Album Review: August Burns Red-Rescue & Restore

August Burns Red is one of those bands that just gets it. They have found a way to balance their trademark sound while always trying different things and incorporating new influences into their music. With this balance sharper than ever,  Rescue & Restore very well could be the best August Burns Red record to-date.

Rescue & Restore is simultaneously the most experimental and straight-up heavy material August Burns Red has ever created. The heavy use of breakdowns from their early material and their recently developed flair for oddball, progressive instrumentation converge beautifully throughout Rescue & Restore. There's everything from strings to hardcore-style gang vocals to haunting spoken word sections to middle-eastern inspired guitars that are seamlessly integrated into their style of metalcore. The growth the whole band has gone through on a record-to-record basis is very impressive. They are always open to new ideas and playing around with vastly different elements while keep their core sound intact. Few bands in the genre challenge the rules like August Burns Red and it's refreshing to hear a band that advances their sound on each and every release they put out.

Naturally with the amount of experimentation going on this record, the entire band has become even stronger musicians. Vocalist Jake Luhrs gives his strongest vocal performance to-date. He has added more of a death metal-esque scream to his repertoire giving him even more range and his vocals are loaded with genuine emotion. Tracks like "Spirit Breaker" and "Creative Captivity" are made extremely powerful just from the raw emotional power Luhrs delivers in his vocals. There are very few vocalists in the genre that I can think of that continuously step their game up consistently on every record like Luhrs does. JB Brubaker also delivers the most challenging and exciting guitarwork that he's ever done. For the first time in their career, Brubaker is actually playing solos. Brubaker has always been a great player with impressive chops, but hearing him actually play legitmate solos on this record was awesome and finally put his underrated playing in the forefront of the music. Brubaker also got more adventurous with the riffing incorporating a lot more melody and non-traditional influences into his playing (the aforementioned middle-eastern inspired guitarwork on "Animals" is one of the best parts of the entire album) and adding more beef and groove to the breakdown sections ("Count It All as Lost" in particular has a breakdown for the ages.)  As for the rest of the band, Matt Greiner is his usual manic self on the kit and bassist Dustin Davidson gets some time to shine as well (which is always cool since bassists are normally buried in the background.)

Rescue & Restore is the most mature, well-written and probably best record August Burns Red has made to-date. These guys continue to progress as a band and each record they put out brings something new to the table while preserving what was great about their previous material. The world needs more metalcore bands that are as consistent and willing to change things up as August Burns Red. Rescue & Restore is undoubtedly one of the finest records of this year so far and I'd be willing to bet it will be high up on my own (and many other) year-end best of lists.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Count It All as Lost
2.Creative Captivity
3.Animals

Movie Review: White House Down

God damn the White House can't catch a break this year!

White House Down, is the 2nd of the White House invasion movies to come out this year after March's Olympus Has Fallen. The two films don't have much in common save for a concept and I found White House Down to be the superior of the two. Unlike Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down doesn't take itself too seriously and offers up a slightly more plausible take on a completely absurd concept. The film is fully aware of how ridiculous the events that are taking place over the course of the film are and the film has a great sense of humor throughout (something Olympus Has Fallen mostly lacked.) Embracing its stupidity, the film proves to be a lot of fun especially in the 1st half. Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx have a natural chemistry and just roll with the material in an effortless, confident fashion. Every minute these two are on-screen together is just an absolute blast. It impresses be how much Tatum has come along as an actor over the past couple years. He's becoming increasingly more versatile and with this can now add bonafide action star to his resume. The action scenes mostly hit the mark with one sequence on the White House Lawn being particularly impressive. Roland Emmerich is a veteran blockbuster director and if there is one thing this man knows how to do, it's how to blow shit up on a grand scale and he does so gleefully and constantly during a majority of this film.

My one beef with this movie is that it's a bit too long and the second half just isn't as much as fun as the 1st half. It certainly has its moments in the final action sequence with some tongue-in-cheek kills and a few great lines, but it gets too bogged down in the second half with scenes with the villains trying too hard to be menacing and scenes at the Pentagon with the remaining government officials bitching at each other about protocol. These scenes aren't necessarily completely awful, but they are a bit overacted and slow down the film's otherwise incendiary pace. However, the film's biggest mistake was separating Tatum and Foxx for most of the final act of the film The film is firing on all cylinders when these two are together so naturally the film gets a bit less interesting when these two aren't on-screen together. For the most part, White House Down is an entertaining, funny and occasionally touching film that more than does the trick for mindless summer entertainment.

3.5/5 Stars

Quick Movie Reviews: Texas Chainsaw, Parker, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Side Effects, Snitch, 21 & Over

Texas Chainsaw: Typical slasher film that brings nothing new to the table, but is nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be. There's some good kills and a few funny moments, it's just ultimately too dumb to be enjoyable (the ending is absolutely idiotic even for a slasher movie) and the attempts for the audience to sympathize with Leatherface by providing a backstory fall flat. If it had a bit more of a brain in its head, it might have been a serviceable slice-and-dice flick.
2.5/5 Stars

Parker: Jason Statham in typical Jason Statham mode makes for another enjoyable action caper. The story is pretty engaging and well-written, the supporting cast (including Nick Noltie, Clifton Collins Jr. and Michael Chiklis as the main villain) is good and the finale is satisfying as hell. An underwhelming second act and a terrible performance from Jennifer Lopez is the only thing keeping this from being one of Statham's better films. Definitely a fun movie that's worth checking out if you're a fan of Statham.
3.5/5 Stars

Oz: The Great and Powerful: Sam Rami really dropped the ball on this one. Aside from it's striking visuals and cinematography, Oz: The Great and Powerful falls short across the board. James Franco looks confused and potentially stoned as the Wizard (his facial expression during the graveyard scene is absolutely hysterical)and doesn't really appear to be taking the role seriously at all. Milia Kunis and Rachel Weiz are below-average villains and Michelle Williams is just kind of there as Glinda the Good Witch, the only character who helps the wizard become the savior of Oz he was destined to be. The story is pedestrian is at best with very few interesting revelations as to how Oz became the savoir of an entire land of people and the ending is extremely lame and anticlimactic. There was a lot of potential to set up The Wizard of Oz (especially with an excellent director like Sam Rami at the helm), but Oz: The Great and Powerful is a prequel that has minimal magic and not really much of a reason to exist.
2/5 Stars

Side Effects:  A little too complicated for it's own good at times, but this is still a pretty solid thriller. The film takes a complete 180 in the second half becoming a tense thriller opposed to the first half which is almost like an oddball artsy drama. Rooney Mara and Jude Law are both excellent in their roles and I did not see the ending coming at all (although the setup is a bit messy.) A fitting directorial swan song (for now at least) for Steven Soderbergh.
3.5/5 Stars

Snitch: A surprisingly really enjoyable film. Dwayne Johnson has really gone out of his comfort zone this year with this and Pain & Gain and proven he has some really solid acting chops outside of his typical action wheelhouse. The scenes between him and his son in prison were wonderfully acted and Johnson gives his character a considerable amount of emotional depth. You truly believe that this is a man that will do anything for his son and the relationship between them is the driving force behind this film. The drug smuggling sequences could've been better, but the emotional power, storyline and performances (Michael K. Williams and Jon Bernthal are also great in this. I'm intrigued to see how Bernthal does in The Wolf of Wall Street later this year.) more than make up for this film's shortcomings in the action scenes.
4/5 Stars

21 & Over: About a handful of funny moments (most of which are in the last 15 minutes) and some sincere heart at times, but it's mostly unfunny, lazy material that you've seen executed far better in a bunch of other teen comedies. The cast gives it their best effort to make this film watchable, the jokes just fall flat for the most part and there was nothing they could to do to save this film from the depths of below-average. 21 & Over is definitely one of the most forgettable and unoriginal comedies to come out in recent years.
2/5 Stars   

Movie Review: Man of Steel

Like most superhero films, the buzz for Man of Steel had been building for a long time. The trailers were excellent, Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan was on-board as a producer and highly-touted action/visual director Zack Snyder was directing. All signs pointed to a winning formula, but unfortunately Man of Steel doesn't deliver the goods.

