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

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

Dale and his scythe, one of the movie's funniest moments.

One day at work I noticed Tucker and Dale vs Evil sitting on the new release wall, I decided to grab it based on the fact that nothing else had been released that week. Needles to say, I found myself laughing out loud at one of the funniest movies of the year, a true hidden gem.

Tucker and Dale, two bumbling hillbillies from West Virginia, are taking a vacation at their "fixxer-upper" cabin, to sink some beer, snag a few fish and to get away from the hassles of life for a few days. The weekend is going to plan until they run into a group of college kids, who immediately assume that Tucker and Dale are in-bred, serial killers. As you can imagine, a case of mistaken identity takes a turn for the worst.

Everything about this movie is perfect, I have nothing but praise for Alan Tudyk (Tucker) and Tyler Labine (Dale), the chemistry between them is hilarious, no pair of actors could have pulled these roles off better than Alan and Tyler.

This movie falls under so many categories, horror, comdey and bro-mantic, it truly is one of the funniest films released this year, if you have a sense of humor while being able to stomach some pretty horrific accidental deaths, then this movie is for you.

DO NOT MISS IT!!!!!

10/10

August Burns Red - Leveler (2011)

August Burns Red have yet again created musical beauty, their latest offering Leveler is an absolute masterpiece. 2009's Constellations was considered their best album so far, however ABR have done what many thought impossible, Leveler improves on everything Constellations offered. Make no mistake ladies and gentlemen, August Burns Red are taking over the world.

Cover Art for Leveler

For those who have followed ABR for the past decade, their crazy time signature metalcore has been seasoned with some improvements and unexpected additions. ABR are no doubt at the top of their game, Jake Luhrs' screams and growls are amazing, while his lyrics are deep and extremely emotional. Matt Greiner goes above and beyond to hold everything together while still being creative, he also offers some of the most complex drumming I have ever heard. Greiner's effort behind the kit lets JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler loose like a gang of thugs on a defenseless victim, that victim is you.

Starting Leveler off with a bang is "Empire", ABR stick to their guns and offer a crushing opener that prepares you for what is to come. The first single "Internal Cannon" goes directly for the throat and doesn't let up with a classic ABR breakdown, the middle of the song transitions into a "heavy" spanish salsa, and towards the end, JB pumps out a salsa-esque guitar solo. "Poor Millionaire" is the 9th song on Leveler and is my favorite, the entire song is a non-stop attack on the senses, a combined effort that leaves you stunned with powerful riffs and brutal breakdowns.

The bottom line is, if you're a fan of heavy music with something extra, Leveler is for you. Whether you are a dedicated fan, or only just getting into them, you will not be disappointed in this epic masterpiece from a band who don't look like stopping anytime soon.

Track Listing:

01. Empire - 9/10
02. Internal Cannon - 10/10
03. Divisions - 9.5/10
04. Cutting the Ties - 8/10
05. Pangaea - 9/10
06. Carpe Diem - 9.5/10
07. 40 Nights - 8.5/10
08. Salt and Light - 8.5/10
09. Poor Millionaire - 10/10
10. 1/16/2011 - 8/10
11. Boys of Fall - 9/10
12. Leveler - 10/10

Autopsy (2008)

Robert Patrick as the worst doctor in history.

What can I say about Autopsy? I went into it open minded and not expecting anything, I now see that my expectations were too generous. My dog has excreted feces more noteworthy than this pile of garbage. I spent an hour and a half of my life watching this, that is time I will never get back.

The basic plot of Autopsy is, a group of friends crash their car, they go to a creepy hospital, one by one they start to disappear. Robert Patrick who some of you might know from Terminator 2 (he's the liquid metal guy) is the doctor of this hospital, he kills people and harvests their body parts to save his wife. That's the plot, I'm not going to spend anymore time on that because frankly, I don't have the patience.

Everything about this movie was horrible, the acting, the gore, the lack of nudity (all b-grade horrors have nudity), the script, the beginning, the middle, the end. I honestly don't see where the 4 million dollars they spent making this film went. If they had of filmed grass grow it would have been a better movie.

The bottom line is, steer clear of this steaming pile, you will regret it forever if you watch it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

0.5/10

Hereafter (2010)

Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon? Match made in heaven. Any movie made by Clint Eastwood is absolute gold, while Matt Damon can't seem to put a foot wrong these days. Hereafter is pure brilliance, and so much credit is due for everyone involved in it.

Hereafter is centered around 3 people who encounter death in different ways. George Lonegan (Damon) is a hardworking American who has a connection to the afterlife. When a french journalist, Marie 

(Cécile De France), has a near death experience, her outlook on life is changed forever. And

Matt Damon and Frankie/George McLaren

Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren), a young boy from London, is shaken to the core when the person closest to him passes away. Each on a quest to find answer, quests that will intersect their lives and change them forever.

The acting is superb, not only from Matt Damon, but also from Cécile De France and the young McLaren brothers. While nothing needs to be said about Clint Eastwood's brilliance behind the camera, 

he has produced yet another masterpiece that will take its place in my DVD collection.

The movie travels along at a slow pace to give the viewer enough time to take everything in, the visual imagery  is awesome and really captivates the viewers. The movie also boasts one of the best computer generated Tsunami's I have ever seen, it look extremely real, believable and genuinely scary.

If you enjoy good movies, this one is for you, regardless of your taste in film. Missing this one would almost be a cardinal sin, so next time you head to the video store, be sure to pick this one up. 

9.5/10