NewsHouse Staff's Blog

The 2012-2013 Arts Journalism cohort had a chance to see a Toronto International Film Festival screening of the documentary Reincarnated. Presented here are three reviews from the screening.


While Reincarnated is packaged as a documentary of Snoop Dogg’s transition from a rough-and-tough rapper to the peaceful Rastafarian Snoop Lion, it’s mostly a self-indulgent, high-end home movie of his pot-filled trip to Jamaica to record his first reggae album.

Reincarnated shares a name with Snoop’s upcoming 12th album, though it could easily have shared the title Smokefest Underground with his 1998 release. It rarely goes more than three minutes without the mention or display of marijuana. We see pot in fields, in bouquets, in bags and on tabletops. We see Snoop and friends smoking in a car, on a porch, on a bamboo raft, in a recording booth and in countless Jamaican streets and homes. He smokes from a joint, from a blunt, from a pipe and, at one point, from a carrot.

Snoop spends the majority of the movie decked out in Adidas gear from head to toe – usually in a mix of the red, yellow and green of the Jamaican flag – hanging out with his entourage and getting tours of noteworthy neighborhoods from locals. It’s worth noting that the use of subtitles when these locals speak is arbitrary to the point that it’s offensive, particularly because many of them were more articulate than Snoop himself.

Between the smoking and touring, though, we do get a few glimpses into the recording of the album. Snoop spends some time with Bunny Wailer, and though the 65-year-old reggae great does give Snoop his new “Lion” surname, he also verbalizes his concern that the Rastafarian culture is being used too loosely to commercialize a reggae album. I’m with you on this one, Bunny.

Ultimately, Reincarnated doesn't reveal anything about the Jamaican or Rastafarian cultures beyond the dreadlocks and pot leaves that you already see on cheap souvenirs. When the credits roll, you’ll likely be glad to step out of the theater and into some fresh air.

- Melanie Deziel

Apparently, lions are bred from copious amounts of weed and reggae music, much too much for dogs to handle.  At least it seems this was the case for legendary rapper, Snoop Dogg, who is now known as Snoop Lion. The transformation came from Snoop searching to create another album entirely different from the rap and hip-hop staples with which he built his career. Determined to make music that showcases, “positivity, love and struggle,” Snoop headed on a month-long pilgrimage to Jamaica to connect with the Rastafarian way of life and create a new album that showcases that.

Rookie documentarian director, Andy Capper, tried hard in Reincarnated to convince audiences of Snoop’s genuine interest in adopting a new way of life, shown mostly through personal interviews by the former “Dogg Father” and his life of pimpin’, hustlin’ and thuggin’. Watching Snoop relive the reality of losing friends and collaborators Tupac Shakur and Nate Dogg humanized the rapper in a way not explored through his music. Also, the decision not to play snippets of any of Snoop’s music during these scenes drove home the point that certain relationships artists foster with people in the music industry goes far beyond just the music into partnerships that bond these individuals for life. These two moments were perhaps the most authentic scenes of the entire documentary.

While it was exciting to hear such energetic and positive Rastsa beats flowing from mega-producer Diplo and his team and seeing Snoop guest Bunny Wailer on an upcoming track, the documentary could’ve ended showing just those studio elements and it would’ve been just as effective. The “journey” the rapper went through to become a part of the Rastafari movement and praising, Jah, was too quick for anyone to take a reinvention of that magnitude seriously. Capper even admitted during a Q&A session after the screening that he and producers urged Snoop to attend certain spiritual events, yet, that Snoop’s reactions to the events are entirely his own, a tactic reminiscent of MTV’s staged reality show, “The Hills.” Everyone knows life changes don’t happen over the course of a month, so why is Snoop Lion going through all this trouble to convince us otherwise?
- Briana Prevost

Reincarnated, a documentary about Snoop Dogg’s transformation into the Rastafarian Snoop Lion, gives viewers a sneak peek into the hip-hop based, marijuana fueled life of the rap star. It is arguable, however, that Snoop Dogg’s change is a façade, an unbelievable hoax to market himself and gain money. After all, he is smoking weed in every scene and he managed, not so discreetly, to include product placement whenever possible. Nevertheless, these factors seem irrelevant when analyzing the film for a deeper meaning. The film successfully shows how music can be a binding force among people.

The film reveals the journey Snoop Dogg took to reinvent himself into a Rastafarian and reggae artist and the challenges he faced to reach that journey. Reincarnated also brings attention to individuals who are suffering and the escape they can find with the right lyrics and beat.

