Modern Music in the Age of Corona

It's been a while since I've checked in on modern music, for good reason. Every time I take a peek at the Billboard Hot 100 I get a little sadder. So of course music, at least the pop charts, haven't really moved much recently. That may be because of all the delays in albums/singles thanks to this pandemic going on, though I don't fully understand that myself. It's true most artists if not all are stuck right now at home like the rest of us. For a pop artist, that's the way they promote their new singles and albums: through tours, interviews, radio appearances, music videos and most of that just can't be done right now. So music has come to a bit of a halt here and lots of the singles here are just... old news. But hey, I'm going to listen to them and see if things are looking up this new decade or if things are just getting worse. Starting off with the number one song in the USA... oh god...not you again.

Number 1: Drake - Toosie Slide

Ugh, he's back with another number one single. At this point, Drake could release a 10-minute track of him eating chips loudly and still get a number one single... that comes across strangely complimentary. The point is that this song is Drake being extremely lazy like he's been doing for the past 4-5 years now. Boring beat backing Drake's unenthusiastic vocals as he tells you how to do some kind of dance and compares his moves to Michael Jackson. Dance music? This is dance music? Am I just like, getting too old to understand all these trends? So this song was also kind of created to be a viral TikTok song, which a lot of songs these days have gained lots of popularity through TikTok like Vine used to do back in the day (back in the day, a few years ago, same thing). 

So yeah, this song is boring and Drake is going to make tons of money from this so it doesn't really matter what I think. And look, if it brings fun to people stuck at home by letting them make dance videos on TikTok, then that's fine. Just as a song alone, it doesn't really have a lot to offer as a listener and there's plenty of other great dance music I'd rather listen to.

Overall rating: 1 ghostwriter out of 5

Number 2: The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

The Weeknd is an interesting artist. When he's on he is on, meaning that he clearly has lots of talent and when he's really showing it off he makes some really great songs. But, there's also the side of Weeknd that makes some pretty boring/questionable choices in his songs. This song though, definitely on the great side. Actually, Weeknd has been hitting it out of the park with his last few singles for his new album. This song has some good energy with Weeknd's vocals doing some awesome things. The song and the album have a nice 80s synth-pop beat/music throughout, which fits well with the lyrics. It also has a track called "In Your Eyes" that sounds like Japanese city-pop from the 80s which is really awesome. The song is about the singer's distractions by I assume the city nightlife, where he can only find comfort when he's with his lover. The 80s synth music really fits in with this theme, at least in my mind it does. The rhythm is upbeat, but the synth sounds present a kind of darkness that matches the tone of the lyrics. 

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 Uncut Gems.

Number 3: Roddy Ricch - The Box

Not really sure how to feel about this one. I am forever thankful to this song for keeping Justin Bieber's trash single "Yummy" from reaching number one. Besides that, this song is actually pretty decent despite being a genre that's usually very hard to reach me. The beat is pretty good, but I really like Roddy's style of rapping, at least in this song. He's got a good flow that keeps the song interesting and it feels different enough from others in this genre that it's kind of a breath of fresh air. After listening to a few other songs, I do enjoy his style not just on this song. It's a nice surprise, and maybe he'll find more success in the future. But since I like him... probably not.

Overall rating: 3.5 Yummys out of 5

Number 4: Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now

ahh yeah, Dua Lipa's back with a new album and this is her big single from that one. Look this song is great and Dua Lipa is great and that's all that I need to say right? 

Well, the song has a fantastic bass just slappin' and poppin' joy right into my ears. Dua Lipa's vocals are fantastic as you'd expect from her. The song is just incredibly fun and upbeat, something I crave more from modern pop music. It's also nice to get a more 70s style disco track at a time where so many things are sounding like the 80s (not that I really dislike that trend). Can I just listen to this song 6 more times instead of the rest of the list?

Overall rating: 4.5 disco balls out of 5

Number 5: Drake/Future - Life is Good?

NOOOOOOOOO. NO. Another Drake song? This time featuring the one person more boring than Drake in Future? This should be a masterpiece right? The worst part about this is that it's actually two different songs on one track, one by each artist... sorry, "artist". 

So yeah, it's boring. Not much else to say. I usually listen to each song a few times to really dive in and get my thoughts in order, but I just can't do it here. That's enough Drake for now.

Overall grade: Life is meaningless. 

Number 6: Post Malone - Circles

I've never been a big Post Malone fan, but after listening to the last song, this one comes across so much better. I know in reality it's a pretty mediocre song though, it's got a decent little bassline and beat that keep the flow of the song going with a nice tempo. It's nice to hear a Post Malone song with a little bit of energy behind it instead of just really slow and boring delivery and music. His vocals are still pretty boring though, he's not like a great singer or anything, at least not in this song. The melody in the chorus has some potential, but Post's delivery just doesn't give it enough to make it what it needs to be. 

Overall grade: A can of Diet Coca-Cola.*

*I know some people like it, but I think it's quite gross

Number 7: Jerry Styles - Ah Door You

Harry Styles makes a song about that feeling you get when you first romantically connect with someone, the joy, and the bliss. Harry's last big single "Watermelon Sugar" was one that took me some time to really get into, at first I kind of hated it. This one is a bit different for me as I instantly liked it upon first listen. After a few listens I feel like this song might have the opposite effect on me as Watermelon Sugar though, in that I think I'll like it less over time. Harry Styles is so very talented though, and I still look forward to seeing what he'll make as he gets older because he just seems to be getting better and better. This song has a lot of great music much like a lot of the other tracks from this album. A great bassline with some good guitar work and Style's passionate vocals doing what they need to do to set the mood the song is going for. Some nice touches throughout like backup vocals and a nice guitar solo. 

Overall grade: 3.5 watermelons out of 5

Number 8: Doja Cat - Say So

Oh yes, another heavy bass 70s/80s style pop song with some very catchy melodies and even some good rap verses. I got to say I'm really liking this new trend of throwback style heavy bass pop songs, at least for now. It's just so much fun to listen to and actually kinda makes you want to dance... unlike a certain Drake song that's also supposed to be a dance hit. I've never heard of this Doja Cat until recently, but this was a very good first impression. I hope she continues to do whatever this is. 

Overall grade: 3.5 Who are you's? out of 5

Number 9: Intentions - Justin Bieber w/ Quavo

The only interesting thing about this song is my computer trying to auto-correct Quavo to queso, which isn't even an English word. Porque no hay queso? El queso tiene mas talento de Justin Bieber y Quavo. 

