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Hmm.... I did not review very many movies this time around.
Two men named George completed their series this year, and both came out swingin' at George Dubya.
George Lucas finished his Star Wars series with Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith. All I have to say is that it was way
better than episodes 1 and 2. Before we know it, a totalitarian government could take over, because they control the
army and start wars in the name of freedom, and silence opposition, and a one party state emerges. hmmm.... George
Romero, the zombie mastermind behind Night of the Living Dead, Dawn, and Day, released Land of the Dead. In this one,
there is a state protected from the outside (zombies), and only the leader says what is allowed in or out, and there is a
social division between the rich and the poor, and the rich live a materialistic life, while the poor struggle just to
get simple necessities like medicine and health care. Hmm.....
Other good movies were King Kong, the Edukators, The Island, War of the Worlds, Devil's Rejects, 40 Year
Old Virgin, Chicken Little, Cinderella Man, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
You saw it coming. Opeth released the best album of 2005. Ghost Reveries is the
title of the album. Their most mainstream album to date, as it entered the charts at #64, but they did not sacrifice
any of the musicality they are known for. If anything, this album is more technical than their past releases.
There are always complaints though, and some have accused the band of selling out. I will admit that Ghost Reveries
does not sound like Orchid or Morningrise, or even My Arms, Your Hearse, but their change (progression as some call it) started
around Still Life. This album just takes Opeth to new territories with heavy Middle Eastern influences (Baying of the
Hounds), an evil sounding song (the Grand Conjuration), three acoustic pieces (Isolation Years, Atonement, and Hours of Wealth),
and three classic Opeth pieces (Reverie/Harlequin Forest, Beneath the Mire, and Ghost of Perdition). A nice addition
is their new keyboardist, Per Wiberg.
Other honorable mentions; Darkest Hour, Undoing Ruin (swedish influenced
metalcore), Meshuggah, Catch-33 (experimental 46 minute long song); Dream Theater, Octavarium; Leaves' Eyes, Vinland Saga;
Kreator, Enemy of God; Between the Buried and Me, Alaska.
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