Movie Review: The Mechanic

Jason Statham is one of my favorite actors in all of Hollywood. As I have mentioned before, I am a big action film fan and Statham is one of the best action stars on the planet. He almost always tends to make entertaining, high adrenaline, fun movies. Sure, most of his films are pretty simple in terms of plot and he tends to play similar characters, but they always tend to be good action flicks. The Mechanic continues Statham's consistent track record of quality action films.

The Mechanic is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name which starred Charles Bronson (who Statham is frequently compared to.) Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a contract killer that specializes in the art of killing people without the target even knowing he is there. Bishop is eventually given a contract by his boss, Dean(Tony Goldwyn), to kill his good friend and mentor Harry McKenna(Donald Sutherland). Arthur hesitantly agrees and kills Harry.

After Harry's funeral, Arthur ends up befriending Harry's son Steve (Ben Foster). Eventually, Arthur ends up becoming his mentor and training him to become an elusive hitman. Steve's personal troubles crossover into his work as a hitman and things get more complicated when Steve begins to suspect that Arthur killed his father.

The Mechanic does what it sets out to do, entertain and provide a good time at the movies. I will say that the first half is pretty mediocre. It's gets off to kind of a clunky, uninteresting start which kinds of hurts the film. The second half is pretty damn enjoyable though and it makes up for the flaws in the first half. As usual for a Statham film, the action scenes are pretty badass. The quick cut, bloody action scenes are well done and thrilling. It really doesn't get old watching Statham tear through hordes of bad guys in every movie, he is the modern equivalent of Arnold Schwarzanager, except twice as cool and with twice as much charisma. Ben Foster throws in a solid turn as well. He is one of the best young actors in Hollywood right now (his performances in Alpha Dog and 3:10 To Yuma, especially, are spectacular) and it was interesting to see him in a straight action flick. I hope he continues to get more exposure, he is a damn fine actor.

The Mechanic is yet another good Jason Statham action movie. Despite it's average start, it ends up being pretty entertaining and an overall fun time at the movies. Jason Statham has done better and he has done worse, but his movies are almost always a good time to watch and The Mechanic is no exception.

3.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Thomas Giles-Pulse

Tommy Rodgers, vocalist for progressive metal band Between The Buried and Me is one of the most talented musicians on the planet. On Pulse, his 2nd solo album (1st under the pseudonym Thomas Giles), he plays every instrument on the whole album and shows off his diverse musical influences.

Pulse, is a varied and fascinating release. Rodgers pull out just about every genre in the book from ambient, electronic madness ("Hamilton Anxiety Scale", "Mr.Bird") to acoustic, country-esque ballads("Scared"). This record will take you on a journey. Rodgers has such a wide vocal range and it suites literally every style on here. That takes a special kind of talent to pull off and Rodgers makes it look easy. Just like his work with Between The Buried and Me, he does everything from falsetto to screaming vocals. The vocals on here are mostly clean, which is fine by me, Rodgers has an amazing singing voice, but from time to time there is some brilliantly placed screaming to enhance the tracks and add another layer of complexity to each song.

Pulse is one hell of a ride. It's not for everyone, it's a highly experimental, odd records, but I think it's worth checking out. Tommy Rodgers is one of the most creative and talented people in the music industry right now. His craftsmanship, creative drive, precision on every instrument and vast range of influences makes Pulse a highly enjoyable roller-coaster ride of an album. He shows his talents aren't exclusive to metal and his solo albums branches out all over the place. This is pretty different than Between The Buried and Me's material, it's an experimental rock record that you can't really classify as just one genre, there is such an impressive range of styles on display here. It's great in a whole different way and it shows just how ambitious Rodgers is with his music. Pulse is another original and great effort from Tommy Rodgers.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Reverb Island
2.Medic
3.Hamilton Anxiety Scale

Mayhem Fest 2011 Lineup

Despite the fact they delayed the announcement, I can confirm the lineup for Mayhem Fest. Some of the stage placements might be screwed up and I am assuming that two of the rotating Main Stage openers will be headlining the side stage when not opening the Main Stage. Without further ado, here is the Mayhem Fest 2011 lineup

Main Stage:
Godsmack
Disturbed
Megadeth

Rotating Main Stage Opener/Side Stage Headliners(?)
Machine Head
In Flames
Trivium

Jager Stage:
Unearth
Kingdom Of Sorrow
Red Fang
Jager Band

Extreme Stage(name change is most likely):
Suicide Silence
All Shall Perish
Straight Line Stitch

My thoughts on the lineup
Godsmack: I like some of their older stuff and I have never seen them before. Not a bad choice for a headliner.

Disturbed: I have really grown out of liking Disturbed in the past few years. It's not that I hate their music, I just don't really enjoy it that much anymore. They were good live when I saw them at Mayhem 08, we will see what I think this time around.

Megadeth: I am absolutely elated that they are playing Mayhem this year. I have never seen them live before and they are one of my all time favorite bands. I was pretty sad when I missed them on the American Carnage tour with Slayer and Testament last year, I am very,very excited at the chance to finally see them live.

Machine Head: Another band that I really enjoy. They put on a great live show and I am happy they are on the lineup.

In Flames: My second favorite band on the lineup. Even though last few releases have been a severe drop in quality from their earlier material, their live performance is excellent. I hope they headline a side stage on my Mayhem date this year.

Trivium:Ugh, one of the 2 bands on the tour this year that I can't stand. They were terrible at Mayhem 09 and I will be taking a pee break during them for sure.

Unearth:Another one of my favorites. I am really pumped at seeing them again(I am hopefully going to see them in 3 weeks at their benefit show for their ex-bassist Chris "Rover" Rybicki). They put on a fun,high-energy performance, easily the best permanent side stage band on the tour.

