Concert Review: Cannibal Corpse/Behemoth-- Boston, MA-- February 27th, 2015

The House of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts was overcome with a dark energy last night as death metal titans Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth brought their co-headlining tour to Beantown. Unsurprisingly, Both bands did not fail to live up to their icon status and delivered incredible performances.

Continuing an annoying recent trend I've fell into, I once again missed this show's opening act. I've never listened to Tribulation before, but I've heard a lot of good things, so I was kind of disappointed that I missed them. I arrived about 5 minutes before the second band of the night, Aeon, hit the stage. Aeon-who hail from Sweden-put on a pretty killer show the first time I saw them on their first-ever U.S. tour in 2013 and that was once again the case last night. They are easily one of the most pure, unadulterated heavy bands I've ever had the pleasure of seeing live. Every song is relentless as they pile on the crushing riffs without ever giving the listener anything that even resembles a break. I'll admit that the lack of variety in their songs makes Aeon becomes a little bit dull after a while, but their ability to get a crowd going with their groove-based, mosh-friendly brand of death metal makes them a pretty great opener for a show like this.

Behemoth was the first of the co-headliners to take the stage. This was the first time I'd seen Behemoth where I was actually fan of theirs, so to say that I was excited would be a strong understatement. I actually hated Behemoth until the first time I saw live Rockstar Mayhem Festival in 2009. but after experiencing their powerhouse live show, my views on them drastically changed. Since that fateful day in 2009, I've become a huge fans of theirs and now consider them to be one of my all-time favorite bands. From the minute they rolled out their equipment and stage setup which included prominent Pagan imagery and the burning of strong incense, I knew I was going to be in for an unforgettable experience that at the very least rivaled the first time I saw them in 2009. Not only did they manage to match the quality of the first performance I saw from, they blew it out of the god damn water. From the ominous yet atmospheric power of their music to the manner that guitarist/vocalist Nergal and bassist Orion stalk the stage, Behemoth establishes a level of intensity in their live shows that their peers simply can't match. Behemoth has always been a band with a distinctly grim sound, but their signature aura of darkness has only been intensified by Nergal's triumphant return to music after defeating stage 3 leukemia in late 2011-as evidenced by the commanding gloomy nature of their 2014 comeback record The Satanist. The cuts from The Satanist served as the driving force of Behemoth's set  and garnered the type of strong reaction that you rarely see from material that has practically just been released. I can't speak for the rest of the audience, but these songs strongly resonated with me because of their massive sound, dynamic instrumentation and darkly beautiful tone. The sprawling nature and immense crunch of The Satanist tracks were only amplified in a live setting, and made them the undisputed highlights of their 50-minute set. Behemoth just flat-out tore up the stage every moment they were on it. I really hope it won't be another six years before I get the opportunity to see them again.

Despite the fact that they had a far simpler stage layout, Cannibal Corpse took far longer to set up than Behemoth. However, The seasoned death metal stalwarts proved to be well worth the wait as they handily   put on the best performance out of the four times I've seen them. The key to the success of their performance was the sound mix. The last time I saw them at Summer Slaughter 2012, their sound mix was absolutely dreadful and made all the songs bleed into one another, which put a huge damper on the quality of their set. This time around the sound was pitch perfect. The mix was clear enough so you could hear all of the vocals and instruments yet sloppy enough to accentuate the grittiness Cannibal Corpse is known for. The setlist was pretty standard for them with a wide variety of material that spans that spans the entirety of the two decades vocalist vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher has been in the band and a handful of tracks from the late 80's-mid 90's Chris Barnes-era thrown in for good measure. Staples such as "Hammer Smashed Face" and "A Skull Full of Maggots" were fun as always, but it was the attention-grabbing velocity and pizazz of the material off their new record A Skeletal Domain that really stood out. Each one of the three tracks ("Sadistic Embodiment", "Kill to Become", "Icepick Lobotomy") that they played should go on to be cornerstones of their set for the rest of their time as a band. Cannibal Corpse redeemed themselves majorly from the last time I saw them and showed the crowd of 1,500+ in attendance exactly why they are legends in the genre.

Scores:
Aeon 8/10
Behemoth 9/10
Cannibal Corpse 8.5/10

Setlists:
Aeon:
Satanic Victory
Living Sin
Forgiveness Denied
Kill Them All
Blessed by the Priest
God Gives Head in Heaven
Forever Nailed

Behemoth:
Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
Conquer All
Ben Sahar
Decade of Therion
Messe Noire
Ov Fire and the Void
At the Left Hand Ov God
Slaves Shall Serve
Chant for Eschaton 2000

Encore:
O Father! O Satan! O Sun!

Cannibal Corpse:
Scourge of Iron
Demented Agression
Evisceration Plague
Stripped, Raped and Strangled 
Kill or Become
Sadistic Embodiment
Icepick Lobotomy
The Wretched Spawn
Dormant Bodies Bursting
Addicted to Vaginal Skin
Make Them Suffer
A Skull Full of Maggots
Hammer Shamed Face
Devoured by Vermin

Top 25 Hip-Hop Beats of 2014

This post has been a long time coming. This countdown got glossed over with all of my other year-end list obligations, but now that the chaos has subsided, I finally had time to throw together my list of favorite hip-hop beats from 2014. Hope you enjoy!

