Movies
MoonlightRating: 5/5 Stars
Man, what a movie. I wish I could've seen this in 2016, as it most certainly would've been in my top 3 movies of the year. But at the very least, I am so glad I got the chance to see this movie. Words can't accurately describe what a powerful experience this movie is. It can relate to everyone, as the main theme is trying to find identity in a dark world. Chiron is an easy protagonist to attach to, as he's a likeable character who is very human. We see him at three different points in his life, and we get to see his flaws and his strengths. It's really quite beautiful to see a person portrayed so honestly. It also really helps that all three actors portraying him at his different life stages are all excellent. The real acting highlight goes to Mahershala Ali as Juan, also nicknamed "Blue" (when you watch the movie, you'll see why that nickname is so important). He embodies his character so believably, and even though this character too was not entirely perfect, I still felt for him. Ali was only in the movie for about 30-40 minutes, but he was very memorable. A lot of other things work about this movie: it is perfectly paced; I was invested in it for every second. The lighting in this movie is gorgeous, and the music always complements the mood. I can't recommend this movie enough, and I hope it gets plenty of Oscars, as it deserves them for sure.
Split
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
The more I think about this movie, the more I love it. I think M. Night is finally going to be back in audience and critics' good graces once again. "The Visit" started the director's return to form, but "Split" cemented his directing skills in delightful ways. This movie is one that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat, as it is a GREAT white-knuckled thriller. The way the movie is shot constantly makes you feel scared and uncomfortable. Of course, a lot of this is due to James McAvoy's dynamic performances; he may well have already given the best acting performance of 2017. McAvoy had quite the challenge to convince the audience that each of the personalities his character Kevin has are all distinct entities. It's hard enough to convincingly play one character, but to play about 7 different characters? It sounds nearly impossible. But McAvoy does it so well; I was entirely convinced he was playing different people, not just because of their different costumes, but more because he gave them big distinctions. My favorite personalities were the intriguing and menacing Patricia as well as the hilarious but also sympathetic Hedwig. Anja Taylor Joy also gives a great performance as the main character Casey. The audience knows something is different about her from the beginning of the movie, but are never sure why. M. Night cleverly unfolds her story in flashbacks throughout the movie in a way that feels natural. Betty Buckley also gives an interesting performance as Kevin's psychiatrist Dr. Karen Fletcher. One more thing that should be mentioned about the movie- there is quite the twist at the end that left me about as surprised as the twist of "The Sixth Sense". It doesn't make you entirely rethink the movie, but it will make you consider certain parts of the movie in different ways. The one flaw I found in this movie was the performance by the other two main girls, they just didn't contribute that much. Otherwise, M. Night Shamalyan is back, and I am hoping to see more great horror movies like this from him in the future!
The Lego Batman Movie
Rating: 4/5 Stars
After thoroughly loving "The Lego Movie" (heck it was one of my favorite movies of the year it came out), I was interested to see what the creators would do with the next movie. They certainly delivered with this delightful movie that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Let's talk about what is easily one of the best parts of this movie: the animation. This movie looks wonderful, and it is styled perfectly to make it look like the characters are in Gotham City. We see a lot of dark oranges and reds, along with a good amount of scenes taking place at night. All the characters look great too, with all of them feeling like more than just minifigures in the way that they're animated. Another great thing about this movie, is, of course, the jokes. This movie is essentially a Batman spoof in many ways, which is what audiences really needed after having so many different Batman movies over the years. The movie unrelentingly jokes about every Batman, putting a surprising but effectively large amount of emphasis on the campy 60s Batman TV show. In its light jabs at the Batman movies, it is also honoring them, too. The creators of this movie clearly have love for the Batman movies, as they make our man character likeable as well as three-dimensional. They don't shy away from addressing him losing his parents, as well as his desire to have another family. That's a brave topic to tackle in a movie like this, but the producers knew how to do it in a way that would be understandable to the younger audiences. All the voice acting in this movie is marvelous, especially Will Arnett's portrayal of Batman as well as Zach Galifinakis's delightfully unique portrayal of The Joker. The main negative of this movie (and it's not even that big of a problem) is that sometimes it can move just a little too fast, or there can be almost too many jokes packed in at one moment. Overall, though, this movie is great for the whole family, as people of all age groups can find something to enjoy about this!
