"Burn After Reading" Review

Burn After Reading is the Cohen brothers follow up to their Oscar award winning hit "No Country For Old Men." The Cohen's go for a more comical approach to this film and pack it full of major stars to create a unique and enjoyable film that will stand out amongst the drivel that film companies put out in the september/october months.

The point of this movie in essence is that there is no point. This movie is most certainly a black comedy that is heavy in irony and satire as opposed to the Will Ferrell school of comedy. This will not appeal to everybody and you have to go into it knowing that this is a smart comedy and every joke will not be made obvious, if you want obvious humor with little payoff then you're better off renting a Sandler or Mike Myers flick.

Burn After Reading makes use of well written dialogue and intertwining multiple characters for some outrageous scenarios. John Malkovich plays a CIA agent who has been the victim of some workplace politics and ends up losing his job. He decides to use this time off to write a memoir about his life in the CIA. His bitch on wheels wife is played by Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, Chronicles of Narnia) who is tired of her marriage and cheating with George Clooney's character who is a serial womanizer. She decides that she wants to assess her husband's wealth to prepare for divorce and goes through the family computer to get his hidden bank info. She copies the contents of this info onto a disc not knowing that it also contains his manuscript full of CIA secrets. This cd ends up in the hands of two bumbling employees at a local gym played by Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand. They decide to try to get money as a reward for returning the disc and then comedy ensues. The characters storylines intertwine with each other and you really have no clue what bizarre event will unfold next. Brad Pitt steals the show as Chad a personal trainer at the gym. He plays the character so well that you feel for him and Linda (McDormand) even though they're doing something wrong.

Words really can't do the plot of this movie justice as it really is like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with sex and violence. The Cohen brothers do a good job in pacing this film as the 97 minute running time flies by and leaves you wanting more. They also do a good job of keeping it pretty light and the story is pretty easy to follow considering the amount of twists and turns. Burn After Reading is remisicent of a type of movie we just don't get to see these days. Every actor in this film is on top of their game, most of them playing themselves almost. George Clooney as the heartthrob, Swinton as a cold hearted bitch, Brad Pitt as a guy with looks but no brains, and Malkovich constantly at his boiling point. I can't recommend this for everyone as it certainly has its audience, but fans of dark comedy will surely make this a cult hit.

8.5/10

Week 4 NFL Picks

Adi:

ATL @ CAR / CLE @ CIN / HOU @ JAC / DEN @ KC / SF @ NO / ARI @ NYJ / GB @ TB / MIN @ TEN / SD @ OAK / BUF @ STL / WAS @ DAL / PHI @ CHI / BAL @ PIT


Brian:

ATL @ CAR / CLE @ CIN / HOU @ JAC / DEN @ KC / SF @ NO / ARI @ NYJ / GB @ TB / MIN @ TEN / SD @ OAK / BUF @ STL / WAS @ DAL / PHI @ CHI / BAL @ PIT

Valkyrie Trailer

Tom Cruise seems to have been filming this movie for the past decade but I assume it's finally ready to come out. It's about a nazi who tries to assasinate Hitler and somehow fails at doing so. Perfect part for Cruise. The trailer looks pretty decent and theres a lot of good talent in this film so hopefully it can live up to its high expectations. I mean Tom Cruise with an eye patch slaughtering Nazi's is certainly enough for me to fork over my 10 bucks.

Google Android

Google and T-Mobile are teaming up for the long awaited release of the Google Android, the billion dollar company's first foray into the cell phone industry. With a price point that is cheaper than the 3g Iphone($199) at $179 and a slew of google services integrated into the phone, this could give Apple a real run for its money come October 22 when the phone debuts.

The Android operates on a Linux OS and will have a SDK for developers well in advance of the phone's retail reelase. A lot of apple's key GPS features run on the Google Maps/Earth system. Something that google can certainly claim propriety rights to now that they have their own cell phone. Anyone in the business world knows google has some of the best database, calendar, chart generators, and other useful applications in the market. All of these things will be compatible and/or integrated with Android. My only real beef with the phone is the web browser. It'll be built in with Google's new Chrome browser which I'm not too fond of and its a pretty stripped down browser when you compare it to Firefox, Safari, or even the beta version of IE 8. I have a feeling a lot of people will be downloading their own browsers for better customization, I use Opera on my blackberry which I find to be pretty reliable.

Time will tell how the Gphone/Iphone battle will end up, but Google certainly seems to be going head on with its competition with a sleek design, full qwerty keyboard, developer friendly app's, and the whole line of google services and products. Gmail built in your phone is a indeed very sexy thing.

