Time heals all wounds.  Such an adage hopefully applies to Creed.  After taking some years apart, Scott Stapp, and his bandmates in Creed have reunited for what is possibly the band’s strongest album to date.  Guitarist Mark Tremonti is actually getting far more time this time around, than on the band’s previous trio of albums.  It makes this album somewhat similar to Alter Bridge.  And Stapp himself is taking center stage on the album as lyrically, the entire album comes across as Stapp airing his personal demons.

Songs such as “Away in Silence”, “On My Sleeve”, and “The Good Fight” are just a few examples of Stapp trying to show that he has been to the bottom of the barrel, and is still trying to make his way back up.  “Away in Silence” is perhaps the softest, and most emotional song on the album.  According to interviews, Stapp said that this song was about how his wife nearly left him because of how bad off he had gotten himself.

Fans of the band’s heavier sound won’t have to worry about this album’s overall sound despite the likes of the aforementioned songs.  Overall, ‘Full Circle’ has more of the heavy sound started on ‘Weathered’ in the likes of “Bread of Shame”, “Suddenly”, “Fear”, and the album’s lead single/album opener, “Overcome”.  These songs are more “testimony” from Stapp, lyrically.  But musically, they are some of the heaviest songs that the members of Creed have written in their time together.

Some critics have said and written that despite the overall heavier sound of this album, there are no “radio friendly” songs on the album, and that this could hurt the album.  That could not be farther from the truth.  The album’s title track is perhaps the most peculiar song on the record, making for a song that will make fans, both new and old sit and listen.  And then there is the ballad-esque “Away in Silence”, and even “A Thousand Faces” that could easily be used as radio singles. 

Radio singles aside, the combination of songs on Creed’s fourth album has made for an album that shows perhaps the band has indeed come full circle.  There is material for fans of the band’s softer side, and plenty for the band’s harder edged side, and even music for those in the middle.  Regardless of which sound fans will be able to tell that this album has definitely come full circle..  Now, fans of Creed can only wait and hope that this release will prove Creed truly has come full circle itself, and will now be able to manage multiple projects without self destructing once more.

The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest films to ever grace the silver screen.  It has transcended generations for seventy years now.  In celebration of that anniversary, Warner Brothers has released a 70th anniversary edition of this “wonderful” movie.  This new edition of “Oz” is outstanding both as a box set, and standard dual disc DVD.  The standard double disc set is impressive, and well worth the money.  It is chock full of extras, including featurettes such as “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:  The Making of a Movie Classic”, and “Memories of Oz” (which was a special aired by Turner Classic Movies) among so much more.  For those people who are much more avid “Oz” collectors, Warner Brothers has also released a box set loaded with plenty of extra memorabilia.  This box set, along with the standard double disc DVD are mirrored by a blu-ray edition, as well.

For those who are just fans of the movie (and who isn’t), the standard double disc edition is a wonderful addition to any movie library.  Its primary featurette, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:  The Making of a Movie Classic” is the best of the included features.  Narrated by famed actress Angela Lansbury, it gives an in depth history lesson on the making of the movie.  Among the tidbits of information included in this feature was the trouble involved in merely casting the movie.  A hint for those who didn’t know this:  Almost all of the cast that audiences have come to know were not the first choices for the roles.  This includes Judy garland.  Shirley Temple was actually the first choice for Dorothy.  The primary feature is not the only one narrated by Lansbury.  She also narrates another miniature film history lesson in the trailers originally used to promote the movie.  Before each trailer, she gives audiences a background on each trailer, explaining the importance of how each trailer was made. 

Another nice feature added to this set was in the audio vault feature.  It includes old radio show pieces that promoted the movie.  Each one is one more piece of the overall history behind the movie.  It gives fans an even larger look behind the scenes at just how big the movie was, and how much went into promoting it.  Along with these radio shwos are some deleted scenes, including the full original dance scene by Ray Bolger when Dorothy first meets the Scarecrow.  It helps audiences appreciate just why that scene was shortened. 

The Wizard of Oz is by and large among the greatest movies in the history of Hollywood.  It is a movie that has transcended generations, and will continue to do so for probably seventy more years or more.  That is the main thing that is echoed throughout the special features of this outstanding DVD.  And while this will likely not be the last time the movie is re-issued, it will continue to be a movie worth buying on every anniversary to come.

Based very loosely on the popular children’s book, the movie adaptation of the book takes more than its share of liberties. But being that the original book is so short, the only way to make the movie work was to change so much around.

