The Bestest pt. 3

Movies:

District 9: I had high hopes for this one when I first heard about the premise. Refugee aliens living amongst the human population in South Africa. This with an indictment of mans inhumanity towards ‘man’. I had no idea that I would be pulled into the heartwarming resonant and human-centric opus that is ‘D9’. Not to mention, it is a powerful well-crafted action movie. ‘D9’ is yet another example of using computer FX to enhance rather then to trump story and character. It blended the real with the fantastic and is pure artistic ambition. Sidenote: Blomkamp was going to direct the Halo movie before it got scrapped. Makes you wonder how awesome ‘Halo’ would‘ve/could’ve been.

Star Trek: Anyone who knows me knows that Star Wars KILLS Star Trek on pretty much every level. I have never been a ‘Trekkie’ or avid Trek watcher because I grew up on the monomyth that Lucas spun. That being said, JJ Abrahams’ reimaging of Star Trek pretty much KILLS every Star Wars film/TV show/spinoff except for ‘Empire’ and the animated Clone Wars by Tartakovsky. He made me care about a universe that I could give two ISHTS about before. ‘Trek’ was a warp speed, manic and entertaining ride. I cannot wait to see where the second entry of this new series goes. Kahn anyone?

Up: I’ll say it...If you didn’t tear up from the first ten minutes into “UP’ then you really have no heart. Pixar delivers a gem of a story about human bonds remembered and new ones forged, and never for one moment does it seems insincere or contrived. It’s almost an annual tradition that Pixar has a ‘movie of the year’ contender and ‘Up’ may be one of their best.

Avatar: Shock and awe and they way movies are made will never be the same. Sure, he used a tried and true storyline but as with anything it its what you DO with it that matters. I think Cameron gets a lot of flack for the way he crafts his magic. A couple of things 1) He still knows how to spend money wisely ($500 milly…high risk/higher reward) and 2) We need people to dream big. We need people to ignite their imaginations of what can and should be. Still…the movie runs a little long at times but this is the reason you go to the movies.

Inglourious Basterds: I picked up the Bluray on this when it came out a couple of weeks ago (missed it in theatres…I know, what was I thinking?). A dynamic pop artifact of vengeful fantasy. Scenes like the showdown in the tavern and the movie-premiere finale are inspired and alluring. At the end of ‘Basterds’ Raine says “I think this just be my masterpeice’ as far as Taratino goes I would agree.

Honorable mentions:

Fantastic Mr Fox, Black Dynamite, Watchmen, Where The Wild Things Are, Zombieland, Coraline, Food Inc.

2010 look ahead:

Iron Man 2:Don Cheadle as War Machine!!! I’m there opening day.

Inception: The trailer doesn’t make much sense; neither do the few leaked plot details. Which makes this Nolan film about “architecture of the mind” a must see.

Tron Legacy: Flynn is back, the film is written by LOST scribes Horowitz & Kitsis and Daft Punk on the score. Oh yeah, it’s in 3D as well.

Others…Kick Ass, Alice In Wonderland, Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time, Shutter Island, The Wolfman.

The Bestest pt. 2

As we continue on...

Music (Hip Hop/Rap):

Royce ‘Street Hop’: Lyrics and skill saturate this LP. Could have been a classic among classics if he would have trimmed the song count down. I say this about almost every artist so it’s not really a knock. ‘Dinner Time’, ‘Count For Nothing’ & ‘Something 2 Ride 2’ are standouts. If you are a fan of that boom bap sound this is your huckleberry.

Clipse ‘Til The Casket Drops’: Another title for this…the worlds best duo and the enduring mystery of how commercial success eludes them. A heavyweight CD that has the natural “coke rap”, metaphors and wordplay. Will this LP be the tipping point for them? Time will tell. Some of the production is MEH. Nonetheless, another stripe upon the arm baby!

Tanya Morgan ‘Brooklynati’: As authentic as it gets. It is almost an alternate universe of what it once was and will be. Lyrically witty with that cohesive backdrop of music and all of it works. Plus, I haven’t heard skits this good since ‘De La Soul Is Dead’.

Pac Div ‘Church League Champions’: To me Pac Div is a more aggressive Tribe Called Quest (that’s a compliment). ‘Church League’ is a mixtape that feels like album (another compliment). It seems like I had ‘Mayor’ in rotation for like two months or so. I can’t put my finger on why these guys are so dope, they just ARE. Find and download this already if you haven’t. The LP should be incredible!

Jay-Z ‘Blueprint 3’: I will never be able to stop apologizing to the likes of Ebones, Point Blank, Facts, etc on why I never really got Jay-Z until the Black Album. Since then (and before then) he has dropped #1 hit LP after LP. His commercial success is one thing; his ability to EMCEE and WRITE is something else. When all is said and done, he might be the best ever. Some of the production and guests (I’m looking at you Young Jeezy!) on BP3 are MEH to me. The first five tracks are INCREDIBLE & “Already Home’ will never, ever be deleted off of my Ipod. To those who think he is “Too Old” or “In The Way’…save it. Hip Hop needs to raise its game and make music that matters. Jay-Z is the ambassador of Hip Hop, deal with it.

