Movies
Annihilation
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year for sure. Alex Garland absolutely blew me away with "Ex Machina", easily one of the most compelling and thought provoking sci-fi movies I've ever seen. It focused intensely on three different characters, and was more of an interesting character study than a sci-fi movie. That is what made the film work, plus the science fiction elements were legitimately interesting. "Annihilation" is about biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) signing up for a risky expedition into a world known as "The Shimmer" which has mysteriously appeared near a military base. She and a team of people go there to see why it may be present and find much more than what they were bargaining for. This film is pretty freaking awesome for the most part. Whenever the film is focusing on Lena and studying her character, I was always interested. That is certainly in part due to Portman's absolutely dynamic performance. This is easily her best work to date; I really thought that she gave Lena a strong and compelling character arc to watch and latch on to. I felt for her, and I liked how the flashbacks in the film were always done to strengthen her character development further. I also thought Oscar Isaac was excellent as her husband Kane; I wish he was in the film more. Another big highlight of this film is the visuals. This movie is absolutely stunning. The visuals are all very intriguing, especially in the ending where there are some very creative visual moments that I haven't really seen in a film before. I am also totally fine with this movie's slightly ambiguous ending. It adds to the suspenseful atmosphere this movie has, and somewhat similarly to science, the theories that could be postulated are left up to the audience. My biggest problem with this film is actually all the rest of the characters. There are great, dynamic female actors in this cast (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez), but all of their characters are just not written that well. I ultimately didn't care for the rest of the main characters that much, and whenever the movie was focusing on them, I found myself losing interest. Also, this film's flimsy scientific explanations can be confusing at times, and the movie can be dull at times as well, especially in the beginning half where it's taking far too long to move the plot along. Still, this film is unique, and Alex Garland's style is all over it. Even if it won't be one of my favorite movies of the year, I'd still recommend you see it for its impressive visuals and Natalie Portman's excellent work!
Music
"Firepower" by Judas Priest
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
This album has been out for a couple of months now, and it still hasn't left my rotation of music that I've been consistently listening to. Judas Priest came back with a vengeance with this album. I haven't been too into them in the past, though I acknowledge they have an impressive legacy. This may be my favorite album by them, and so far, "Firepower" is my favorite album of the year by a long shot. This album is almost pitch perfect from the beginning to end, boasting some of the most fun and intense hard rock/metal songs I've heard in quite some time. The title track opens the floodgates with some incredibly fun guitar riffs and pounding drums. When you hear Rob Halford's unbelievable vocals, you know that you're in a fun ride for this whole album. "Lightning Strike" is a track I can see working so well in a live setting. The lead guitar riff in this track still hasn't gotten out of my head. "Evil Never Dies" is probably the closest this album gets to an almost thrash metal sound, with all band members showing off just how great they are and how tight they are as a band. You can't help but headbang to this song, and scream out the chorus whenever it comes along. Now I will admit, lyrically, this album is not that deep. Most of these tracks are pump up songs about fighting wars against demons and Hell. But the lyrics aren't cringe worthy or anything; in fact they're so freaking fun. And when you have such excellent musicianship in every track, are the lyrics really worth complaining about. My favorite track comes in "Flamethrower", a five-minute metal onslaught with an incredible guitar solo. Halford really shows off his vocal range in this track, especially in its breathless ending. I also have to give huge props to the beautiful vocal harmonies in "Spectre", and the interesting commentary on what constitutes heroism in "Never the Heroes". If there were any negatives on this release, I'd have to say "Children of the Sun" is a little weaker in comparison to everything else on here. But otherwise, this album is a worthwhile listen, sounding like it came right out of the classic rock age. It's albums like this that prove rock will never die.
