I got a chance to catch the screener for this movie. All I anticipated this movie to: 1) to have a big plot twist, 2) to have me on the edge of my seat. It only seemed to deliver on the former. This movie definitely has an unexpected plot twist, but it is certainly not a thriller. Well at least not to me and the other people in the theater. The packed theater seemed to see this movie as more of a comedy than a thriller.
The entire movie is filled with witty and funny commentary that had the audience laughing hysterically. Once the plot twist came, people were still laughing. It got to a point where I couldn’t tell if this movie was a comedy or a thriller. There were scenes that were so exaggerated that the audience had no choice but to laugh. There is one point in the movie were the female killer stands up and runs at someone in slow motion (“300” style). The audience busts out laughing at this (see a pattern here). I started to even wonder if the directors deliberately made the movie this way. Meaning: “did the directors make this movie to make fun of the ridiculousness of other thrillers?” and “is this movie a caricature of itself?”
As far as everything else about the movie goes, the acting and dialog is great. The actors seem to perfectly emit the feelings the way the director/producer intended it. The other part of the movie I really liked is the scenery. The Hawaiian view is terrific.
But back to the main idea, to really have to understand all of what I’m talking about, you would need to see the movie. But that means I would be recommending this movie to you, and that’s something I’m hesitant to do. Its not that it is a bad movie, you just have to accept it for what it is, or isn’t. This movie has an identity crisis, so it makes it hard for me to rate it. As a thriller, it is bellow average (4/10), but as a fun comedy, it’s a 7/10. I think this is something that, if you do see it, see it with a group of people and have fun. I liked it because it was free and I had no expectations. Someone that pays for this film will feel robbed. I say to just wait for the DVD and watch it with a group of friends.
Most memorable quote from the movie: “I’m a damn American Jedi!”
Score: 6/10
Download or Buy: Download
Matt and Kim- Grand (Album Review)
My fist time seeing this duo was when they ran through Times Square naked. I’m talking about their video for “Lessons Learned”, of course. The video caught my eye, but the catchy song had me replaying it. The next time I heard a song from them was in a Bacardi commercial for “Daylight”. They even have another song (“Good Old Fashion Nightmare”) used in the commercial for a new show. This was all enough for me to decide to give this group a shot.
I’m not familiar with Matt and Kim’s first album, but if it is anything like this album, then I am in no rush to hear it. Don’t get me wrong, this is by no means a bad album; it just doesn’t have enough there for me to call it a great album. Go and listen to the three songs I mentioned earlier, and that’s pretty much what to expect from the entire album. They seemed to play it safe by making all the songs sound similar. Most of the album has the same happy-go-lucky, feel-good vibe to it. As far as the sound of it goes, its very simple beats that consist mainly of drums, a piano, and hand claps. Some beats even seem hip-hop inspired. Matt sings on the songs and he has an interesting voice that fits the music.
Another problem is that the album is about 30 minutes long. It feels like its over before it even begins. If you’re going to make an album that short, it needs to be great (see: Nas-Illmatic).
On a more positive note, it is also a catchy album; but that seems to be all there is to it though. I can see many people (including myself) listening to it for a couple of weeks because it’s so catchy. The problem is I don’t see myself listening to this album after about month.
Even though their sound is overused on this album, I like their sound. They are a breath of fresh air to music because they are so different. the problem is that I don’t see that freshness lasting very long. I want badly to give this a higher score because of this but this album is mediocre/good at best. It is definitely worth a listen though. At least Youtube their singles.
Best songs: Lessons Learned, Good Old Fashion Nightmare, Daylight
Score: 6.5/10 (5 is average on my scale)
Download or Buy: Download
After reading various reviews online, I decided to go see this movie. I must say it lived up to the hype. It has a fantastic melancholy vibe to it that is somehow beautiful. It is a Swedish movie that is fully subtitled. This isn’t the greatest movie ever, but it left such an impression on me that I’m here writing a review for it, months after I’ve seen it.
