Arhive etichete: review

Review: Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll

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I’ve been a Fall Out Boy fan since Sugar We’re Going Down, back in 2006, in my ugly dark room filled with nothing but music. Their hiatus made me at least a little sad, but I can’t say their album at the time (Folie a Deux) was memorable.

In the meantime, I entertained myself with Patrick Stump’s new EP (Truant Wave in 2011) and his new solo album (Soul Punk, 2011), my idea of a redheaded white Michael Jackson on eurodanced LSD.

Save-Rock-And-Roll Nothing prepared me, back in 2012, for a new Fall Out Boy album. When their first single, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), got out, I was like „WTF?! This isn’t Fall Out Boy!”. I didn’t press play again. I just stood still enjoying God knows what.

The next single, The Phoenix, was awesome. It was what I expected from their comeback move, the thing I didn’t get with My Songs. Released on April 12th, Save Rock and Roll didn’t save rock and roll. It didn’t bring us back the old FOB. It wasn’t unexpected. I’m not sure how to define it, it’s raw and mature at the same time, lyrically and musically. It’s old FOB mixed with Patrick’s black beats. I can almost swear I hear arena songs in there, but I’m too afraid to admit it. What if that doesn’t come true?

Because it’s something so out of the blue, you are caught unprepared and while the musical genre is not quite saved, I can say it is revived.

The Phoenix (10) is the second single and it benefits from a sexy video. It’s core is the power of string instruments that dominate the whole composition. I like the raw power this song has and it’s a very good workout entertainer (as is the whole album, of course).

Cross walks and crossed hearts and hope-to-dies
Silver clouds with grey linings

So we can take the world back from a heart attack
One maniac at a time we will take it back
You know time crawls on when you’re waiting for the song to start
So dance alone to the beat of your heart

Hey young blood
Doesn’t it feel like our time is running out?
I’m gonna change you like a remix
Then I’ll raise you like a phoenix
Wearing our vintage misery
No, I think it looked a little better on me
I’m gonna change you like a remix
Then I’ll raise you like a phoenix

My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) (9.5) was the first single off of the album and, as I said before, it didn’t impress me much. After the release of Save Rock and Roll, I really fell in love with this one, especially Patrick’s vocals and the chorus. It really strikes me as a summer song and I find it perfect for this hybrid sprinsummer we have in Romania. Also, I’d love to hear this one on a stadium (I’m in love with rock anthems! But who isn’t?).

A constellation of tears on your lashes
Burn everything you love, then burn the ashes
In the end everything collides
My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

My songs know what you did in the dark

So light ‘em up, up, up
Light ‘em up, up, up
Light ‘em up, up, up
I’m on fire

Alone Together (8.5) is a teen-angsty song, with Wentz’s unmistakeable signature (lyrically wise). If you ignore the poetry for just a little, you get great power and rhythm and, though it’s not quite rock-y, it’s a great summer afternoon song.

My heart is like a stallion
They love it more when it’s broken
Do you wanna feel beautiful?
Do you wanna?

‘Cause I don’t know where you’re going
But do you got room for one more troubled soul
I don’t know where I’m going but I don’t think I’m coming home
And I said I’ll check in tomorrow if I don’t wake up dead
This is the road to ruin
And we’re starting at the end

Where Did the Party Go (10) is, supposedly, the first song they wrote (Stump and Wentz) for Save Rock and Roll. It has a new vibe, it is party-like (as the title suggests) and it has young energy and optimism, so I would play it in my favorite clubs (if they would allow me to bring weird music to the scene). It’s one of my favorites on this album and it makes me want to start dancing (and when I say dancing, I mean I look like Elaine from Seinfeild, if she was in a whole body cast, while slipping on a banana peel).

I’m here to collect your hearts
It’s the only reason that I sing
I don’t believe a word you say but I can’t stop listening
This is the story of how they met
Her picture was on the back of a pack of cigarettes
When she touched him he turned ruby red
A story that they’ll never forget
Never forget

And all the boys are smoking menthols
Girls are getting back rubs
I will drift to you if you if you make yourself shake fast enough
My old aches become new again
My old friends become exes again

Oh, where did the party go?
We’re ending it on the phone
I’m not gonna go home alone
Oh, where did the party go?

