Down, Wicked & No Good is a surprise release by In Flames that features four cover songs inspired by original material from Alice in Chains, Chris Isaac, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. The band collaborated with Depeche Mode and even took over the band's Facebook page in order to promote In Flames' cover of ''It's No Good''. Aside of a few minor hints and snippets, this digital release wasn't however much promoted and seems to be a project the band did for fun and not for commercial purposes. Those who are accusing the band to sell out haven't understood that the group simply wants to experiment stylistically at all costs.

In Flames has become one of the world's most controversial metal bands over the past years because the group shifted its style from melodic death metal towards alternative rock with electronic elements. However, In Flames has been an experimental outfit throughout its entire career and had already covered Depeche Mode twenty years earlier on the critically acclaimed Whoracle record. The difference between ''Everything Counts'' two decades ago and ''It's No Good'' now is that the former song gave a Depeche Mode track a classic In Flames vibe while the latter is much closer to the original song and experiments with clean vocals and electronic elements. Still, the new song doesn't blandly copy Depeche Mode but explores a more contemporary synthpop soundscape. If Depeche Mode had written the song this year and not twenty years ago, I could actually sound like In Flames' version. This reinvention of the track is more surprising than what In Flames accomplished twenty years ago but it will also rather please synthpop fans than melodic death metal supporters.

This is also the case for the other three cover songs. In order to fully appreciate them, you need quite broad preferences and should appreciate the original artists rather than what In Flames might have stood for in its early career. Even by In Flames' contemporary standards, Down, Wicked & No Good is one of the band's most radical releases. It doesn't have anything to do with any metal or even rock subgenres and can be categorized a synthpop. If the name In Flames weren't associated with this release, it would actually be hard to believe that the Swedish group is actually behind this. In Flames' version of Alice in Chains' ''Down in a Hole'' is even more melodic, mellow and introspective than the original track. Instead of making the original material heavier as it would have been the case twenty years ago, In Flames now explores genres which are similar to the original tracks and focuses on a danceable, dreamy and electronic twist to the four songs chosen for this release.

If I were only a metal connoisseur, I would despise and reject this release and I can easily understand anyone criticizing this unusual output. However, thanks to my father, I have also grown up with music of the gothic scene and attended festivals where I could witness a vast spectrum of bands including synthpop artists. Even though the latter genre isn't my favorite, I can occasionally appreciate it and am able to judge what good or band synthpop is. What In Flames offers here is quite thoughtful, melodic and atmospheric synthpop that sounds unique, modern and fresh. I wouldn't listen to Down, Wicked & No Good on a regular base, but if I felt like listening to some unique and calm synthpop to relax, I would definitely go for this release. Surprisingly, despite being a first effort in its genre, this release is already a genre highlight and proves how talented and versatile the band is. I wouldn't be surprised if the band's next release were a new age or trip hop record and if it actually sounded really great. In Flames seems to be an amorphous band that could play pretty much anything it aspires stylistically as we speak, except maybe for classical music. No matter what you think about the final result, this disposition is absolutely astonishing.

The bottom line is that this surprising release is very good for what it is but that I can only digest it in small doses because it isn't exactly my favorite type of music.

Final rating: 70%

Suburbicon is a movie that doesn't deserve the overwhelmingly negative critics it gets. The movie is an ambitious mixture of a crime flick, dark comedy and social drama in almost equal parts. This isn't unusual for a script by the talented Coen brothers but Suburbicon is particularly out-thought and precise.

First of all, we have the story of a mysterious home invasion in a seemingly perfect town that leads to the murder of a physically disabled mother.

Secondly, the film portrays the small-town stereotypes of the late fifties in a humorous manner and also includes a solid dose of situation comedy.

Thirdly, the movie shows us the struggles of an African-American family in an otherwise homogeneous all-white neighbourhood.

In addition to this original mixture, the film is extremely stylish and portrays small-town stereotypes of the late fifties perfectly, including exchangeable family houses, flashy clothes and robust vehicles.

The movie includes numerous talented actors who are challenged to play unusual roles and deliver good to great jobs. Matt Damon really convinces as two-faced family father, Julianne Moore plays two roles and portrays both a bitter and disabled family mother as well as her manipulative and superficial sister and child actor Noah Jupe has his international breakthrough as he performs a shy and antisocial but also open-minded and clever boy. Even the secondary roles are unique and played by talented actors. One has to point out Gary Basaraba who plays a sympathetic but tough uncle, Oscar Isaac convinces as an investigative insurance agent and Glenn Fleshler impresses as scary villain.

If the acting is so convincing, it's due to the great work of the great directing effort. George Clooney is obviously rather known as an actor but he proves that he can also direct a great movie and I would even say that his precise work here is better than many of the somewhat superficial roles he has played in his career. It's great to see that George Clooney is still trying out new things so late in his career.

Some negative critics here focus on the fact that the movie portrays the racism of an all-white neighbourhood towards an African-American family and even shows the display of a Confederate flag in one scene where an angry mob smashes the windows of the family house. First of all, it's a matter of fact that racism was very present in those neighbourhoods of the United States of America back in the fifties and it sadly still is an issue today if we witness the numerous cases of police violence against African-American citizens. Secondly, the movie also shows that some residents aren't participating in the protests but rather trying to ignore it in order to not get into any trouble with their neighbours which was an attitude several people had back in those days. Thirdly, a few select people are shown which are helping the African-American family the best they can and it's a particularly clever move that the movie focuses on the friendship of a black and a white boy who show the ignorant adults around them that there is hope for peaceful coexistence in the future. Therefore, the movie isn't biased or left-wing propaganda as some angry reviewers try to make you think but a balanced and realistic portrait of a flawed society. Finally, the scene with the Confederate flag isn't offensive because the display of this flag is often associated with white supremacy. If you have a Confederate flag in your yard, you should seriously ask yourself what kind of person you are. This flag isn't anything to be proud of.

