Movie Review: Noah (2014)

In a day like this, it is easy to get offended. Honestly, every time someone makes a joke about someone different they are called racist, sexist, or prejudice. For example, if I make a joke about black people, I will be labeled racist and be hated even though I have befriended black people in the past and personally have nothing against them. This is why Hollywood tries to be careful, but fails miserably. Because of this, there are multiple movies that people label "offensive" and is deemed unwatchable, no matter what critics say about it. Noah, is one of those movies. Just look at it's page on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics gave it a positive rating, but viewers hated it. Why? Did they not know that with an adaptation, changes had to be made.

Pros: It has a great cast. The actors portray the characters in a great way, even though it does not coincide with the Bible (more on that later), they are well liked. There is a good and bad side to both of them, and it makes them "human." I like this, because they have multiple layers and not one dimensional. I know a lot of people have complained about Noah's character in this film, but prepare to get mad at me, I liked how he was portrayed in this film. I believe every man has to have a moment of temptation and doubt and he had that. It makes for a strong story and a character who learns, which is realistic!! Not only that, but the message the Bible Story teaches us is in this movie without it being preachy. That is what I wanted from the very beginning. The CGI also looks incredible. Better than what other films of last year looked like.

Cons: They tried combining all beliefs into one here, in turn changing a lot of things. This is why people are offending. Director, Darren Aronofsky really tried, but it came up with contradicting ideas from all religions and no one being happy about it. The villain isn't very original and his monologue moments are pretty comical.

Final Verdict: 7/10! It's not as bad as people say it is, it's actually pretty good. I was not offended by it, but I can tell what it was doing. It does feel more like an Action Fantasy film more than a Bible film. I have seen more offensive films than this. Heck! Anything Adam Sandler has done in the last 10 years is more offensive than this. Check it out, but don't expect a full accurate representation. This is not the same Noah story as the Bible, but it doesn't need to be to be enjoyed.

Movie Review: Divergent

When it comes to Young Adult Fiction, it is really easy to tell whether it is a good story or a bad one. That is just as true when it comes to the film adaptations as well. Where we have great movies, like the Hunger Games, we have some awful films in the same young adult genre, like Twilight or the Host. Divergent is unique because it is somewhere in the middle.

The Good- Most of the actors do the best with what they have in the script. The chemistry between the two main characters, Tris and Four, is actually better than in most other Young Adult films I have seen. I believed that they are a strong couple.

The Bad- This world the characters live in makes zero sense at all. Separating the factions based on personality? Then, giving others a choice on what faction they choose (if you can call it that)? Society works due to multiple personalities, why change that?
The main actress, Shailene Woodley, bless her heart! There are moments when she tries and it is decent, but there are other times where it is too much or not enough of the right emotion, ruining a scene.
 All of the minor characters are quickly forgotten. I remember probably 5 or 6 characters throughout, and that is not a good sign with as many characters as this movie has. We got focus solely on the main two characters, and not enough with everyone else

Final Verdict- 4/10! This movie had potential with some characters you can get behind, but the story held it back leaving you with more questions than you would want after the first in a series. If you are curious, I won't stop you. All I can do is warn you.

Album Review: Red's Of Beauty and Rage

Sorry, I haven't posted for awhile. Life has kept me busy for multiple reasons and I missed talking about some albums I think some people were hoping I would talk about. Anyways, I just had to talk about the new album from the band, Red.

I have been a fan of Red from the moment I heard their music. With changes in members throughout their life cycle, some people think that can actually hurt a band sometimes. In some cases, that is true. In others, it is the complete opposite and it can strengthen a band. In the case of Red, changes in members has only made them stronger. That shows in their fifth album release, Of Beauty and Rage.

Talk about a great way to start 2015! Red has taken all the elements I loved in their previous albums and combined into this beautiful, heavy, melodic, and surprisingly uplifting. I have never wanted to stop everything and listen to an album before. It is so beautiful, it almost made me cry. Nothing from others of my favorites bands have done that before.

The guitar work is heavy and intense, which is a surprising mix with the classical string instruments used on every song. The vocalist has never been this strong since the band began. He has aged like a fine wine or great cheese for people who don't drink alcohol. The new drummer also compliments the intensity with the drum work on every song. You can also hear the bass work in every song. Whatever they are using, it is working. Every instrument stands out and you hear everything. Yes! This is the 3rd album where I cannot choose a favorite song since starting my blog. Everyone who reads this and trust what I say, buy this album as soon as you can! You will not be disappointed! My verdict is a 10/10!!!

