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Artist: Project 86Label: Tooth and Nail
Album Type: Rock
Released: July 14, 2009
The Orb's Take: Good Vox, Good mix, Good Rock n Roll.
Album Review:Project 86 returns with "Picket Fence Cartel" and they don't disappoint at all. With their 7th full length studio album they prove that they should be getting regular ready play on any rock station out there. Very catchy tunes, so catchy that it catches you off guard sometimes and you find yourself listening to the album 2 or 3 times before you realize you have already heard one of the songs twice. Incredible guitar tones with very unique lead vocals defiantly sets this band apart from all the others out there trying to rock in their own category. If you have never heard of Project 86, no worries because I think this is their best album to date, so now is a great time to discover this veteran rock band.
What to Listen to: "The Butcher", "Destroyer", "Dark Angel Dragnet"
You Might If You Like These:
POD
He Is Legend
Avenged Sevenfold
Official Project 86 website
Project 86 MySpace Page
Tooth and Nail Records website
Artist: He Is LegendLabel: Tragic Hero Records
Album Type: Hard Alternative Rock
Released: July 21, 2009
The Orb's Take: Solid album all the way through. Worth your time, money, and the repeat option on your Ipod.
Album Review:It is always great when a band comes out and gives you an album that you were not expecting to be one of the best albums of 2009. "He Is Legend" gives us just that and more with "It Hates You" - their 4th studio album. This is their first album on "Tragic Hero Records" a label out of North Carolina, they used to be on "Solid State / Tooth and Nail" records. This is a solid 12 song album that is mixed incredibly well - the drums and guitars hit hard making you want to crank up your car stereo or Ipod to the next level. The vocals cut through and complement the hard hitting tracks which is very refreshing with the lack of good albums today. The whole album is extremely catchy, with great consistent writing, and with hard very hard grinding guitars (listen to "Thats Nasty"). I can't say anything bad about this album, pick it up, buy it, and enjoy.
What to Listen to: "Thats Nasty", "Dicephalous", "Decisions Decisions Decisions"
You Might If You Like These:
Dead Poetic
Showbread
Chevelle
He is Legend My Space Page
Tragic Hero Records Website
Director: Brad SilberlingRelease Date: June 5, 2009
Genre: Adventure / Comedy
MPAA: Rated PG-13
Universal
The ORB's take: You'll laugh, just not a lot.
Movie Review:
I will have to say that I have never seen any of the old television episodes but I don't think that would have helped - it might have made things worst (I viewed some clips on YouTube and they were bad). For a Will Ferrell movie I expected to laugh a lot more than I did, and the times that I did laugh it usually was not because of Will Ferrell. The adventure was fun, and the monkey "Chaka" was stupidly funny, but I found the flm at times very boring. The movie took a horrible turn when the aliens showed up and they looked like something out of a low budget alien horror flick. Danny McBride ("Eastbound and Down", "Tropic Thunder") was the best part about this movie, he is hilarious and stupid, but in a way that will make you laugh. Will Ferrell showed us with this movie that he is starting to take the path that Adam Sandler did with his movies - the first couple of films make you laugh and are enjoyable, but after that they seem to repeat themselves, and are just not as funny. Wait for this one until HBO, or ABC airs it, not quite worth it to waste your money on a DVD rental.
What to Watch For: Danny McBride stealing the show from Will Ferrell in this movie.
You Might If You Like These:Drillbit Taylor
Semi-Pro
Official Land of the Lost (2009) Site
IMDB
Director: Tony ScottRelease Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Crime / Drama
MPAA: Rated R
Columbia Pictures
The ORB's take: Two great actors = a decent flick - even for a re-make.
Movie Review:
This is a remake from the 1974 original film, with a couple of new spins and concepts thrown in. A great cast of actors including "Denzel Washington", "John Travolta", "John Turturro", and "James Gandolfini" makes this movie a must rent when it comes out on DVD. Washington provides a typical great performance like he usually does in most of his films, but Travolta seems to go over-the-top at times in this movie. He is his typical actor self (like in the films "Face Off" & "Swordfish") but when he gets crazy and starts to ramble it seems to get comical at times - I found myself telling him to chill because it didn't fit the part. With that being said the movie, storyline, and great cast of actors make it worth your time. I don't want to reveal any of the twists in this plot, so I will stop here.
