Music:
Backstabbers Incorporated-Kamikaze Missions
Graf Orlock-Destination Time: Tomorrow
The Raconteurs-Broken Boy Soldiers (fight me)
Saves the Day-Stay What You Are (fight me again :p)
Movies:
Irreversible
The Living and the Dead
Sukiyaki Western Django
Wall-E
Books:
The Boys vol. 1 by Garth Ennis
My Boring-Ass Life by Kevin Smith
Preacher vol. 5 (jesus this is addicting)
Y: The Last Man vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
¯\(ยบ_o)/¯
As I'm sure I've complained about before, the stigma of what is "cool" and what "isn't" is helping ruin the music scene as we know it.
But alas, nothing can be done to save or repair it. The only advice I would give to others who share my frustration would be to endure...separate yourself from the weak-minded and from the sheep. Stand your ground and speak your mind how you may really feel. Listen to and enjoy bands, regardless of their genre or with how much "cred" they have in ANY scene. In due time, heck show turnouts will back to their normal selfs, and the environments will be an excuse for you to unwind and forget about all of your troubles, rather than become further stressed of any sort.
Be unapologetically YOU.
But alas, nothing can be done to save or repair it. The only advice I would give to others who share my frustration would be to endure...separate yourself from the weak-minded and from the sheep. Stand your ground and speak your mind how you may really feel. Listen to and enjoy bands, regardless of their genre or with how much "cred" they have in ANY scene. In due time, heck show turnouts will back to their normal selfs, and the environments will be an excuse for you to unwind and forget about all of your troubles, rather than become further stressed of any sort.
Be unapologetically YOU.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Life as it is now
I suppose this is more of a small update about various things, rather than a proper blog entry. But I won't nitpick and waste my time.
-Had an interview with Blockbuster in Monkey Junction. I think it went pretty well, though it seemed sort of rushed. The guy interviewing me said he's coming back from a vacation (of sorts) at the end of this week, so I'll be sure to check back with him in person should I not receive a phone call from him.
-Went to the video shoot for Lamb of God's new song "Set to Fail." I don't believe it's up online anywhere at this moment, but I'm sure I'm mistaken. They called for about 120 kids to show up, but only about 60-70 showed up. We were crammed into a tiny room that was about the size of a basement (the pic below won't do it any justice), and surrounded the band as they performed to a recording of the track. People moshed, headbanged, pumped their fists, got into the band members' faces, and even crowdsurfed. It was incredibly tiring, but probably one of the most fun experiences I've had in quite some time. Meeting and talking to the band was nice too (Randy seemed rather impressed that I recognized his Tragedy shirt, especially since it only featured their "bird" logo). According to those who worked on the video, Will and myself are featured prominently in quite a bit of the footage. :D
-I think there's a girl who likes me, though I think it's incredibly hard for me to read/understand human emotions these days. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
-It took me 10 years to do so, but I finally saw Kingpin. Even though I got quite a few hearty chuckles out of it, I don't think it's aged well. Perhaps seeing the Farrelly Brothers' later (and some would say better) films has spoiled me.
-Trying to see either Notorious (though I'm nervous about how it's going to turn out) or Gran Torino (even with it's mixed reviews from theatergoers) this week. I've been meaning to get out to the movies more often, but our town is rather dry when it comes to independent (or even GOOD) cinema. Let The Right One In is FINALLY playing in our town at the beginning of February. Definitely excited about that.
Things you should check out:
-TeamFourStar's youtube channel. If you're a Dragon Ball fan like I am, you'll find their parodies absolutely hysterical. Episode 8 was uploaded only about an hour or so ago, and it's pure gold.
-Preacher. I'm on volume 5 of the TPBs and this series continues to get better and better. After the amazing background stories in volume 4, this gets back to the main story and introduced a little twist with our main characters that should prove to be VERY interesting with the coming volumes.
-Audiobook Corner. For years I've been searching for any sites or blogs that specialized in audiobooks, and I finally found one. A pretty good variety that's updated almost every day or two. http://audiobookcorner.blogspot.com
-Energy's "Invasions of the Mind." I feel bad that it took me this long to check this out, especially considering that I've had Punch the Clock for a little while now. A DAMN good melodic hardcore record, with some truly infectious melodies. You'll dig em if you like old AFI.
-Had an interview with Blockbuster in Monkey Junction. I think it went pretty well, though it seemed sort of rushed. The guy interviewing me said he's coming back from a vacation (of sorts) at the end of this week, so I'll be sure to check back with him in person should I not receive a phone call from him.
-Went to the video shoot for Lamb of God's new song "Set to Fail." I don't believe it's up online anywhere at this moment, but I'm sure I'm mistaken. They called for about 120 kids to show up, but only about 60-70 showed up. We were crammed into a tiny room that was about the size of a basement (the pic below won't do it any justice), and surrounded the band as they performed to a recording of the track. People moshed, headbanged, pumped their fists, got into the band members' faces, and even crowdsurfed. It was incredibly tiring, but probably one of the most fun experiences I've had in quite some time. Meeting and talking to the band was nice too (Randy seemed rather impressed that I recognized his Tragedy shirt, especially since it only featured their "bird" logo). According to those who worked on the video, Will and myself are featured prominently in quite a bit of the footage. :D
-I think there's a girl who likes me, though I think it's incredibly hard for me to read/understand human emotions these days. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
-It took me 10 years to do so, but I finally saw Kingpin. Even though I got quite a few hearty chuckles out of it, I don't think it's aged well. Perhaps seeing the Farrelly Brothers' later (and some would say better) films has spoiled me.
-Trying to see either Notorious (though I'm nervous about how it's going to turn out) or Gran Torino (even with it's mixed reviews from theatergoers) this week. I've been meaning to get out to the movies more often, but our town is rather dry when it comes to independent (or even GOOD) cinema. Let The Right One In is FINALLY playing in our town at the beginning of February. Definitely excited about that.
Things you should check out:
-TeamFourStar's youtube channel. If you're a Dragon Ball fan like I am, you'll find their parodies absolutely hysterical. Episode 8 was uploaded only about an hour or so ago, and it's pure gold.
-Preacher. I'm on volume 5 of the TPBs and this series continues to get better and better. After the amazing background stories in volume 4, this gets back to the main story and introduced a little twist with our main characters that should prove to be VERY interesting with the coming volumes.
-Audiobook Corner. For years I've been searching for any sites or blogs that specialized in audiobooks, and I finally found one. A pretty good variety that's updated almost every day or two. http://audiobookcorner.blogspot.com
-Energy's "Invasions of the Mind." I feel bad that it took me this long to check this out, especially considering that I've had Punch the Clock for a little while now. A DAMN good melodic hardcore record, with some truly infectious melodies. You'll dig em if you like old AFI.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2008: The Final (?) Chapter
Happy new year and such to those who read this. Was kind of a hit or miss celebration for me personally but it's pretty superficial so let's just cut the shit. I realize this list is going to exclude several films that most likely would have made my top picks, but unfortunately most of the year's biggest "hits" with the critics have yet to come to Wilmington, and some flat out probably won't. I wonder if there's a good likelihood of me seeing "Let the Right One In" or "Slumdog Millionaire," though I seriously doubt it.
But anyways, here's my top 10 films of the year that I saw.
10. Burn After Reading-God I love the Coen Bros. Even their weakest films tend to still be real winners and are more clever than a good portion of dark comedies out there. This isn't one of their strongest films compared to say, "Fargo" or "No Country for Old Men," but it's definitely their funniest film since "The Big Lebowski." A giant tale of misunderstanding of all sorts, with a great cast to back it up. Probably the best ending they've had as well, and one can't help but wonder if some of the final lines might be a little joking jab at their previous film.
