It seems like risky business that a Facial Soap apparently created for hotel bathrooms would contain potentially allergenic plants like Verbena And Lavender; the latter of which comes from the fields of Provence; but what do I know? It doesn’t bother me. In fact I quite like it. The scent is pleasantly mild and it creates a nice lather.
my rating : 4 of 5
“Homie Don’t Play That”, Willie D warned on his last Geto Boys album. The sentiment continues on this, his third solo, project. “You need to go in there and Play Witcha Mama,” Ice Cube says on the title song, which, thanks to the guest’s lazy contributions, sounds more like a demo. The album’s biggest blunder though is how the following Rap Rehab break, which comes too early in the set, and Doin The Nasty skit interrupt the flow of songs, most of which “sound real fat”.
Creepin, Throat, Whatcha Know About That and Smoke’m all serve as highlights. Perhaps it’s no coincidence they all feature Wize Up labelmate Sho, whose poignant raps complement Willie D’s more humorous approach. He’s not hollering like he used to, despite claiming he Ain’t Changin Shit, but he’s still funny as he caps on Dionne Warwick’s “big-nose ugly ass” or tells his girlfriend he wants to have her Mama’s pussy “dripping like a wet Jheri curl”.
my rating : 4 of 5
1994
“Peel back the foil and reveal a tropical oasis of flavors,” the La Yogurt promo reads in reference to their Sabor Latino brand. The flavor here is Strawberry; one of my favorites; but its signature sweetness, while good, is a little more subtle than expected.
my rating : 4 of 5
This small tube of Body Wash, which you can find not in retail stores but Radisson Hotel bathrooms, is notable for its simplicity. It’s made with “aloe barbadensis leaf extract”, a fancy way of saying aloe vera gel, and there are no paraben mineral oils or strong (headache-inducing) fragrances. It also produces a nice rich lather.
my rating : 4 of 5
The entertainment level of this exhibition boxing match, which is mostly middling, peaks at the end of Round 5 when Anderson Silva floors Bruno Machado with a “huge” right hook; an instant addition to his already lengthy fight highlight reel.
What’s frustrating as a fan is how he coasts the following round instead of trying to finish his opponent off à la Round 4 of his MMA fight with Michael Bisping, though here it’s more forgivable as he easily outboxes Bruno over the course of the bout.
my rating : 3 of 5
2022
My one complaint with this ice cream is that it isn’t the Best Choice when it comes to Cookies And Cream. The flavor is basically always good regardless of the brand, and this is no exception, but there are barely any big cookie pieces. It’s mostly tiny specks.
my rating : 4 of 5
You’ll do yourself a favor turning this movie off before the actual Ending; one of the worst I’ve ever seen. The plot, which starts normal enough with a girl on her way to meet her boyfriend’s parents for the first time, is coated in pretentious ambiguity from the start, but it gets worse the longer it goes. The final several minutes are jarringly off-putting; random and nonsensical; as if director Charlie Kaufman just abandoned the script and said “Fuck it.”
my rating : 1 of 5
2020
The Cream is pretty good because it tastes about the same as it does in strawberry Cheesecake. Once you get down to the Cookies; I don’t stir mine; things start to go awry. Chocolate can’t compete with strawberry, sure, but it’s the soggy texture of the cookie bits that’s most distasteful.
my rating : 3 of 5
Vanilla generally tastes better than chocolate and this Moose Tracks blend is made with vanilla ice cream, but the fudge “ribbons”; the actual Denali Moose Tracks; seem to be the best parts. That’s a notable accomplishment given the fact that the mix also includes little peanut butter cups.
my rating : 4 of 5
Comparing this drink to an Inferno is a bit ironic considering it tastes like fruit Punch doused with carbonated water. The flavor is more of a side note though. The concept here is all about “performance”. There’s even a symbol of a man running on the front of the can.
It’s an “energy drink for the fitness enthusiasts who want to take it to the next degree”, it reads. At a stunning 300 milligrams of caffeine per serving, you’ll be doing just that, though, with the exception of sucralose, the ingredients list looks impressively healthy.
my rating : 3 of 5
What’s missing from the name is that the Cookie is chocolate chip, but the taste of chocolate isn’t at all overwhelming. This Best Choice selection is, in fact, pleasantly mild in the way of flavor. The ice cream itself is plain vanilla, which is always a good thing.
my rating : 4 of 5
This is the tale of a lifelong gangster trying to go straight. Released early from a 30-year prison sentence on a technicality, former drug lord Carlito Brigante returns to the free world a new man. The plan, his dream, is to take part in a legit car rental business with a friend, but of course life doesn’t always go according to plan.
Some of the characterization goes overboard; David Kleinfeld, Brigante’s best friend and lawyer, is particularly caricatural; but the plot is generally riveting. Even the sappy romantic subplot is handled with care. The one major flaw, in fact, is that the movie commits the crime of telling you how the story will end before it begins.
my rating : 4 of 5
1993
Lucky Luciano :
The way it shows the ending first is not uncommon in gangster movies, but in this case it doesn’t seem to do anything but leave a feeling of doom and tradgedy throughout the film. Which is fine, but it probably would have been more effective if that tradgedy came unexpected. Also, the overbearing love story sometimes gets in the way. Despite these shortcomings, it’s still a movie worth recommending for the performances and storytelling. If you want a film about a reformed man who can’t escape his past, this is it.
4/5