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Avril Lavigne’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’ Video Is ‘Haunting,’ Director Says
‘I just really enjoyed the haunting quality of the song and just wanted to capture that in video form,’ Dave Meyers says of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ track.
By Jocelyn Vena
Avril Lavigne in “Alice”
Photo: Disney
Avril Lavigne seems to have left her punk-rock roots behind for her “Alice” video, instead exploring a more haunting and gothic world through the rabbit hole. And the video’s director, Dave Meyers, said that video beautifully complements Lavigne’s contribution to the “Alice in Wonderland” soundtrack.
The video shot for two days at the end of January in Los Angeles’ Arboretum. And the singer and director didn’t allow local rainstorms to stop them from weaving together the dreamy concept. “[Avril and I] kind of discussed a version of what we ended up shooting,” he said about the video’s concept. “She saw herself running during the choruses. She saw herself at a piano. She was proud of her musical contribution to the song. And I sort of played with the texture. I built the hole and told her it would be cool to have her at the bottom of the hole. It was two artists vibing.”
And while “Alice in Wonderland” director Tim Burton wasn’t involved with the video concept-wise, Meyers took the song’s ethereal feel and embraced it for the video’s vibe. “I thought it was like, honestly, Tim Burton in music form. I didn’t expect it from Avril. I just really enjoyed the haunting quality of the song and just wanted to capture that in video form. In a lot of ways, what I wanted to do was a perfume ad in a goth way with enough of a story so that it’s not a bunch of randomness. And it made this surreal look that was fashiony but goth.”
The duo weren’t able to see the movie prior to shooting, so they had to use their imaginations for the video’s concept. They decided to create an “Avril” in Wonderland that included “a couple nods to the film.” Meyers added, “So there were certain touch points in general. We kind of wanted to make a haunting piece that represented goth and Alice. … It’s a fun world.
“Tim Burton keeps it pretty secretive. I just saw the film yesterday though. I got to see it after the [video was made]. That was my reward for a job well done. … Everybody was just excited [about the project], starting with Tim Burton. He loved the song and ended up loving the video. [And] I did enjoy [the film]. I thought it was wonderfully visual. It was very fashionable. It was funny. I’m a huge Tim Burton fan, so I was satisfied. It’s a more interesting take than the actual book. I think it’s a little more fun and has a little more edginess to it, and Alice is a little bit more of a heroine.”
Check out everything we’ve got on “Alice in Wonderland.”
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Avril Lavigne Falls Through The Rabbit Hole For ‘Alice’ Video
Clip features scenes from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ interspersed with newly shot footage of the Canadian pop star.
By Jocelyn Vena
Avril Lavigne in “Alice”
Photo: Disney
It’s a tale as old as time: Distraught girl sees bunny, follows him, falls down rabbit hole and finds herself in a mad, mad world. It also happens to be the plot for Avril Lavigne’s new music video, “Alice,” off the “Alice in Wonderland” soundtrack, which premiered on Vevo.
The video opens with Lavigne decked out in modern-day pop-punk street clothes. She sees a rabbit and follows him into a world that features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, a piano and lots and lots of mushrooms. In this world, it seems, she must wear an old-timey dress.
Scenes from the film are edited with newly shot scenes of Lavigne. The Canadian pop star stares and runs around aimlessly as she sings, “When the world’s crashing down/ When I fall and hit the ground/ I will turn myself around/ Don’t you try to stop me.”
In one scene, she sits down at the Mad Hatter’s tea party before running off to try to find her way back home. Eventually all works out for Lavigne. She’s back in the real world with her memories of Wonderland safely intact as she fondly looks back.
Lavigne recently blogged about the video’s premiere, writing, “I had so much fun doing this video. We shot it in the Los Angeles Arboretum. … It was beautiful. We wanted the visuals to capture the spirit of the movie.”
Although the video gives fans a taste of what they can expect from the Tim Burton-directed flick, Lavigne says that writing the song for the film has amped up her desire to see the finished product.
