Related
Rising Star
PREMIERE | Balloon Ride Fantasy Releases 'Arcadia'
New wave pop flavored with dance energy
07.05.2018
Balloon Ride Fantasy, a synth-pop/new wave band, premieres "Arcadia," a dreamy pulsing tune inspired by fantasy fiction and pop nostalgia. "Arcadia" is from the band's BRF EP, dropping July 20.
Made up of Chris Olszewski (lead vocals, producer), Phil Conley (guitars, synths), Bethany Conley (vocals), Brad Schneider (bass), and Jordan Wood (keyboards, synths), Balloon Ride Fantasy has shared the stage with The Chainsmokers, Chvrches, and Metric, as well as opening for The Naked and Famous at the Feed More Festival. In addition to music, Wood has appeared on HBO's Mindhunter, and NBC's Downward Dog.
"Arcadia" kicks off with coruscating synth layers leading into a new wave pop tune. Olszewski's textured timbres pervade the lyrics with gleaming sonic hues, as Conley's background vocals finance smooth sighing harmonies akin to gossamer tendrils. A simmering sax solo infuses the tune with taut harmonic pigments.
The rhythm of the track takes on an electronic dance momentum, infusing the music with a pulsing, driving energy. The combination of new wave pop flavors and dance brio gives the tune chic stylish tinctures of oomph, especially on the swelling colors of the chorus.
Shot with Ridley Scott-like interplays of dark and light, the video was filmed at Pittsburgh's famous hot spot, Evaline Party House. The visuals depict an initiation party for a mysterious cult, governed by a lioncorn, which is a hybrid of a lion and a unicorn. Mannequins, masks, and glow sticks saturate the video with fantasy ambience.
With "Arcadia," Balloon Ride Fantasy integrates creamy new wave flavors with the pulsating vitality of electronic dance. The result is a yummy concoction of stylish music.
Follow Balloon Ride Fantasy on Website | Facebook | Instagram
Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.
We all know at least one person who has explained in grandiose, often drunken detail why Radiohead is the greatest band ever.
"Kid A was one of the greatest creative experiments in history" and blah, blah, blah. As magnetic a project as Kid A remains, the album has been so deeply dissected and collectively lauded that any further praise in 2020 often falls on deaf ears.
<h2></h2><p>While Hip-Hop's integration into mainstream culture has bred some annoying fans, even the pettiest rap heads will at least open up their fandom for some discussion, but rock and roll devotees are traditionalists through and through. They are often quick to cap their band as "the best ever to do it" and won't even humor any rebuttals. Here are rock music's most relentless fandoms.</p>
<!-- Ezoic - underfirst11 - under_first_paragraph -->
<div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-630"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - underfirst11 - under_first_paragraph -->
My Chemical Romance
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg1My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDgwNDE5NH0.O9OGj6O9EufK74tws9rzrwUEFvdV-GBmSd0havBhRpA/img.jpg?width=980" id="71c1f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5c71ed0c82eaa4611cc2716094ac39bc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="MCR fans" /><p>It was impossible not to at least be charmed by the gothic energy of My Chemical Romance in the early 2000s. Their perfect mesh of screamo with punk, hardcore, and metal helped pioneer the early-aughts emo movement. But <em>Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge</em> and the band's subsequent success that followed bred an insufferable collection of now satirized emo fans, replete with the all-black baggy clothes, the bulletproof vests, the heavy eyeliner. The emo movement therapized countless teenagers, and bands like My Chem all felt like "our bands," as if they were speaking directly to our experiences, but it's annoying as an adult to run into someone who is still a die-hard MCR crony.</p><p>They'll speak on how they were the last great emo band to exist and will roll their eyes at the emo-influenced sounds of Juice WRLD and Lil Peep. They often act like <em>I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love</em> was their best album and that no one truly understood their music the way that <em>they</em> personally did. The same fans that make these arguments are also more often than not the ones who clocked out once MCR released<em> Danger Days</em>. Overall, it's just annoying.<br></p>The Dropkick Murphys
