24.7.06

Spider-Man 3 Teaser

Also old.


I didn't beat you over the head with Superman Returns, so here's another go... but I'll start wayyyyyy earlier this time. Very exciting.


What the Hell Happened to Rap Music?

Ever since I got to college, my music intake has changed drastically. No longer could I envelope myself in the sweet hum of MTV, or take the time out to listen to the radio (not that I ever did anyway).

As a result, I find myself comically out of touch with the modern music industry. You know that hot new thing on the Billboard charts? I don't. It's that simple.

So while I was "discovering" the greatest of whatever the people on campus decided to share through iTunes, things were apparently happening on the outside world. Namely, rap music was sucking epically.

Now supposedly we're going to see new releases from sure things like The Roots "Game Theory", Nas "Hip Hop Is Dead" and Outkast "Idlewild" very shortly-- and that's all well and good... but where is the fresh blood? I don't mean random new dudes with a record deal, I'm talking new artists of quality. Not since Kanye and Late Registration have I even considered getting a new rap album. WTF guy? WTF?

Can someone do something about this? This is where 80s Baby would come in, but he has abandoned this venture.

Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest

I saw this one on opening night, so this update is a bit late. Shut it.

I must say, while I did not dislike this film, I was a bit disappointed. For one thing, I feel like I could have used a refresher on POTC1 before going into the theater. Is it my fault that I couldn't immediately identify returning characters or instantly break down the connections being made on screen? Yeah, probs... so what? Shouldn't a movie-- even a sequel like this one-- be able to stand on its own two feet? Far too often, POTC2 asked the audience to bring everything together on their own. Maybe I'm just lazy.

Johnny Depp is really great as Captain Jack Sparrow, but that is to be expected. He does his thing, you watch, we all leave happy. Orlando Bloom could be doing more, but the expectations aren't really there. Keira Knightley isn't on screen very often, but she gets the job done when she's there. I could have used more screen time, regardless of what she was going to say.

Let me also note that the (I guess) Jamaican guy that appeared for one scene was completely incomprehensible and took me out of the moment. This was a pretty random cut to start with, and then when I was hit in the face with the Queen's Patois, I just about wet myself. Fix that on the DVD.


All in all, a solid lead in to POTC3, coming next year. It's a bit cheap to make an entire movie that serves simply as the bridge between the first and third installments of a trilogy, but this is Hollywood '06 baby!