But seriously this song is bad just like the rest of Bieber's new album that already feels outdated in less than a year. It is at least a little better than his last failure of a single "Yummy", which is quickly falling off the charts at the moment. At least the lyrics are slightly less cringy. With amazing lyrics "picture-perfect, you don't need a filter" the bar can only go so high. This is what professional writers are for, earning those big bucks. The sad part is that his last album showed a lot of potential for his future. But instead of continuing that improvement, he releases his most boring album that can't even get a number one single. At least we got that going for us. 

Overall grade: 0.5 Quesos out of 5

Number 10: Billie Eilish - everything i wanted

Back when I was making my best of 2019 list I really wanted to put this song on there, but it just wasn't a big enough hit yet as it was released a little late into the year. But I do love this song actually, it's just so different from everything else on the charts. I think a song like this really sets Billie apart from the other pop artists on the charts. It just feels really raw and kinda beautiful in a strange way. It continues some of the themes from her album last year about sleeping and dreaming. The song deals with some heavy topics and feels very honest and real, probably because it is to her, or at least was. Dealing with dark times in her life is where this song came from and you can really feel it in her delivery along with the soft, but pretty music that almost feels haunting in a way. This is my favorite song by Billie, and it's just fantastic. 

Overall grade: 5 A+'s out of 5

I have to say I'm actually surprised by how good some of these songs were, especially the upbeat dance songs by Weeknd, Dua Lipa, and Doja Cat. Like I said before, I'm really digging these 70s and 80s style pop songs with a modern twist. All three artists have lots of charisma and vocal talent that is backed by song fun music, and isn't that what you want in pop music? But there's also some variety here with Harry Style's newest single, which has a little of that throwback style as well. Then there's Billie Eilish's song that really invokes different emotions than the rest of the songs on the list (in a good way). Even a surprise with that Roddy Ricch song was nice. And despite all this good music on the charts, we still have another number-one single by the prince of boredom himself, Drake. On top of that, he has another top 10 hit with Future this week that's also mediocre as hell. Then there's Bieber who also gets another top 10 hit too from his boring album. I didn't even get to number 11 this week which was "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi, that one song I called my least favorite of last year that's still kicking it near the top 10 for some reason. But I'll take the positives here and hold them close, maybe one of the good ones will climb up to number 1 (hopefully Dua Lipa, but maybe Harry Styles can finally get a number one here in the USA).

And this is my 99th post here so... I guess the big 100 is next?

Best of 2000s Pop Song Bracket Part 1

It was a new millennium. The music that dominated the 90's was on it's way out and new trends were about to take over the airwaves. It was 10 years of many different new trends coming and going, some longer than others. New stars would emerge and become A-list mainstays while others wouldn't make it out of the decade without losing that status. Looking back at it, there was so much good and it's all so nostalgic to me now. It was in that decade that music really started to hit me in a different way, and slowly started to become an important part of who I am. And while the pop songs on the radio/charts weren't the only thing that caused that love to grow, today I thought I would look back at some of the most popular and iconic songs of that decade and decide which one was truly the best. I'm not going to try to just pick my personal favorite but actually look at the song in many ways.

1. How popular it was during its peak

2. How it influenced the music around it at the time

3. How long it stuck around in the mainstream

4. What kind of legacy it left behind (if any)

5. What it did for the artist behind it

6. How it stood out in its own genre
7. If it holds up today

The first section will be the rock section which will include rock songs put up against random songs in the same genre. I tried to pick the most popular rock songs of the 2000s, of course, there's plenty missing, but it would be impossible to fit them all. 16 songs that I feel were important in one way or another to the decade. Also, only one song per artist so that there are not 3 Linkin Park songs or more than one Nickelback song (gross). This time I'll be covering the first four matchups. 

Match 1: Blink 182's All the Small Things VS. Panic! at the Disco's I Write Sins...

Starting off the bracket with a really tough one right away. Both songs probably shared a decent amount of fans, though they were separated by about 6 years. Blink 182's from their 1999 album Enema of the State and Panic's from their 2005 album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.

Starting with Blink on this one, the song was their biggest hit at the time and it helped catapult them to new heights. The band had been around for most of the 90s slowly growing their fanbase and finding their sound. It wasn't until this album that it felt like they truly found their sound and would go on to release several other great albums, though no song would be as big as All The Small Things was. The song is pretty simple in its execution, but it's also incredibly catchy and smart in its musical choices. The two notes starting of the song always felt like something really iconic and memorable that no other song had really done at the time. Those two notes just kick the song off into high gear instantly and it's one of those moments that works great at live shows. Travis also does a fine job on the drums, nothing special (sarcasm). Also worth remembering the music video which made fun of all the boy bands of the late 90s.
Blink-182 used the success of this song to continue making great music for the first half of the decade before splitting up into two new bands, eventually reuniting and changing their lineup. Their influence in music is still really important to the music scene especially in the mid-2000s where the big pop-punk movement was all the rage until the late 2000s. Funny enough, Panic! at the Disco themselves started as a Blink-182 cover band before finding their own success. It's safe to say that Blink's influence in music was pretty big and lots of great bands came after them taking a little of their style and making something new. I think a lot of that is owed to the success of All The Small Things because a lot of people wouldn't have found them without that huge hit.

Now on to Panic's overly long titled song I Write Sins Not Tragedies. In some ways, you could say this song was the peak of the pop-punk movement of the mid-2000s. At the time Panic! consisted of four members all from the original line-up, who are all gone as of now, the only member left being Brandon Urie. It was honestly tough trying to decide between Fall Out Boy's music or Panic's music to put on to the list here. Ultimately I felt this song was more popular and lead to a bigger career in Brandon Urie's Panic! at the Disco. Over the years he's had multiple hits, but it wasn't until just last year he finally had a song bigger than this one with High Hopes.
Much like All The Small Things, I Write Sins also has a really memorable intro with a subtle instrumental before breaking into the rock sound. Panic! became known for their use of many different instruments/orchestral sounds in their albums, which made them feel a lot different than other pop-punk bands at the time, not even sure you could call them a pop-punk band, but they hung around that scene earlier in their career.  While the song was the peak of pop-punk in some ways, I don't think its influence is as strong as Blink-182's. Maybe because other bands at the time were doing similar songs with some success, it's tough to say how strong their influence was on the scene. Especially since that scene is far less popular than it was in the 2000s though it's still around.

Verdict: It's a tough choice really, trying to pick either of these songs as the better one. I think Panic! at the Disco's song is better in its lyrics and music, but I think Blink's is far catchier and probably more important to the decade and the music landscape. So I think I'd give the slight edge here to All The Small Things.