T.I. Paper Trail Review

The long awaited 5th studio album from King of the South Clifford "T.I." Harris is set to drop September 30th and I was able to get an advance copy to review. Last year T.I. was in a load of trouble as he was caught with possession of weapons after a BET awards show and was sentenced to house arrest, followed by community service and will be serving 1 year of prison time sometime in the next year. Now with the bad comes the good. T.I. used this as an opportunity to record an album while in house arrest and the message on this album is all about following a better path, being a family man, and learning from your mistakes.

The album kicks off with "56 barz" which is a 56 bar freestyle that T.I. absolutely kills on and reclaims his top position in the rap game. He name checks a lot of other artists and everyone in hip hop seems to be on pretty good terms with T.I. This album is FULL of cameo's from anybody who's anybody in the rap game. T.I. reteams with Justin Timberlake for "Dead and Gone" a ballad with a powerful hook, Ludacris lays down some sick verses for "On Top Of The World", Rihanna appears on "Live Your Life" which looks to dominate Top 40 radio, Swizz Beats are on "Swing Your Rag" a club anthem that would pump up any party, and Usher makes an appearance as well. The biggest cameo's are on the song "Swagga Like Us" which features the four biggest names in rap (Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay Z, T.I.) coming together over a sample of MIA's "Paper Planes" for what will be a memorable song for any mainstream rap fan.

There is absolutely no filler on this album and T.I. comes back strong at his critics from his luke warm last album "T.I. vs TIP" which was seen as a let down after 2006's smash hit "King." He gets very deep on songs like "No Matter What" which discusses the negative things that have happened over the past few years (his arrest and loss of his newborn daughter) as well as his portrayal by the media. "What Up, What's Happening" is a catchy little song with a few good verses and "Whatever You Like" has become a radio hit with one of the best beats on the album. Any T.I. fan or hip hop enthusiast will be very pleased with this album and it will certainly make for multiple listens. The rap game has fallen off lately with more artists going towards a more pop sound to their music or releasing albums that are glorified street tapes. "Paper Trail" is able to bring together a perfect mix of gritty urban subject matter with a big budget production feel to produce the best rap album of 2008 so far.

10/10

Ruining A Good Thing

In an article in the UK newspaper "The Independent" it was revealed that the famous line "Bond, James Bond" will NOT be included into the new Bond flick "Quantum of Solice" set to come out November 14. Now first they take away the vodka martini and replace it with a coke zero. What kind of fruit is gonna order a coke zero at the bar?! The James Bond character became famous for killing bad guys, banging bitches, and boozing it up in style. Now he's a watered down action hero who we're supposed to believe would rather drink a soda than alcohol when he's out on the town?

This movie is turning out to be just another action film with no elements of the original James Bond in it. After doing a good job of balancing the 1950s feel with 21st century technology in Casino Royale, I really expected them to do the same with this one instead of turning it into a vehicle for corporate sponsorship and trying to please the 15 year olds who have never seen a Connery or god forbid Roger Moore bond movie. I am on the verge of boycotting this movie as there is nothing about it that even remotely interests me. Alicia Keys and Jack White doing the bond theme will be atrocious as well.. mark my words.

Thank goodness for Ayds!

A commercial for the Ayds Diet Candy which makes you rapidly lose weight.

Week 3 NFL Picks

Adi:

KC @ ATL / OAK @ BUF / TB @ CHI / CAR @ MIN / MIA @ NE / CIN @ NYG / HOU @ TEN /ARI @ WAS / NO @ DEN / DET @ SF / STL @ SEA / CLE @ BAL / JAC @ IND / PIT @ PHI / DAL @ GB / NYJ @ SD

Brian:

KC @ ATL / OAK @ BUF / TB @ CHI / CAR @ MIN / MIA @ NE / CIN @ NYG / HOU @ TEN /ARI @ WAS / NO @ DEN / DET @ SF / STL @ SEA / CLE @ BAL / JAC @ IND / PIT @ PHI / DAL @ GB / NYJ @ SD

new TI joint

The entire album "Paper Trail" by TI has been leaked about a week before it comes out on September 30th. The song "Swagger Like Us" has some monster cameo's from Kanye, Jay Z, and Lil Wayne. Also sampling an MIA beat. These 4 guys are at the top of the rap game, but its TI who kills it at the end of the track. TI is hip hop right now, Jay Z is really gonna have to bring it to overthrow this album.

funny stuff

dont fall asleep at a met's game... ever.

