Album Review

The Fleshtones
Take A Good Look

All too often great live bands have difficulty translating their on-stage energy to their records. All too often bands that massacre live audiences produce studio work that’s underwhelming, a hollow shell of the experience available to those who see the band in person.
Fortunately, the Fleshtones are not one of those bands. The legendary garage rock foursome’s latest offering, Take A Good Look, bristles with all of the energy the group has brought to the stage for the last 30 years, since their days as CBGB staples.
Each song on the record is instantly memorable, often hilarious, and they all rock – which is why the Fleshtones are still around. A lot of retro rock and roll records quickly self-implode under the weight of their self-importance, but not Take A Good Look. This is the ultimate party record – fast tempos, great melodies and, most importantly, it doesn’t take itself too seriously (with a song called “Shiny Hiney” in the lineup, I’m not even sure if that would be possible).
If you love bands that do their damnedest to make sure their audiences are having a good time, or if you’re just weary of bands that have little to offer other than their lead singer’s ego and hair-do, then, my friend, the Fleshtones are there for you. Try to have some fun.

Posted by
Nick Dana

Album Review

The Audition
Champion



It’s always interesting to see the result of different mainstream genres beginning to co-mingle, creating a familiar sound for the listener. When listening to The Audition’s new release Champion, their second with Victory Records, I first heard a distinct influence of a band like AFI, with high powered guitars and vocals to match.
As I continued to listen to the album the vocals, filled with so much raw emotional you begin to feel like you should ring it out into a bucket. This causes one to wonder what kind of emotional 2x4 the singer was beaten with, and gives The Used a run for their “angsty” money.
Overlay these influences to a foundation of pop punk and polish it to gloss that would rival mom’s Christmas ham, and you begin to see where The Audition is coming from. They’re not reinventing the wheel with this album; what they do bring is a highly polished, easily accessible music that is sure to reached a targeted audience.

Posted by
Matthew Byrd

Show Review: The Fleshtones @ Johnny Brenda's 2.21.08

As I walked into Johnny Brenda’s the first feature of the room that attracted my attention was the feeling of being at house party. This was my first time at this venue, and I was eager to see what it had to offer (review of Johnny Brenda’s at a later date.) I wasn’t able to talk with a staff member to get an exact number, but a rough guess, I would say there was about sixty to seventy people at the show, which was the a great amount of people to share this music adventure with.
From the very start the show delivered a memorable experience. The opening bands, Dark Horse and the Carousels and The Jukebox Zeros, both local Philly bands, fit complemented The Fleshtones sound very well. Both very solid bands that succeeded in waking up the crowd up and ensured the show was entertaining from the first note to the last.
As for The Fleshtones; what do you get when a band consistently releases albums and tours since 1976, you get a band that can blow the roof off the joint. The fun the band has making and performing music is so overwhelming you can’t help but walk out with a smile on your face and a ringing in your ears.
To the very end the show was a good time, as the band made their way through the crowd, still playing the closing song, and exit to the backstage and were immediately back out into the crowd, minus instruments, to mingle with a very pleased group of people.
One of my regrets in life is know that I will never get a chance to see a lot of the legendary bands of CBGB, such as The Ramones, so having a chance to see a band that was apart of that scene (and have some great stories about it, listen to the Podcast for more) is quite a thrilling experience.
If you can’t tell I really had fun at this show.

Posted by
Matthew Byrd

“It’s not TV. It’s HBO.”

