Killswitch Engage Alive or Just Breathing Tour?

I had speculated a few weeks ago after the California Metalfest lineup came out and revealed that Killswitch Engage would be playing Alive or Just Breathing in it's entirety that they would be doing a full tour behind it with fellow Massachusetts bands Unearth and Shadows Fall. Yesterday two dates popped up in Ashville, North Carolina and Buffalo, New York on December 7 and 14th respectively with a bill featuring Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. I am assuming that this is Killswitch doing a full Alive or Just Breathing tour. If this tour is what I think it is and somehow Unearth gets added to at least the New England dates, This will be the tour of the year. I will keep everyone updated when more information comes in.

Concert Review: Coheed and Cambria, Worcester, MA-- September 28th, 2012

Last night marked the first time in six years that I had seen Coheed and Cambria. As expected, the show kicked a lot of ass.

My friends and I got to The Palladium around 7:30. The show was either sold out or extremely close to sold out, There was pretty much no room to breathe in the entire venue. About 15 minutes later the first band of the night 3 came on. I had only heard a couple of songs prior to seeing them, but after last night I will probably be checking them out further. They played a trippy, oddball style of prog rock with a wide variety of influences that only got better by the song. The whole band was really talented and the instrumentation was excellent across the board. The last song even had an extended jam session intro with a heavy latin/Middle-Eastern influence that was badass and made for a triumphant closer. The only bad part of their set was they only played for 25 minutes. I wish them and The Dear Hunter had swapped set lengths (more on The Dear Hunter in a second).

The Dear Hunter was up next. I had heard a lot of good things about them going in and I was curious to see what they were like. I got to say they really didn't do anything for me. The fast songs weren't bad and this band definitely has some chops, but the slow songs (which took up most of the second half of the set) were pretty boring and stagnant. On the positive side, they did have a decent stage presence and got a pretty strong crowd reception (They did fit very well on a bill with Coheed). The Dear Hunter had their moments, but they didn't really make much a strong impression on me at all.

Coheed and Cambria hit the stage next. I had been waiting since the eight grade to see them for a second time and it was about damn time I got to see them again. They completely shattered my expectations. Actually that's a gross understatement, they EVISCERATED my expectations. They seemed like a completely different band from when I saw them in 2006 (which was during their peak as a band in terms of studio albums in my opinion). I was shocked by how much energy the whole band had (especially vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez). The last time I saw them them, the whole band stood pretty motionless the whole time and just played. This time around couldn't be more different. Claudio was running around the stage, climbing up on the amps, jumping off shit, and even picking up drum sticks and hitting all of the cymbals during a jam break before the finale of "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3". On top of having much more energy, the band had an absolutely killer setlist. It was loaded with most of their best older material and the new songs they played sounded pretty damn good as well. "Sentry the Defiant" was definitely the standout of the new stuff, it sounds very reminiscent of the material off their first three records which made me really excited for both of their new albums. When it comes to the old stuff, "Gravemakers and Gunslingers" (watching Claudio play that solo live was insane), "Ten Speed (of God's Blood and Burial)", the always immense "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" (the aforementioned jam was epic), "Welcome Home", and the absolutely perfect set closer "The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut" (the latter two songs of which Claudio played on his trademark double-neck guitar!). My only complaint for the whole night is the presence of "Mother Superior" in the setlist. I absolutely despise Coheed's acoustic songs so this is definitely my bias talking as I was one of the few in the venue that wasn't very pleased with that song being played. The combination of energy, venue size(the first time I saw them was in an arena opposed to a mid-size venue like The Palladium), setlist, and musical precision led to Coheed and Cambira absolutely blowing the doors off the last time I saw them. I really hope it won't be another six years until I get to see them again.

Scores
3 7.5/10
The Dear Hunter 5/10
Coheed and Cambria 9/10
Setlists:
3 included:
React
Only Child

Coheed and Cambria:
No World for Tommorow
Gravemakers and Gunslingers
Everything Evil
Made out of Nothing (All That I Am)
Ten Speed (of God's Blood and Burial)
The Afterman
The Suffering
Mother Superior
Sentry the Defiant
Blood Red Summer
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

Encore:
Key Entity Extraction 1: Domino the Destitute
A Favor House Atlantic
Welcome Home
The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut

  

Movie Review: Dredd

 

In 1995 Judge Dredd was given it's first cinematic treatment. If you've seen the horribly received original (I'll admit I recently saw the first one and I thought it was a great so bad it's awesome type movie), then you know that it desperately needed to be remade. The Dredd remake couldn't be more different than the Sylvester Stallone version and it's all the better for it. Clearly are both over-the top movies, but this Dredd is a mindless, gritty, action-packed, bloody, and sometime darkly humorous good time opposed to the Stallone version which was silly, relatively tame in the action department, and loaded with unintentional laughs. This is the type of old-school, 80's B-action movie that you just don't very often any more (This is actually the first one I can think of in the past couple of years outside of The Expendables franchise). This movie is essentially just one big shootout driven by a thumping electronic soundtrack and a few brief interludes to set up the plot (aka Who Dredd is fighting and why). Karl Urban knows exactly how to approach this type of character. He approaches this gleefully over-the top role with just the right balance of charisma and cheese. With roles like this and being the lone standout in last year's otherwise pretty damn bad Priest, Urban just might be the best B-movie actor in the business. Lena Headey also thrives as the movie's villain, the tyrannical drug dealer Mo-Ma. Between this and Game of Thrones, Headey shows she is at her best playing antagonists (Even though Mo-Ma and Cersei Lannister couldn't be any more different). Dredd also makes good use of it's visuals. The heavy use of slow motion makes the 3D pretty damn effective at points in this movie and the special effects are top-notch throughout. Dredd is 95 minutes of pure fun. The plot is simple and the body count is high and that's really all that matters and it works perfectly for a movie like Dredd.

