JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON: "Suicide Squad", as bad as everyone says?...

(Because they lovingly don't allow you to embed the trailer on Blogspot.)

With "Suicide Squad", there's no denying it ain't good. But what the real question is: is it deserving of all of the negative attention that it is currently getting? Is it really on par with the equally infamous, albeit ridiculously titled "Fant4stic" reboot?

God no, as it stands it will never extend beyond mediocre, at least in its current theatrical cut. It's by-the-numbers, confused as to what it actually wants to be, mixing some bizarre and irrelevant sequences which serve the sole purpose of being 'edgy' with the Marvel-esque banter between characters. It's disjointed, but as its happens, there's still some entertaining aspects to enjoy. Will Smith as Deadshot was somewhat surprising, standing as one of the few likeable characters of the squad. The material he's handed isn't exactly gold, especially the obligatory eye-rolling line of reference to the film's title, but his own charm shines through what would have been utterly forgettable if it were handled by another actor, rather than just simply bland.

Referring back in the mean time to the awkward structure, the rumours of the theatrical cut being handled by the house responsible for the film's trailers is very much believable. At times it felt as if I paid to see a feature-length music video, the montages and use of licensed tracks got that out of hand. The whole film is stuffed with licensed tracks, ranging from The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" to Kanye West's "Black Skinhead". Now, there's no issue with licensing tracks to create a specific tone or believability within a film, but this is ridiculous, perfectly showcasing how this film perceives its audience. Any moment of silence is sure to bore, there has to be music playing at a constant to keep their attention grasped! The use of silence or lack of sound can have a powerful effect, be it either a chance to grab a breather or ratchet up the tension, it would ultimately cause these outbursts of music to be much more impactful and not become just another montage. An exercise of restraint places faith into the audience to have even the slightest amount of intelligence, but instead it opts for stupidity and excess.

The holes to be found in the plot are certainly plentiful as the first act scrambles to get the characters formed before it throws them against the next giant blue beam in the sky. This time in the form of an enchantress attempting to take over the planet. I've never heard of that one before. It's wackiness in the beginning seems entertaining enough initially before it eventually just goes in one ear and out the other. By the time it changes gears, the damage has already been made. It falls into place with so many other superhero movies, the squad team up and face a climactic fight against the evil force responsible for the film's conflict. It gets the job done, but utterly forgettable. Passable, that is, if you play devil's advocate and choose not to pick it apart. (But why should you really?)

The cast is the main reason there was any semblance of fun to be had with this film, in addition to Will Smith's charm there is Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. She does a pretty great job embodying the character, fitting the role pretty perfectly. (A reason to look forward to a Harley Quinn spin-off in the hopefully near future.) Joel Kinnaman is your generic army man and Jai Courtney, bless him, has been swept off to the side, simply there to provide some completely unnecessary and often ham-fisted comic relief. That's because an Australian handy with a boomerang is good enough to take down an ungodly supernatural force capable of destroying human-kind. Maybe one day he can finally happen. They really should have stopped after "Terminator: Genisys", to be perfectly honest.

Now, there are plenty of issues to be found in "Suicide Squad" to continue to babble on about and it is most certainly a product of excessive studio meddling, contrary to what director David Ayer has been saying. Pulling a Josh Trank can only cause your career to go downhill and frankly, who can blame him? All we can hope is for the inevitable 'extended cut' to come along and hopefully restore some clarity. Or to prove that this film may have and forever will be a bit of a turkey. It's mediocre. Yes. On par with "Pixels"? I'll let you be the judge.

MEET ME DOWN AT TOWER 28: Weezer's "White Album", the soundtrack of the summer?

Weezer. The power pop outfit that started at what may be their highest with the "Blue Album" and "Pinkerton", they then took a tumble throughout the 2000s with a string of frankly horrible releases culminating in the insultingly generic and overproduced "Raditude". But with their most recent albums they've mounted a comeback with a return to their '90s roots in "Everything Will Be Alright in the End" and now the "White Album", exploring themes common in society whilst also sticking to their strengths, loud guitars, pop culture references and memorable hooks. (i.e. what made their first two albums so great.)