Honorable mentions:

Wale ‘Attention Deficit’, J Dilla ‘J Stay Paid’, Slaughterhouse ‘Slaughterhouse’.

2010 look ahead:

Dr Dre ‘Detox’

Pac Div ‘Grown Kid Syndrome’

Styles Of Beyond ‘Reseda Beach’

Reflection Eternal “Revolutions Per Minute”

Black Milk ‘Album Of The Year’


Games:

Uncharted 2: The killer APP of 2009. The most complete, polished adventure game that is a MUST OWN if you have the PS3. It really is a ‘movie style’ tale that must be experienced. A definition of a genre.

Batman Arkham Asylum: The best Batman game EVER made and possibly the best-licensed game of its kind. Everything you could ever want from Bat baby. It oozes love for the source material and feels like it is part of the Batman cannon.

Dragon Age Origins: Bioware builds on each RPG they put out consistently looking for ways to make their games better. It is filled with choices to make, cities to visit, dungeons to crawl, NPCs to interact with, booty to find, quests to complete and callings to master. +20 MAGE!

Honorable mentions: Ratchet And Clank: A Crack In Time, INfamous, Dragons Lair & Space Ace (Iphone) & Zenonia (Iphone).

2010 look ahead:

Mass Effect 2, God Of War 3, Heavy Rain and Bioshock 2…ALL of these should be in rotation!

The Bestest pt. 1

Welcome back to The Bestest (A.K.A.the year in review ’09). It was the year of the earth ox. The oxen was plentiful providing some important movies, Inter-tube moments, def music and visions of future. Keep in mind, everything I list here is 1) I.M.O and 2) things I have seen, listened too, experienced, played, etc. And so it begins…

Comic(s):

Invincible Iron Man (Marvel Comics)
Matt Fraction/Salvador Larroca

The best comic of 2009 and the best story arch with “Worlds Most Wanted”

Tony Stark has been ousted from his government position and is now on the run from the law. A surprising change of direction for Iron Man, as the man who was charged with upholding the law has the tables turned on him. How far will he go to evade capture? Are his actions justified, or is he compromising the very ideals that he fought for during Marvel's "Civil War" event? Fraction continues to use giant Marvel crossover events as a springboard for exciting and fun stories. Fraction's madness, fast pace, and heart beneath the cool keeps me engaged like few can.

TV:

LOST: Season five is my second favorite season of LOST. Flashbacks, flash forwards…flashes through time. From 70’s Dharma to ‘The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham’ time travel was a key component to the direction the show is/was headed. By the season finale, I was getting nosebleeds. 2010 gives us the last act in this supernatural/sci fi amalgam…the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? (see what I did there?). I will be a sad monkey when this is over.

The Venture Brothers: You would think a cartoon that parodies many 70’s/80’s cartoons would get tired after awhile. No worries…it’s as funny, awkward and clever as ever. Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer have even created some plotlines that can be followed and you even start to care about some of the characters. Season four is INSANE!

Dexter: I got caught up on ‘Dexter’ in 2009 (I burned through the first three seasons of the show over the summer). As he says ‘Paradox personified’ …it’s hard not to like Dexter and love the show. I am waiting for the DVD’s of season four and have tried to remain MOSTLY spoiler free (damn you twitter!). I am really drawn to the Chuck Palahnuikesque’ inner dialog of our hero. Miguel Prada was EPIC.

Honorable mentions: The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack, Weeds & Fringe.

2010 look ahead:

List season 6, Dexter season 4 dvd's, Fringe season 2 dvd's & Venture Brothers season 4 dvd's.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

That's right! Thursday the 17th...Numbs & UD with some other smashing locals. I'm also in the studio tomorrow...busy times on the grind.

Twenty Ten

It's single digit temps here in the SLC! Damn cold. I mean...damn, damn cold. No, that photo isn't of Salt City. It's of NYC. I'm sure it's cold there as well. Shanty called me a week ago and explained of a bird phenom he witnessed. I thought it might have resembled that picture. Or another image that could have mirrored that one. I'm working on my 'best of 2009' post now and thought this entry here could let you in in something that will be super awesome in the 2010 musically.

Gunnar, DJ Shanty and myself are working on an eight song EP that will be done and released April 2010. All the production will be handled by Shanty on his Nintendo DS (ain't no BSing). Gunner and I will be on mic control. Thus project has no name But already has three songs in the works, crazy. So I'm thinking you should name it. Email, text me, call me, kick me a name or phrase...whatever. Its all about you, you and you!

Peace, DAG!

Ps...the new Numbs project and my solo jawn will both drop in twenty ten as well. Seasons Greedos!

-- Post From My iPhone