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"
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