I love watching movies that are “based on a true story”. I’ve always viewed those stories as 3 parts truth and 1 part “Hollywood”. I know that my life would have some exciting ups and downs to it, but my usual day-to-day activities would probably bore you to death. I couldn’t imagine people watching my life unfold on a big screen as I toggle through my fantasy football team or look for new cologne at Macy’s. American Gangster is based on the life of Frank Lucas. Driver turned kingpin who ruled the streets of Harlem for years. Thankfully his life wasn’t as mundane as mine so it made for a much better motion picture.
American Gangster starts as crime boss Bumpy Johnson passes away and Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) vows to get the money back that people owed Bumpy. At a lost to find ways to make money, Lucas comes up with the idea of getting heroin straight from Vietnam and bypassing the middleman. He outsmarts the competition and because the main supplier to the inner-city drug scene in New York City. Lucas becomes a major figure and draws the attention of New Jersey policeman Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe).
The movie does a great job of showing multiple sides of the drug game. You are able to see how the lifestyle affected his wife and his family. The supporting characters did a great job (Cuba Gooding Jr. as Nicky Barnes especially), but Crowe and Denzel basically ran a two man game for the entire film. Both actors are so far beyond talented that it makes the movie work.
After watching the movie I had a ton of questions so I went to my own person history expert, my dad. I asked him how someone was able to make so much money in the 1960’s.
Dad Fact #1
He said that a lot of the soldiers from Vietnam were coming home drug addicted. Some picked up habits while serving overseas and others received morphine to help with the pain of lost appendages, but were not adequately shown how to kick the drug. This means you had a ton of junkies with money coming home from the war.
Dad fact #2
My dad concludes that Vietnam had the best weed and “everyone knew it” He had a friend in the military who would take whole duffle bags full of weed off the plan and nobody ever checked him. Seems crazy, but I guess a lot of that stuff really happened.
Since the American Gangster opened there have been interviews with Bumpy Johnson’s family, officer Ritchie Roberts, Nicky Barnes and even Frank Lucas. There are conflicting reports as to what actually happened and what details were left out or added. What we do know is an amazing story about a man who made choices in life. Life is about the choices you make and he chose to sell drugs. I wonder how different his life would be if he decided to do something else.
My Suggestion: I there was one movie out to see this fall it would be American Gangster. It’s informative, sad, intriguing, cool, and will definitely start a few conversations.
My Grade: 3.5 – Great job. We’ll done, but not sure if you showed enough work.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
My Obsession with Scrooge McDuck
As a kid I watched a ton of cartoons. By a lot I mean a lot! I may have watched more T.V than legally possible. The more I watched the more the characters started to stick with me. I loved Optimus Prime and his leadership, the courage of He-Man, how cool Heathcliff was even though he lived in a dump, and the wittiness of Bugs Bunny. None of these characters struck a chord with me as much as Scrooge McDuck.
Uncle Scrooge a Scottish born duck who is known for his love of money. His American grand -nephews Hewy, Dewey, and Louie never seemed to fully understand Scrooge and his obsession with money. He was rich beyond his means. They even had a robot in the home that would help around the house. Scrooge was portrayed a businessman who was very successful and was always looking at a way not to spend his riches. He worked his way up from the bottom and was all about hard work and earning every penny.
Scrooge resided in the town of Duckburg. Duckburg is a small town and not very rich. Scrooge had so many companies there that he kept the town running and continued to make more money and more money. He made so much money that he kept it in his “Money Bin” which sat on a big hill for everyone in Duckburg to see. It was like a slap in the face to all the residence. No wonder the Beagle Boys, a family of ex-cons, wanted his fortune. Every time they left their low-income home they had to look up and see the money bin knowing that Scrooge was probably in there swimming around in his fortune.
How did Uncle Scrooge obtain his fortune? According to “Voodoo Hoodoo” published in 1949, Scrooge used an army of “cutthroats” to get the tribe to abandon their lands in order to establish a diamond-mining colony. Foola Zoola an African sorcerer and chief of Voodoo cursed Scrooge. That may be why Uncle Scrooge was always obsessed with money. He seemed possessed when he would hear about a diamond or sunken treasure and dollar signs would pop up in his eyes. It was like he couldn’t control. Scrooge was always being led somewhere to find some lost gold. It wasn’t as if they had to pull his leg. He was always easily persuaded. The thought of more riches would lure him in. Now it’s all starting to make sense.
