As if we weren’t already excited about the upcoming Big Boi album Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, he goes and drops this video for General Patton.
Top 10 of 2010 incoming, surely:
Categories
Author: Crossfire
Categories
Robin Hood
www.robinhoodthemovie.com
Universal
From Sir Ridley Scott, the Director of Alien and Hannibal comes the much-anticipated Robin Hood, based on the legend of the heroic outlaw.
The action film stars Russell Crowe as Robin Longstride, an archer in late 12th century England who alongside three other soldiers, find their way home after the death of King Richard the Lionheart. Upon arriving in England, Robin assumes the identity of Robert Loxley to prevent the family land being taken by the crown, which has now been given to King John (Oscar Isaac), the younger arrogant brother of Richard, who has no remorse for the poor. When Sir Godfrey, an English Knight deceives the King, everyone must battle together to prevent a French invasion. This climax of the film is one of the most exciting scenes. The scenery is consistently beautiful but ever more so here. It quite literally takes away your breath as you try to follow the good guys. Synchronisation of the archers and horsemen while taking into consideration those on the beach is tremendous.
Upon hearing Russell Crowe has been cast to play Robin Longstride a.k.a Robin Hood, doubts are inevitable. Can he or anyone for that matter do the character justice? The answer is a sure fire yes. This is Crowe’s fifth collaboration with the Director and with a passion for the character since childhood on his side, there seemed no one more fitting. Likewise, Cate Blanchett as the cleaver and very strong-willed Marion, gives another shocking and very impressive performance and portrayal.
For someone that has seen the 1991 Kevin Costner take on the legendary Robin Hood, there may be some conflicting elements to the story, such as the introduction of Marian (Blanchett) and Little John (Kevin Durand). What you must take into consideration is that both films must stand-alone, neither is meant to reflect of the other. So if you are heading out to see this one and have some recognition of a past movie, forget all you know, sit back and take this one in full swing.
Michelle Moore
www.badlt.com
Lionsgate
Even though the Werner Herzog film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans, appears to borrow from Abel Ferrara’s 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, it is in no way related to it; the only connection apart from the name being a drug addicted crooked cop.
Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) is a New Orleans Police Sergeant, who in the wake of Hurricane Katrina saves a prisoners life and is promoted. Unfortunately due to his courage, he suffers a serious back injury and as a result, prescribed long-term medication. Six months later, McDonagh is addicted to painkillers as well as non- prescription drugs and takes advantage of his position as Lieutenant and his girlfriend situation as a prostitute to get what he needs. This includes getting in with a known drug leader, threatening the lives of two old ladies and fixing a football match to pay off his debts. The movie ends skipping one year later, showing McDonagh appearing to be on the right track with his career and family while still with a drug habit. He runs into the prisoner he saved at the start of the film and gets encouragement from him to sort his life out once and for all. This re-introduction of the prisoner rounds the film off in a strange but rather fitting way. Considering McDonagh’s pain is caused a result of the prisoners escape, it gives McDonagh the reassurance that saving the prisoner was worth the pain and now the prisoner will repay his gratitude by getting McDonagh off of drugs.
The character of a drug-addicted cop is nothing new to the big screen, but the way in which Cage portrays such a character is incredible. He gives his best performance in ages in astounding detail and believability. At times he takes you back with how unbelievably elevated his personality appears, how crazed and dangerous he can become and how far he can take advantage of those around him. Eva Mendes starred alongside Nicholas Cage in Ghost Rider in 2007 and they make a welcomed return to the big screen together. Val Kilmer however has seen better days. He has portrayed characters in the legal profession before but doesn’t seem to do this character justice, mainly due to the limited part. It is about time Kilmer got back onto the big screen with a much larger role.
If there were to be only one reason to see Bad Lieutenant, then Cage’s performance would be it.
Michellle Moore
Categories
Hot Tub Time Machine
www.kicksomepast.com
20th Century Fox
Even though the new comedy flick Hot Tub Time Machine has such as silly and unbelievably ridiculous plot, there is something about it that works and it concludes as a comical story. The year begins as 2010 but not for long when three friends escape their terrible city lives of Los Angels and head for Kodiak Valley Ski Resort. After a crazy night of drinking and relaxing in a hot tub, the guys wake up during Winterfest ‘86. At first, they set out on a path to act out the same events of that night fourteen years ago, but decide this may be their only opportunity to put right the things in their lives that went wrong, change their destinies and make the futures they had always wanted.
