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Arts
Wednesday, November 25, 2015 — 5A
STAGE 6 FILMS
“Look, it’s some sex and gore over there!”
Sex, gore, charm
in ‘Final Girls’
Offbeat horror film
takes a satirical
look at the genre
By MADELEINE GAUDIN
Daily Arts Writer
Somewhere between “Scream”
and “Wet Hot American Summer,”
we find “Final Girls,” an offbeat
movie
about
horror movies.
Taissa Farmiga
(“The
Bling
Ring”)
plays
Max,
a
high
school student
floundering
after the death
of her mom, a
B-list
scream
queen played by
Malin
Acker-
man
(“Watch-
men”).
She’s
coerced into a screening of her
mom’s most famous movie, “Camp
Bloodbath,” when a freak accident
theater fire (because those hap-
pen apparently) causes Max and
her friends to escape through the
screen and into the world of the
movie, a campy teen slasher with a
Michael Myers-type villain.
It doesn’t take long for the resi-
dent horror movie nerd to make
himself known and dish out some
serious survival strategies. Per
usual, a girl’s protective armor
is her virginity. Interestingly
enough, there doesn’t seem to be
a good way to survive if you’re a
boy. Adam Devine’s (“Pitch Per-
fect”) anachronistic jock charac-
ter is killed unceremoniously and
the movie nerd himself (Thomas
Middleditch “Silicon Valley”) is
killed twice. Unlike “Scream,”
“Final Girls” follows the rules
it’s critiquing. Max decides to
keep Nancy (her mom’s charac-
ter) alive by keeping her chaste. If
Max and her friends can survive
by making it to the final credits
(granted it is unclear how they
came to that realization), so can
Nancy, right? But this attempt is
made futile by the fact that Nancy
is also “the shy girl with the clip-
board and the guitar,” a new rule
seemingly created only to vali-
date the deaths of virgin charac-
ters. Not only do you have to be a
virgin to survive “Camp Blood-
bath,” but you also have to be the
“right” kind of virgin.
“Camp Bloodbath” looks like
someone put an Instagram filter
on a low-budget remake of “Hal-
loween.” Everything is cast in a
golden light that screams nostal-
gia, and the final fight scene is a
grand machete battle set against
purple fog and pink lightning. It’s
as visually striking as it is over-
the-top. The exaggerated palate
sets the world of “Camp Blood-
bath” outside the bounds of reali-
ty, and it therefore allows the plot
to bend in unrealistic ways.
The title “Final Girls” is a lit-
tle misleading — Max is the only
girl who actually gets to survive
until the end. And while all of
the real-world girls come back to
life in time for the sequel, Max is
the only one privileged with the
final battle, a fact that is disap-
pointing for anyone expecting a
badass five-on-one takedown of
the creepy masked killer.
Amid all the sex and gore,
“Final Girls” manages to find
some poignancy in the relation-
ship between Max and Nancy.
Following a gory run in with Billy,
the masked killer, Max and Nancy
share a moment where Nancy is
allowed to voice the fears of her
off-screen counterpart — not
being a part of her daughter’s life.
The scene is clunky and a little
confusing (no one in their right
mind empties their heart out
next to a half-dead maniac with
a machete), but it establishes the
film as something more than just
a 21st century “Scream.”
Despite some plotholes and
inconsistencies, “Final Girls” is a
charming, poignant satire of teen
slasher movies.
B+
Final Girls
Stage 6 Films
Available
on Google
Play, iTunes
and Amazon
Instant Video
ALBUM REVIEW
Arca’s ‘Mutant’ far
from an easy listen
By MATT GALLATIN
Daily Arts Writer
The
Venezuelan
producer
Alejandro Ghersi, known as
“Arca,” works on the edge of
reality.
When
he teamed up
with the celes-
tial artist Björk
to produce her
album Vulnicu-
ra, he described
it as a natural
fit.
Musically,
this
makes
sense: both artists create coded
and complex music, and the emo-
tions attached are difficult to
identify. Longing is the general
theme of Vulnicura, but Björk’s
longing is far more alien and
nuanced than the emotion we
typically describe it as. Delicately
balancing cosmic production and
affecting string arrangements,
she walks the line between our
world and the beyond. A new
version of the album, Vulnicura
Strings, strips away everything
but the strings and the vocals — a
humanizing move for the enig-
matic artist.
Arca’s new album Mutant is
the sonic antithesis to Vulnicura
Strings. Gentle orchestras are
replaced with huge industrial
sounds. Where Björk sings, Arca
roars. It’s an angry departure
from Earth.
But while Vulnicura Strings
and Mutant are musical oppo-
sites, they feel similar. Both grow
and contract like living, breath-
ing creatures. This kind of con-
tradiction is what Arca thrives
on. The most vulnerable track
on the album, “Gratitud,” uses
a harsh metallic tone to create
warmth. “F*ggot” is both delicate
and severe, mixing dance music
synths and industrial tones with
peaceful bells and choir. It’s an
attempt to take ownership of the
derogatory term and attach a pos-
itive connotation to it, much like
hip hop has done with “n*gga.”
