Stryper - Murder By Pride [music review]

* Released in July

A Stryper review? Really? Man, these Christian metallers with the yellow and black attack were uncool as hell back in their prime 20 years ago - why pay any attention to their latest release? Hey, we don't discriminate here at Mediaboy Musings. Cool or hip doesn't equal good and Murder By Pride is better than good. It's the band's second studio release since reforming back in 2004 after disbanding in the early 90s. During that hiatus frontman Michael Sweet put out a number of solo albums, all of them unremarkable save for the stellar Truth, from 2000. In my opinion, he's always been one of the better hard rock/metal vocalists who has never gotten his due, probably because of, you know, the God thing. Regardless, the guy's got phenomenal vocal range that occasionally brings to mind the unlikely comparison to Rob Halford of the most certainly not God-touting Judas Priest. This further brings to mind an interesting anecdote of the time I saw Stryper in 1990 at a Toronto club called (appropriately) Rock 'N Roll Heaven. The band was going through its secular phase, which probably paved the way for them being slightly more open to the idea of inviting Halford, in town for rehearsals on Judas Priest's then-final tour, onstage for a duet. Talk about surreal.

My expectations for Murder By Pride were fairly modest given the mediocrity of the reunion album Reborn, but this was one of those CDs that immediately kicked my ass. No repeat listenings required to find the different layers and dimensions - it's all there, right out of the box (I can now hear the question being sarcastically asked: "Stryper has layers and dimensions?"). "Eclipse For The Son" delivers a high-energy opening full of prog rock-influenced stops and starts and classic Stryper double lead guitar harmonies. Don't hold the cheesy double entendre of the title against them too much - the music redeems the poor title. From there, it's a hard rock steamroll through the following eleven tracks, save for the ballad "Alive". It wouldn't be a Stryper album without a ballad, would it? "Alive" is fairly standard and generic in its structure and instrumental delivery, with strings right where you expect them and standard drum fills. Sweet's heartfelt vocals elevate it to something more, though, and not just because the subject matter is about his wife, who recently lost a battle with cancer. Speaking of Stryper ballads, the band does an imaginative reworking of their own "My Love (I'll Always Show)", transforming it from a slow, paint-by-numbers 80s power ballad to a lively grinding jam that wouldn't be out of place as the soundtrack for a burlesque strip show.

Murder By Pride is simply a proper, near-flawless hard rock album with, in addition to the fine vocals, in-your-face guitars and drums that shake your stomach ("Alive" aside). The latter comes courtesy of one of the best drummers around, Kenny Aronoff, who has played with everyone from John Mellencamp to Smashing Pumpkins to being the house percussionist at Barack Obama's Inaugural Celebration. He's as pro as it gets and helped elevate Sweet's Truth album to another level. Original drummer Robert Sweet (Michael's stepbrother) will tour with the band, but was unable to commit to recording this time around due to undisclosed family responsibilities.

Stryper's Christian message will be a turnoff for many, which is unfortunate. There's such a strong level of musicianship and great songwriting that the lyrical content isn't at the forefront anyway (at least for me). As a matter of fact, many of their songs have always had a level of interchangeability between lyrical references to loving God or Jesus or just loving a woman, which has always been helpful to secularists in not being overwhelmed by their religious agenda. Count me in that group. If the lyrics are something you pay a little more attention to then a faithful cover of Boston's "Peace Of Mind" (featuring Boston guitarist Tom Scholz) provides an interesting "reverse" interpretation of originally secular lyrics into a religious context. Michael Sweet toured with Boston as a guest vocalist in 2008.

Rating: 9/10

Changeling [movie review]

* Released theatrically in October 2008; now on DVD

Changeling dramatizes a true crime story set in 1928 Los Angeles amidst the backdrop of rampant police corruption. Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) returns from work one evening to find her nine-year-old son missing. Several months later she is informed he has been found in Illinois. A highly publicized reunion leads to shock as Christine claims the boy is not her son, despite his claims to the contrary. The police, already embroiled in an ongoing public relations nightmare due to accusations (and reluctant acknowledgements) of police brutality, incompetence and corruption convince Christine that she's mistaken, that the boy's physical appearance has changed merely because he's grown and that the mental stress of the ordeal has impaired her reasoning. And so begins a compelling story rooted in intriguing suspense, outstanding performances and beautiful visuals.