I wondered for years why that character always resonated with me. It’s because Scrooge McDuck is most Americans today. Just think about it. He was all about himself. He would risk his nephews lives, Mrs. Beakley, Launchpad, Gyro, Doofus, it didn’t matter. If he thought there was money involved he would travel any and everywhere and take any risk.
All he cared about was his money. You remember seeing more scenes with him swimming in his money than you do with his grand-nephews. Everyone in Duckburg knew that his biggest fear was being broke and back in the poor house. He was so concerned with things that didn’t really matter in life. After ruthlessly taking over an African country he became wealthy and his life mission was trying to maintain that wealth.
Why was he never married? All this time and he could never settle down with anyone? He was too obsessed with his career. What woman would want to come second to a man’s money? She’d never win. I think all these women knew that and it was hard for him to give it up.
His most prize possession? His number one dime. The first dime he ever earned. There was something mystical about it. He earned it signing shoes in Scotland. It was an American dime and not worth any money. Scrooge kept it as a reminder to never be fooled again. I never realized Scrooge has such a hardened heart.
There is a little bit of Scrooge in all of us. People always stress college for education. How often do we stress that we need to be educated. We are taught to go to college so we can go out and get a job and make money. It’s about earning potential and not about what you are passionate about. I’ll be the first to admit that once you start making money, it’s hard to give up that lifestyle. Most of us struggle with that, much like Uncle Scrooge and his quest to always make money. How else could he keep his private plane, or robot maid or lavish top hats and nice suits. How else can you pay for your new car, condo, wedding and still take trips to Vegas.
If Scrooge was around today he’d be on MTV Cribs with a Lamborghini and some “stunna shades” showing off his mansion and all his new gadgets with his bad nephews running around. He’d be a CEO of a major company donating to presidential campaigns that are helping pass laws to keep his businesses flourishing with little concern about the poor people in his town and the wages they make, as long as McDuck Industries kept making money.
He’d be that unmarried man/woman who was so career driven that they never settled down. Always about making that extra money. Like a friend told me the other day. Scrooge was always concerned about the end result and not invested in the process. You have to be invested in your relationships. Scrooge was invested in his money. It made him a wealthy man, but a lonely man.
As yourself, how much Scrooge McDuck do I have in me. I asked myself and I have more than I would like to admit. Still I strive to have a little less Scrooge and a little more of me.
Uncle Scrooge a Scottish born duck who is known for his love of money. His American grand -nephews Hewy, Dewey, and Louie never seemed to fully understand Scrooge and his obsession with money. He was rich beyond his means. They even had a robot in the home that would help around the house. Scrooge was portrayed a businessman who was very successful and was always looking at a way not to spend his riches. He worked his way up from the bottom and was all about hard work and earning every penny.
Scrooge resided in the town of Duckburg. Duckburg is a small town and not very rich. Scrooge had so many companies there that he kept the town running and continued to make more money and more money. He made so much money that he kept it in his “Money Bin” which sat on a big hill for everyone in Duckburg to see. It was like a slap in the face to all the residence. No wonder the Beagle Boys, a family of ex-cons, wanted his fortune. Every time they left their low-income home they had to look up and see the money bin knowing that Scrooge was probably in there swimming around in his fortune.
How did Uncle Scrooge obtain his fortune? According to “Voodoo Hoodoo” published in 1949, Scrooge used an army of “cutthroats” to get the tribe to abandon their lands in order to establish a diamond-mining colony. Foola Zoola an African sorcerer and chief of Voodoo cursed Scrooge. That may be why Uncle Scrooge was always obsessed with money. He seemed possessed when he would hear about a diamond or sunken treasure and dollar signs would pop up in his eyes. It was like he couldn’t control. Scrooge was always being led somewhere to find some lost gold. It wasn’t as if they had to pull his leg. He was always easily persuaded. The thought of more riches would lure him in. Now it’s all starting to make sense.