9. Mongol-I had been waiting for what seemed like forever for this to see release down here, and finally Carmike Cinema had a screening of it for what seemed like a week or so. Though a tiny bit slow at times, this is how you do an epic. Build your character up, give him some understandable RAAAAAGGGEEE, and then let loose with a grand battle at the end. Did I mention this is about Genghis Khan? No? Well it is. And he's played by THIS bad mo'fucka:
Go out and rent this immediately. If you can't stand subtitles, that's your loss/stupidity.
8. Definitely, Maybe- Most people who know me know that I can't stand romances, or most romcoms. In the past few years though, there has been a small amount of these that have popped up that I not only have enjoyed, but LOVED. This is very reminiscent of "Love, Actually," in that it's characters are all very human and likable. It plays somewhat like the Princess Bride, with a child acting as the audience and asking us to rewind and ask questions about certain characters or situations. Highly enjoyable and sweet, without being suffocatingly so.
7. Iron Man-I shouldn't have to reiterate about why this rules, but well I guess I will. Marvel has had some bad luck in recent years with their movies (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2, the Punisher, Xmen 3) but they finally managed to nail the character of Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr. is just plain cool here, as is Terrance Howard as the future War Machine. I can't help but wonder how Don Cheadle will do in the sequel taking up his part. And I definitely cracked a geek smile after seeing that extra scene in the credits.
6. Global Metal-Sam Dunn's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" takes him all over the globe to examine metal and it's impact and importance in different culture. This still hasn't been released on DVD in the states for reasons unknown to me, though it can be viewed on most video channels like Youtube and Google Video. It was definitely worth the wait, and though you won't likely gain a great amount of knowledge about the countries that he visits, it's nonetheless fascinating.
5. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army-It's such a shame that they decided to release this only a week prior to the Dark Knight's opening, which unfortunately sealed it's fate. This was a gorgeous, exciting sequel that I personally thought was better than the first. I'll admit that I missed David Hyde Pierce, but I quickly got over it. I'd love to see a third movie featuring the same wonderful cast, but sadly I think the poor performance ensures us that we won't.
4. Tropic Thunder-I honestly think this will be considered a classic in about 10 years time. It's an INCREDIBLY rare occasion when a movie by Hollywood making fun of itself is actually, well, funny. It's almost as rare to find a movie with Ben Stiller these days that's actually funny too (god The Heartbreak Kid was terrible). But heck, this movie easily accomplished it. Robert Downey Jr. gives yet another memorable performance here, which oddly has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Here's to hoping he wins. 2009 would sure kick off with a bang if somebody won an award for blackface. :X
3. Wall-E-The best thing Pixar have ever done. Or at least their best film since "The Incredibles." Who would have thought that a tiny robot who could only really express himself through his eyes and hands would give the most animated and emotional performance of the year? Sure the message about consumerism was a little heavy handed, but it's not anything that takes away from the film. I really do hope that this picks up some major awards this year. It was phenomenal.
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall-I liked this more than Superbad. Oh yeah, I said it. Wanna fight about it? Well, I'd prefer not to since I'm a peaceful guy. I think anybody who's had any sketchy or difficult experiences with women would love this. Again, its characters are all very real and likable, and it's dialogue feels very real as well. Unfortunately, like everything that Judd Apatow has a hand in these days, it does get somewhat sappy towards the end of the film, but it quickly recovers, and the serious tone that comes in doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. This also made me fall in love with Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell all over again. Oh boy.
And for my top pick, well c'mon it shouldn't be hard to guess.
COLLEGE! Without a doubt the most relevant and accurate portrayal of the fraternity life I've ever seen.
Nah I'm just playing. The real #1 for me was...
1. The Dark Knight- What more needs to be said? One of the best superhero epics ever made, if not THE best). Everything here was amazing. I'd definitely buy this again should any extended or more "packed" edition be released on DVD (and most likely it will be). Heath Ledger was expectedly amazing in his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, but I personally was more impressed by Aaron Eckhart's job as Harvey Dent. His slow transformation into the psychotic Two-Face was frightening and powerful. I haven't been this blown away by any film since I watched "LOTR: Return of the King" in 2003. It's also one of the few films I've seen in theaters 3 times (other ones I recall include the previously mentioned ROTK and 300). Whatever may happen with the sequel, if there is one at all, I can only say this:
I Believe in Christopher Nolan.
And you should too.
Other movies worth noting/renting:
Cloverfield-America FINALLY gets the Kaiju formula right. Creepy as hell, and about as realistic as one of these films could be. I also tend to love films that lack scores as well.
In Bruges-Though this film's trailer is very misleading and may convince viewers they're in store for a funny ol' dark comedy along the lines of Snatch, this film turns out to be a more serious effort than one would imagine (though it's still incredibly funny). I don't think I've seen Colin Farrell do as good a job as he did here. His character was very sympathetic, and when you find out why he's in Bruges and down in the dumps, well, I can't say I blame him.
Incredible Hulk-This runs circles around the old Hulk, which I actually didn't hate completely like the rest of the general public. I sure ain't gonna be able to watch it after watching this one though. I wish that William Hurt had put SOME effort into his performance. His piss poor job as General Ross was the one thing that kept the film from being on my top 10 list.
Pineapple Express-Probably the funniest stoner movie I've seen in quite some time. I have a strong feeling that watching this WHILE high or drunk will only increase my love for this. James Franco definitely redeemed himself in my eyes after stinking up the screen in "Spiderman 3."
Stop Loss-Well gee this sure was an uplifting film. The title comes from an involuntary policy in the U.S. Military that extends a soldier's active duty without them having any real say in the matter. Though it's definitely sad, something like this had to be addressed. One soldier says that he's not going to stand for this, and goes absent without leave. Heck, I'd probably do the same thing. The film isn't really anti or pro-war, which is certainly welcome.
And that wraps up my choices for "The Best" of 2008. For media, we've had quite a good year. It'll be interesting to see how 2009 will stack up in comparison but I'm willing to give it a chance. Like I've mentioned before, there were plenty of movies and albums that either slipped under my radar, or I just lacked the time to get into.
Until then, later...
But anyways, here's my top 10 films of the year that I saw.
10. Burn After Reading-God I love the Coen Bros. Even their weakest films tend to still be real winners and are more clever than a good portion of dark comedies out there. This isn't one of their strongest films compared to say, "Fargo" or "No Country for Old Men," but it's definitely their funniest film since "The Big Lebowski." A giant tale of misunderstanding of all sorts, with a great cast to back it up. Probably the best ending they've had as well, and one can't help but wonder if some of the final lines might be a little joking jab at their previous film.
9. Mongol-I had been waiting for what seemed like forever for this to see release down here, and finally Carmike Cinema had a screening of it for what seemed like a week or so. Though a tiny bit slow at times, this is how you do an epic. Build your character up, give him some understandable RAAAAAGGGEEE, and then let loose with a grand battle at the end. Did I mention this is about Genghis Khan? No? Well it is. And he's played by THIS bad mo'fucka:
Go out and rent this immediately. If you can't stand subtitles, that's your loss/stupidity.
8. Definitely, Maybe- Most people who know me know that I can't stand romances, or most romcoms. In the past few years though, there has been a small amount of these that have popped up that I not only have enjoyed, but LOVED. This is very reminiscent of "Love, Actually," in that it's characters are all very human and likable. It plays somewhat like the Princess Bride, with a child acting as the audience and asking us to rewind and ask questions about certain characters or situations. Highly enjoyable and sweet, without being suffocatingly so.
7. Iron Man-I shouldn't have to reiterate about why this rules, but well I guess I will. Marvel has had some bad luck in recent years with their movies (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2, the Punisher, Xmen 3) but they finally managed to nail the character of Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr. is just plain cool here, as is Terrance Howard as the future War Machine. I can't help but wonder how Don Cheadle will do in the sequel taking up his part. And I definitely cracked a geek smile after seeing that extra scene in the credits.
