Category: reviews with a 4 of 5 rating

Wendy’s 4 For $4 Meal : Junior Bacon Cheeseburger

Wendy's 4 For $4 Meal : Junior Bacon Cheeseburger

This is the best of Wendy’s 4 For $4 Meals when it comes to both value and taste. It’s the “Applewood smoked” Bacon Cheeseburger that sells it; it can be argued that being a Junior gives it the psychological impression of tasting better simply because you have less of it; but there are ways to improve it even more.

As a mayonnaise man, what I like to do is ask for two or three extra packets; they’re free; and add it to the burger. It’ll start to run off the sides when you replace the top bun, but that’s okay because it serves as a fry dip. My favorite customization though is to select for the drink not an actual beverage but a Vanilla Frosty.

my rating : 4 of 5

Land O Lakes Butter With Canola Oil

Land O Lakes Butter With Canola Oil

The farmers at Land O Lakes are cowardly morons for getting rid of their Indian mascot at the behest of the endlessly offended instead of telling them to kiss their Buttered asses, but you’ll have a hard time finding a better spread.

The Canola Oil is what’s promoted, but the main ingredient is sweet cream, which your taste buds will appreciate the most. The only other ingredient is salt. That makes this a wholesome topping for pancakes, biscuits and the like.

my rating : 4 of 5

Planters Select Cashews Almonds And Pecans

Planters Select Cashews Almonds And Pecans

Planters describes this Select nut blend as “delicious” and they’re almost right. Skittles tastes better; I generally prefer sweet than savory; but they’re profoundly unhealthy. These are both wholesome and tasty; thanks partly to the additional of sea salt; a rarity in the snack world. My only complaint is that there aren’t enough Pecans.

my rating : 4 of 5

Pumpkin Spice Cheerios

Pumpkin Spice Cheerios

If the thought of Pumpkin Spice turns you off as it does me, don’t fret. This Limited Edition (October/November) version of Cheerios has only a soupçon of the flavor. It tastes more like Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, albeit not quite as sweet and tasty.

my rating : 4 of 5

audio review : I Got Game ( song ) … Sir Mix-A-Lot

“You know a Vette only got two seats,” Sir Mix-A-Lot reminds us, “just enough room for a player and a freak.” He also has a couple of Benzes, gold around his neck and a wad of cash. The objective is to attract girls; he likes them “thick”; and have sex with as many as possible. Perhaps his flashiest accessory though is his gift of gab, which sounds especially eloquent over a funky Rick James sample.

my rating : 4 of 5

1989

Breyers Frozen Dairy Dessert : Vanilla [ No Sugar Added ]

Breyers Frozen Dairy Dessert : Vanilla [ No Sugar Added ]

Ice cream with no sugar? Well, it’s not ice cream; it’s Frozen Dairy Dessert; and the No Sugar bit comes with the caveat of the word Added. The ingredients include maltitol syrup; a natural sugar alcohol.

Breyers promotes the taste as “Simply delicious”, but that’s marketing hype. It’s good enough for what it is; basically healthy ice cream; but it lacks the sweetness and creamy texture of its sugary counterparts.

my rating : 4 of 5

Burger King’s Rodeo Burger

Burger King's Rodeo Burger

I don’t know what this burger has to do with a Rodeo, aside from the onion rings being somewhat reminiscent of lassos, but I can imagine a cowboy chopping one down on horseback. The inclusion of barbeque sauce makes it a tasty alternative to a regular hamburger.

my rating : 4 of 5

video review : Cloverfield

video review : Cloverfield

A terrorist the size of Godzilla invades New York City and goes on the attack, breaking thru that big fourth wall in the process, for Cloverfield. It’s a Matt Reeves movie; an artsy creature feature of sorts; but most of the credit goes to Hud; the guy with the (shaky) camera. Lucky for us, he continues to record even as buildings start to fall and The Statue Of Liberty’s head goes rolling by.

my rating : 4 of 5

2008

video review : 10 Cloverfield Lane

audio review : Poor Georgie ( song ) … MC Lyte

“If you love someone, you should say it often,” MC Lyte advises, “You’ll never know when they’ll be laying in a coffin.” Awkward grammar aside, it’s a poignant message and the lesson of this story about a guy she met one night at a (dance) club.

There are “kiss/cry” breaks; the Motown hit bits, while random in their inclusion, also add a nice touch; but no chorus. It’s the lonely guitar loop; the whole song is based on Toto’s Georgy Porgy; that keeps you hooked till the tragic end.

my rating : 4 of 5

1991

audio review : Act Like You Know ( album ) ... MC Lyte

audio review : Breath Control 2 ( song ) … KRS-One

This beat, perhaps the best KRS-One’s ever rapped to, should’ve been put aside for a different artist. It’s a marvelous reggae loop that would’ve been perfect for, say, a Jamal-Ski song for Jamaican girls to shake their butts to. KRS-One is too obsessed with his skills as an MC to allow such mindless fun.

To be clear, it is a good song. Not just for the beat but also KRS-One’s vocal delivery and flow, which goes nicely with it. It’s the concept; a very unnecessary sequel to Breath Control; it would be better without. Even worse is how he dates it by mentioning the year during the “dope style” introduction.

my rating : 4 of 5

1990

audio review : Edutainment ( album ) ... Boogie Down Productions

audio review : God Only Knows ( song ) … The Beach Boys

This song has one of the most beautiful endings you’ll ever hear. Almost exactly 2 minutes in; when a piano, tambourine and string ensemble give way to what sounds like gentle tap dancing; it goes from just a nice serenade to something special.

“God Only Knows what I’d be without you,” the Boys sing in succession, seemingly trying to outdo each other with their melodic acquities, until the music fades. It’s a marvelous sequence. Too bad the whole song doesn’t sound like that.

my rating : 4 of 5

1966

audio review : God Only Knows ( song ) ... The Beach Boys

audio review : Brown Eyed Girl ( song ) … Van Morrison

The only thing I dislike about this song; an ode to a Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison used to have romantic and sexual relations with as a youth; is when he recites the “sha-la-la” song they used to sing. It serves as a sort of bridge or post chorus, but the song would be better without it.

Everything else, from the vocal melodies to the bouncy instrumentation they’re layered upon, sounds beautiful. I wonder if the Girl had the looks to match. Typically when a guy focuses only on a girl’s eyes, as Morrison does here, it means there’s not much else about her to compliment.

my rating : 4 of 5

1967

audio review : Brown Eyed Girl ( song ) ... Van Morrison