Summer Blockbuster Review: Another Sequel or A New Start?

Continuing from the last movie review this is the second group of summer bkockbusters I have checked out...


If you were a fan of the first Fantastic Four movie then you will be a fan of this one also. They both got mixed reviews. They both have funny parts with The Human Torch and The Thing. They both make point to show off Jessica Alba's beauty. They both do a decent job of showing off the powers of the characters. They both have something missing that you just can't put you finger on. The difference is that the sequel introduces the Silver Surfer for a future spin off movie (which is why he was underused in this movie). This movie had me leaving the theater thinking it was worth the purchase but the more I thought about it the more I thought "that sh*t just wasn't that good." LOL. I see this one as wasted pointential...I had higher expectations.










John Mclain is back in the fourth installment of the Die Hard series in Live Free and Die Hard. I had my apprehensions about this movie when I heard they were making it about 6 months ago. First thought, "this n!99a Bruce Willis need to stop that sh*t." LMAO! But after giving it some thought and hearing all the hype about it I realized that out of the three previous movies three of them were tight. Why shouldn't I check it out...right? Luckily for me I was correct...this time. Bruce did his thing once again and made another one for the collection. It's not a perfect movie but none of them have been but if you like action, jokes, and a realistic hero...this is the one for you.

If you grew up when this cartoon first came out you MUST go see The Transformers. If you didn't grow up during this time you still need to go see this movie. This is one of those movies that just have everything right to keep you entertained. I had a coworker say he felt it was the best movie of the year. I wouldn't go that far (especially since 300 came out this year) but I will definitely agree that this movie is well worth the viewing. I'm trying to find someone to go see it with a second time. LOL. Just in case you are worried they didn't make it so kiddie that you feel like a fool if you are a grown ass man going to see the movie. It definitely has appeal for all ages and is action packed. Go see this movie if you haven't!





I haven't read a single Harry Potter book but I have seen each of the movies. I have yet to be dissapointed in any of these movies. The first one was directed more toward the enjoyment of children with some tight concepts and graphics mixed in that were very entertaining. Each movie after the first has become progressively darker and detailed as they go along making them more and more intriguing and interesting for an adult watcher. The Order of the Phoenix followed the same guideline as it was much darker then the previous and has added so much to the story now that I am actually thinking about trying to read the books. I'm already anticipating what happens next and hope they get a movie in for all seven books before they are done because (say what you want) these movies are dope....dope like DC in the late 80's dope. LOL.

It's pretty evident the summer has turned up as far as the movies go. I left out Ocean's 13 because I never saw the previous one and won't watch them out of order. To be concluded next time with "Talk To Me", The Bourne Ultimatum, and more.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

So this year has been a huge year for the NBA allstar Tony Parker. He won another championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs and got the finals MVP and he married one of the finest women on television, Eva Longaria.









Well during all the time that his normal activities were taking Tony Parker still had time to get smacked upside the head with a hammer. That is the only excuse I can see for this nonsense...

I knew that this dude had a hobby of rapping but come on. I wonder if this is hot in France...LMMFAO!!! I so hope this is Eva's idea. That's the only excuse he could use to get a pass from his boys in the league. Oh but it gets much worst...



Have you ever heard Fabolous on a track with other people and thought he murdered them before this...??? :- I wish I knew how much he was paid for this one. LOL. Question: If all of your videos have basketball in it isn't that a sign that maybe you should stick to basketball...is it just me? I'm offended that this bama took time away from Eva for this. LOL.

The Hip Hop Purist

-How can you claim to be a true hip-hop head if you aren't willing to listen to everything?!!?
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-You damn near a backpacker right now!
-......
-Man you one of them...psuedo...save rap...Hip Hop Purists...



That's the title one of my coworkers gave me in a discussion where he was trying to convince me to listen to a Chamillionaire CD. LMAO! I'll tell you just like I told him...I've never claimed to be a hip-hop head...but I can't be a backpacker if my three favorite rappers of all time are Biggie, Beanie, and Jay-Z...and hip hop purist may be the best explaination for my stance on hip hop.


See, I am all about lyrics. I grew up on the tail end of the era in hiphop where there WERE NOT just as many popular producers as there were rappers. In fact there were only like 5 - 6 producers that we actually knew the name of and most were featured as a part of a group...Dr. Dre, DJ Premiere of Gangstar, The Umma of Tribe Called Quest, Eric B. (with Rakim), Jazzy Jeff (with The Fresh Prince), and Marley Marl. It wasn't until the late 90s where the producers really became popular. I say this to say that this is what being a Purists is to me. I focus on lyrics...lyrical wordplay and lyrical content to be exact. My heart has a weak spot for the content side but to be great you really need to have both along with many other aspects of a hip hop artist (that's another discussion).

