Check it out - New Slayer track!

Metal legends Slayer debut their first recording in five years. This is in addition to announcing they have signed with Nuclear Blast Records. 

You can get a free copy of the track directly from Slayer @ http://www.slayer.net/au/implode or check it out here in the meantime.

No Hanneman, no Lombardo, Paul Bostaph back in and Gary Holt filling in. Thoughts?

A film you should see

Title: Out of the Furnace (2013)
Director: Scott Cooper
Writers: Brad Ingelsby, Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Defoe, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker
Running Time: 116 min
 

Out of the Furnace may at first appear to be a crime drama set in the underbelly of a small American town, in the vein of classics such as No Country for Old Men, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead or Fargo. And it is that. And it's a very good film in this genre. But it's also a timely and poignant look at the state of America as it is today.

Christian Bale plays Russell Baze, a factory worker at the town mill, struggling to make ends meet but seemingly content with his lot in life, which includes his girlfriend, played by Zoe Saldana. His brother, Casey Affleck, is an army vet, returned from Iraq and gambling money he borrows from local crime shark John Petty, played by Willem Defoe. 

Russell's life quickly gets turned upside down. Fast forward a few years, and he is out of prison, his girlfriend has left him for the local sheriff, Forest Whitaker, and his brother is on the road to self destruction. Seemingly at the crossroads, his brother begins illegal streetfighting to make money, and engages Willem Defoe to organise a fight with a crime gang higher up the food chain, led by Woody Harrelson. When his brother goes missing, Russell Baze will stop at nothing to find him.

At face value this is a great noir crime-drama. The acting is superb, as you would expect from a stellar cast such as this. Woody Harrelson is particularly menacing as a psychotic crime/drug lord. But what gives this film that extra weight is the current climate that America finds itself in. This is a slice of life of millions of Americans today. Casey Affleck's portrayal of an Iraq War army vet is haunting. When Christian Bale mentions to him there is no shame in working for a living, he explodes. "I've given my life for this country. What has it done for me?" He has faced the horrors of war, sacrificed his all for his country, only to find nothing waiting for him when he returned. He is alone, broke, with no hope and no prospects.

Christian Bale's character seemingly accepts his lot in life. His father is dying, but he has a job and a girlfriend. However one mistake and the system strips everything from him. Now he has nothing. His dad dies while he is in prison. His girlfriend leaves him while he is in prison. He manages to get his old job back, but word is the factory will soon close, it's cheaper to import steel from China. As he drinks at the bar, the TV shows a politician shouting that it's time to elect Obama, for the country to change. The world on the screen is a million miles from the reality these people live in. 

Out of the Furnace is not a political film. The points are made subtly, and can be ignored as just scene setting, which is perfectly fine. It's a great crime/drama with a great story and wonderful acting. However, when taken as a whole it is a much richer experience. The constant feeling of foreboding in the atmosphere, the bleakness of the setting, the melancholy of the characters. This is a story of America. This is a quite brilliant movie.

Check out Bruce Timm's kick ass tribute for Batman's 75th anniversary

Bruce Timm, Kevin Conroy and Batman, back together again! The best 3 minutes of your day today I guarantee.

Movie Review - Pompeii

Paul W.S Anderson isn't the sort of director you would have expected to be helming a disaster movie, but then again, Pompeii isn't your typical disaster movie. It's not an epic tearjerker like Pearl Harbor or Armageddon, nor is it a special effect laden epic like The Day After Tomorrow. There is romance, and specials effects, but Pompeii actually works best as an action movie. Not a great one mind you, but decent enough.

Everyone's favourite new heartthrob, Kit Harrington a.k.a John Snow from Game of Thrones, is a child when the Romans, led by Keifer Sutherland,  slaughter his entire people during a Celt uprising. Years later, he becomes a gladiator slugging it out in the squalor or Londinium's arenas, before being noticed for his devastating skills and transferred to the coliseum of Pompeii. On his journey to Pompeii, he has a brush with the daughter of Pompeii's ruler, Cassia, setting the scene for a burgeoning romance. Keifer Sutherland also returns to Pompeii, now as a Senator, looking to invest money in Pompeii, but more interested in Cassia.

All of these events of course lead up to the fateful night when the mountain of Vesuvius would erupt and destroy everything before it's path. The problem is that all of this is rather cliche, predictable, and presented in an entirely unremarkable fashion. The romance is rather rushed and seems a little forced, the scenes of Roman life are rather amateur and the destruction that takes place at the end is also a little disappointing considering the level of special effects we have come to expect from movies like this. 

This movie really would have worked much better without the requirement for having Pompeii as the backdrop. As a B grade Roman set action movie, this is actually alright, and certainly Pompeii's best asset. The story of the Roman's slaughtering the Celt tribe, the child survivor growing up and becoming a gladiator and seeking revenge on the Romans is definitely cliche, but works well enough. And Paul W.S Anderson definitely seems to show his best work during the gladiatorial scenes. The battle re-enacting the defeat of the Celts is suitably impressive and leaves you wanting more. Still, some of the acting, dialogue and general lack of care for any sort of authenticity or depth of characters leaves a lot to be desired. 

If you're a fan of disaster flicks, you'll probably want to give this one a miss. There's just not enough disaster there and the lead up will struggle to keep your attention. If you're a fan of ancient Rome, you'll probably want to avoid this as well. You'll be disappointed by the lack of interesting characterisation, depiction of Roman life and general level of authenticity. Everything here you will have seen done better elsewhere. If you're a Paul W.S Anderson fan, or an action movie fan, you might want to see this. There's just enough violence, battles, and cheesy dialogue to keep you going. Probably not what the makers of Pompeii were going for, but at least it is slightly redeeming.

6.5/10

Comic of the Week - Monster & Madman #1

Writer: Steve Niles

Artist: Damien Worm
Publisher: IDW
Release Date: March 13, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Steve Niles delivers another masterful tale of horror in his new 3 part series, Monster & Madman. An alternate take on two of two most famous horror characters from the past, Frankenstein's Monster and Jack the Ripper. 

The first issue tells the alternate version of events of Frankenstein's Monster. How he escapes the clutches of his master, and tries to escape his fate by starting his life anew. 

Rather than a standard story of horror or suspense, what we get here is a story of pain, suffering and misery, but ultimately hope for change. The Monster is torn with anguish, the pain of life, the pain of the past, and the pain of realising what he is, a monster. However, through the course of the journey which takes the Monster from the icy waters of Norway and onto the high seas, we come to find that monsters come in all forms, and looks can be deceiving.

The artwork by Damien Worm is absolutely masterful. Sketchy and bleak but beautiful and haunting, he sets the tone perfectly for a story told through the eyes of a monster. The ugliness of the world, of those that inhabit it, and of the monster himself is conveyed perfectly. 

The last page of this issue sets the story for the second character in the title, the Madman, Jack the Ripper. I'm curious to see how this will play out, but in a way I'm actually a bit sad we aren't getting an entire series dedicated to Frankenstein's Monster. I really like this take on the character and would definitely like to see more. Nevertheless, this is a great issue and very highly recommended.