snowywolfowl | Some reviews I've been sitting on (Reply)

So lately I've been watching, reading and listening to various things. Here's a few of my reviews if anyone is interested.

Music:

Judas Priest "Redeemer of Souls" -
So first lets look at what "Redeemer of Souls" isn't. Its not a classic metal album like "British Steel", or a powerful rebirth like "Painkiller". Nor is an overreach like the "Nostrodamus" concept album. Rather its just a solid album that is competently written and performed by a legendary band that is frankly a bit past their prime.

That's not meant as a slight but more as a reflection that no one, not great athletes, or great artists, can beat Father Time. Looking at the title track on the album one can't help but think that twenty to thirty years ago the chorus would have featured Rob Halford's legendary shriek on fall blast instead of a more comfortable chorus in the middle of his range. That being said the band is tight and if one is a fan of their post "Painkiller" catalogue then this album is probably going to be to your taste.

Movies:

Deadpool -
I'm going to admit something. I'm not that big of a comic book movie guy. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy some good old fashioned escapism but generally most comic book movies leave me feeling a bit "meh, it was ok". Not this one though. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Of course I have a very well developed sense of gallows humour that this movie tapped into perfectly. With that in mind if you like comic books movies and/or have a darker, more adult sense of humour that isn't easily offended this might a fun ride. Just don't watch it with the kids. It comes by the R rating honestly.

The Martian-
I think my eldest nephew said it best when he said "It had cool space stuff". Since I'm a sucker for cool space stuff I sort of knew I was likely going to like it. It also was a refreshing movie in that while it is full of bad stuff happening it isn't because the people in the movie are idiots. Did I say that I find that refreshing? Because I really do. To many stories have smart people doing stupid stuff as a way to drive the plot. That's just bad storytelling.

The Revenent-
This might be one of my more controversial reviews because the last movie I saw that had this much pure, unadulterated agony and suffering was "The Passion of the Christ". However unlike that Mel Gibson meltdown this had a story that I could understand* and was a good movie to boot.

Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job with the material but frankly, I think its the totality of the parts that made this movie work for me. If you are into history and have a basic understanding of the fur trade and the historical expansion of Europeans westward than there is a lot to look for. If on the other hand you don't there is so much basic and understandable conflict (both man vs man, and man vs nature) that its easy to slide into the story. Finally if you love good camera work the scenery is breathtaking and even the CGI that is used is very well done and understated.

Ultimately a movie well worth seeing if you can handle the harshness of the material. The bear attack is particularily brutal, although it might actually save some lives by illustrating why you just curl up and play dead when a mama grizzly decides you are in her family's space. I know I don't want to get close to the bears around here, and they're just black bears, not grizzlies.

*Please note I'm not critizing Christianity here but rather the fact that had I not known the story of Easter going in I'd have had no idea what the hell was going on. Frankly I honestly believe if the Roman Empire had television this would have been what would have been playing during an orgy or half time in the coliseum. That and Caligula probably would have been Executive Producer. Hmmm. Now I want to know what the 'Lethal Weapons" would have looked like had the Romans made them.