Film Review: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005) A-

Date Viewed: 5/30/06
Venue: DVD

I always loved the Wallace & Gromit shorts that were released years ago. Dry, witty humor with a lot of well-done slapstick through in. Oh, and, glorious claymation. I was disappointed when W&G creator Nick Park made his first feature film about chickens (Chicken Run, a very good film, btw) instead of our intrepid duo, but now we’ve finally got Wallace & Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit. It’s really a charming, perfectly put-together movie that feels right in line with those original, Academy Award winning shorts.

This time out, Wallace & Gromit are in the pest control business, dealing mostly with garden-destroying rabbits. However, when Wallace attempt to brainwash rabbits (in order to curb their veggie-desires) goes awry, the Were-Rabbit is created, and our pair spend the film desperately trying to capture the beast before the big harvest festival. But since this is a comedy, there are plenty of spills, splats, eye rolls, and Rube Goldberg devices along the way. And I must say, Gromit, without speaking a word, is the unequivocally the most emotive animated performer I have ever seen. If comedy is all about the reaction shot, then Gromit (well, Nick Park and associates), and his ever-expressive brow, is a master comedian.

Truly a film for all ages, kids will dig the claymation, physical comedy, and cute character design, while adults will enjoy the subtle humor throughout. Highly recommended.

The most important website you'll ever see

Tackles the important issues that face our nation, and the world, on a daily basis.

2006 Movie Log

I watch a lot of movies. Here's where I'm gonna start keeping track of them. I've decided not to review every single film I watch, that would get a little crazy (and if I watch Ghostbusters for the hundredth time, I don't want to feel compelled to review it). So for now I'm just sticking to reviewing films if it's my first viewing.

01. 05/23/06 - Derailed (2005) DVD (C-)
02. 05/24/06 - Hostel (2006) DVD (C)
03. 05/25/06 - Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) DVD (B+)
04. 05/26/06 - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) AMC Burbank 16 (B+)
05. 05/28/06 - X-Men (2000) DVD (A)
06. 05/29/06 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003) DVD (B+)
07. 05/30/06 - Wallace & Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005) DVD (A-)
08. 05/31/06 - Jarhead (2005) DVD (C)
09. 05/31/06 - Hustle & Flow (2005) DVD (A-)
10. 05/31/06 - The Da Vinci Code (2006) DGA (C-)
11. 06/01/06 - Flightplan (2005) DVD (F)
12. 06/02/06 - The New World (2005) DVD (B)
13. 06/04/06 - Batman Begins (2005) DVD (B+)
14. 06/05/06 - A History Of Violence (2005) DVD (B-)
15. 06/06/06 - Capote (2005) DVD (B+)
16. 06/07/06 - Aeon Flux (2005) DVD (D)
17. 06/08/06 - The Last Shot (2004) DVD (C+)
18. 06/12/06 - The Brothers Grimm (2005) DVD (D+)
19. 06/14/06 - Howl's Moving Castle (2005) DVD (B)
20. 06/15/06 - The Great Raid (2005) DVD (C)
21. 06/16/06 - Sky High (2005) DVD (B+)
22. 06/19/06 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) DVD (B)
23. 06/19/06 - Firewall (2006) DVD (B-)
24. 06/21/06 - End Of The Spear (2006) DVD (B-)
25. 06/21/06 - Primer (2004) DVD (B)
26. 06/22/06 - Proof (2005) DVD (C+)
27. 06/22/06 - Transamerica (2005) DVD (B-)
28. 06/23/06 - Superman (1978) DVD (A-)
29. 06/23/06 - Goodfellas (1990) DVD (A)
30. 06/24/06 - Superman II (1980) DVD (B)
31. 06/24/06 - Heat (1995) DVD (A-)
32. 06/25/06 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) DVD (A-)
33. 06/26/06 - North Country (2005) DVD (C+)
34. 06/29/06 - Superman Returns (2006) AMC Burbank 16 (A)
35. 07/03/06 - Superman Returns (2006) AMC Promenade 16 (A)
36. 07/03/06 - Independence Day (1996) DVD (B+)
37. 07/11/06 - Dr. No (1962) DVD (B)
38. 07/14/06 - From Russia With Love (1963) DVD (A-)
39. 07/14/06 - Goldfinger (1964) DVD (B+)
40. 07/15/06 - Thunderball (1965) DVD (B-)
41. 07/15/06 - Life Of Brian (1979) DVD (B-)
42. 07/21/06 - You Only Live Twice (1967) DVD (B-)
43. 07/26/06 - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) DGA (B)
44. 08/08/06 - Miami Vice (2006) DGA (C-)
45. 08/11/06 - Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster (2004) DVD (A-)
46. 08/28/06 - Ghostbusters (1984) ArcLight (A+)
47. 09/12/06 - Hollywoodland (2006) DGA (B)
48. 09/28/06 - All The King's Men (2006) DGA (F)
49. 10/11/06 - The Departed (2006) DGA (A)
50. 10/17/06 - The Last King Of Scotland (2006) Universal (B)
51. 10/18/06 - Thank You For Smoking (2006) Universal (B)
52. 10/26/06 - Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) DVD (B)
53. 11/01/06 - 16 Blocks (2006) DVD (C-)
54. 11/05/06 - Brick (2006) DVD (A)
55. 11/06/06 - Inside Man (2006) DVD (B)
56. 11/07/06 - The Killer (1989) DVD (B)
57. 11/08/06 - Children Of Men (2006) Universal (B-)
58. 11/16/06 - American Dreamz (2006) DVD (C)
59. 11/18/06 - The Proposition (2006) DVD (B)
60. 11/27/06 - Mission: Impossible III (2006) DVD (B)
61. 11/30/06 - Cars (2006) DVD (B)
62. 12/04/06 - A Prairie Home Companion (2006) DVD (B-)
63. 12/07/06 - Monster House (2006) DVD (C-)
64. 12/08/06 - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) DVD (B+)
65. 12/08/06 - Down In The Valley (2006) DVD (D+)
66. 12/09/06 - Superman II (Richard Donner Cut) (1980) HD-DVD (B)
67. 12/16/06 - Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) DVD (A+)
68. 12/16/06 - Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) DVD (A-)
69. 12/17/06 - Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King (2003) DVD (A)
70. 12/18/06 - Nacho Libre (2006) HD-DVD (F)
71. 12/26/06 - The Three Burials Of Melquaides Estrada (2005) DVD (B-)
72. 12/27/06 - Running Scared (2006) DVD (B+)
73. 12/31/06 - Fight Club (1999) DVD (A-)