Match 2: White Stripe's Seven Nation Army VS. Santana's Smooth

In what feels like a pretty strange matchup, we got two big rock song staples here. The big arena rock hit Seven Nation Army takes on the inescapable song that crushed the charts in Smooth. Seven Nation Army made it's debut early in the decade in the year 2003, while Smooth was the song that transitioned to the new millennium in mid-1999. 

So Seven Nation Army wasn't really that big of a hit when it first came out, actually, it didn't even make a dent on the pop charts here until the year 2014 (though it was a bigger hit in the UK). The song has been adopted as a chant in many arenas all over the world, you'll probably have heard it during football matches and other sporting events. The opening "bass" line has become a very iconic riff in music. Though the original recording was actually not a bass guitar just an electric guitar with a pedal used to get that deep effect. That iconic riff might actually be the most well-known riff in all of music it seems. The song just feels so raw and when the guitar really kicks in it's pretty damn amazing, but that's what Jack White does with a guitar in his hand. The style of guitar playing was very influential to many future artists. Groups like Alabama Shakes, Black Keys, and Kings of Leon all used that style of raw distorted guitar among many others. The White Stripe's influence in music through this song is important and clear. 

Next up we have the Latin-rock crossover hit Smooth by music legend Santana. The thing about Santana is, he was already a hugely influential rock star at this point and he'd already been around for many decades. The thing about him is that he hadn't really been relevant to the popular music scene in a very long time as well. When he decided to make an album where he would collab with younger artists it seemed like a great idea, but I don't think even he knew how big it would actually be. Smooth would become the most successful modern song and it still holds that title. But it's weird that a song this popular wouldn't really influence the way pop music went moving forward. Hip-Hop and R&B were still coming in strong and would eventually be the most popular genres. Smooth was huge, but it also feels like a song that was the perfect send off to the style of the 90s. Its success will live on in the record books, but its influence maybe not so much. Still a great song with lots of great music played by amazing musicians and the weird vocals by Rob Thomas can't be forgotten either.

I think for me, the winner is clear. Seven Nation Army is a far more influential song that holds a special place in pop culture and many people's lives. The song is also very good, and while Smooth is the biggest hit and still a lot of fun to listen to, Seven Nation Army is just a slightly better song overall in my opinion. Making the next round All The Small Things taking on Seven Nation Army.

Match 3: Evanescence's Bring Me To Life VS. Nickelback's How You Remind Me

This is an interesting matchup of early 2000s rock music. The biggest post-grunge band Nickelback takes on another heavy hitter in the same genre. While they kinda fit the same genre, these songs actually feel totally different from each other. That might be because Bring Me To Life had a heavy influence from the very popular genre at the time in Nu-Metal. 

Bring Me To Life was released in 2003, and was probably influenced by Linkin Park's huge hit In The End. Originally the song was only going to feature Amy Lee's vocals, but the rap style vocals were added to ensure the song would become a bigger hit. That and, the label apparently thought it would be easier to get airplay if it had male vocals because that's what post-grunge was dominated by. I guess we'll never know if an Amy Lee only version of this song would have been as popular, but regardless the song hit it big in 2003 over here in the US, reaching number 5 in the hot 100 and becoming the 10th best selling song of the year overall. 

Amy has said the song was dedicated to her boyfriend who would go one to marry her in 2007. Amy's vocals are pretty incredible in this song (and in general) as she sings passionately with the heavy guitars backing her up. Paul McCoy of 12 Stones is the male vocalist in the song, who never had any hits of their own, but had a strong following. 

While maybe the song itself isn't incredibly unique in its sound, it's Amy Lee's vocals that really change the game here. Amy Lee would go on to become a pretty big legend in the rock scene as a female vocalist she no doubt inspired many other great female vocalists in the rock world and music in general. And yes, she has done the song without a male vocalist and yes, it's still really great. 

Any other post I'd start with a joke at Nickelback's expense... I guess I kind of already did that earlier a little. But no, this time I'll give them a bit of respect and talk about their biggest hit EVER. Back in 2002, this was actually the biggest selling song of the year, and despite that, it was still a pretty good year. Oops, I guess it's hard not to make fun of this band, isn't it. The album this song was from was released on September 11, 2001... yep. Actually, this song really isn't bad, it's actually pretty good overall. The song was written by frontman Chad Kroeger about his ex-girlfriend and their dysfunctional relationship. Musically the song doesn't really feel all that special, just lots of basic sounding progressions and starts and stops to kinda change it up here and there. The vocals by Chad are fine too, really this song's strong point is the catchy melodies that get stuck in your head long after you're done listening. 

How You Remind Me isn't a bad song, but it's nothing special. Bring Me To Life brought Evanescence on the map and also Amy Lee who is a fantastic vocalist and important to the rock world. So with a better song that's also more important and influential to music, Bring Me To Life has to win this one no? 

Match 4: Jimmy Eat World's The Middle VS. 3 Doors Down's Kryptonite

It's emo-pop rock group Jimmy Eat World taking on the last post-grunge act on this first round 3 Doors Down. Kryptonite was a huge hit that dominated radio and spent an entire year on the Billboard Hot 100 from 2000-2001. The Middle came shortly after in 2002, with much less success only reaching number 5 on the charts and slowly fading in a 33-week span.

Jimmy Eat World is one of those bands that's been hugely influential to their genre over the years. The pop-punk and emo scene has many bands influenced by the sound heard on this song and the other early Jimmy Eat World albums. It was only a few years before this song that they released the album Clarity, which was kind of an emo music masterpiece in a way. But it wasn't until Bleed American, the album that featured The Middle, that they say huge success. Similar to Blink-182 and White Stripes, this one huge hit song put them on the map and that's when more people saw how good they were even before the hit song.
The Middle is a song about acceptance and fitting in. It's all about finding the people or the crowd you belong to that accept you for who you are and forgetting about anyone that doesn't accept you. It has a pretty memorable intro with the guitar and the vocals kicking in with a simple "Hey". It's also got a really memorable guitar solo that's not an easy one to just bust out. Overall it's a catchy tune with some great musical moments that kicked off the career of a very influential band that continues to make great music to this day.

Then there are 3 Doors Down, a band I enjoyed quite a bit back in the day. Kryptonite was also their biggest hit, which I think a lot of these songs will be for the artist in question. The thing is, 3 Doors Down had a ton of hits in their peak period of the early 2000s. With at least 10 songs hitting the Hot 100 and six of those making it to the top 40 or higher. While Kryptonite is their most well-known song, they also had two other massive hits in Here Without You and When I'm Gone.
Continuing the trend of memorable intros, this one starts with that picking of the Bm chords that flows throughout the verses before the heavily distorted guitars kick in for the chorus. The song also has a pretty catchy solo, but it's not very impressive even by post-grunge standards. Also important to note that frontman Brad Arnold wrote this song when he was only 15 years old bored in math class, which is pretty impressive considering it would go on to be their biggest hit of many.

