Poppy "I Disagree" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

One of the oddest artists working in the music landscape right now is Poppy. It honestly surprised me when she started having a music career. Why, you may ask? Well, that's because Poppy (otherwise known as Mariah Pereira) initially got her fame as an off-kilter YouTube star. I remember when some of her videos starting blowing up, mainly because YouTube can be a place for weird content to thrive. Fans began making theories about this character, mainly that she was an AI controlled by some faceless puppet master. Poppy becoming a musician seemed weird to me, but it actually ended up working with her delightfully satirical debut album "Poppy.Computer". I personally like her sophomore album "Am I A Girl?" even better, as it showed a surprising amount of new styles, including rock and even metal. Poppy's newest album, "I Disagree", sees her almost entirely ditching the more satirical pop she's known for and instead going full-on rock/metal-pop. How does this change fair? Well, while the album isn't perfect, I still think it's a pretty interesting listen with some real high points.

The high points in this album are really high to me. I've had several songs on this album on repeat, so the fact that many cuts have high replay factor is a significant positive. The album gets started off with one of my absolute favorites, lead single "Concrete". I think this song more than any other embraces the weirdness that can come with a song that is full metal and full pop. For example Poppy says the phrase "Bury me six feet deep" with both a whispered metallic growl and a chirpy pop singing voice. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it just does. A lot of credit has to go to Poppy's backing band as well, who all do a great job at making the rocking segments of the album work. There's some impressive band work throughout this whole release, and this song is an early indicator of their talent. After this, we get the title track. I wasn't really a big fan of this song the first time I heard it. It's still not one of my favorites from the album, but I do like it considerably more now. It begins off with Poppy speaking in Japanese, which is a little bit odd. But it made me think that maybe this song was inspired somewhat by the Japanese band Babymetal, and this could have been her way of paying subtle tribute to them. I think this song is a bit more intriguing on a lyrical standpoint, as it seems to be Poppy's most personal stance against the music industry. It could also be said that Poppy is definitively breaking away from her AI persona in this song, as she is now starting to express disagreement, and have opinions of her own. It's a pretty cool concept, and I think it works well. Also, that chorus was catchy once it started growing on me. After this comes the most shocking track on the album, "BLOODMONEY". This song bludgeons you over the head when you first hear it. It's so big and loud, and Poppy sounds angrier than ever with her shouted vocals in the chorus. I'm not usually the biggest fan of noise rock, but this song really made that genre work for me. The screeching metallic backdrop creates an atmosphere that is altogether unsettling and made me feel uncomfortable the whole time. I could see people interpreting this song in two ways. To me, the song is a much more angry and pointed critique at music executives who think of themselves as elite over the artists the work with. They only care about the money, even if it means drawing blood from the artist, much like the song title suggests. The usage of religious imagery is clever in showing music execs' God complexes, and Poppy's unabashed anger adds that needed extra edge.

Next comes what is easily my favorite song on the album, "Anything Like Me". If you've read any of my other music reviews on this website, then you know that I am a sucker for a song that shifts between genres and makes it seem effortless. That is exactly what this song does. I also think we are actually hearing Mariah in this song more than the character of Poppy. Her vocals in parts of this song sound more raw and almost cracked. Poppy's voice tends to be more robotic, so I think it's significant that some of the vocals here sound relatively unfiltered. There's some pretty deep introspection where Mariah expresses a desire to lose the inhuman parts of herself "I feel her heart/Beating in me/Get her out of me...". This song makes the character of Poppy look a little different to me. Maybe Mariah is showing to us that adapting a dead-to-the-world personality like Poppy can be easy, but it is dangerous. There are parts of this song where Mariah turns into Poppy, and as an almost warning, she says "You shouldn't be anything like me". The way this song shifts genres is so cool, starting off as an acoustic ballad, then shifting into an electronic rock song, then going into an almost orchestral arrangement, and finally ending off in an almost metalcore-like style. All these shifts make this song incredibly compelling and enjoyable to listen to. It has potential to be one of my favorite songs of the year. "Fill The Crown" is a pretty solid rocker to end off the first half of the album. Unfortunately, the second half isn't as interesting, but there are still some highlights. "Sit/Stay" is another pointed attack at the music industry, and also gives some encouragement to artists who are feeling controlled. It tells them to disrupt the system and not give in to the demands of higher ups. "Bite Your Teeth" is a delightfully brutal metal assault, with what is easily the heaviest breakdown on the album. I don't think "Don't Go Outside" is as mind-blowing as it wants to be. However, I appreciate that this track closes off the album by bringing in lyrical snippets from three previous cuts on the album to make it feel cohesive.

There are a couple of issues I have with this album. Probably the broadest problem is the amount of genres done on this album. It can feel like tonal whiplash at times going between Poppy's varying attempts at metal-pop. There's no denying it can feel very weird to go from "BLOODMONEY" directly into "Anything Like Me", both of which are completely different from one another. What helps this issue from becoming too prevalent is that the songs are still mostly interesting enough on their own. There are a couple of specific tracks that just don't work well for me. "Nothing I Need" is a pretty dull ballad as a whole, not having many interesting progressions or lyrical ideas. I think this song needed more to it, as it just seems like it's built to have success on rock radio stations. "Sick of the Sun" isn't an awful track by any means, but I do think a song about Poppy's experiences with depression should've hit me harder. This is the track I remember the least from the album, and every time I listen to it, after it's over I forgot what I'd just heard. Finally, while I said that "Fill The Crown" was a solid rocker, I still have an issue with the way that Poppy uses stuttered vocals in the song. More often than not they come across as irritating and pointless. They don't ruin the song for me necessarily, but I've found myself not returning to the song as much because of said vocal effect.

Overall, Poppy's third album "I Disagree" is a pretty good release. I don't think it's quite the huge, game-changing album some people say it is, but at the same time I can understand why people would believe that. There are a lot of tracks here that are absolutely stellar and warrant repeat listens. So yeah, I recommend this album. Even if you're not a metal fan, I would say try it out. You might be surprised with what you find.

Before I reveal my favorite/least favorite tracks, I have a special announcement. I have decided to do YouTube Reviews again, and this time I'm dedicating to it! My YouTube name is the same as this site: JAS Reviews. Just because I am making video-from reviews doesn't mean my text reviews are going away. There will be less of them, however. I actually made a YouTube review for this album if you want to check it out. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZBo-YOy8jA

Favorite Songs: "Anything Like Me", "BLOODMONEY", "Concrete", "Bite Your Teeth", "Sit/Stay"
Least Favorite Songs: "Nothing I Need", "Sick of the Sun"

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

For better and for worse, the "Star Wars" series continues to be one of the most popular- and most talked about- movie series of all time. The sequels have become part of the larger conversation, perhaps becoming even more controversial than the prequel trilogy in some ways. My opinions on the two previous sequel movies have remained relatively the same. I still love "The Force Awakens" a lot. I can't deny that it builds a lot off of "A New Hope", but I enjoy the new characters, and I really think they gave Han Solo a beautiful send-off. Unfortunately, my opinions on "The Last Jedi" are frustratingly split. Rian Johnson is a great director ("Knives Out" and "Looper" are undeniable proof of this), but his choices with this movie either work excellently or are ill-advised. I think the aspect I've grown the most on is Luke's character arc. After watching the movie again recently, I now get what Johnson was going for and felt more satisfied with Luke's end. J.J. Abrams had a weighty task with "The Rise of Skywalker": not only did he have to wrap up everything in the sequel trilogy, he also had to wrap up the Skywalker Saga as a whole. I think this would be a tough thing for any director to do. As a whole, my opinions on this movie are once again split, though I do feel like I know my overall feelings about this movie more than with TLJ. This movie has some truly great moments, but it also has some that are weak. Continue reading this review with caution if you haven't seen the movie. There will be spoilers, as there's some things I just have to talk about.

