But I'm A Cheerleader (2000) - Review

Sweet, frothy, pink, and bubblegum is the name of the game with the 2000 teen romantic comedy-drama “But I'm A Cheerleader”, yet the poisonous, acidic premise and respective subversions of genre trappings are what really make the film endearing to me and so many to this day. It’s a film that represents grim reality through a distinctly queer lens, not denying or ignoring the existence of the horrors and tortures of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy but willingly challenging the very core of these beliefs through a highly stylised mix of humour and drama.

In the film, we follow the story of hyper-feminine, preppy Christian cheerleader Megan Bloomfield, played by Natasha Lyonne in an early role. Despite the 2000s setting, she and everyone around her seem to dress in orange and brown pastels and evoke early 1960s fashion more than anything. However, unlike her peers, she is prudish towards her boyfriend, has posters of female models plastered across her locker and is… a vegetarian. Somehow, these behaviours have led her friends and family to believe that she is a lesbian, and she is sent off to a conversion therapy camp called True Directions, led by the tyrannical Mary Brown, played by Cathy Moriarty, and assisted by Mike, played by RuPaul. At this camp, contrary to what is being taught, most of the teens actually come to discover and understand themselves as who they truly are; Megan eventually finding romance with Graham, played by Clea DuVall.

Director Jamie Babbitt mostly emulates the visual and comedic style of John Waters, with a splash of Edward Scissorhands’ technicoloured suburbia and an absurdly rigid colour palate of bright pinks and blues to represent the girls and boys of the camp. This visual style stands out and is highly distinctive and impressive for a film on a micro-budget by Hollywood standards. 

“But I’m A Cheerleader” is very much set apart from the gloomy narratives of many films with similar subject matter and succeeds in provoking and creating humour through ridicule of the regressive and absurd views held by the society Megan is living in. The satire already accurately captures the platitudes and greeting card sentiments surrounding mental illness and addictions, but the way the villains of the movie apply them to gay identity is honestly the most genius part of the film, with it also touching on gay life through witty jokes and references that will resonate with people in queer communities. 

I also appreciated the diverse cast and personalities of the people who were in the camp, with some characters being more stereotypical as a form of comic relief, while others being complete opposites of what one would expect a gay man or gay woman to behave like. This added a level of nuance to the humour and drama, rather than hypocritically playing into tropes that people like Mary in the film believe about gay people’s ideas and behaviour.


Although I enjoyed this film thoroughly and will probably watch it several more times in my lifetime, one thing that I wanted more of was more of a rough and transgressive sense of humour than I’d expect from an early John Waters film. It was very humorous and intelligent, but didn’t go far enough to shock me or viewers with it’s jokes, not quite reaching the hilariously flagrant quotability of a film like “Female Trouble” or “Pink Flamingos”.

"But I'm A Cheerleader" stands as a unique gem in the landscape of teen romantic comedies, defying convention with its sweet, frothy exterior and subversive, acidic core. It remains a triumphant exploration of love, identity, and societal expectations, destined to be revisited, appreciated, and celebrated for its unique perspective on social issues in the many years to come.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Candy Racer (2021) - Review

I won’t sugar-coat (if you'll pardon the pun) my opinion of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s catalogue up to this point. I’ve always found her to be the weakest link of Yasutaka Nakata’s acts with her work after the masterpiece “Moshi Moshi Harajuku” often veering into the twee, spluttering Akihabara territory that irritates me on a visceral level, with some platinum nuggets always buried within the coal.

Her last record “Japamyu”, though controversial within the fanbase, was in my opinion a much more mature and well-rounded project. I looked forward to hearing more songs going back to that Dance pop style and it turned out that I was right
about the direction, but also wrong.

On “Candy Racer”, Japanese pop starlet Kyary Pamyu Pamyu delivers her most eclectic, mindbending experience, yet with some glaring inconsistencies that halt me from fully embracing it as a J-pop classic.

Off the bat, we begin with insane, hyperkinetic gabber techno with Kyary’s deranged chipmunk coo panning into either ear in just the 1 minute intro alone.

This launches into the title track and Dodonpa’s explosive underground Berlin rave, with a sparse emphasis on rhythm and atmosphere previously unheard in any of Kyary’s work to this point.

Other standouts include the bittersweet jazz-infused pop jam “Gentenkaihi” which brings the Brill Building sound into what sounds like 31st century Japan, and an absolute classic in “Perfect Oneisan”, perfecting the kawaii R&B of “Gentenkaihi” with some added synthetic panache.

