Top 50 Favorite Actors Under 50

I've seen a lot lists recognizing up-and coming actors under 30 or veteran actors that over 50, so I decided to assemble of a list of my favorite actors that are under 50.  There are (clearly) a lot of talented actors in Hollywood that under the age of 50 and I really like the wide-age range that can be assembled within those parameters. Anyways on with the list:

50.Scarlet Johansson ( age: 28)

49.Chris Pine (32)

48.Anna Kendrick (27)

47.Michael Pena (37)

46.Jason Segel (33)

45.Ben Foster (32)

44.James McAvoy (34)

43.Jason Statham(45)

42.Chloe Moretz (16)

41.Craig Robinson (41)

40.Johnny Depp (49)

39.Anthony Mackie (34)

38.John C. Riley (47)

37.Mark Wahlberg (41)

36.Emma Stone (24)

35.Will Smith (44)

34.Russell Crowe (49)

33.Paul Rudd (44)

32.Amy Adams (38)

31.Edward Norton (43)

30.Simon Pegg (43)

29.Sacha Baron Cohen (41)

28.Zachary Quinto (35)

27.Timothy Olyphant(44)

26.Daniel Craig (45)

25.Benicio Del Toro (46)

24.Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (40)

23.Emily Blunt (30)

22.Terrence Howard (44)

21.Cillian Murphy (36)

20.Jonah Hill (29)

19.Will Ferrell (45)

18.Matt Damon (42)

17.James Franco (35)

16.Bradley Cooper(38)

15.Javier Bardem (44)

14.Michael Fassbender (36)

13.Ryan Gosling (32)

12.Josh Brolin (45)

11.Jake Gylenhaal(32)

10.Christian Bale (39)

9.Natalie Portman (31)

8.Leonardo DiCaprio (38)

7.Brad Pitt (49)

6.Robert Downey Jr. (48)

5.Jeremy Renner (42)

4.Seth Rogen (31)

3.Jennifer Lawrence (22)

2.Tom Hardy (35)

1.Joesph Gordon-Levitt (32)

Movie Review: Pain & Gain

The American dream of fame and fortune is desired by many and achieved by few. Out of all the people that ever tried to become rich quick, I highly doubt there is a more ludicrous attempt at achieving the American dream than the one documented in Michael Bay's latest film, Pain & Gain, which is somehow based on a true story.

Pain & Gain sees Michael Bay returning to his low-budget roots after doing non-stop blockbusters for over a decade. Bay trades in his trademark (and often ridiculed) love of giant action setpieces and explosions for a character and story-driven film about a trio of meathead bodybuilders (Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Anthony Mackie) kidnapping and extorting a jackass millionaire buisnessman (Tony Shaloub) for all of his money and possessions. As times goes on, the group gets more and more carried away with their new found life of crime and they soon find themselves going off the end trying to cover up the crime they committed while simultaneously pissing their new found fortunes away and looking for other people to extort.

Pain & Gain is one of the most absurdly entertaining movies I've seen in the past few years. The film is just an absolute blast with an engaging and fast-paced story behind a script full of clever one-liners. Audiences will be shocked that Michael Bay, the same guy who brought the world the Transformers franchise and Armageddon, is behind this film. Pain & Gain takes Bay out of his comfort zone and making a surprisingly great and well-rounded satirical film about the pursuit of the American dream and what it means to "make it" in the United States. Aside from a witty and enjoyable script, Pain & Gain features a cast that is completely game for all the ridiculousness this film offers up. The leading trio of Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie all turn in excellent performances here. Johnson is absolutely hilarious as the cokehead, Jesus-loving, ex-con Paul Doyle, who is recruited to the crew strictly for his previous criminal record. Mackie also shines as the steroid-pumping Adrian Drobal, who manges to be the biggest bumbling idiot in a group full of bumbling idiots. However, Wahlberg steals the show as Daniel Lugo, the ringleader of the operation. Lugo has the other members of the group buying into to his fucked-up vision of the American dream with no persuasion necessary. Lugo is an absolute moron and a certified nutjob, but Wahlberg's performances makes you sympathize with him even when he's doing a bunch of crazy, illegal activity for his own personal gain.

Pain & Gain is a whole hell of a lot of fun. Michael Bay is able to capture this unfathomably insane true story by applying his typical manic energy to a film that's way out of his comfort zone. I hope Bay makes more films like this in the future, it's refreshing to see what he can do as a filmmaker without having to blow shit up every 20 minutes. The entire cast is fantastic (aside from the aforementioned leads, the supporting cast including Tony Shaloub, Rebel Wilson, Ed Harris and Rob Corrdry turn in quality work that enhances film's zaniness and entertainment value) and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The First Avenger, Chronicles of Narnia series) craft a sharp script that mocks the concept and excess that goes with pursuing/achieving the American dream brilliantly. Pain & Gain is a great satire piece that is loaded with laughs and thrills that is easily one of the best film's Michael Bay has ever made. One of the biggest surprises and best films I've seen in 2013 thus far.

4/5 Stars  

  

Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft (Update #3)

After many weeks of speculation and consistently shifting mock drafts, it's finally draft day. Here is my final mock (as well as some other notes/predictions) for this sure to be unpredictable draft.

