Spring Breakers…WTF?!

It’s been two days since I’ve seen this movie and I still don’t think I’ve been able to wrap my head around it. I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how this movie got made…especially with this cast. I don’t understand who would say to these girls that being a part of this project is good for their careers. Maybe it’s just me but I just really didn’t like it. I guess I can understand that it would be appealing to make a movie that glorifies and horrifies the ritual that spring break as become in our culture. What I don’t understand is how people think this is that movie. To be completely honest the only thing I took away from the movie was “spring break…spring break forever” a line that James Franco’s character repeats about a million times. So many lines and shots were done multiple times throughout the movie that it really seems like it was just a Girls Gone Wild episode drawn out into hours of my life that I’ll never get back.

WARNING SPOILERS!

I will admit that my reasoning for seeing this movie was the cast. Even now that I’m an adult, I still enjoy some of the Disney projects that Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashely Benson have been a part of. I was curious to see these girls try to break the contraints of their Disney “good-girl” vibes. Especially with the amount of press that this film seems to be getting, I think I was given the totally wrong impression. Let’s start with the fact that Selena plays a girl named Faith who is your typical good girl. She just wants a change of pace from the everyday life that she seems to be stuck in. Besides the fact that she doesn’t partake in the original robbery that funds their little adventure, she is the only one that gets out of there before things get bad. Yes she “parties” and ends up in jail with the rest of them but honestly I don’t see how much this really sheds her good girl persona. Also she leaves the movie halfway through and never comes back. Moving on to Vanessa and Ashley… These two sure shed their good girl personas quickly. I think the only thing that wasn’t seen of these two was actual nudity (only the fourth girl who is the only unknown here goes to that length). They just didn’t make any sense to me. Especially in the end. I think that’s my hardest part understanding these girls. There was no resolution.

I do have to give major props to James Franco though. I’m not usually a fan (although I loved him as the Wizard in Oz the Great and Powerful). Besides being completely ridiculous and making everyone believe he was KFed, he delivered an intriguing performance that actually gave the movie something a little more than just Girls Gone Wild. He’s the comic relief of the movie which is disturbing for the fact that he’s into everything bad. By far the best part of the movie was when he was playing the piano and singing Britney Spears’ Everytime. I don’t know if the Britney Spears bits were intentional but it made me think back to when Crossroads came out. At the time she was the “good-girl” trying to grow up. Even though that movie tackles some pretty serious topics that made parents uncomfortable with letting their young daughters see it, there’s no comparison here. There’s much more disturbing and horrifying things in this movie that none of the young fans should be able to see. 

Gleek Speak: Oops They Did It Again

Hey guys!! So since my roommate is a huge fan of Glee, she’s going to be giving you all a weekly recap/review of each episode. Just so you are all warned…she is a huge Klaine fan! Enjoy!!

Oops…Glee did it again, didn’t they? After rumors that Ryan Murphy would be doing yet another Britney Spears-themed episode titled “Britney 2.0,” I bet most of us thought to ourselves, “Oh great, another tribute episode that tosses moving storylines to the sidelines.” But what happened was quite the opposite. With exciting performances and unique arrangements of selections from the pop star’s catalog came further development of Glee’s newest members, a budding relationship for Rachel, and new alliances. Even as a loyal fan, I have to admit that this season, only being two-episodes deep, shows way more promise than the last, which lost itself in muddled plot points and more discontinuity than even I can handle.

The episode’s focus is Brittany, naturally, who is going through an emotional rough patch with Santana being away and Sue kicking her off the Cheerios for letting her grades slip more than usual (if that was even possible). So when Will suggests another Britney-themed week to inspire her, she takes it to heart but in a very different way than before. Instead of providing show-stopping routines that the first tribute episode had plenty of, she sinks into an even further depression that is both off-kilter and slightly worrisome. From dumpster-diving for clothes to nearly shaving her head, she’s so off her game that her love affair for Cheetos gets in the way of performing “Gimme More” with the gang at a pep rally. Worst of all, she lip-syncs.

Over in New York, Kurt and Rachel have found a home 45 minutes outside of the city with a rent they can afford. It’s so great to see them together in the one place they have dreamed about making it to. While Kurt is beginning to set forth on his mission to get into NYADA in January and has applied to Vogue in the meantime, Rachel learns about her dance teacher, Cassandra July, and a past of broken dreams on Broadway. This gives way to an outburst after performing a sexy number with her new friend, Brody, where Cassandra refuses to admit that Rachel has improved all but slightly. She gets kicked out of the class, and while you can’t help but feel bad for her, it’s still interesting to see her as an underdog type of character.

Perhaps the best additions to this show have been Marley, the sweet and innocent one, and Jake, the new resident bad boy and so-called “Womanizer.” Marley gives in to his ways and agrees to meet him on the bleachers where they sing a wonderful mash-up of “Crazy” and “You Drive Me Crazy.” Their chemistry is undeniable, and I’m having major flashbacks of Puck and Rachel on these very steps back in season one. Jake, even with moments of vulnerability and kindness, maintains his tough guy façade when he gets into a fight with some jerks in the cafeteria. Will breaks it up and brings him into the choir room, where his half brother, Puck, is waiting for him. It doesn’t seem as climactic as I would’ve expected, but when Puck stresses how much joining Glee club made him into a man, his surprise appearance feels heavy with significance.

In an effort to get Brittany back to her old self, Sam takes it upon himself to insure her that she has a friend in him. For a moment I was strangely half-wishing for them to kiss (I mean, it’s happened once before), but the inner Brittana fan in me made me quickly forgo that hope. What was nice about this scene was that it was just the two of them together, alone in an empty auditorium and having an honest conversation. This season, it seems like the writers are really trying to bring together kids that haven’t previously interacted before, making up for the loss of older characters who have now graduated.

Kurt and Rachel continue to make over their apartment, and while heading out for a late night cake run, Brody shows up with flowers and to tell her something that was “inappropriate over texts.” Brody lets her know that he thinks she’s sexy and goes in for the kill. Rachel resists (why Rachel, WHYYY), but Brody doesn’t give up that easily. He admits that whatever they’re doing, he’s always thinking about kissing her. Damn Glee, you’re really taking advantage of this 9:00 PM time slot, aren’t ya? From the looks of next week’s promo, the sexual tension will surely continue to rise and I’m perfectly okay with that. But something tells me this Brody character is acting a little suspicious.

Finally, with friendship comes heartbreak for Marley, who is quickly betrayed when Jake and the new head cheerleader Kitty announce their relationship. In the closing montage, she sings a beautiful rendition of “Everytime” while shots of Rachel painting over Finn’s name on the wall signal that she’s attempting to move on.

Ryan Murphy has said numerous times that this season is all about going “back to basics.” I can definitely see that in place, and this show is starting to find again its rhythm and what made it so special in the first place. So BRB, gonna go put the Jarley mash-up on repeat and pretend that I can be Rachel Berry for a day.