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzI3NTA3NX0.kiE7ol5la6fjOvm66TddFUDMqt2mFItrOFYoJc6vJqQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="99783" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9dc6b043a59479c4f6cdd52f9972abc3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Dropkick Murphy fans" /><p>The Irish punk rock group out of Quincy Mass already have drunken frat energy, so you can imagine how their fans often behave at their concerts. While they have a number of energetic hits, The Dropkick Murphys have attracted a specific blend of misogynistic frat bros and neo-Nazis. </p><p>The band has acknowledged this unfortunate circumstance and has, at times, taken action to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/dropkick-muphys-neo-nazi-beatdown-429779" target="_blank">quell brewing Nazi energy at their shows</a>; but regardless, the band has become synonymous with drunken Boston bros, and that's just not a good vibe in 2020. So if you run into someone who cites The Dropkick Murphys as their favorite band, proceed with caution.</p>Pink Floyd
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMzc4NjU3M30.30Y4tybqp4bc1ANRuL95gnfXjmsEm67WF6MSeY5FJy0/img.jpg?width=980" id="a3a47" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6fae6730e5b66d05526830960848f8f8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Pink Floyd fans" /><p>Psychedelic rock has bred some of the most annoying fans in music history, and Pink Floyd fans remain the cream of the crop when it comes to rock and roll snobbery. Yes, we've all listened to<em> The Dark Side of the Moon;</em> yes, we've all gotten really high and synced up the album to <em>The Wizard of OZ</em>; yes, we understand if you pop a tab and close your eyes and listen to the album, it will be a stimulating and all-consuming experience. We understand the album's dissection of capitalism and the American Dream is worth countless hours of philosophical musing. </p><p>But Pink Floyd fanatics are a walking cliche. If you've ever volunteered (or been forced) to listen to the band alongside a Pink Floyd crony, you'll spend less time actually listening to the band and more time listening to said fan weave intricate tales about "the meaning" behind each song. Pink Floyd fans maintain such a death grip over <em>The Dark Side of the Moon</em> that it is impossible to enjoy casually. Prog rock, in general, has become synonymous with pseudo-hyper-intelligence, and thanks to the suffocating mansplaining of Pink Floyd fans, casual listeners aren't given the space to even exist. It's all or nothing, and that type of energy will always be insufferable. </p><p><!-- Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --> <div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-813"><center><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:468px;height:60px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="9626795938"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></center></div> <!-- End Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --></p>TOOL
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1129ec038ca12d642700b065b800ed2"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EShM-EOAlj4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>As stated above, casual Prog Rock listeners aren't given the space to breathe, and that remains true for anyone who wants to <a href="https://www.popdust.com/tool-new-album-why-2640123005.html" target="_self">check out </a>TOOL. Maynard James Keenan's prog-metal discography has been so picked apart by philosophical stoners that the band's fanbase is some of the most parodied dorks on the planet. They equate TOOL with high culture and believe the band to be one of the greatest walking examples of musicianship. </p><p>Listening to a TOOL crony drag on and on about how "Lateralus" is a musical translation of the Fibonacci time sequence has become a parody of itself, and TOOL fans are often portrayed as 40-something's who spend too much time in dimly lit rooms, a stereotype which is definitely steeped in fact.</p>The Beatles
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzgxMDg1NX0.LTG9fseueLrnWGqktNGjCoY1wgqzway1UBoT2y9h2Ac/img.jpg?width=980" id="c727d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9183868de814bd9bcd5548354605287f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Beatles fans" /><p>To say that The Beatles are anything less than the greatest band ever is absolute blasphemy when speaking to a Beatles devotee. To even slightly imply that you are not a fan of their music is certain death. The Beatles are iconic, but there have been other bands who are just as talented as them, yet Beatles fanatics live, breathe and eat Beatles music. They request their entire discography at parties, will "enlighten" you on the band's "backmasking" work on songs like "Rain," and will ask you to list off your favorite artists merely so they can pick apart how The Beatles indirectly made their careers possible.</p> <p>We get it: "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds" spells out "LSD," and the real Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced with a look-alike. Can we please listen to something from our generation?</p>Blink-182