1.Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Fisher, tackle (Central Michigan)
2.Jacksonville Jaguars: Dion Jordan, defensive end/outside linebacker (Oregon)
3.Oakland Raiders: Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle (Florida)
4.Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Jockel, tackle (Texas A&M)
5.Detroit Lions: Ezkiel "Ziggy" Anzah, defensive end/outside linebacker (BYU)
6.Cleveland Browns: Dee Milliner, cornerback (Alabama)
7.Arizona Cardinals: Lane Johnson, tackle (Oklahoma)
8.Buffalo Bills: Geno Smith, quarterback (West Virginia)
9.New York Jets: Barkevious Mingo, defensive end/outside linebacker (LSU)
10.Tennessee Titans: Jonathan Cooper, guard/center (North Carolina)
11.San Diego Chargers: Chance Warmack, guard (Alabama)
12.Miami Dolphins: D.J Fluker, tackle (Alabama)
13.New York Jets: Tavon Austin, wide receiver (West Virginia)
14.Carolina Panthers: Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle (Missouri)
15.New Orleans Saints: Star Lotulelei, defensive tackle/end (Utah)
16.St. Louis Rams: Kenny Vaccaro, safety (Texas)
17.Pittsburgh Steelers: Jarvis Jones, outside linebacker (Georgia)
18.Dallas Cowboys: Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle (North Carolina)
19.New York Giants: Bjoern Werner, defensive end (Florida State)
20.Chicago Bears: Arthur Brown, inside/outside linebacker (Kansas State)
21.Cincinnati Bengals: Alec Ogletree, inside linebacker (Georgia)
22.St. Louis Rams: DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver (Clemson)
23.Minnesota Vikings: Manti Te'o, inside linebacker (Notre Dame)
24.Indianapolis Colts: Xavier Rhodes, cornerback (Florida State)
25.Minnesota Vikings: Justin Hunter, wide receiver (Tennessee)
26.Green Bay Packers: Jonathan Cyprien, safety (Florida International)
27.Houston Texans: Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver (Tennessee)
28.Denver Broncos: Datone Jones, defensive end/tackle (UCLA)
29.New England Patriots: Jamar Taylor, cornerback (Boise State)
30.Atlanta Falcons: Desmond Trufant, cornerback (Washington)
31.San Fransisco 49ers: Margus Hunt, defensive end (SMU)
32.Baltimore Ravens: Matt Elam, safety (Florida)

5 Hardest Players to Pinpoint in the 1st Round
1.Star Lotulelei
Highest pick he could go: 3rd (Raiders)/4th (Eagles)
Lowest pick he could go: 26th (Packers)

2.Xavier Rhodes
Highest pick he could go: 11th (Chargers)
Lowest pick he could go: 30th (Falcons)

3.Bjoern Werner
Highest pick he could go: 10th (Titans)
Lowest pick he could go: Somewhere in the 2nd round

4.Cordarrelle Patterson
Highest pick he could go: 14th (Panthers)
Lowest pick he could go: 29th (Patriots) or maybe first few picks of 2nd round

5.Alec Ogletree
Highest pick he could go: 12th (Dolphins)
Lowest pick he could: 32nd (Ravens)

5 Hardest Teams to Pinpoint in the 1st round:
1.Jacksonville Jaguars:
Everything is wrong in Jacksonville except their wide receivers and arguably running back (Maurice Jones-Drew is coming off a major foot injury and they could use a quality second option but that clearly doesn't need to be addressed this high in the draft.) They could go anywhere on defense or take the top tackle prospect (Eric Fisher/Luke Jockel) that the Chiefs don't select with the first pick. Whoever Jacksonville takes with the 2nd overall pick, they need to come in help this anemic franchise immediately.
Possible choices: Dion Jordan, Luke Jockel, Eric Fisher, Ezkiel Anzah, Dee Milliner, Barkevious Mingo 

2.New Orleans Saints
It's clear the Saints are going to go defense with this pick, but when you have the defense that allowed most yards in NFL history last season, you could go anywhere on the defense with the 15th pick. This draft has a lot of depth on the defensive side of the ball and the Saints clearly need help across the board on defense, which makes this pick really difficult to predict.
Possible choices: Star Lotulelei, Jarvis Jones, Sheldon Richardson, Barkevious Mingo, Kenny Vaccaro, Sylvester Williams, Xavier Rhodes, Bjoern Werner

3.Baltimore Ravens
The Super Bowl champs had a lot of key losses in the offseason and having the last pick in the 1st round gives them a lot of interesting options to pursue. Chances are they are going wide receiver, safety, or inside linebacker with the pick, but there are ton of players at those positions that are in play with that pick.
Possible choices: Matt Elam, Kevin Minter, Eric Reid, Arthur Brown, Keenan Allen, Robert Woods, Alec Ogletree, Justin Hunter, Manti Te'o

4.New York Giants
Pass-rusher, inside linebacker or offensive lineman? The Giants have quite a few options at each of their position needs at the 19th overall pick.
Possible choices: Bjoern Werner, Alec Ogletree, Menelik Watson, Justin Pugh, Datone Jones, Margus Hunt, Cornelius "Tank" Carradine, Arthur Brown, Manti Te'o, D.J Fluker

5.Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are a young team on the rise and they have a chance to get that next key piece with the 14th overall pick. The Panthers could use improvement at a lot of positions on both sides of the balls giving them a lot of flexibility with that pick.
Possible choices: Sheldon Richardson, Kenny Vaccaro, Star Lotulelei, Xavier Rhodes, Tavon Austin, Cordarrelle Patterson, Desmond Trufant

Most ridiculous mock draft pick I've seen on another site: Cordarrelle Patterson (26th to the Packers, walterfootball.com)
Even with the loss of Greg Jennings, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Packers do not have any sort of need at the wide receiver position in the 1st round. Jennings missed most of the season last year and Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jordy Nelson were still incredibly productive and Aaron Rodgers is one of those special quarterbacks who can work with any receiver he is given. Green Bay has a lot more pressing issues to address such as safety, offensive line, running back, and getting another edge-rusher to help out Clay Matthews, they sure as hell don't need a wideout in the 1st round with the amount of talent and depth they have at the position already on their roster.

Honorable Mention: Xavier Rhodes to the Bears (20th Overall, NFL.com), Tyler Eifert to the Browns (6th overall, Yahoo!), Geno Smith to the Eagles (4th overall, Drafttek)          






   

Album Review: Rob Zombie-Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor

Musician/director Rob Zombie is having quite the busy month. His fifth film, The Lords of Salem, just came out in theaters last Friday and now his fifth (solo) studio album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, comes out today. I can't speak on the quality of his film since I haven't seen it (nor do I plan to,) but I will say that Mr.Zombie definitely succeeded on the music front.

Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is a return to form of sorts for Zombie after his underwhelming last release Hellbilly Deluxe 2. The only thing underwhelming about Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is its incredibly stupid title This record sees Zombie going back to what he does best: make fun, horror-inspired industrial metal. Zombie jam packs the entire record with lively hooks and a contagious sinister spirit. It's evident that he hasn't had this much fun making music in a long time and he just lets loose on this record. "Lucifer Rising", "Teenage Nosferatu Pussy" (one of my favorite song titles recent memory) and "Behold, the Pretty Filthy Creatures! in particular are just a pure unadulterated good time. For the duration of this record, you can't help getting fully immersed into Zombie's world of all things horror-related, he just makes it sound so damn appealing. In addition to the fun Zombie is having with the music, I really liked the old-school vibe this record has. There's a lot of 80's- inspired keyboard parts and some nice, traditional heavy metal solos from Zombie's long time axeman John 5 (who shreds as always) scattered throughout the record giving it an undeniable vintage flair. Hell there's even a surprisingly awesome cover of "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad on this record! Rob Zombie has always had a prominent classic rock/horror punk influence, but its never been more in the forefront of his music than on Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor.

Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor greatly exceeded my expectations and ends up being Rob Zombie's best album since 2001's The Sinister Urge. Zombie is back to making entertaining, catchy music that gets stuck in your head immediately and the good times on this record only increase upon further listens. Zombie is a natural showman and that's something you don't see very often in music in the present day so I commend Zombie for sticking to his guns and continuing to entertain listeners with his music this deep into his career. There may be better records to be this released this year, but I doubt that anything will be more fun than Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Luicifer Rising
2.Behold, the Pretty Filthy Creatures!
3.Teenage Nosferatu Pussy 

 

Concert Review: New England Metal and Hardcore Festival-- Worcester, MA-- April 20th, 2013

The Christmas season for New England metalheads is upon us! The 15th annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival continued the tradition of excellence and provided me with another joyous day full of heavy music at the infamous Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

My friend and I arrived at The Palladium around 1. Upon our arrival, we caught the last song of Los Angeles folk metal act Hellsot. I didn't catch enough of their set to get a solid opinion on them, but they sounded pretty decent. Another folk metal act Trollfest was the first band I actually caught. Their music was definitely interesting with heavy use of the accordion, banjo and saxophone, but the vocals didn't really click with me. If you like folk metal, these guys are definitely a good time, but they just weren't entirely my bag due to the vocals.

I went and grabbed some merch and got something to eat over the next 45 minutes so the next band I was able to catch was Fit for an Autopsy. This was my second time seeing them and while they're not anything too special, they most definitely good at what they do. They make breakdown-heavy deathcore that is bolstered by strong vocals from Nate Johnson and a clear influence from old-school brutal death metal acts like Suffocation and Dying Fetus. They have a solid stage presence and they were able to get some pretty big pits going even though it was very early in the day. Bonus points for them calling out Asking Alexandria as "the only shitty metal band". Good set and they set a nice tone for the rest of the day.

Glass Cloud hit the the stage next. This was my first time seeing them and I enjoyed their debut record The Royal Thousand so I was naturally pretty excited to check out their set. Their set was in-line with my expectations with a good, energetic set from them. Vocalist Jerry Roush sounded pretty damn good and did his studio vocals justice in a live setting. He also had some weird and hilarious stage moves like doing barrel rolls during the instrumental sections and a plethora of bizarre hand gestures when he was singing. The only thing that bothered me was the tone of the guitar. Josh Travis is a great guitarist, but his pedals and amps sounded flat and out-of-tune for the entire duration of the set. Definitely an enjoyable show from Glass Cloud and I wouldn't mind seeing them again in the future.

I headed upstairs after Glass Cloud finished up at 3:15 hoping that the upstairs stage was running ahead of schedule so I could catch Reflections before The Contortionist went on at 4. Unfortunately that was not the case,  City in the Sea was playing their last song when I got upstairs and they sounded pretty decent. I decided to stick around hoping that Reflections would be on after them, but instead it was hometown act Years Since the Storm. I was not particularly impressed with their set. They played an odd combination of death/metal/hardcore with some progressive elements. It was kind of a jumbled mess overall and aside from a few cool riffs here and there and a drummer with some solid chops, I didn't find much to like about Years Since the Storm.

I went back downstairs to catch The Contortionist and out of the four times I've seen them, this was the best. No disrespect to recently departed vocalist Jonathan Carpenter, but fill-in vocalist Mike Lassard of Last Chance to Reason just did a better job with the songs. His clean vocals in particular are better than Carpenter's making slower tracks like "Holomovement" especially impressive in a live setting. In addition to being a stronger vocalist than Carpenter, Lassard is a more lively stage presence giving the band a more energetic and immense vibe than the previous three times I'd seen them with Carpenter at the helm. I'm hoping The Contortionist can find someone as good as Lassard to be their new permanent vocalist. The band was spot-on musically as always and hearing them finally play "Vessel" live was badass. Another excellent set from The Contortionist and I wish them luck in their search for a new vocalist.

Within the Ruins hit the stage next and god damn I did not except them to be this good. It's hard to believe  this is the same band that opened Summer Slaughter 2011 with a decent albeit unremarkable performance. This go-round could not be any more different, they absolutely killed it. Their set was full of infectious energy, huge pits and the band was just having a whole lot of fun on stage. The biggest improvement from was the vocals of Tim Goregen , which I've never been the biggest fan of, but he was great yesterday. It's also awesome to watch their guitarist Joe Cochi play live. He hits all the crazy guitar acrobatics with the same precision as on record and it's just a thrill to watch. Within the Ruins was without a doubt the pleasant surprise of the day and I can only hope their live show maintains its quality the next time I see them.

