Mini-Review #3: This Is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap... I don't know if I enjoyed this film or not. If the director's goal was to make the viewer detest the fake band Spinal Tap then I suppose he was successful, because I couldn't stand those guys. I think it may have been the fake British accents that they drove into the back of my skull. It really was almost painful to watch these men playing the roles of people that stupid, and I found myself praying to whatever that these stereotypes weren't 100% true in all cases (but in the vein of hair metal, I'm pretty sure it is). Granted, many parts were pretty funny, in a very dry sort of way (fully intentional though). This film was an accurate depiction/exaggeration of life in a rock band during that specific time period, which I understand. It's just that I really didn't like the snobbish attitudes that most of the characters had, which, again, I understand was partly the point of the film. In short, I don't like hair metal or glam rock (or what have you) very much, therefore I did not like the characters in this movie. I might watch it again, if I ever happened upon it midway through. Sorry, Spinal Tap... you're cack.

Mini-Review #2: Memento

Memento! What can I say about this movie? I found the concept of showing the events in reverse order to be intriguing and attention grabbing. It really got me emotionally involved with what was happening onscreen, because I felt bad for the main character (Leonard) always being taken advantage of. But was he really being taken advantage of, or was he playing it up? We never really find out, but it's implied that he has some understanding of what's really going on. Anyway, I'm no movie critic but I've recently taken to watching JeremyJahns movie reviews on youtube. I thought the characters were great-especially Teddy (because his character always kept me guessing)-and that they were well-cast. It was a tad strange to watch a movie that starts by showing the climax/conclusion, because even though I already knew how the movie ended, it didn't really even matter, did it? The purpose of Memento (I should think) was to present the audience with the plot of the movie in a creative and interesting fashion that, despite being in reverse order, kept us guessing what would happen 'next'. I would watch it again!

Mini-Review #1: "Rip! A Remix Manifesto"

Rip! A Remix Manifesto is a documentary about, well, remixing. For the most part the film focuses on a musician who calls himself Girl Talk. Girl Talk makes his music by sampling a bunch of other artists and splicing their music together into one big remix (hence the name of the film). Apart from showcasing just how awesome it is that this guy who calls himself Girl Talk effectively steals other peoples' "intellectual property" and makes new material out of it, the film touches on all the ridiculous legal issues that surround file sharing (or piracy, as it is affectionately referred to). I quite enjoyed this film and found it interesting to see Girl Talk interviewed on the obstacles he's had to dodge while making his music, as well as prudish arses like Kirk Hammett running their mouths. I thought that this was a topical film to watch, especially given the current state of the internet (what with the looming threat of SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and whatever else is next). Overall I really enjoyed it, and if I had to rate it out of 5 I'd give it 5. Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life.

Nu Metal

Nu metal, a subgenre of heavy metal, was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It fuses the heaviness of metal music with elements of other genres, most notably hip hop.

Nu metal gained popularity by way of bands such as Limp Bizkit being played on MTV, and through performing at Ozzfest (which was introduced in 1995). Nu metal was seen at the time as a sort of metal revival, making the genre once again accessible and enjoyable for youth (understandably, as hair metal is just weird). The way I see it, nu metal is essentially an urban version of metal music: less hard-hitting than big acts such as Metallica or Slayer, more appealing to the kids of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park (the latter of which has evolved into an act that is almost difficult to attach to one label, but found their roots in nu metal/rap rock) incorporated rap, typically associated with hip hop music.

Since nu metal is a subgenre, and because

most bands generally don't stick to one specific formula, many bands could fall in and out of the category of nu metal, Linkin Park being one.

Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, fits the bill better than their other releases, with songs like "Forgotten". While some may disagree that Linkin Park was a strictly nu metal band at the time, it is certainly one of the most successful bands to come out of the nu metal era.

Nu metal did birth more than poppy rap-

rock groups, though. Many heavier acts found their niche in with the nu metalheads, most notably Slipknot. This nine-piece group made a name for themselves with their energetic live shows, their dark (sometimes angst-driven) material, and their iconic image. Slipknot's occasional inclusion of rap, as well as having a DJ in the band and using samples probably didn't hurt their nu metal credibility, as it catered perfectly to that culture. Their song "Spit It Out" off of their debut album is a perfect example of the combination of heavy metal guitars, rap vocals (growled on this track) and scratching (typical of hip hop) that is the basis for nu metal.

Another critical band from the nu metal movement is Korn, who found success with such songs as "Freak On A Leash". Korn is most likely one of the best examples one could give of a nu metal band, because their overall sound is something that I have not yet heard replicated in another band's music or any other genre. I think that if you were to assign a particular sound to nu metal, it would be very close to that of Korn. There's just something that sounds particularly '90s about some of their music, it almost has a touch of grunge to it.

Essentially, that's what nu metal was all about: making heavy metal more accessible to the kids of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every band that fell into and out of the genre of nu metal had their own unique sound, each one incorporating similar elements yet bringing something new to the table. Nu metal took influence from popular '90s music, for the most part, and applied it to metal, producing several memorable bands, many still relevant. Papa Roach is another group whose music could be attributed to nu metal, as well as Disturbed and politically-charged System of a Down. I don't believe that any of the bands I have talked about could be called 100% nu metal, because in my opinion nu metal was more of a transitional stage than anything. True, it was and still is regarded as a subgenre, however all of the above-mentioned bands have moved on and their sound has changed drastically. Slipknot are no longer the raw, pissed-off machine that they once were, every album that Disturbed has released since their debut follows the same formula, and the frontman from Korn has been dabbling in dubstep. That said, I believe that it's safe to say that nu metal (as it once was) is dead, and has in turn given way to new subgenres of metal. Regardless, I thick that it would have been an exciting era of music to have been a part of, so it's too bad that I was only 5-ish.