May 2009 – Page 3 – Pop Culture Nerd

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 – Rockin' Out with Slash

Going into tonight’s show, I was a little skeptical since I couldn’t picture two out of the four remaining contestants rocking out. But while the performances were uneven, this episode ended up being highly entertaining.

Adam went first with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” which was the perfect choice for his voice and theatricality. When I heard the opening guitar riffs, I was bopping my head and thinking, Oh yeah, this could be good, and Adam didn’t disappoint. I’m not a huge fan because of his shriekiness but on this song, that’s exactly what was needed. You can’t be shy on this song; that primal scream must be unleashed. Kudos to Adam for a very smart song choice and his ballsy execution of it.

Allison sang Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby,” and to me, it sounded like “Yell, Baby” because she shouted through the whole thing. I love Allison and agree with Slash she’s got that rock swagger but this performance was only okay. It’s disappointing since this should be the one genre where she excels.

Then we took a break from the competition as the producers gave us something never before done on Idol: duets between contestants. First up were Kris and Danny covering Styx’s “Renegade.” Their harmony was smooth but when the band kicked in, they immediately went flat on a few notes. Kris seemed out of his depth and sounded like he was losing breath at times. He also couldn’t pull off the tough act in black leather and looked like a little kid playing dress-up. Danny fared better on the song and was at least leather-free, thank goodness.

After the break, Kris changed clothes to sing his competition entry, the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Whoa, this song is too big for him; he doesn’t have the growl. He’s usually great at picking songs so I’m surprised he chose that out of the vast Beatles catalog since there are better choices for him. He probably should’ve stuck with something like “I Saw Her Standing There.”

Danny then sang his official competition song, “Dream On” by Aerosmith. This was a gutsy choice; it’s crazy hard to sing. Most of it sounded pretty good but I was holding my breath waiting for those high notes at the end. Will he make it? Will he blow a vocal cord? Yes and no. He reached the upper echelons but it no longer sounded like singing when he did, just full-out screaming bloody murder. It was not pleasant but I’m impressed he took it on since hard rock really isn’t his forte.

The show wrapped up with another duet, this time by Adam and Allison singing Foghat’s “Slow Ride.” I liked Allison’s performance here way better than her “official” one. She was looser, having more fun and the swagger was out in full force. At one point, I thought she and Adam were trying to out-scream each other but they ended up complimenting each other quite well. And it’s cute that he shared his hairstylist with her.

I liked the duets because it took some of the stress off the contestants and it didn’t sound like they were lip-synching like during the group performances. They also have a chance to redeem themselves, like Allison did, if they screw up during their competition performance. Plus, as the number of contenders dwindle, I’d rather producers fill the hour with more singing instead of Ford commercials or inane chatter from the judges.

Which performances rocked your world? Did you like the duets?

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Gillian Flynn’s Creepy DARK PLACES

When I received my copy of Gillian Flynn‘s Dark Places (out today), I yelped with joy because I’d been waiting three years for the follow-up to her superb, Dagger-winning Sharp Objects. My reaction is ironic because there’s no joy in this story—it’s a vicious tale of mass murder and the aftereffects on the lone survivor. But, to paraphrase Tina Fey, you want to go to there because of Flynn’s exceptional prose.

The story concerns Libby Day, who at age 7 survived the slaughter of her family in the so-called “Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She then testified that her 15-year-old brother Ben committed the murders. Twenty-five years later, Ben is serving a life sentence and Libby is drifting aimlessly, running out of money from strangers who’ve been sending sympathy checks since she was little. As her trust fund manager explains, she’s now a has-been because there are new victims every day.

Fortuitously, Libby is contacted by the Kill Club, a group of true-crime aficionados who believe her brother is innocent and that Libby should review the case and recant her previous testimony, which they think was coached by a child psychologist. They offer to pay Libby to interview Ben and other people involved with the case and report back any new findings. Libby at first agrees to the scheme strictly for the cash but soon starts to question what she really saw that night. She’s ultimately forced to confront the terrifying Darkplace which she’s managed to block out most of her life.