Albums heard:
A$AP Ferg-Ferg Forever 
Atmosphere-Southsiders
Big K.R.I.T.-Cadillactica 
CunninLynguists-Strange Journey Volume Three 
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Pinata
Iggy Azalea-The New Classic
Isiah Rashad-Cilvia Demo 
J.Cole-2014 Forest Hills Drive 
Migos-No Label II
Migos-Rich Nigga Timeline
Mac Miller-Faces
Open Mike Eagle-Dark Comedy
People Under the Stairs-12 Step Program
Ratking-So It Goes
Riff Raff-Neon Icon
Run the Jewels-Run the Jewels 2
ScHoolboy Q-Oxymoron
Vince Staples-Hell Can Wait
Vince Staples-Shyne Coldchain 2

25.J. Cole-G.O.M.D. (Producer: J. Cole) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LpPoDTmhQA
24.CunninLynguists-Kings (Producer: Kno) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSwWGtRZ0fE
23.A$AP Ferg-Uncle (Producer: Clams Casino) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLtxFRSFaDE
22.ScHoolboy Q-Break the Bank (Producer: The Alchemist) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHt3TvFJXQI
21.Riff Raff-Wetter Than Tsunami (Producer: Raff Riley) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNtd_XN6v1s
20.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Scarface (Producer: Madlib) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffuCNKtR3g
19.Iggy Azalea-Walk the Line (Producers: The Invisible Men and The Arcade )http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NABebOOwFdY
18.Vince Staples-Blue Suede (Producer: Hagler) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU0nLIlFPrg
17.Atmosphere-The World Might Night Live Through the Night (Producer: Ant) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul8gKMZWVe0
16.Ratking-Remove Ya (Producer: Sporting Life) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfvFsbITLGY
15.Run the Jewels-Lie, Cheat, Steal (Producers: El-P, Boots and Little Shalamar) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYA48d4Bks
14.Big K.R.I.T.-My Sub Pt. 3 (Big Bang) (Producer: Big K.R.I.T.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWB7_7JTzkA
13.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Shitsville (Producer: Madlib) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U-aaKhov2o
12.ScHoolboy Q-Man of the Year (Producers: Nez & Rio and Sounwave) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdJWkB5K8RU
11.Big K.R.I.T.-King of the South (Producer: Big K.R.I.T.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeCMHgGEw1o
10.Riff Raff-Versace Python (Producers: Atira and Diplo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_mdUPxhTeQ
9.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Uno (Producer: Madlib) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk08c5RMa0s
8.A$AP Ferg-Fergsomnia (Producers: Very Rare and Dram) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWTjwvxbWU0
7.Run the Jewels-All Due Respect (Producers: El-P, Little Shalamar and Wilder Zoby) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ymlMtibnY
6.Run the Jewels-Blockbuster Night Part 1 (Producer: El-P) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PUlXX5xuTE
5.Riff Raff-Aquaberry Dolphin (Producer: Mac Miller) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSWq_3pV0c
4.ScHoolboy Q-Los Awesome (Producer: Pharrell) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWogKxTzdLA
3.Freddie Gibbs and Madlib-Bomb (Producer: Madlib) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1h26SvybDw
2.Freddie Gibbs and Madlib-Harold's (Producer: Madlib) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJAYeq19oAQ
1.Run the Jewels-Oh My Darling Don't Cry (Producers: El-P, Little Shlamar and Wilder Zoby) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASGuqFNhhfc

Album Review: Periphery-Juggernaut (Alpha+Omega)

 Whether they like it or not, Periphery will always be the band credited with starting the djent movement. The groove-oriented offshoot of progressive metal which is categorized by distinct, deep chugging guitars and heavy use of polyrhythms has taken off in popularity over the past several years, but has also picked up a large number of vocal detractors who write off the legitimacy and talent of the bands within the genre. Periphery has slowly been trying to move away from the genre they popularized on their recent releases and on their new double album, Juggernaut, they have a grand amount of success doing so.

What immediately stands out when listening to either half of Juggernaut is variety of the material. Over the double LP's 17 tracks, Periphery explores everything from complex epics ("Omega", "Psychosphere") to radio-friendly alternative rock ("Heavy Heart", "Priestess") to '90s-inspired nu/industrial metal ("MK Ultra", "The Bad Thing") with equal proficiency. This level of experimentation gives Periphery a sense of unpredictability that's unlike anything they've had in the past. This album's constant musical shifts serves as a testament of how far they've comes as songwriters. This isn't the same band that burst onto the scene in 2010 with chug-reliant tracks like "Icarus Lives!" and "Buttersnips". While they haven't entirely dropped djent grooves from their repertoire, there's now far more moments of nuanced melody and oft-kilter guitar solos to balance things out.

It also helps that for the first time in their career they're taking full advantage of the three-guitar attack of Misha "Bulb" Mansoor, Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb that they have at their disposal. On their past records, they worked like a traditional two-guitar band with one lead and two rhythm guitar playing the same. Here, each guitarist adds something different to the mix and the riffs of the lead/rhythm guitars are in a constant state of flux. It will take even the most seasoned guitar exert multiple listens to unlock all of the layers and subtle harmonies Periphery's trio of axemen composed on these tracks. The effectiveness of their three-headed guitar monster and general improvement as songwriters is most apparent on the manic tempo-shifting 10+ minute behemoth "Omega". Their ability to organically transfer from an extended 3-4 minute progressive jam section to a skull-crushingly heavy finale is something they just wouldn't have been able to pull off a few years ago.

Further aiding and in a lot of ways making Periphery's maturation possible is vocalist Spencer Sotelo. Having a versatile vocalist in Sotelo allows Periphery to explore a lot of different avenues with ease. Whether the song calls for a poppy hook, gritty screams or something in between, Sotelo always rises to the occasion and pours maximum emotion into every single vocal line. The Alpha half of the album makes for a particularly strong showcase of Sotelo's vocal talent as it calls for a heavy dose of his clean singing. Sotelo's soaring vocals allows songs such as "Alpha", "Rainbow Gravity" and '22 Faces" to burst out of the speakers with a vivacious, irresistible energy. Sotelo has been impressive throughout his tenure with Periphery, but Juggernaut stands alone as the greatest overall vocal performance of his career.