4/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods's promotional tagline was "You think you know the story". The marketing did a brilliant job of deceiving the audience making this look like a run-of-the mill horror movie when in reality it's  the most original horror movie to come out in years. Without spoiling too much, The Cabin in the Woods is a unique, clever, and often hilarious deconstruction of the horror genre. The script from Firefly/Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Joss Whedon and Cloverfield co-writer Drew Goddard (who also directed this) accurately lampoons just about every horror movie stereotype in the book with almost endless wit and plenty of great dialogue. They are quoted as to saying that this is a "loving hate letter" to the current state of the horror genre and after seeing it, I completely agree. This is essentially a giant middle finger being raised by Whedon and Gooddard showing that the current stereotypical horror mold needs to be broken for the genre to thrive again. What they did was make a movie that goes against the grain by satirizing the entire stereotypical formula with a slew of surprises that the audience doesn't see coming. Watching every twist and turn that happens to the characters is a whole lot of fun. It also helps that the actors are all fully aware of what type of movie this is and all nail their respective characters (Fran Kranz steals the show as megastoner Marty, I hope he gets more roles in the future because is just too good of an actor to go unnoticed in Hollywood). The Cabin in the Woods is not for everyone, but this is a must-see for horror-comedy fans or anyone else that is on the joke. You can't really go in-depth without spoiling the movie and trust me, the surprises are what makes this movie special. This is an incredibly refreshing movie that the modern horror genre needs to take notes from.

4/5 Stars

Concert Review: Skeletonwitch-- Allston, MA,-- September 20th, 2012

Thursday night was a landmark night for me: It was my first time seeing one of my favorite bands on the planet Skeletonwitch headline! As I expected, the evening didn't disappoint in the slightest.

I got to Great Scott a little after 9 and local opener Razormaze had already started playing. This was my first time at Great Scott and the venue really struck me immediately. It's a bar that's about the size of a large classroom and it had surprisingly good sound for such a small venue. Anyways I've heard a lot of good things about Razormaze, but they didn't really impress me. They definitely had some good riffs here and there, but the vocals were pretty iffy and their style of thrash was too stagnant for my liking. Not bad, but I probably won't be checking them out any further.

Early Graves was on next. I knew pretty much nothing about them besides that their old vocalist died in a van accident last year. I believe this was their first tour (or at least one of the first) without him and they were definitely happy to be back on stage after that tragedy. Their set was pretty good. They played a really sludgey, noisy brand of hardcore that vaguely reminded me of Gaza (who I'm a big fan of). They had a lot of energy (save for their guitarist who looked miserable and just stood in place the whole time) and got some pretty good pits/circle pits going. (I actually got slammed into the side of the soundboard near the end of their set). Solid performance and I will probably check out their stuff further.

Havok was up next. They were the only one of the openers that I was a fan of going into the show and I was excited to get to see them for the first time. They once again proved my theory on how good thrash sounds live. They ripped through a half-hour set with very little time to breathe or do pretty much anything besides headbang and/or mosh. "Covering Fire" was a badass opener that sent the whole place into a fucking frenzy and "Time is Up" closed out the set on a perfect note. Their vocalist said Boston is one of their favorite places to play and might be their favorite place on the East Coast and judging by the crowd reaction, I completely understand why he said that. The only letdown was the length of their set. It went by way too fast and I wish they got to play a few more songs. Really fun set and I would really like to see them again in the future.

The moment for Skeletonwitch had finally come. This marked my fifth time seeing them, but it was my first time seeing them headline. As usual they tore shit up and finally seeing them headline made it that much more special. Their one-hour set flew by because of their chaotic stage presence, tendency to not talk too much between songs (though when Chance Garnette talks, he is really god damn funny), and the almost unfathomable amount of fun their performances are. There are few live bands that are as consistent from a performance aspect or as exciting to watch as Skeletonwitch. These guys are just amazingly gifted performers. The headlining-length set also made for an absolutely amazing setlist containing a pretty even mix between old and new material as well as the chance to hear quite a few songs I've never heard them play the previous four times I've seen them. "Baptized in Flames", "Cleaver of Souls", and especially "Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery" were all amazing surprises and I was stoked I finally got to hear those songs live (I almost shit myself when they played "Soul Thrashing Sorcery"). "Upon Wings of Black", "Of Ash and Torment", "This Horrifying Force" ( worked great as an opener), and of course, traditional set closer "Within My Blood" were the other highlights of the set for me. Skeletonwitch absolutely slayed once again and I will continue to see them as much as I possibly can.