Man of Steel is the victim of having a terrible script, being riddled with poor acting and just taking itself far too seriously. The script is clearly the film's biggest crutch and pretty much drags the rest of the film down with it. David S. Goyer weaknesses as a screenwriter are fully on-display with this film. The script is loaded with plot holes, horrendous dialogue, tonal inconsistencies and just about everything is rushed and/or underdeveloped. After an interesting set-up sequence on Krypton, the film spends the next hour showing a combination mostly pointless tied-in flashback sequences and Clark doing random oddjobs across the United States simply to show his mystique and how he was bullied because of his powers (I get showing a scene to show that he was an awkward kid who was harassed because he was different than the other kids, but are multiple scenes of the same kids making fun of him in a different setting really necessary ?) The lack of action over the first hour is completely fine, but at least throw something worthwhile and well-written on the screen instead of just throwing random scenes together to pad the runtime and do not advance the story much at all. When the film finally gets into its actual plot with General Zod coming to Earth to find Superman and takeover Earth to rebuild Krypton etc, the film doesn't really get any better but at least there is a method to the madness and the film develops a faint sense of purpose after plodding around in no man's land for what seems like an eternity.

Adding to the mess of a screenplay is a slew of bad and/or phoned in performances. Henry Cavill is just as stiff as his predecessor Brandon Ruth in the role of Superman. I understand that Jor-El/Clark Kent/Superman is supposed to be a strange guy who is an outcast on this planet, but Cavill doesn't give him an ounce of emotion or likability. When his character makes some kind of breakthrough or does anything heroic, I didn't find myself caring in the slightest (which is easily the last thing you want in a superhero movie.) Every bit as bad as Cavil is Michael Shannon as General Zod. Shannon makes Zod so cartoonshily over-the-top that he just comes off as a complete joke of a character. Shannon is an incredibly talented actor (who proved he can handle over-the-top villain roles very well in last year's Premium Rush,) he just goes WAY overboard with Zod and makes him one of the worst villains to ever appear in a superhero film. How this film takes itself so damn seriously with a caricature of a villain like Zod is beyond me. The rest of the performances don't stoop to Cavil and Shannon's level of terribleness, but no one save for Kevin Costner's brief appearance as Jonathan Kent does anything noteworthy. The cast (including the normally excellent Russell Crowe, Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne) are just kind of coasting on auto-pilot. I don't know if was the poor script that caused these immensely talented actors to phone it in or what, but it says a lot of the low quality of this film when multiple Academy-award nominated/winning actors aren't really trying to act in a major franchise like Superman.

Man of Steel even falls short in its action sequences, which is the last thing I expected from a film directed by action movie master Zack Snyder. While the first battle on Krypton was pretty cool, every fight scene after that was repetitive and incredibly boring. How many times do we really need to Superman slamming Zod or one of his people into the side of a building causing a wave of destruction? After the first time, the audience understands the strength of Superman, Zod and every other resident of Krypton that gets into a fight in this film. The scenes all blend together and aren't exhilarating or creative in the slightest. Not helping matters is the fact that these scenes are amateurishly shot so you can't even really tell what's going on. Snyder seems like he's out of his element with aerial battles and wideshots that are nowhere near the action. It almost seems like the other people involved with the making of this film didn't let Snyder do his thing. With 300, Watchmen and Sucker Punch, Snyder showed a tremendous grip on getting close to the action and making unique sequences that thoroughly engaged the viewer. Snyder is the most creative and just plain best director of action in Hollywood right now in my eyes and his talents completely go to waste here with these dull and horribly-shot action scenes.

There are almost no words for how disappointing this film is. What could've been something truly special ends up being a poorly-scripted disaster that is tonally challenged, boring and loaded with weak acting and trite action scenes. With all the talent involved on both sides of the camera,  Man of Steel is the epitome of a wasted opportunity.

1.5/5 Stars


 

2013 NFL Postion Rankings: Recap

Over the past month, I've counted down the best players at each position going into the 2013 NFL season. Since the lists are currently scattered, I figured it would be efficient to recap the lists and have them all in one place. Here are all of the rankings, now let's just get on with the start of football season!


Top 25 Quarterbacks:

25.Matt Moore (Dolphins)

24.Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins)

23.Josh Freeman (Buccaneers)

22.Michael Vick (Eagles)

21.Phillip Rivers (Chargers)

20.Carson Palmer (Cardinals)

19.Alex Smith (Chiefs)

18.Jay Cutler (Bears)

17.Tony Romo (Cowboys)

16.Andy Dalton (Bengals)

15.Matt Schaub (Texans)

14.Joe Flacco (Ravens)

13.Matthew Stafford (Lions)

12.Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)

11.Andrew Luck (Colts)

10.Colin Kapernick (49ers)

9.Russell Wilson (Seahawks)

8.Eli Manning (Giants)

7.Cam Newton (Panthers)

6.Robert Griffin III (Redskins)

5.Matt Ryan (Falcons)

1.Tie Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints), Peyton Manning (Broncos), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

 

Top 50 Running Backs:

50.Daryl Richardson (Rams)

49.Ronnie Brown (Chargers)

48.Rashard Mendenhaal (Cardinals)

47.Beanie Wells (Free Agent)

46.Pierre Thomas (Saints)

45.Shane Vereen (Patriots)

44.Joique Bell (Lions)

43.Jaquizz Rodgers (Falcons)

42.Chris Ivory (Jets)

41.LaMichael James (49ers)

40.Lamar Miller (Dolphins)

39.Michael Turner (Free Agent)

38.Ben Tate (Texans)

37.Mikel Lashoure (Lions)

36.Vick Ballard (Colts)

35.Michael Bush (Bears)

34.Bryce Brown (Eagles)

33.Kendall Hunter (49ers)

32.Bernard Pierce (Ravens)

31.Knoshown Moreno (Broncos)

30.Darren Sproles (Saints)

29.Andre Brown (Giants)

28.Jonathan Stewart (Panthers)

27.Benjarvus Green-Ellis (Bengals)

26.DeAngelo Williams (Panthers)

25.David Wilson (Giants)

24.Ryan Matthews (Chargers)

23.Shonn Greene (Titans)

22.Darren McFadden (Raiders)

21.Ahmad Bradshaw (Colts)

20.Reggie Bush (Lions)

19.Fred Jackson (Bills)

18.DeMarco Murray (Cowboys)

17.Willis McGahee (Free Agent)

16.Stevan Ridley (Patriots)

15.Trent Richardson (Browns)

14.Steven Jackson (Falcons)

13.Chris Johnson (Titans)

12.Matt Forte (Bears)

11.LeSean McCoy (Eagles)

10.Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars)

9.Jammal Charles (Chiefs)

8.Doug Martin (Buccaneers)

