April In Film

This is going to pretty abrevated because the spacing got really fucked up on the last one. Sorry, I am pretty busy and I won't have time to do full explanations.

Films I want to see:
3.Source Code(April 1)
2.Fast Five(April 29)
1.Your Highness(April 8)

 Films I am unsure about:
Arthur(April 8)
Scream 4(April 15)

Films I don't want to see:(but will anyways due to my goal for 2011 films)
Hop(April 1)
Insidious(April 1)
Hanna(April 8)
Soul Surfer(April 8)
Rio(April 15)
Water For Elephants(April 22)
Madea's Big Happy Family(April 22)
Hoodwinked Two! Hood Vs Evil(April 29)

Quick Movie Reviews: It's Kind Of A Funny Story and Easy A

It's Kind Of A Funny Story: This was an offbeat film. It blends comedy and drama together pretty nicely. I liked the story and it had a very real charm to it. Zack Galinfinakis shows a different of himself in a more serious role. There is some comedy to it, but it's a much more mature role and as always, he is great. At times it gets a little too indie for it's own good and Keir Gilchrist(who portrays the main character Craig) is annoying at times Though not without it's flaws, This was an enjoyable and touching film.
3.5/5 Stars

Easy A: This is going to come as a big surprise, but I actually enjoyed this film alot. I found it to be a very amusing and original film. I was expecting a bland, by-the-number romantic comedy and what I got was a sweet and surprisingly very funny flick. Emma Stone was great in the lead and her character is smart, charismatic, and funny as hell. She nailed the role and she really is a fantastic comic actress. The supporting cast added a lot too. Stanley Tucci steals the show as Emma Stone's extremely liberal dad, he has the some of the best lines whole film. Easy A was a really pleasant surprise.
4/5 Stars

The Room

I consider myself to me a consieur of bad films, specifically unintentionally hillarious films. I've been hearing for years about The Room , which is considered by many to be the absolute worst film ever made. I finally saw The Room last week and it really lived up to the hype. It's seriously one of the biggest piles of turd i've ever seen. It's an unintentional comedy gold mine. I spent most of the duration laughing out loud. It's so preposturus, over-acted and poorly written it's almost sad. If you enjoy bad films and haven't seen this, this is a must see. It's so awful and hysterical that it's a must-see.

Movie Review: Sucker Punch

As an aspiring movie critic, there are times where I disagree strongly with professional critics. On numerous occasions I've found myself on Rotten Tomatoes looking at the percentage and thinking "really that low, come on now?" I tend to be a pretty open minded moviegoer and I don't tend to find some of the nitpicking criticisms critics that some critics find. Sucker Punch is one of the biggest disagreements I have ever had with critics, I loved it.

Sucker Punch centers around Babydoll(Emily Browning). Babydoll is sent to the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane after accidentally shooting her sister while trying to her protect her for her stepfather. Upon arrival, Babydoll finds out she will be lobotomized in four days. Using her mind to escape, she comes up with a plan to escape from the Lennox House by obtaining four items: a map, fire, knife and key. Babydoll proposes the plan to her fellow patients Sweet Pea(Abbie Cornish), Rocket(Jenna Malone), Blondie (Vannessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung) who agree to accompany in her plan to escape.

Sucker Punch is a dynamite action/adventure flick. It's a riveting piece of crazy, manic entertainment. The visuals are absolutely top-notch. During the process of obtaining each item, you are transported into a dream world. The landscapes are tremendously detailed and every single sequence is a visual feast. The action sequences are out of this world. From dragons to robots, there is a wide array of different villains and every action scene is bad-ass. Zach Snyder is one of the most talented directors in capturing action. Snyder's films never fail to impress with action and Sucker Punch continues the trend.

A lot of the reviews I read complained about it's confusing and hard to follow storyline. I am really not sure if I watched the same film as these critics. The story is not only not hard to follow, it's actually very good. I found myself transfixed by the storyline. The tone is surprisingly dark and the haunting tone is strikingly effective. It was also very original and extremely engaging. You become attached to the character's goal of freedom and their fight for survival.

Sucker Punch is a great ride. It's a brilliant action/adventure that is also a whirlwind fantasy with remarkable landscapes. This is a creative,dark, and really original film. Zach Snyder continues to impress me and he is one of my favorite directors in Hollywood. The man is a visual genius and he brings a sensational artistic vision to all of his projects. Sucker Punch is a highly underrated film and another piece of action bliss from Zach Snyder.

4.5/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

I will admit, I was a bit skeptical going into The Lincoln Lawyer. Even with a lot of positive feedback, I wasn't sure if this film would be any good. The Lincoln Lawyer proved me dead wrong, it's a rock-solid legal drama.

