With childhood being a period of our lives we often hark back to, Plain White T’s latch onto this idea for the sixth outing and build an entire album around the concept of “the wonders of the younger”. As far as the sound goes, the album is pretty much what we’ve come to expect from the band: although there’s not quite any “Hey There Delilah’s”, the general pop-rock sound is present Catchy lyrics and hooks drive the record forward, with “Cirque Dans La Rue” and “Rhythm of Love” being the driving force of the album; “All the pretty girls get cut in half / while the sad clowns make us laugh” The concept is of initial simplicity, using childhood idealism and fantasy to create the atmosphere intended: “If I was a pirate, sailing the seas / would you come pillage the village with me?” However, the band utilise this idea so creatively and...
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In a time of over-produced blockbusters and jarringly quirky indie cults, Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere is a refreshingly realistic reflection on what celebrity means in this day and age. Stephen Dorff plays the world weary and desolate Johnny Marco, whose glazed over stares in the face of pole-dancing twins show a man jaded from reality and himself. His saviour comes in the form of his daughter, Cleo played by the luminous Elle Fanning. Somewhere is obvious in its subtlety. Johnny and Cleo’s relationship, is at once romanticized and awkward, achieving an endearing, if painful realism. As with her other films Sofia Coppola, the kid of cool, does not disappoint. With Johnny Marco living at the infamous Château Marmont the ambiance of pure cool is helped along by a soundtrack boasting The Strokes, Phoenix, and a little Police. Coppola’s movies are metaphor rich, suggesting rather than presenting. The result is a quiet, yet affecting film, with...
Read MoreDeparting from Victory Records after 4 studio albums and switching over to Hopeless Records, Silverstein are in quite a “transition” so to say. Transitions, their latest EP consists of 3 songs, an acoustic track and a cover of NIN’s “Wish”. It’s a decent release presenting the known Silverstein sound, but considering there’s only 3 full songs it’s slightly short on quantity. Having said that, the quality of the songs are pretty mediocre. Whilst they stick to the same approach heard on their previous albums Transitions’ songs are far from being the best of the band’s catalogue. In a way it’s good to know that Silverstein haven’t changed, delivering what any fan truly wants from them. On the other hand the release lacks the passion, energy and hooks one would expect. “Sacrifice,” the first track introduces the EP with the familiar Silverstein sound, hitting hard with the first riff only to be let...
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UK rock act Fearless Vampire Killers have recently released their debut EP In Grandomina…. They’ve filled in last minute as a support act for Aiden’s last few UK dates and fresh off the tour, we caught up with them before their gig in London at the Relentless Garage. What’s behind the name – Fearless Vampire Killers? Laurence: The name comes from a Roman Polanski film my dad used to show me when I was a kid. I fell in love with everything about it, especially Sharon Tate who unfortunately was murdered by Charles Manson a couple of years after the film was made. When we needed to name our new band, we knew we had a space to fill, we knew there were people like us who didn’t find life that easy and were constantly being knocked down by oppressive forces. We’d written a song called "Fearless Vampire Killers", and suddenly it...
Read MoreIn a statement with little surprise, recently departed ex-members of Paramore have written an exhaustive and damning letter explaining their reasons for departing the band. More importantly, Josh Farro has revealed some of the inner workings of Paramore's less than earnest creation- a byproduct of major label greed. No surprises there right? The text continues to say that the band and the facade were manufactured by Atlantic Records and Hayley Williams' manager as a vehicle to progress Williams' career as a frontwoman and singer; rendering the rest of the band as nothing more than touring support. Here is the most pertinent part of the written statement, explaining the motives behind Atlantic Records, Williams and her manager; "After many meetings between Hayley, her manager and the labels they decided to sign her to Atlantic records. We didn’t understand why Hayley was the only one signing the contract since we were told...
Read MoreEd Helms (The Hangover) stars in this new comedy about a small-town insurance salesman on his first trip outside of his hometown. Visiting the metropolis that is Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he must try to save his company from its demise. Cedar Rapids is directed by Miguel Arteta (Youth In Revolt) off a script by Phil Johnston. It co-stars John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Kurtwood Smith and Sigourney Weaver, and is slated to hit cinemas February 11, 2011. The film will premiere at next year's Sundance Film Festival prior to its release in general cinemas. Looks like a fun time, but from the trailer it feels a little claustrophobic to be a real breakout hit. Maybe it has something to do with Cedar Rapids?
'Tis the season for year-end lists, and film critic Richard Roeper has revealed his picks for the year's worst celluloid attractions in this nifty video. What's the worst movie of the year according to Roeper? Watch the find out. What we can say is, #2 should have really been #1.
The new trailer for the Matthew McConaughey starring drama The Lincoln Lawyer has made its debut online. McConaughey plays a lawyer who works out of the back of his Lincoln, working on a high profile case involving the son of an important businessman. The film co-stars William H. Macy (with new do and raggedy 'stache), Marissa Tomei and Ryan Phillipe. It is scheduled to open March 18th, 2011.
Following on from the release of its first official trailer, DJ Caruso's I Am Number Four has now unveiled the extended version of the trailer. Featuring new footage and a longer run time, the new trailer continues to reveal more about the character of "Number Four". Starring Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker) and Dianna Agron (Glee) alongside Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Justified) and Teresa Palmer, the movie is the big-screen adaptation of a novel (of the same name) written by Jobie Hughes and James Frey. It details the arrival of nine aliens to Earth who are being hunted in sequential order by another invading species. I Am Number Four arrives in cinemas February 18, 2011
The trailer for upcoming thriller Hanna has made its way online. The film is about a young child who is trained in the art of the kill by a rogue CIA agent, her father, to infiltrate the very agency he once worked for. Along the way the young child learns much more about herself, her life and her existence to the backdrop of espionage, intrigue, and assassinations. The film stars Oscar nominated actress Saoirse Ronan as the title character and features Eric Bana (as her father) alongside Cate Blanchett, Olivia Williams (from defunct television series Dollhouse) and Tom Hollander. Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement), Hanna opens April 8th, 2011.