The premium cable network’s catchphrase might be more than a little pretentious, but I’ve found it to be true. Plus its appropriate, since HBO original series are more often than not a little pretentious themselves. Oz, the short-lived John from Cincinnati and the incredibly overrated Six Feet Under come to mind.
It’s not as if HBO programs are better than popular network shows like Lost or 24 just because they have cursing and nudity in their content (though hey, that doesn’t hurt). Rather, episodes of HBO shows are like one-hour movies that explore themes and delve into further depths of its characters that you can’t find anywhere else. They also feature terrific acting, editing and directing Each season of a show like The Sopranos or Deadwood feels like a novel, leaving you salivating for the next installment.
The problem with these shows, as with any television drama, for that matter, is that they ultimately have to come to an end. Sometimes they conclude too early (Carnivale), or just end very, very badly (Sopranos creator David Chase, I’m looking at you). I’m going to avoid the chance to go on a tirade about the most pretentious series finale in the history of television and the abuse of Journey, a band that should never, ever consider giving Chase the rights to one of its songs ever again.
But there’s that rare occasion when a show is so good, and touches upon so many different themes and aspects so well, and the characters have accomplished (or suffered) as much as possible, that there is little more it can do and you have to accept that the story has finally come to an end. I’m speaking of The Wire, which is finishing its fifth and final season on Sunday, March 9, though subscribers to Comcast’s On Demand service can watch episodes a week early on Mondays after midnight.
There’s only so much room in one post before it becomes too long, so I’ll save my review/retrospective on The Wire for the next one. But with this series coming to a close, I’m curious to see what the future holds for HBO’s original programing. The Wire is the latest hugely successful series to end, leaving us with Big Love, a dramedy about a polygamist family contending with a fundamental Mormon group and society’s negative view of its lifestyle, as the only HBO drama left. Sopranos, Six Feet Under (despite my hatred, I have to admit it was popular), Carnivale, Deadwood, Rome, and now this series. I doubt Big Love can step up to become THE HBO show as these all were in the past. I’m not including comedies like Flight of the Concords and Entourage in this category because they’re a different sort of show all together.
Hopefully the network can come up with a new show that will fill the large shoes of The Wire and its predecessors. Otherwise, I’ll have to subscribe to Showtime for Dexter in order to get my fill of premium network programming.

Posted by
Brian "B-Mac" McCarthy

Show Review: A Day to Remember @ The Trocadero 2.23.08

Watching A Day to Remember perform their self-described “Pop-mosh” music at The Trocadero in Philly was truly an enlightening experience. It’s one thing to listen to their album get an idea of how they reached this description. It’s another to see it in action during a live show.

The sold-out show saw throngs of teenaged fans, obviously the band’s core demographic, eagerly await the chance to crowd surf, mosh and simply flail about senselessly (all of which happened with great frequency during the band’s performance), in a seemingly endless serpentine line that winded down Arch Street and around the corner. Lines so long, in fact, in caused a duo of music reporters to catch a quick quaff at the Hard Rock Cafe, of all places, waiting for the lines to shrink. Cliché alert!

The guitar riffs coupled with lead singer Jeremy McKinnons’s strong, angry vocals alternating between melodic and deep, grating screaming came together to create the pop-mosh atmosphere. McKinnon exuded charisma, and seeing the crowd scream, shove, sing along and bob their heads at his every suggestion was like watching a shepherd direct his flock. I even managed to catch some of the parents of the aforementioned limb-flailing teenagers nod their heads and tap their feet to the music as well.

A Day to Remember deserves a hearty “kudos” for bringing so much energy to a show and being able to get the crowd so involved. If they can break out and appeal to a larger demographic that doesn’t need to be driven by their folks to a show, they’ll only become more successful.

Posted by
Brian McCarthy

Show Review: The Audition @ The Unitarian Church

It's become cliche to say that a band's sound defies description. Language invariably evolves to allow us the ability to communicate and pass on experiences. That's not to say, however, that the going can't be dicey until that process does it's work.
With that said, we're not quite to the point where the bands on Pacific Sun's recent PacTour fit neatly into a category.
All four, Another Day Late, Danger Radio, Envy on the Coast and The Audition, bring a multitude of influences to the table -- pop, rock, punk, emo, electronic, dance, etc. -- and manage to fit them all into a sleek package.
The Audition, headlining the tour and also supporting their recently released sophomore effort, Champion, and Another Day Late, take a slightly more straight-ahead approach, though the wealth of their eclectic influences is readily apparent, both on their records and in their live performances. For Envy on the Coast and Danger Radio, the unconvential mix of sounds is more out-front. More importantly, all of the bands proved capable of translating their studio innovation into their live sets.
Playing a packed room at the Unitarian Church on Friday, Feb. 15, the next-to-last show on the PacTour, and the next-to-last U.S. show before The Audition begins a month-long stint in the U.K., it was evident that all four bands have a loyal Philly following.