I wondered for years why that character always resonated with me. It’s because Scrooge McDuck is most Americans today. Just think about it. He was all about himself. He would risk his nephews lives, Mrs. Beakley, Launchpad, Gyro, Doofus, it didn’t matter. If he thought there was money involved he would travel any and everywhere and take any risk.
All he cared about was his money. You remember seeing more scenes with him swimming in his money than you do with his grand-nephews. Everyone in Duckburg knew that his biggest fear was being broke and back in the poor house. He was so concerned with things that didn’t really matter in life. After ruthlessly taking over an African country he became wealthy and his life mission was trying to maintain that wealth.
Why was he never married? All this time and he could never settle down with anyone? He was too obsessed with his career. What woman would want to come second to a man’s money? She’d never win. I think all these women knew that and it was hard for him to give it up.
His most prize possession? His number one dime. The first dime he ever earned. There was something mystical about it. He earned it signing shoes in Scotland. It was an American dime and not worth any money. Scrooge kept it as a reminder to never be fooled again. I never realized Scrooge has such a hardened heart.
There is a little bit of Scrooge in all of us. People always stress college for education. How often do we stress that we need to be educated. We are taught to go to college so we can go out and get a job and make money. It’s about earning potential and not about what you are passionate about. I’ll be the first to admit that once you start making money, it’s hard to give up that lifestyle. Most of us struggle with that, much like Uncle Scrooge and his quest to always make money. How else could he keep his private plane, or robot maid or lavish top hats and nice suits. How else can you pay for your new car, condo, wedding and still take trips to Vegas.
If Scrooge was around today he’d be on MTV Cribs with a Lamborghini and some “stunna shades” showing off his mansion and all his new gadgets with his bad nephews running around. He’d be a CEO of a major company donating to presidential campaigns that are helping pass laws to keep his businesses flourishing with little concern about the poor people in his town and the wages they make, as long as McDuck Industries kept making money.
He’d be that unmarried man/woman who was so career driven that they never settled down. Always about making that extra money. Like a friend told me the other day. Scrooge was always concerned about the end result and not invested in the process. You have to be invested in your relationships. Scrooge was invested in his money. It made him a wealthy man, but a lonely man.
As yourself, how much Scrooge McDuck do I have in me. I asked myself and I have more than I would like to admit. Still I strive to have a little less Scrooge and a little more of me.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Heartbreak Kid
Wrestlers usually have pretty lame attire and look goofy but what makes them stand out is the name. Names like Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Ravishing Rick Rude, The Undertaker, and The Road Warriors. One of my friends swears the best professional wrestler of all time is Shawn Michaels The Heartbreak Kid. He will not allow you to say anything negative about HBK in his home or you will quickly see the door. I may not have to liked him but I had to admit that his name was great. It can go both ways he can be the guy who never gets a break with the ladies or the guy who never gives the ladies a break.
With the Farrlley brothers adaptation to the 1972 movie set to hit theaters, I wasn’t sure which Heartbreak Kid was going to show up.
HBK opens with Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) a 40 year old single man set to spend his Valentine’s day alone at his ex-fiancés wedding. After sitting through the ceremony he meets the girls of his dreams. Soon after they are married and plan a trip to Mexico. As quickly as they get married Eddie realizes that he may have been in way over his head. At the resort he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and falls instantly in love. Now he’s faced with the dilemma of getting rid of his wife and spending time with his new love.
I would love to recommend this movie to my mom, but I know she wouldn’t get past the first few minutes. There is a lot of crude, rude humor. Those happen to be some of the funniest scenes in the movies. None of which they are able to show on a the trailer for the movie. If you are easily offended, this movie is not for you.
This movie has some of the most ridiculous love scenes I’ve ever seen. It’s not just the physical humor but some of the lines that are delivered are priceless. I was laughing after the movie.
Some scene stealers include Carlos Mencia as Uncle Tito. I’m not even a fan of Carlos Mencia. I actually think he’s not very funny, but he’s great in this film. Malin Akerman as Lila the good girl gone crazy. She does a great job as her story unravels and Eddie finds out more and more about her past. Jerry Stiller as Doc has a very small role, but all of his scenes are funny. He even reminds me of my dad. My dad is constantly trying to pimp me out to young women. We had a conversation one day that went like this
Dad: Hey son how are you?
