook lately, and thought I'd formalize them by adding them to the blog. This weekend's playlist showcases a young symphonic metal group out of Boston, a progressive project featuring Dave Lombardo and Mike Patton, and a glorious gypsy punk effort.
Primary Playlist
"Solveig" by Seven Spires
Formed in Boston, these Berklee alumni have unleashed symphonic pleasure. Adrienne Cowan's vocals soar and crush while Jack Costo's sensational guitarwork is destined for legend. Sadly not on Bandcamp but here's a couple of videos to showcase their range. Order the album on the band's official site here
Runner-Ups
Dead Cross features the legendary talents of drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More) as they go on a whirlwind trip of chaos with each song delving deeper and deeper into the depths of pure insanity.
Eclectic ska/gypsy punk group, Russkaja was founded by Stalhammer singer Georgij Makazaria, and their new album provides the perfect escapism needed for fun weekend.
Directed by: Joon-ho Bong Starring: Seo-Hyun Ahn, Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Giancarlo Esposito, Shirley Henderson, Steven Yeun, Daniel Henshall, Lily Collins, Devon Bostick, Je-mun Yun, Woo-sik Choi, Hee-Bong Byun Rating: TV-MA Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min.
Joon-ho Bong is known to many in the west as the writer/director of the well-received, "Snowpiercer"; a look at class structure and overpopulation through the use of a post-apocalyptic train society. Others may also know his work on "The Host (Gwoemul)" -a modern day "Jaws"- and "Mother (Madeo)", which happens to be my personal favorite work of his (read: I should note that I have yet to see "Barking Dogs Never Bite (Flandersui gae)" or "Memories of a Murder (Salinui chueok)"). Joon-ho continues his record of releasing ornate, obscure cinema with "Okja"; currently streaming on Netflix. As with Joon-ho's previous work, the film focuses on real societal concerns and offers up an offbeat story to tackle them. Similar to "Snowpiercer", the film takes at look at issues with overpopulation, namely the food industry. As usual, minor spoilers ahead.
The film starts with us following Lucy Morando (Swinton), CEO of the Morando Corporation, through a dingy, rusted warehouse towards a press release. Here we learn of a mystical "super pig" that was "discovered" in Chile, which even as a baby is larger in size than a full-grown pig. Through "genetic-engineering" the calf was duplicated, and her family sent around the world as part of a PR plan to see which farmer could develop the "super pig" to its full potential. It's a bit of a jarring intro with a lot of information thrown at the viewer, but Swinton's eccentric performance sells it.
A decade later, we are now in the mountains outside of Seoul, South Korea as Mija (Seo-Hyun) and her truck size adult "super pig" pal "Okja" traipse through the forest in search of fruit and fish. The sequence is beautiful and intimate as we see the two play games and work together. Things get a little out of hand, however, as Mija and Okja fall asleep and keep her grandfather (Hee-Bong) waiting. In order to get home quickly, Mija takes Okja through a perilous shortcut. Of course, things go wrong and Okja ends up in a dangerous situation trying to protect her friend. After the scenario, Okja is more than a little perturbed, so Mija whispers something in her ear. The "super pig" sits up and the two hug. It's incredibly touching and sets the tone for their relationship.
Eventually, the usual Morando researcher, Mundo Park (Je-mun), and animal television star, Johnny Wilcox (Gyllenhaal), greet Mija, Okja, and grandpa at the house. To say Gyllenhaal's character is obtuse is being easy. He's a bit all over the place, and while it's hilarious, it's also a bit overwhelming after the touching adventure we just went through. Grandpa takes Mija away so the crew can work on filming Okja. Needless to say, it's a basic ruse so the crew can take Okja away to New York for the Morando "super pig" competition and the plot is set in motion.
The following chase sequences in the film are handled with aplomb as Joon-ho directs the hell out of each sequence. From break-ins to car chases through the city it's all handled exceptionally. The CGI is also handled very well with Okja blending into the environment perfectly, and the chase sequences having real weight. Sadly, a large part of the film's second act loses focus on Mija or Okja, and instead puts the lense on the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). It makes sense to have such a group in this film given the theme at hand, but too much of the film's runtime is padded with their agenda. Most noteworthy of this bunch is the subdued, but sensational Jay, played by Paul Dano, who -yet again- turns what could have been a bit character into a human being with true motives in only a short meeting with Mija; the man is severely underrated. The rest of the group is fairly one note, with Steven Yeun, Daniel Henshall, Lily Collins, and Devon Bostick not given much screen time to really matter.
The second act also cuts away to the folks over at Morando as they deal with the fallout of the chases and continue to question Lucy's place as CEO. Even if it's part of his character's motives, Giancarlo Esposito seems downright bored being there and his existence in the film is more plot device than anything. There are just so many moments in this middle third that could have been utilized to far better extent if they focused around Mija or Okja. To be fair though there is one sequence in the middle that I won't spoil, since it is truly one of the best sequences in the film. I'll just say this is the part where Gyllenhaal's character gets to shine.
