Here is my Blackout 2 minireview: GET THIS ALBUM TODAY. That is pretty much all that needs to be said about the Method Man & Redman new album. First, we know these guys can flow with some of the best, but the greatest aspect of this album is the fact that it is so HIP HOP. What does that mean? Its rough, raw, has club appeal, and will make this a great summer for anyone who gets the album. I couldn't find one song that I didn't enjoy on the album. Seriously. It reminds me of some other great albums in Hip Hop history. Name one and it can be in the same paragraph at the least. Take the album for what it is, a critique of the current direction of the industry, a great summer album, and some slick lyrics. None of that New Age Hip Hop shit.
What are some of the standout tracks? A-Yo, Dangerous Mcees, I'm Dope Nigga, Errbody Scream, City Lights, Mrs. International, Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers, and many more. I just listed most of the album. The whole thing stands out. And I'm not the only one. Most of the people who have heard the album are saying that it proves Hip Hop is still in the land of the living.
So that is my minireview. Go get this album in whatever method you usually get your music. You won't be disappointed. I give this newest work from Method Man & Redman a 4.5/5. That means it may be one of the best albums of the year. BELIEVE IT.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Review of Kobe Doin' Work
I caught Kobe Doin' work thanks to my trusty dvr, and let me tell you, dont start watching this movie expecting to get some insider knowledge of the lakers or kobe. It was pretty much a puff piece following Kobe during a 2008 regular season game against the Spurs. Ironically, Kobe didnt actually do much work ending with 21 and not shooting that well. I will say though that after viewing this, it is clear to me just how physical the NBA is. On almost every play, contact that technically is illegal occurs, and Kobe is no different. The amount of shoving, grabbing, and sleight of hand fouls during shot attempts is quite amazing. I also got the clear feeling that Kobe was acting differently from how one would normally act with 30 cameras watching his every move. His fake laughter and overeagerness to be chummy with his team sickens me, especially because I have read several accounts (The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul) which portray him as a complete selfish idiot. The little things in his mannerisms become more pronounced, like him wiping his hands on his jersey at least 30 or 40 times. Also as good as the cinematography is, they must have shown his hideous shoes 10 times in the film, even him untying them after the game.Overall, i wish Spike had followed Lebron instead or had the presence of mind to capture Kobe's 61 point game on film against the Knicks. Nothing extraordinary, i grade it a C+. As far as ESPN productions go, I strongly recommend you check out Through the Fire about Sebastian Telafir's journey to getting drafted into the NBA. Much better stuff.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Twitter!
The following is a brief discussion on Twitter. Enjoy
Theo
Ok. So the three of us have joined Twitter and now Twitter is going mainstream. Here is some of the things I don't like about Twitter, random followers that aren't real people and fake celebs. Other than that and the fail whale, I think it is a great communication tool. Let's talk about the bad of Twitter before we discuss the good. Any other things you two can think of?
Steven
I actually like the fake celebrities, some of them are hilarious, especially Darth Vader, Yoda, Fake Bill OReilly, etc. I wish Twitter didn't have consistency issues like being turned off. I txt off at night, and it takes anywhere from 2 minutes to never for it stop updating me on the people I am following. That gets frustrating...I also would like the option to do threaded twitter messaging with selective people I follow/talk to.
Theo
I guess when I said fake Celeb, I mean the ones impersonating a real celeb (Seth_Rogen) or celebs who have assistants write their tweets (ala Brittney Spears). I turned off the text updates, too invasive for me, due to the fact that I can check the Twitterfon app every few minutes or whatever. I think the "threaded twitter" idea (something similar to Gmail reply all, etc.) is great. That way some conversations would only include certain people. I recommend that no one use Twitter via the internet unless you wanna make friends with the fail whale. I would say a twitterclient or text is your best option.
Fabrice
The thing I like about twitter is the speed at which it operates. It's still amazing to me when I put up an update and 4-5 people have seen that shit and responded. I also like the way me, you Steve, Alexis, Matt, and the rest of our crew get together at night and have our random convos. It's like an AOL Instant Messenger conference call or something.
You can help us keep the discussion going by adding your comments! We'd like to know what you think of Twitter, so be sure to share!
