The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 21, 2007 -SA
Not a single drop of irony.
The right kind of 'War'
Korea's most expensive film triumphs
By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Arts Writer
It's a unique feeling to leave a
movie not just disappointed, but
angry as well.
"Dragon
* Wars" gives **
you, that feel-
ing. Every- Dragon
thing goes
wrong in this Wars
movie, a Kore-
an monster At Quality 16
plot set in Los and Showcase
Angeles (don't Freestyle
ask). But once
you exit the
theater, a curious thing happens.
You might find yourself remem-
bering the movie with fondness.
In every logical sense, it's awful
work, but you can't help but feel
loyal to the experience.
Let me explain. Think of it as
what "Snakes on a Plane" should
have been. It's the most serious
of glorifiable camp; there's not
a single self-conscious moment
unexpected fashion
here. To describe the plot is outrageously incompetent act-
somewhat difficult (what I ing, writing and direction.
did understand: the protago- About halfway through the
nists are reincarnated spirits movie, you begin to wonder if
of two dragon protectors from any of these people were even
500 years earlier, mysteriously trying, and maybe that's the
linked by tattoos and magical point. Rubbery-looking snakes
necklaces), but know that it's a and turtle monsters (yes, turtle
big monster movie based on a monsters) attack in a kind of
Korean legend that has dragons "Gladiator"-meets-"Godzilla"
coming to Earth to battle for fashion, and it's just not pos-
their place in heaven. And it's sible for this kind of movie to be
completely straight-faced. This executed with any measure of
- not the reflexive goofiness of intelligence. I mean, two snake
"Snakes" - is what makes a true dragons fight in the sky during
camp classic, and in that cannon a pseudo-Pagan ritual, and a
"Dragon Wars" is a hilarious zookeeper goes crazy as he wit-
gem. nesses a monster chewing on'
As with most big-budget fare, an elephant before throwing it
American or otherwise (this is through the air. Do you expect,
reportedly the most expensive and really, do you want, any-
Korean film ever made), we get thing more than complete rev-
whatever the producers could erence to the sillines, from the
afford. Visual effects! Nonsensi- filmmakers?
cal effects! Over-the-top effects! Of course not. Terrible mov-
Any narrative cue here that can- iemaking makes "Dragon Wars"
not be purchased has the quality as delightfully obnoxious as it is
of a Saturday night flick on the unmistakablyterrible, and that's
Sci-Fi Network, complete with the only way it could be.
A hard on to
remember
By ANNA ASH
Daily Arts Writer
"I am Devendra Banhart and
we are Spiritual Boner," the wil-
lowy figure said with a smirk.
There was no need for any further
introductions
or explanations.
The moment Devendra
Banhart's tight-B
roped vibrato Banhart
wavered its way Wednesday
through his jun-
gle of a beard, Atthe Majestic
everything- the Theater, Detroit
song, the man
behind the song
and perhaps even the muse behind
the man - was clear. Hips began
to sway, the six-piece Spiritual
Boner pulsed its way through the
verses of "Quedate Luna" (Crip-
ple Crow, 2005) and the enigma
enshrouding Devendra Banhart,
the bohemian vagabond from the
lands of psychedelic folk, dis-
solved into a few dabs of blue face
paint and a pair of suspenders.
Among the bass, two guitars,
keyboard and percussion back-
ing Banhart's croons and strums
were dense vocal harmonies rang-
ing from dulcet four-part harmo-
nies to successive canon voicings
and the occasional discordant
wailings. Surprisingly, even with
five other bodies adding to both
the visual and aural intensity of
the show, Banhart - with legs
crossed in a wooden chair and
head topped with a leather hat -
emanated an energy that very few
other modern musicians could.
"Yeah, we'll play 'Free Bird,'
" Banhart responded to an audi-
ence member. "This is just for you
in the white, my fairy friend. This
is like a 'Free Bird' for contem-
porary adults." But "Freely," off
of Banhart's yet-to-be-released
album Smokey Rolls Down Thun-
der Canyon, is a tune veering
toward the mystical that speaks
of a freedom, or rather a freeness,
that's far removed from Skynyrd's
notion of the term.
Banhart, however, didn't
remain seated and acoustic for
long.
There was a brief musical inter-
mission when a fortunate audi-
ence member got the chance to
play two of her own songs while
Banhart and friends frolicked
with percussion instruments in
the back of the stage. The dismal
interlude of well-meaning audi-
ence participation/experimen-
tation was just enough time for
Banhart and his long-haired fel-
lows to let down their locks and
prepare themselves to rock the
hell out.
