Sweeney Todd (No Spoilers)

I was fortunate enough to attend an advanced screening of this highly anticipated movie. Firstly, let me say that this is a musical. If you do not like musicals, do not go see this movie. There were plenty of people there last night who commented "there was too much singing" as they exited the theater. Again, it's a musical.
The acting was superb, but what else would you expect with a cast including Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Helena Bonham Carter, and, of course, Johnny Depp? Ed Sanders, who plays Toby, has the potential to become the next Freddie Highmore or Haley Joel Osment (hopefully without the rehab). The singing, too, was great. Personally, I was slightly annoyed by the character Johanna's voice, but fortunately she only had one short song. Johnny, however, swooned and crooned with the feeling of a rock star. It was, to say the least, very pleasant to the ears (and of course, the eyes). The songs were really great as well. They were dark and foreboding, but some were soft and sweet, and a few only had dark undertones. The score flowed well with both the songs and the cinematography, as well as with the overall look and feel of the movie, which was dark and dirty and industrial because, hey, it's set in London, and this is a Tim Burton movie, and his movies are simply dark and awesome at the same time. My favorite parts were the duets, when one actor would sing behind another, sometimes even two different songs that blended in so well together. (I want to point out that they did this in August Rush too, which was a great movie as well).
The story line was good too. Having never seen the play, I was still able to guess what would happen next sometimes, but there were still some surprises and twists in the plot which kept it interesting. There were also some comedic elements throughout the film, which is always a plus.
Also, it's rated R for "graphic and bloody violence". Did I mention there was blood? Yes, lots of blood and gore, but of the best kind.
Overall, this movie was delightful. I would give it an A, definitely. Those who don't like musicals or gore might disagree, but I thought it was appropriate for the kind of movie that it was: a musical about a demon barber.
So go see it when it comes out on Christmas. It'll be worth it.

A Christmas With Michael Buble

With a voice that sounds like he should be singing with the likes of Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, how could you not love a Christmas album from Michael Buble? His deep, soulful swooning can make any holiday bright, and gives the favorite Christmas songs an old school, yet refreshing air. The CD, promptly titled "Let It Snow!", only has six songs, which is perfect for that trip to the store, or even those thirty extra minutes of free time from your hectic day.

Tracks include "Let It Snow", "The Christmas Song", "Grown-up Christmas", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "White Christmas", and a live version of "Let It Snow", and styles range from jazzy to traditional. You can listen to a preview of all the songs on Amazon here. It's an overall wonderful, soothing experience, and one thing is definately for sure, there is no way you can listen to this and not feel the holiday spirit or long for the days of yore. Michael's voice is just so incredible that it will leave you breathless.

And while you're in the store picking this up, you should also pick up his other albums too, because this man will sweep any girl, or boy, off their feet.

Jonathan Davis goes Acoustic

Random? Yeah, kind of, but we'd expect nothing less from a man who has pretty much done it all. Skeptical about the singer from a hardcore band doing a whole tour of songs containing no meaty guitars, instead opting for double violins, upright basses, and, of all things, bongo drums? Well, even some of us were a tiny bit skeptical, to be honest, but since it is Jonathan Davis, swarms attended anyway, because Kornkids will pretty much do and endure anything if they get to see Jonathan upclose and personal, and if they have to endure obscure techno/pop singers to do it, then so be it.

Me and my friends were lucky enough to get to go to this show. Godhead opened up for Jonathan with an acoustic set of their own. It was great, to say the least. Seven songs were on their set list (which I could see from my lovely spot in the front row), varying in intensity from acoustic renditions of furious rock songs, to softer songs suited especially for the concert's vibe. The band was on point, enthusiastic, and into the atmosphere. The singers vocal approach was nowhere short of amazing, which is sadly becoming a rarity in a world where studio magic helps musicians sound good on records, but leave them sounding like strangled cats on stage, (which sort of makes me wonder if that's why it's hard to hear the singer over everything else at a show). Granted, with the whole "sit down and hold hands" atmosphere, one is tempted to close their eyes and possibly fall asleep to the mellow sounds of the strings, but it is not really in a bad way, just more in a relaxed way.

When the house lights go on after Godhead has disappeared off stage, the kids roar and scream, thinking that Jonathan himself is about to come onstage. The screams are only combated with the sounds of confusion when a slightly older, skinny dark-haired man in a suit appears onstage after a quick announcement from the, well, announcer, that introduces the violinist/vocalist that worked with Jonathan on the Queen of the Damned. This still does nothing to ease the confusion, but Shenkar walks on and starts his set anyway. Shenkar does around five very catchy and melodic songs of the techno/electronica/dance variety, all the while looking like he's in his own world, because he's undoubtedly nervous about performing, practically unannounced, infront of all of these supposedly angry and depressed scene kids, as the stereotype goes. Said scene kids, though, for the most part, nod their heads to the beat, cheer in all the right spots, and generally try and make him feel welcome and warm-heartedly recieved, which it seems Shenkar appreciated, and after his set was finished, he waved, thanked the audience profusely, and left the stage.

Now the moment everyone had waited for all night was upon us. Venue staff come onstage, to the delight of the fans, with the elaborate, red velvet upholstered throne that will house J.D. for the next hour and a half. When Jonathan does, finally, come onstage wearing a three piece suit, the screams seem to go up ten decibals, if that is at all possible. He stands there, in front of his throne, thanking the fans with a gracious smile and a few nods of his head, before he sits and takes the mic, waiting for the crowd to come to a dull roar, and thanks everyone for coming.

The show continues in the awesome way that the beginning of the night had, and delivers a few delightful surprises, including the addition of pretty much every song that J.D. wrote for the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. Also included were some covers of bands such as Duran Duran, which, Jonathan admits, he is a fan of and he doesn't care what anyone else thinks, and Orgy. Definate Korn classics were transformed into the acoustic set while still maintaining their hardcore vibe, while others were softened from the original to create almost different songs, and even some never before performed Korn songs were played, to the delight of the kids.

When the show was over, and the lights turned on, the smiling faces of the fans could be seen, excited and in awe of what they had just experienced. And when Jonathan showed up thirty minutes later to sign autographs and take pictures with the Kornkids after taking a quick shower at his hotel? Priceless.

The sound was definately wonderful that night. No one drowned anyone else out, the sound was balanced, and every professional member of the back-up band seemed to be as equally important as Jonathan himself, which was very refreshing to see. All of these points made for a very very awesome and pleasing show, almost one of a kind. And the added bonus of a hug from Mr. Davis himself wasn't bad either.

The End is only the Beginning

I finally gave in to the blog bug.
So this blog will be me, well, talking about stuff...like music, concerts, movies, video games, various devices I get my fingers on, and maybe a few rants that people need to know about.
My first real post will be about the Jonathan Davis Acoustic Tour, and that will be up sometime tomorrow.

This is what I think.

Until then...