7.Alfred Morris (Redskins)

6.C.J Spiller (Bills)

5.Frank Gore (49ers)

4.Ray Rice (Ravens)

3.Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)

2.Arian Foster (Texans)

1.Adrian Peterson (Vikings)

 

Top 50 Wide Receivers:

50.Mohammad Sanu (Bengals)

49.Donnie Avery (Chiefs)

48.Santana Moss (Redskins)

47.Josh Gordon (Browns)

46.Emanuel Sanders (Steelers)

45.Brian Hartline (Dolphins)

44.Malcolm Floyd (Chargers)

43.Golden Tate (Seahawks)

42.Justin Blackmon (Jaguars)

41.Sidney Rice (Seahawks)

40.Santonio Holmes (Jets)

39.Cecil Shorts (Jaguars)

38.Jeremy Maclin (Eagles)

37.Jacoby Jones (Ravens)

36.T.Y Hilton (Colts)

35.Mike Williams (Buccaneers)

34.Lance Moore (Saints)

33.Danny Amendola (Patriots)

32.Antonio Brown (Steelers)

31.Mike Wallace (Dolphins)

30.Torrey Smith (Ravens)

29.Michael Crabtree (49ers)

28.Eric Decker (Broncos)

27.Miles Austin (Cowboys)

26.Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs)

25.James Jones (Packers)

24.DeSean Jackson (Eagles)

23.Stevie Johnson (Bills)

22.Marques Colston (Saints)

21.Anquan Boldin (49ers)

20.Jordy Nelson (Packers)

19.Greg Jennings (Vikings)

18.Demariyus Thomas (Broncos)

17.Randall Cobb (Packers)

16.Pierre Garcon (Redskins)

15.Steve Smith (Panthers)

14.Hakeem Nicks (Giants)

13.Percy Harvin (Seahawks)

12.Wes Welker (Broncos)

11.Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals)

10.Vincent Jackson (Buccaneers)

9.Reggie Wayne (Colts)

8.Julio Jones (Falcons)

7.Victor Cruz (Giants)

6.Dez Bryant (Cowboys)

5.Roddy White (Falcons)

4.Andre Johnson (Texans)

3.Brandon Marshall (Bears)

2.A.J Green (Bengals)

1.Calvin Johnson (Lions)

 

Top 20 Tight Ends:

20.Brent Celek (Eagles)

19.Joel Dressen (Broncos)

18.Jermaine Gresham (Bengals)

17.Dwayne Allen (Colts)

16.Jemichael Finley (Packers)

15.Jared Cook (Rams)

14.Brandon Myers (Giants)

13.Martellus Bennett (Bears)

12.Greg Olsen (Panthers)

11.Owen Daniels (Texans)

10.Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)

9.Dennis Pitta (Ravens)

8.Antonio Gates (Chargers)

7.Aaron Hernandez (Patriots)

6.Heath Miller (Steelers)

5.Vernon Davis (49ers)

4.Jimmy Graham (Saints)

3.Jason Witten (Cowboys)

2.Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

1.Tony Gonzalez (Falcons)

 

Top 30 Tackles:

30.Eric Winston (Free Agent)

29.Bryan Bulaga (Packers)

28.Bryant McKinnie (Ravens)

27.Sam Baker (Falcons)

26.Gosder Cherilus (Colts)

25.Cordy Glenn (Bills)

24.William Beatty (Giants)

23.Jermon Bushrod (Bears)

22.Donald Penn (Buccaneers)

21.Phil Loadholt (Vikings)

20.Tyson Clabo (Dolphins)

19.Orlando Franklin (Broncos)

18.Jordan Gross (Panthers)

17.Matt Kalil (Vikings)

16.Branden Albert (Chiefs)

15.D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets)

14.Nate Solder (Patriots)

13.Eugene Monroe (Jaguars)

12.Andre Smith (Bengals)

11.Trent Williams (Redskins)

10.Sebastian Vollmer (Patriots)

9.Michael Roos (Titans)

8.Jake Long (Rams)

7.Anthony Davis (49ers)

6.Andrew Whitworth (Bengals)

5.Russell Okung (Seahawks)

4.Ryan Clady (Broncos)

3.Joe Thomas (Browns)

2.Duane Brown (Texans)

1.Joe Staley (49ers)

 

Top 30 Guards:

30.Garrett Reynolds (Falcons)

29.Manuel Ramirez (Broncos)

28.Harvey Dahl (Rams)

27.Lance Louis (Dolphins)

26.John Greco (Browns)

25.Dan Connolly (Patriots)

24.Clint Boling (Bengals)

23.Jon Asamoah (Chiefs)

22.Jeremy Zuttah (Buccaneers)

21.Kevin Boothe (Giants)

20.Geoff Schwartz (Chiefs)

19.Zane Beadles (Broncos)

18.Donald Thomas (Colts)

17.Louis Vasquez (Broncos)

16.Rob Sims (Lions)

15.Richie Incognito (Dolphins)

14.Nate Livings (Cowboys)

13.Willie Colon (Jets)

12.Brandon Moore (Jets)

11.Chris Chester (Redskins)

10.Chris Snee (Giants)

9.Kevin Zeitler (Bengals)

8.Ben Grubbs (Saints)

7.Andy Levitre (Titans)

6.Alex Boone (49ers)

5.Jahri Evans (Saints)

4.Carl Nicks (Buccaneers)

3.Logan Mankins (Patriots)

2.Mike Iupati (49ers)

1.Marshal Yanda (Ravens)

 

Top 20 Centers:

20.David Baas (Giants)

19.Ryan Lilja (Chiefs)

18.Ted Larsen (Buccaneers)

17.Todd McClure (Falcons)

16.Dan Koppen (Free Agent)

15.Robert Turner (Rams)

14.Ryan Wendell (Patriots)

13.Stefen Wisnewski (Raiders)

12.Dominic Raiola (Lions)

11.Brian De La Puente (Saints)

10.Will Montgomery (Redskins)

9.Jonathan Goodwin (49ers)

8.Alex Mack (Browns)

7.Mike Pouncey (Dolphins)

6.Ryan Kalil (Panthers)

5.John Sullivan (Vikings)

4.Marquice Pouncey (Steelers)

3.Chris Myers (Texans)

2.Nick Mangold (Jets)

1.Max Unger (Seahawks)

 

Top 30 Defensive Ends:

 30.Adam Carriker (Redskins)

29.Kamerion Wimbley (Titans)

28.Chandler Jones (Patriots)

27.Carlos Dunlap (Bengals)

26.Trent Cole (Eagles)

25.Jason Babin (Jaguars)

24.Bruce Irvin (Seahawks)

23.Rob Ninkovich (Patriots)

22.Cameron Jordan (Saints)

21.Jason Hatcher (Cowboys)

20.Cliff Avril (Seahawks)

19.John Abraham (Free Agent)
18.Osi Umenyiora (Falcons)

17.Calias Campbell (Cardinals)

16.Greg Hardy (Panthers)

15.Robert Quinn (Rams)

14.Justin Tuck (Giants)

13.Michael Johnson (Bengals)

12.Elvis Dumervil (Ravens)

11.Chris Clemons (Seahawks)

10.Chris Long (Rams)

9.Charles Johnson (Panthers)

8.Michael Bennett (Seahawks)

7.Mario Williams (Bills)

6.Julius Peppers (Bears)

5.Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants)

4.Jared Allen (Vikings)