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg4NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTk4MjcxNn0.7o0FeKfpsYTMQCADlGUf2x7MmBY8SWgEZ8GY3Qgvws4/img.jpg?width=980" id="1f49a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba34ea2de10e6eb1781ee0af2f525872" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Chances are that Blink-heads will disguise their undying love for Mark Hoppus and the boys as a general love for "pop-punk," but what they really mean is they listened to Blink's <em>Dude Ranch</em> and <em>Anemia of the State</em> for years. Blink-182 hasn't produced a truly amazing record for a while now, but according to their devotees, they've remained "at the top of their game." </p><p>It's annoying when fans can't admit when their band flops, as if to admit such a thing would disregard their massive influence on rock music. Blink-182 is an amazing band, but there are also a plethora of amazing pop-punk groups that <em>actually</em> make enjoyable music today. Why don't Blink devotees see that?</p>Dave Matthews Band
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTA0NDgzNX0.Yyhr8vvvF9ra8CNn-tTMGB0_qNZauqkODlEepmb9l0o/img.jpg?width=980" id="6e499" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="37dc16a5eca49fdc9fc712c9bdb9d7a1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>DMB fans are some of the most teased in music. They are often synonymous with corny middle-aged white guys, a stereotype that doesn't stray too far from the truth. Young DMB listeners also have a connotation of being musty frat bros, another stereotype that seems partially synonymous with the truth. </p><p>High profile publications such as <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/the-dave-matthew-band-true-originals-under-the-table-and-dreaming-at-20/380806/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Atlantic </em></a>have dedicated endless hours to trying to decipher why the quintet's fan base sucks so hard, considering their music is actually pretty good, but continue to come up empty-handed. It is what it is, but tread lightly if you encounter a DMB worshipper in the wild.</p>Phish
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzMTg4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTkwMzg2OX0.JGwwH-N7NlVMR7Llh6V_fxqrOaqlCcMMYrPkn8fM3Fk/img.jpg?width=980" id="77508" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="703f553335c5fb60084be17a50d9196f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Phish fans" /><p>Phish sucks, and it's okay to think that. The band's discography has steadily waned over the years, and their live shows have become legendary parodies. Cultists will defend the band's off-putting quality, saying that haters like me "just don't get it." I promise you Phish-critics do get it, and the "it" is that they suck.<br></p><p>Their basslines are flat and lifeless, and they've never drawn on anything other than the thin realm of pop music that made up their heyday. Their "jokes" within their music are flat, and collectively they have as much on stage passion and chemistry as an Applebees. Don't let yourself be gaslit by a Phish fan if you think they suck, because, with all of these bands, and music in general, there are always two sides to every coin.</p>From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Keep Reading
Show less
Film Features
Before Its Time: 1996's "Romeo + Juliet"
Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo + Juliet is an ecstasy-infused, colorful retelling of the star-crossed lovers' tale that takes a 425-year-old story and strangely reflects society in 2020.
10.19.2020
Pandemics are known for triggering upheaval and societal change.
It's probably no coincidence, then, that Shakespeare penned Romeo and Juliet around 1595—directly in the middle of the deadly Bubonic plague pandemic that ravaged Europe. Amidst today's pandemic, the most relevant adaptation of this timeless and classic tragedy was made nearly 25 years ago.
Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo + Juliet is an ecstasy-infused, colorful retelling of the star-crossed lovers' tale. Romeo + Juliet made a decent ranking at the box office, but it was heavily overlooked for awards, only receiving one Oscar nomination for best art direction.
Had Luhrmann waited just 10 years to release Romeo + Juliet, there may have been more positive reactions to the film. At one point, Baz himself doubted that the movie would ever be made. During a 2015 interview discussing the film, Baz said: "When we went to Twentieth Century-Fox with it, under the terms of my first-look deal, I think rather than let me go, they sort of said, 'We'll give him $100,000, let him do his little workshop and maybe it'll go away.' Well it did not."
