Because Everybody Else Has One

I liked my review of this Predator sequel enough but PLEASE click on the link for a selection of some really awesome hate mail.  From channel24.co.za   (Originally written 8 October 2010) What it's about: A group of cutthroats, soldiers and mercenaries wake up on an alien planet and soon find themselves the prey of fearsome predatory extraterrestrials in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Forced to work together they have to find a way to beat the odds and get off the forested planet before being brutally massacred, one by one, by their ruthless hosts.    What we thought: There apparently really is no keeping these, as Arnie's character in the original  Predator  put it, "ugly motherfuckers" down. In the nearly quarter century since they first hit our screens, the Predators  have popped up constantly in comics, video games and, of course, movies but seldom to much interest to anyone beyond the most die-hard of fans. Plus, let's be hones...

Another old review about a band that hasn't grown on me at all. They still have some good songs but overall? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. From epinions.com (originally written 30 August 2004) I’ve found that when reviewing music – or any art for that matter – it is good to keep at least some sort of objectivity. It’s not good enough to merely say things like “this album’s cool because I like it” because even if that is what it comes down to in the end, it is important to explain why the music works or doesn’t work as the case may be. That said though, there does come a point where your ability to recommend an album to others is dependant on nothing more than your own subjective views on said album. I can’t really think of a better place to illustrate it than with a review of the Joshua Tree. What we have here is a perfectly produced, immaculately performed, competently written album that with the exception of a few songs near the beginning, I personally have very...

A very recent review of a film that I liked far, far more than I ever expected to. From channel24.co.za ( Originally written 19 February 2011) What it's about: Becky Fuller is a young, ambitious TV producer in desperate need of a new job after unexpectedly getting axed from her hit show. She finds possible salvation in a morning show, Daybreak, but only if she can pull it out of its downward spiral towards cancellation by enlisting the aid of well-respected, veteran journalist Mike Pomeroy as a new co-anchor. Unfortunately for her and the rest of the Daybreak team, simply getting Pomeroy on the show is only the start of her troubles. Pomeroy may be a respected veteran but he comes fully equipped with a superiority complex and a particularly nasty temper. What we thought: I don't know if you noticed it but we are currently smack bang in the middle of Oscar season – a particularly good Oscar season at that. The 10 films that have been nominated for best picture in thi...

My musical tastes have expanded considerably since I wrote this review (never mind since I first heard it) but I still think it's a pop masterpiece and is still somehow criminally overlooked. From epinions.com (Originally written 2 September 2004) The lyrics for most of these songs are very, very silly. There, now that we got all of this album’s problems out of the way, onto my praising it into the ground. Paul McCartney’s second solo album was a marked improvement over the first. For all of its charms McCartney’s eponymous debut suffered from incompleteness: most of the songs felt like works in progress. Ram on the other hand regained all of the charm of McCartney but felt more like a real album rather than a collection of home demos. It also helps that Paul’s songwriting is as great as it ever was. Or to put it in a different way, the melodies on this album are every bit as great as the ones he came up with for the Beatles. With that statement, I could pretty much end my r...

Ah, I had forgotten just how much I hated the Matrix sequels... From epinions.com (Originally written 10 November 2003) I have a confession to make. For all the massive acclaim the Matrix received from critics and casual moviegoers alike, I h ave never been all that impressed with the movie myself. Sure it had some breathtaking action scenes but the characterization was weak at best, the plot though decent enough was hardly as original as everyone made it out to be- the filmmakers themselves admitted as much- and the pseudo-philosophy that ran throughout the film simply reeks of pretension. Now, however, after the seeing the truly abysmal sequel, Matrix Reloaded, I have gained a whole new appreciation for the original. Yes, the first movie was pretentious, unoriginal, bereft of almost any real human emotion and contained acting that was dubious at best but it was still a fairly well thought out, genuinely exciting thrill ride. Most importantly, though, it was a complete, fully ...

What can I say... just look at that poster. The only thing fun about this movie was writing the review for it. From channel24.co.za What it's about: A crime thriller revolving around a cat-and-mouse game played by a hardened cop, a thuggish arms dealer and an ex-con with connections to both. What we thought: Having big time music stars try their hand at movie making is not exactly anything new. Elvis did it. The Beatles did it. And Bowie, Mos Def and LL Cool J continue to do it. Rappers, in particular, have been very drawn to films. Along with Mos Def and LL Cool J, rap heavyweights like Eminem, Snoop Dog and P Diddy have all done solid work in cinema. Would that I could say the same about 50 Cent. Gun may not be his first big screen outing but it really, really needs to be his last. The guy clearly has his ambition in the right place. Not only does he star in Gun , he produced and wrote it as well. It's a pity then that he does not match that ambit...