In "The Rise of Skywalker", Darth Sidious is alive once again. In the wake of his return, in which he promises Kylo Ren a powerful army known as the Final Order, the Resistance has to take down the First Order once and for all. Let's talk about what works with this movie first, because there is a considerable amount of aspects I like. The obvious is that visually, this movie is striking to look at in many moments. This is especially true of the new Sith planet established. Abrams creates a lot of weird visual moments with the planet that gives it this appropriately unsettling feeling. There were many moments here where I was actually awed by the beauty of the movie and the fact that it does look otherworldly in some parts. But it's pretty much a given at this point that the Star Wars movies are going to look good; this one just looked especially good to me. One of the other aspects of this movie I really liked was the completion of Kylo Ren's character arc. From the very beginning of this trilogy, Kylo has been consistently the most interesting character of the series, in my opinion. Rian Johnson absolutely nailed the duality of this character in "The Last Jedi". While I almost wish that this film had fully dedicated to making Kylo a full-on evil Supreme Leader like TLJ, I am generally okay with the direction they took. Some people have pointed out that Kylo's arc is too similar to Darth Vader's, and I can see where they are coming from. To me, there's a key difference. Whereas Vader's change is pretty much directly affected by Luke, Kylo's journey to me always seemed more inward and personal. I like that it's not just a specific action that Rey takes that makes Kylo change; rather, Kylo finds it within himself to go to the light once again. It makes his character really well-realized to me. There are a lot of specific scenes in this movie that I enjoyed, even if some of them have an obvious nostalgia bait to them (more on that later). The beginning scene that showed Palpatine once again actually felt like something straight out of a horror movie. It was shot in a pretty unsettling way, and I wish more of the movie would've dedicated to Palpatine being a horrific figure. The scene between Kylo Ren and Han Solo (which was a big surprise) is perhaps my favorite scene in all of the sequel trilogy. It was poignant and one of the most emotionally affecting moments in any Star Wars movie. The scene of Chewbacca mourning Leia's passing really got to me; it was a heartbreaking moment where you'd be hard pressed to not feel something.

As far as the performances in this movie go, they are almost collectively great. Daisy Ridley shines yet again as Rey. I'm not sure how I feel about how her character was dealt with in this movie (more on that in a little bit), but there's no denying that I felt so much charisma from her. She really does honor the legacy of the other Jedi actors that came before her in giving a compassionate, heartfelt performance. You can tell she cares about honoring the legacy of the Jedi because Ridley convinces us of it. I've never quite understood why people do not like Rey as a character, as I've always felt she was one of the strongest elements of the sequel trilogy (even if I do acknowledge that she becomes a powerful Jedi way too easily). John Boyega is giving it his all as Finn in this movie, even though at this point I feel as though his character was sadly wasted. Almost more than any of the three main characters, Boyega shows a passion for being in these movies. I can just tell he loves playing this character and he loves working with the rest of the cast. His performance is always earnest and exciting, which makes Finn a character impossible to dislike. I've generally felt Oscar Isaac is one of the weaker elements of these series as Poe Dameron. I still feel the same in this one, though maybe not to the same negative extent. I like Poe's performance, but I still think his character does little to nothing to truly effect the plot. Though I wish he was in it more, it was fun to see Billy Dee Williams on the screen once again as Lando. Like all the actors that came back for the new trilogy, Williams doesn't miss a beat and embodies the effortless charm that he had in "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". I couldn't help but smile whenever he appeared on screen. I won't deny that's the nostalgia speaking. Sometimes nostalgia can be a good thing. And finally, we have Adam Driver shining once again as the best performance in this movie. I think at this point I could listen to Driver reading off a phone book and still be utterly compelled by him. The emotion and gravitas he puts into Kylo is beautifully executed. I do not regret watching the sequel trilogy, because if I hadn't I would've never been able to witness what is one of the most compelling Star Wars characters. In the oftentimes black and white morality of the Star Wars universe, a morally ambiguous character seemed like something that wouldn't be possible to achieve. Kylo Ren disproved that.

Now it's time to get into my critiques of the film. For as many positives I had about the movie, there are also many negatives that can't be ignored. Most of these negatives come down to the writing/directorial choices that Abrams made. Like most any SW fan, I enjoy Palpatine immensely in the canon. Even if he isn't my favorite Sith (that honor obviously goes to Darth Vader), he is still the most fun one to watch. What I always loved about him is his psychological manipulation of other characters. He is the smartest one in the room and he knows it, so he can twist others to his will. I was worried about him coming back for TROS. It seemed to me that this would reduce the weight of Darth Vader's sacrifice. After watching the movie, I feel I can confidently say I would've preferred the film without him in it at all. Once again, why couldn't the movie have put Kylo Ren as the antagonist? "The Last Jedi" pretty much definitively said that Kylo was the new danger. Ian McDiarmid is clearly having fun playing the Emperor. I can't deny that I liked hearing his iconic voice once again. But putting all that aside, Palpatine serves little to no purpose to this movie. It's basically Kylo Ren carrying out all of his orders anyway. The final moments with Palpatine, Rey, and Kylo are relatively anti-climactic. The "fight" between them feels like something straight out of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (not a compliment, if you know my feelings about that film). Nostalgia can be a powerful force, but it can only take me so far with a character that doesn't need to be there in the first place. This establishes a precedent in the Star Wars movies that any character could come back at any time if we really wanted them to. That reduces a lot of weight to any character's death. I really hope following Star Wars movies do not use the resurrection trope again.

Perhaps the biggest issue with this movie is its WAY too fast moving plot. This is especially apparent in the first act of the film. One of my problems with "Rogue One" was the planet hopping, but that seems relatively tame compared to "Rise of Skywalker". There's some times in the film where it feels like everything is moving at a breakneck pace. In places, there's hardly even a moment to breathe, as characters get trapped in crazy action set piece to crazy action set piece. There's also SO many mcguffins in this plot, like a knife that belonged to a Sith lord, a Sith Wayfinder, a First Order token; even C-3PO sort of serves this purpose in part of the film. Having so many items appear to simply propel the plot forward is pretty lazy writing to me. In the midst of the fast-moving plot, J.J. Abrams tries to bring in some character development for our three main protagonists, but it often feels half-hearted or really stupid. The former is more true of Poe. When I really think about it, we know barely anything about this character. He hasn't had much of a character beyond being a somewhat reckless but charming pilot. This movie tries to bring in some backstory for him, but it's ultimately too little too late. The backstory given to him could be interesting, but it's passed over so quickly and we're given little time to care. John Boyega's passionate performance as Finn makes me feel angry that this is the second movie in a row where his character is wasted. His interesting backstory of being a deserter of the First Order has never come up again. One would think that maybe Finn would still feel some sort of conflict being that he was in the First Order for so much time. In this movie, his character only seems to care about Rey, and it seems like half his lines are screaming her name. Though this movie doesn't do that much retconning, the stuff done with Rey is idiotic to me. I would've been okay with her parents being nobodies, as that actually brought about an inspiring theme of the hopefulness of the Jedi being an ability for anyone to have. But J.J. Abrams decided that wasn't going to be a thing, and instead made Rey be Palpatine's granddaughter. This reveal was pointless and mainly made me roll my eyes. This was only done as empty fan service. Maybe something cool could've been done with it, but J.J. Abrams clearly had no idea other than name recognition. This reveal makes Rey's character make decisions that seem largely out of character for her. She's consistently rejected the ways of the Sith for two movies now, and for some reason in this one, she almost decides to entirely reject the ways of the Jedi. I get her character should be conflicted, but it felt overinflated in this film.  Finally, there is another new ability to the Force established in this movie, an ability that somehow both Rey and Kylo have mastered in between TLJ and TROS. This ability lets its user heal any wound, and can apparently bring someone back from the dead. How either of these characters mastered this is beyond me, and this ability really reduces the weight of any character's death. If any Jedi can bring a character back from the dead, then why should we be emotionally invested in any character dying? I hope this is the last time we see this power used.