Yes, all this sounds pitch black but Flynn’s prose is so exquisite, she makes you want to go with Libby to that Darkplace, perhaps even lead the way, wielding a flickering flashlight. Flynn’s descriptions instantly paint vivid pictures and you envy her literary skill even as you sometimes recoil from the image. She talks about a man who’s such a cheat, he steals fake money from the bank when playing Monopoly with his kids. She describes a house so dilapidated, it’s “a home past the expiration date.” A girl who looks “sexy-sleepy…like you woke her up from a dream she had about you.” And then there’s this personification of a residential neighborhood: “The houses reminded me of hopeful, homely girls on a Friday night, hopping bars in spangly tops, packs of them where you assumed at least one might be pretty, but none were, and never would be. And here was Magda’s house, the ugliest girl with the most accessories, frantically piled on.”

It’s fitting that even the house is a misfit because Flynn’s characters are mostly anti-heroes, nasty bitches and oily bastards. But her razor-sharp prose will cut through any preconceived notions you might have about such people and convince you their point of view should at least be counted. Libby might be pissed at the world, lacking in social skills, and a serious klepto, but Flynn still manages to make her relatable without asking for an ounce of pity. It’s as if the author reaches into your brain and adjusts it by giving it a slight twist, counter-clockwise. All of a sudden, you see things differently, like maybe you’ve got some blackness in you, too. But instead of hiding it, Flynn suggests you embrace it like klepto Libby clutching her stolen knickknacks.

Nerd verdict: Embrace the Dark side

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Tony Hays's Compelling KILLING WAY

One of my contributing writers, Eric Edwards, a huge fan of the Arthurian legend, turned in this guest review of Tony Hays‘s new novel, The Killing Way.

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Billing The Killing Way as “An Arthurian Mystery” is a bit misleading to fans of the legend but if you look past that bit of subterfuge, a compelling murder mystery awaits.

A gruesome murder occurs within the first few pages and all the evidence implicates Merlin as the one responsible. Arthur knows his old friend isn’t the culprit, but due to an impending election he must be both impartial and swift with his judgment. Arthur’s command over all of Britannia is at stake, as many enemies await a wrong move by the once and future king so they can wrest both power and public favor from him. Arthur turns to his former trusted lieutenant, Malgwyn, to clear Merlin’s name and expose the real killer. The problem is that Malgwyn is now a one-armed drunk with an undying hatred of Arthur after he refused to let Malgwyn die on the battlefield.

The author’s research borders upon the exhausting and he’s occasionally repetitive in his description of the period clothing and politics. While the story itself kept me turning the pages, Arthurian legend purists could become frustrated by the constant mentioning of familiar characters without allowing these characters to live and breathe as they should.

Obviously Arthur is depicted, but this Arthur is not the boy king we know. In fact, he is already graying but has yet to sit upon his throne and political ramifications have kept him from actually marrying Guinevere. There’s no mention of Lancelot, but there is a most prominent Sir Kay and the expectedly evil Mordred. Nimue makes an appearance, but she’s almost an afterthought as a member of Arthur’s household who gives testimony to Malgwyn. The biggest disappointment is Merlin, whom Hays depicts as a once-sharp advisor who fancied himself a sorcerer, but is now perceived as a crazy old man. But the story isn’t about them. It’s about Malgwyn and the inner thoughts of an original medieval detective.

Malgwyn is sharp as a tack when it comes to the dark side of human nature because of his own personal demons. He was a happy and hardworking farmer until the Saxons came, raped and killed his wife. He’s off-putting at first, but his tenacity in searching for the truth while his adversaries try to sabotage his every turn made me root for him to save the day. I look forward to a series with Malgwyn solving medieval crimes.