Well, one song is clearly bigger and leads to a great career with many hits and the other is The Middle. But Jimmy Eat World was arguably more influential to the musical landscape of the 2000s and further on, plus made a better song. It's tough, but I think the choice has to be The Middle here. This leads to a future matchup with Bring Me To Life. 

Future matchups include:

Popular Music 20 Years Ago

It's an interesting time in the world right now, to say the least. While the world is slowly burning into oblivion and probably going to end soon, we need to find escapes from the harsh reality. That's where entertainment comes in. This time I'll specifically be writing about music as I often do. But the popular music of today just isn't interesting enough to sit down and listen to right now. Actually, it's about as bad as it's ever been and it couldn't have happened at a worst time. So instead of that, I'm going back to the past, 20 years ago when the world had just started a new Millenium. The year 2000 was an interesting year where music was starting to transition slowly from the popular 90's trends to new trends that would continue for the next few decades. New stars were rising, stars that would go on to become household names and bring change to the landscape. Among those stars were plenty of one-hit wonders who would only make the slightest of dents in music history. Now let's begin looking at the most popular songs of March 2000, starting with a very familiar name...

Destiny's Child - Say My Name

Destiny's Child was an R&B group that hit it big in the late 90s. Though they had a few different members join and leave throughout their run, the group is mainly known for Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and some nobody. Okay, that's not entirely true... the main member of the group was actually Beyonce Knowles, maybe you've heard of her? The group was all about Beyonce, and while the other members found mild success outside of this group, it was always Beyonce's show. I mean, her father did kind of start the group when she was young. In 2000 this song (Say My Name) hit number one on the charts and became their third biggest hit and most well-known song. 

The song seems to be about the singer's doubt about her significant other's faithfulness. She's asking her partner to say her name to prove himself and his love for her. Beyonce's vocals are of course on point and the music is also pretty great here. Two of the vocalist on this song weren't in the group much longer after the song became a hit, but their vocals will live on in the original recording I guess. Like I said before though, this is the Beyonce show, and she dominates the track here. As far as 2000s hits go, this is one I remember liking back in the day and it still holds up after twenty years. The production is solid and the music doesn't feel dated like a lot of early 2000s pop song do.

Overall grade for this one is a B+

Lonestar - Amazed

This was a big hit in the year 2000, but I've never heard of this song in my life. If I somehow did I must have erased it entirely from my memory. It's a strange mix of country and boy-band pop that kind of works but is ultimately pretty forgettable. I don't know, I think I'm just going to pretend this song wasn't even on the list.

Overall grade for this is a D+

Santana - Maria Maria 

A song about a girl named Maria Maria from Harlem. The singer spends the entire song talking about how great Maria Maria is without going into great detail. We know she's Latina, she wishes the violence in LA wasn't around and she's probably rich. But that's not why people listen to Santana songs. It's all about the Spanish style acoustic guitar throughout the verses and the Santana solos in-between those verses. The other notable part is the nice bass that plays throughout the song keeping the flow going while the guitar does its thing. Overall a very memorable song musically, and the vocals are pretty smooth as well. While the lyrics don't really feel that interesting they're still strangely memorably despite the lack of detail. Maybe that's only because I heard this song growing up a ton of times, but that's just how I feel man.

Overall grade for this is a B+

Faith Hill -  Breathe

A big pop-country star from the 90s, Faith Hill managed to keep herself relevant going into the new millennium with this big hit. "Breathe" is a pretty standard love song you'd expect from Faith Hill, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. It's not as catchy as say "This Kiss" (her most popular song), but I think it's overall a better song. Not that I'm a big fan of either honestly, but "Breathe" I think is just an overall better song. If only because it's far less annoying and the lyrics are far better. Sometimes a simple love song just works, and I think that's where this song falls. The vocals are great and the music is pretty standard pop-country stuff. 

Overall grade for this is a C+

*NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye

What many believe to be the quintessential boy-band song from the lesser group (Backstreet Boys are better).  It's always fun to go back and listen to the boy-band craze of the late 90s and early 00s. The music just has a very specific style that you don't really hear anymore. Of course, the music doesn't matter THAT much in this song. The things that drew people in were the melodies and the good-looking guys dancing and signing... AT THE SAME TIME?! Maybe I'm underselling it a little. Still, this is an iconic song and it's a really fun one too. Everyone who was alive remembers the music video with the puppet strings. There really isn't anything this fun on the charts these days, we could really use it. 

Overall grade for this is a B+... maybe A-

Backstreet Boys - Show Me the Meaning (of being) Lonely

An anthem for the self-quarantined. With a title like that, you know you're in for a good time. One thing I definitely remember from this song is the acoustic guitar playing the saddest riff ever. Then the boys take turns being sad because of the boy band craze only being a couple years from its death. Besides the memorable guitar, the rest of the song's music is pretty standard 90s pop song stuff. The vocals are something special though, and that's where the song actually stands out. Because outside of the vocals and guitar there's not much else here to really satisfy. 

Overall Grade: C+

Celine Dion - That's The Way It Is

After surviving the Titanic back in 1912, Celine Dion decided to use her new lease on life to become a huge pop star. At the age of 95, she had her biggest song that accompanied the film based on her life in "My Heart Will Go On". Throughout her career, she's had over 20 songs that have made it on the Hot 100 from the early 90s to the late 2000s. "That's the Way It Is" was one of ten songs to reach the top ten of the Billboard charts. It's safe to say that Celine had a pretty successful career in music. This song fits perfectly in the early 2000s pop scene with its production and music that sounds very similar to other pop artists at the time. Complete with those overused drum machines that seemed to be in every pop song at this time. The song itself is a very motivational upbeat song about the power of faith and never giving up on love or life or dreams... one of those. Celine's vocals are always a bright spot in any moment of time and it's nice to hear something a little more upbeat from her. 

Overall Grade: B+

Savage Garden - I Knew I Loved You

Australia, the land of the... Australians. Two of those Australians being Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones of the pop duo Savage Garden. They came into the scene in the mid-90s and made it pretty big worldwide in the late 90s. With only two albums recorded in this project, this song comes from their second and also last album from 1999. I should probably mention how much I dislike this song. I don't really think I can even really explain why I don't like it. Maybe it's the soft, whisper-like vocals? Maybe it's how non-specific it is, not really saying much outside of just "I knew I loved you before I met you" and not really giving any specific reasons why. Does he have psychic abilities? Was it a prophecy that he was going to meet this person he loves? All things I would have loved to know. 

