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Arts & Culture

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Twice The Fun but Half The Heart

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Considering the wide variety of obscure Marvel characters, from Squirrel Girl to Spider-Ham, then the likes of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Racoon and Groot are not too out of left field. The only question was whether audiences would be receptive to an Odyssean epic set against the backdrop of 70s and 80s tunes, where a human space pirate, emerald assassin, vindictive warrior and an anthropomorphic raccoon, along with his tree sidekick, joined forces to save the universe. Yet, with due faith in the Marvel brand and an innovative script from James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, Guardians of the Galaxy ended up being one of the best breakout hits of 2014, praised for its touching characters, visual splendor, humor and unpredictability. Just as the superhero genre was becoming stale due to a bevy of uninspired films like Iron Man, Thor and the X-Men sequels, Guardians gave new life to the genre. The film helped propel other eccentric and outlandish properties, such as Ant-Man (2015), into the mainstream zeitgeist.

Arts & Culture

A Matter of Life and Death

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From the moment it was announced, Life was immediately accused of being an Alien derivative, albeit with a bigger budget and more diverse cast. The trailers, which consisted of astronauts screaming aboard a space station while a hostile extraterrestrial entity hunted for them, coupled with eerie and frightening music, did nothing to assuage those claims. Though Life unashamedly borrows much of its plot points and retreads themes from Ridley Scott’s magnum opus, it distinguishes itself from the Xenomorph frenzy by way of a realistic, believable setting. The stakes feel very real, and in vein with similar films like Arrival and Gravity, Life is concerned with matters here and now, employing a cautionary tale of the dangers of careless curiosity. Though the film plays on formulaic conventions, it does provide creative, blood curdling horror and impressive visuals. Yet, Life’s visual effects and thematic concerns cannot overcome character shortcomings and its tonal inconsistency.

Arts & Culture

Skull Island Puts the King in Kong

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Despite the fact that King Kong can boast three movies to his name, their respective plots are largely formulaic and predictable. Though individual directors imbue their own style in their interpretations, the essential tenets remain the same throughout: rapacious executives go to a mysterious island that proves to be full of deadly creatures. They find Kong and bring him back to New York, where, after romancing a blonde, he is gunned down by military planes. (A rendition of “it was beauty that killed the beast” usually follows.) The latest installment in the franchise, Kong: Skull Island, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts has all the same ingredients. Brie Larson plays the blonde, Kong is as ferocious as ever and the island of which he inhabits is full of terrifying monsters.

Arts & Culture

Logan Cuts Deep

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Ever since Bryan Singer’s first X-Men flick in 2000, the ubiquitous desire of hardcore comic book fans everywhere was for a solo Wolverine film, and for one that captured the character’s dark personality, brutal fighting style and vulgar lingo, which many felt could not be done within the confines of a PG-13 rating. Though previous efforts X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine were modest attempts, it was not until the critical and financial success of 2016’s licentious, violent and hedonic Deadpool that the groundwork was set for 20th Century Fox to acquiesce to that desire and grace cinema screens with the R-rated Logan. Although Logan is filled with enough f-bombs and dismembered limbs to satiate even the most ravenous of Quentin Tarantino fans, contrary to popular belief, these aspects are not the sole points of the film’s strengths. To say that Logan is a great Wolverine film purely because of its R-rating would do it a disservice. As superhero films become much more focused on creating cohesive cinematic worlds instead of stand-alone stories, Logan succeeds through its simplistic, emotional and character-driven narrative (carried by the raw talent of its brilliant cast) and serves as a rousing and faithful conclusion to a character whom Hugh Jackman has played for 17 years.

Arts & Culture

All You Need is Kill

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In 2014, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch unleashed a brand new assassin into the world of cinema with John Wick, a subversive, stylish and thoroughly entertaining film with beautifully choreographed, yet fiercely brutal action sequences. Unsurprisingly, expectations were high for the sequel. In Chapter 2, director Chad Stahelski returns to deliver more of the same sleek and vicious fighting sequences while expanding upon the world that he built in the first film, where New York City was reimagined as a metropolis infested with camouflaged killers who could assassinate victims at a moment’s notice. From performances to cinematography to soundtrack to the films many, many, fight scenes, John Wick Chapter 2 is a fast-paced and high octane adventure. Though repetitive in some areas, Chapter 2 is a rare sequel that retains elements that made the first film such a hit, while also going deeper into the sinews of its own cinematic world.