Film Review: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) B+

Date Viewed 5/26/06
Venue: AMC Burbank 16

X-Men: The Last Stand is the latest (and most likely final) installment in the vaunted X-Men comic-book movie franchise that manages to be satisfying and disappointing all at the same time. I admit, I am a huge fan of the previous X-Men films, both directed by Bryan Singer, and I was hugely disappointed when Singer chose to direct Superman Returns over X3. Disappointment led to wariness as Brett Ratner of Rush Hour and Red Dragon fame was brought on late to replace Singer. I walked out of X3 happy, not thrilled, but happy Ratner hadn’t destroyed my favorite comic book franchise.

I won’t bore you too much with plot details, but X3 divides its time between the resurrection of Dr. Jean Gray as the Dark Phoenix, a dangerously apocalyptically-powerful mutant, and the controversy concerning a discovered ‘cure’ for mutation. As usual, Magneto fears the worst of humanity and plots to destroy this cure, claiming it would rob mutants of their very identity. And of course our X-Men, ever the hopeful, step in to protect humanity from Magneto. Jean Gray/Dark Phoenix is really just a MacGuffin in this film; she’s Magneto’s bargaining chip, his ultimate weapon.

There’s enough story between the Phoenix and the cure to fill two entire films, but here they’re smashed together along with a mutant cast of dozens, all crammed into a 104 minute run time. Unfortunately, it’s the Phoenix who mostly gets the shaft, with Jean Gray left standing around vacantly for much of the film. Complicating things are the time-consuming introductions of several new characters who serve no purpose other than to say ‘hey, look, a new mutant!’ With so little available time, any character development among our established X-Men read like Cliff Note summaries. We hit all the right notes, but without much in the way of nuance or the humanity that made the first two films such refreshing comic-book fare.