(Sorry for my obsession, I really love this song!)

Just One Yesterday (8) features Foxes (and that’s all I can say about this singer). It is a song for the heartbroken people (which I am not), so I can’t say much about this one, except that it has a nice rhythm, even though the lyrics are not the most happy ones.

Letting people down is my thing, baby
Find yourself a new gig
This town ain’t big enough for two of us
I don’t have the right name
Or the right looks
But I have twice the heart

Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name
It will be held against you
Anything you say can and will be held against you
So only say my name (name)

The Mighty Fall (9), another song featuring someone (they are plenty on this album!), this time is Big Sean. I have a very Kanye West-vibe, circa Niggas in Paris and also Katy Perry‘s ET. This doesn’t mean it’s bad. I’ve heard of Big Sean before, but this song can be easily named his best one until now. If you’ve read so far, you’ve noticed that I said something about Patrick’s black beats. So here they are, please enjoy them!

Hello?
Yeah I know you said not to call unless I’m dying
But I’m driving and I can’t stop staring at my eyelids
But even though my eyes closed, I still see you
I just hope that when you see me I’m not see-through
You know how we do
Some times I swear, I need a day just for me to lay
With some T and A, but the way we, they way we is do deeper
Baby straight up chemistry DNA
Make me wanna give you every dollar out my B of A
Like, I let her climb on top
I’m either fuckin’ or workin’, so the grind don’t stop
They say I got screws missing, well hell, only when I’m missing you
And hell yeah I’m a dick, girl, addicted to you

Whoa, how the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love

Miss Missing You (9) is so simple, yet so good! Like all the good things, this one takes its geniusness (is that even a word?!) from simple music with simple words. Love is the base, people. Love.

Baby, you were my picket fence
I miss missing you now and then
Chlorine kissed summer skin
I miss missing you now and then
Sometimes before it gets better
The darkness gets bigger
The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger
Oh
We’re fading fast
I miss missing you now and then

Death Valley (8) has a nervous side. It’s animalic and raw. It’s mature. It’s everything at once, even though it misses something (but I can’t put my finger on it).

I wanna see your animal side
Let it all out
Oh there you go; undress to impress
You can wear the crown but you’re no princess

So put the “D” in „dirt” now, baby, baby
Let’s get you wasted and alone

Young Volcanoes (10) is my favorite (I know I said that about some of the songs before, but bear with me). This is the third single off of Save Rock and Roll and the video continues the story from The Phoenix. I have a strange feeling of accapella and stadium, combined with a jungle of emotions, energy and love. How can I not love this one?!

When Rome’s in ruins, we are the lions
Free of the coliseums
In poison places, we are anti-venom
We’re the beginning of the end

Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds
It’s all over now before it has begun
We’ve already won

Come on make it easy, say I never mattered
Run it up the flagpole
We will teach you how to make boys next door
Out of assholes

Rat a Tat (9.5) is for the people who didn’t love Courtney Love. Because she is just awesome on this track. You know her as the drunk widow of Kurt Cobain, but here she gives me the impression she’s bigger than Madonna (and that’s hard to pull off!). If Madonna had talent, she could’ve been what’s Courtney on this track. With a Britney refference (It’s Courtney, bitch!) as an intro, the song dives into punky soul phase that is this new Fall Out Boy thing they’re doing now.

We’re all fighting growing old
We’re all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get on St. Peter’s list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it’s never
Getting any better than this

I’m about to make the sweat roll backwards
And your heart beat in reverse
Our guts can’t be reworked
As alone as a little white church
In the middle of the desert getting burned
But I’ll take your heart served up two ways
I sing a bitter song
I’m the lonelier version of you
I just don’t know where it went wrong

They saved the best for last. If they didn’t saved rock and roll until now, maybe Elton John can lend a hand? Who knows? Save Rock and Roll (10) is a beautiful musical combo of young and new, not very rocky, but very rollable, filled with soul and patience and time. Even though it’s not as alert as the other songs on Save Rock and Roll, this one is its heart.