Like Gran Torino, the film is another hands-on project for Clint Eastwood, although this time he stays completely behind the camera, taking on the roles of director, producer and composer. The film ranks in the upper echelon of his best directing work, as he takes a complex story ripe for weepy melodramatics and instead delivers a powerful portrait of a mother's blind hope for justice despite imposing circumstances. The attention to period detail is most impressive - every aspect of what's on screen feels like great care was taken to get it there and an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction was well-earned.

Despite a Best Actress Oscar nomination herself, Jolie has taken criticism for not being credible as a simple, single working mother. People offering this opinion claim that the actress' high profile lifestyle has eclipsed her ability to instill a believability to roles where she isn't playing an assassin or international explorer. Rubbish. If you're 30 minutes into Changeling and you're still hung up on trivial things like that then you're just A) a Jolie hater and B) taking your movie stars too seriously. As Jon Lovitz's Saturday Night Live character used to say, "Acting!". Jolie is excellent, as are the rest of the cast, notably John Malkovich as a helpful minister, Michael Kelly as the seemingly sole representative of the LAPD's moral conscience and Geoff Pierson as Collins' legal representative in fighting the system.

Changeling's hefty running time of 141 minutes isn't an impediment - I was actually shocked when I saw the movie ran that long. In my books that alone qualifies as a ringing endorsement.

Rating: 9/10

The Soloist [movie review]

* Released theatrically in April; now on DVD

The Soloist is based on the 2005 newspaper writings and subsequent book of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey Jr.) about his encounters and friendship with homeless and schizophrenic street musician Nathaniel Ayers (played by Jamie Foxx). A random meeting on the streets of L.A. eventually leads to Lopez sniffing out a possible column idea when he discovers Ayers was an acclaimed cellist in his youth and attended the prestigious Juilliard music school. Ayers' mental illness derailed any hopes of a normal life, much less any sort of future involving a music career.

I could just never get engaged with this movie...it felt too long and unfocused, never quite sure what direction it was heading towards. On paper, it would seem the most interesting angle would be about Ayers, but the film zig zags back and forth between his story and Lopez's, with neither one really coming across as overly watchable or interesting. Ayers' tale of tragedy is spelled out with dull flashbacks and an admittedly strong performance from Foxx, who eschews Rain Man or Fisher King theatrics in conveying the character's demons and inability to function normally. While we get ample time with Foxx's character and it's not hard to feel sympathy for him there's a lingering, nagging feeling that we're not getting fully enough into this man's psyche and fractured world.

The focus on Downey Jr.'s character elicits even more ambivalence. The title might seem like a straightforward, literal reference to Ayers but after some time with the film it becomes obvious that there is a duality hidden (or not) within there. Lopez is presented as a loner with few friends - he gets home, plays back his answering machine and gets the time-tested "no messages" reply. A further plot device used to reinforce Lopez's disconnect from the enjoyment of life is attempted via the portrayal of his broken up marriage to a woman (played by Catherine Keener) who is also his editor. The thin storyline simply doesn't justify the screen time it commands and becomes even more puzzling for its inclusion when one discovers it was totally fictionalized. Eventually it becomes clear that Lopez needs Ayers as a means to connect back with the world, even if it includes exploiting him to some degree for career gain in a newspaper world that, we're reminded from time to time, is collapsing around him. Downey Jr.'s performance is perfectly Downey Jr.-like. He slings sarcasm, a sly wit, odd moments of comedy...we've seen this from him in dozens of performances already.

Frankly, I got more out of a 12+ minute piece on this subject from earlier this year on 60 Minutes than I did from the two hours of overly Oscar-ambitious earnestness that The Soloist has to offer. Watch the 60 Minutes story on YouTube below and dedicate that extra hour and three quarters towards another movie that hopefully offers more of a satisfying experience.