Romeo + Juliet takes a 425-year-old story and strangely reflects society in 2020. Here's why:
<h2>1.The Directing</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://media1.giphy.com/media/3oeHLx0ua5eMaIrmoM/giphy.gif?cid=2fb0ca76qu213ebnv4e3ei9n6e4v209zoh84oqd6l7clp4o7&rid=giphy.gif" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzA3NC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTUxNjM1MX0.ILkpl6vaaGuqMJKEw2C3bn53lqgLBnIYPGsf3adYIfM/img.gif?width=980" id="a8ae5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d7b3b9b7936d4e8336c8fcf40d33139" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">John Leguizamo GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/foxhomeent-3oeHLx0ua5eMaIrmoM" target="_blank">Giphy</a>
</small>
</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent11 - mid_content --></p><p>Baz Lurhmann would go on to direct <em>Moulin Rouge (2001)</em>, <em>Australia (2008),</em> and <em>The Great Gatsby (2013),</em> but in 1996 he was an up-and-coming Aussie determined to bring <em>Romeo and Juliet </em>back to the big screen for the first time since 1968—but with a modern (and widely frowned upon) twist. </p><p>With a distinctly auteurist directing style, Baz often brings relevance and attention to worldly topics through his staging, camerawork, and symbolism-which is heavy on gang violence as well as Christianity. For an adaptation that was so heavily criticized, his version of <em>Romeo and Julie</em>t is the only retelling in modern times that keeps almost all Shakespearean dialogue intact. And lastly, the use of crash zoom filming during the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzskNtFnIY" target="_blank">opening quarrel scene</a> might just be one of the best uses of the now popular filming technique ever used.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><h2>2. The Cast</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://media0.giphy.com/media/Fxr3FWYB8G49O/giphy.gif?cid=2fb0ca76oplmmjmxbgf5wfvmizi8zt0b4qudksgvsqhpz4x8&rid=giphy.gif" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzA3NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTgyNDQ2NH0.DnkDYhzWGS39emify9Tuptbj_WirunXhjSsQgWX7VdM/img.gif?width=980" id="f6139" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9c4624a5fb0cdea43c6bcb043c1132bb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="romeo and juliet"></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">paul rudd GIF</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/paul-rudd-astronaut-baz-luhrmann-Fxr3FWYB8G49O" target="_blank">Giphy</a>
</small>
</p><p>Before Leonardo DiCaprio was stealing girls' hearts in <em>Titanic</em>, he was starting his career as one of Hollywood's top leading men with his casting as Romeo. Although already a well-known star for his roles in previous titles such as <em>What's Eating Gilbert Grape, </em>Leo's casting as Romeo is most likely what escalated his fame in Hollywood. Alongside his counterpart Claire Danes, who plays Juliet, the duo not only had the perfect looks for the star crossed lovers' roles, but both delivered the obscure Shakespearian dialogue perfectly. Plus, let's not forget about the awesome supporting cast, including the young, handsome Paul Rudd and John Leguizamo.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><h2>3. Mercutio's Sexuality</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://media3.giphy.com/media/3o6vXRhJ8jW7UtMLlu/giphy.gif?cid=2fb0ca76nf5mv4xzkzn2l7ebq316ay1letj0x7q0zrk4u9gk&rid=giphy.gif" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzA4Ni9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjM0NjY0NX0.3nxPG6UvtRpA11Gkceq7ICcCDsjxbpy8AJMvLJEwxGQ/img.gif?width=980" id="a7f89" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="246b13d4a01f19622bb2ac5d6da7204d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">harold perrineau GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/foxhomeent-3o6vXRhJ8jW7UtMLlu" target="_blank">Giphy</a>
</small>
</p><p>Romeo and Juliet's love story is possibly one of the most well-known of all time. Yet the movie's adjacent love story between Romeo and his best friend, Mercutio, had never been broached in modern tellings of the play—that is, other than in Lurhmann's film.<br></p><p>From analyzing their relationship, it's clear that there is undoubtedly love between Romeo and Mercutio. And whether that love is a friendly love or something more, it was clear that Mercutio was more open about his love for Romeo than the latter. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>Harold Perrineau, best known for his portrayal as Michael on ABC's hit series, <em>Lost</em>, first enters the movie rolling onto the camera in a sporty red coupe, sporting a sexy two-piece, a white afro wig, and full-on glam makeup. As Mercutio coaxes Romeo to join him at the Capulet party, Mercutio comes to own his fluid sexuality during the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8q8S0ScJ1w" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">famous Queen Mab speech</a>—ending with a booming, "This is she!"