“I feel very lucky to be a part of Tim Burton’s new film ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ” she blogged about the project. “Working on this project was such a treat! It was such a great experience and Tim Burton was an absolute pleasure. He is very smart. I am so grateful for this opportunity … and can’t wait to see the whole film!!!!”
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‘American Idol’ Guest Judges: We Grade Katy Perry, Joe Jonas And More
Could any of the fill-ins replace Simon, or should they never be asked back? Our ‘Idol’ expert takes a closer look.
By Jim Cantiello
Katy Perry
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
With Paula Abdul moving on to bigger and better things (TBD), “American Idol” had a gaping hole to fill during their season-nine audition process. As a solution, producers put their Rolodexes to good use and called up some celeb pals to sit in during the tryouts.
Everyone from Broadway vet Kristin Chenoweth to heartthrob Joe Jonas answered the call. But how did the various Rent-A-Judges stack up against one another? Which ones floundered and which ones made the grade?
It’s time to rate the “American Idol” guest judges!
Katy Perry: A+
Katy was filter-free, and we loved her for it. When she didn’t like the contestants, she told them so. And when she noticed Kara DioGuardi judging contestants based on their depressing life situations instead of their singing ability, Katy called her out on national television: “This is not a Lifetime movie, sweetheart.” Truer words have never been spoken. Actually, that’s false. “Katy Perry should replace Simon next season.” There. Now truer words have never been spoken.
Mary J. Blige: A-
Mary had the audacity to laugh in contestants’ faces and disagree with the other judges. While we wouldn’t want her to replace Paula indefinitely, her diva attitude helped give the Atlanta auditions a neat “what-will-she-do-next” edge. If only she looked like she wanted to be there. On second thought, that made her appearance even more compelling.
Neil Patrick Harris: A-
Neil Patrick Harris had a winning mix of Paula’s kindhearted sensitivity and Simon’s razor-sharp wit. (Our fave NPH quip was this response to a dominatrix who revealed she was on “Barney and Friends” as a child: “I knew I recognized you!”) In fact, Neil may have been too similar to Simon. How else to explain the tension between the two judges? Extra points to NPH for not flinching when he was on the receiving end of the Cowell Scowl!
Shania Twain: B+
Shania has been out of the spotlight these past few years, but once we got over the “why is she there?” factor, we appreciated Ms. Twain’s voice of compassion, which now had a vaguely Midwestern accent! (Perhaps an ode to Chicago, the city she was critiquing?) Plus, Shania provided an instant-classic “Idol” audition moment when she told Asian stud-muffin John Park that he had a “nice bottom end.” Hello!
Kristin Chenoweth: C+
We had high hopes for the pint-size Broadway superstar (who you may remember from “Pushing Daisies” and “Glee”). Alas, Kristin only hung around for half the Orlando auditions and her girly sensibilities encouraged DioGuardi to be even more annoying than usual.
Victoria Beckham: C-
Posh Spice seems like a very nice robot, but wow, Suri Cruise could have provided more in-depth critiques of the auditioning hopefuls in Boston. (Victoria will be back Tuesday for the Denver episode. Perhaps she’ll redeem herself? We think “zig-a-zig-NOT.”)
Avril Lavigne: D+
The Canadian “punk” rocker was awkward, fidgety and obviously more invested in her devil hoodie than the singers in front of her. The one “insight” Avril brought to the table was that successful musicians can’t be married with children. What?!
Joe Jonas: F
If he didn’t put any effort into his “Idol” appearance, we’re not going to put any effort into reviewing it. No wonder producers kept the day-two segments of Dallas noticeably brief.
Who did you think were the best and worst guest judges? Did you miss Paula? And who would you put on a short list for Simon’s replacement, if anyone? Leave a comment below.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne Sit In On Tame ‘American Idol’ L.A. Auditions
Perry gets snippy with Kara DioGuardi, which was one of the only interesting things about Tuesday’s show.
