The Maine - Pioneer (2011)

Let me start by saying I'd never heard of The Maine until a few days ago, I came across their track "The Way We Talk" on YouTube and was instantly hooked! I went out and bought the first album by them that I came across. That album was Pioneer, just by looking at the cover I knew I was in for a treat. 

Cover Art for Pioneer

Pioneer is kicked off with "Identify", a pretty catchy slower tune. "Identify" is one of those songs that when you hear it for the first time, you know by the end you'll fall in love with the album. Next up is "My Heroine", an interesting track that is jumps between blues, jazz and rock with some southern attitude thrown in the mix. Moving along we come to "Time" and "Some Days", these two tracks show why most people will love The Maine, catchy pop rock that appeals to everyone without sound generic. Tracks 5 and 6 are "I'm Sorry" and "Don't Give Up on "Us"", I'm sure you get the picture with these two songs, put these in a safe somewhere for when you're going through a breakup. Now we come to my favourite on Pioneer, "Misery", this song just works in every aspect, the chorus has been stuck in my head since I heard it, I'll be listening to this one for many years to come! "When I'm at Home" embodies what music is all about, jamming with your mates and having a good time, easily the strongest track on the album. Jumping ahead to "Jenny", John O'Callaghan wrote this one for his mum as a thank you.

John O'Callaghan's lyrics are top notch to go along with his voice that I'm sure makes most young girls fall in love with him, in short, the bloke can sing! The band don't let O'Callaghan claim all the credit though, they've come up with some of the best and catchiest tunes that I've heard in a long time. As I type this I'm humming the riff from "Misery". Job well done to them all.

As a whole, Pioneer was one of the best albums released in 2011, The Maine are a seriously good band who are very close to becoming the best pop rock band out there. Make sure you check them out, you won't be disappointed!

If you are a fan of Every Avenue, This Century, Mayday Parade, All Time Low, You Me at Six or A Rocket to the Moon then you will love The Maine.

Track Listing:

01. Identify - 9.5/10

02. My Heroine - 10/10

03. Time - 8.5/10

04. Some Days - 8.5/10

05. I'm Sorry - 9/10

06. Don't Give Up on "Us" - 9/10

07. Misery - 10/10

08. When I'm at Home - 10/10

09. Thinking of You - 8/10

10. Jenny - 10/10

11. Like We Did (Windows Down) - 9/10

12. While Listening to Rock & Roll - 9/10

13. Waiting For My Sun to Shine - 9.5/10

Overall - 9.5/10

Jack and Jill (2011)

Before I begin this review, know that I love Adam Sandler's work, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy are some of the funniest movies I have ever seen. That's why it pains me so much to see the absolute garbage that Sandler has put out in recent years, the end of a career is here, it started with You Don't Mess with the Zohan and will now finish with Jack and Jill.

How I felt during Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill doesn't even deserve a proper review, everything about the film was horrible, the jokes were tasteless, the acting was terrible and it seemed like a cash grab for everyone involved. One thing that has me annoyed with Sandler is his constant reference to being Jewish, we get it Adam, you are Jewish, that doesn't mean you have to write it into every character you play.

The most cringeworthy thing in this film was not Sandler dressed up in drag but the fact that one of the greatest actors of our time, Mr. Al Pacino, would even consider accepting a role in this film. Each time he was on camera I had to look away due to his legacy being tainted with every passing second.

The bottom line is, this movie is one of the biggest loads of garbage that has ever been captured on camera, Jack and Jill should never of seen the light of day. I am now dumber and have lost an hour and a half of my life due to this movie.

The only thing saving this from a 0.5/10 was David Spade's two minute cameo at the end.

Do not watch this! Unless you are a moron.

1.5/10

Falling Down (1993)

This movie came to my attention through a conversation with my parents, as we were driving down to Portsea for lunch on a public holiday. The movie was brought up as we were talking about how McDonalds serves breakfast until 11, and if you are five minutes late they have no sympathy. Falling Down has a scene that touches on that particular subject. I decided to grab it from work and give it a crack, what I witnessed was sheer brilliance, it reminded just how much our society has disintegrated.

"Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this picture?"

