Tag: New York

video review : Do The Right Thing

video review : Do The Right Thing

There are plenty of stupid things in this movie, beginning with the opening dance sequence, but the stupidest or at least most annoying are Smiley and Buggin Out. They’re characters who live in Brooklyn and are obsessively infatuated with the black race like seemingly every other black character in this movie. Smiley, who stutters whenever he speaks, is a retard. Buggin Out just acts like one. The problem with the two is that their annoying ways are played-out almost to the point of caricaturization. They come across as virtual cartoons in a movie that’s supposed to be about real life.

It’s a hot summer day and Mookie, who works as a delivery man for an Italian pizzeria, is just trying to get thru life. That’s the gist of a plot that cares more about observing characters in their everyday environment; the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant; than telling a cohesive story. At one point, the story is temporarily abandoned for an impromptu insult session. That bit too is, of course, all about race. “Tawana (Brawley) told the truth,” reads a graffiti message in a another scene. All this racial tension peaks at the end when a guy named Radio Raheem becomes the victim of police brutality.

my rating : 3 of 5

1989

video review : Red Hook Summer

video review : Red Hook Summer

This is an epilogue to Do The Right Thing, a movie many people consider Spike Lee’s magnum opus, only in the sense that he uses it to reprise his role as Mookie. It’s a brief cameo feature but a touch of nostalgia nonetheless. Both movies focus on black people in the city of Brooklyn. I just happen to like this one a little more.

The acting on the part of the two child stars is surprisingly amateurish, especially the girl’s; her voice inflections are consistently wrong; but Red Hook Summer, as desultory as its plot may be, is never boring. That has mostly to do with the boy’s grandfather, a Bible-gripping bishop who preaches the gospel even when he’s not preaching.

He’s determined to introduce his grandson to “God”. And even if his cultic sermons fall on deaf ears, the church song performances he leads are enjoyable. The non-diegetic music, which plays even during scenes it shouldn’t play during; Spike Lee appears at the end wearing a “No Music” shirt, oddly enough; sounds good too.

Then there’s a major plot twist. It’s a sudden character reveal near the level of The Sixth Sense. The way it happens is, like the fire riot scene in Do The Right Thing, overdramatic and even a bit silly, but it sets the tone for an ending that, whether you can feel compassionate for the protagonist or not, is somber and moving.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012

audio review : Piece Maker 3 [ Return Of The 50 MCs ] ( album ) … Tony Touch

audio review : Piece Maker 3 [ Return Of The 50 MCs ] ( album ) ... Tony Touch

There should be exactly fifty MCs, or rappers, featured on this set; the third in a series of mixtape-style compilations from DJ Tony Touch; but there isn’t. My count, not including a spoken monologue by Angie Martinez, goes over fifty. That’s a major conceptual flaw as far as I’m concerned. If there are more than fifty MCs, in other words, what sense does it make to say “50” in the title? It’s a nice solid number, yes, but I see no logical reason to round down to it. The best thing would’ve been to simply limit the guest-list to 49.

That’s because Tony Touch starts the set with a verse of his own. He doesn’t have anything particularly clever or interesting to say; that’s actually the case for most rappers; but his drunken Puerto Rican flow makes it one of the best. Two of my favorite rappers; Eminem, who spit the best Piece Maker verse back in 2000, and Masta Ace; are also featured, but both disappoint. The best verse this time around comes from Papoose on Brooklyn with an honorable mention going to a surprisingly fresh KRS-One on The Bronx.

He rhymes “delay” more than once; he should’ve looked over his verse more carefully to make sure he wasn’t repeating words; but it’s still a relatively impressive verse. The Lox and members of the Wu-Tang clan also provide verses for the album. This is New York hip-hop music, so it’s no surprise that one of the best beats; the horn-laced banger on the aforementioned opener; is provided by DJ Premier. Another banger comes from Statik Selektah on A Queen’s Thing, a borough anthem by Action Bronson and Kool G Rap.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013

video review : Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee [ Season 1 ]

video review : Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee [ Season 1 ]

“You don’t have to have coffee,” Jerry Seinfeld says to Michael Richards, “That’s just the name of the show.” That conceptual inaccuracy doesn’t seem to bother Jerry, but it bothers me. If the comedians aren’t necessarily getting coffee, why say it in the title?

It’s a minor gripe though. The main problem with the show is that it isn’t particularly funny. It’s interesting watching celebrities interact like normal people and the non-diegetic jazz music makes for a cozy atmosphere, but the laughs are rarely warranted.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012

Sara Lee New York Style Cheesecake

Sara Lee New York Style Cheesecake

If you’re used to seeing cheesecake with a strawberry or cherry topping, this may take you by surprise. It looks like sponge cake or cornbread from the top. It’s not until you cut a slice and take a bite that you’re taken in by the taste of cheesecake.

It’s deliciously sweet and dangerously rich. If you eat too much too quick without drinking water or something to wash it down, it literally gets stuck between your throat and chest. Not that death by cheesecake wouldn’t be wonderful way to go.

my rating : 4 of 5

question : Who was funnier on The Howard Stern Show; Jackie Martling or Artie Lange?

I hated Artie Lange when he first started. I thought he was annoying and not funny at all. He got better over the years; I think he has a knack for making short improvised comments; but not by much. He’s just generally not that funny to me.

Jackie Martling was definitely funnier, but mainly because of the way Howard and Robin used him for the show. Them ridiculing him and his “wacky” ways with their caricatural impersonations made for some of the show’s funniest moments.
 

Dave Hollander :

Artie was funnier but Jackie was a funnier subject. I.e. the gang doing Jackie noises and making fun of him.