Hey everyone, I'm back! I took a bit of a break from my website to try something else out. I will be updating everyone about the state of my review site very soon. I have some new ideas and series on the way that I'm very excited about. For now, I have a lot of catching up to do on various movie and music content. Here is a pretty big compilation of reviews for you all! These reviews are gonna be shorter than usual since there's so many of them.
Movies
"Rocketman"
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I'll admit, the trailers for this movie did a good job at not revealing too much at what this movie was going to be like- and that's a good thing. "Rocketman" is a biopic about Elton John. However, it is not your typical "rise of a star" journey. In fact, this is probably the most unique movie of this genre I've seen in recent memory. There are some typical beats that this movie has to follow, but what really makes this film work is that it puts a new spin on these expected plot points. This movie was described in its trailers as a "musical fantasy". I think that was a very fitting description for the film. There are some parts of this movie that I'm sure are factual to Elton's real life. But there are also some parts that are intentionally fantastical, such as a concert where Elton and his fans are literally floating off the ground. I thought this aspect of the movie made it quite unique, and I think the over-the-top aspects of it accurately reflect Elton John's own very flamboyant personality. Everything about this movie feels huge, and that is helped in large part by the musical numbers. This movie does indeed play out like a musical, which I thought was a genius idea. Even smarter is that Elton John's music is used as many of the musical numbers. The movie actually uses Elton's music to inform on his emotions in the movie and to legitimately further the plot as well. There are also some original songs in the movie, all of which were quite good. Visually this film is stunning in several moments, especially the ending song which is filmed like an old 80s music video. Performances are great all around, with an absolutely stellar turn by Taron Egerton as Elton. He embodies this character, and you can tell he is passionate about giving this icon a performance to remember. The movie is really a showcase for him more than anything, and while I liked Egerton as an actor before this film, this movie made me absolutely convinced that he can be a great character actor. His singing throughout is wonderful, as he sounds pretty close to Elton even though he uses his own voice. Jamie Bell is also really good as Elton's best friend Bernie. I really enjoyed how these two actors worked off each other. The only main issue I had with this movie was that besides Elton and Bernie, the rest of the characters in the movie felt a bit to much like cardboard cutouts. However, this wasn't a huge issue given that this movie was almost singularly concerned with Elton and his overcoming of addictions. I loved this movie; it's one of my favorites of the year!
"Aladdin"
Rating: 3/5 Stars
I had very low expectations going into this film. The best Disney "remakes" are "Christopher Robin" and "Mary Poppins Returns", and really those two are more like sequels. The true blue remakes have been mediocre at best and insultingly awful at worst. "Aladdin" leans closer to the mediocre side, though I have more positive to say about it than I expected. The most surprising positive is that I really enjoyed Will Smith as Genie. The trailers really did an awful job at marketing Smith, especially with CGI that looked laughably awful. Will Smith is actually pretty good in this role; in fact, he's easily the best part of the movie. Any time he's on screen, things get more interesting. He also is thankfully not CGI the whole time; whenever he looks like himself things improve markedly. Will Smith got to play himself rather than just attempting to emulate Robin Williams, which was a good thing. The Genie should be a character who reflects the comedic style of whatever actor is playing them. I also thought Naomi Scott was great as Jasmine. I really think this movie cared more about Jasmine as a character than Aladdin, because they did a lot of unique things with her. I liked the changes they brought to her character. Scott has great range as an actress, as well as a wonderful singing voice. Speaking of which, the songs in this movie were mostly fine. Thankfully, Auto-tune wasn't used in this movie as obnoxiously as it was in "Beauty and the Beast". Whenever Will Smith is attempting to sing, though, the movie does falter. He's more talented at rapping/talking ("Friend Like Me") rather than straightforward singing ("Prince Ali"). Mena Massoud is fine as Aladdin; he isn't particularly impressive, but his performance isn't bad either. The only performance I didn't care for entirely was Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. I don't think this was entirely his fault, as the changes director Guy Richie made to this character were confusing. He doesn't exude any menace or campy fun like the original villain does. Where this movie's biggest weaknesses lie is in its production values and directing choices. In regards to the former, the world of Agrabah looks too perfect. It feels like we're just looking at sets rather than actual lived-in places, and that really takes you out of any potential world immersion. The clothing is too pristine looking, especially in the case of Aladdin. His clothes should be raggedy and dirty, but instead they look perfectly kept. The CGI in this film is straight up awful in this movie many times. Even though Will Smith is charismatic, whenever he's the blue genie, he still looks awful. It's incredible to me that Disney couldn't have invested in better-looking CGI. Directing-wise, this movie's pacing is off. It rushes it significantly in the beginning, and then the movie begins to really drag in its second half. Maybe if the movie had taken out some unnecessary plot arcs, it could've felt tighter. Overall, "Aladdin" is fine, and it only makes me more confident that these remakes are nothing more than nostalgic cash grabs.
