Amber Street

Wall-E Review

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:09:00 +0000

What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? To me, it teeters on greatness. Not only is it an awesome kid movie, but anyone with a working heart will appreciate its message.

The movie deals with a future Earth that has been left in ruins. There some an attempt to straighten up the planet which failed, and humans left Earth aboard a cruise line spacecraft. Back on Earth we have Wall-E, that last of his kind. He is a robot designed to help collect the trash on Earth. Over the years he has developed a personality and an affinity for old show tunes. Suddenly, the love of his life appears from a probe and his journey to stay with her takes him all over the universe.

The strength of this movie lies in the emotions that are so perfectly conveyed through out pint-sized robot friends. There is little talking done by the robots, and only minimal input from the humans in the film. Despite this, the main characters come off as likable as any character in any Pixar movie.

If, and that is a big if, there is a fault in this movie, it would be the message it sends. But like I said, it depends on how you look at it. The "Green" message of the film doesn't come off as preachy to me, and more importantly I think it is something kids can look at and accept for what it is. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a while. Well worth it. You should see it with a lover, friends, or just go by yourself and freely cry like I did during the touching moments.

Substance- 10/10. A family film with a message about consumerism and saving the environment. It doesn't come off as preachy and thats why it works.
Execution- 9/10.-The main characters don't even talk and you still care for them. Wonderfully done.
Wow Factor-9/10. Another Pixar hit that looks beautiful on the screen.
Staying Power-9/10. You could put this next to one of my favorite Pixar films, Finding Nemo, and see how they both measure up equally.
The Fan Factor-8/10. There isn't a colorful supporting cast as in other Pixar films, but everyone will love Wall-E.
Overall-45/50

Technorati Tags: Wall-E, Movies

"Inside" Art and Life

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:56:00 +0000

I knew that real life stuff happened like this, but I couldn't think of any real examples.

If you are a horror fan, and you haven't seen the French film "Inside", I don't know what is wrong with you. It puts everything American has been doing to shame. Bloody-disgusting.com, the horror fan site, called it one of the scariest movies since the original Halloween. And that's saying something. The premise is a French woman, who, after a terrible accident has to raise her child on her own. But she soon realizes that another woman wants what's inside her and is willing to kill to get it. I won't review it here, but honestly its a great movie. I would give it a 9/10 and call it one of my favorite horror movies ever.

But that isn't the disturbing part. It seems that a woman in Washington felt the need to do the same thing. She killed a woman who was almost to term in order to keep her child and pass it off as her own. That is what makes Inside that much scarier. The motivation behind the killer is slightly different in the movie, but insane people actually do things like this. I have to stress that watching that movie gives the real story an even more sickening punch than it already has. Here is the original story from msnbc.com.

KENNEWICK, Wash. - Police said a pregnant woman was killed after being stabbed multiple times in the chest and her nearly full-term baby was cut from her womb. A 23-year-old woman has been arrested.

The baby boy was hospitalized at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane in critical condition.

Court documents said 27-year-old Araceli Camacho Gomez, of Pasco, had her hands and feet bound with yarn and suffered "massive trauma to her stomach area" late Friday night. An autopsy showed she died of the chest wounds, but had other wounds "consistent with the cutting of the body to remove an unborn child."

Her body was found early Saturday in Kennewick's Columbia Park.

A Kennewick woman, Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong, has been arrested for investigation of first-degree murder and is accused of trying to pass the infant boy off as her own in calls made late Friday night to emergency dispatchers. She was being held without bail Monday, with another court appearance scheduled Wednesday.

Court documents say gloves soaked in blood, a boxcutter, bloody paper towels, yarn, baby bottle and baby socks were among some of the items found in Sisouvanh Synhavong's purse.

Technorati Tags: Inside, Horror

Digital Warfare

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:57:00 +0000

This is the most disturbing news I've read in a while, mainly because I've visited the attacked sites before. SOHH.com and Allhiphop.com, two of the biggest hip hop sites around, have been targeted by online terrorists. This is the best way to describe them because A., that's what they are, and B., that's what they claim to be.

A group known as 4chan, or Anonymous, claimed responsibility for the attack. This happens all the time on the net. In some instances rival sites will hack others to claim superiority on the net. But this attack seems to be racially motivated, which is the scary part. The sites and their respective forums were hacked, and hate messages demeaning Blacks and other minorities were posted on the sites.

