Overrated/Underrated: The deeper horrors of ‘Demon,’ and Chainsmokers will burn out fast
UNDERRATED
‘Demon’ (2016): This story of possession is misleadingly presented as just another scary movie, but its horrors venture somewhere far deeper. Written and directed by the late Marcin Wrona, the film centers on a Polish wedding where the groom (Itay Tiran) is possessed by a mythical evil spirit that inspires responses from the guests that resemble a microcosm of the haunted history of Poland. As a family confronts its violent, tragic past amid visuals that can be lush and grotesque, the film examines the dark power of denial, which holds more terrors than what’s beyond the grave.
Steve Lehman & Sélébéyone: Lehman’s latest album is the next iteration of the cross-pollination between jazz and hip-hop explored by Grammy winners Kendrick Lamar and Robert Glasper. Teamed with a Senegalese rapper and a founder of hip-hop’s Antipop Consortium, Lehman spins taut, tangled melodies through cracking rhythms and lyrics delivered in English and Wolof, resulting in a bracing set that could be the soundtrack for a futuristic reboot of the cross-cultural 1995 French drama “La Haine.”
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OVERRATED
Another look back at the Beatles: Nothing against the band, but Ron Howard deserves credit for finding a new documentary in the most exhaustively documented group in history with “Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years.” Few other artists have a legacy influential enough to justify this much attention and accolades, but it’s beginning to feel as if humankind will not rest until the Beatles’ every moment has been analyzed, released and repackaged into fresh reminders of an unassailable ideal for every generation.
The Chainsmokers: The noxious result of every EDM-loving frat guy cliche suddenly gaining consciousness and discovering how to make bland electronic-pop, this duo recently had a rough couple of weeks with an underwhelming performance at the VMAs followed by a dimwitted interview that was as full of as much misplaced confidence as casual misogyny. Still, the hits have kept coming, including the chart-topper “Closer,” whose chirpy chorus promises “we ain’t ever getting older.” With this kind of PR, can you be sure about that, bro?
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