June In Film

June continues the summer season onwards with more big films. The films of June have a tough act to follow after May delivered from a quality standpoint, but with another lot of films with some potential gems, it could just be up to the task. Here are my thoughts on the whole slate of June films.

 Films I want to see
4.That's My Boy (6/15)-This looks like it could be the redemption film for Adam Sandler. If this as good as I think it be, it will erase Sandler's especially terrible 2011and hopefully put him back on track. The trailer is pretty good, the writers are good, and the early reception has been great. All the signs point to this being a success and it hopefully isn't a letdown.

3.Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (6/22)-One of the few times in my life where I was just sold on the title of the film. On top of the title, it looks like a great time at the movies. The red-band trailer that was released last week boosted my anticipation even higher. Timur Bekmambetov in the director's chair is another encouraging sign. His last film, Wanted, is one of my favorite action movies of the past decade. Even Tim Burton's involvement isn't scaring me off from seeing this! (Which is definitely saying something considering how much I hate Tim Burton). Can't wait for this one.

2.Ted (6/29)-Though I only have a wavering enjoyment of Family Guy, I am really excited to see what Seth McFarlane has in store for his debut film. The concept is fantastic (How can you go wrong with Mark Wahlberg and his swearing, pot-smoking, teddy bear best friend?) and the trailers have been hilarious. Hopefully McFarlane nailed it and it won't be inconsistent like Family Guy is.

1.Prometheus (6/8)-I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't seen Alien. Even without seeing Alien, It doesn't deter from my excitement for Prometheus. It has one of the best trailers of the entire year, an outstanding cast (including the first English-language leading role for Sweedish actress Noomi Rapice (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and was sitting behind only The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises for my most anticipated film of the summer. This has the potential to be the best sci-fi film in a long time and I am counting down the days until it comes out.

Films I'm not sure about:
Snow White and the Huntsman (6/1)-There are some cool elements to the trailer, but I have my reservations with seeing this in a theater. I am little bit worried that they are amping up the action in the trailers and it's really more of a fairy-tale based story aimed at teen girls. All reservations aside, I am still curious about this movie and I will see it on DVD.

Madgascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (6/8)-Haven't seen the first two and I haven't seen a full trailer for this, so I really can't say too much about it.

Brave (6/22)-I know it's Pixar and it will probably be good, but I don't think it looks like anything special and Pixar is coming off of a big strikeout in Cars 2 (Easily the worst Pixar film to date).

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World(6/22)-Looks a little too indie for my tastes, but I will see pretty much anything Steve Carell is in.

Films I have zero in interest in:
Rock of Ages(6/15)-Musicals are cancerous to me and this is no exception.

Madea's Witness Protection(6/29)-God damn it Tyler Perry, just stop.

Magic Mike (6/29)-It doesn't look as bad as I expected to, but as a straight man, I have zero interest in seeing a movie based around male strippers.

People Like Us (6/29)-Sappy-looking "inspirational drama" that is just not my bag at all.

Quick Movie Reviews: Jack and Jill, Johnny English Reborn, The Three Musketeers, Shame

Jack and Jill: Hands down the worst film Adam Sandler has ever done. It made Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (which Sandler co-wrote, but didn't star in) look like a landmark comedy masterpiece. I was expected it to be bad, but not this bad. Next to nothing works (I only chuckled at Shaq's cameo) and the humor is so lowbrow and dumb that I can't even appreciate it. I hope Sandler can back on track because this is just embarrassing. I have always defended a majority of Sandler's films (especially in the past five years or so), but I really can't back this one at all.  One of the absolute worst films I've endured in my quest for 2011 films.
1/5 Stars

Johnny English Reborn:  A nice surprise and a definite improvement over the first one. It's really silly, but that's the fun of it. It's a loving throwback to 80's and 90's spoofs like Naked Gun and Spy Hard. Rowan Atkinson has such a gift for physical comedy as well and is a perfect fit for the role of Johnny English. A harmless good time overall and I wouldn't mind seeing another installment.
3/5 Stars

