If you’ve been pining for The Gaslight Anthem ever since they announced their hiatus, then you need pine no longer, for Brian Fallon, at least, is back with a solo album that in all honesty, pretty much picks up exactly where Gaslight let off.
The Witch (2016)
The Witch is the latest film to be granted the dubious distinction of being poorly advertised to the wider world. With adverts setting it up as the most recent jump scare heavy mainstream horror, the reality is nothing of the sort. While undeniably creepy, this film lacks the scares that said trailer seems to promise, which, by the way, is a good thing.
Rams (2016)
You could probably make a claim for there being two types of people in the world, those who are interested in an Icelandic sheep farming comedy and those who aren’t. If you fall into the first category then the arrival of Rams most seem like blessed relief, as most years the genre is criminally underserved. Iceland’s submission to the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Picture is on paper an unusual proposition, but to dismiss it is to miss out on a smart and dry piece of humour.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Hail, Caesar! takes you back to the golden era of Hollywood and much like that time, revels in the ridiculous. The Cohen’s latest film has been sold as a screwball comedy, but in reality, it is an almost historical pastiche of an era where everything had to bigger and louder than what had come before. When the movie industry tackled Jesus and tap-dancing sailors rather than superheroes and Liam Neeson punching foreign people.
Hitchcock/Truffaut (2016)
The idea of Alfred Hitchcock as anything but a master of cinema is foreign to film lovers in 2016. And yet once upon a time, the Master of Suspense was looked down upon as a mere ‘entertainer’. A big moment in changing that perception was the publishing of Hitchcock/Truffaut, a book that saw François Truffaut chart his conversations with Hitchcock as they explored his filmography and has since become a guide to filmmakers the world over.
AC/DC
AC/DC are one of the best rock and roll bands ever to strap on a guitar. You just have to hear one of those booming riffs blare out and you are taken to a better place. It doesn’t matter if you are a drunk eighteen-year-old in a field or an aging rocker reliving your youth, AC/DC are universal. And yet all good things must die, and in the last few years it feels like time has finally caught up with this particular behemoth.
Superhot
Superhot has had its name out there for quite a while, generally in a loud and commanding voice. Originally created during a seven-day game jam, the prototype they launched online was praised to high heaven and one successful Kickstarter campaign we finally have the full game. So can it live up to the hype?
Babymetal – Karate
My relationship with Babymetal has been strained at best. When I first saw them at Sonisphere, I hated them with every fiber of my being. When I decided to give the album a go I was brought round a bit, the songs were catchy enough that it was hard to hate but over time I’ve never once returned to it. It was a curiosity, nothing more. However, the rest of the world very much did and slowly and surely Babymetal have been building up one hell of a fanbase, all desperate to see what they will do next.
Baroness w/ No Spill Blood
Starting reviews with personal stories is always a danger, so if you aren’t interested in this one skip to the next paragraph. The last time I saw Baroness in Glasgow was in a tiny sweatbox, and I had to leave ten minutes into their set. I was ill, and the heat made me want to puke, which I did ten minutes later in a nearby alley. A few weeks later they were involved in a bus crash that would nearly destroy their career. The chance to see them once again off arguably the best album of their career is one I wasn’t going to miss.
Wilson w/ Reigning Days, Donnie Willow and Twin Heart
If you are looking for good time rock and roll, then you can’t get much better than Wilson. So a Friday night gig in Glasgow playing in what essentially amounts to being a basement seems like a guarantee for a good time.
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Ramblings About Wrestling 