The main issue I have with this record, is that her and Nakata easily could have went the whole hog and made a truly avant-garde piece of mainstream pop music, but chose to pad out the good moments. Wether this be with the heinous Japamyu b-sides that she released as standalone singles after leaving the main Warner Bros label or the tacked on off-key CAPSULE cover.

In essence, this is easily Kyary’s best full-length studio album, but it is still nowhere near on par with Perfume, CAPSULE or even MEG and Ami Suzuki. However, I have high hopes for her future if she keeps making music, as this is a great step in the right direction.

CAPSULE - More More More (2008) - Review

 

Pictured: Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima (CAPSULE) 

 

With blockbuster albums by Perfume, MEG and Ami Suzuki under his belt, 2008 was also going to be the year that Yasutaka Nakata’s own band CAPSULE would break through into the mainstream. As with any band making the transition to mainstream music, More More More is a compromise of sorts, welding and fine-tuning the raspy sledgehammering Justice-esque House as heard on “FRUITS CLiPPER” and “Sugarless GiRL” into an all killer-no filler pop album on "More More More".

 

There are many imaginative and interesting creative choices along the way, highlights being the neon soaked title track, combining a hard-hitting motorik with glazed analog synths and also the many gorgeously hyperreal performances from vocalist Toshiko Koshijima throughout the album, her haunting synthetic coo being oddly irresistible.

 

 

“E.d.i.t.” and to an extent the brief intro “runway” are the only real tracks that fall flat here, as they are too focused on studio gimmickry and repetition. This is a loss of sorts, as it negates Nakata’s talent for melodiousness and composition in the process. In retrospect, this is an unfortunate trend that continues throughout CAPSULE’s discography, but luckily doesn’t hinder this album too much. 

 

As far as my opinion is concerned, this album “More More More” and Nakata’s general production run of 2000’s and early 2010’s albums are the Rosetta Stone for J-pop, and harshly underrated by the general public. With its boundary pushing, seamless fusion of EDM with retro-futuristic charm and a kawaii sensibility, I would definitely recommend taking a look.

 

In The Heights (2021) - Review

Though at time to time it reeks with cloying sentimentality, "In The Heights" is a surprisingly well-crafted, enjoyable take on the Hollywood musical.

Jon M Chu's direction was phenomenal. Its Busby Berkeley meets dance-pop music video. Super precise, yet entirely modern and natural. It could have been more stylized tho, to blend with the storyline's theme of dreams vs reality and really give "In The Heights", more of an identity of its own as a film.

The screenplay lacked focus, creating a heavily padded story that could have been wrapped much earlier than the lengthy 143 minute runtime. It also occasionally verged into poverty porn™ tropes such as the on the nose sentiments that were clunkily inserted in and a sense of middle-class sugar coating that quickly soured as the film tried to handle more serious topics.

The music, written by Lin Manuel Miranda is serviceable, but undistinguished. it reaches an enormous high with the show-stopping "96,000" and never really lives up to it in the next hour. Several songs also feel like filler songs, featuring stagnant melodies and basic chord progressions. For such an apparently hard-hitting musical, I would have expected more hard-hitting material.

However, blending this music with the acute, fluid choreography raises this film from a mere popcorn musical to a necessity for modern musical fans. The main characters and even the extras, move with such impressive ease and proficiency that it makes the songs a joy to watch. The camera and the movements work hand in hand here, contrasting Cats from 2019, one of the last big-budget stage to screen musical adaptations, which neutered itself with poor direction of dance scenes. 

All in all, it is elevated by a neat performance from Anthony Ramos and standout supporting players such as Daphne Rubin-Vega known for playing Mimi in RENT on Broadway. She plays the unforgettable flamboyant comic relief hairdresser Daniela and has a fun little number featuring dancing wigs (not joking!)

If you want a quaint, yet fun experience, "In The Heights", may be the hottest ticket in the cinema at the moment.

Charli XCX - Pop 2 (2017) - Review

Charlotte Aitchison’s regeneration from another serviceable yet underwhelming pop vixen to glistening apostle of PC Music’s electronic sect was an unexpected path, marred by trial and error on her label’s part, yet also a moment of genius, redefining the genre for Generation Z. Though it started with the Vroom Vroom EP, the arguable peak of her so-called “hyperpop” era was the indelible “Pop 2”, an apt sequel to pop music and the last Charli album to feature SOPHIE’s eruptive, anthemic wall of sound.