Posted by
Nick Dana

Movie Review: Jumper

Through leaps and bounds, 20th Century Fox’s “Jumper” was transported to the top spot over the holiday weekend.
One of four films that opened a day early on Valentine’s Day, “Jumper” earned $27.2 million over the last three days — $33.8 million overall.
Hayden Christensen stars as David Rice, who in his teens discovers he has the ability to transport from one place to another — henceforth the name “jumper.”
So what’s a young man to do with such a special talent, well, let’s rob banks and live the high life.
Years go by and David jumps around like a rabbit on crack without a care in the world.
In fact, in one scene, David watches the news and sees a bunch of people caught in a flood. Instead of doing the right thing by saving them, which he easily could have done, he turns off the television and goes about his business.
It is more than obvious that he is more concerned about having fun instead of doing the right thing.
However, his fun comes to an end when Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) investigates one of the bank robberies, and discovers it was the work of a jumper.
Roland is a paladin, who seeks out jumpers and kills them, and he has his sights on David.
When David feels Roland is getting too close to him, he goes back to his hometown and reunites with his high school friend Millie (Rachel Bilson).
After whisking Millie away to Rome, David comes into contact with another jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell), who informs David of the war between jumpers and paladins.
While the teleportations throughout“Jumper” were fabulous, the premise could’ve used some re-working.
Granted, it would be cool to have the power to jump around from place to place, but it would’ve worked for me had David taken the time to have done something noble with this talent.
Just going from place to place, robbing banks and eating a sandwich while sitting upon the head of the Sphinx isn’t cool enough. This was a kid who was bullied in school, ala Peter Parker (SpiderMan), and instead of following the maxim “with great power comes great responsibility,” the idea is “great power, let’s party.”
While it seems like a lot of people have expressed opinions as to who should’ve portrayed David instead of Christensen, my vote goes to Josh Hartnett. If this film was made a few years ago, a young Ryan Phillippe with his smarmy attitude from “Cruel Intentions.”
When Roland begins tracking David down, one part of me wasn’t necessarily feeling sorry for this guy. You only tend to be concerned when Millie becomes involved, because we all don’t want to see little Rachel Bilson get hurt.
The scene stealer in this film is Griffin, who should’ve knocked some sense into David’s head a bit more. Griffin is more realistic about being a jumper and fights to survive against all paladins. His attitude and attire isn’t as polished as David’s, and you can tell that he’s had to struggle being a jumper. However, Griffin’s been able to make the most of it, and his advice to David only fell upon the wayside.
One scene I thought was fantastic was the car-jumping-through-traffic experience, as Griffin manuevers through traffic by teleporting the car at lightning speed.
Might I add that David’s parents, William Rice (Michael Rooker) and Mary Rice (Diane Lane), play a slight but significant role. William gets a visit from Roland, which isn’t quite favorable, and Mary has a secret that delivers quite a twist to this film.
While I’m not in love with the acting in this film, sans Bell, there was enough within “Jumper” to keep me seated for 90 minutes. There is plenty of prolonged action in between the lulls, and the swift and sudden transportations don’t get on your nerves all that much.
With the only thing missing from this film is the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain during the credits, “Jumper” does jump around and get down at three and a half out of four stars.
“Jumper” is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality. Running time is 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Last week’s No. 1, Warner Bros. “Fool’s Gold,” remains in the top five at No. 4 with $13 million, bringing its ten-day total to $42 million.
For more information and show times, contact Regal Cinemas Marketplace 24, 180 Mill Road, Oaks, at 610-666-6697.
Dennis J. Wright can be reached at dwright@phoenixvillenews.com