Kingdom Of Sorrow: I am a big fan of Jamey Jasta and I like his side project with Kirk Windstein of Crowbar and Down a good amount. They are a quality act that should put on a good show.

Red Fang:The oddball band on this lineup for sure. I am not that familiar with their stuff, but I've liked what I have heard. Should be cool to see.

Suicide Silence: I am indifferent about this band. This will mark the fifth time I have seen them, I am a little sick of seeing them live. They could picked someone better, but then again they could have pick someone a lot worse too.

All Shall Perish:One of the best deathcore acts around. I have seen them twice before and they are a very good live band. Should be a good time seeing for the 3rd time.

Straight Line Stitch: Far and away the worst band on the bill, in my opinion. I just find this band to be really bad. They will be a merch and Rockstar break for me, I really have zero interest in seeing them.

It's a good lineup overall and I am excited to go to Mayhem for the fourth straight year.

Fleshgod Apocalypse Confirmed For Summer Slaughter 2011

Fleshgod Apocalypse is the first band officially confirmed for Summer Slaughter 2011. This is very exciting news, I am a huge fan of theirs and I really want to see them live again. Stay tuned for more news as the Summer Slaughter lineup gets formed.

NFL Conference Championship Picks

This is what all comes down to, a trip to the Super Bowl is up for grabs this weekend. We got 2 exciting matchups on the card this weekend, Here are my picks for the conference championship games tomorrow.

Green Bay Packers over Chicago Bears
As much it as it mains me to say as a diehard Bears fan, I don't think they will beat Green Bay tomorrow. The Packers are the hottest team still alive in the playoffs an Aaron Rodgers is playing at an elite level right now. The Packers have a spectacular defense anchored by Clay Matthews, who is a nightmare for any offensive line to contain, especially a team like the Bears, who's biggest weakness is offensive line play. I really hope the Bears surprise me and can pull it out, but I don't see it happening.

Pittsburgh Steelers over New York Jets
The Steelers won the best game of the playoffs so far against the Ravens last weekend and I think their big comeback in that game will translate into a victory in this game. The Jets are dangerous, as they proved last week by defeating the Super Bowl favorite New England Patriots. The Jets are playing really well, but I think the Steelers have the edge in this matchup. Ben Rothelisberger knows how to handle big games with ease and his performance should lead to a victory in a tight game.

Album Review: Times Of Grace-The Hymn Of A Broken Man

"Reunited and it feels so good", Peaches and Herb exclaimed in the 1978 disco classic "Reunited". This could also apply to ex-Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who reunited and formed Times Of Grace. The Hymn Of A Broken Man marks the first times Leach and Dutkiewicz have made music since the classic Killswitch Engage album Alive Or Just Breathing in 2002. This record is a hell of a way to reunite after all their years apart.

The Hymn Of A Broken Man is a surprisingly melodic effort, which works very well for them. I was expecting a melodic effort, but not like this. Acoustic guitars are used on certain tracks, there are even a couple of ballads! This makes Times Of Grace sound more versatile than I would have expected. Jesse Leach does a magnificent job with vocals. The raw emotion and power of his voice make his positiver and emotional lyrics seems authentic. Leach is one of the best overall vocalists in the metal world and this is a glorious return to for him after spending some time in the world of southern rock with his last band, Seemless. Adam D steps up his guitarwork. This record finally showcases his immense talent as a guitar player. He can solo with the best of him especially on tracks like "Strength In Numbers" and "Worlds Apart".

The Hymn Of A Broken Man is a must listen for fans of old Killswitch Engage or similar acts. It's a great record that has tinges of Jeese Leach-era Killswitch mixed with a more melodic sound. There is a lot of catchy riffs,amazing singing and screaming vocals from Leach and even some experimentation thrown in for good measure. It's great to see Leach and Dutkiewicz back together making music, this is a damn fine record and I hope this side project continues to make music in the future.

4/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Live In Love

2.Worlds Apart

3.The Forgotten One

10 Worst Bands In Metal

I have had some friends of mine request that I do a post on who I think the 10 worst bands in all of metal are, well I figured it would be an interesting post to do. I know some people are going to disagree strongly with is and that's cool, I don't expect everyone to agree with it. I seriously listen to just about every metal subgenre and I consider myself to be pretty open-minded and I will give anything a chance. That being said, there are a good amount of shitty metal bands and this is the worst of the worst in my eyes. Also, for reference purposes I am not including a lot of bands that I can't stand that are "post-hardcore". Bands like Black Veil Brides, We Came As Romans, Pierce The Veil, Abandon All The Ships and the other 12 year old girl bands would have made the list, but I decided to exclude them. Without further ado, here are my 10 picks for the 10 worst bands in metal currently.

10.Impending Doom
Impending Doom always make me laugh for many reasons, mainly because they are a Christian deathcore band. I have nothing against Christians or Christian Metal, it's just that when you are trying to be an "extreme" metal act it's kind of ironic that you sing songs about Jesus. Even without their faith, they do nothing but play shitty breakdown after shitty breakdown and have muffled pig squeals that sound like the fucking Cookie Monster. The Lord doesn't like them and neither do I.

9.Cradle Of Filth
Recently I have got into black metal and there is a lot of great stuff in the genre, Cradle Of Filth is not one of those bands. They are basically the laughingstock of the whole genre. Dani Filth sounds like a cat and they try way too hard to have epic symphonic parts like (old)Dimmu Borgir and they just feel out of place with their sound. They are the absolute bottom of the barrel when it comes to black metal, no band is even close to as lame or cheesy as Cradle Of Filth

8.Architects(UK)
I hated the Architects, then I saw them live. Their live shows is one of the most painful things I have ever witnessed, it was an absolutely abysmal performance which dragged on and felt like an eternity. Every song sounded exactly the same, you couldn't tell when one ended and the next began. I went back and listened to their studio stuff and it's just bad. Some of the most generic and boring metal on the planet.