Scores
Razormaze 5/10
Early Graves 7/10
Havok 8/10
Skeletonwitch 9.5/10

Setlists:
Early Graves included:
Goner
Garden of Bones
May Day (closer)

Havok:
Covering Fire
?
Scumbag in Disguise
From the Cradle to the Grave
D.O.A
Time is Up

Skeletonwitch:
This Horrifying Force (The Desire To Kill)
Reduced to the Failure of Prayer
Erased and Forgotten
Submit to the Suffering
?
Baptized in Flames
Crushed Beyond Dust
Upon Wings of Black
Limb From Limb
Beyond the Permafrost
The Infernal Resurrection
?
Bringers of Death
Repulsive Salvation
?
Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery
Of Ash and Torment
Cleaver of Souls
Shredding Sacred Flesh
Within My Blood

Album Review: As I Lay Dying-Awakened

As I Lay Dying is one of the forefathers of the metalcore movement. They have laid down the blueprints for the genre and have inspired a slew of younger bands since their inception in 2001. Their newest release Awakened shows the legion of rip-offs they've inspired once again shows that you can't really mess with an innovator of the genre.

Awakened follows pretty much the same formula they've used on their last (and best) two records An Ocean Between Us and The Powerless Rise. There's catchy melodic riffs, thrash-influenced solos and great hooks galore along with an occasional, well-timed breakdown that brings shame to most other bands faux-brOOtal breakdowns. As I Lay Dying really has their style of old-school metalcore down to a science by now and it never sounds stale or phoned in for even a second. Of course there is some variations on their typical sound. This is probably their heaviest record since Shadows Are Security as well as their most melodic effort to date. Tracks like "Resilience", "A Greater Foundation", and "Wasted Words" are absolute crushers and "Overcome", "Whispering Silence", and "My Only Home" some off their more tame, melody-based side. Both sides of As I Lay Dying's sound are brilliant approached and executed and the moments when they converge that Awakened reaches it's highest points  (The finest of which is in the mid-section of the aforementioned "Wasted Words").

Awakened is another great release from As I Lay Dying. You know exactly what your getting with As I Lay Dying and they are just too damn good what they do to disappoint. Their consistency is a big reason they became and remain an iconic band in the metalcore genre. Tim Lambesis is still a monstrous vocalist (Sometimes I forget just how good he is, but this album provided a hell of a refresher course), Nick Hipa/Phil Sgrosso are still riff machines that can shred with the best of them and Jordan Mancino is still a beast behind the kit. As I Lay Dying has stuck to their guns and haven't a lost step yet (nor do they show any signs of slowing down).  Let's hope it stays that way forever.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Wasted Words
2.Overcome
3.Resilience

5 Bands You Need To Know About That You Might Now About In The Current Metal Scene

Even though metal is a genre where bands breakout through word of mouth, there are bands that sometimes slip through the cracks and don't get the exposure they deserve. The 5 bands I've chosen for this piece are all relatively new bands that only have one or two releases to their names and really deserve to be the next big thing in the world of heavy metal. I hope everyone that reads this checks out or has already checked out  these bands and I will be so grateful if these bands gain fans from anything I post.

Cerebral Bore: Cerebral Bore is a brutal death metal band from Scotland. They are very much in the vein of old-school brutal death metal acts such as Dying Fetus (who they are touring with in the US before the end of the year) and Suffocation. Their debut record Manical Miscreation had all the staples of great brutal death metal: insane pig squealing, brutal yet catchy riffs, and just an all-around extremely heavy, evil sound. What makes Cerebral Bore that much better is their vocalist Simone Plujimeris. She can more than hang with most of her male counterparts, She is one of the better vocalists in the death metal scene right now. They got some exposure opening Summer Slaughter this year and I'm sure they will gain even more popularity after the aforementioned Dying Fetus tour (I couldn't think of a better band to pair them with, Dying Fetus fans are going to absolutely love them).  These guys and girl will continue to crush listeners for years to come and hopefully pick up a rabid fanbase along the way.

Havok: Havok is a thrash metal band from Colorado. If you are looking for the most underrated new thrash band, Look no further than Havok. They are the most seasoned and popular (that word is being used very loosely) band on this list with two full-lengths and two EP's under their belt, but unfortunately they still haven't broken out. Havok is arguably one of the most old-school sounding thrash bands. On last year's Time is Up, I found myself being transported to the glory days of Slayer at many points during the record. The standout track "Covering Fire" features a scream that mirrors Tom Araya's infamous scream at the beginning of "Angel of Death". The forefathers of thrash would be proud of Havok keeping the genre alive for the new generation.

Fallujah: Fallujah is a technical/progressive death metal band from California. No offense to the other bands on the list, but Fallujah is my favorite of the bunch. I can't think of the last time a debut album excited more than their 2011 debut The Harvest Wombs. I was in awe from the first notes of "Alpha Incident" to the outro of album closer "Assemblage of Wolves". Their style seamlessly blends ultra-fast technical death metal with really cool and perfectly executed progressive/atmospheric sections. This band is just full of brilliant songwriters and musicians. The Harvest Wombs features the maturity and chops of a band that has been doing for it years. I haven't been this excited about a band since I discovered The Faceless a few years ago (who ironically is also from California and who Fallujah has drawn many comparisons to). I can't wait to see what Fallujah does next, They are the next really special band in the world of metal.

