video review : Travis [ The True Story Of Travis Walton ]

video review : Travis [ The True Story Of Travis Walton ]

The title implies a full biography, but this documentary, which starts off interestingly but loses its way, is about the one thing Travis Walton is known for; his alleged alien abduction. The incident, which supposedly happened in Snowflake (Arizona) back in 1975, is presented as a True Story, but the evidence is mostly limited to eyewitness accounts from his six logger buddies.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

audio review : The Love Album [ Off The Grind ] ( album ) … Diddy

audio review : The Love Album ( album ) ... Diddy

This isn’t really a Diddy album in the traditional sense, but it starts like one. When he first raps on the opening Love song; his voice hasn’t changed much after all these years; it brings about a sense of late 1990s nostalgia. Bad Boy was on top of the rap world back then and a major player when it came to the modern soul genre commonly referred to as “R&B”. This is more of a compilation album with strong emphasis on the latter.

There are twenty songs here and every one has a singer on the hook, most of whom are quite famous. That says more about Diddy’s clout than his artistic skills as the mogul bows out of whole songs like he’s still talent scouting for Uptown Records. You won’t fall in Love with most of them; the constant crooning rarely results in memorable melodies; but The Weeknd steals the show with his feature and HER shines on the Space closer.

my rating : 3 of 5

2023

audio review : 4AM Mulholland | After 4AM ( albums ) … Amerie

audio review : 4AM Mulholland ( album ) ... Amerie audio review : After 4AM ( album ) ... Amerie

This would’ve been better as one full-length album, but at least we get two cover photos of Amerie; she’s nearly 40 but still hot; almost showing her tits. Unfortunately the songs aren’t as risqué as the 4AM theme suggests. It starts with a Curious tease, but the set is more about romantic Love than raunchy sex. Late night highlights include A Heart’s For The Breaking, Give It All Up and the Mulholland title cut.

my rating : 3 of 5

2018

Mac’s Original Fried Pork Skins

Mac's Original Fried Pork Skins

They’re promoted as the “#1 pork rind in America”. I don’t know about that, but they’re among the better ones on the market. That’s because there’s “smoke flavor added”, they’re not too salted and they come with plenty of big pieces, though there will be those inevitable little hard leftovers at the bottom of the bag.

my rating : 3 of 5

Bang : Root Beer Blaze

Bang : Root Beer Blaze

It’s the sting that adds a unique twist to most Bang flavors, but Root Beer already pops, so this one, though seemingly less carbonated than the others, goes down pretty much as expected.

You can tell you’re not drinking the real thing; the taste is a little off the mark probably due to the inclusion of sucralose in place of sugar; but it’s an adequate alternative nonetheless.

my rating : 3 of 5

audio review : BB Angel ( album ) … Tinashe

audio review : BB Angel ( album ) ... Tinashe

The worst thing about this project is the silly stylization of its title. “BB/ANG3L”, as it officially goes, is a trendy way of saying Baby Angel, which would’ve suited just fine. Not that these songs have much to do with religion or innocence. One, called None Of My Business, has the singer playing the role of side piece to a potentially married man.

At twenty minutes; about the same length as her Comfort And Joy Christmas set with the same amount of songs; this is more of an EP than the album it’s promoted as. The music is decidedly decent, but perhaps “D&B/ANG3L” would’ve been a better theme as the highlights; Gravity and Tightrope; interpolate drum and bass (jungle) beats.

my rating : 3 of 5

2023

Reign : Orange Dreamsicle

Reign : Orange Dreamsicle

This Reign really does taste like a Dreamsicle. Or is it a Creamsicle? Either way it’s “inspired by the classic frozen treat”; an Orange Popsicle with vanilla (bean) ice cream on the inside. Why Orange? I don’t know, but the two flavors go well together.

They were one of my favorite treats as a kid, so this drink, which offers 300 milligrams of caffeine for “increased concentration” and “reduced fatigue” but no sugar, should be a nostalgic delight. The one drawback is its grimace-inducing carbonation.

my rating : 3 of 5

Palermo’s Rising Crust Breakfast Pizza

Palermo's Rising Crust Breakfast Pizza

It’s hard to go wrong with a Pizza if you stick to the basics. Palermo gets experimental and misses the mark with this one. It’s an interesting concept; Breakfast is generally my favorite type of meal; but the eggs basically ruin it. Swapping them out for pepperoni and adding in some traditional pasta sauce could make it good, but then it’ll be a regular pie.

my rating : 3 of 5

video review : Freddy Versus Jason

video review : Freddy Versus Jason

Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are the two most iconic serial killers in the horror movie world, so the concept of putting them against each other is interesting to say the least. This is the chronological follow-up to Jason Goes To Hell; the ending of which hinted at what was to come.

Who wins the fight is basically beside the point. It’s the mere presence of the two trying to kill each other for a change that fans have been eagerly awaiting. Most of those people won’t be disappointed. There’s plenty of screams, kills, illogical narration, corny dialogue and bad acting to keep them entertained.

my rating : 3 of 5

2003

video review : Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

video review : Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare claws right thru the cinematic fourth wall to bring Freddy Krueger into real life. That’s done via Heather Langenkamp; the actress who plays Nancy Thompson. She, and her annoying son, are having bad dreams about the man who made her movie career a success. This is a horror flick about the horror flick you’re watching; an innovative epilogue for the franchise.

my rating : 3 of 5

1994

video review : Freddy’s Dead [ The Final Nightmare ]

video review : Freddy's Dead [ The Final Nightmare ]

While the series never managed to produce a good movie, this final Nightmare comes back full circle to the decency of the first. The main difference is that this one takes itself less seriously as if it knows the franchise has descended into an illogical mess. It eases on the scares to allow itself to have some campy fun.

Freddy Krueger; “son of a hundred maniacs”; is almost entertaining as he cracks one bad wisecrack after another like a washed-up comedian who laughs at his own jokes because no one else will. He still knows how to kill kids in interesting ways though; listen for the hearing aid scene; and there’s actually a decent plot.

my rating : 3 of 5

1991

video review : Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 [ Freddy’s Revenge ]

video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 [ Freddy's Revenge ]

This is an improvement over part 1, but not by much. It relies more on close dialogue and careful pacing than bloody thrills and cheap scares, but, even without Wes Craven around to blame, it doesn’t result in anything more than standard slasher flick fare. By the end, when Krueger is in a psychophysical tug of war with a guy who’s been unwillingly recruited to kill for him, it actually gets kind of silly.

my rating : 3 of 5

1985

video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 [ Dream Warriors ]
video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street 4 [ The Dream Master ]
video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street 5 [ The Dream Child ]
video review : Freddy’s Dead [ The Final Nightmare ]
video review : Wes Craven’s New Nightmare