Mind you there are some drastic, shocking consequences for several characters. And you do have to credit the film for having the balls (or desperation) to go all the way with these things (well, maybe not allll the way, stick around after the credits to see what I mean), but in retrospect they feel motivated by a lack confidence on the filmaker’s part to hold our interest. Which is silly when you consider how much meaty material is jammed into the film.

All that aside, the pacing is brisk, and the action portions of the film (90% of which are in the final reel) are very entertaining and well done. That’s not to say they top anything done in X2 but they’re solid enough for me to write this off as a satisfying summer action flick. Sweet to the taste, but with no nutritional value. In the end, X-Men: The Last Stand is classic case of throwing a lot out to see what sticks. Fortunately, just enough does.

Film Review: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) B+

Date Viewed: 5/25/06
Venue: DVD

Good Night, and Good Luck is George Clooney’s weighty, serious-minded period piece based on television journalist Edward Murrow’s televised crusade against Senator Joe McCarthy. The film is brimming with social commentary that is just as relevant in 2006 as it was in 1950. Beautifully filmed in stunning black and white and blessed with fine performances all around, it’s an important film with a lot to say.

The film focuses on Edward Murrow (David Strathairn) and his news production crew (headed by Clooney) at CBS as they go to great lengths to expose the ridiculousness and potential criminality of McCarthy’s Communist witch-hunt. While most of the characters here are mere sketches, director Clooney deftly makes them important to us by clearly portraying the dangers of being labeled of Commie. It wouldn’t be accurate to say the stakes are played out to be overwhelmingly high, but the conviction of the script and its characters sell the importance of their cause.

It would be a mistake to say that Good Night, and Good Luck is an enthralling piece of popcorn entertainment. There is a lot of talking in this film. A lot of talking. The ninety-three minute running time feels closer to a full two hours. It’s ideas on not just about government persecution, but also about the cancerous role of advertising in television, are important and nobles ones, expressed with dignity, clarity, and intelligence. What makes a film great is a seamless blend of intelligence, ideas, and an engaging, entertaining story. Good Night and Good Luck delivers the first two elements in spades, but just can't muster up greatness.

Film Review: Hostel (2006) C

Date Viewed: 5/24/06
Venue: DVD

If nothing else, Hostel is the last film you’d want to see if you’re the parent of a college-aged kid who wants to go backpacking in Europe. Call it Bad Eurotrip.

Hostel is the tale of a pair of American college kids who’re partying their way across Europe, moving from hostel to hostel in their efforts to get wasted and score chicks. It all goes wrong when they wind up in a posh Slovakian hostel, only to soon be drugged, kidnapped, and sent off to an elaborate international torture chamber. Oh, and since and it’s a horror movie, they have to hook up with some Eurohotties before being drugged, just so we the viewer get to see some boobies.

The film does generate a great deal of tension and suspense once in the torture chamber; however, the time prior to that just kind of spins it’s cinematic wheels. There is an overall sense of foreboding to these early scenes (and that’s probably only because I KNEW I was watching a horror film and that something bad invariably had to happen), but that’s it. And unfortunately, we don’t get to the torturing until the final third of the film.

The first hour of so involves our intrepid backpackers as they smoke weed, go clubbing, and hook up. There are suspenseful moments thrown in here and there as the kids eventually go missing one by one, leaving those remaining to search for them. Strangely, the film turns into a missing persons detective story. Wait a minute…isn’t this a horror movie?

Now without going into detail, the torture chamber parts of the film are extremely and satisfyingly graphic, albeit for the most part brief and consisting of quick cuts. The torturers are well cast and appropriately creepy. The art direction, think blood-stained rusty nails, is also spot-on here. But to be honest, I wanted more. Call me a sick bastard, but I wanted to see more torture, too much of it happens after we’ve cut away. It’s simply not brutal enough to warrant that first hour of setup.

Hostel isn’t a bad flick. It’s not a particularly good one either. The performances are alright, nothing special, but not awful, either. The torture scenes are scary and effective, but the big problem here is we waste too much time mired in a mediocre detective story when we should be scared out of our wits.

Will Someone Think Of The Children!?

Well, I just heard some disappointing news. Seems as though the mighty Silent Civilian have pulled out of a June 18th show with Static-X at the Key Club in Hollywood to tour with...Drowning Pool.

