Welcome back to the not-entirely-irregular feature that I’m calling “Unexpected Pleasures.” It’s about trying things that I might otherwise dismiss to discover the joys hidden inside. Send suggestions to staff@enchantmentunderthesea.org.

The Footloose remake that just came out last week opens in the only way it ever could: a pretty slavish, but clean and stylish, recreation of the titles of the original, which was a series of close-ups of dancing feet. This opening certainly prepares us for what is to come, as it’s not the only slavish recreation we’re going to see (those of you that were into the original will see familiar angry-warehouse-dancing, confetti-storms, and even a rusty yellow VW Bug).

But then, maybe if this remake was a little MORE slavishly dedicated to shot-for-shot re-creation, it’s pleasures might be easier to discover. Read More »

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the tale of an ape, given the gift of hyper-intelligence, at the tipping point between evolving and maintaining his animal nature, caught between something bold and new and something simple. It’s oddly apt that the film itself also teeters between bold and simple. It’s got the simple appeal of a nostalgia-fueled action film, but it’s also reaching for something more complex and lasting. Let’s see where it comes out…

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Bitches, boasting, Benzes, bullets: one of the biggest quandaries facing white, hipster hip-hop fans is rappers’ propensity to talk about themselves, their guns, their money, and their cars, all whilst talking shit about other rappers, talking shit about women, and just plain shit talking. It can be tiring for this humble, white listener, who considers himself something of a feminist. But I think I, and, by extension, my white hipster brethren, give Jay-Z a pass because of the “authenticity” thing.

The major challenge facing the collaboration that makes up Watch the Throne is that I extend no such courtesy to Kanye West.

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Buried deep in the back of the opening track of Bon Iver’s recent self-titled album is the click of drumsticks. In front is a guitar line that, by itself, is haunting and beautiful enough. But buried deep behind the beautiful things on the surface are the things like those clicking drumsticks, the things that creep up slowly, the things that fill in the space around the more obvious (more easy) beauty.

Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago was a careful study in intimacy and the smallness of the sonic space there, but that kind of intimacy is an easy sell. This record is all about what happens to that intimacy when the walls are pushed back to let in… well, everything.

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Remember that classic scene in E.T. where the government agents violently interrogate and then kill Elliot’s school teacher? Or remember that scene in The Goonies where Chunk’s dad and Mikey’s dad expose their history of mutual hatred? How about that scene in Close Encounters where the aliens eat human flesh?

Yeah. Neither do I. But apparently J.J. Abrams does.  Read More »

I guess the first question people usually ask when discussing a film is, “what is it about?” Well I’m here to tell you that Meek’s Cutoff, the new film directed by Kelly Reichardt, is not really about anything. Or at least, not anything interesting. But I’m also here to tell you that, in this case, that might not matter. Read More »

The most obvious thematic thread in Joe Wright’s new film Hanna is that of Hanna’s discovery of the world. Early on, Hanna’s father reads her an encyclopedia entry about music, and we realize she’s never actually heard music before. But she wants to. She wants to discover the secrets of a world she has never known. She wants to feel music.

Turns out that maybe the best way to demonstrate that tumultuous beauty and propulsive joy of music to Hanna would be to show her this film.

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There was a crazy story out of Florida not too long ago. Apparently, two young men who were watching Game of Thrones got in a fight over who was going to “win” on this show. The fight escalated quickly, and one of the men ended up arrested. Ok, fair enough, we at Enchantment Under The Sea can certainly understand getting invested in pop culture. But a fight over who’s going to “win?” What does that even mean? It’s not like this is American Idol; this is a narrative fantasy epic.

But then again, it might be fair question: can there really be a winner on this show? So far, we’ve been shown the machinations of a few different power-hungry individuals. And we’ve also seen hints that there is not enough power to go around. So there obviously DO have to be some losers. And the stage is being set for a really interesting ride to finding out just who wins and who loses in this world. Read More »

Welcome to a new, not-entirely-irregular feature that I’m calling “Unexpected Pleasures.” It’s about trying things that I might otherwise dismiss to discover the joys hidden inside. Send suggestions to staff@enchantmentunderthesea.org.

I used to watch a lot of The Real World. There used to be a time when I could rattle off the names and defining character traits of everyone that occupied a certain ludicrously well-appointed New Orleans house. And even if it is universal, the fascination with that kind of reality television is at least a little shameful.

That’s why it’s such a joy to find some reality television that trades in a more sophisticated currency. My unexpected pleasure for this post: Top Chef. Read More »

It’d be easy after hearing the premise of Exit Through the Gift Shop to dump it into the same category as Dogtown and Z-Boys or Train on the Brain: it’s essentially a documentary that purports to dive into a subculture (namely, the world of street art) and reveal it to the world. But the reality is, this film is not just about fringe artists and punks: it’s about the nature of art and culture itself, and the dangers of post-modern emptiness in a world that can monetize pessimism. Read More »