• Justice League

    November 21, 2017 - By 

    With a production plagued by many problems, including hugely expensive reshoots and, most notably, director Zack Snyder’s (Watchmen) departure due to personal tragedy, Justice League seemed to be fighting an uphill battle right from the get-go. But this is no excuse for this soulless abomination and the monumental waste of talent that has been churned out by DC/Warner Brothers; one that will more than likely set them back a lot after the success of the far superior Wonder Woman. After the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), Earth has been left vulnerable to an unknown evil that spurs Batman (Ben Affleck) into…

  • The Killers @ 3Arena, Dublin

    November 20, 2017 - By 

    From the moment we set eyes on The Killers’ set at the 3Arena, we know it’s going to be a surreal experience. The stage set – a fine cross between the Vegas strip and a church altar – glitters to life as touring guitarist Ted Sablay strikes the opening chords of ‘Wonderful Wonderful’. Brandon Flowers struts on stage and dominates it. A single spotlight shines down on the pastor as he addresses 9,000 disciples. After two songs, The Killers grace us with a few lines of – admittedly cringe-worthy, scripted – banter to create that faux-rapport. It falls dead with…

  • Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Ubisoft, Multiformat)

    November 17, 2017 - By 

    Have we been spoilt by videogames? It is a question that often wanders into the mind, particularly when playing franchises like Assassin’s Creed, in which long gone historical eras are casually presented to us in graphical form as if this is the most normal thing in the world. So inured are we to the alchemy of the craft that we are presented with a moving, to all intents and purposes living, representation of Revolution France, Renaissance Italy or, in the instance of Origins, Ancient Egypt, and we still find room to complain that it is not real enough. Perhaps our desires will…

  • Depeche Mode @ 3Arena, Dublin

    November 17, 2017 - By 

    Rapidly approaching 40 years in the music industry, Depeche Mode are bang in the middle of touring in support of their latest album Spirit, which marks them making synth pop music since they were teenagers to darkwave industrial titans and all the highs, lows and near death experiences in between, including recently having the misfortune of being declared “the official band of the alt-right” by all round awful arsehuman Richard Spencer (reach out, punch face) . The incomparable Dave Gahan struts down the long runway to the right of the stage with his limbs heaving and head poised like a…

  • Yung Lean – Stranger

    November 15, 2017 - By 

      Yung Lean is the kind of artist that only could have achieved fame with the aid of the Internet. He lives in between the lines of meme and artist so effectively that it’s hard to know whether he exists as parody or not. He is the rap game equivalent of an imitation Picasso painted by a golden retriever. If it looks like a Picasso and feels like a Picasso does it really matter? The answer depends on how seriously you take your art… Lean rose to prominence in the last hay days of Tumblr. Like a last wish before…

  • Exploded View – Summer Came Early

    November 14, 2017 - By 

    Exploded View’s self titled debut was easily one of the finest albums of last year, even if it did fly a little further under the radar than it deserved to. Then again, it did come seemingly from nowhere. Vocalist Anika had already put out some promising solo material with the members of Beak but her work had been dominated by covers so its shelf life seemed limited. After finding a natural chemistry with a backing band assembled for some shows in Mexico, Exploded View were born, and the resulting, all-original album – self-described as being “for fans of Can, dub…

  • Angel Olsen – Phases

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    Last year Angel Olsen released My Woman, an evocative record which exposed experiences of vulnerability that would later become lyrics brimming with defiance: “I dare you to understand what makes me a woman”, and so forth. Typically then, listening to an Angel Olsen song incurs a fleeting foreboding feeling. It’s a feeling akin to glancing through a diary that you shouldn’t be sifting through but it’s there in front of you, waiting to be consumed and picked apart. It’s human nature to be curious, especially in the context of dissecting lyrics that are forthright in their meaning. It can be…

  • The Florida Project

    November 14, 2017 - By 

    When you’re a kid, almost anywhere can be the happiest place on earth. That’s the case for Moonee (Brooklyn Prince), the 6 year-old with weaponised precociousness at the centre of The Florida Project, enjoying a bright, aimless Orlando summer at the Magic Castle, a packed low-rent motel where she lives with her young, single mother Halley (Bria Vinaite). Perched on the fringes of Disneyland’s high-commerce funtopia— the helicopter blades of VIPs buzz overheard— the lurid purple paint of the Magic Castle could easily be mistaken for one of the resort’s attractions (Indeed, one Brazilian couple make the wrong booking for…

  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    If an up close and personal view of a real open heart surgical procedure is rather off-putting, then you aren’t going to get off to a great start with the latest movie from Greek writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster). But as with all his previous work, like the dementedly clever Dogtooth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer will be an acquired taste for those that like to delve into the surreal and absurd. And while it doesn’t quite have the originality and socially-aware bite of his previous films, this is still a worthy addition to his repertoire that benefits greatly…

  • Converge – The Dusk In Us

    November 11, 2017 - By 

    Any discussion of contemporary hardcore or metal is always going to lead right to Converge. To describe the Salem five piece as influential is an understatement. Since 2001’s Jane Doe they’ve been working at a level that none of their peers could match. Not only did they lay the blueprint for their own sub-genre, but they have consistently delivered the best records it has to offer. 2004’s You Fail Me. 2009’s Axe To Fall and 2012’s All We Love We Leave Behind were great records with vitality, technicality, and unadulterated fury. Wisely, the band has bucked the album-tour-album two-year cycle…