Theo
Ok. So the three of us have joined Twitter and now Twitter is going mainstream. Here is some of the things I don't like about Twitter, random followers that aren't real people and fake celebs. Other than that and the fail whale, I think it is a great communication tool. Let's talk about the bad of Twitter before we discuss the good. Any other things you two can think of?
Steven
I actually like the fake celebrities, some of them are hilarious, especially Darth Vader, Yoda, Fake Bill OReilly, etc. I wish Twitter didn't have consistency issues like being turned off. I txt off at night, and it takes anywhere from 2 minutes to never for it stop updating me on the people I am following. That gets frustrating...I also would like the option to do threaded twitter messaging with selective people I follow/talk to.
Theo
I guess when I said fake Celeb, I mean the ones impersonating a real celeb (Seth_Rogen) or celebs who have assistants write their tweets (ala Brittney Spears). I turned off the text updates, too invasive for me, due to the fact that I can check the Twitterfon app every few minutes or whatever. I think the "threaded twitter" idea (something similar to Gmail reply all, etc.) is great. That way some conversations would only include certain people. I recommend that no one use Twitter via the internet unless you wanna make friends with the fail whale. I would say a twitterclient or text is your best option.
Fabrice
The thing I like about twitter is the speed at which it operates. It's still amazing to me when I put up an update and 4-5 people have seen that shit and responded. I also like the way me, you Steve, Alexis, Matt, and the rest of our crew get together at night and have our random convos. It's like an AOL Instant Messenger conference call or something.
You can help us keep the discussion going by adding your comments! We'd like to know what you think of Twitter, so be sure to share!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Death Race Review
Death Race is loosely based on the film Death Race 2000 (an interesting film with hilarious special affects and a pretty good cast) except it lacks the political preachiness of the original. Death Race is set in the future after a collapse of the economy. Our hero is a hardworking factory employee, an ex-con, and a former race car driver. His factory gets shut down and he only got paid $300 for 120 hours of work. Cut to him being set up for his wife's murder and 6 months later heading to the Death Race island prison. The female warden (also one Pamela Landy from The Bourne Ultimatum) is a hardass bitch and she is responsible for bringing him to the prison. Another driver (the best supposedly) is named Frankenstein and he dies in the beginning. However, she keeps his legend alive and wants our hero to impersonate him. Why? TV ratings. This storyline is completely bogus. Not at all believabe, but who cares? It's all about the ultimate in auto destruction. Frankenstein is an audience favorite who just won't die. Hilarious.
The race has three stages. During the first stage, it's clear that one of the racers acting on the wardens orders killed his wife and stole his daughter. This movie has a lot of interesting little funny parts, but I think the movie is good for one reason: it's so fucking bad. I mean, terrible plot aside, it is really bad. The unintentional comedy is high and I would recommend it to everyone. LOL.
Now back to the film. The original had a somewhat political message. So far, this one has none to speak of. No worries. It will be all about fast cars and big wrecks. Also, Tyrese has a line about "racecar reflexes" that is hilarious! Not because it's funny, but because he is so serious as he says it. In stage 2 they teamed up to survive (and our hero gets revenge on his wife's killer). But in stage 3 we will have the final "battle". An attempt at winning your freedom. Stage 3 will have sabotage, intrigue, and more blood and guts than the previous stages combined! Do you want to know what happens? Well, like Tyrese says, real brave coming over here. LOL. What does that mean? Not a damn thing. I give this film 5/5 on the "weird action movies that you can watch because they are unintentionally entertaining and have good action" scale. I put it somewhere inbetween Mad Max, Commando, and Death Race 2000. Don't worry about the many plot holes and terrible lines, but enjoy the insane action and ridiculous premise for what it is: FUN.
The race has three stages. During the first stage, it's clear that one of the racers acting on the wardens orders killed his wife and stole his daughter. This movie has a lot of interesting little funny parts, but I think the movie is good for one reason: it's so fucking bad. I mean, terrible plot aside, it is really bad. The unintentional comedy is high and I would recommend it to everyone. LOL.
