6A — Monday, April 1, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Ranking Marvel: Part one
JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer
FILM NOTEBOOK
NETFLIX
With “Endgame” just a month
away, it’s time to look back at
the most successful cinematic
experiment of our time — the
Marvel Cinematic Universe — from
its billion dollar cinematic heights
to its most minor TV outings, to see
how well they tell their stories with
the means available to them.
44. “Marvel’s Iron Fist”: Season
1 (2017)
Before its release, “Iron Fist”
was staring down a whitewashing
controversy
and
the
weight
of having to build up to “The
Defenders,” and it blinked. Hard.
The characters, with the notable
exception of Jessica Henwick’s
Colleen
Wing,
are
largely
unlikeable and saddled with boring
storylines, and the fight scenes that
should have been the lifeblood of
the series are perhaps the most
incompetent in the entire MCU.
Come for the mystical kung-fu, stay
for the endless board meetings.
43.
“Marvel’s
Inhumans”:
Season 1 (2017)
The first and only season of
“Inhumans” is the very definition of
“cheap,” which is doubly surprising
when you remember that this was
originally announced as a Phase
Three film to be released between
“Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
Someone at Marvel must have
realized what a stinker they had
on their hands, so they slashed the
budget and exiled it to ABC. This is
a show that stars alien superheroes
from the Moon and decides to send
them to Hawaii for a fish out of
water story. The only thing worse
than the writing are the visuals, the
ugliest in the MCU.
42.
“Marvel’s
Runaways”:
Season 2 (2018)
After a full first season in which
the titular Runaways never actually
ran
away,
the
superpowered
teenagers at the center of the show
finally escape their evil parents
and proceed to do nothing but
argue, keep secrets and argue about
keeping secrets for an insufferable
slog of a sophomore season. Other
shows usually need a full twenty-
plus episode season to reach this
level
of
directionless
tedium.
Season two of “Runaways” does it
in thirteen.
41. “Marvel’s The Punisher”:
Season 2 (2019)
The second season of “The
Punisher” has thirteen episodes
and enough plot to fill half of that.
The opening salvo is resolutely
solid with brutal action and another
wounded performance from Jon
Bernthal, but the interesting story
it sets up about far-right extremists
is quickly abandoned for a return
to New York City and a protracted
and predictable game of cat-and-
amnesiac-mouse between Frank
and Billy Russo.
40. “Iron Man 2” (2010)
The worst film in the MCU is
one of its earliest, a movie that uses
most of its runtime to put the pieces
in place for the rest of the universe
while
neglecting
to
actually
develop a story of its own. At any
given moment there are something
like three storylines all vying for
attention, and most of them end in
anticlimax. Remember Whiplash?
Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer?
Tony’s dad leaving him the plans
for a new element in the layout for
his off-brand world’s fair? Good,
because Marvel doesn’t want you
to.
39. “Marvel’s Runaways”: Season
1 (2017)
This show is called “Runaways.”
It is composed of 10 episodes. It
takes until the final moments of
the first season for the characters
to actually run away. At about
fifty minutes per episode and
ten episodes per season, that’s
499 minutes “Runaways” spends
spinning its wheels when it could be
using its outstanding cast to adapt
one of Marvel’s most inventive
comics. The first few episodes are
interesting, but after that, it loses
steam with almost breathtaking
speed.
38. “Thor: The Dark World”
(2013)
There’s an argument to be
made that “The Dark World” is a
worse movie than “Iron Man 2,”
but “The Dark World” at least has
a single central story. So there’s
that. Otherwise, this is a lot of
what people who hate the MCU
hate about the MCU. The villain
is paper thin, the action is flat and
the excellent cast is wasted in the
movie’s desperation to get more
banter between Thor and Loki.
37. “The Incredible Hulk” (2008)
“The Incredible Hulk” is the
redheaded stepchild of the MCU,
not because it’s the worst movie,
but
because
everyone
forgets
about it until Wikipedia reminds
them of its existence. Edward
Norton famously butted heads
with director Louis Leterrier on
set and would eventually hijack the
movie to create his own cut, and
the friction between director and
star shows in the complete lack of
humanity in a story that’s supposed
to be about one man’s struggle to
retain his humanity.
36. “Marvel’s Agent Carter”:
Season 2 (2016)
If “Agent Carter” were a Netflix
show and able to more fully lean
into its postwar noir trappings,
it might be something special.
