Arts – Page 2 – Angelica Wallingford

The hits and misses of the fall TV line-up

By Angelica Wallingford and Paola Garcia

The weather is a little colder, leaves have started to change color and TV networks like The CW, ABC, FOX AND CBS have released an onslaught of new shows this fall. It’s likely only a couple from each channel will live to see the light of another season. Here’s a review of a few of fall’s most anticipated shows.

“Gotham”

Money, secrets, corruption and power; just another typical cliché crime drama right? In the case of Fox’s new show “Gotham” it couldn’t be more wrong.

“Gotham” starts off with the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Rookie Det. James Gordon and veteran Det. Harvey Bullock, played by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue respectively, are assigned to the case. Gordon quickly realizes that all is not what it seems to be in Gotham City and unbeknownst to him the murder of the Wayne’s is the catalyst that throws Gotham into chaos.

A major highlight of the show is Robin Lord Taylor’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot better known as the Penguin. Taylor’s take on the iconic villain is refreshing and brilliantly played out in a way that makes the viewer feel sympathetic towards this small-time criminal who is working his way up Gotham’s underworld. McKenzie’s portrayal of an up-and-coming James Gordon is interesting to watch and is somewhat relatable. Gordon is just a guy trying to do his best in the situation he’s put in. There are also subtle hints skewed throughout the episodes at other popular characters that may or may not be appearing in future episodes.

For “Batman” fans the liberties that the show takes with the beloved characters may be an annoying turn-off from the series. However, for the casual fan or avid TV viewer, it’s an intriguing and thrilling crime drama guaranteed to keep the viewer on their toes.

“Red Band Society”

Everyone is thinking it, but they’re also saying it, “Red Band Society” is a little too similar to another FOX series: “Glee.” Although it draws from other works, namely “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Breakfast Club” and even the British version of “Skins,” the show adds its own twist of modernity with a heartwarming storyline executed by a group of ill teenage misfits.

In this show we meet Kara, a blonde cheerleader with a heart disease, Jordi and Leo who both suffer from Osteosarcoma, Dash, the rule-breaker who does not let cystic fibrosis slow him down and Emma, a 15-year-old with an eating disorder. They all inhabit the pediatric ward of Ocean Park Hospital. The introduction to this unique set up is left to the last member of this group, who we later find out is a character named Charlie, a kid who has been in a coma for months.

There’s no denying that there is a good plot in there, yet the fact that there’s no shortage of “inspiration” from other works it’s what leads to believe that this show could be good, but could it be good enough? While the pilot was charming, the show so far from being a hit.

“How to Get Away with Murder”

Producer Shonda Rhimes’ newest addition to ABC’s Thursday night line-up isn’t a winning case; it’s an obstruction of justice.

Viola Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a criminal defense attorney and professor at a law school in Philadelphia. Keating is a no nonsense and ruthless lawyer with a “take no prisoners and win at all costs” attitude whether it be in the courtroom or the classroom. She selects five of her students who impress her the most to come work for her and her team. At certain times the show cuts to a forest where it’s discovered that Keating’s students have murdered someone and they argue on how or if they should dispose of the body.

The problem with the show is that the pacing is way too slow and most of the characters are just boring. The flow of the show is somewhat confusing as well. It shifts from what appears to be past and present at random times leaving the viewer to guess when certain events took place. The twists and turns are sometimes too frequent and it makes it feel as if the show is trying way too hard to be an edgy murder mystery.

“The Flash”

The newest adaptation of this superhero from the DC Comics family arrived on TV screens this fall and it’s clear from the start that Barry Allen is here to stay. “The Flash” is a spin-off from The CW’s current vigilante hit “Arrow.”

In the first episode we are introduced to Barry Allen, played by the naturally dorky Grant Gustin. As a child, Allen has the misfortune of seeing his mother mysteriously die and his father be erroneously convicted of this crime . Iris West, Allen’s love interest, is also his life long partner-in-crime since her father took Allen in when we was left an orphan all those years ago. Finally, on a night where everything seems to go wrong after an unexpected explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs , Allen gets struck by lightning. We are then left to explore Allen’s new powers with him before we see him fight this episode’s villain.

Throughout the pilot we see very strong, powerful and emotional performances but the best were delivered by John Wesley Shipp who plays Allen’s father and Jesse L. Martin who plays Det. Joe West.

“The Flash” reportedly debuted to 4.8 million viewers, scoring solid numbers for The CW, according to TVbyTheNumbers.com. Lighthearted, fun and genuine support for this hero make the show a definite early hit.

Originally published in City Times, October 2014.

‘Kawaii’ metal goes viral

When most people think of typical Japanese pop music they think of cute outfits and sugary sweet pop songs. At first glance, BABYMETAL fits that description perfectly. Then you put on their debut, self-titled album and boy, are you in for a surprise. The group’s sound is unlike anything you’ve ever heard, in the best possible way.