Drowning Pool jokes aside, the June 18th date had been widely publicized for several weeks via various sources, including Silent Civ's myspace page. But now, according to their myspace page, Jonny and the guys will be opening for the far less talented DP in Chicago on the 18th.

Now I already purchased a ticket for the Key Club show, mostly just to see Silent Civilian, but it's not a huge deal, I dig Static-X and I'll still go to the show.

However, I can't help but be be pissed off for all the SC's younger fans (and I know there's a lot of them). Look, I'm not rich, but I do well enough. The $25 I spent for a ticket is not going to set me back that much. But, if you're a 16 year old Silent Civilian fan who's already bought a ticket, then that $25 probably means a lot more to you than it does to me.

I know the music industry is rough, and I know Silent Civilian will get a lot more exposure touring around the country and blowing Drowning Pool off the stage every night, but I just think this cancelation is a sucky thing to do to their local fans.

Film Review: Derailed (2005) C-

Date Viewed: 5/23/06
Venue: DVD

Derailed tries really hard to be an old-fashioned revenge thriller. There’s plot twists aplenty. An affair. A femme fatale. Blackmail. Murder. A police detective with a vendetta. A man on the verge of losing everything. Sounds great, right? All the right elements are present and accounted for. But unfortunately Derailed fails to deliver.

Harmed mostly from one-note characterizations and flimsy logic, the film trudges on, hoping the audience doesn’t see the the obvious plot twists coming a mile away or question the whys and hows too much.

Jennifer Aniston must be commended taking a role we’re unaccustomed to seeing fom her, that of a femme fatale. But she, like the rest of the cast, suffers from a script that offers very little characterization. The performances here aren’t bad, they’re just kind of there. Each and every character can be completely described in one word.

All that said, Derailed is well paced, starting slowly and cautiously building tension throughout. The final act is particularly well constructed (that’s where there’s actually one well-executed twist…although it’s immediately followed by one not-so-well-executed twist, go figure), which cements the fact that Derailed’s problems lie in the story, not in the telling

Clive Owen Soft On Crime?

While the above post is my ‘official’ review of Derailed. What follows is a spoiler filled diatribe of questions and thoughts about the movie. You might think I’m being unnecessarily harsh. That’s okay, I like picking apart movies…especially if I think they could’ve been better with a little help. And Derailed falls into that category.

I think I’ll start doing this with a lot of my reviews, because this type of stuff doesn’t really belong in a movie review per se, but I feel like I’ll have a good time bitching and blathering on about the film’s particulars.

Oh, and if you’ve seen the film (or even if you haven’t) feel free to chime in down in the comments section, I’d love to hear your opinion.

Onto it, shall we?

The main reason Derailed doesn’t work is simply because Charlie (Clive Owen) is a doofus. I mean, he’s got a shitty marriage, there’s no spark between he and bitchy wife (Melissa George), he’s saddled with a sick child, and he just lost a big account at his ad agency. Okay he meets and flirts with Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston), but before they can consummate their tryst, they’re mugged (and her raped) at gunpoint by LaRoche (Vincent Cassel).

Oh, and who doesn’t use the chain lock at hotels? That’s the whole lynchpin of your plan, Lex Luthor? That cheating husbands won’t bother to use the chain local at the seedy hourly rate hotel? It’s not like Lucinda pushes Charlie through the door in a fit of passion so he can’t lock the chain lock. They get inside and just kinda sit there for a minute. What would they do if he had locked the chain-lock? Knock on the door? Do the old SNL ‘Landshark’ routine? What?

Moving on…now, I’m sorry, no matter what sort of illicit behavior you’re into, if someone steals your wallet, you report it to the cops. I mean, come on, even if Lucinda didn’t want to go along with it, (which she doesn’t) Charlie could’ve made up a story about being mugged outside the hotel and still gone to the cops.

Then, when LaRoche calls to blackmail Charlie, he can report that to the cops, too. If wifey finds out what’s going on, Charlie just says the guy who mugged him is trying to extort with lies.

Who is the wife, and for that matter, the cops, going to believe? A family man, or a career criminal?

