My Oscar Predictions

It's the biggest night of the year for film tonight. Here are my thoughts on tonight's awards.

Best Picture
Nominees:
The Social Network
127 Hours
Inception
Black Swan
Toy Story 3
The Fighter
True Grit
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone

#of nominated films seen: 8/10
Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception

I think The Social Network will be taking home Best Picture. It's won most of the other top awards including the Golden Globe. Also the Academy loves movies that make a cultural impact and The Social Network did just that. I think Inception should take the award, it was the most original film of 2010 and my favorite out of the bunch nominated. That being said, I would be fine with just about anything that I have seen winning with the exception of the pretentious, underwhelming The Kids Are All Right.

Best Actor
Nominees:
Colin Firth-The King's Speech
James Franco-127 Hours
Javier Bardem-Bitiuful
Jesse Eisenberg-The Social Network
Jeff Bridges-True Grit

# of nominated performances seen: 3/5
Will Win: Colin Firth
Should Win: James Franco

Colin Firth is a lock to win. I haven't seen the film, but I really don't see him losing. All the nominated performances I have seen are great, but James Franco's performance was the soul of 127 Hours. His performance was emotionally deep and really captured the human spirit. I would be delighted if we won.

Best Actress
Nominees:
Annette Benning-The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman-Black Swan
Nicole Kidman-Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence-Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams-Blue Valentine

# of nominated performances seen: 2/5
Will Win: Natalie Portman
Should Win: Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman gave the single best performance of 2010. It would be an outrage if she didn't win.

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:
Christian Bale-The Fighter
Jeremy Renner-The Town
Mark Ruffalo-The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush-The King's Speech
John Hawkes-Winter's Bone

# of nominated performances seen: 3/5
Will Win: Christian Bale
Should Win: Christian Bale

Christian Bale was outstanding. He had me convinced he was a crackhead. He is the odds-on favorite and rightfully so.

Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
Amy Adams-The Fighter
Melissa Leo-The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter-The King's Speech
Haliee Steinfeld-True Grit
Jacki Weaver-Animal Kingdom

# of performances seen: 3/5
Will Win: Melissa Leo
Should Win: Amy Adams

Melissa Leo was great, but I think Amy Adams was better. Either way, they gave the two best performances in this category and I won't be disappointed in the least bit if Leo wins.

Best Director
Nominees:
David Fincher-The Social Network
Tom Hooper-The Kings Speech
Joel and Ethan Cone-True Grit
Darren Aronofsky-Black Swan
David O.Russell-The Fighter

#of nominated films seen: 4/5
Will Win: David Fincher
Should Win: Darren Aronofsky

Fincher is another lock. He did do a good job bringing the story of Facebook to the screen. That being said, Darren Aronofsky mesmerizing direction of Black Swan should be the winner here. His artistic brilliance really made Black Swan come alive.

Movie Review: Drive Angry

There are sometimes as a moviegoer that you just need to shut your brain off and take a movie as it is. Most of the time, I tend to enjoy a nice brainless, preposterous action flick. When it comes to sheer ridiculousness and fun, Drive Angry hits the spot.

John Milton (Nicolas Cage) has broken out of hell with vengeance on his brain. John's daughter has been killed and his infant granddaughter has been kidnapped by satanic cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke). Milton needs to get to Louisiana to stop King from killing his grandaughter in a Satanic ritual. Along the way, Milton teams up with Piper (Amber Heard), who he meets at a diner. To add to Milton's problems, The Accountant (William Fitchner) has been sent to Earth to bring Milton back to hell.

Drive Angry is an absolutely ridiculous piece of insane entertainment. This is honestly one of the corniest, campiest films I have ever seen. It's a throwback to the grindhouse days of pure camp entertainment and it knows it. The action is furious, bat-shit crazy and non-stop. The highlight of the whole film is a shootout sequence in a motel in which Nicolas Cage kills a large number of people while simultaneously having sex (Yes, you read that correctly.) This is the kind of movie Drive Angry is. Fun and way,way over the top. The acting really just adds to the fun, it's classic B-movie acting. Nicolas Cage is his normal expressionless, droll self and he was the perfect choice for the role of Milton. William Fitchner steals the show as The Accountant. He plays the part with a devilish wit and really nails the part.