By Gil Kaufman
Katy Perry and Simon Cowell on “American Idol” Tuesday
Photo: Fox
Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne know exactly what it’s like to have a musical dream. Both were once teenage girls who had to scrape and paw their way to pop stardom, which is why the youngest “American Idol” guest judges to date were perfect for the Los Angeles round of auditions.
Despite being the entertainment capital of the world, the L.A. auditions on Tuesday night’s (January 26) “Idol” provided very few fireworks — except for the catty exchanges between Perry and fellow judge Kara DioGuardi, which were among the most entertaining moments on an otherwise lackluster evening.
One of the night’s biggest standouts was 28-year-old Burbank, California, native Mary Powers, mother of an 8-year-old girl, who put a smile on Lavigne’s face with an impassioned take on Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield.”
Simon Cowell liked the vocals but called her black-on-black ensemble a clichéd attempt to dress like a rock star. “You do have a character to your voice and a cool tone. It’s raspy and it is punk rock, so I think it’s cool,” Lavigne said of the female singer with the Adam Lambert hair and bondage pants.
Apparently, this year the Lambert effect is all over the place, from the many auditioners showing up with asymmetrical Adam hair, to the vocal inspiration of A.J. Mendoza, who sang Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality.” OK, the 20-year-old musical-theater performer didn’t sing it so much as emote it like he’d “gone to the dentist 10 minutes ago,” according to Cowell, who likened his vocals to anesthetized mush.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Pastor and father of three Neil Ranger, 27 — following in the footsteps of last year’s church-trained worship leaders Kris Allen and Danny Gokey — impressed the judges with his original country/soul tune “Drive.” Lavigne wondered whether his busy home life might make it hard to hit the road and said no, but the other three panelists gave him a shot at Hollywood.
With her devil-ear hoodie and armful of plastic bangles, Lavigne giggled like a schoolgirl and could hardly contain herself at the worst singers, giving guest judge Mary J. Blige a run for her money in the trying-to-stifle-a-laugh department.
You couldn’t really blame her, with the sweaty 168-IQ computer geeks with Prince Valiant hair and bedazzled vests who just wanted to exultate (whatever that is) but who mostly just made the panel uncomfortable by butchering Meat Loaf and refusing to leave the room. There were the metal screamers, lyric-fudgers and a flute-playing, sandwich-making, pacifist martial artist in search of the perfect note, whose journey will seemingly continue indefinitely.
On day two, Perry was up to bat in the city of show-biz dreamers that appeared to be producing very few potential stars.
She had no better luck, sitting through water-treatment workers/ glam-rock wannabes murdering Cheap Trick classics while doing Mick Jagger-style aerobics, and creepy, dead-eye guys who believe in magic but know nothing about song choice (i.e. Don’t pick the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” for an audition). “It takes a lot for me to feel dirty,” the “I Kissed a Girl” singer told the latter, which tells you just how skeevy he was.
Another dad had what it took, though. Andrew Garcia, 23, whose parents were involved in Hispanic gangs in L.A., was in search of a better life for his son, and he may have found it in the “Idol” audition room. Singing a very soulful version of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning,” Garcia got the ultimate compliment from Cowell, who said he was “the only person who’s walked through today who I genuinely believe is a good singer.” Perry seconded that emotion, saying he gave her chills, and both DioGuardi and Randy Jackson gave him major props as well.
Personal assistant by day, minister by night Tasha Layton, 26, killed it with Joss Stone’s “Baby, Baby, Baby,” nailing the sweet-pop soul vocals and even evoking a bit of Stone’s funky hippie vibe. “I love a good Southern belle,” Perry purred, while Cowell predicted people were going to really like her.
And while the medical drama of previous audition episodes subsided for at least one night, the show-closer was 25-year-old Los Angeles shoe salesman Chris Golightly, who spent his childhood bouncing around between 25 foster families.