The plot is not an original idea as the thought of being sent back to the past has been used in numerous other films and because of it you may tend to expect a let down of a movie. However, although the ‘returning to the past’ plot may be repetitive, the same cannot be said for the way in which the four fellas go about returning to their younger days. Hot tub plus alcohol plus four fellas up for a few days of reminiscing and you get transported back to 1986 to relive a night you would rather forget. The events from here on are more humourous- forks in the eyebrow, drunken speeches and brawls as well as the conception of the youngest and the revelation of his father.
The film features a very favourable cast including John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke. As well as these, it also features actors from 1980s films such as Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) and William Zabka (Karate Kid). All are welcomed back to the big screen, but Chase as the Hot Tub repairman and Glover as a one armed hotel clerk are particularly notable for their onscreen humour.
Hot Tub Time Machine may not be the most innovative, the most inventive or the most hilarious film that 2010 has had on offer as of yet. One thing it does have is the inanity to actually charm its way into your life for its 100-minute duration. It will surprise you!
Michelle Moore
This Saturday June 19th Volcom Stone’s Wild in The Parks event will visit those of you up North at the Mansfield skate plaza.
If you are thinking of entering (it’s free entry) you should get there for 11.30am for the comps that will include a Pro/Am division with cash prizes in addition to the 14 and under and the 15 and over categories.
Expect free food and drink if you enter and if you get in the top 3 from each category you will qualify to the European WITP Championships on the 25th of September in Prague.
Categories
Joe Gavin: Wolfstadt
The Harmony posted Joe Gavin‘s Wolfstadt part online this week, whistle along to Manchester’s finest right here.
Tensor Trucks welcomes Joey Brezinski…
Categories
London Burners
Jete Swami
(Prestel)
You’ve seen those throwback videos, with the New York subway cars chock-full with graffiti, running across the skyline of the city. But those halcyon days are gone, especially over here in the UK. Very rarely do you see a tube train with anything more than a hastily scribbled tag and London Burners is a book which explains why.
The majority of the book features beautiful pieces, vibrant in colour and bold in design, on numerous tube trains by the likes of Acab, Rats, DWS, Lemon and more, showing the art before it’s taken off the rails and scrubbed clean. Once you’ve flipped through the whole book, acknowledging the talent and risk that it must have taken to get to that point, you go back and read the testamonials and see what it means to the writers themselves.
It’s not all as you’d expect either, with quotes such as “Yes, you should be punished for graffiti, but not with jail” and explaining that one of the reasons the police crack down so hard on writers is because they know how it’ll affect their parents knowing their kid is in jail with murderers and rapists. It is this that gets you though, seeing the force and intent the police put into catching writers and it really makes no sense whatsoever.
It’s a shame that this state of affairs has meant older, respected writers no longer go out to bomb or paint because they have too much to lose as they move on in years. The “missions” described in the book are great to read and the final outcomes are great to look at, so despite the decline in hitting tubes, it’s nice to know that, in this book at least, you’ll be able to appreciate the art that’s lost 99% of the time.
Abjekt.
So…there’s a dwarf, in a bag, naked…and he’s skating the streets in the new Eastpak advert. One thing worth mentioning though is that the travel bag that Eastpak sent us to review years ago is still in use and still refuses to die. This week it was borrowed by Dangerous Al for his trip to France and this week my sister has bagknapped it for a Spanish trip. Built to Resist? Yes, our old one looks haggered, but it still rolls!
/object>
Despite apologising for starting yet another UK skateboard company in their opening press release, new brand Superdead Skateboards have launched in the UK today with a team boasting Andy Scott, Eddie Belvedere, Harry Lintell, Josh Parr, Chris Barrett and Ben Rowles.
Follow your nose to www.superdeadskateboards.com for all info as Britain’s new A-Team have arrived!