After the Burial was up next and they completely destroyed. These guys impressed the hell out of me at Warped Tour last summer and managed to impress even more with their performance yesterday.  I don't know what it is exactly, but their music just hits really hard in a live setting. My favorite song by them, "Berzerker", was particularly mind-blowing and somehow managed to be even more impressive than the flawless studio version. Even songs like "Your Troubles Will Cease and Fortune Smiles Upon You" which I don't love on record, were amazing live. Their vocalist Anthony Notarmaso is just an absolute beast with a dynamic stage presence that sets them apart from a lot of other bands in the genre while the band is amongst the tightest I've ever seen musically. They also played  a new song entitled "Wolf Amongst Ravens" which is better than a majority of In Dreams and sees the Meshuggah-esque grooves of Rareform making a glorious return into their music. I talked to Anthony after the show (extremely nice guy by the way, very appreciative of his fans and genuinely cares what you have to say) and he said the record is about 75% done and they just have to track drums on the last two tracks and all of the vocals and that it should be out sometime in the fall. If "Wolf Amongst Ravens" is any indicator, we should be looking at one of the finest records of 2013. Another amazing set from After the Burial and I will try my hardest to catch them whenever they play in Massachusetts.

Another Sumerian Records act, Born of Osiris, was up next. Well not quite up to par with the previous time I saw them at Metal Fest in 2011, they we're definitely better than they were at Warped Tour last summer. Ronnie Canizaro was a lot more energetic and sounded a lot sharper vocally than the last time I saw them and the setlist was better by a pretty decent margin. Save for the "Rosecrance/Empires Erased" opener, the rest of the set was strictly songs from The Discovery, which was completely awesome since that is easily my favorite Born of Osiris record. I was stoked to finally hear "Two Worlds of Design" and "A Solution" live and "Recreate" and "Ascension" were just as good as the previous times I'd seen them. Born of Osiris is always a good time live and I'm excited to see them for a fourth time at Mayhem Fest in July.

After Born of Osiris, I was stuck in a conundrum between watching a few songs of Ensiferum on the main stage or head upstairs early to make sure I could get a spot for Terror (Two years ago, they stopped letting people in for Terror's set because it was dangerously overcrowded.) Despite the fact that I am fan of Ensiferum and wanted to check out their set, I decided to be safe and go upstairs and not chance missing Terror. Unfortunately, this decision lead me to seeing Alpha & Omega. These dudes might be the most mediocre hardcore band I've ever heard. They didn't really have much energy and all of their songs lacked the punch that's needed for hardcore to work. Alpha & Omega was just kind of there and their set was wholly forgettable.

It was finally time for Terror to hit the stage. Terror has been amongst my favorite hardcore bands for years and I was so stoked to finally get to see them live, thankfully their stage show delivered. Scott Vogel is an absolute madman on stage running around like a crazy person and just putting everything he has into the performance. Their performance had all the energy and passion that it does on record. There was just one problem with their set: the crowd was shockingly tame. For all the energy Terror was giving off, the crowd didn't even come close to reciprocating it. Vogel's pleas for the crowd to pick it up and move closer to the stage went largely unmet. Of course pits we're still occurring, but they were relatively small and absolutely not big enough for a band like Terror that demands high levels of crowd intensity. Terror definitely put on a great performance, it was just missing the crazy crowd reception that are needed for hardcore shows to thrive.

After Terror wrapped up the upstairs stage for the day, it was time to head back downstairs where Katatonia had just started their set. I've never been into Katatonia and their performance did nothing to sway my opinion. They are undeniably talented band (quite a few songs had some pretty sick solos in them and their vocalist has a pretty good voice), I just find their music to be stagnant and it's simply just not my bag. The crowd definitely disagreed with me big time as they got an excellent reception. I appreciated the musicianship Katatonia has to offer, but their music does nothing for me.

The night came to an end for me with the band I was most excited to see on the day: the mighty Dillinger Escape Plan. Every time you see a Dillinger Escape Plan show you don't what the fuck you're going to get into and this was absolutely the craziest out of the four times I've seen them. Dillinger came barreling onto the stage with "Prancer" from their upcoming record One of Us Is the Killer and just destroyed the stage for fifty minutes nonstop only stopping for about a minute in the middle of the set Ben Weinman to thank the crowd and Greg Puiciato to yell the title of the other new song they played (I couldn't make out what he said to be honest.) Puciato and Weinman did multiple stage dives (there is a rail downstairs, but that didn't stop them) and other various crazy things such as Puiciato performing an entire song on someone's head and ending the set by throwing a couple of Billy Rymer's cymbals around the stage. The crowd was every bit as crazy as Dillinger feeding off the band's insane energy with large pits and crowd surfers galore, it was a truly glorious sight to behold. No one creates chaos in a live setting like the Dillinger Escape Plan and you don't want to look away for a second when they are on the stage. These guys are the epitome of live chaos and remain one of the most elite live acts in all of metal. I am looking forward to see these guys raise hell yet again on Summer Slaughter in August. Dillinger capped off another amazing Metal Fest for me and I'm looking forward to what organizer Scott Lee puts together for the 16th incarnation of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in 2014.

Scores:
TrollfesT 5/10
Fit for an Autopsy 7.5/10
Glass Cloud 7.5/10
Years Since the Storm 4/10
The Contortionist 8.5/10
Within the Ruins 8.5/10
After the Burial 9/10
Born of Osiris 8/10
Alpha & Omega 5/10
Terror 8/10
Katatonia 5/10
The Dillinger Escape Plan 9.5/10

Setlists:
 Fit for an Autopsy:
?
The Conqueror
The Juggernaut
New Song
The Jackal

Glass Cloud:
Ivy & Wine
Falling in Style
White Flag
Counting Sheep
If He Dies, He Dies

The Contortionist:
Holomovement
Oscillator
Causality
Geocentric Confusion
Vessel

Within the Ruins:
Terminal
Solace
Versus
I, Blaspheme
Feeding Frenzy
Invade

After the Burial:
My Frailty
Berzerker
A Steady Decline
Wolf Amongst Ravens (new song)
Your Troubles Will Cease and Fortune Smiles Upon You

Born of Osiris:
Rosecrance
Empires Erased
Ascension
Follow the Signs
Two Worlds of Design
A Solution
Recreate

Terror:
Hard Lessons
Keep Your Mouth Shut
Stick Tight
Lowest of the Low
Out of My Face
Spit My Rage
Overcome
You're Caught
One With the Underdogs
Live by the Code
Keepers of the Faith

Dillinger Escape Plan:
Prancer
Farewell, Mona Lisa
Milk Lizard
Sugar Coated Sour
Panasonic Youth
When I Lost My Bet
Room Full of Eyes
Gold Teeth on a Bum
The Mullet Burden
Sunshine the Werewolf
43% Burnt



  

Movie Review: Trance

Do you like picking up the pieces of your brain at the end of a film? If you're the type of person who does, Trance will be right your alley.