The director, Andy Capper, created great balance between Snoop Dogg’s past and where he is presently.  Glimpses of Snoop Dogg facing murder charges and of him attending his close friend’s funeral expose the hardships that the rapper has faced. Then, viewers are given a peek at the highlights of his career. Snoop Dogg shines while on stage performing and while recording his new reggae album in Jamaica. This film documents the adoration in resilience and the many rewards that may come as a result.

Set in the beautiful hills of Jamaica, Reincarnated is visually appealing. The images of the Jamaican jungle and the Atlantic Ocean are contrasted with a glance into the poverty and struggle that some Jamaicans face. Snoop Dogg meets some of those individuals and bonds with them over music. In a neighborhood full of crime and destitution, there is a moment of relief when Snoop Dogg and the residents of the area begin to sing together. In unfortunate circumstance, it is assuring to know that music can provide an outlet to brighter times.

- Alyssa Nappa

Official Trailer:

Chris Baker, Lead Producer

Mumford & Sons, TBA

 It’s been more than two years since their breakout album Sigh No More hit the shelves and launched the Irish folkies’ careers. The debut album, however, will be tough to top. Their highly-anticipated sophomore album (expected to be released early this year) will either solidify the band as revolutionary folk revivalists or one-hit wonders. Expect the former.

Machine Gun Kelly, Lace Up

 This kid is going to be big. The rapper, who just signed with Diddy and Bad Boy Records, was the first rapper to ever win a talent show at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. He won two consecutive weeks. And he’s a white guy. Billy Mitchell, a.k.a. Mr. Apollo, calls him “the next Eminem.” His first pro record will certainly raise some eyebrows.

MGMT, MGMT

So MGMT's Congratulations wasn’t a critical success. It was a cohesive album, which is more than can be said for Oracular Spectacular, which, for all its charm, was just an amalgamation of fun songs. The disparity between their first two efforts leaves a lot of room for speculation regarding their third. Regardless, the album is worth picking up when it hits the shelves later this year.

Chris Ballard, Lead Producer

Hostage Calm, TBA

Punk-flavored indie rockers Hostage Calm are one of the most refreshing acts in the alternative music scene. Take The Smiths, add a heavy dose of Beatles and Beach Boys-influenced vocal harmonies and pop-laced anthems, and Hostage Calm are ready to surprise critics with their newest LP.

Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid in a Mad City

Lamar’s 2011 debut Section.80 was just what the hip-hop community needed. Combining the ethos and swagger of his Compton, Calif. roots with an introspective outlook, expect Lamar’s aptly named follow-up to hit just as hard.

Converge, All That We Love We Leave Behind

Like a fine wine, Converge develops with age. With nearly two decades spearheading the heavy music scene, the Massachusetts hardcore punk quartet released one of their best tracks on a split EP last year, and promise to bring just as much raucous energy on their latest full-length.

Josh Breeden, Writer

Tennis, Young and Old

Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley recorded their 2011 debut, Cape Dory, after almost a year at sea. With Young and Old, the Denver duo trade buoyant, meandering melodies and surfscape imagery for a more pensive sound. The album’s first single, “Origins,” features an introspective Moore –– her howls of doomed love and unquenched curiosity backed by Riley’s Johnny Marr-like guitar attack. 

Sleigh Bells, Reign of Terror

Sleigh Bells blew minds and subwoofers when they released Treats in May 2010. The narrative is simple: hardcore guitarist (Derek Miller) meets girl-pop vocalist (Alexis Krauss), and together they deafen folkified indie land with really loud music. Yes music –– one can’t really classify what the pair make. Their upcoming record, Reign of Tower, sounds like a pissed off version of Treats. Club-ready beats, chunky guitar, celestial vocals and Stalinist-era military garb distilled into an11-track blitzkrieg. Sample song title: “Road to Hell.”

The Decemberists, We All Raise Our Voices to the Air: (Live songs 04.11-08.11)

Colin Meloy and company reigned in the freak-folk noodling on 2011’s The King is Dead –– trading instrumental congestion and off kilter narrative frameworks for simple, guitar driven tunes with compact song structures. As a result, the summer tour in support of King featured the Portland collective in a newly energized state, unchained from the pressures of duplicating grandiose studio arrangements on stage. We All Raise Our Voices to the Air , a double-live affair, captures 20 moments from The Decemberists’ 2011 summer tour. Recorded at well-known venues such as Stubbs BBQ and Ryman Auditorium, the album captures the band at the height of their career –– simplifying their past creations while embracing a nuanced, mature sound.