6. Global Metal-Sam Dunn's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" takes him all over the globe to examine metal and it's impact and importance in different culture. This still hasn't been released on DVD in the states for reasons unknown to me, though it can be viewed on most video channels like Youtube and Google Video. It was definitely worth the wait, and though you won't likely gain a great amount of knowledge about the countries that he visits, it's nonetheless fascinating.
5. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army-It's such a shame that they decided to release this only a week prior to the Dark Knight's opening, which unfortunately sealed it's fate. This was a gorgeous, exciting sequel that I personally thought was better than the first. I'll admit that I missed David Hyde Pierce, but I quickly got over it. I'd love to see a third movie featuring the same wonderful cast, but sadly I think the poor performance ensures us that we won't.
4. Tropic Thunder-I honestly think this will be considered a classic in about 10 years time. It's an INCREDIBLY rare occasion when a movie by Hollywood making fun of itself is actually, well, funny. It's almost as rare to find a movie with Ben Stiller these days that's actually funny too (god The Heartbreak Kid was terrible). But heck, this movie easily accomplished it. Robert Downey Jr. gives yet another memorable performance here, which oddly has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Here's to hoping he wins. 2009 would sure kick off with a bang if somebody won an award for blackface. :X
3. Wall-E-The best thing Pixar have ever done. Or at least their best film since "The Incredibles." Who would have thought that a tiny robot who could only really express himself through his eyes and hands would give the most animated and emotional performance of the year? Sure the message about consumerism was a little heavy handed, but it's not anything that takes away from the film. I really do hope that this picks up some major awards this year. It was phenomenal.
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall-I liked this more than Superbad. Oh yeah, I said it. Wanna fight about it? Well, I'd prefer not to since I'm a peaceful guy. I think anybody who's had any sketchy or difficult experiences with women would love this. Again, its characters are all very real and likable, and it's dialogue feels very real as well. Unfortunately, like everything that Judd Apatow has a hand in these days, it does get somewhat sappy towards the end of the film, but it quickly recovers, and the serious tone that comes in doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. This also made me fall in love with Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell all over again. Oh boy.
And for my top pick, well c'mon it shouldn't be hard to guess.
COLLEGE! Without a doubt the most relevant and accurate portrayal of the fraternity life I've ever seen.
Nah I'm just playing. The real #1 for me was...
1. The Dark Knight- What more needs to be said? One of the best superhero epics ever made, if not THE best). Everything here was amazing. I'd definitely buy this again should any extended or more "packed" edition be released on DVD (and most likely it will be). Heath Ledger was expectedly amazing in his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, but I personally was more impressed by Aaron Eckhart's job as Harvey Dent. His slow transformation into the psychotic Two-Face was frightening and powerful. I haven't been this blown away by any film since I watched "LOTR: Return of the King" in 2003. It's also one of the few films I've seen in theaters 3 times (other ones I recall include the previously mentioned ROTK and 300). Whatever may happen with the sequel, if there is one at all, I can only say this:
I Believe in Christopher Nolan.
And you should too.
Other movies worth noting/renting:
Cloverfield-America FINALLY gets the Kaiju formula right. Creepy as hell, and about as realistic as one of these films could be. I also tend to love films that lack scores as well.
In Bruges-Though this film's trailer is very misleading and may convince viewers they're in store for a funny ol' dark comedy along the lines of Snatch, this film turns out to be a more serious effort than one would imagine (though it's still incredibly funny). I don't think I've seen Colin Farrell do as good a job as he did here. His character was very sympathetic, and when you find out why he's in Bruges and down in the dumps, well, I can't say I blame him.
Incredible Hulk-This runs circles around the old Hulk, which I actually didn't hate completely like the rest of the general public. I sure ain't gonna be able to watch it after watching this one though. I wish that William Hurt had put SOME effort into his performance. His piss poor job as General Ross was the one thing that kept the film from being on my top 10 list.
Pineapple Express-Probably the funniest stoner movie I've seen in quite some time. I have a strong feeling that watching this WHILE high or drunk will only increase my love for this. James Franco definitely redeemed himself in my eyes after stinking up the screen in "Spiderman 3."
Stop Loss-Well gee this sure was an uplifting film. The title comes from an involuntary policy in the U.S. Military that extends a soldier's active duty without them having any real say in the matter. Though it's definitely sad, something like this had to be addressed. One soldier says that he's not going to stand for this, and goes absent without leave. Heck, I'd probably do the same thing. The film isn't really anti or pro-war, which is certainly welcome.
And that wraps up my choices for "The Best" of 2008. For media, we've had quite a good year. It'll be interesting to see how 2009 will stack up in comparison but I'm willing to give it a chance. Like I've mentioned before, there were plenty of movies and albums that either slipped under my radar, or I just lacked the time to get into.
Until then, later...
Saturday, December 27, 2008
2008 pt. 3
This one is covering the worst movies I saw in 2008. I will admit that a couple of these are technically films from 2007 that didn't see release of any sorts until this year (and on DVD nonetheless). But heck it still counts dang it! Here are ten films I would never wish on my worst enemy.
10. Trapped Ashes- I barely remember anything about this film, other than killer breasts. Literally. Hell I think I actually fell asleep after that segment. Its another one of those "tales compilation" films along the lines of Creepshow, Tales from the Hood, etc. Only not clever. Or memorable.
9. Semi-Pro-Will Farrell is officially dead to me. I couldn't stand Blades of Glory, and this was only better by a hair. I've heard that Step Brothers was actually MUCH worse than this, but after seeing him do yet another "loud, obnoxious sports figure who comes out on top in the end," I think I'm done giving him chances to prove that he has any versatility as an actor.
8. American Crude-A crazy tale revolving around murder, trannys, and affairs with Rob Schneider, Ron Livingston, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jennifer Esposito, and Missi Pyle? While it sounds slightly intriguing, it isn't. The characters are all pretty unlikable, plus it seems like a weaker version of Big Trouble. Which in itself wasn't a very good movie either.
7. Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay-God damn it. I REALLY didn't want this to suck. I loved the first film quite a bit, even with its flaws. They just focused too much on the crude humor in this one. And c'mon now: you can't have a movie with Kal Penn cumming on his own face then expect to try and talk seriously about the horrors of Guantanamo Bay and how it's wrong to stereotype people. Plus THEY SMOKE UP WITH GEORGE BUSH AT THE END. What fucking stoner do you know would be willing to do that? Most I know would rather smoke HIM than smoke WITH him.
6. Strange Wilderness-An earlier release that I allllmost forgot about until I rewatched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." I reminded myself that Jonah Hill had co-starred in this really shitty faux-po "documentary" about a TV show crew who set out in search of Bigfoot. I admit that I got a couple of laughs out of this one (had I not it probably would have made top 3), but they were mainly due to the actual nature footage they spliced in. What a colossal misfire. So many talented people couldn't save this shit sandwich.
5. Drillbit Taylor-I didn't laugh a single time. Not ONCE. Hell even my #1 movie got a chuckle out of me. Mind you it was A chuckle, not several. But anyway, this was just plain terrible. I can't say I blame Owen Wilson for wanting to end his life after seeing this, though if he HAD passed away with this being the last film under his belt, that would be even more tragic. What was worse was that I watched the "Unrated" cut of the film. You would figure they had cut some raunchy or risky material that could have prevented them from getting their initial PG-13 rating, but they didn't. It was still a flat, lifeless piece of drivel.
