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

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Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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