So I typed up a long post about Todd Phillips' latest flick Due Date but couldn't get the Blogger interface to upload the movie cover correctly and now the post seems to have vanished. Awesome. Instead, you get cliffnotes!
- Not worth admission
- Manages to be only slightly funny with amazing cast
- Must have been rushed to capitalize on Hangover hype. Don't be fooled, this is nowhere near that funny.
- The opportunity for a great road trip movie is, sadly, mostly lost.
- It's funnier than Carlos Mencia. Then again, so is everything.
- Has some laughs, Galifianakis is his odd self.
- Is better than The Other Guys
If you enjoy dumb humor, you'll probably enjoy this. The shame is that it could have been bloody awesome but turned out to be a steaming pile of mediocrity.
Let me first say that I haven't been into much hip-hop lately, preferring the synth and bass of crazy new electronica tunes over a genre that's new players are beginning to sound just like one another. Every new artist I'm hearing sounds a lot like their peers in... a bad way. That being said, here's some thoughts on a couple hip-hop albums I have checked out:
"The Shawshank Redemption" by Bishop Lamont
I was mostly unaware of the rapper Bishop Lamont up until he, coupled with DJ Skee, released the highly flammable N*gger Noize (forgive the language, it's just what it's called) DL can be found here. Needless to say, the dude murdered every single track on that release and it got a lot of spins at the casa de mi, pero I was wanting more after the first taste of Lamont... yet he disappeared. He had been rumored to be on Dre's label, heard whispers of him being "next" in the industry etc, but nothing major ever seemed to happen.
Fast forward to this year, and the homie drops The Shawshank Redemption, a new mixtape featuring some crazy production and a new direction for the artist. While Noize was more of a fun-goofy mixed with the hardcore, Redemption feels like Bishop has changed everything. The tracks here are slower paced, the lyrics more self-reflexive and soul searching. Indeed, it seems as though this rapper has become more focused. Yet, thankfully, there's still those tracks that get me laughing out loud while I walk to class. Some notable tracks:
"Anything" - I watched Reading Rainbow every day as a kid, and this is the first time I've heard a song sample their theme. Let me just say, I was giddy when I heard it come on... then the beat dropped. Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
"Affirmative Action" - Sounds like a marching beat, the weird ass vocal sample in the background is distracting at first but fades into the background of the rest of the track. Lamont kills this.
"Get My Gun" - I'm not as into guntalk, but the drop and incorporation of the piano sample are simply too good to ignore.
"I Like Yo Face Bitch" - I don't care, look at that title. Hilarious. The chorus is hilarious too.
To be fully honest, I probably prefer his older mixtape just because I'm in a place in life where goofy ass rap is what I'm looking for. Yet this album delivers fun with serious business in a way that simply cannot be ignored. Please make sure to download it.
[Had album art up but it stopped working so; FrontBack]
If you've been paying any attention at all to the rap battle scene in the last couple of years, you should be well aware of Grind Time Now, the youtube sensation that has picked up speed and participants like no other battle movement I've ever seen. Cue Soul Khan, the glasses-wearing white guy from NY who swam in a sea of guntalking, lying, boring ass gangsta rappers and battled his way to the top. What may have seemed like an average white appearance was immediately shattered when Khan opened his mouth and spit some of the most savage and personal battle verses I'd ever scene.
Though I was always making sure to watch his battles (some of which can be found below this review), I hadn't explored any of his music. He's a member of a NY-based group called Brownbag Allstars, yet Soul Like Khan is actually his first solo album. Khan kicks off the piece with a short introduction track titled 6:30 a.m. It knocks pretty hard, and he introduces the listener to his sound immediately. I like this choice, you know exactly whether or not you're going to dig the album right away. Of course I was on board.
Soul Like Khan is a soulful album (no pun intended. Maybe), many of the tracks finding lyrical subject matter from Khan's reality and thoughts. What this means is... well... it's a very underground album, in the truer sense then a lot of "underground" hip-hop; the flow and lyrics match up with a sound I'd compare to Mos Def, Talib, a lil Sage Francis, maybe some Slug sprinkled in? That's not to say that he sounds exactly like any of these artists, but this album fits beautifully into a record collection of those mentioned above, and for that I applaud Soul Khan.
However, I do find myself wishing there were more tracks like "Knuckle Puck" on the album (shoutouts to D2: The Mighty Ducks!); hard hitting beats, great punchlines and bars, and good chemistry with guest artists. Of course, it's silly of me to expect goofy shit on a serious piece like Soul Like Khan so it's not an entirely valid criticism.