The Three Musketeers:  The action scenes were pretty cool, but everything else just didn't click. The story has a shitload of holes. Some of the events in the film make little to no sense. It also suffers from some pretty severe tonal problems. It can't make up it's mind if it wants to be serious or campy and there is plenty of unintentionally hilarious lines ("You should have apologized to my horse" during the climatic fight scene is easily the most cringe-inducing). The acting ranged from bad (Orlando Bloom is worse than ever and Christoph Waltz is bad for the first time ever) to alright (Mila Jovovich, Ray Stevenson). A middling review might be too generous considering it's numerous flaws, but the action is good enough to warrant an average rating.
2.5/5 Stars

Shame:Michael Fassbender is excellent, but the whole film seems really underdeveloped. This could have been a fascinating and devastating character study if there was more substance, power and cohesion in the script. It attempts to go somewhere with the relationship between Fassbender and Cary Mulligan (who plays his sister), but it seems really forced at the end of the film after glossing over it for most of the duration. Instead it focuses on Fassbender's character's sex addiction, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad as the filmmaker's intended it to be. His addiction is demonstrated in a series of events that have pretty much no correlation and make for a really flimsy narrative to base a film of this nature around.  It wasn't nearly as unsettling or deep as it should have been. Fassbender's performance is almost good enough to make it worth watching, but the script just isn't strong enough.
2.5/5 Stars

NBA Conference Final Predictions

I know it's a little late since both game 1's have been played, but here are my predictions for both conference final series.

Eastern Conference Finals: Heat over Celtics in 7. As much as it pains to me say as a Celtics fans and extreme hater of the Heat, I think Miami will take it (especially after Game 1). Lebron James and Dwayne Wade have been playing like they are possessed in the past few games and if that keeps up, I can't see the Celtics taking it from them. Throw Chris Bosh potentially back into the mix and they become especially lethal. If Avery Bradley didn't get hurt and Ray Allen wasn't playing poorly due to injury,  I would say the Celtics take it easily. The Celtics are definitely the deeper team, but with James and Wade at the top of their game, the Heat's lack of depth won't play a deciding factor in the series.

Western Conference Finals: Thunder over Spurs in 7. I think it is finally the time for the Thunder to shine in the West. Yes San Antonio has the experience, but Oklahoma City's energy should be too much for San Antonio's slow-paced style of play. San Antonio is a beyond impressive team and the fact that they play so well at such a high median age for a team is shocking. The Thunder are an equally deep team with a much younger core age. I think their hunger for a title and Kevin Durant's leadership will lead them past the experienced and equally hungry San Antonio.

Album Review: Cattle Decapitation-Monolith of Inhumanity

Cattle Decapitation has rightfully earned their reputation as one of the heaviest bands in metal. Their style of deathgrind with lyrical themes largely focusing on humans being put through the same torture as animals do in slaughterhouses, political corruption, and just straight-up gore paired with the unholy and most satanic-sounding vocals in all of metal being delivered from Travis Ryan makes them pretty hard to top in that department. Their last record, The Harvest Floor (which is also their best in my opinion),  added a bit of calm to their frenzied attack by throwing in some progressive elements to the mix. Their latest, Monolith of Inhumanity, has expanded even more upon those elements and it totally works for them (for the most part).

Monolith of Inhumanity, from a musical standpoint, is Cattle Decaptation's best work to date. The compositions are more crushing than ever yet more progressive. The speed and brutality meets progressive style is pretty much unheard of in the deathgrind style and Cattle does a great job with it. Songs like "Lifestalker" and album closer "Kingdom of Tyrants" are prime examples of the two sides of Cattle Decaptation's sound working together perfectly. While "Kingdom of Tyrants" focuses more on the progressive side throughout the stone, "Lifestalker" starts off grinding then descends into a trippy mid-section with an incedible guitar solo from Josh Elmore (who has to be one of the most underrated guitarists in metal. The whole album isn't focused on melody though, Cattle still knows how to do straight deathgrind better than pretty much anyone. The first two tracks on the album "The Carbon Stampede" and "Dead Set on Suicide" get the album out to a whirlwind start. Both these tracks along with "Projectile Ovulation" are amongst the heaviest material they have ever recorded. If you follow this band and you've record heard their earlier  records like Humanure and To Serve Man, you know that's quite the accomplishment.