Now back to the film. The original had a somewhat political message. So far, this one has none to speak of. No worries. It will be all about fast cars and big wrecks. Also, Tyrese has a line about "racecar reflexes" that is hilarious! Not because it's funny, but because he is so serious as he says it. In stage 2 they teamed up to survive (and our hero gets revenge on his wife's killer). But in stage 3 we will have the final "battle". An attempt at winning your freedom. Stage 3 will have sabotage, intrigue, and more blood and guts than the previous stages combined! Do you want to know what happens? Well, like Tyrese says, real brave coming over here. LOL. What does that mean? Not a damn thing. I give this film 5/5 on the "weird action movies that you can watch because they are unintentionally entertaining and have good action" scale. I put it somewhere inbetween Mad Max, Commando, and Death Race 2000. Don't worry about the many plot holes and terrible lines, but enjoy the insane action and ridiculous premise for what it is: FUN.
Guest Review of Angels & Demons
This is a guest review of Angel & Demons, by Anthony Davis (Oakwoodite and Twitterer, as well as a Mac specialist). Check him out here.
So I went to see Angels & Demons last night at Monaco (Huntsville, AL). I already knew that I would enjoy the atmosphere of the theater. The Scene Lounge always has a great feeling about. There's a level of sophistication there that doesn't feel native to Huntsville. I enjoyed a few drinks with friends and strangers before we headed up to Prive' (VIP balcony seating). A couple trailers played, though none of the blockbusters scheduled to release this summer. The only trailer that I did get excited about was for the Johnny Depp and Christian Bale movie Public Enemies. I believe that this is the type of movie that The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford should have been.
Now I must admit that I go into Angels & Demons having never read the book by the same name or having read The Da Vinci Code . Only understanding that it was the sequel to blockbuster The Da Vinci Code which I have seen. I also go into the movie knowing that the religious views of the Roman Catholic church differ from mine. But I simply wanted to see a good movie. I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and had highly anticipated this sequel.
The movie starts of very quickly, not wasting time trying to explain Dr. Langdon's importance or the Catholic church's issues with him. Though the premise of the movie is clear very early in the film, unlike it was in The Da Vinci Code, you are left intrigued by the historical references and clues that Dr. Langdon follows. I've said before that this series is a more complex and clever National Treasure. Though there is no real action in the film, the pace and urgency in solving these clues helps to give you those highs that contrast the lows that are necessary for any film. The sets in the movie are impressive. Especially when you stop to think that many of the scenes were not shot in Roman Catholic churches because church officials forbade it after the controversy created by The Da Vinci Code. The use of CGI for some of the sets were subtle and well done. Director Ron Howard does a good job of keeping you engaged throughout the whole film. The traditions of the Roman Catholic church and the protocol of the Swiss Guard, who protect the Vatican, kept me very much interested throughout the entire film. Anyone who enjoys history and myth should enjoy this film. Even my friends who had read the book said that they enjoyed the movie. I give this movie 4/5 stars.
So I went to see Angels & Demons last night at Monaco (Huntsville, AL). I already knew that I would enjoy the atmosphere of the theater. The Scene Lounge always has a great feeling about. There's a level of sophistication there that doesn't feel native to Huntsville. I enjoyed a few drinks with friends and strangers before we headed up to Prive' (VIP balcony seating). A couple trailers played, though none of the blockbusters scheduled to release this summer. The only trailer that I did get excited about was for the Johnny Depp and Christian Bale movie Public Enemies. I believe that this is the type of movie that The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford should have been.
Now I must admit that I go into Angels & Demons having never read the book by the same name or having read The Da Vinci Code . Only understanding that it was the sequel to blockbuster The Da Vinci Code which I have seen. I also go into the movie knowing that the religious views of the Roman Catholic church differ from mine. But I simply wanted to see a good movie. I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and had highly anticipated this sequel.