Juggernaut is a mightily impressive effort from Periphery. They have shown substantial growth since they arrived on the scene six years ago and their increasingly dynamic style is helping them rapidly ascend in the modern metal ranks. While not without its filler along the way (most notably plodding Alpha opener "A Black Minute" and the one-note chugfest "Hell Below" from Omega), Juggernaut keeps up a pretty staggering level of consistency for a double album that runs for nearly an hour and a half. With the triumph of this album, Periphery's evolution from the founding fathers of djent to experimental progressive metal, ahem, juggernauts is now officially complete.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Alpha
1.Heavy Heart
2.Alpha
3.22 Faces

Omega
1.Priestess
2.Omega
3.The Bad Thing  

Concert Review: The Contortionist-- Allston, MA-- February 21st, 2015

The first can't miss tour metal tour package of 2015 featuring The Contortionist, Revocation, Fallujah and Toothgrinder stopped at the Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Massachusetts last night. As expected with a lineup of this caliber, it ended up being one of the most fun and flat-out best shows I've attended in a long while.

Due to my friend and I's inability to find a place to park for 45 minutes, I missed the local opener Swarm of Eyes. From what I heard while getting food next door to the Brighton Music Hall, it doesn't seem like I missed much. By the time I finished up eating and got inside the venue, New Jersey mathcore upstarts Toothgrinder had just started their set. Toothgrinder is a relatively new act on the national level with just one EP under their belt, but based on their performance here, I'd be surprised if they stayed unknown for long. Their music mixes the tornado-like destruction of Dillinger Escape Plan with the raw griminess of Hot Damn!-era Every Time Die. Their beautifully chaotic sound is matched by a relentless stage presence that demands attention and energy from the crowd. In short, Toothgrinder ruled and I'll be checking out their music further immediately.

Fallujah, the first widely know act of the evening, started about 15 minutes later. Much like the last time I saw them at Summer Slaughter last year, they blew the doors off the previous time I'd seen them. Their continued improvement as a live act can be directly linked to a boost in their confidence level. Since The Flesh Prevails came out last July, the entire band has developed a winning stage presence that matches their immense technical ability and that has made their shows that much more memorable than they were a couple of years ago. Their setlist was focused almost solely on material from The Flesh Prevails. "Starlit Path", "Sapphire" and "Carved from Stone" were all crushingly beautiful, but it was the nuanced epic "Levitation" that served as the set's crowning achievement. The only downside of their set was that they played for just under 30 minutes. Seeing them play these short sets are a huge tease and serve as a painful reminder of just how I want to see them headline. Fallujah is quickly becoming just as formidable as a live act as they are as a studio band, which further solidifies their standing as one of the most important young bands in extreme metal today.

Boston's own Revocation took the stage next. I somehow didn't see them at all in 2014 after seeing them three times in 2013, so it was great to finally get an opportunity to see them again. Per usual, they owned the stage and got an amazing reception from the hometown crowd. Like Fallujah, Revocation primarily played material from their most recent record Deathless. This was completely fine by me as Deathless was my pick for the best album of 2014 and is my favorite Revocation album to-date. The title track was a fiery set opener that got the pits going right away while "Labyrinth of Eyes and "Madness Opus" were even heavier live than on disc. While the other Deathless songs kicked ass, it was set closer "Witch Trials" that proved to be the best song of the night. The solo at the end is perhaps the best single best showcase of David Davidson's guitar playing abilities in their entire discography and the effectiveness of the various tempo changes are fully realized in a live setting. Revocation is one of the most consistent live bands in metal right now, and hopefully they do a headlining tour soon so they can play even more material off Deathless.

After a moderately long changeover, The Contortionist came on to close out the show. This was my fifth time seeing them and the biggest takeaway from this performance was the monumental impact vocalist Mike Lessard has had on this band. Since joining in 2013, Lessard has allowed The Contortionist to tackle a bunch of new musical territory, as evidenced on their latest album Language- which is easily the mellowest they've put out to date. In addition to taking them in a new, bolder direction musically, Lessard also does a great job handling the band's older material. He stays true to the vocals ex-vocalist Jonathan Carpenter originally laid down but gives them his own flare. The setlist was pretty standard as they peppered their hour-long set with some jams from Language as well as longtime set staples such as "Flourish" and "Oscillator". The only real surprise on the night was the presence of "Contact" from 2010's Exoplanet. "Contact" has been been my favorite Contortionist song since I first heard Exoplanet ,and it was unreal to finally get to see them play it. While The Contortionist put on a good show, I'd be lying if I said they weren't a bit disappointing. Seeing The Contortionist play after Revocation and Fallujah is kind of anticlimatic. Their reserved stage presence put a serious damper on the high-energy vibe that was running through the room before they took the stage and their music just doesn't pack the same punch as those two bands do. That being said, The Contortionist still put on a pretty solid performance that served as a nice cherry on top for a glorious evening of heavy music.  
 

