Moonrise Kingdom 2012 Film Review and Screenshots

Set in 1965, Moonrise Kingdom is a stylized coming of age film that delivers on its promise to bring the viewer of any age back to the intensity of just-entering-adolescence love. That alone makes this an extraordinary film. In addition, the music and imagery are beautifully orchestrated to delight the senses. The casting, characters, and acting are superb. It is rare to have a film that puts together this much talent and then taps it to the fullest.

Top 10 Alternative/Indie Rock Albums Of 2012

Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives

Mmoss - Only Children

Jack White - Blunderbuss

David Byrne / St. Vincent - Love This Giant

Father John Misty - Fear Fun

Dr. John - Locked Down

The Walkmen - Heaven

OFF! - OFF!

Grimes - Visions

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives Review (indie rock)

For a first foray into work fully by himself Ben really tossed out some good stuff. A lot of it are songs that fans of Death Cab have gotten to listen to for awhile now at live shows and such, but for the most part no one has heard these songs and they aren't the subject of much attention. They should be though. Ben (Benjamin? Really man, we all know its you) has gotten an opportunity that is long overdue. Between Death Cab for Cutie's discography, the album with Jay Ferrar as a soundtrack to the novel Big Sur and the ever iconic Give Up from the Postal Service (seriously, fans clamor for a second album from that duo like salivating animals) Ben has established himself as a simplistic yet personal lyricist and singer that reminds us all of the simpler aspects of life while the world flies by around you.

T.I. - Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head Review (Rap)

I had to put how I feel about this album in one sentence, it would be this: Trouble Man is a hard hitting album that doesn't let up, and because of that it might be worth buying just a few tracks instead of the whole album.

I grew up loving rap artists like, Dre, Tupac, C-Lo, Ice-Cube and like current artists like Lupe Fiasco, Common and Atmosphere. One thing I liked about TI's previous work was that his music was like a combination of good modern southern rap and old school 90's hip hop.

Tame Impala - Lonerism Review (indie rock)

Tame Impala's previous album, 2010's superb 'Innerspeaker--as original and forward-thinking as it was compared to most modern psychedelic albums--was very reminiscent of '66-'67-era Beatles, if the Beatles of that time had time-traveled to the present and listened to massive amounts of Dungen's Swedish space-rock before recording their next album, making use of modern studio wizardry. But, while Kevin Parker's voice still sounds a lot like Lennon's (and probably always will), 'Lonerism' is a giant step forward in the evolution of their sound, seemingly influenced as much by the mid-70's, electronic-based interstellar sounds of bands like Tangerine Dream and Italy's Sensations' Fix as the Beatles this time around, while at the same time sounding utterly fresh and unique.

Big Boi - Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors Review

Big boi is back with his new 2nd solo album and i have to say at first i needed to get used to it so i said say hey this is like an out kast album but with out andre.

This album brings you into an big filled world into big boi world of out kast on his own and this album its good its great and could be an classic album for big boi solo effort.

The thing is that is album will not reach the status of an out kast album its because an new group album is much more demanded by the world of fans out there so when andre gets his head out is ass lol we will get that new out kast album soon are never guys.

Total Recall 2012 Film Review and Screenshots

I kept thinking about the original film while watching this one. To put it simply: Arnold was better than Colin Farrell. Kate Beckinsale in the expanded role is better than Sharon Stone, and I really love them both. Jessica Biel is better than anyone, if you don't believe me, ask her. What I really liked about this film is the updated special effects, down to the electronic notes on the refrigerator door. I love attention to detail.

Scott Walker - Bish Bosch Review (Experimental)

I have always been a fan of Walker's work, whether it be his 60's crooning stint with the Walker Brothers or his last 30 plus year journey into the nether-regions of soundscaping that started with the Walker Brothers' Night Flights. Bish Bosch completes a trilogy that began with Tilt (1995) and Drift (2006). This is the most fully realized of the trilogy and is, in my opinion, the best of the three. Instead of going through each song, which is the all too cliched way of reviewing music, I'd rather critique this music on what I feel the artist's intent was and if he was successful in conveying that intent. Walker has been working in the medium of music and poetry like no one else really has over the last 30 years. His lyrics are rich in ambiguity and imagery.

