"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 2/5 Stars

There is no denying that the "Harry Potter" franchise is one of the most beloved parts of our society. Both the seven book series and eight movies are held in high regard by many. I would include myself in that mix as well (excluding "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", which needs a whole separate post to discuss my problems with it... that'll be coming soon in a special review series I'm planning). In fact, I would still consider myself a super fan of everything to do with Harry Potter. I went to the book release of the Deathly Hallows dressed as the titular character, I've been to the Universal Studios theme park, I've seen the Harry Potter studios in England, and I have seen every HP movie and read every HP book countless times. I was a little apprehensive about "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" when trailers came out. It looked like it would be a bit of a mindless CGI fest and cash grab. I went in with low expectations, and came out feeling very happy. The movie retained much of the Potter magic, and had a charming cast of characters. It had its problems (such as sudden shifts in tone and a few forgettable plot threads), but overall I really liked it. So, I was actually getting excited for the sequel "Crimes of Grindelwald". And then the trailers came out and gave me the exact same feeling the first movie did. There were some questionable decisions revealed in the trailers: young Dumbledore, Nagini is apparently a human now, there is a new Lestrange in the mix. However, I still went into this move hopeful. Afterall, the first one surpassed my expectations. Sadly, the same can't be said for this one. This is easily the most worst Potter-based film to date. Most of the signature magic and wonder is drained thin due to way too many poor (and often idiotic) writing choices, performances that lack passion, and some problematic twists that threaten to shake the foundations of the original series.

Let's talk about what works in this movie. Despite all the craziness of the plot that Rowling has written out, David Yates still proves to be a confident director. He was the one who really injected the Harry Potter movies with the magic it's known for today, in my opinion. Though the other directors of the HP movies were all good in their own right, it was really Yates who knew how to make the books come to life. Even though Rowling's writing can be rather bad in this film, Yates still is able to make a lot of stuff bounce off the page. This is especially apparent in the exciting beginning of the movie where Grindelwald makes a grand escape. There are quite a few impressive shots in this movie, many that look beautiful. Yates really does his best at trying not to tangle plot threads together too much, making them as comprehensible as possible. Even though it doesn't entirely work, I still commend him for trying his best with what he was given. Another part of this movie that works is Eddie Redmayne's performance as Newt. He was really great in the first film, and he's just as good in this one. Newt is a very different protagonist to Harry: whereas Harry had a constant darkness digging at him, Newt seems just essentially good and nice. He isn't tough like Harry; rather, his heroism comes in the compassion he has for people and animals alike. I find that pretty compelling, and the way Redmayne presents that compassion is often touching. Newt is the only character in this film who has a good character arc. He is the only character who legitimately changes by the end, and his change was not what I was expecting it to be. I also loved Jude Law as Dumbledore. I had very conflicting feelings about a young Dumbledore being in this movie: my issue with it was it just seemed like unnecessary fan service, but I also had some hope because I really like Law as an actor. Thankfully he delivers, and Rowling really seems to know what she wanted to do with him more than most characters here. We get to see some insecurities of Dumbledore we hadn't before. (Mild Spoiler Alert Ahead) Something that made me smile was when Dumbledore talked briefly about an important part of his past that was entirely passed over in the "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" film. I honestly wish that this part wasn't overshadowed by all the idiocy in this film, because it might be one of the best moments in any HP film. (End Spoiler) I also found Zoe Kravitz and Katherine Waterson great in their respective roles of Leta and Tina, even if they didn't have the best material to work with. Some of the new creatures in this movie are interesting, though they are in sadly small quantity for a movie with "beasts" in its title.

Now it's time to get to my problems with this film, and unfortunately there is a lot to discuss. I'll try to keep it short, because it's not really worth my time to talk about this movie for ages on end. My main problems with this movie lie in J.K. Rowling's writing. I never thought that I would have to utter that sentence at any point in my life. Now granted, Rowling's prose has never been entirely flawless. People have pointed out that her original Harry Potter series can have unnecessary plot points and feel overly bloated. I can see this being apparent in books like "The Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix" especially. I appreciate the directors of the movie adaptations for bringing the essentials of those books out while still keeping Rowling's spirit in tact. But even with her minor writing problems, I still felt that Rowling always knew to keep what was important at the center of the story: the struggle between Harry and Voldemort. That was always the main point of the books, along with Harry's relationships to Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Snape. In "The Crimes of Grindelwald", it feels like Rowling has no clue what she wants to focus on. Is it Newt's desires to protect his beasts? Is it Dumbledore giving Newt a mission to defeat Grindelwald? Is it Leta Lestrange trying to escape her past? Or is it Credence trying to discover the truth of his lineage? Or is it Grindelwald trying to convince people of his beliefs about freeing the world of Muggles? Rowling is trying to balance WAY too many plot threads, here. It almost seems like she was trying to make all her characters in this movie have equal weight. There's no real protagonist here, as everyone gets equal screen time. This choice doesn't work. Besides Newt, there's not really a character we can attach to. Most of these characters are new, or we just don't care about them. Leta isn't given enough time to develop, save a brief flashback. This flashback doesn't give us a compelling reason to care for her. Credence could be interesting, but once again, we aren't given much reason to see why it's so important he know his lineage. Grindelwald is a highly generic villain. There's no menace that exudes from him, and unlike Voldemort, his reason for his ultimate plan is not intriguing or frightening.