Scores:
Toothgrinder 8.5/10
Fallujah 9.5/10
Revocation 9/10
The Contortionist 8/10

Setlists:
Fallujah:
Starlit Path
Carved From Stone
Levitation
Cerebral Hybridization
Sapphire

Revocation:
Deathless
Dismantle the Dictator
Labyrinth of Eyes
Madness Opus
No Funeral
Witch Trials

The Contortionist:
Flourish
Geocentric Confusion
Language I: Intuition
Language II: Conspire
Thrive
Contact
Exoplanet II: Void
Solipsis 
Primordial Sound

Encore:
Oscillator
The Parable

Predictions for the 87th Academy Awards

Best Picture: Nominees: American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash

And the Winner is...: Boyhood

Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel and American Sniper have all supposedly gained a lot of traction with Academy voters over the past few weeks, but I don't think any of them will gain enough supporters to knock off Boyhood. Boyhood has been the heavy favorite in this category for months and I believe the level of buzz surrounding it is insurmountable at this point in time.

Best Actor: Nominees: Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

And the Winner is...: Eddie Redmayne

This is the only acting race where there's any sort of serious suspense. Keaton and Redmayne have been locked in a dead heat all award season long and neither one of them have a serious edge heading into Oscar night. Ultimately I think Redmayne will walk away with it because he won at the BAFTA's- which are the last awards show before the Oscars- and the Academy loves to award actors who portray real people.

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

And the Winner is...: Julianne Moore

If I were to gamble on one award, it would be this. There's just no possible situation where I see Moore losing. She's won Best Actress at every other major awards show, it's an incredibly weak field, and the Academy is going to want finally reward her after sending her home empty-handed the previous four times she's been nominated.

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Duvall (The Judge), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

And the Winner is...: J.K. Simmons

This is another presumed lock. Simmons has all of the momentum leading up to the Oscars and there's not another actor in this field that went further out of their comfort zone for their performance than him.

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

And the Winner is...: Patricia Arquette

Put on your surprised face because this category appears to be yet another lock. Arquette has been racking up the awards over the past couple of months and is largely considered to give the best performance in the Best Picture frontrunner. If that's not a recipe for Oscar gold, I don't know what is.

Best Director: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood). Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Morten Tyldum(The Imitation Game)

And the Winner is...: Richard Linklater

This is a serious toss-up between Linklater and Gonzalez-Inarritu, who just won the Director's Guild Association's top honor. In the end, I think they'll end up awarding Linklater's ambition over Inarritu's technical virtuosity.

Side Notes:

Who I'd vote for If I could cast a ballot:

Best Picture: Whiplash

Best Actor: Michael Keaton

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone

Best Director: Richard Linklater

Best Original Screenplay: Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Damian Chazelle (Whiplash)

Best Cinematography: Birdman 

Best Score: The Imitation Game

Best Visual Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Biggest Snub By Category:

Best Picture: Gone Girl

Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Best Actress: Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)
Best Supporting Actor: Tyler Perry (Gone Girl)

Best Supporting Actress: Eva Green (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For)

Best Director: Damian Chazelle (Whiplash)

Best Original Screenplay: Chris Rock (Top Five)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Cinematography: Nightcrawler  

Best Score: The Guest

Best Visual Effects: Robocop

Nominees That Shouldn't Be Here By Category:

Best Picture: American Sniper

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon

Best Supporting Actor: N/A

Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern

Best Director: Bennett Miller

Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Hall (American Sniper)

Best Cinematography: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Score: Interstellar

Best Visual Effects: Captain America: The Winter Solider

2014 Film Experiment (Results)

For a second consecutive year, my closest group of friends were kind enough to give me a numerical rating from 1-10 of every film they saw last year. Much like 2013, the consensus of the group wasn't too far from my personal feelings, but there were still some surprises along the way. Here are the rankings of 38 films featured in the experiment from worst of the best.  

38.Transformers: Age of Extinction Avg: 3.9

37.Godzilla Avg: 4.0

36.The Gambler Avg: 5.9

35.The Monuments Men Avg: 6.5

34.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Avg: 6.8

33.American Sniper Avg: 6.9

32.Interstellar Avg: 7.0

30.The Expendables 3/Hercules Avg: 7.1

29.The Equalizer Avg: 7.3

28.The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Avg: 7.5

25.A Million Ways to Die in the West/Fury/Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Avg: 7.7

18.3 Days to Kill/Captain America: The Winter Solider/Divergent/The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1/The Interview/Robocop/Sabotage Avg: 7.8

15.Foxcatcher/Horrible Bosses 2/Need for Speed Avg: 8.0

14.Let's Be Cops Avg: 8.2

11.300: Rise of an Empire/Neighbors/Nightcrawler Avg: 8.4

10.Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Avg: 8.5

7.Draft Day/John Wick/X-Men: Days of Future Past Avg: 8.8

6.The Lego Movie Avg: 8.9

5.Top Five Avg: 9.0

3.22 Jump Street/Guardians of the Galaxy Avg: 9.4

2.Whiplash Avg: 9.5

1.Gone Girl Avg: 9.7

Average by Person:

Me: 7.5

Dave: 7.9

D.J.: 7.9

Justin: 8.8

Matt: 7.8

Steve: 7.8

Films excluded because they were only seen by one member of the group:

About Last Night

Adult World

Bad Words

Begin Again

Big Hero 6

Birdman

Blended

Blue Ruin

Boyhood

Brick Mansions

Calvary

Chef

Cold in July

Cuban Fury

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Deliver Us from Evil

Dom Hemingway

Edge of Tomorrow
Exodus: Gods and Kings 

Fading Gigolo

Filth

Force Majeure

Get on Up

Horns

How to Train Your Dragon 2

I, Frankenstein

Life Itself

Locke

Maleficent

Million Dollar Arm

Muppets Most Wanted

Noah

Non-Stop

Obvious Child

Oculus

Ride Along

Selma

Sex Tape

Snowpiercer

St. Vincent

Tammy

That Awkward Moment

The Fault in Our Stars

The Giver

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

The Maze Runner

The One I Love

The Purge: Anarchy

The Raid 2

The Rover

The Skeleton Twins

They Came Together

This is Where I Leave You

Transcendence

Tusk

Under the Skin

When the Game Stands Tall

White Bird in a Blizzard

Wild

2015 NFL Mock Draft (Pre-Combine)

The path to the NFL Draft officially starts tomorrow with the scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. To celebrate the start of this joyous season, here's my first mock draft of the year. It should be noted that this is a very rough mock, and it will drastically change after the combine and further evaluation of the prospects. Hope you enjoy and feel free to praise or heckle my picks in the comments section below. 