And at worst, if he has to tell the wife about his near-miss infidelity, then he either divorces out of a loveless marriage or has to deal with an icy wife for a few weeks/months…which was the case already!

But nooooo. Dipshit Charlie gives LaRoche $20,000, thinking he’ll go away and leave him be. Uuh, yeah, criminals don’t want to bleed you dry or anything. Fair is fair, right. Uh-oh, guess what, LaRoche comes back looking for more dough. A hundred grand to be exact, it’s all the money you and wifey have been saving up for your sick kid’s surgery….oops, gotta give that away, too.

I mean, it’d be different if the wife at home was freakin’ Betty Crocker with a porn star body, someone you could understand not wanting to lose, but noooo, all she does is bitch at him about this or that and give him cold, dirty looks.

Oh wait, Winston, the mailroom guy at work, he looks like a rapper (and he is, RZA to be exact…whoever that is), maybe his skinny hockey-loving (huh?) black ass can help Charlie put the fear of God into LaRoche and his enforcer-rapper (Xzibit). Oops, nope, LaRoche kills him before he can even get out of the car.

Another tidbit I really liked was the backstory for Charlie and Winston being buddy-buddy. Apparently Charlie caught Winston stealing some computers from the office and didn’t report it. Maybe he just doesn’t like police stations, who knows?

Despite RZA’s foolish death, he does win this round of the rapper-turned-thespian elimination tournament. Not necessarily because he’s a better actor than Xzibit, it’s just that he actually had a backstory and two characters that cared about him, whereas Xzibit merely had his cornrows, a sharp-looking red security jacket, and a few throwaway lines. It doesn’t matter at this early round, though; we’re just sorting through eventual fodder for the mighty Ludacris.

I wrote in the official review that the characters are so one-note in this film that I feel like actor was probably given exactly one word of direction apiece. Here’s a sampling:

Clive Owen: desperate
Jennifer Aniston: earnest
Vincent Cassel: smarmy
Melissa George: bitchy

And about JA being earnest. She plays it way too well. I (and Charlie) buy her con because she’s so damn earnest, but late in the film, when the big reveal hits, that she’s part of LaRoche’s elaborate scheme…she’s just as earnest, even feeling sorry for Charlie.

Bullshit, I say. She’s gotta be a two-faced cold, impersonal bitch after that reveal. I mean, come on, Reindeer Games pulled that off. How does that feel Derailed, to be schooled by friggin’ Reindeer Games?

Sigh, whoever’s behind this film (I know I could look it up, but I don’t want to get too personal) obviously isn’t married, definitely doesn’t have kids, and most definitely doesn’t have sick kids. I love my wife and will always be completely faithful to her, but if I had to choose between telling her about an almost infidelity or mortgaging our child’s health. No contest, wife gets the bad news, kid gets the kidney (or whatever the hell she needed), bad guys go to jail. End of story.

The Rice Bowl - The Honorable Patriarch Of Them All

Deadspin alerted me to this Japanese instructional video on American football, and I'm pretty speechless.

I mean, I knew somewhere, deep in my heart, that a football game dubbed The Rice Bowl existed. But to finally see actual proof, sniff, my faith has been rewarded. Thank you, Football Gods, thank you.

And for any of you with Japanese wives/girlfriends ( I *KNOW* you're out there), I think this might be easiest way to introduce them to your lifelong mistress. No more excuses about 'having to work ANOTHER Sunday...yes honey, I know, it's the 16th straight Sunday but I just have to go in...'

Yippie Kay Noooooooo!!!

Are we planning to go up against Rocky VI and Indy IV for most over-the-hill sequel of all time?

Stop the insanity!

Film Review: Syriana (2005) B-

Date Viewed: 1/06
Venue: AMC Burbank 8

Syriana is the latest in what is becoming a popular kind of Hollywood film. Roger Ebert calls thiese films ‘hyperlink’ movies. Basically, it’s a film involving characters whose lives and stories intersect almost randomly, slowly drawing together a cohesive narrative.. You could say Pulp Fiction helped popularize this sort of film, with Magnolia, Traffic (un-coincidentally written by Syriana writer/director Stephen Gaglan), Crash, and now Syriana following in it’s footsteps.

