Whether you like summer blockbusters, action packed sequels, or Canadian indie flicks, there's a movie waiting for you to watch it in your local theatre this weekend. We've taken a close look at some of the new movies rolling into theatres, but don't forget to head on over to our Recently Reviewed section to read reviews of all this week's newest releases.
First up, we have Fast & Furious 6, the sixth incarnation of the auto-obsessed populist action franchise. It's business as usual for Vin Diesel and his crew of merry stunt drivers, but is six films too much for this increasingly derivative series? You'll have to read to find out.
And speaking of derivative sequels, Zach Galifianakis and the Wolf Pack return for The Hangover III. Director Todd Phillips marginally improves on the film's predecessor, but by steering away from the franchise's traditional formula, ends up sacrificing laughs in the process.
Family-friendly animated feature Epic offers enthralling action scenes and gorgeous detail, while Picture Day is a candid coming-of-age indie that hints at real talent in its director and stars.
And last but not least, Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier returns with the romantic comedy Love is All You Need. But how does this middle-aged foreign flick stack up next to the Kathryn Heigl and Kate Hudson romps that seem to dominate the genre? Click above to read and find out.
Of course, these aren't all the movies in theatres this week. Check out our Recently Reviewed section for reviews on even more great films.
Last weekend, Kanye West premiered the music video for his latest song, "New Slaves," with projections on buildings around the world. If you missed it the first time around, then you'll be pleased to know that Yeezy will be repeating the stunt this weekend. If you head over to Kanye's website you'll see a map of the world showing dots where projections will be shown in the next couple of days. Sadly, there are none in Canada, although there are a number in the U.S., plus many in Europe and even in a couple in New Zealand. Consequence of Sound points out that Def Jam has...Read More
While almost all of the details are forthcoming, it looks as if Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz will issue his sophomore follow-up to last year's Based on a T.R.U. Story this September. News of the LP came today (May 24) over Twitter, where the rapper wrote, "FEATURES ON HAULT [sic]... NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY SEPTEMBER TENTH!!!!" While we have a due date for the record, it doesn't appear to have a title as of yet. The other nugget of news to focus on from that tweet is that 2 Chainz will lay off the guest spots for the next little while to focus on his own material. Will yesterday's...Read More
Alasdair Roberts is currently touring the UK in support of his recent Exclaim!-approved A Wonder Working Stone, but the Scottish indie-folk favourite has announced he'll be heading our way in the summertime. Roberts hits North America this July, with festival and club dates booked on both sides of the U.S./Canada border. While the trip kicks off in Louisville, KY, the artist has upcoming shows taking place in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Winnipeg. You can peep the details down below. Exclaim! praised Roberts' latest Gaelic-flecked folk rock LP for featuring tunes that ran from...Read More
Those who are attending NXNE in Toronto from June 10 to 16 doubtless already have a jam-packed schedule of concerts to check out, but here's one you might want to consider: Hand Drawn Dracula's label showcase will take place on June 15 at the Garrison, and it features a reunion from Toronto alt-pop act Tangiers, plus a free 7-inch from up-and-comers Beliefs and Greys. Tangiers released their debut album, Hot New Spirits, in 2003, and their most recent LP was 2005's The Family Myth. Since then, the band's Josh Reichmann has focused on projects like Jewish Legend, Dopes, Bad...Read More
Last month, Toronto's Still Life Still hinted that their next record was on the way via the stream of new tune "Burial Suit," and now the act have revealed their plans in full. The upcoming LP, titled Mourning Trance, drops August 20 through Arts & Crafts. A press release explains that the ensemble tracked the record in Toronto with producer Alex Bonenfant (METZ, Crystal Castles) and it came out of a year's worth of demoing. As previously reported, many songs were scrapped along the way, but the band ended up crafting 10 keepers for Mourning Trance. This includes "Burial...Read More
Grizzly Bear member Chris Taylor's Terrible Records is about to get a boost via a new worldwide distribution deal with indie titan XL. Billboard reports that Taylor and Terrible co-founder Ethan Silverman's first release under the partnership will be Australian new wave artist Kirin J Callinan's Embracism LP, which arrives July 2. A minimum of two other releases are included in the deal, though it's uncertain at present just which records those will be. The distribution deal is intended to promote lesser-known artists on Terrible, like recent signing Empress Of,...Read More
Damien Jurado has yet to announce a proper follow-up to 2012's Maraqopa, but the Seattle-based singer-songwriter will slide a reissue of his 2003 set Where Shall You Take Me? into stores next week. The 10th anniversary edition arrives on double-LP this Tuesday (May 28) via Secretly Canadian. A press release notes that the original LP was "mostly acoustic with very sparse band arrangements" and tips its hat to Raymond Carver, Scarecrow-era John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen-circa Nebraska. The latter of which is apparently due to Jurado's lyrics on "young...Read More
Last year, reports indicated that cult hip-hop greats Digable Planets might make a full-scale return, but this never came to pass. Instead of launching a comeback, the group are reissuing their 1994 hip-hop classic Blowout Comb. This double-vinyl reissue will arrive on May 28 through Light in the Attic. The first 150 online orders will be limited-edition white vinyl, while all copies with come with an embossed cover, fold-out poster and new liner notes. Order it here (sadly, the white vinyl is already sold out). This pressing will preserve the 13-song tracklist of the...Read More
