Movie Review: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

The film branch of DC comics has been lagging well behind their rivals at Marvel ever since comic book movies became a steady fixture at multiplexes in the early 2000's. Outside of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, DC has not put out a film that has come anywhere close to matching the quality or financial success of Marvel heavyweights like Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy or The Avengers. After years of playing second fiddle in the comic book film universe, DC has launched their first attempt to match their rival's deep world building with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Unfortunately for DC, the film is a major mixed bag filled with an equal amount of awe-inspiring highs and embarrassing lows.

Batman v. Superman marks the first time in my writing career that I've truly been thankful for the existence of a film studio frowning upon reviewers giving out specific details about a film's story. Trying to describe the plot to this movie without going on a free-form rant that was at least 2,000 words in length would be damn near impossible. The film breezes through plot points at a rapid clip with little to no development and a lot of the resolutions make absolutely zero sense. The scattered, nonsensical nature of the story can largely be attributed to the fact that screenwriters Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer and the genius executives at Warner Brothers thought it would be a good idea to create a film that combines narrative elements from three separate Batman and Superman comics while also laying down the ground work for the inaugural Justice League film that is set for release next fall. The sheer amount of subplots that exist in this film leads to a level of narrative overstuffing that is so insane that it makes Age of Ultron look like the posterchild for cohesive storytelling. If DC continues to put out film with scripts that are this inept and muddled, their dream of creating a sprawling, engaging universe will never materialize.

What saves from Batman v. Superman from being a colossal failure is the film's superb cast and top-notch action sequences. Ironically, the film's two most controversial casting choices (Ben Affleck as Batman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor) ended up being the film's strongest assets. Affleck's portrayal of a cynical, beaten-down Bruce Wayne could very well be the strongest big-screen rendition of the Caped Crusader to-date while Eisenberg's fresh, over-the-top take on Luthor allows the character to reach levels of deranged lunacy that no other actor who's played the part previously displayed.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire film was how much Henry Cavill-who was abysmal in Man of Steel-manages to improve in his second go-round as Superman. The solo Superman narrative in this film allows Cavill to provide a surprising level of emotional depth that had previously been foreign to this traditionally even-keeled character and make you empathize with this outsider whose powers are completely misunderstood by the people of Earth. Kudos to Cavill for expanding his range and making me get invested for a character that I haven't given two shits about in the past.

As for the action sequences, this is a much-needed return to form for director Zach Snyder after he completely butchered them in Man of Steel. Snyder made the intelligent decision to return to his cleanly-edited, slo-mo driven wheelhouse for Batman v. Superman after deciding to go with the choppy, quick-cut approach on Man of Steel. The heavily-hyped Batman vs. Superman fight and the Batman warehouse brawl are without question some of the expertly-staged and shot fight scenes to ever appear in a superhero film. Honestly, the only issue with the action scenes in this film is that there isn't enough of them. Given how sloppy the storytelling is here, the film could've seriously benefited from putting Snyder and his virtuoso action-directing at the forefront of the proceedings. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a far from perfect start for the revamped DC cinematic universe, but there's just enough potential on display here to give me hope for their future projects.

3/5 Stars  

Top 25 Prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft

With the 2016 NFL Draft being just under four weeks away, I figured it would be the perfect time to take an early look at which of this year's prospects have impressed me the most. It should be noted that this list is far from final as I still have to watch tape on around two dozen top prospects. Stay tuned to this page for weekly mock drafts and other fun pre-draft shenanigans!

Notable players I haven't seen tape on yet: Jaylon Smith, Jarran Reed, Kevin Dodd, Shaq Lawson, Reggie Ragland, Sheldon Rankins, Chris Jones, Hunter Henry, Vonn Bell, Scooby Wright III, Su'a Cravens, Tyler Boyd, Vernon Butler, Germain Ifedi, Jordan Jenkins, Braxton Miller, Carl Nassib

1.Joey Bosa, outside linebacker/defensive end (Ohio State)
2.Myles Jack, inside/outside linebacker (UCLA)
3.Jalen Ramsey, safety/cornerback (Florida State)
4.Vernon Hargreaves, cornerback (Florida)
5.Ezekiel Elliot, running back (Ohio State)
6.Ronnie Stanley, tackle (Notre Dame)
7.Jared Goff, quarterback (California)
8.Carson Wentz, quarterback (North Dakota State)
9.Darron Lee, inside/outside linebacker (Ohio State)
10.Laremy Tunsil, tackle (Mississippi)
11.Noah Spence, outside linebacker/defensive end (Eastern Kentucky)
12.Karl Joseph, safety (West Virginia)
13.Jack Conklin, tackle (Michigan State)
14.Corey Coleman, wide receiver (Baylor)
15.Artie Burns, cornerback (Miami)
16.William Jackson III, cornerback (Houston)
17.DeForest Buckner, defensive end/tackle (Oregon)
18.Emmanuel Ogbah, outside linebacker/defensive end (Oklahoma State)
19.Mackensie Alexander, cornerback (Clemson)
20.Laquon Treadwell, wide receiver (Mississippi)
21.Derrick Henry, running back (Alabama)
22.Leonard Floyd, outside linebacker/defensive end (Georgia)
23.Ryan Kelly, center (Alabama)
24.Cody Whitehair, guard (Kansas State)
25.Cyrus Jones, cornerback (Alabama)

