July In Film

July is one of the weakest July's in recent memory. There are some intriguing films but most of the films just looks like average. Here are my most anticipated films of the month of July along with other analysis on the films of July.
Most Anticipated

4. Despicable Me(July 9)- Despicable Me has an amusing trailer and an excellent voice cast including Steve Carell, Russell Brand,Jason Segel, Danny McBride and Kristen Wiig. Sounds like a winner to me.



3.Dinner For Schmucks(July 3o)- The concept to this movie is hillarious plus throw Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and Zack Galinfinakis into anything and I will watch it. Another postive is director Jay Roach has a great resume(Austin Powers franchise,Meet The Parents). The only neagtive is the fact that it is PG-13.



2.Predators(July 9)- I am glad they are finally bringing back the Predator franchise in a the right way. After the horrendous Preadtor 2 and Alien Vs Predator films This film looks great and with Robert Rodriguez producing it looks to be in the right hands. Some of the cast does make me a little iffy (Adrien Brody and Topher Grace) but I still have pretty high expectactions.



1.Inception(July 16)-Christopher Nolan is back. The trailers look absoultely spectacular and the concept is quite intresting. Counting down the days for this one.



Films I am unsure about
The Last Airbender(July 1)-I am most likely going to see this only to laugh at it. It really does not look good outside of the effects and anything M.Night touches now-a-days crashes and burns.

Salt(July 23)-Look a really stupid action flick but since I am an action-movie whore there is a chance I will rent it.


Films that I would never see under my own power:


The Sorcerer's Apprentice(July 14)-I like Jay Burchael and don't mind Nicolas Cage or the director Jon Turtletab(The National Treasure films were entertaining.) but this looks like a god-awful adventure film that would be excuriating to sit through.

Ramona and Beezus(July 23)-No Comment

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore(July 30)-I haven't even seen a trailer for this film but the original is one of the worst movies I have ever seen so I want nothing to with the sequel.

Charlie St.Cloud(July 30)-Zac Efron drama nuff'said.

Album Review: Parkway Drive-Deep Blue

Austraila's Parkway Drive has never been at the top of the metalcore heap. They play your standard meat and potatoes metalcore with a pretty good amount of breakdowns and vocals that are all over the place. That being said Parkway Drive music though pretty basic has always been pretty enjoyable. Their latest Deep Blue continues the trend of Parkway Drive being enjoyable to listen to.

Deep Blue is a little bit different than past Parkway Drive releases. Most of the Parkway Drive formula is still in play breakdowns,catchy riffs etc but there are a couple of surprises to keep their style fresh. The biggest surprise is an apperance by Brett Gurewitz guitarist from punk legends Bad Religion on "Home Is For The Heartless", one of the records standout tracks. His style of playing complients Parkway Drive's crushing riffs well and it is a welcome addition to this record. For longtime fans their is still plenty to like here, Parkway Drive didn't stray too far from its roots as demonstrated by tracks such as lead single "Sleepwalker". They still have heavy yet catchy riffs, melodic soloing and the chaotic vocal attack of Winston McCall. The only thing that really weighs this record down is some of the breakdowns feel really forced and don't belong especially on "Unrest". The song only clocks in at around 2:30 and the breakdowns feel like they are just there for the sake of being there.

This record is worth checking out if you are fan of Parkway Drive or metalcore. Though not that original it still gets the job done. Parkway Drive doesn't dissapoint and continues to make solid albums and if they make a few slight changes to their sound I think they could take that next step as a band.

3.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Sleepwalker

2.Home Is For The Heartless

3.Deadweight

Movie Review: Youth In Revolt

Ah Michael Cera. He really hasn't escaped playing the same role since his breakout in 2007's "Superbad". He is always the somewhat awkward kid with few friends and girl troubles Youth In Revolt doesn't do much to change that but I must say he fits the role perfectly.