Shooting this film in 3-D was a great choice. The 3-D looks fantastic and it adds a really cool aspect to this films that separates it from other similar B-movies. More films need 3-D that is up to this quality, it is completely worth seeing this film in 3-D it really adds to the experience.

Drive Angry is a campy fun time at the movies. This is a film full of laughable dialogue, crazy amounts of violence/gore and eye-popping 3-D, over-the top fun. This is not a film for everyone, but for audiences that enjoy ballistic, absurd grindhouse entertainment, Drive Angry is a worthwhile watch.

3.5/5 Stars

Summer Slaughter 2011 Update

About a month ago, I posted that Fleshgod Apocalypse is confirmed. I just received news that these following acts on Summer Slaughter this year in addition to Fleshgod Apocalypse:
The Black Dahlia Murder(apparently they are the headliner)
Whitechapel
Darkest Hour
Dying Fetus

Unlike Fleshgod who is confirmed, this is only a rumor, but it's from a reliable source so it's most likely true. Stay tuned for more Summer Slaughter news as it comes in.

Quick Movie Reviews: Salt and The Kids Are All Right

Salt: Wow, this was a really stupid movie. This is seriously one of the dumbest and nonsensical films I have seen in a long time. The plot is frantic, jumbled and full of holes. The script is horrible and the plots twists are a joke. On top of all this, it has one of the worst endings I have ever seen. Angelina Jolie is the only reason I didn't rate this movie lower. She does her best to work with the awful material she was handed. Kudos to her for that.
2/5 Stars

The Kids Are All Right: I am seriously baffled why this movie is nominated for Best Picture. It's a highly pretenious and douchey film that is a tonal mess. It really can't decide what type of movie it is. The acting is alright, but it's defintley not Oscar-nomination worthy. Really didn't enjoy this film at all and I don't understand all the acclaim it's been getting. Most overrated film of 2010, imo.
2/5 Stars

Album Review: I, The Breather-These Are My Sins

Sumerian Records has made quite the stamp on the metal world the past few years. Sumerian's roster(for the most part) has become known for their young, technically precise metal/deathcore bands. Some metal insiders have been dubbed these bands as "Sumerian Core". I, The Breather is Sumerian's latest signing and their debut, These Are My Sins, is a mixed bag.

The main issue I had with These Are My Sins, is the lack of originality. This band is pretty much a complete rip-off of August Burns Red mixed in with traces of their labelmates Born Of Osiris. There really isn't too much creativity on this album. The whole sound is just really stale and has been done a better a million times before. Another problem is the vocals. Their vocalist isn't really that good and his screaming really doesn't suit their style well.

On the positive side, I, The Breather is a talented group of dudes instrumentally. There are some pretty solid guitarwork throughout the album. The guitarwork really brings up the quality of the album. The production is also really solid, especially for a debut album. The mix is great.

I, The Breather is a young band that definitely has talent they just need to try make their sound a little more interesting. Their sound really isn't original at all and heavily borrows from other bands that do the same thing but a lot better. I, The Breather has a lot of potential, they just aren't really living up to it on These Are My Sins. This is a band that I will be watching closely over the years, they could develop into something special.

2.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.High Rise

2.Crown Me King

3.Doomsday

Between The Buried and Me Signs To Metal Blade Records, announces new album

It has been announced today that Between The Buried and Me has signed to Metal Blade Records. It was also announced, that their new album The Parralax: Hypersleep Dialogues, will be released April 12th. Between The Buried and Me released their previous 4 albums with Victory Records. Personally, I think this a great choice for them. Metal Blade is arguably the best metal record label around. Metal Blade's already impressive roster has gotten even better. On the topic of the new record, I can't even describe my level of excitement. Between The Buried and Me's last two albums each were my album of the year in their respective year. I am expecting great things and given Between The Buried and Me's track record, I expect another masterpiece.