Concert Review: Intronaut-- Cambridge, MA-- March 30th, 2016

Lineup: Intronaut, Scale the Summit, North and Rozamov
Venue: The Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, MA

Rozamov: These guys are the go-to local opener for any sludge/doom metal show in the Boston-area. Last night marked the first time I'd actually seen them and I really hope I don't have to ever again. Every single song featured the same plodding sludge riff, lifeless drum fills and muddled harsh vocals for seven or eight minutes and the entire band displayed an energy level that was reminiscent of the titular character from Weekend at Bernie's. Unless you're looking to learn the basics of how to play the most mind-numbingly dull sludge metal humanly possible, I'd avoid voluntarily seeing Rozamov at all costs.

North: Just about anything would've sounded good after Rozamov had just lulled me to sleep for 30 minutes, but North was seriously great. Their sound was a perfect mix of punishing sludge and atmospheric post-metal and the amount of killer riffs they laid down in every song was flat-out absurd. I'm going to need to dig into their discography ASAP after witnessing this excellent performance.

Scale the Summit: For those don't know, Scale the Summit was added to this tour at the last minute after the original direct support act-Germany's The Ocean-was forced to drop off after not getting their work visas processed in time for the start of the tour. While I was incredibly disappointed that The Ocean wasn't able to do this tour, Scale the Summit was about as perfect of a replacement as Intronaut could've got for this tour. I could ramble on for an elongated period of time about how tight the band was or how warmly the crowd received them, but this set largely served as a gateway to help me rediscover the brilliance of Scale the Summit's music. With the exception of giving their latest album V a few spins at the end of the last year, I've largely ignored listening to them for the past couple of years and for the entire 45 minutes they were on stage, I became overwhelmed with self-hatred for making such a moronic decision. Between their top-notch technical chops and ability to create a consistently rich, dense atmosphere with their music, Scale the Summit is firmly embedded in the upper echelon of instrumental metal bands. Scale the Summit is an absolute joy to behold live and I will never make the mistake of sleeping on their music again as long as I live.

Intronaut: I'd seen Intronaut three times prior to this (opening for Mastodon in 2009, Meshuggah in 2013 and Between the Buried and Me in 2014), but I was extremely excited to finally get the chance to see them headline. As with the previous times I've seen them, Intronaut's performance was freaking outstanding. While their live show has been consistently excellent over the years, this show saw them raising their game to the next level due to their decision to play their brilliant new album The Direction of Last Things in its entirety. The intimacy and note-perfect acoustics of the Middle East Downstairs maximized the power of the record's striking blend of crushing riffs and jazz-inspired melodies and made all seven songs even more immense and striking than the studio versions.

As always, the biggest highlight of going to an Intronaut show is getting the pleasure of seeing bassist Joe Lester and drummer Danny Walker play in person. As far as I'm concerned, these guys are the best rhythm section in all of music at the moment and seeing them perform live showcases just how exceptionally gifted they are at their respective instruments. Lester and Walker are the backbone of Intronaut's tremendous success as a band and prove that more bands in the present day should put a bigger emphasis on having a strong rhythm section. This show once again reaffirmed my belief that Intronaut is one of the most criminally overlooked bands in modern metal and I urge anyone that can catch a show on the last two weeks of this tour to do so.

Scores:
Rozamov 2/10
North 8/10
Scale the Summit 8.5/10
Intronaut 9/10

Setlists:
Scale the Summit:
Blue Sun
Oort Cloud
Narrow Sailanet
Atlas Novus
Pontus Euxinus
Soria Moria
Kestral
Odyssey
Origin of Species

Intronaut:
Fast Worms
Digital Gerrymandering
The Pleasant Surprise
The Unlikely Event of a Water Landing
Sul Ponticello
The Direction of Last Things
City Hymnal

Encore:
Core Relations
Milk Leg
The Literal Black Cloud

The Best and Worst of Don Cheadle

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Miles Ahead" star Don Cheadle.