Me: I’m good, just watching tv (girl laughing in the background)
Dad: Is that a girl?
Me: Yeah that’s my friend, she’s over here hanging out
Dad: (rushing off the phone) I’ll let you go. Take care of business son!
Hopefully once I’m married those phone calls will stop
My suggestion: Other than Superbad it’s the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. I laughed more at this than I did at Pirates (yes I’m still mad). I’m off to see this movie again this week. You will definitely leave this movie with a few more slang words that you didn’t have before.
My grade: 3.7 – You can get a good grade just by making the teacher laugh. What a skill!
With the Farrlley brothers adaptation to the 1972 movie set to hit theaters, I wasn’t sure which Heartbreak Kid was going to show up.
HBK opens with Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) a 40 year old single man set to spend his Valentine’s day alone at his ex-fiancés wedding. After sitting through the ceremony he meets the girls of his dreams. Soon after they are married and plan a trip to Mexico. As quickly as they get married Eddie realizes that he may have been in way over his head. At the resort he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and falls instantly in love. Now he’s faced with the dilemma of getting rid of his wife and spending time with his new love.
I would love to recommend this movie to my mom, but I know she wouldn’t get past the first few minutes. There is a lot of crude, rude humor. Those happen to be some of the funniest scenes in the movies. None of which they are able to show on a the trailer for the movie. If you are easily offended, this movie is not for you.
This movie has some of the most ridiculous love scenes I’ve ever seen. It’s not just the physical humor but some of the lines that are delivered are priceless. I was laughing after the movie.
Some scene stealers include Carlos Mencia as Uncle Tito. I’m not even a fan of Carlos Mencia. I actually think he’s not very funny, but he’s great in this film. Malin Akerman as Lila the good girl gone crazy. She does a great job as her story unravels and Eddie finds out more and more about her past. Jerry Stiller as Doc has a very small role, but all of his scenes are funny. He even reminds me of my dad. My dad is constantly trying to pimp me out to young women. We had a conversation one day that went like this
Dad: Hey son how are you?
Me: I’m good, just watching tv (girl laughing in the background)
Dad: Is that a girl?
Me: Yeah that’s my friend, she’s over here hanging out
Dad: (rushing off the phone) I’ll let you go. Take care of business son!
Hopefully once I’m married those phone calls will stop
My suggestion: Other than Superbad it’s the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. I laughed more at this than I did at Pirates (yes I’m still mad). I’m off to see this movie again this week. You will definitely leave this movie with a few more slang words that you didn’t have before.
My grade: 3.7 – You can get a good grade just by making the teacher laugh. What a skill!
Monday, October 1, 2007
3:10 To Yuma
I heard a few months ago that Gladiator (Crowe) and Batman (Bale) were starring in a western together called 3:10 To Yuma. They are both two of my favorite actors right now. If I heard they were starring in a film, even if it sounded bad, I might say “Hmmm It could be worth seeing.” For some reason that title sounded familiar.
I went home that night and searched my TiVo and found it on my Westerns Channel. One of the million channels that I pay $89 for every month. That brings me to my rant for the week. Why don’t cable companies let you choose what channels you watch and they can charge you. It can be a base rate for 25 channels and you can pay extra for the pay channels like Showtime and HBO. If you want 25-50 channels you can pay more for that. I think that’s a great idea. I would have half of the channels that I have now. Now if you don’t have cable or satellite you can’t get any channel. Why aren’t more people upset about this?
Anyway I watched the 1957 original Yuma and it was really good, surprisingly good. My roommate said that if the remake was anything close to the original it would be a hit. You know what, he was right.
Yuma picks up with struggling farmer Dan Evans (Bale) crosses paths with notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe). Desperate for money Evans agrees to help transport Wade to the town of Contention and put him on the 3:10 to Yuma Prison where he will be hanged (hence the name of the movie).