Falling Down is the story of unemployed defense lawyer, William (Michael Douglas). William has grown sick and frustrated with all the injustices in our society, all William wants is to get home to see his daughter for her birthday, unfortunately for William, his day keeps going from bad to worse. He gets stuck in a traffic jam, he is disgusted with the prices set by a Korean shop owner and encounters a Nazi sympathizer.

One scene stands out to me more than the rest, it is something that I have always wanted to do but never had the guts. William walks into Whammy Burger, he politely asks to be served breakfast, however, the manager tells him they stop serving at 11.30am, William's watch reads "11.35". He explains that he is having a bad day and just wants some breakfast, again, they tell him no, it is only after he pulls out a gun that they agree to serve him breakfast. William receives his food, he proceeds to look at the picture then his meal, in no way shape or form does what he received resemble what is in the picture, he asks the staff what the difference between his meal and the picture is. I imagine that everyone has had an experience such as that.

Michael Douglas as always, gives an incredible performance, every scene he was in captivated and genuinely terrified me, never before has the quote "the most dangerous man is a man with nothing to lose" rang so true. Robert Duvall also put in a solid performance as Detective Prendergrast, he portrays a cop on his last day in the force trying to track down William as he goes on a city wide rampage.

The messages that are put forward in Falling Down are ones to take note of, society is nearing a fork in the road, we can either continue they way we are going and ruin our future or we can try to change things in order to create a safe and respectable world to live in.

This movie is almost 20 years old yet it will stand the test of time as one of the greatest pieces of film in history. You must see this, it will change your whole perspective on life.

Incredible!

10/10

The Cell (2000)

For years and years I have seen this movie sitting on the shelf of every video store I walk into, for some reason I have only recently decided to pick it up and give it a crack. The movie's tag-line "Enter the Mind of a Killer" was the main reason I did eventually grab it, judging by that line, it certainly sounded like my cup of tea. Did I mention that Jennifer Lopez was in the film? That just put the icing on top of what turned out to be an unbelievable, mind-bender of a thriller movie.

Vincent D'Onofrio and Jennifer Lopez in The Cell

Catherine (Lopez) is a psychotherapist who treats her patients by entering their mind via a revolutionary new technology that allows her to link her brain with theirs. However, when she is asked out of desperation by FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) to enter the mind of comatose serial killer, Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio). Catherine must confront the horrors that plague Carl's mind in order to locate his final victim before it's too late.

As good a job as J'Lo did, I couldn't go past the performance of Vincent D'Onofrio, he owned absolutely every scene he was in. In a odd twist I found myself disappointed when he fell into a coma, because I would have to wait another 25 minutes before he was on screen again, but when he returned, he returned much more sinister in his own mind than he was in reality. Vince Vaughn also put in a solid performance with the character he was given, thanks to D'Onofrio though, I didn't pay much attention to Vince.

The Cell offers amazing special effects which still rival those you see in the movies of today, it was the make up effects that really pushed the limits in this film, thanks to the make up each of the demonic kings in Carl's mind were all equally terrifying.

The Cell is one of the best movies I have watched in a while, even though it is from 2000. The Cell prefers to shows us rather than tell us parts of the story, I like that about this film, it is a nice change of pace from movies that force feed us information in order to bring out a complex story.

In short, this movie is amazing, a true thriller, a mix between The Matrix and The Silence of the Lambs. I recommend this for anyone who like a great Thriller/SciFi. If you can't handle detailed murders in film or grotesque characters, then I would steer clear.

Awesome!

9/10

The Browning - Burn This World (2011)

The Browning, sounds like what happens to your pants after a dodgy kebab or when you drink that two day old milk in the fridge. All jokes aside though, I have come across a great new band who fuse Dubstep and Hardcore together to create what can only be described as pure sex. If the first wave of "Dubcore" is anything to go by, then these blokes will be the reigning kings in no time.

Cover Art for Burn This World

In the past three days I have been listening non-stop to Burn This World, each time I listen to it I pick up on something new, something that I didn't catch last time around. The last album that brought me this much joy in the first hit would of been Siberia by Lights, it may be due to my newly found love for dubstep.

What started out as a side project for vocalist Jonny McBee (As Blood Runs Black), has now blown up into a full time wrecking ball which doesn't look like letting up anytime soon.