1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Williams, defensive tackle/end (USC)
2.Tennessee Titans: Jameis Winston, quarterback (Florida State)
3.Jacksonville Jaguars: Randy Gregory, outside linebacker/defensive end (Nebraska)
4.Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, wide receiver (Alabama)
5.Washington Redskins: Brandon Scherff, guard/tackle (Iowa)
6.New York Jets: Dante Fowler Jr., outside linebacker (Florida)
7.Chicago Bears: Danny Shelton, nose tackle (Washington)
8.Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray, defensive end/outside linebacker (Missouri)
9.New York Giants: T.J. Clemmings, tackle (Pittsburgh)
10.St. Louis Rams: Kevin White, wide receiver (West Virginia)
11.Minnesota Vikings: Devante Parker, wide receiver (Louisville)
12.Cleveland Browns: Malcolm Brown, defensive tackle (Texas)
13.New Orleans Saints: Vic Beasley, outside linebacker (Clemson)
14.Miami Dolphins: Arik Armstead, defensive tackle (Oregon)
15.San Fransisco 49ers: Jaelen Strong, wide receiver (Arizona State)
16.Houston Texans: Marcus Mariota, quarterback (Oregon)
17.San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon, running back (Wisconsin)
18.Kansas City Chiefs: Landon Collins, safety (Alabama)
19.Cleveland Browns: Devin Funchess, wide receiver (Michigan)
20.Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, cornerback (Michigan State)
21.Cincinnati Bengals: Bud Dupree, outside linebacker/defensive end (Kentucky)
22.Pittsburgh Steelers: Jalen Collins, cornerback (LSU)
23.Detroit Lions: Michael Bennett, defensive tackle (Ohio State)
24.Arizona Cardinals: Todd Gurley, running back (Georgia)
25.Carolina Panthers: La'el Collins, tackle (LSU)
26.Baltimore Ravens: P.J. Williams, cornerback (Florida State)
27.Dallas Cowboys: Shaq Thompson, safety/outside linbacker (Washington)
28.Denver Broncos: Eddie Goldman, defensive tackle (Florida State)
29.Indianapolis Colts: Benardrick McKinney, inside linebacker (Mississippi State)
30.Green Bay Packers: Jordan Phillips, nose tackle (Oklahoma)
31.Seattle Seahawks: Ereck Flowers, tackle (Miami)
32.New England Patriots: Eli Harold, defensive end/outside linbacker (Virginia)

Movie Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service

Ever since he burst onto the scene with the 2004 cult hit Layer Cake, Writer/director Matthew Vaughn has carved out quite a name for himself. Vaughn's ability to blend blockbuster spectacle with B-movie self-awareness has made him one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. Vaughn's latest, Kingsman: The Secret Service, sees the 43-year old Brit sticking to his guns and producing yet another invigorating action saga.

On the surface, Kingsman sounds like a standard-issue spy film. It focuses on a group of suave British spies who work in completely secrecy to stop terrorist threats all around the world. No matter how conventional that premise may sound, Kingsman couldn't be further from the average espionage film.

Much like he did with the superhero genre with 2010's Kick-Ass,Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman mock the conventions of the spy genre by making a film that is tongue-in-cheek and wild as all hell. There's a bunch of references mocking the seriousness of James Bond and Jason Bourne, the violence is cartoon-esque, and the plot involves the titular spy group trying to taking down a psychotic technology mogul (Samuel L. Jackson) who has decided to try and solve the planet's population crisis by installing a brain-controlling device into the SIM card his company produces that forces people to kill one another. The film embraces just how absurd its premise is, and that self-awareness is a big part of the reason why the proceedings of Kingsman are so damn fun.

A large part of why Vaughn's gleefully over-the-top shtick always works is his ability to consistently assemble casts that are game for whatever shenanigans he throws at them, and Kingsman is no exception. Newcomer Taron Edgerton shines in his first leading role as Eggsy, the wisecracking punk who's the newest recruit of Kingsman. Edgerton has a screen presence that most up-and-coming actors would kill for, and is convincing as both an action hero and the quick-witted, hardened street kid. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if his work here marked the jumping off point for a long, successful acting career.

Veteran actors Jackson and Colin Firth only further inject the film with demented energy. Jackson's villain, Valentine, is the perfect embodiment of the craziness Kingsman offers up. With help from a heavy lisp and a wardrobe that looked like it was robbed from Russell Simmons' closest, Jackson makes Valentine the most colorful and manic megalomaniac to grace the screen in years. With his long history of playing zany characters, Jackson's proficiency here is hardly surprising.

Firth's success, on the other hand, is completely unexpected. Based on his resume full of high-brow fare like The King's Speech and A Single Man, he seems like the last guy who should be starring in a film like this. But Firth's reputation as the quintessential British gentleman actually makes him the perfect fit for the role. His character, Harry Hart, is still the dapper, sophisticated British gentleman he typically plays, he just happens to also be a lethal super spy that can clear out a room of henchman in a matter of seconds. Firth is clearly having a good time breaking out of his typical archetype, and after seeing him do some of the insane stuff he does in this movie, I'll never view him in the same way again.