Instead, it’s another ABC show
with a ludicrously great star and a
shiny coat of paint to cover up the
fact that it’s more of the same sorts
of stories. Peggy Carter deserves
better than playing second fiddle to
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
35. “Marvel’s Iron Fist”: Season
2 (2018)
The second season of “Iron Fist”
is such a dramatic improvement
on the first that you might
mistake it for good at first glance.
Unfortunately, while the pacing is
better and some of the characters
are more palatable, others are
introduced to at least partially
counteract that, including Alice
Eve’s Typhoid Mary, who you know
is evil because she has dissociative
identity disorder.
34. “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”:
Season 2 (2018)
So much of the second season
of “Jessica Jones” is good — Jess’s
headway in confronting her trauma
and her relationship with her
mother are emotional high points
brought home by Krysten Ritter’s
winning performance — but the
rest of the season is an unfocused
mess of forced drama that follows
one of the MCU’s high points with
one of its nadirs.
The journey continues next
week with some of the MCU’s more
minor successes. The franchise’s
first forays into TV are revealed
and a handful of pleasant if
forgettable movies show why the
Marvel formula works even when
it stumbles.
For those of who may not
know, Billie Eilish is a teen pop
icon, but not your typical 17-year-
old pop star. She was 13 when
she recorded her first viral hit
“Ocean Eyes” with her brother
at home. Over the last year, her
anonymity has evaded her, with
her Instagram nearing 16 million
followers and her music gaining
wider recognition, appearing on
late night shows and
movie
soundtracks.
At 17 with a billion
streams, she’s found
her
way
to
the
mainstream with the
release of her debut
album WHEN WE
ALL FALL ASLEEP,
WHERE DO WE GO?.
Eilish
reaches
fame at a point where
teen pop is losing the
strange, problematic
sex appeal that’s been associated
with it since “... Baby One
More Time.” Given the very
independent and digital nature of
her rise, it only makes sense — her
appeal was never attached to any
sense of sexiness. She never had
to adhere to any sort of archetype
the way stars like Miley Cyrus
had to. Eilish’s appeal presents
itself in a sense of realness, how
much her words feel like those
of a 17-year-old. She’ll look you
dead in the eye with a resting
bitch face in Instagram photos
and (at least pretend she) won’t
give a shit if you don’t like her.
She has approached her celebrity
differently
from
artists
like
Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and
Odd Future who built their own
multifaceted universe for fans
to delve into and obsess over
through
merchandise,
social
media and song references. Given
the context, the album is imbued
in all the teen angst you’d expect
from a 17-year-old. But don’t
think that leaves Eilish’s work
void of any artistic merit.
The music streams by like
a static, ambient sheet that
crinkles abruptly. At points,
there’s
an
instrumental
sameness, one sound carrying a
song nearly all the way through.
This isn’t to say the song lacks
variety, but that there’s a large
dependency on syncopation. It’s
a hazy, subtle sound composed
of sparse 808’s, a vaguely trappy
beat or twinkly percussion and a
muffled, mumbly voice. But the
beat switch-ups are prominent
and
unexpected,
occurring
sometimes in the middle of a
song (think more Swimming by
Mac Miller, less “Sicko Mode”).
Namely, there’s the latest single
“bad guy” that quickly turns
from the playful, blithe sneering
of a former partner to a dark,
investment in his loneliness
expressed in the lyrics as well
as the beat. There are also
surprisingly tactful splashes of
jazz that blend into some of the
songs to elevate the playful, more
friendly demeanor behind this
otherwise solemn and evocative
album.
The album has its moments
of playful gusto. It starts with
introduction “!!!!!!!,” featuring
slurping noises followed by Eilish
exclaiming, “I have taken out my
invisalign!” We are reassured
that this is indeed a serious
album by the time we reach the
second track, though glimmers
of goofiness shine throughout the
first half of the project, “all the
good girls go to hell” ending with
Eilish humming out the last few
beats in the song and yelling out,
“I cannot do this snowflake!” in a
mocking voice. An undercurrent
of anxiety and trepidation creeps
around the content. “xanny”
mocks the party anthem but
ponders the possibility of drug
use and overdose, asking “what is
it about them?” Similarly, “all the
good girls go to hell” is sly in its
exploration of menace but zones
in on real world issues like sea
levels rising and forests burning
in California.
The second half takes a more
despondent turn. The tempo is
noticeably
slower,
somber almost ballad
like at some points.
Here,
Eilish
takes
on
more
personal
topics,
the
music
bleak, sparse, almost
detached but emotive
in lyricism. The fears
expressed in the first
half
are
revisited
here, amplified and
put into perspective.