The movie starts of very quickly, not wasting time trying to explain Dr. Langdon's importance or the Catholic church's issues with him. Though the premise of the movie is clear very early in the film, unlike it was in The Da Vinci Code, you are left intrigued by the historical references and clues that Dr. Langdon follows. I've said before that this series is a more complex and clever National Treasure. Though there is no real action in the film, the pace and urgency in solving these clues helps to give you those highs that contrast the lows that are necessary for any film. The sets in the movie are impressive. Especially when you stop to think that many of the scenes were not shot in Roman Catholic churches because church officials forbade it after the controversy created by The Da Vinci Code. The use of CGI for some of the sets were subtle and well done. Director Ron Howard does a good job of keeping you engaged throughout the whole film. The traditions of the Roman Catholic church and the protocol of the Swiss Guard, who protect the Vatican, kept me very much interested throughout the entire film. Anyone who enjoys history and myth should enjoy this film. Even my friends who had read the book said that they enjoyed the movie. I give this movie 4/5 stars.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Biased Star Trek review
The title says it all...I enjoyed the Star Trek series (original, next generation, and the movies...hold the rest of that mess) for most of my life (not a Trekkie or a Star Wars guy, I just like movies...). So, when I heard Star Trek was being remade I was excited. Would it live up to the hype?
We get to the Monaco theater in Huntsville, AL and enter the "VIP" theater. I like the Monaco as a theater...really steps up Huntsville's game. We get into our seats and I plan to sip my Woodford Reserve on the rocks and tweet to my heart's content. Previews for GI Joe and Transformers 2 were good (GI Joe was better), but I think Hollywood is afraid to try new stories. Every big picture is a remake, a book, or a continuation of something that has worked before. This has got to stop...however, I digress.
*SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW*
(scroll down to end of review for final rating)
The beginning of Star Trek is completely BADASS! The movie doesn't really slow down from there. James T. Kirk's father is killed in the beginning while saving his son and wife's lives from a big ass Romulan mining ship that has been fitted for war. From there the movie shows us young Kirk and young Spock. We see some of the events that shaped each character (and made them completely amazing...) and get some great information about Vulcan culture. By the way, Kirk is a complete arrogant bastard and it works GREAT in the film.
The rest of the movie has no real twists or turns, but we do find out a lot about each character you used to love in the original series. The special effects are good (understated, yet well done) and the plot moves. You aren't really waiting around for the movie to keep going...just when you think you can chill, the shit hits the fan.
I guess I can't really go into more detail (so soon after the movie opened) and give great SPOILERS, but I can say that if you like Star Trek you will give this movie at least a B. I gave it an A because it is in my top 5 of the series. WHY? Because I think when it is combined with the series and the original set of films the nostalgia factor is HIGH. It brings everything full circle.
Go see the movie and enjoy it. Don't expect to be baffled or surprised by the plot, but enjoy the greatness of space with your friends Spock and Kirk. My rating? 4/5 stars. Enjoy.
We get to the Monaco theater in Huntsville, AL and enter the "VIP" theater. I like the Monaco as a theater...really steps up Huntsville's game. We get into our seats and I plan to sip my Woodford Reserve on the rocks and tweet to my heart's content. Previews for GI Joe and Transformers 2 were good (GI Joe was better), but I think Hollywood is afraid to try new stories. Every big picture is a remake, a book, or a continuation of something that has worked before. This has got to stop...however, I digress.
*SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW*
(scroll down to end of review for final rating)
The beginning of Star Trek is completely BADASS! The movie doesn't really slow down from there. James T. Kirk's father is killed in the beginning while saving his son and wife's lives from a big ass Romulan mining ship that has been fitted for war. From there the movie shows us young Kirk and young Spock. We see some of the events that shaped each character (and made them completely amazing...) and get some great information about Vulcan culture. By the way, Kirk is a complete arrogant bastard and it works GREAT in the film.
The rest of the movie has no real twists or turns, but we do find out a lot about each character you used to love in the original series. The special effects are good (understated, yet well done) and the plot moves. You aren't really waiting around for the movie to keep going...just when you think you can chill, the shit hits the fan.
I guess I can't really go into more detail (so soon after the movie opened) and give great SPOILERS, but I can say that if you like Star Trek you will give this movie at least a B. I gave it an A because it is in my top 5 of the series. WHY? Because I think when it is combined with the series and the original set of films the nostalgia factor is HIGH. It brings everything full circle.
Go see the movie and enjoy it. Don't expect to be baffled or surprised by the plot, but enjoy the greatness of space with your friends Spock and Kirk. My rating? 4/5 stars. Enjoy.
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