To keep it short, Suburbicon is an entertaining, original and stylish movie that mixes crime flick, dark comedy and social drama in a perfectly balanced way. Ignore the negative critics and enjoy one of the greatest movies of the year. The fact that the incredibly boring Blade Runner 2049 gets so much critical acclaim while Suburbicon is unjustifiably criticized proves once more that popular opinions don't mean much when it comes to understanding a piece of art.

...brings back some great memories!

Are you seeking a remedy against sleepless nights? You won't need any prescriptions to solve your problem. You simply need to watch Blade Runner 2049. Almost everything that could be wrong with a movie is wrong with this one. To start on a positive note, the visual effects are faithful to the original film, the directing is precise and doesn't feature any annoying contemporary shaky camera passages and the last third of the movie quickens up the pace and is at least slightly interesting. These three positive elements explain my rating but I really had to think very hard to find these reasons.

Let's talk about this movie's massive problems. First of all, the film is way too long and takes nearly three hours to tell a story that would have justified a length under a hour and a half. The original movie wasn't the most fast-paced genre film ever made but it was bearable with a length just below the two-hour mark.

Secondly, the plot is quite tiresome and can be summarized in three sentences. When things finally could start to get interesting, the film actually ends without a resolution. This makes me fear the worst. It's quite probable that there will be a sequel to this sequel which means that even those who haven't appreciated Blade Runner 2049 might feel forced to watch the sequel to know how the story actually ends. If you don't want to go through that dilemma, don't watch Blade Runner 2049 in the first place. While the original film is overrated in my book and doesn't do Philip K. Dick's novel justice, it had at least a coherent plot diagram featuring an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

Thirdly, the movie tries to be overtly atmospheric but ends up being pretentious. There are numerous shots when characters walk through decayed landscapes in slow-motion. This idea might work every now and then to emphasize on the dystopian future that serves as setting but the idea is overused and prevents any momentum or pace to build up. The original film was slow as well but also had a few emotional and vivid sequences that contrasted the bleak vision of the future.

Fourthly, the soundtrack of this movie is awful despite being written by renowned composer Hans Zimmer. Whenever the movie is dragging on and showing the main character walking through empty buildings for five minutes, the soundtrack suddenly gets louder for no apparent reason but to keep the bored audience awake. This surprising effect got my attention in the beginning but after it was used for a third time in a row, this strategy became laughably predictable. The present soundtrack tries to capture the essence of Vangelis' gloomy compositions for the original film but doesn't even manage to be a rough blueprint of the original score.

Fifthly, aside of Harrison Ford's character who returns in the last third of the film when the pace quickens up a little bit, most of the other characters are quite pale. Especially Ryan Gosling's characters is so faceless that you won't care about his destiny at all. Jared Leto's villain character seems to be stolen from a weak episode of a science-fiction television series of the late sixties at best. The few interesting side characters such as Carla Juri's are underdeveloped and only have a few minutes of screen time despite the film's epic length. It's quite ironic that the most interesting character is the main character's holographic girlfriend played by Ana de Armas. The original film had several memorable performances by less talented actors like Rutger Hauer who were pushed by a great director while this film doesn't have that chemistry despite the skilled personnel involved.

It was a pain to sit through the entire movie. I felt like walking out of cinema numerous times but I stayed because I had paid for it and because I was expecting a surprising ending. Now I know that I should have walked out. Despite the great director involved, several outstanding actors and actresses on board and even one of the best soundtrack composers in the history of cinema, Blade Runner 2049 is boring, hollow and uninspired. The original film was overrated in my book but this sequel is plain horrible. It's a mystery why this film got such a solid critical acclaim but hundreds of negative reviews prove that I'm not the only one who disliked this vapid flick. For me, Blade Runner 2049 even beats the shallow Kong: Skull Island in terms of negativity and is what I consider the worst film of the year. My suggestion for you is to read Philip K. Dick's novel instead of spending any money on this disaster.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Here are a few pictures from the fifth and last day of my short autumn road trip. I drove all the way from Brantford to Niagara Falls where I spent about two and a half hours. Sincerely, I would have liked to stay much longer. The attractions were outstanding, the weather was great and I was walking around with a smile on my face all along. It has been the first time I came back to Niagara Falls in more than ten years and only the second time in total. The last time I went there, I was still a high school student myself and had plenty of fun. What a trip down memory lane. In the afternoon, I drove all the way from Niagara Falls to Gatineau. There were some traffic jams in and around Toronto as one might expect but the rest was fine. I hope I will return to Niagara Falls soon and stay for a few days, maybe to see the falls during winter time. The last day was a great conclusion to my short autumn road trip even if I didn't have the time to visit Hamilton and Belleville. This means that I will make one or two weekend trips to these towns in a foreseeable future.

Niagara Falls.

Horseshoe Falls.

Look at both falls from the Canadian side with a rainbow due to the mist.

Niagara Parks Falls Incline Railway.

Steampunk fountain inside Galleria Shops.

Entrance of Fallsview Casino Resort.

Look at Horseshoe Falls from inside Galleria Shops.

Oakes Garden Theater.

Canada's last remaining Hard Rock Café.

Rainbow Bridge between Canada and the United States of America.

Under Rainbow Bridge looking back at downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.