Trance is a sufficiently trippy thriller with constant twists and turns that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. The plot centered around hypnosis makes for the perfect setting for a mind-bending thriller. You never know what's real and what's not because of the hypnotic state the protagonist Simon (the always excellent James McAvoy) is under for most of the film. Simon is put under hypnosis by an American hypnotist (Rosario Dawson, who gives the best performance of her career) in an attempt to locate a valuable painting he was in the process of stealing from the art gallery where he worked on an inside-job gone wrong that lead to Simon getting knocked unconscious with no relocation as to where the painting is. This film has an aura of mystery around it that is consistently enthralling even when the film gets a little bit too bogged- down in the middle with the complexity of the plot. Though the middle is a little bit overwhelming with all the different plot developments and scenes that blur the lines of reality, the final act more than makes up for it. Trance saves its best twist for last making the last twenty minutes or so absolutely brilliant. The ending couldn't have been more satisfying and it wraps up this challenging story on a perfect note. Trance is a elaborate and entertaining film that overcomes its flawed mid-section with an immensely satisfying ending, terrific performances from James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson and an appropriately stylized direction from Danny Boyle. Like Inception, this film take your mind on a psychological roller coaster and it's well-worth the ride if you're up for good ol' head trip.

4/5 Stars  

2013 NFL Mock Draft (Update #2)

My 1st round mock as of today (4/16)
1.Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Jockel, tackle (Texas A&M)
2.Jacksonville Jaguars: Dion Jordan, outside linebacker/defensive end (Oregon)
3.Oakland Raiders: Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle (Flordia)
4.Philadelphia Eagles: Eric Fisher, tackle (Central Michigan)
5.Detroit Lions: Ezikel "Ziggy" Anzah, defensive end/outside linebacker (BYU)
6.Cleveland Browns: Dee Milliner, cornerback (Alabama)
7.Arizona Cardinals: Lane Johnson, tackle (Oklahoma)
8.Buffalo Bills: Geno Smith, quarterback (West Virginia)
9.New York Jets: Star Loutlelei, defensive tackle (Utah)
10.Tennessee Titans: Chance Warmack, guard (Alabama)
11.San Diego Chargers: Jonathan Cooper, guard (North Carolina)
12.Miami Dolphins: Bjoern Werner, defensive end (Florida State)
13.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Xavier Rhodes, cornerback (Florida State)
14.Carolina Panthers: Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle (Missouri)
15.New Orleans Saints: Barkevious Mingo, defensive end/outside linebacker (LSU)
16.St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin, wide receiver (West Virginia)
17.Pittsburgh Steelers: Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver (Tennessee)
18.Dallas Cowboys: Kenny Vaccaro, safety (Texas)
19.New York Giants: Alec Ogletree, inside linebacker (Georgia)
20.Chicago Bears: Arthur Brown, outside/inside linebacker (Kansas State)
21.Cincinnati Bengals: Jarvis Jones, outside linebacker (Georgia)
22.St. Louis Rams: Matt Elam, safety (Flordia)
23.Minnesota Vikings: Keenan Allen, wide receiver (California)
24.Indianapolis Colts: Daonte Jones, defensive end/tackle (UCLA)
25.Minnesota Vikings: Desmond Trufant, cornerback (Washington)
26.Green Bay Packers: D.J Fluker, tackle (Alabama)
27.Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver (Clemson)
28.Denver Broncos: Manti Te'o, inside linebacker (Notre Dame)
29.New England Patriots: Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle (North Carolina)
30.Atlanta Falcons: Jamar Taylor, cornerback (Boise State)
31.San Fransisco 49ers: Eric Reid, safety (LSU)
32.Baltimore Ravens: John Cyprein, safety (Florida International)

Movie Review: 42

If you have watched baseball for any length of time, you are well-aware of the impact Jackie Robinson had on the game. Robinson was the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball during the 1947 season for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson paved the way for Africans-Americans in professional sports and is widely credited for being the person that started the desegregation movement in the late 1940's. 66 years after his Major League debut, Hollywood is finally telling his story and 42 does a more than amicable job of bringing the legend of Jackie Robinson to the big screen.

42 approaches the story of Jackie Robinson with a lot of power. It captures the high notes of his rise to fame with the Dodgers and unflinchingly documents the struggle he went through to achieve his success. Writer/director Brian Helgeland does not downplay the extreme prejudice and discrimination Robinson faced as he entered the league. The use of racial epithets and discriminatory behavior in this film are appropriately sickening and realistic of the time period and Robinson showed a lot of character to endure that level of hateful remarks/behavior on a daily basis. The actual story of his rise to fame isn't as thorough as I would've liked, but for what it lacks in extreme detail it makes up for in heart and inspiration. You can't help but want to stand up and cheer when Robinson accomplishes something. A majority of the scenes on and off-the-field are inspiring and poignant and give you a pretty good idea of the type of extraordinary person Robinson was. Further enhancing the power of 42 is a pair of excellent performances from Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. Boseman gives Robinson an inherit likability and nails the unbreakable spirit and determination he had as both a player and a person. Boseman hasn't had too many major roles prior to his but his outstanding work here all but guarantees he will getting more substantial roles in the future. As good as Bosman is here, I still have to say that Harrison Ford gives this film's strongest performance as Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, the man who brought Jackie Robinson into Major League Baseball. Ford hasn't put this much heart or emotion into a performance in at least twenty years. He lights up the screen every second he is on it and does great justice to the man that brought Robinsion into Major League Baseball with open arms and helped make history (inside and outside of baseball) in the process. 42 is a triumphant, inspirational biopic that manages to successfully bring the legend of Jackie Robinson to the big screen.