This go-round Cera plays Nick Twisp. Nick is an outcast with no friends who lives with his mom (Jean Smart) and her boyfriend Jerry (Zack Galinfinakis). After Jerry sells a faulty Chevy Nova to a group of sailors they leave their home for a vacation. On this vacation Nick meets Sheeni(Portia Doubleday). Nick falls in love with Sheeni but Sheeni tells him that he is not her type. When Nick goes back home he creates an alternate persona Francois Dillinger who causes destruction in attempt to woe Sheeni.

I am really split on Youth In Revolt. Parts of it work very well there are a quite few sequences that are hillarious. The cast is spectacular and they all bring their A-game. The cast despite being one of its strengths is also one of its issues. When you have cast consiting of such great comedic talents like Justin Long, Fred Willard, Zack Galinfinakis and even Steve Buscemi wouldn't you use them longer? All of them are in for far too short of a period of time and they are the best parts of the entire film. Cera as usual is good but he honestly needs to try something new as he is becoming really one-dimensional with his roles.

Overall Youth In Revolt is worth seeing. It is pretty funny for most of its duration and it has superb cast of great comedic talent. It could of been much better, could of been much worse.

3/5 Stars

Album Review: Nachtmystium-Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2

Nachtmystium is one of the strangest bands in the entire metal scene right now. They have elements of pschydelic rock, euro-trance, prog rock, post-rock and black metal. It sounds like an extremely odd combination on paper and the sound is just as strange and it works to mixed results.

Nachtmystium is no stranger to this style. This magnum opus series of albums that started with 2008 "Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1" was odd,unique and it clicked for the most part. Sadly Addicts lacks the coheison that Assassins had. Don't get wrong there is a lot of good stuff here that is executed extremely well but some of the ideas are just too out there and just do not click as a whole. A prime example of a misfire on this album is "Then Fires" its pretty much a tribute to jam bands like Phish and it really is just a mess of a song. Despite its flaws though there are moments of sheer brillance on this record. Such as "Nightfall" which is by far the best track on Addicts and it has everything that makes Nachtymystium one of the most creative and edgy bands in all of metal.

This record is completley hit or miss. There are a good amount of genius moments and good amount of WTF moments. This record is also absoultely a grower and it will take mulitple listens to solidify your opinion of it. Nachtmystium is defintley ambitious and 100% unique but sometimes too much of both for their own good.

3/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Nightfall

2.No Funeral

3.Ruined Life Continum

Album Review: Eminem-Recovery

Ever since I heard Eminem for the first time about 7-8 years ago I knew he was something special. His first couple of records The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP are among the best rap records of all time. Recently though Eminem has been coming up short. Encore was very weak and Relapse had its moments but it got worse on each listen. Recovery sadly continues the decline in quality in his albums.

The main problem with Recovery is just how weak the material is. I understand that he is trying to make postive material for the most part but its way too sappy and it feels extremely forced. Plus when your bring guest artists like Rihanna and Lil Wayne in you know there is a severe problem. Eminem just went off the deep end and I honestly don't think any of the ideas on this record were even his. For example the song with Lil Wayne "No Love" features a sample of the song "What Is Love" made famous by the film, "A Night At The Roxbury" and has Lil Wayne dropping another of his many ingenous rhymes "Lets fuck the world, get a kid out of her". The main problem is the song is supposed to be dead serious then it drops that sample and then add Lil Wayne's terrible lyrics and flow it turns into a complete joke. Another glaring issue is the album when can't decide on a tone. On the albums biggest dud "W.T.P" he tries to recapture the humor of his past albums. Eminem raps at a blistering pace in a voice that is stupider than anything on his past record Relapse and the song is really just a complete mess. The one shining moment on this record is "Going Through Changes" which samples Black Sabbath and is the only time on the whole record where old Eminem shines through.

This album is just such a huge letdown. When you have a talent like Eminem and he make something so weak and just unlike him its like a punch in the face to his fans. Sure some people will eat it up just because it is a new Eminem record but I really expected more of him. Hopefully he hasn't offically sold out and can come back with a great record. Eminem needs to go back to the old-school, stop working with shit producers,go back to work with Dr.Dre and no one but Dr.Dre and bring in guests that are actually good instead of just who is insanely popular at the moment.

