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

audio review : Quantum Baby ( album ) … Tinashe

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

video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street

video review : A Nightmare On Elm Street

A horror flick about a dead man who kills people in their dreams is an interesting concept, but rather than offering up an interesting narrative, director Wes Craven presents his boogieman almost on the strength of that idea alone. “He wears a weird hat and a red and green sweater,” says the girl with the overbite, “and he uses these knives like giant fingernails.”

It’s mostly to annoy us with the screeching sound they make when he slides them against metallic surfaces before slashing some kid to death. His name is Fred Krueger; the guy from “that old jump-rope song”. After being burned alive by parents angry because he avoided a murder sentence on a technicality, he’s back from the flames of Hell to continue his wrath of terror.

my rating : 3 of 5

1984

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

Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips : Original [ 40% Less Fat ]

Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips : Original [ 40% Less Fat ]

These are Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips made with “an extra spin in the kettle to remove excess oil for 40% Less Fat”. They’re supposedly “just as delicious as our classic chip”, but they’re not delicious. They’re harder, less crisp, than you’d expect; a matter made worse by the fact that they tend to come crumpled together, giving you no choice but to eat two or three at a time.

my rating : 3 of 5