Painted in Exile: Painted In Exile is an experimental metal band from New York. These guys are a extremely talented young band that is known by next to no one. The level of musical complexity they have at a such young age is staggering. Each and every one of their songs is a god damn roller coaster ride. They will come with some fast stuff, then go into a breakdown, then throw in some progressive soloing and even on occasion, straight-up jazz sections. Their sound is completely unpredictable and I'm hoping they release their first-full length album or at least some new material soon.

Son of Aurelius: Son of Aurelius is a progressive/technical death metal band. They are part of the crop of amazing progressive/tech death bands coming out of the Bay area of California. Just like Fallujah, their 2010 debut The Farthest Reaches showed they have a ton of chops and can play at inhuman speeds, but have a great knack for melody (most evident on their masterpiece "Facing the Gorgon"). The band is driven by ex-Animosity shredder Chase Fraser and the spastic and sinister vocals of Josh Miller. Both are amongst the best of what they do and their live show hammers that point home even further They are currently working on new material that should be out in the near future and I fully expect to be just as if not more badass than The Farthest Reaches.
 

Quick Movie Reviews: War Horse, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, The Big Year, The Help, We Bought A Zoo, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,

War Horse: Though it's definitely flawed with it's jumpy and not always coherent narrative, War Horse is able to get by on how effective it is at conveying emotion. The relationship between Albert and Joey (the horse) is so emotionally strong that it carries this otherwise mediocre film to being a decent one. The visuals are also stunning and it's Oscar nod for cinematography was well-deserved. The acting is so-so outside of Joey Irvine as Albert and at times it's really cheesy and boring, but it's still a watchable movie because of it's visuals and the heart-warming relationship between a boy and his horse.

3/5 Stars

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer: Just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure the target audience loved it and became very enthralled in Judy's misadventures, but I found myself just checking the time on my phone. The jokes just didn't land and Judy came off more annoying than cute. At least Heather Graham looked really hot and I got great enjoyment out of a scene where Urkel plays a banjo (I shit you not, I almost pissed myself laughing).

1.5/5 Stars

The Big Year: Despite a super talented cast including Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Rashida Jones, and Joel McHale, The Big Year misfires. It has a really uninteresting story (I mean bird-watching isn't a particularly thrilling subject to begin with, but they could of done better than this) and an awkward combination of comedy/drama. The acting is pretty much the only saving grace this movie has. Steve Martin in particular, does the best with the pretty weak material they were given. The Big Year is on-par with The Dillemma for biggest waste of talent for 2011 films.

2/5

The Help: Definitely overrated, but it's still a good movie and provides an interesting look at the world of maids in the early 1960's when the civil rights movement was on the rise. The characters could've been better developed and it does gloss over some important, racial-driven plot points, but the performances are so strong and there is such a sincere and powerful message behind the film that it cancels out. Octavia Spencer was good and see why see won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain steal the show. Davis gives a powerful performance as Aibileen, the first maid to agree to tell Skeeter (Emma Stone) her story for Skeeter's book exposing the true life of maids in Jackson, Mississippi. Chastain, in somewhat limited screen time, shines as the somewhat oblivious, but good-hearted and genuinely nice Celia Foote who hires Minnie (Spencer) to help her learn how to cook. The Help is a powerful and overall good film, but I didn't think it lived up to the hype that surrounded it.

3.5/5 Stars

We Bought A Zoo: Very uplifting and sweet story that even won a cold bastard like myself over. Matt Damon does a great job in the lead and he has an outstanding chemistry with his on-screen kids (especially his daughter, who is adorable). Much better than I expected to it be and one of the best surprises out of all the 2011 movies I've seen.

3.5/5 Stars

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: This movie swings for the fences, but comes up way short. This could've been a heartfelt, emotional powerhouse of a movie in telling the story of a kid who's father passed away in the World Trade Center in the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Instead what we get is a dull story that lacks any form of emotional power. Thomas Horn's Oskar is such an annoying, know-it all brat that you really can't feel any sympathy for his character despite the horrible tragedy that he just endured. Oskar is honestly one of the most annoying characters in recent cinema history. Save for a subtle and great performance from Max von Sydow as his mute grandfather, this movie has next to nothing to offer. Very poorly handled and unsatisfying movie.

2/5 Stars

 

Album Review: Devin Townsend Project-Epicloud

As pretty much everyone in the metal community knows, Devin Townsend is the most unpredictable artist in metal. He experiments with different sounds on every record and you really never know what to expect from him. Of course some of his experiments don't work and unfortunately Epicloud is one of those.