Apparently, the hangout of the hackers was known to be a racist site. In an unprovoked move, a few members of one of the hip hop communities posted messages on their sites. Whatever the messages contained, they provoked an all out war on hip hop sites. Both sites are now getting the authorities involved.

I tell you, its really sad that hackers would try and break down thriving communities. Its not like its just any community, they specifically targeted hip hop communities with their racist message. I think of them as cowards. These guys are supposed to be internet revolutionaries and such, right? Go hack a banking website and get rid of the debt of thousands of people. Otherwise, you are just living out your loser fantasies online by thinking people actually fear you. Expect the FBI to be at your doorstep real soon.

Technorati Tags: cyber terrorism, terrorism

Co-Sign!

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:08:00 +0000

I've felt this way for a long time, and it took legends to say what most real hip hop heads are thinking. Marley Marl and Craig G., both legends in the game, had some choice words for the current state of hip hop. The original article is from allhiphop.com. Their responses are from a question asking about their opinions of Lupe and Kanye, or so called "Nerd Rap".

Marley Marl: That part of Hip-Hop is not even as popular as the ignorant part of Hip-Hop. For me I don’t even let my kids listen to Rap. I don’t want my kids talking like most of these rappers. I’m ashamed, I don’t even want my kids hearing that s**t. I want my kids going to college. The college kids getting an education can’t identify what these motherf***ers are saying right now. My kids will not be listening to Hip-Hop, I’m sorry. That’s a quote.

I’ll let my son listen to some classic stuff, but the stuff now I mean really. It’s too illiterate, it’s too dumb. What’s sad is our kids are growing up and learning this language, copying it and think that’s what to talk. A straight educated dude can’t make a hit record right now because he’s too smart.

Craig G.: It’s funny, everyone is saying the same thing but no one is saying anything.

Emphasis added. All I can say is PREACH!!! Someone is saying what I have been feeling for the longest time. Mainstream rap is garbage for the most part. There are a few here and there, but the rest just suck. I turn on Black Exploitation Television and I'm dumbfounded by what they are passing off as rap nowadays. There may have always been a silly and a fun side to rap, but it least it wasn't passed off as being serious. The original pioneers didn't need to demean women and talk about their exploits in the club to be popular. I feel like there are 3 archetypes of what the corporate clowns think a rapper should be. And it seems that everyone who releases a song is forced to fit that mold if they want to sell. Rappers today just suck, there is no way around it.

Hopefully a musical revolution can come sometime soon, because as a jaded rap fan, they better not expect a dollar from me until the industry as a whole changes. Props to the real rappers who are still doing their thing.

Immortal Technique-The Revolutionary

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:04:00 +0000

I'll try to remember to do an album review of his latest album.

If you haven't heard, Immortal Technique is a one man army. Fed up with traditional hip hop, he has made it his mission to bring a revolution to hip hop. Notice that I didn't call it a movement. I feel every rapper calls their rise to fame a movement, not realizing that most movements eventually die out. IT's revolution is here for the long term. Not only is this a music thing, he makes sure to reach out to various countries abroad and neighborhoods here to force change amongst regular people who may feel that they don't have a government to count on.

How could I describe his music? It is like a small arms firefight recorded on CD. IT takes shots at the system in the U.S., crooked politicians, and anyone else who stands in the way of the people. The Third World, his latest album/mixtape made with the help of the notable Green Lantern, is his newest official work in years. But greatness takes time. The wait was a little long, but true fans are fine with it. His first two albums Revolutionary Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are considered underground classics.

Why should you check this out at all? Because it puts mainstream rap to shame. It is hard to find a rapper who has this much passion in his music. The Revolution is coming through your speakers and straight to your brain.

The Devil crept into Heaven
God overslept on the 7th
The New World Order was born on September 11th.-Immortal Technique

Technorati Tags: The Third World, Immortal Technique

The Dark Knight Movie Spoilers?

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Again, I won't mention the numerous times I said I was done posting movie information on this blog. Anyways, I couldn't pass this up because it seems to be accurate as far as I can tell. This appears to be a fully synopsis of the film. Based on my read of it I think it leaves out when Harvey Dent becomes disfigured. It also seems like a rough overview, not talking about specific locations that the events happen. But we'll see if this is true or not. If it is, remember who told you first!

I still plan on seeing the movie, and if this is all true, it doesn't spoil too much for me. Like I said, the beauty of this movie will be in the details and craziness of the Joker, which is only briefly explained here.

SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS

The movie begins showing the goings on in Gotham City: it's a real mess. There are a lot of fake Batmans: they show ap at crime scenes and get killed. But the true Batman is always in action, and he's not alone: Gotham City has a new District Attorney, Harvey Dent. His girlfriend is Rachel Dawes, who had a relationship with Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman).

Together, Batman and Dent face the crime: when Gambol, the main mob boss, decides to pool all the mob money (billions of dollars) in China and sends Lau (a crooked accountant) to Hong Kong, Batman is able to follow Lau and bring him to Gotham. Dent uses the information taken after his capture to round up a lot of criminals (even Sal Maroni!): a great victory for justice.

But peace does not last: The Joker, a new criminal, reveals himself asking Batman to take his mask off or he'll start killing people. He says he does it for the mob: he wants their money back, and in exchange wants half of it for himself.
The Joker kills some people, but decides to go higher and kidnaps both Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent: Batman has to decide which one to save.

As part of his plan, Joker gets captured; batman rushes to Rachel to save her, but the Joker has lied, and he ends up saving Harvey Dent, who loses his mind completely when he discovers that not only Joker escaped, but has set on fire the money and the police building.

Joker announces that the Mayor has to die, or he'll blow up Gotham's Hospital. Dent decides to hunt down anyone who was involved in Rachel's kidnap, and kills people too: he finds Maroni and kills him, just after Maroni (worried about Joker's crazyness) has said to Batman where to find the Joker. Meanwhile, the clown blows up the hospital.

Now Joker actually runs Gotham City, so he tells people that they have to deal whit him or to leave. Two ships of pepole leave the metropolis: one full of criminals, and one full of innocents. Joker stops the ships and announces that he'll blow both the ships up at midnight, unless one ship blows the other up (they both have detonators).

Dent finds Commissioner Gordon, who got corrupted (but is still "good") and inevitably led to Rachel's kidnap. Dent threatens him with his gun, but Batman arrives and dives him into a hole in the floor, apparently killing him. Then Batman decides to go on the run: he wants to pretend he killed the people Dent killed, because he thinks Gotham needs it's ex-D.A.'s image untarnished.

Meanwhile, Joker has failed, and he goes in prison. The End...

This is clearly a prelude to the next episode, with the return of Two Face and Batman redemption...

Bonus spoilers:

* Batman and the Joker face off during a wheeled confrontation. Batman, riding the Batpod, shoots and hits the Joker’s Van with two rockets. Simultaneously, one of the Joker’s Clowns makes a direct hit to the Batpod. Batman is thrown from the cycle in the explosion and lands in the street. One of the Clowns grabs Batman and is thrown back by a shocking jolt from the Bat’s electrified belt. The Joker kicks and spits on his Clown Henchman after approaching Batman himself. He spits a spray on Batman and immediately grabs him by the back of the head. The Joker has a knife to Batman’s throat ready to slice when Detective Gordon appears. Gordon’s shotgun is pressed to his head when the Joker slowly turns and jokes, ”Can ya give me a minute?” Sources on site reported the scene took at least 10 takes as the crew perfected the Joker’s spray and fought their own laughter.

Technorati Tags: Batman, The Dark Knight

The Dreaded Super Group?

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:35:00 +0000

Here's some news that makes me cringe. Lil Wayne, who enjoys sipping sizzurp and making awful rap songs, is planning to create a super group with T-Pain. Get the title now?

Have we learned nothing from the Best of Both Worlds fiasco? Jay-z and R.Kelly were not able to do it, and they are the best at what they do. Lil Wayne and T-Pain are arena football league players in terms of skills when compared to the two previously mentioned men. But they both move records which seems to be the only thing that matters in today's awful hip hop industry.

Doesn't anybody make real shit anymore?-Kanye West

Here is the original article, which includes some info about The Carter 3 tour. From mtv.com.

One is hip-hop's king of collaborations. The other is his R&B equivalent. For once, you can believe the rumors: Lil Wayne and T-Pain indeed have plans to form a supergroup.

Weezy confirmed the report with a simple "Yeah" on Monday in Los Angeles, where he was filming his spot in Cassie's new video "Official Girl" before he performed later in the day at a sold-out House of Blues.

Pain has been publicly hinting about the venture, but didn't come right out and say Wayne's name. Weezy said it's true.