Because of the many plots going on in this movie, I was often left feeling confused. Even though Yates tries his best to make the story feel linear, it still just doesn't work. I don't blame that on him. I blame it on Rowling for all the really questionable and sometimes downright mind-boggling writing choices she made. One of the most primary was the introduction of Nagini as... a Korean girl? Rowling tries her hardest to justify this choice. Nagini is apparently a magical person who has a curse that they will eventually turn into an animal forever the more they turn into said animal. There was literally no point in making Nagini a human. She doesn't remotely affect the plot of this movie. In fact, you could take her out and nothing about this movie would change. That can be said for most of the characters in this movie. Leta Lestrange's story has some weight to it initially, but that weight disappears pretty quickly once you figure out that her character has nothing truly at stake. Katherine Waterson has an excellent performance as Tina, but her story is done with so quickly that you're given hardly any time to care. In fact, of the four central characters from the original movie, the only one that is consistent with their personality from the first is Newt. For some reason, Dan Fogler's Jacob Kowalski, who was perhaps the best part of the first movie, is reduced to a bumbling comedic relief side character. In the first movie, he was funny, but that came out of his natural charm. It wasn't like he was constantly messing things up or just being constantly clueless. In fact, he served as what the audience's reactions would be if they were to encounter the magical world, which was what made his character work. He's not at all like that in this movie. For most of it, he hardly has a character trait at all besides being funny. It's really disappointing what the movie does with Queenie, who I considered to be the most compelling character in the first film. The character choices she makes in this movie make no sense with who she was in the first. And unfortunately, for as much as I like Law's portrayal of Dumbledore, even he has no real bearings on the story. He just gives a quest to Newt, and there's not much else he does to legitimately effect the plot. I think the movie really could've explored his relationship with Grindelwald more to make us truly understand how complex it was. But J.K. Rowling is too afraid to explore their relationship beyond implying things about it. The only characters that are important to this movie realistically are Newt, Grindelwald, and Credence. But Grindelwald isn't interesting, and Credence is annoying.

Let's talk about the performances in this movie, because unfortunately there's a lot of weak performances in addition to the bad writing. I'm not sure if the bad writing escalated the bad performances, or if these just weren't the right people to play the characters. Johnny Depp gives the worst performance I've seen in any Rowling/Potter movie as Grindelwald. Usually Depp is too over the top in his performances nowadays, but here he just looks bored. Honestly, I would've preferred the over-the-top. At least it would've given the audience something ridiculous to watch. Instead what we get is a villain who is already generically written, and that is put on top of a generic performance. This was another aspect of the movie I was worried about, as Depp just hasn't been a great actor lately. It's hard to believe there was a time when I considered him one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite actor. It's sad what he's become. Like I mentioned before, Dan Fogler's character is reduced to just comedic relief. I feel as though Fogler plays his character too cartoony. This totally contradicts what is a darker toned movie. I'm not saying that the dark tone of this film works (it doesn't for the most part), but the comedic aspects make the tone of the film feel even more confused. I don't completely blame Alison Sudol for her performance of Queenie. She basically had to change her character's personality in this film for her illogical changes to work. It doesn't feel like I'm watching the same person, which is really a shame. Callum Turner as Newt's brother Theseus is unbelievably dull to watch, and the same goes for William Nadylam as Yusuf. Out of the multiple pointless characters in this movie, these two were the most pointless. Any time they were in the movie, I just didn't care. Another point I want to make: even though I said Yates's directing was good, there was still WAY too much cheap-looking CGI in this film. Some of the creatures in the movie looked fake, especially these cat creatures. Compared to what the other Potter films have achieved, it's obvious that this film didn't have as much great visual effort put into it.

