I am an unabashed fan of Nightwish, and indeed many of their female fronted, symphonic gothic rock/metal contemporaries, Lacuna Coil, Epica and the like. It undoubtedly comes from the fact that I love heavy and metal music, and symphonic music, and few other genres combine the two to such  convincing and dramatic effect. Nightwish’s incredible 2004 album Once is an absolute landmark release in the genre, it’s the one where everything came together for them compositionally, and it broke them on a worldwide scale as well. Whilst they decided to part ways with their incredible lead vocalist Tarja Turunen prior to its recording, and replace her with the slightly less classically accomplished Anette Olzon, 2007′s  Dark Passion Play was an extremely strong  follow up.

It’s been another very lengthy wait for Imaginaerum. It’s a concept album, based upon the memories of an old composer who is facing his death. There is also an accompanying movie to go alongside the album’s release. Needless to say it’s a ridiculously ambitious and dramatic undertaking, in true Nightwish style.

This however may be the album’s downfall. In reaching for more of a ‘music theatre’ type of feel, they may have overreached themselves slightly (which is extremely difficult for a band such as this), and sacrificed a little of the sheer, over the top bombast that they do best and are best known for.

That’s not to say there’s not a solid wack of pomp and ceremony going on here. There certainly is, and a first time listener probably couldn’t help but be blown away by the sheer size, scope and ambition of the record. Bands regularly suffer in comparison to themselves, and their previous triumphs though, and Imaginaerum falls a little short, especially of Once and even Dark Passion Play.

In constructing an album that is also a story, they have come up with a bunch of songs that maybe aren’t quite as fully realised as they were on Once, since they’re having to serve the storyline as opposed to simply standing alone. Listening through to the end of Imaninaerum, there are far fewer moments that make the blood tingle and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Viewed in isolation, this is a fine symphonic metal concept album. It has many fine moments. Once, and to a slightly lesser extent Dark Passion Play, set the bar insanely high for these Finnish masters however, and Imaginaerum comes up slightly short.

Rod Whitfield

This could have been one of the films of the year – it should be winning awards left, right and centre… and should be taking home a swag of awards on Oscars night. Instead J. Edgar becomes an average drama that is ruined by the filmmakers personal stance on J. Edgar Hoover.

J. Edgar is a biopic that takes a look at J. Edgar Hoover’s (Leonardo DiCaprio – Inception, Shutter Island) fifty year career as the head of the FBI as he helped found the use for modern crime solving technology. The film looks at his relationship with his mother, Anna (Judi Dench), his secretary, Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts – Dream House, Fair Game) and his right-hand man, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer – The Social Network, 2081). It is also explores the impact (and influence) that each of these people had on his life and career.

The sad thing about J. Edgar is that Hoover lived a life that is more than worthy of a film based on it, and while things like the Hoover/Tolson relationship ring true you can never really get over the fact that screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black (Virginia, Milk) and director, Clint Eastwood (Hereafter, Invictus) have ended up showing Hoover as a hero (albeit a flawed one) while just skirting over and around the darker sides of his life that really showed him to be one of the biggest villains of the last century. To portray him as anything else is just trying to rewrite history…something filmmakers certainly shouldn’t try and do.

The saddest thing about J. Edgar is that once again Leonardo DiCaprio puts in a fine effort but is let down by filmmakers that seem to have completely lost control of the film. Take a look at the mask that is worn to show that Tolson has aged, at times it doesn’t even look like it fits Armie Hammer correctly… now that is just sloppy and unforgivable in today’s cinematic landscape.

J. Edgar is a real let down as a film. Over-long and completely biased it certainly does not make for good cinematic viewing.

Year: 2012

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Josh Hamilton, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer

Classification: M

Runtime: 137 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

There are going to be some people out there who will be quick to judge this film as ‘just another action film’, but they really need to lighten up because while Underworld: Awakening is top-heavy with action is does do what it sets out to do – entertain it’s audience.