2/5 Stars

Standout Track

1.Going Through Changes

Movie Review: The A-Team

The joy of summer time has finally hit. As with each and every summer there is a vast array of action films. The A-Team is one of the entries in the action genre in the summer of 2010. The A-Team along with being a summer action is also a remake of the beloved(?) 80's tv series. The A-Team proves to be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to summer action films.

The A-Team consists of Col. Hannibal Smith(Liam Nesson), Faceman Peck(Bradley Cooper), B.A Barracus(Quentin "Rampage" Jackson) and H.M Murdock(Sharalto Copley). The team forms during a chance meeting between Smith and Barracus in Mexico during a rescue of Face. Since that meeting the team since went to be one of the most sucsessful combat teams in the entire millitary and it remained that way for 8 years. Untill a mission involving the recovery of stolen plates that process counterfiet U.S currency. The team is set up and ends up being thrown in prison and dishonorably discharged. Six months later Hannibal escapes from prison and assists in breaking the rest of the team out of prisons in various places all over the country and the world. The team reforms and attempt to clear their names and recover the plates.

The A-Team is a highly enjoyable film to watch. It is a fun summer film with a bunch of absurd stunts, explosions and an engaging plot. The acting is surprisingly pretty good with Sharalto Copley stealing the show with a hillarious turn as mentally unstable Murdock. Liam Neeson,Bradley Cooper and even UFC fighter Rampage Jackson all do well in their roles. The humor also works really well which is a plus because the film never takes it self too seriously and doesn't bog itself down with tone problems. Despite a 117 minute run time it actually moves along at a brisk pace and there is never a dull moment.

The A-Team is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2010. I really did not expect to enjoy this film from the pretty weak trailers. If you take it for what it is and don't overanalyze the realism of the action then you will enjoy it. The A-Team is a really fun ride and is a quintessential summer blockbuster.

4/5 Stars

2009-2010 NBA Season: End Of The Year Awards

The NBA season ended last night with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their 2nd straight title(boo) after defeating the Boston Celtics. This NBA season had a lot of twist and turns and overall been a lot of fun to watch. Here my picks for some of my end-of the year awards.

MVP:Kobe Bryant(Lakers)-There is no player that is as impressive as Kobe Bryant. This season as usual he dominated every aspect of the game and was at the top his game each and every night.

Rookie Of The Year: Brandon Jennings (Bucks)- Though the Kings Tyreke Evans might have slightly better stats I would have to choose Brandon Jennings as Rookie Of The Year. Jennings is an extremely talented passer and excellent 3 point shooter. Jennings is one of the most talented players to come into the league the past few years and is an essential part of the surging Milwaukee Bucks.

Defensive Player Of The Year:Dwight Howard(Magic)- Howard is an absolute monster on defense. He proved it again this year shutting down pretty much everyone in his path.

Eastern Conference Team on the Rise: Milwaukee Bucks- The Bucks could cause some serious issues in the Eastern Confernce next year. Brandon Jennings is only going to get better, Andrew Bogut is a great post prescence and the return Of Michael Redd could have them in the hunt for the best team in the East.

Western Conference Team on the rise:Oklahoma City Thunder- The Thunder are young but so very talented. Kevin Durant is the next superstar in this league. He is a swingman and born leader. Durant's company around him is who quite solid. Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden are all very dangerous players as well. Now that they have been to playoffs and had another year to mature. Next year could be a great one for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Eastern Conference Team on the decline: Atlanta Hawks- Sure the Hawks still have a great team but after their horrific series with the Magic and the potential departure of Joe Johnson the Hawks could possibly be in trouble.

Western Conference Team on the decline: San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs are way too old and are really lacking young players to balance out with their veterans. I won't be surprised if they don't make the playoffs next year.



