Laker Review
FRIDAY, April 25, 2014
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Springsteen’s triumphant return Collin Leadbeater Managing Editor cleadbeater@oswegonian.com
‘The Boss’ is back. Bruce Springsteen has released a foursong EP, “American Beauty,” just three months after his 18th studio album, “High Hopes.” The songs on “American Beauty” were all in the running to make “High Hopes,” but did not make the cut. Springsteen wrote in a letter on his website that he “realized their potential” and worked on them until the EP was formed. “American Beauty” leads off with the title track, which begins similarly to many other classic Springsteen songs: guitars riff while the drums hold a beat in the background, and then Springsteen rips into the lyrics. He shows off his vocal range on the song, as he reaches higher than he usually does. Springsteen sings about familiar topics, such as women and summer, in another piece of Americana. It is classic Springsteen from every aspect, and does a great job kicking off the EP. “Mary Mary” follows “American Beauty,” and is the opposite in terms of sound. Where “American Beauty” has a wall of guitars, “Mary Mary” is a soft acoustic tune with a string section accom-
Photo provided by strictlyhardlyvinyl.com ‘The Boss’ returns to fine musical form with his E Street Band on “American Beauty.”
panying it. “Mary Mary” is about heartbreak and missing the love shared between two people. It is a beautiful song, which Springsteen wrote was the closest to being on “High Hopes.” On “Hurry Up Sundown” sirens roar before Springsteen and the guitars jump in. The song has a similar theme to Springsteen classics “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road,” which are about hitting the road and getting away from the things that hold everyone down.
It is a relatable song, as many people want to go out and experience a little freedom after a long work day. “Hey Blue Eyes” rounds off the EP, and it is one of Springsteen’s more political songs to date. Springsteen has never been afraid to dive into controversial topics, such as the Vietnam War with “Born in the U.S.A.” or the recent economic crisis with his “Wrecking Ball” album. In his letter, Springsteen said he wrote “Hey
Blue Eyes” during the time when George W. Bush was president and is “a metaphor for the house of horrors our government’s actions created in the years following the invasion of Iraq.” The songs starts with a soft acoustic melody before Springsteen sears into what he views as great atrocities. More instruments join in as the song progresses, but the message remains clear. Many have criticized Springsteen in the past for getting too political, specifically at some
of his live performances, and he has toned it down recently. However, he is still comfortable in tackling issues when he sees fit. “American Beauty” is more evidence that Springsteen is one of the most versatile musicians in history. Few can go from painting a picture of the America we all think about to scolding the same government in such a short setting. Springsteen is back to his classic self, bringing the E Street power again and again.
‘Transcendence’ filled with big ideas, ultimately disappointing Maureen DiCosimo Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com
“Transcendence” is much less of a science-fiction thriller than the trailers portrayed. It is a much quieter, more existential film about the dangers of technology and the power of nature. After a conference of the world’s leading minds on artificial intelligence, several of the world’s most brilliant minds are targeted by a terrorist group called R.I.F.T. After being shot, Will Caster’s consciousness is uploaded onto a computer to save him. “Transcendence” is impeccably cast and has quite a few impressive actors including Johnny Depp (“The Lone Ranger”), Morgan Freeman (“Last Vegas”), Rebecca Hall (“Closed Circuit”), Paul Bettany
(“Iron Man 3”) and Cillian Muphy (“The Dark Knight Rises”). It is refreshing to see Depp in a role that isn’t hiding behind some kind of quirky behavior. While he does a decent job in the role, it is really Hall that carries the piece and is the emotional core holding it together. While the cast is rounded with top notch actors, they aren’t given a whole lot to do. Murphy and Freeman were especially underutilized. From first time director Wally Pfister, this film was visually stunning. Pfister, best known as the director of photography on most of Christopher Nolan’s films such as “Inception” and “The Dark Knight,” tells the story much more in visuals than he does through dialogue. “Transcendence” is beautifully shot. While dealing with thoughtprovoking concepts, the biggest problem “Transcendence” has is that the second act crawls along at a
snail’s pace. The first and third acts were fine, it was the middle part that dragged. It built up the climactic third act but it took forever to get anywhere. This ultimately felt like buildup for a rather rushed ending to the third act. The plot progresses in a way that makes sense – considering it is dealing with more sciencefiction concepts – but the build-up was a long and arduous journey that ultimately resulted in a quick fix to the plot. Eventually it just drops into obscurity and doesn’t even take the time to explain all the preposterous things that are going on. If the stagnating second act had been cut down, the film overall would have been a much better experience. The first 45 minutes of the film actually flew by. Then there’s just a massive halt in the plotline and it doesn’t pick up until the last 20 minutes. There is about an hour
Photo provided by collider.com Johnny Depp plays a scientist whose mind is uploaded onto a supercomputer.
where nothing really happens. “Transcendence” isn’t wholly irredeemable. The cast is good, especially Hall, who is forced to carry the boring middle section of the film. Her performance does add emotional weight when the film desperately needed it. Pfister does a marvelous job as a first time director. Even if at some points in the film you aren’t as engaged as you should be, at least
you have pleasing visuals to look at. The biggest problem with “Transcendence,” besides the second act, is that the film was just completely marketed incorrectly as a sciencefiction thriller. In reality, it is more a more high concept film about God and the soul, using technology to explore the themes. It turns in a few good performances but ultimately “Transcendence” is a letdown.