There's only one thing that prevents Monolith of Inhumanity from being the finest album of the career: Travis Ryan's "clean" vocals. The use of his "clean" vocals is way over-the-top. They become really grating to listen to and take away from almost every song they are used in ("Kingdom of Tyrants" is the only time they worked well). It's a shame too because Ryan is such an excellent vocalist, but these particular vocals just don't click at all. I know a lot of people have been raving about them and they are very different, it's just something I can't really get into and I felt they were far too prominent on this album.

Monolith of Inhumanity is a great effort from deathgrind masters Cattle Decaptation. The added focus on the progressive elements of their sound give them a leg-up on most of their peers within that genre. I still give the edge to The Harvest Floor because of the excessive use of Travis Ryan's "clean" vocals. I really appreciate the direction they are going in and if they cut down on Ryan's "clean" vocals, I think they could make an extreme metal masterpiece.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Carbon Stampede
2.Kingdom of Tyrants
3.Projectile Ovulation

   

Movie Review: Chronicle

The found-footage style, which I found to be pretty stale before this year, has been given new life this year. First with party film Project X and now with the even better sci-fi flick Chronicle. This is a very interesting and original take on the superhero genre.  It really benefits from it's use of the found-footage style. Much like Project X, the found-footage style makes the film seem real and the feeling of authenticity sets it apart from other similar films. It was extremely entertaining from start to finish with a surprisingly deep and complex storyline. It develops all three leads quite well and shows their personality differences and how each one copes with their new-found powers. These unknown actors all do a good job in their first roles in a major film. I really liked the change in tone in the second half of the movie. It starts off fun and pretty light then it becomes really dark in the second half and that makes it feel even fresher. Before seeing this, I had heard a lot of complaints about the ending, but I thought it was fine. The climax was pretty intense and action-heavy and it wrapped the film nicely. I will say the CGI isn't the best, but that's really the only flaw with the film (and that can easily be excused considering it only had a $15 million dollar budget). Chronicle provides a new and interesting spin on the superhero genre. It's inventive use of found-footage, strong performances and character development, and original take on a familiar genre/story make this a sure-fire winner.

4/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic mastermind. For years he has been bringing audiences some of the most cutting-edge, ballsy comedy ever made and The Dictator is no exception. The Dictator is Baron Cohen's first scripted movie (that he wrote), but it maintains the effectiveness of his previous gurellia-style filmmaking As expected, The Dictator is clever and gleefully offensive. Baron Cohen's character, General Aladeen, is sexist, racist, and just generally ignorant (as almost of Baron Cohen's characters are). Of course it's going to piss off some more conservative and easily offended audiences, but that's a major reason why it's so damn funny.  If you liked the humor of his other work, you will without a doubt like this and if you weren't, this definitely won't convert you. He does not pull any punches with his work and I really admire that about him. The world needs more comics that are willing to push the envelope like him.  It was also really cool to see him with a cast of known actors this time around. Anna Farris was actually funny for the first time in a while. She should take more roles like this that show off her brilliant comedic timing and avoid shit like What's Your Number?. The real show stealer in the supporting cast though was Jason Mantzoukas (Rafi from The League if anyone watches that show), his scenes with Baron Cohen are especially priceless. Overall I liked it better than Bruno, but it still can't touch Borat.

4/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Avengers

I am going to try keep this short and sweet because chances are if you were interested in seeing The Avengers, you've already seen it at least once.