My All-NBA First Team
G Kobe Bryant
G Lebron James
F Kevin Durant
F Amar'e Stoudmaire
C Dwight Howard

Second Team
G Rajon Rondo
G Deron Williams
F Gearald Wallace
F Dirk Nowitzki
C Carlos Boozer

Third Team
G Brandon Roy
G Steve Nash
F Carmelo Anthony
F Chris Bosh
C Andrew Bogut

Album Review: Nas/Damian Marley-Distant Relatives

Finally a mainstream rapper taking a risk on a record! Recently plenty of mainstream rappers that I have enjoyed in the past (Jay-Z,Eminem(a review for his new record Recovery should be up in the next couple of days,etc) have sold out and made complete commerical shit that has nothing in common with their previous records. Nas has always been one of the best rap acts around and with his new collobration record with Damian Marley he proves that he is not going down the same path.

The best thing about this record is the beats. There is a lot of experimentation with the tribal music of Africa and other world music that is really original and fresh. I haven't heard beats this good in quite some time. Damian Marley's prescense also adds a whole new range to Nas's style and they suit each other very well. Reggage and rap might be two different genres,but on this record the blend is just right with not letting one another completely take control of the record. Another huge standout is the lyrics. They are extremely heartfelt about the world's problems. "Africa Must Wake Up" and "Land Of Promise" are particularlly powerful and convey the strongest message on the record.

This is a must-listen record for hip-hop fans. In a genre that is currently full of forgettable, meaningless trash, Nas and Damian Marley have made a standout record. Kudos to Nas for not selling out and sticking to his artistic vision unlike so many of his peers.

4/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Land Of Promise

2.Count Your Blessings

3.Africa Must Wake Up

Movie Review: Daybreakers

Horror is one of my least favorite film genres. Most of the films in the genre are just awful remakes or are simply disastarous film. Seeing the trailer for Daybreakers though intrigued me. It didn't really seem like a typical 2000's era horror film. Daybreakers looked ot me like it could be the light in a darkened genre. Let's just say its one of the more puzzling film experiences I have endured in recent memory.

The premise behind Daybreakers is that the world has been taken over by vampires. Vampire Corroprations are hunting humans everywhere and harvesting them for their blood. The human population is at a devistatingly low number Hematolgoist Edward Dalton(Ethan Hawke) is attemping to devlop a blood subsituite to attempt to overcome the shortage of humans. Despite Edward's dedication to devloping a substitute he really is not getting anywhere and time is running out. Edward is soon confronted by a human survivor group led by Audrey Bennett(Claudia Kravan). Audrey introduces Edward to Elvis(Wilem Dafoe) a former vampire who turned himself back to a human. While Edward seems to find his cure all hell breaks loose and Vampires keep becoming more and more desprate for blood.

Like I mentioned earlier this film is puzziling. At times it is brillantly executed B-movie fun. Parts of this film are among some of the best horror filmaking I have seen in quite some time. At other times though the film just becomes melodramatic and really unintresting. The script I think is to blame. The script isn't terrible but it's just not sure what kind of film it wants to be. Daybreakers is stuck between kind of cheesy sci-fi horror fun and bland melodrama.

Daybreakers is still worth seeing. The parts that work are brillant and you can get over its flaws. Sure the acting isn't the greatest(except for Wilem Dafoe who has a ton of fun with his character) and at times it is pretty weak but the story is unique and for the most part it is fun to watch. Daybreakers somewhat breaks the mold and is better than 95% of the recent crap this genre has served up.

3/5 Stars

Album Review: Whitechapel-A New Era Of Corruption

Pleasant surprise is one of the best emotions you can feel. Pleasant surprise is the perfect way to describe Whitechapel's new record A New Era Of Corruption. Upon the announcement of this record I was pretty excited. I really dug their last release "This Is Exile" but when they released the first single "The Darkest Day Of Man" my excitement for the new record went down a lot. Thankfully "The Darkest Day Of Man" is the lowlight of the album and there is a lot of songs on here that more than make up for it.