He channeled the pain of his lonely upbringing into a very solid take on Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” hitting some emotional, breathy runs and leading DioGuardi to say that he was one of her favorites and that “we may look back at this audition and go, ‘Wow.’ ”
The latter’s reaction to Golightly’s story elicited a bit of a catfight with Perry, who appeared to clash with DioGuardi several times during the auditions and who disagreed with the notion that dramatic backstory could help him on the show. “This is not a Lifetime movie, sweetheart,” Perry said, dissing the woman with whom she co-wrote Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up.”
“He has an amazing story,” DioGuardi countered.
“He has an amazing story, but you have to have talent,” Perry said. “Everybody has amazing stories.”
Cowell was not feeling it either, saying Golightly could have been in a boy band and gave an old-fashioned audition, though he put him through anyway with a “small y” yes.
In the end, 22 others from Los Angeles made it through to the Hollywood round. Wednesday night’s show will head to Dallas with guest panelists Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Tokio Hotel, Avril Lavigne Confirmed For ‘Alice In Wonderland’ Soundtrack
Owl City, All-American Rejects, Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz also contribute to Almost Alice.
By James Montgomery
Tokio Hotel
Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Who ever knew Alice was so angsty? On Tuesday (January 12), after a month of solid speculation, the track list for the upcoming soundtrack to Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” was released, and boy, there’s a lot of pop/punk on there.
Avril Lavigne, All Time Low, Tokio Hotel and Pete Wentz and Mark Hoppus are just some of the acts confirmed to appear on the soundtrack, which is called Almost Alice and will hit stores March 2, according to MySpace Music.
Joining them will be the All-American Rejects, Motion City Soundtrack, the Cure’s Robert Smith and the Plain White T’s. Lavigne’s “Alice (Underground)” has been tapped as the first single and will go to radio in early February.
Over the past month, names of artists scheduled to appear on the album have been popping up. On Monday, we learned of Lavigne’s involvement. Last week, Pete Wentz spilled the beans about his and Hoppus’ contribution. And last month, All Time Low told MTV News they had recorded a song for the album, though, sadly, they did not get to meet Burton.
According to MySpace, Almost Alice features artists “re-imagining songs from the Disney classic” and, judging by some of the song titles (”White Rabbit,” “Tea Party,” “Fell Down a Hole”), well, they’re not lying. Burton’s take on “Alice” is scheduled to hit theaters March 5, just three days after the soundtrack is released.
The track list for Almost Alice, according to MySpace Music:
» Avril Lavigne – “Alice (Underground)”
» The All-American Rejects – “The Poison”
» Owl City – “The Technicolor Phase”
» Shinedown – “Her Name Is Alice”
» All Time Low – “Painting Flowers”
» Metro Station – “Where’s My Angel”
» Tokio Hotel and Kerli – “Strange”
» 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch – “Follow Me Down”
» Robert Smith – “Very Good Advice”
» Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz – “In Transit”
» Plain White T’s – “Welcome to Mystery”
» Kerli – “Tea Party”
» Franz Ferdinand – “The Lobster Quadrille”
» Motion City Soundtrack – “Running Out of Time”
» Wolfmother – “Fell Down a Hole”
» Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – “White Rabbit”
Are you excited for the “Alice in Wonderland” soundtrack? Will these artists match Tim Burton’s vision? Let us know in the comments below or upload a video to Your.MTV.com!
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Avril Lavigne Files For Divorce
Singer and Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley separated last month.
By MTV News staff
Avril Lavigne
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images
Avril Lavigne filed for divorce from Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley last week, according to case summary obtained by MTV News. The pair had been married for three years.
The news does not come as a surprise, as Lavigne posted on her MySpace page September 17 that they had separated. According to TMZ, the documents state that Lavigne cited “irreconcilable differences” and that the couple separated September 4. The documents also reportedly state that Lavigne is not asking for spousal support.
In her post last month, Lavigne wrote: “Deryck and I have been together for six-and-a-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship. I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note.”
Lavigne concluded the message by thanking her family, friends and fans for their support.
The message (which was titled “Moving forward on a positive note”) confirmed speculation that had run rampant in recent months that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks. Earlier on September 17, Us Weekly ran a story that cited a source as saying Lavigne had “dumped” Whibley and forced him to move out of their Bel Air, California, mansion, adding that “divorce papers will be filed any day now.”