So, what are my feelings as a whole for "The Rise of Skywalker"? Unlike "The Last Jedi", I do think I have a more definitive answer for this movie. I can't say that I like it significantly better than TLJ, but I did like it a bit more at the end of the day. There are things that TLJ does better than TROS, and there are things TROS does better than TLJ. Who knows, my opinion on the two could equal out upon repeat viewings. Did this movie disappoint me? Not really. It may have not been the best ending in the world to the Skywalker Saga, but we could've gotten much worse. I think the ending scene of the movie does a pretty good job at wrapping things up, giving homage to an iconic scene from "A New Hope" without overstaying its welcome. For all the problems I did have with this movie, I still found myself enjoying it. I can't get away from the plot inconsistencies and the oftentimes unnecessary fan service, but those things didn't hinder me from having at least a good time watching the film. So, I do recommend you watch this movie if you're a Star Wars fan. It will be interesting to see how this sequel trilogy is viewed many years later. Will it be regarded by a new generation with the same reverence as the original trilogy? Or will it be more disdained like the prequel trilogy? Or will this trilogy have its own unique reception in the future? Only time will tell. For now, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief that the Skywalker saga is done. I am done talking about these movies for a while.

The Top 20 Best Albums of 2019

By: James Southworth

List week continues with my next to last ranking! 2019 has been an exceptionally great year for music. So much great content was released this year, and it was an especially fruitful year for me discovering new artists. It was pretty hard to make this list, but I finally feel like I'm satisfied with it. Here are my Top 20 Albums of 2019!

20. Carly Rae Jepson- "Dedicated"

Carly Rae Jepson has a hugely dedicated fan base, but in my opinion is criminally overlooked by the mainstream for the most part. "Run Away With Me" is probably my favorite pop song of the decade; I mean you just can't go wrong with that saxophone at the beginning of the song. Jepson makes pop songs that are incredibly accessible and catchy, while also being a cut above what a lot of her contemporaries do. "Dedicated" is proof of that. This album is a sweet, optimistic love album which shows Carly not only loving others, but also putting confidence in herself. I like how positive and straight up fun the album is. It may not quite match up to the masterful "Emotion", but that would be hard to do in even the best of scenarios. I've come back to this release fairly frequently throughout the year; it's definitely worth a shot for anyone who hasn't heard it.

Favorite Tracks: "Now That I Found You", "The Sound", "No Drug Like Me"

19. Kings Kaleidoscope- "Zeal"

I don't quite agree with the incredibly high rating I gave this album when I first reviewed it, but I still think that Kings Kaleidoscope continue to be a significant step ahead of most Christian worship acts working today. This album works on a slightly more simple concept than "Beyond Control"- that concept being finding happiness or pure joy. While that may sound simplistic on initial glance, the album actually shows how hard it can be to find a true sense of joy. For KK, joy does not mean just being happy all the time. The band are frank in acknowledging hardships on the album several times, and how those can keep us from connection with God. Lead vocalist Chad Garnder is frank about how he personally has had a hard time finding joy in our world's current state, which is why he and the band felt this album was more important than ever. There are so many creative and beautiful cuts on here, from the genre-shifting "Aimless Knight" to the surprisingly rocking cut "Naked Feet & Holy Fire". I am glad this band continues to get recognition, as they could shift the worship landscape as we know it. I hope that gets a chance to actually happen.

Favorite Tracks: "Aimless Knight", "Naked Feet & Holy Fire", "Breathing Infinity"

18. Weyes Blood- "Titanic Rising"

I've listened to this album many times now, and still feel that I have not entirely gotten the full depths of all the deep symbolism this release has to offer. As a pop record, this album boasts a lot of great baroque tendencies, which I really enjoy. Weyes is not afraid to try the pop genre in a lot of different contexts. My favorite track "Andromeda" is a clear example of that, with its effective combining of country and pop. It's so rare these two genres actually work together, but Weyes dedicates to both of them without diluting either genre. I'm also a big fan of the epic "Movies", where Weyes gets to show off the full extent of her vocal prowess. There really isn't a whole lot to complain about with this release; it's more than worth diving into.

Favorite Tracks: "Andromeda", "Movies", "Picture Me Better"

17. Sigrid- "Sucker Punch" 

Sigrid was one of my most proud discoveries of 2019. I mean wow, talk about a young, budding pop artist with a huge dose of talent. Almost every track on here is a straight up banger in one way or the other. "Strangers" is a straight up fun break up song, while also finding Sigrid being very honest about how she knows this relationship isn't going to work out despite how much both parties want it to. Her vocals are some of the most recognizable and stand out I've heard in the pop sphere. Her accent provides her vocals with an indescribably unique cadence that you would just have to hear for yourself. There are several songs here that show Sigrid is mature beyond her years, such as the refreshing break up song "Don't Feel Like Crying" or the uncomfortably raw "In Vain". Some songs here don't even need to be super deep but still feel compelling in their own way, like the orchestral "Sight of You". This album really stayed with me throughout the year.

Favorite Songs: "Strangers", "Don't Feel Like Crying", "Sucker Punch"

16. Crown the Empire- "Sudden Sky"

I was a little nervous about the fate of Crown the Empire upon the departure of their unclean vocalist. Typically when an announcement like this is made, either the band will soon break up or they will adapt a much more radio-friendly approach. While the latter is true of "Sudden Sky", I wouldn't say that the songs here are generic radio fodder either. There are several songs on here that have already been radio rock hits, but are creative. CTE give definitive proof that radio rock can still be good when it's done right. It's not like the band has entirely lost their metalcore edge either, as clearly evidenced on the gut punch "Sequence" or the delightful breakdown that appears in "Red Pills". I've always felt that CTE has been better at rock than metalcore, and Andy Leo shows that confidence in his vocals. Instrumentally, this album is quite good, with some pretty memorable guitar riffs appearing in "20/20" and "What I Am". This album benefits significantly from its thematic arc of discovering humanity in a technology driven world. Andy seems to speak in the perspective of an A.I., which makes this concept have an interesting edge. There's so many great moments here; check this one out!

Favorite Tracks: "Red Pills", "Under The Skin", "20/20"

15. Northlane- "Alien"

This has got to be one of the most unsettling albums I've heard all year. In "Alien", Northlane created a dark and foreboding landscape that is truly hard to forget from the moment "Details Matter" thrashes into your ears. I love how well this album balances between metalcore and nu-metal. Northlane is able to bring back the latter genre without it sounding cringe-worthy or outdated. Just look at my favorite track on the album, "4-D", for clear evidence of this. The usage of heavy synths and electronics along with the thrashing guitars and drum work makes for a sound that can be relentless in many moments. But Northlane also know when to take a step back and just let the album breathe, with cuts like the gorgeous "Freefall" and "Jinn" being clear indicators of this fact. Through and through, this is one of the most engaging metalcore releases of the year. I am so glad that a band like Northlane isn't afraid to innovate a couple albums into their career. They're setting themselves to be one of the most exciting metalcore bands out there right now.

