Upcoming films

Ok so I may not have updated this in quite some time as I've been pretty busy with work lately, but here's a list of films coming out in the next year... and take my word for it, they're looking pretty good from the previews I've seen.

Evil Weed. Emily and her sister Danielle play host to friends at their parents’ country house in the Hamptons. The weekend is poised for success. Murph, Emily’s boyfriend, has chosen this occasion to propose, their respective best friends seem to be hitting it off, and Danielle’s alienated boyfriend scores in the clutch by supplying the drugs. But when his bag of unicorn weed livens up the party, some of the group begin to suffer from a weird reaction. Inexplicable violence abruptly brings down their high. This October, a certain few friends are going to wish they hadn’t inhaled. This is out in the US now, but not in the UK until after christmas.

Family Guy: Something, something dark side. The Family Guy empire strikes back with another hilarious parody of your favorite sci-fi saga! May the laughs be with you as (Chris) Skywalker joins forces with (Peter) Solo and Princess (Lois) Leia to battle (Stewie) Vader and his Imperial minions. A host of new characters comes along for the wild ride, including Mort Goldman as Lando Calrissian, Chris’s boss Carl as Yoda, and the Giant Chicken as the nefarious Boba Fett. It’s an outrageous, out-of-this-world experience you’ll “saber” for light-years to come!

Amelia. Now this is the film i'm most looking forward to. AMELIA stars two-time Academy Award®-winner Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart, the legendary aviatrix and enigmatic symbol of the American free spirit, who was guided by a profound curiosity for everything life had to offer. Earhart’s early aviation triumphs and meteoric rise to fame and fortune were propelled along by her tempestuous partnership and eventual marriage to publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere). Bound by mutual ambition, admiration and, ultimately a great love, their bond could not be broken even with her brief passionate affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). Ms. Earhart was the first woman to solo the Atlantic and was the first pilot, man or woman, to fly unaccompanied across the Pacific. In Amelia’s attempt to be the first to fly around the world in an equatorial flight her life was tragically cut short with her mysterious and untimely disappearance over the South Pacific in 1937. And again, this is out after christmas.



Stan Hesling. It’s Halloween night, and slacker video clerk Stan Helsing (Steve Howey of REBA) – along with his insanely sexy ex-girlfriend (Diora Baird of THE WEDDING CRASHERS and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING), best buddy (Kenan Thompson of SNL) and an exotic dancer/’massage therapist’ (Desi Lydic) – detours into a town cursed by the biggest monsters in movie history: Freddy (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), Jason (FRIDAY THE 13TH), Pinhead (HELLRAISER), Leatherface (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Chucky (CHILD’S PLAY), & Michael Myers (HALLOWEEN). But when Stan discovers that he’s a direct descendant of the legendary monster hunter Van Helsing, the four will have to survive a night of hell raisers, hockey masks, psycho dolls, pleather faces, creepy hitchhikers, vampire strippers, killer karaoke, and lots of hot chicks kissing each other. The one and only Leslie Nielsen of AIRPLANE! and THE NAKED GUN co-stars in this hysterical horror spoof written and directed by one of the guys who brought you SCARY MOVIE. This would have been good as a halloween movie but sadly not out for a couple months in the UK.



All pretty awesome films by the looks of it, and there's a little something for everyone.
 
Until next time.

"Number 99. Just as I am"

From 5 young boys in New York with their magazines and mix tapes to 5 outstanding men known worldwide equipped with limousines and millstones, Brand New have come a long way since they were formed back in 2000, and they are now back with a brand new album and a brand new sound. After listening to the fourth album Daisy, they appear to be unstoppable.

Lead singer Jesse Lacey is on top form once more. Although, saying that, I don't recall a time when he's not been on top form. But with this album I think it's obvious the band have tried to go for the more controversial sound, and on some tracks, a very Country music orientated album. With songs like 'Be gone' and the vocals on 'Vices', they've veered away from the brand new everyone knows and loves, but I think everyone will still know and love them just the same.

This is by far my favourite album of 2009 but not quite my favourite Brand New album, as it doesn't measure up to their previous album 'Deja Entendu'. With that said, they still have outdone themselves on this record with a mixture of pop punk we all remember from 'Your Favourite Weapon' on songs like 'Gasoline' and the more emotional side with 'You Stole' which sounds an awful lot like a mix between 'Luca' and 'Jesus' from 'The Devil and God...'.

It has to be said, and it's been said many a time before about Brand New, this album is very dark and they've all clearly poured their hearts out onto this record. Definitely not the sort of thing you'd play at a frat party, or everyone would end up sitting in a corner worrying about the trials and tribulations of adult life. Also keeping in mind this album is about endings and moving on, it could be said that this may be the end of the band. But then it could also just be the clever lyrics fooling us as they've done so many times before. Needless to say, I, along with many others, hope this is not the end, but it would be fantastic way to go out.