"We both have the same energy," he said. "I don't sleep. If you ask anybody, I don't sleep. I think it's the cousin of death. As much as you sleep, you're impersonating death to me. He don't sleep. I play all day. He plays all day and all night. The connection is crazy. He loves to be creative, he loves to work; I love to create, I love to work. He really wants people to respect his rapping; I really want people to respect my harmonizing."

One thing Weezy doesn't have to worry about is getting respect. Tha Carter III is on track to be the top-selling album in the country come Wednesday. It's just a matter of the numbers right now: Will he sell a million copies or end up somewhere in the high 900,000s?

As for selling over 400,000 copies in his first day of release, Weezy humbly said, "I'm surprised," but did note that he didn't think about what his numbers would be prior to the tally.

Wayne also announced that on June 27, he'll be starting his tour in support of the LP. The outing shares the same name as his album.

"I just want people to leave the show and feel like they saw something that they gonna remember forever," he said of Tha Carter III tour. "You know how our parents always tell us about some concert they went to [back in the day], but they remember it like yesterday? I want that to be every night, every city for me.

"I'mma stay in my lane and what makes it great for me," he said of the performance. "I can't do no more, or no less."

Further details on Wayne's tour and album with T-Pain were not available at press time.

Brilliant!

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:35:00 +0000

All I can say is, why didn't I think of that before?

I want to expand the topics of my blog, and for months I have been trying to set up one that deals specifically with movies. Its been hard for me to sit down and get it ready for launch (creating a banner and such). But it will be done.

As far as other expansions that can be made, it hit me. I've been a fiend for Penn State Football news this entire off season. Every drop of news about recruiting has been my fix. So...

Why not focus on Penn State sports/Penn State life in general? I have one more year left, and I could provide some nice info for those that have gone away from Happy Valley. Its a thought at least. I'm worried about covering ground that is already being covered very well (The Black Shoe Diaries). I'll let the idea slosh around in my head. And I promise to start making progress with Maui Wowie Drive, the movie blog. A name change may be on the menu as well. We'll see.

Them Bone Boys is Back!

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:19:00 +0000

It seems that after a trillion years Bone Thugs N Harmony are back together. This was a good read. I didn't realize that Flesh caught a charge like that. Wow. What does this mean in reality though? It means that an album may come, but I won't have high expectations for it in this volatile hip hop market. A song that is complete nonsense sells better than real hip hop. Sigh.

After years of inner-turmoil and label woes, Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have reunited, with all five original group members.

According to founding member Krayzie Bone, the group has made amends with estranged member Bizzy, and when incarcerated group member Flesh is released next month, the group is planning a full return to the rap game.

“Flesh will be home July 10th, he’s supposed to be getting out. Bizzy was at one of last shows in Riverside [California]. We had a good conversation there," Krayzie Bone revealed. We told people what it was. When everything got right, we was gonna come back together and what we had to do.”

The group’s original line up, which consisted of Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Wish Bone, Bizzy Bone and Flesh-n-Bone, changed with Flesh, born Stanley Howse, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, after he threatened another man with a loaded AK-47.

Police also raided his California residence in July of 1997 and found numerous explosives, including dynamite sticks.

Flesh, who is Layzie Bone’s brother, was also wanted for of seven assault charges that dated back to 1993.

The arrest derailed Flesh’s career, although he can be heard on classic Bone albums like Creepin On Ah Come Up, E 1999 Eternal and The Art of War.

Group member Bizzy Bone was kicked out of the group in 2002, due to his excessive drug and alcohol use and personal issues.

Bizzy Bone, born Bryon Anthony McCane, recently released his independent album A Song For You in April.

The title track from the album, which features DMX, hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart.

According to Krayzie Bone, the only thing that may prevent the Grammy Award winning group’s signature singing/rapping from return to radio airwaves is label politics.

“We all just been hibernating, trying to come up with the concept for the album,” Krayzie Bone continued. “It’s definitely going down. I ain't gonna say its 100 percent just because of the label situation and the technical stuff, like if the label wants to pay what we deserver. As far as bone as group and us, we together. It aint just a rumor... We are trying to put it all back together for real.”

The group is preparing to enter the recording studio with Swizz Beatz, who is also confirmed to produce for the group’s untitled reunion project.

“We ain't started yet, because we are trying to get paperwork together. We done talked to Swizz, Swizz is on deck and we are ready to roll and make it do what it do baby.”