4. Inside-Technically a 2007 film (as was Trapped Ashes), but again, it didn't see release until this year. It's sad when you see a film that has strong potential to be good go to absolute hell so fast. The French had concocted some pretty decent horror films so far, but they've all had their flaws. And no more are they apparent than here. Stupid characters making even stupider decisions, an ending that just feels like a gigantic middle finger, and less than perfect acting brought this down faster than I could have imagined. What a shame.
3. 10,000 B.C.-Hey guys! Let's take the plot from Apocalypto, throw some little parts from the Lost World and Quest For Fire in, make the CGI look like utter crap, and get the guy behind Godzilla to direct! It's sure to be a hit! Well...no.
2. Jumper-My mother actually saw this before I did and vehemently told me to stay as far away as possible. She and I usually share common ground on films, and even though I thought the trailer for this looked like garbage, I decided to tough it out on DVD. I really should listen to her more. What a pile of elephant shit. Hayden Christiansen CAN. NOT. ACT. I'm sorry but the guy can't seem to show any emotion whatsoever. Who cares if he's "OMG LYKE SOOOO HAWT?" The guy is more wooden than Keanu Fucking Reeves. Samuel Jackson also proved to me that he'll do anything for a paycheck. What baffled me the most was the real lack of an explanation as to WHY the Jumpers were being hunted. They just seemed to tell the audience "shut up, you don't need to know!" Ridiculous. I heard they were actually doing a sequel to this too. This may be one of the first times that I, a staunch Agnostic, ask of God "Please do everything in your power to NOT make this happen."
And now my worst film of 2008...
1. Meet the Spartans-Do I really need to explain WHY this is a piece of garbage? I thankfully didn't have to pay money to see this and, had I done that, I probably would have beaten up the theater manager and demanded my money back. No I waited for this to hit DVD. And per the request of my good friend Will Poole, I rented it (FOR FREE) in order to see just how bad this film was. Neither one of us had seen Date Movie or Epic Movie, and I don't think we intend to. You know the whole thing about "oh God it's even worse than I imagined?" Well, that's never been more true than with this film. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are the worst directors in the world. Yes worse than Uwe Boll. Yes worse than Paul W.S. Anderson. Yes worse than Michael Bay. Yes worse than Roland Emmerich. They can't write a remotely clever joke to save their lives. Actually, scratch that. These aren't jokes. They're REFERENCES. Jokes are funny. These are just excuses to namedrop current films/shows/whatever you're making fun of. Here's a hint guys: IT ISN'T FUNNY IF YOU HAVE TO FULLY EXPLAIN THE JOKE TO THE AUDIENCE.
God fuck this movie. I'd rather 69 Marlon Brando's rotting corpse than to ever see anything of theirs again.
Well thats it for the worst movies of 2008. I'll be back in a day or so with the BEST movies.
10. Trapped Ashes- I barely remember anything about this film, other than killer breasts. Literally. Hell I think I actually fell asleep after that segment. Its another one of those "tales compilation" films along the lines of Creepshow, Tales from the Hood, etc. Only not clever. Or memorable.
9. Semi-Pro-Will Farrell is officially dead to me. I couldn't stand Blades of Glory, and this was only better by a hair. I've heard that Step Brothers was actually MUCH worse than this, but after seeing him do yet another "loud, obnoxious sports figure who comes out on top in the end," I think I'm done giving him chances to prove that he has any versatility as an actor.
8. American Crude-A crazy tale revolving around murder, trannys, and affairs with Rob Schneider, Ron Livingston, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jennifer Esposito, and Missi Pyle? While it sounds slightly intriguing, it isn't. The characters are all pretty unlikable, plus it seems like a weaker version of Big Trouble. Which in itself wasn't a very good movie either.
7. Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay-God damn it. I REALLY didn't want this to suck. I loved the first film quite a bit, even with its flaws. They just focused too much on the crude humor in this one. And c'mon now: you can't have a movie with Kal Penn cumming on his own face then expect to try and talk seriously about the horrors of Guantanamo Bay and how it's wrong to stereotype people. Plus THEY SMOKE UP WITH GEORGE BUSH AT THE END. What fucking stoner do you know would be willing to do that? Most I know would rather smoke HIM than smoke WITH him.
6. Strange Wilderness-An earlier release that I allllmost forgot about until I rewatched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." I reminded myself that Jonah Hill had co-starred in this really shitty faux-po "documentary" about a TV show crew who set out in search of Bigfoot. I admit that I got a couple of laughs out of this one (had I not it probably would have made top 3), but they were mainly due to the actual nature footage they spliced in. What a colossal misfire. So many talented people couldn't save this shit sandwich.
5. Drillbit Taylor-I didn't laugh a single time. Not ONCE. Hell even my #1 movie got a chuckle out of me. Mind you it was A chuckle, not several. But anyway, this was just plain terrible. I can't say I blame Owen Wilson for wanting to end his life after seeing this, though if he HAD passed away with this being the last film under his belt, that would be even more tragic. What was worse was that I watched the "Unrated" cut of the film. You would figure they had cut some raunchy or risky material that could have prevented them from getting their initial PG-13 rating, but they didn't. It was still a flat, lifeless piece of drivel.
4. Inside-Technically a 2007 film (as was Trapped Ashes), but again, it didn't see release until this year. It's sad when you see a film that has strong potential to be good go to absolute hell so fast. The French had concocted some pretty decent horror films so far, but they've all had their flaws. And no more are they apparent than here. Stupid characters making even stupider decisions, an ending that just feels like a gigantic middle finger, and less than perfect acting brought this down faster than I could have imagined. What a shame.
3. 10,000 B.C.-Hey guys! Let's take the plot from Apocalypto, throw some little parts from the Lost World and Quest For Fire in, make the CGI look like utter crap, and get the guy behind Godzilla to direct! It's sure to be a hit! Well...no.
2. Jumper-My mother actually saw this before I did and vehemently told me to stay as far away as possible. She and I usually share common ground on films, and even though I thought the trailer for this looked like garbage, I decided to tough it out on DVD. I really should listen to her more. What a pile of elephant shit. Hayden Christiansen CAN. NOT. ACT. I'm sorry but the guy can't seem to show any emotion whatsoever. Who cares if he's "OMG LYKE SOOOO HAWT?" The guy is more wooden than Keanu Fucking Reeves. Samuel Jackson also proved to me that he'll do anything for a paycheck. What baffled me the most was the real lack of an explanation as to WHY the Jumpers were being hunted. They just seemed to tell the audience "shut up, you don't need to know!" Ridiculous. I heard they were actually doing a sequel to this too. This may be one of the first times that I, a staunch Agnostic, ask of God "Please do everything in your power to NOT make this happen."
And now my worst film of 2008...
1. Meet the Spartans-Do I really need to explain WHY this is a piece of garbage? I thankfully didn't have to pay money to see this and, had I done that, I probably would have beaten up the theater manager and demanded my money back. No I waited for this to hit DVD. And per the request of my good friend Will Poole, I rented it (FOR FREE) in order to see just how bad this film was. Neither one of us had seen Date Movie or Epic Movie, and I don't think we intend to. You know the whole thing about "oh God it's even worse than I imagined?" Well, that's never been more true than with this film. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are the worst directors in the world. Yes worse than Uwe Boll. Yes worse than Paul W.S. Anderson. Yes worse than Michael Bay. Yes worse than Roland Emmerich. They can't write a remotely clever joke to save their lives. Actually, scratch that. These aren't jokes. They're REFERENCES. Jokes are funny. These are just excuses to namedrop current films/shows/whatever you're making fun of. Here's a hint guys: IT ISN'T FUNNY IF YOU HAVE TO FULLY EXPLAIN THE JOKE TO THE AUDIENCE.
God fuck this movie. I'd rather 69 Marlon Brando's rotting corpse than to ever see anything of theirs again.