I only have one negative thing to say about this album in that I don't think it's so much of a progression, more a regression. They could have done a better job by cutting out 'Be Gone' which I think is an unnecessary filler. In typical Brand New style, they've created an album that has split everyone with an opinion on their work straight down the middle. It's an album you have to listen to a few times, but after you do, I guarantee you will fall head over heels for it.

"When you're young and you start a band you think you'll record and go onstage and that's all there is, then suddenly someone wants to take your picture and ask your opinion on things, and you're excited, you're being paid attention to and you jump at that, looking back at it you realise it has nothing to do with why you started the band in the first place"    — Jesse Lacey in Rock Sound magazine

Until next time.

Pre-order

As promised, a list of DVD's being released over the next couple of months.

Terminator Salvation 23/11/2009
The Fast and the Furious 4 21/09/2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine 19/10/2009
Night at the Museum 2 09/11/2009
Family Guy: Season 8 09/11/2009
The Damned United 31/08/2009
Angels and Demons 14/09/2009
Star Trek XI (collectors edition also available) 16/11/2009
24: Season 7 19/10/2009
The Boat That Rocked 07/09/2009
Drag Me To Hell 26/10/2009
House: Season 5 05/10/2009

Not really anything decent to report on the DVD front at the moment, considering the majority of films that have come out this year have been disappointing to say the least. Only decent film to come out this year in my opinion is The Watchmen, which came out on DVD a few weeks ago and I suggest everybody goes and buys it right now.


Until next time.

They are not the kids they used to be...

Just like old cheese or good wine mature over time, usually good bands follow suit. Alexisonfire seem to have done just that with their recent album 'Old Crows/Young Cardinals'. 

Being one of the few decent bands that Canada have churned out over the years, this fourth album is definitely going to secure their place on the musical map for years to come. This record has everything you'd expect from what I guess some people would label a post-hardcore band. The catchy tunes that you could imagine being in films or in certain video games which isn't always what a band is aiming for, but they have that infectious sound.

In regards to the band members, since Dallas Green (lead guitar/vocals) started his seperate band City and Colour, I couldn't imagine his voice getting any better, and with his outstanding harmonies on the song 'The Northern' he's really come into his own and doesn't ever seem to put a foot wrong on the entire record. Wade (guitar/lead vocals) isn't much of a shocker as his voice is very similar to their 2006 album 'Crisis', but I will say that on this album he does sound a lot more husky and sounds like he's really grown and his voice has grown with him.

There's only a slight problem with this album in that I think it sounds too similar to their previous album 'Crisis'. I've spotted one or two of the same riffs in certain songs and the drumming pattern is very similar, and as this was a very eagerly anticipated album by many fans, I'm sure they might agree. But I suppose they're aiming to give fans what they want, and as 'Crisis' was a fantastic album, the fans will be happy. Aside from that, It's definitely an album worth giving a listen.

Alexisonfire playing Leeds and Reading Festivals the weekend of the 29th / 30th August, then playing venues all over the UK in October. Get on down!

Until next time.

http://www.theonlybandever.com

Remakes and "Squeakquels"

When it comes to film sequels, the one thing that happens quite often is the sequel will be a complete disaster compared to the first in the series. Let's hope this doesn't happen with the following movies...


One upcoming movie for the next few months is Saw VI. Now, I don't know about the rest of the world, but for me, the Saw trilogy has gone as far as it can possibly go. I was an avid watcher of the series up until Saw IV, which I think was far too complicated for a horror/thriller movie. The Saw series really has branched out into new realms of cinema and will go down in history, but I think 4 is more than enough, and I can only imagine that this upcoming film will be a colossal waste of time. Saw VI in cinemas October 23.


Another movie I didn't expect there to be a remake or sequel of is Tron. My father introduced me - or should i say 'tried to' introduce me - to this film when I was younger, and as I've only seen it once, I can't make too much of a comment apart from I've always thought of this film as one of those films that everyone seems to have watched at some point in their life. From what i've seen trailer-wise, Tron Legacy looks like a must see. Tron Legacy is out early 2010.


And now a film sequel for the kids, and in a way, I think many people can enjoy this movie, sadly I'm not one of them. The sequel im talking about is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. No, thats not a typo, they really have made a second one, and just in time for a christmas film as this comes out in late December 2009. Hopefully it will be an improvement on the first movie, but lets not get our hopes up!


Now the movie I'm most excited about. Actually, excited is a bit of a stretch. More anxious as this could completely ruin the original. Disney have finally run out of ideas and decided to start making films that they've already done before. Alice in Wonderland is the movie I'm talking about. I assume everyone has seen the original cartoon film, but this isn't cartoon, which in a way, could make it better, especially as it's directed by Tim Burton of all people. Cast your minds back to Johnny Depp butchering the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake. I'm really hoping Disney doesn't make the same mistake, although they've cast him in this film too, I think as the mad hatter, but not sure if that's rumour or not. It might be a long time to wait for this film as it's not released until March 2010 but keep your eyes peeled around that time, as I think this will definitely be worth a watch.




Until next time.