I need more dreams
And less life
And I need that dark
In a little more light
I cried tears you’ll never see
So fuck you, you can go cry me an ocean
And leave me be

You are what you love
Not who loves you
In a world full of the word yes
I’m here to scream

No, no
Wherever I go, go
Trouble seems to follow
Only plugged in to save rock and roll
Rock and roll, no
Wherever I go, go
Trouble seems to follow
Only plugged in to save rock and roll

Blood brothers in desperation
An oath of silence
For the voice of our generation
How’d it get to be only me?
Like I’m the last damn kid still kicking
That still believes

I will defend the faith
Going down swinging
I will save the songs
That we can’t stop singing

This album is more than I can expect from a comeback album. I can only compare it (sentimentally speaking) with Blink 182‘s Neighborhoods. It shows us a grown up version of our lovable punk kids that help granny cross the street, a version in which they love love and they suffer and they want to party, in which they are angsty and annoyed and worried and so human.

Leaving the album for a second, I can’t wait for the whole The Young Blood Chronicles, inspired by Daft Punk‘s Electroma. Until now, there are three episodes available, for My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), The Phoenix and Young Volcanoes.

This is the album I’ve had on repeat for three weeks now. I listened to it while walking to work, doing chores, getting ready to get out and party, while working out or doing nothing. It has grown on me and I’ve come to love it more and more. Please be gentle to beautiful music!

Pic.

HURTS + IAMX – Album Review

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Science Fiction Double Feature, as one old song used to say. But my science fiction is my music, as usual, so my double feature will be comprised of HURTS and IAMX. Both of them are musical projects with their names written in capitals, so I’m guessing they mean business.

I remember the first time I heard about HURTS, while working for this website as a content editor of some sorts. They were having this concert in Romania, and it was sold out very fast, unusual for Romania and also for a band relatively unknown.

hurts

Pic here.

So far, I’ve missed their two concerts here, but I somewhat enjoyed their first album, Happiness (only about half of it, but still ok).

Another thing I remember is the comparison with Depeche Mode and White Lies. Even though I’m not a big Depeche Mode fan, I could recognize that their sound, electronica-ish as it was, it wasn’t depeche-y. But I am a big White Lies fan and for me, to be said that they are surpassed by these relatively unknown boys who like to dress up nicely to hide their pending deviations, it was too much! I was outraged by these suggested resemblances, so after the first listening of the album, I didn’t gave them a chance. That changed afterwards and I still have 2 or 3 songs from Happiness I like to listen to when I wanna feel down.

Their new album is called Exile. I’d like to think it’s their ugly child, because some of the lyrics are quite disturbing, and also the music is different. They sound so much darker than on Happiness, so now I’d like to think about them as balladeers crossed with Timbaland beats and weird, real electronica sounds. The vocals are outlandish, the music is so harsh and rough and wild and also well studied.

Exile (8) has this low volume, but such a high intensity. It’s not the peak of the album, but it’s the starting point from it can grow bigger and bigger.

Miracle (10) has passion and wilderness and fear and it’s disturbing and intense, and for that I wish I
could give it more than a 10. Also, I wish they didn’t remove the first video, it was perfect for the song. It was decadent and outrageous and I want it back!

Sandman (9) is a very disturbing composition, with Theo’s voice flowing and ticking like a clock along with the music, I almost have the impression he is dreaming.

Blind (7) starts really, really good vocally and musically, but then the lyrics hit in and… Nothing. Somehow, I don’t find it appealing listening to „Cut out my eyes and leave me blind”.

Only You (5) is not a memorable song, because it blends on the album between Blind and The Road. Lyricially speaking, I would say it’s a little bit more than the previous songs, but nothing remarkable.