Lavigne and Whibley were married in July 2006 in a non-denominational ceremony held at a private estate in Montecito, California, and their partnership quickly extended into the field of music, as Whibley played on and produced parts of Lavigne’s last album, 2007’s The Best Damn Thing, and was reportedly working with her on the follow-up to that record.
[This story was originally published at 7:23 pm E.T. on 10.14.09]
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Avril Lavigne Confirms Split With Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley
‘Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note,’ singer writes on her MySpace page.
By James Montgomery
Deryck Whibley and Avril Lavigne
Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage
After more than three years of marriage, Avril Lavigne and her husband, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, are separating, according to a message posted late Thursday (September 17) on Lavigne’s MySpace page.
“Deryck and I have been together for six-and-a-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship,” the message reads. “I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note.”
Lavigne concluded the message by thanking her family, friends and fans for their support.
The message (which was titled “Moving forward on a positive note”) confirmed speculation that had run rampant in recent months that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks. Earlier on Thursday, Us Weekly ran a story that cited a source as saying Lavigne had “dumped” Whibley and forced him to move out of their Bel Air, California, mansion, adding that “divorce papers will be filed any day now.”
Lavigne and Whibley were married in July 2006 in a non-denominational ceremony held at a private estate in Montecito, California, and their partnership quickly extended into the field of music, as Whibley played on and produced parts of Lavigne’s last album, 2007’s The Best Damn Thing, and was reportedly working with her on the follow-up to that record.
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Avril Lavigne To Guest-Judge ‘American Idol’ In Los Angeles
Katy Perry will split fourth-seat duties with the pop-punk singer.
By Gil Kaufman
Avril Lavigne
Photo: Joey Foley/ FilmMagic
“American Idol” producers definitely appear to be sending a strong message to hopefuls who are vying to make it to season nine’s competition: Your guest judges know exactly what they’re talking about.
Following the shocking departure of Paula Abdul last month, the rotating list of celebrity judges warming up the fourth seat on the panel keeps growing. Fox announced Wednesday morning (September 2) that pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne will switch off with previously announced fourth-seater Katy Perry when prospective “Idol” contestants line up in Los Angeles for the final days of auditions this week. The pair will sit in separately to offer their multi-platinum advice to the singers vying for a golden ticket to the show’s Hollywood round.
They join a list of confirmed judges who have or will offer hopefuls some advice that includes Joe Jonas, Victoria Beckham, Mary J.Blige, Neil Patrick Harris, Shania Twain and singer/actress Kristin Chenoweth.
The eclectic mix of singers — and Neil Patrick Harris — should make for an interesting dynamic with the permanent judging panel of resident baddie Simon Cowell, good-cop/bad-cop Randy Jackson and returning sophomore judge Kara DioGuardi. Producers have not yet announced when they will permanently fill the fourth seat, but Abdul has made it seem unlikely that she will stage a surprise return to the program.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Avril Lavigne To Go Acoustic For New Album
‘It’s not a pop-rock record. This is more about emotion and feeling,’ singer says of album slated for November.
By Kyle Anderson
Avril Lavigne
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images
Avril Lavigne has made a career out of jumpy, raucous pop-punk anthems like “Sk8er Boi” and “Girlfriend.” But on her upcoming fourth album, slated for November release, she will be taking a completely different approach to her music.
“A lot of the songs are mainly the acoustic and my vocal,” Lavigne told Billboard.com. “It’s a lot different from anything I’ve done before. It’s not a pop-rock record. This is more about emotion and feeling.”
Though the album still doesn’t have a title, it does have a producer: Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, who also happens to be Lavigne’s husband. Whibley handles production on eight of the record’s planned 12 tracks, with the remainder of the album helmed by frequent collaborator Butch Walker (the former Marvelous 3 frontman who has co-written Lavigne hits like “My Happy Ending” and “When You’re Gone”).
“I’m kind of just keeping it in the family with all of my close friends,” she said. “I didn’t work with a ton of people this time.”