Well thats it for the worst movies of 2008. I'll be back in a day or so with the BEST movies.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
2008 part 2
Continuing with what I mentioned before in my previous blog entry, this is my list for favorite music of 2008. It was quite difficult narrowing this down, and even then, I'm pretty sure after I post this I'll be wanting to change the order slightly.
But for now, let's start it.
15. The Sword-Gods of the Earth.
I've been having to defend this band for a little while now, from cries of "hype band" or "they don't LOOK like a stoner metal band" and various other quips which shouldn't take away from their music. Hopefully the naysayers will be silenced when they listen to this bad boy. The riffs are stronger, the lyrics are a little more in keeping with stoner and sludge metal's territory. J.D.'s vocals could still use some work, but hopefully they'll get better with time.
14. TIE: Indifference-Impression, Depression and At Half-Mast-Fathers and Sons.
I couldn't value one band over the other, since they're both full of great guys, and making just as great music. Both melodic hardcore, both from the same area, but taking influences from different camps (one from One King Down and Unbroken, the other from Modern Life is War and Shai Hulud). It's rare when you can say that your surrounding areas produced two of the best records of the year.
13. Origin-Antithesis.
I've already stated how ridiculously awesome this tech death cd was, and how Origin are probably one of the few bands doing it that are worth a shit. But hell I'll say it again: this cd was awesome, and Origin are one of the few technical death metal bands on the planet who aren't boring as fuck.
12. Rotten Sound-Cycles.
This would have ranked higher, had I not listened to it so late in the year. I can credit my friend Eric for really getting me into this band, and I now have another reason to like Finland again (I sure as hell got bored with their melodeath scene). Fusing the best of crust, grindcore, punk, death metal, and a whole lot of groove, this could be the best thing they've done to date. Short and sweet (like all grind needs to be), but with still enough time to get their points across.
11. Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing.
It's still kind of hard to believe that this band is from New Jersey, considering how much of a hardon they seem to have for the south. Hell you could almost call them Kylesa Jr. A good amalgam of sludge, doom, crust, hardcore, noise rock and some good vocal tradeoffs to boot. They apparently have to plans to record and release a followup some time this year. It should be interesting to see where they go from here.
10. Misery Index-Traitors.
One of my most anticipated collaborations of the year turned into one of my top albums. Kurt Ballou isn't just one of the most awesome guitarists in the world, but he has a knack for bringing out the best in bands. Heck quite a few of the albums on my list were produced by him. But enough Kurt ass kissing. Misery Index is almost too intelligent to be called a death metal band, yet they're too technical to be considered grind. Whatever the case, they're just plain awesome. The guest vocals from Guy of The Red Chord and Tomas Lindberg only add to this incredible release. Wonder what the new presidency will bring for their future albums?
9. Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age.
Again, I don't really need to explain this one since I already did in a previous entry. But just in case, the following is a list of what you may need to be a fan of in order to enjoy this: beer, weed, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Partying, Municipal Waste, good times, riffs, punk rock.
8. Trash Talk-s/t.
After some falling out with Deathwish Inc. (over what I'm still not sure), these California mad men made what could be considered the most pissed off album of 2008. It's over in nearly the blink of an eye, but that was kind of the point. Plus you may be too busy hitting repeat to notice. The production is dirty and there are several points which dabble with sludge, giving it an almost HHIG sound. They're already at work on a new EP set for release this year as well. GET PISSED.
7. Trap Them-Seizures in Barren Praise
As I've mentioned in previous postings, TT is one of my favorite bands I've discovered in the past couple of years or so. Their third release with Kurt Ballou, and their overall 2nd full length, this one is a mindfuck. Ryan McKenny's vocals sound like he's gargling with glass and Mike Justian's (The Red Chord, Unearth) addition on drums solidifies and strengthens the blasting. The most surprising addition to this disc though is the final track "Mission Convincers," which slows things down to a crawl and ends up being one of the strongest points of the disc. Good job gentlemen. If this crust/grind/death thing doesn't work out, giving sludge metal a shot wouldn't be a hard task for you.
6. Opeth-Watershed.
This album had one (well technically two) giant thing going against it: the departure of two prominent members, Peter Lindgren and Martin Lopez. The Swedes managed to conquer any doubt though and released, to me, their best album since Blackwater Park. The melodies are stronger than ever. "Burden" in particular has shot it's way into my top Opeth songs. Seeing them live twice in support of it helped seal the deal too.
5. Torche-Meanderthal
Yeah yeah, I know this is taking top spots damn near everywhere but I don't give a fuck. This record ROCKS. Nearly every song is perfect, and each guitar riff is memorable. It really IS like Foo Fighters meets Mastodon. Hell listen to "Healer" and "Across the Shields" and tell me you couldn't hear those played on the radio. Steve Brooks is the coolest dude sucking cock in the metal world. Yes even cooler than Halford. Mainly because he didn't try to release a concept record about Nostradamus.
4. Paint it Black-New Lexicon
Again, this would probably be even higher had I gotten around to listening to it earlier. But alas, it still made top 5. Dan Yemin is the man. He's not writing the typical bullshit punk rock/hardcore lyrics. Hell the dude has a degree in Clinical Psychology, so you know he isn't some imbecilic moron. This is another record that seems to end just as fast as it started, but it's odd use of ambiance and interludes help make this stand out from the pack.
And now we get into the top 3. The ones that will be remembered for quite a while...
3. Cursed-III: Architects of Troubled Sleep
Cursed's swan song is ultimately their best effort, showing that the furious Canucks were one of the few bands in hardcore to get better with each and every release. Everything here is dark, evil, and pissed, just the way you should like it. And if you don't like that, don't support this band. The artwork from John Dyer Baizley is only an added bonus. The chants at the end of "Friends in the Music Business" will be stuck in your head for quite some time. It's shame that a terrible incident with theft overseas caused them to disband before they could truly become legends. R.I.P.
2. Disfear-Live the Storm
Well how about that! My current favorite band from Sweden somehow managed to actually top their 2003 masterpiece "Misanthropic Generation!" How did this happen? Well, let's see: ex-Entombed guitar player in the fold? Kurt Ballou producing? Tomas Lindberg going more raw? The rock n roll vibe increased while still keeping it's crust/d-beat roots intact? Hell yeah! Every song was a winner here and just makes you want to drive down a highway fast. Or something. Now give me a full U.S. tour damn it!
1. Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
Taking a gander at the cover for Blacklisted's latest might give you a slight idea of what is in store. It is sure as hell bleak, and singer George Hirsch probably wouldn't make the best motivational speaker, but he sure as hell makes a great writer. The rest of the band is giving their all as well, throwing out tighter playing and, like PIB, adding in ambient interludes that only add to the despair found here. It's over in less than 20 minutes, which makes better sense than one would realize. Again, I can't stress enough about how poignant these lyrics are, with each one sticking out in your mind almost like a mini suicide note (opener "Stations" for example, opens with "Peace Is Just A Warm Gun Away..."). The last track "Wish" isn't likely to put you in a great mood, but it's one of the most heart-wrenching songs I've ever heard in hardcore, or hell for ANY genre of music for that matter. I'm almost afraid to hear the follow up to this, but then again I'm really hoping the band doesn't implode and I might be able to hear them perform these songs live.
Now for some minor mentions.
Favorite EP: The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me. I wasn't too ecstatic on this band's full length "One Year Later", but I did see a lot of promise. It seems like they're getting better with their approach to melodic hardcore, and this EP is solid proof. From the slow emotional dirge or "No. 51" to the singalong of "Epilogue: Forgiveness," this is more than likely to turn you into a full fledged fan. Should be interesting seeing them in March.