7.Attila
Even though I am straight edge, I like a good party metal band or album (Municipal Waste's The Art Of Partying made my best albums of the decade list) That being said I hate Attila with a passion. Their songs are just so bad, they are "HELL YEAH, WEED, PARTY, BEER, JAGER, SHIT I FUCKED A TRANNY, PUKE, PASS OUT IN THE BUSHES, AWESOME TUESDAY NIGHT BRO" with 9,000 breakdowns in each song. I really don't mind breakdowns, it's just when it's the only thing you do, it gets really old really fast. Attila is the metal version of the Kottonmouth Kings, stupid, horrible music about getting wasted.

6.Hellyeah
You would think a band with Vinnie Paul, the drummer for Pantera, would be in a better band for his next project. Instead Vinnie Paul decides to waste his talent with vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne) in their side project. Hellyeah is an insanely generic hard rock/metal group that pumps out complete shit and is mostly enjoyed by rednecks and no one else.

5.Chelsea Grin
Chelsea Grin has blown up in the world in of the deathcore pretty much over night. Personally, deathcore is very hit or miss for me. There a good of amount bands that do it well (Winds Of Plague,Veil Of Maya,The Acacia Strain,All Shall Perish, others) and there a lot of bands that are straight up garbage, Chelsea Grin falls in the latter category. The fact that people can take this band seriously astonishes me. Their vocalist makes the single most wretched noise I have ever heard come out of a human being, It's a laughable attempt at death metal vocals. Their vocals are about as brutal as an episode of Dora The Explorer. Aside from the vocals, their ground game is nothing but breakdowns. A talentless band that is only a good for a laugh when you want to listen to some really awful metal.

4.Rose Funeral
One of the few deathcore bands that are worse than Chelsea Grin. When I first heard their music I seriously couldn't believe how bad it was. Everything about this a band is a joke, the vocals are pathetic, the guitarist knows 2-3 chords and every song is way too long. In addition to making awful music, they are also awful people. They beat kids up at a Nile show last year because they were playing UNO in the front row during their set, says a lot about their character. Awful band and despicable human beings.

3.Emmure
I don't even know where to start with this band. Emmure is a band that just fails at everything they want to do. They are a half-assed, wannabe version of The Acacia Strain. The only difference between the two is where The Acacia Strain has old-school New York hardcore influences (and are actually a good band), Emmure's sound has a big influence from Limp Bizkit. It's equal parts amusing and pathetic how hard vocalist Frankie Palmeri wants to be Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit. When it comes down to their music, it's flat-out pitiful. They always do that stupid screeching sound with the guitar that sounds like the AC-130 from Modern Warfare 2, to say it's obnoxious would be a huge understatement. Frankie's vocals are also a joke, the fact that he will start a line rapping and finish it screaming, is a riot to me. They try so hard to be heavy and cutting edge, when in reality they are just a bunch of wanna be rappers that can't play their instruments and write faux-brutal lyrics that are so stupid you can't help but laugh hysterically at them. That being said, If you think Emmure is a joke on disc, see them live. I've seen Emmure live twice and I can say that they are easily the worst live band I have ever seen. Frankie walks around the stage like he is the coolest guy on the planet and acts like a rapper, he thinks so highly of himself it's really sad. Seeing Emmure live is a truly painful and experience that can drain the fun of a concert instantly(until they get off the stage at least). Emmure is a group full of clowns and their music is just embarrassing.

2.Attack Attack!
There is only one reason this band isn't number 1, they don't take themselves seriously, which is about the only good I can say about this band. Besides that they are some of the most unholy awful, talentless music you have ever heard. Auto-Tune vocals and dance-synth breakdowns are just horrible and that's pretty much all Attack Attack is. Attack Attack! is the worst joke in metal right now.

1.Asking Alexandria
My hatered for Asking Alexandria is really beyond words, they are just such a failure of a band. First off, they have the absolute worst use of synths I have ever heard. Their dance/electro/ trance segments are a fucking joke. I can appreciate synths and keyboards (Children Of Bodom is one of my favorite bands), but their uses of keyboards are downright stupid and annoying. Their dance breakdowns come out of nowhere and are completely pointless. Throw in the vocals, oh god the vocals. I don't even know what to call it, is it screaming?, or is it moaning?, I'm not really sure.I can't forget about the sweet clean vocals that take whiny and horrible to new levels. Just when I thought they couldn't get any worse, I found out that they lip-synch their clean vocals live. That is an absolute disgrace, if you can't sing your shit live just get the fuck out and stop making music. To make matters worse, they are cocky as hell and constantly talk to the media about how fucking fantastic they are. If you go around gloating about how good you are at something, chances are you aren't. Cocky people are probably my least favorite types of people on the planet, arrogance just pisses me off and Asking Alexandria is full of cocky pricks. Asking Alexandria is a stupid fucking scene band that only cares about their image and nothing else. I could go on for a long time about how dreadful they are, but I think that just about sums it up. I hate Asking Alexandria a vast amount and I can say without a doubt they are the saddest and most pitiful excuse for a band in all of metal.