3.Justin Smith (49ers)

2.Cameron Wake (Dolphins)

1.J.J Watt (Texans)

 

Top 20 Defensive Tackles:

20.Justin Bannan (Broncos)

19.Marcel Dareus (Bills)

18.Linval Joesph (Giants)

17.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)

16.Michael Brockers (Rams)

15.Chris Canty (Ravens)

14.Randy Starks (Dolphins)

13.Richard Seymour (Free Agent)

12.Jay Ratliff (Cowboys)

11.Desmond Bryant (Browns)

10.Kyle Williams (Bills)

9.B.J Raji (Packers)

8.Kevin Williams (Vikings)

7.Nick Fairley (Lions)

6.Henry Melton (Bears)

5.Ndamukong Suh (Lions)

4.Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers)

3.Haloti Ngata (Ravens)

2.Vince Wilfork (Patriots)
1.Geno Atkins (Bengals)

 

Top 30 Inside Linebackers:

30.Rey Malaluga (Bengals)

29.Dan Connor (Giants)

28.A.J Hawk (Packers)

27.Jasper Brinkley (Cardinals)

26.Brad Jones (Packers)

25.David Harris (Jets)

24.Takeo Spikes (Free Agent)

23.Bruce Carter (Cowboys)

22.Jon Beason (Panthers)

21.DeMeco Ryans (Eagles)

20.Paul Poslunzy (Jaguars)

19.Dannell Ellerbe (Dolphins)

18.D'Qwell Jackson (Browns)

17.Brandon Spikes (Patriots)

16.Karlos Dansby (Cardinals)

15.Donald Butler (Chargers)

14.Jerrell Freeman (Colts)

13.Mason Foster (Buccaneers)

12.Stephen Tulloch (Lions)

11.London Fletcher (Redskins)

10.Derrick Johnson (Chiefs)

9.Lawrence Timmons (Steelers)

8.Sean Lee (Cowboys)

7.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)

6.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)

5.James Laurinatis (Rams)

4.Daryl Washington (Cardinals)

3.NaVorro Bowman (49ers)

2.Brain Cushing (Texans)

1.Patrick Willis (49ers)

 

Top 30 Outside Linebackers:

30.Jo-Lonn Dunbar (Rams)

29.Connor Barwin (Eagles)

28.Mathias Kiwanuka (Giants)

27.Kevin Burnett (Raiders)

26.Robert Mathis (Colts)

25.Dwight Freeney (Chargers)

24.Phillip Wheeler (Dolphins)

23.Leroy Hill (Seahawks)

22.Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)

21.Nick Roach (Raiders)

20.James Harrison (Bengals)

19.Vontaze Burfict (Bengals)

18.Sean Witherspoon (Falcons)

17.Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)

16.Paul Kruger (Browns)

15.Wesley Woodyard (Broncos)

14.Justin Houston (Chiefs)

13.Ahmad Brooks (49ers)

12.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

11.Tamba Hali (Chiefs)

10.LaMarr Woodley (Steelers)

9.Jerod Mayo (Patriots)

8.Anthony Spencer (Cowboys)

7.Lance Briggs (Bears)

6.Chad Greenway (Vikings)

5.Terrell Suggs (Ravens)

4.Aldon Smith (49ers)

3.DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys)

2.Von Miller (Broncos)

1.Clay Matthews (Packers)

 

Top 30 Cornerbacks:

30.Janoris Jenkins (Rams)

29.Morris Claiborne (Cowboys)

28.Nmandi Ashomuga (49ers)

27.Brandon Carr (Cowboys)

26.Chris Harris Jr. (Broncos)

25.Terrence Newman (Bengals)

24.Jonathan Joesph (Texans)

23.Vontae Davis (Colts)

22.Domnique Rodgers-Cromartie (Broncos)

21.Carlos Rodgers (49ers)

20.Cortez Allen (Steelers)

19.Keenan Lewis (Saints)

18.Casey Hayward (Packers)

17.Antoine Winfield (Seahawks)

16.Leon Hall (Bengals)

15.Cortland Finnegan (Rams)

14.Sam Shields (Packers)

13.Brandon Flowers (Chiefs)

12.Lardarius Webb (Ravens)

11.Ike Taylor (Steelers)

10.Joe Haden (Browns)

9.Tarrell Brown (49ers)

8.Brandon Browner (Seahawks)

7.Tim Jennings (Bears)

6.Champ Bailey (Broncos)

5.Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)

4.Antonio Cromartie (Jets)

3.Charles Tillman (Bears)

2.Richard Sherman (Seahawks)

1.Darrelle Revis (Buccaneers)

 

Top 30 Safeties:

30.Adrian Wilson (Patriots)

29.LaRon Landry (Colts)

28.Tyvon Branch (Raiders)

27.Major Wright (Bears)

26.Glover Quin (Lions)

25.Raheem Moore (Broncos)

24.Devin McCourty (Patriots)

23.Eric Berry (Chiefs)

22.Mike Adams (Broncos)

21.Chris Clemons (Dolphins)

20.Ed Reed (Texans)

19.Thomas DeCoud (Falcons)

18.Reggie Nelson (Bengals)

17.Quintin Mikell (Rams)

16.George Wilson (Titans)

15.Bernard Pollard (Titans)

14.Donte Whitner (49ers)

13.T.J Ward (Browns)

12.Harrison Smith (Vikings)

11.William Moore (Falcons)

10.Reshead Jones (Dolphins)

9.Troy Polamalu (Steelers)

8.Charles Woodson (Raiders)

7.Kam Chancellor (Seahawks)

6.Ryan Clark (Steelers)

5.Kerry Rhodes (Cardinals)

4.Jarius Byrd (Bills)

3.Dashon Goldson (Buccaneers)

2.Earl Thomas (Seahawks)

1.Eric Weddle (Chargers)

 

 

 

 

Album Review: Kanye West-Yeezus

The mystery that surrounded the new Kayne West is undeniable. There's no album cover, no pre-orders were  allowed, no official tracklisting released until last week and most importantly, no radio singles or mainstream promotion. It's almost impossible (especially as a mainstream artist) to keep your album under wraps, but that's exactly what West managed to do. The only promotion for this record was an intense performance on Saturday Night Live last month (which sparked a lot of online buzz) and a couple of vague quotes from album collaborators Daft Punk saying the album was very experimental and abrasive and minmalist tweets from West himself. Well Daft Punk were spot on about Yeezus and love it or hate it, this record will take the hip-hop world by storm.

Let me start off by saying, I was never a fan of Kanye West. He had a few songs here and there that I enjoyed, but for the most part his music just didn't click with me. That all changes with Yeezus, which I enjoyed pretty much from start to finish. West completely changes his sound and embraces a more experimental and fierce sound rooted in industrial and house music. This more aggressive sound gives West a lot more room to explore and try different things production-wise and it easily makes for the best material he's ever created. Album opener "On Sight" gets things bumping right out of the gate. The beat by Daft Punk is an old-school, synth-heavy house banger that is just a master class in hip-hop production (Where was shit like this on Random Access Memories Daft Punk? I'll take pounding house music like this any day over the stagnant nu-disco that plagued that record.) Paired with that killer beat, Kanye delivers two very confident verses and breaks them up with a eerie yet triumphant sample of a church choir that adds even more power to this already monstrous track.  "On Sight" is only the start of the onslaught that West has prepared for the listener on Yeezus. The next track, "Black Skinhead", is just as powerful on disc as the live version that was performed on SNL last month. "Black Skinhead" is an anthemic whirlwind of a track with a pounding drum line, incredible build-ups and West yelling like a banshee numerous times during the song. "Black Skinhead" is West's masterpiece and I'll be surprised if he makes a song that resonates with me this strongly again.