Guest Nerd Verdict: A good read, but not necessarily for fans of King Arthur

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WOLVERINE Slashes Box Office Competition

I was among those who contributed to X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s humongous $87 million take this weekend and here are some quick thoughts I had in case you’re still not sure if you should slap down the dough:

It has some awesome action sequences (Logan against a helicopter was whoa!-worthy)
Several good actors were wasted, namely Lynn Collins and Dominic Monaghan (though they’ll surely enjoy the residual checks)
Danny Huston as yet another bad guy is so tiresome. I’m not talking about his acting, which is fine, only saying he’s a predictable, uninspired choice for Stryker because he’s played so many evil men (he continues the streak in the upcoming Mel Gibson-starrer Edge of Darkness, a rough cut of which I’ve seen)
Keep your eyes on Daniel Henney, who plays Agent Zero, because he’s going places (he’s already a huge star in Korea)
Hugh Jackman can really fill out a pair of jeans (or not—he’s completely nude at one point)
You shouldn’t think too much about the plot because a lot of it doesn’t make sense. I don’t need to go into detail because the title says it all—this is an origin story, telling us how Wolverine came to have adamantium claws, healing powers and memory loss. Ignore the loopholes and occasionally clunky dialogue and enjoy the eye candy
It would help you enjoy this movie if you’re already a fan of Hugh Jackman and/or Wolverine
On the comic-book-turned-into-a-movie scale, it’s not as good as the first two Spider-Man flicks, or even Iron Man, but it’s certainly more watchable than Ang Lee’s abysmal Hulk.

Nerd Verdict: Wolverine could be fiercer but still has some bite

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Miramax, Focus and Kathleen Kennedy Will TELL NO ONE

Variety reports that Miramax and Focus have acquired rights to remake the French thriller Tell No One, with prolific producer Kathleen Kennedy producing. This is exciting news for me because I’ve read the book and recently caught the movie on DVD. I enjoyed the book by Harlan Coben quite a bit, as I do all his novels, but I thought the movie was even better. How often does that happen?

The story is way too twisty for me to adequately synopsize but here’s the basic premise: A pediatrician who believes his wife had been abducted and murdered suddenly gets mysterious e-mails from someone eight years later who knows things only his wife would know. The sender wants to set up a meeting but urges him to, you guessed it, tell no one. The doctor gets thrown into a combination of turmoil and hope as he re-investigates the evidence in his wife’s case and probes the possibility that she might be alive. He ignites a chain of events that leads to another death, him being framed for it, his running from police, trying to stay alive long enough to make it to the rendezvous and hopefully see his wife again.

I read the book a long time ago but remember there were some loose ends that weren’t tied up by the end. The movie, which won four Cesar Awards, explained everything clearly and made it all believable. The acting is solid all around, from Francois Cluzet as the grieving doctor and Marie-Josee Croze (The Diving Bell and Butterfly) as the possibly dead wife to Kristin Scott Thomas—speaking perfect French—as the lover of the doctor’s sister.

Since I was disappointed by the recent American adaptation of the BBC’s superb State of Play, there’s trepidation mixed in with my excitement about this remake. It’s ironic since this is an American story and the book is set in the U.S. so it’s actually being brought back to its roots. I do have hope in Kathleen Kennedy producing—she produces most of Steven Spielberg’s films—so I thought I’d start casting the American version just for fun.

For the pediatrician, Jon Hamm or George Clooney would be ideal. The actor has to convey intelligence but can’t look like an action hero because the doctor is just an ordinary guy caught up in extreme circumstances. The wife’s part is much smaller so Cate Blanchett probably wouldn’t do it but Michelle Monaghan or Jennifer Connelly would be great. The pivotal role of the wife’s father, who happens to be a retired police captain, is something Robert De Niro or Anthony Hopkins could knock out of the park. As for the lesbian lover part, why not let Kristin Scott Thomas reprise it?

Anybody else read the book and/or seen the French film? How do you feel about an American adaptation finally being made? How would you cast it?

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