Album Review: Emmure-Speaker Of The Dead

As an aspiring professional reviewer, sometimes you have to listen to things by artists you can't stand. In some past experiences, I have been pleasantly surprised and my views of a band have changed substantially(most notably Suicide Silence and Annotations Of An Autopsy with their most recent releases). In other situations, the artists just reinforces why I hate them so much. With Speaker Of The Dead, Emmure falls in the latter category.

Speaker Of The Dead is just an embarrassing record. I could tell about 5 seconds into the record that I was going to be in for one of the most unpleasant listening experiences in years. "Children Of Cybertron" starts with the Emmure trademark. Squeaking guitars, laughable lyrics and of course, Frankie Palmeri's rapping descending into awful screaming. This was the only beginning of the 38 minute ear-rape that is otherwise known as Speaker Of The Dead. During the first 6 tracks, I kept looking at my Ipod to see if the song had changed. Every thing sounds exactly the fucking same. Every track has an inhuman amount of horrible breakdowns with various noises that sound like the helicopter killstreaks from Call Of Duty to mask their utter lack of talent. Emmure finally throws a curveball with a slow intro on "Bohemian Grove" before going straight back into the typical Emmure squeak orgy. The record keeps moving along at a snail's pace then the impossible happens, they top themselves in the shit department with the sure to be classic "Drug Dealer Friend". You know you are a lyrical genius when your song keeps repeating the phrase "I wanna watch you suck his dick. I know you fucking love it bitch". This seriously might be the worst set of lyrics Emmure has ever written and that's saying something. This is a band that has basically made a career on shit lyrics and they have topped them all with "Drug Dealer Friend".

Speaker Of The Dead is an absolute joke of a record. It's so full of faux-brutality and grade A douchebaggery that it's equal parts pathetic, sad, and unintentionally hysterical. Emmure is like if Limp Bizkit wanted to attempt to be "extreme". Emmure's brand of deathcore should be dubbed "wigger slam".It's music for wigger hXc bros, made my wigger hXc bros. Speaker Of The Dead should be used as a torture device. It's emotionally, psychologically, and physically painful to listen to. Emmure has topped themselves and made the worst metal record I have heard in full in years, if I could I rate it negative stars I would. Speaker Of The Dead is an absolute lock for worst album of 2011. Congratulations Emmure, you are a fucking disgrace to the entire metal community and you have made a landmark piece of shit.

0/5 Stars

Album Review: Darkest Hour-The Human Romance

Washington D.C's Darkest Hour is one of the more established and seasoned metalcore acts around . They have been around for 16 years and been one of the pioneering acts in the scene. They frequently get overlooked and have been grinding it out for a long time without becoming one of the popular acts in the genre. On their 7th full length record, The Human Romance, Darkest Hour makes one of the best records in their long career.

The Human Romance is easily the most melodic Darkest Hour effort to date. There is a much stronger focus on melody and slower harmonies throughout the record. This really works expectationally well for them. "Love As A Weapon" has this amazing slow riff and is really melodic. It's also extremely catchy and one of the album's standouts. Even with Darkest Hour's more melodic approach on this record, their core thrash/melodic death metal influences are still very much in play as well. Under 3 minute tracks such as "Your Everyday Disaster" and "Violent By Nature" go straight for the throat and are heavy, fast thrash tracks that are impossible to not headbang to.

The Human Romance is really about blending the fast, heavy side of Darkest Hour's sound with the melodic side. This mix has been near perfected with The Human Romance. The riffing and soloing from guitarists Mike Schinelbaum and Mike "Lonestar" Carrigan is really the main reason this blend works so well. They have a gift for writing catchy riffs and great solos from all over the musical spectrum. The main example of the two sides of Darkest Hour coming together perfectly is the near 9-minute instrumental track "Terra Solaris". This is basically the perfect showcase for Darkest Hour's guitarists to make a multi-layered, complex song with staggering tempo shifts and wonderful guitar solos galore.