Epicloud is a primarily poppy record with bursts of Townsend's heavy and acoustic sides. It's essentially an even poppier and not even nearly as good version of his brilliant, genre-bending 2009 effort Addicted. What made Addicted so special was the catchy, memorable melodies and the stunning vocals of Anneke van Giresbergen alongside Townsend. Epicloud's biggest issues is the fact Anneke is criminally underused and  that the catchy melodies are few and far between. Anneke is given a few moments to shine, but it's really a damn shame she wasn't give more time to sing on this record. Her vocals are absolutely perfect for this style of poppy rock/metal and she has one of the best voices I've ever heard in my life. Even with the occasional burst of Townsend's greatness, Most of the tracks here just kind of drag and make very un-Townsend awkward, unnatural transitions from heavy riffs to poppy, keyboard-driven stuff ("True North" and "Liberation" are perfect examples of this). The album pretty much goes nowhere for most of it's 50-minute duration. There are only a couple of standouts and misfires with a whole lot of mediocrity that kills any momentum it builds up. The re-recording of "Kingdom" was really the only track I want to frequently revisit in the future. It kicks the shit out of the original version and fully shows the musical growth that Townsend has gone through in the past decade. This version of "Kingdom" gives us a studio version that finally matches the power of the live version.

Epicloud is a so-so record that missed the mark for me. When you're a musical mad scientist like Devin Townsend, Not everything he brews up in the lab is going to be good. This record just seems too rushed and comes across more as Addicted-lite than anything truly special. I think this record could've been great if it had more memorable hooks/melodies and more of Annneke's stunning vocals. Some Devin Townsend fans will love this record, but it just didn't work for me. I know it won't be long before he pulls another mind-blowing record out of his hat and that's the beauty of his music, You never know what he's going to come up with next.

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Kingdom (re-recording)
2.More!
3.Where We Belong 

Movie Review: Premium Rush

The end-of summer tends to be one of the times of year that acts as a dumping ground for studios to release shitty movies. On paper, Premium Rush sounded like one of those movies. Delayed from January to August, stupid-sounding concept, ridiculous trailer, and pretty minimal advertising in general. I saw Premium Rush out of boredom and a good amount of positive feedback from critics and audiences (the fact that I didn't pay to see it helped as well) and to my surprise, it was actually an enjoyable movie. It's a low-key, entertaining romp that more than held my attention for ninety minutes. It has a simple yet effective plot (Dirty cop wants to steal an envelope containing a ticket worth a large sum of money that a bike messenger is carrying across New York City) that moves along at the perfect pace and doesn't outstay its welcome. The bike messenger concept also allows for some high-octane and unique action sequences. It's a concept that isn't really explored too much in the world of action movies and the filmmakers completely use that to their advantage. There are some particularly cool sequences where Wiley (Joesph Gordon-Levitt) maps out all the possible routes he can take when he is in a bind and what the results of each one will be. These sequences have a very interesting style behind them and they could not have been executed any better. On top of the cool action scenes, the actors have a lot of fun with their roles. Gordon-Levitt makes for a likeable wise-ass hero and Michael Shannon makes a great, beyond dirty, sleazeball cop. Premium Rush is a good, simple, fun time at the movies. Think of it as mindless entertainment for those who don't like mindless entertainment. It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised at the movies and Premium Rush delivered much, much more than I thought it would.

3.5/5 Stars

NFL Preview: NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are the definition of overachievers. Somehow with subpar quarterback play and generally sloppy play last year they went 8-8. This is a team that won't blow you away with talent, but they are smart and know to how play close, tight games and often times they come out on top. They are making the right choice going with John Skelton at quarterback. He's not an incredible quarterback by any means, but he's a good game-manager and can make some plays here and there opposed to Kevin Kolb who looked awful just about every time he was on the field last year. Skelton also has the luxury of throwing to Larry Fitzgerald, who is the epitome of  a game-changing receiver. They also have a solid running back option in Beanie Wells and a decent defense anchored by pass-rushing defensive end Darnell Dockett and a beyond respectable and underrated secondary led by Adrian Wilson and Patrick Peterson. The brunt of the Cardinals problems come in the receiving game. Besides Fitzgerald, They have an unproven bunch of wideouts including unspectacular veteran Early Doucet and unproven rookies Michael Floyd and LaRon Byrd. The lack of second receiver is preventing from contending for the division title. The Cardinals are an alright team, but the lack of a strong quarterback and a second receiving threat takes them out of the hunt of being playoff contenders.

St.Louis Rams: The Rams are definitely a team in rebuilding mode. This year will probably be another rough one for Rams fans, but there is hope on the horizon. New coach Jeff Fisher is one of the best coaches of the past 20 years. He's got a great track record and his attitude and coaching will no doubt turn this team around in the future. Fisher's expertise will probably help the growth of young quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford had a pretty solid rookie year (He won Offensive Rookie of the Year), but he followed that up with one of the worst sophomore slumps in recent memory. The presence of Fisher and pretty much all new coordinators should help improve Bradford as a decision maker, game manager, and as a quarterback overall. The Rams also had a great, deep draft class. Fisher tends to be great at finding value in the draft. Clearly it's too early to tell for this year, but I'd be willing to wager that he found some gems in this draft. The Rams, of course, still have All-Pro running back Steven Jackson who has and will continue to help stop the bleeding in St.Louis. That being, the Rams are pretty much screwed at the moment at every other position. Sam Bradford has next to no one to throw too (His top wideout is Danny Amendola has a whopping 4 career touchdowns in three seasons) and their defense (minus Chris Long, James Laurnauntis, and newly acquired cornerback Cortland Finnegan) is woefully inexperienced and pretty damn bad. The Rams should be good in a couple year, but for now they are stuck in the NFL's basement.