Film starring Don Cheadle that I've seen:
Volcano
Boogie Nights
Mission to Mars
Swordfish
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Hotel Rwanda
Crash
Reign Over Me
Ocean's Thirteen
Traitor
Brooklyn's Finest
Iron Man 2
The Guard
Flight
Iron Man 3 
Avengers: Age of Ultron 

Best Performance: Hotel Rwanda (2004) 
Hotel Rwanda is a film that I find to be grossly overrated among the unofficial "awards-friendly historical dramas that dominate cinemas for the last three or four months of every calendar year" genre. While the writing, directing and acting ensemble is strong on the whole, Hotel Rwanda's overall quality and emotional impact would've been far less if not for the incredible work of Cheadle. Portraying Paul Ruseabagina, a hotel manger who housed over 1,000 refugees during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Cheadle captures the bravery and compassion that made Ruseabagina an unlikely hero during a period of perpetual unease and danger.

Worst Performance: Iron Man 2 (2010)
Cheadle isn't among my favorite actors working right now, but there's no denying that he's turned in consistently solid performances throughout his career. Of the 17 films I've seen of his over the years, Iron Man 2 is the only one where I felt he was phoning in his performance. For the duration of the film, Cheadle seemed reluctant to commit to the character of Col.James Rhodes/War Machine, Tony Stark's best friend and Iron Man's sidekick, and had a wooden presence that completely went against everything he's shown as an actor prior to this film. Iron Man 2 may have been a clear lowlight in Cheadle's career, but he can at least take solace in the fact that he still wasn't nearly as bad as Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell were in the film.

Best Film: Ocean's Eleven (2001) 
I'm generally not one of those people that excessively criticizes Hollywood for the types of movies they put out in the modern era, but I will say that they don't make lighthearted crime movies like they used to. Just about every heist movie that hits the marketplace has to be driven by grit and darkness or else it won't greenlit. This refusal to conform to the heist film genre standards of the past 40 years or so is what made Ocean's Eleven such a welcome retreat from the Dog Day Afternoon and Heat's of the world. The remake of the 1960 classic was a star-studded, flawless throwback to the breezy, good-natured capers that ruled multiplexes in the 50's and 60's and is without question one of the most purely entertaining films to be released in my lifetime to-date.   

Worst Film: Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Cheadle gets the prestigious honor of being the first actor in the history of this series to have their best and worst film be part of the same franchise. The wit, charm and high stakes of the central heist that made the first installment a massive success was swapped out for molasses-esque pacing, convoluted writing and a joyless climax in the second installment of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy. While the filmmakers were able to get the series back to its infectiously fun roots with 2007's Ocean's Thirteen, it wasn't good enough to undo much of the damage this tedious, pointless film did to this franchise.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "The Boss" star Melissa McCarthy.

2016 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 (Updated 3/28)

1.Tennessee Titans: Joey Bosa, outside linebacker/defensive end (Ohio State)
2.Cleveland Browns: Laremy Tunsil, tackle (Mississippi)
3.San Diego Chargers: Myles Jack, inside/outside linebacker (UCLA)
4.Dallas Cowboys: DeForest Buckner, defensive end (Oregon)
5.Jacksonville Jaguars: Jalen Ramsey, cornerback/safety (Florida State)
6.Baltimore Ravens: Vernon Hargreaves, cornerback (Florida)
7.San Fransisco 49ers: Carson Wentz, quarterback (North Dakota State)
8.Philadelphia Eagles: Ezekiel Elliot, running back (Ohio State)
9.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Floyd, outside linebacker/defensive end (Georgia)
10.New York Giants: Darron Lee, inside/outside linebacker (Ohio State)
11.Chicago Bears: Ronnie Stanley, tackle (Notre Dame)
12.New Orleans Saints: Eli Apple, cornerback (Ohio State)
13.Miami Dolphins: Mackensie Alexander, cornerback (Clemson)
14.Oakland Raiders: Reggie Ragland, inside linebacker (Alabama)
15.Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff, quarterback (California)
16.Detroit Lions: Jack Conklin, tackle (Michigan State)
17.Atlanta Falcons: Shaq Lawson, outside linebacker/defensive end (Clemson)
18.Indianapolis Colts: Kevin Dodd, outside linebacker/defensive end (Clemson)
19.Buffalo Bills: Jarran Reed, defensive tackle (Alabama)
20.New York Jets: Emmanuel Ogbah, outside linebacker/defensive end (Oklahoma State)
21.Washington Redskins: A'Shawn Robinson, defensive tackle (Alabama)
22.Houston Texans: Corey Coleman, wide receiver (Baylor)
23.Minnesota Vikings: Josh Doctson, wide receiver (TCU)
24.Cincinnati Bengals: Laquon Treadwell, wide receiver (Mississippi)
25.Pittsburgh Steelers: William Jackson, cornerback (Houston)
26.Seattle Seahawks: Taylor Decker, tackle (Ohio State)
27.Green Bay Packers: Andrew Billings, defensive tackle (Baylor)
28.Kansas City Chiefs: Will Fuller, wide receiver (Notre Dame)
29.Arizona Cardinals: Noah Spence, outside linebacker/defensive end (Eastern Kentucky)
30.Carolina Panthers: Karl Joseph, safety (West Virginia)
31.Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch, quarterback (Memphis)