Overall Grade: Ugh

Montell Jordan - Get It On Tonite

Remember the guy who made "This Is How We Do It" in the early 90s? Yeah, this is him and this is nothing like that song. See because "This Is How We Do It" is a really great early hip-hop song that's always a fun listen to. "Get It On Tonite" has none of that charm and it desperately needs it. Now it's okay that he wanted to branch out into a new genre like R&B, but it had to be pretty damn good if it was to be a successful risk. Actually, that's not true, because it was an average song and it ended up being a pretty big hit for him... so I don't know what I'm talking about clearly. 

I will say this song isn't terrible, it's actually pretty decent. I like the music quite a bit actually, it's got a nice groove to it complete with some nice use of guitar and a cool bass line. Where it lacks is the vocals, Montell just doesn't have the charisma as a smooth R&B singer to pull this off. The results are a cool groove with weak vocals holding it back. 

Overall grade: C

Santana - Smooth (w/ Rob Thomas)

It's funny, every time I see this song on a list that I have to listen to I always sarcastically think "oh great, this song again". But what also happens every time I listen to it is me thinking "damn it, this song is pretty great isn't it?". That great mix of Latin rock with Rob Thomas' strange vocals just work in a way that it shouldn't. All the instruments sound like they are having so much fun while doing their own little riffs and it all works so well together. On top of all that you get some of the most iconic guitar work by Santana who is just making magic happen. While part of me hates this song because of the ridiculous amount of airplay it got for like three years, I still think it's a really fun song with some great music on top of a very strange performance by Rob Thomas. Also, what's with Santana's obsession with women from Harlem? 

Overall Grade: A

Blink-182 - All The Small Things

Without a doubt Blink-182's biggest hit of their entire career, also of their biggest album "Enema of the State". Not only their biggest hit but also one of the most iconic pop-punk songs ever created. Right from the start, the song kicks off in a very memorable way hitting that G-to-F note and kicking off right into the main riff. Then Tom's strange vocals kick in and it's a great time from start to finish. It's a short and sweet song that's a great introduction to pop-punk and a great band like Blink-182. Yeah, this song is nothing close to what the genre has to offer or even Blink-182 themselves, but that doesn't take away from how great the song is and how memorable it is even after twenty years.

Overall Grade: A

A Brief Summary

So yeah, the year 2000 was a mixed bag of hit songs and genres. This list alone featured some R&B, country, boy-band pop, pop-punk, Latin rock, and whatever the hell Savage Garden is. Lots of variety and lots of things I remember fondly that still hold up twenty years later. It's easy to say that it's all just nostalgia and that's why I still have a fondness for these songs, but I honestly think that in the context of the year 2000, these were great songs back then and still are really fun. I will say that I'm glad the production of pop music has gotten a lot better over the years. Who knows how we'll even look back at the early 2020s twenty years later or how the early 2000s music will be remembered forty years later. Thankfully music is so much easier to find these days, so we don't have to listen to the radio to find good music or really look too hard at all. While the charts might not be the most exciting, I'll still say the amount of good music we have today outside of the charts is still better than ever. 

Weathering With You

Weathering With You is the latest film by famed Japanese director Makoto Shinkai. He's well known now for his big hit "Your Name" a few years ago that was not only successful in his home of Japan but also over here in the U.S. I've been a huge fan of his movies since I saw one of his earlier movies "5 Centimeters Per Second" years ago and his work has continued to impress me over the years. This new movie "Weathering With You" was one I was very excited to see knowing the man behind it has a really good catalog of movies under his belt.

The story picks up with a teenage boy named Hokada who is running away from home to Tokyo on a boat. Tokyo at this time has been experiencing non-stop rainfall and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. During the storm, Hokada nearly slips off the boat into the ocean but is saved by a man named Keisuke. With no place to go in Tokyo as a runaway, Keisuke lets Hokada stay with him at his place as long as he helps him write articles for his business. One of the articles he's working on is about a legend of the Sunshine Girl, a girl who is said to have the power to control the weather and stop the endless rainfall. Turns out to be true as Hokada ends up meeting a girl named Hina who happens to be said Sunshine Girl. Together they form a friendship as they both learn about her powers and the consequences that come with such a powerful ability.

There were a lot of similarities between this movie and Makoto's last movie "Your Name". The story plays out in a similar fashion, but that's not to say it's a bad thing. I think the fact that "Your Name" was such a big hit sort of created the formula for this next movie. It sort of feels like an unofficial sequel of sorts, though it doesn't have anything to do with the last movie. Even with all that, I still really enjoyed this movie a lot and I think it might be the closest thing to a Studio Ghibli film we can get these days unless they make more of those. The characters are all very likable and they all grow throughout the movie. The story progresses smoothly and the stakes get higher as the movie goes on, which keeps things interesting. It doesn't actually play out the way I thought it would and it actually has a lot of surprising moments that I didn't see coming. The movie establishes rules about the weather-changing powers and it sticks by them until the end, never taking any shortcuts, which I really liked.

The animation is as beautiful as "Your Name" if not better. The way the movie presents Tokyo feels incredibly familiar to the actual city and the amount of detail they put into it is pretty amazing. The colors and animation really pop out and it's a treat to the eyes the entire time. Along with a really great Japanese soundtrack that elevates the emotion in a lot of the scenes, very similar to the way "Your Name" did it.

I know Anime is still kind of considered a "niche" of sorts, even though it's also as popular as it's ever been. Niche isn't the right word, but I know a lot of people will write this movie off just because it happens to be anime. I think this movie is on that Disney, Pixar, Ghibli level of animation and storytelling though, so anyone who likes those studios should give this a chance. This is not only one of the best anime films I've seen in a year, but also one of the best films in general. It was beautifully crafted and it told a really interesting story through amazing visuals and fun characters.

Overall Grade for the movie is easily an "A".

2020 Movie Preview

New year, a new decade, 100s of new movies to go watch in the theaters and stream at home. It's honestly so hard to keep up these days with the amount of media we get thrown at us on a weekly basis. With multiple streaming platforms now coming out last year and more coming this year, it's going to be crazy to watch everything that's worth watching. That being said, I still plan to go watch as many interesting movies as possible and still maybe review them here when I have time. I've been sort of off and on with my reviews here, which has hurt my views for my lack of consistency. Still, it's not really the views I do this for mainly, it's just a fun side hobby that I get enjoyment out of. I do appreciate anyone who still reads these though, so thanks for that. I usually do these previews here of movies I plan on watching and am excited for in the coming year. 2020 Looks to be full of lots of interesting new ideas and of course the usual yearly releases of comic book movies, remakes, and sequels that Hollywood craps out every year by the dozens. Here's a look at some interesting/important ones...