Favorite Splits: TIE: Disfear/Doomriders and Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts. Both were just as good as the other, though every band has their roots in punk rock and hardcore (with Doomriders showing their love for stoner rock as well). While the Disfear song is apparently an outtake from Live the Storm, Doomriders gave us their first new material in a couple of years, and it rocks harder than most of their older tracks. Which is saying a lot considering how awesome "Black Thunder" is. Lewd Acts are pretty pissed off, and don't seem as intent on partying or raging like HOTW does, but that odd mix doesn't really come across as bothersome or anything like that. Check both of em out. Unfortunately the first one is only available as a 7" so you might have to d/l that one.
That's part 2. Part 3, which will deal with movies (best AND worst) will be up in a couple of days or so.
But for now, let's start it.
15. The Sword-Gods of the Earth.
I've been having to defend this band for a little while now, from cries of "hype band" or "they don't LOOK like a stoner metal band" and various other quips which shouldn't take away from their music. Hopefully the naysayers will be silenced when they listen to this bad boy. The riffs are stronger, the lyrics are a little more in keeping with stoner and sludge metal's territory. J.D.'s vocals could still use some work, but hopefully they'll get better with time.14. TIE: Indifference-Impression, Depression and At Half-Mast-Fathers and Sons.
I couldn't value one band over the other, since they're both full of great guys, and making just as great music. Both melodic hardcore, both from the same area, but taking influences from different camps (one from One King Down and Unbroken, the other from Modern Life is War and Shai Hulud). It's rare when you can say that your surrounding areas produced two of the best records of the year.
13. Origin-Antithesis.
I've already stated how ridiculously awesome this tech death cd was, and how Origin are probably one of the few bands doing it that are worth a shit. But hell I'll say it again: this cd was awesome, and Origin are one of the few technical death metal bands on the planet who aren't boring as fuck.12. Rotten Sound-Cycles.
This would have ranked higher, had I not listened to it so late in the year. I can credit my friend Eric for really getting me into this band, and I now have another reason to like Finland again (I sure as hell got bored with their melodeath scene). Fusing the best of crust, grindcore, punk, death metal, and a whole lot of groove, this could be the best thing they've done to date. Short and sweet (like all grind needs to be), but with still enough time to get their points across.11. Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing.
It's still kind of hard to believe that this band is from New Jersey, considering how much of a hardon they seem to have for the south. Hell you could almost call them Kylesa Jr. A good amalgam of sludge, doom, crust, hardcore, noise rock and some good vocal tradeoffs to boot. They apparently have to plans to record and release a followup some time this year. It should be interesting to see where they go from here.
10. Misery Index-Traitors.
One of my most anticipated collaborations of the year turned into one of my top albums. Kurt Ballou isn't just one of the most awesome guitarists in the world, but he has a knack for bringing out the best in bands. Heck quite a few of the albums on my list were produced by him. But enough Kurt ass kissing. Misery Index is almost too intelligent to be called a death metal band, yet they're too technical to be considered grind. Whatever the case, they're just plain awesome. The guest vocals from Guy of The Red Chord and Tomas Lindberg only add to this incredible release. Wonder what the new presidency will bring for their future albums?9. Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age.
Again, I don't really need to explain this one since I already did in a previous entry. But just in case, the following is a list of what you may need to be a fan of in order to enjoy this: beer, weed, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Partying, Municipal Waste, good times, riffs, punk rock.
8. Trash Talk-s/t.
After some falling out with Deathwish Inc. (over what I'm still not sure), these California mad men made what could be considered the most pissed off album of 2008. It's over in nearly the blink of an eye, but that was kind of the point. Plus you may be too busy hitting repeat to notice. The production is dirty and there are several points which dabble with sludge, giving it an almost HHIG sound. They're already at work on a new EP set for release this year as well. GET PISSED.7. Trap Them-Seizures in Barren Praise
As I've mentioned in previous postings, TT is one of my favorite bands I've discovered in the past couple of years or so. Their third release with Kurt Ballou, and their overall 2nd full length, this one is a mindfuck. Ryan McKenny's vocals sound like he's gargling with glass and Mike Justian's (The Red Chord, Unearth) addition on drums solidifies and strengthens the blasting. The most surprising addition to this disc though is the final track "Mission Convincers," which slows things down to a crawl and ends up being one of the strongest points of the disc. Good job gentlemen. If this crust/grind/death thing doesn't work out, giving sludge metal a shot wouldn't be a hard task for you.
6. Opeth-Watershed.
This album had one (well technically two) giant thing going against it: the departure of two prominent members, Peter Lindgren and Martin Lopez. The Swedes managed to conquer any doubt though and released, to me, their best album since Blackwater Park. The melodies are stronger than ever. "Burden" in particular has shot it's way into my top Opeth songs. Seeing them live twice in support of it helped seal the deal too.5. Torche-Meanderthal
Yeah yeah, I know this is taking top spots damn near everywhere but I don't give a fuck. This record ROCKS. Nearly every song is perfect, and each guitar riff is memorable. It really IS like Foo Fighters meets Mastodon. Hell listen to "Healer" and "Across the Shields" and tell me you couldn't hear those played on the radio. Steve Brooks is the coolest dude sucking cock in the metal world. Yes even cooler than Halford. Mainly because he didn't try to release a concept record about Nostradamus.4. Paint it Black-New Lexicon
Again, this would probably be even higher had I gotten around to listening to it earlier. But alas, it still made top 5. Dan Yemin is the man. He's not writing the typical bullshit punk rock/hardcore lyrics. Hell the dude has a degree in Clinical Psychology, so you know he isn't some imbecilic moron. This is another record that seems to end just as fast as it started, but it's odd use of ambiance and interludes help make this stand out from the pack.And now we get into the top 3. The ones that will be remembered for quite a while...
3. Cursed-III: Architects of Troubled Sleep
Cursed's swan song is ultimately their best effort, showing that the furious Canucks were one of the few bands in hardcore to get better with each and every release. Everything here is dark, evil, and pissed, just the way you should like it. And if you don't like that, don't support this band. The artwork from John Dyer Baizley is only an added bonus. The chants at the end of "Friends in the Music Business" will be stuck in your head for quite some time. It's shame that a terrible incident with theft overseas caused them to disband before they could truly become legends. R.I.P.
2. Disfear-Live the Storm
Well how about that! My current favorite band from Sweden somehow managed to actually top their 2003 masterpiece "Misanthropic Generation!" How did this happen? Well, let's see: ex-Entombed guitar player in the fold? Kurt Ballou producing? Tomas Lindberg going more raw? The rock n roll vibe increased while still keeping it's crust/d-beat roots intact? Hell yeah! Every song was a winner here and just makes you want to drive down a highway fast. Or something. Now give me a full U.S. tour damn it!
1. Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
Taking a gander at the cover for Blacklisted's latest might give you a slight idea of what is in store. It is sure as hell bleak, and singer George Hirsch probably wouldn't make the best motivational speaker, but he sure as hell makes a great writer. The rest of the band is giving their all as well, throwing out tighter playing and, like PIB, adding in ambient interludes that only add to the despair found here. It's over in less than 20 minutes, which makes better sense than one would realize. Again, I can't stress enough about how poignant these lyrics are, with each one sticking out in your mind almost like a mini suicide note (opener "Stations" for example, opens with "Peace Is Just A Warm Gun Away..."). The last track "Wish" isn't likely to put you in a great mood, but it's one of the most heart-wrenching songs I've ever heard in hardcore, or hell for ANY genre of music for that matter. I'm almost afraid to hear the follow up to this, but then again I'm really hoping the band doesn't implode and I might be able to hear them perform these songs live.
Now for some minor mentions.