4/5 Stars      

Album Review: Fallujah-Nomadic

Few bands make as strong of a first impression as Fallujah did with their 2011 debut The Harvest Wombs.   I was struck immediately by the incredible musicianship and songwriting in their brand of progressive/technical death metal and they instantly became one of the best up-and-coming bands in the whole metal scene. With their new EP, Nomadic, Fallujah has cemented themselves as not only one of the best up-and-coming bands in all of metal, but one of the best bands in metal period.

Nomadic takes the sound Fallujah established on The Harvest Wombs to the next level. The music is a lot more moody and atmospheric this time around while not loosing any of the extreme-metal edge they had in the past. Nomadic may only be 3 tracks, but it packs more of a punch than 95% of the full-length records I've heard in the past years. Aside from the second track, "Silent", which is a low-key, droney instrumental track, Nomadic makes full use of Fallujah's incredible talent. Opening track "The Dead Sea" took my breath away. The riffing is absolutely incredible with a beautiful mid-section and jaw-dropping technical proficiency in the beginning and end of the song. Vocalist Alex Hoffmann improves on his vocals from the previous release with more of an emphasis on his black metal-influenced high screams, which are absolutely killer throughout this record. While not quite as impressive as "The Dead Sea", the EP's final track, Venom Upon the Blade", still kicks a lot of ass. There is once again more exciting guitarwork, punishing blast beats, and of course, the chilling progressive sections that Fallujah has become known for.

Nomadic is absolutely fantastic stuff. Fallujah improves on their already excellent debut in every possible way. The progressive sections are even more well-crafted and ethereal while the heavy sections are just as chaotic and ferocious. Even with only one full-length record and two EP's under their belt, I can already tell this band has exactly it takes to become the next icons in the extreme metal scene. Nomadic is a godlike technical/progressive death metal hybrid and I urge all fans of the genre to pay $3 to download this record and support this incredible upstart band.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
All of it

2013 NFL Mock Draft (Updated)

With only 2 weeks until the NFL Draft, I figured I would do an updated mock draft (Here is the link to my first one from last month http://maitlandsmadness.blogspot.com/2013/03/2013-nfl-mock-draft.html) I am going to do an update for the next 2 weeks as well before the draft on April 25th. Here is my latest mock draft.

1.Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Jockel, tackle (Texas A&M)
2.Jacksonville Jaguars: Dion Jordan, outside linebacker/defensive end (Oregon)
3.Oakland Raiders: Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle (Flordia)
4.Philladelphia Eagles: Eric Fisher, tackle (Central Michigan)
5.Detroit Lions: Ezikel "Ziggy" Anzah, defensive end/outside linebacker (BYU)
6.Cleveland Browns: Dee Millner, cornerback (Alabama)
7.Arizona Cardinals: Lane Johnson, tackle (Oklahoma)
8.Buffalo Bills: Geno Smith, quarterback (West Virginia)
9.New York Jets: Bjoern Werner, defensive end (Florida State)
10.Tennesee Titans: Chance Warmack, guard (Alabama)
11.San Diego Chargers: Jonathan Cooper, guard (North Carolina)
12.Miami Dolphins: Xavier Rhodes, cornerback (Florida State)
13.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Star Lotulelei, defensive end/tackle (Utah)
14.Carolina Panthers: Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle (Missouri)
15.New Orleans Saints: Barkevious Mingo, defensive end/outside linebacker (LSU)
16.St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin, wide receiver (West Virginia)
17.Pittsburgh Steelers: Jarvis Jones, outside linebacker (Georgia)
18.Dallas Cowboys: D.J Fluker, tackle (Alabama)
19.New York Giants: Alec Ogletree, inside linebacker (Georgia)
20.Chicago Bears: Arthur Brown, outside/inside linebacker (Kansas State)
21.Cincinnati Bengals: Kenny Vaccaro, safety (Texas)
22.St. Louis Rams: Matt Elam, safety (Florida)
23.Minnesota Vikings: Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver (Tennessee)
24.Indianpolis Colts: Datone Jones, defensive end/tackle (UCLA)
25.Minnesota Vikings: Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle (North Carolina)
26.Green Bay Packers: Menelik Watson, tackle (Florida State)
27.Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver (Clemson)
28.Denver Broncos: Manti Te'o, inside linebacker (Notre Dame)
29.New England Patriots: Jonathan Hankins, defensive tackle (Ohio State)
30.Atlanta Falcons: Tyler Eifert, tight end (Notre Dame)
31.San Fransisco 49ers: Eric Reid, safety (LSU)
32.Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Minter, inside linebacker (LSU) 

Are There Any Quarterbacks in the 2013 NFL Draft Class Worthy of a 1st Round Pick?

2012 was a monumental season for rookie quarterbacks. The first two overall picks in the 2012 draft, Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) and Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins), made an instant impact and lead their respective teams to surprising playoff berths. Given the success of Luck, Griffin III, and Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) last season, teams that are in need of a quarterback are hoping that there is someone of their caliber in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately for these teams in need of a quarterback, there doesn't appear to be any franchise quarterbacks in this draft.

With the outstanding play of rookie quarterbacks last season, teams are going to naturally overvalue quarterbacks in this draft. These teams that are lacking a quarterback saw what the Colts, Redskins and Seahawks and want a young, incendiary quarterback to turn their struggling team around immediately. On paper at least, There is no Luck, RG3 or Wilson, but these teams with quarterback trouble are more than likely going to cross their fingers and draft a quarterback way ahead of where they should go and hope one of these middling prospects ends up blossoming into a superstar.