Favorite Tracks: "4-D", "Jinn", "Paradigm"

14. Disciple- "Love Letter Kill Shot"

The fact this album didn't rank higher on my list shows the high pedigree of music that was released this year. After sitting with the album for a while, I do still feel that this is one of Disciple's top five albums to date. It's amazing that this far into their career, the band is willing to take risks. Kevin Young has never been the type to paint himself into a corner, which is why I have so much respect for him. He knows how to make an album where the signature Disciple sound is still there, but there are some new twists. "Reanimate" is one of the most delightful songs of year, as it hearkens back to older Disciple in a way that brought a huge grin to my face. "Wake Up" is one of those Disciple songs that I think will be easily sung along to in a live setting. "Panic Room" proves easily that Kevin Young and Andrew Schwab are a vocal match made in heaven. There is just great moment after great moment here, with some of Disciple's most bold lyrics to date. They are not afraid of the message they deliver, which is why they continue to be my favorite band even now.

Favorite Tracks: "Reanimate", "Wake Up", "Panic Room"

13. Demon Hunter- "War"

Demon Hunter made big moves this year by releasing a double album, which proved to be a good thing rather than a bad one. "War" was definitely the better of the two for me. I'll admit, I'm mainly biased to it because a lot of it feels like a throwback to "The Triptych"-era Demon Hunter. While that album is not my favorite of the band's, the wave of nostalgia I got from hearing this sound again was irresistible. I appreciate that the band also incorporates some of their modern-day tendencies, although they make their new sound sound far more interesting here than on "Outlive". "Close Enough" is definitely one of the band's best songs to date. I love that both guitarists get the opportunity to absolutely shred on this song, and Ryan Clark is clearly having a ball in this cut. "The Negative" is clearly the band embracing their inner Slipknot, and to great effect. "Grey Matter" has a theme I may not entirely agree with, but I appreciate that the band dedicate to talking about it. Plus, that chorus is sinfully catchy. I am so glad that Demon Hunter was able to prove on this release that they aren't close to losing their metalcore edge yet.

Favorite Tracks: "Close Enough", "Lesser Gods", "Grey Matter"

12. Billie Eilish- "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"

Many people have been very quick to call this artist over-hyped, and some have even stated she is an industry plant. I just can't agree on either front. Billie Eilish is one of the most exciting artists to hit the pop scene in a long time. Let me tell you why. She brings some sounds to the mainstream that I feel have not really been embraced much. I love the creativity in her sound and lyrics, as she embraces a dark, horror-movie like aesthetic. It goes beyond aesthetic though, because she really dedicates to delivering this sound, along with her excellent producer/brother FINNEAS. You all probably are familiar with the album. Song after song on this album bleeds memorability. "Bad Guy" is one of the most oddly catchy songs of the year, "When The Party's Over" never fails to impress me with its unfiltered emotions, and "Bury A Friend" is one of the best pop songs of the year. If this is what Eilish is able to do on her debut, consider me hyped up for what she will do next.

Favorite Tracks: "Bury A Friend", "I Love You", "My Strange Addiction"

11. Opeth- "In cauda venenum"

I still feel even now that words could not adequately describe how great this album is. It pained me that this album didn't quite make the top ten. It still deserves heaps of praise, though. I'm so glad that I discovered this band this year, and I know I've only touched the surface of this band's material. At the band's absolute best, they're able to make a song like "Universal Truth", which has so many unpredictable shifts occur in it. I love that the whole album was able to keep me on my toes; on first listen I had no clue what I was going to get from track to track. For this band, that's only a good thing, and parts about this release still continue to surprise me when I come back to out. Check out this band if you haven't, even if you aren't a prog-rock fan. You won't be disappointed.

Favorite Tracks: "Universal Truth", "All Things Will Pass", "Dignity"

10. Thornhill- "The Dark Pool"

Wow, this band is wonderful. Every time I return to this release, I am in awe that this is only the band's debut release. Most artists take about three or four albums before they can make something of this quality. This album is so creative in the musical department, combining djent, electronics, and rock into a sound that wholly belongs to Thornhill. This album really goes into the depths of depression, and brings the listener into that journey in a pretty raw way. The album from start to finish really feels like a powerful conceptual and emotional arc. "Views From The Sun" establishes the album perfectly, and is a great way to hook the listener in, especially with that irresistible breakdown. "Red Summer" is one of my favorite songs of the year, and never fails to make me tear up a little bit in that beautiful vocal climax of the track. "Where We Go When We Die" is an unspeakably impactful closer that haunts the listener long after it's over. This album is a necessary listen in my opinion. Please, do yourself a favor and give this one a try.

Favorite Tracks: "Red Summer", "Where We Go When We Die", "Views From The Sun"

9. Marianas Trench- "Phantoms"

This is yet another discovery I made this year, and man this band is great. I can see why they're so critically acclaimed. Josh Ramsay is a wonderful vocalist, having a range that is almost comparable to the likes of Freddy Mercury and Michael Jackson. I know it's a pretty bold statement to compare him to people like that, but just hear his vocals for yourself and you'll see what I mean. "Phantoms" is a very interesting pop album, being a dark ode to a breakup while still managing to have fun with it. Just look at the explosive closing track "The Killing Kind" for evidence of how ballistic this album can get. There are so many songs here that are just pure pop bliss, like that unbelievably catchy opening track "Only The Lonely Survive" or the haunting "Your Ghost". And then there's the song "Echoes of You", which so dedicates to its Gothic intensity that I think you'd be hard pressed to not join the band for the ride. This may not match the band's opus "Astoria", but "Phantoms" is quite good in its own right.

Favorite Tracks: "Echoes of You", "The Killing Kind", "Your Ghost"

8. TOOL- "Fear Inoculum"

I am probably not the best person to be talking about TOOL at this point since I'm just getting into them, so I'll keep this short. I think you'd have to be pretty close-minded to not call this a talented band, as it's clear in almost every waking moment that all of these band members are just ace at their craft. I don't typically enjoy more instrumental-emphasis albums, as they tend to not be engaging. That's not the case with this album. Heck my favorite song is probably the one with the most instrumental segments, "7empest". The song screams pure, unbridled intensity, with Maynard James Keenan sounding angry for all the right reasons. This one has already become a fan favorite, and why shouldn't it? I also have grown immensely on the track "Pneuma", which has some of the best guitar riffs the album has to offer. The cut "Descending" sends some odd chills up my spine, especially for the almost off-kilter performances from Maynard that more reminds me of A Perfect Circle. There's a lot of great stuff going on in this album, and I really hope "7empest" wins that Grammy.

Favorite Tracks: "7empest", "Culling Voices", "Pneuma"

7. Within Temptation- "Resist"

Sometimes, an album will make my list for the pure reason that it is a fun release to listen to. That is almost solely the reason for the new Within Temptation album making this list. Maybe it's also because I've been waiting with bated breath for their new album for quite a while now. While this release doesn't quite match up to classic WT releases like "The Silent Force" or "The Unforgiving", it's still a legitimately good evolution of their sound. The band opt for a more arena rock, electronic-infused sound on this release, and for the most part it works greatly to their benefit. As with the band's last release, there's a healthy dose of featured vocalists here as well. I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying Jacoby Shaddix's vocals on lead single "The Reckoning". Anders Friden provides a healthy dose of intensity to "Raise Your Banner", which is the most classic-sounding WT track on the album. I've listened to "Mad World" more times than I care to admit, but can you blame me when it's just so fun? I think this album's awesome and more than deserving of a placement on my year-end list.