Beginning with a DX7 soaked throwback (Backseat), analogous to the pseudo Cyndi Lauper cover art, its a sweet retro sugar rush that carefully balances experimental bombast and catchy hooks. Aforementioned ear-worms continue with a SOPHIE produced track, the club-ready ballad (Out Of My Head), ecstatic dance bangers that I can only describe as sounding like a Paris Hilton vocaloid (Unlock It, Femmebot), brooding synthetic pieces (Delicious, Tears) and the phenomenal closer (Track 10).

It may be a slightly biased take due to the song’s sentimental value to me, but “Track 10” will always be one of my favourite songs of all time, with a special place in my heart. The constantly building, unresolved chord progression, rising in intensity with each refrain of “I blame it on your love” combined with the lyrics, earnest to the point of being haunting, was one of the defining sounds of my adolescence.

An issue I have with Pop 2 and a trend that became even more apparent in her later work (Charli, self-titled) is the somewhat shoe-horned radio hit tracks (Porsche) that forbid the album from fully standing out as a body of work with its own clear identity. My personal taste also doesn’t fully care for “I Got It”, as it brings out the worst in hyperpop with its gimmicky production and vocal modifications.

The reinvention of Charli XCX from mere pop diva lite to a cult star of PC Music’s forward-thinking collective was a rocky venture. Yet, the creativity contained on “Pop 2” demonstrates perfectly why it was worthwhile. Seamlessly blending pop with disparate harsh and polished textures, its a record that still has power today, seen in the one-thousand 100 Gecs clones on Soundcloud and the surprisingly interesting outliers such as Rina Sawayama and Dorian Electra, who have cultivated their own original sound from these influences.

Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette (1980) - Review

Unlike the many dance artists who stumbled in adapting their sounds to the transmogrifying state of popular music in the early 80’s, one of the most iconic stars of New York’s disco scene set the blueprint on how to do it, not only correctly, but with an enormous bang.

The expected four-on-a-floor beats and chicken-scratch guitars of her usual R&B fare, were now married to a brooding monotone, crackling synthesizers and clever digressions into the dub reggae of her native Jamaica, that would come to define Grace Jones' "Warm Leatherette", and almost all of her output after that. It was legendary!

One of the highlights off the bat, is the sprawling, minimal title track (a cover of The Normal's song of the same name). Stripping disco to its most simple yet effective form, it is a dark proto-house thrill ride indebted to Bowie and CHIC in equal measure. Potential 12" hits (The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game, A Rolling Stone) are contrasted with an unexpected albeit brilliant streak of guitar driven foot-stompers (Love Is The Drug, Bullshit), showing impressive versatility.

Jones wobbles unfortunately when handling balladic material (Private Life, Breakdown, Pars), which fizzle more than the chirpy analog synths. I would have preferred a less-meandering, lush approach, similar to her rendition of "La vie en rose" or "Sorry". These songs aren't dismal by any means, but for an artist with such a creative punch, they're mere inessential forks in the road.

Some of the most successful records of the nu-disco wave like Roisin Murphy's "Roisin Machine" and Daft Punk's "Human After All", take arguably more elements from "Warm Leatherette" than "Portfolio" or "Muse". It may not be perfect but , even with the added upholstery, it is a decadent, excessive classic of pop, that has had an undoubted mark on popular culture.

Click the play button below to see yourself: ↓

Blondie - The Curse Of Blondie (2003) - Review

Late career projects by iconic artists can be mediocre at best, and downright awful at worst. Yet, with “The Curse of Blondie”, the eponymous band scored another solid, albeit underrated album. 

Greatly ignored by the public on its initial release, aside from hit single “Good Boys”, the overarching sound of the record blends the characteristic pop rock of Blondie with retro and contemporary styles to varying but worthwhile results. 

Slinky synth-pop numbers (Good Boys, The Tingler, Undone, Diamond Bridge), have an irresistible disco groove recalling similar tracks on “Autoamerican”, while detours into nu metal (Last One in the World, Shakedown) and the experimental jazz fusion “Desire Brings Me Back” feel more hackneyed than endearing. 

Although Debbie Harry’s voice isn’t the ace in the hole it once was in the 70’s and 80’s, her now whisky soaked contralto only assists in magnifying the emotion of the material. Most exemplified in the powerful chorus of “Undone” and the haunting melodies in “Songs Of Love”.

In its complete form, “The Curse of Blondie” is an exemplar of great contemporary pop music, shrouded by the group’s seminal earlier work, perfectly displayed by its wide, eclectic, relevant palette of sound compared to the accustomed stagnation of late-era artists.