Much of Mutant deals with
(while never actually vocalizing)
this struggle over sexuality. Arca
said that he had a difficult time
accepting he was gay, a truth
brewing quietly inside until
reaching a cathartic roar. Open-
ing track “Alive” marches with
this confident defiance, look-
ing his demons in the face and
embracing them. The cathartic
roar takes form in “En,” a song
that grows and churns to climax
in a beastly growl. This is the
frightening cry of a man who has
been restrained and outcast for
too long — a mutant, you could
say. Even during his most viscer-
al moments, though, Arca never
leaves the dark, alien world that
Mutant inhabits.
Interestingly,
Arca
called
Mutant a very “social” album.
Many of the songs are apparently
evocative of a friend or moment in
his life. While only Arca can know
the personal stories behind these
tracks, one thing is clear: Arca has
some eccentric friends. Beyond
his Björk collaboration, he added
production to Kanye’s Yeezus, a
number of FKA Twigs’ releases
and Kelela’s Hallucinogen, all
of which are on the forefront of
futuristic music. Traces of these
artists are everywhere in Mutant.
The terrifying screams from the
title track are reminiscent of
Kanye’s on “I Am a God.” FKA
Twig’s
consuming
sensuality
seeps through tracks like “Front
Load” and “Extent.” “Snakes” is
a reference to the zodiac symbol
Arca and Björk share.
Compared to his previous
releases, Mutant is the most
sweeping. The minimalism of
his debut album Xen felt like a
trip through outer space; Mutant
feels like an arrival to a far away
planet. Visually, it invokes a
futuristic dystopian city (think
“Terminator” or “Blade Run-
ner”). Arca has been moving in
this direction since the begin-
ning of his career. His earlier,
more
approachable
mixtapes
Stretch 1 and Stretch 2 were
strongly influenced by hip hop.
Stretch 2’s “Brokeup” included
vocally altered rap verses that
resembled
rapper/producer
Madlib’s alter-ego Quasimoto.
This kind of genre association
and vocal presence disappeared
as Arca progressed, as did any
comfort his music once had. By
the time Xen was released, Arca
had become a genre to himself,
and Mutant expands further into
unexplored musical territory.
Standout tracks like “Vanity”
and “Soichiro” plunge you into
that dark dystopian world like a
bad trip. “Vanity” is particular-
ly mesmerizing, swelling with
symbols and high pitched tones
that alternate between float-
ing idly and racing like a roller
coaster. That said, Mutant is far
from an easy listen. It demands
stamina and weighs heavily on
the listener. It’s also one of the
best electronic albums of the
year, a major accomplishment
in a time of plenty of high-qual-
ity releases. Arca has proven
himself to be a powerful voice
in the future of music.
MUTE
“Hidey-ho neighbor.”
A-
Mutant
Arca
Mute
STYLE NOTEBOOK
2015 AMAs: Best
and worst dressed
By Daily Style Writers
The 2015 American Music
Awards, hosted by J-Lo herself,
was filled with just the right
amount of rain (#Belieber), wins
(TSwift needs to give it a rest),
shade (Nicki Minaj) and Jared
Leto we could all hope for. Here’s
the Daily Style Squad’s rundown
of who dominated the fashion
department at the event, as well
as the celebrities that should have
traded their “outfits” for garbage
bags (Harry Styles would have
been better off).
BEST- TYGA
Never have I ever regarded
Tyga as a fashion ideal. Yet, in
the wake of last night’s sarto-
rial tragedies, Tyga restored my
dwindling faith in Hollywood’s
fashion elite. Needless to say, I
was wholly disappointed with
the women’s fashion. I’m unsure
why stars — who have nearly
every designer and gown at their
fingertips — are shying away
from elegant silhouettes and
opting for borderline Forever
21-esque frocks and separates.
