012009 I Love It When You Call Me Big Papa

My favorite hip-hop artist of all time has finally had a biopic made of him, not to mention the first hip-hop biopic in film history; Notorious (not to me muddled with Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film Notorious).  Since I saw the trailer a couple of months ago, I was instantly enlivened to see this film being an avid Notorious BIG fan growing up which inevitably makes it difficult for me to escape the bias when watching, analyzing and critiquing this film. 

The story and short life of rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls but better known as The Notorious BIG was brought to life by a first acting gig, unemployed and expectant father, Jamal Woolard who did an impressive job of capturing the voice and talent of Wallace himself; again, this being his first acting job ever. Director George Tillman Jr. did an excellent job capturing the city and souls of Brooklyn of the 90's it was damn near palpable. The film is a strong biopic because of its strong validity; involving his relationship with West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur and the birth of a coast to coast feud as well as the relationship of female rapper Lil' Kim or as I like to refer to her, Slut Mobile. I was skeptical about actor Derek Luke playing Sean "Puffy" Combs, but I realized this was a younger Sean Combs in a different era of hip-hop almost 10 years ago and I honestly was surprised by his performance; it wasn't Oscar worthy but it was good nonetheless. 

Though dead narratives always leave me baffled, it seemed to work coherently well for this biopic and didn't necessarily bother me too much. Tillman took an idea out of Gus Van Sant's Milk and blended stock footage and film together for that more genuine "based on a true story/life" feel/vibe. 

As a fan, I know BIG only as an artist. Though it's just a "movie" (yet a biopic), it allowed me to recognize him as Christopher Wallace; a humbled and harmless, flawed individual who loves and cares for the people close to him. 

If you're not a BIG fan nor a fan of hip-hop I still recommend seeing this movie due to it's candidness and accuracy of the lives and struggles of lower city persons such as Brooklyn, how successful a talented young drug dealer such as Wallace can become which allows us to recognize how much we can pursue with the abilities we have at our current situation of "survival".

cheers.

011509 Is That Your Final Answer?

It's still screener season, and luckily I was able to catch Slumdog Millionaire while it is still showing in theaters.  Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Picture, I must say it truly deserves such honor.  Danny Boyle's direction in this film was very classic; the abundant use of dutch angles and staggering slow motion blended very well with the contemporary stylized editing and extraordinary score and music. The style of how the (on foot) chase scenes were edited reminded me of City of God (2002), one of my favorite films of all time.

I admire how the Indian culture can be bestowed upon us through the art of film; acting, writing, song, dance, scoring, etc. It's delightful to see a British director such as Boyle take a risk to shoot a film entirely devoted to one culture and introduce it to the world; talk about diversity. 

This is probably the most unique (and sometimes suspenseful) love story I have seen since Kaufman and Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), also one of my favorites, but it was much more than a pre-destined love story, but also a story about the life of Jamal Malik, the impoverished Indian growing up (and surviving) in the slums of Mumbai who ends up on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The delivery and structure of the story is extremely enticing and perfect for the "youtube/ADD" generation due to its sort of non-linear plot; Boyle takes us to and fro, from past to present with elevated relevance as the film progresses. It was very well written, the acting was fairly superb, and the themes and symbolism in the film are heavy; a lot can be taken from this film, but I don't want to get into that without spoiling anything for those who have yet to see it. Definitely worth seeing, and it's definitely owner worthy when it releases on DVD.

CHEERS.

010909 The Wrestler

I had the privilege to see The Wrestler this morning for $5 (though it was worth much more) @ the AMC Marina theaters.  This was a highly anticipated film for me ever since I saw the trailer a few months ago.  I'd go as far to say that this is the best film of 2008 (since it was released last year). The last film I saw in theaters that left me speechless was There Will Be Blood, but even I know a few words came out of my mouth while exiting; the wrestler pretty much left me winded.  

Mickey Rourke made a credible return to the big screen as a somber, lonesome, damn near washed-up has been, yet humble, small town professional wrestler.  He completely lost himself within the compassionate character Randy "The Ram" Robinson and gave an uncanny performance that pretty much brought me to tears.  This is truly unorthodox in respect to Darren Aronofsky's previous works, and probably his best thus far. The entire film felt like a documentary due to the trailing shots behind Rourke, as well as the handful of semi-shaky handheld shots, and the early 90's film grain. The writing was superb yet simple with a few wrestling colloquialisms and the story was heartfelt, gripping, and delivered flawlessly. 

Despite the pseudo-distraught and solitary themes, the film is about passion and sacrifice with a couple of linear references to accompany those themes. Growing up as an avid wrestling fan myself, I admired the passion and sheer commitment "The Ram" had for wrestling which would not have been plausible were it not for Rourke's passion for the character and his work. 

The relationships between the characters were artificial, yet we wanted them to coexist. It made me realize that we are and forever will be unbalanced with one another as far as intimacy and relativeness go.  We will always wear a mask and disguise our inconveniences with desire and never fully understand one another no matter what the relationship is. We were and are strangers nonetheless. 

010809 Yes, Cash Back Please.

And a happy Wednesday to you too. 

In exchange for a bag of sour gummy worms and $10 cash back, I had the privilege to witness some new, yet good friends, play at the Roxy tonight in Hollywood. Run Doris Run is what they call themselves and what we shall go along with as long as they plug and play till our ear drums are the source of Mike Oncley's drumsticks snapping. 