Last Wednesday on the 4th two of my cousins (along with one of their friends) gave me a big reality check on just how bad the views of an 18 and 19 year old can be when it comes to hip hop. We talked about the 5 best rappers still doing it right now and these ignorant sumumabitches name 4 rappers that I don't even think should have record deals and Lil Wayne. LOL.(I'm dead ass serious about that one though) But the kicker is that both of them bamas proclaimed that Lil Wayne has been the best rapper in the last 6 years...WTF!!!! Correct me if I'm wrong but that's 2001, right? I can't even begin to name how many rappers have overshadowed Lil Wayne in the last 6 years. That statement scares me...I mean how do you grow listen to rap the last 6-7 years and really believe that. Them lil dudes made me feel really really old...LOL! I like Lil Wayne but I was so mad that day that had he been out there I would have been a notch on some security guards record book. LMAO. And then these two lil shit stains told me that the greatest rap group of all time was the Hot Boys. After I came back to my senses after my blackout I found my two cousin laid out across the driveway and there friend running across the backyard with blood on his shirt screaming...I guess they could tell I was a lil passionate about this topic. LOL.

After that conversation I just had to write a blog talking about what I think a hip hop purist is. I consider it that rap fan that loves to hear a good beat but ONLY as a compliment to good lyrics and not in place of. The hip hop fan that listens to an album to actually see what the artist is talking about and not just to get hype or party. The person that likes creativity in your rhyme scheme and the ability to tell a f*cking story. That guy that actually knows the value of emotion and passion in rhymes and content that gives you all aspects of that persons character. The guy that is praying that more of these lame duck artists will fall off and some of these new guys will get it. I don't care who makes your beat, if you ain't saying sh*t I ain't listening! And if these things are what being a "hip hop purist" is then I embrace it wholeheartedly!!!

Other than that all I really want to do now is name my top 10 favorite albums (don't know why but it just seems like the right thing to do to end it off. LOL.). Again, this is my list of favorites NOT what I would say are the greatest of all time. Luckily for me I have the ability to appreciate what an album means to hip-hop and how good it is even if it's not my fave or the one I relate to the most:

10. Train of Thought - Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek)

• Not only did this album get some serious rotation in the playlist (my CD changer...LOL) for over a year but the day I cracked it open I listened to it 4 times straight thru and forgot to go to class. It was love at first listen ;-)

9. The Score - The Fugees

• I honestly think this is one of the best albums ever made although I was personally feeling some others more. It introduced us to the Rah-Digga, Joe Forte (WTF happened to him?) and The Outlawz and it was the perfect mix of lyricism and soul... I'm still waiting for these three to get it together and drop another album.
  

8. The Reason - Beanie Sigel

• This album got a solid 3 years of rotation in the playlist (my playlist normally consists of about 6 CDs I'm listening to at the time and keep rotating...LOL) and it still gets thrown in anytime I get bored with the current state of rap. This album may have the best production of any Sigel album....maybe.

7. The Black Album - Jay-Z

• I consider Jay-Z the greatest rapper of all time. I am a huge fan of lyrcal content (which tends to be more personal rap songs) and this was Jay-Zs most personal album...you put it together. (sidenote: I flip-flopped # 6 & 7 about ten times before I finished this list. LOL)

6. The Fix - Scarface

• The best work from one of hip hops best artists ever. This album gives a more mature, introverted, personal, and spiritual look at the thug/gangsta lifestyle that so many artists fake. Easily the best album of 2002, this joint commands the respect of anyone who has ever slept on Mr. Scarface.

5. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother

• The best album of 2005 in my opinion, from the first listen I was impressed with the production, lyrical content, lyrical wordplay, flow, emotion and every other aspect of rap that LB provides. This album has been in and out of the rotation since 2005 and caused me to go into a frantic hunt for all of their albums. LOL. This album is so good that me and my boy AB have coined a phrase to certify anything that we tell the other they need to have...It's called "The Mistrel Show garuantee".

4. Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z

• Lyrically, Jay-Z at his peak. Reasonable Doubt is the most all around complete album, The Black Album is the most personal but when it comes to just spitting and flow...Vol. 2 got it! I loved this album from Day 1 and played it so much my roommate stole it and hid it cause he was tired of me playing it. LOL.

3. Life After Death - The Notorious B.I.G.

• Double albums are hard to get right from beginning to end. I can't think of one track on this album that I haven't bumped at one time or another. I think it's the best Double LP to date and of course it had about a 2.5 year stint in the rotation.

2. The Truth - Beanie Mac

• This album gives you a lot of emotion & passion, content, wordplay, and the tough swagger that B Mac does like no other. The album stayed in regular rotation until the second one comes out but still gets regular play to this day. This album is the reason I can never be considered a backpacker. LOL.
  

1. Ready To Die - Biggie Smalls

• The best hip-hop album ever.

(I wanted to do a honorable mention and list the next three in line but after all that.....WHY!!! LOL)