REVIEW
movie review //'JENNIFER'S BODY'
Hollywood hits, indie flicks and everything in between.
E
At first, the meteoric rise of Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody from ex-stripper to Hollywood's reigning queen of quirk was fascinating and weirdly gratifying to observe.
Although Juno itself remains an excellent movie, its box office success and critical acclaim paved the way for an endless supply of increasingly pallidimitators.
But it turns out the worst Diablo Cody imitator may be Cody herself.
The new teen horror-comedy hodgepodge Jennifer's Body is based on a screenplay Cody wrote during the same creative apex that spawned Juno.
But Jennifer's Body is the polar opposite of its distinguished predecessor. It's a bloody but unmoving bore that never lives up to its entertaining premise, which promised a gonzo-crossbreeding of Mean Girls and The Exorcist.
Seriously, how do you screw up a movie about a cannibalistic cheerleader, especially when said cheerleader is being played by international super-vixen Megan Fox?
The basic setup shows what might have been. The beautiful alpha-bitch Jennifer (Fox) is the most popular girl at Devil's Kettle High School,
constantly surrounded by a harem of frustrated male suitors and attended to at all times by her homely best friend, the aptly named Needy (Amanda Seyfried).
One night, the girls go out for some underage clubbing and Jennifer is kidnapped. After surviving a grueling satanic ritual, she turns into a bloodthirsty she-beast who preys on teenage boys to retain her youth and beauty.
Now Needy faces a difficult choice: Should she kill her best friend or allow her to continue on her rampage?
If Megan Fox has a repressed inner thespian, it's the only part of her that's she's kept well concealed. She's as flat and emotionless here as she was in that god-awful Transformers sequel. Even the best eye candy goes sour eventually.
Amanda Seyfried fares a bit better as Needy,
the only character Cody's muddled script
seems to lavish any attention on.
I didn't go to Jennifer's Body expecting another Juno. But I was expecting to see a movie of some kind, not the autopsy of a once-promising career.
// LANDON MCDONALD
music review // SONDRE LERCHE — 'HEARTBREAK RADIO' KJHK's weekly guide to sonic consumption. (Rounder)
Hello, my name is Sondre. I am a singersongwriter by profession and I'm Norwegian. That used to be really all you needed to know about me, but now apparently I'm a great composer.
I just put out this new album, and it's packed with a shitload of really slick string parts. They aren't annoying and out of place like so many bands you hate. This time, they seem like the song was actually written to have these parts in them. It sounds really cool, and set a great build that makes the album flow together very well.
I like the album and feel as if I am able to display my cute, touchy-feely singer-song-writer side as per usual, but now, I've added a very proper, bourgeise pop sound to my ensemble.
The only thing I think is wrong with the record is that, at times, it sounds slightly overproduced but that was my producer's decision, not mine.
I'm unabashedly in love with being a really nice guy and I like long walks on the beach. If you would like to know more, play this record
or call 864-4747 and ask for me. I'll be waiting.
Editor's note: Sondre Lerche did not actually write this review, Logan Nickels did — in jest. Also, 864- 4747 is KJHK's request line. So, there you go.
// LOGAN NICKELS
KJHK Station manager and rotation DJ
music review //BLITZEN TRAPPER — 'BLACK RIVER KJHK's weekly guide to sonic consumption KILLER EP' (SUB POP)
After 2008's excellent album Furr, experimental folk rock band Blitzen Trapper has come forth with an EP that opens with "Black River Killer," one of the mellower cuts from Furr. However, that song is the only repeat track; the other six numbers are unreleased cuts from the Furr recording sessions.
Blitzen Trapper is coming through Lawrence on their tour. They'll be playing Oct. 18 at the Jackpot Music Hall.
Though the full-length contains the superior tunes for obvious reasons, these six are still fun gems from a band that has given us a great amount of quality material along their career so far.
This EP should do well to tide us over to the band's next full release.
★ ★ ★ // BECKY SULLIVAN
KJHK production director and rotation DJ
kjhk charts // WEEK OF SEPT. 20
The 15 most played albums on KJHK's new music rotation shows as of Sept. 20.
1 ANTLERS Hospice (Frenchkiss)
2 FRUIT BATS The Ruminant Band (Sub Pop)
2 FROUT BATS The Ruminant Band (Sub Pop)
3 MURDERBOT Murderbot! (Sub Pop)
4 FORT KNOX FIVE Radiofree DC Remixes
(Fort Knox)
5 **SHAGBOTS** We Were Born Tigers
6 **HEALTH** Get Color (Lovepump United)
7 **WHY?** Eskimo Snow (Anticon)
8 **WILD BEASTS** Two Dancers (Domino)
9 **FRESH AND ONLYS** Grey-Eyed Girls
(Woodsist)
10 CLARK Totems Flare (Warp)
11 GENERATIONALS Con Law (Park The Van)
12 VIVIAN GIRLS Everything Goes Wrong
(In the Red)
13 PHYSICS High Society (EP) (self-released)
14 SPEECH DEBELLE Speech Therapy (Big Dada)
15 JAY REATARD Watch Me Fall (Matador)