On the Road Begins Theatrical Journey in New York City

The upcoming IFC Films adventure drama ‘On the Road’ is set to be released in select New York City theaters, including the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinema, on December 21. The independent film, which was directed by Walter Salles, stars Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss and Viggo Mortensen.

Martin Rossiter - Defenestration of St Martin Review (Britpop)

Martin Rossiter, former front man for 90's Britpop group, Gene, has just released his first solo album since Gene's breakup in 2004. Martin has not been entirely out of the music scene in these last eight years, but this certainly is the strongest sign that he is back and in full form. "The Defenestration of St. Martin" is, at least in this listener's ear, a total triumph, an instant classic, and a record that fans will be able to turn to again and again over the years without ever growing tired.

Martin returns to his intensely introspective lyrical style that is positively gripping, heart wrenching, and racked with pain.

Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter Review (Pop/Rock)

Gavin DeGraw makes it to his fourth album. pretty much covering the same turf as his first three. He's still milking the same blue-eyed soul turf that has made stars out of Jason Mraz currently and Daryl Hall decades before. What differentiates "Sweeter" from his other CD's is that he decided to allow co-writers on-board for the first time. On of them, Ryan Tedder, has been all but certified as the current Midas Touch-man, ala Mick Ronson. Tedder is also the producer of those two songs, emphasizing the piano and making the title song sound tougher than it really is. Andrew Frampton also produces/cowrites a pair, "Run Every Time" and the closer, "Spell It Out."

Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind Review (Hardcore-Punk)

I listen to them much more often than is likely healthy. I've bought all the albums. Heck, they've been the inspiration behind multiple tattoos. Yeah, I like Converge and this review is going to reflect that. Still reading? Awesome; let's get into this thing.

All We Love We Leave Behind is the best album of the year. I'm not going to tiptoe around it. Converge has yet to release a poor album; everything in their catalogue is nothing short of brilliant. From the earlier madness of When Forever Comes Crashing to fan favorite Jane Doe, all the way to the aural madness that is Axe To Fall, every release has had unique characteristics that drive it to greatness while never sacrificing that trademarked, undeniable Converge sound. Heavy. Angry. Emotional. Relentless. On All We Love We Leave Behind, Converge make the next logical step and release quite possibly their best work yet and one of the finest pieces of art I've ever experienced.

Hoobastank - Fight Or Flight Review (Post-Grunge)

Based on the strength of the lead Single "This is Gonna Hurt" I was looking forward to this album. Being a Fan of the band previous albums (sans For(n)ever) and after hearing the lead single I was ready to pop this baby into the player and rock out with my....elbows out. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.

The Albums starts off strong with the nice, hard rocking tune "This is Gonna Hurt" unfortunately this is where things start to go soft. (like my...elbows) The rest of the albums consists of slower paced songs. I found myself extremely bored with this album, and frequent song skips became all too familiar.

The Walking Dead' Midseason Finale Draws 10.5 Million Viewers

AMC's The Walking Dead wrapped the fall portion of its third season in style, logging a monster 10.5 million total viewers for the premiere 9 PM telecast and 15.2 million for the night, including two encores. That was just shy of the record-breaking 10.9 million Live+Same Day total viewers who tuned in to the third season premiere in October. Compared with Season 2 midseason finale in 2011, last night’s audience was up a whopping 58%. The Walking Dead midseason finale drew 6.9 million adults 18-49, up 54% vs. Season 2, and 6.0 million adults 25-54, up 52%. Both qualify as the second-highest deliveries for the zombie series behind the Season 3 premiere (7.3 million in 18-49, 6.1 million in 25-54).

Box Office Briefing: Killing Them Softly Has Perished Swiftly

This is one of those “dead zone” weekends of the year, a weekend in which very few films have ever opened to big success. The post-Thanksgiving weekend is practically a death slot, as is the first weekend in December (which should bode ill for next week’s wide releases). But the after that it’s pretty much smooth sailing as the box office explodes mid-December (as it will this year with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey). We just need to get through this dead zone first, as every wide release, even one starring Brad Pitt, is practically guaranteed to fail.

A Good Day to Die Hard Reveals a New Featurette

Twentieth Century Fox Film, in a promotional partnership with RAM Trucks, has revealed a new featurette from the upcoming A Good Day to Die Hard. Check it out in the player below and read about a special contest RAM is holding to win tickets to the US premiere by clicking here.

