Month: February 2011

Posted on: February 18, 2011 Posted by: Jesse_Hayges Comments: 0

Witch Review (App)

A couple weeks ago, I sent out some emails to several mac developers to get some codes to review Apps from the Mac AppStore. The developer group, Many Tricks, was one of the first to answer my call. They had developed a very useful App, one that I think should be like iLife and come preinstalled on every Mac. This utility App, called Witch, makes working with many windows and…

Posted on: February 17, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Revolution Mother – Enjoy The Ride (CD)

The angular sound of the the guitar and how it interplays with the drums during “Goodbye” makes this opening track sound like it was influenced by Rage Against The Machine. The set of influences of Revolution Mother also include heavy amounts of Fireball Ministry and a little bit of Coal Chamber. The band has a hard feel to them, but the one thing that individuals need to take into consideration…

Posted on: February 17, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

All-Star Superman (DVD)

I must admit, I have only recently came back to the comic book (and video) mythos of Superman after about 15 years of inactivity. Grant Morrison created a 12-issue mini-series that ran from 2005 and 2008 that represents the basis of the movie here. In this, Lex Luthor creates an elaborate plan to kill Superman, one that increases eir powers dramatically over the course of one year until a point…

Posted on: February 17, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Revelation Theory – Truth Is Currency (CD)

So, let’s see. Revelation theory mixes Nickelback with Disturbed. “M367”, the first track on “Truth Is Currency”, is created with the same bi-polar structure that without much warning busts into something much more spastic and loud. The paradox here is that the music contained on the track is sweet and sensitive; the acoustic interlude during the track sounds much more Finger Eleven than Slayer. While it is true that this…

Posted on: February 17, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

John Reuben – Word of Mouth (CD)

John Reuben has been a major factor in the Christian rap scene for over five years now, and “Sing It Like You Mean It” is an interesting track. The backing beat for that track is similar to the surf music of the sixties, without much in the way of current instrumentation to keep a current sound. Reuben continues almost the same flow of “Sing It Like You Mean It” during…

Posted on: February 17, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Neshoba: Price of Freedom (DVD)

Neshoba county, Mississippi is where the “Mississippi Burning” murders took place back in 1964. For those that are not familiar with the tragedy, a trio of individuals went down to one of the most rural areas in the South, in the hopes that they could go and get a number of African-American voters registered to vote. Rather than allowing that to happen, Edgar Ray Killen and a number of other…

Posted on: February 16, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Retching Red – Scarlet Whore of War (CD)

Retching Red take no time creating their signature song that catapulted them into the hearts and minds of all true punks during their last album. “Get Your Red Wings” was a great album, but “Scarlet Whore of War” improves on even that. The recording is even better, allowing the guitar and Cinder Block to put forth different sounding outputs even if they at some point are similarly aligned (at the…

Posted on: February 16, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances (DVD)

It is surprising that El Superstar is director Amy French’s first feature film. This mockumentary is cast in the fashion of predecessor films (in spirit) like This Is Spinal Tap or A Mighty Wind. Juan Frances (John French, Amy’s brother) was abandoned by eir real parents in Beverly Hills, but was given a second shot at life through the caring arms of eir nanny (Lupe Ontiveros, As Good As It…

Posted on: February 16, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Amarcord (Blu-Ray)

It surprises me that some of the films by storied director Federico Fellini have not been given their time in the sun. The Criterion Collection has presented viewers with a stunningly sharp transfer of Amarcord, eir 1973 film about life in fascist Italy, presenting it on the Blu-Ray format. Amarcord is an interesting movie for those in current (and even then-current) United States, as it provides so many similarities and…

Posted on: February 16, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Retching Red – Get Your Red Wings (CD)

Snotty, loud pseudo-crust punk from California. How could one go wrong? With the first track “Battery Acid” barely cracking one minute, immediately people have to think of M.O.D. and all those thrash-punk bands from the late eighties. Every single lyric is screamed out, the music itself faster than shit, and the mastering surprisingly solid for a band of this type. Each track is fast, unrelenting, simplistic and yet catchy as…