“listen before i go”
is a standout track, a quivering,
sheer beat echoing in the back
along with vague sirens and
chattering following the opening
line, “Take me to the rooftop.”
She croons, “Call my friends and
tell them that I love them / And
I’ll miss them, but I’m not sorry,”
helplessly. “ilomilo” is another
highlight, formerly teased in the
“bury a friend” music video with
its danceable intro that slowly
dwindles to a gloomy, shivering
percussion.
Despite
the
shifts
and
nontraditional risks WHEN WE
ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO
WE GO? takes, it proves a strong
debut from Billie Eilish that
appeals beyond the artist’s brand.
It operates as a progression
towards a dispirited end, but
with elegance and nuance, tying
the whole craft into one cohesive
masterpiece. Despite her age and
the angsty hype surrounding
Eillish’s celebrity, her first album
proves that she is a force to be
reckoned with in the music
world.
‘When We Fall Asleep’ is a
nuanced debut from Eilish
ALBUM REVIEW
DIANA YASSIN
Daily Arts Writer
“What I’m Listening To” is a new series by The Daily’s Music beat
in which our staff writers share what they’re playing on repeat with
readers. It’s a place for writers to plug in, turn up and let the world
know what truly rocks.
This week, Blowout Comb by Digable Planets has been bringing
my consciousness into a higher plane. I’m only being a little
dramatic when I say you don’t listen to Blowout Comb — you
experience it.
A diverse range of groovy samples were chopped and
spliced with lush and lovely live instrumentation to produce a
groundbreaking jazz-rap record in Blowout Comb. The rap trio
moved to Brooklyn in the early ’90s with the express purpose
of joining the hip-hop renaissance; group leader Butterfly
affectionately called New York “a Mecca for rappers.” And join
the renaissance they did, crafting a cool, surreal sound that few
other artists were even dabbling in.
Blowout Comb slipped under the radar when it released in 1994.
Understandably so — many consider ’94 to be rap’s greatest year
of all time. Three of hip hop’s most iconic debut albums dropped:
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik by Outkast, Ready to Die by The
Notorious B.I.G. and Illmatic by Nas. Common, Scarface, Method
Man, Beastie Boys, Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Gang Starr all
came out with classics in the same year. Amid all the competition,
Digable Planets came out with an iconic signature sound. Blowout
Comb is a marriage of jazz and hip hop that has proven to be a
match made in heaven.
I can gush about the jazzy sonics for hours on end, but what
truly makes this album important is its lyrical themes: it is both
supremely empowering of the Black community and sincerely
conscious of the realities they face. Right from the beginning on
“The May 4th Movement,” following a grandiose trumpet intro,
Doodlebug and Ladybug reference Illmatic (Nas’s masterpiece
narrative of drug violence in the Queensbridge projects) and give
a shout-out to notorious Black Power movement prisoners Mumia
Abu-Jamal and Sekou Odinga. Including the title, a reference to
student anti-imperialist protests in China in 1919, there are layers
of political meaning to pick apart right from the beginning.
Today in hip hop there’s a constant debate about accessibility
versus substance. On one hand, not everybody always wants
to absorb some mega-conscious music with layers of lyrical
complexity. But on the other hand, maybe relaxing to substanceless
lo-fi beats or partying to the tune of “Gucci Gang” is depleting brain
cells. Both ends of the argument are holier-than-thou bullshit, but
for those who play into it that want a little bit of both, there are
truckloads of music at hand. For a contemporary example, take
Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Almost every track on
the album can be a) blasted from the car while you scream out
the window, or b) listened to closely to see a poignant cultural
message about poverty and gang culture. Likewise, almost every
track on Blowout Comb can a) soothe your soul as you enter the 5th
dimension, or b) reveal serious tension and contemplation in the
Black community.
For years, rap critics and music journalists have chosen
“overtly political” as their favorite buzzword-phrase to describe
this album, but I think that’s less-than-fitting. The three subtle
emcees are clearly sending a message, but simultaneously they
smoothly slide slick stories and meta raps about drug-doing,
party-having, Brooklyn-living and hip hop-loving. “Overtly
political” makes it sound like you’re getting slammed with the
group’s Black nationalist rhetoric and 5-percenter slang, but at
the end of the day you can get whatever the fuck you want out of
this album.
This week, I’m listening to Blowout Comb. I think next week
I’ll re-read “The Autobiography of Malcom X.” It’s the natural
progression of things.
Listening to Digable Planets, relax
MUSIC: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer
INTERSCOPE RECORDS
WHEN WE FALL
ASLEEP, WHERE
DO WE GO?
Billie Eilish
Interscope Records