The Human Romance is the most mature Darkest Hour record to date. In their long and storied career, this is is one of their absolute best records. It's equal parts fast and melodic, the overall harmony of the record is spectacular. The Human Romance continues to diversify Darkest Hour's sound. Ever since 2005's Undoing Ruin, Darkest Hour has been experimenting with their sound from record to record and it always pays off. This is the mark of a band with true ambition and talent and I don't think they get nearly enough credit for their music. The Human Romance is another great one from Darkest Hour and even though it's very early in the year, I foresee it finishing pretty high on my year-end list.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Love As A Weapon
2.Violent By Nature
3.Terra Solaris

Quick Movie Reviews: Buried and Middle Men

Buried: This was one hell of a thriller. I was really surprised by how good it was. It's a very simple concept, but it's extremely effective in the execution The clausthrophobia of the setting really worked to the film's advantage. Ryan Reynolds gives the character a lot of depth and you really feel sympathy for his character. A really suspenseful old school thriller.
4/5 Stars

Middle Men: You really wouldn't expect a comedy/drama about the birth of internet porn to be this well written. The script is pretty sharp and clever overall. The whole film is pretty entertaining and surprisingly dark. Giovanni Ribsi steals the show as one of the two guys that starts up the first online porn site. One of the more underlooked films of 2010 that's worth a watch for sure.
3.5/5 Stars

Album Review: DevilDriver-Beast

For years, DevilDriver has been one of the top groove metal acts. They tend to make consistently good, heavy album and their sound has stayed pretty much same since their inception. Well if it ain't broke it don't fix it, Beast is another success for DevilDriver.

Beast really isn't too much of a change of pace for DevilDriver. It's very similar, but the slight changes keep their sound fresh. Beast starts off with a bang with "Dead To Rights". The signature DevilDriver sound is in place right out of the gates: heavy groove riff, thunderous drums and Dez Fafara's trademark shrieking. "Dead To Rights" sets the tone for what's to come. DevilDriver knows to make badass groves and writes a ton of killer riffs here. Beast is a very pissed off record and the best tracks DevilDriver make are when they at their angriest. You can really feel the anger in album standouts "Talons Out(Teeth Sharpened)" and "Shitlist". The whole band gives their most impressive performances on the whole record on these tracks and this is where DevilDriver is at their peak. Most of the album is relentlessly heavy, but occasionally, on tracks such as "Coldblooded" they throw in some melodic undertones and slow riffs to keep the sound fresh.It's a solid contrast from the pummeling riffs that embody most of the record and it make the listening experience that much more enjoyable.

Beast isn't DevilDriver's attempt to reinvent the wheel, it's pretty similar to their other work and I'm fine with that. DevilDriver is damn good at what they do. They make pissed off groove metal with catchy, heavy riffs and there are very few that do it better them. If you liked DevilDriver before, Beast will be be right up your alley. If you weren't a fan before this won't change your mind. Beast is another enjoyable record from DevilDriver.

4/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Talons Out(Teeth Sharpened)

2.Shitlist

3.Coldblooded

New England Metal and Hardcore Festival 2011 Lineup Additions

I posted the intial lineup two weeks ago, I can report that the following bands have been added to the bill.

Friday April 15
Blood For Blood
Winds Of Plague
Born Low
The World We Knew

Saturday April 16
Times Of Grace
Cephalic Carnage
Burning The Masses

Album Review: Abysmal Dawn-Leveling The Plane Of Existence

Technical death metal is a genre that is pretty hit or miss. Some bands take it too far into showboating wankery and don't focus on songwriting in the least bit. There are other bands that are mind-blowingly amazing and write spectacular songs. While Abysmal Dawn is not quite in the league of The Faceless or Son Of Aurelius when it comes to young tech-death bands, they make some quality tech-death.