Rating: 4/10

Daughtry - Leave This Town [music review]

* Released in July

There was a label tagged onto bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard in the 80's - "corporate rock". This descriptor's purpose was to neatly sum up the type of populist, slick music that record companies knew would connect with audiences, "shift a lot of units" and fatten their bottom line. I always found the term dismissive (along with the "hair band" label), but then people always seem to feel the need to categorize things, don't they? Obviously I was a huge fan of both bands.

That tag would surely land around Chris Daughtry's neck today. The season five American Idol finalist hit it huge right out of the chute, achieving massive success with his 2006 self-titled debut. In fact, it was the best-selling release of 2007. Initially, I resisted Daughtry's music...mostly because of the Idol connection and, well, the dude's weird facial hair and propensity for wearing black eyeliner bothered me. Lame reasons, yes, but ultimately, after being totally unable to escape his ubiquitous presence on the airwaves or online, I succumbed and went to the dark side. And I loved it. "Home", "Over You", "What About Now" and "Feels Like Tonight" are top-notch songs...not very original, mind you, but who cares?

I similarly resisted the charms of Kelly Clarkson when she put out her first album, again due to the Idol association and also because her first album (other than the song "Beautiful Disaster") was a pile 'o crap. Then the lead single ("Since You've Been Gone") from her sophomore release hit and I was knocked on my ass by her talent. The two albums she's put out since then are excellent as well, especially this year's All I Ever Wanted.

Leave This Town, however, sees Daughtry taking a step back with his career. Remember that atrocious movie called From Justin To Kelly that Clarkson did around the time she released her debut album? Daughtry's latest doesn't quite sink to those depths but certainly qualifies as a misstep. Only one song matches the level of any of the four songs I mentioned from Daughtry - that would be the country-tinged shuffle "Tennessee Line", with a low-key vocal accompaniment from Vince Gill. Most of the rest of the album just doesn't stand up to repeat listens. Opening track "You Don't Belong" employs that generic detuned guitar sound that defines nu metal and the song comes off like a forgettable Linkin Park discard. Virtually all of the other heavy songs are filler between the multitude of acoustic driven ballads/power ballads which are decent enough but cry out for a spark of life. First single "No Surprise" reeks of Nickelback and so it's not a shocker that Chad Kroeger from that band co-wrote it with Daughtry.

Chris Daughtry has proven he's capable of achieving more than the end result of Leave This Town leaves us with. Hopefully the two to three year wait for his next album will be worth it.

Rating: 5/10

Rolling Stone magazine. Still relevant?

Is Rolling Stone relevant anymore? Once highly regarded as the go-to read for in-depth interviews with film and music personalities (with an emphasis on the latter), social and political commentary and the latest information happening in the world of music, it nowadays seemingly has a greatly diminished profile. It's kind of that old reliable that just is, always there on the newsstands but divorced from its once-proud status as the cultural voice of the zeitgeist. A quick poll of about a dozen people aged 20-50, about a third of who fall under the category of "big music fan", told me that zero percent read it, plan to read it or have read it in the last ten years (if ever).

Obviously the Internet is the biggest reason the magazine's circulation has declined sharply from a couple of decades ago. Rolling Stone publishes twice a month (with the occasional larger double issue) so day-to-day music news doesn't appear in the magazine for 3-4 weeks after it actually happens. By then most people have already read details about a particular story online and moved on, so immediacy is not something the print magazine has going for it. Rollingstone.com assists in filling that gap but I've never warmed up to the magazine's online presence. Their website layout has never knocked me over and a lot of the same content posted there ends up in the magazine shortly thereafter (as you'd expect), but as a subscriber that just leaves me feeling a little cheated that I'm reading the same content twice and paying for it the second time around. So, I tend to avoid Rollingstone.com. It's actually somewhat refreshing in this age of immediate information to read something for the first time on an actual page that doesn't have the prefix "web" attached.