Favorite Songs: "Flamethrower", "Evil Never Dies", "Firepower", "Spectre", "Lightning Strike", "Never The Heroes"
Least Favorite Songs: "Children of the Sun"
"Eat The Elephant" by A Perfect Circle
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
I've never been familiar with A Perfect Circle, so do keep in mind that I'm not gonna be reflecting too much on the band's history or comparing this release to the band's previous discography. I am, however, familiar with how loved this band is by many people, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan seems like a very interesting individual. You should know before delving into this album that it's very political in nature, so if that's something that you don't like, then you probably don't want to listen to this release, and I myself have some problems with how politicized it is. But let's start with the positives. It took me quite a few listens to appreciate this release, but once I started really accepting its weirdness, the results were rewarding. My favorite track, one that I loved from my very first listen, is "Disillusioned". This song has so many interesting musical shifts in its nearly six-minute run-time. It is the embodiment of what great progressive rock should be. The idea of technology disconnecting us from the world is a subject that's been done before, but I think Maynard writes so well, that he makes the subject have a fresh viewpoint: "Time to put the silicon obsession down/Take a look around, find a way in the silence/Lie supine away with your back to the ground". The usage of piano and intermittent silence in this track is incredibly haunting and effective, making this simple subject feel very weighty in the track's context. Even though I don't see this album as a whole making my top 10 of the year, I think this track will make my top 10 songs of the year; it's that good. Other highlights include the menacing lead single "The Doomed", which is one of the only more intense tracks on the album. This song's blackly satirical commentary is interesting and relevant, and the drumming here is awesome. I also love "TalkTalk", where Maynard implores Christians to start walking like Jesus rather than just talking. This track is the most intense, and stands out because of that. I also found the more pop-flaired "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" to be a lot of fun, and I couldn't help but find Maynard's darkly comedic look on impending nuclear war as funny. As far as negatives of the album go, I do not much care for the title track, as it is just way to slow and dull for me. I also find "The Contrarian" to be obnoxiously obvious in its talking about Trump. The song never says his name, but it might as well with lyrics that lack any subtelty. "Get the Lead Out" is probably the worst song, and it unfortunately comes at the end of the album. This track is an unnecessary six-minutes long, and the content within the song doesn't justify that length. It feels more like a very extended outro. Still, there is quite a bit of interesting stuff to digest in this album, and I do appreciate how boldly weird it is. Check it out!
Favorite Songs: "Disillusioned", "TalkTalk", "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", "The Doomed", "Hourglass"
Least Favorite Songs: "Get the Lead Out", "The Contrarian", "DLB"
"Golden Hour" by Kacey Musgraves
Rating: 4/5 Stars
In my journey to become more open-minded to different music genres that I haven't been as receptive to in the past, the genre that I find the hardest to enjoy anything of is country. I don't know why, because with rock being my favorite genre, country is probably the genre that comes the second closest to it. I guess there's just something about it that makes me picky about what type of country I listen to, but I've still found artists that I like. One that's more recent is Kacey Musgraves, an artist who is definitely innovating within this genre. In fact, if you had played me this album and asked me what genre it was, I probably would've guessed pop/rock over country. There are definitely some country tinges within this release, but it's very different from your typical country release. Instead of talking about typical country subjects, a lot of the time this release has Kacey talking about how she appreciates the beauty of the world she's living in, as well as the relationships she has. She's clearly in a happy state of mind, as for the most part, this album feels positively euphoric. There's something addicting about the opening track "Slow Burn", which is a fitting title for the song. I love the acoustic guitar that plays throughout this track, and Kacey's vocals give off this very natural talent. I like how she's saying that she's okay with life going slow rather than taking in too much at once. "Lonely Weekend" has an absolutely irresistible chorus, and once again is interesting in its lyrics as Kacey tries to reconcile the idea of feeling lonely all the time with that time being where she can get to know herself more. "Butterflies" is a sweet ode to Musgraves's husband. This song just oozes natural charm and beauty. The same goes for "Oh What A World", my favorite track on the album. This song is just gorgeous, as it somehow puts synthesizers and a banjo together in just the right way. I also love the use of vocoder in the track, as it does give off this ethereal wonder for the world surrounding us. Other highlights include the short but heart wrenching piano-driven ballad "Mother", the beautiful break up song "Space Cowboy", and the lyrically beautiful song "Love is a Wild Thing". As far as negatives go, I didn't really care a lot for "High Horse", as those two words being said in the song come across as awkward. I also think that "Velvet Elvis" doesn't really fit the vibe this album is going for. Even if you're not the biggest country fan, I'd recommend you listen to this album. It might be a good gateway for you to listen to other country artists!
Favorite Songs: "Oh What a World", "Slow Burn", "Love is a Wild Thing", "Lonely Weekend", "Mother"
Least Favorite Songs: "Velvet Elvis", "High Horse"
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