The Lincoln Lawyer focuses on Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey). Haller bases his operations out of a Lincoln Continental and mostly lands mid-level cases. That changes when Haller lands the highest profile case of his career defending the son of a Beverly Hills mogul Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). Roulet is being accused of brutally beating a prostitute. At first, Haller thinks Roulet is innocent and believes this case will be an easy victory for his client. As times goes on, more evidence comes out that turns the case substantially and makes it a highly complex and dangerous case. Not only could Roulet be guilty in this case, he might have committed several similar crimes in the past.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a smart and very entertaining legal drama. The film keeps you engaged throughout with a very intelligent screenplay filled with twists and turns. The numerous twists and turns really add this lingering suspense throughout the film. It has this old-school legal drama feel to and that was a really refreshing touch. The acting across the board is great. This is the single best performance of Matthew McConaughey's career. I don't tend to be a big fan of McConaughey, but here he is charismatic and really does a great job. Ryan Phillipe is in top form as well. He creates a really menacing and deceptive character that is sickeningly evil.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a very good flick. It's very smart and well-written. There is a good amount of suspense, twists, and intense courtroom scenes that keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The premise might not be the most original thing ever, but the execution is very good. The cast is really fantastic. Everybody involved is at the top of their game and the acting really enhances the film to the next level. The Lincoln Lawyer is a piece of old-school entertainment and a true crowd-pleaser. The best film of 2011 so far.

4/5 Stars

Album Review: Rise Against-Endgame

Rise Against, in my opinion, is the best punk band of their generation. They picked up where the previous generation of punk legends like Bad Religion left off. They were a band with an agenda and they got their strong political message across with some fantastic punk rock. After their mastepiece The Sufferer and The Witness, Rise Against has taken a step decline in quality and started to stray away from their punk sound. Endgame is the nail in the coffin for Rise Against's punk roots.

Endgame is a huge dissapointment. The punk sound that made Rise Against so good in the first place is just about abandoned. Album opener "Architects" just made me sad. It's a heavy handed emo piece of shit. I honestly couldn't believe my ears. I didn't think Rise Against would make anything like this. It's really uncharastic of their sound and it's by far the worst song they have ever made. The rest of the album isn't quite as bad as "Architects", but it doesn't really bring much to the table. Endgame is a pretty boring record. Most of the tracks really sound the same. There is little to no varation between tracks. On top of the repetiton, it's just doesn't sound like Rise Against. I have no problem with progession or varation in sound, it's just when you completely abandon your roots and start make formulaic music it aggrevates me.

Endgame is a big letdown. It's not at all what I have come to expect from Rise Against. Gone is the great punk rock of old Rise Against and it's been replaced a by the numbers rock sound that is pretty boring. It's really a shame to see Rise Against turn into this. They were the best punk band around now and they are defintely in a slump. Endgame is a fall from grace for Rise Against.

2/5 Stars

Album Review: Born Of Osiris-The Discovery

Born Of Osiris has really outdone themselves on The Discovery. Their first two pieces of work The New Reign and A Higher Place were both albums that I enjoyed thoroughly. Lets just say, The Discovery blows the doors off of their previous work.

The Discovery is the most mature Born Of Osiris record to date. The music is much more complex, technical and progressive. It's pretty amazing the growth Born Of Osiris is able to pull off from album to album. The music has advanced greatly on each record and The Discovery is easily the most musically complex Born Of Osiris record to date. Born Of Osiris wastes no time impressing the listener with the albums opening one-two punch of "Follow The Signs" and "Singularity". "Follow The Signs" starts off with fast guitarwork, much improved drumming and catchy synths. You can notice the advancement immediately. "Singularity" is even better. The immense keyboards and the fantastic guitar soloing are able to create this epic sound that sticks throughout the record. The overall musicianship has improved tremendously, especially the guitars and keyboards. The addition of guitar player Jason Richardson (ex-All Shall Perish) has really enhanced the guitarwork,The solos are amazing. "Recreate" and "Behold" contain what are easily some of the best guitar solos I've heard in recent memory. The synths are also epic. The experimentation with hip-hop style beats and music-box style keyboards really add this fascinating dynamic to Born Of Osiris's sound. The keyboard melodies are gorgeous,haunting, and memorable. The production is also much improved. A Higher Place had muddled drums that got lost in the mix and the sound wasn't that clear. The Discovery benefits from crisp production and the mix sounds great this time around.

The Discovery is easily the best work from Born Of Osiris. They are able to make a tremendous leap forward in their sound. It's a far more complex,fast,progressive, and mature sound than their previous material. Every song is great and has their own set of unique benefits. The overall musicianship across the board is improved greatly. The addition of Jason Richardson has payed off big time, the guitarwork is outstanding. The Discovery has set the bar insanely high for Born Of Osiris's peers. Their deathcore sound is still in place, but they are able to add so many refreshing and interesting things to the sound. The Discovery is deathcore perfected.

4.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.Recreate

2.Automatic Motion

3.Singularity