The Road (9) is one of the songs that got promoted by the band. At first, I didn’t know whether I liked it or not, but when the chorus hit me, it was like a hurricane. And I couldn’t help but notice the ever present dubstep sound.

Cupid (6) is yet another song I didn’t bother remebering. The lyrics are quite simple, but the music fades away and merges perfectly with the album.

Mercy (7) sees the boys returning to their balladeers roots, along with the same dubstep rhythms on the chorus. I liked the spelling part of the word mercy, the vocals on that one verse are amazing.

The Crow (5) is another lyrically-full song, a ballad in the complete sense of the word. However, for my taste, is a little bit boring.

Somebody To Die For (8) is a song full of promises and hope, and I love it just for that one special feature of it.

The Rope (6) is yet another song about hope and all the other things that make you go on (yeah, I don’t know them, I have no name for such things), but it doesn’t have the special trait of Somebody To Die For. It does, however, have the dubstep-ish sound ever present on the album.

Help (5) is the last song of the standard edition of Exile. I was left under the impression that I wasted a lot of time listening to the second part of the album, so I can’t tell you what this part is all about.

I can definitely see progress here, more instruments, edgier sound, provoking lyrics, amazing vocals and choruses, but I will stick to my first half of the album, if I need some introspection and depression. All in all, 8/10 for HURTS and their Exile.

The second part of this double feature is IAMX. IAMX is a violent, decadent artist, with knick for saying the truth about a bunch of things, including love. His love is usually sick and twisted, and that’s the best part of it.

iamx

Pic here. I will forever and ever love this photo!

I listened to IAMX for the first time in 2008 and I was much appalled. In February 2009 I missed their concert, but in August (or September?) 2009 I listened to Missile and You Stick It In Me and I fell in love.

June 2011 saw me at their concert, watching and singing along and being genuinely happy. Volatile Times was a beautifully constructed album, but the live experience surpassed it by far.

So 2013 sees my beautiful Chris releasing The Unified Fields, another appropriate name for a beautiful piece of poetry-philosophy-depression infused music.

I Come With Knives (10) portrays Chris’ decadence perfectly, so what’s not to love about it? It’s beautiful and violent and it even has a verse in German (beautiful poetry, btw).

Sorrow (10) is here to say that, if you ever doubted Chris’ poetic abilities, you are so very wrong. Please let me enjoy my sorrow, with a Chris classic-to-be.

The Unified Fields (8). I can’t say much about this one, I’ll just let the lyrics speak for itself.

We are all insane
Counting down every single living day
We are prisoners of fate
I smile at the way everybody accepts the pain

Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I don’t feel
Just because I don’t feel doesn’t mean I don’t understand
We are one in the unified field

The Adrenalin Room (7) is one of the songs that makes me think Chris took up Chemistry lessons. Oh, and also he studies anger!

Quiet the Mind (10) is definitely my favorite song off this album. How can I not love it? It deserves a special place in Chris’ work, alongside Spit It Out, Bloodsport, Missile, Volatile People, Tear Garden…

Under Atomic Skies (7) explores the same chemical issue, while suggesting nakedness. It wouldn’t have been Chris, if it were otherwise!

Screams (6) I don’t get. I listened to it, it’s tempo second-dependent, but it didn’t move me. I’m guessing he wanted to say too much, in too little time.

Come Home (9) hit me just were it should’ve. I feel like talking to myself, since I am for too long lost.

Animal Impulses (8). No explanations, just this.

I’m tired of this human duet
No civilizing hides
Our animal impulses.

Walk With The Noise (9) fool’s world, game, blows ripping, souls, killing me, terror, propaganda, flesh and blood. Excerpts of the song, powerful SOB!

Land of Broken Promises (8) starts out as weird, then we have a silent guitar, while Chris tells us the story. I have the feeling I listened to this song already, but I’m guessing it’s because the recurring theme in his work (The Stupid, The Proud).

Trials (8) of course it’s about demons in us, about acceptance and a half-hearted hope!