Marvel has been hyping up The Avengers for years now and rightfully so. It's the biggest alliance of superheroes there is and of course, it's going to be a spectacle watching all these heroes on the big screen at once. The Avengers 100% lives up to the years of massive hype. This was a film that was almost bound to be a letdown with all the buzz surrounding it since the first mention of it in the post-credit scene of the first Iron Man movie. The Avengers is one of the best pure comic-book movies ever. While darker superhero movies like The Dark Knight are excellent, The Avengers succeeds more as a comic-book film than The Dark Knight did. It's just pure fun and entertainment held together by a pretty good story and embracing the corniness of the source material. The humor was also a big plus. In an age where superhero films are becoming darker and darker, it was refreshing to see one where humor was so prominent and for the most part, pretty damn funny. What was a little bit strange about The Avengers was it didn't really fully hit it's stride until the final act. Don't get me wrong, it's very good throughout, but it does become full-on amazing until the last third of the film. It was just really awesome to see all of these heroes on the screen kicking ass together. All of the heroes are split up evenly in screen time. No one takes center stage, which is great. The Avengers is about the group, not the individuals, and Joss Whedon knew that and did a great job of balancing the characters. The Avengers is a must-see for fans of superheroes. Joss Whedon has done the nerds of the world proud and I hope he returns for the sequel.

4.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Death Grips-The Money Store

California hip-hop group Death Grips came out of nowhere last year with their debut mixtape Exmillitary. It caught my attention through word of mouth around the internet and I had to check it out due to the hype. I liked it overall, but it was too violent and too noise-based for me to get fully into. Fast forward a year to the their debut full-length The Money Store and all of the kinks have been worked out and they have made a truly great hip-hop album.

The Money Store is one of the most unique hip-hop albums I have ever heard. The tag "experimental hip-hop" was made for a group like Death Grips. Every song has a different quirk, twist, or turn to it, which makes the album an adventure to listen to. The style that they use is what makes them so fascinating as a group. The aggression that was on Exmillitary is still very much present, It's just much more controlled and effective this time around. Mixed in with the aggression is a new found knack for catchy hooks. Though the album has no shortage of brilliant hooks, the ones on "I've Seen Footage", "The Cage", "The Fever (Aye Aye), and "System Blower" especially will get stuck in your head for weeks on end. I have never heard hip-hop that is both angry and catchy, but Death Grips is just that. The biggest area of growth for Death Grips on The Money Store though is the production. Exmillitary was way over-the top from a production standpoint. The beats had way too much going on and it became distracting to listen to at times. The Money Store, on the other hand, is perfect from a production standpoint. The beats are completely incredible. The noise-influenced beats are not overwhelming in the slightest. They achieved the perfect balance of noise and clarity without causing any distractions. Having the secret weapons of a synth player and a drummer in the group allows for a lot more experimentation from a beat standpoint. It sounds a lot more raw and authentic than most rap and it's beyond refreshing. The beats on this album completely pound and I almost inclined to headbang like I was listening to a metal record. I will go as far as to say, "The Cage" is the best beat I've heard since "Shoulda Known" by Atmosphere back in 2008.

The Money Store is exactly what Death Grips and hip-hop needed. It gives a hip-hop a swift kick in the ass and establishes Death Grips as a force to be reckoned with in the scene. All the flaws of Exmillitary have been corrected and this is only their first full-length. It's almost scary how good their next one could be (It's due out by the end of the year). Hip-hop needs more acts like Death Grips to push the boundaries of the genre. The Money Store is definitely not for all hip-hop fans, but for those willing to take the risk, you might find it to be extremely rewarding.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Cage
2.I've Seen Footage
3.The Fever (Aye Aye)

  

Yet Another Update

I'd like to apologize for my lack of posting again. I just finished school on Tuesday and now I am helping a friend with a documentary for his film school project. I hope to begin posting actual reviews again on Saturday (hopefully a few of them actually) and after that, the posts should be coming regularly for a while. Thank you for your patience with the lack of new material, I promise I will make it up to you.

Chris Maitland

Update

I am in the last week of the semester and I haven't had time to post anything. I promise next week when I get out there will be a lot more posts. I appreciate you patience and there will be some good reviews and other fun stuff coming up soon (I might post something this week, depending on how much time I have). Check back next week for the return of regular posts!