I'll try to include some indie movies as well since those usually end up being some of my favorites of the year. The problem is that it's harder to find official release info on the ones coming out later in the year or that are floating around the festivals. Usually those movies I find out about closer to release or after hearing the buzz from early screening and go watch them if they end up coming out around here.

I included links to the movies that have trailers, so click on the movie titles to go check them out if you want. Only the movies that have posters have trailers here.

January

10th - 1917

By the time I post this, I should already have a review up for this movie. All I can say is that this movie looks beautifully shot and I can't wait to stare at it in awe for two hours. The story takes place in WWI of course, where a young soldier is asked to reach a squad of men and warn them of an attack before they are massacred by the enemy. It looks like a gripping and tense movie with lots of great emotional moments. Hopefully, it lives up to the hype.

*This is technically a movie from 2019, but it opens wide in 2020. 

17th - Dolittle

Rober Downey Jr. returns to the big screen in a brand new role... well not entirely brand new. This is the second reboot of the Dolittle character following the Eddie Murphy reboot of the original movie from the 60s. So I guess they find this character profitable enough to bring back every few decades. I'll say this movie actually looks pretty bad and I'm disappointed to see Robert Downey's next project is a CGI filled kids movie. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense, since kids/families know who he is from the Marvel movies and will likely go see this because of that. I might check this out if it gets good buzz, but for now, I think I'm going to avoid this. 

17th - Bad Boys for Life

I don't know about this one. It's always interesting to see sequels coming out way after the last movie was even relevant. It's been over a decade since the last Bad Boys movie and I didn't really care if we ever saw one again. They are OK movies, with typical Michael Bay action and lame dialog that tries really hard to be funny. Bad Boys were some of Michael Bay's better movies though and Will Smith returning with Martin could make for a fun reunion. It looks like the boys are back for one last job as they team up with newer and younger members to find out who's trying to kill Will Smith's character. 

24th - The Gentleman

The aesthetic here reminds me a lot of the Kingsman movies, but I don't think this is going to be like that. Guy Ritchie has always been hit or miss with me as a director. I can't say I've really hated any of his movies that I've seen, but I also can't say I've loved any of them either. The cast in this movie is very strong and it looks like it has the potential to be a really silly and fun crime movie with some over the top performances. This is one I'll probably be checking out when it's released. 

31st - The Assistant

A movie that looks to be based loosely on the Harvey Weinstein case follows Julia Garner as she plays a new assistant at a New York office. As she spends more time working there she slowly starts to learn of the bad culture and activities that some of the workers take part in and how far up it goes. It looks like a slow-building thriller that's probably going to get pretty dark at times, but it's an important and interesting story to tell. Not sure if this will come out around here, but I'd like to go see it if it does. 

February

7th - Birds of Prey

I really didn't like Suicide Squad, so hearing about this movie's release didn't excite me much. After seeing a little more from the trailer and seeing the great cast they got I think I got a bit of excitement in me. I'm going in skeptical because I really hated the last one, but I think this has a chance to take the few good parts of Suicide Squad and expand on those ideas. Harley Quinn is an interesting enough character and I hope the rest of the cast can bring something good to play off of her insane personality. 

14th - Sonic The Hedgehog

There's a lot of movies coming out this day, but this seems like the most obvious choice to me. After being delayed a few months to completely change the design of the main character (thankfully), they re-released the trailer with the new visuals and it honestly looks a lot better. It's great that they actually listened to fans and all, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this movie is going to be good now. I think it's at least worth a watch to see how they handled everything. 

21st - Call of the Wild

Harrison Ford and a CGI dog set out on an adventure to find the passion Ford once had for filmmaking. I'm not really sure what to think about this movie. On one hand, I'm excited to see Harrison Ford leading a new movie in 2020. On the other hand, I'm not sure this looks like the kind of movie I would've liked to have seen him in. At least it looks a lot better than Dolittle, and I'm sure they'll be plenty of emotionally manipulative moments where the dog will be put in danger... at least it's not a real dog I guess. 

March

6th - Onward

Disney's first big movie of the year, not including their Fox projects, is Pixar's Onward. In this movie, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland voice two elf bros that go on a journey in a fantasy world mixed with modern-day elements to find their father. It sort of has a 70s/80s fantasy feel to it all judging from the trailer. As much as I love fantasy, this movie doesn't look so great judging solely off the trailers. It's Pixar though, so there's always a chance that I could be pleasantly surprised and really love this movie. To be honest, this seems more like something Disney's main animation studio would make and not so much Pixar. The humor and story just feel more like a Frozen or Wreck-it-Ralph style movie, but those movies are good so I guess I'm not too worried. 

The Way Back

Also opening this week is a new Ben Affleck movie where he's a struggling alcoholic trying to get over a loss in his life. He's offered a position as a basketball coach at his old school where he possibly finds motivation and a new passion in life to change things. It's made by the same person who directed Warrior and The Accountant, two movies that I really enjoyed so I want to give this one a watch for sure. 

20th - A Quiet Place Part II

Two years ago, the first movie was a big surprise hit so it was a no brainer to make a sequel. It was a great concept for a movie that was executed very well with many memorable moments of suspense and awe. The movie also had some of the best sound design in a movie that year. It will be interesting to see how they can top the first one and also expand on the world and characters introduced in the first film.

27th - Mulan

The first and possibly only Disney live-action remake of the year? Compared to last year's FIVE remakes (including Lady and the Tramp from Disney+) seems like Disney has opted to spread them out a little more. That's a very good thing because they are already blowing through a lot of their bigger classics with these remakes and at the pace they were going they would have been done in two-three years. I think it's better to just release one (with maybe another on the app) a year and focus all their attention on the single remake. So far these remakes have been more miss than hit in my opinion, with Lion King being the worst one so far. I think out of all of them, this one is the one I'm most optimistic about. The trailer looks stunning and beautiful and looks to change things up enough to make the movie interesting and different from the original animated one. Hopefully, this is more like Aladdin and Jungle Book and less like Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo (in terms of remake quality). 