Whitechapel has always gotten a lot of shit from the death-metal purists because of their breakdown-heavy brand of deathcore. Whitechapel comes out and proves their harshest critics wrong with the album's opening one-two punch "Devolver" and "Breeding Violence". These tracks have great heavy riffs and blistering solos that will catch a lot people by surprise. Actually their is a lot on this record that caught be by surprise. Some songs ("Single File To Dehumanization","Prayer Of Mockery","Necromechanical") don't even sound like Whitechapel at all. I never excepted piano,accoustic guitar and even industrial-metal style riffing on a Whitechapel record. Sure there are still breakdowns,blast beats and Phil Bozeman's trademark bark but Whitechapel experimented with things and showed they do have range and aren't just another one-dimesional,boring deathcore band.

I have to give Whitechapel props for this record. There is a bunch of things I never thought I would hear on Whitechapel record. Whitechapel is a deathcore band that is very near the top in terms of quailty in the genre and deserve some respect from the purists.

4/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Single File To Dehumanization

2.Reprogrammed To Hate

3.Prayer Of Mockery

Movie Review: Get Him To The Greek

2010 has been exceptionally good for comedies. From "Hot Tube Time Machine to "MacGruber" to "Death At A Funeral" all have been laugh riots. Get Him To The Greek continues the great comedy trend.

This film marks the return of the infamous Aldous Snow(Russell Brand). Aldous has fallen on hard times after his disastorous record "African Child" kills his career. Meanwhile in Los Angeles record executive Sergio Roma(Diddy) is desperate for ideas to make the label a lot of money. Aaron Green(Jonah Hill) comes up with the idea to have Aldous Snow play a anniversary concert at the Greek Theater. Sergio loves the idea and wants Aaron to pick up Aldous in London and escort him to Los Angeles. When arriving in London Aaron realizes that he is in way over his head. Aldous is a strung-out mess and a series of hillarious events keep creating setbacks in the arrival time to Los Angeles.

Get Him to The Greek is a prime example of how to make a great comedy. First off Russell Brand and Jonah Hill have great chemistry. They feed off each other so well and it is just a joy to watch them together on screen. The script is also sharp and witty. You rarely go more than a minute without laughing your ass off during the duration of this film. Another brightspot is how many awesome cameos there are. Everyone from Aziz Asari to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich are in it and it has some of the best uses of cameo in a film in a long time. The biggest surprise about this film has to be Diddy stealing the show. His character has hands down some of the most memorable lines in the entire film and Diddy proves that he can pull of comedy with extreme precision.

Get Him To The Greek is just a flat-out hysterical movie. If you enjoy really vulgar,clever,Judd Apatow humor this movie is for you. Like I mentioned earlier 2010 is coming together really nicely for comedies and with the upcoming "Dinner For Schmucks", "Grown-Ups" and "The Other Guys" I hope the trend continues.

4.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Howl-Full Of Hell

Debut albums are always an intresting topic. They are always your first impression of how band might be. Some bands strike you immidately by how good their first album Other bands evolve and get better as time goes on. Howl is one of those bands who strike upon first listen.

Full Of Hell is actually one of the most impressive debut albums of the past few years. Howl's mix of Mastodon sludge and Saint Vitus doom is very effective. The styles are rarely more effectively combined or done with such precision. I would have to stay though the most impressive thing about this record is the riffs. Howl writes some of the best riffs I have heard in quite some time. The riffs are extremely heavy yet slow and pretty. How tight the band plays together is also quite the feat. They sound like they have put about 4 or 5 albums already. Most bands wish they had Howl's level of cohesiveness.

If Howl keeps up at this pace they will be joining Mastodon,Baroness and Kylesa as sludge legends. Though this only their debut album, if they keep up the slick riffs, awesome sludge/doom fusion and their spectauclar coheviseness they will be pretty much be a tour-de force band. Howl is one of the bands to watch for the next couple of years and I think they will explode. Howl has enormous potential and I am eagerly awaiting their next release.