I couldn’t help but notice the score-y sound this album has. It’s full of instruments and it’s grandiose and it has power, I saw fit for Tarantino movies at least two of tracks (Walk With The Noise & The Adrenalin Room, maybe Land of Broken Promises too). 9/10 from my part. Please enjoy it!

The Walking Dead – Season Finale Review

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I watched The Walking Dead season finale last night, of course, since I’m such an avid fan.
To be honest, I remember almost nothing from this season, maybe except for a few things:

– Rick’s going nuts, and then ruthless

– Carl seems to be a better leader than all of them combined (or at least, he’s capable to make choices when the need arises)

– T-Dog died, as expected

– Carol seems to carry her weight pretty good (unlike her comic book counterpart)

– yay Daryl!, everyone’s new god, with his emo haircut and his weird poncho

– Glenn’s heart’s not in it (I’m guessing an impending doom is quite near)

– Maggie seems to be the only likeable female, but her accent really slips and the sexual assault scene was so bad, it makes me cringe, even now

– oh, we also have Hershel and his other daughter and some prisoners; but after a while, the prisoners are dead, the other Hershel daughter likes to sing songs by the fire and Hershel is the ever-present conscience, since we don’t have Dale anymore

– what can I say about Lori? Mostly nothing, she’s dead, a bad dead wife.

– enter Michonne, who spent half the season grunting, and the rest of it chasing wild dreams of killing the Governor

– enter Merle, who looks like a dead beat alcoholic and has a nifty blade instead of his right hand; I felt like his death did the character some justice, after being antagonistic for such a long time

– enter the Governor, a raging asshole sociopath with a knick for stupid women (mostly Andrea)

– enter Andrea, who’s willing to sleep her way through for a warm bed and a roof over her head; also, she „wanted to save everyone”. Yeah, right!

– also, stupid people from Woodbury (Milton, Martinez, all others) and also Tyrese and his confused group.

If I would have to grade this season, I would say a 6. I don’t remember particular scenes or episodes, it wasn’t memorable at all.

If I would have to grade this season finale, I would say a 7. There were some unexpected things that raised this grade, but not that many. What I enjoyed the most was:

– Michonne letting Rick know she found out about his (short) betrayal
– Carl doing what he had to do (I’m guessing he likes to start shooting people now, and this excuse is so good in that day and age; also, if he would to become some kind of a Governor with the same thirst for blood, wouldn’t that be awesome?!)
– The Governor turning his gun on his people
– Andrea getting bit by Milton, none the less.

Let’s see where did the Governor ran and how will it be the next time he clashes with Rick.

Review – Sabaton, Eluveitie & Wisdom

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I went last night to see a metal show – I haven’t seen one in a long-long time, so when I bought the tickets, last November, I thought „hmm, why not? they are pretty good”.
I kinda waited for this show, because I felt like I needed the out-of-the-ordinary experience, since my life is filled with going out for a coffee or other drinks, going to a club, walking the dog and oh-so-mighty going to work. Metal was good for me, so I tried to review the concert on the spot, step by step, as everything happened.
The outcome? Sort of a tweeted review, if only I had tweeted it (I still don’t use my Twitter account, so you get the picture). Here comes nothing!

wisdomband_1

Wisdom not so wise, creatively speaking
Lead singer that stars in a Pantene comercial and also does air guitar
Kinda copy cats – Metallica & Bon Jovi circa 80s
Really really average singer, with high school lyrics and GOT references
Necesary time to pass for you to like Wisdom – one shitty beer from Turbojalle (play on words, omg, I am so witty!) (pic here)

eluveitie

Eluveitie – awesome start!!!
* metal is a genre that can be done in pairs – you get introduced by someone you like and you stay there, as some of the couples present there proved*

Awesome vocal, awesome drummer, Anna missing, but it’s still a great show
Lots of people stuck in the 80s – hairwise
I can’t say too much about Eluveitie, because they were too awesome to make time to record any of it
This, adding my unnecessary swelling of the hands when it gets crowded, made it a little tough to keep track of things (pic here)

*All the cocalari!!! Cocalari metalisti, but still…*

Sabaton

Sabaton ruled the house
Their raw power, and drums and guitars moved an entire mass of people
Romanian flag and also goosebumps (according to Sabaton’s lead singer)

Omg, he’s got the moves like Freddie!!!
I want to hit the drums, not play them! Omg, I forgot how to human!!!!