Technorati Tags: Hip Hop, Bone Thugs

Fringe Review (New JJ Abrams TV Show)

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:59:00 +0000

I was fairly excited about this, seeing as how I am a fan of Lost. I never really watched Alias but I'm aware that it did have a strong following.

Then came a good trailer and info regarding what Fringe actually is. If you are reading this, then you probably know, but I'll assume you don't. This show starts out with an investigation into the grisly deaths of people onboard a plane who just so happen to have their skin melt off of their bones. Olivia Dunham, the show's main character (played by Anna Torv) is called in to investigate not only this, but the strange condition that befalls her lover/FBI associate. Throughout the almost 2 hour premiere, we are told about fringe sciences, such as the idea that science can look into teleportation, mind control, reanimation (zombies!), etc.

The show starts out awesomely enough, with the aforementioned scenario that pushes the limits of network TV. The characters come off as slightly dry, until the eccentric genius and his also genius but shady son enter the picture. I thought the pacing was decent, until we were introduced to some chase scenes that could have been done better. I started to feel as if I was watching a show that was a spinoff of Heroes. I mean that in the sense that it seems like it can go in so many areas and still be interesting.

Some may think of this as a rip off of the X-Files. I don't believe this to be true. I would say that it is in the same vein as the X-Files, but seems like it could be make its own course. If the X-Files focus was the paranormal with the "monster of the week" episodes thrown in for flavor, this seems to be a show that will take the "monster of the week" route as its focus. If done well it can be a good thing.

What problems did I have with this show? The antagonist seems to be either a big superpowerful corporation or evil minded people in the government. Neither comes off as original or something that has that "Lost" type flair. But it's early, and honestly I feel this show has great potential.

So, with my new rating system:
Substance- 8/10. Interesting material that gives the writers plenty of things to work with.
Execution- 7/10. A few cheesy effects and some scenes that dragged showed why this is a premiere.
Wow Factor-8/10. Its JJ Abrams! The mastermind behind Lost and Cloverfield! Watch it just off of the strength of that.
Staying Power-This category will only apply to movies.
The Fan Factor-Will this please the longtime fans? Will this attract new fans? Is it worth being a fan of? This is what this category will rate. For this show I'm going with an 8. The aforementioned JJ Abrams is connected to this and similarities to the X-Files means that people will at least flock to this for the first few episodes.
Overall-31/40

Technorati Tags: Fringe, JJ Abrams

The Happening Movie Spoiler?

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:18:00 +0000

I know I promised no more movie posts on here, but I've yet to set up Maui Wowie Drive. I'm pretty much just waiting on an idea for a banner for the site. This was too juicy to pass up though.

M. Night Shamalabalalan is someone who you either like or don't. He has been criticized because of the "twist" ending in his movies. After The 6th Sense, Signs, Unbreakable, The Village, and Lady in the Water, you would think that he would find a focus group or something that would tell him that the "twists" just aren't working anymore. Is it too hard to ask for a movie that unfolds properly and doesn't leave the viewer with the sense that they have been violated? Sigh.

His latest movie, The Happening, admittedly looks good from the previews. Rated R, creepy scenes, and a cool sounding premise all make it seem like the trend in M. Nights' movies are over. Wrong.

Here is some possibly valid inside information as to the "twist" in this film. Who knows if its true, but if it is remember who told you. And be sure to never see an M. Night Shabazz film again if it is.

The big twist is that the trees and plants are mad at humans for polluting the earth so they create a toxin that makes humans commit suicide. It doesn't affect animals only humans. They spread the toxin through the wind. At one point there's a scene where Mark Walberg is trying to outrun the wind so that he doesn't get poisoned, everybody started laughing. Also tries and use scary music when a tree starts shaking and this little boy is on a swing, like the trees gonna get him.

Sad, right? Who gave this movie a green light with a plot like that? I'll reserve judgment, but still
...

Technorati Tags: The Happening

MK vs. DCU seems to be real

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:01:00 +0000

These aren't the first pictures to leak from this game that is supposed to be putting the Mortal Kombat characters against those of the DC Universe. DC is comprised of Batman, Superman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, etc.