Elbow - Dead in the Boot Review

When a band releases its "Best Of B-Sides" record, that's usually an ominous cue that they might be running out of ideas. And yes, I know that on the last tour, Elbow did like a 5-song ballad break in the middle of every set while the band sat around a table and drank whiskey in celebration of their 20th anniversary together as Guy Garvey serenaded them. There's just one problem with the stereotype: this is actually a terrific album that might be better than one or two of their studio albums. Obviously, it being a B-side collection, there's no lead single here, but so what? There wasn't one on their last record either. Instead you get 13 moody meditations on everything from the price of phone sex to the War On Terror.

Kid Rock - Rebel Soul Review (Hard Rock)

So, two years after his Rick Rubin produced album "Born Free", Kid Rock is back with his new album "Rebel Soul." This time though things are different, there's no big name producer on board (Kid Rock produced this one himself) and things got a little less serious. I am going to review the album track-by-track based on several listening from start to finish.

Track #1 "Chickens In The Pen": This is great way to start the album and sets the tone for what's to come. The song is upbeat, melodic and makes you want to get up and dance. A great fun rock n roll song to kick start the album.
My rating: 8.5 /10

Elvis Costello - In Motion Pictures Review (Pop/Rock)

There is absolutely no point to this CD. The songs don't even fit well next to each other. If you have all the songs, just piece together a movie themed playlist if you feel the need (but I really wonder why that is appealing). As far as movie songs go, they left off two that could have made this better. Never Fall in Love Again from one of the Austin Powers movies and Party Party from some English movie back in the 80s. There are way better EC albums and compilations to buy that's for sure.

Verdict: 20/100

Joe Cocker - Fire It Up Review (Pop/Rock)

A good album from Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker has still got it. I was 14 years old when With A Little Help From My Friends came out and stood me on my ear, and I thought at the time that Cocker's throat would be in shreds by the end of the song, never mind 44 years later. But no - all the power and emotion is still there in the vocals on this album and he shows that he is a truly great and enduring rock and blues singer. The band is excellent - punchy and empathetic with some fine guitar work, solid bass and prominent drums - and the production is very good. The production is rich with fine backing vocals which aren't over-done and you know that you are listening to a classy product.

Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire Review

De Novo Adagio (intro) - A short and simple intro that showcases the classically trained skills that some may have forgotten Ms. Keys possessed. Would have been lovely if this were longer with lyrics attached. I wonder what that would have sounded like.

Brand New Me - The intro goes straight into this song, which actually brings the lyrics that I hoped to hear mentioned above. I think this song is a personal note to all of her critiques out there that have had issues with the way her personal life has resulted to the past few years. She talks about her growth, and how no one should be mad or feel bad for the changes that have occurred with her. This song is about accepting oneself, and not worrying about the opinions of others. It's a really good song with a poignant message. However, there were essences of straining in some areas of the song.

John Zorn - The Concealed Review (Jazz)

"The Concealed" brings together Bar Kokhba and The Dreamers. In this sense, it is the Zornian version of Marvel's The Avengers. The band is composed of John Medeski, Mark Feldman, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, Kenny Wollesen and Erik Friedlander. So minus a couple of cats like Marc Ribot and Jamie Saft, these guys are the John Zorn All-Stars. "The Concealed" is a melodically satisfying journey. This is a relaxing adventure that is as cerebral as it is enchanting. While there is much collaboration, the two groups generally trade-off. A Dreamers tune will lean on the jazzy side of things while the following Bar Kokhba song will have a chamber sensibility. While classified as one of Zorn's mystical works, it lacks the harp and orchestral bells that characterize other works in the series like "Vision in Blakelight." Along similar lines, The Dreamers deliver their magical chill vibe but leave the lounge, surf and exotica at home.

Killer Joe Review and Screenshots (Killer Joe 2011 Film Review and Screenshots)

Few films contain such a palpable mix of dark comedy and brutality as William Friedkin's Killer Joe. The film reunites Friedkin with writer Tracy Letts, who last worked together on 2006's Bug. That film was a memorable little oddity that polarized audiences. If you have the stomach for it, Killer Joe is the superior film. For Friedkin, whose career was built on successes he had decades ago, it's a roaring comeback. For the star Matthew McConaughey, it's a career renaissance. In the last year, after serving time as the go-to guy for romantic comedies, McConaughey has begun taking on more daring roles and this is his most daring yet. It's also his best performance.