San Fransisco 49ers: The 49ers surprisingly great 2011 year that ended in a heartbreaking NFC Championship game defeat at the hands of the Giants pro might not be topped this year, but this is still a great team that should coast to the NFC West title. Of course, the 49ers are a defensive-based team. They have one of the best defenses in the league and their play on defense are the main reason they were so successful last year. They should have no trouble being dominant again this year. Patrick Willis, Donte Whitner, Ahmad Brooks, and Carlos Rodgers are all in the prime of their careers and Justin Smith is still a scary pass rusher deep into this career. Their offense was not particularly great last season, but they made some moves in free agency that should help them improve as an offensive unit this year. Randy Moss and Mario Manningham give them depth and the potential for some big plays at wide receiver. More importantly the addition of Moss and Mannigham are going to at the very least give elite tight end Vernon Davis and productive, but overworked wide receiver Michael Crabtree a bit of a break and they should see their respective stats improve due to Moss and Manningham's presence.The addition of Brandon Jacobs gives them a power back who should be extremely productive as a 3rd down back. I expect him to get his fair share of carries and I really like how he fits into the running back mix with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. If Alex Smith can come out and improve on his career-best year at quarterback last season and the new offensive pieces fall into place, then the 49ers could potentially make a repeat appearance in the NFC title game.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are kind of a rough team to call at the moment. They went out and signed quarterback Matt Flynn in the offseason, but he got overshadowed by rookie Russell Wilson. I will say that Wilson has looked damn good so far in the preseason and absolutely deserves a chance to start the year at quarterback. Save for Andrew Luck, I think Wilson has the best chance of having a breakout rookie year. Wilson could benefit from having the potential resurgence of top wideout Sidney Rice this year. Rice has the injury bug hit him pretty hard the past two years, but if he remains healthy he could be poised for a excellent year like his last healthy season with the Vikings in 2009. It also helps the Seahawks have an explosive running threat that is Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is another guy who gets a hurt a lot, but when he is on the field is a huge playmaker. He will burn you when gets the oppurtunity and should easily have another 1,000 year barring injury. The Seahawks potential strengths, are also their potential weaknesses. Sidney Rice could have another subpar year and the Seahawks have a collection of respectable, but not particularly dangerous wide recievers besides him, they could be in trouble in the passing game. Their defense is alright, but they aren't good enough to win games for the Seahawks if the offense struggles. The Seahawks are one of the biggest crapshoot teams in the league and their health and how well Russell Wilson performs this year are going to determine their fate.

My Predictions for the NFC West Standings
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-5)
2.Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
3.Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
4.St.Louis Rams (4-12)     

NFL Preview: NFC South

The NFC South is another closely contended NFC division with no clear winner. Here are my thoughts on how the NFC South will shake out this year.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons made the playoffs last year and with no major additions or losses, I don't see them doing any better or worse this year. Matt Ryan is a solid quarterback that produces pretty consistent numbers. He's got proven receiving options in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez and Juilo Jones is poised for a breakout year in his second NFL season. The Falcons only notable pickup in the offseason was veteran cornerback Asante Samuel. Samuel adds depth to the already great Falcons secondary and an otherwise respectable defense. The Falcons biggest concern going into the season is the production of Michael Turner. Turner has apparently looked awful in training camp and the preseason and could have a really off-season. Atlanta does have depth at running back with the decently productive Jason Snelling and the potentially dangerous Jaquizz Rodgers so they be alright even with Turner not performing at his usual production levels. Atlanta is a good football team and I think they have a pretty good chance of winning the division this year.

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers had a better than expected last year thanks to Cam Newton's freakishly productive rookie season. I will fully admit I was a doubter of Cam Newton when he came into the league, but I am now fully on board with him as a legitmate NFL quarterback. He has proven to be a duel threat as a great passer and great rusher, making him an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. He reminds me of an ever better version of Michael Vick and I think he has a really bright future ahead of him. Unless the sophomore slump hits him (I think he's too good for it to effect him),  He should be in line for another great year. The problem with the Panthers though is that's about where the positives end. They have no receiving weapons outside of Steve Smith (One could argue if Smith is as productive as he was last year you don't need anyone else though). As good as Newton as is, he can't guide this team to the playoffs with only one legitimate threat in the passing game. The Panthers defense is also suspect at best. First-round draft pick Luke Kuchely has a ton of potential at outside linebacker, but he's not going turn around the weaknesses they have at just about every other spot on defense. The Panthers aren't a bad team, but they need to improve their defense and depth on offense if they want to make that next step and become a playoff team.