While the rest of the record doesn't quite top the behemoth 1-2 punch of "On Sight" and "Black Skinhead", there's plenty of other noteworthy tracks on Yeezus. Lead "single" "New Slaves" is a striking piece of social commentary about the current state of African-Americans in this country (though a bit of its sting is taken away by a bizarre and unfitting auto-tune section with Frank Ocean at the end of the song.) "Blood on the Leaves" is one of the very few times I've enjoyed auto-tune on a song in my life. "Blood on the Leaves" took be a little while for me to appreciate, but the bass-heavy beat and Nina Simone samples that are used throughout the track made it a chilling and memorable track. "I Am a God" is a unique take on a brag-rap track with West spitting verses about how pampered he is that he should be considered to be a god-figure. The cocky lyrics that run "I Am a God" and few other tracks here would normally piss me off, but they fit West's style well. West is a very in-your-face, arrogant shithead and he finally has the in-your-face beats to match his over-the-top persona.

Yeezus is a very satisfying and surprisingly excellent record from Kanye West. If you had told me earlier this year that I would enjoy Kanye West record this much, I would've questioned your sanity. Yeezus is the work of a man that wanted to break the confines of mainstream hip-hop and make a bold, bizarre record that didn't gel with the industry norms of a popular artist and West did just that. While it isn't quite Death Grips in terms of aggression and industrial, lo-fi production, there is a lot of rage and emotion delivered from West on this record backed by a plethora of amazing beats. Yeezus is a successful experiment from one of the most popular rappers in the world and I hope his willingness to change things up and go outside the box will inspire other popular hip-hop artists to take risks with their music instead of releasing the same carbon-copy pop rap garbage over and over again. In terms of this year's hip-hop releases thus far, Yeezus is absolutely lord.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Black Skinhead
2.On Sight
3.New Slaves 

Movie Review: This Is the End

What do you get when a bunch of Hollywood actors get stuck at James Franco's house during the apocalypse? One of the funniest and original comedies to come out in some time in the form of This is the End.

Seth Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg (the pair also directed this film) came with this brilliant premise and got a lot of their gifted comedy pals to be in it and just rolled with and the results are simply fantastic. There is hardly a minute that went by that I wasn't laughing my ass off (at some points, I was brought to tears I was laughing so hard.) The jokes fly fast and furious and just about all of them hit to varying degrees. The strength of the main cast combined with a slew of great cameos (including Michael Cera, Kevin Hart, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson and a lot more including two that are so hilarious and unexpected that I can't ruin them in this review.) A big part of what makes this film so fun is the brilliant satire of these actors playing themselves. Every single actor in this movie portrays a selfish, neurotic, and/or absolutely off-the-rails crazy person. Rogen, Goldberg and co. understand the pretentiousness of Hollywood and deliver an absolutely scathing satire of the big-headed, primadonna attitude that a lot of actors have throughout this film. The main cast of Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride is essentially the modern comedy dream team. Having these six dudes trapped in a house together while the world is coming to end leads to copious amounts of great exchanges and memorable quotes. These guys all incredibly gifted at improv which makes certain scenes even funnier when you can tell they're coming up with amazing material on-the-spot. Rogen and Goldberg lay down the ground work with the scenarios and just let the cast run wild, which is really impressive and show just how elite of comedic talents everyone involved with this film is. While the entire cast is great playing insane, false versions of themselves and have ample moments where they shine, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson steal the show. McBride is the most psychotic, aggressive, self-centered member of the group and has possible the best set of dialogue in the movie when him and James Franco get into an argument over a porno magazine. McBride's version of himself is even more of an asshole than his Eastbound and Down character Kenny Powers and McBride delivers big time as a sarcastic jackass that not even his fellow actor buddies like. Robinson is equally as good as one of the more likable spoiled actors who has a change of heart midway through the movie and realizes that he is a self-centered dickhead. Robinson has tore up the comedy scene ever since his appearance in Pineapple Express and his comedic timing and line delivery only gets better over time. If there is a better comedy this year than This Is the End, I'll be shocked. It brilliantly combines traditional comedy, satire and horror-comedy elements to make a film that is almost endlessly quotable, entertaining and refreshingly original. If raunchy humor is your thing and you liked any of these actor's previous films, go see This Is the End immediately.

4.5/5 Stars

Album Review: The Black Dahlia Murder-Everblack

Love em' or hate em', you can't argue with the impact The Black Dahlia Murder has had on the extreme metal world over the past decade. Their popularity keeps growing by the record and they've managed to gain a strong following in both mainstream and underground metal circles (which is far from an easy feat.) On their sixth studio album, Everblack, The Black Dahlia Murder continues their legacy and releases yet another strong effort.

Everblack is arguably the most evil album The Black Dahlia Murder has ever made. The lyrics and tone of the music crank up their horror-movie influences and they seem to have made it their mission to make the most sinister music possible. Musically, it takes the chugging brutality of Nocturnal and combines with the technical prowess and experimental elements of Ritual and the results are grand. The music is super heavy/groove-based to support the dark, horror-based lyrical themes explored on the album. It was cool to see them get back to the more evil sound of their first few records and there are lot of moments (such as the intro on "In Hell is Where She Waits for Me") that brought me back to the days of when I started listen to them (and metal in general) in 2006.

Enhancing the power of the music, was seeing the more technical-based sound of their past couple records being worked into with the more straightforward heavy stuff. Ryan Knight's solowork and songwriting chops have brought the band so far since he joined in 2009 and seeing his style being worked in with the sound of their earlier stuff is just awesome to listen to. Per usual no matter what style is being played, the musicianship is through the roof. Knight and Brian Eshbach have no shortage of killer riffs ( The oddly catchy "Every Rope a Noose" and epic scale "Map of Scars" being the standouts) New drummer Alan Cassidy can blast with the best of them and Trevor Strnad is still the MVP of extreme metal vocals. Given the astronomical amount of lineup changes over the years ( Long-time drummer Shannon Lucas and bassist Bart Williams are the latest to go, both of them left during the touring cycle for Ritual), it's amazing that band never loses cohesion or talent. Founding members Strnad and Eschbach make sure the band is a well-oiled machine and have an incredible knack for finding the best possible musicians to play in their band. Losing Lucas and Williams was devastating for the band, but Cassidy and new bassist Max Lavelle soften the blow with their outstanding playing and fit in seamlessly with the rest of the band.

Everblack is another successful, face-melting piece of death metal from The Black Dahlia Murder. The band is able to create a potent mix of bruising slam riffs, furious soloing and eerie classical instrumentation to make an absolutely crushing record. The Black Dahlia Murder just keep rolling out consistently excellent records and setting a benchmark for the rest of the extreme metal world to try and live up to. Through out their career, they have released quality album after quality album and have become the undisputed torchbearer for modern extreme metal in my eyes. Everblack is another pummeling and memorable record that lives up to the high quality I've come to expect from The Black Dahlia Murder. Long live the immortals.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Every Rope a Noose
2.Map of Scars
3.In Hell Is Where She Waits for Me

Movie Review: The Purge

Imagine if all crime was legal for 12 hours a year. The chaos that would occur is almost unfathomable and that's what new film The Purge tries to showcase with mixed results.