Favorite Tracks: "Mad World", "Raise Your Banner", "Mercy Mirror"

6. Sam Fender- "Hypersonic Missiles"

Sam Fender has absolutely blown up in Britain, and it seems like he's finally starting to gain traction in America. I had the absolute delight of my YouTube Recommended feed giving me his lead single "Hypersonic Missiles". When I first heard this song, my jaw dropped with just how good it was. You can read my "Top 50 Songs of 2019: Part 2" post for more extended thoughts on it. As a whole, this album is pure, excellent rock. There aren't really any songs I dislike here, and the good ones on here are absolutely masterful. "You're Not The Only One" boasts some of the most interest lyrics I've heard all year, and man does the saxophone just vibe well with that song. "The Borders" is a real tear-jerker as Sam beautifully tells this story of an estranged and toxic childhood friendship. "Dead Boys" is a chillingly honest song about the all-too-real epidemic of male suicides, and "Will We Talk?" finds a surprising amount of intimacy in the uncertainty of a one-night stand. Fender is on the road to becoming a wonderful artist, and I simply can't wait to see what he does next.

Favorite Tracks: "Hypersonic Missiles", "You're Not The Only One", "The Borders"

5. Slipknot- "We Are Not Your Kind"

It has been rumored that this could be Slipknot's last album, and if that turns out to be the case, then they went out on quite the high note. While "Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses" is still my favorite album of theirs, this one could take the spot in the coming years. Guitarist Jim Root said how the band wanted to make something that felt like a front to back album "experience", and we definitely got that here. Even for the tracks that don't impress me as much on this release, I still don't feel like skipping them because they are so essential to the identity of this album. Slipknot have always been risk-takers, and they made some of their boldest moves yet on this album. "Solway Firth" is "Iowa" levels of heavy, and is perhaps one of the band's best songs as Corey delves into his depression in heart wrenching fashion. "Nero Forte" has quickly become a fan favorite, and it's easy to see why with it's punchy guitar riffs and the wonderful chorus. I love "Spiders" for its haunted house vibe, and "Orphans" and "Critical Darling" are two of the band's most creative songs ever. There's so much to love here, and this album cements Slipknot as one of my favorite bands of all time.

Favorite Tracks: "Solway Firth", "Nero Forte", "Critical Darling"

4. Periphery- "Hail Stan"

I'm gonna go ahead and say it: I think that this is Periphery's best album to date. It's the band at their most unabashedly creative, making some of the craziest musical choices they've ever done. It's crazy how an EDM infused track like "Crash" can work on the same album that has the metalcore frenzy of "Chvrch Burner". Periphery just makes it work, and that's because all the band has such impeccable chemistry on this album. The band also don't take themselves too seriously, as evidenced on "Reptile", an insane 16-minute track with lyrics that feel like they would be from a cheesy comic book. And it works, because Periphery embraces the satirical potential. When the serious moments do come on this album, they also work because of the feeling of raw sincerity, such as the gorgeous closer "Satellites". The ethereal heights that "Garden in the Bones" reaches makes it, in my opinion, the band's best song ever, as well as one of the best songs of the year. You'd be hard pressed to not find something to enjoy on this release.

Favorite Tracks: "Garden in the Bones", "Sentient Glow", "Satellites"

3. Dayseeker- "Sleeptalk"

This is easily the most emotional journey I had with an album all year. It's rare to hear albums that go into the depths of dark emotions with such powerfully penned lyricism. Dayseeker knows how to traverse these depths in a way that won't traumatize the listener, but will also get said listener emotional every time they hear it. From the first time I heard "Drunk", I had a feeling I was in for something special, and I was right. I love this album for just how well it nails so many fraught topics without ever feeling like it exploits them. "The Color Black" is an angry meditation at abuse, with lead singer Rory Rodriguez throwing all sorts of deserved anger towards the abuser, while also talking frankly about how abuse affects the victims. "Starving To Be Empty" heart wrenchingly paints how an eating disorder is an extension of a deep emotional pain. The lyrics on this cut are simple yet powerful. The title track remains to be my favorite song of the year, as Rory puts himself tragically in the blame for this relationship should've ended long ago, but is still going on. He poignantly refers to it as a "three-year one night stand". The song has so many incredible moments; hear it for yourself, and then go listen to the album. To put it simply, this release is incredible.

Favorite Tracks: "Sleeptalk", "The Color Black", "Starving To Be Empty"

2. Wolves at the Gate- "Eclipse"

Wolves at the Gate is one of those incredibly rare bands who have only gotten better with each album they have released. For as much as I enjoyed "Types and Shadows" (it made my Top 10 Albums of 2017 list), I like "Eclipse" even more. The band's theologically accurate lyrics are somehow even better written. I think the reason why is that the lyrics on this album are written in such a way where both secular and Christian audiences can connect to it. I feel as though the band's previous albums were more written for just a Christian audience in mind, but "Eclipse" definitely wants to connect to secular audiences as well. This is evidenced by a big thematic arc of the album being collective brokenness. The title track has the band personally talking about how their sins kept them disconnected from God and others for a long time. "Face to Face" is one of the band's most raw tracks about dying to self. "The Sea is Between" is such a beautifully human track about the connection between God and man. I have a hard time identifying many critiques about this album; it's absolutely masterful, and I wish more Christian releases pushed boundaries like this one does.

Favorite Tracks: "Face to Face", "A Voice in the Violence", "The Sea is Between"

1. While She Sleeps- "So What?"

The competition between this one and WATG's album was much closer than I predicted it to be, but at the end of the day, While She Sleeps's "So What?" won the day for my favorite album of 2019. There are very few bands out there who, for me, have released two 5/5 albums. WSS is one of them, and because of that, they have made their way into one of my top five favorite bands of all time. "So What?" has everything I love about the band, in addition to some interesting changes. I mean, lead single "Anti-Social" has a rap section in it, and the band just makes it work. I can tell that all the band members have an appreciation for different types of music, which is what makes their sound so unique in the metalcore landscape. They can do different things, but don't sound like they're selling out because they still keep their energy intact. Just look at "I've Seen It All", and you'll see what I mean. From front to back, this album works because of how many cool musical choices it makes, such as the cool guitar riff in the title track or the absolute epic proportions that "Gates of Paradise" reaches. Thematically, the album is pitch perfect, as the band transitions from cynical about the possibility for unity to optimistic about our collective futures when we see what unites us. The band is important in the musical landscape for the reason that they have a message of unity on their mind while also being honest about the mess that our world can be. It makes them feel accessible and powerful in a way many bands don't. I promise you, you don't want to miss out on this release.

Favorite Tracks: "I've Seen It All", "Gates of Paradise", "So What?"

Those are my Top 20 Albums of 2019! What are yours? This is my last post of 2019, so I want to wish you all a Happy New Year. I'm not sure what the state of this site will be like next year, as I've been considering once again doing YouTube reviews, but I am not confident in that yet. There will still be one more list: The Top 15 Movies of 2019. That won't be out until January because there are a couple more movies I want to watch before making it official. See you all very soon!

"A Christmas Carol" (2019) Miniseries Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

There are so many Christmas classics out there that resonate with people. I've always felt that the most primary of them is "A Christmas Carol". The novel by Charles Dickens is a timeless masterpiece, with a message that is relevant no matter what time period. Christmas can bring about emotions of redemption for even those who seem too far gone, those like Ebenezer Scrooge. Characters such as Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit are practically synonymous with the cheerful holiday spirit at this point, and for good reason. There have been multiple adaptations of the novel, with them being in a range of quality. My personal favorites are the one with Patrick Stewart and the ingenious Muppets version. Even for the weaker versions of the film, generally all have changed very little about the source material. Director Nick Murphy and Steven Knight released a miniseries on FX this year, and man did the trailers for this make me concerned. First of all, it looked like the film might be a little too dark, and also for some reason characters were dropping hard f-bombs in the trailer as well. All my worries- and more- were confirmed when I watched this miniseries all together. Even though it starts off promisingly, more often than not the 2019 adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" spits in the face of Charles Dickens's novel, and in the face of everyone who loves the themes the book has to offer. If you want to watch the series, then don't read this review, as there will be spoilers.

