Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code

 I don't feel like writing a full review of The Da Vinci Code, but I'll write in the scores anyways.

Overall: 8.25/10
Acting/Casting: 7/10
Direction: 7/10
Script/Storyline: 9/10
Music: 7/10
Editing/Special FX: 9/10

Stadium Arcadium

I decided to post my personal favorites from the massive Stadium Arcadium album. If your on a budget, go to iTunes and buy these songs, otherwise get the whole album.

• Dani California
  
• Snow ((Hey Oh))
• Stadium Arcadium
• Hump De Bump
• Especially In Michigan
• Hard To Concentrate
• Make You Feel Better

CD Review: Stadium Arcadium, by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The new Red Hot Chili Peppers album came out this week, and it is a mammoth of an album. It has an amazing 28 songs on two disc. The music is all great, with a few songs that really stand out.  The rap/funk/rock group produced about half a dozen fantastic songs, which is actually not so amazing, considering it has 28 songs on it. The guitars are fantastic, as are all the other instruments. The lyrics are a bit flawed in most of the tracks, but the vocals make up for that.
All in all, this is a great album, and a great value too. I would not say that this is a must buy, because it is an album with only a handful of great songs, and you don't need to listen to the whole album to feel the real impact. If you're on a budget, you can stick with buying your favorite songs off of iTunes, or listening to them up to five times for free on Napster.

Overall: 9/10
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Riffs and Beats: 8.5/10
Key Tracks: Dani California, Snow ((Hey Oh)), Stadium Arcadium, Hard To Concentrate

CD Review: Eyes Open, by Snow Patrol

There were two CDs released this week that I was waiting for: Eyes Open, and Stadium Arcadium, by Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is the greater of the two, even if by a small margin. The strongest track is Hands Open, which was released earlier. That is the only really great song on the album, but it has so many other very good songs, that it doesn't need a bunch of hits. The he songs hold togethor very well as an album, and were not meant to be singles, except Hands Open. The vocals are impressive, as is the music all around. The lyrics are deeper than most albums these days, so it won't prove dissapointing. If you listen to this album repeatedly, it will just get better and better.

Overall: 9.25/10
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 8.5/10
Music: 8.5/10
Riffs and Beats: 8/10
Key Tracks: You're All I Have, Hands Open, Shut Your Eyes

Movie/TV Awards

Since this is a relatively new blog, I didn't get a chance to do an awards post for 2005, so I decided to make an awards post for any movies or TV shows that came out or were shown in between September 1, 2005 and May 1, 2006. I do plan to do another awards post next January, and that will include all of 2006 including those nominated for awards this time around.

Best Action Movie:
V For Vendetta (Runner-Up)
   Inside Man
King Kong
The Sentinel
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Best New TV Show (Action/Drama):
   Prison Break
Commander-in-Chief
Reunion (Cancelled) (Runner-Up)

Best Continuing TV Show (Action/Drama):
Lost (Runner-Up)
House
   24

Best Continuing TV Show (Comedy):
The Office (Runner-Up)
   Scrubs
That '70s Show (The new season isn't very good...)

Music Awards

Since this is a relatively new blog, I didn't get a chance to do an awards post for 2005, so I decided to make an awards post for any music that came out in between September 1, 2005 and May 1, 2006. I do plan to do another awards post next January, and that will include all of 2006 including those nominated for awards this time around. (Note that Best New Band includes all of 2005 also.)

Best Album by a Veteran Artist:
Have A Nice Day, by Bon Jovi (Runner-Up)
   A Bigger Bang, by The Rolling Stones
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, by Paul McCartney

Best Album by a New Band:
   Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am, by Arctic Monkeys
How To Save A Life, by The Fray
Z, by My Morning Jacket (Runner-Up)

Best (Alternative) Rock Song:
Hands Open, by Snow Patrol
   I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, by Arctic Monkeys
World Wide Suicide, by Pearl Jam (Runner-Up)
Rough Justice, by The Rolling Stones

Best Soft Song:
   How To Save A Life, by The Fray
Streets of Love, by The Rolling Stones (Runner-Up)
Riot Van, by Arctic Monkeys

Best New/Breakout Band:
The Fray
My Morning Jacket (Runner-Up)
   Arctic Monkeys

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible III

The third installment in the Mission: Impossible movie series came out this weekend in the US, and it definitely holds up the good name of the movie series. This one is more of a thriller than the first two installments though. Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames reprise their roles as IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agents. This time around, the adventures take them to the Vatican and Shanghai, while stopping the new villain, played by Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
The break-ins are bigger than ever. "Langley was a cakewalk compared to this," says Ving Rhames in an allusion to the first M:I. Legendary TV producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) directs this one.
The acting is great all around, but nothing new. The editing and special FX are spectacular, and the story is excellent. This movie is an instant classic to fans of either the Mission: Impossible series, Tom Cruise, or action movies in general.

Overall: 9.75/10
Acting: 9/10
Direction: 10/10
Script/Storyline: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Editing/Special FX: 10/10

CD Review: Pearl Jam, by Pearl Jam

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the new eponymous Pearl Jam CD, and was pretty satisfied. Pearl Jam is one of my favorite bands, and I even got tickets to one of their upcoming San Francisco concerts, so admittedly, I had some high expectations. I already had World Wide Suicide and Unemployable, two of the stronger songs on the album, but the album still had half a dozen other fantastic songs. The lyrics are as strong as ever, and the drumming and guitars are very good. The album does, however, lack great riffs, other than on World Wide Suicide. Their are no filler tracks, so your bound to be happy with the quality of the album as a whole. Overall, this is an excellent album, and a must buy for Pearl Jam fans.

Overall: 8.5/10
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 8/10
Music: 8/10
Riffs and Beats: 8/10