This movie is about a loner kid named Oskar. He is constantly picked on at school. He has no friends and he constantly fantasizes about stabbing his bullies. He is practicing one if his ritual stabbings on a tree when a young girl named Eli spots him. This is the start of an eventual friendship between the two. It’s later discovered that Eli is a vampire, but that doesn’t seem to bother Oskar. He doesn’t care what she is because she is a friend to him. This is essentially what this movie is about: a friendship/love between two people. This movie does a good job at developing their relationship and showing you why they care about each other so much.
There is another relationship that isn’t explained as well; and that’s with Eli and her caretaker, Hakan. Since Eli is a vampire, Hakan kills people to provide her with the blood needed for her to survive. It is not specified in the movie who exactly this man is. The audience is expected to make their own educated interpretations. You may want to do your own research after watching the movie (hint: it’s explained in the book).
Another good thing about this movie is that it is not your typical vampire movie. Don’t expect stakes to the heart, garlic cloves, or bats. Eli is a vampire trying her best to be as human as possible. Eli doesn’t kill or have people killed because she wants to, it’s because she needs to.
It is hard to go too deep into this movie without ruining it. Just watch it. You will not be disappointed. As stated earlier, make sure you read about the movie after watching it. You’ll be surprised at what you missed and what wasn’t stated.
Feel free to post a comment so we can have some discussion about this great movie.
Score: 9/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
Ah, the never-ending debate between Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Both of these games are really good and I suggest getting both (I own Rock Band 1 and 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour). But if you have to get one here’s a little help to get you to make a better decision.
Single PlayerThe single-player of these two games is very different. Guitar Hero’s single player is designed to get you to get all of the songs relatively quickly. Songs are preset on playlists and you never need to play them again after you beat it. Rock Band on the other hand has a very very long Tour mode. You play in different cities around the world and it can take really long to unlock some songs. If you are looking to gend the game fast, Guitar Hero is for you. If you want a long drawn out Tour, then Rock Band 2 is for you. Hard to pick a winner, this is more or less your preference.
Edge: Draw
Customization
This one is a no-contest. While Rock Band gives you some pretty hot guitars, it is nothing compared to the custom instruments you can make in Guitar Hero. You will have a great time making an instrument that defines who you are.
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Presentation
Rock Band is by far the cleaner looking game. The note highway is a lot easier to follow. The flat notes are much better than Guitar Hero’s round notes. The character design is also better in Rock Band. The only thing that I can give to Guitar Hero is its cameos. Seeing Jimi Hendrix and Travis Barker is awe inspiring.
Edge: Rock Band
Songs
This is extremely hard to decide on. First, id like to mention that there are about 16 songs that are in both games. Outside of these songs, these are pretty different set lists. Both have a great balance of popular and unpopular songs. Guitar Hero seems to be tailored more to rock fans, so new rock listeners may feel out of the loop while songs like “Any Way You Want It” will leave people feeling right at home in Rock Band 2 ('cause seriously, who doesn't like Journey?). From personal experience, more people seemed to just have more fun with Rock Band.
Edge: Rock Band
Instruments
The instruments for Guitar Hero are very advanced compared to Rock Band. The guitar can let you string together notes using something called a “slider”. The bass in Guitar Hero has an extra note that you can play by strumming and not holding any notes. That adds another element to the bass, making it way more challenging. The drums have cymbals that add a bit of realism to the game. Overall Guitar Hero’s instruments are more challenging than Rock Band. That adds extra long term value to the game. It should also be noted that both sets of instruments are compatible with each other.
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Gameplay
Comparing the gameplay is basically splitting hairs. At the core, these are the same game. As I said earlier, the presentation of Rock Band is cleaner and more user friendly than Guitar Hero World Tour, making it easier for newbies to get into it.
Edge: Rock Band
Downloadable Songs
This also comes down to personal preference. I like Guitar Hero World Tour’s downloadable content better because it has a bunch of songs I didn’t expect to see (The Vines, The Raconteurs, and Incubus).
Edge: Guitar Hero World Tour
Overall, Rock Band Prevails as the better game. Gamers looking for a challenge will disagree, but to them I would tell them to think about what they are playing. This is a party game that is made for a group of people. Not everyone is meant to play on expert (I am). With that in mind I would recommend buying Rock Band, and then Guitar Hero World Tour if you crave more of a challenge.