When the humans conduct a Nazi-like blitz on Vampire and Lycan alike the two species now find themselves the hunted. When Selene (Kate Beckinsale – Contraband, Everybody’s Fine) is captured she finds herself waking up years later in a facility run by Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea – Stella Days, Roadkill) who is conducting experiments left, right and centre. When Selene escapes she finds that both Vampires and Lycan have gone underground and in a bid to survive she must protect Eve (India Eisley – Headspace, TV’S The Secret Life Of An American Teenager) (who will be a big surprise for fans of the series) and work with Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy – Margaret, Uncoditional), a detective who knows that vampires and Lycans aren’t extinct and David (Theo James – The Inbetweeners Movie, Room At The Top), a young people who wants Vampires to once again rise to the top.

Directors, Mans Marlind (Shelter, Snapphanar) and Bjorn Stein (same) make this film work but not trying to make out it is something that it isn’t. The story is enough to keep action junkies happy (and fans of the series) but certainly isn’t strong, therefore Marlind and Stein allow the film to shine by making it look good on the big screen. The special effects and action sequences look spectacular and are more than enough to keep your eyes peeled as you wait to see what happens next.

Once again Beckinsale shines in this role and it is during this film that you realise that she has overtaken Angelina Jolie as the number one action-actress. The other winners here are Michael Ealy who gets enough screen time to show some attitude and Theo James, who could well be the next Hollywood hunk about to make it big.

If you’re a fan of the series you’ll love Underworld: Awakening, if you’re new to the series though this isn’t the film for you. An above average action film!!!

 Year: 2012

Director: Bjorn Stein, Mans Marlind

Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, India Eisley, Michael Ealy, Theo James

Classification: MA15+

Runtime: 88 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

If you didn’t enjoy slow moving films such as Van Diemen’s Land then you’re certainly not going to enjoy The Grey. With something spectacular cinematography making this a must see The Grey is very much man versus nature and you can’t help but wonder whether or not Bear Grylls would survive this one.

Ottway (Liam Neeson – Unknown, The Next Three Days) is a troubled man. Haunted by his past he flirts with suicide as he works as a hunter at an icy oil drilling field. However his life becomes a fight for survival when he is involved in a plane crash with his colleagues. And while some (like the easy-going Hendrick (Dallas Roberts – The Factory, The River Why) are only too happy to put Ottway in charge, others like Diaz (Frank Grillo – Lay The Favorite, Warrior) see it as a power-struggle they are desperate to win even if it means they are putting their lives at risk due to the pack of wolves that don’t like the men in their territory.

The Grey is certainly an up-and-down kind of film. While the screenplay and the work of director, Joe Carnahan (The A-Team, Smokin’ Aces) make this a film that will stick your mind it is sadly let down by some dodgy special effects, namely the wolves that look as realistic as the kid playing playing The Big Bad Wolf in your local Primary School production. It makes you shake your head at how a group of filmmakers who create such a realistic plane crash miss the mark so wide with the wolves… at the end of the end of the day the suspense of the script is seriously undermined by something so trivial.

Still, as I mentioned earlier the script does work and there is certainly no way you can ever predict who is going to live or die. Characters are taken when you least expect it (yes you will jump more than a few times during the film) meaning at times the film almost borders on becoming a horror… but you know what? That actually makes it even more thrilling to watch.

The big winner with The Grey though is Liam Neeson who once again puts in a brilliant performance and only cements him as to why he is one of the finest actors of our generation. This film could yet generate some awards for him.

If you get past how fake the wolves look The Grey is actually a pretty decent suspense film that takes it’s audience on one hell (only colder) of a ride.