 The Purge has a brilliant setup with the concept of all crime being legal for a short period of time to keep the crime and unemployment rates low. The rich sit back and either lay low at home or gang up on defenseless people with less money and kill them. It's essentially an annual extermination of the poor and unemployed. The film definitely has some interesting (albeit not fully developed) social commentary pieces about the current economy and gun control laws, it's just a shame that they could've been used in a better film. Once you get past the great setup and few interesting ideas writer/director James DeMonaco brings to the table, it turns into a half-decent but pretty generic home-invasion thriller. Even when the film simply turns into the Sandin family (the always great Ethan Hawke, Lena Hadey, Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane) defending themselves against a group of masked angry purgers (led by Rhys Wakefield, who's performance as the villain is Razzie-worthy) once the Sandin's let a homeless man the group has targeted (Edwin Hodge) into their home, the film gets over its flaws with the intensity of the scenes. DeMonaco's script is full of holes, but at least he knows to create real tension which is needed to make any home-invasion film work on any sort of level. What prevents the film from hitting the next level is completely on the script and the performance of Wakefield. DeMonaco forces the characters to make some completely idiotic choices (I mean honestly what parent would send their 12-year old into the basement by himself when a group of heavily armed strangers enter your home trying to kill your entire family?) that no human being would ever make. He also creates a pretty unsatisfying ending to the story that will leave most viewers saying "that's it?" when the credits roll. That being said, the worst thing about this film is easily the performance of Wakefield. This has to be one of the weaker villains to hit the screen in a while. His character is just so over-the-top and Wakefield's preppy, yuppie charisma makes the character about as menacing as Spongebob Squarepants. Between this and his similarly terrible performance in 2011's Sanctum, I'd be surprised if this guy found work in Hollywood again. The Purge could've been so much better with a stronger script and more biting social commentary, but the concept and suspense is strong enough for the film to barely get by.

3/5 Stars

Tebowmania in New England: A Brilliant Move

The football world was shook up on Monday by the New England Patriots surprise signing of polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow. No one could've predicted this as a landing spot for Tebow, but now that it has happened it makes perfect sense and very well could lead to the resurrection of Tebowmania.

Since his tumultuous one-year stint with the Jets came to an end last month, Tebow has come under more scrutiny than ever. It really is incredible to see how the tides have turned on him after only one season. After his 2011 unlikely run with the Broncos, Tebow was on top of the world. People had him pegged as the next big quarterback and his winning ways (despite subspar stats and frequent questions about his abilities) and unlikely comebacks generated a lot of excitement around the league. Just a year later, he is traded to the Jets and essentially forgotten by most people that supported him. He stumbled in limited playing time on the porous Jets offense and didn't even get an opportunity to play when starting quarterback Mark Sanchez got benched due to poor play (The Jets instead opted to start 3rd-stringer Greg McElroy) Once the regular season ended, the demise of Tebow began with rumors of his release from the Jets and on April 29th, his days as a Jet were finally over. Once he was released, the press went into a frenzy that no one in the NFL will sign him and he even received offers from the Canadian and Arena football leagues. It looked like Tebow's career was in jeopardy after only four seasons in the league.

Enter the New England Patriots.

The Patriots, who have been one of the most dominant franchises of the past decade, took advantage of the lack of interest for Tebow and signed him to a two-year, low money contract. This move raised a lot of eyebrows around the league since the Patriots are clearly all set at quarterback with Tom Brady. The move may confuse and/or anger some people, but this move has the potential to be a game-changer for the Patriots and is the perfect fit for both sides. For the first time in his career, Tebow is entering an established system with a powerful offense where he isn't in the midst of a quarterback battle. Since Bill Belicheck has been at the helm, the Patriots have used multiple players at multiple positions. Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour were used frequently in various packages on both sides of the ball that weren't their natural position and thrived. With Tebow, Belicheck is getting the most versatile player he's ever worked with in his coaching career. Tebow can lineup at quarterback, running back, or tight end. He has shown he can run the ball very well (he averaged 5+ yards per carry with Denver and even had a few nice runs with the Jets last year) and gives the Patriots a chance to run the wildcat/read option packages, which they could not do previously due to the lack of having a quarterback that could run the ball. Tebow's on-field flexibility give the Patriots yet another viable option in their potent offense.

Another big win for Tebow is being reunited with Josh McDaniels. McDaniels drafted him while he was still the head coach in Denver and clearly has a lot of faith in the kid's talent. As offensive coordinator,  McDanniels will give Tebow the opportunities the Jets never gave him. Tebow is an undeniable freak athlete who could be very dangerous if properly utilized and this offense will do their damnedest to make sure he gets his chances to shine.

Adding to Tebow's victories by signing with the Patriots will be the media spotlight around him. Wherever Tebow goes, he brings a media circus (granted it's not his fault since he just wants to go out and play.The circus isn't created by him, it just comes to him for a variety of reasons.) The Patriots are notorious from shielding their players from the media as much as possible, which is perfect for Tebow. Tebow isn't a player like Rob Gronkowski who will go and blab to the media on his own, Tebow will happily stay in the background and only talk to the media when called upon. This harder media access should benefit Tebow substantially allowing him more time to work on learning the playbook and work on establishing a role on this offense opposed to the media constantly pressuring about if he's going to be the starting quarterback, what exactly his role with the team will be, etc.

I strongly believe Tim Tebow joining the Patriots was the best possible thing to happen to him in his career thus far. This franchise is smart, knows how to win football games consistently and most importantly, will give him the best possible chance to succeed. He's got familiarity with the offensive coordinator so there's no danger he won't pick up the system and gets to play with the most talented offense he's ever. He also gets to be mentored by a future hall-of-famer in Tom Brady and will get an opportunity to shine at multiple positions on the field. After spending a disastrous season with the Jets where he was given very few chances to make an impact, he know enters a franchise that spreads the ball around and gives everyone a fair shake to perform on-the-field. Tebow might not be the flashiest or most complete player to ever play the game, but the kids is super-athletic and a team player that will line up where ever he is asked to contribute, making the Patriots the perfect fit for the potential return of Tebowmania.

Movie Review: After Earth

It's still relatively early, but as of right now no summer film has been met with more negative backlash than After Earth. The movie has been slammed by audiences and critics alike with some even saying it's the worst effort from frequently panned director M. Night Shymalan. After seeing it for myself, I can say that After Earth is nowhere near as bad as I heard it was but it hardly rises above the depths of mediocrity.

Save for the bizarre accents that Will and Jaden Smith talk in throughout the film, there really is nothing god awful about After Earth. At the same time, there really isn't anything particularly interesting about it either. I applaud the filmmakers for making a sci-fi film that isn't completely centered around epic action sequences, but in order to make this film work it would need much more developed characters and more key plot developments. The concept/execution are far too simplistic to match the filmmakers ambitious goal of making a gripping sc-fi drama. The whole film is basically decorated solider Cenzai Rage (Will Smith) dictating instructions to his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) on how to save themselves after their spaceship crash lands on the now-quarantined planet Earth. This concept leads this to being a slow-paced film that drags pretty hard at times. Well the pacing could've been a lot worse, the film could've benefited from some more action and/or excitement to break up the monotony of Kitai just walking around Earth trying to find the beacon that will save him and his father. The film does get over some of its script problems with the chemistry of the real life and on-screen father/son tandem and cinematography. While Jaden Smith still has some work to do on his acting chops, he has potential for the future and their is a real, sincere charisma between him and his superstar father. This is also one of the most stunning films to look at in recent memory. The landscapes may be heavy on CGI, but they are beautiful nonetheless and helps the film get past its more boring sections. After Earth is visually arresting and relatively well-acted, but the film is too slow and underdeveloped to be any better than average.

