Many are calling Iron Man the great superhero ever made. I simply can’t go that far. Although well made and a top notch performance from Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man just left me wanting more after its viewing. Although I must admit that the character known as billionaire Tony Stark has quite an interesting back story and the film never got boring. But the most ardent defender of this film has to admit that the last 1/3 of the film seemed very reminiscent of another blockbuster film of 2007, Transformers, which left me taking points away from Iron Man, due to lack of originality. Iron Man, in the world of comic books, is not an A-list superhero, like Superman, Batman or Spiderman. But as far as superhero movies go, Iron Man gets an A for ambition. Rating: *** 1/2 out of 5 stars.
June 2, 2008
May 12, 2008
Hating to be the one to admit it, but P.Diddy and MTV has finally done what it set out to do – put out an above average act with star quality on their joint effort reality TV show Making The Band. Although not a perfect CD, Day26’s self titled debut is about the best new release that I’ve heard this year (which really isn’t saying a lot with the lack of new releases by major artists thus far). It has a nuice mxture of uptempo and slow grooves for any R&B listeners music pleasure. And these cats can actually sing. The production is also up to snuff and keep things groovin’. Especially tracks like the first single, “Got Me Going,” “If It Wasn’t For You” and the sultry “Since You’ve Been Gone.” Rating: **** out of 5 stars
March 1, 2008
Nonchalant, halfhearted attempts by Janet Jackson at reclaiming her title of #1 Dance/Pop/R&B diva are becoming way too commonplace. Her last attempt 20 Y.O. was just downright embarrassing. This one, Discipline, is a notch superior but is in no way, shape or form in the same realm as the ’80s Jam/Lewis productions such as Control or Rhythm Nation. It would be easy to blame it on Jermaine Dupri and his average production skills but there is something else missing. Interesting tracks include the first half of the album such as the first single, Feedback, Luv, Rock with U and 2 Nite. The second half is highlighted by the best track on the album What Your Name, but the rest falls somewhere between average and poor. Best wishes to JJ and her many fans who remember when she had her hands tightly on the steering wheel and was firmly in Control, but seems as if her career has taken a wrong turn.
February 29, 2008
Review: Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (2008)
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Right off the bat, quite disappointing effort from the Queen of Neo-Soul. Of course, to be fair, any upcoming album from Badu has ridiculous expectations. But up to this point, she has relatively not had a problem with meeting those expectations. But “New Amerykah” should be given credit for not trying to be just another neo-soul joint. It tries to push the envelope – but, I think pushes it way over the edge. The first two tracks are quite bland but starts to pick up steam after that, but then hits few more bumps in the road on its way to the last bonus track, the album’s climax “Honey.” There are a few tracks here to carry a Badu fan over until Amerykah 2 drops sometime later this year, but unfortunately, just not enough. Rating:*** out of 5 stars
February 2, 2008
A lot has already been said about Cloverfield, the JJ Abrams-produced horror movie/monster mash. What does the monster look like? Where is it from? Believe it or not, these are the least of the viewer’s concerns. Bigger questions like “what would you do in a crisis of this magnitude?” “or what is with the shaky camera and why did Abrams think this would be the best way to shoot the film?” In other words, Cloverfield and the monster are scondary. What Cloverfield does do successfully is place the audience in the middle of a disaster and wants you to work your way out. Or at least ponder at the very thought. The story, the monster and the plot are all secondary. Atmosphere is what makes this movie recommendable. Rating: *** 1/2 out of 5 stars
January 26, 2008
January 15, 2008
There Will Be Blood is in limited release across the country. One must wonder why an album that has been praised so much by critics would still be in such limited. In Dallas, it is only found at one theater. One must wonder why a film with the talents of Daniel Day Lewis and the vision of Paul Thomas Anderson would be in limited release – especially given its critical acclaim. After viewing this film, it’s obvious. Although a very good film with very good performances, any studio head would know that There Will Be Blood tows the line of commercial success and being quite artsy-fartsy. In other words, it’s not for everybody. The word masterpiece has been thrown around, along with American Classic, to describe this work. I just say that it is a good film but not a great one. Although Lewis is a shoe-in for an Oscar for Best Actor. It is not eeven close – despite his moments of overacting. Rating **** out of 5 Stars.
January 14, 2008
Some albums to look forward to in 2008 include:
1. Erykah Badu’s Nu AmErykah
After three solid studio releases and a classic live album. Badu is poised to release her opus. This one being a 2-disc release, could very well be the one.
2. Dr. Dre’s Detox
After the constant waiting for this one to drop, you wonder if anyone cares. And then you listen to his two previous works and one must say that Detox will be worth the wait.
3. Janet Jackson’s Discipline
This is a big one for JJ after 2006’s lackluster 20 Y.O.. She has gotta bring it or people may be calling her a has-been.
4. Maxwell’s Black Summers Night
Remember him? We haven’t heard anything from Maxwell, one of neo-soul’s top soul men at one point in the past, since 2001. It should be interesting to see if he can rebuild an audience after a seven-year layoff.
5. Anthony Hamilton’s Me
Just another release which should remind folks how much of a great soul singer Hamilton is.
6. Lauryn Hill’s Khulami Phase
An album which we shouldn’t have been waiting on for so long. Not sure what took this one so long.
7. Van Hunt’s Popular
Hopefully, this will put him on the map after two extremely underrated albums.
8. Nas’ Ni***
The quest for Nas to release another landmark album continues. Will this be the one?
9. Usher’s TBA
Still say that he is a better dancer than singer, but a great entertainer nonetheless. His 2008 release may establish this even more.
10. Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III
One word: Gossip. After his performance of the song on the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards. heads are still checking for his latest official release.