A look at an issue from last month (issue 1082/1083) gives a pretty bang-on representation of why the magazine is still an essential part of my reading diet. On the cover we have (*cough*) The Jonas Brothers. Now, I'm not a fan of these lads, but of course I'm not a 12-year-old girl either. Actually, the demographic issue perhaps isn't as relevant with me because I will admit to being a Hanson fan for years now. Yes, that fact has gotten me crucified by friends and it's pretty damn uncool to be admitting this on a forum open to the entire world, but our ears like what they like, no? The half dozen or so Jo Bros. songs I have heard didn't do anything for me, but I give them full marks for playing their own instruments (and a couple of the brothers can play more than one) and writing their own music, which is one of the things I always respected about Hanson. The interview with them provides some interesting insight into what it's like to be the biggest boy band in the world at the moment.

Also included is a completely fascinating interview with rock legend Gregg Allman. I've never been a fan of his music but he's definitely one of those interesting characters who's lead a colourful life full of excess and this is captured well by writer Mark Binelli. One of the funnier anecdotes involves the time, during his 9 day (that's day) marriage to Cher when Allman was so wasted on heroin that he passed out face first into a plate of spaghetti at a banquet. And here's a great quote regarding his numerous marriages:

He starts to talk about his most recent ex, then stops himself. "When you think about it, it takes a fool to tell half a story," he says. "So as long as she's not here telling you her half, me telling you my half doesn't hold much water. 'Cause, of course, it's going to be pro-me." He pauses, then adds, "To tell you the truth, it's my sixth marriage - I'm starting to think it's me."

As good as the Allman interview is the pièce de résistance of this issue is a lengthy 12 page article by writer Matt Taibbi about banking behemoth Goldman Sachs. I realize a fatigue factor has crept in with us all regarding reading or hearing about the economic meltdown, but Taibbi's piece provides fascinating insight into the influence, negligence and abuses exercised by the world's most powerful investment bank. Taibbi pulls no punches and that's his style. Although he's writing about a serious, complicated topic he'll still pepper it with insults towards the story's subject (perhaps referring to them as an "asshole") and include plenty of gutter talk. It makes for a bit of weird reading experience, but the man has quickly become one of my favourite writers. Consider these strong statements from the first paragraph of the piece:

From tech stocks to high gas prices, Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression - and they're about to do it again. Goldman Sachs is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.

Damn, Matt. How do you really feel? The article, unsurprisingly, has provoked strong reaction with pundits and bloggers questioning Taibbi's facts and statements. A quick perusal of some of these angry responses (mostly from right-wing politicos) provides a healthy amount of skepticism and questions regarding Taibbi's work. Irregardless, one walks away from the piece with their head spinning at the behind the scenes machinations (and often times in open, plain view) orchestrated by Goldman Sachs. Even if only 10% of the allegations Taibbi makes are true it makes you want to take a shower after reading it.

Rolling Stone has always had a strong foothold in the world of political and social writing and I greatly regret having ignored it for most of the time I've read the magazine (which is probably a good 25 years or so now). Occasionally I'd read a piece on, say, why a kid went and shot up a school or perhaps a human interest piece, but when I saw anything pertaining to political matters I'd skip right through the pages. It's just in the past year and a half or so that I began to start to read the politically-themed pieces and this has sparked a real interest in American politics for me. A great cover story titled "Make Believe Maverick" by Tim Dickson last fall during the American election campaign about what a douchebag John McCain apparently is was a real eye opener...there was content in there that you just weren't reading or hearing about anywhere else (except for maybe the brilliant Daily Show). Another riveting recent feature from February titled "Bitter Pill" looked at the irresponsibility of the pharmaceutical industry in marketing a dodgy drug called Zyprexa, that was originally developed to treat schizophrenia, for use in kids.

So therein lies the dichotomy of Rolling Stone. Intelligent, thoughtful writing on deep matters offset with cover stories on the latest lightweights and flashes in the pan (recent examples: Lady Gaga, the cast of The Hills, Taylor Swift) as well as music legends (Springsteen, Dylan, U2) or at least artists of substance (Green Day and Kings Of Leon). This is nothing new...the 70's had their share of David Cassidy, Leif Garret and Bay City Rollers cover stories, too. As the magazine grows older and the younger demographic shrinks, one sees a bumpy road ahead for the old stalwart but for now they appear to have carved out a respectable niche in the declining print magazine world. Circulation has held steady at about 1.45 million since 2006 and an overdue change last year(reducing the magazine from their decades-old oversize format to a more traditional size) should improve newsstand sales, which only account for 8% of total sales. This number is well below the industry average and has been attributed to the fact the previous awkward size didn't exactly lend a helping hand in getting the magazine prime spots on the magazine racks. Apparently those types of things matter in the print world.