Quick Movie Reviews: Cyrus and Going The Distance

Going The Distance: This a film that seriously surprised me. This a rare romantic comedy that is both very funny, real and heartfelt. Justin Long and Drew Barrymore have great chemistry and both of their characters are well developed and you really care about them, another rare feat for a romantic comedy. The supporting cast including Charlie Day and Jason Sudekis are excellent and create some of the biggest laughs in the whole film. A refreshingly enjoyable romantic comedy.
4/5 Stars

Cyrus: Cyrus was a film I was really excited about. I love Jonah Hill and John C.Reilly, as well as the director Mark Duplass, who is one of the stars and writers of The League, which is one of the funniest shows on TV. Cyrus is a pretty good comedy, but not as good as it could have been. Reilly and Hill are both amusing, it's just that that film is too "indie" for it's own good at times. The script isn't as sharp as I expected to be, there still a good amount of laughs and this is worth watching, I was just a bit disappointed with it.
3.5/5 Stars

Mayhem Fest 2011 Rumors(Update)

The official announcement for Mayhem Fest is coming next week, but for the time being the rumor mill is still spinning. My sources have given me some more information. Here is the official breakdown of what bands are most likely playing, not playing and bands that are still unsure.

Bands That Are 100% Playing(Confirmed through Band Members telling fans):
Machine Head
Kingdom Of Sorrow

Band That Are Most Likely Playing(Not 100%):
Godsmack
Disturbed
Megadeth
In Flames
Unearth
Suicide Silence

Bands That Are Being Heavily Rumored, but are still up in the air:
Dimmu Borgir
All That Remains
Skeletonwitch
The Devil Wars Prada
GWAR
Black Label Society

Bands That Are Still Possible, but most likely won't appear:
Darkest Hour
All Shall Perish
Born Of Osiris
Arch Enemy
Trivium

Bands That Will Not Appearing At Mayhem 2011(that were originally rumored):
System Of A Down
Deftones
Rammstien
As I Lay Dying
Devildriver
Children Of Bodom
Cradle Of Filth

Movie Review: The Green Hornet

Blockbusters like The Green Hornet don't often come out this early in the year. January is normally the month in which movie studios dump shitty films, so the fact that it was released in January is astonishing. Thankfully, The Green Hornet isn't your typical January film in terms of quality, it's a fun ride.

The Green Hornet tells the story of Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), a playboy millionaire who does nothing but party, try to seduce women, and live off the wealth of his father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), a successful newspaper publisher. When James dies from a bee sting, Britt inherits his dad's newspaper. The Daily Sentinel. Britt ends up befriending his father's mechanic Kato (Jay Chou) and during a night of drinking, they hatch a plan to become masked crimefighters. With Kato's knowledge and mechanic skills and Britt's money they equip cars with high-tech weapons and state-of-the-art technology.

Britt and Kato soon stir up quite a bit of noise in the city and Britt gets The Daily Sentinel to report on it and they come up with the name "The Green Hornet". As Britt and Kato continue to take out criminals, they catch the attention of powerful Russian mobster Benjamin Chudnofsky(Christoph Waltz). Chudnofsky wants The Green Hornet dead due to the fact they are destroying all of his meth labs. Britt and Kato must get to Chudnofsky before he gets to them.

Plain and simple, The Green Hornet is a good time at the movies, it's very entertaining. It's able to establish a nice balance of action and comedy without becoming a muddled mess. It's stay pretty light-hearted and fun throughout the film and it doesn't take itself seriously very often, which is a big advantage for a film like this. Seth Rogen is actually a pretty believable hero, The Green Hornet isn't supposed to be a muscular, ass-kicking guy, he is just an average dude with a lot of money who fights crime for the fun of it. Rogen and Jay Chou make a good team and their comedic pairing is pretty damn good. Christoph Waltz, isn't nearly as menacing or charismatic villain as he was in Inglorious Basterds, but he still turns in a solid and amusing performance.

I have to commend Michel Gondry's work on the action sequences. His approach to shooting action is very interesting due to his background in independent films. He adds a rich, artistic, integrity to each action scene and it really livens up the film. You don't see action sequences shot in this fashion very often and it's a refreshing change of pace.

The Green Hornet is a film that entertains and provides a good deal of fun for the audience. There are a good amount of laughs and action that are balanced quite well. Seth Rogen and Jay Chou have a great comedic chemistry and remain interesting to watch for entire duration of the film. The Green Hornet is a thoroughly enjoyable time at the movies.

4/5 Stars

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

Wild Card Weekend was exciting and brought some surprises. The divisional round has some amazing matchups and should be a lot of fun to watch, each game really could go either way. Here are my picks for the divisional round.

Last weeks record: 2-2

Pittsburgh Steelers over Baltimore Ravens
This matchup between heated rivals should a knock down, drag out affair. I think the Steelers have the slight edge based on the regular season matchups and I think it will come down to quarterback play to determine the winner. Ben Rothlelisberger has played well in past playoffs and I think his experience will overshadow Joe Flacco and his streaky play.

Atlanta Falcons over Green Bay Packers
The Packers are a dangerous team, I just think they will fall a little bit short this weekend. Atlanta is almost unbeatable at home and that gives a bit of an advantage. It should be hell of a battle, but I like Atlanta in this one.

Chicago Bears over Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks stunned the NFL last week with their upset over the Saints. They showed they are not a team to sleep on in the playoffs. Despite Seattle's stunning victory last weekend, I still think Chicago will win this game. It should be a close one, but Chicago's defense should be the difference maker.

New England Patriots over New York Jets
Everybody knows what happened the last time these two met, a 45-3 beatdown at Gillette Stadium in December. I don't think the victory will be as lopsided as it was in their last meeting, but I don't see the Jets winning this one. The Patriots have been playing like freaks lately and the amount of shit the Jets have been talking just adds fuel to the fire. It's near impossible to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium and I don't think the Jets can do it.