New Orleans Saints: Clearly if you even somewhat follow you heard about the Saints bounty scandal. The fallout from that scandal will no doubt have a negative effect on the Saints season. Besides the cloud hanging over them from the bounty scandal, head coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma are suspended for the season. Payton is one of the top coaches in the league and Vilma is arguably the best player on the Saints defense. Their absences will absolutely bring down the Saints this year. Their success this season is going to come down to how the Saints handle the massive off-field distractions they have facing them. They certainly have the talent, it's just going to come down to their mental toughness. On the brighter side, Drew Brees is coming off of the best year of his career and their offense is still very much in-tact. Jimmy Graham should continue to cement himself as an elite tight end and Marques Colston and Lance Moore have a great chemistry and consistent production with Brees. The Saints season is going to be a crapshoot. They have the talent to win the division, but they might not have the right psyche to have a good year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers completely retooled after their disastrous 4-12 season last year in which they lost the last nine games of the season. They brought in a new coach in Greg Schiano and several high-profile free agents including wide receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks, and tight end Dallas Clark. These additions instantly improve them. Jackson gives them a top receiver which they hadn't had in a long time, Nicks is a spectacular lineman, and Clark, when healthy, is a fantastic tight end. Throw in a pair of solid first-round draft picks in safety Mark Barron and running back Doug Martin and you have a team that's bound to improve from their abysmal 2011 season. A lot of people forget that this team made the playoffs two years ago and I think they are only a year or two away from making it back again. The Buccanners issues are primarily on defense. Last year they were awful and they are going to need a lot of people to step up to improve this year. They drafted mostly defensive players this year and the veterans they have are pretty much all unproven making their defense a huge question mark going into the season. They have some promise and they could surprise a lot of people this year, but their shaky defense will keep them out of the playoff hunt.

My Predictions for the NFC South standings:
1.Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
2.New Orleans Saints (9-7)
3.Carolina Panthers (6-10)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10)

Movie Review: Lawless

There has been a lot of crime drama to come out recently, but none have focused on the dangerous trade of bootlegging in 1930's America. Enter Lawless which brings the true story of the Bondurant brothers, some of the most iconic bootleggers in history to the big screen. Lawless is a very well-done, thoroughly entertaining, and often darkly humorous crime drama. This film is driven by strong performances from an immensely talented cast. As expected, Tom Hardy is excellent and steals the show as Forest Bondurant, The badass, miserable leader of the Bondurant brothers. Every minute he is on the screen the film becomes more interesting and he delivers an award-caliber performance. Guy Pearce also shines as the corrupt deputy from Chicago sent to end the Bondurant's bootlegging reign. His character is incredibly menacing and he creates one of the best villains, if not the best to appear in any film this year. The real surprise here though is how good Shia LaBouef is. LaBouef proves he can actually act when given the proper material. His performance here should take his career in a different direction and get him a lot more serious roles that show off how talented of an actor he is. The film also benefits from being absolutely stunningly shot. The cinematography is easily amongst the best, if not the best I've seen this year. Lawless is a damn fine entry in the crime drama genre. The action scenes are tense and well-shot, the story is engrossing, and it's able to paint what seems to a very accurate portrayal of what the days of bootlegging were like. Hopefully this movie doesn't go unnoticed by the Academy come awards season.

4/5 Stars 

NFL Preview: NFC North

The NFC North, in my opinion, is the most wide-open divisional race in the league. Outside of the lowly Minnesota Vikings, the other three teams all have potential for big years. Here are my thoughts on the NFC North squads for the year.

Chicago Bears: My beloved Chicago Bears are coming off a season where they started strong and finished  rough and injury-plagued. This year the Bears are retooled and for the most part healthy and could be primed for a huge year. The offseason brought in the huge additions of star wideout Brandon Marshall via a trade with the Dolphins and running back Michael Bush in free agency. Marshall gives the Bears the top wide receiver they have lacked for quite some time and his playing history with Jay Cutler (the two played together in Denver before Cutler was traded to the Bears) could make them an elite quarterback/wide receiver pairing. Bush gives them a viable second running back threat that should take some of the workload off of Matt Forte. Their defense is aging, but they are still damn good and should be a top 5 defense yet again. Of course they also Devin Hester returning kicks and punts who has the potential to be a game-changer every time he touches the ball. I am really high on the Bears chances this year. This is a team that was on the fast track to make the playoffs before the injury bug got them last year and this team has improved substantially going into this season. The playoffs should be attainable this year and hell if they really excel they could be an NFC championship contender.

Detroit Lions: The Lions had a breakout year last year showing how dangerous they can be if Matthew Stafford is healthy. I expect a similarly successful campaign this year if Stafford can stay healthy. Stafford is a top 10 quarterback and he will continue to improve after his first injury-free year in the NFL last year. Of course, Stafford wouldn't have been successful if he didn't have such a great receiving corps anchored by Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. I'm expecting a breakout year from Titus Young after Johnson was given the kiss of death appearing on the cover of Madden 13 (Sorry to sound like a superstitious moron, but the Madden Curse is pretty much always true.) The Lions also have a vastly underrated defense that should continue to improve after having another year playing together. The Lions lone problem is having the lack of a strong running game. That is really the only thing that is keeping from top contenders in the NFC. The Lions are a great team that is just shy of being contenders.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers followed up their Super Bowl campaign with a dominant 15-1 season that ended abruptly after the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants knocked them out in the divisional round of the playoffs. I expect more of the same from the Packers this year. Their passing offense is in contention for being the most deadly in the entire league. The amount of weapons they have is staggering. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Jemichael Finley, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Tom Crabtree, and Donald Driver along with Aaron Rodgers electric play at quarterback make for an unstoppable passing attack. The Packers even fixed their running back problem by signing veteran Cedric Benson at the start of training camp. Benson has had three straight thousand yard rushing seasons and should give the Packers their first legitmate rushing threat in a long time as well as provide them with a more balanced attack to make their passing attack even more effective. Once again the Packers crutch is their terrible defense. They were only ahead of the Patriots last season in overall defense and I expect more of the same this season. Once again though, just like the Patriots, their passing game is so scary that should guide them to another playoff berth without much of a struggle.