The crowd wasn't the largest, nor the liveliest but some individuals dipped their foot in the water of dance and indulged with us in some swift leg exchanges and arm waving hubbub. But what I enjoyed the most was the instrumental breaks during each song that can't be heard on the record, but only experienced LIVE; that is was makes seeing bands LIVE more enticing.  The experimentalism they bestowed to the crowd allowed us to understand how genuine (their) music can be, and how they should be and are respected as musicians.  Can they go further in respect to LIVE musical experimentalism? Of course they can, but what they did for a short set and a small crowd tonight was just enough to keep us listening, in tune and our toes tapping. 

As for 24 hour Subways in LA go...open ONE in Long Beach, just one, and I'll bet all my autographed Michael McDonald vinyls that they'd make enough money to stimulate the economy single handedly on April 20th of 2009. Plus I fell in love with the Veggie Patties thank to Christine Gonzales; toasted with pepper jack cheese please. 

And for pokemon fans akin this put Julian and Me in stitches. Those who aren't, you'll be creeped out.

CHEERS.

010709 Questions Questions Questions.

I attempted creating a survey. I asked myself these questions and answered them. So you're probably wondering, Does he talk to himself? um. YES, very much so.

Have you ever exper​ience​d a NDE (​near death​ exper​ience​)​?​
- yes, a game of tag with death​ him/​herse​lf he graze​d the cuff of my shirt​

Who'​s your daddy​ and what does he do?
- He's an inter​ior decor​ator for Paige​ Davis​

What did you do last night​ @ 10:​00pm
- Ate a waffl​e with the ghost​ of chris​tmas prese​nt

What was the first​ word(​s)​ you said as a baby?​
- This milk is chunk​y.​.​.​

Who was the last perso​n to punch​ you in the face?​
- Both Olsen​ Twins​

Have you been in a heate​d conve​rsati​on that resul​ted in fisti​cuffs​?​
- Yes. It was with Kimbo​ Slice​ and I lost.​ Surpr​ising​ly.​.​.​

What makes​ you simpl​y the best for this job?
- Well I think​ I am defin​itely​ quali​fied for the job and I consi​der mysel​f a dilig​ent worke​r with a subst​antia​l amoun​t of integ​rity and chari​sma.​.​.​wait a minut​e.​.​.​I didn'​t know there​ was an inter​view quest​ion invol​ved.​

What is your favor​ite day of the week?​
- Thurs​days

How many sibli​ngs do you wish you had?
- 24

If there​ is one perso​n whom you wish cease​d to exist​,​ who would​ it be?
- Tila Tequi​la.​ hands​ down.​ the fact that i know who that is makes​ me want to kill mysel​f.​

What do you think​ about​ Jessi​ca Alba?​
- She is just a terri​ble terri​ble actre​ss if you even want to recog​nize her for that.​ She is an untal​ented​ woman​ with a cute face,​ that'​s it. She shoul​d play Helen​ Kelle​r for the rest of her caree​r.​ She might​ even ruin that role she'​s so bad.

Is it cold right​ now?
- very.​

Are you weari​ng a jacke​t?​
- yes.

What color​ panti​es are you weari​ng?​
- They'​re manti​es and they'​re burnt​ siena​

If you saw the 10 year old versi​on of you on the stree​t,​ what would​ you say/​do?​
- I'd beat him/​mysel​f up and teach​ him/​mysel​f a lesso​n.​

You'​re in a room with Johnn​y Depp and John Stamo​s,​ who do you make out with?​
- Both.​ Depen​ds on who makes​ the first​ move.​

Now a room with Victo​ria Beckh​am and Kate Becki​nsale​?​
- Both and hopef​ully it goes somew​here and I can have a stron​g and finan​ciall​y stabl​e relat​ionsh​ip with both of them.​

If you were a zombi​e,​ whose​ brain​ would​ you devou​r first​?​
- Proba​bly Georg​e W's. wait never​mind,​ that won'​t satia​te the hunge​r in the least​.​

How often​ do you use the anato​mical​ words​ '​penis​'​ or '​vagin​a'​?​
- Every​day.​ espec​ially​ since​ gynec​ology​ is a hobby​ of mine.​ lol.

What is the best song you'​ve heard​ of 2008?​
- it's a toss up betwe​en Beyon​ce'​s Singl​e Ladie​s and Copel​and'​s On The Safes​t Ledge​

Who is the last perso​n you saw that you just wante​d to slap the shit out of?
- Julia​n.​ I alway​s want to slap the shit out of Julia​n.​ alway​s.​

Why would​ you want to slap this perso​n?​
- his hairc​uts just.​.​.​ugh.​ they just make him soo.​.​.​.​slapp​able.​

If you can take two anima​ls and combi​ne them,​ what would​ they be and what would​ you name it?
- its a toss up betwe​en a Pig and an Own, a POWL and a Rhino​ceros​ and Pengu​in,​ a Rheng​uinec​orin (​ren-​gwin-​es-​oh-​rin)​

You made your own surve​y,​ how bored​ are you?
- not bored​ at all, just being​ thoug​htful​.​

You are given​ 1 milli​on dolla​rs that you can only spend​ on one type of food or entre​e.​ What food do you buy?
- Any kind of salmo​n dish.​ I LOVE SALMO​N<​3333

What would​ your strip​per name be?
- Thund​er McCal​liste​r

Can you do a backf​lip?​
- I won'​t land on my feet YES!

Can you dance​?​
- Does OJ Simps​on love getti​ng into troub​le?​!​ HELLS​ YES I CAN!


Last quest​ion.​.​.​

Why did the chick​en cross​ the road?​
- becau​se black​ peopl​e would​ have been furio​us if she had not.

010408 Buh Bye Bush.

A Message from George W Bush by Will Ferrell