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    Music Matters

    Crowded House's Intriguer may live up to its name, but it doesn't impress

    Jim Beviglia
    Jul 20, 2010 | 10:54 am
    • It's intriguing, but Crowded House's new album isn't all it could be.
    • Crowded House shows its potential for brilliance on several songs, but don'tcash in on their setups.

    Sometimes an album title says it all. Well, it actually happens very rarely, I suppose, but the new release from Neil Finn and Crowded House qualifies. It’s called Intriguer, and it’s genuinely intriguing.

    Which is fine, if that’s really what you’re going for, but it’s a bit of a letdown considering some of the flowery adjectives this band has inspired in the past.
     
    It’s certainly a good sight better than the band’s comeback album from 2007, Here On Earth, which, if given a descriptive word in the same fashion, would have been called Underwhelmer. Intriguer certainly finds Finn fully engaged and going for it in a way that has to be refreshing to Crowdies who might have long since given up on hearing this band sound so ambitious ever again.
     
    There are enough structural differences between the songs, and even within individual songs, to keep listeners on their toes throughout. Producer Jim Scott, known for his work with Wilco, brings that same spirit of experimentation to this project, getting Finn out of any sort of middle-of-the-road comfort zone that plagued Here On Earth.
     
    Opening song “Saturday Sun” buzzes along with energy that immediately demands attention. Following up on that is the complicated construct “Archer’s Arrows,” which might be a tad too busy but shows that Finn’s songwriting gifts are still intact. His lyrics are never less than impressive, but they aren’t always engaging.
     
    Indeed, much of the problem with Intriguer is that the majority of the songs don’t cash in on the opportunities afforded them by the promising musical set-ups. There are precious few songs here with a hummable melody, which is a drawback made all the more mystifying by the plethora of instantly memorable tunes in Crowded House’s catalog.
     
    Finn seems to be caught in the middle, trying to write to the productions rather than coming up with the songs first and foremost. “Falling Dove” builds off a taut rhythm and takes numerous twists and turns, including some fiery guitar from Finn’s son Liam, but it never quite lifts off. Like many of the songs here, it builds from moody verses to a lush chorus. Even with all of the variety in production, these songs all begin to run together because of this songwriting fallback position.
     
    Ironically, Finn puts it all together on the most traditional number here, “Twice If Your Lucky.” It possesses a straightforward, mid-tempo elegance, like so many of the band’s past triumphs, but unlike much of the other fare on Intriguer, the strain is absent. This is Crowded House in its wheelhouse, singing an adult love song, and they sound as energized as if it were 1987 all over again.
     
    Although the moment is short-lived, it shows that the band is firing on all cylinders again. Much of Intriguer just seems like an uneasy fit. The name of the album is perfectly apropos though. It’s easy to contemplate that, with a few more memorable songs, they could have called the album Impresser.

     Adobe Flash Required for flash player. "Saturday Sun"

     Adobe Flash Required for flash player. "Falling Dove"

     Adobe Flash Required for flash player. "Twice if Your Lucky"

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    Movie Review

    New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 11, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    David Corenswet in Superman
    Photo by Jessica Miglio
    David Corenswet in Superman.

    When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

    The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

    Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

    One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

    He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

    There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

    Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

    Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

    ---

    Superman is now playing in theaters.

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