Reels, Notes and Takes: Week 10
There’s no better place to keep a finger on the pulse of arts and entertainment happenings than Los Angeles. The A&E world is alive – it’s always buzzing, sometimes ready to implode with a hint of a surprise album or a celebrity’s controversial statement. Each week, the Daily Bruin A&E editors will discuss their views on recent topics and trends in pop culture.
“The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2”
BTS, a K-pop boy group, has seen great success in the two years since it debuted. For a relatively fresh group, the seven-member troupe under Big Hit Entertainment has received impressive critical acclaim for its four EPs and one full-length album “Dark & Wild,” released in 2014.
That’s why I feel a little weird for having mixed feelings for its most recent EP, “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2.” Compared to “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1,” the group’s most recent music released Monday lacks cohesion for a group well known for its synchrony.
I’m not saying I don’t like the entire album – songs like “Butterfly” and “Autumn Leaves” leave me with the same chills that “Outro: Love is Not Over” and “Hold Me Tight” did from the previous EP. But “Pt. 1” had an arc and flow that held the songs together for someone who can’t understand Korean. I couldn’t find that continuity in “Pt. 2.”
I’m disappointed in the tracks, but I’ll keep listening to them in case they grow on me. For now, though, I’ll just settle for watching the music video for the lead single “Run” and distract myself from the music by puzzling over rapper Suga’s green hair.
– Shreya Aiyar
Tarantino’s “Cop Fiction”?
Quentin Tarantino’s eighth movie “The Hateful Eight,” to be released Christmas day, is being overshadowed not only by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but also by Tarantino’s public announcement of his controversial political views.
On Oct. 24, the director took part in a protest against police brutality in Manhattan, afterward reading out names of police brutality victims from across the country. He then addressed the crowd saying “When I see murders, I do not stand by. … I have to call a murder a murder, and I have to call murderers the murderers.”
Tarantino claimed to be speaking from a position of authority on the subject of police malpractice, having supposedly spent eight days in a Los Angeles County jail where he said he was treated like an animal.
However, a New York Post article published Sunday alleges that Tarantino lied about his incarceration. The article cites the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department as having no record of the director ever being in one of its prisons, with his most severe punishment being a fine of $871 for driving without a license.
It would appear that Tarantino’s tough-guy bubble may have burst and the “Pulp Fiction” persona he has created for himself as a director of notoriously violent films is in question. As a result, the media coverage surrounding his latest film has been less about the movie itself, and more about its obnoxious director.
– William Thorne
“Hello, it’s me, Adele”
Adele has taken the world by storm again by returning to the music industry with “25.”
The album, filled with beautiful ballads and her powerful belting, was named the second-best album of 2015 by Rolling Stone on Tuesday. In the midst of her success, Adele released a short and hilarious video Nov. 26 announcing her upcoming tour in the cutest way possible.
Watch Adele’s announcement video here.
The video features Adele in front of a map of Europe, but the clip is formatted like a blooper reel as she continually messes up her lines and laughs at herself. It even includes a few bleeps to cover cursing.
“Hello, it’s me, Adele,” she said automatically, laughing after recognizing her lyrics from “Hello.” “God, I can’t even say that anymore.”
The English singer then grabs a light-up Harry Potter wand and starts pointing to European countries she will visit on tour, accompanied by her outbursts when the toy wand’s light flickers out. Tickets go on sale Friday, but the advance sale of every tour date is sold out.
While I’m disappointed she did not announce any U.S. tour locations, I thoroughly enjoyed the funny video. It was a clever breakaway from the glamour and melancholy that defines her album by letting the real “it’s me, Adele” and her true quirky personality shine.
– Lindsay Weinberg
The holiday spirit in “Santa Tell Me”
It’s Thursday, so please allow me to throw it back to a wonderful Christmas song released last year. The track is Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” my favorite song to get into the spirit of the holiday season.
Partially written by Grande, the lyrics chronicle the story of a girl wanting to fall in love with a boy. However, she tells Santa, “Don’t make me fall in love again if he won’t be here next year.” While its lyrics are not particularly inspiring, the song’s pop production mixed with the lyrics make for a feel-good, enjoyable listen.
The song combined her early ’90s, Mariah Carey-esque vibe with assorted festive bells and violins. It culminates in a climactic chorus of voices singing “Santa tell me if you’re really there,” which begs for another listen.
Grande’s third studio album, “Moonlight,” is in the works, and a single called “Focus” from the album was released Oct. 30. “Focus” features a more electronic sound, complete with synths, and it makes me miss her simplistic sounds evident in “Santa Tell Me” and her first album “Yours Truly.”
However, “Santa Tell Me” has been on repeat on my Spotify as I grow desperate for a pick-me-up with finals week quickly approaching.
– Gail Acosta