The third act is fairly trite affair that does what's expected and gets our characters to where they need to be. The ending, however, is easily one of the most moving I have seen in quite some time. Letting the serenity of the moment take over the viewer in waves.
Before I sign off on the verdict, it would not do Seo-Hyun's performance service if I didn't mention how incredible it is. The 13-year-old actress does so as if she's a veteran. Working with a CGI creature to create an emotional bond is hard for even the most talented actor, but she nails it, and I hope we see more from her soon.
VERDICT Okja suffers from an overworked second act, but the emotional journey of Mija and Okja under Joon-ho's deft direction ultimately sticks the landing and offers a fun -if frightening- look at the food industry. 3.5/5
Directed by: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Kurt Russell, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, Elizabeth Debicki Rating: PG-13 Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure Runtime: 2 hr. 16 min.
In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was the first Marvel movie to depart from little old Earth and venture out into the nine realms. The film was to be the franchise's first test to see if their more "out there" characters could find a place among the Marvel cinematic fanbase. Luckily, at the helm was director James Gunn who utilized this quirky group of misfits -and 70's/80's musical nostalgia- to spin a tale that was itself refreshing, but still harkened back to B-style science-fiction adventure tales like Flash Gordon (albeit with a slightly larger budget). The result was another Marvel cinematic success story, and with any prosperous entry comes a sequel.
Enter Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; a title whose tongue-in-cheek reference to the soundtrack already sets the stage for another euphonious romp through the stars. The film starts off with our "heroes" looking to make some cash by working for for the elite race known as The Sovereign and stopping an interdimensional being from eating a highly prized battery. Yep, that's the setup. Now the punchline sets up one of the most inventive fight sequences in a Marvel film to date. As Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) try to keep the beast at bay, the camera instead follows Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) as he dances his way around the battlefield. Sadly, I only saw the picture in 2D, but I am guessing the 3D in this moment is something to behold. Easily one of the best openers in the Marvel canon, and sets the film up for another successful outing.
Rocket being, well, Rocket, decides to steal some of the power cells for the battery they were protecting, which infuriates the Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). This leads to a spectacular space battle, which the Guardians only narrowly escape thanks to an anonymous helper. Their ship destroyed the group begins to fight amongs themselves and show signs of a tear beginning to form. Meanwhile, Yondu (Michael Rooker) stifles at a brothel after losing riches to Quill in the previous film. Soon he comes face to face with the head of the Ravagers, Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), a group he had joined and was in when tasked with protecting Quill in the first film. Ogord dismisses Yondu from the Ravagers for mistakes he has made that go against their code. Soon after, Yondu is approached by High Priestess Ayesha and tasked with finding Quill and his crew once again. During this time, and unbeknown to Yondu, his crew is having second thoughts about his ability to lead.
While there is plenty of fun to be had in Vol. 2, the film falters a bit in trying to keep pace with an overly constructed story. Where Guardians let the film flow and let the explanations come naturally, much of the sequel's runtime is devoted to over explanation. This is none clearer than in its introduction of Quill's father, Ego (Kurt Russell), whom was the anonymous savior at the film's open. A celestial (Marvel's term for extremely powerful immortal beings that aren't quite "gods"), his character spends plenty of the movie explaining his origins, how he came to meet and impregnate Quill's mother, and the how's and why's of Quill's successive powers; in turn, explaining why Star-Lord was able to hold onto an Infinity Stone for so long in the previous film. The whole process is quite a bit to take in, even for a Marvel veteran, and within all the explanation we never truly understand why Ego really requires Quill to complete his plan (a tidbit I won't go into in this review to avoid spoilers) beyond the cursory "I need the extra help because I can't do it by myself". It all just seems a bit arbitrary and the film spends so much time building up the character that one would hope to have a better explanation for the main driving plot of the film.
Now this does not mean that the slower parts of the film don't have heart. We learn more about Drax's history as he explains it to Ego's empathic helper, Mantis (Pom Klementieff), we unearth more of the "unspoken" between Quill and Gamora, and Rocket and Yondu learn they have more in common than originally thought. A heartfelt moment between Gamora and her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) stands as one of the most honest and teary moments of the film and even the Marvel universe as a whole.
There is a lot of quality character building and tension in Guardians, but some of it is undone by an untimely quip or two. I understand the film is supposed to be a mostly fun ride, so delving too deep into the dark nature of some of the events wouldn't be characteristic of the film. The issue I have with the bulk of the jokes, however, is that they fall at unnecessary times despite remaining legitimately funny. For example, a white-knuckle scene involving Rocket and Yondu being interrogated, is turned on its side when Rocket takes notice of the odd name for one of his captors. It's a funny sequence, but quells any dramatic traction the film had garnered to that point. The film simply doesn't have the same balance as the original when it comes to weighting the more dramatic sequences with the hilarious ones.
VERDICT Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a worthy successor to the confident original, and while it may falter a bit when it comes to plot balances and explanations, it's also filled with incredible action set pieces and a triple-dose of hilarity. 3.5/5