 Year: 2012

Director: Joe Carnahan

Stars: Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Frank Grillo

Classification: CTC

Runtime: 117 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

If you haven’t already seen the trailer for Man On A Ledge what ever you do don’t go looking for it as this is one film that you really need to know nothing about when you start to view. As far as thrillers go this is one of the best to surface over the last few years and even better still, it’ll keep you guessing from start to and finish and looks great on the big screen as well.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington – The Dark Fields, Last Night) is a man that has nothing to lose. He has just asked from prison (he is serving a 25 year sentence) and now stands on the 21^st floor of a New York building. Worse still is the fact that the Detective responsible with talking him down, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks – Our Idiot Brother, The Details) is still recovering from her last jumper. While the Police soon work out that Nick is trying to clear his name, they don’t realise that his brother, Joey (Jamie Bell – The Adventures Of Tintin, Jane Eyre) as well as Angie (Genesis Rodriguez – TV’S Entourage & Dona Barbara) are also part of the plan.

Everything comes together brilliantly to make Man On A Ledge a truly memorable film. Firstly, Pablo F. Fenjives’ (Murder On Spec, The Devil’s Child) screenplay is an absolute beauty. Sure there are some really small holes in his script but overall he has produced a script that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat with some amazing twists and turns and he is one screenwriter who has remembered the importance of characterization. Even though he wants to keep things about Nick secret, you certainly can’t say that you don’t get to know him.

Secondly, director, Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cite Soleil) shows true class. It has hard to fathom that this is actually his first time in the director’s seat of a feature film. He captures some truly amazing shots, so good in fact that in the screening I was in some people found themselves suffering from some mild vertigo. Leth is one director who you feel has a massive future ahead of him.

And last but not least Man On A Ledge is made a great watch by some good acting performances. You could forgive Worthington for wanting to take the action star approach to this film, but instead he mixes all aspects of genre together with some truly dramatic moments spliced with some breathtaking stunts. He is also well supported by Elizabeth Banks who reminds everyone she is still capable of some great performances.

Man On A Ledge is certainly not your average run-of-a-mill thriller. This is one film that can boast suspense by the bucket load… and it even finds time to take a little swipe at American society.

 Year: 2011

Director: Asger Leth

Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Genesis Rodriguez

Classification: M

Runtime: 102 mins

Rating:

Dave Griffiths

After decades of successful writing most authors find a convenient formula or familiar characters and simply continue on with ‘the further adventures of…’. Or they may spend years writing each book painstakingly working through every detail and word until the work becomes as difficult to read as it was to write. But not Stephen King. How on earth this man writes at least a book every year and still keeps the ideas fresh and the pages turning I will never know. My one regret is that I found his writing late in my reading career.

Like all the best scifi/fantasy, this book holds at its core a wonderful ‘what if’? What if someone had stopped Oswald and JFK had survived to serve out his term and been re-elected? But King doesn’t just start there. His story starts in 2011 when a typical young man, single with no dependents is sent on a trip back to 1958 with the express purpose of stopping Oswald. Why 1958? Hey that’s where the ‘rabbit hole’ emerges. Jake/George has to blend in, build a life for himself and still be in Dallas in November 1963. But you see, history resists change, so all is not as simple as it may appear.

Appropriately most of this book centres on Jake’s life before Dallas.The reader is quickly lulled into believing this is really a story about a man out of his time, and in many ways it is. But history puts up enough resistance to keep the pages turning. There are firebombed homes, mob henchmen, car crashes and plenty more to keep an adventure reader interested. There is also a story of a teacher who loves his job, a cribbage game that prevents an accident, and even a romance to slow the pace and add depth to Jake’s story.

And when the deed is done? How is the world changed? King has given this a great deal of thought and I personally found his alternative history very believable. Personally I think this new world is the most horrific part of the tale.

I almost started this in November when it arrived, but the poor book has a series of misadventures that meant that I didn’t actually lay my hands back on it until this week. But in many ways I am glad this is the last of my summer reads. It is like chocolate, a satisfying way to finish a meal.

CS Sutton

Soundwave Festival is thrilled to announce the launch of ‘SOUNDWAVE PIRATE RADIO’. An online radio station streaming 24/7 packed with exclusive interviews, daily news updates and fist pumping tracks from all your favourite Soundwave artists.

Exclusive to Soundwave Pirate radio will be ‘HAUGMETAL’ a weekly 2-hour metal show hosted by none other than Andrew Haug, every Thursday night from 8pm – 10pm.