I was convinced that this was just a stunt and not a real game. Why put the ultra violent MK universe against the goody two shoes DC Universe? There aren't even any violent DC characters, except for Batman who I think has killed a few cats before, and Superman did a few times, and Green Lantern went crazy and killed tons of people, but that's another blog post. Still, they don't compare to the mountains of blood released by the MK Universe. And what about gameplay? Is DC really going to let Wonder Woman get her intestines ripped out? Are Fatalities even going to be in this game? If not, its a disgrace to MK. Here are a few pictures from Analog Hype, showing the potential stages. One is a rooftop in Gotham City and the other is the Batcave.

Call of Duty: World at War (Sequel to COD4)

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:06:00 +0000

I told myself that I wouldn't buy this game if it was another WWII shooter. There are already 1,000's of those, literally, and there are only so many times that you can relive those events in video form and eventually not start to care. Apparently Treyarch, which is the company that works on the series with Infinity Ward, is in control of this and decided to make a prettier version of things that we have seen before.

"Hey guys, don't dismiss this one. The game focuses on the Pacific Theater!"

Yeah yeah, its been done. Not as much as fighting the Nazis, but it's not a new idea. You can head to this German site I've never heard of to check out scans from a magazine regarding the upcoming game.

Personally I'll pass on this and wait for Modern Warfare 2. Treyarch and IW are alternating on the COD franchise, which is supposed to be coming out every year now. 2009 seems so far away...

Technorati Tags: Call Of Duty 4

My New Deviant Art Page

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:39:00 +0000

I've discovered this site a while ago. It's basically a very user-friendly community of artists of all types. If you draw, sketch, or do graphic design you can post your work on your deviant page for all to comment on and check out. You'd be surprised by the sheer amount of high quality stuff regarding anything you can think of, in any medium. If you are any good, you can actually sell your stuff through them (they take their cut of course).

In the past I've sketched comic stuff before. I'm not actually good at it, but I try. Hopefully I can improve my skills one day. The one problem that I have, along with everything else, is sticking with it.

Here is a link to my page. NEPTUNES418

Lil Wayne-The Carter 3 Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:51:00 +0000

What can I say. It was a good run while it lasted!

Lil Wayne, who by all accounts is no amazing rapper, released two solid albums in his "The Carter" trilogy. Tons of radio play, mixed with the claim that he was the "Best Rapper Alive" fueled Lil Wayne hysteria. I remember reading that he had like 700 tracks out on mixtapes and albums last year. And now we have The Carter 3 here, and if what I have is the real album, this is like comparing Beverly Hills Cop 3 to the original Beverly Hills Cop.

But lets start with what works. The Jay-Z team up on "Mr. Carter" is great, if only because Jay is on point and Wayne is at least bearable on this track. You start to notice a scary trend from Wayne on this album: he mumbles. He mumbles a lot. It is really strange, especially on top of his already nonsensical rhymes and limited wordplay. At least in the past, he was funny enough to make up for his deficiencies. But now, its clear that going outside of what works, doesn't work. "A Milli" is currently a street anthem, which is good if only for the first verse. And guest appearances by Fabolous and Juelz Santana provide one hot track.

But lets be honest here, the man has great ideas, but poor execution. "Dr. Carter" is a good example. Great concept: A "rapper doctor" tends to other rappers who aren't doing so well and suffer various symptoms. This is good stuff. Oh, wait. In this case the doctor needs to be checked himself, because he offers no good remedies for anyone to follow.

I'll give him props from cutting down a million tracks that he made down to 16, but clearly he should have went with a different set of 16. The magic just isn't there. I'll try to cut through the hype and give this album a solid 6/10 headlights. He has about 4-5 solid tracks that don't make this a waste of time, but I wouldn't purchase this unless I had money to burn.

Technorati Tags: Lil Wayne, The Carter 3

Call of Duty 4 Double XP Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:46:00 +0000

I have found myself going back to COD4. Yes, I was one of the billions that bought GTA4, and its a good game, I just love the intensity of playing online with COD4. Apparently I'm not the only one.

The brains behind the game have decided to make it another double XP weekend, like what happened with the release of the map packs. This should be fun, and I'll try to pick it up a little because I only manage to play every other day or so. Now lets hope we can get another map pack by the end of the summer.

My gamertag is NEPTUNES418 if anyone wants some trigger time with me.

Technorati Tags: Call of Duty 4

New Fallout 3 Screens

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:43:00 +0000

I was a major fan of Fallout 2. For me, that game started out doing what everyone knows and loves in the GTA series. It was fulled with dark humor, and you could do tons of questionable things, but most of it would effect your karma. That's what an open world game should be. Your decisions actually affect who talks to you, what happens in the game, what characters join you, etc. GTA should definitely take a lesson from this series in their next iteration.