NFL Season Wrap-Up: NFC East and NFC North

NFC East
My Pre-Season Predictions
1.Dallas Cowboys(12-4)
2.Philladelphia Eagles(9-7)
3.New York Giants(8-8)
4.Washington Redskins(6-10)

Final Standings
1.Philadelphia Eagles(10-6)
2.New York Giants(10-6)
3.Dallas Cowboys(6-10)
4.Washington Redskins(6-10)

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles success this year can be attributed to the resurgence of Michael Vick. Vick's play was dominant for most of the season and he had the best season of his career. In addition to Vick's comeback, the Eagles young stars really emerged as a force. Desean Jackson,Lesean McCoy, and Jermey Maclin all had excellent years and should continue to get better. The Eagles collapse at the end of the season really hurt their momentum and their defense was up and down all year. A good year for The Eagles and their young team should get better next year.

New York Giants: As usual, The Giants showed flashes of brilliance and had a great stretch in the middle of the season after a slow start, followed by the typical New York Giants late-season decline. Eli Manning's inconsistent play is the root of the offense problems. He led the league in interceptions this year and that cost his team a lot of games. The defense also started off great and ended up playing terrible in the last few games. On the plus side, the Giants have a dangerous 1-2 running back punch with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. They both had great years and shredded most defense in their paths. Hakeem Nicks also proved himself has a great option in the passing game, he is a playmaker that should continue to thrive in this offense. The Giants still have huge issues. They don't know how to a finish a season and their play needs to improve if they want to make the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys: Probably the biggest disappointment of the season. The whole beginning of the year was a string of miscues which was capped off my Tony Romo's season-ending injury. The team did play better when Jason Garrett took over at head coach. The Cowboys should have a better year next year, their team still has a ton of talent, it's just a matter of playing up to their potential.

Washington Redskins: Mike Shanahan clearly lost his marbles when he took that year off from coaching. The choices he made this season were complete head-scratches. Benching Donovan McNabb for Rex "Sexy Rexy" Grossman is flat out dumb, even with McNabb having an off year. The whole team collapsed in the second half of the season. This is a team that is not going to be leaving the basement of the NFL for a while, they are an absolute mess.

NFC North
My Pre-Season Predictions
1.Green Bay Packers(11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings(10-6)
3.Chicago Bears(8-8)
4.Detroit Lions(6-10

Final Standings
1.Chicago Bears(11-5)
2.Green Bay Packers(10-6)
3.Detroit Lions(6-10)
4.Minnesota Vikings(6-10)

Chicago Bears: My favorite team in the league really surprised me this year, they exceeded my expectations tremendously. Julius Peppers was such a big addition to the defense, his presence makes this defense 10x better and he makes everyone better, an absolutely key offseason move. Jay Cutler also had a great year, he has greatly improved and finally lived up to his potential. Mike Martz turned out to be just what Cutler needed in an offensive coordinator. Brian Urlacher bounced back from injury seamlessly and had one hell of a year. Their is still a few flaws here mainly with offensive line, but still A great year for the Bears overall.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers overcome a ton of injuries to key players, including Ryan Grant and Jemichael Finley and still made the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers was lights out all year, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and his leadership is a key part of what makes the Packers so good. Their defense was also great, Clay Matthews is one of the best pass rushers in the league and the young players including B.J Raji are making a big impact. A damn good team that could make a deep run in the playoffs.

Detroit Lions: This is a team on the rise. Their offense is dangerous, Calvin Johnson still flys under the radar as a wide receiver. Shaun Hill is actually a pretty decent quarterback and had a pretty good year. The defense is improving too. If Matthew Stafford can stay healthy and they keep getting better, we could be looking at a playoff team.

Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre should have stay retired, it's an embarrassing way to go out and I am not going to lie, I was pretty excited to see him plays this poorly. The Vikings need a quarterback now, I don't think Joe Webb or Tavaris Jackson is the answer. They should have a better year next year with a healthy Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson back. I don't expect them to finish in last place again next year.

Seattle Seahawks

I am just going to take the time to tip my hat to Seattle Seahawks for their victory yesterday over the New Orleans Saints. They overcame the odds and really surprised everyone (including myself). They proved a lot to me yesterday and I was completely and totally wrong in my prediction of the game. Kudos to the Seahawks for shocking the football world yesterday.

NFL Wild Card Picks

I am putting my final 2 wrap ups for the NFC on hold for right now, it's playoff time in the NFL! This weekend starts the fun with Wild Card Weekend, there are some great matchups in store and it should be fun to watch. Here's what I think will happen this weekend.

New Orleans Saints over Seattle Seahawks

This is by far the easiest one to predict, the Seahawks suck, they shouldn't even be in the playoffs. The defending champs the Saints, should roll over Seattle even without their two leading rushers Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. I'm expecting a lopsided victory for the Saints in this one.

Indianapolis Colts over New York Jets
This should be the best game of the weekend, this is a pretty even matchup. In the end, I think the Colts will take it. The home field advantage and Peyton Manning's clutch performance in the playoffs should overshadow the wounded Jets. Mark Sanchez lackluster performance of late and his injury I think will cost the Jets the game.

Green Bay Packers over Philadelphia Eagles
As much as it pains me to say it, I think the Packers will win this game. Aaron Rodgers has been on fire since coming back from his injury, this a team with an agenda and could surprise some teams in the playoffs. The Eagles haven't been themselves in the last few games and I don't think they matchup that well with Green Bay.

Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs
Despite the fact I have been big on the Chiefs all season, I don't think they are quite ready to make a run in the playoffs. The Ravens are seasoned veterans in the playoffs and with the Chiefs abysmal performance against Oakland last week, It's going to be a tall order to beat Baltimore, even at home.