Music
"After the Party" by the Mezingers (Album Review)Rating: 4/5 Stars
Favorite Songs: "Tellin' Lies", "Bad Catholics", "Thick as Thieves", "After the Party", "Midwestern States", "Your Wild Years"
Least Favorite Songs: "Livin' Ain't Easy", "Lookers", "The Bars"
"Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry (Track Review)
Rating: 2/5 Stars
I am not a big fan of Katy Perry, but when I heard what the subject of this song was going to be, I just had to check it out to see if articles were just over-exaggerating. Surely Katy Perry, out of all people, wouldn't make a song talking about how we are slaves to whatever is fed to us? But, believe it or not she did. Before I even get into the song, do you see the incredible hypocrisy of the theme Katy Perry is addressing? One of the things that is fed to us by the system, over and over again, is pop music. She got famous because of how much her music pandered to the generic tropes that pop radio has. She is biting the hand that is feeding her with this theme. What's perhaps most ironic about this song is how it sounds just like everything else on the radio: it's boring, processed, inane, and cliched. We've heard songs about not giving in to the system before, but it's much more convincing coming from a smart indie artist like Lorde than someone who has thought it was edgy to sing songs about kissing girls, getting drunk until passing out, and alien sex. The message of the song is totally lost because it is ultimately forgettable, the lyrics are awkward and forced ("Dance around like a wasted zombie"), and the song will get pounded into everyone's head by pop radio. I guess I can admit that the song isn't entirely awful, as Perry objectively sounds a little better here than she has in the past, and Skip Marley gives an interesting contribution that is ultimately the highlight of the song and what will probably be remembered by most. Still, overall this song is nothing revolutionary, and the theme that it tries to address is ultimately irrelevant.
"Heavy by Linkin Park (Track Review)
Rating: 1/5 Stars
I never in my life thought I'd be giving a 1 star to any Linkin Park song. Even on my least favorite LP album "Minutes to Midnight", the worst track on there would probably be a 2/5. But, man, every time I think about this song (I recently went back to listen to it again to see if it would grow on me, spoiler alert it didn't), I just hate it more and more. This song embodies pretty much every cliche of pop music imaginable. It has some cringe worthy lyrics that sound like they came from a middle school diary. Chester sings about how everything around him always feels so heavy, and I'm not even sure where his reasoning comes from. The track is clearly trying to appeal to young teenagers, and it is sickening. Chester's vocals aren't particularly impressive on this song; in fact they become almost grating in some parts where he has this annoying voice crack that is clearly forced. Kiarra is also featured on this song, and as I expected, I loathed her part. Her song "Gold" is overrated trash, and her presence on this song continues to solidify my opinion that she doesn't deserve attention. Her voice is not interesting at all, and she has way too much presence on this song. Chester only gets one verse while she gets a whole verse to herself as well as dominating the harmony of the chorus. This feels more like a Kiarra song than an LP song. But, it is unfortunately an LP song, which I still hate to admit to myself. If you want an emotional song by this band with an electronic flare, you're much better off listening to the superb songs "Burning in the Skies" or "Powerless". I'm really hoping that the rest of the album is not like this track.
"Black Rain" by Creeper (Track Review)
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Now I can finally talk about a song that I like! In fact, I love this song. I'd never heard of this band until I saw this song, and it does not disappoint. This new band clearly has a lot of potential to make some interesting changes in the rock scene. This song has a certain intensity to it that is just striking to me, and that is due in large part to Will Gould's unique vocal performance. His voice has this scream/sing quality that reminds of Project 86, which is not a bad thing at all. The chorus on this song is also very memorable, especially with keyboardist Hannah Greenwood's awesome backing vocals. I've had this song on repeat, and it is still not getting old to me. The song is a breakup song, but it's not like any breakup song I've heard, especially with its intriguing metaphorical lyrics: "We’re going through this phase where we feel nothing/Making out with ‘loneliness’/Cheating on each other with ‘regret’". The breakup feels all the more tangible as both sides of the relationship clearly have flaws in their own lives. I can't wait to see what the rest of the album has to offer if we're already getting deep lyrics like this.
"Died in My Sleep" by Demon Hunter (Track Review)
Rating: 5/5 Stars
"Cold Winter Sun" was an interesting single by Demon Hunter, but it didn't really show anything new for them; in fact, it felt like them checking off all the boxes for what is a typical DH song. But this song- oh man, this song is GREAT. I'd say this is the best song of the year this far. This song has a lot going for it. It starts off with these interesting electronic elements- Ryan Clark clearly is interested in incorporating influences from his side project NYVES, and I have no problem with that. The song then leads into one of the most incredible and hard-hitting guitar riffs I've heard from the band. The riff just sticks, sort of like in the way the riff on "Collapsing" (if there's any DH song I could compare this track to, "Collapsing" is definitely a good one to use). Ryan Clark's vocals also sound different here, as he abandons his typical lower register, and instead sings in a higher voice for a lot of the song. It is an interesting and good change. This track definitely has me excited to hear "Outlive", which I'm sure will continue Demon Hunter's trend of experimentation while also keeping true to their central sound.
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