The film is a sort of roundabout examination of the west’s role in the Middle East, using a variety of perspectives and complex, interweaving storylines. We follow Bob Baer (George Clooney), a blue-collar CIA operative, two Arab brothers fired from their stable job on an oil rig, The Namesake, playing an American corperate lawyer focused on investigating a large oil company takeover, Matt Damon, playing a economist who is taken in by a prince (Alexander Siddig), a suprising liberal heir to a middle Eastern throne. Confused? Well, I said it was complex, didn’t I? This is not a movie you can get up and leave for popcorn or the restroom, there’s just too much going on, and missing even two minutes would probably leave you confused for the remainder of the film.

The actual specifics of the plot are less important than the broader issues upon which the film touches upon: terrorism, western dependence on middle-eastern oil, and how it’s in the oil companies best interests to keep these middle eastern states repressed and undemocratic. While it works well presenting these broad strokes, the film suffers a bit trying to balance the varying stories. I wish the film could’ve been a little more economic, maybe eliminating one of it’s storylines. Bob’s storyline in particular, a loyal government agent betrayed by his employers and left hung out to dry, isn’t particularly new or original. Ironically, the real-life Bob Baer wrote the book upon which Syriana is based, so I understand why it’s part of the movie, I just wish it weren’t.

I can’t say I really liked Syriana as a whole. I found it’s intentions worthy, but it’s too unbalanced and slightly too unfocused. Certain storylines are well structured, while some fall flat and others feel as though they need much more attention. The performances are solid (particularly Alexander Siddig and Matt Damon), but not enough to carry the film as a whole.

Nice shorts!

I stumbled across this, just thought it was funny.

Now you can't tell me that cutting their hair made them look stupid.

Album Review: Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel (2006) B+

Sounds Like: Pantera with a county singer

I admit I was skeptical when I first heard about this project. Basically, Rebel Meets Rebel is Vinnie Paul and the late Dimebag Darrell (both formerly of Pantera and Damageplan) jamming with infamous X-rated country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe. The album was recorded here and there over the span of four years leading up to Dime's death in 2004.

But like I said, I had reservations. I mean, was it to be a country album? Was Coe singing metal-style? My limited metal brain had trouble fathoming.

But I'm pleasantly suprised to say Rebel Meets Rebel is a highly entertainly metal (yes, metal) album, one that really sounds like the fellas had a blast making. The songs pound along at an uptempo pace, and Dimebag's riffing hasn't sounded this good since Pantera (more on this later). This is just a fun record, 'nuff said. Some might have a problem with Coe's monotonish country twang, you'll either dig it or not, but I liked it, and honestly think it fits the 'don't give a fuck' vibe of the songs.

As I said earlier, Dime's guitar sound here is amazing. Exactly what it should be and how I'll always remember it. Which got me thinking, what the hell happened with Damageplan?! I thought the guitars (and the production as a whole) sounded like dog crap on that record (New Found Power). Now how can VP and the gang crank out a better guitar sound for a indie label side project (recorded in bits and pieces over four years, mind you) than for a major release which was on Elektra friggin records?

Sorry, just felt I had to express that bit of indignation...

Album Review: Temple Of Brutality - Lethal Agenda (2006) B

Sounds Like: Slayer, Pantera, Exodus

Another one of David Ellefson's (formally of Megadeth) side projects, Temple Of Brutality's 'Lethal Agenda' is a solid, if derivitize album that is basically the sum of these parts:

1 part Pantera
1 part Slayer
1 part Exodus

mix

The riffs are cool, the production sounds is on the cheap side. The drumming is decent, and the singer kinda has that love him or hate him thing going on (a la Exodus' Steve DeSousa). The lead guitar is decent, the lyrics are so-so.

Album Review: Silent Civilian - Rebirth Of The Temple (2006) A+

Sounds Like: Shadows Fall, Metallica (1980s), Sepultura (pre-Roots), Killswitch Engage, Avenged Sevenfold

What a way to start off my reviews! When Jonny Santos (vocals) left Spineshank two years ago, I read something somewhere that he wasn't interested in 'heavy' music anymore. Flash forward to 2006, and Jonny's fronting Silent Civilian, a band whose debut album just cracked my top three debuts of all time (the others being Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All' and Machine Head's 'Burn My Eyes').