Eric Vilas-Boas, Lead Producer

Grizzly Bear, TBA

The 2009 indie darlings have Facebooked pretty relentlessly the last month or so, writing statuses and posting Instagram shots (and somehow thinking may have LOST interest since their epic turn with Veckatimest). They insist that, yes, they are working on music--thus far both written and recorded--and, yes, we will have a new album to love soon. “Soon” however, cannot come soon enough for fans of the harmonizing, percussing, love-singing multi-instrumentalists. In the meantime, chew on Daniel Rossen’s new songs while you wait for the others coming, hopefully soon.

The Magnetic Fields, Love at the Bottom of the Sea

If any mid-40s singer-songwriter has earned the right to an obscenely early retirement, it’s Stephin Merritt. Lucky for you, me and everyone else who should have listened to 69 Love Songs in high school like it was Scripture, he will be doing the opposite this March. New album, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, promises to break the Fields’ three-album and seven-year moratorium on synthesizers, and come back to the band’s roots: Love and synths. Knowing Merritt, those two crucial ideas won’t be the only concepts to listen for on their upcoming record, but they may signal a return, not just to Merge Records, but to the kind of work that made 69 Love Songs and its precursors so beautiful and engaging.

Dan Deacon, TBA

The indietronica darling of our time -- and the one true antithesis to that cliche people call dubstep these days--Mr. Deacon has been touring since November when it was announced that he signed to Domino Records to drop a new album in 2012. In the meantime, if you’re in New Zealand, catch the last legs of his global romp with the 14-piece Dan Deacon Ensemble. You will duck, thrust, sing along, unrepentantly crowd-surf, and at the center of it all, Dan will curate the show, leading you and your peers in a sick cross between a danse macabre and a gleeful rendition of Barney’s “Clean Up” song. There will be bells.

A new exhibition from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) pairs original Arts and Crafts Movement furnishings, with an emphasis on those designed by Gustav Stickley, with clothing worn by American women during 1909-1913.

“The American Look: Fashion and Furnishings of the Arts and Crafts Era” will be on view Oct. 15 through Nov. 11 at the Design Gallery at The Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

An opening reception will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Regular exhibition hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Exhibition curator Jeffrey Mayer, an associate professor and program coordinator of fashion design in VPA’s Department of Design, selected the garments in “The American Look” from the fashion design program’s Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection, which he also curates. The furniture, consisting of original pieces produced between 1906-1911, is on loan from David Rudd and Debbie Goldwein of Dalton’s American Decorative Arts in Syracuse. Many of the pieces on view are unparalleled examples of the work of Gustav Stickley, none of which have been previously exhibited to the public.

“The exhibition explores the aesthetic change of women’s fashion during the period of 1909 to 1913 and how it interacts with the Arts and Crafts craftsman furnishings,” Mayer said. “Clothing worn during the day and evening is on exhibition in environmental vignettes, giving the viewer a chance to experience the furnishings and clothing in harmony.”

The Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection is comprised of more than 1,500 women’s garments and accessories from 1820 to present. The focus of the collection is women’s high fashion, and it includes examples of garments that are indicative of each era by well-known designers or worn by notable women.

Every day this week (... and every week after that until we get tired of it), a Hill's Kitchen blogger will share an easy, creative and hopefully delicious recipe that you can enjoy from the comfort of your kitchen or dorm room. These are the ingredients we'll be using this week. We tried to choose recipes with spinach in them to avoid the annoyance of buying and storing a lot of produce. If you want to follow along, make sure to stock up!

Vegetables
6 1/2 cups raw spinach
1/2 medium onion
2 carrots
1 small head or 1/2 large head broccoli
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons edamame
2 tablespoons black olives
3-4 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup green onion (scallion)
1 tablespoon minced shallot

Oils and spices
Olive oil (buy a whole bottle, you'll need it)
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Salt
Pepper

Meat, eggs and cheese
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (6 to 8 ounces)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 cup feta cheese
4 eggs

Other
Boullion cubes or 14-oz can broth
1/4 package tapioca stick rice noodles (check the international aisle)
1/2 cup seitan
1/4 cup Alfredo sauce
1 pita

Photo by Jason Bachman on Flickr