Slash & Apocalyptic Love!

I don't think there is any need in introducing Slash - world wide known rock legend, a guitar hero that is definitely going to leave his seal in the history of rock music. Since Slash quit Guns N Roses he started many projects, first being Slash's Snakepit, which I admit, I don't even like at all, second being Velvet Revolver, which I admit had *some* good songs and his latest effort, the solo career simply entitled ''Slash''. His 2010 eponymous album was for me the best thing he has come upon since GnR and just a few days back his new album, entitled Apocalyptic Love saw the light of a day.

To be short: I'm ecstatic about this album! There was so much talking going on about this album being mellow and what the hell is this ''with Myles Kennedy'' thing going on and let me tell you something: if you put Slash and Myles Kennedy together you get one hell of an album! I very much enjoyed Kennedy's vocals on ''Slash'' album (remember the wonderful ''Starlight''?) so for me it was a plus that he was about to do the vocals on this brand new album. So with Apocalyptic Love we again got some of that great old hard rock with a mixture of blues Slash really knows how to incorporate in his riffs, that is also radio friendly, never boring and very versatile. If you don't believe me, check out this brilliant unplugged version of ''Not For Me'' (which is, so to speak, my favourite track from the album), and then go get yourself the album to hear it for yourself and make sure you don't miss the songs ''Anastasia'' and ''No More Heroes''.


Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators: Not For Me Unplugged


... and Slash with GnR in good old days, playing the best song ever made in the history of music!

The Avengers are coming to town!

The most awaited film for me for 2012 has hit the theatres and hit them hard! So, what do you do when the bad guys from beyond are coming to town, lead by a malice, vicious, vengeful demigod? Well, you pick up your phone and give a call to the closest superheroes, I mean we all have Iron Man on speed dial as it seems.

The Avengers is a classical pop-corn superhero film, filled with superheroes but it’s just that awesome! Loki, the malice, vicious and vengeful demigod is coming to Earth, pissed off and very mad that he did not get the throne and rule Asgard with iron fist, as he wished in Thor (2011), trying to get his hands on Tessaract, that he really really needs, so he can give it to the Other, who really badly wants it and is willing to help out Loki by lending him his army of nasty creatures in return. Now, the problem is that the Tessaract is in hands of Nick Fury, so when Loki succeeds and gets his hands on Tessaract (and the scene when he does that is so rad, Loki has some serious action moves), Fury picks up his phone and just assembles the superheroes. Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds as they are all great personalities and well, their ideas and characters may differ…. Quite a lot. Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Mr. all American guy Captain America are assembled and joined later on with Loki’s brother, Thor. There are some quarrels and comic scenes between them, a little bit of bromance between Tony Stark and Banner, both being such geeks, Thor makes a stupid face because he doesn’t know what a philanthropist means and some secrets are revealed because Stark hacks the system and so on. Needless to say, the great action battle comes in the end when bad guys finally arrive and try to take over our planet, but the Avengers pull themselves together and step together and show that by combining all their powers they can protect us.

When I say it like that, it sounds a bit boring. But that’s the story led by all great comic superheroes. What’s this movie really about is the totally smashing CGI effects, incredible characters that are all great individuals but are balanced just perfectly, comic scenes that are not expected at all but will make you laugh for hours, great action scenes and incredible script. Seriously, sometimes these superheroes can talk to each other like they’re a bunch of freaking morons, but not this one.  Tony Stark is a good fella and we all know him, he’s sarcastic and narcissistic and maybe sometimes even obnoxious for some people, but he’s a good guy and we all know that. After I first saw Iron Man I said Robert Downey Jr. was born to be Iron Man and he proves that every time I see him in this role. Hulk is another story for me; I was never a big fan of the hero or the films, but I got to say Mark Ruffalo did a wonderful portray of Bruce Banner, you could just see and feel in his movement and his mime that he is on the verge of explosion and that he is in constant battle with himself not to let his anger out. Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America is my least favourite of them, but the film wouldn’t be the same without him, because he’s the good guy in the group. Being the all American dream and star, he has the morals and the compassion. And then Thor is just out of this league, being the all Asgardian dream and star; good at heart, but can strike really hard, when he wants to. On the other hand, Loki is just vengeful and evil. Tom Hiddleston did a great work portraying him, his laughter and face expressions were just perfect. Too bad Loki had the talking villain problem, because he could have 50% less lines and still be a badass as he was. Oh, almost forget, Black widow and Hawkeye were also the part of the team. Well, they were…. They were there. Nothing special to add, the movie could’ve worked without them, but they were also not completely redundant.

When thinking about that, the four superheroes could represent the four temperaments; Stark being the phlegmatic type as he just doesn’t care what’s going on, as long as he’s happy; Banner being the choleric, fighting with his deep and difficult feelings that tend to get the best of him; Captain America being the melancholic type, as he just can’t get over the fact of what happened to him and you can see him mope around all the time and Thor being the sanguine type; a nice, helpful person who can get really pissed off , when his limits are pushed.

Well, Joss Whedon, if I had 70 thumbs I would give you 70 thumbs ups for The Avengers. A film that was meant to be mind-blowing, astonishing and bombastic, filled with action, self struggle, mysteries and some comic relief is just that. That’s how you make a superhero movie. No, scratch the superhero part, that’s how you make a movie.

And to add: Soundgarden’s Live To Rise is such a perfect hymn to end the epic odyssey of The Avengers. And don’t forget to wait till the film ends, so you can see who else is still alive….