And for a while, the dapper
sextet actualized their faade of
a 1970s rock band, complete with
a Fleetwood Mac cover and a few
mildly ear-piercing guitar solos.
The mood on stage shifted back a
decade for "Shabop Shalom" - a
formulaic tune akin to The Zodi-
acs's 1960s hit "Stay." Diverse
seems too restrained a word.
Although Banhart's albums
speak at length for his lyrical and
stylistic brilliance, there's more to
him - there's something subver-
sive and powerful and startlingly
spiritual about him. He's known
for his quasi-impressionism and
lyrical noodlings on dragonflies.
And when the stage became flood-
ed with dancing audience mem-
bers during the final song and a
shirtless Banhart adoringly swam
through the embraces singing "I
feel just like a child, yeah I feel
just like a child ... you can tell by
my smile that I'm a child," it was
beautifully clear that this man
does much more than sing about
little yellow spiders.
COURTESY OF TOUcH AND GO
Christian rock? Not quite. Mildly esoteric indie rock? Yes.
PInbc a little
out of 'Season'
By MATT EMERY beautifully bizarre imagery of a
Daily Arts Writer man floating in the sky in a lawn
chair with balloons trumps
From the title alone, you everything: "Larry climbs into
can draw two possible conclu- his lawn chair, waves her good-
sions about Pinback's fourth bye / Unties from the post, races
full-length album Autumn of towards the sky / Takes a sip
the Seraphs: out of his beer and says it looks
The San Diego , amazing." The piano plucks
rockers are blend effortlessly into scalpel-
either shifting Pinback sharpguitarthatshowstheband
toward Chris- still has a few quirky surprises.
tian rock or Autumn of "Devil You Know" also works
they're delv- the Seraphs well with the piano, playing off
ing deeper into the vocals to create a surpris-
the mystical, Touch and Go ingly solemn number that may
duel-harmony not function on normal Pinback
shtick that customs but still feels at home. ,
made them so popula in the Sometimes breaking out of
first place. expected musical tendencies
It's not Christian rock, but it's can backfire. "Off By 50" has a
also not, the everyday Pinback grinding solo guitar intro dis-
effort. Sure, there's the usual rupting the overall lightness of
lightness of early songs like the album before running into
"Penelope" from Blue Screen numbingly repetitive squeal-
Life and "Fortress" off Sum- ings of "separate the world!"
mer in Abaddon. But the album "Barnes" suffers a similar defeat
also shows a side to Pinback no with a jerky bass line mirrored
longer satisfied by solely filling
albums with tracks that pluck
their way into people's minds ,
for days. It s OK if you
Still, the band knows its
strengths. The vocal pairing of don't have
Armistead Burwell Smith IV
(Zach) and Rob Crow has always build another.
been Pinback's biggest asset.
The first track, "From Nothing
to Nowhere," sits well in the
Pinback canon. It shoots out of
the gate with a frantic guitar riff by equally twitchy vocals that
and the muted vocals that have aren't far off from Weird Al.
come to define the band. The And sometimes the lyrics are
typical, simplistic instrumenta- too esoteric to be considered
tion is counteracted by the airy poetry by even an existential
vocals. "Good to Sea" works high schooler. Take "Bouquet":
similarly with quick melodies, "It's sucking on the more than
but this time the newfound worthless / Swept under the
electronic poppiness makes the blanket / That's where you met
song even more addicting than me / It's bleeding innocent all
the album opener. over / In a sense that matters /
"Walters" works as a bridge Always just empty."
between the band playing it safe Despite the occasional strug-
- with routine, catchy harmo- glesinexperimentation,Autumn
nies - and attempting to show a of the Seraphs isn't, overall, a
harder edge juxtaposed against misstep. It would work bet-
an underused piano. The song's ter as an EP than a full-length,
a little angsty during portions of but Pinback didn't completely
the lyrics ("Anyone else would throw out its old tendencies,
slit from sleeve to shoulder / instead choosing to hold onto
Anyone else would not deserve what brought it its following in
your life"), but even so, the the first place.
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A * I ! 1 3A 31 1 1I 1
A DIP IN THE LAKE
Our music editor explains
why Justin Timberlake's
"Cry Me a River" is a reli-
gion in and of itself.
DON'T GIVE UP HOPE
Our newest music
plebian pontificates on his
music-filled walks.
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