Even though Kingsman possesses a treasure trove of strengths, the action sequences are still the undeniable main attraction. Vaughn is one of the small number of directors in the game right now that just knows how to shoot and pace an action scene. Vaughn's prowess is best evidenced in a scene where Hart takes on a church full of weapon-wielding bigots. The scene is unadulterated chaos, but Vaughn is able to capture all of the carnage without dizzying quick cuts that leave the viewer in a state of confusion as to what's going on. This sequence is pure action movie poetry and is bound to leave any true action connoisseur speechless. The sometimes convoluted writing and overlong training scenes in the first half of the film prevents this from reaching Kick-Ass's badassery level, but there's no denying that Kingsman is an absolute blast to watch, and a strong early entry into the best action film of 2015 race.

4/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Imitation Game

At the end of every calender year, movie studios flood theaters with biopics that could possibly garner attention during award season. Martin Luther King Jr. (Selma), Stephen Hawking (The Theory of Everything) and Margaret Keane (Big Eyes) were just a few of the historical icons to be given the docudrama treatment in the latter stages of 2014. While the aforementioned films all do a commendable job of honoring the lives and accomplishments of their subjects, its The Imitation Game, which chronicles the much lesser known story of Alan Turing, that stands out above the rest of last year's crowded fact-based drama field.

For those who are unaware, Turing was a British cryptologist and mathematician employed by the British military that broke Enigma, the secret code the Nazi's used to communicate with one another during World War II, in 1942. The Engima Machine was revolutionary as it was a computer-like machine that reset its text symbols every 24 hours so enemies couldn't decode their messages or location. To crack the code, Turing spent over a year building a machine that could decipher and, eventually discover patterns in the Nazi messages.

Turing and his colleague's contributions were essential in helping the Allied forces locate and strategically attack Nazi convoys, which led to Adolf Hitler's downfall and the eventual end of the war in 1945. Until the early 2000's when the classified World War II documents were made public, no one outside of the British government and armed forces even knew that Enigma had been broken by the Allies.

The Imitation Game doesn't stray too far from the traditional biopic formula, but that doesn't stop it from being a riveting piece of cinema. I knew absolutely nothing about Turing going into this film, so in addition to being a thoroughly engaging film, this also served as a fascinating and important history lesson for me. Turing's life inside and outside of World War II was full of adversity, and director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore made sure they squeezed every possible ounce of excitement and conflict out of Turing's story. Though the film contains no action sequences, it has the same level of edge-of-your-seat suspense as the best World War II films. There's countless numbers of times throughout the film where the tension is ramped up to heartbeat-increasing levels of intensity. A film that's mostly based around numbers and equations could've been quite dull, but The Imitation Game never loses sight of the high stakes of Turing's work, and that ensures that film never becomes anything less than gripping.

The craftsmanship behind the camera and pacing of the film is top-notch, but it's Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Turing that serves as the heart and soul of The Imitation Game. Cumberbatch plays Turing as a flawed genius whose arrogance made him impossible to like and whose intellect made him impossible not to respect. While Cumberbatch is excellent throughout, it's the post WWII-scenes where Turing is persecuted for indecency due to his homosexuality, and he's forced to undergo hormonal therapy (also known as chemical castration) where he really shines. Cumberbatch's vulnerability and understated emotion makes the last couple of scenes gut-wrenching to watch. It's a terrific, incredibly human performance that further solidifies Cumberbatch's standing as one of the fastest rising stars in all of film. The Imitation Game is an enthralling watch that lives up to its award-contending pedigree while also educating the masses on the legacy of a largely unheralded man who's accomplishments made a monumental impact on the history of the world. 

4/5 Stars 

Album Review: Fall Out Boy-American Beauty/American Psycho

Chicago quartet Fall Out Boy returned after a four year hiatus in 2013 and instantly reminded the world of the force they were in their heyday with their fifth studio album, Save Rock and Roll. Even more surprising than their resurgence in popularity or their ability to successfully write and record Save Rock and Roll in complete secrecy from both the general public and their record label was the fact that they had returned with an entirely revamped sound. The angst-ridden pop punk that had made them famous initially had been replaced by a brand of vintage pop that sounds like it came straight out of the '80s. Fall Out Boy continues their reinvention as a pure pop act on their latest LP, American Beauty/American Psycho, which serves as a nice albeit uneven blast of summer breeziness in the dead of winter.

A lot of the kinks that dragged down Save Rock and Roll have been worked out on American Beauty/American Psycho. Fall Out Boy is noticeably more comfortable with their pop identity here than they were on Save Rock and Roll. The band uses their enhanced confidence to take some bold risks on the early portion of the record and they mostly pay off. "Irresistible" combines infectious synths and horns to get the album off to a rollicking start while "Centuries" works in a sample of Suzanna Vega's 1987 hit "Tom's Diner" to bolster the track's arena-ready sound. Perhaps the most effective and definitely the oddest musical choice was the prominent use of a sample from the theme song of the '60s television series The Munsters on "Uma Thurman". In theory, it sounds like a head-scratching decision, but it somehow works perfectly with the eerie disco vibe of the track.   

The success of Fall Out Boy's new sound lies mostly on the shoulders of vocalist Patrick Stump. Stump's soulful vocals make the hooks pop, and gives the majority of the songs on the album a refreshing blast of kinetic energy. Stump even makes the album's pair of otherwise mediocre power ballads ("The Kids Aren't Alright, "Jet Pack Blues") enjoyable with his tremendous harmonies and range. Stump's vocals were the biggest knock on Fall Out Boy during their early days, but he's easily been their biggest asset since they've returned from hiatus. 

