month : 07/2014 8 results

Dewa Budjana – Dawai In Paradise Album Review

This collection of songs (the first release of an upcoming trilogy) sees Dewa indulge in his most esoteric nature and the end result makes one happy, very happy. His phrasing is sublime and the variety of tones he unleashes from a wide selection of guitars is remarkable but what most impresses is how uplifting this music actual is. Utilizing a wide range of guest artists and their unique instruments (to most western ears) also gives the work a travel log vibe filled with the treasure of ...

Sex Tape Movie Review

Part one of the film makes for some very uncomfortable viewing as it’s far more cringe than comedy but part two is actually quite funny as the viewer buys into the ridiculous storyline. It’s one of those film only stories where the main protagonists continually do things that only people in movies would actually do. Casting also cuts fifty/fifty as there are few cinematic experiences less appealing than seeing lead actor Jason Segel naked and not to be gender biased, lead actress ...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

The plague created by Will Rodman's Alzheimer's ‘cure’ has spread throughout the globe and decimated the human population and, presumably, empowered ape populations worldwide. Caesar's simian refugees build a growing community in the redwood forest while a splinter group of human survivors eke out an existence within the ruins of San Francisco. The diminishing fuel supply the human's require for electricity generation inevitably bring them into contact with Caesar's community who ...

Jersey Boys Movie Review

It should be noted that Eastwood's film is not a musical but rather features performances of The Four Seasons' music to signpost defined periods within the band's chronology. Correspondingly, the film is perfectly suited for those who love The Four Seasons music but do not possess a commensurate love of musicals (like me!) and as such appeals to a slightly different market. A smaller market it would seem given the film does not appear to be as successful as its theatrical predecessor. ...

Lovelace (Music from The Motion Picture) Album Review

There are even times when it can inform on a period that wasn’t even experienced first hand. That ramble brings us to Lovelace, it’s not a film score but a collection of tracks that evidently will be included in the not yet released movie about the porn star Linda Lovelace and the movie Deep Throat. If taken as a sampler of the radio of the day (Deep Throat was released in 1972) it shows how constricted and formatted modern day radio has become and how wide open and fun it used to ...

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Movie Review

Hiccup is clearly in a loving relationship with Astrid and Hiccup's dad, Stoick, is talking wedding bells. But there's a darkness that accompanies this maturing of the story elements and it proves to be a double-edged sword. The unbridled fun of the first film (probably Dreamworks' best animated feature) takes a heavy hit in this one with the story centering around loss, love and loss again. Hiccup's discovery of his long lost mother (voiced by Cate Blanchett impersonating Emma Thompson, ...

Terminator: Salvation Movie Review

Like the make up job on Sam Worthington's exposed Terminator face, the film as a whole is patchy at best. Though there are plentiful nods to the previous films which will keep some diehard fans happy, some of the references (like recurrent sound bites, for instance) are laugh-out-loud cheesy. Abundant cheddar is also evident in the adoption of styles, shots and sequences that unashamedly resonate other (notably better) films: Aliens, Transformers, Mad Max (there's even a weird, mute kid - ...

Karnivool – Asymmetry Album Review

The new long player Asymmetry more than lives up to those expectations with its expansive take on progressive rock. The work screams with passion when the mood strikes but also whispers with precision. The band creates a musical world with all the bombast and idiosyncratic behaviour that marks the best in the genre. It’s minute attention to detail also gives clues to the band’s less than vast recorded output. It’s a dense work that is best left to wash over you as it reveals ...