Take this year's top-rated prospect Geno Smith (West Virginia) for example. In most years, he probably wouldn't be on the radar as a first-round pick, but in this draft class he is being touted as a top 10 pick. Even with quarterback-needy teams such as the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Buffalo Bills picking up veteran options (Matt Flynn, Carson Palmer and Kevin Kolb respectively) last week, the top 10 speculation for Smith hasn't wavered. Smith has even been seen as a potential first round pickup for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, who both selected quarterbacks in the first three rounds last season and neither Brandon Weeden nor Nick Foles played poorly during their rookie year. This hype on Smith doesn't really make a whole lot of sense since the teams the were most interested in him either went out and got quarterbacks last week (Raiders, Cardinals and Bills) or already have a combination of young guys with potential and serviceable veterans on the roster (Eagles and Browns.)  If these five teams all pass on him, he should slide all the way to the second round, which is a far more reasonable landing spot for a player of Smith's ability. Smith has a slew of question marks surrounding his work ethic, ability to throw in weather conditions and his overall decision-making skills. Teams like the Raiders, Eagles, Browns, Cardinals, and Bills can't afford to gamble a first round pick on Smith when they have so many other needs that can be filled at the top of the draft.

This year's other top prospects are just as cloudy as Geno Smith. Matt Barkley (USC) has suspect arm strength, forces a lot of throws and is coming off a major shoulder injury. Mike Glennon (NC State) has plenty of arm strength, but also tends to force a lot of throws. E.J Manuel (Flordia State) and Ryan Nassib (Syracuse) have potential, but they are both too much of a project to take in the first round. The other guys available like Tyler Bray (Tennessee), Landry Jones (Oklahoma), Tyler Wilson (Arkansas) and Matt Scott (Arizona) don't seem like they will be drafted before the fourth or fifth round and appear to be nothing more than minimal impact guys and after these guys go it doesn't seem like there will be more than one or two other quarterbacks selected for the rest of the draft.

As much as poor teams would like to think otherwise, there does not appear to be a top-notch talent at quarterback in this year's draft class. Teams that are in need of a quarterback are going to have to realize that 2012 was a talent anomaly and there is rarely that level of talent or depth on display in a singular draft class. The NFL is notorious for having a win-now mentality, but these struggling teams are going to need to be patient instead of gambling first round picks on unproven quarterback prospects and risking staying at the bottom of the league for years to come. Time will tell clearly and I could end up being dead wrong, but 2013 has plenty of guys with second or third round talent but no one who is worthy of a first round selection.



 

Movie Review: Evil Dead

The poster for Evil Dead hails it as the most terrifying film you will ever experience. The only thing terrifying about Evil Dead is that someone at Columbia Pictures gave the filmmakers millions of dollars to produce this abomination of a movie.

Evil Dead is essentially a 90-minute master thesis on everything that's wrong with the horror genre. The characters are idiotic and unlikable (I know this is a horror movie and the characters are bound to make some stupid choices, but the choices the characters make in this movie are just ridiculous) the acting and script are abysmal and it's not even close to scary, creepy, suspenseful or most importantly, entertaining. The filmmakers mistake jump scares and cheap gore as "terrifying" and leave everything else criminally underdeveloped. The beginning of the film tries to establish some type of feeble emotional backstory with the heroin-addicted heroine Mia (Jane Levy) and her brother David (Shiloh Hernandez), who wasn't there for when their mom died in a psych ward, but these "emotional" scenes are so poorly acted and conceived that its just laughable. After this relatively weak opening,  the film just spirals further and further down the tubes once it delves into the main storyline. Basically these 5 kids vacationing in a cabin summon a demon (who looks like the possessed girl in The Exorcist spoof in Scary Movie 2)  from a satanic book (which is bound in human flesh and filled with random evil images and warnings to not read, write or say any of the passages in it, but these meddling kids do it anyways!) they find in the basement of the cabin (which is riddled with an astronomical amount of dead cats hanging from the ceiling mind you) and it starts picking them off one by one. Despite all the stupidity that is present, there is not even a second that this film doesn't take itself extremely seriously. The filmmakers think if they shower blood at the screen (ironically during the finale it is literally raining blood,) it will excuse the moronic plot and unfathomable series of choices all of the characters make. If this film went in a more intentionally comedic a la The Cabin in the Woods or Drag Me to Hell, we could've been looking at a fucking great B-movie that was a whole lot of fun to watch. But instead of loading the film with a sense of self-aware badness and dark humor, we get a witless, stone-serious film that strives to be horrifying and just falls flat on its face. The only moment of the entire film that is effective is when at one point one of the main characters screams  "It was horrible, It was so horrible". That line of dialogue accurately sums up what I felt during the entire duration of the film so bravo to the screenwriters for at least getting about five seconds of this otherwise painful movie right. Evil Dead is amongst the worst movies I've ever had the misfortune of seeing in my life and it makes other recent horror remakes like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing look like genre-defining masterpieces. It's nothing more than a cheap attempt to shock the audience by displaying as much spraying blood and severed limbs on screen as humanly possible without establishing any type of legitimate story, entertainment value or characters that you actually give two shits about.  Garbage like this all but ensures that the horror genre is going from being on life support to completely flatlining.

1/5 Stars

Album Review: Tyler, The Creator-Wolf

It's been quite the whirlwind for Tyler, The Creator the past couple years. The 22-year old went from hip-hop unknown to VMA-winner with his own TV show on Adult Swim after the release of his 2011 record Goblin. His third full-length effort, Wolf, sees Odd Future's ringleader going in a more mature direction without losing a grip on the savage material he explored on his first two records.

Wolf sees Tyler, The Creator growing up in a sense. He wanted to take some risks and shed his image as the guy who only raps about murder, rape and other violent/immature things and he definitely succeeds in changing things up a bit. I really dug the honesty in which he raps about his poor relationship with his father on "Answer" and his struggles with newfound fame/bandwagon fans on "Colossus". They provide a nice contrast to the more abrasive material that dominated most of Bastard and Goblin. As much as I like his hardcore edge, he needed to break out of being strictly the dude who raps about chopping bitches up and putting them in the garbage disposal. The serious songs on this record also see Tyler using more laid-back, jazz-inspired beats which I found work better than his more hardcore beats. I've always liked Tyler more as a rapper than a producer, but he's starting to find his niche with the more calm, soulful beats found on certain songs on this record.