After a pretty successful start, the inconsistency that plagued Save Rock and Roll rears its ugly head on the second half of this album. "Favorite Record" sounds like a bad power pop cover of a Third Eye Blind or Matchbox Twenty song and "Immortals" gives "Alone Together" a serious run for the title of most obnoxious song in Fall Out Boy's catalog. On the aforementioned "Favorite Record" and "Immortals" as well as other lowlights "Fourth of July", and "American Beauty/American Psycho", Fall Out Boy seems to have completely disregarded the formula that makes the other 75% of the album work. The choruses fall flat, the electronic elements are grating and the liveliness that drives the earlier tracks is all but completely diminished. The fact that all of these songs (except the title track) appear on the back end of the album is a serious blow to the overall quality of American Beauty/American Psycho. Regardless of how strong an album starts, finishing an album with little-to-no momentum is one of the most unforgivable sins in the world of music, and American Beauty/American Psycho is a prime offender of this unwritten law.

While not without its miscues, American Beauty/American Psycho is still a relatively solid, fun listen on the whole. This is a band in the middle of a transitional phase as they try to find their niche in the traditional pop genre, and American Beauty/American Psycho demonstrates that they're headed in the right direction. So far, Fall Out Boy has defied the odds of a band returning from hiatus by coming back as a rejuvenated act that isn't afraid to venture out of their comfort zone. Now its time to see if they can channel that energy and creativity into a record that is consistently enjoyable.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Uma Thurman
2.Novocaine
3.Irresistible  

Best Films of the Decade So Far (2010-14)

Believe it or not, the decade is already half over. In honor of this milestone, here are my picks for the best films of the first half of the decade by year:

2010:
1.Kick-Ass
2.Inception
3.Black Swan
4.The Fighter
5.The Book of Eli
6.The Town
7.Hot Tub Time Machine
8.True Grit
9.Toy Story 3
10.Get Him to the Greek
Honorable Mentions: The Social Network, The Other Guys, The Expendables, Shutter Island, Machete

2011:
1.50/50
2.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3.Fast Five
4.Super 8
5.Warrior
6.Source Code
7.Attack the Block 
8.Moneyball
9.Horrible Bosses
10.X-Men: First Class
Honorable Mentions: Hobo with a Shotgun, Drive, Sucker Punch, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Descendants

2012:
1.Django Unchained
2.Silver Linings Playbook
3.The Dark Knight Rises
4.21 Jump Street
5.End of Watch
6.The Expendables 2
7.Ted
8.The Raid: Redemption
9.The Avengers
10.Chronicle
Honorable Mentions: American Reunion, The Dictator, Looper, The Cabin in the Woods, Lawless

2013:
1.Frutivale Station
2.This is the End
3.American Hustle
4.The Spectacular Now
5.Short Term 12
6.Pain & Gain
7.Blue Jasmine
8.The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
9.Iron Man 3
10.Fast and Furious 6
Honorable Mentions: The Last Stand, Inside Llewyn Davis, Rush, Bad Grandpa, Star Trek Into Darkness

2014:
1.Gone Girl
2.Whiplash
3.22 Jump Street
4.Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
5.Nightcrawler
6.Top Five
7.Draft Day
8.The Raid 2
9.Guardians of the Galaxy
10.Boyhood
Honorable Mentions: X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Skeleton Twins, Selma, The Interview, John Wick

  
 

A Postseason Look at My Preseason Predictions for the 2014 NFL Season

Now that the NFL season is (unfortunately) over, now is the time for nerds like myself to look back at how our preseason predictions fared. As usual, some came true, some were painfully off and most were somewhere in between. Here's a look at how all of my preseason predictions panned out.

Super Bowl Winner
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks Actual Winner: New England Patriots

Year-End Award Winners
MVP
Prediction: Drew Brees (Saints)  Actual Winner: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

Offensive Player of the Year
Prediction: LeSean McCoy (Eagles) Actual Winner: DeMarco Murray (Cowboys)

Defensive Player of the Year
Prediction: Earl Thomas (Seahawks) Actual Winner: J.J. Watt (Texans)

Offensive Rookie of the Year
Prediction: Bishop Sankey (Titans) Actual Winner: Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)

Defensive Rookie of the Year
Prediction: Ryan Shazier (Steelers) Actual Winner: Aaron Donald (Rams)

Coach of the Year
Prediction: Marc Trestman (Bears) Actual Winner: Bruce Arians (Cardinals)

Comeback Player of the Year
Prediction: Julio Jones (Falcons) Actual Winner: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

League Leaders
Passing Yards
Prediction: Drew Brees (Saints) Actual Leaders: Drew Brees (Saints)/Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)

Passing TD's
Prediction: Drew Brees (Saints) Actual Leader: Andrew Luck (Colts) (Brees finished tied for 5th in the league)

Rushing Yards
Prediction: LeSean McCoy (Eagles) Actual Leader: DeMarco Murray (Cowboys) (McCoy finished 3rd in the league)

Rushing TD's
Prediction: Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks) Actual Leaders: Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)/DeMarco Murray (Cowboys)

Receiving Yards
Prediction: Antonio Brown (Steelers) Actual Leader: Antonio Brown (Steelers)

Receiving TD's
Prediction: Julius Thomas (Broncos) Actual Leader: Dez Bryant (Cowboys) (Thomas finished tied for 4th in the league)

Sacks
Prediction: Robert Quinn (Rams) Actual Leader: Justin Houston (Chiefs) (Quinn finished 14th in the league)

Tackles
Prediction: Patrick Willis (49ers) Actual Leader: Luke Kuechly (Panthers) (Willis finished tied for 360th in the league)