Aside from an occasionally annoying "list" issue, which other magazines such as Entertainment Weekly also rely on too frequently, Rolling Stone still remains a vital read for me.

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly [movie review]

* Limited North American theatrical release in November 2007; now available on DVD

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly was released to worldwide acclaim a couple of years ago and was nominated for dozens of awards around the globe, including an Oscar in the Best Director category for Julian Schnabel. Visits to review websites Rottentomatoes.com and Metacritic.com reveal a 93% and 92% positive review rating, respectively. I usually take reviews with a grain of salt, but based on the overwhelming love granted to this film I’d had it on my mental “to see” list for quite some time.

The plot is certainly compelling. It’s based on the real life memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was the editor of French fashion magazine Elle. A stroke at the age of 42 leaves him almost completely paralyzed with a rare condition known as locked-in syndrome. The patient remains fully aware, awake, and in control of their mental faculties but can only communicate via the eyes. In Bauby’s case he can communicate only through the blinking of his left eye…the right eye has no function for him and in a particularly difficult scene to watch we see a doctor sew it up to prevent possible infection. This is seen from Bauby’s perspective as is most of the first third of the movie, an effective device in conveying the limited scope with which he now views the world. An inner monologue that only the audience and Bauby can hear takes us further inside the prison he inhabits, occasionally represented onscreen as being trapped inside the diving bell of the title. As the movie progresses he learns to cope with the new challenges and flashbacks to warm memories before the accident, as well as fantasies of what he wished he could do begin to creep in and the claustrophobic first person perspective gives way to a more conventional and rounded on-screen view.

Before his stroke Bauby had a book deal to write a feminine version of The Count Of Monte Cristo. Afterwards he instead decides to write his memoir in an effort to maintain his sanity as well as prove to friends, family and former co-workers that he is more than some helpless vegetable. A tedious and time-consuming process then begins as he “dictates” his words through only the blinking of his left eye, coordinated with a recitation of the alphabet by an assistant. The numerous scenes where this occur, along with the initial earlier scenes where therapists develop and perfect this technique with him, tend to slow the movie down considerably yet it’s obviously difficult to criticize this as it’s a key element to the film as the central figure strives to have his “voice” heard. Additional storylines involving Bauby’s elderly father (Max Von Sydow) who is so frail he is unable to leave his apartment and a former colleague of the editor who was held hostage for four years in Beirut would seem like lazy and convenient plot devices to show other ways people can become trapped in life…if they weren’t actually true.

I had only seen lead actor Mathieu Amalric in two previous roles – Munich and in the most recent Bond movie (Quantum Of Solace), where he was perhaps the least intimidating Bond villain ever. He does a good job in The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, giving a moving performance and conveying a range of emotions through essentially just his voice and extremely limited facial expressions. The cast is rounded out by a trio of beautiful French actresses in Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze and Anne Consigny.

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly is worth a viewing but be prepared for a slow, depressing movie.

Rating: 6/10

Metric - Fantasies [music review]

* Released in April

Fantasies is the fourth studio album from Toronto-based indie outfit Metric and their first since 2005’s Live It Out (2007’s Grow Up And Blow Away album was actually recorded in 2001 but never released). Frontwoman and face of the band, Emily Haines, has kept busy with two solo releases while other band members participated in their own side projects during Metric’s downtime. Whereas previous Metric albums were written and recorded over a short period of time the band wisely decided to slow things down and let their latest project evolve at a natural pace without time constraints. The year-and-a-half process of creating Fantasies accomodated writing sessions in the woods just outside Seattle, recording sessions in Toronto and New York and occasional breaks for the band members, including Haines’ trip to Argentina as a tonic in helping her deal with some personal losses as well as writer’s block.