But alas, young Nguyen-Ste-
venson stood out from his male
counterparts in a sharp navy suit
and kept it casual sans tie. As for
happy endings — just as a fashion
fairytale would have it — he and
Kylie were spotted canoodling at
Bieber’s after party. Shouts out to
Tyga for winning bae back with
sleekness and sophistication. —
Caroline Filips
BEST- NINA DOBREV
My best dressed from the 2015
AMA’s undoubtedly goes to Nina
Dobrev. Dobrev looked absolutely
stunning in a white gown and
jacket by Zuhair Murad. The look
was completed with bright floral
accents, embellishing the top of
the gown along with the borders of
the jacket. Dobrev took the award
for classiest last night by a long
shot, yet she still managed to be
one of the sexiest looks on the car-
pet. Job well done goes out to Nina
and her stylist, as she completely
stole the show. — Julia Doyle
WORST- Z LA LA
Who’s Z La La? She’s the
woman in the weird upside-
down octopus costume on the
red carpet. Completed with an
excessive head piece similar to a
tulip, it would have been best that
it never bloomed. Let’s leave the
sea animals in the ocean and the
Gaga-ing to the O.G. — Christian
Kennedy
WORST- GWEN STEFANI
Alas, Gwen, I used to love you,
too. Remember the Harajuku era,
when you were rocking the off-
beat schoolgirl vibes and we all
pretended to like it? I can’t pretend
anymore. Stefani threw me for a
loop with profound poof of the bat-
wing-on-steroids variety. As for
her bottom half, I’m usually pro
pants-less style choices, but the
exposed leotard was more tacky
than tasteful. — Caroline Filips
BEST- DNCE
Joe Jonas and band rocked
coordinated outfits with maroon
and grey tones. Jinjoo Lee’s
knee-high maroon boots and
sunglasses
along
with
Jack
Lawless’s black leather pants
complimented
Cole
Whittle’s
felt shirt. Jonas’s blue hair and
printed
button-down
added
just the right amount of pop
for the band’s first red carpet
appearance. — Christian Kennedy
WORST- HARRY STYLES
Three words: attack of floral.
Not sure what Harry Styles was
thinking or trying to prove in his
hideous, cheap imitation Hawai-
ian pantsuit. While, I will admit,
this outfit may be awesome for
escaping the paparazzi and cam-
ouflaging into a Hawaiian land-
scape, for the purposes of every
other event in life, it’s a tragic
waste of time, fabric and celeb-
rity influence. Harry, oh Harry,
has Zayn’s departure affected
you so much that you’ll show
up at AMAs dressed like you’re
having an existential midlife cri-
sis at the tender age of 21? But I
digress; let’s take a step back
from the clearly tragic pattern
and move on to the hem — that
is, the flared pants. WHY? Why
are you doing this to yourself and
millions of pre-teen girls who
are still obsessed with you? For
the sake of the world, throw this
repurposed Ikea bedspread out
and move on. — Mariam Sheikh
BEST- DEMI LOVATO
Demi Lovato looked effort-
lessly chic at the AMA entrance
last night. Her ’20s-inspired wavy
dark brown hair was immacu-
lately done, and it complemented
her sequin-printed long gown.
The dress was completely backless
with a slit that came up nearly to
her hip (can you say bold?). Lova-
to’s makeup was daring with a
black smoky eye and burgundy lip-
stick. She completed her old Hol-
lywood glam look with a jeweled
clutch and black rings. Overall, she
would have even given Poot a run
for her money. — Carly Colonnese
BEST- NICK JONAS
Whoever
categorized
the
“groufit” as something grotesque
and lame is surely eating their
words right now, since ex-Jo-bro
and former high-profile Disney
star proved them ever so wrong
last night. Donned in, you guessed
it, a grey suit with an aggressively
grey turtleneck, not only did Jonas
redefine an Urban Dictionary defi-
nition, but he channeled “Hotline
Bling” Drake in the best possible
way. While he may be a dead Red
Devil killer (#SpoilerAlert), he
and his style will forever be in our
hearts, minds and camera rolls. —
Mariam Sheikh
WORST- JENNY
MCCARTHY
Everything
about
Jenny
McCarthy’s outfit was too much.
From the lipstick-red dress and
boots, the stark contrast to her
pale complexion, her white-
blonde curls, white nails and
nude lip, to the Halloween-esque
oversized belt, McCarthy stood
out in the wrong way. The belted
dress and thigh high boot com-
bination was more something
Daphne Blake would wear than a
former host of “The View.” Even
for the red carpet, her look was
too red. — Emma Kinery
BEST- SELENA GOMEZ
Selena Gomez stunned in a red
sequin Givenchy midi-dress and
Jimmy Choo strappy sandals. Her
sleek middle part and long dark
tresses paired perfectly with the
sparkling ensemble. Her makeup
— a deep red shadow and dark
liner to match her power stare —
made for one of the best looks of
the night. The low-backed dress
made Gomez appear elegant and
confident; surely a certain ex-
boyfriend noticed. Along with
her new album Revival, many
have witnessed Gomez’s unbe-
lievable fashion revival. Credits
are due to all-star stylist Kate
Young (other clients include
Sienna Miller, Dakota Johnson
and Michelle Williams) who
has the sartorial expertise to
follow Gomez’s fervent return.
— Mara MacLean
BEST- CIARA
For all intents and purposes,
I want to clarify how anomalous
this best dressed categorization
is. Ciara, a now irrelevant celeb-
rity in everyone’s book, did a
complete 180 when she stepped
out in what may be the best Reem
Acra gown of all time. Congrats,
Ciara; you have officially come
back into the relevant main-
stream, and your style is one
to be reckoned with. It takes a
certain amount of preparation
and guts to step out in a sheer,
black, floor-length, strategically
embellished dress. The risk was
well worth the reward, as she
looked amazing in every way. —
Mariam Sheikh
DEF JAM RECORDINGS
J-Lo at her fashion J-Lowest.
FILM REVIEW