4 Features
Animated movie gets too real Odd Future filled
‘Rango’ lacks child-like splendor of animated classics with obscenities,
Reviewed ByBRITTANY BAKER
bakerb@allegheny.edu
W hen Disney added
adult innuendo to its
children-friendly tales, they
at least made it subtle: A pe-
nis-shaped turret on a movie
sleeve here (“The Little Mer-
maid”), a whisper for “good
teenagers” to “take off their
clothes” there (“Aladdin”).
But with the domination
of computer animated films
over the PG-rating, kids’
films seem to be more and
more geared for the adult in
every way except their car-
toon style.
Can a four-year-old feel
the sense of grief Carl felt
when Ellie died in “Up?” Did
babies understand the com-
mentary on consumerism
Wall-E’s simplistic existence
made? I think not.
Leave it to Nickelodeon
Studios, director of “Pirates of
the Caribbean” movies, Gore
Verbinski and king of maca-
bre, Johnny Depp, then, to
take benign CGI to a new lev-
el of dark, ultra-adult comedy
in its recent release “Rango.”
The protagonist lizard of
the movie (Johnny Depp) is
thrust from his little tank life
into the desert heat. The com-
forts of his naked Barbie torso
and Plexiglas tank no longer
Dr. Dog delivers psych-rock from the
ills of uninspired contemporaries
Reviewed By JUSTIN WAGG
waggj@allegheny.edu
T he thing I like most about
music is its versatility.
Music can mean so many dif-
ferent things to so many dif-
ferent people.
The interpretation is total-
ly dependent on the listener.
That being said, any fool can
bang on drums and make a
song, but it takes real talent
to create something visceral.
Psychedelic rock band via
Philadelphia, Dr. Dog, has an
interesting style that falls into
that category.
It’s spontaneous enough
to make you want to dance,
yet still draws you in with
thoughtful lyrics.
Don’t let the Psychedelic
rock label deter you: their
music has a familiar, free
melodic feel comparable to
Sondre Lerche and the note-
worthy Edward Sharpe, with
friendly bubbly vocals similar
to the Beatles timbre.
Dr. Dog made their debut
in 2002 with “Toothbrush”
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are consolatory; in fact, he
molts within ten seconds.
His new setting of the
wide-open west is, of course,
symbolic of little lizard man’s
own duty: to go west, to forge
an identity that he has ne-
glected within the compla-
cency of his cage.
In true bildungsroman
style, the pet lizard creates an
identity—the gun-slinging
“Rango,” as he calls himself.
His persona is challenged by
the demanding circumstances
of his new surroundings and
Rango must fully assume the
identity he has asserted for
himself without losing some
inherent compassion and
strength of character he had
all along.
The plot is simple, but
make no mistake; “Rango”
is a serious film with serious
chops. Sergio Leone’s spa-
ghetti-western cinematogra-
phy oozes in “Rango:” shots
through nooses add a sense of
foreboding, even as animated
and wide-angle views of the
desert recreate, true-to-life,
the desolation of the wild
west.
Adults can follow the ma-
ture camera work like a mov-
ie; children follow the thirsty
little lizard, shown with in-
tense detail in every molting
scale. Everyone is happy.
and has since released five al-
bums. gether harmoniously, blend-
The diver-
sity of their
Their music has a never inter-
music has a
wide appeal. familiar, free melod- rupting the
I’ve found it ic feel comparable c o n t i n u i t y
everywhere
from commer- to Sondre Lerche bum.
cials to college and the notewor-
radio stations
and movie
thy Edward Sharpe, tracks on
soundtracks. with friendly bubbly the album,
Most re- vocals similar to the “Army
cently, I’ve
been concen- Beatles timbre.
trating on their
2008 release
“Fate” which
-Justin Wagg in an ode to
topped the
Billboard 200s at number 86 sop’s Fables.
in August of that year.
Their fanbase is able to piano riffs and swanky vocals
reach listeners of many gen- courtesy of lead Toby Lea-
erations because of the vari- man.
ous characters the music em-
bodies.
At times revolutionary
electric reminiscent of 1960s
masterpieces, then busy
pianos, rhythm guitars and
friendly tambourines take
over.
But “Rango” is anything
but happy throughout much
of the harrowing film, and it
is anything but a movie for
the kids.
Its creatures are dark,
missing body parts and often
mutilated. Rattlesnake Jake
(Bill Nighy) gets a little ultra-
sensual licking Rango’s love
interest, Beans (Isla Fisher).
The film is actually surpris-
ingly scary. As an adult, I was
surprised CGI could get so
real.
Moreover, “Rango” is
fraught with clever allusions
to previous adult-rated mov-
ies. A CGI Johnny Depp a
la “Fear and Loathing in Las
Vegas” speeds through the
desert, likely high on metha-
done; the “Spirit of the West”
appears in the god-like human
form that bears too-striking
a resemblance to Clint East-
wood to ignore; bats used as
fighter jets are torn straight
from “Apocalypse Now’s”
Flight of the Valkyries.
Allusions, when we un-
derstand them, are reward-
ing, and these ones feed our
adult egos.
To see those allusions in
unexpected forms is even
more exciting.