“Hornz Up! Super psyched to be bringing you a weekly dose of smashing tunes from all things Soundwave. You’ll also hear from some of the godliest names in the biz taking part in this monstrous metallic gathering. If 2012 is the year the world ends? Then jump right in and let the metal flow with ‘HAUGMETAL” \m/ – Andrew Haug

‘SOUNDWAVE PIRATE RADIO’ launches on Thursday January 26th January 8pm with ‘HAUGMETAL’. Tune in via www.soundwavefestival.com

Rod Whitfield

Regular readers will know that I am a fan of the Aloysius Pendergast series. I really enjoy the ‘X-files’ nature of the early novels. The more recent novels are less supernatural and psychic, but there is still a delicious blend of weirdness mixed in with the crime and detection story. This novel is part of a sequence, something that these authors have done very successfully in the past. This time the Pendergast is drawn into an investigation of his wife’s death, where he discovered in the previous book that all was not as it seemed.

Having discovered that his wife was murdered in Fever Dream Pendergast heads off to trap the man he thinks committed the crime. Before he leaves he asks his friend D’Agosta to look after his NYC property and his ward. After all he was seriously injured at the climax of the last book. But all too quickly Pendergast discovers that all is not as it seems and everything and everyone has a secret.

This is a very convoluted story. It will make little or no sense if you haven’t read the rest of the series. In fact, I actually had just finished the Diogenes sequence from the series when this book arrived, so I will admit that the various storylines have become a little muddled. But then these books were never intended to be literature. Preston and Child are doing very well out of writing books for entertainment. And believe me, if you don’t mind the weird and wonderful, you will be entertained by the whole series.

If you want my suggestion, I suggest that you try to lay your hands on the whole Pendergast series and spend a few days relaxed and reading. You won’t be disappointed.

CS Sutton

Similar to his main band Porcupine Tree, and possibly even more so, Steven Wilson’s solo works take a while to get your head around. Once again, his new solo album Grace For Drowning is far from instant gratification music, and like most musical geniuses, the man has his quirks (understatement intended). It also takes things several steps further than his last solo release, 2008’s Insurgentes.

As I sit here typing this, I must have listened to the album at least a dozen times, and I feel as though I’m still ingesting it and trying to get inside it. It’s a double album, which doesn’t help to this end, but ultimately it’s value for money and a true musical journey. Apart from the odd grandiose moment, it’s mostly acoustic guitar and piano driven mellow progressive ‘rock’. There are melodies, harmonies and arrangements that have you saying ‘man that sounds like Steven Wilson’, and yet it’s far removed from the Porcupine Tree sound and style. He obviously uses his solo efforts as an outlet for his outpourings of musical ideas that he feels don’t suit his main project. So if you’re looking for the expansive, bombastic prog of PT you may be disappointed. But give it a spin anyway. In fact give it many spins.

If deadlines had allowed for it, I would have given this album at least another dozen listens, and I would probably be raving about it a lot more. There are moments of truly wonderful melody, such as the outtro of Deform to Form a Star and of moodiness that sends shivers down your spine (No Part of Me). Index builds slowly to and extravagant and atmospheric climax, while at over 23 minutes, Raider II is a strange, mindbending epic, that reveals his strong Pink Floydian influences.

Wilson is undoubtedly one of the true visionaries out there plying his musical trade. Every entry into his discography is a unique and fascinating work, every new album breaks new ground and has something unique to say, musically, lyrically, theatrically and thematically. Grace For Drowning is another piece of this man’s immense musical puzzle, and is well worth the time and patience it requires to fully appreciate.

This album is very well named, for it a graceful and immersing experience.

Rod Whitfield

But the turf has shifted under Big Day Out’s Doc Martens. Specialist festivals have mushroomed and compete for both bands and punters. The alternative scene that used to support the event no longer exists, having dissolved into the mainstream. Meanwhile, the event’s original audience has aged to the point where most are not prepared to take a chance on anything new. Both West and Lees find that dispiriting.

–The Age Sunday Feb 22

Peter Sutton