April

3rd - The New Mutants

A movie that's been delayed to the point that no one thought this would actually be released. It got stuck with last year's Dark Phoenix in the Fox and Disney merger as movies that had to be reshot and reworked a lot after it's initial shooting was all wrapped. Usually, when movies undergo situations like that it's never a good sign for its final quality. There have been exceptions, and I truly hope this is one of them, but if Dark Phoenix is any sort of sign then it's not looking good for this one. Things this one has going for it are a great cast and an interesting genre mix of horror and comic-book movies. There's no telling if this movie was supposed to eventually connect to the other X-Men movies, but since that series is basically dead now that question feels pointless. 

10th - No Time to Die

This might just be my most anticipated big-budget movie of the year right now. Officially declared the last movie starring Daniel Craig as Bond, it looks to be a great sendoff for his and an introduction to new characters that could stick around in future movies. It looks it has all the great things you'd expect from a Bond movie with all the action, romance, gadgets and a weird gimmicky villain. If it follows the recent pattern of Bond movie, where they alternate from being good to bad, then this one should be good. Also, Rami Malek. 

24th - Antebellum 

I have no clue what this is actually about, but it's being promoted as a sort-of follow up to Get Out and Us, which were two really enjoyable movies. The thing is, Jordan Peele doesn't seem to have anything to do with this movie, so it kind of feels like they are trying to trick people into thinking this is by him. Either way, the trailer looks interesting enough... I think.

May

1st - Black Widow

It feels a little late for this, but Black Widow finally gets her own movie. This, of course, being the first Marvel movie of the year out of two (MCU related). This movie takes place between the Civil War and Infinity War movies, where Natasha returns to her home to take care of some loose ends I guess. There we are introduced to some new characters that she teams up with to take on some baddies. Not sure if this is going to tie into future MCU movies, but I'm sure they'll find a way to bring some of these new characters into future movies.

15th - Scoob!

I think it's safe to say that the Scooby-Doo franchise is never gonna go away. That being said, this one doesn't look too bad actually. The animation looks pretty good and the humor looks like it could actually be pretty good and clever like The Lego Movie was. Not the kind of movie I'd go rush out and see, but if I hear good things I might give it a shot. The movie looks to tell the story of how The Mystery Gang meets, more specifically the friendship between Scooby and Shaggy.  

22nd - Fast and Furious 9

Speaking of franchises that never die, here's Vin Diesel the series. Out of all the franchises that are still going, this one seems to be the one that just keeps losing steam after every new movie. I'm not really sure where else they could go with this, and I don't think the writers do either, which makes me even less excited to go watch this one. But hey, they added John Cena as a villain so there's that? I'd bet a lot of money he turns good and joins the Vin Diesel FAMILY by the end of this one. But hey, sometimes a little mindless fun is good. 

29th - Artemis Fowl

Based on a book that was popular when I was in middle school is the new Disney movie Artemis Fowl. It certainly seems like it's a little late for a movie based on this book, but maybe the books have remained popular over time. I can't say I'm very excited, especially since the last time Disney tried to adapt a popular book it was one of the worst movies of that year (Wrinkle in Time). Looking at the trailer, this might be a good movie for much younger audiences, because I don't really have much interest in it. The world looks interesting enough, but maybe a little too similar to other YA stories recently adapted like Hunger Games and Percy Jackson. 

June

5th - Wonder Woman 1984

The DC movie-verse has been on the upswing this last year and a half, and it looks to continue rising with the new Wonder Woman movie. This movie is about... something in the 80s. It does look like it's going to introduce two major characters/villains in The Cheetah and Max Lord, what their role is going to be is TBD. One of the more interesting aspects of the film though is the return of Chris Pine, who apparently didn't die in the last movie? It will be interesting to see him and Diana change roles, as this time he is the one who is out of place in this time period. 

19th - Soul

Now THIS looks like a Pixar film. Right away the animation looks mind-blowingly good and highly detailed, but still stylized. Not much is known about the story yet, but it looks like it's going to be possibly about death (go figure) and human passion. The story focuses on a Jazz musician who apparently dies or goes into a coma of some sort and becomes a floating soul. There he meets other souls that will help him find his passion again and probably learn about what it means to be alive and follow your dream (kind of guessing here). Tears are inevitable and so is that warm feeling in your heart. 

26th - Top Gun Maverick

I don't really have much of a connection to the original movie, so I'm not as excited as others seem to be for this one. Tom Cruise and some of the other originals are back along with some new faces in this movie about pilots. Actually, the visuals do look really interesting and some of the shots of the flying sequences look great, along with Tom Cruise putting his life on the line to get some great shots. This could end up being a great movie.

July

3rd - Free Guy

Ryan Renolds returns with a brand new action-comedy movie where it looks like he's a character in a video game. Judging from the trailer it looks like maybe he's an NPC in a video game that decides he wants to be the hero instead of being a nothing character in a world of crazy violence and action. The idea is an interesting one, though movies that revolve around video game concepts don't have the best track record. The trailer looks interesting enough, definitely worth checking out in the summertime. At the moment I'd say this movie will probably be a good time, but not something I'll love. There's always a chance for a nice surprise though. 

There's also a Minions sequel that's supposed to drop this week, but it doesn't have much info yet. It's supposed to take place before the first Despicable Me where the minions meet Gru. Please stop making these movies. 

10th - Ghostbusters: Afterlife

The last Ghostbusters movie was a huge mess, though I still think it made a decent amount of money. The problem was the budget was so high that it still ended up as an overall loss of money. So that means Sony has to try something different and instead, make the thing that fans of the franchise wanted to begin with (sort of), a sequel to the originals. This isn't exactly what fans probably had in mind for a sequel since it doesn't revolve around the original cast. Instead, it takes place in the same timeline and follows new characters that are much younger and Paul Rudd. This could be good, the cast looks good and the idea is interesting, but the tone looks much different than the originals so far. Pretty excited to see how it turns out. 

17th - Tenet

Movie lovers rejoice for a new Nolan movie is coming this year! Nolan returns with a new mind-bending action movie that plays with the rules of time, kind of like a new Inception-style landscape. I have more questions than answers after the first trailer, but all I can say is that I'm expecting something pretty crazy and memorable, as you would from Nolan at this point.

There's also a Bob's Burgers movie set to release this week, but I couldn't find anything other than the release date. It's possible that it could be a prequel to the show of sorts, but there's no info on anything I could find. The only confirmed detail is that it's gonna be a musical, which totally makes sense for the show honestly. 