The ending of this film is insulting. There is a twist that's delivered that is so bad, so mind-numbingly idiotic. I just couldn't believe that it was J.K. Rowling that wrote this twist. J.K. Rowling, who has put so much care into giving us a character like Snape with a touching character arc, masterfully pieced together across seven books. J.K. Rowling, who built up the evil of Voldemort and created a menace that we were rooting to be taken down. J.K. Rowling, who made a compelling protagonist that had consistent development into a self-sacrificing hero. What's she doing now? Now, she's retconning her own series. She's adding in things to the film that don't matter. I think Rowling tried to put Nagini as a Korean human into this movie so she could say she has some representation. (Slight spoiler alert if you didn't know this) She only made Dumbledore comfortably gay. She doesn't want to straight out talk about it, when it could be powerful reasoning for why Dumbledore doesn't want to fight Grindelwald. (End small spoiler) The ending twist makes you wonder how much of the original Harry Potter series matters now. If Rowling can just add information whenever she wants, then the HP series is on a slippery slope of tearing apart at the seams. I did not go into this movie wanting to hate it. In fact, I was hoping I'd be proven wrong in my initial worries. The last time I was this disappointed in a Harry Potter film was "Deathly Hallows: Part 2". But at least with that one, Rowling didn't have as much of a say in the final product. In this one, she had full control over the writing. This is entirely her vision. Sadly, the vision just isn't good. I guess I will have to hold out hope for the next installment.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

I'm not sure I know of anyone, whether it be friend or acquaintance, that dislikes Queen. Pretty much all of them, even if they aren't big fans of the band, like at least one song by them. That just proves the universal legacy of Queen. They are band that is loved by critics, super fans, and casual fans alike. Even if you are incredibly unfamiliar with them, there are high chances you have heard the song "Bohemian Rhapsody". And it's even more likely you know of the legendary Freddie Mercury, one of the most beloved vocalists of all time who tragically passed away from aids at far too young of an age. It would only make sense that there would be a biopic to come out about the band sooner or later. I'm honestly surprised it took this long to create a big budget one. I was very excited about this film based on the trailers, as it looked like a film that would depict the interesting life of Freddie while also chronicling Queen's meteoric rise to fame. But, critic responses came out far more mixed than I expected, so I went in to the theater with slightly lower expectations. I'm actually glad that was the case, because I left the theater feeling elated. While it's not perfect, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still something that any Queen fan is sure to love.

Let's get what works the best out of the way right away: that's the performances. Of course, the crowning achievement goes to Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury himself. When I saw that Malek was going to play Freddie, I was incredibly excited. Malek has proven himself to be a talented actor so many times throughout his filmography, from "Short Term 12" to especially the TV show "Mr. Robot". I never once expected Malek to disappoint me, and he doesn't. In fact, he did even better in this role than I thought. It's uncanny how well he plays this character, portraying certain mannerisms of Freddie beautifully. He even does this thing with his teeth like the way Mercury did. It's such a tiny detail that can almost go unnoticed, but it adds to the realism. Malek excels in every moment of the film; there is not a moment when you are not convinced that he is Freddie. He embodies the role with passion, and gives Freddie a very graceful portrayal. His range is incredible, as he shows the many complexities of Mercury, doing particularly well at showing how Freddy felt so pressured by the media and the press. Even though Rami is the shining star, one shouldn't ignore the other great performances this film has to offer. Lucy Boynton provides an effectively subdued counterpart to Mercury's outgoing charisma as Mary Austin, the love of Mercury's life. You really feel the chemistry between the two of them. There moments between these two performers are some of the best in the film, because you can feel the emotional weight of their relationship. It never comes across as cheesy or forced, and was one of the best executed parts of the film. If you were to look at the rest of the band members, you would swear that they are clones of the band. This is especially the case for Gwilym Lee as Brian May. He looks so much like May, and it's uncanny. I love the persona he brings to May, as he effectively shows how May was often the one trying to quell the tensions in the band. I also really enjoyed Ben Hardy as Roger and Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon, even though they didn't have major roles to play. Mike Myers looks nearly unrecognizable as record label manager Ray Foster, but and he really makes his performance interesting and often very funny. Aaron McCusker's subtlety as Jim Hutton makes his performance understated but powerful in its own way. I actually wish there had been a little bit more of him in the film.

