10 | Reviews
thebreezeonline.com | September 30, 2013
The Naked & Famous delivers a solid effort ROBERT ORTIZ
The Naked and Famous’s latest efforts\ In Rolling Waves is different from their first entitled Passive Me, Aggressive You. Breaking genre conventions is what this album is all about. The album starts off with an acoustic guitar strumming along, adding in vocals and ends in their telltale electronic beats and great vocals. The first track really sets the tone of any album. The stillness starts with a folksy, acoustic guitar, then introduces the beautiful vocals of lead singer Alisa Xayalith before becoming a wall of sonic noise. Jumping genres multiple times is really what this album is all about. Categorizing this album into one genre is tough. Each song takes us to a different musical style or blends them to create something wonderful. Wonderful experimentation are the best two words to describe this album. The Naked and Famous know that the electronic beats and beautiful vocals work for them. This band, however, is not afraid to leave their comfort zone. They incorporate pop- sounding songs such as the “Hearts Like Ours” and “Rolling Waves” with the minimalist “Waltz” and ballads such as “We Are Leaving.”
Again, the vocals are amazing, whether it be the lone vocals of their lead singer or the numerous duets and harmonies all throughout their album. The pure musicianship in this album is astonishing. Their blends of powerful electric guitars and house beats really drive home how much this band knows their craft. People who appreciate music in general will admire what they have done with this album. Music should make a person feel emotions. This album brings us into the love letter that is “The Mess,” takes a detour to the club in “I Kill Giants,” cools us off with the folksy sing-a-long in “What We Want,” brings us back to reality with very serious but beautiful ballad “We Are Leaving.” The tapestry of emotions this album weaves is special and hard to do. In Rolling Waves, is a beautifully crafted sophomore effort. The blending of genres is amazing. The experimentation done here is something to behold. The high levels of musicianship and song crafting done here is definitely worth the listen to both old fans, fans of indie electronic music, or just someone looking for something different. The Good: The Naked and Famous are back — familiar, but joyfully different.
Album cover for In Rolling Waves.
The Bad: Some of the songs do sound similar and the track “Golden Girl” feels like filler.
COURTESY OF SOMEWHAT DAMAGED
The Weird: Some of the more poppy sounding songs fall flat, Overall: B+
Prisoners is a dark, tense little fall thriller HANAJUN CHUNG
Prisoners, has one scene in the beginning in which things feel incredibly positive, joyously fitting for the moment. It’s a great, naturalistic moment that provides a nice warmth in an otherwise winter atmosphere. That scene is not only great, but it’s also necessary for the film because the rest is pure darkness in a literal and figurative sense. And it’s absolutely thrilling. Prisoners is about a pair of rural, working-class families who must confront their worst fears when each of their daughters never return from a stroll during a dinner party. Tensions escalate as days slowly pass without the girls, putting pressure on not only the authorities involved in the case, but also one of the fathers. When their first, and only major lead gets released after a 48-hour hold due to the lack of evidence, the father dangerously takes matters into his own hands in finding answers. The film has the structure of a mystery that ultimately concludes with the reveal of the central conceit. But the film is distinct for sustaining its dark, gloomy tone throughout. It provides genuine authenticity to the situation. Credit goes to its strong cast, direction, and cinematography. The fantastic cast makes the film feel incredibly real. When characters start behaving questionably, it doesn’t feel or seem forced or corny, but rather incredibly believable, heightening the discomfort and tension. Hugh Jackman plays the time-bomb father who just can’t contain his increasing rage and frustration. What he does in his quest to find his daughter is horrific, violent, and incredibly uncomfortable in every sense. Yet, Jackman’s eyes remind us of his desperation, making the scenes much more difficult to witness. Jake Gyllenhaal co-stars as Detective
Loki, the officer in charge of the case. While Gyllenhaal doesn’t have as much to do as Jackman, he’s quite solid as the average cop (with experience from his recent cop film End of Watch), excelling with terrific subtlety. A character like this could’ve been wild and uncontrollable, but Gyllenhaal plays the role subdued, aside from a few scenes that require the character to act tougher and more authoritative. He’s also able to pull light laughs due to his demeanor and delivery. He could’ve played things cheesy, but instead informs audiences of his character. Director Denis Villeneuve is no slouch either. His 2010 film Incendies (highly recommended) got nominated for best foreign film the following year, which is also va incredibly naturalistic, slow-burn of a film (before truly exploding). Both Incendies and Prisoners work on a Greek-tragedy level of storytelling that’s both entertaining and informing. While Prisoners is a bit more mainstream, it still retains the tougher elements to make it more challenging than many other similarly premised titles. It just shocking to see his somewhat realistic characters as they begin to slowly lose their humanity. Finally, the man who literally created the darkness is probably the film’s secret weapon: cinematographer Roger Deakins. Nominated for 10 Oscars, Deakins is the eye behind films such as The Shawshank Redemption, No Country For Old Men, and Skyfall. From the rain-soaked nights to the snow-covered days, Deakins creates a gloom and dark atmosphere that accurately reflects the psychology and mood of the situation. The images seen in this film will not be easily forgotten — whether desired or not — but all geared toward being truly affecting. Being a whodunit does lend certain things to be a bit formulaic, so one can already guess the structure of the film.
COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS. COPYRIGHT ALCON ENTERTAINMENT.
Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and Hugh Jackman (right) from Prisoners.
Due to said structure, some scenes are going to seem familiar (i.e. captain lectures subordinates, faltering family, red herrings, etc.), and that’s when things edge a little toward the familiar genre trappings. Prisoners could’ve been something quite memorable if it had done a couple different things in it’s mystery, allowing it to reach heights such as Silence of the Lambs or Seven. Instead, Villeneuve’s film is an above-average thriller that’s a welcome fall release that doesn’t reach the operatic sensation of similar titles, but instead reminds us the primal fear of the situation by making Prisoners feel all too real. The Good: Dark and realistic tone. The acting is fantastic with the entire cast, MVP going to Jackman and Gyllenhaal. Villeneuve’s direction. Deakin’s camerawork. The Bad: It is a mystery, so it does have certain genre bits that might seem a bit cliche in an somewhat realistic atmosphere. The Weird: The red herrings aren’t red herrings. That’s good mystery. Overall: B
In honor of our food-centric issue, here are some of cinema’s best films to appease the appetite. After seeing these, ordinary meals will never be the same.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) Babette’s Feast (1987) Sideways (2004) Ratatouille (2007) Chocolat (2000) Tampopo (1985) Eat Drink Man Woman (1944) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)