Recovery, the latest album by Eminem, has revived his career and probably saved real rap from the party rappers. I’m not a huge rap fan, but you can smell it when it’s done right – and Eminem has done it right this time.
Every song on the album is brutal. Eminem has a gift for playing characters and telling stories in his raps, but his performance on Love The Way You Lie takes it to another level. The song about abuse is helped tremendously by a choral performance by Rihanna, herself famously beat to shit by Chris Brown last year.
The video features Rihanna overacting, and a few nice long looks at Megan Fox, who demonstrates that she’s a much better actress when she doesn’t speak.
Some time ago I bought a double feature horror DVD. The sole reason I bought the DVD was because it was only a couple of bucks and I love horror movies. The movies on the DVD were The Satanic Rites Of Dracula starring Christopher Lee and a movie called The Deep Red Hatchet Murders.
Today, months after purchasing the DVD, I popped it into the Blu Ray player. “The Deep Red Hatchet Murders “ was first on the disc so I decided to watch it, even though I had never heard of it. Turns out it’s an Italian movie from the mid seventies by director Dario Argento. The movie was originally titled “Profondo Rosso”, but was changed to “Deep Red” for it’s American release. The title has been changed to both “The Deep Red Hatchet Murders” and “The Hatchet Murders” for US DVD releases.
Saturday Night Live hasn’t been funny for a long, long time now. The current cast seems to have no idea at all what they’re doing, save for the constant mugging of breakout star Kristen Wiig. As we’ve pointed out before, show star Andy Samberg and company basically killed the show a while ago.
But then again, magic sometimes happens with live television. And last night, 88 year old industry veteran Betty White provided that magic, showing this group of talentless nobodies exactly how it’s done.
The beloved White, who feels like everyone’s favorite grandmother after her long-running portrayal of cute-but-dim Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, shined brighter than all the lights of New York for her SNL debut. Fears that the octogenarian wouldn’t be able to keep up with lines or the fast pace of the show were instantly swept aside. White dominated the show, proving zippy with a number of nasty one-liners that put the rest of the cast on notice. From opening monologue to a bouquet of flowers during the credits, White was sharp, adorable, and one of the best hosts that sorry-ass show has had in a decade.
Check out this reprisal of the old “Delicious Dish” radio show skit, with White playing a baker with a fabulous muffin:
We all realize that there is something really, really wrong with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but it’s been hard to articulate. Usually we just end up saying that the movie “sucks” or “Jar Jar sucks” or “George Lucas raped my childhood.” You know, something insightful like that.
But someone has finally taken the time to sit down and tear apart the massive flaws in logic and storytelling that exist in the movie. In fact, there are quite a few that you never grasped in all of the time you watched the film. Even better, the guy is a character in his own right, and this massive 90 minute review is pretty damn funny.
The success of the new Michael Jackson “concert film” THIS IS IT depends largely on how each audience member perceives Jackson, his music, and the idea of what makes a true concert film. Culled from hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage, the film features a solitary Jackson singing and dancing in a void, surrounded by pomp and circumstance that is rendered meaningless in the wake of his untimely death.
No mention is made of Jackson’s death throughout the film. In fact, little is revealed about Jackson at all. We see him only on the stage, or interacting with the dancers, singers, and crew during the rehearsals. This choice severely limits the emotional resonance of the film, as moviegoers are forced to simply watch unfinished dry runs of his familar songs. It’s like watching Guitar Hero: Michael Jackson; you see and hear the familiar, but it’s only a thin carbon copy of the original brilliance.
I must admit that Jackson surprised me here. Though frail and gaunt in appearance, he manages to rip through several dance routines with ease. Even better is his voice, which still retains that delicious combination of fragility and soul. Going in, I expected a zombie-like Jackson lip-synching through his greatest hits. Instead, I saw flashes of Jackson pre-MTV, when he could stand on a stage and deliver magnificent live vocals. I have no idea if the actual show incorporated this much live singing, but THIS IS IT showcases a Jackson still capable of vocal fireworks.
Almost stealing the film from Jackson himself are the talented dancers, singers, and musicians that he employed for this aborted comeback tour. Many of the dancers came from faraway places like Australia and Holland, and they tearfully thank Jackson for the opportunity of a lifetime. On the musical end of things, Jackson smartly hired 24 year old guitarist Orianthi Panagaris, who simply shreds several guitar solos. The music is the primary reason to see this film, and I doubt if there have ever been better live versions of some of these songs. BEAT IT stands out in particular, with a thumping bass line and searing guitars pounding out from a well-equipped theater sound system.
Sadly, though, much of the extravagant live show that Jackson was feverishly putting together is lost here, as the rehearsal footage shot mostly focuses on Jackson and his dancers. It’s difficult to ascertain how each set piece – dancers, stage constructions, and video background footage – all fit together in the spectacle. This is especially true of the THRILLER performance, as much is made of the video reshoot, yet one cannot tell how it fits into the stage show. Losing the show even further is the lack of a live audience, a crucial element of any live performance. Without a crowd to goose, Jackson seems all alone and singing into the abyss, rather than feeding off of audience energy as he had so many times in the past.