The changes start early on as Max actually physically runs away in the movie, rather than running to his room, and escaping into a fantasy world. This adaptation makes the Wild Things’ island a real place, rather than make believe. While this adaptation was a stretch, making the Wild Things’ island a real physical place made for some beautiful cinematography. The scenes throughout Max’s adventure were outstanding. It was “wild” (pun fully intended) to see winter on one side of the island, spring on another, and even a desert on another part.

Along with the cinematography, those who created the Wild Things are to be applauded as well. It is next to impossible to tell if they were actually physical characters, CGI creations, or a combination of both. Carol, and the other Wild Things are very reminiscent of Jim Henson’s famed Muppets in how they were made. It would be no surprise if those who craeted the the Wild Things perhaps worked for Henson at one point in their careers.

Carol is a very good mirror image of Max in this story. His actions, and belief that he is misunderstood, are much like Max, which explains the bond formed between the pair. When Carol feels that he’s been deceived and betrayed by Max, that is kind of how Max feels about his own life back at his own home, which led him to run away to the island. There is a point in this movie involving Carol that would validate it receiving a “PG” rating. It might lead some younger audiences to be somewhat scared. The Wild Things themselves are not scary. But them talking about eating their king, and the scene between Carol and Douglas could have helped that rating along.

The big screen adaptation of this classic children’s book tells a wonderful story of friendship and family. The overall story is more than a little different from the original book. The cinematography and character design are a plus to the movie, too. Despite all of this, it is unlikely that the movie will manage to be a hit for later generations. It may set a certain bar for its storytelling, and production values. But considering certain darker elements of the story, it likely won’t be a hit for later generations, unlike the book from which it was adapted.

One more part of the massive Peanuts holiday collection, ‘I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown’ is the “little brother” to the more well known “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.  This time around, the lesser known of the Peanuts holiday collection comes with an extra holiday special in “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown”.  The newest edition of this warm, family friendly special also includes an insightful look into the use of Rerun Van Pelt.  It helps viewers to better apprecaite this lesser know of the Peanuts holiday specials. 

The featurette, “Sibling Rivalry:  Growing Up Van Pelt”  is an insightful look into Charles Schulz’s use (and lack thereof) of Rerun Van Pelt.  Explanations from Schulz’s widow, and friends helps viewers to better understand, and appreciate this lesser known character, and equally lesser known holiday special.  It is interesting to see how easily Peanuts fans could confuse Rerun with his older brother, Linus, because of something as simple as the brothers’ attire.  What is most interesting in this featurette is mention of the belief that Schulz used Rerun to mirror himself.  This somewhat contradicts the belief that Charlie Brown was a mirror of Schulz.

“I Want A Dog For Christmas” is the runt of the Peanuts holiday specials, much like Rerun Van Pelt was the runt of the Van Pelt family.  The use of such a minor character is likely the primary reason that this holiday special is lesser known than its predecessor.  Nontheless, it is just another Peanuts special about a boy and his dog; just not the boy and his dog that most people would normally think of.  What’s mroe, in an era of less than family friendly programming—even in the holidays—and flash-in-the-pan tv shows and holiday specials, “I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown” is a welcome addition to any family’s holiday collection. 

Crushing. That is the best possible way to describe ‘The Infection’. The sixth album from this six-piece is the best that this band has been since its breakthrough, ‘The Impossibility of Reason’. Lyrically, ‘The Infection’ is largely a nihilistic record, but there are some seemingly more positive tracks in the form of: “Destroy and Dominate” and “Try to Survive”. Musically, though, one can’t help but be impressed. Perhaps a large part of the success of this record is due not only to the band itself, but the men behind the band.

One look at the lineup of who worked behind the scenes on this record, and it will become evident as to why this record is possibly one of the best metal records of 2009. Already famed producer Zuess (Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) mixed the album, Ted Jensen (Alice in Chains) mastered the record, and Ben Schigel—who has already worked with Chimaira in the past—all worked behind the scenes on this record. Such an amalgamation of names with equally impressive track records has continued their track records on this outstanding metal opus.

In comparison to the limited edition double disc edition of this album, Chimaira’s fans would be better off buying the single disc edition, unless they are so into the band that they want to spend the extra money just to see the making of segments. These segments usually tend to be disappointments when bands record them. It marks the second time Chimaira has done this, as the band previously did it on its Ferret debut, ‘Resurrection’.