The Ting Tings – That’s not my name… Oups, error!
Sabaton is a magical show – the lead keeps appearing and disappearing on the stage, makes me think he’s related to Flash
We got to chose the next song, but then we didn’t. Into the fire!
Still wanna be a drummer! Muhaha!
Now I’ve learnt how easy it is to become an arena band – Iron Maiden style
Swedish time!!! A lifetime of war – easy pick
Swedish – such a beatiful language, I can’t understand shit :))
ABBA, wtf is wrong with us? :))
Weird music, omg!
And then some emo stuff…
So I had to go, cause of all that tiredness and stuff… (pic here)

Overall:
Wisdom 4/10
Eluveitie 10/10
Sabaton 8/10

Review: The Gathering Dead – Stephen Knight

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Mai tineti minte cand v-am zis cum e sa citesti o carte nasoala si sa ramai atat de plictisit, incat nici n-ai curajul s-o termini, nici ce-ti trebuie ca s-o tradezi?

Cartea de care vorbeam atunci era partea a doua dintr-o trilogie si devenise usor plictisitoare, intesata de detalii si fara sens pur si simplu. Ce m-a salvat a fost World War Z a lui Max Brooks, o carte cu zombie, ca deh, I am a big fan.

Dupa gura aia de aer proaspat in biblioteca mea (virtuala, ca am citit-o pe Kindle), am mai citit niste carti si cartulii si povestiri scurte. Am marcat drept „to-read” pe Goodreads mai multe carti din categoria „zombie” si „undead”, printre care si The Gathering Dead de Stephen Knight.

Cele 487 de pagini nu m-au speriat, asa ca am purces la citit.

N-am putut sa nu observ ca se pune foarte mult accent pe rasa. Se specifica (des si foarte des) „the black man”, „the black soldier”, „the black girl”, fara a pune prea mult accent pe trasaturi de caracter. E o poveste cu zombi si soldati, asa ca pregatiti-va de multe descrieri de whatever they do si de descrieri de arme si tot felul de prostii, descrieri atat de seci si de plictisitoare, incat am senzatia ca-l citesc pe Sadoveanu din nou.

Ca o paranteza, mai-sus numita carte-capodopera a lui Brooks m-a introdus (si) in lumea fortelor armate, dar cu atata inversunare si entuziasm, incat nu m-am plictisit deloc, chiar si de armele si vehiculele inventate (cred eu, n-am experienta militara).

Ca o alta paranteza, toata seria The Morningstar Strain a lui Z. A. Recht (mi-ar fi placut sa cred ca e un „pun” adresat sintagmei „zombie apocalypse”, dar chiar asa il chema pe autor – Zachary Allan Recht) e plina de tactici din armata si marina si e atat de fascinanta si bine construita, incat nu m-am plictisit deloc pe parcursul celor trei carti.

Inchidem parantezele si revenim la subiectul initial. The Gathering Dead e o carte plictisitoare in mare parte si cred cu sinceritate ca nu se va intampla nimic pana la final.

Spoilers: o echipa trebuie sa culeaga si sa livreze un om de stiinta care are ceva habar de zombi. La cum se prezinta actiunea, presimt ca vor muri cu totii, negri sau nu.

Pana acum, cea mai tare chestie din carte e, citez:

“Thanks for keeping the seat warm,” Finelly said.
“Man, you’re lucky it ain’t wet,” Earl said.

Pagina 382 din 487.

I have no hope left for these characters.