Blake Lively

As some of you may know, my new celebrity obsession has become Blake Lively from Gossip Girl. I was a little late to the party on discovering this chick but I must say she gives me more tents in my pants than the fall outdoor display at Modell's. She is the same age as me, goes to guitar hero tournaments, and lives in the city. She may just have a GHB laced vodka tonic and a roll of duct tape in her future.

Soda vs Pop

I know you're thinking.. Adi, why not make a statistical chart breaking down what carbonated beverages are called all across the United States? Done. Here ya go, you're welcome.

P.S. I usually go with "soda" or "coke"

Gotta Love Live TV

Richard Christy and Sal The Stockbroker having a gay ole time on CNN yesterday morning as the Lehman Brothers story broke. If you listen to the Stern show you know these 2 have no problem doing gay stunts together.

- Also MTV's Total Request Live will be having its final show in November. The show has been on for 10 years on MTV and while the current version is practically unwatchable, this was the final bastion of music video on MTV and still remained a great way to reach a certain audience. It's safe to say if you ever are interested in watching a music video these days, YouTube seems to be the last resort.

Rock Band 2 Review

Music rythem games have become all the rage in recent years with the guitar hero series bringing a new life to what was once considered a hardcore gamer genre. What was once relegated to a couple counterculture kids playing DDR in an arcade in the back of a mall has now been turned into an overnight phenomenon using the same style of game play but infusing a barrage of upbeat pop and rock songs for the rock enthusiasts and armchair guitarists. Rock Band plays off the old guitar hero game play (both were created by Harmonix) but includes the ability to invite 3 friends over for a full band simulation with drums, guitar, and a microphone.

Rock Band 2 is not reinventing the Rock Band wheel by any means but certainly builds on everything the first game incorporated, while also fixing some fan complaints and streamlining the experience even more. You can now play through the entire World Tour mode on-line through Xbox Live or solo, with the ability for multiple friends to jump in as substitutes if your regular bassist has a pesky day job to get in the way. There is also the ability to turn on a "no fail" option if you want to practice on an expert song all the way through until you get it right. Quickplay has become even quicker to get set up as you can turn on the system and be rocking out in about a minute without having to go through all of the initial set up the first game required. The customization options are richer for creating the coolest rocker you can and there are a ton of in game sponsors like Zildijan, Fender, Gibson, and more. Also the MTV name is used as this is part of the MTV Games umbrella.

The World Tour is where most people will spend most of their time to unlock new songs and get more money to do cool things with. As your band grows larger in fans you will have the ability to participate in label showcases, music video's (which are VERY well done), get a tour bus, and eventually play shows all over the globe in front of thousands. The track list for Rock Band 2 is truly what sets it apart from its Guitar Hero World Tour counterpart. There are 82 songs off the bat, and Harmonix promises another 20 free one's before the end of the year making the total at over 100 songs. Not to mention you can export your songs from Rock Band 1 to this game and all of your DLC will still work as well. When everything is said and done you will have the option of over 500 songs to play with, quite a feat from the original 25 or so the Guitar Hero games would have.

There is some deep variety in artists as you get everything from The Who, Rage Against The Machine, Bob Dylan, Blondie, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Disturbed, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Fleetwood Mac, and The Allman Brothers. There literally is something for everyone in this game and there will be new DLC every week including track packs and sometimes even full albums. The biggest news on this list was Guns N' Roses debuting their new single in over 10 years on Rock Band. "Shackler's Revenge" is the name of the title and it will be quite the challenge on expert mode.

Overall, if you bought Rock Band 1 there is no reason not to shell out 60 bucks for the additional 100 songs of Rock Band 2. The co-op and online modes are fun and will keep you addicted to your console for the better half of the next year. Rock Band is the ultimate music party game and Rock Band 2 builds on everything from the first creating a rock experience that the competitors just can't seem to match.

9/10

SNL skits make me wet

Tina Fey returned for the season premiere of SNL channeling her best Sarah Palin impersonation. It was almost like looking into a mirror. Amy Poehler was great as well. Hopefully these SNL skits for the next 6 weeks can help sway anyone who was thinking about voting for that republican trainwreck.