In order for this film to succeed, it did need to make its story interesting. I was interested to see what route the band would take in presenting Queen's story. However, the movie doesn't necessarily talk so much about the band as it does just about Freddie Mercury. I think that was an excellent choice, as Freddy is an incredibly interesting person (which is no surprise). Getting to see how he transitioned from working at an airport to ultimately being this huge superstar was intriguing. Where this film really does excel though, is in the concert moments. The way they film the live shows makes you feel like you are almost there right with them. The camera is up close and intimate with every band member, and the concerts are filmed with intense camera angles. Director Bryan Singer clearly wanted to show how passionate Queen was in a live setting, and he does that through the cinematography. The famed Live Aid concert is created shot for shot, and is easily the best moment this film has in general. This movie could've been done very straight forward, as it is a biopic. But there are some interesting stylistic choices throughout. I liked particularly how they visually depicted Freddie's reactions to the press. The cameras get uncomfortably close to him and the focus becomes blurred, compellingly reflecting how Freddie always felt smothered by the media. Often times when Queen's music is being played, there is something else going on that reflects what Mercury is going through (this is especially the case with "Another One Bites the Dust"). There are a couple of issues I have with the story telling, though. For one, I feel as though the movie passes by a little too quickly in its explanations of how some of Queen's most iconic songs were written. This is especially disappointing when looking at "Bohemian Rhapsody". I think most everyone would've loved to see some of the process at how this epic was composed. We unfortunately only get to see snippets of the process (with one of the said snippets actually being quite funny and a highlight of the film). I also wish we had gotten to see more of Freddie's past life before he transitioned into his "Mercury" phase. I didn't really get a full impression of what his childhood was like, or what exactly his parents mean to him. We only get a couple scenes of Freddie with his mom and dad, and the way they transition their initially strained relationship felt a little too rushed to me. However, though these issues are present, they did not significantly ruin my movie watching experience.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a really great look at the legacy that Freddie Mercury left behind in his gone too soon passing. Bryan Singer clearly had a passion for giving Mercury the tribute he deserved. This movie is very fitting of that. I have heard that there are certain inaccuracies to the movie, such as the fact that Freddie was actually quite reserved in real life whenever he wasn't performing. I guess it depends on how much those inaccuracies affect you, as with most biopics it's inevitable some things will be dramatized or changed around. When I consider what this movie wanted to accomplish, I think it did what it wanted very well. This movie is worth it for Malek's Oscar-worthy performance alone. I've seen several great performances this year, but I think Malek might be the best of 2018 so far. I don't say that lightly. If you are a Queen fan, whether huge or casual, I invite you to go watch this movie. You'll come out with a smile on your face!

Short Reviews #12

I've missed quite a few albums and movies as of late. Thankfully I can catch up on albums, but not movies just yet. Expect more movie reviews within the next couple days, though, because I'm going on Thanksgiving Break. For now, here's some shorter reviews (I'm probably going to make these even shorter than usual because I don't have super passionate things to say about all of them)!
 
Movies
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

The much loved Coen Brothers are back with another movie that they have directed together. This time it's a western. It is also an anthology film, telling six different short western stories, each of them being about 15-20 minutes. The title of the movie is a little deceptive in this regard, because there's actually only one story about Buster Scruggs. Starting off with this story is interesting, because it is vastly different from the rest of the shorts here. It is very cartoony in nature, with Buster breaking the fourth wall, the dust that falls from his clothes forming a body of its own, and there's even an over-the-top musical number at the end about going to heaven. And I love every second of it. It's probably one of the best shorts here because of how dedicated the Coens are to going full on ridiculous with it. Tim Blake Nelson is a riot in the titular role. I also loved the short "Meal Ticket", which is easily the strongest of the bunch. It takes on a decidedly darker tone, showing the harsh brutality of the western world and how minorities (in this case an armless and legless boy) were treated in this time. Liam Neeson is put in a largely silent role, something not typical for him. I love it for that very reason. His character is despicable yet interesting, and you sort of understand him. Harry Melling is the real shining star in this short, though, playing the armless/legless boy simply called The Artist. You see his struggles cleverly reflected through the theater pieces this character performs. "The Gal Who Got Rattled" probably boasts the best performance in general from Zoe Kazan, who I could've honestly stayed with for the whole of this film and not complained once. "The Mortal Remains" is a unique horror western short where all the characters have long-drawn out monologues about their views on humanity and, of course, mortality. Visually this film is stunning, filled with gorgeous landscape shots. Every moment just feels like a grand western. There are a couple of weak points here. The short "Near Algodones" has really nothing to it. It's a near pointless story about a bank robber who gets duped by an old man. James Franco is sadly underutilized as the robber, playing this character in a very cliched way. "All Gold Canyon" is just sort of dull, telling an inconsequential narrative about an old man searching for gold. I think I get what the theme of the story is, but it's been done better. I also was disappointed that any time the shorts had Native Americans in them, they were simply savages. Nothing more, nothing less. That's sort of disappointing when you consider that a lot of the westerns back in the old days actually had some episodes where they humanized the Native Americans. Still, this is a pretty unique film of many short films, and if you're a fan of westerns, then there's more than one story you can latch on to. I'd recommend it, even if it isn't the Coen Brothers' best.