What to Watch For: Two actors battle it out on the screen, which creates a great finally
You Might If You Like These:Hostage
Ransom
Official The Taking Of Pelham 123 (2009) Site
IMDB
Director: Harold RamisRelease Date: June 19, 2009
Genre: Comedy / Adventure
MPAA: Rated PG-13
Sony Pictures
The ORB's take: Funny at times, what you see in the trailer are the great laughs.
Movie Review:
When I saw this movie I expected to have already seen most of all the funny parts in the thousands of previews that were shown on t.v. - so I was not disappointed. Michael Cera's dry humor is what makes this movie funny. Jack Black is his usual goofy self, sometimes annoying, sometimes over-the-top, sometimes funny, but solid actor. The only problem that I had with this film was I felt that they were really going out of their way to poke fun of and mock biblical history. If you are religious you will cringe when you see the Cain and Abel scene, as well as the Abraham and Issac scene, I felt that they could have approached some of these topics in a different way that may not have been so offensive. With that aside the movie will produce some laughs, but I would wait for the DVD or even HBO - or catch it at a drive-in where you can see it for a two for one special.
What to Watch For: The Palace scene, Micheal Cera's humor.
You Might If You Like These:Superbad
School Of Rock
Official Year One (2009) Site
IMDB
Director: Michael BayRelease Date: June 24, 2009
Genre: Action / Adventure
MPAA: Rated PG-13
DreamWorks
The ORB's take: Better than the first - Action from start to finish.
Movie Review:
Unbelievable! When I saw the first one two years ago, I walked out of the theater thinking that it would be hard to top this movie with it's sequel - well "Michael Bay" did it. Non-stop action from start to finish, same flavor of humor that was in the first movie that will make you laugh, and more Transformers to add to the cast. This installment is two-and-a-half hours long, but you will want more. If you enjoyed the first "Transformers" movie, please do not listen to most of the reviews that are out there saying this movie is horrible. It is far from that, I think that it is better than the first one and it is one of those movies that is worthy of a second and third trip to the theater to watch it again and again. The storyline for this movie was well put together, reminding me of some of the cartoon episodes where "Optimus Prime" would get beat and the "Autobots" would retreat, regroup and "Optimus Prime" would rise up and defeat the "Decepticons". Some of the reviews that I read said that the battles and camera angles were hard to focus on what is going on, that also is far from the truth, it only adds to the great effects that are in this film. The main cast members from the last film return to this film including "John Turturro", in which he is better in this movie than he was in the first. Most of the Transformers cast returns as well, including "Megatron". Go see this movie in a theater, don't wait for the DVD, it is worth your time and money - this movie is the definition of what movie "entertainment" was meant to be. I thank you "Michael Bay" for bringing my child-hood memories to the big screen once again, and hope in another two more years I can say the same. Well Done!
What to Watch For: Devastator, Alice, Bumblebee battling the Leopard.
You Might If You Like These:Transformers
Official Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Site
IMDB
Artist: VariousLabel: Reprise Records
Album Type: Soundtrack
Released: June 23, 2009
The Orb's Take: Decent soundtrack, not worth it for 2 new releases.
Album Review:With this soundtrack you get new songs from "Linkin Park", "The Used", and "Cavo" as well as songs from "Green Day", "Staind", "The Fray", "Taking Back Sunday", and "Avenged Sevenfold". It was refreshing to hear a great new track from "Linkin Park", solid through and through, hopefully giving us a taste of what is to come on their new album that might be released in late 2009. The most surprising track on this soundtrack was "The Used" covering the "Talking Heads" ("Burning Down The House") that was a completely different sound from the original, but in a good way. The other artist put out great tracks as well, but they are all songs you have heard if you have all of their latest albums. My advice to you would be to download the singles on itunes instead of buying the whole soundtrack. This is just something that produced a couple of new songs to get you amped up for what looks to be a great movie. It would have been a better soundtrack if it would have produced brand new tracks from all the bands.
What to Listen to: "Burning Down The House", "New Divide"
You Might If You Like These:
LInkin Park
The Used
Official Transformers - Revenge Of The Fallen website
Transformers - Revenge Of The Fallen Amazon Page
Director: Shawn LevyRelease Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Comedy / Adventure
MPAA: Rated PG
20th Century-Fox
The ORB's take: Same as the first, watch it with the kids.