4/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Gods In Broken Men

2.Jezebel

3.You Jackals Beware

Album Review: Deftones-Diamond Eyes

Deftones have been through a lot recently. Bassist Chi Cheng had a severe car crash in November 2008. He was in a coma for about 2 months untill he woke up again. He still can not walk but he is slowly getting better. In the wake of this Deftones scrapped their already-recorded still unrelased record Eros to write Diamond Eyes.

I was not really a fan of the Deftones. Their music has always been really average and just really nothing stood out about it. The only album of theirs I somewhat enjoyed was White Pony. I decided though that I would give Diamond Eyes a chance mainly due to the very postive feedback and the possibilty of seeing them live with Alice In Chains and Mastodon. I am glad I did.

The thing that stands out most about Diamond Eyes is Chino Moreno's vocals. He has really raised the bar vocally for himself. Chino also does a great job lyrically. He focuses on a lot of positive themes and their is a lot of thought put into his lyrics. This record is also noticeably heavier than past Deftones record. Tracks like "You've Seen The Butcher" and "CMND/CTRL" are among the heaviest Deftones tracks ever recorded. Heavy works a lot better for the Deftones than the experimental sound of their past couple records. Despite being heavy at points its also really melodic. There is a lot of different styles here and I can defintley dig that.

This record is worth checking out for sure. It has a lot of appeal to people who like a lot of different genres. This is the best Deftones record yet and as pretty much a complete non-fan prior this to record, Diamond Eyes turned me into a fan.

3.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.You've Seen The Butcher

2.Beauty School

3.Diamond Eyes

June in Film

June has some pretty intresting releases. Everything from a cult comic book legend to the film version of a 70's TV Series to the third installment of a beloved animated series. Here is a look at my most anticipated films of the months of June.

5. The A-Team (June 11)- This update of the 70's tv series doesn't really look particularlly good but I am excited to see it none the less. It should be good for a laugh just to see Rampage Jackson play B.A and Liam Nesson look really confused as to why he is in it.

4.Jonah Hex(June 18)-Jonah Hex is based on a cult comic book which I never read but have great things about. I am a little uneasy about this film. It could be amazing or it could be an absolute disaster. It does have Josh Brolin who is one of the best actors around right now. Also it has a script by Brian Neveldine/Chris Taylor (Crank franchise,Gamer) who know how to make a film like this work. Best part about Jonah Hex score by my favorite band Mastodon! We will have to wait and see how it pans out.

3.Grown-Ups (June 25)-Adam Sandler,Chris Rock,Kevin James and David Spade in the same movie. Should be a really good time and it has all the makings of a potential Sandler classic.

2.Toy Story 3(June 18)- Toy Story remains to this day one of my favorite films of all time. It is a masterpiece. I am really excited for this film. I hope they can even reach half of the excellence that first film was and continue the winning tradition of these films. All of the characters are back from the first two films and they even introduce some new ones. Can't wait.

1.Get Him To The Greek (June 4)- Toy Story 3 was ahead of this until I saw the restricted trailer for this. The restricted trailer is tear-enduncing hillarious. The fact that they are bringing back the Aldois Snow character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall is also great because I think everyone who liked Forgetting Sarah Marshall wanted more of that character. It looks like it could be a contender for funniest film of the year and I am quite excited to see it.

June films I am unsure about.
Killers(June 4)-The trailers look pretty meh but it does have Rob Riggle and Tom Selleck in the supporting cast so it could be not bad.

Splice(June 4)-I had pretty much no intrest in this film until I heard the great word of mouth it is getting. It looks like simply another stupid horror film and I am not big on Adrien Brody either. Might give it a bid on DVD.

The Karate Kid (June 11)- Doesn't look as bad you would think. Due to my love for the original I will check it out on DVD.

Would never see in a millon years
Marmaduke(June 4)
Knight and Day(June 25)
Twilight Saga:Eclispe(June 30)