Movies
Let’s jump into the Interstellar trailer. My first reaction? Underwhelming. It feels like they are only showing things that take place in the first 15 or 20 minutes of the movie—it is all explaining stuff and explaining other stuff and then, oh, let’s throw in a Matt McConaughey voiceover to add that little touch of “woahhhhh . . .” we need in every Christopher Nolan trailer. It was so frustrating I had to watch it again, which probably is one of the most telling things about a Nolan movie these days—even when you think it might suck, you already find yourself going back.
However, the more I watch it, the more I have to say: The writing here looks fascinating. Jonathan “Behind the Scenes” Nolan has been apparently working on this story for years, and if you delve into the trailer and realize the scope of the narrative, it opens the door for all kinds of twists and turns. Remember how Matt Damon is supposed to be in this movie? Well, where the hell is he? He most definitely is not on Earth. If we had a shot of Casey Affleck walking around, we should have certainly had a shot of Damon. Not showing him means his role is a secret, and if his role is a secret, and this movie is all about traveling through wormholes, than it can only mean one thing: Matt Damon plays a motherfuckin’ alien. YES! YES! YES!
Can’t wait.
Television
You might be sad (or happy, granted) to hear that the most notable television news of the week comes from the world of the WWE. Vince McMahon, CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment, watched the stock of his company fall 43 percent this week, losing more than $300 million dollars. While the rest of the world could give maybe half of a poop about this, there are a few million hyper-passionate, pseudo-crazy wrestling fanatics who really give a lot of poops. Wrestling is a huge facet of entertainment, and the fact that its stock is plummeting can be bad news for TV pay-per-views, and that means . . . look, the world needs wrestling, okay?! I have to stop before I go off for another 700 words about how great wrestling is, and how this is now growing into a minor insecurity of mine. Wrestling cannot die. I should write a whole other column about this. I’m freaking out.
A good distraction this week was our first full look at CW’s The Flash program. It looks sort of ... safe? The Flash has never been the most complicated hero in the mind of the casual viewer, and his superpower, while cool, appears to have its limits. I do find it pretty sweet that the CW is being bold enough to do shows starring well-known superheroes, and I think DC Comics is starting to make one of those sneaky “Oh-by-the-way-we’re-still-here” pushes with programs about Green Arrow, the Flash, and Gotham City all on the air by the end of the year.
Music
Two big things from (weirdly) the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night: Robin Thicke won the subtlety award and debuted a make-up song about his estranged wife called “Get Her Back,” and a Michael Jackson hologram performed. Honestly, I am not sure if I dig the whole hologram thing—even if it used for the right people like Tupac or the King of Pop. I feel like it sort of devalues the loss of these artists, and if we bring back one artist, what does that say about the artists we don’t bring back? What makes an artist hologram-worthy? Is there some sort of Committee that Power Ranks Dead Musicians? It feels wrong. It feels—I think I might have another column to write about this. The job that I volunteer to do is taking over my life.
A late addition to this Hangover was Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s mock movie trailer promoting their new tour. Honestly, I was disappointed. I thought it would be a great chance for the most powerful couple in music to be a little tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, but instead we see Jay-Z doing more Jay-Z things (i.e. smoking cigars and hanging out in clubs) and Beyoncé doing more Beyoncé things (i.e. taking her clothes off and grinding on something). This is the End might have spoiled us, but we need more moments where celebrities are willing to make fun of themselves, and it bums me out that these two still won’t take that leap. This “trailer” is just too self-serious.
Northwestern
Battle of the Bands is probably the perfect Northwestern music event—you have genuinely talented students (both from and outside of Bienen) playing a wide range of music for seriously compelling stakes. Playing at Dillo in front of a ton of crazed, inebriated, who-gives-a-shit-who-plays NU students is going to be a blast for winner Syndicated Traphouse.
I wish, though, that Battle of the Bands had a couple more wrinkles, because sometimes, it really comes down to the audience’s taste in music. I think students should pick one song every year that each band has to play. They can bring any kind of interpretation they want to the tune, cover it any way they want, but they have to do it. Imagine Syndicated Traphouse bringing their rap/jazz hybrid to something like “Hey Ya!” (one of the most cover-able songs of all time) right after the ska punk riffs (?) of Run and Punch. Sure, you would counterbalance it with original music, but every band would have to go through the cover song. NU students would vote on the tune beforehand, and hey, if things went in a trolling direction, all the better.
Stay classy, Wildcats. And as you go out next weekend, remember these words from our friends at SNL: Look for the bass drop, and get turned up to death.