The new approach pays immediate dividends as Fantasies is by far Metric’s strongest release to date. Live It Out and 2003’s Old World Underground Where Are You Now? certainly showed promise but were marred by excessive filler that overwhelmed the few exceptional songs on each album. A recent purge of my CD collection found me ripping a total of only five songs from the two discs, not a reason for optimism as I approached Fantasies for a test drive. Much to my surprise I immediately bonded with the music, a feat in itself as Metric has always proved a tough initial listen for me due to the quirkiness of their sound. The quirks are still there but the songs are now much more listenable for a reason I can’t quite put my finger on. The band’s new wave synth/guitar/bass/drums-with-industrial-textures sound remains intact, as are the big chorus hooks, yet it all comes together this time for a collection of ten songs that doesn’t include one worth skipping.

Fantasies is bookended by the two best tracks: opener “Help I’m Alive” moves from a spare industrial dirge to an ominous footstomper pre-chorus to a beautiful chorus propelled by Haines’ falsetto vocals and then repeats the cycle. The closer “Stadium Love” lives up to its name as the ambitious scope of the song seems ready-made for big crowds who can appreciate a good singalong. Sandwiched in between the two are other standouts such as the poppy “Gimme Sympathy”, “Sick Muse” and the slow building moodiness of both “Twilight Galaxy” and “Blindness”.

Metric’s unique signature of balancing dark lyrics, aggressive guitar, poppy hooks and danceable new wave finally result in a winner.

Rating: 8.5/10

NewburyComics.com - attention music geeks!

Newbury Comics is a New England-based independent retailer that caters to the serious music fan and if that describes you then their website is worth a visit. They've been around for 30 years and over that time have developed strong relationships with music artists via in-store appearances and generally just being incredibly supportive of the industry. The reason I regularly visit is that they offer autographed CD's from a wide variety of acts from numerous genres with no extra charge for these collector's items (not to mention the CD prices are extremely reasonable - usually around $8.99 - $13.99 U.S.).

Over the past couple of years I've bought autographed new releases from Filter, Extreme, Whitesnake and Ours from NewburyComics.com and to me it's an extra special nice touch having the artist's signature on their work. That nice feeling gets a little diminished when the album sucks, though (Extreme). A random selection of autographed new releases that are available right now are: Phish, Queen Latifah, Third Eye Blind, Our Lady Peace, Metric and Juliette Lewis, just to name a few among the hundreds of titles offered.

Their e-store also sells knick knacks like posters, t-shirts and action figures yet despite the name it appears that the website doesn't actually sell comics. Odd.

In these times where digital downloads have led to the sad demise of the brick and mortar end of the music business it's hopeful to have a business like Newbury Comics soldiering on. I live in a small town and after the close last year of the local CD Plus outlet (which had a limited selection anyway) my only option for buying new CD's without having to drive 30+ minutes south is Wal-Mart. If you've been CD shopping in one of their stores lately you may have noticed the real estate they give to compact discs has grown laughably small. DVD's and video games command the bulk of the shelf space due to the sharp decline in CD sales. One can't fault Wal-Mart for this from a business perspective but it sure makes for a shitty CD shopping experience. As a result I now buy most of my CD's from Amazon or Newbury but it's just not the same. I occasionally purchase music from the iTunes store, yet as convenient as digital downloads are I still prefer getting the actual physical CD with proper liner notes that I don't have to download as a PDF file or go to the artist's website to access.

Newbury's shipping charges are a little steep ($6.99 to Canada) but even with that factored in you're still getting a unique piece of memorabilia for an outstanding price.

Dead Snow [movie review]

* Limited North American theatrical release in June (released in its native Norway in January); DVD release date TBA

Two words best sum up Dead Snow: Nazi zombies. I saw a still picture from the film of said undead on the forum I download a lot of my movies from and was immediately intrigued, but then I found out it was a Norwegian film with subtitles, which was enough to scare this uncultured North American away. Coincidentally, a couple of days later my brother told me he had seen it and how great it was so I went back, got it and proceeded to be knocked over by the ridiculous fun it had to offer.

