Just a quick update to fill you in on a new album release. This past week, Tron: R3CONF1GU3D debuted. It's a bit typical for electronica remixes. A bunch of random artists each remix one of Daft Punk's songs from the soundtrack.
I can't help but think the name is a bit of a ripoff of Nine Inch Nails' remix album for Year Zero, Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D. Either way, I guess it works with Tron's futuristics theme.
I haven't listened to the whole album yet, but from what I have heard, I would say it's just ok. A few decent remixes, but nothing really groundbreaking. Anyway, check it out. It's at least worth a preview.
All right, so I know this review is a little late and everyone has probably already seen it. But, whatever. I am writing this review now anyways. And, like good movies, good movie reviews are timeless. Thus, your argument is invalid. Now, moving on.
The Lincoln Lawyer is a film about a street-smart criminal defense attorney from LA who gets caught up complex murder case where he becomes personally involved. Also, the protagonist (Matthew McConaughey) drives around in a super fly black Lincoln, hence the name. Without giving too much away, that's it in a nutshell.
The plot is fairly gripping and interesting. Since I kind of work in this area and can relate to the protagonist, I found this particularly fun. But even those who don't work in the shadier areas of the law will enjoy this. The plot is well-written and, generally, well-executed. There is never a dull moment as the story begins with McConaughey racing through a courthouse as he is picking up new clients, trying to get others to pay him, and bribing low-level courtroom employees. From there, McConaughey gets deeper and deeper into a case that risks his own life as well as those around him.
Surprisingly, McConaughey actually does a decent job. I say this is surprising because he is typically-- no, consistently-- a horrible actor. He also doesn't take his shirt off until like half-way through the movie and only temporarily. Again, surprising. The performances on the whole are strong as Marissa Tomei and William H. Macey bring a bit of actual acting experience to the whole thing.
As for negatives, I would point to the direction. At times, the audience wonders where the story is actually going. It can be hard to tell when an important point is coming up versus just another scene. I think the director failed to highlight a few of the major plot lines in this respect. You will be able to tell when you see it. But, in one particular instance, it's not clear whether the client McConaughey is dealing with is just developing his own character, or is actually relevant to the plot.
Other than that, however, this film is crisp and gripping. One even feels dirty as you see some of the greasy moves McConaughey makes. Most importantly, the story is interesting and riveting throughout, making this film, on the whole, an entertaining outing.
I feel so torn by Within Temptation. On the one hand, they have an awesome vocalist, so gripping riffs, and pleasing hooks. On the other hand, they feel a bit like "pop-metal." The type of music, if they ever found it, teenage girls would listen to before telling all their friends they are "into metal." A guilty pleasure, one might say. Well, that pleasure continues with The Unforgiving.
First, a word about the band. Within Temptation, if you're not familiar with them, is a Dutch symphonic metal band. They sport a female vocalist who is quite talented and really the centerpiece of the band. They are frequently compared to Nightwish, but not nearly as "epic" or "classical" in their sound. Within Temptation uses riffs and hooks to go along with some cool guitar solos and imagery involving heaven, hell, angels, demons, nature, and other things that remind me of the Lord of the Rings. They've released four pretty decent albums so far, this being their fifth.
This album is by far the most cohesive of Within Temptation's albums. It took them three years to release and they have done a ton of promotion for it. Making these short films, releasing a line of comics, and really working on the production values of the album. The song quality is fairly consistent and I don't get the feeling that any of it was intended as filler.
The Unforgiving feels like a concept album and all of the videos reflect that. There are underlying themes of righteous killing and anti-heroism. I don't really love all of this, but it's nice to make it cohesive.
At it's heart, however, there are just some great songs on here. Vocalist Sharon den Adel beautifully sings a ballad like "Fire and Ice" at one point, while the band is in full metal mode on a well-written song like "Demon's Fate" at another point. When listening to this album, I never feel the need to skip through tracks, except maybe for the single I posted above "Faster." The songs are simply just very well-written and tightly performed. The band and Sharon den Adel feed off of each other. You can tell this is a band that had been together a long time and the singing and the music just meld into each other.
As for the negatives, there aren't a whole lot. Most of the songs are good, some very good. However, there are no great, incredible songs. Former albums normally had at least one or two songs that you knew you were going to love forever. I don't feel any of those here. But, maybe this is made up for in the consistent quality of the album as a whole.
Watch the video and listen to the single, "Faster." However, keep in mind that this is probably the cheesiest (and crappiest) song on the album. I understand labels like to release the most accessible songs as singles, but take it with a grain of salt. It doesn't reflect all of Within Temptation's full range and talent.
This is a pretty straightforward film; a story about two different communities of orphaned animals. One is elephants in Africa. The other: orangutans in Borneo (Indonesia). The movie begins by giving the background on the genesis of these two movies, then explaining how they operate. Finally, it finishes up with a case study of an animal in each community.