Like I mentioned, the miniseries starts off pretty interesting. I am not necessarily a book purist; I have said this in reviews before. I am totally open to an adaptation changing things up, so long as they are not completely dishonoring the source material. For the most part, I felt that the first episode of the miniseries paid tribute to the source material while also adding some interesting updates. For example, we actually see Bob Marley, Scrooge's business partner, coming back to life while in his grave. In this series, he's not technically a ghost, but rather someone stuck in purgatory. We even get to see him go to a sort of purgatory, where he meets a man who was a victim of Scrooge and Marley's corrupt business movies. The man hands Marley his chains, telling him they represent every person who died in a mining accident due to Scrooge and Marley making monetary cuts that made the mine less safe. I thought it was interesting to begin the series like this, establishing a darker tone. It didn't feel too far removed from the creepiness of parts of the novel. As a whole the performances in this series are pretty solid. I actually think Guy Pearce is great as Scrooge. He offers a new portrayal, making Scrooge a bit of a philosophizer in the process. Pearce lets the audience see a bit more into Scrooge's thought process of the human condition. I have many problems with Scrooge as a character in this adaptation (more on that later), but Pearce is quite good in shouldering this interpretation. My favorite aspect of this series was definitely Andy Serkis as The Ghost of Christmas Past. This is perhaps the most chilling and intriguing interpretation of this ghost I've ever seen. It's clear Knight had some of the most interesting ideas with this character, which is definitely why this ghost is the one we spend a whole episode with, whereas the Ghosts of Present and Future are split up in one episode. Vinette Robinson is shouldered with the thankless role of Mary Crachit, but still does really well despite the awfully written character she has to deal with. Lenny Rush's portrayal of Tiny Tim was genuinely sweet and heartfelt, and probably the character that was the closest to belonging in a faithful adaptation of "A Christmas Carol". There were a couple of interpretive choices I liked. The first episode of this series brings some lines directly from the text into the movie, which made this part of the series feel the most like I was actually watching "A Christmas Carol". There are some scenes where the writers do a good job of really going there in regards to the dark tone, so I'll commend them for that. I also actually found the decision to make the Ghost of Christmas Present be Scrooge's sister a pretty interesting one. It worked because this Ghost is meant to be the most comforting presence to Scrooge in a way.

Now that I've brought some of my positives into the light, it's time to get into the numerous problems I had with this series. Even though I did overall like episode one, there were still some things that were already standing out to me as worrisome. For one, there are some pretty long-winded scenes of Marley interacting with the Ghost of Christmas Past. These scenes really drag and ultimately don't add much to the story. Also, apparently, Marley's own redemption is tied to Scrooge's. This made no sense to me. I understand that the characters worked together, but wasn't the purpose of the original Marley to serve as a warning to Scrooge? That if Scrooge didn't change, he would be bound as a wandering spirit with chains to remind him of all the evil he did? Scrooge's redemption meaning that Marley would be redeemed puts an extra bit of responsibility on Scrooge that I'm not sure was necessary. Also, apparently the Ghost of Christmas Past does not really care whether Scrooge changes his ways or not. Apparently, his only reason for haunting Scrooge is because he wants to see whether it's possible for it to happen. That makes even less sense to me. If the Spirits do not care about Scrooge's redemption beyond just a feigning interest of whether it's possible, then why on earth are they haunting him? The only Ghost that seems to care is the Ghost of Christmas Present, but apparently it's only the Ghost of Christmas Future who gets to decide whether Scrooge is redeemed or not. But then, the story decides at the end that it is Scrooge's decision as to whether he deserves redemption or not. In every other "Christmas Carol" adaptation, this is the case. In this one, it seems to make this decision very last minute, so Scrooge getting to choose feels unearned and a little sloppy.  Even though I like the idea of the Ghost of Christmas Present being Scrooge's sister, not a whole lot of interesting stuff is done with the idea. The Ghost of Christmas Future is for some reason shown as a human entity, when I thought the whole idea behind him was for him to not have a face and be shrouded in mystery, like the future. That doesn't mean he has to look like the Grim Reaper, but I don't think he should look like a human either. For as much as I don't really enjoy the Jim Carrey version of "A Christmas Carol" anymore, that one had a good idea of changing the Future ghost to being Scrooge's shadow. This still kept the Ghost a mystery- and most importantly, not human. The miniseries's interpretive choice was one of the weirdest.

There are other choices made here that are far worse, more for the reason that they are offensively executed or they contradict everything about Dickens's novel. A lot of them revolve around Scrooge himself. Now clearly, in the beginning parts of the story, Scrooge is not meant to be likeable. In fact, in most movie adaptations it's not until around the Ghost of Christmas Present that you start to sympathize with the present version Scrooge. The idea of the Ghost of Christmas Past is that you see Scrooge at a time when he was sympathetic. In Steven Knight's version, I could hardly ever find a shred of sympathy for Scrooge. This Scrooge isn't just a bitter, miserly man. This Scrooge is a bitter, miserly man who is also a sociopath and a monster. When the Past Ghost shows Scrooge the mining accident that killed so many people, Scrooge doesn't even shed a tear. The beginning of this series establishes that Scrooge is actually aware of Tiny Tim being severely crippled and close to dying. As far as I'm aware, no other movie adaptation has done this. This version decides that Scrooge doesn't care about Tim's condition even when he knows about it. Any other version of Scrooge is undeniably bitter, but all the other versions of Scrooge didn't know about Tiny Tim, and when they do find out, they are actually concerned about whether he survives or not. Guy Pearce's Scrooge seems more sad about horses dying in a mining incident than about Tiny Tim's tragic illness. This made me actively hate Scrooge pretty much my whole time watching the film. You're not supposed to hate this character the whole time. The Ghost of Christmas Past is meant to show you times when Scrooge did have the Christmas spirit. Instead, this one makes the ill-advised decision to have Scrooge's dad- and Scrooge's school teacher- be sexually abusive to Scrooge. It's only when Scrooge is saved by his sister that he escapes this abuse. In this version, his dad never becomes a better person, and his sister holds up a gun to the teacher warning him to never touch Scrooge again. Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here guys. A child holding up a sexual abuser at gun point. Does this sound like "A Christmas Carol" to you? Because it sure doesn't to me. Even in his past, we never see Scrooge truly happy at any point in this story. There's no point where he's a redeemable character. His only shred of sympathy is his abusive past, and even then, Scrooge grows up to be abusive himself.

Those aren't even the worst choices in this interpretation. Most of the absolute worse come in the interactions between Scrooge and Mrs. Cratchit. Yeah, for some reason, this story decides to make her a bigger character, and in the process actually disservices the character and the great actress playing her. There is a scene that the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge where Mrs. Crachit comes in to ask him for money to help with an operation on Tiny Tim. Scrooge proceeds to toy with her in a pretty monstrous manner that I don't think even the worst of past Scrooge iterations would do. Ultimately, it seems like Scrooge is saying he will give her the money if she has sex with him. This was the first point in the movie where I became angry. How are we supposed to even want Scrooge to be redeemed at this point? Mrs. Cratchit proceeds to come to Scrooge's house on Christmas Day and take her clothes off; all the while Scrooge is belittling her. After most of her clothes are off and she is left in a vulnerable position, Scrooge says that he actually wasn't going to have sex with her; he was just wanting to see how far she would go. He lets her have the money anyway. Then, she proceeds to tell him that because she is a woman, she has the power to call upon spirits to haunt him. This is the point where this miniseries pretty much lost me. So, Mrs. Cratchit out of all people is the one who causes Scrooge to get haunted? Wow, that is dumb. Also, this sexually abusive situation felt like a way for Steven Knight to say, "See? This isn't your grandpa's 'A Christmas Carol'. This one's SUPER dark and edgy!". By forcing these gross scenes in, you're actually reducing the story of its edge and instead leaving people feeling disgusted by what they just saw. The feminist angle with Mrs. Cratchit (and to a certain degree Scrooge's sister Lottie) is really ham-fisted and lacks sincerity. It seems like Knight wants people to cheer for him for bringing this arc in when it contributes exactly nothing to the central story. Finally, this might seem like a petty criticism, but dropping f-bombs in this series feels wildly unnecessary to me. Maybe one effectively placed one could've worked. The excessive amount placed in this interpretation clearly told me that Knight thought this was such a subversive and dark thing to do to "A Christmas Carol". Give me a break. It's childish and idiotic.