"Booksmart"
Rating: 4/5 Stars
"Booksmart" is easily the funniest movie I've seen all year. Coming of age movies are so ingrained into our culture, and typically one can predict the typical plot points these films will go through. This isn't always the case for this film. I really appreciated that Olivia Wilde didn't make this movie feel like a genre cliche. Considering this is her directorial debut, I appreciate that she didn't play it too safe. What works best about this movie is easily its two leads. Beanie Feldstein as Molly does a great job at portraying this character who seems at first only concerned with her knowledge, but the audience soon realizes there's more to her than meets the eye. She is hilarious throughout this movie, having sharp comedic timing and some truly great lines of dialogue. Kaitlyn Dever as Amy is my favorite in the movie, as she is the powerful emotional core here. Her character has a lot of complicated things to deal with, and Dever does a good job at subtly portraying her character's emotions in dealing with all these things. Dever and Feldstein have great chemistry together. Because of that, I felt convinced that Molly and Amy were real people, so much so that I believed the characters had lives beyond the confines of the movie. That's an impressive achievement for Wilde. I also really like how visually unique this movie is. There are a lot of creative sequences here, including a drug trip sequence that is incredibly odd in the best way possible. The usage of music in this movie only furthers its memorability. I like the theme of this movie, that if we choose to look deeper, we can see beyond the surface level of our peers. That may sound cliched, but it works for our two main characters. They both think they know everything due to their book smarts, but they both realize they don't with their high school peers. The jocks are not just dumb football players; the preppy girl is not just a pretty face. I do, however, wish that the other characters in this movie had a bit more development put on them. They are interesting, and I wanted to know even more about them. It feels like the movie puts minor characters to the side too easily. I also thought the movie ended a little awkwardly. Otherwise, this is a really good film. Check it out!
Music
"The Evening Hate" by RED (single)
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
One of my favorite bands is back! I was so excited going into this single, and it did not disappoint. There are so many things to love about this single. One of the most primary is the way its lyrics build a vivid atmosphere. The lyricism might sound a bit minimalist at first. The more I listened to them, the more I appreciated how the lyrics drew the listener into this foreboding world that we wanted no part of. This is assisted further by the wonderful musicianship in this song. Michael Barnes's haunting vocal performance, the thick strings, and the throttling guitar and drum work make for a song that feels dark and eerie. As far as RED singles go, this is one of their most atmospheric, and I love it for that reason. What puts this song over the top is its breakdown. This is the closest RED has gotten to metalcore (with "Damage" and "What You Keep Alive" being their only other songs that come close to this genre), and it put a huge smile on my face. If RED were to go in a more intense direction, you wouldn't see me complaining. Check this song out!
"Vibrant" by Time, The Valuator (single)
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I was vastly disappointed when I found out Time, The Valuator's lead singer would be leaving the band after only one album. If you didn't know, "How Fleeting, How Fragile" was my favorite album of 2018. I love it even more now; it has probably become one of my favorite albums of all time. I was a little worried about the future of this band, as losing a lead singer can be particularly hard for a new band to recover from. All my worries were put to rest with this new single "Vibrant". Wow, this song is excellent! Rest assured that the new lead singer is just as good as the old one, having the passion and vocal range needed for this band's complex musical style. I was almost tearing up when I heard the song for the first time, as it has pretty much everything I loved about the band's debut album. The lyrics are some of the best of the year, as they talk in compelling detail about how we need to rely on each other in times of darkness and hopelessness. This song acknowledges the horrible things going on in the world, but also assures the listener there's a light at the end of the tunnel. My main issue with the song was the seemingly out of nowhere screaming section. I do wish the section had been more developed and made a little more interesting. The song also ends a little abruptly. This is still a great lead single, and I am undeniably excited about the new album!