Leveling The Plane Of Existence is not an album that is going to redefine the genre, but it's still a solid slob of tech-death. What separates them from the pack is the melodic touches thrown in. "Perpetual Dormancy", one of the album standout's, starts off with a slow, atmospheric riff and turns into a full fledged death metal slugfest with an awesome solo and nice groove. This track, along with the rest of the record, is filled with killer guitarwork. The guitar solos, in particular are awesome. There is a nice variety of melodic and blistering soloing. The diversity in the soloing isn't found too much in tech-death, this is what makes Abysmal Dawn standout from the pack. In addition to the guitarwork, there are some nice little touches like the tribal drumming in the interlude track "Our Primitive Nature". This was a unique surprise and the drumming is absolutely badass on the entire track.

Leveling The Plane Of Existence is a good record, but it doesn't really reach the next level. Everything is good across the board it's just not spectacular. Abysmal Dawn has plenty of talent for sure, they just need to make their song structures more complex and better songwriting. Leveling The Plane Of Existence is a nice little technical death metal record, it's just not a game changer.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Perpetual Dormancy
2.Manufactured Humanity
3.In Service Of Time

Movie Review: The Social Network

Facebook is without a doubt one of the biggest things in our culture today. Just about everyone is infatuated with it. It has really changed the way you connect with people and it has become a major part of our everyday lives. Facebook was a revolutionary idea that changed the world as we know it. The Social Network brings us the origin story of Facebook and safe to say, it's not a pretty one.

The Social Network focuses on the life of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). Zuckerberg is a computer genius with very few friends. He is initially brought an idea from the Winklevoss brothers(both portrayed by Arnie Hammer) for a exclusive Harvard social network. Zuckerberg soon takes their idea and modifies it, makes it more complex and ends up founding Facebook. Soon Zuckerberg and his best friend and co-founder, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) are taking heat from everyone and from there, all hell breaks loose. Facebook continues to expand and that's when things get more complicated, especially when Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) gets involved. Parker's presence makes Zuckerberg more cocky and things to continue spiral out of control. Soon, Zuckerberg is facing legal action from The Winklevoss brothers and Eduardo for business dealings related to Facebook.

The Social Network is a film that I enjoyed a whole hell of a lot more than I thought I would. I thought it looked rather bland and I was skeptical how a film about the creation of Facebook could be any good. Throw that together with the insane hype behind it and I thought I would end up feeling underwhelmed. Needless to say, my expectations were surpassed substantially. This an enthralling and very well done film. Aaron Sorkin's script is very intelligent and sharp. The narrative is all over the place with flashbacks and the various court cases, Sorkin's script balances all of the events seamlessly. This is a rather impressive task considering how much is going on at the same time in the film. Sorkin is one of the more gifted screenwriters in Hollywood and his talents are on full display here. He takes what could have been an extremely dull and dry movie and makes it entertaining.

The acting is also pretty good. Jesse Eisenberg is pretty solid as Zuckerberg. Eisenberg hadn't really done much dramatic acting prior to this, but he shows he is more than up to the challenge. The film portrays Zuckerberg in a less than favorable light and Eisenberg nails the character's pretentious behavior. Zuckerberg is a douchebag who sells out his friends for more power and influences. His greed is truly sickening. The real acting standout in this movie is Andrew Garfield. His character, Eduardo, is the only character in the entire film that you sympathize with. His character is pretty much kicked to the curb when Zuckerberg starts getting successful. Garfield gives his character emotional depth and he makes his character the only likable person in the entire film. Everybody else is a fake,pretentious asshole and Eduardo is the only real and genuine person in the entire movie. Garfield's performance is excellent and I think he is the next breakout great actor in Hollywood.

The Social Network surpassed my expectations immensely, but I still don't think it's deserving of all the praise it's getting. I honestly don't think it should be nominated for Best Picture or win (it's the current frontrunner). Personally, I think only Eisenberg and Garfield deserve nominations. Eisenberg was nominated and rightfully so, but Garfield was omitted. I think this is a travesty, his performance was outstanding and certainly one of the finest that I saw in a 2010 film. Don't get me wrong, The Social Network is a very good film, it's just not as good as it made to be.