Minnesota Vikings:The Vikings have really fallen apart in the past couple years and the decline should continue this year. The NFC North is stronger than ever and the Vikings have not been in a worse position in recent memory. Star running back Adrian Peterson is coming off a torn ACL that should sideline him for the first few weeks of the season as he continues to rehab and will more than likely bring his production down substantially this year. Peterson's absence will put an additional burden on unproven starting quarterback Christian Ponder. Ponder was awful in his rookie season last year and it looks like he is another for another long year with a banged-up Peterson, a subpar backup running back in Toby Gerhart, and only one healthy offensive weapon in Percy Harvin. The defensive side of the ball is definitely brighter. Jared Allen is still an elite pass rusher and Kevin Williams is an expert run stuffer. Veterans Antoine Winfield, Chad Greenway, and Erin Henderson should make solid contributions as well. The only problem is the defense is going to be incredibly fatigued due to their awful offense. The Vikings will definitely be at the bottom of the heap not only in the NFC North, but the entire NFL.

My predictions for the NFC North standings
1.Green Bay Packers (14-2
2.Chicago Bears (11-5)
3.Detroit Lions (10-6)
4.Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

September In Film

September is the transitional month between summer and the beginning of the bigger Fall film. Even though the films aren't as big-budgeted, there are a lot of intriguing movies coming out this month. Last September brought four of my favorite movies of the year(Drive,Warrior, Moneyball, and my number 1 movie of 2011 50/50) and this year very well could repeat that trend. Here are my thoughts on the whole lot of September's movies.

Films I Want To See:
4.Trouble with the Curve (9/21)-The same weekend last year brought us Moneyball which focused on using computers to scout players and build a winning team on a small-market team. Trouble with the Curve takes a different approach by focusing on old-school scouting and it also marks Clint Eastwood's return to acting. The trailer is a little melodramatic, but with Eastwood, Amy Adams, and Justin Timberlake you can count me in.

3.End of Watch (9/21)-I am a sucker for gritty cop dramas and this looks to be a good one. It's got a great pair of leads in Jake Gylenhall and Michael Pena and writer/director David Ayer is responsible for Street Kings and more importantly one of all-time favorites Training Day, so it's definitely in the right hands. I'm excited to see if it stand up

2.Looper (9/28)-This has to be one of the most interesting concepts for a movie in quite some time. A time-traveling assassin movie starring one of my favorite rising actors in Joesph Gordon-Levitt and my all-time favorite actor Bruce Willis  Also throw in Rian Johnson as writer/director, who's first movie Brick is pretty much universally praised, and we could be looking at something truly amazing.

1.Dredd(9/21)-Dredd is the exactly the type of ultra-violent, stylized, action movie that I just eat up. I was already excited for this movie than I heard the really positive reception from Comic-Con and saw the red-band clip Lionsgate released and my excitement went through the roof. This has action-movie gold written all over it and I hope it can live up to the hype.

Film I'm not sure on:
The Words(9/7)-Bradley Cooper is a good actor and the concept is somewhat interesting, but at the same time based on the subject matter(stealing someone's manuscript for a book) it could end up being pretty dull. I'll definitely be waiting for DVD on this one.

The Master(9/14)-Paul Thomas Anderson is lauded by critics and arthouse filmgoers, but for as talented a filmmaker he is, his movies bore the shit out of me. This looks to be almost exactly like There Will Be Blood, it looks to very well-acted and made, but it looks boring as hell. Might see it eventually depending on the buzz, but I'm not too stoked on it at the moment.

Won't Back Down (9/28)-Haven't seen the trailer, but I read the synopsis and it could be alright. I'll wait and see the how the reception is.

Films I could care less about
Resident Evil: Retribution (9/14)-As much as I love the Resident Evil games, the movies do nothing for me. I feel like they are just a much-worse version of the Underworld franchise and this one (the fifth installment in the series) looks to be no different.

The House at the End of the Street (9/21)-Jennifer Lawrence doing her obligatory "great actress in shitty generic horror movie" role. This has to be one of the most generic looking, PG-13 rated horror movies in the past few years. No chance in hell I'm seeing this.

Hotel Transylvania (9/28)-Just simply not my bag for a kids movie. Despite having a solid cast including Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg, and Molly Shannon, the trailer is pretty bad and it just doesn't look funny or interesting.