The Fallout series takes place in a post apocalyptic USA, where the nukes have already flown and America is a wasteland. But, a few cheery people decided to prepare for this and built these self sufficient communities called Vaults. The Vaults would live through the blasts, and come out and start new societies. Some of the Vaults didn't last due to the monsters of the wastelands, and some simply had problems because their water supply was accidentally shipped to another Vault. This game should be amazing, because you start off as an infant and everything you do influences your skills in the game. Here are some pics to get you ready for it.

Technorati Tags: Fallout 3

Lost-Season Finale Review

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:10:00 +0000

With a major 2 hour Finale, Lost just showed why it is still one of the best shows on television.

The action was as intense as ever, and like the rest of this season, the show actually answers some questions. Of course dozens more always come up, but that's alright, how else to people keep coming back to it?

What we see here is the culmination of the season, with the military men from the freighter trying to capture Ben and get rid of everyone they can on the way. Not to spoil too much, but they won't be in season 5. We learn more about the island, and the fact that the show finally (i think) gives us a true reason for some of the things that happen on the island: time travel. John Locke and Jack have a short conversation, which holds that Locke's words end up coming true. We lose some main characters, some for good, and some may be poised to return. The actor that played as Michael was slightly upset with the way his character went out, but I think it made sense in a way. We finally see some of them leave the island, but what about those that are left behind? I got a hint from a few scenes that Sawyer and Juliet may be a couple next season. She gave him that "meet me behind the bushes in 5 minutes" look. Or at the very least, I see them leading those that are left behind.

But the questions this finale brings up are major. What are the "bad things" that happen that require the survivors to go back to the island? And why does J. Bentham (I won't spoil who he is) want them to go back but ultimately ends up in a casket? We learn that the island can actually move. What the heck else can it do? I think there are 2 seasons left, and if they are any good as this one, this could be one of the best shows ever. This finale didn't end with such a shocker like last season's, but it was very high quality.

10/10 headlights

Technorati Tags: Lost, Lost Finale

American Drug War:The Last White Hope Review

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:17:00 +0000

Okay, this will be the last entry on anything regarding movies. I'm finally back at school and I have yet to set up Maui Wowie Drive. Yeah I know the name is a mouthful, but I felt that something tropical would work well when talking about anything related to movies.

American Drug War: The Last White Hope is a great documentary that talks about our country's real reasons for prohibiting drugs. This film looks at the real reasons these laws were enacted and who is making money off of sending non-violent users to jail. It is not only believable in its message, it is also eye-opening. I don't feel that this film has a set agenda like most of the big name psuedo-documentaries that have come out in past years. The film maker, when trying to get information from a former U.S. drug czar [Omegaman note: is it me or does drug czar seem to have a negative connotation? The drug czar even calls himself that, so maybe its ok, but still...] says that there may be an unclear agenda behind the film, but in all honesty I'm alright with the viewpoint he is trying to portray.

It does seem that decriminalization would benefit this country in many ways, but I just don't see it happening in my lifetime. The film's arguments seem to cover all of thier bases, especially in regards to talking about the medical marijuana issue. You can tell that this story does not come from a pro-marijuana advocate per se, because he mentions the numerous drug problems he and his family have had. Instead, I would classify him as a supporter of holistic options when it comes to medical and recreation use as opposed to the regular options that seem to be destroying plenty of lives at an alarming rate. This documentary is definitely worth the watch, if only for the insight and words of "Freeway" Ricky Ross, one of the men "responsible" for the crack epidemic of the 80's.

I give this movie 9/10 Headlights.

Technorati Tags: drugs, documentaries

Dark Knight Poster at a Cheap Price

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:41:00 +0000

For the longest time, I've been looking at this poster and how awesome it is. Yes, it's a little creepy, but I think it matches the persona of The Joker and makes him seem like a real villain. I found it at allposters.com for the low, low price of $6.99. Whats great about that site is that they have a special offer like every other day literally (I always get the emails) so I also entered a 25% off code.
Look into it if you want this awesome poster in time for the movie.

Oh, this will more than likely be my last post regarding movies, because my movies, tv blog will be launching soon.

Technorati Tags: The Joker, Batman, The Dark Knight

Corner Store Conversation #1

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Racism-Still Alive and Kicking

Attending a high school and college which are predominantly white has given me a ton of insight upon the issues concerning race. I believe this country as a whole has made progress, but then I find articles like this.