NFL Picks: Week 2

Adi:

GB @ DET / NYG @ STL / NO @ WAS / BUF @ JAC / TEN @ CIN / OAK @ KC / IND @ MIN / CHI @ CAR / ATL @ TB / SF @ SEA / SD @ DEN / MIA @ ARI / NE @ NYJ / PIT @ CLE / PHI @ DAL

Brian:

GB @ DET / NYG @ STL / NO @ WAS / BUF @ JAC / TEN @ CIN / OAK @ KC / IND @ MIN / CHI @ CAR / ATL @ TB / SF @ SEA / SD @ DEN / MIA @ ARI / NE @ NYJ / PIT @ CLE / PHI @ DAL

Righteous Kill Review

Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro team up to finally make a movie together. In Godfather Part II they did not have any scenes together and in Heat they only had 1 scene together. So what's better than to put them together in a buddy cop movie with some twists and turns and a celeb supporting cast? On paper this movie sounds like a winner. I really wanted to go into this film and see a 2008 version of Heat. After reading other reviews, I considerably lowered my expectations. It's safe to say Righteous Kill won't be remembered as a classic, but its certainly a watchable and engaging film that shows off just why we fell in love with Pacino/DeNiro in the first place.

It's hard to review a film like this without giving away any spoilers. DeNiro plays Turk, a good cop who is becoming disenfranchised with the bad guys seemingly getting off scott free when they are clearly guilty. Pacino plays his partner Rooster, a wise cracking free wheeling cop who you can't really tell if he wanted to get in the profession to do good or just to be able to play with a gun. The two older cops are trying to hold their own against a young team of Perez (John Leguizamo) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg). The four men get themselves intertwined into following a case of a serial killer who murders his victims and then leaves a 4 line poem at every scene. He is a vigilante who is on his own mission to clean up the scum of the city and its up to the the two teams of detectives to hunt him down.

After much in fighting and squabbling, the guys figure out that only a cop would have the skill to pull off these murders. This leads to spending the second half of the movie trying to figure out which one of them is the dirty cop. Carla Gugino (Night at the Museum, Sin City, Entourage) is also in this movie as a crime scene investigator who has a very naughty relationship with DeNiro's character. Let's just say she is very much into pretend rape. Her character does nothing to further the story and she really just comes off as a sicko whore. 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) has a larger role in this than he should ever have. Fortunately he doesn't do anything to totally derail the movie.

The pacing of this movie was quite off. Mainly because of a horrible director in Jon Avnet who only has a few directing roles to his credit, his last being the critically panned Pacino movie 88 Minutes. You can tell he has big ambitions with the story but the inexperience to pull any of it off in a way that makes sense. DeNiro and Pacino are the only saving grace of the movie, especially in its climax as they both revert into their classic persona's making for some highly enjoyable dialog. The movie tends to stall out in the beginning but does pick up steam and turns itself into a slightly above average version of your typical crime flick. I think it's sad to say both actors are showing their age with lots of slow movements and dragged out speeches. I don't know if we will ever see a Serpico or Goodfellas type performance from these guys ever again. I wouldn't recommend paying full price, but this movie does provide a nice feeling of nostalgia and a good escape on a rain day or watching it late night on cable.

6.5/10

McCain Takes On The View

whoopi slavery
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John McCain visited the set of the View on Friday and was hard at work putting his foot in his mouth. McCain apparently thinks its a good idea to over turn Roe v Wade. This is the first time where I applauded something Whoopi Goldberg says. Then Barbara Walter's was quick to put the black women back in their place by saying "Don't worry.. us white folks will take care of you." Well thanks for the reassurance Barbara. People we cannot let this maniac get into office!

Obama on Letterman

Barack Obama was on Letterman last night, attempting to take some press back from McCain/Palin and to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of 9/11 today in NYC. He addresses the "lipstick on a pig" remarks as well.



Part 2:



Part 3:

Leykis the Documentary

If you've ever been curious about the world of radio, this is a documentary that should be required viewing. It's of nationally syndicated talk show host Tom Leykis. Heard on KLSX in Los Angeles and many other stations. Consider this an introductory course to the radio biz:



Also check out this video by NYC's own Dead Air Dave, otherwise known as Dylan on Fresh 102.7:

Adi and Heavy B Picks: WEEK 1

This will be a new feature on the blog. Every week I will be posting our picks for the NFL football season and maybe other sports as well (world series, nba, nhl, woman's equestrian horseback riding) so keep checking back often.

Adi:

DET @ ATL / CIN @ BAL / SEA @ BUF / NYJ @ MIA / KC @ NE / TB @ NO / STL @ PHI / HOU @ PIT / JAC @ TEN / DAL @ CLE / CAR @ SD / ARI @ SF / CHI @ IND / MIN @ GB / DEN @ OAK

Brian:

DET @ ATL / CIN @ BAL / SEA @ BUF / NYJ @ MIA / KC @ NE / TB @ NO / STL @ PHI / HOU @ PIT / JAC @ TEN / DAL @ CLE / CAR @ SD / ARI @ SF / CHI @ IND / MIN @ GB / DEN @ OAK

Seinfeld <3's Microsoft?

