Overrated/Underrated: The bizarre charm of ‘The Barkley Marathons,’ and what is Lady Gaga doing?

UNDERRATED

Craig Taborn’s ‘Daylight Ghosts’: The inventive pianist and composer, who’s as adept with exploring electronics-girded grooves as a sort of ghostly minimalism, assembled a group of jazz all-stars for his latest release, which is already a sure bet as one of the strongest albums of the year. In a quartet that includes saxophonist Chris Speed, bassist Chris Lightcap and the Bad Plus’ shape-shifting drummer Dave King, Taborn offers an eclectic, richly melodic effort that emphasizes intricate group improvisation over individual fireworks. The results are often spellbinding, with a blend of tangled melodies and a near-ethereal grace.

‘The Barkley Marathons’: Offering an odd testament to the need of testing the limits of endurance, this documentary on Netflix showcases the unifying, anarchic spirit that can come with athletic obsessives. Centering on a twisted, charmingly DIY annual ultra-marathon only 17 people have finished since 1984, the film lingers on the barbed sense of humor that runs through a grueling woodland course in Tennessee marked by discarded paperback pages (finish 60 miles and that qualifies as “a fun run”). Taps is played each time someone gives up, yet for as often as it happens, the strange race, its dead-serious competitors and their stories remain weirdly inspiring.

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OVERRATED

Lady Gaga: Within the lifespan of a pop star — at least those who endure for more than a single or two — there comes a time when we’re not sure how long this needs to go on, and that moment has arrived for Lady Gaga. Once a pop provocateur as at ease wearing a suit of meat as a suit of standards with Tony Bennett, Gaga has now delivered two performances that couldn’t match the moment: a misguided Grammy duet with Metallica and a by-the-numbers run through the hits during a Super Bowl halftime show that felt like a missed opportunity for the self-proclaimed rebel. For someone who relishes the value of shock, Gaga now seems very short on surprises.

The uneven relevance of ‘Saturday Night Live’: With the arrival of Alec Baldwin’s haughty Donald Trump impression (and the evidence that it remains appointment viewing for the president), this sketch comedy warhorse has been enjoying its best ratings in years. Unfortunately, apart from Melissa McCarthy’s thunderbolt impression of the press secretary, the show’s proved most adept at trolling for Executive Branch reaction — and receiving it — than generating consistent laughs. As vital a medium as satire can be, this feels more like a symbiotic relationship that keeps both sides getting the limelight they need, regardless of whether the comedy is saying something.

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chris.barton@latimes.com

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