INT's
Prediction: Joe Haden (Browns) Actual Leader: Glover Quin (Lions) (Haden finished tied for 27th in the league)

Forced Fumbles
Prediction: Tamba Hali (Chiefs) Actual Leaders: Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)/Robert Quinn (Rams)

Top 10 Draft Order for 2015
 Prediction:
1.Jacksonville Jaguars
2.Oakland Raiders
3.Cleveland Browns
4.Tennessee Titans
5.St. Louis Rams
6.Minnesota Vikings
7.Dallas Cowboys
8.Miami Dolphins
9.Kansas City Chiefs
10.Washington Redskins

Actual
1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2.Tennessee Titans
3.Jacksonville Jaguars
4.Oakland Raiders
5.Washington Redskins
6.New York Jets
7.Chicago Bears
8.Atlanta Falcons
9.New York Giants
10.St. Louis Rams

Concert Review: Machine Head-- Allston, MA-- January 31st, 2015

Last night marked an incredibly rare opportunity as metal icons Machine Head played an intimate "An Evening With" show at the Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Massachusetts. As is the case with most special event shows, "An Evening with Machine Head" ended up being one for the annals.

As a reference point, the last time I saw Machine Head headline in February 2012 was at the 2000-capcity Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, so seeing them in a 500-person venue was almost unfathomable to me. When this show got announced in November, I was in sheer disbelief that they were playing at such a tiny venue. It honestly didn't even hit me until I walked into the venue last night that it was really happening.

Machine Head took the stage promptly at 8:00 and launched into their longtime set opener "Imperium" from their 2003 record Through the Ashes of  Empires. Right away, the sold-out crowd launched into an all-out frenzy. The tiny, densely packed space made the trademark whirlwind energy of Machine Head shows even more electric than usual. The energy and vibe Machine Head shows have are always amazing, but the most impressive aspect of their shows is how great they sound. Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn gets a lot of criticism for his off-stage persona and frequent nonsensical, expletive-filled online ramblings, but there's no denying that he is a top-notch performer. There's only a handful of frontmen in all of metal that work a crowd as well as him and he still sounds amazing vocally at age 47. 20+ years of performing hasn't wore down Flynn in the slightest and I'd be surprised if he suddenly started failing to deliver the goods anytime soon. Flynn is backed up by the highly underrated guitar/drum duo of Phil Demmel and Dave McClain. How Demmel and McClain aren't brought up in the greatest modern metal musicians conversation is just ridiculous to me. Watching these guys own their respective instruments is one of the greatest pleasures of seeing Machine Head live. The only small complaint I have is the setlist mostly lacked the rarities Flynn promised when the tour was announced. Outside of "Bite the Bullet", "Now I Lay Thee Down" and the four tracks from their new album Bloodstone & Diamonds, all of the material they played is typically in their setlist. I can't complain too much though because they played for two hours and the set still contained a lot of the best material from their 2007 masterpiece The Blackening ("Halo" is still one of the most epic live songs of all-time,) and a few of their essential '90s classics such as "Davidian" and "Ten Ton Hammer". Machine Head put on a phenomenal performance that is a near-lock to be one of the best I see in 2015.

Score:
Machine Head 9.5/10

Setlist:
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
Now We Die
Bite the Bullet
Locust
From This Day
Ten Ton Hammer
Darkness Within
Bulldozer
Killers & Kings
Davidian
Sail Into the Black
Now I Lay Thee Down
Aesthetics of Hate
Game Over
Old
Halo

Super Bowl XLIX Prediction

Conference Championship Week Record: 2-0
Overall Playoff Record: 8-2

Seattle Seahawks over New England Patriots: After weeks of smack talk, cheating accusations and general anger from a lot of fans across the country about the Super Bowl matchup being between the two most hated teams in NFL, the game itself is finally here. It's been inexplicably lost amongst all of the Deflategate and "Why doesn't Marshawn Lynch talk to the media?" coverage, but this is a contest between two very evenly-matched squads. The game has the potential to be a serious battle and could very well be decided by a handful of plays. Though I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if either team won, I think the Seattle Seahawks are going to come out on top. The Seahawks may not have as much big game experience as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but in their few years of greatness, they've proven they excel in pressure situations, especially when they're being doubted. This knack for stepping in the clutch was evidenced by their highly improbably comeback against the Packers in the NFC Championship. Russell Wilson was able to overcome a truly horrible game in which he threw 4 INT's and stepped up when it mattered most to lead his team to victory. Coming of a ghastly performance like that, Wilson is going to be even hungrier than usual to prove himself on the biggest stage against elite competition. Aside from their big-game proficiency, they have favorable matchups against the Patriots on both side of the ball. The Patriots don't have anyone outside of Rob Gronkowski that can hold up against the physicality of their defense, their lack of a pass rush should allow Wilson to make full us of his rushing and passing-on-the run ability and running back Marshawn Lynch is a problem for pretty much any defense in the league, especially in the playoffs. As long as the Seahawks can keep Brady and Rob Gronowski in check and the Legion of Boom can successfully overcome the injuries to Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor,  I firmly believe they'll be walking out of Arizona with their second consecutive Super Bowl title.

Keys to victory for Seattle:
-Contain Rob Gronkowski
-Get pressure on and limit Tom Brady's options in the passing game
-Establish a balanced attack
-Expose the holes in the Patriots secondary
-Give Russell Wilson time to work his magic
-Don't allow the Patriots to creep back into the game if you get an early lead

Keys to victory for New England
-Establish the run
-Continue to test the health of the injured players in Seattle's secondary
-Stop Marshawn Lynch
-Keep Russell Wilson in the pocket
-Don't fall behind early