The album begins with no time wasted, jumping straight into its summer aesthetic with "California Kids". The Beach Boys' influence is immediately felt even in its opening seconds, a sugary opening riff welcomes you in as waves roll onto the beach, seagulls chirping and all. The perfect way to start your ode to the sunny beaches of L.A., essentially. It glorifies the Californian way of living, there's no stress to be found here: "The California kids will throw you a lifeline," [Rivers] Cuomo gives as a word of advice. In terms of contextualising the album's overall feel, "California Kids" does it more than enough justice.

The care-free nature continues with "Wind In Our Sail", where a loose concept begins to emerge and is strung throughout the rest of the album. A simple tale of boy meets girl, they share their time together before it ends and the summertime blues kick in. This track, in addition to its concept, feels like a little self-aware prod at their past work and how they've been trying to make it back to their glory days. They're back in their prime, their sound reinvigorated: "We've got the wind in our sail!"

It takes a turn for the downright bizarre with the delightfully weird "Thank God for Girls", consisting of rap rock verses and religious metaphors with an explosive chorus. It cheerfully plays with gender stereotypes, putting it on its head from the perspective of Rivers, quite the opposite of your generic hunky guy as he looks upon a girl. She's so big, she's so strong. Past this the drums in particular are to be commended on this track, punchy and always at the forefront, specifically when they kick in halfway through the first verse. But, if you thought the song was weird as I did, wait until you see the music video. (Which I can't embed due to YouTube's lovely settings in regards.)

The weak link in the chain is "(Girl We Got A) Good Thing" which, alongside "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori" are passable. Still enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable, opting for a sound that is too sweet even for its own concept, the former having an almost Christmasy jingle bell persist throughout the whole track. The latter has lyrics that are somewhat cringeworthy, including a shoehorned reference to Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", taking their own strength of referencing pop culture and turning it against themselves for this one and thankfully only instance. These two tracks let down what would have been the perfect summer album, but by no means does it ruin the overall picture. Merely a sum of its parts.

"Do You Wanna Get High?" is a nod to their abrasive tone adopted on "Pinkerton", kicking things of with a wailing guitar all too reminiscent of its opener: "Tired of Sex". It honestly does feel as if it was an unused recording from that era plucked and placed onto this new release, a time capsule back to 1996. Perhaps it contrasts with the 'beach album' vibe that it has crafted to this point, but a return to this sound is forever welcome. A worthy track that harkens back to the good ol' days.

"King Of The World" immediately follows, an ode to his wife who was previously mentioned on "Pinkerton"'s "Across the Sea". It's written specifically for her at the height of their relationship, starting with some dark lyrics pertaining to the crash of MH370, abuse and nuclear bombs. Certainly dark for Weezer's standards anyway, throwing back to the Beach Boys once more, throwing darker lyrics against a contrasting upbeat instrumentation. A wonderful contrast. The opening riff is to be lauded, drilled into my head for many days after first listen, keeping me coming back with its crunch. It's a hopeful track, simply a man wanting the best for his loved one.

Now, what is by far and away the best cut on this album is "L.A. Girlz". It's a call for maturity, a plea to take Rivers' feelings into account instead of just disregarding him. "Please act your age," he cries. The tone is reminiscent of the "Blue Album" b-side, "Susanne", a tribute to a fan of Weezer. It's gleeful guitar riffs and innocent lyrics bring it all together, perfectly encapsulating what is album is and what it is trying to be. It's one for the sunshine, a bittersweet summer album with immense replayability, enough for me with this track alone. "Sweeten up your lemonade and meet me down at tower 28," is contender for one of the best lyrics of the year, that line alone bringing butterflies up in my stomach every time I hear it. An intangible feeling.

The two closing tracks, "Jacked Up" and "Endless Bummer" is where it all falls apart for our concept character, the hardships have come and on the latter track, the relationship is over. The finale to this album is down and out, pleading for the summer to finally end, to be over and done with. Forgotten. The Beach Boys influence once again arises, the track title itself being an allusion to their album, "Endless Summer".

Along with this and "Everything Will Be Alright in the End", Weezer have finally gotten their act together. There are some highlights on their weaker albums throughout the '00s, but on the whole they let themselves fall into generic pop complacency which is, you guessed it, completely and utterly forgettable. This however, is beyond worth it. Even on a rainy summer day, its sure to keep your spirits high and that's all it wants. It's a feel-good album, chock full of solid tracks, none of which stretch past three minutes. It's gone as quick as it starts, much like the season itself.