The moral of EAGLE VS. SHARK, the first feature film by writer-director Taika Cohen, quickly becomes quite clear: We’re all losers, but some of us just don’t know it yet. And, even losers need love too.
The movie follows perpetual dork Lily (Loren Horsley) as she looks for true love — and fails miserably. Recently fired from her dead-end job at a burger joint in the mall, Lily dreams of true love with electronics technician Jarrod (Jemaine Clement). After she shows up at his “animal party” — where you dress like your favorite animal, she, a shark and he, a, well, you know — they have an awkward courting that includes a brief (very brief) sexual encounter, shark suit and all.
When the needlessly cocky and socially awkward Jarrod announces he has to head back to his hometown to beat up the bully that tormented him in high school, Lily tags along. There, we find out the origins of Jarrod’s dorkhood: A sister and brother-in-law who sell knockoff jogging suits and generic makeup (among other things); a father who may or may not be wheelchair-bound and a 9-year-old daughter that Jarrod barely acknowledges. If that’s not the stuff of a loser in the making, I don’t know what is.
This week on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, viewers were treated to a fun batch of performances, two unexpected cuts and a seriously lackluster Shane Sparks group number. Let’s get to those performances.
Lauren and Neil: OK, I'm not a Dan Karaty fan, but last week he said something I think is spot-on. He told Neil that, sure, he has some neat tricks, but that the dancing in between said tricks was suspect. I so agree! Neil’s salsa last week was mechanical and absurdly unsexy. His hip-hop this week, which the judges shockingly loved, was by-the-numbers and really kind of boring. Save for the song ("The Way I Are" by Timbaland) and Lauren’s wacky outfit, this routine was levels worse than what the judges' praise suggested. Neil sure thinks he can dance, but I'm suspicious. Crazy Mary rattled on about how these two have finally found their chemistry, but I didn't see it. Apparently, I’m alone because come Thursday night, these two were safe from the chopping block.
Pasha and Jessi: It took me all of 30 seconds to fall in love with Jessi during her "Oil on My Skin" audition. Pasha, not so much. My first impression of him was, “Really? This guy?” But, his performances and, more importantly, his rehearsal footage and non-dancing screen time have proven that this guy is likable and worth rooting for. The bird-jazz (yes, bird-jazz) routine Jessi and he performed on Wednesday night was, as Mia called it, "quirky" in all the right ways, but it also demonstrated what real chemistry between dance partners should look like. Imagine my surprise when Cat revealed Pasha and Jessi were in the bottom three.