"CAM" 
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

This year seems to be the time for technological horror movies. It makes sense, as technology is a bigger part of our lives now more than ever before. "CAM" is a pretty solid entry into this genre, though it's not perfect. This movie surrounds Alice, a cam girl who is ambitiously trying to make her way to the top. It seems she'll do anything to do so, even going so far as to fake herself dying on screen (clearly pointed commentary about how anything on the Internet can be fake). Soon, though, Alice gets in real danger when she can't log into her account... and she suddenly sees a girl that looks exactly like her taking over her profile. This film is interesting. I could see some being uncomfortable with this film, as it centers around pornography. However, I wouldn't necessarily say this film praises porn. In fact, it shows repeatedly how everything about it is staged, and it's all for getting the recognition. But at the same time, it doesn't condemn the girls who do it. Madeline Brewer is excellent playing the role of Alice. She really brings a lot of complexity to this girl, giving her ambition some real validity. Alice is very likeable, and we get to see her beyond her camgirl persona. She has a family that she loves and cares about, she loves hanging out with friends. I love that this film humanized the character. It also showed the very real dangers that I'm sure many of these girls face from predatory men. The technology aspect of this film is indeed frightening, but no so much as the very human characters that are only looking at Alice as an object they can abuse. This movie will keep you constantly on your toes as twist after twist occurs. Once you figure out what's going on, it's really interesting and makes the movie go out with a bang. I will say that Alice is the only memorable character here. None of the rest of the performances truly stand out; in fact, a lot of them are pretty weak. This is especially true of Patch Darragh and Melora Walters. Also, I didn't really care for the film's ending, as it is rather abrupt. Still, I can't complain to much about this film. It's a pretty solid techno thriller that is more than worth at least one viewing.

Music
"Origins" by Imagine Dragons
Rating: 2/5 Stars

I was seriously holding out hope that "Evolve" was simply a weird misstep for Imagine Dragons. I mean, going from a really good album like "Smoke and Mirrors" to that? It just seemed a little mind-boggling to me. The album really sucked, to be frank. I detest "Thunder" to this day, and if given another chance, I probably would've ranked it as my least favorite song of 2017 rather than the one I had at that position. The album is the definition of radio pandering. Unfortunately, "Origins" has quelled any hope I had that Imagine Dragons has any hope of being anything other than yet another generic radio ready band. Their path is basically the same as "Maroon 5": they started off pretty good with some initial rocking albums, but gave in very quickly to pop success. And yet, I'm not sure if this album could be called "pop". It's more like a confusing amalgamation of random genres put together, with Imagine Dragons trying to make it look like they're being interesting. There are a couple of good songs. The lead single "Natural" gave me some early hope for this album, as it boasted a bit more of the pop/rock style that ID had on their debut album. Dan Reynold's even sort of screams out the chorus. Nothing else comes close to the intensity of that track, sadly. I also did enjoy "Bad Liar", a legitimately emotional ballad detailing Ryan and his wife's divorce (they are interestingly dating again, though). "Cool Out" is a consistently good 80s inspired track. That's about it for the good though. "Boomerang" is incessantly annoying, with Reynolds repeating the title of the track ad nauseam. Even worse than that is "West Coast", which is trying so hard to be this cutesy indie folk song, but comes across as so annoying in doing that. I really have despised the track the more I've thought about it. Other songs come across as forgettable, like "Zero", "Machine", or "Stuck". Then, there's ones that are weird just for the sake of being weird, like "Bullet in a Gun" or "Digital". This album is, ultimately, a mess. Skip out on it, and please, stop calling Imagine Dragons a rock band. They are SO far from ever deserving that title with the state they're in now.

Favorite Songs: "Natural", "Bad Liar", "Cool Out"
Least Favorite Songs: "West Coast", "Boomerang", "Digital", "Bullet in a Gun", "Zero"

"Holy Hell" by Architects
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thank goodness for this album which came out in the midst of a lot of bad/underwhelming music this month. Architects have returned, having to deal with the recent death of their guitarist Tom Searle. This death shook the whole band to their core, and this new album "Holy Hell" shows that in often heart wrenching ways. But what's most powerful about this album is how the band is trying to look ahead to brighter futures. That doesn't keep this album from being quite dark though. Get ready to go into a pretty heavy atmosphere of sadness and depression. You really have to be in the right mindset to listen to this album, as in some ways it can be a hard listen (especially lyrically). Musically, this album is excellent, having a massive metalcore landscape. It also throws some electronics and strings into the mix, which almost always works to this album's advantage. Sam Carter is as reliable as ever on vocals, with his screams on this album having an unbridled passion that I'm sure comes from him dealing with the weight of losing Tom. He also utilizes his cleans quite often on the album. I love how he shifts his cleans from being smooth to a bit more raw in places. There are so many great moments on here. "Hereafter" is a perfect single choice, as it is relentlessly catchy and embodies the thematic arc of accepting loss in beautiful ways. "Death is Not Defeat" is beautifully epic, and a really inspired continuation of "Memento Mori" from the band's previous album. "The Seventh Circle" is a short but effective burn, with Sam letting loose some of his most harsh and angry uncleans to date. The best track on the album comes in "Royal Beggars", which comments on how if we never move on from loss, then there's no way to grow. "A Wasted Hymn" is a real tearjerker of a song that ends this album out on a poignant note. There isn't a whole lot of negatives to point out. I suppose that the middle parts of this album can become a bit same sounding in terms to guitar tones, and the breakdowns can become a bit predictable. "Damnation" and the title track don't necessarily do a lot to stand out. Still, this album is excellent. Architects has proven they are here to stay, and the metalcore scene is all the better for it.