Following a recent prison stint and yet another arrest, troubled teenager Chief Keef is once again making headlines with his bad behaviour. This time, he has laid into Katy Perry with a vicious Twitter attack. On Tuesday (May 21), Perry tweeted about Keef's song "I Hate Being Sober," writing, "I now have serious doubt for the world." The rapper didn't take too kindly to the criticism, writing, "Dat bitch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my Dick" and "Ill Smack The Shit out her." He also implied that he would record a diss track about the pop singer. Somewhat surprisingly,...Read More
Yonkers, NY death metal veterans Immolation are back with their latest release, Kingdom of Conspiracy, their ninth studio album and follow-up to their 2011 EP, Providence, and 2010 album, Majesty and Decay. The new record features the dark subject matter that Immolation have become known for throughout their 25-year career, but as vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan explains in a recent Exclaim! interview, Kingdom of Conspiracy is also a concept album that incorporates Orwellian themes. "It's our first concept album that we've done intentionally," Dolan says. "People...Read More
Implodes recently impressed with their album Recurring Dream, and now that atmospheric post-rock band's own Ken Camden is preparing to release a new album of his own for Kranky. Space Mirror is out on July 29. This is the Chicago-based Camden's second album for Kranky, as it follows 2010's Lethargy & Repercussions. A press release notes that the album has a cosmic theme and uses guitar as its primary instrument. The record includes six songs, most of which are well over six minutes long, with the whole thing clocking in at over 40 minutes. The announcement...Read More
On their forthcoming second album, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, UK-based duo Mount Kimbie (aka Kai Campos and Dominic Maker) continue to explore a wide range of sounds, textures and influences, leaving constricting labels like "post-dubstep" for others to debate. "It's quite important for some people to have a name for whatever is going on, but it does seem like a bit of a waste of time, really. What is a very crucial part is that we leave no doors closed," Maker tells Exclaim! of the band's attitude towards being pigeonholed. "A lot of what makes Mount Kimbie what it is is the...Read More
Following 2011's artistic step-up Within and Without, Ernest Greene has announced he will be resurrecting his Washed Out project for a new full-length. Titled Paracosm, the record will arrive on all the usual formats on August 13 via Sub Pop, with a UK/European release to drop the day before on Weird World. The album was produced by previous studio collaborator Ben Allen in Georgia, and according to the press release, we can expect another big shift from Greene, who is embracing the idea of escapism for the new record. The PR explains, "On Paracosm, the...Read More
Remember Remy Shand? He's a Winnipeg R&B singer who signed to Motown Records and scored a hit with his 2002 album The Way I Feel (including songs like "Take a Message" and "Rocksteady"). It looks like Shand may finally be venturing out from the "where are they now?" pile, since he's recently uploaded a few new tracks to YouTube. As Soul Bounce points out, Shand posted a soulful new tune called "Where Are We Going?," along with a vintage-looking found footage video. According to the caption accompanying the clip, Shand played all of the instruments and recorded and mixed it...Read More
Swedish disco artist Sally Shapiro just recently served up her latest long-player, Somewhere Else, but next week she'll unveil even more tunes via a companion piece remix LP dubbed Elsewhere. Paper Bag puts the collection in stores May 28. Save for the original LP's intro and outro ("Prescript" and "Postscript"), Somewhere Else's tunes get re-envisioned by the likes of the Field, Little Boots, Studio's Dan Lissvik, Nite Jewel, Young Galaxy, and the Tough Alliance's Henning Fürst. The songs also get shuffled around for the tracklisting, which you can see below. While...Read More
It's been almost 10 years since SNFU served up their last LP, In the Meantime and in Between Time, but the Canadian hardcore pioneers make their comeback this fall with their next full-length effort, Never Trouble Trouble Until Trouble Troubles You. A firm street date has yet to be announced, but Cruzar Media has confirmed the LP arrives sometime in September. SNFU had previously revealed plans for the LP in January on their blog, noting that founding vocalist Mr. Chi Pig and members Jon Card, Sean Colig, Ken Flemming and Kerry Cyr were "preparing the ancient art of guttural,...Read More
Third Man Records has gotten into the reissue game as of late, having recently released archival recordings from Sun Records, the early blues era, and Public Nuisance. Now, Jack White's label is looking to the past once again and dropping previously unreleased 7-inches from a pair of influential Detroit cult acts: RockFire Funk Express and the Underwear Heads. RockFire Funk Express were an early incarnation of the band that later became pioneering proto-punks Death. The Hackney brothers — David, Dannis and Bobby — never officially released any music under this name, but they...Read More
Skeeno Youth Crew innovators 7 Seconds have announced they've signed to Rise Records to deliver their first LP since 2005's Take it Back, Take it On, Take it Over! Details are still developing behind the as-yet-untitled LP, but the hardcore band will head into a Sacramento studio this summer to lay down a number of tracks. The record will feature the long-standing line-up of vocalist Kevin Seconds, bassist Steve Youth, drummer Troy Mowat and guitarist Bob Adams. "We have about 20 new songs that we'll record the best 13 songs from. This new record will be all about the energy and...Read More
Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto officially opened a decade ago this year, and the downtown hub is celebrating the milestone with a free concert series that will run from this month all the way until October. The 10th anniversary programming actually includes two different music series. The Lunchtime Live! series takes place on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and it includes performers like the Wilderness of Manitoba (September 16), Elizabeth Shepherd (September 23) and the Devin Cuddy Band (October 7). Indie Fridays, on the other hand, take place on Fridays between 8 and 10 p.m....Read More
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