Posted by
Dennis J. Wright

Movie Review: Fool's Gold

Moviegoers sifted through the competition and found Warner Bros.’ “Fool’s Gold” to be quite a discovery as it topped the box office during its debut this past weekend.
The adventure romance starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson and Donald Sutherland was a treasure, at $22 million, over the last three days.
The film begins with Ben “Finn” Finnegan (McConaughey), a good-natured treasure hunter who is obsessed with finding the legendary 18th-century Queen’s Dowry, which is approximately 40 chests of exotic treasure that were lost at sea in 1715.
In his quest, Finn has lost everything he has, including his marriage to Tess Finnegan (Hudson and his barnacle barge of a boat, “Booty Calls.”
Finn and his sidekick Alfonz (Ewen Bremmer) are underwater when the boat comes sinking down towards them.
Unfazed by his boat’s demise, Finn becomes even more excited about finding a piece of treasure, which doesn’t thrill rap mogul Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart), to whom Finn owes a bundle of money.
While Tess has begun to rebuild her life, working aboard a mega-yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Sutherland), Finn discovers a vital clue
to the treasure’s whereabouts.
Determined that this is his lucky break, Finn finds a way to get himself onboard Nigel’s yacht. Using his gift for gab along with his good-natured charm, Finn entices the curiosity of Nigel and his estranged, celebutante daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), to join him in the pursuit of the Spanish treasure.
Against Tess’ better judgment, the search rekindles her love of discovery, and possibly for Finn. The duo begins working together closely, which might or might not spark any interest.
However, they are not the only ones after the treasure. Finn’s mentor-turned-nemesis Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) has also set out to claim the prize.
The race is on to find the treasure, and what sacrifices will be made along the way?
“Fool’s Gold” rekindles the chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey, who starred in the 2003 romantic comedy “How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days.”
The pairing of these two is simply magic again, although the plot of this film is rather thin. However, it’s still firm enough to build another adventure between them. They steal every scene they are in, in spite of the surrounding cast.
I’ve always wondered how come these two have never become a couple in real life. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up starring in yet another film of some other fashion.
While Sutherland is an accomplished actor, he’s simply wasted in this film as the tycoon. His daughter Gemma isn’t quite over the top as expected, but it is a strain, because the filmmaker attempts to reconcile this father and daughter.
I will say this, fellas, you’ll enjoy the scene where the flying ancient Spanish sword accidentally lands. Keep an eye out for that one, and you’ll thank me for that.
It was a nice surprise seeing Cosby kid Malcolm Jamal Warner as one of the henchmen in this film. It’s a shame his character doesn’t last the entire film.
So if you’re looking for a nice Valentine’s Day movie to see, “Fool’s Gold” is quite a gem at three out of four stars.
“Fool’s Gold” is rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language. Running time is 1 hour, 55 minutes.
For more information and show times, contact Regal Cinemas Marketplace 24, 180 Mill Road, Oaks, at 610-666-6697.

Posted by
Dennis J. Wright

Album Review: A Day to Remember

A Day to Remember
For Those Who Have Heart

While not as strong as it could have been, A Day to Remember’s “For Those Who Heart” contains several electric, high-energy songs. The twelve tracks don’t distinguish themselves from each other and I often found myself surprised that a new song had already started. There were several songs towards the middle of the album that stood out and had me rocking out to the catchy melodies.
The band describes their sound as “pop-mosh,” and that couldn’t be a more accurate description. I was taken aback at first when singer Jeremy McKinnon quickly changed his singing from punchy, smooth pop to screaming, garbled metal rock. After the surprise wore off, though, I dug it, and I couldn’t help but think “man, this must be awesome to see live.” At times it seems to come off as a gimmick, but as I mentioned before A Day to Remember seems to only grow stronger as the album progresses. Their energy is electric, their promise very positive, and I’m anticipating their next release. Once they’re able to strike a balance between the pop and the metal/"mosh", they’ll be a band to watch out for.