The latest installment in this epic series certainly didn't disappoint when I saw it on Saturday, but I became immediately conflicted about it after leaving the theater with my girlfriend. Here's the skinny; on one hand, I loved the books a lot and the rich world they created was truly addicting and amazing (Dear Twilight, kill yourself) and I always felt like the movies captured a lot of the magic (no pun intended) of the books. However, the films themselves (as films) aren't... really that good. The chemistry between Ron and Hermoine is decent, but every emotional beat between Harry and Hermoine feels absolutely forced and borders on outrageous. Indeed, I laughed when Harry dances with Hermoine in order to get her to cheer up. Similarly, all the "comedic" lines fall flat if you've graduated elementary school, and so do the sad scenes (with the exception of one towards the end).
Of course, when Radcliffe isn't on screen, the other supporting actors own that shit. Shoutouts to Ralph Fiennes for embodying Voldemort so damn well, and Rupert Grint for holding down our trio of protagonists. Otherwise, I could do without a lot of the performances that didn't feel... as though they cared anymore.
As for plot, I suppose I'd forgotten a lot about the book. Things surprised me, and I was disappointed to find Yates beating us over the head with the whole Nazi allegory and the carrying of amulet (horcrux) became uncomfortably similar to a certain ring from a certain well-known series. These, coupled with a lack of explanation for little details made me feel like there wasn't as much time spent with the film as there could have been, which surprises me considering they're chopping the last book into two. I will say, however, that the 3 Brothers story cinematic was beautifully done and probably the best part of the film visually.
Hermoine side-boob/10
PS: The whole book/movie comparison is a dead horse. Let's not even discuss it.
I've, of course, been watching loads of movies in my two film courses this term, but I don't want to post anything and then get accused of plagiarizing my own work (since my name isn't on this blog). It'll have to wait until the break!
Anyone know any web design? I'm thinking about starting my own website in order to host some videos/shorts that I want to get more into making, as well as move my blog there and have links to my facebook/twitter/youtube accounts. I don't know if I can really justify it since I don't get any traffic to this blog but whatevs yo.
As for my thoughts on Call of Duty: Black Ops (one of the biggest game releases this year), I did a couple on my YouTube if you're extra bored. 123
We've now watched both films in my Tokyo Cyberpunk class here at the U of O, and I gotta say; there's a ton I missed back when I first saw this movie. Upon closer inspection, I actually enjoy the entire experience a whole lot more than just ogling at the action and naked cyborg chick. GITS ends up being a really intelligent flick, with incredibly detailed artwork (beautiful cells) and some interesting questions on humanity/technology that make it all the more fun to watch and think about later. That being said, the more I see of Japanese movies, the more I realize that they like to pace things with long drawn out scenes after spending 30 or 40 minutes clipping along. It's a jarring change, but works out in this case.
Basset Hound obsession/10
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
I think I might prefer this one over the first. Why, you ask? Well, the use of ball-jointed dolls (as a nod to Bellmer) and the theme of .. well, just how freaking creepy dolls are, really sold it to me. The color palatte is warmer this time, perhaps to separate itself from the first film. In any case, we follow Batou and Kusanagi as they investigate bots who have started to kill their owners. Sound similar to iRobot? Maybe, but only in that aspect alone. What the two end up unraveling sends them on a journey to an outlying former-boomtown that reminds the viewer of Blade Runner, viewing a beautifully constructed 5-minute Parade scene that took them a year to make, and getting stuck in a loop as they try to question a famous hacker.
There's a lot of great dialogue here, but the action feels tacked on. I'd rather have a more cerebral thriller (Seven?) than have them feel as though they have to have the big action scene at the end. However, the characters, dialogue, visuals, storyline, and music are all on point so see this shit.
Isaac Asimov/10
Super speed reviews:
Ikiru: The pace kind of crawled to a halt after a while, and Kurosawa missed a perfect ending by dragging things on. Otherwise amazing/10
Rashomon: Every time I see it, the less I like it/10
The Bad Sleep Well: Great noir piece, see this/10
Tetsuo: The Iron Man: My head is full of fuck. I'm not sure if I like this, but I enjoyed it once/10
[TV stuff]
The Office: I'll say it again, if the show focused on making entire episodes like the intros, it would be better. As of now, unfunny and boring/10
30 Rock: Gotta love it. The writing is sharp, the comedy is fun, and Tracy Morgan is usually amusing. Beware, though, his character can sometimes become annoying/10
Nip/Tuck: Fucking horrible. Seriously, what's the deal?/10
Glee: I... they're very talented, and my girlfriend likes 'em so I gotta/10
Shit, it's been too long since I've updated this bad boy. I need to make a better effort on writing more consistently if only for my own piece of mind. With a new Call of Duty game just out, I found that I was craving creativity after playing it for hours on end. So I'll spew this update out real quick, then hop on some photoshop or screenwriting to cure me. I luv u
