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Monday, September 28, 2009
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Avett Brothers add pop emphasis on latest By Gena Rieger THE DAILY CARDINAL
PHOTO COURTESY CANANA FILMS
Running from angry gangsters is hard work, and opportunities to sit and think are few and far between. Viewers should keep this in mind and pack a Red Bull before seeing this hectic, ramshackle film.
Gang chase hurt by haste By Dan Sullivan THE DAILY CARDINAL
Even the most renowned filmmakers are still trying to figure out how to make cinema do and say things that no other artistic medium is capable of doing or saying. Particularly puzzling is the question of whether cinema is better at producing poetic truths or documentary truths. “Sin Nombre,” which screened this past weekend at the Play Circle Theater in Memorial Union, seems to suggest that you can’t have both poetic and documentary elements in the same film— which, truth be told, is hardly the case.
The film aspires to confront incredibly heavy issues, but it refuses to dwell on any of them in a meaningful way.
The film aspires to confront incredibly heavy issues, but it refuses to dwell on any of them in a meaningful way. The pace of “Sin Nombre” is a total sprint: Director Cary Jojo Fukunaga’s strategy is to show, show and show some more without allowing for much in the way of reflection, contemplation or digestion. Like so many other contemporary films, “Sin Nombre” combines handheld cinematography with cut-happy editing to tell the story of Willy (aka Casper), a mem-
ber of the notorious El Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha who finds himself fleeing from his former gang aboard a train bound for the U.S.-Mexico border. The train, despite appearing to travel very slowly, manages to cover the length of Mexico in a mere 90 minutes. Willy makes it to the border at about the same time as his absurdly murderous pursuers, typically tragic events result and the viewer walks away feeling bummed out but not exactly stimulated. “Sin Nombre” is dead-set on conveying its plot, which is definitely engaging but far too breakneck to grab onto satisfactorily. Visually, this film is frustrating. Fukunaga’s mise-en-scène is very interesting, a field of found objects serving as the setting for the film’s high-speed tragedy. It’s so interesting, in fact, that one inevitably becomes annoyed by the distractingly shaky framings and blunt image quality. Not much in “Sin Nombre” really pops off the screen, which is unfortunate given the visceral intensity of the narrative’s subject matter. “Sin Nombre” will never be mistaken for a light film; it concerns itself with extremely heavy subjects (gang violence, illegal immigration, revenge, mourning, etc.) from an overtly moral position. However, “Sin Nombre” is a highly ethical film with little new to say about moral issues, and at times the sentiments aroused comes off as cliché. It seems to argue that gangs are inherently immoral because they produce horrific acts of violence, many
examples of which are shown to get the point across. The condition of the U.S.-Mexico border is criticized because it serves as the ideal site for desperate living and senseless violence; this, too, is unsubtly hammered home through the film’s images. The “showing rather than telling” phenomenon is certainly a big part of why cinema is so powerful as an artistic medium, but it really helps for a film’s form to be provocative or affecting in its own right. “Sin Nombre” attempts to tackle weighty things in a way that isn’t particularly novel—in other words, the film “works,” but “working” often isn’t enough.
“Sin Nombre” is dead-set on conveying its plot, which is definitely engaging but far too breakneck to grab onto satisfactorily.
I also didn’t care much for the soundtrack, which consists of mildly provocative mood music designed to provide emotional cues for the viewer. If “Sin Nombre” is at all melodramatic, it’s because this music intrudes so often on the already frenetic presentation of events that the film begins to lose its visual potency and thematic suggestiveness. “Sin Nombre” has many poetic and documentary truths that it wants us to see; one only wishes that it didn’t try to cram all of them into such a brief block of time.
I and Love and You is the Avett Brothers’ 10th full album release, but their first on a major label. This type of jump for an established band can be a difficult change, and not so surprisingly, a theme of letting go and adjusting is woven throughout their latest record. I and Love and You’s title track also happens to be one of its strongest. In it, the Avetts tell us their bags are packed and they are ready to leave, instructing us to “inform the ones that need to know.” Who are these ones? Perhaps the old fans they are hoping will follow them to a major label, or maybe the new ones they are hoping to find there. Whomever this song is directed at, it is in many ways the album’s standout. The gravelly, rural twang in the lead singer’s voice mixed with the rising piano chords creates a stirring blend of trepidation and fatigue. When the Avetts lean more toward country rather than straight pop, both brothers are able to coax more feeling and range out of their vocals. However, as lovely as the string and piano arrangement in this piece are, they are betrayed more than a few times by trite, simplistic lyrics. How many times have we heard about the difficulty of telling someone you love them? Contrary to what the Avetts believe, breaking this sentiment apart into three simple words does not make it any more original. Their lyric choice goes on to hurt them again in “And It Spread,” in which Avett recalls how his lover “shot my arm full of love and it spread into the world.” Luckily, the soaring cello in the arrangement saves the piece from becoming a victim of its treacly sentiment. The masterful string arrangement helps make it one of the only noncountry songs that
really succeeds on the album. “Tin Man” and “It Goes On and On,” both of which lean toward a mainstream rock/pop feel, seem like fillers with their predictable chord progressions and uninspired melodies.
CD REVIEW
I and Love and You The Avett Brothers Although the Avetts did push back their release date to release “the album in its best form possible,” it’s still easy to wonder if I and Love and You could have benefitted from further editing and adjustment. The standout tracks like “Laundry Room” are filled with such inventive harmonies, and in this case a skillful banjo and fiddle jam, that it’s all the more unfortunate that several tracks barely manage to make an imprint. This sense of an uneasy balance pervades I and Love and You. The duo’s concerns about future success and leaving the past behind is especially evident on “Ten Thousand Words.” Avett sings, “And after we are are through / 10 years in making it to be the most glorious of debuts / And they’ll be quick to point out our shortcomings and how the experts have all had their doubts.” This is certainly a very strong major label debut, but it would have served the Avett Brothers far better if they had dropped the pop filler and focused more on writing the heartfelt folk-country songs they are known for. The Avett Brothers have the tools to prove those experts wrong, and here’s to hoping they begin to do it.
Viral Videos of the Week Search terms: Single Babies I’m really happy for you, baby, and I’m going to let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. OF ALL TIME! In all honesty, this baby attempting to dance to “Single Ladies” in front of the television is almost as adorable as any cute animal video we could muster up. So apologies to all the confused puppies, dancing kittens and soccer-playing bears out there, this week’s cute video belongs to the humans. Search terms: Boostalk- We Gon’ Rock The term “best rapper alive” is thrown around a lot these days. Lil Wayne frequently calls himself the game’s best MC, while others point to Jay-Z or Eminem. Although each of these artists has his merits, I humbly submit that Boostalk beats all these rappers easily. Check his latest single “We Gon’ Rock,” a blend of annoying rhythms, indecipherable lyrics and the best music video ever created. Not only can he rap, he can make lay-ups and lift weights, too!
PHOTO COURTESY SONY
The Avett Brothers were finally rescued from desolate country rocks by Sony and carried safely to a bustling metropolis of pop music.