Posted by
Brian McCarthy

Movie Review: THE EYE aka Gin gwai [2002]

st) Lee Sin-Je, Lawrence Chow.
w) Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui & the Pang Bros.
d) Danny & Oxide Pang

You know The Eye has to be good, otherwise those crazy Americans wouldn't be trying to remake it as a mediocre check-your-brain-at-the-door CGI crapfest. I'll bet it'll be "the number one movie in America," though. I'll just bet.
Mun undergoes an eye transplant operation to restore her sight after twenty years in the dark (sorry). Once the bandages come off, she marvels at her world's previously unseen beauty, a visual masterwork most of us take for granted. In time, though, she finds that not everyone can see the lost souls she encounters, nor the wispy spectres appearing at scenes of impending death. Mun's search for answers invariably links her with the destiny of a young seer who lost her life, that another might see...
My derby's off to the Pangs for crafting a subtly terrifying masterpiece, the likes of which I haven't seen since Hideo Nakata's Ringu. The story's pretty solid too, though I'm not up on my surgical innovations enough to know if eye transplants still count as science fiction. Attentive viewers and anti-subtitlites alike will agree the climax packs quite a sucker punch. Eye'll shut up now so you can see for yourselves.

~Excerpted from The Revenge of Jesse's Awesome Movie Review, 03/18/04

Posted by
Jesse Crater

Thanks Jesse!

Movie Review: "The Eye" gives moviegoers intense, suspenseful insights

Moviegoers had their “eye” out for a good thriller, and made Lionsgate’s “The Eye” the No. 2 movie this weekend.
The Jessica Alba suspense thriller envisioned $13 million over the last three days.
Alba stars as Sydney Wells, an accomplished, concert violinist who has been blind since a childhood tragedy.
She’s about to undergo a double-corneal transplant, which should restore her sight.
Dr. Haskins (Obba Babatunde) performs the operation, and assists her in regaining her vision.
As she is resting in the hospital after the surgery, Sydney befriends Alicia (Chloe Moretz), a little girl who is hospitalized with a tumor.
While the initial prognosis is that everything that Sydney looks at still appears to be blurry, Sydney ends up seeing more than she bargained for.
Apparently the corneas she received were from a witch, and Sydney begins seeing unexplainable images and flashy visions that start to bother her.
She confides in her sister Helen (Parker Posey) and Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) about these visions, and they begin to wonder about her sanity.
It gets to the point that every night around 1:06 a.m., Sydney begins having these visions again, so much to where her apartment starts morphing, and she ends up with burns on her arm.
Sydney also envisions dead people, and the black, haunting grim reapers that appear near them.
She is finally able to convince Dr. Faulkner to assist her, and they end up on a journey to discover the true origin of these visions.
What I truly liked about “The Eye” is obviously Jessica Alba, and not for the reasons you may think.
Her character is actually appealing in her vulnerability. You feel for the fact that she wants to see again, but not everything she sees was worth the wait. While she wants to see music, and her doorman Miquel, she didn’t bargain for grim reapers and frightening images.
She has more chemistry with Dr. Faulkner than she does her sister Helen.
Speaking of which, I’m a Parker Posey fan, and this wasn’t the film for her. She needs something with a bit more bite to it, so I hope she enjoys the paycheck she got for this.
Trust me, there are several scenes that literally come at you and will startle you, and to me that always makes for a good thriller.
There is also a nice little twist smack dab in the middle that takes this film on a decent turn.
That helps make up for one or two slight drag sessions that you’ll wish would speed up this film.
All in all, “The Eye” is worth seeing at three out of four stars. By the way, if Alba ever did a movie on fly-fishing, I’d so watch that as well.
“The Eye” is rated PG-13 for violence/terror and disturbing content. Running time is 1 hour, 37 minutes.
Sony Pictures “Untraceable” found its way out of the top five and landing at No. 8 with $5.4 million — its ten-day total close to $20 million. Also dropping from the top five is Paramount Pictures “Cloverfield” — landing at No. 9 with $4.9 million. The New York city monster flick has earned $72 million in three weeks. For more information and show times, contact Regal Cinemas Marketplace 24, 180 Mill Road, Oaks, at 610-666-6697.

Posted by
Dennis J. Wright