4/5 Stars

My Goal for 2011 Films

Normally within a year I only see about 45-50 movies. Like most moviegoers, I tend to only see movies that interest me and I think I am going to enjoy. For example last year, I saw 50 movies before the end of the year and I ended up liking 46 of the 50 to at least some extent. This year I am going to try something different, I am going to see as many 2011 films as possible. I think it will broaden my horizons and give me more of an idea of what type of critic I am. I think this should be a fun experience even if it means I have to watch some complete shit along the way. Who knows I might a few hidden gems along the way that will sneak up and surprise me. I am looking forward to it and making a year-end list this year should be interesting.

Album Review: Lazarus A.D-Black Rivers Flow

Lazarus A.D burst onto the scene in 2009 with The Onslaught, which was one of the most impressive debuts in years (it made my top 100 albums of the decade list). It was a groove-laden thrash masterpiece that cemented them as the best modern thrash metal band I had heard. Black Rivers Flow is a drastic change in sound and unfortunately, also a drastic change in quality.

Black Rivers Flow strays away from the thrash/groove metal sound on The Onslaught and instead focuses on a more straight-forward sound. There are still some thrash segments, but for the most part the sound has been completely abandoned. This is a decision that doesn't really work for the best. The harsher vocals are just about non-existent and replaced with mediocre clean vocals. The vocals don't really mesh with the style at all and can off very grating. The whole album just comes off as sort of lazy. It seems like they weren't playing up to their potential. The overall instrumentation is still pretty good, it's just that all of the songs are a severe drop in quality from their debut.

That being said, Black Rivers Flow has it's moments. There are still some solid tracks on here such as album opener "American Dreams" which contains a nice riff and is easily the most reminiscent of their old sound. The production is also good. The mix is more polished than their debut, which is the only improvement on the whole record.

Black Rivers Flow is a huge letdown. Lazarus A.D is one of the best young bands metal bands around and I think this might be a case of trying to live up to the hype of their first record. The sound is just a lot more generic and straightforward than The Onslaught and it's just not even close to as good. Black Rivers Flow really isn't a bad record, it's just that it's not even close to as good as their debut. A decent, but disappointing record overall.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.American Dreams
2.Beneath The Waves Of Hatred
3.The Strong Prevail

Super Bowl Pick

It's finally here, the Super Bowl. The biggest sporting event of the year. It's an intriguing matchup for sure this year with a lot of storylines and talent present. Here is my pick for the big game.

Pittsburgh Steelers over Green Bay Packers
This is a near impossible game to predict, both teams are so evenly matched. I am giving the slight edge to the Pittsburgh Steelers. I think their experience,defense and Ben Rothelisberger's track record of winning will be the difference. That being said, don't sleep on Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers's red hot play,efficient offense and freakishly talented defense is dangerous. This game should a defensive battle with two elite defenses squaring off and it's going to come down who can break the other's defense. It's going to be a chess match and it should a great overall matchup.

New England Metal and Hardcore Festival 2011 Lineup

It's that time of the year again for New England metalheads(including myself), the annual New England and Metal Hardcore Festival is taking place April 14-16 at The Palladium in Worcester,Massachusetts. Here is the lineup for all 3 days, there are more bands to be added to Friday and Saturday's lineup in the coming weeks and as always, a few bands will drop off. Without further ado, here is the lineup.

*next to bands I think are worth seeing for each day(there are a few bands that I have never listened to mostly on Friday and Saturday's lineup, so if there is no mark doesn't necessarily mean I don't like them.)
Thursday April 14th(worst day in NEMHF history, imo. This lineup makes me sad)
Attack Attack!
MyChildren MyBride
Vanna
Our Last Night
Stray From The Path
Arsonists Get The Girls*
A Bullet For Pretty Boy
Lions Lions
Armor For The Broken
This Or The Apocalypse
I The Breather
Across The Sun
Too Late The Hero
Attila
A Plea For Purging
Dr.Acula
The Crimson Armada*
Legacy
Counterparts
Legion