The series ends on quite the mind-boggling note. After a very underwhelming interaction with The Ghost of Christmas Future, (which in almost any other Christmas Carol has always been my favorite part of the film), Scrooge decides that he does not deserve redemption or forgiveness. I would actually agree in this version, because he's an absolute monster. But then, suddenly it seems like the series decides he actually is redeemed? Because he starts talking and saying "Merry Christmas" to people in a similar manner to other ACTUALLY redeemed Scrooges. This doesn't feel remotely earned, as to me, it seems like this Scrooge still wouldn't dare to utter those words given how sociopathic he is. He proceeds to visit the Cratchits, and of course they aren't happy to see him. Scrooge offers Bob a lot of money, but that's about all he does in terms of making things right with him. It's clear that in sentiment he still does not truly have the Christmas spirit. Mary proceeds to kick Scrooge out of the house, then weirdly says to the spirits that they are not done yet. What is that supposed to mean? That the spirits will continue to haunt Scrooge? Or is it a form of breaking the fourth wall? Whatever the case, the movie ends out on that awful note, and I was left infuriated by what I had just watched. For as many problems as I have with Robert Zemeckis's version of "A Christmas Carol" I would watch that version in a heartbeat over what Steven Knight brought us. This movie puts on the front of being dark and subversive, and in the process it disrespects what is one of the best Christmas stories out there. There are a lot of stories out there that could benefit from a dark interpretation, but this is not one of them. Let this story be. Don't watch this. It's not worth it.

The Top 10 Worst Movies of 2019

It is time for my one of my last lists for 2019! Overall, this year has been quite exceptional for movies. I saw a lot more films than I've seen in past years, and I liked a lot more this year than I disliked. There were still some real low points, though, and I really have to talk about them. Here is my personal list of the Top 10 Worst Movies of 2019!

Dishonorable Mentions: "Aladdin", "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile", "Eli", "Velvet Buzzsaw"

10. Pet Sematary

You could call this year "The Year of Stephen King Adaptations", and I wouldn't disagree with you. The amount of King films this year was insane, from some of the biggest like "It: Chapter 2" to some smaller films like "Doctor Sleep". I had a range of reactions on the adaptations, but in my opinion the worst of them was "Pet Sematary". To be absolutely fair, this book is one of King's hardest to adapt in my opinion. The novel is a truly bizarre, atmospheric experience that I think probably works best in its textual form rather than on screen. I am not even a big fan of the book, to be honest, so I was totally fine when I heard that this movie took some serious liberties with the text. What we got here, though, was really underwhelming. This film has some potential in the beginning, but quickly goes the way of quite the generic horror film. There's just not a whole lot of interesting stuff going on here, with only the well-trained cat providing some intrigue. The acting is stiff and awkward in many places, especially from Jason Clarke. He really doesn't fit the role he was given at all. And, while I was open to the movie changing some things around with the text, some of the changes made here were real head scratchers. This is especially true of the totally different ending, which is more cheesy than it is chilling. I don't really hate this film, but it stood out to me for the rest of 2019 as one of the biggest misses of the year. The trailer marketed the film as incredibly scary, and what we got was considerably run of the mill.

9. Brightburn

Talk about SERIOUSLY wasted potential. Everything about this movie's concept was awesome to me: a horror superhero movie, where the very idea of Superman as a force for good was turned on its head. It sounded like it should've worked. After watching it, it was very clear to me that the movie was trying to coast by on its cool concept alone. A concept can only take a story so far, and this one falls flat on its face pretty quickly. What makes this a little more disappointing is the fact that the James Gunn and his brothers worked on this film, so I was really anticipating something that could be clever and even a little bit fun. The movie actually starts decently enough, but once it falls, it falls hard. We hardly ever see Brandon Beyer (aka evil Clark Kent) before he becomes evil. His turn to corruption is almost immediate, which is a real disappointment. There's no real character development for him at all. Elizabeth Banks is stuck in a rather thankless role as Brandon's mother. She is in constant denial that her child is a murderer, even though there's clear evidence he is. Her character is frustratingly idiotic, and the same goes for David Denman as the father; he may be even more insufferable. Pile all this on top of a pointless gorefest, and you've got a pretty weak film. I was expecting to enjoy this, and the exact opposite occurred.

8. The Dead Don't Die

This movie is rife with many problems. The first is that it wastes its incredibly talented cast on a rather weak script. Every character in this movie has the same deadpan manner of speaking, no matter whether they're a police officer or a literal samurai (I'm not joking, there's a samurai in the movie, and no it's not as cool as it should be). It really does seem like almost no one is trying in this movie, or maybe it's just the characters that are dull. I think it's supposed to be funny that no character is invested in what is going on, but what it actually does is make the audience also lose any sense of interest in what is happening. Every character here feels like a caricature or stereotype. Some characters didn't even need to be here at all. What honestly did cast members like Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, or RZA bring to the table? Heck, even the oddball chemistry between Bill Murray and Adam Driver started to lose me as the film went on. The ending of the movie is what set me over the edge, as it broke the fourth wall for no reason, and it the zombies were symbolic of something else. It was all very eye-rolling. I'd skip this one if I were you.

7. Glass

Coming hot off his best film since "Unbreakable", I was expecting M. Night Shymalan's latest movie "Glass" to have at least somewhat good quality. I will admit, though, I went into the film with caution considering Shymalan's highly inconsistent track record. Unfortunately, "Glass" ends off a trilogy of movies with a pretentious whimper rather than a bang. What makes it hurt a little more is all the main cast members are pretty solid in their respectable roles (except for Bruce Willis, who was really phoning it in as he has done for some time now). All of the biggest problems here really come down to Shymalan's writing and directing. Directing-wise, Shymalan did not really take full advantage of his contained space. There was hardly ever a time when all three main characters were together. That was what I was looking forward to this film having, and it was quite a blow that it rarely happened. Anytime they are together, they're not even really talking to one another. Either they're fighting, or they're talking to Sarah Paulson's insufferable exposition machine character Dr. Staple. The movie often looks flat and boring, not typical of even the worst of M. Night's movies. The writing is what hurts this film more than anything, though. This movie wants to let you know in every moment that it's a real-life superhero flick. But, because of how determined it is to constantly espouse its cleverness, it comes across as pretentious rather than interesting. The writing is so on the nose it's annoying. Elijah Price in particular has some awful lines where he's basically telling the audience what part of the typical comic book plot they are "subverting". It's not a subversion if you're still telling the same type of comic book story. This film should've been great, and instead it was my biggest disappointment of the year.

