Establishing the "21st Century Breakdown"

21st Century Breakdown
Artist: Green Day
Label: Reprise Records
Tracks: 18
Amazon's rating:
My rating: 4 Stars

Lyric quote:When you’re at the end of the road/And you lost all sense of control/And your thoughts have taken their toll/When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul/Your faith walks on broken glass/And the hangover doesn’t pass/Nothing’s ever built to last/You’re in ruins

Thoughts: Back like an American revelation, Green Day does not disappoint. After having lost points with some long term fans, while picking up others with their 2004 release, American Idiot, Green Day has grown up, set down some serious roots and if you don't like it, then too damn bad.

Nevertheless, 21st Century Breakdown isn't American Idiot, nor does it attempt to be. Instead, the punk trio have taken their more mature stance - still mixing it with a little bit of that wit and humor we all fell in love with them for - and created this beautiful masterpiece of hardcore lyrics, fast rifts and acoustic sounds. Don't call it a sell out, call it a growing up: The trio has done something very few bands have managed to do - evolve from their former roots as all their original fans are no longer teeny boppers, popping pimples and feeling rejected. They're not adults with children of their own, trying to manage a life in these hard times. Green Day delivers the much needed break from the real world.

Lacuna Coil introduces us to the "Shallow Life"

Shallow Life
Artist: Lacuna Coil
Genre: Hard Rock, Metal
Label: Century Media
Tracks: 12
Amazon's rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
My rating: 3 stars

Lyric quote: "The struggle within/Now I understand/Freedom begins/When you get out of the cage/You've built." from "Wide Awake."

Thoughts: Where has all the good music gone? Down into the trenches of this ongoing battle for radio time, that's where. Lacuna Coil returns to the scene with an explosion so loud that it'll leave pussies like Gerard Way clenching onto their mother's teat while emo fans run in fear. Shallow Life reminds me that there is hope out there for the real music.

As always, Cristina Scabbia's vocals wail over heavy riffs, evoking pain, hate, anger and love in a single lump. Along with Andrea Ferro's male vocals, the music comes alive with edgy glory.This twelve-track album is worth cash dished out, if only to celebrate the return something as powerful and meaningful.

While Scabbia has announced on Rock Sound that "It's different, but it's our style. We haven't done anything absolutely different from our style, because that wouldn't be natural, that would be weird - it wouldn't be us. The songs are definitely more powerful, more complete, more intense, more straight-to-the-point," one will notice that they have taken it up a notch.

Who Watches The Watchmen? I did.

Watchmen
Director: Zack Synder
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffery Dean Morgan & Patrick Wilson
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi
Rated: R
Tag line: It's the End of the Superhero As We Know It.
My rating: 4 stars

Plot: After the murder of Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, masked vigilante Rorschach begins to investigate the death of his old friend. Paranoid that a "mask" killer is out targeting his former partners, he digs deeper into the conspiracy. As the dots begin to connect, mapping what he feared, something more devious is revealed: The plot to kill millions of innocent people.

Review: I'm not going to lie to you: Like every nerd out there in the world who read Watchmen, I was afraid that an adaptation of the movie would fail and ruin the concept of the highly acclaimed graphic novel. Zack Snyder isn't known for his masterpieces - at least in my opinion - as he pretty much destroyed the concept of Dawn of the Dead when he remade it. However, direction of the movie (and the screenplay as well as actors) was more than I anticipated. The movie, in sum, was awesome.

What was known as the unfilmable comic book does not displease those who loved the original concept. Approximately three hours long, the movie isn't for those who have the misguided information that this is in fact a superhero movie. It isn't. Much like the graphic novel, the movie digs deep into the psychologies and philosophies of each independent superhero the film revolves around. From the powerlessness of Dan Dreiberg who never let go of his alter ego, Nite Owl, to the god that closed his eyes concept of Dr. Manhattan. Each actor gives his and her own interpretation to each of the characters, never straying from their true meaning.

I should now take a small side step to let those of you who are planning to take your children to see the movie: Dr. Manhattan is completely naked throughout most of the movie and you get to see him ENTIRELY.

The movie leaves you with the question: What if Superheroes were real? Would they resemble the ones we fictionalized in our comics, or would they be more inclined to be like the ones presented in Watchmen?

Soundtrack
Watchmen OST
Artist: Various
Amazon rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My rating: 4 stars

Even with the shitty My Chemical Romance remake of a classic Bob Dylan song aside, the soundtrack to Watchmen is nothing less than stellar. Featuring artists that have left their mark in the music hall of fame - MCR, aside of course - the music takes you back to a yesteryear when music was good and had significance.

The Watchmen Score is also worth listening to.