Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
1981 was one of the most violent years in New York’s history. In a city with the history of New York, that is saying something. A Most Violent Year brings you into that city. It depicts a dark, dank place where violence and corruption are such a normal part of day-to-day life, that they are as common to the people involved as they would be shocking to you or me.
Over the last few years, nu-metal has become the music industries whipping boy. Articles like this one, are a common sight on my Twitter feed, while even I have been knowing to throw the occasional barb in its direction. Yet, is that really fair? Is nu-metal the giant pile of shit we all like to make it out to be? No. No it really bloody isn’t.
Testament of Youth is based on the First World War memoir of the same name, which was written by Vera Brittain. The novel has been widely proclaimed as a classic, as it represented the one female voice among a plethora of males ones looking at the war. It has previously been presented as a TV production, but this is the first time it has made its way to the big screen, under the direction of James Kent.
Making the leap into the directorial chair has scuppered many respected figures within the film industry. Last year, Wally Pfister made the transition from cinematographer to director with Transcendence, a science fiction film that was universally panned. This year, we see Alex Garland, the writer of films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, make a similar jump with his debut directorial feature, Ex Machina.
Being Marilyn Manson must be weird. I mean you only have to look at a picture of the bloke to figure that out. Throw in the countless rumours, which have swirled around him since he burst onto the music scene (I’m pretty sure he still has all his ribs), a love of absinthe and an image that is part Voldemort and you end up with a musician whose world probably resembles The Nightmare Before Christmas. Yet that is not even the half of it, because this is also a man who has given us one hell of a collection of music since the release of his debut, Portrait of an American Family, in 1994.
At this early stage of the year, I don’t think it’s a stretch to call American Sniper the most controversial film released so far. It is yet another one based off of a book, this time the autobiography of Chris Kyle, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US History. A title that should probably flash a big red blinking light in the direction of where this film could go wrong.
It would be easy to dismiss Wild by its trailer. It looks like the latest in a long line of self-help films. Movies like Eat, Pray, Vomit, which hide behind some faux spiritualism and in reality are just a load of old shite. Yet, within minutes of this film starting you are quickly stripped of that feeling. As Reese Witherspoon, portraying Cheryl Strayed, pulls the nail off of her big toe, there was an audible gasp around the cinema I was in. For the faint of heart this is not.
After the usual quiet start to the year, the music is starting to flow out again. Big hitters like Marilyn Manson and Fall Out Boy have already dropped new albums and as usual there is a whole new world of music to find out there. One of these new bands, at least for myself, is The Last Ten Seconds of Life who hail from Mansfield, Pennsylvania.
Continue reading “The Last Ten Seconds of Life – Soulless Hymns”
I can’t claim to know much about jazz. In fact, I can barely claim to know anything about it. While I have some fleeting knowledge of most musical genres, jazz continues to be a mystery to me. I also doubt I’m alone in that. Jazz isn’t a genre that gets much love in the here and now. However, no one, and I mean no one, should allow that to stop them going to see Whiplash.
It has become accepted that Slipknot can fill venues like the Hydro. However, when you sit down and think about it, that fact is insane. 9 masked men wearing boiler suits and playing pretty extreme metal, should not be coming close to filling places like this. Yet, here we are.
Continue reading “Live Review: Slipknot w/ Korn and King 810”
Ramblings About Wrestling 