Chris Maitland

Album Review: Job For A Cowboy-Demonocracy

Job For A Cowboy is a band that just keeps earning more and more respect in my book. They keep advancing their music and keep attempting to silence their critics. If anything is going to silence their beyond overly-harsh critics, it's going to be Demonocracy.

Demonocracy continues Job For A Cowboy's trend of greatly improving on their previous release. Last year's EP showed some more technicality in their music, while Demonocracy makes them a full-on technical death metal band. The songwriting has never been better and the band sounds tighter than ever. New guitarist Tony Sannicandro gives the band an absolutely fantastic player and a new element to the band that wasn't there previously. Sannicandro can shred and he knows how to write some damn catchy riffs. "The Manipulation Stream" and "Tongueless and Bound" were particularly impressive from a guitarwork standpoint. The intro riff to "Tongueless and Bound" is the best riff they have ever had and "The Manipulation Stream" is the fastest and finest Job For A Cowboy song to date. The rest of the band steps up big time as well Jonny Davy's vocals sound as tortured and evil as ever. He doesn't get nearly enough credit as a vocalist, he has some of the most menacing screams in all of death metal. On top of his vocals, he has shown his immense dedication to this band. He is the only founding member of the band left and this is easily the best lineup of musicians he has surrounding him in the history of the band. Good for him sticking with his band and striving to make his band better.

Demonocracy is by the best release from Job for A Cowboy. Their transition to a more technical death metal sound has payed dividends for their music. The new lineup has injected this band with new life. They continue to strive to advance their music and top their previous outings and they keep doing that. I honestly can't even believe this is the same band that made Doom. They have come so far since that record it's not even funny. Give this band another couple of albums and they will probably be at the top of the death metal heap. I'm sure there will be plenty of elitists looking for any excuse to continue to hate this band, but there is absolutely nothing even remotely close to deathcore on this record, so they're shit out of luck. Drop any previous bias you had with Job For A Cowboy and check out this record, it's great stuff.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Manipulation Stream
2.Tongueless and Bound
3.Nourishment Through Bloodshed

May In Film

May provides the start of the summer season. As usual, May has only a few wide releases, but a majority of them are amongst the biggest releases of the year. Here are my thought on the first slate of summer movies.

Movies I want to see

3.Men In Black III (5/25)-I have a high level of nostalgia for Men In Black. The first two films were some of my favorite movies as a kid. Even after a ten year break and the fact that I'm now 20, I'm very excited to see these characters come back to the big screen. The plot is interesting and Josh Brolin playing young Agent K is perfect casting. I am a little wary that this will underwhelm due to the script being kind of rushed. Hopefully this is a fun throwback to the first two and not a disaster.

2.The Dictator(5/14)-Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genius and I will watch anything he is in. Both trailers are hilarious and the departure from his normal guerrilla mockumentary style to a scripted, staged film should be an interesting one. Hopefully his comic brilliance translates to scripted filmmaking (I have feeling it will).

1.The Avengers(5/4)-The Avengers is not only my most anticipated film of May, but possibly the entire summer. This is something I've been waiting for years. The Avengers consists of pretty much the entire Marvel superheroes, which is too awesome for words. Adding to my initial excitement is the excellent early reception it's gotten. Joss Whedon is a very talented filmmaker and I can't wait to see what he did with the epic team of superheroes in The Avengers.

Films I Have Zero Interest In Seeing

Dark Shadows(5/11)-This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis. Yet another Tim Burton/Johhny Depp pairing and as usual, Burton's annoying "look at how weird and quirky I am" style of filmmaking is on display. Hipsters and other abstract people will love it, but I'll stay far, far away from this.

Battleship(5/18)-I still can't believe this is a legitimate movie. Easily one of the worst-looking action movies in recent memory. I mean aliens in the movie version of a fucking board game? One of the new lows for Hollywood for sure.

What to Expect When You're Expecting (5/18)-Another month, another generic romantic comedy. Pass.

Chernobyl Diaries (5/25)-More found-footage horror produced by Oran Pelli? Oh boy... I wonder if we'll get nuclear scary wind instead of the regular scary wind were used to from Pelli.