Chimaira has come a long way since its Roadrunner debut, ‘Pass Out of Existence.‘ That album (produced by Mudrock) was a muddled mess. Since that time, though, this six-piece metal machine has only gotten better over time. And with the release of ‘The Infection’, Chimaira has shown that it is at the top of its game. What the future holds for this band, only time will tell. But if this record is any indication, Chimaira will continue to spread its infection again and again.

Clutch is one of those bands that has come to be known for a specific type of sound from one album to the next.  The sound, in particular, from this band, is the psychadelic, bluesy-southern sludge rock sound.  While every album that Clutch has released has done a good job of using that sound in a different way, anyone who knows Clutch’s work can tell a Clutch song from other bands.  ‘Strange Cousins From The West’ doesn’t stray very far from that formula.

On the band’s most recent album, Neil Fallon and company (who have been together since the band’s inception so many years ago) continue to use the formula that has made them such fan favorites over the years.  But this time out, the band has revisited the days of ‘Robot Hive/Exodus’ for its new album.  This is both in terms of its sound and lyrical content. 

The lyrical content is left to the listener to decipher, as has been the case from Clutch on every one of the band’s releases.  This time, though, the band has taken an even stranger turn in crafting a song about Abraham Lincoln; yes Abraham Lincoln.  Only Clutch could get away with making such a peculiar song.  The aforementioned song is not the only oddity on this album.  Listeners can take their pick of any song on this album, and will, in turn, be forced to try and decipher them.

Musically, ‘Strange Cousins…‘ is more similar to ‘Robot Hive/Exodus’ than any of the band’s other albums.  These two albums don’t have the hard rock edge of the band’s other albums, making them really stand out among the band’s body of work.  This is not an entirely bad thing.  But for a band that has made a name for itself by utilizing a specific sound, having one more album sound similar to so much of what the band has been doing all along leaves very little to the imagination or expectations.

Hatebreed has made a career of making brutal, crushing music that is lyrically uplifting at the same time.  The band’s new self-titled record does plenty to maintain that reputation.  However, there is one slight difference on this record from some of the band’s previous work.  Thanks to a hanful of songs on this album, the band sounds more like Dry Kill Logic, at some points, and like Slayer on others.  This is thanks to frontman Jamey Jasta trying his hand at something similar to singing on some tracks, and some outstanding guitar riffs on others.

Lyrically, Hatebreed’s new album is just as uplifting as the band’s previous efforts.  Take “Not My Master” for instance.The song opens with the line, “This day is worth living/This fight is worth fighting/This hope is worth hoping/What I walk away from is not my master.“  It’s obvious here what Jasta is saying.  The song continues on this positive track as it goes along.  “In Ashes They Shall Reap”, “Escape”, and “Through The Thorns” continue on in similar fashion, along with the majority of the album’s songs. 

The positive lyrical content of the album is not the only bonus from Hatebreed this time around.  Hatebreed released this album in two formats.  One was as a standard single disc release with all of the songs, plus a single bonus track.  The album’s other format was a double disc edition that included a full 13-song live performance from the band.  So those people who were unable to buy the band’s recent live DVD now have the opportunity to experience one of the best hardcore bands in the industry.  It is also a bonus for fans who have never even had the opportunity to see Hatebreed live in person. 

Hatebreed’s self-titled release may not be the band’s absolute best record.  As with any band, Hatebreed’s fans will argue what is the band’s best work.  Nonetheless, considering the combination of musical and lyrical content, along with the dual formats of the release, Hatebreed’s self-titled release will be a welcome addition to the collection of any Hatebreed fan.

‘Backspacer’ is the album that Pearl Jam fans have waited for ever since the band began to break away from the grunge scene so many years ago on its sophomore release, ‘vs.‘ Ever since that album, Eddie Vedder and company have made a concerted effort to distance themselves from what was one more fad of the music industry. Now, years later, that effort has finally paid off in ‘Backspacer.‘

This album is not much different from Pearl Jam’s previous releases in terms of its general sound. The difference between those albums and this one is that the aforementioned albums were not as upbeat as this one in general. That difference is exhibited in just one listen through this opus. The album opens with quite the upbeat song in “Gonna See My Friend”, and continues in similar fashion until the album reaches “Just Breathe.“ After that slower ballad-esque piece, the band makes an effort to pick things back up, tempo-wise, if only slightly. The only other ballad-esque pieces on this album come in the form of “The End”, and “Speed of Sound.“

The songs on this album are similar to the band’s previous works. But interestingly enough, it is more listener friendly than the band’s previous work. But the songs aren’t the only bonus to this album. Another bonus to this album is the inclusion of the ability to download two full length concerts from a long list of choices provided by the band. Listeners should make sure to have winzip before they download their favorite pair of concerts, as all of the concerts are zipped. Being that Pearl Jam has made a habit over the years, of cutting the bootleggers off at the knee with their own bootlegs, having two more live concerts to download is one more way that they are cutting off the bootleggers, and one more bonus to picking up what is easily Pearl Jam’s best album in a long time.