Favorite EP: The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me. I wasn't too ecstatic on this band's full length "One Year Later", but I did see a lot of promise. It seems like they're getting better with their approach to melodic hardcore, and this EP is solid proof. From the slow emotional dirge or "No. 51" to the singalong of "Epilogue: Forgiveness," this is more than likely to turn you into a full fledged fan. Should be interesting seeing them in March.
Favorite Splits: TIE: Disfear/Doomriders and Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts. Both were just as good as the other, though every band has their roots in punk rock and hardcore (with Doomriders showing their love for stoner rock as well). While the Disfear song is apparently an outtake from Live the Storm, Doomriders gave us their first new material in a couple of years, and it rocks harder than most of their older tracks. Which is saying a lot considering how awesome "Black Thunder" is. Lewd Acts are pretty pissed off, and don't seem as intent on partying or raging like HOTW does, but that odd mix doesn't really come across as bothersome or anything like that. Check both of em out. Unfortunately the first one is only available as a 7" so you might have to d/l that one.
That's part 2. Part 3, which will deal with movies (best AND worst) will be up in a couple of days or so.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
End of the Year Things
Today is Christmas, a day I've always cherished more for the presents rather than it's true meaning (which never really meant much to me). And hell I'm fine with that. It also means we only have a week left until the year is officially DUNZO. While there are many reasons I fully welcome 2008 coming to a close, there are some good things to look back on that occurred this year. Basically, here's my generic "Best/Worst" list for 2008. I'm doing this in 3 parts: top 15 for music, a top and bottom 10 for films (thought admittedly there were a LOT of films that came out this year that came nowhere near my little town), and a top 10 concerts. I didn't watch enough television to make a best/worst of list (though I will say It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the Colbert Report entertained me thoroughly, whereas Family Guy disappointed me immensely), and the same goes with books.
But hey, let's start this bad boy off with the top concerts. I went to a LOT this year, so narrowing this down was a doozy. I've only really got two left to attend (The Mongoloids/Mother of Mercy/At Half-Mast and more, and the NYE show @ Lucky's Pub) but I'll have to discard em for now.
10. TIE: Skeletonwitch/Rapture Cabaret & Skeletonwitch/Death Machine Weapons (both at Lucky's Pub). Yeah it seems sort of cheap to start a list with a tie, but alas, both gigs featuring the modern day thrashers were equally spectacular. It's rare when my mostly non-metalhead friends recommend me a band that I end up enjoying immensely, but by god after witnessing them steal the show from Dying Fetus last year, I'll be a devout follower of these guys.
9. Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness @ Lincoln Theatre- One of the best tour packages of 2008, and it would have been higher had the crowd not been rather snobbish. Every band gave 100% that night, and it was my first time seeing one of my favorite newer bands, Baroness. Being able to shoot the entire show made it even more special. Just saying to yourself "you're taking pics of Opeth!" is pretty cool.
8. Trash Talk/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- One of the angriest shows of the year for sure. It was hard to NOT mosh at this show (heck even Mario got in on the action!), and it was remarkably cheap as well. Say what you will about Trash Talk as people, but they are a commanding and intimidating live band. Torch Runner are probably the best band playing hardcore in North Carolina right now too.
7. Trap Them/Fight Amp/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- Trap Them is incredibly fascinating, and I was beyond excited hearing about them coming to Raleigh. Fight Amp also put out one of my favorite records of 2008 (whoops, guess that's a spoiler for the top records list hehe). What topped this off was my first time witnessing Torch Runner, who like I said before, blew me away. Attendance wasn't high here, but those who went and stayed knew they saw something really special. Trap Them was intense and I couldn't be happier that they're getting more attention.
6. God Forbid/Death Angel/Soilent Green/Light This City @ Lucky's Pub- It was really surprising to see such a big tour package come to a place that couldn't possibly hold that many people, but it was even more surprising that so little people came out to watch. It's a shame, considering that every band performed to their best ability. It was also pretty refreshing to not have to drive a long distance for onceto see any of them. Shame that almost less than a month after this show that Light This City threw in the towel. R.I.P.
5. Ruiner/FC5 @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was expectedly awesome, but what made it all the more special was the time before the show spent with the two aforementioned bands. I already wrote a blog entry about this one though, so it might be easier to just read that instead of wonder on why it was so much fun.
4. High on Fire/A Life Once Lost/Saviours/Car Bomb @ Cat's Cradle- Without a doubt the best SOUNDING show of the year for me. While I can't really support the barricade aspect of the venue, the sound system was absolutely flawless. Every note of High on Fire's set was crystal clear. Every riff coming from Matt Pike's awesome guitar was audible. Each band brought much riffage that night. I'm still puzzled by the phantom "puncher" though that seemed the strike me in the back of the head at the end of HOF's set. Felt like being hit by a 2x4.
3. Paganfest (Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie) @ Volume 11 Tavern- Hurdy gurdy, violin, accordion, folk, humpa, beer, singalongs, Iron Maiden cover, war paint, women. That's really all you need to know. It was great to see a metal show that didn't have one part that made me want to pull my hair out. I think the 2009 lineup looks okay, but if this becomes a yearly event, it'll be hard to top it's inaugural year.
2. Modern Life is War @ Canal Club- Saying goodbye to one of your favorite bands is hard to do. I can't remember when I felt such a strong connection to one band's music, but when I saw the itinerary for this Iowa band's final tour, I knew I had to make at least ONE of the dates. I traveled to Richmond for one of their final dates on the east coast, and it was a memorable one. Playing nearly every song I've longed for them to play (I'm Not Ready and Farmer's Holiday Association were two highlights), screaming my lungs out, and just having some good conversations with the guys made this one really hurt. But it was inspiring. There's actually video of the whole concert up on youtube somewhere, so if you were kicking yourself for not making this, it's the next best thing.
Our Rebel Hearts Will Turn Restless Ghosts...They Can Never Truly Kill Us, and We Will Never Truly Die...
1. Every Time I Die/The Bronx @ The Soapbox- Pure insanity. If you imagine a variety of people stagediving every 5 seconds, beer being sprayed everywhere at various times, a man trying to masturbate on stage, huge mosh pits, and a room that barely fit the packed house, it still wouldn't be an accurate description of this banger. The crowd was slow to show up, but by the time that the Bronx came on (who delivered a rip roaring punk rock and roll performance), the room was already wasted and ready to rage. When the Buffalo metalcore/rockers came on, they were wound up and ready to let it all out. When they closed with We'rewolf, Keith invited a good chunk of the crowd to come up on stage and party. And lo and behold, they did. It's shows like this one that make overlook the negative aspects of Wilmington and make me love the town I'm in. I really hope they come back.
Honorable mentions:
Flogging Molly/Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Blues Band/The Mighty Stef @ Ram's Head Live- I'm FINALLY old enough to drink at a Flogging Molly show, and I couldn't have picked a better one to start at. While the prices were certainly questionable, the show itself was an immense amount of fun. RPBDBB was one of the most entertaining 3-pieces I've seen in YEARS, and FM delivered another solid set like always.
The Black Dahlia Murder @ The Soapbox- I've always liked this band, but never really LOVED them like so many others I know. But hot damn do they deliver in a small club. The support bands were sort of hit or miss (Braindrill is talented, but they got a little boring towards the end), but the main stars were on fire that night. I'm definitely anticipating their next nearby gig.
Municipal Waste/Soilent Green/Iron Lung @ Volume 11 Tavern- This would have made my list, had it not been for me breaking my nose and the club acting dumbfounded about what to do (I'm still amazed that they didn't have ICE of any sorts). The bands did an amazing job though, and it was very gratifying to see kids stagediving for Soilent Green.
Kids Like Us/Energy/The Mongoloids/Meantime @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was nothing special (though I thought Energy and Meantime were actually good), but the sheer amount of people attending coupled with the bizarre behavior of others at the show made it a memorable one. The second time around wasn't nearly as fun, but this still remains the most insane show I've ever seen at Lucky's Pub to date.