6. Unicorn Store

I promise that I like Brie Larson as an actress a lot. I think she has obvious talent, and is one of the most promising young actresses working right now. It's unfortunate that both movies she was in this year I wasn't huge fans of. "Unicorn Store" was Larson's directorial debut, and unfortunately, it was easy to tell. This film is pretty cringe worthy to get through. There were several places in the movie where I just wanted to stop watching, but I kept going for some reason. The beginning of the movie seems like it's setting up an intriguing world that's maybe a more exaggerated version of ours, but it doesn't ever dedicate fully to doing that for the rest of the film. Instead, we're stuck with Kit, who is stuck in a childlike state and refuses to grow up or accept adult responsibilities. In some ways, I could sympathize with her plight; it can be hard to grow up. But, the thing is, we all have to some time, and her character simply never changes throughout the movie. There's an attempt at forced development near the end of the movie, but it's too little too late. Mamoudou Athie as Vigil is the only remotely likeable character in the movie, and he's not nearly enough to offset all the annoying characters here, including Kit's awful parents. This movie seems like it's trying to appeal to literally all audience types, but because of that it ends up appealing to no one. Hopefully Larson's next effort will be a little better.

5. The Laundromat

This movie is absolutely perplexing to me in all that it attempts- and fails- to do. At the center of the movie should be something compelling: a story of a widow who realizes that an insurance company has deceived her, and then her discovering just how deep the corruption goes. I think a story about the corrupt side of capitalist America is pretty relevant to today. But the movie just utterly fails in the way it tries to tell this story. For one, director Steven Soderbergh tries to make an anthology film of sorts, where there are multiple stories that show insurance fraud in different ways. I think that the film suffered from being about multiple stories rather than just one. None of the stories ever have a chance to truly take off. There is one interesting story where an Asian family poisons a man who they no longer need for their own insurance scams, but it ends too quickly. Most of the talented cast here is put in places where they woefully do not work. The worst of these is Gary Oldman playing the corrupt Russian insurance businessman Jurgen. His accent was so clearly fake, and a lot of the times it looked like Oldman had no idea what to do acting wise. That's the marking of a bad director. Antonio Banderas fairs a little better as Jurgen's associate Ramon, but still isn't given a whole lot to do. Meryl Streep is basically phoning in her performance here, barely even trying. But who can blame her when her character is as interestingly written as a pile of rocks? The ending of this movie sent my eyes rolling right up to the ceiling with how preachy and holier-than-thou it tries to be. Any potential message is lost in this disasterpiece.

4. Dumbo

I thought that maybe Tim Burton could do right by "Dumbo" with his remake, but I was so very wrong. Like I mentioned in my full review, I should've remembered that Burton also greatly butchered "Alice in Wonderland" in the early years of Disney's remakes. The things that work about this film are very few and far between. In fact, I only really like Dumbo because he's cute, and Danny DeVito at least puts some passion into his performance. Everything else about this movie is a mess. The original "Dumbo" is only about an hour long, so why this one tried to extend that run time and cram so much in is beyond me. Did we really need a sub plot about a corporate executive bringing Dumbo into his amusement park? What's even more amazing about that is that Disney doesn't realize their own hypocrisy in making this type of character a villain. I also just didn't find myself caring about the circus losing business, or about Colin Farell's character trying to find a place in the circus again. Almost all of the actors here are barely even trying, Farell (unfortunately) included. The child actors are the worst offenders, both being so wooden and boring. I don't think they're entirely in the fault, as their lines are horribly written. This movie tries to bring critiques to the circus, but at the same time makes its main circus act sympathetic. This movie is just another in a long line of miserable, unnecessary Disney remakes.

3. The Lion King

Of course this Disney remake was also going to make my list. How could it not? Besides "Beauty and the Beast", this is the remake that has offended me the most so far. For as bad as "Dumbo" is, at least Tim Burton tried some new things. This movie feels like director Jon Favreau copied off someone's better homework (that being the original "Lion King"), made a crappier version, and claimed it as his own. Literally everything about this film screams pure laziness. The animation is picturesque, sure. But, does it really help that all the animals here have an uncanny valley feel to them? All of them verge between looking realistic yet not realistic enough. That makes every animal here hard to attach to when their mouth and physical movements look animatronic rather than organic. Because of the animation, it's hard for any of the voice actors to passionately emote. It would be awkward to do so with the stilted animal movements. Even those who try to bring more emotion don't work out, with the slight exceptions of Chiwetel Ejiofor and James Earl Jones. Most of the voice actors here sound like they're phoning it in, both when they are acting and when they are singing. This is especially true of Donald Glover and Beyonce Knowles. It's really bad when your two main characters sound like they don't care. Everything is lifeless here, and iconic scenes from the original are insultingly hollow shells in this film. Audiences claim they don't want remakes, and yet whenever something like this releases, it makes an overwhelming amount of money. This clearly tells Disney that this is what audiences want. I did not invest money to watch this movie, and I don't want to support anymore Disney remakes. This should not exist.

2. Dark Phoenix

This has got to be one of the absolute worst superhero movies I've ever seen. It's right up there with the likes of "Batman vs. Superman" and "Suicide Squad". Perhaps it's even worse that both of those films in some ways. What really hurts this movie so much is how completely, utterly boring it is. Superhero films are supposed to be exciting, adventurous, otherworldly. This film has practically nothing like that. You can even tell that the cast doesn't care. Even normally great actors like James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender look like they took a huge dose of sleep pills before going on set. No character here is interesting, least of all the titular character. I feel so bad for Sophie Turner. She's had two characters this year ruined by incompetent directors/writers. The way the movie establishes Jean Grey is so weak. She's not a remotely compelling character. Similarly to "Brightburn", we don't get to truly know this character before she gets her powers. That makes it hard to sympathize with her. Almost anytime she's on screen, she is attacking people, which makes it hard to even try to feel any type of empathy for her plight. Charles Xavier is practically a villain in this movie with some of the idiotic things he does. Aren't we supposed to like this character? This film seems to want us to feel for him, but it's hard to considering the choices he makes. The only good part of this movie is the climactic train fight, but that can't save what is overall one of the most insufferable movie experiences I've had in recent memory.

1. The Haunting of Sharon Tate

And yet, for as bad as "Dark Phoenix" was, "The Haunting of Sharon Tate" was SO much worse. There are only two films I've ever given 0.5/5 stars. This is one of them. That should tell you how much I loathe this movie; it's easily one of the worst movies of the 2010s. It's grossly exploitative. The movie is using a real-life tragedy to get an audience invested in this garbage pile of a film, and it has absolutely nothing to say in exploiting this tragedy. There are points in the film where it tries to be "deep" by bringing up questions of fate and destiny, but these questions are only asked and never really explored. The movie wants you to think it's deep because it's asking questions, but if you're not gonna do anything with them, then it's a clear cop-out. The acting in this film is ATROCIOUS. I mainly blame the director, because everyone is bad here. That usually means the director did not give anyone good direction. Hilary Duff is the worst here, trying to put on the accent that Tate had. But her accent is so inconsistent. Either she should've just used her normal voice, or she should've practiced more on the accent. Everyone else here is quite bad as well, especially Tyler Johnson's awful portrayal of Tex Watson. This movie fails on every level. Cinematically, the movie is so lazy. There are a lot of shots that are just handheld and gave me a headache because of how shaky the camera was. The same establishing shots are used repeatedly, including a particularly bad one of an out-of-focus moon. The ending ten minutes of the movie are some of the worst pieces of film I've ever seen, as it's all filler with nothing of value to say. Apparently this director is coming out with a film about the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson next year. It's disgusting how he's using real tragedies to try and make his films seem more interesting than they actually are. Screw this film; it's not even a fascinating type of bad.

There you have it: those were my personal Top 10 Worst Movies of 2019. There are still two more lists on the way. Next up will be my the Top 20 Albums of 2019!