NFL Wrap Up: AFC South and AFC West

AFC South

My Pre-Season Predictions
1.Indianapolis Colts(12-4)
2.Houston Texans(10-6)
3.Tennessee Titans(9-7)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars(7-9)

Final Standings
1.Indianapolis Colts(10-6)
2.Jacksonville Jaguars(8-8)
3.Houston Texans(6-10)
4.Tennessee Titans(6-10)

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts weren't their usual dominant selves this season. Even with the rough patches, they still overcame these issues. Peyton Manning ran the show and carried this team on his back. The team had key injuries to Dallas Clark and Austin Collie that took away two of Manning's favorite targets. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon have been great and have been the only two constants in the offense all season long. The Colts have been playing excellent the last few weeks and this should carry over the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars came on strong this year, but their season slipped away in the last 3 games. David Garrard had the best season of his career and proved to be a solid quarterback. Maurice Jones-Drew, as usual, was a monster. He proved why he is one of the finest running backs in the league. The defense was pretty good too. Aaron Kampman payed off big time for the Jacksonville defense. If it wasn't for the late collapse, we could been looking at a playoff team.

Houston Texans: Nobody chokes like the Houston Texans. In so many games this season, they blew a lead or dropped the ball. On the positive side, Arian Foster is the next superstar running back. He led the league in rushing and shredded every defense in his path. Matt Schaub was up and down all year. The biggest issue with Houston, is clearly their defense. Their defense is absolute horse shit. They can't stop anyone. Their defense cost them a ton of games and really needs to be worked on. Still, the Texans are top choke artists in the NFL and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Tennessee Titans: 2010 was the opposite of the 2009 season for the Titans. In 2009, The Titans started off terrible and finished strong. This year, they started off great and finished awfully. The big issues for Tennessee is their distractions at quarterback. Vince Young gets injured and started a scene with Jeff Fisher. Kerry Collins played alright, but he is not a game changer. Chris Johnson had a disappointing year, he was still explosive at times, but he was held in check. Kenny Britt's injury also caused the downfall of the Titans. He is the only productive wideout they have. Randy Moss was horribly ineffective in his time with team. Tennessee's inconsistency is what killed them this season.

AFC West
My Pre-Season Predictions
1.San Diego Chargers(11-5)
2.Kansas City Chiefs(9-7)
3.Denver Broncos(6-10)
4.Oakland Raiders(3-13)

Final Standings
1.Kansas City Chiefs(10-6)
2.San Diego Chargers(9-7)
3.Oakland Raiders(8-8)
4.Denver Broncos(4-12)

Kansas City Chiefs: I was big on the Chiefs in the pre-season and they delivered. Jammal Charles is the most underrated running back in the league. Charles and Thomas Jones were the most potent 1-2 running back punch in the league. They are an absolute force to be reckoned with. The Chiefs also have the most underrated wideout in Dwayne Bowe. Bowe flew under the radar all year and put up insane stats. The Chiefs are the underdog team in the NFL, that being said their odds in the playoffs aren't that good. They are still a year off from making a run.

San Diego Chargers: It's about time the Chargers late-season run didn't get a playoff spot. In typical Chargers fashion, they started off with a thud, but by the time they picked it up this season it was too late. Phillip Rivers tryed his hardest and had an MVP-caliber season. There really wasn't that many bright spots outside of Rivers, he is pretty much the reason they won every game that they did.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders went 6-0 in the AFC West, that is one hell of an accomplishment. This team shocked me with how well they played (at times). Their offense was explosive and their defense got a ton of takeaways. In their losses, they were a completely different team. They played like dog shit in most of them and looked like one of the worst teams in the league. This is a hard team to figure out. The only thing that is harder to figure out is their senile owner Al Davis, who just fired coach Tom Cable. Cable turned the team around and his firing makes zero sense, yet another stupid mistake by Al Davis.

Denver Broncos:There really isn't much to say about Denver. They are an absolute mess. The lone bright spots this year were Kyle Orton and Brandon Lloyd. A serious work in progress and their new coach needs to more experienced than Josh McDaniels was in order to turn this team around.

Album Review: Kid Cudi: Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr.Rager

Kid Cudi is another artist I'm going out of my comfort zone on, I am not a fan of his. I heard a good majority of this record in a couple of my friends cars and I thought I give it another listen examine it further and branch out and review I normally wouldn't of listened to. Man On The Moon II, is an intriguing yet uneven record.

Man On The Moon II, is a hard record to categorize. At times it's a straight hip hop record and at others, it's a highly experimental rap/rock/psychedelic record. Kid Cudi is definitely ambitious and I respect that, you won't find this kind of creativity very often in hip-hop currently . The beats on here are excellent and very inventive. Cudi's beats shy away from the current mainstream industry standard of lackluster beats. The beats are memorable, strange and really fucking good. The tone also works well. There is the dark and artsy tone to this record, that's something you don't find in mainstream hip hop very often. Cudi's flow and delivery fit the style well, especially on album standout "GHOST!".

Where Man On The Moon II loses traction is with the lyrics. Kid Cudi's lyrics are incoherent and pointless. I actually can't think of a single track on here with good lyrics. It really brings down the quality of the record substantially. He's got all these sick beats, but he severely lacks quality lyrics. He just kind of rambles on about weed(these are easily the worst tracks on the record, "Ashin Kusher", in particular) and relationships without any form of structure or purpose.

Man On The Moon II is not without its strengths, but in the end it has some serious flaws. If Kid Cudi had good lyrics he would be one of the best rappers alive right now. His beats are fantastic and seriously refreshing in a time where the art of good beats is pretty much DOA in hip-hop. Kid Cudi's got one part of the equation correct, he just needs to figure out the other part and we could be looking at the savior of mainstream hip-hop.