Friday April 15th
Biohazard
Bury Your Dead
Terror*
Cruel Hand*
Your Demise
Thy Will Be Done*
This Is Hell*
The Carrier
Suffokate
Stick To Your Guns
Trapped Under Ice*
First Blood
Lionheart
Shai Hulud
Close Your Eyes
Legend
Monsters
The Great Commission
The Greenery
Hundredth
King Conquer
Betrayal

Saturday April 16th
Hatebreed*
Between The Buried and Me*
Job For A Cowboy*
The Ocean*
Carnifex
Oceano
Born Of Osiris*
Dying Fetus*
Skeletonwitch*
Lazarus A.D*
Beneath The Massacre
3 Inches Of Blood*
Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
The Contortionist
Revocation*
Within The Ruins
Volumes
Molotov Solution
Son Of Aurelius*
Nails
A Life Once Lost*
Hung
Withered*
Wretched
Last Chance To Reason
Structures
Confrontation

Quick thoughts on the lineup.
Thursday: This lineup is gross. Only a couple of bands that are any good, most bands are complete shit. Attack Attack! as a headliner is just plain sad.

Friday: A lot of hardcore bands, some good and some bad. Not a bad lineup overall, but not enough to get me to attend.

Saturday:This lineup is amazing. Just about every band is amazing. I am extremely excited to see Lazarus A.D,Revocation,Son Of Aurelius,Dying Fetus,Born Of Osiris and The Ocean for the first time. Throw in some of my favorites such as Hatebreed,Between The Buried and Me,Skeletonwitch,Job For A Cowboy and 3 Inches Of Blood and you have a hell of a lineup. I am stoked for this day of the festival, this will be the only day I attend this year.

February In Film

February tends to be the gap month between the semi-big films of March and the black hole of January. There always to be a wide array of films for horror films aimed at teenage audiences to high-budget sc-fi movies. This February is no exception and here are my thoughts on this month's releases.

Films I Want To See
3.Hall Pass(February 25)- I am a little bit skeptical about how good this will be considering the Farelly Brothers recent efforts. Hopefully, this will be up there with their greats such as Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. It does have a solid cast and an amusing premise going for it, I hope it can deliver.

2.Unknown(February 18)-Liam Nesson has turned into one of the most consistently good action stars in Hollywood. The plot line looks interesting and this looks to be an exciting, suspenseful thriller. I trust Liam Nesson and this should be another ass-kicking good time.

1.Drive Angry(February 25)-Yep, this is my most anticipated movie of the month. Nicolas Cage knows how to make a good B-movie and this should be a cheesy, good time. The trailer has all the makings of a good, balls to the wall action movie. The 3D is also very,very good judging from the 3D trailer that I saw with Jackass 3D. I am pretty excited for this.

Movies I am Unsure About
Sanctum(February 4)-The premise is kind of interesting, cave diving could make for a solid adventure. The problem is the trailer looks kind of dull and James Cameron's involvement as a producer makes me nervous.

Just Go With It(February 11)- I am a huge Adam Sandler fan even though he hasn't made a great comedy in 5-6 year. The trailer is pretty average looking and even with inclusion of two gorgeous women(Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston), I am still a little uneasy about this one.

I Am Number Four(February 18)-Could be an entertaining sc-fi flick, but it looks way too much like Jumper and Push. The cast is pretty weak, but D.J Caruso as the director offers some hope.

Movies I have zero interest in
The Roommate(February 4)-Good God, not another one of these movies. Horror movies that are made for teenage girls like this are always awful and aren't good for anything more than a barrage of unintentional comedy.

The Eagle(February 11)-Looks like a really bland war flick.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never(February 11)-I think it's fairly obvious why I don't want to see this.

Gnomeo and Juliet-I can't even believe this is a real movie, lawn gnomes in a Romeo and Juliet adaption? No thanks.

Big Mommas: Like Father,Like Son(February 18)-I liked the first one when I was 8, 11 years later I am all set with this franchise.