They really sell the fact that Wade is a ruthless killer. As you watch the movie you realize that Wade isn’t the only one to be worried about. His outfit is on the way to bust their leader out before he’s put on that train. They are lead by his second in command Charlie Prince (Ben Foster. I almost didn’t recognize him but he played Angel in X-Men 3). Prince is a reckless gunslinger who will shoot anything in sight. He’s a very colorful and one of the more memorable characters in Yuma. So much that in my Fantasy Football League a friend changed his team name to Charlie Prince, and another friend is determined to start a bike club called “The Outfit”.
There are some differences between the original and the updated version of the story. Most notably the ending of the movie, but it still has the same feel to it. Some of the scenes are taken straight from the 1957 version and are done well. This version has way more gunfights and is a lot more graphic, but never gets off track. The characters remain the same and even the characters they added fit in very well. They did a great job adapting this film. You figure it’s been 50 years so something has to change. Showing a struggling farmer in 1957 is different than in 2007. This movie showed how it affected his family and the relationship with his wife and kids.
My suggestion: The best movie of the fall so far. Great remake and a fun story to tell. It’s one of those stories you’d hear as a kid. Bale and Crowe both deliver in this film. I think I may go see it again.
My Grade: 3.3 – Way to start off the Fall. A few tweaks here and there and you may have gotten an A.
I went home that night and searched my TiVo and found it on my Westerns Channel. One of the million channels that I pay $89 for every month. That brings me to my rant for the week. Why don’t cable companies let you choose what channels you watch and they can charge you. It can be a base rate for 25 channels and you can pay extra for the pay channels like Showtime and HBO. If you want 25-50 channels you can pay more for that. I think that’s a great idea. I would have half of the channels that I have now. Now if you don’t have cable or satellite you can’t get any channel. Why aren’t more people upset about this?
Anyway I watched the 1957 original Yuma and it was really good, surprisingly good. My roommate said that if the remake was anything close to the original it would be a hit. You know what, he was right.
Yuma picks up with struggling farmer Dan Evans (Bale) crosses paths with notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe). Desperate for money Evans agrees to help transport Wade to the town of Contention and put him on the 3:10 to Yuma Prison where he will be hanged (hence the name of the movie).
They really sell the fact that Wade is a ruthless killer. As you watch the movie you realize that Wade isn’t the only one to be worried about. His outfit is on the way to bust their leader out before he’s put on that train. They are lead by his second in command Charlie Prince (Ben Foster. I almost didn’t recognize him but he played Angel in X-Men 3). Prince is a reckless gunslinger who will shoot anything in sight. He’s a very colorful and one of the more memorable characters in Yuma. So much that in my Fantasy Football League a friend changed his team name to Charlie Prince, and another friend is determined to start a bike club called “The Outfit”.
There are some differences between the original and the updated version of the story. Most notably the ending of the movie, but it still has the same feel to it. Some of the scenes are taken straight from the 1957 version and are done well. This version has way more gunfights and is a lot more graphic, but never gets off track. The characters remain the same and even the characters they added fit in very well. They did a great job adapting this film. You figure it’s been 50 years so something has to change. Showing a struggling farmer in 1957 is different than in 2007. This movie showed how it affected his family and the relationship with his wife and kids.
My suggestion: The best movie of the fall so far. Great remake and a fun story to tell. It’s one of those stories you’d hear as a kid. Bale and Crowe both deliver in this film. I think I may go see it again.
My Grade: 3.3 – Way to start off the Fall. A few tweaks here and there and you may have gotten an A.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
You're Up Mr. West
I thought I’d blog about the latest in hip-hop news. Kanye v. 50 Cent. Who’s going to sell more records.
I think the rivalry is good. It's been good for our sports. Look at Red Sox/Yankees, Bulls/Pistons of the early 90's, and the Colts/Patriots. Each year they would have to step it up a little because they knew the other team was going to bring their 'A' game. The lack of real competition has made for some lackluster music these past few years. Look at the 60's. My dad sang in a group called "The Raggedy Roaches". He tells me that the competition was so intense that everybody had to be good or else you didn't stand a chance. I think that's why we have such timeless music come out of that era. There weren't all these media oultets so everyone was battling for the same spots. I would love to see that now.