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.GHOST!
2.MANIAC
3.Mr.Rager

NFL Season Wrap-Up: AFC East and AFC North

This season was a whirlwind. In my many years of watching football I have never seen a season as unpredictable as this season. I really blew my preseason predictions, worse than I have in the past. Anyways, here is my post-season wrap up for the AFC East and AFC North. AFC South and West be done tommorow, NFC East and North Wednesday and NFC South and West on Thursday.

AFC East

My Pre-Season Predictions:
1.New York Jets(13-3)
2.Miami Dolphins(10-6)
3.New England Patriots(9-7)
4.Buffalo Bills(4-12)

Final Standings:
1.New England Patriots(14-2)
2.New York Jets(
3.Miami Dolphins(7-9)
4.Buffalo Bills(4-12)

Wrap-Ups
New England Patriots: I learned a valuable lesson, don't bet against the New England Patriots. Tom Brady is just too damn good of a player. The fact that he hasn't a pick since Week 9 is astonshing, he is an absolute freak of nature. Their defense is still weak though, but with the offensive weapons they have it doesn't matter, they will outscore you and make the best defenses look awful. If they keep it up, I can't see why they wouldn't win the Super Bowl.

New York Jets:The Jets came out early and lived up to the hype. Their defense dominated and Mark Sanchez played great for the first part of the year. Then it all came crumbling down. They played their best football at the start of the year and have cooled down substantially. The Jets did make the playoffs, but I don't see them getting far. They aren't playing at the level they are capable of, they are extremely talented, they just aren't playing at the elite level they are capable of.

Miami Dolphins:Man this a team that let me down horribly. I had big hopes for this team pre-season. I thought the addition of Brandon Marshall would make them a playoff team, it didn't. The poor quarterback play is to blame, Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen both suck and make a ton of mistakes. Their whole offense is awful, the running game was also nonexistent, which is shocking considering they have Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Their defense on the other hand, was excellent. It kept them competive and in games. Karlos Dansby had a great year and was a nice addition to this defense. Cameron Wake has emerged as a pass rushing force. If they can get their offense squared away, they will be a playoff team in the near future.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills are the unluckiest team in football. In only 4 of their losses this season did they get their ass kicked. They stayed in games, but in the end things didn't fall their way. Ryan Fitzpatrick proved to be a solid quarterback, he put some good numbers this year. Steve Johnson also proved to be a solid opition in the passing game. One thing that dissapointed me was their serious underuse of rookie running back C.J Spiller. Spiller has a ton of potential and barely gave him the ball this season. Buffalo is nowhere near as bad as their record indicates and I expect a turnaround in the future.

AFC North
My Pre-Season Predictions
1.Cinncinati Bengals(13-3)
2.Baltimore Ravens(12-4)
3.Pittsburgh Steelers(8-8)
4.Cleveland Browns(4-12)

Final Standings:
1.Pittsburgh Steelers(12-4)
2.Baltimore Ravens(12-4)
3.Cleveland Browns(5-11)
4.Cinncinati Bengals(4-12)

Pittsburgh Steelers: I really didn't expect Pittsburgh to so well when Ben Rothelisberger was suspended. Charlie Batch played great, which surprised me. I think I really lowballed this team in the preseason. The defense was excellent and Ben Rothelisberger was quite good when he came back. Mike Wallace has emerged as a hell of a threat as a wideout, which makes their offense even more dangerous. I think they would be Super Bowl Champs, if the Patriots didn't exist, they are a fantastic team.

Baltimore Ravens: A prediction I actually got exactly right! That being said, Baltimore is no where near as dominant as I expected. Their offense has been streaky at best. Joe Flacco is really up and down, some weeks he can shred a defense and others he throws for 100 yards and 2 INT's. Ray Rice has also been inconsistent and had a dissapointing year for the most part. What has kept them in it is their veteran defense. They are getting up their in age, but they can still beat you with their defense. When it comes to the playoffs, their experience will help, but I don't know how far they will get.

Cleveland Browns: Watching the last few Browns games it's hard to believe this team slaughtered the Patriots this season. This is a team with some potential, they just don't play as a team. Colt McCoy has proved to be a solid quarterback, I think he will continue to get better over the years. Peyton Hillis is a fucking workhorse. He just runs up the gut and dominates defenses, he is a really solid weapon for the Browns to have. What really hurts them is their lack of wideouts and a bad front 7 on defense. They have no pass rush what so ever and their secondary, which has some talent is really overwhlemed due to the lack of pass rush or run stop. They are still a work in progress that's for sure.

Cinncinati Bengals: What the fuck happened? I really had high hopes for this team, I thought they had the making of an elite team. They had a good 2009 season getting a playoff spot and the addition of Terrell Owens was a good one, it just didn't work out. Carson Palmer played like shit all year. He made idiotic choices and overthrew his targets frequently. Chad Ochocinco also played poorly, he didn't contribute to the offense at all. Owens kept the team afloat, he had a great season. The defense was injury plagued and played poorly all year. They need to regroup, make some changes in personel, do something. This team was a serious letdown this season.

2010 in Film: A Year In Review

2010 was intresting year for films. Though my top 3 or so films of 2009 were better than the top 3 from this year, there is a ton more depth as a whole in 2010. I enjoyed pretty much every I saw this year to some extent, which is pretty impressive. 2010 also pulled off a remarkable feat in having the first film that I have seen in my entire life that I have no opinion of. 2010 had a lot of quality films, I hope 2011 is just as good. Here is my list of all 50 films I saw this year with ratings.