24th - Jungle Cruise

Disney has had a bit of a bad track record with these Disney rides becoming movies thing they do every so often. The Pirates franchise was a huge success for them in the 2000s and of course, it makes sense to try to replicate that in new franchises. Haunted Mansion and Tomorrowland (not technically a ride, but area) were two misses that didn't come close to hitting the success of Pirates. Jungle Cruise is an idea that's been in the works for a movie for years now, and I believe The Rock was very interested in this for a long time. Now it's finally coming out and it looks... alright? The cast is a good one and of course, the special effects are going to be top-notch because it's Disney. Still, this could be another big flop and possibly the last time Disney tries to do this kind of thing, at least in theaters. 

The second half of the year

At this point, most of the movies announced have little to no information outside of possible release dates. So I'll just jump around and pick the ones that have some buzz or look interesting. 

Aug 21st - Bill and Ted Face the Music

The last Bill and Ted movie came out in 1991, so it's going to be close to thirty years later that this sequel takes place. Bill and Ted are dads now and they still suck at making music I assume, but they will most likely go on a time-travel adventure. That's all I know. Keanu Reeves is coming off his biggest year in 2019 after becoming everyone's favorite human, so that should bring a lot of attention to this. 

Sep 18th - The King's Man

One of the few second-half of the year movies that actually has a trailer already. If a franchise becomes popular, there usually comes a prequel not too far from the originals. This one travels back to World War I to see the creating of the Kingsmen that we know from the first two movies. A brand new cast with lots of great actors replace the characters from the first movies, but it still looks like a crazy action-packed movie with strange villains and over-the-top fights. 

Sep 25th - Last Night in Soho

Edgar Wright finally returns with a new horror movie Last Night in Soho. Not much else is known except some of it's cast like Ana-Taylor Joy, Matt Smith and Thomasin Mckenzie. It's also interesting to know that this will be a time-travel movie set in 1960s London. Edgar Wright is one of my favorite film-makers so I'm very excited to see this one. 

Oct 2nd - Venooooooom 2

Less Eminem this time, please. The follow-up to the successful Venom brings back the cast from the original with some new faces thrown in. Most likely, it will take place soon after the first and introduce Woody Harrelson's character teased last time. Most likely, it will be a Venom takes on Carnage story without Spider-Man, but who knows, maybe he'll make an appearance?

Oct 16th - Halloween Kills

The second in the final trilogy for the Halloween series (until they reboot it). The first one in 2018 was a big hit and I doubt this one will be any different. Though I guess knowing there's one more coming after this one maybe takes some of the suspense away, but I'm sure that won't affect the story much. 

Nov 6th - The Eternals

The other big MCU movie of the year. An all-star cast will play the immortal heroes including Salma Hayek, Jolie, Kit Harrington and Richard Madden (GoT alumni) and a few others. I'm not too familiar with the comics so I'm not sure what this is going to be or how it's going to be connected to the rest of the MCU. It's still exciting to see a lot of great actors join the MCU, though at this point most of Hollywood will be part of some comic book universe franchise. 

Nov 20th - Godzilla VS Kong

The fourth movie in the Gozilla and Kong franchise is the one where both will clash head to head and destroy an entire city no doubt. The franchise hasn't been the best in terms of quality, most of the movies have been fine, but nothing I really found myself connecting to. I can't say I'm super excited to see two giant CGI monsters I don't care too much about fight each other, but it could still be pretty great as a spectacle. As long as they focus more on the monsters and not try to give us a bunch of human drama with weak characters. 

Thanksgiving - Raya and the Last Dragon

Disney continues its trend of releasing it's animated movies on Thanksgiving with the new movie Raya and the Last Dragon. The movie is about a warrior voiced by Cassie Steele who goes on a journey to search for the last living dragon, who is voiced by Awkwafina. The setting is inspired by Southeast Asian landscapes from places like Thailand and Indonesia. 

December

A couple of movies are slated for December release, but still not 100%. We got another take on the Sci-fi classic "Dune" that could be coming out this month, but at this point who knows. There's also Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story that could hit in December, so that's a pretty big name there. Eddie Murphy's sequel to Coming to America is also slated for this month, but again, who knows if it's official. A couple of animated family movies are coming out around Christmas too, this time it's a sequel to Dreamwork's The Croods (because we've been wanting one of those?) and a Tom and Jerry movie. 

That's basically most of the big movies that are announced for 2020. There's definitely going to be a lot more (like Sony/Marvel's Morbius that I forgot to put on the list) and there are always tons of good indie movies that come in from the Festivals and smaller studios. Let's also not forget the 30+ streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon that are going to release their own movies exclusively on their platforms. 

Much like the past few years, there's gonna be a lot of comic book movies, sequels, and remakes that dominate the box-office this year, so don't forget to go check out some original films and support indie filmmakers so that we can keep getting more original ideas on the big-screen/streaming. 

1917

1917 is the latest film by long-time director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) and it's set in a WWI battle-torn France. The movie follows two young British soldiers, Blake and Schofield, that are tasked with a special mission from the General. The mission is to deliver a message and stop about 1,600 fellow soldiers from attacking the fleeing Germans the next morning. The Germans have been planning this false retreat to lure the British soldiers into a death trap. So the two young soldiers are forced to cross through battlefields and enemy territory to save those 1,600 soldiers before the morning comes and they set out to battle, one of those 1,600 soldiers being Blake's older brother. 

The movie starts off in the first 10-15 minutes explaining the situation and setting up the journey the two young men are about to set off on. Right after that, the tension starts off high right away as the movie shows you to the horrors that come with war and the constant fear soldiers face in the battlefields and warzones. Once the tension starts it doesn't go away for the rest of the movie as the two main characters go across different parts of war-torn France. This is all executed masterfully with the mix of great acting, locations, cinematography and epic score. I really felt the fear in the actors as they crossed dangerous territories, and the movie did a good job of making the danger feel real for these characters. It doesn't take long for you to care about the two main characters as the actors do a great job even without a ton of dialog at getting you to connect with them. The fact that you care about them and the importance of their mission are what make the movie work. If you don't care about the characters than the danger they are put in is a lot less effective and dramatic. I was rooting for their success because I cared about the two characters and their mission. 

There's a sequence towards the end of the movie that completely blew me away. It wasn't even anything crazy, but it was the first part of the movie that took place at night. The music was so powerful along with the shots of a war-torn town. The lighting was used so brilliantly and it made the whole scene somehow incredibly beautiful and scary at the same time. It was one of the best things I've seen in a film in a long time. Every bit of this movie was like that though, it was visually stunning and presented War in a really intense and scary way. 

This is the kind of movie that makes for a great theater experience and deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. For the two hour run-time, it keeps you on your toes and invested in the story and characters. Thanks to great performances by everyone involved and a lot of attention to detail by the filmmakers, this is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Definitely go check it out.