Category: reviews with a 4 of 5 rating

audio review : Clap Your Hands ( song ) … Lyrical Lively

This starts like a corny rap song from the mid-1980s, but give it a minute. Once the bass, chords and that glorious organ riff drop, you know you’re in for something special. It’s a gospel song and a (God)damn good one not so much because of but despite Lively’s lyrics.

The music carries the song; the production is splendid minus the tacky intro; with the minister’s raps more-or-less serving as filler until she finally starts singing near the end. “Clap Your Hands, leap for joy” the chorus goes, “Uh-huh.” That last bit is her catchphrase.

my rating : 4 of 5

2014

audio review : Clap Your Hands ( song ) ... Lyrical Lively

video review : Jackass Forever

video review : Jackass Forever

That the title of this fourth Jackass sequel doesn’t follow in the tradition of the others by utilizing its number in the word Forever is an odd waste of opportunity. It’s also my only major complaint. Bam Margera is relegated to a cameo and Ryan Dunn is dead, but they’re hardly missed. This newest Jackass is every bit as entertaining as the one before it.

It’s even more dangerous as Johnny Knoxville, now 50, gets knocked unconscious by a charging bull. It’s a brief moment of solemnity; he could’ve been paralyzed or killed; among all the wackiness. “Those guys are getting old,” Chris Pontius jokes elsewhere to a fun new cast member named Zach Holmes, “so we’re handing the torch to you.”

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

video review : Jackass 3D

video review : Jackass 3D

The boys are back, right on schedule, with another Jackass movie. Actually they’re more like documentaries; real-life stunts and pranks that push the limits of danger and vulgarity for the sake of comedy.

3D is more entertaining than the first two. Some of the vulgarity goes a little too far; for some reason, vomit grosses me out more than feces; but you can’t help but laugh at the outrageousness of it all.

my rating : 4 of 5

2010

video review : Jackass Forever

Michael Angelo’s Three Cheese Baked Ziti

Michael Angelo's Three Cheese Baked Ziti

This is “zita pasta smothered in a delicate cream sauce” with parmesan and white wine. That makes it a fancy alternative to plain macaroni and cheese. It’s also “topped with mozzarella and Romano”, which is where the Three Cheese theme comes into play.

You might think you made a blunder when it comes out a tad burnt until you notice there are also brown spots on the box photo. That adds to its “homemade taste”, which is damn good. My only complaint is the relatively large size of the ziti pieces.

my rating : 4 of 5

No Sugar Keto Cup : Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

No Sugar Keto Cup : Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

If these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Keto (diet) Cups aren’t as yummy as Reese’s, and I don’t think they are, that fault is compensated by the fact that they have No Sugar, which is amazing given their taste. The secret to the sweetness is erythritol; the one questionable item on an otherwise impressively simple (healthy) ingredients list.

my rating : 4 of 5

Little Debbie Mini Powdered Donuts

Little Debbie Mini Powdered Donuts

Little Debbie’s Mini Powdered Donuts are baked fresh and made with homemade imperfection. The hole sizes may vary, you might find some donuts have less powder than others and they have the tendency to sweat when stored in warm environments, but they are tasty. As tasty as Entenmann’s? No, but certainly good enough, especially when you eat them by the halves.

my rating : 4 of 5

Prairie Farms Premium Ice Cream : Strawberry Shortcake

Prairie Farms Premium Ice Cream : Strawberry Shortcake

This tastes more like Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bars than actual strawberry shortcake, which is a good thing. I wish there were more of those “crunch pieces”, which the ingredients list reveals are actually bits of sugar cookies, as they’re confined mostly to the top layer.

The ice cream itself is a blend of vanilla and strawberry that doesn’t really taste like either. It’s sweet and pleasant enough, but the flavor suggests a slight hint of Pepto Bismol; a perception made stronger by its calming Baker-Miller pink appearance and creamy texture.

my rating : 4 of 5

audio review : Dana Dane 4-Ever ( album ) … Dana Dane

audio review : Dana Dane 4-Ever ( album ) ... Dana Dane

No one promotes Dana Dane like Dana Dane. He’s constantly mentioning himself in the third person perspective as though he’s talking to you about the most popular rapper in the world. “I’ve got a following larger than The Beatles,” he claims at one point. There are, in fact, no less than four songs with his name in the title, which pushes his braggadocio pass the point of typical rap fare.

It’s all in Fun though and he is a good (enough) rapper if only for his charming and witting personality. Perhaps his best trait is the one that gave him Fame; his knack for storytelling. Remember Nightmares? Well, Anita The Beast is back along with a new cast of characters; mostly cute girls. The most poignant tale has him playing the role of a Lonely Man after his girlfriend dies in a car crash.

my rating : 4 of 5

1990

Crabtree And Evelyn Facial Soap : Verbena And Lavender

Crabtree And Evelyn Facial Soap : Verbena And Lavender

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

audio review : Play Witcha Mama ( album ) … Willie D

audio review : Play Witcha Mama ( album ) ... Willie D

“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