Album Review: Seether's Isolate and Medicate

Seether for me has been kind of a childhood enjoyment. I first heard them when I was 12 and I have constantly found myself going back and listening to them. They are also on of the bands that got me interested in the guitar company that makes the guitar I have in my current picture. So, I may be late to the party for this album, but I still wanted to take a good look at it and write this review.

First of all, every song is different; One song it has their signature, the next has Heavy Metal riffs, and the one after is kind of relaxing. I've mentioned before how much it bothers me to have every song on an album sound exactly the same and Seether doesn't do that. Most of the messages they have is very much like previous works. Seether is known for the more angst and anger in the lyrics and that is no different, whether it is about politics or personal experience, it is left up to interpretation. The lyrics are written to fit what is bothering you right now. I have very little to complain about.

The only gripe is the explicit language in two or three songs. That is what stops me from recommending to everyone, like I did with Chevelle. If the language is not a bothering factor for you, check it out. My verdict is a 9/10.

Favorite songs: Word's as Weapons, Crash, Suffer it All.

Least Favorites: Same Damn Life, Nobody Praying For Me.

Anime Review: Madoka Magica

As far as magical girl anime is concerned, it has the problem of being not only predictable, but also cliche. Ever since it's founding show, Sailor Moon, every magical girl anime has been pretty much the same thing. Madoka Magica is actually a step away from the cutesy, pretty magical girl genre.

Not only is it dark in art style and tone, but also in how the characters act. They all have tragic backstories that we learn early on and we get to experience their tragic ends. The anime is only twelve episodes long, so we don't get enough character development to really bond with the characters. You feel for them and start to care, but before you get to fall in love with them, they're gone. It makes you wish it was longer. Not only that, but they aren't unique characters in anime either. They are unique to the genre, but you see similar characters that are better portrayed in other genres. So you think about those other characters sometimes.

The worst one is the main character. It is very hard for me to like this character. She is not only emotionally unbalanced (which can work) but she is developed into that character that is self sacrificing and gives up everything for what they love. Kind of that Messiah (Savior) character. That is in a lot of psychological thriller anime and some action anime. She isn't unique at all.

Everyone else is okay. They all have definitive personalities and they are likable. I would just like to get to know them better. The problem is that it is short and feels kind of rushed. It is unique to the magical girl genre, but familiar in other anime in general.

My final verdict is an Emo Playhouse/10. It's like nothing we have seen in the genre, but the more you look at it, you can tell someone has done it before in other genres. I won't discourage or encourage anyone from watching it. If you are curious, check it out.

Anime Review: Shuffle

As an anime fan, I admit that it can be hard to find an anime with a good romance behind it. However, Funimation got their hands on a gem back in the mid 2000s. This is where our first review comes into place, the anime called, Shuffle.

The franchise was first introduced an adult visual novel (a type of game) made for Microsoft Windows, and later as a cleaner version on the Playstation 2, but came into the US as a manga in 2004. Then in 2008, an anime of it came into the United States and put into English by Funimation studios. The series had 24 episodes, and luckily removed the elements that made the game an adult only game. The box set for the anime wasn’t released until 2009 and it is what is now available.

Considering a background like that, one would expect this to be basically hentai, but it actually isn’t. Does it have fan service? Yes. Is there nudity? Yes. Does that mean this is an anime only perverted minds would enjoy? No.

The World:

            The main theme of the world of this anime is that, the realm of the Gods and the realm of the Demons have opened up to the realm of the humans and they have learned to co-exist. As far as being able to tell the difference… The Gods have small pointed ears and the demons ears are longer and still pointed. Both of them have their own uniqueness to them and defined characteristics. Demons are skilled with magic and Gods have physical strength and build. So, this is actually a mixture of Fantasy and Romance. Which can turn out to be really good, which is the point in this case.

The Story:

            The story is about Rin, a human, young man in high school and living with his childhood friend, Kaede, and her dad due to a accident killing his parents and her mother.  Turns out, two girls, a demon (Nerine) and a god (Lisianthus also goes by Sia), both come to his school as new students and as fate seemed to add a bizarre twist, they know Rin from when they were younger and are both in love with him. Something like this wouldn’t be too big of an issue except for one thing… The two new girls, plus his childhood friend who also loves him, are rated as the hottest girls in school. So, not only does he have to choose a girl, but he also has every guy jealous of him and trying to beat the crap out of him. Not only that, but the new girls’ fathers are the kings of their respected realms and whichever he chooses will make him the heir to that realm and he could gain all the powers of either the Gods or the Demons… Talk about a hard choice.