Adults can feel like they
paid for something actually
entertaining while they took
The instruments work to-
ing with
grace and
of the al-
One of
my favorite
of
Ancients,”
incorporates
Dr. Dog’s
variability
some of Ae-
It opens with lo-fi, jazzy
Justin’s Favorite
Tracks:
“The Ark”,
“The Breeze”
“Army of Ancients”
the kiddies out.
But sometimes “Rango” ca-
ters too much to adults, lead-
ing to some botched sexual
jokes and a crass, unnecessary
mention of genitalia.
I felt the parents in the
theater squirm, wondering if
they’d have to explain what a
mammogram was when they
got home. Awkward.
I don’t have kids, though.
I don’t go to the movies to sa-
tiate anyone but myself. But
I’ve always been a Pixar fan.
Where is the animated movie
for my demographic? I did
not find it in “Rango.”
If my cartoon movie caters
to adults at every level (ex-
cept for in the use of child-
friendly, anthropomorphic
lead roles), isn’t it missing the
point?
Where is the whimsy?
Where are the toys com-
ing to life, of the very weight
of you picked up and trans-
ported by colorful balloons?
Sure, Rango redeems the
town of Dirt from the villains
and its drought, but I ended
the movie missing the plastic
Barbie torso, a torso which
stood for me as the corpse of
“Toy Story,” and the simple,
light-hearted days of CGI.
Or maybe I’m just being
childish.
The song then breaks into
a rapid crescendo of drums
between leading to a hoarse
whirling yelp from Leaman
that’s somehow fulfilling.
The song’s simple bravado
and innocent lyrics are invig-
orating and sweet—an ener-
gizing combination.
The cries from Dr. Dog’s
instruments flow with a qua-
vering twang, resonating
warm images like the wide-
open road, laughter and fun,
dusty sunsets and summer
nights.
Their music incorporates
a lot of my favorite sounds,
and obviously I’m biased, but
“Fate” is a champion of re-
cords, and a glorious example
of an artist who understands
the power of music.
WARC WEEKLY
TOP FIVE:
1) Iron and Wine
“Kiss Each Other
Clean”
2) Black Keys
“Brothers”
3) Toro y Moi
“Underneath the
Pine”
4) Bright Eyes
“The People’s Key”
5) The Decemberists
“The King is Dead”
cultural critique
Reviewed ByBRETT BACON
baconb@allegheny.edu
A n Introduction to OF-
WGKTA: Their motto is
“Fuck Steve Harvey.”
They have been compared
to Wu-Tang and Eminem and
other legendary hip-hop acts.
One of their own has re-
cently been grounded by his
mother for his obscene lyrics
and naughty behavior.
Ladies and gentlemen, the
self-proclaimed leaders of the
SWAG generation: Odd Fu-
ture Wolf Gang Kill Them
All.
They are a group out of
Los Angeles, going 11 strong
and ranging in age from 17
to 23. They started in 2007,
but have only exploded onto
the rap game in the last three
weeks.
Their rise to popularity
started on the Jimmy Fallon
show. On Feb. 16, Tyler, the
creator and other OFWG-
KTA member Hodgy Beats
performed “Sandwitches” off
of Tyler’s upcoming album
“Goblin.”
The performance featured
creepy garden gnomes, too
much fog from a fog ma-
chine, a girl impersonating
the creepy girl from “The
Ring” and the Roots playing
back-up.
The performance defies
explanation.
It went viral online.
Tyler’s video for “Yon-
kers,” another mind-twisting
video—went over one mil-
lion views only a week-and-
a-half after it launched. To
put it simply, Odd Future is
making a grand debut into
the rap game.
Their popularity goes be-
yond the group’s visual style,
however.
OFWGKTA’s musical
style has been described as
“horrorcore” (the group hates
this moniker) but that term
doesn’t fit.
They are more like a mod-
ern Wu-Tang Clan, but fits in
with our generation of ener-
gy drinks, Ritalin and online
gaming: it’s rap for the over-
March 11, 2011
aggressive ADD youth.
Like most adolescent
males, the members of OFW-
GKTA are obsessed with the
repulsive. They frequently
rap about rape, drugs, mur-
der, necrophilia and any oth-
er detestable human crime.
Yet despite the repulsive
lyrics, their songs are utterly
fascinating.
Listening to Odd Future
is like watching a Quentin
Tarantino or Rich Rodriguez
movie.
It’s way too violent, but it’s
done so well and so comically
you can’t look away. It also
feels honest.
Odd Future are not try-
ing to hit a “target audience.”
Rather, they seem to be say-
ing any dark twisted thing
that streams through their
young minds.
There are a few theories
as to why Odd Future is awe-
some.
Perhaps their rap offers a
lesson about our culture?
Maybe their raps really do
reflect the mind of today’s
adolescent boy.
Or maybe we just like
crazy people or violence, or
both.
Maybe we just like seeing
the extremes of our society
out there and laughing or
admiring how insane people
can be.
It’s also possible that Odd
Future are just talented.
Their rhymes are clever
and intriguing, their beats are
dark yet refreshing and they
have an out-of-control atti-
tude.
Whatever it is, Odd Future
may be the future of hip-hop.
In the last three weeks, the
internet has gone crazy over
their outrageous antics, vid-
eos and free mixtapes (avail-
able on their Tumblr).
Their ultra-violent nature
seems to be propelling them
to stardom.
So if you hear people yell
“Free Earl” or “Swag” in the
next few weeks, don’t be
afraid.
It’s just the beginning of
the Odd Future.