—ostensibly mocking the traditionally sexist take on masculinity in Shakespeare plays.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p><a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/romeo-and-juliet-1996" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roger Ebert</a>, who gave the film a mere 2 stars, stated: "I've seen<em> King Lear</em> as a samurai drama and <em>Macbeth</em> as a Mafia story, and two different Romeo and Juliets about ethnic difficulties in Manhattan (<em>West Side Story</em> and <em>China Girl</em>), but I have never seen anything remotely approaching the mess that the new punk version of Romeo & Juliet makes of Shakespeare's tragedy." My father, a lover of the story of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> (guess which retelling is his favorite), spoke similarly on the movie when it was released—an opinion which I know was highly influenced by Mercutio's portrayal as a drag queen. I can only imagine that many critics of the movie at its time felt so for similar reasons.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- Popdust Mobile Banner 320x100 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="6952751205"></ins><script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script></center><p></p><h2>4. The Music</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzA4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzE2NzY3M30.zyL1Drm913ih601owPCMB25-3CpQSetgRjD9UhHQ-g0/img.jpg?width=980" id="465f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2efd2d0b96dcf277e67d0dc90d37f428" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Young choir boy in the film singing Prince's, "When Doves Cry"">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
© 20th Century Fox
</small>
</p><p>Released during the peak of 90's music, the soundtrack to <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> was a perfect ensemble of the musical artists who made the nineties such an influential period of music. Outstanding musical moments featured rock acts such as Radiohead and The Butthole Surfers to beautiful soul voices such as Des'Ree and, of course, the angelic voice of the choir boy singing Prince's famous "When Doves Cry" to a pop favorite from the Swedish one-hit-wonder The Cardigans.<br></p><h2>5. Racial Representation</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzA5Mi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDQwNTc0M30.-geavH8--fNeVy3U69uhaUX-JRWJZrnYHXc7Au0SuII/img.gif?width=980" id="b994c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4ba089afb8b0f41ff904d3368dc6c863" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="romeo juliet">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">© 20th Century Fox</small></p><p>Baz's depiction of the feuding Montagues and Capulets are inflected with racial tension, which feels all too relevant today.</p><p>The Montagues are fair-skinned, similar to an Irish mafia family. On the other hand, the Capulets are undeniably Latinx. The only African American actors were cast as neutral characters that were neither Montague nor Capulet.</p><p>It feels purposeful and prescient that Baz chose a Black man to portray Mercutio, a neutral man that gets stuck in the middle of a feud and ultimately pays the price for standing up for his white friend. <br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-640"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent44 - longest_content --></p><h2>6. The Imagery</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMzExMS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTg0NzE3Mn0.9i14dbJHz0ndnr73bVuYPONwL0nUG0yUzJ0i_C2xDuQ/img.gif?width=980" id="b9d1f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3745c180e8045154ae0947d89d5b4855" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="romeo and juliet">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">© 20th Century Fox</small></p><p>Guns as swords, Hawaiian shirts, warring businessmen, a badass Father Lawrence, and religious symbolism with neon crosses and Catholic statues are just a few examples of the film's unique imagery. At the time of its release, the film's harshest critics pointed out the contrived nature of its imagery, but this type of filming, known as<a href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/film-and-lit/formalism-realism-hnd.pdf" target="_blank"> formalist film</a>, has only grown more popular in movies today.</p><h2></h2><p>Whether you love or hate the 1996 rendition of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>, you can't deny that this idiosyncratic adaptation of a time-honored tragedy resonates today.</p>
Keep Reading
Show less