It seems that somewhere along the line, racism became more covert, and now bubbles under the surface instead of being blatantly obvious. That article features some scary accusations, because it's not just Joe Hillbilly saying something racist to his Black neighbor, it shows how racism is taking place in classrooms. These aren't just classrooms that teach kids their multiplication tables, these classrooms are also going to help decide how these children view themselves in the future. I think it is disgusting that anything near this type of behavior can still happen in America with little fanfare. In this election year where race is suddenly a hot topic again, people are quick to point out all of the progress we have supposedly made. I'm all for that, but lets not forget to mention how far we have to go.

It has been downplayed, but the news has talked about the threats and racism that Obama has encountered on the campaign trail. I was also engaged in a message board conversation that talked about the results of the primaries in places like Ohio and Kentucky, where Obama was soundly beaten. Someone was quick to bring up the number of hate groups that Ohio has, and the long presence of racism in states like Kentucky. Did Obama lose those states because he is Black? I can't say that for certain. But I wouldn't doubt that his race affected the votes of more than a few people. The media pundits are quick to point out the overwhelming number of Black votes he has received. No mention is ever made of the number of people who wouldn't vote for him due to his race. I'm anxious to see that CNN special "Black America" and I hope it touches on this current election.

Is it right for a teacher to condone white students calling a black student a "monkey"? HELL NO. But I hope incidents like this are brought to the forefront, so Americans can look in the mirror and evaluate whether or not they like what they see.

New Weekly Element

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:51:00 +0000

I feel that it's time to start adding some quality posts here instead of commenting on any good story I find on the net. So within the coming days I will be working on adding an editorial piece of sorts, which will focus on a hot topic and provide my true thoughts about it. It will most likely be weekly, like the News From the Corner segment.

It's also bumming me out that I haven't found a specific niche for this blog yet. I was sitting here trying to decide on an article to write about, and I couldn't decide on anything that interested me. The only things I could think about were movies, which really means I should get started on that expansion. But part of me thinks, "why start expanding when this blog hasn't been successfully built up?" Its a good question. And I wouldn't call this one a failure, its not as long as I'm working on it, its just that I haven't set specific goals and I don't have a niche to focus on. But my rationale is that a small network of sites can draw traffic to each other, and expansion at this point will let me have an outlet for my other favorite hobby.

The Cleveland Show, Hilariousness Abounds?

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:11:00 +0000

I know I'm a little late on this, but since this could be a success, I figured I better talk about it.

The premise of this one is that Cleveland moves down south to fulfill a promise to an old crush. After the Loretta scandal he is alone. He gets together with this old love who also found her mate cheating, and now Cleveland has a new family to deal with. He brings along Cleveland Jr., but where exactly is he? Is he the large kid now?

Anyways, he now has a flirtatious daugher-in-law and a 5 year old who is a ladies' man. He also has rednecks, a British family, and bears as neighbors. With some people despising American Dad, who's to say how this one will go. I feel like it's going to be modeled after The Cosby Show, and not have half of the crazy stuff that made Family Guy a hit. And basing a show off Cleveland doesn't seem like the best idea anyway. Everyone I've heard talk about it says that Quagmire would have been the best, or a Brian/Stewie spinoff. We'll see how it goes though. If its based in the Family Guy world, it might have a chance.

Technorati Tags: Family Guy, The Cleveland Show

News From The Corner-May 19th

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:03:00 +0000

I feel that I might go forward with the movies only blog, seeing as how I find myself posting so much news about movies on this blog. I don't want movies to be the focus of this one so it seems only natural to branch out. That is probably something I'll try to get done either by the end of this month or early next month. Or maybe in the next few days, I should have the time for it.

Going through a little bit of a drought with my content, but I'll try to fight my way through it. I do want this to be successful, and I plan on sticking with this. You only get out of it what you put in right? Until next time.

Myxer Tones-Free Ringtones

noreply@blogger.com (OMEGAMAN) — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:08:00 +0000

I'm always hesitant of these types of sites, but this one seems to work. Apparently it takes user uploaded songs and allows you to pick what part you want as a ringtone and send it to yourself. You can also upload your own songs and then send them. Works pretty nice, so now you can save the 3 dollars its costs for a ringtone.

http://www.myxertones.com/home/