First off, some of the scenes in this movie are very beautiful. I watched it in IMAX 3D and it was very easy on the eyes. The first 3D nature film that I have seen as well. This is a huge plus and, in my opinion, the best aspect of the movie.
The movie doesn't try to do too much. Sometimes, nature films and documentaries can get tiresome and boring very quickly. This one incorporates only the essential parts of the story and the most beautiful scenes. This is great because it never gets cumbersome. On the other hand, the movie is only 40 minutes long. The shortest movie I have ever seen in theaters. Keep this in mind when doing your own cost-benefit analysis.
As far as negatives, it's hard to find many. If you don't like hearing about orphaned animals, then you won't like this movie. If you do enjoy that and love watching nature films, then you will enjoy this. It really does seem as simple as that. My one real criticism would be that the film doesn't go as in-depth as it could. Perhaps this is in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience (which it clearly is trying to do). But, I thought I would point it out.
One last point, you've got to love Morgan Freeman as the narrator. All of our lives, we have loved the sound of his voice. That doesn't change here. The man is a narration machine.
It's quite limited in it's scope, but understandably so. What it does, it does well. As such, this is a hard film to criticize since you get what you expect. Nevertheless, the subject matter is just "pretty good" as far as I am concerned. Sure, I love animals and seeing awesome shots in 3D. But, it's not exactly going to blow me away.
Founds this gem on Craigslist today. The description reads:
"The Pet Oracle Cards were created with the intention of helping you develop a more intuitive and healing connection with your pets, and ultimately, all animals.
Easy to use, the pet oracle Cards will help you effortlessly tune into and communicate with your pet. It is as though your pet will speak to you through the cards! The cards will amplify your natural telepathic gifts and help you hear the voice of your intuition.
The deck is comprised of 52 cards and was designed to create a playful, intuitive connection with your pet. As you use the cards, you learn more about your pet's physical and emotional needs and how you can best fulfill them.
Dr. Anyes Van Volkenburgh is a veterinarian and internationally acclaimed animal welfare advocate. As a third generation intuitive and healer, Dr. Van Volkenburgh has unique insight into not just the physical ailments of animals, but their ailments on the conscious and spiritual level as well. Dr. Van Volkenburgh combines her extensive knowledge of animals and veterinary medicine with her intuitive gifts to create her own unique brand of healing."
So... how many should I buy? I was thinking about buying like 12. A few for myself, the rest as gifts. They're only $30 a pack. I would be a fool NOT to load up on these bad boys.
This remix is Beck's most recent song, believe it or not. It's a remix of Swedish hipster chick Lykke Li's "Get Some."
Us Beck fans out there know that the man is notoriously prolific. So, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Beck hasn't released an album since 2008's Modern Guilt, excepting the songs he did for Scott Pilgrim and, sadly, Twilight.
The song is pretty good. It has a driving, if repetitive, electronic beat. It's not as dynamic as the original, but I find it a little bit more pleasing. The original song is good, however I don't find it all that exciting. This one adds a little something.
Sucker Punch is mostly spectacle with very little story. The characters are, at the same time, one-dimensional and colorful. The plot is edgy and textured, while simultaneously non-sensical. The one consistency: it's just plain fun to look at.
First off, I want to begin by saying that some of you will love this movie and some of you will hate it. Director Zack Snyder isn't known for classical, serious film-making. Instead, he is know for making rich and vibrant worlds full of blood, action, and dirty eroticism. You've seen this before in 300 and you see it here again. If you liked 300, you will probably like Sucker Punch. If not, well, you can guess.
The movie is successful in several areas. First, the action sequences are breathtaking. Snyder really went all out in trying to create fantasy worlds where action and violence occurs at a level impossible in the real world. These fantasies worlds are quite fascinating; zombie nazis, dragons, and awesome battle scenes pepper these worlds.
The film also succeeds in creating a very textured environment, setting the dark, surrealist tone. The sepia tones in one universe contrast with the vibrant colors of another universe. In the most violent fantasies, red and black dominate the screen. All the while using an innovative soundtrack.
One aspect that won't be talked about with Sucker Punch that needs to be is the soundtrack. Mostly a series of covers, the songs provide new takes on already existing classics such as The Pixies' "Where is My Mind?" and a mash-up of Queen's "We Will Rock You" with a pounding hip-hop beat. Interestingly, the star of the film, Emily Browning, sings some of the songs. Although she is by no means a professional singer, she holds her own and adds a touch of something special to the soundtrack.
Critics have generally derided this film, and I will as well, for one major reason: the plot simply makes no sense. Snyder has created a three layered universe where the story lines are intended to correlate. However, it seems as though Snyder gets lost in his fantasy worlds and failed to make the different layers match up. This leaves the audience pondering just what exactly happened and why.
All-in-all, this is more or less a "love it or hate it" type of film. I loved it for the beautiful atmosphere and incredible action sequences. Nevertheless, I confess that the plot leaves much to be desired. So, I have to dock a few points.