Album Review: Killswitch Engage-Incarnate

Killswitch Engage got a much-needed jolt of creative life when original singer Jesse Leach rejoined the lineup in 2012. Leach's incendiary presence and spectacular vocal performance made their 2013 comeback album, Disarm the Descent, their most impressive release since 2004's The End of Heartache. KsE's reinvigoration continues with Incarnate, a predictable yet still highly enjoyable record from the Massachusetts-bred metalcore pioneers.

Per usual, KsE is at their undeniable best when they're in full-on metalcore anthem mode. "Strength of the Mind", "Embrace the Journey...Upraised", "Alone I Stand", "Hate by Design" and "The Great Deceit" feature a perfect balance of Leach's harsh and clean vocals and guitarists Adam Dutekwicz and Joel Strozel's trading off catchy chunk riffs and big, sweeping solos. While the entire band is in peak form on Incarnate, Leach ends up stealing the show with yet another outstanding vocal performance. On the back half of the record when the band abandons their heavy, uptempo niche and starts messing around with mid-paced songs ("Until the Day", "Just Let Go", "It Falls on Me") that largely lack their signature strong melodic riffing, Leach keeps the proceedings on track with his incredible range and flare for memorable, emotionally-charged choruses. Incarnate lacks the relentless energy and remarkable consistency of Disarm the Descent, but it's still a catchy, well-crafted metalcore record that once again proves why Killswitch Engage has enjoyed the longevity that has alluded many of their peers.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Strength of the Mind
2.Embrace the Journey...Upraised
3.Alone I Stand

The Best and Worst of Ben Affleck

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" star Ben Affleck.

Films Starring Ben Affleck that I've seen:
Mallrats
Chasing Amy
Good Will Hunting 
Armageddon 
Dogma
Pearl Harbor
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 
Daredevil
Surviving Christmas
Smokin' Aces
State of Play
Extract 
The Town
Argo 
Runner Runner
Gone Girl

Best Performance: Gone Girl (2014)
Affleck has been on a roll on both sides of the camera since he rejuvenated his career with 2007's Gone Baby Gone. While Affleck has turned in a number of excellent performances of late, his work in Gone Girl is his clear defining moment as an actor. Affleck brings the perfect amount of smugness and emotional indifference to the role of Nick Dunne, a shady man who becomes the primary suspect for the murder of his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) following her mysterious disappearance on the date of their fifth wedding anniversary.    

Worst Performance: Armageddon (1998)
After his breakout performance in Good Will Hunting, Affleck's career hit a wall for nearly a decade. He starred almost exclusively in god awful movies and any bit of the acting talent he showed in Good Will Hunting appeared to be a fluke. His lowest moment came in Michael Bay's dim-witted sci-fi action blockbuster/high-budget soap opera Armageddon- his first major role following Good Will Hunting. Affleck has all of the charisma of a vacuum cleaner as he shoots off non-stop idiotic dialogue and shares no shortage of awkward, faux-sentimental scenes with his on-screen wife, played an equally wooden Liv Tyler.  

Best Film: Good Will Hunting (1997)
Being from the Boston-area and having a soft spot for coming-of-age stories, I'm pretty much obligated to love this movie. Between the strength of the acting, likability of the characters and poignancy of its central messages of dealing with grief and facing your fears, Good Will Hunting hits all the right notes for the genre. It may not be the most complex or thought-provoking film, but it's without question one of the most touching and endlessly rewatchable films I've ever seen.

Worst Film: Pearl Harbor (2001)
You won't find too many films from the past 15 years that are more widely panned than Pearl Harbor and in my eyes, every ounce of the public disdain for this film is justified. Michael Bay turned one of the most traumatic events in United States history into a ridiculous corny, overlong and poorly-acted melodrama that focuses more on a moronic love triangle between Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale's characters than the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor. To this day, I remain genuinely surprised that the people who weren't steady Hollywood fixtures when this was released (Bay, Beckinsale, Hartnett and Jennifer Garner) were able to find work again after starring in this grand-scale debacle.    

 Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Miles Ahead" star Don Cheadle.