Pot doar sa sper ca voi gasi o carte pe care s-o citesc si sa-mi faca placere sa-i fac un review, dar pana acum tot ce m-a prins m-a facut sa citesc in continuu, asa ca n-am mai avut chef sa comentez ceva, ci doar sa pastrez in mine o bucatica din respectiva carte.

Review (and disappointment): 2CELLOS & Naya Rivera – Supermassive Black Hole

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I am late to the party, yet again, but I can’t help it! Life gets into the way everyday, so… Some news just arrive a lil’ bit late.

First of all, I love 2CELLOS. Who does not know what 2CELLOS are, please check their Youtube channel for further information on the matter.

Next, I love Naya Rivera. If you don’t know who this lovely lady is, then maybe you’re not a Glee fan (like yours truly), so I’d go ahead and suggest one of her songs in the TV show. Mostly covers of Miss Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse. Regardless, she’s kept in the background, used when the producers want to teach us about mean & vile things to say, or about LGBT, or when they want an awesome number on the TV show, spiced up with some Latina sexyness.

I also love Muse. Ever since I was a little girl, Muse was among my favorites, and that didn’t change a bit through out the years.

I also love „Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse. It’s one of their songs that always had a place in my playlists, and rare were the moments when I used the power of skipping songs when the song came up.

So I thought „hmm, „Supermassive Black Hole” covered by 2CELLOS and Naya, this MUST be awesome!”

Except it wasn’t. The video looks kitsch-ey, Naya Rivera looks like a trashy Catwoman, even though her level of hotness is usually over 9000. 2CELLOS blend ok in the futuristic background, I don’t get what’s with the 3D chess game, but ok…

The song is the worst part of this combo. I haven’t heard a song so bad by 2CELLOS (not counting the weird collaboration between them and RHCP). Naya’s vocal abilities aren’t used full power. We’re given some weird auto-tune or whatever that is, in a lame atempt to copy whatever Matt Belamy managed to make out of „Supermassive Black Hole” something incredibly awesome.

Review: Black’s Game (2012)

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Missing good movies? Why not rewatch? Why not European movies?

In our first years we were taught that only Romanian films are good, with few American exceptions. Years have passed, and we discovered that films can be seen in the exact year they are released, through that magical thingy called cinema. Some more years have passed, and we discovered the internet and it’s power to deliver information in a second. I remember the first years of the internet, after the 00s, when CDs with films that became cult movies were passed between brothers and colleagues and neighbours.

Those were great movies, because we had easy access to them and because most of them were original scripts or good adaptations from other books and media.

Year have passed yet again, and after 2010 I don’t seem to recall that many titles of great movies. I sometimes watch European movies, because of their ingenuity and realism, because they don’t rely on special effects, because they want to tell a good story really, really well with great actors.

Last night I saw a good movie. After failed attempts with Rise of the Zombies, Horrible Bosses and few more titles, I watched Black’s Game.

Stereotypical as it sounds, the first thing I thought was „hmm, Icelandic, must be good”. I am a little bit judgemental and I am sure that, if I had the cance to see the same movie, made in USA, with the same action and title, I wouldn’t have made the effort.

So, on a Sunday night, after walking our handsome pouch, we hit the play button, expecting good cinematic experience.

Yes, it’s violent. It’s about drugs and sex and rape sometimes. It’s about the traps we set for ourselves, about our bad choices and consequences. It has great music, resembling the soundtrack of The Boondock Saints (but just at times, not always).

I loved the casting. All the actors were credible, especially Thor Kristjansson (Stebbi) and Damon Younger (Bruno). Even though the film was doubled in English, it was great. I usually preffer my movies in their native tongue (this is how I found out what a great language Swedish is), so I will check out the original version with English subtitles.

They said the story was inspired by true events and it felt real and cold. The editing and they way they filmed certain scenes were great.

Black’s Game is a crime thriller, not Reservoir Dogs good, but with a strong story, with believeable characters, a great director and a great soundtrack. It’s rating, of only 6.7, reflects the reality, it’s a good movie in a sea of really, really bad Hollywood work.