Thoughts on the story:

            The story sounds very simple and downright bizarre, but it works out really well. It keeps you entertained and pulled in and it explains itself and the characters as it goes on and it keeps you wanting to watch it more and more.

Character Thoughts:

            Rin: Simply put, Rin is a fantastic character! You do feel jealousy towards him, but you also feel sympathy for him. He’s just all in all a good guy, who is trying to make everyone happy. Turns out it ends up blowing up in his face. As a protagonist, he is very likeable and relatable. It really is no wonder why all the main girls like him so much. He won’t give them a reason not to like him.

            Kaede: This character has by far the biggest twist in the entire series. Remember how in the story summary, we said she loved him. That was a light exaggeration. She is obsessed with him!! So much that she won’t do anything if it’s not for him. She takes care of everything for him, even when he asked her not to do it. At first you see her as a very innocent girl, then you see her go completely psycho and get scared of her.

            Nerine: She is a very quiet character, but very likeable. Unlike other girls in the show, she doesn’t try to seduce him as much as the others do. Her approach is more trying to impress him and do things that would make him happy emotionally instead of physically. Which in my opinion makes her different from the others and a very likeable character in that light. However, she does have some faulty moments. Her magic makes her threatening and with the very few moments it happens, it’s shocking.

            Lisianthus: Also known as Sia. Out of all the girls, this is the one that tries the hardest to get Rin to love her. She is one of those characters that have likeable moments, but also some moments I found her selfish and out of all of them, didn’t deserve to be with Rin. But she was fair in the end and gained an understanding for his feelings as well and was happy for him regardless of his decision in the end.

            Asa: This one I didn’t mention when explaining the story. She is human and another close friend to Rin, and does play a big part in the story. Out of all the girls, I would say this is my favorite one out of all them. She is very kind hearted, loyal, and always seems to have helped Rin whenever he needed someone to talk to. She also seemed to be the most human in the anime. She even teased him like any friend would and it was easy to tell how strong of a character she was and the part she plays in the story. Out of all the other girls, she was the one that at first seemed the least likely to end up with him, then they both developed in a direction where it seemed more likely. I could go one for hours about how likeable this character is, but I won’t for the sake of time.

            Primula: Also called Rimu, this is the youngest girl, but also the most interesting. She doesn’t show much emotion when she is first introduced, but is very attached to Rin. Then as it goes, she begins to show more emotion and becomes a more relatable character. She is a demon, and is quiet and calm like the other demons in the show. However, I didn’t see her as a romantic involvement with Rin. It seemed more like a brother/sister relationship. I thought it was a good move and added some depth and friendship in the show next to the romance.

Those are the main characters, as for the supportive characters. They are all enjoyable in their own light. I haven’t found anyone I hated or disliked in the show.

The Bottom Line:

            This show’s story and characters are fantastic. The voice acting works with every character and the direction the story goes in is almost flawless. The art style and animation pays great attention to detail. The thing that is a turn off is simply, fan service and nudity. This is based on an Adult Graphic Novel after all, but it wasn’t necessary. The story wouldn’t change at all if it were taken out. That is my one big issue with this anime. If it doesn’t bother you, go ahead and enjoy the story, as long as you are in the young adult age group. Final Verdict 7/10! It is a great anime. The nudity and fan service is a problem and a big one for me.

Album Review: The Used- Imaginary Enemy

The Used is a band that I have a love/hate relationship with. I either love a song, or hate it from them. In recent years, their material hasn't done anything for me. So, when I heard they released a new album this year, I was skeptical about it. However, I was rather impressed by this one.

The album is unique, compared to previous things they have done. They are pro-love, and anti-everything else. Content wise, that is what it is. It is obviously atheist in some areas and talks bad about America's current standing. If these things bother you, this is not the album for you. However, I have found some songs with not only unique sounds, but is also very symbolic and beautiful to listen to, and some songs have some great heavy sounds that gets you wanting to be in a mosh pit.

I only have one major problem with this album and that is the last two songs. The second to last is not terrible until the end where they ruin it with constant vulgarity. The last song shows to be 14 minutes, 41 seconds, when it is actually about 4 minutes, 7 minutes of silence, and 3 minutes of a confusing song. THAT IS WASTED MEMORY SPACE!! Why would you do that?

In total, I liked more than I dislike on this album. My final verdict is an 8/10. Check it out if you are interested.

Songs I recommend: Cry, Evolution, Generation Throwaway

Songs I didn't like: A Song to Stifle Imperial Progression (A Work in Progress), Overdose