If there's one tv show I can religiously watch on tv with my pants around my ankles, its Seinfeld. Microsoft in a struggling attempt to gain some pop culture relevance against the undeniably hipper Apple, has signed a deal with Jerry Seinfeld to come up with some new commercial idea's. There's also going to be a slew of major celebrities in the future who are doing their own Microsoft ad's. Not sure if this can help them compete against the Apple juggernaut but I sure do like to slap my knee while watching this.

New Movies I'm Excited For

Labor Pains starring Lindsay Lohan:



Zach and Miri Make A Porno, directed by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen:



Sukiyaki Western Django, directed by critically acclaimed japanese director Takashi Miike:



RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, and co-starring Jeremy Piven/Ludacris

Reaction to the RNC

The republican national convention is in full swing in St. Paul, Minnesota with Joe Lieberman and President Bush both giving speeches tonight. The convention was delayed by a day because of Hurricane Gustav hitting New Orleans, but it didn't seem to do too much to hamper the spirit of the Republican party. I must say that the choice of Sarah Palin is already blowing up in McCain's face. First of all to all of these females who are screaming in joy for a woman VP, you should be OFFENDED about this pick, not proud of it.

Palin was picked not because of her political background and qualifications, she was picked to sway disenfranchised Hillary fan's and McCain seems to believe that woman are morons who will vote for a uterus in the white house not because the woman deserves to be there but for girl power. It's sickening. This woman has a 17 year old daughter who is knocked up and is making her go through with the pregnancy and even forcing her to marry the baby's daddy because she's that crazy about pro-life. How can people be 100% opposed to abortion in the year 2008? The woman who is going to carry a baby for 9 months and deal with the emotional/physical stress that comes along with that should have the right to choose. It's plain and simple. We don't blink an eye when we put our own kids in the line of fire over in Iraq, why should we make a big stink about early term baby's being aborted? She is against stem cell research which I will never understand. Don't we want to cure the diseases that have plagued our civilization for generations? Wouldn't it be great to give a new limb to an amputee, a new heart to a person who had a quadruple bypass, a new kidney to someone who has a failing one? Is this rocket science? How can people support someone against this?

Palin is a huge step backwards for our country as a VP and so is McCain. He is 72 years old and has had FOUR..thats 4.. battles with skin cancer! If his health fails in office, this woman who's only experience is 2 years in office in Alaska and being mayor in front of a town of 9,000 people, will get the keys to the country. Are people going to be that dumb? Say what you want about Obama/Biden but the two of them will do far more for this country than a "hockey mom" who has 5 kids to worry about, a husband who himself isnt even a registered republican, and a new born with down syndrome! Obama is up to 50% approval for the very first time on Gallop and I think its a direct correlation of how bad this VP pick is. McCain has shot himself in the foot and thank god natural disaster struck during the RNC. Its time the country gets the change its been asking for, for the past 8 years. Say what you want about Obama's experience but the bottom line is that John McCain has been in congress for the past 26 years and has done NOTHING but vote down party lines in every decision and bring us to the position our country is in now. Let's get some fresh blood a chance to stir things up a bit.

news and notes

Apparently the new Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglorious Bastards, has already jumped the shark. I was very excited for this movie since day 1 with Brad Pitt playing the lead role, and Diane Kruger getting cast recently which was a smart move but something that makes my stomach turn is that.....none other than... Mike Myers... has been cast in this film. Myers is coming off the abortion that was the Love Guru and will probably ruin this movie as well. The guy is known to be extremely difficult to work with on set and his comedy is totally unfitting for this movie. I really hope this is a bit part or cameo but something tells me if it was Myers wouldn't have signed up.

Sad news in the world of movie voiceover's as Don LaFontaine has passed away at 68 year old. He was the voice of thousands of movie trailers and tv ad's. His most famous is probably the Geico ad that ran last year:



Finally, Google has decided to further its battle with Microsoft as it will launch "Chrome" tomorrow (Tuesday 9/3). Chrome is a new web browser from google designed to take away a chunk of Internet Explorer users. It'll be interesting to see how this browser does as Firefox and IE are very hard to compete against but if anyone can do it, its google. You can read more about Chrome as it already has a wikipedia page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome. I should have a review of it up over the next few days too.