Terror/Trapped Under Ice- I moshed with my shirt off. If that doesn't tell you how much alcohol I had consumed that night, then I don't know what will convince you.
As far as the worst shows go, well, it's a little hard to say. Flogging Molly @ The House of Blues wasn't very good, but that was more the fault of the venue and the people who attended, especially since the bands were actually good. There were several notable bands I saw who I thought sucked the shit from a cow's asshole, but not an overall bill.
Some of the bands who I hope I never have to see again include:
Up From Ashes
Stick To Your Guns
Arsonists Get All the Girls
The Warriors
Emmure
Chimaira
Tera Melos
Know the Score
Legion of the Fallen
Recon
That's it for now. The cd list and movie list will be coming up later on.
But hey, let's start this bad boy off with the top concerts. I went to a LOT this year, so narrowing this down was a doozy. I've only really got two left to attend (The Mongoloids/Mother of Mercy/At Half-Mast and more, and the NYE show @ Lucky's Pub) but I'll have to discard em for now.
10. TIE: Skeletonwitch/Rapture Cabaret & Skeletonwitch/Death Machine Weapons (both at Lucky's Pub). Yeah it seems sort of cheap to start a list with a tie, but alas, both gigs featuring the modern day thrashers were equally spectacular. It's rare when my mostly non-metalhead friends recommend me a band that I end up enjoying immensely, but by god after witnessing them steal the show from Dying Fetus last year, I'll be a devout follower of these guys.
9. Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness @ Lincoln Theatre- One of the best tour packages of 2008, and it would have been higher had the crowd not been rather snobbish. Every band gave 100% that night, and it was my first time seeing one of my favorite newer bands, Baroness. Being able to shoot the entire show made it even more special. Just saying to yourself "you're taking pics of Opeth!" is pretty cool.
8. Trash Talk/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- One of the angriest shows of the year for sure. It was hard to NOT mosh at this show (heck even Mario got in on the action!), and it was remarkably cheap as well. Say what you will about Trash Talk as people, but they are a commanding and intimidating live band. Torch Runner are probably the best band playing hardcore in North Carolina right now too.
7. Trap Them/Fight Amp/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- Trap Them is incredibly fascinating, and I was beyond excited hearing about them coming to Raleigh. Fight Amp also put out one of my favorite records of 2008 (whoops, guess that's a spoiler for the top records list hehe). What topped this off was my first time witnessing Torch Runner, who like I said before, blew me away. Attendance wasn't high here, but those who went and stayed knew they saw something really special. Trap Them was intense and I couldn't be happier that they're getting more attention.
6. God Forbid/Death Angel/Soilent Green/Light This City @ Lucky's Pub- It was really surprising to see such a big tour package come to a place that couldn't possibly hold that many people, but it was even more surprising that so little people came out to watch. It's a shame, considering that every band performed to their best ability. It was also pretty refreshing to not have to drive a long distance for onceto see any of them. Shame that almost less than a month after this show that Light This City threw in the towel. R.I.P.
5. Ruiner/FC5 @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was expectedly awesome, but what made it all the more special was the time before the show spent with the two aforementioned bands. I already wrote a blog entry about this one though, so it might be easier to just read that instead of wonder on why it was so much fun.
4. High on Fire/A Life Once Lost/Saviours/Car Bomb @ Cat's Cradle- Without a doubt the best SOUNDING show of the year for me. While I can't really support the barricade aspect of the venue, the sound system was absolutely flawless. Every note of High on Fire's set was crystal clear. Every riff coming from Matt Pike's awesome guitar was audible. Each band brought much riffage that night. I'm still puzzled by the phantom "puncher" though that seemed the strike me in the back of the head at the end of HOF's set. Felt like being hit by a 2x4.
3. Paganfest (Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie) @ Volume 11 Tavern- Hurdy gurdy, violin, accordion, folk, humpa, beer, singalongs, Iron Maiden cover, war paint, women. That's really all you need to know. It was great to see a metal show that didn't have one part that made me want to pull my hair out. I think the 2009 lineup looks okay, but if this becomes a yearly event, it'll be hard to top it's inaugural year.
2. Modern Life is War @ Canal Club- Saying goodbye to one of your favorite bands is hard to do. I can't remember when I felt such a strong connection to one band's music, but when I saw the itinerary for this Iowa band's final tour, I knew I had to make at least ONE of the dates. I traveled to Richmond for one of their final dates on the east coast, and it was a memorable one. Playing nearly every song I've longed for them to play (I'm Not Ready and Farmer's Holiday Association were two highlights), screaming my lungs out, and just having some good conversations with the guys made this one really hurt. But it was inspiring. There's actually video of the whole concert up on youtube somewhere, so if you were kicking yourself for not making this, it's the next best thing.
Our Rebel Hearts Will Turn Restless Ghosts...They Can Never Truly Kill Us, and We Will Never Truly Die...
1. Every Time I Die/The Bronx @ The Soapbox- Pure insanity. If you imagine a variety of people stagediving every 5 seconds, beer being sprayed everywhere at various times, a man trying to masturbate on stage, huge mosh pits, and a room that barely fit the packed house, it still wouldn't be an accurate description of this banger. The crowd was slow to show up, but by the time that the Bronx came on (who delivered a rip roaring punk rock and roll performance), the room was already wasted and ready to rage. When the Buffalo metalcore/rockers came on, they were wound up and ready to let it all out. When they closed with We'rewolf, Keith invited a good chunk of the crowd to come up on stage and party. And lo and behold, they did. It's shows like this one that make overlook the negative aspects of Wilmington and make me love the town I'm in. I really hope they come back.
Honorable mentions:
Flogging Molly/Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Blues Band/The Mighty Stef @ Ram's Head Live- I'm FINALLY old enough to drink at a Flogging Molly show, and I couldn't have picked a better one to start at. While the prices were certainly questionable, the show itself was an immense amount of fun. RPBDBB was one of the most entertaining 3-pieces I've seen in YEARS, and FM delivered another solid set like always.
The Black Dahlia Murder @ The Soapbox- I've always liked this band, but never really LOVED them like so many others I know. But hot damn do they deliver in a small club. The support bands were sort of hit or miss (Braindrill is talented, but they got a little boring towards the end), but the main stars were on fire that night. I'm definitely anticipating their next nearby gig.
Municipal Waste/Soilent Green/Iron Lung @ Volume 11 Tavern- This would have made my list, had it not been for me breaking my nose and the club acting dumbfounded about what to do (I'm still amazed that they didn't have ICE of any sorts). The bands did an amazing job though, and it was very gratifying to see kids stagediving for Soilent Green.
Kids Like Us/Energy/The Mongoloids/Meantime @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was nothing special (though I thought Energy and Meantime were actually good), but the sheer amount of people attending coupled with the bizarre behavior of others at the show made it a memorable one. The second time around wasn't nearly as fun, but this still remains the most insane show I've ever seen at Lucky's Pub to date.
Terror/Trapped Under Ice- I moshed with my shirt off. If that doesn't tell you how much alcohol I had consumed that night, then I don't know what will convince you.
As far as the worst shows go, well, it's a little hard to say. Flogging Molly @ The House of Blues wasn't very good, but that was more the fault of the venue and the people who attended, especially since the bands were actually good. There were several notable bands I saw who I thought sucked the shit from a cow's asshole, but not an overall bill.
Some of the bands who I hope I never have to see again include:
Up From Ashes
Stick To Your Guns
Arsonists Get All the Girls
The Warriors
Emmure
Chimaira
Tera Melos
Know the Score
Legion of the Fallen
Recon
That's it for now. The cd list and movie list will be coming up later on.
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