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Coraline is hardly the most original story ever written.  It is basically Alice in Wonderland, only darker.  However, considering the explosion of CG-based movies on the market today, this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book by the same name is a visually stunning work.  The teamwork of writer Henry Selick and famous/infamous director (depending on how one views him) Tim Burton has made Coraline a disturbing, yet intriguing story both in terms of its art, and the story.

Coraline could so easily be compared to Alice in Wonderland in that young Coraline Jones finds a “secret door” in the new house that she and her parents move into.  She follows it into an alternate world where she gets all the attention she wants from her “other” parents, only to find out that everything isn’t exactly as it seems.  The Bell (belle?) Down (voiced by Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark, Desperate Housewives) is a wonderfully despicable villain.  She could easily be compared to the Queen of Hearts.  The cat in this story is obviously comparable to Alice’s Cheshire Cat.  Even the flowers in the garden could be compared to certain flowers from Alice’s story.

Perhaps it is a coincidence.  Perhaps not.  But Burton is helming the newest adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, for Disney Studios.  That incarnation of Alice is due out in 2010.  Maybe in watching it, Coraline will get many people thinking about Alice in Wonderland, and thus it will generate interest in the upcoming adaptation.

While the story itself is not the most original, there are still aspects of this dvd that make it worth renting or buying.  The best aspect of this movie, aside from its art, is the fact that it offers both the 2-d and 3-d version in a single disc.  Both versions are offered on a single disc both in the standard edition, and the 2-disc special edition.  The special bonus features of the 2-disc edition are not all that enticing.  So those who just want the movie are rewarded for renting or buying to this extent.  Consumers are not forced to go with the 2-disc edition if they don’t want to.

Coraline is not the most original work that Tim Burton has ever been attached to.  Ironically, it is also not the darkest story he has ever worked on.  It is dark, but it is actually beautiful, and intriguing, too.  It is a movie that is a fun watch both for fans with a “goth” side, and for fans of the fantasy genre.  In the grand scheme of things, Coraline will be an easily forgotten movie, as a result of its comparisons to the story of young Alice.  But perhaps the good thing from this movie is that it could at least be used for any college students studying communication or film studies semester after semester

Hanna Barbera and Warner Brothers have teamed up to finally release more spacey fun from America’s favorite futuristic family, The Jetsons.  The wait for the second season seemed like an eternity, as fans saw releases of Scooby-Doo, and so many other classic Hanna Barbera cartoons hit stores, while this one simply sat in the vaults.  Now, after so much waiting, the first half of season two has finally seen the light of day.  The wait being over, fans can rejoice.  But they also have reason to be upset, too, as this release is only the first half of season two.  As long as fans had to wait for this half of the show’s second season, there is no telling how long the people at Hanna Barbera and Warner Brothers will wait to release the second half of the season, as well the rest of the show’s seasons.

On the plus side of things, this half of season two has plenty of family fun (which according to the special feature, was the intent, versus the first season).  According to the special feature, “The Jetsons Return To The Future”, the show was more aimed at kids in the second season with the introduction of the family’s second pet, Orbity.  Orbity brought more focus to Elroy and Judy, versus Jane and George.  As was noted in the special feature, this made the show more relatable to younger viewers.

It is interesting to learn in the special feature that there was a twenty year span between the first and second season of The Jetsons.  That gap is evident in the animation style.  The artists tried to maintain a somewhat 1960’s style animation, even in the episodes created in the 1980’s.  And they were successful in their attempts, to say the least.  Not only that, but the space age themes were just as fun in the 1980’s as they were in the 1960’s.  That was another aspect that despite that twenty year lull managed to stay in tact.  Just one more aspect that makes The Jetsons one of the most beloved cartoons of all time. 

The Jetsons is a prime example of animation at its best.  The futuristic themes created in this show are ageless.  And the fact that it is family friendly programming is likely the biggest positive to this show.  In an age when television is dominated by so much sex and violence (and children’s cartoons that aren’t even appropriate for all children) The Jetsons will continue to shine through as some of the best programming in the history of television.