Not only has BABYMETAL been gaining worldwide recognition through their music videos on YouTube but they have even been featured on the Internet clip show “RightThis Minute” on CNN’s sister network HLN. They are also the youngest group to grace the stage at the world famous Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo.

BABYMETAL is made up of vocalists Su-metal, Moaetal, Yuimetal – real names Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi and Yui Mizuno respectively — and their supporting band Full Metal Band. The group started off a sub unit of the popular idol group Sakura Gakuin but quickly rose up as one of Japan’s best new artists.

The album is a mixture of varying genres including pop, rock, heavy metal, electronic dance music, industrial and symphonic death metal. On paper there is no way that these genres can work together and have it sound good. BABYMETAL mixes these genres to create a unique genre of their own, called “kawaii metal” or cute metal.

“Megitsune” (translation: female fox or vixen) is undoubtedly the best song on the album. It perfectly captures the aesthetic that is BABYMETAL, a killer mix of high-energy idol pop music and melodic power metal. Lyrically, it’s an analogy between the Japanese folklore that surround women in society today.

“The song relates women and foxes. People think that foxes deceive or disguise. People also think that women wear makeup to disguise themselves and people think ill of foxes as they disguise themselves,” said lead singer Su Metal in an interview on the Japanese TV show “Hot Wave.”

The vocals are another major focal point. It’s not everyday that you find a young vocalist like Su-metal with a strong vocal range. Her vocals combined with Moametal and Yuimetal’s idol vocal style and the growls and screams from the backing band make for an interesting listening experience.

The flow from track to track is seamless. Each song has its own unique sound, changing from genre to genre in an instant giving the listener a whole new experience with each passing song.

Highlights on the album include the cute hip-hop influenced “Ii ne!!,” the dark and heavy intro to the album “BABYMETAL DEATH,” the upbeat synth pop driven “Doki Doki Morning,” the high energy power pop influenced “Headbanger” and the melodic album closer “Ijime, Dame, Zettai.”

BABYMETAL’s self-titled debut is a testament of just how far you take music and experiment with it. Metal is versatile; it isn’t just brutal, hard in-your-face rhythms and melodic guitar riffs. It can be cute, fun and youthful too.

Originally published in City Times, March 2014.

‘How do you define American?’

The fourteenth annual San Diego Asian Film Festival concluded with the sold out screening of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, filmmaker and Define American founder Jose Antonio Vargas’ powerful emotionally charged documentary “Documented.”

The film tells Vargas’ journey from being brought to America from the Philippines at age 12, finding out he didn’t have the proper documentation during a DMV visit at age 16 and his struggle to reconnect with his mother who he hasn’t seen in 20 years.

The film also documents the moment that he decided to reveal is status as an undocumented American in June 2011 in an essay for the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

“I’m done running.” Vargas wrote. “I’m exhausted. I don’t want that life anymore. So I’ve decided to come forward, own up to what I’ve done, and tell my story to the best of my recollection.”

Vargas’ reconnection with his mother is also a poignant point throughout the film. He tells stories about his life with his mother before he came to the states and shares how he felt when he realized that their lives were vastly different from each other.

“I remember calling mama and saying I won the spelling bee and mama didn’t really know what that was. I think at that point I kind of realized we were living in two different worlds.” Vargas said in the trailer for the film. “So when I found out that I didn’t have the right papers, that I was actually here in America illegally, I had to create a different system of reality in which she was never a factor. I mean we haven’t seen each other in almost 20 years.”

Bsides the gripping and emotional reconnection with his family in the Philippines, one of the major issues that the film discusses is immigration stereotypes In the beginning of the film Vargas talks to students at his old high school and asks them what they think of when think of an immigrant. The immediate response was a Latino labor or field worker.

“People think that this [immigration] is a Latino and brown issue and we need to broaden that.” Said Vargas at a Q&A; for the film. “We need to preach beyond the choir.”

According to statistics from the Pew Research Center there are 11.7 million undocumented persons residing in the Unites States. Out of those 11.7 million undocumented persons only 52 percent of them came from Mexico. The other 48 percent come from places all over the world.

“Documented” succeeds in giving a new face for the immigration reform fight. It’s no longer just the Latino field and labor worker stereotypes that have been embedded into the mind of Americans. No, it’s much bigger then that. It’s students, doctors, lawyers, service workers, journalists, entrepreneurs and many more from places all across the globe.

This documentary is the perfect example of how film can transcend politics, breakdown stereotypes and tell the stories of real people. “Documented” is going to make you laugh and cry at times. It’s also guaranteed to make you think. As the curtains close and the credits roll the film begs the question: how do you define American?

Originally published in City Times, December 2013.