Dead Snow (Død Snø) was directed and co-written by Tommy Wirkola and who it stars probably doesn’t matter as I probably already lost you at “Tommy Wirkola”. The plot is fairly pedestrian as far as zombie/horror movies go: a group of young people head out to a remote area for a few days of drinking, sex and relaxation and end up fighting for their lives to avoid becoming zombie chow. The twist here is that the zombies are Nazis who were thought to have perished after fleeing from uprising locals into the Norwegian Alps during World War II. Brilliant. I mean, could there be a more unsympathetic figure to watch get the crap beat out of than a zombie in full SS gear?

The movie does an excellent job of building up suspense – it’s 40 minutes in before it becomes evident exactly what the twentysomethings are up against (assuming you knew nothing about the movie before viewing) and the timing feels just about perfect as the film shifts gears from a tense thriller into a blood splattered campfest (with a particular predilection for gore involving intestines). The intentionally bad humour is nicely interspersed as well, without seeming overdone.

The white landscape provides the perfect backdrop for the director to take full visual advantage of the gallons of blood being spilled. Most horror movies work better in the dark but with this movie it’s the complete opposite. The snow also adds a nice element during the chase scenes as both the living and undead struggle to navigate the terrain.

I’m not a major zombie or horror movie buff but I can safely say that Dead Snow ranks as the best zombie movie I’ve ever seen. Don’t be deterred by the subtitles as this one is destined for cult classic status.

Rating: 9/10

The Hangover [movie review]

* Released theatrically in June; DVD release date TBA

The last time I recall a comedy being met with overwhelmingly positive reviews and a “best comedy of the year” tag it was The 40 Year Old Virgin in 2005. The Hangover has similarly garnered such acclaim and I must admit it seems I’ve missed the boat on this one. Both movies follow similar trajectories – they star relatively low wattage actors (“stars” seems like a stretch) and emerge as the sleeper hits of their respective summers. Yes, I know we’re only at the beginning of August but trust me, it’s a pretty safe call at this point. Interestingly, both feature former The Daily Show and current The Office actors in lead roles (Steve Carell in Virgin and Ed Helms in Hangover, although Helms is more part of an ensemble group). Former Daily Show contributors also pop up throughout Hangover, most notably a funny performance from Rachael Harris as Helms’ henpeckish wife.

The premise is pretty standard. Four guys take a stag roadtrip to Vegas and chaos and hilarity ensue. Along with Helms is the group’s dickish alpha male Phil (Bradley Cooper), groom-to-be Doug (Justin Bartha, who is such a bland actor he barely registers) and oddball Alan (Zach Galifianakis). A drunken night of debauchery leads to the “misplacement” of the groom and the group must retrace their steps and piece together what happened which, expectedly, leads to a string of shocking revelations and run-ins with Mike Tyson and an effeminate Asian crime figure (Ken Jeong), among others. Jeong’s initial appearance onscreen provides the biggest laugh of the movie but subsequent scenes featuring him fall totally flat and are the comedic low points of the movie. The Tyson cameo disappoints as well. For some reason it seemed so much more promising in the trailer.

The main ensemble of Helms, Galifianakis and Cooper work well together as a threesome with completely different character traits. Galifianakis delivers a consistently funny effort which, based on his sheer weirdness, is basically an extension of his standup comedy act. His career has flown below the radar even though IMDB lists 37 different movie and television credits since 1996. Of those credits I highly encourage anyone entertained by his unconventional humour to check out a 2005 documentary called The Comedians Of Comedy, which features himself along with some other comedian (duh) friends including the always funny Patton Oswalt. Galifianakis’ standup routine involves a stream of hilarious non sequiturs occasionally rounded out by his classically trained piano playing as he tells his jokes, which only adds to the weirdness. He also has several Comedy Central standup specials which are worth a look.

The first half of The Hangover entertained me but overall I found the movie as a whole a big letdown. It definitely has it’s moments but fails to deliver on the promise it shows at points and most certainly the hype. I’ve read and heard a number of people comment that this is the best comedy they’ve ever seen and frankly I just feel sorry for them that their standards are that low.

Rating: 6/10