At least one of the songs from the album is already making the rounds, albeit in truncated form: “Black Star” scores the just-released ad for Lavigne’s fragrance of the same name. She’s also celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of her clothing line, Abbey Dawn.
To match the quieter, stripped-down tone of the album, Lavigne plans on going on a theater tour in support of it. “I feel it will really suit this record,” she said.
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‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’: Schlocky Horror Show, By Kurt Loder
A movie in search of a cult. Good luck.
Terrance Zdunich in “Repo! The Genetic Opera”
Photo: Lionsgate
Anyone intent on reviving the rock opera, that most misbegotten of pop-music genres, should consider two things. The first would be, don’t do it. The second, if one were determined to do it anyway, would be the need for songs — brief musical compositions of sufficient sturdiness to ensure that they won’t be forgotten while they’re still being sung. With “Repo! The Genetic Opera,” director Darren Lynn Bousman has ignored the first of these precepts; and his songwriting collaborators, Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, haven’t been especially successful in observing the second. The result is a work that stirs retrospective appreciation of the mock-bombastic Meat Loaf. Meat Loaf, you’ll recall, had songs.
The movie has metastasized from a 2002 stage play written by Zdunich and Smith and directed by Bousman. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world in which millions have died in an epidemic of organ failures, and a biotech company called Geneco has arisen to sell transplantable organs to needy survivors — and to repossess the pricey innards whenever the owners fall behind in their payments. The scalpel-wielding characters who carry out these grisly interventions are called repo men. One of them is secretly a doctor named Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head, of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series), who’s been forced into this vile sideline by Geneco founder Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino). Largo is terminally ill, and determined not to let his lucrative organ business pass into the hands of his good-for-nothing children (one of them played by Skinny Puppy frontman Ogre; another, with unwarranted enthusiasm, by Paris Hilton). Instead, he wants to bequeath his empire to Wallace’s daughter, Shiloh (Alexa Vega, of the “Spy Kids” films), because her late mother was, as he sings in a characteristically tuneless interlude, “once very dear to me.” The plot thickens like a week-old blood pudding.
The movie’s art direction (by Anthony A. Ianni) and production design (by David Hackl — like Ianni and Bousman, a veteran of the “Saw” movies) are deliriously flamboyant. The city in which the story is set is dank and tainted, shrouded in endless night. The lighting leans heavily toward a super-saturated blue, the characters skulk about through a fog of halation, and the visual quality in general is pure Polaroid. Wardrobe designs are goth, of course — lots of black-leather S&M gear, with mascara and lipstick all around — and the city itself is a lurid digital chowder of grim streets and dark graveyards spread out in the shadow of the towering Geneco headquarters. All of this might have been fun, sort of, were it not for the grinding metal guitar-riffery upon which — this being a rock opera — the characters’ every word must be conveyed.
Thirty years after “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” there’s nothing shocking about the third-hand decadence on display here. What really startles are some of the unexpected performers lunging around in the murk. What could Sorvino have been thinking as he blustered through the din, trailed by a long gray ponytail, belting out lyrics like “Maggots, vermin — you want the world for nothing!” And how did actual singer Sarah Brightman — Andrew Lloyd Webber’s onetime wife and muse — feel about being tricked out as some sort of pop-eyed Elvira puppet? The songs aren’t uniformly dreadful — one of them, “Seventeen,” is a lively arena-punk anthem that Vega delivers with near Avril Lavigne-level energy — but the tunes are largely formless, and many of the lyrics have the flat quality of words that should have been simply spoken, not sung. (”Didn’t I tell you not to go out?” Wallace bellows at his sheltered daughter, in response to which she warbles, “You did! You did!”) The picture runs just 98 minutes, but it already feels too long three-quarters of the way in. It feels unnecessary from the beginning.
Don’t miss Kurt Loder’s reviews of “Soul Men” and “Role Models,” also new in theaters this week.
Check out everything we’ve got on “Repo! The Genetic Opera.”
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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