Favorite Songs: "Royal Beggars", "A Wasted Hymn", "Hereafter", "Dying to Heal", "The Seventh Circle"
Least Favorite Songs: "Damnation", "Holy Hell"

"Simulation Theory" by Muse
Rating: 3/5 Stars

After really loving "Drones" (which I know is an unpopular opinion), it's sad that there's just not much to say about Muse's newest release. Muse, like so many other acts, is riding on the popular wave of 80's synth rock with a modern edge. At this point, bands trying out this style is becoming a bit tiresome. Maybe if more tracks had been like the epic opener, "Algorithm" this album would've fared better. I seriously love that largely instrumental cut, with the booming electronics going along effectively with the cutting guitar riffs. I appreciate the fact that both "The Dark Side" and "Blockades" have a classic Muse feel to them. Both songs are really fun and have many parts to them that shine. "Dig Down" is also a pretty solid track, especially with the chorus that just won't get out of my head. "Pressure" is a unique alternative/rock cut from the band. I love how it keeps building and building in intensity as Matt Bellamy describes the pressure he feels from people telling him he needs to play only certain styles of music. Unfortunately, Bellamy and the band don't do much to justify their forays into very confusing territory. "Propaganda" has this obnoxious manipulated vocal effect that feels like it's going to blow out your eardrums. Lyrically, the song just is awful, with a laughably misconstrued Harry Potter reference. "Thought Contagion" has annoyed me more and more with how Bellamy uses his falsetto throughout it. I really don't like the shrieking guitar work, or the cliched usage of "whoa"s. It seems a lot of people are calling this one the best single, but I can't agree. "Something Human" is a track that you'll probably forget as soon as you hear it, and "Break It To Me" has some pretty bad lyrics. There are some good moments, but they are equal in quantity to the bad ones. Just pick and choose the ones you like and skip out on the rest.

Favorite Songs: "Algorithm", "Blockades", "The Dark Side", "Pressure"
Least Favorite Songs: "Propaganda", "Thought Contagion", "Break It To Me", "Something Human"

"Broken" by Memphis May Fire
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Honestly, is there even any point in caring about what Memphis May Fire is doing at this point? I feel like even most of their fan base don't care for them any more. I came to this album out of a half-hearted hope that maybe the band could return to what they were doing with "The Hollow". But I already sort of had a feeling based on the lead single "The Old Me" that the band was about as far away from their lyrically and musically interesting roots as ever. The band's previous album "This Light I Hold" had a fascinating sort of awful; the type that is so bad it's almost good. That isn't the case for this album, with the exception of the hilariously misguided "Heavy Is the Weight". For some reason, MMF decided to feature rapper Andy Mineo on this track. Now, I'm actually a huge fan of Mineo, but he does not work in context of this track- at all. His feature isn't even that long, and you're left wondering why he was here. He adds nothing. It's truly sad that "The Old Me", which was pretty generic in its own right, is actually one of the better tracks here. This mainly comes through the lyrics. "Watch Out" is musically pretty solid, having some nice guitar riffs. It seems like everything Matty Mullins touches now, whether its in his solo career or now his band, comes across like he's delivering a hackneyed sermon. So many of these songs have cheesy life lessons that honestly feel like they're meant for children. Just read the lyrics of "You and Me" or "Who I Am" and you'll see what I mean. It looks like MMF is gunning yet again for a top 10 Worst Albums of the Year spot. I just don't know what happened. The creativity that Matty had is gone, and he's taking the rest of the band down with him as he continues to become a parody of who he used to be. It's a real shame.

Favorite Songs: "Watch Out", "The Old Me"
Least Favorite Songs: "Heavy is the Weight", "Over It", "You and Me", "Who I Am", "Mark My Words"

"Delta" by Mumford & Sons
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Boring, boring, boring. That's all this album is. Boring folk song after boring folk song. The album gets off to a promising start with "42" (which rocks pretty nicely) and the lead single "Guiding Light", which is unique for Mumford and Sons. After this though, the album quickly goes into mediocrity. "If I Say" is painfully cheesy, with lyrics like "If I say I love you, well then, I love you" being eye roll worthy. It's clear with lyrics like that the band are trying to be deep, and it's just pretentious more than anything. "Darkness Visible" also fits that label as the song features excerpts from "Paradise Lost". Once again, the song is putting on a sheen of being deep, but comes across as absolutely disingenuous. There are a few other decent songs here and there, such as the atmospheric cut "October Skies" or the title track which closes out the album. But songs like those are so quickly contradicted by a track like "The Wild", which is trying so hard to be this big, epic track, but fails because it more just makes me want to go to sleep. This album is an hour long, and it doesn't need to be. It's just sort of there, and really pales in comparison to Mumford's other releases. It isn't worth your time- and it wasn't really worth mine, either.

