Taylor Swift's All Red

Taylor Swift lets her costumes (10 changes) and emotions fly, calls Houston a magical place

“Hello Houston, Texas . . . I’m Taylor.”

A wide-eyed Taylor Swift played to a sold-out Toyota Center Thursday night on the 17th stop of her worldwide “Red Tour.” The show came complete with 10 costume changes, fireworks, confetti and elaborate moving sets. By the end of the night Swift truly had the whole crowd “feelin’ 22.” To me Swift has always been about the lyrics and songwriting, but she proved that she has the vocals to back it up, belting out an 18-song set to thousands of screaming girls, and the occasional miserable dad.

If it weren’t for the hoards of girls in cowboy boots filling the stands no one would have known Swift began as a country star. Her new Red album is the most rock/pop of any of her albums, with several songs involving techno and dubstep beats.

Swift shared that she “writes lots of songs about her feelings.” Spoiler alert, she has lots of feelings.

Swift erupted onto the stage with “State of Grace,” the first track on her new album. I was extremely impressed with the strength of her vocals this night. I've heard Swift sing live in the past and on TV and she rarely sounds like she does on the radio. Next up was “Holy Ground” a fast paced single complete with a flying marching band.

The third song of the night was the title track "Red" — and Red truly was the theme of the show. From Swift's wardrobe choices and bedazzled electric guitar to her signature red lipstick, you couldn’t escape the color. She explained that she always likes to assign colors to her different emotions and lately the craziness in her life has been a “blinding red.” That craziness surely includes Swift's many tumultuous relationships (and breakups) that are often sensationalized in the tabloids.

In one of her many (read: too many) audience heart to hearts, Swift shared that she “writes lots of songs about her feelings.” Spoiler alert, she has lots of feelings.

The lyrics to Swift's songs tell stories about her romances and she doesn’t try to hide who they are about. From Jake Gyllenhaal to the teenage Kennedy to her most recent break up with One Direction’s Harry Styles, she certainly has a lot of material to work with.

Swift's Texas Mom

Swift also chatted with the crowd about her love for the Lone Star State. It so happens that her mother, who was comically paraded through the crowd at the beginning of the show, was actually raised here in Houston, attending both Memorial High School and the University of Houston. Swift said she always wondered what this “magical place called Houston, Texas is like, and it turns out [it’s] awesome.” I tend to agree.

It almost makes you feel uncomfortable that she is sharing so much with you.

While all the fireworks and acrobats were exciting to look at, Taylor really shined in her intimate acoustic performances. She worked her way through the crowd to a remote stage on the opposite side of the stadium to perform fan favorites “Fearless” and “Begin Again." Without all the bells and whistles, Swift was really able to connect with the audience with just a stool and her guitar.

My favorite part of the night was when she brought out her opening act Ed Sheeran to perform their duet “Everything Has Changed.” Sheeran did an amazing job of warming up with crowd with a short set that was completely solo and acoustic but still engaging and energized.

Dramatics

While performing “Sparks Fly," Swift flew over the audience on a sparkling platform back to the main stage for her final set of songs. The most emotional performance of the night was undoubtedly her rendition of “All Too Well” where she showcased her impressive piano skills. Swift was so engrossed in the tragic love song about another failed romance (rumored to be about Gyllenhaal) that she looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

There is no denying that listening to Taylor Swift's lyrics is like tearing out a page from her diary, and it almost makes you feel uncomfortable that she is sharing so much with you.

While there were many instances when I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her rambling monologues about overcoming bullies and following your dreams, Swift genuinely does seem to be completely humbled by her success and is adamant about being a good role model to her fans. Overall the concert was extremely entertaining and by the end even the miserable-looking dads couldn’t help but tap their feet to the painfully catchy “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. “

Set List:

State of Grace
Holy Ground
Red
You Belong with Me
Lucky One
Mean
Stay Stay Stay
Ho Hey (Lumineers cover)
22
Fearless
Everything Has Changed
Begin Again
Sparks Fly
I Knew You Were Trouble
All Too Well
Love Story
Treacherous
We are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Photo by Chinh Phan

unspecified

Movie Review

Supergirl fails to take flight in a movie weighed down by grief

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

---

Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

movies film