2.5/5 Stars    

Concert Review: Killswitch Engage-- Hampton Beach, NH-- June 8th, 2013

It seems like an eternity, but it's only been just over a year since original vocalist Jesse Leach rejoined Killswitch Engage. Over that period of time, I've been dying to see Leach perform with Killswitch. Last night in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire that dream finally became a reality and Leach and his bandmates in Killswitch Engage did not disappoint in the slightest.

My buddies and I got into the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (really nice venue by the way, excited to potentially come back for the Clutch/The Sword show in September.) just as opening band Affiance was getting on the stage. Affiance is a relative newcomer to the scene but they definitely made a impression with brief but energetic set. These guys had solid stage presence and their take on metalcore is unique with mostly clean vocals instead of the typical scream/sing/scream formula. These guys were visibly excited to be touring with Killswitch, who clearly had a huge influence on their sound and playing to their audience gives them a lot more exposure. A couple members of the band were going around selling CD's, so I picked up a copy of their debut record The Campaign to help them out. Affiance is an up-and-coming band to look out for over the next few years and a really nice opener for this tour.

The World Alive hit the stage next and their set just frustrated me. On one hand, they have good screams and some nice guitar leads. On the other hand, they have abysmal clean vocals, awkward synth lines that don't gel with the music and tedious breakdowns. I really would enjoy their music if it wasn't for the clean vocals, synths and one-note breakdowns but they are just too prominent to look over. However, I do have to applaud them on their cover of "94 Hours" to honor As I Lay Dying, who was originally slated to be on this tour but clearly had to drop off due to the Tim Lambesis's attempted murder plot. It didn't have quite as much as punch as the As I Lay Dying's version , but it definitely did the original justice and I give The Word Alive props for doing it. The Word Alive has some redeeming qualities to their music, but the flaws made their set just average to me.

Hardened metal veterans Darkest Hour were up next and per usual, they tore shit up. I had see them twice before, but this time was easily the best time I've seen them. There's just something about their bland of melodic death metal/metalcore that was made for a live setting. John Henry is an amazing frontman who is always spot-on vocally and loaded with energy (he capped off the set by diving into the crowd.) Musically, they were also flawless and though their setlist was pretty standard (save for "Violent by Nature" and "Sound the Surrender",) it's always great to hear "With a Thousand Words to Say But One", "Savor the Kill" and "Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)" live (the latter is one of my all-time favorite live songs.) Darkest Hour is a consistently fantastic live band and I'm looking forward to hearing new material from them later this year.

Miss May I was up next. They are just decent on record to me, but they excel in a live environment. Levi Benton is an elite frontman who effortlessly works the crowd and gets everyone in the room amped. The  insane following these guys have developed over the past few years has a lot to do with his energetic presence and passionate vocals. Their music isn't overly complicated by any means, but it's catchy and the breakdowns hit pretty hard live. Miss May I isn't amongst my favorite bands, but they're always a good time live and I would definitely see them again in the future.

Killswitch Engage closed out the evening and just flat-out crushed. I've been a diehard Killswitch Engage fan since I was first getting into metal seven years ago so seeing them with Jesse Leach back at the helm was an amazing experience for me. The setlist was loaded with songs from the new record Disarm the Descent and their classic Alive or Just Breathing, which was sick. Not to say Leach doesn't do a good job with the Howard-era material because he does (the slower tracks like "The Arms of Sorrow" and "The End of Heartache" were stirring,) but the material he originally did the vocals for were just incredible. The Alive or Just Breathing opening 1-2 combo of "Numbered Days" and "Self Revolution" was the highlight of the set for me. When Leach screamed "The time approaches" to kick off "Numbered Days" I went into a full-on frenzy. Throughout the night his vocal performance was sharp as could be. His clean vocals are arguably the best in all of metal and his screams are almost as striking. In addition to Leach's strong vocal performance, it wouldn't be a Killswitch show without guitarist Adam D's hilarious on-stage antics. Between running around the stage and dancing like a madman, throwing various prizes from the Hampton Beach arcade into the crowd (he actually stuck a plastic snake my friend threw on stage in his mouth) and going on a rant about how much of a pussy Sidney Crosby was, Adam D consistently entertained. Some people might think he's a douchebag with his on-stage presence, but I think he's completely hilarious and he seems like a great dude to me. Another one of the highlights of the show is when Jesse asked who was from New Hampshire and who was from Massachusetts. The amount of my fellow Massholes that were in attendance was insane and largely outnumbered the people from New Hampshire. It didn't matter if people were from Massachusetts or New Hampshire, everyone in the room was losing their shit for Killswitch and it was just an awesome experience. Killswitch Engage has always been a great live band, but they have really hit their stride with Jesse Leach back on vocals. No offense to Howard Jones, but Leach is a superior performer in my book and I'm stoked to for their next tour that hits the New England area.

Scores:
Affiance 7.5/10
The Word Alive 5/10
Darkest Hour 9/10
Miss May I 8/10
Killswitch Engage 9.5/10

Setlists:
The Word Alive included:
Evolution
94 Hours (As I Lay Dying cover)
Life Cycles

Darkest Hour:
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
Sound the Surrender
Savor the Kill
With A Thousand Words to Say but One
Violent by Nature
Love as a Weapon
The Sadist Nation

Miss May I:
At Heart
Hey Mister
Day by Day
Our Kings
Masses of a Dying Breed
Ballad of a Broken Man
Forgive and Forget
Relentless Chaos

Killswitch Engage:
The Hell in Me
A Bid Farewell
Fixation on the Darkness
The New Awakening
Life to Lifeless
No End in Sight
Take This Oath
The Arms of Sorrow
Beyond the Flames
This is Absolution
All We Have
Rose of Sharyn
Numbered Days
Self Revolution
In Due Time
My Curse
The End of Heartache
My Last Serenade

Movie Review: Now You See Me

Magic is all about the art of illusion so what if magicians used their crafty tricks to perform a series of heists? That's the setup of Louis Leterrier's new film Now You See Me and it makes for a good ol' fashioned time at the movies.

Now You See Me centers around four magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) who are mysteriously brought together from across the country to perform a new act in Las Vegas known as "The Four Horsemen". The Four Horsemen are given funding for their show by billionaire businessman Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and their controversial last trick involves robbing a bank in Paris. This bank robbery stunt soon grabs the attention of the authorities and FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Vargas (Melanie Laurent) who launch an investigation against the Horseman. The heists keep occurring with no explanation other than magic while Rhodes, Vargas and magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) work tirelessly to apprehend the Horsemen and figure out the methods used to commit the robberies.

