tingiemang Reviews

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)

This was a trip down memory lane and, although very short, touched me deeply

[9/10 · 25 July 2012]

I saw this movie followed by a live feed with Q&A of ICE-T (and others) in London.

According to Ice-T this movie is just the appetizer and more will follow Well I for one can't wait to see more. Ice-T said he wanted to "give back" and I think he did with this movie. I certainly liked the stories told in the movie even If I do not fully agree with the distinction they make between Rhyme Sayers (rappers) and MC (entertainers), I personally think it really depends on the era.

I've now dusted off all my old records and am listening to stuff I had not listened to for years. Ice-T also made me remember why I fell in love with hip hop. It was the old stuff that was like magic to me.

It's not that I do not like modern hip-hop, I do, but in my mind I probably never granted the modern kind the same stature as the Old School.

The term Old School it self is tricky. There were always fierce disputes as to what could be considered Old School in the nineties and who was part of it. Now every one of those disputing is over 30 and called old. Look up Old School in wiki for more info.

On a personal note. I don't know if Old School is/was better but it certainly appealed to me at that point in my live. As I believe that what was on the radio back then was more diverse.

I doubt that political rap of PE, KRS-1, Arrested development, X-clan, or the early Paris would even stand a chance against today's more mainstream popular hip-hop of Jay -Z Kanye, Lil Wayne and M&M. But the former was necessary at the time. It was an era of so many styles, ego tripping, enjoyment (party rap) and education (a tribe called quest, De La soul, intelligent hoodlum) and who would have thought that Miami Bass pioneer Luther Cambell (Luke) would be the one to defend artist's constitutional right to use profanity and parody.

What I mean to say is that Old School laid a lot of bricks for newer artists to follow; you cannot have Jay-Z without Grandmaster Melle Mel.

Something this movie makes really clear.

Spawn (1997)

excellent

[10/10 · 24 November 2009]

It's a far better comic adaptation than anything Marvel or DC ever brought out.

MCfarlane's noir comic, which I read from day one, is masterfully stuffed into an hour and a half. The FX were OK but a remake in this century could only make this movie more awesome. If any comic series deserved a sequel,it would be Spawn. Too much was left untold (Thank God you can still reset

My favorite character is definitely the clown AKA Violator. He is so evil it's both funny and grotesque way was better than the joker ever was (OK maybe except the latest batman)

Michael White was an excellent choice for Al Simmons and he is more importantly one of the few actors that actually has both the physique and the athleticism to play a hero.

As a fan of action comics and especially of Spawn the comic and the TV-series i recommend this movie.

I Think I Love My Wife (2007)

only singles and maybe girlfriends or wives could give this one a thumbs down

[10/10 · 29 July 2007]

I saw the original and IMHO Chris Rock did a great job in making me really wish I'd not brought my wife around to see this movie.

i could totally relate to this Richard Cooper persona and my wife was all into Brenda.

Needless to say we got into lots and lots of arguments because of this movie, which to me just proves that its a real gem. I've warned all of my married friends not to watch it together with their wives, at least not until they have their defenses or excuses up.

Enjoy this movie, if you haven't already, and if needed do as i did and have a heart to heart with the spouse afterwards to clear the air.

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)

Why do some men act like dogs when they see something they want?

[8/10 · 26 December 2004]

You don't have to like Martin Lawrence to let this movie have an impact on you. i know it's a comedy but when i turned off my DVD player i made me think of when i was wild and stupid. I'd do anything to get a girl i liked into my bed. I even used those forbidden 3 words. They are like a magic key, effective for instant access but oh so dangerous. Fatal attraction and Boomerang came into my mind when i saw this movie. Martin Lawrence acts like he usually does and Lynn Whitfield was great. I actually believe he's like that in real life too.

Others have commented on the realism of having a woman like Whitfield going with a smooth low life like the character displayed by Martin. but i think these people don't know the first thing about "hitting" on girls. (excuse the term). Guys that try first and persevere usually get their women. I you have'n seen it, enjoy the movie. I did.

Underworld (2003)

They should have used a different male lead.

[10/10 · 25 November 2004]

A good action/fantasy that leaves enough questions to long for a sequel.

There's not enough good fantasy out there. The score i gave it is genre specific and i not really trying to review the movie but just comment on it. Also since i'm not one to compare a fantasy with a Sci-fi or any other genre I also try to take my own age and the period in which i saw the movie in consideration finally i'll only write movies that i liked not the ones i didn't like. Why condemn a possibly good movie for others because i biased? I'm a fan of movies so even when i'm disappointed in a film i still appreciate the efforts made to bring the movie out.

Underworld to me was refreshing even if the effects were nice, the story classical, far fetched coincidenses and the plot predictable. In fact i've read several fantasy novels that were all about the same. it's just that a good entertaining movie was made about it with lots of noir (noir as in dark/black). Just like Brotherhood of the Wolf which was ignored by many people simply because it was french. Since i like long movies i was a bit disappointed with this movies length. I was also hoping for an all English cast. Something to do with accents and stuff.