NEW Relient K Album

Well, it is finally here. Kinda. Forget and Not Slow Down is streaming the FULL album on Absolute Punk. Currently, I'm on my 7th time through listening to it. Yeah, I'm a little obsessed. You know what? You should be too. It is an AWESOME album. It is musically awesome, it is written from a thoughtful, Christian point of view, and IT ROCKS. Yeah, it is more rock than pop, which is good.

(Good lyrics + Good music + Jesus)Relient K = Forget and Not Slow Down.

It makes me happy and it will make you happy too. Listen.

I am going to give it 9 ramheads out of 10. The only thing that is missing is their signature fun song.

MATT DAMON!

I just finished The Bourne Ultimatum last night and I decided that I should review the Bourne Series. The three movies are based on the Robert Ludlum novels from the 1980s (which I intend to read sometime in my lifetime.)

The Bourne Identity (2002) starts this CIA conspiracy story off and really gets the heart pounding. An action packed, well-written story like this is a rare find. The things that Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) does are not unrealistic, they're just awesome. The story gets you rooting for Bourne and against the US government. It is impressive.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) picks up where Identity left off. Jason and his girlfriend are hiding in India where a hit-man comes and tries to take Bourne out, and ends up killing his girlfriend. This pisses him off and he searches for the people who tried to kill him and gets tangled with the CIA again. He ultimately remembers some stuff from his past and deals with that while once again escaping CIA capture.

The third one, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) is the most recent Bourne film and the best one yet. I liked the story, how things are resolved, and the action was phenomenal. It continues where Supremacy ended (and actually overlaps some times) and he's trying to find out about how he became a brainwashed CIA agent/assassin. He does find out (but I'm not going to tell you how). There was some resolution in this one, including Bourne learning his real name, David Webb.

As far as the future goes, Matt Damon stated that he is working on a fourth Bourne film, which is good because those movies are really enjoyable and Damon does an excellent job.

All three movies are rated PG-13 and they run 119, 108, and 115 minutes respectively. This film isn't as violent as Gladiator so I think most kids are ok watching it. I give the first 3 movies in the Bourne Series 8 ramheads out of 10 for solid action in a good plot.

He throws phones and kicks butt....

Most people remember when Russell Crowe threw a phone at a housekeeping worker at a hotel. That was really funny, but kind of a letdown. Russell Crowe is a tremendous actor and I hope he lives a good life off screen. Gladiator, however, was no letdown.

This film also co-stars Jacquin Phoenix, who went AWOL with acting and had an awkward experience on Letterman in February. Phoenix is a great actor and does an awesome job as the villain in this film, and you really hate him.

The story was severely entertaining and superbly written. There was action a-plenty. The acting was near perfect. Hans Zimmer's music is tremendous (but weirdly Pirate-esque). The special effects were seamless, especially when you realize that this film was released almost 10 years ago.

I had only one problem with this film. There are a few lines here and there that are mumbled and quiet that I had to rewind and listen to again (sometimes 3 times). That got to be a little annoying.

This film is an epic. It is rated R (i'm sure for violence) so any desensitized kid is ok watching it. I wouldn't recommend it, but if they are already messed up with video game violence, this film won't hurt any. It runs 155 minutes (unless you get the extended version on DVD). I give this really cool film 9 ramheads out of 10.

It looks better with completed CG...

Yeah, you caught me. I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine online, in an uncompleted format. Sure, the quality was low, but it still was a cool movie. And besides, I'm in college and I don't have any money. That was last spring. This time I watched the completed, DVD quality version. The movie was pretty much the same, but the action was way better.

Origins has a somewhat complex plot for a comic book movie. It really took me two times (the second of which I was NOT tired) to really grasp the full effect and feel of this film. It is a highly interesting story, especially for someone like myself who has not read the comics. Ever since the first X-Men movie came out, I've always wondered what made Wolverine what he is. This story does that and more. It shows how other popular X-Men characters intertwined their origins with Wolverine's.

Technically speaking, this movie is phenomenal. The special effects and action are heart-pounding. The music isn't "go-out-and-buy-this-soundtrack" good, but it does a decent job. The acting is solid, Hugh Jackman is good as ever, and ripped as ever. Although I was really impressed with this movie it is far from perfect. It has a big plot, but doesn't have a ton of substance: not really good verses evil, but good is seeking revenge, gets confused, gets screwed, then gets screwed again, then gets shot in the head and forgets everything. I give it 7 ramheads out of 10, I liked it, but it wasn't standout. It is rated PG-13 and runs 107 minutes. You really can show this to your kids if you want, it isn't that bad. Honestly, they'll like the action (if they are boys) or just get confused with the plot (if they are girls).

MUSIC PREVIEW: Relient K's new album "Forget and Not Slow Down"

If you've read my blog before, you probably know that my favorite band is Relient K. I like them because never once was I ashamed to listen to them. They play good, clean, heartfelt music from a Christian perspective. Sure they're sinful humans, but they have God and don't care who knows about it. They are real. They aren't putting on a show when they give a concert. They are themselves, not someone they just act out on stage. Finally, they are extremely talented musicians who write their own music. That is why they are my favorite band.

My favorite band is making a new album. Here's what they have to say (from their bio on Myspace):

Sometimes the best way to deal with a break-up is to write a batch of great songs about it, turn up the amplifiers and just rock out.......

So what do you think?

If you didn't notice, I changed the banner. What do you think? If there are indeed readers of this blog, speak now or forever hold your peace. If anyone reads and is not subscribed to this blog, go ahead and subscribe. Comments are welcome! I will try to post more often than I did in summer.

With love,

Jimmy

Titanic UPDATE: 3D?

So guess what I recently heard and never told you? Yeah, that's right, Titanic is going to be back in theatres in 2011 in 3D. This is two things: cool and selling out. I will go and see it (with my fiance) but I know they are doing it to make some more money. Oh well....it's kind of a win-win for those who like the movie and a nuisance for those who don't. I'm ok with that.

Heil von Stauffenberg!

This is going to be short and sweet. Valkyrie was a quality historical thriller that delves into the meat of WWII Nazi Germany. It taught me a lot of what I didn't know and thoroughly entertained me as well. Tom Cruise is still a solid actor and his performance here proves it. Even though he's a little crazy, he does a great English speaking rebel Nazi. The intensity of this movie kept me awake even though I was pretty tired. The technical aspects of this movie were also well done. Overall, I was entertained by this film.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence and language...I wouldn't show this to anyone under 13. There is a good deal of violence and language. It runs 120 minutes. I give it an above-average-but-not-the-best-film-I've-seen 7 ramheads out of 10.

One quick Relient K note....

So they FINALLY posted a song from their new album...here it is :



P.S. This is "Forget and Not Slow Down"....A.K.A. The title track for their new album.

New review coming soon....

I've been busy with my first week of school....homework a little more important than this blog. I'll have a review of Valkyrie up probably Monday night, stay tuned!

P.S. Share this blog with your friends!