49.The Wolfman(1.5/5)
48.Legion(1.5/5)
47.Tron:Legacy(1.5/5)
46.The Last Airbender(1.5/5)
45.Jonah Hex(2/5)
44.The Crazies(2.5/5)
43.Brooklyn's Finest(3/5)
42.A Nightmare On Elm Street(3/5)
41.Edge Of Darkness(3/5)
40.Devil(3/5)
39.Daybreakers(3/5)
38.Grown Ups(3/5)
37.Faster(3/5)
36.Scott Pilgrim Vs The World(3/5)
35.The Virginity Hit(3/5)
34.Green Zone(3.5/5)
33.Youth In Revolt(3.5/5)
32.From Paris With Love(3.5/5)
31.Repo Men(3.5/5)
30.Date Night(3.5/5)
29.Cop Out(3.5/5)
28.The Losers(3.5/5)
27.Robin Hood(3.5/5)
26.Unstoppable(3.5/5)
25.Clash Of The Titans(4/5)
24.She's Out Of My League(4/5)
23.Iron Man 2(4/5)
22.Death At A Funeral(4/5)
21.The A-Team(4/5)
20.Dinner For Schmucks(4/5)
19.MacGruber(4/5)
18.127 Hours(4/5)
17.Predators(4/5)
16.Shutter Island(4/5)
15.Machete(4/5)
14.Due Date(4.5/5)
13.Jackass 3D(4.5/5)
12.The Expendables(4.5/5)
11.The Other Guys(4.5/5)
10.Get Him To The Greek(4.5/5)
9.Toy Story 3(4.5/5)
8.True Grit(4.5/5)
7.Hot Tub Time Machine(4.5/5)
6.The Town(4.5/5)
5.The Book Of Eli(4.5/5)
4.Black Swan(4.5/5)
3.The Fighter(4.5/5)
2.Inception(4.5/5)
1.Kick-Ass(4.5/5)

Could not rank due to no opinion/confusion after viewing
Piranha 3D

2010 Films I Still Want To See(* next to films I might see):
Red
The Social Network
Let Me In
Cyrus
Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon
Buried
The American
Middle Men
Exit Through The Gift Shop
It's Kind Of A Funny Story
Going The Distance
Stone
Monsters
Little Fockers
Salt*
The Karate Kid*
Easy A*
Megamind*
Hereafter*
The Kids Are All Right*
Skyline*
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1*
The Next Three Days*
Blue Valentine*

January In Film

January is a dull time for new films. It's mostly dominated by the Oscar-bait releases from December and the new releases tend to underwhelm. The past couple years, January has brought one great film to the table (Notorious in 2009 and The Book Of Eli in 2010). This January has the least amount of wide releases in recent years, here are my thoughts on these films.

Films I Want to See
2.The Mechanic(1/28)-I am not going to lie. I love Jason Statham. I have seen just about all of his movies (with the exception of In The Name Of The King, I will never watch another Uwe Boll film no matter who's in it). His movies may be similar in nature and they pretty much never fail to entertain. The Mechanic is a remake of a 70's Charles Bronson film and it's basically more of what Statham does best, kill people and deliver mindless entertainment, count me in.

1.The Green Hornet(1/14)-This is the film I expect to be the gem of January. Seth Rogen superhero film, Great fucking idea! This is one of my most anticipated films of the first few months of the year. The trailer looks to be really cool and really damn funny. Throw in the great Christoph Waltz as the villain and you have what will hopefully be a great film.

Films I Am Unsure About
The Dillemma(1/14)- I most likely won't see this film, it doesn't look funny. I do like Kevin James and Vince Vaughn, so it might warrant a watch on DVD, but the odds aren't good.

Films That I Have No Intrest In At All
Season Of The Witch(1/7)-It's been shelved for over a year, switched distributors and looks pretty damn bad. I do like Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman, but not enought to convince to see this sure to be piece of shit fantasy adventure.

No Strings Attached(1/21)-Way to follow up Black Swan Natalie Portman. This doesn't look as bad as it sounds on paper, but that's about it.

The Rite(1/28)-Another exoricism movie? This seriously needs to stop, this is becoming one of the most tired subgenres in all of Hollywood. This doesn't look to be an different than other exorcism films. They thrown in the Vatican and the "based on a true story" gimmick, that's really about it. Poor Anthony Hopkins, he hasn't made a good movie in over 10 years, a serious fall from grace.

Album Review: Pendulum-Immersion

I'm going to be honest, Pendulum is not really my cup of tea. They are electro/drum and bass/experimental group from Austraila that I really didn't know much about. A friend of mine wanted to see what I thought about this record, so I gave it a shot. I gained some hope for this record when Tommy Rodgers, lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Between The Buried and Me named this his album of the year. Let's just say I don't share those thoughts.

Pendulum is certainly ambitious. They go all over the map with varied influences from hardcore, bass-heavy, thumping techno to metal. I can always dig an act that likes to throw curveballs and is inspired by various genres of music, Pendulum just kind of fails at it. I will say there are some catchy beats on this record especially on "Under The Waves" and "Set Me On Fire" and the In Flames cameo on "Self Vs Self" is well-done, but the songs go on for too long and can get quite boring for the most part. This record just gets too bogged down with the amount of shit going on in each song. It's not that it's really that bad, it's just really scattered and lacks cohesion.

Immerison is a flawed and tepid record. It has it's moments and catchy beats, it's just really weak in it's writing and there is way too much going on in each song. I can dig their experimentation, it's just that the various parts don't mix well for whatever reason. They are pretty much the techno version of Nachtmystium, there are some good moments, but in the end they are just too ambitious and experimental for their own good.

2.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Self Vs Self

2.Set Me On Fire

3.Under The Waves