Favorite Songs: "October Skies", "42", "Delta"
Least Favorite Tracks: "If I Say", "Darkness Visible", "The Wild", "Woman"

Silent Planet "When The End Began" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 5/5 Stars

The English major in me loves everything to do with Silent Planet lyrically. This Christian metalcore band's lead singer Garrett Russell is nothing short of an incredibly talented poet. If he were to write a novel, I would not hesitate to go out and buy it and read it. Even though I haven't always been the hugest fan of this band musically (their brand of metalcore has always been a little too heavy on the screamed vocals side for me), I still have always had a huge respect for them. Their talent is obvious in every department. They have pushed themselves on every album to make something that stands out in a scene that can become pretty diluted, and I always like checking out their albums. I certainly wasn't expecting what I got out of the band's newest release "When The End Began". This album perfects the sound that the band is known for while adding in a healthy dose of experimentation and a good amount of clean vocals as well. The band so expertly puts together all the musical elements, and for me, this is the best written album I've heard all year.

What I think I've always liked best about Silent Planet is their brutal honesty as Christians. The band are not afraid to speak their mind on issues they care about. For example, in their debut album, the song "Native Blood" talked about the oppression of Native Americans, and "XX" discussed the dark world of the sex slave industry. This new album is no different, as the band tackles issues that could elicit negative reactions from their audience. The album begins on a somber note with "Thus Spoke", which seems to be a metaphorical representation of the world coming into existence. The listener gets an early indicator of the beautifully written lyrics and the intricate instrumentation present throughout this whole release. I will try my best to refrain from writing lyrical moments from every song, but man, there are SO many standout moments. I'm sure old fans and newcomers alike will enjoy "The New Eternity", which feels like classic Silent Planet in every sense of the word. This song feels sort of like the thesis statement for the album as a whole. Garrett expresses his sorrow at how so many catastrophic events such as World War II have paved the way our world looks today. Our desire to be better than others and to innovate is far more important than connecting. Because of that, it feels like our "eternity" is meant to always be a dark and hateful place. Garrett's screams are absolutely piercing throughout this song, bleeding with sincere emotion, as he shifts between genuine anger and sadness. Like with most SP songs, this one includes footnotes of all the various references. I like that Watts explicitly uses outside media sources for pretty much all of the songs here to flesh them out further. I particularly liked the usage of "Hamlet" in this track, as it is incorporated very cleverly. The album then transitions smoothly into the bone shattering intensity that is "Northern Fires (Guernica)". Part of this song's title is obviously inspired by the Pablo Picasso painting of the same name. Similarly to that art piece, this song is chaotic, with a lot going on. There is so much musical intricacy in this track. It's hard to describe all that is going on. This song expresses anger about war in a very powerful way through its lyrics: "Who fuels the fascist? A classist/Inculcating the masses in passes/Under the contrived countenance of contrition/The victor writes the story, more often burns the manuscript/Set fire to a pyre cremate the crimes that they commit". Lyrics like that send cold chills up my spine, especially as Russell spits them out with conviction.

"Afterdusk" continues the concepts surrounding "Northern Fires", and expands upon them. Instead of talking specifically about war, this one discusses our impulses to violence. The slamming guitar riffs and pounding drums that introduce us to this song take us right in to a desolate landscape. This song feels violent, which is a really impressive accomplishment on the band's part. I have to commend Russell's clean vocal performance on this track. I like his singing on every track here, but this is the first time in the album where they shine in a very unique way especially in the subtly quiet bridge. This song ends off on a note that may leave you feeling hopeless, and that is exactly what the lyrics are meant to convey: "I followed the harm to the site of infection/The exit wounds where we made our home/We were gorged with the earth and drunk off the seas/And now we die with the taste of decay on our tongues". The band are clearly saying something with such harsh lyrics: the only way to begin addressing our cyclical violence is to have very honest conversations about it. This is something that a Christian audience really needs to hear. After this we get what is, at least for me, the best song on the album. It has also quickly become one of my top 5 favorite songs of the year. "Visible Unseen" is such an important track. Not that the rest of the songs here aren't important (in fact, I would call this album as a whole essential for such a tumultuous year as 2018), but something about this one in particular just stands out. Garrett discusses the very real problem of all the homeless LGBT youth out there: both literally and metaphorically. There are many LGBT individuals out there who are rejected and kicked out of their own home by their family, and others who may live with their family but feel isolated because their families don't treat them as human. Garrett uses real-life stories from fans to inspire this song, which makes it hit home all the more. The chorus is the undeniable highlight of this song, as it is both catchy and straight up beautiful. Russell's clean vocal performance is top notch here, as he lets it show raw passion, and the beauty shine through that. This song doesn't just talk about these youth, though. It also calls out Christians in a way that I'm sure will make many uncomfortable: "This isn’t love, this is escape/Coerced conformity/Fixed on the dust in their eye/Forest fires rage in mine". What works best about this song is that most of the lyrics are inspired by specific Bible verses. Instead of using these verses to condemn these already broken youth, Garrett uses the lyrics to empower them through love and to tell his audience that they need to do the same. This is a powerful track that lovingly but firmly calls out hypocritical Christians, and also lovingly comforts those who feel like their identity is not their own.

