Movies
You Were Never Really Here
Rating: 4/5 Stars
It's always refreshing to see a movie from a female director getting recognition, as there are unfortunately not that many female directors who are getting the attention they need. This film is really quite excellent. Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a veteran, has a job as a hitman where he tracks down missing girls that have been enslaved to the sex industry. The significant part of his job is where he kills those who do the crimes. His killing style, though, is cruel, relentless, and savage. The girl he saves in this movie, named Nina, could be his way to redeeming himself from his trauma-filled past, and his grim present. The most obviously impressive thing about this film is Phoenix's consistently dedicated performance. This is a showcase for him, as he is very often on screen by himself. He disappears into Joe, making this veteran an entirely believable character. You almost immediately understand this character's personality and motivations based on Phoenix's facial expressions and mannerisms alone. Often he only emotes through his face and body movement, and he ends up speaking volumes in that way. I was absolutely floored by his performance in the movie, as he shifts from moments of barely contained fury to other moments of heart-wrenching sadness. Phoenix shows rather than tells you how this character has become such a savage killer, and makes you feel sympathy for him in the process. I also really liked Ekaterina Samsonov as Nina. Her performance is also largely silent, but you entirely understand how her character progresses from beginning to end. This is where director Lynne Ramsey succeeds- she knows how to develop characters in intimate and uncomfortable ways. She shows every side of a character to the audience, making them feel so fleshed out and real. The way she tells Joe's story is genius in my opinion. She mainly focuses on him in the present, and seamlessly incorporates intermittent flashbacks. They are so quick and only last a couple of seconds, but you understand as a viewer what is going on in them. The violence in this movie is pretty graphic, but it is not shown in any delightful way. Sometimes violence in film is romanticized, but that is definitely not the case here. This cleverly reflects on Joe's distaste for violence, despite the fact that he feels he can't escape it. The main issue I have with this movie is that it ends way too abruptly. The more I've thought about the ending, the more I understand why the film had to end in the way it did. But, it still could've been executed a little better, as you just sort of sit there confused as to what you just saw. Still, "You Were Never Really Here" is a compelling character study and has powerful themes of how you can overcome the darkest parts of yourself. I definitely recommend it!
Music
"Voicenotes" by Charlie Puth
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Like I have said in the past, I will give any artist credit if they do good work, even if it's an artist I have not liked. I absolutely detested Puth's debut album "Nine Track Mind". It sounded like every track was pandered to make it big on radio, especially the insufferable "We Don't Talk Anymore". I honestly think it was, because there were so many hits on it. The album was just dull. Thankfully, Puth has vastly improved with his sophomore release "Voicenotes", which even he has said he considers to be his debut. It's nice to think that maybe Puth also didn't like his own actual debut. This album is pretty solid for a mainstream pop release, even if there are several generic and cheesy moments in it. "The Way I Am", for example, has some super cheesy lyrics, but Puth is a charming vocalist and the song has enough of a sort of upbeat, rocking edge, that the lyrics come off as self-aware. This song is actually one of my favorites, and opens the album on a positive note. My favorite song comes in "Attention", which was also one of my favorite hit songs of 2017. It's a fairly interesting, relationship-centered song about a girl who Charlie slowly realizes is only using him because she wants attention on herself. I love the bass groove the song has, and the 80's influence is a huge plus. The same goes for "How Long", which fittingly sounds like a sequel to "Attention". Once again, the bass is the star of the show and makes your head bob along to the song. Puth's falsetto is a lot of fun and works well rather than being grating. "If You Leave Me Now" features Boyz II Men, and them and Charlie together is absolutely a match made in heaven. The song is just gorgeous. As far as negatives go, the second half of this release in particular has songs that just string together and sound way to samey. "Change" has a nice message, but it's delivered in a pretty bad way lyrically. "Empty Cups" has Puth embodying this playboy personality which doesn't sound believable to me. "Through It All" has some frustratingly generic lyric and musical tropes that make the song the worst on the album, and it ends the release out on a bit of a negative note. Still, this album is WAY better than I would've ever thought it could be. I would actually say to go ahead and check it out!