Winner: Rock Band
Score: 9/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
Guitar Hero World Tour
Score: 8.5/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
In a time where great hip hop is almost impossible to find in the mainstream, this album came at a great time. This album is a breath of fresh air. Almost every song on this album is either good or great. This is the type of album you can just throw on and listen from beginning to end without skipping a track.
The sound of this album is very relaxing. If I had to compare it to any album I would have to say it has hints of Andre 3000’s The Love Below (only on some songs). Of course it sounds like a Tribe Called Quest album. With that being said, it is still not an album that sounds outdated, but old Hip Hop heads will not be disappointed.
The song content ranges from his life growing up in NY, the state of hip hop, and even people that join the army to have a purpose in life (“Lookin for your soul, and WMD's/You can't find nothing, cause its empty”)
One problem that people may have with this album is that it keeps the same pace and vibe throughout the entire album. Songs like “Move” provide a change of pace, but after this it goes back to “Rennisance Rap”, a slow song. Appearances by Norah Jones, D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, and Amanda Diva keep it at this pace.
If you liked the old Tribe Called Quest albums, you will love this. If you are looking for something worthy of your money this is it. This is an album every hip hop fan should be listening to. I think if this album came out 10 years ago I would possibly give it a lower score, but since it came out in a time were mainstream Hip Hop is almost comedic, I’m inclined to give it a high score. If you liked the single “Getting Up” then buy the album.
Best Songs: We Fight/We Love, Gettin Up, Move/Renaissance Rap
Score: 9/10
Download or Buy: Buy!
New emcee 88 Keys puts out a solid album with Death of Adam. It is nothing mind blowing, but it is a good album. Unlike other rap albums today, this album tells a story. The entire album follows a character by the name of Adam (great name, by the way). Adam as a normal guy from uptown New York this is on a quest for some poon (or whatever you want to call it; maybe “va jay jay” suits you). Anyway, the first couple of songs show Adam having a tough time getting woman because of his nice guy image. Then Adam decides from this point on he will stay out of the dreaded friend zone.
The middle of the album focuses on Adam’s time as a player/pimp phase in life. Since this is a story, I don’t want to ruin it for you. But basically things take a turn for the worse after this. All topics involved with sex come up in this album but you have to listen to it to see how it concludes.
The sound of this album is similar to that of Kanye West. Kanye actually makes an appearance on “Stay Up”. I’m struggling to find someone else to compare him to because he seems to take a lot from Kanye. To those that hate Kanye, 88 Keys has a lot of his own style on this album, so it is still very original.
Other appearances include: Phonte of Little Brother, Redman, and Bilal.
Overall this album is very good all the way through. 88 Keys is still relatively new so he has a huge amount of potential to be really good or even great. Because he is a new artist, I am struggling to give this a “Buy!”. If you do buy this I highly doubt you will be disappointed. To be safe, download it, and then buy it if you like it.
Best songs: Stay Up, Morning Wood, M.I.L.F
Score: 7.5/10
Download or Buy: Low Buy
Epic. That is the only word that comes to mind after watching this movie. This is a movie filled with action packed robot goodness. It is Transformers 1 done to the nth power. There are more explosions, more transformers (easily about 40+), more kick-ass fight scenes, and more Megan Fox.
I am sure you will hear various reviews online bashing this movie, and with good reason. There is plenty to love here but there is also plenty to hate. The plot will likely aggravate the Transformer fanatic. It is filled with plot holes and just plain nonsense. Despite all this the plot is not terrible. It does a good job at making likeable characters. You will even find yourself cheering on some of the Transformers during the fight scenes. My advice to the person seeing this movie is to see it with no plot expectations. This movie was made to show robots getting ripped in half in slow motion. If you end up liking the plot, great, but if not, don’t fret because the action is A+ worthy.
I would also like to add that I saw this IMAX, and I honestly feel that is the only way to watch this movie. An online stream of this movie is nothing compared to the IMAX Experience. I was with someone who saw it in the normal theater before watching in IMAX and he said there is no comparison. If you read this review after the movie is out of theaters, I would recommend you find someone with a Blu-Ray and a big screen and enjoy.
In IMAX this movie is probably a 8.5. At home this is probably a 7.5. Given that, a fair rating seems to be an 8.
Rating: 8/10
Download or Buy: Buy!