Every breakdown makes you want to jump, every growl makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, every drop, every synth line and every electronic melody make your heart beat that little bit louder. I never listened to As Blood Runs Black but am immensely impressed with McBee as a vocalist, his lows and highs are impeccable, while his lyrics sound like the next chapter of the Terminator series. The band also does a great job moulding the synth and regular instruments together to create a terrific balance that keeps the album flowing from start to finish.

It seems the norm these days to mash two genres together in order to push ahead of the pack, while I usually dislike it, The Browning have shown me what can be accomplished if a lot of hard work is put into the making of the album. The standout tracks for me are Bloodlust, Standing on the Edge and Ashamed.

Burn This World has been on constant rotation and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Fans of The Crimson Armada, Like Moths to Flames, Structures, Fit for a King and Skrillex should check this out!

Track Listing:

01. No Escape - 8/10

02. Not Alone - 8/10

03. Bloodlust - 10/10

04. Standing on the Edge - 10/10

05. Burn This World - 8.5/10

06. Ashamed - 10/10

07. Living Dead - 9/10

08. Forgotten - 8/10

09. Time Will Tell - 8.5/10

10. Tragedy of Perfection - 9/10

11. Dominator - 9.5/10

12. I Choose You - 8/10

13. The Sadist - 9/10

Overall - 9/10

Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Let me start off by saying, I am an absolute die-hard fanboy of the Underworld series (except for Rise of the Lycans, that was terrible). Everything about this series excites me, whether it be Kate Beckinsale in her skin-tight, leather outfit or the never-ending war between the Vampires and Werewolves. Being a fanboy I expected something amazing, I left the cinema with a huge grin on my face.

Selene taking on the Mega-Lycan

Six months after the events of Underworld: Evolution, Selene and Michael are captured by the humans during "The Purge", an eradication of both Vampires and Lycans conducted by the humans. Twelve years after "The Purge", Selene is freed from her cryogenic prison in the lab of biotech company AntiGen. Once awakened, Selene begins searching for Michael, instead she finds her daughter, who has inherited both the Vampire/Lycan abilities from Michael and the Vampire/Corvinus abilities from Selene.

Kate Beckinsale carries the entire movie on her own without any trouble, after a five year absence from the Underworld series you would think Kate might struggle to capture the essence that made her character so captivating, however, she returns with her strongest portrayal of Selene to date. Honorable mentions go to Stephen Rea and Kris Holden-Reid as father/son Lycan duo.

Underworld: Awakening boasts plenty of action and gore along with the added factor of 3D, Awakening has gained points by not overusing the 3D effects, it was mainly used when a bullet would propel through a skull or when a grenade would explode.

Without giving anything else away I would like to say this movie has restored my faith in Vampire movies, a faith that the Twilight saga had almost destroyed. If you love action, gore, vampires, werewolves or you just like staring at a fine woman in skin-tight leather, this movie is for you.

Must see!

9/10

Cedar Rapids (2011)

During a quiet week of new releases I came across Cedar Rapids, plastered on the cover was Ed Helms' grinning face, Ed played Stu in The Hangover if you didn't already know that. Like most people, I grabbed it purely on the fact that Ed was in the film. Cedar Rapids wasn't the worst movie ever, but it wasn't the greatest either.

John C. Reilly in a scene from Cedar Rapids

Ed plays Tim Lippe, an insurance salesman whose life is passing him by, but after a turn of events Tim is sent to Cedar Rapids for the annual insurance convention. For Tim this is a huge deal, he has never left his small town of Brown Valley, as you can imagine he has very little idea of how the world works. Lucky for Tim he has the guidance of Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly), Ronald "Ronimal" Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) and Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Anne Heche).

Cedar Rapids travels along at a reasonable pace, the scenery is very dull and quiet, I can imagine it must feel that way for many people who visit these conventions often. While at the convention, Tim tries new things such as, drugs, sex with a married woman, skinny dipping, bribery and getting his arse kicked. Tim makes some new friends and realizes that the friends he had may not have been his friends at all.

There's nothing bad to say about the film yet there is nothing good, it wasn't boring but it wasn't exciting. Ed Helms did his best to give the character some flair and make it an enjoyable experience for the viewer, unfortunately, you can't do much with a shitty script. The best thing about the movie would be Dean Ziegler, his inappropriateness and his jokes gave me a few laughs.

All in all a pretty average movie, if you are impressed easily then this movie will be great for you, but for the rest of us, steer clear.

4/10