I’m a huge fan of Kanye and knew his album would do well. He’s projected to have sold an upwards of 957,000 units his first week. Fifty comes in second with roughly 691,000.
In comparison, fellow rapper/producer Swizz beats only sold 45,000 his first week and was heard on a local radio station complaining about his numbers. That’s gotta sting. You have two singles released, two videos, you are on a major label and you can’t move records. It’s not like the bootleggers have it. There is no buzz on the street “ You got that Swizz Beats?” People don’t even seem to care.
It’s a rough game out there. There have always been grumbles about record companies purchasing records to boost sales for the first week. I’m sure everything seems okay when it comes out and then when your mid week numbers come out and you aren’t doing so hot you start thinking about your promotion, advertising, videos, what single you released first. It’s got to drive any person crazy.
We all saw Kanye spazz out back stage at the VMA’s. I think he’s under that stress and he’s also very passionate about what his music.
Fifty is also very competitive as well and has had big releases for his first two albums.
This idea that Fifty would retire was nonsense. What are you going to do if you don’t rap? The only reason rappers retire is so that they can come back. It’s just like those boy bands that “break up” and then get back together for a reunion album and reunion tour. The Backstreet Boys just got back together. Why? Who cares? Not this guy.
I don’t want to see Fifty Dates for Fifty Cent on VH1 two years from now. I don’t want to see Fifty in some straight to DVD movies where he plays a cop or an ex con or a rapper who’s mixed up with the wrong crowd. Whenever I see an interview with Fifty I walk away feeling like he’s a really intelligent guy. I’m sure he’ll get involved in more than just rapping. You can’t have too much idle time on your hands. Look what’s it’s doing to OJ (sorry Juice).
I hope we see more friendly competition from our music artist. Maybe we’ll start to see better performances at these awards shows and get better albums out of some of these artist.
I think the rivalry is good. It's been good for our sports. Look at Red Sox/Yankees, Bulls/Pistons of the early 90's, and the Colts/Patriots. Each year they would have to step it up a little because they knew the other team was going to bring their 'A' game. The lack of real competition has made for some lackluster music these past few years. Look at the 60's. My dad sang in a group called "The Raggedy Roaches". He tells me that the competition was so intense that everybody had to be good or else you didn't stand a chance. I think that's why we have such timeless music come out of that era. There weren't all these media oultets so everyone was battling for the same spots. I would love to see that now.
I’m a huge fan of Kanye and knew his album would do well. He’s projected to have sold an upwards of 957,000 units his first week. Fifty comes in second with roughly 691,000.
In comparison, fellow rapper/producer Swizz beats only sold 45,000 his first week and was heard on a local radio station complaining about his numbers. That’s gotta sting. You have two singles released, two videos, you are on a major label and you can’t move records. It’s not like the bootleggers have it. There is no buzz on the street “ You got that Swizz Beats?” People don’t even seem to care.
It’s a rough game out there. There have always been grumbles about record companies purchasing records to boost sales for the first week. I’m sure everything seems okay when it comes out and then when your mid week numbers come out and you aren’t doing so hot you start thinking about your promotion, advertising, videos, what single you released first. It’s got to drive any person crazy.
We all saw Kanye spazz out back stage at the VMA’s. I think he’s under that stress and he’s also very passionate about what his music.
Fifty is also very competitive as well and has had big releases for his first two albums.
This idea that Fifty would retire was nonsense. What are you going to do if you don’t rap? The only reason rappers retire is so that they can come back. It’s just like those boy bands that “break up” and then get back together for a reunion album and reunion tour. The Backstreet Boys just got back together. Why? Who cares? Not this guy.
I don’t want to see Fifty Dates for Fifty Cent on VH1 two years from now. I don’t want to see Fifty in some straight to DVD movies where he plays a cop or an ex con or a rapper who’s mixed up with the wrong crowd. Whenever I see an interview with Fifty I walk away feeling like he’s a really intelligent guy. I’m sure he’ll get involved in more than just rapping. You can’t have too much idle time on your hands. Look what’s it’s doing to OJ (sorry Juice).
I hope we see more friendly competition from our music artist. Maybe we’ll start to see better performances at these awards shows and get better albums out of some of these artist.
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