Movie Review:
This movie was nothing less than expected, it is just like the first, just in a different location. The movie works if you enjoyed the first installment, "Ben Stiller" and the rest of the cast have good chemistry so the dialog is not awkward, but there are parts in the movie where you will get bored. This is a very kid friendly movie, with very, very, very mild language; if any at all, there is no sex, and there are not really any sexual dialog or references either (I have seen a lot worse on an eight-o-clock sitcom). This film introduces new characters to the "Night Of The Museum" line up such as Stiller's character's side-kick "Amelia Earhart" and a new funny man, "Bill Hader's" (Saturday Night Live) character ("General Custer") as well as, "Owen Wilson" reprising his original role as "Jedediah Smith". The story line is simple, "Ben Stiller" finds fame in a business he created so he leaves the Museum, which leads to some of the exhibits getting removed and shipped storage at the Smithsonian. "Ben Stiller" realizes his friends are in trouble and then begins the adventure of him getting them all back home to the Museum they belong in. Not a bad movie, but wait for the DVD, and rent the movie first before you buy it to make sure it is worth a second watch in your household.
What to Watch For: The bobble Einsteins
You Might If You Like These:Night At The Museum
Jumanji
Official Night At The Museum 2 (2009) Site
IMDB
Director: Sam RaimiRelease Date: May 29, 2009
Genre: Horror / Thriller
MPAA: Rated PG-13
Summit Entertainment
The ORB's take: Entertaining, surprisingly funny in spots.
Movie Review:
This movie was definitely better than I had anticipated it to be. It reminded me of the movie "Cabin Fever" because of the satire it used along with the horror to make it not just a typical horror flick. Will you jump in your seat watching this movie? Yes. Will you be able to predict when you will jump? Yes. But that is o.k. in this film because it is entertaining. The storyline of this film is nothing complex - girl makes an old woman (who looks possessed) upset because she would not give her an extension on her mortgage, woman then places a curse on her, girl tries many different ways to get rid of it, when that does not work, desperate measures begin to take place to rid herself of the curse. Good cast, good director, and good plot for a horror film. An interesting side note, The "Mac / Apple" guy actually has an Iphone as a cell phone in the movie which they made a very marketable shot of the phone (I wonder if that is a contract thing). Wait for the DVD and enjoy the rental.
What to Watch For: The car fight scene scene
You Might If You Like These:Cabin Fever
The Ring
Official Drag Me To Hell (2009) Site
IMDB
Director: Paul McGuiganRelease Date: Feb. 6, 2009
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi
MPAA: Rated PG-13
Summit Entertainment
The ORB's take: Interesting concept, not quite the best cast.
Movie Review:
I hoped it would have been better. With that being said, I have to say that I think my problem was the cast and the location this was shot. Most of the time, I don't think the location matters to me a lot but I thought it made this movie seem confined - That may make more sense after watching this film. This is a movie where "agents" are after "subjects" that have different inherited powers, so there are a lot of foot chases and running so they don't get captured, repeat, then repeat again. Half way through this flick I was wanted them to just get to the end fight and get it over with. Throughout the movie you learn about the powers that these people have, and the agency has that been trying to develop a super-serum to enhance their powers so that the government can use them in war- type situations. Some of them have powers to push (movers), predict the future (watchers), shadow people so they can't be found (shadows), scream until your head explodes (bleeders), sniffers (yes, they can sniff something and see the past of that object - and they seem like they will sniff anything), and so on and so on. The push (mover) power is probably the best power in the film, it is the power of telekinesis, and is the power most focused upon throughout this film. The cast does have some people you will recognize like Djimon Hounsou ("Gladiator"), Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four"), Camilla Belle ("10,000 B.C."), and Dakota Fanning ("Man on Fire"), but there is not very good chemistry. One thing that was hard to believe was hearing fifteen year old Dakota Fanning trying to sound believable when she was swearing. Rent the DVD, when you have seen everything else. It could have definitely worked, but somehow didn't.
What to Watch For: The end fight scene.
You Might If You Like These:Jumper
Official Push (2009) Site
IMDB
Artist: Project 86
