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

Movie Review: The Sentinel

I just saw The Sentinel last night, and wasn't disappointed. The movie stars Michael Douglas as a Secret Service agent who is being framed for the assassination of the US President. His goal is to prove his innocence, while saving the president's life and escaping the wrath of Kiefer Sutherland, his ex-best friend, who is leading up the investigation. Personally, I would watch pretty much anything with Kiefer Sutherland in it, since I am an enormous 24 fan. (Kiefer is the star of 24.) Just that made this movie worthwile for me, but it would have still been a fantastic film without him.
The movie had a bit of a slow start, but once the movie came into full action, I simply loved it. The casting and acting was done well, the editing made the film worthwile, adn the direction was excellent.

Overall: 8.5/10
Acting: 9/10
Direction: 8/10
Script/Storyline: 9/10
Music: 7/10
Editing/Special FX: 8/10

Movie Review: A History of Violence

I finally saw A History of Violence today on DVD. It stars Viggo Mortenson as a man who becomes a local hero after saving a few lives at his diner. The publicity brings him to the attention of some mobsters, however, who question his identity. It was quite suprising actually, I read many fantastic reviews of it (particularly by Rolling Stone), and heard about some people who hated the movie, and frankly I don't agree with either. I think that it was a good movie, but not a great movie, and certainly not bad. The acting was fantastic, and the action scenes were very good. In conclusion, this movie shouldn't dissapoint you, but don't watch it with very high expectations.

Overall: 8/10
Acting: 9/10
Direction: 8/10
Script/Storyline: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Editing/Special FX: 9/10

Movie Review: Scary Movie 4

I saw Scary Movie 4 today, and I must say that it was a bit of a letdown. Although it was still funny, the acting was very weak, and the jokes seemed too repetitive and boring. It is worth seeing if your already a fan of the series, but to any new fans, I would suggest watching one of the earlier installments in the "trilogy".

Overall: 6/10
Acting: 5/10
Direction: 6/10
Script/Storyline: 6/10
Music: 6/10
Editing/Special FX: 7/10

Video Game Review: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360)

Advanced Warfighter is the third installment in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. This is a fantastic game. The single-player campaign is incredibly hard, and will keep you occupied for a long time. The multi-player is great, thanks to the huge amount of customizable features. It also has a co-op campaign that you can play online or on your own Xbox 360. This game features possibly the best graphics ever, and will stay fun for a while.

Overall: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Single-Player Gameplay: 9/10
Multi-Player Gameplay: 8/10
Online Gameplay: 9.5/10
Sound: 8/10
Replay Value: 8/10

Video Game Review: Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360)

This is one of the first good first-person shooters for Xbox 360, and probably the best World War II game ever. It features gorgeous graphics on the next-generation console and has an incredible single-player campaign. Also, the multi-player and Xbox Live support are fantastic. A great achievement in video games, you should love it. You will definetely enjoy playing through multiple difficulty levels.

Overall: 9.5/10
Graphics: 8/10 (In comparison to other next-generation games)
Single-Player Gameplay: 10/10
Multi-Player Gameplay: 9/10
Online Gameplay: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Replay Value: 10/10 (Both the single-player and multi-player)

Movie Review: The Benchwarmers

Rob Schneider stars in this new baseball movie about "nerds" who never had a chance to play baseball as kids, and now are competing in a children's league. The movie is silly, but not has its moments. Jon Heder, David Spade and Jon Lovitz co-star, and are all very funny, particularly Heder. This isn't necessarily a movie that will stay fresh in your mind for too long, but is an interesting flick if your a fan of one of the actors, or didn't get enough of Jon Heder in Napolean Dynamite.

Overall: 5/10
Acting: 7/10
Direction: 5/10
Script/Storyline: 6/10
Music: 5/10
Editing/Special FX: 4/10

Movie Review: Inside Man

Inside Man is the best movie I've seen so far this year. Period. Denzel Washington stars in this movie about a bank-robbery that goes beyond a bank robbery. Although the film is incredibly confusing, with a very difficult to understand plot, it is worth watching at least twice. Spike Lee's direction of it is fantastic, not to mention the great special FX and music. A top-class movie.

Overall: 9.5/10
Acting: 8/10
Direction: 9/10
Script/Storyline: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Editing/Special FX: 8/10

Movie Review: Lucky Number Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin contains a suprising mix of fine actors, in an excellent, yet confusing, action-thriller. It stars Josh Hartnet, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Sir Ben Kingsley. Paul McGuigan directs. The movie has many secrets which are not revealed until near the end. The script is what makes this movie so great though. I highly suggest watching this movie, maybe even twice.

Overall: 8.5
Acting: 8/10
Direction: 8/10
Script/Storyline: 9/10
Music: 7/10
Editing/Special FX: 8/10

CD Review: Z, by My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket are unquestionably one of the best bands of 2005. The only CD's that rivaled this album last year were A Bigger Bang, by The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney's new album, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard. This album was named number one on multiple lists last year, and rightfully so. The singing and lyrics are superb, but the production is what really blew me away. A fantastic CD, go out and buy it.

Overall: 9.25/10
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Riffs and Beats: 7/10

CD Review: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not, by Arctic Monkeys

This new CD, entitled "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not", is fantastic! Thealbum has quickly risen to become one of my favorites. It broke sales records in England, it was named the fifth best album ever by NME Magazine, and it is just flat out great! This new band was just named the "Best British Band of the Year", and it looks like they are going to be a tough act to beat for a while. Buy this CD now, and look for more from these guys soon! Get tickets to their American tour if you can, I know I did! The only flaws in this album is that it feels a bit rushed, cramming 13 songs in a short period of time and that the musicians are not the best at their instruments. Although all of the bandmembers are competent, none are incredible, seeing as they've only been playing for a few years.


Overall:9.75/10
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 7/10
Music: 10/10
Riffs and Beats: 9/10

Buy These Now!

This is a list of some music that I truly suggest that you buy, I'll try to update this list from time to time.
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not/Arctic Monkeys
Z/My Morning Jacket
Eyes Open/Snow Patrol


Got any suggestions for the list? Comment on this post.

Blog

I made a blog! I'm going to post revies of movies I watch, video games I play, and music I listen to.