Favorite Songs: "Attention", "If You Leave Me Now", "The Way I Am", "How Long", "Boy"
Least Favorite Songs: "Through It All", "Change", "Empty Cups"
"Disobey" by Bad Wolves
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
This band has been getting quite a bit of hype with them being recruited onto a major rock label by Five Finger Death Punch, and also due to the massive success of their cover of "Zombie". I really liked the cover, like many others, so I was interested to see what this band could do. This release is such a fun listen, even if it doesn't have a whole lot of stuff to distinguish it from other bands. Still, for a debut release, this is pretty impressive. The standout songs are what really lift this album up and make it stand out a bit. The opening track "Officer Down" is very daring in a variety of ways. For one, it is actually full-throttle intense, with shredding guitar riffs, and some brutal screaming from lead vocalist Tommy Vext. Subject-wise, this song is compelling in giving an account of a shooting from the perspective of a police officer as well as a black man. It's not often that a politically charged track will try to go into the mind of perspectives on opposing sides, and this song does it well. It doesn't try to side with one perspective or the other. "Learn to Live" is a track that I could see having success on radio if it was given a chance. This song will get stuck in your head, there's no denying that. Like I already mentioned, I love the "Zombie" cover. The way the band updates the lyrics is quite interesting, and shows that the theme of war/government corruption in this song still has haunting relevance to this day. Even though I disagree with the message of "Jesus Slaves", I still find the track musically to be pretty awesome, with a breakdown that you aren't going to forget anytime soon. The best song comes in the closing moment "Toast to the Ghost". I adore this song, and how it interestingly changes pace in its 5-minute run time. The ending of the track particularly left me speechless. There are some generic moments in this release, though. "Hear Me Now" is a very boring radio ballad, doing nothing to be interesting. "Remember When" suffers from a weak story structure, "Truth or Dare" comes and goes leaving no impact, and "The Conversation" is a bit generic. The good moments of this album are really good, though, and make me interested to see what Bad Wolves does next!
Favorite Songs: "Toast to the Ghost", "Officer Down", "Zombie", "Learn to Live", "Jesus Slaves"
Least Favorite Songs: "Hear Me Now", "Truth or Dare", "The Conversation"
"Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" by Arctic Monkeys
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
I'm going to keep this one brief, because there's not a whole lot of things I have to say passionately about this album. Arctic Monkeys have released a very weird album, mainly inspired by Alex Turner who has gotten a piano recently. That purchase results in an album that mainly consists of lounge music and some very bizarre lyrical choices. The title track compares a half moon to a side boob, which made me laugh. I've never quite heard something like that. There are some good moments here, such as the more upbeat "Four Out Of Five", which lyrically paints an intriguing dystopian landscape. I love the way the guitar and the piano interact in this track. The title track also does benefit from the bizarre lyric writing as well as an off-kilter vocal performance from Alex. There isn't a whole lot else that stands tall, unfortunately, because so many songs here blend into one another. That means that there aren't too many specific negatives I can point out to. The only song I didn't like, I guess, would be "Batphone", which comes across as the most boring song. Most other tracks here just sort of come and go without leaving impact, making for an album that is an unengaging listen. There were moments when I was intrigued because of the weird lyrical choices, but the dull lounge style made me tune out many times. I don't see myself coming back to this release ever again. It's not bad or good. It just sort of...exists.
Favorite Songs: "Four Out Of Five", "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino"
Least Favorite Songs: "Batphone"
"All I See Is War" by Sevendust
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Listening to this album made me realize that I need to go back and listen to the rest of Sevendust's discography. I've always heard about this band, but never got into them. The lead single from this album, "Dirty" appeared in my recommended feed, and it was probably one of the best things my recommended on YouTube has ever given me. Lajon Witherspoon has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard in the alternative metal scene, as he never once sounds bad or boring in any of the tracks on this album. "Dirty" has a wonderful chorus and establishes this idea of how we as a society are so divided now and are unwilling to have any type of conversation. I love this album's consistent thematic arc of how we are at war as a country, constantly looking for ways to tear one another down rather than actually talking. Sevendust addresses how disheartening this reality is repeatedly. "Medicated" states how we are so used to anger and hate now that we use it like a medication. I love how passionate and emotional Lajon's performance is in this track, and the guitar riffs cut through hard. "Risen" is one of the most hopeful and redemptive tracks around, as the band asks everyone to help each other rise from their darkness rather than kicking them back down into the abyss repeatedly. The ballad "Not Original" is absolutely chilling, as is the hard-hitting "Cheers", with some guitar riffs that will blow you away. The album ends on the most positive note it could with "The Truth", which is the most aggressive track on this release. This song asks more questions than it does giving answers, which might be the best way to talk about the divide we're seeing right now, and it promotes the idea that we should be asking each other things rather than looking for simple explanations. There aren't too many negatives on this release that prominently stand out to me. I suppose that "Descend" and "The Sickness" could be considered uninteresting. But, I honestly don't have any major issues with this release. Its powerful thematic arc stands tall, and the band's apparent chemistry kept me engaged throughout the entirely of this release. This may end up being one of my favorite releases of the year!
Favorite Tracks: "The Truth", "Medicated", "Dirty", "Risen", "Cheers"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Descend", "The Sickness"
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