After the perfectly ambient and instrumentally intriguing "Look Outside: Dream", we get what is perhaps one of the most intense moments on the album in "Vanity of Sleep". This song's tearing down of our consumer culture is something to behold. I feel like I'm repeating myself on this particular point but I don't care: I love the fact that Garrett holds nothing back in his feelings on where this harmful societal trend can lead. When all we care about is the limited and material, then none of us can truly connect with God. The guitars and drum work in this track are indescribably expert, and the breakdown in this song is something that will truly get your head banging. Garrett's love of spoken word is apparent throughout this song, as many moments read like slam poetry. That includes these excellent lyrics: "And everything I know is destructible/Artificial heart, obsidian soul/Encircled by dreams that are combustible /We trade the Garden for Cities, the Tree for a Tower /Surrendered our faith, became addicted to power".  The "Mr. Robot" reference in this cut also brought a huge smile to my face. "In Absence" is something entirely new for the band: it's almost entirely clean vocals, and that only makes the song all the more better. It's also the only song by the band that has no annotations save for one brief one. Instead of putting a lot of intimate literature and media references into the lyrics, this song comes entirely from each band member's own heart. The lyrics in this song are simplistic, but they still hurt. This track is a dedication to those people who have families going through a memory loss disease, such as Alzheimer's or Dementia. Garrett and most of the other band members have experienced this themselves, and their detailing of watching their family members go into "a world of grey" brings tears to the eyes. In the chorus, Garrett's voice teeters between singing and screaming, and you can feel his unfiltered, personal sorrow at all of this. This song doesn't really offer any solution, and why should it? Diseases like these are just cruel, and they hurt. That is what the band wanted to express, and maybe their hope is that this song can just be something that shows other people going through this they're not alone.

This album continues to stay pitch perfect, with so many more standout moments to point out. "Share the Body" is yet another track that could be considered controversial as it discusses quite frankly about drug addiction (particularly heroin and opioids). The band goes into the perspective of someone who is addicted to these drugs, attempting to humanize them in the process. I think their attempt pays off. This doesn't mean that Garrett excuses their addiction; far from it. He still points out repeatedly in the song how dangerous these addictions are: they disconnect us from ourselves, from others, and from God. They offer happiness that just can't last. But the band doesn't bring this message out in a cliched way. I love this song musically. It has some really cool progressive metal influences, going through several different musical moments in the song's three and a half minute run time. I don't know how the band did so much musically in what is a pretty standard run time for a song, but they did it. I really appreciate the rock influences that appear in "Firstborn". In fact, if there was a song on here that could see success on a rock radio station, it could be this one. The lyrics in this track are much more metaphorical and symbolic than the other tracks on here, and every written moment on this song is a standout. I just invite you to check it out. My jaw dropped when I heard it the first time, and it still remains to be a significant highlight in an album full of masterful work. "Lower Empire" amps the intensity up to a new level, and brings about some death metal influences. Garrett's vocals are absolutely shredding on this track, and there's an interesting experimental usage of a vocoder as well. This song begs of the listener that we need to bridge the divide before we hit a new low: "Until you see your reflection through the scope of a weapon/Nothing will ever change/A revolution stirs in the silence/The movement defies this negative space". The album begins to wind down with "The Anatomy of Time", a very interesting combination of spoken word and metalcore. While this isn't one of my favorite moments on the album, it's still very interesting. And then there's "Depths III". Man, what a song. This song keeps building and building in a very epic fashion, and the climax was not at all what I was expecting it to be. I don't want to spoil it for you who haven't heard the album, but it's truly something impressive.

I was surprised by this album, and in the best way possible. Of course I always expect lyrical perfection from Silent Planet, but their writing on this album was on a whole new level. Every song on here contains such conviction and passion on what is being spoke about. The band doesn't ever hide in a corner: they make their points clear while still doing it in poetic and clever ways. The amount of wordplay I didn't mention is significant. There are a lot of clever moments: the way the band references literature as well as their own backing work is nothing short of genius. The musicality of this album surprised me even more. The emphasis on clean vocals was something I felt the band always needed, and it works significantly to their benefit in this release. Garrett has a beautiful singing voice, and I hope to hear it more on future releases. The influences on this album are vast, from metalcore to progressive metal to rock to maybe even rap/electronic. This album is nothing short of masterful. I didn't think another album this year would be able to get a perfect score, but I was proven wrong. This only makes making my year end list that much harder. "Where The End Began" is an album more than worthy of your time. Please, give it a shot!

Favorite Songs: "Visible Unseen", "In Absence", "Firstborn", "Vanity of Sleep", "Depths III", "Northern Fires (Guernica)"
Least Favorite Songs: NONE