Now how can this be? Well, Jonny picked up the guitar again (he only sang in Spineshank), recruited some amazingly talented guys...and wrote the best heavy metal album I've heard in three years. Gone were the electronic samples of Spineshank. Gone too was any of the nu-metalish sound that defined (or plagued, depending on your pov) Spineshank. In their place: relentless thrash riffing, virtuostic drumming, searing lead guitar, and some amazing angry/melodic vocals. 'No more heavy music' my ass.

What's amazing about this record is that it manages to sound old and new all at the same time, like an 80s thrash album warmed to today's production standards and musical climate. Special props must be given to producer Logan Mader (formerly of Machine Head) for honing the sonics here, and deliverying a warm, dynamic sounding record.

If you want an album that burns with rage but still has anthemic hooks and melodicism aplenty, look no further. If you want some amazing guitar solos, look no further. If you want a modern metal masterpiece, look no further.

Restaurant Review: Michael's (Santa Monica) A+

Date Dined: 5/20/06
Grade: A+

C and I went to Michael's on Saturday night (not too far from my old digs in Santa Monica) for a bit of a belated birthday dinner.

We've been there twice previously and been overwhelmed with the fine food, airy decor, and great service. This time was no exception. We started the meal with a seafood cocktail appetizer (which came with a sort of guacamole mousse...excellent). C had the Scottish salmon with beech mushrooms and artichoke ravioli. I had the seared Maine diver scallops with curried lentils du Puy in a butter lettuce sauce. Both were superb. We paired our meals with a 2002 Schweiger Chardonney. Normally we're not big white wine fans, but the Schweiger was a great accent, light and dry. For dessert C had the frozen banana and mascarpone parfait with rum roasted pineapple and fresh passionfruit caramel sauce while I ordered the deconstructed strawberry and rhubarb strudel with strawberry consomme and white chocolate sorbet, both exquisite.

For us, a restaurant's quality can easily be broken into three categories: food, atmosphere, and service. For all the nicer places we've dined at in the LA area, Michael's is still the tops when you combine all three categories.

Plus, it's always cool to see owner/master chef Michael McCarty (who we've seen on the Food Channel from time to time) going table to table and introducing himself, making sure everything and everyone is okay. Just adds a nice, personal touch to an already great place.

Dumb Metal Lists

I'm feeling lazy about doing some album reviews, so I'll try to jumpstart myself with sharing some of my top metal lists (don't all crowd around now in sheer excitement...)

These are my A+ heavy metal records:
(in no particular order)

Anthrax - Stomp 442 (1995)
Corrosion Of Conformity - America's Volume Dealer (2000)
Down - N.O.L.A. (1995)
Fear Factory - Demanufacture (1995)
Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast (1982)
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time (1986)
Korn - Untouchables (2001)
Machine Head - Burn My Eyes (1994)
Machine Head - Through The Ashes Of Empires (2003)
Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals (1998)
Megadeth - Rust In Peace (1990)
Metallica - Kill 'Em All (1983)
Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)
Metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)
Metallica - ...And Justice For All (1988)
Metallica - Metallica (1991)
Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute (1982)
Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power (1992)
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven (1994)
Sepultura - Arise (1991)
Silent Civilian - Rebirth Of The Temple (2006)
Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss (1990)
Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (2002)
Soulfly - Soulfly (1998)
Stuck Mojo - Snappin' Necks (1995)
System Of A Down - Toxicity (2001)
Testament - Live At The Fillmore (1994)

And if had to add some hard rock albums...

AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
Bon Jovi - New Jersey (1988)
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1987)
Van Halen - Van Halen (1977)
Van Halen - 1984 (1983)
Van Halen - Balance (1994)

And some classic rock...

The Doors - The Doors (1967)
Led Zeppelin - IV (1971)

Gee, can you tell I'm a Metallica fan?

What happened to the 'metal?'

Yeah, I know, the first word of my blog's title is 'metal' and I have posted nary an item regarding my absolute favorite genre of music. Shame on me. But I'm trying to change that with some album reviews and eventually some concert reviews. So just hold on...

I've got to do better...

Okay, I've got to start doing a better job of posting here. Isn't that what blogs are all about?