Arts & Culture

Spinning Singles: Lecrae, “Blessings”

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For a genre whose lyrics are typically built off of braggadocio and pride, hip-hop has been taking a humbler stance recently. Maybe “humble” is not the right word, but amidst the bombastic bangers and club hits, a few artists have put out introspective tracks acknowledging where they were in the past and thanking those who have helped them achieve success. Big Sean’s third single “Blessings” from 2015’s Dark Sky Paradise was an eerie and spectral track which saw him shout out his grandma and mom for their support. Likewise, the infectious, gospel-inspired “Blessings” off of Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book though much more light-hearted, continued this same theme, with Chano expressing gratitude to God. So in 2017 when Lecrae releases a new single of the same name, does he offer anything new?

Christian music

TEST SPIN: Reach — My Shoes

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Growing up in Chicago, I often heard the phrase “Imma make a mixtape.” Inspired by rap titans such as Chance the Rapper and Kanye West, who were birthed from the same city streets I walked (or at least lived in somewhat close proximity to), students would often jokingly fantasize about creating their very own rap project that would propel them to stardom. In between passing periods and behind the watchful eyes of teachers, my friends and I would pen our own lyrics with the hopes that with the right producer and beats, we could make a best-selling record. Alas, while I still have a notebook chock-full of hot 16s, I was never able to quite get around to making an album. Though I remain a fan of hip-hop and rap, I thought that the world of music-creation and album-production was best left to the professionals. The best I can do is be an educated and informed critic and consumer.

Arts & Culture

Honor Among Rogues

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When Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in December 2015, to say that it had to live up to high expectations would be a tremendous understatement. A decade had passed since the last live-action Star Wars movie was released, and the trailers had promoted the film as an exciting new take on the galaxy far, far away while also promising plenty of nostalgic moments, evidenced by the inclusion of John William’s iconic soundtrack and appearances from Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2. Although The Force Awakens was by no means a bad film, time and nostalgia made audiences and critics willing to forgive its more egregious flaws: mainly that it was a recapitulation of the Star Wars: A New Hope’s storyline albeit with superior special effects. However, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story does not benefit from the same circumstances that surrounded The Force Awakens. The familiar glow of a lightsaber or an incredulous rendition of “I’ve got bad feeling about this” are not enough to satisfy fans anymore.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPIN: Various Artists — The Hamilton Mixtpe

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Hamilton… a mere mention of its name opens a bevy of conversation. But really, what more can be said about ten-dollar founding father, that has not already been said? Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Broadway behemoth already has a Grammy Award-Winning soundtrack that reached #1 on the Rap Albums chart (apparently the first cast album to ever do so), and its shows have been consistently sold out, with some re-sale tickets going upwards of $2,000. Yet Miranda’s involvement with recent films like Star Wars The Force Awakens and Moana, seemed to signal his departure from the musical.

2016 music

The Sun’s Top 50 Albums of 2016

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Join The Daily Sun’s Arts & Entertainment writers as they count down the 50 best albums of 2016, releasing 10 new albums every day. 

50. Horse Lords — Interventions

Horse Lords  — a four-piece avant-rhythms band from Baltimore with more creativity than they’ll ever know what to do with — have been specializing in freaking us all out since 2012, but Interventions is their first release which brings it all together into one coherent vessel you can really dive right into. Maybe it’s because they’ve finally said goodbye to anything resembling rock music; maybe it’s because they’ve figured out how to make that flitting groove stick around from start to finish. Either way, Interventions’ mind-busting polyrhythms and brain-zapping dissonances no longer sound like Pere Ubu outtakes or Steve Reich scraps. Every second on Interventions sounds just like Horse Lords.