Now You See Me is simply an exercise in pure fun. It never takes itself too seriously and it makes excellent use of its unique and interesting premise. A magician heist movie really is a brilliant idea for a movie. The smoke and mirrors of magic tricks perfectly complements bank robberies. Screenwriters Ed Solomon, Boaz Yoakin and Edward Ricourt do a damn good job of incorporating various elements of magic into the capers and keeping the audience guessing at the time same time the on-screen law enforcement officials are . Only adding to the fun of the premise is the incredibly talented cast of acting veterans. Eisenberg and Harrelson stand out amongst "The Four Horseman". Both play incredibly sarcastic, cocky magicians and the verbal jabbing between the two of them are at the root of a majority of the film's laughs. The antagonists are also played well by Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman. Ruffalo and Freeman were particularly interesting giving their characters a lot of fire and giving them a genuine sense of urgency and hellbent attitude at finding out the mystery of how these magicians are pulling off this  series of robberies. The script does have some issues with some things left unexplained even after a pretty effective plot twist at the end and it could've been better developed in the middle, but the consistent entertainment value this film has is more than enough to overcome the issues portions of the script have. Now You See Me isn't a game-changer, it's just a cool, original movie that is fun as hell and that's really all you need to sometimes to craft a successful film.

4/5 Stars

Album Review: Queens of the Stone Age-...Like Clockwork

Anticipation can be a bitch. Queens of the Stone Age first release in six years ...Like Clockwork was a record I was looking forward to immensely and it ends up being one of the most disappointing records to be released in recent memory.

...Like Clockwork isn't by any means a complete failure, it's just an incredibly safe and uncharacteristically slow record for Queens of the Stone Age. The punch of their stoner-inspired riffs and knack for experimentation is mostly pushed to the side in favor of grimier, mid-paced songs that are not nearly as exciting. Slower, mid-tempo songs aren't exactly a new concept to Queens of the Stone ("Leg of Lamb", "Gonna Leave You" and "Burn the Witch" are just a few of the countless examples of quality mid-paced tracks in their catalog,) but tracks on here like "If I Had a Tail" and "Kaplosia" don't have the same flair and/or emotion that made their superior mid-paced tracks special. It's not just these slower songs that fall short,  a good majority of  ...Like Clockwork just seems like Queens of the Stone Age on auto-pilot. Granted Queens of the Stone Age kind of phoning it in is better than a lot of bands on the top of their game, it's just kind of sad that a band has talented as Queens wastes their creativity and talent on a decent and mostly forgettable record. Even some of the parts that are cool (ex: the bassline on "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" and the lead riff on "I Sat in the Ocean") get kind of dull because of how much they are repeated in the same song. There's very little variation in the music over the course of the same song and a lot of the tracks run out of steam after only a minute or two due to lack of tempo change.

Not everything about ...Like Clockwork falls short. There are some flashes of the vintage Queens energy, riffs and hooks on the second half of the record. Lead single "My God is the Sun" is a crackling good time that is slightly reminiscent of other heavy-hitting singles like "Go with the Flow" and "Little Sister". Despite my disappointment with a lot of the slower tracks, there a couple on the second half actually work. "Fairweather Friends" and "Smooth Sailing" both feature effective riffing and solid melodies and were amongst the few tracks on this record that are actually thoroughly enjoyable and in-line with what I expected.

...Like Clockwork is far from terrible, but it doesn't bring the quality that we've grown accustomed to from Queens of the Stone Age. Queens of the Stone Age has built a career on making edgy, unique stoner-inspired, hard-edged alternative rock and ...Like Clockwork sees them taking their music in a less original and energetic direction. Their music always had a sense of danger and intrigue to it, but on this record those flashes are few and far between.  I don't know if this record's lack of spark is because of Josh Homme's bout with severe depression a few years back or from other unknown cause, but it seems to me that he and the rest of the band didn't put all of their creative juices at work while making this record (which is especially disappointing considering that this is their first release since 2007's Era Vulgaris.) This record rarely rises above decent with only a few songs that are noteworthy and for a band as talented and groundbreaking as Queens of the Stone Age, a strictly competent record just doesn't cut it.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.My God is the Sun
2.Fairweather Friends
3.Smooth Sailing

NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Safeties

30.Adrian Wilson (Patriots)

29.LaRon Landry (Colts)

28.Tyvon Branch (Raiders)

27.Major Wright (Bears)

26.Glover Quin (Lions)

25.Raheem Moore (Broncos)

24.Devin McCourty (Patriots)

23.Eric Berry (Chiefs)

22.Mike Adams (Broncos)

21.Chris Clemons (Dolphins)

20.Ed Reed (Texans)

19.Thomas DeCoud (Falcons)

18.Reggie Nelson (Bengals)

17.Quintin Mikell (Rams)

16.George Wilson (Titans)

15.Bernard Pollard (Titans)

14.Donte Whitner (49ers)

13.T.J Ward (Browns)

12.Harrison Smith (Vikings)

11.William Moore (Falcons)

10.Reshead Jones (Dolphins)

9.Troy Polamalu (Steelers)

8.Charles Woodson (Raiders)

7.Kam Chancellor (Seahawks)

6.Ryan Clark (Steelers)

5.Kerry Rhodes (Cardinals)

4.Jarius Byrd (Bills)

3.Dashon Goldson (Buccaneers)

2.Earl Thomas (Seahawks)

1.Eric Weddle (Chargers)

June in Film

Summer keeps rolling on with blockbusters galore and a couple of smaller films on the slate for June. Here are my thoughts on the entire crop of June films.

Film I want to see:
7.Monsters University (6/21)-Nothing about this film looks particularly impressive to me, but the nostalgia of Monsters Inc. will lead me to need to see it anyways. Hopefully it will be able to recapture at least some of the magic of the original.

6.The Internship (6/7)-The trailer is solid albeit unremarkable, but the re-teaming of Wedding Crashers stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson alone is enough to get me to check this out.

5.The Purge (6/7)-The concept of a film where all crime is legal one day a year is pretty unique and ambitious. There is definite room for error with a concept like this, but the involvement of Ethan Hawke and Lena Hadey in the lead roles gives me hope for it.

4.World War Z(6/21)-I was initially more excited for this film based on the concept, strong trailers, reception of the book and the always great Brad Pitt in the lead role. My anticipation has calmed a little bit after reading about the extensive production issues and substantial re-shoots. Hopefully my worries are all for not and this film ends up being the kick-ass, big-budget zombie action movie it has the potential to be.

3.White House Down (6/28)-My anticipation level for White House Down has skyrocketed with the past two trailers. It looks surprisingly better and more fun than Olympus Has Fallen and the Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx pairing could be excellent. Early word is that it channels director Roland Emmerich's best blockbusters like Independence Day and The Day After Tommorow, if that ends up being true this should be one of the most pure fun movies of the summer.

2.Man of Steel (6/14)-Could this be the film that revitalizes Superman? With the amount of talent involved with Man of Steel, it very well could be. Director Zack Snyder is one of the finest action directors in the game right now, the cast includes greats like Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon and Kevin Costner and it has the master of modern superhero films, Christopher Nolan, on board as a producer. The only thing Man of Steel has going against it is inconsistent screenwriter David S.Goyer penning the script. If Goyer hits, it should be masterful. If he doesn't, it will probably be the biggest letdown of the summer.

1.This is the End (6/12)-My excitement level for This is the End is absolutely insane. I haven't been this amped to see a comedy since Superbad in 2007. This is essentially the dream team of modern comedic actors in the same movie. The concept of these guys playing themselves with the backdrop of the world coming to an end has limitless potential for comedy and the footage that has been released so far is absolutely hysterical.. I will be flabbergasted if there is a stronger comedy to come out this year.

Film I'm not sure about:
The Heat (6/28)-Mellisa McCarthy and Bridesmaids director Paul Feig re-teaming has piqued my interest, but the trailers are mediocre and haven't sold it as a worthwhile buddy comedy.