Of course it wouldn't be a Tyler, The Creator record without humor and hardcore hip-hop. The first half is mostly the more serious stuff except for the banger "Jamba" with a excellent guest spot from Hodgy Beats and the hilarious trap rap parody "Domo23" which sees Tyler calling out the posers amongst his fans. The second half is primarily focused on the more hardcore material and this is where the album shines. "Rusty" sees Tyler spitting venom for over two minutes on one of the most best verses of his career with impressive guest stints from his Odd Future cohorts Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt while "Tamale" is quick, clever and amusing with a ton of great wordplay. Tyler does some good work on Wolf that's out of his wheelhouse, but he is clearly at his peak when dropping intense verses that are heavy on wit and rage.

Wolf is another solid effort from Tyler, The Creator. He successfully implements a more conscious, reserved style without losing his trademark hardcore bite. While there are a few misfires ("Awkward", "Trashwang" and the ambitious, but just too weird for my taste "Treehome95",) Wolf doesn't suffer from the same inconsistency issues that Goblin did. Tyler, The Creator is still the same pissed-off, funny, smart rapper he's been since Bastard came out, he just has grown up a little bit and thrown in some more serious, personal subject matter to balance out his signature maniacal material. Wolf will probably weed out the bandwagon fans Tyler and the rest of Odd Future has gained over the past couple years while making something more refined yet still true to his hardcore roots for his real, dedicated fans to appreciate.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Rusty ft. Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt
2.Colossus 
3.Tamale 

Album Review: Killswitch Engage-Disarm the Descent

As a longtime fan of Killswitch Engage, The departure of vocalist Howard Jones in early 2012 was unfortunate. He had been the vocalist ever since I started listening to them back in 2006 and End of Heartache was one of the key albums that got me into metal when I was 14 so naturally I was pretty bummed when he announced he was leaving the band. There was only one person that could fill the void after Howard left: original vocalist Jesse Leach and that's exactly who Killswitch tapped as their "new" frontman. There was a considerable amount of hype surrounding Leach's return to the band and I can safely say that Disarm the Descent does not disappoint in the slightest.

Disarm the Descent picks up right where Leach left off with the band 11 years ago. You wouldn't know by listening to this record that there was such a long gap where he wasn't in the band due to how seamlessly organic the material sounds. Leach's return to Killswitch seems to have revitalized the band. The energy that their last record sorely lacked is back in full force and you can tell the band hasn't been this happy making music in years. It almost seems like they were waiting for Leach to return to make another kickass record. Leach is the undisputed star of the record. His vocal performance on this record is nothing short of remarkable. His range and harmony work is better than ever and like his previous studio effort on Hymn of a Broken Man by Times of Grace, there were many times during this album where my jaw was on the floor at some of the notes he was able to hit. Vocalists as well-rounded and talented as Jesse Leach don't come around often in the world of metal and Killswitch is clearly thrilled to have him back in the band. Supporting Leach's outstanding vocal work is some great music being laid down by the whole band. Guitarists Adam D and Joel Strozel have a barrage of catchy heavy and melodic riffs to drive home the power of Leach's vocal performance (the riffs/hooks on "The Hell in Me", "Beyond the Flames", "A Tribute to The Fallen", "Always" and "Time Will Not Remain" have been stuck in my head for the past week) and Justin Foley gives his best drum performance in years. It was also great to see Adam D soloing again. He is one of my favorite soloists of all-time and the last couple records have been painfully short on solos, but thankfully this record fixes that injustice and he gets ample time to just let loose on this record.

Disarm the Descent is a glorious comeback album for Killswitch Engage. Jesse Leach has coming roaring back into the fold bringing the band a level of energy and enthusiasm they haven't had in years. This isn't a record that will sway any of their previous detractors, but fans of Killswitch will be pleased to see their old-school sound of incredibly catchy yet heavy riffs and amazing hooks fully back in play after their disappointing 2009 self-titled album. While it's not quite Alive or Just Breathing (nor was I expecting to be. If I had went with such lofty expectations, There is no way that I would've enjoyed this record,) Disarm the Descent is easily the best album they've released since End of Heartache. Welcome back to Killswitch Engage Jesse Leach and hopefully you're here to stay this time.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Beyond the Flames
2.The Hell in Me
3.A Tribute to the Fallen

April in Film

April is the last month before the summer movie season and this April is particularly scare with only 6 wide releases hitting theaters (excluding the 3D re-release of Jurassic Park.) Despite the small number of releases, there are a few intriguing releases on the schedule. Here are my thoughts on the entire crop of April films.

Films I want to see:
3.Oblivion (4/19): Though I'm not entirely sure what it's about, Oblivion is intriguing to me. The effects looks stunning and the presence of Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman in the cast is promising for its quality.

2.Pain and Gain (4/26): The pairing of Dwayne "The Rock Johnson" and Mark Wahlberg in an action-comedy alone is enough to get me to see this. I'm also excited to see Michael Bay make his first non-big budget film in an almost a decade and the supporting cast including Anthony Mackie, Tony Shaloub, Rebel Wilson, Ed Harris and Ken Jeong is excellent. An added bonus is that the release of a red band trailer last week confirms this is rated R.

1.42 (4/12): I pretty much always love sports movies and the story of an icon like Jackie Robinson, who broke open racial barriers in baseball is a fascinating subject matter for a movie. The trailer makes it look like a triumphant celebration of Jackie Robinson's life and impact on baseball so hopefully the film delivers good on that promise.

Films I'm not sure about:
Evil Dead (4/5):This movie looks sufficiently screwed up and could be legitimately scary. The one thing that's preventing me from being completely sold on it is hit-or-miss screenwriter Diablo Cody being behind it. The reception has been solid so far though so I'm probably going to take the risk on it.

Films I have zero interest seeing in:
Scary Movie 5 (4/12): I liked all previous four Scary Movies. They were stupid, but they were all funny and were fun parody movies. Scary Movie 5 look neither funny nor fun and appears to be nothing more than a cheap cash-in to continue the series.

The Big Wedding (4/26): It does have a large and talented cast, but it's a really pedestrian-looking romantic comedies.