"ZUU" by Denzel Curry (album)
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
I don't really have a whole lot to say about this album besides that it's a short but sweet collection of fun bangers. It's not as complex as "Taboo", but it didn't need to be. I love "Ricky" in particular, where Curry talks about how his father has influenced his life. It's a really fun song with some great flows, and it's probably one of my favorite songs of the year. There are some skits on this album that don't really work, and a couple songs that are annoying to me, but I don't have any huge issues with this album. It works fine as it is. Check it out!
Favorite Songs: "Ricky", "P.A.T.", "Birdz", "Wish"
Least Favorite Songs: "Bush B Interlude", "Speedboat"
"Happiness Begins" by Jonas Brothers (album)
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Once again, I don't have much to say about this album. It's just pretty dull. There are some songs that legitimately work on this album, such as the fun lead single "Sucker". I also think the brothers do really well whenever they lean into synthpop out of all things. This isn't exactly the genre I'd expect to see this group do well, but it works nevertheless. This is especially true of cuts like "Strangers" and "Don't Throw It Away". Unfortunately, most of this album is just boring. A lot of cuts here are forgettable, and a couple like "Cool" and "Only Human" became annoying to me very quickly. I can't really recommend this album; it did nothing for me. I haven't come back to it after the first couple listens, and I don't see it having any significant impact on the mainstream for the near future.
Favorite Songs: "Strangers", "Don't Throw It Away", "Sucker"
Least Favorite Songs: "Cool", "Only Human", "Happy When I'm Sad", "Rollercoaster"
"Disguise" by Motionless in White
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Motionless in White is a frustrating band to me. I've always felt that they exude clear talent on select songs, but they've never really been able to execute it in a more full way on their albums in full. The same applies for "Disguise", and maybe even in worse ways than "Reincarnate" or "Graveyard Shift".
The album has a legitimately promising start with the lead single, which has a good chorus and a legitimately great breakdown. "Headache" may have MIW wearing their Korn inspiration on their sleeves, but at least they're having some clear fun with it. "c0de" might be the most original and interesting song the band have done in quite some time; it's one that felt distinct to them. I really liked the nu-metal flair it had; maybe the band should pursue this style more often in the future. "Thoughts and Prayers", while having a message I don't entirely agree with, still goes hard musically and is probably where each of the band members shine the most.
Unfortunately, things go off the rails from here. The biggest problem with this band is they do one of three things: either they make a song that is clearly just meant for the radio, they make a song that wears its influences on its sleeves to the point of near plagiarism, or their lyrics are so campy that it's cringe. "Legacy" fits snugly under the moniker of "meant for radio", and is easily one of the band's weakest songs to date. I hated every moment of it, from the pseudo-inspirational lyrics to the filler "woah-oh"s. Songs like these tick me off now, because they accomplish nothing. This is one of the worst songs of the year. "Undead Ahead" and "Broadcasting from Beyond the Grave" are both, I think, meant to be darkly funny, but their lyrics are trying too hard. It just doesn't work. "Holding on to Smoke" weirdly talks about praying in a positive light, which is a direct contradiction to "Thoughts and Prayers". This bothered me probably more than it should, but the thematic dissonance is just lazy. It makes me feel like the band don't really care about whatever messages they're attempting to promote. Musically, this song is one of the most boring on the album, with probably the most dull going to "Another Life". "Brand New Numb" doesn't work with this weird mix of rock and electronics, and "Catharsis" is about as forgettable of a closer as I've ever heard. It sounds WAY too much like Breaking Benjamin.
The biggest problem with MIW is that they feel like they're trying to replicate the sounds of their peers rather than make their own sound. I'd just as soon go and hear a Breaking Benjamin, Korn, Slipknot, or Skillet song any time over hearing a duller version done by Motionless in White. This album starts off hopefully, but disappointingly gets more and more uninteresting as it goes on. Oh well.
Favorite Songs: "c0de", "Thoughts and Prayers", "Disguise"
Least Favorite Songs: "Legacy", "Holding on to Smoke", "Broadcasting From Beyond the Grave", "Another Life", "Brand New Numb
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