Songs I HATE - Deuces by Chris Brown, Tyga, & Kevin McCall

This is a series I'm gonna do from time to time, where I just sort of talk about the songs that bother and anger me for whatever reason. I would say this particular song is a mix of the main performer and the subject matter.

All that bullshit's for the birds
You ain't nothin but a vulture
Always hopin for the worst
Waiting for me to fuck up
You'll regret the day when I find another girl, yeah
That knows just what I need, she knows just what I mean
When I tell her keep it drama free

That's the first verse by Chris Brown himself. Almost immediately, it puts a bad taste in my mouth. Largely, it's because of the timing of the song. This was supposed to be Chris Brown's big comeback after the whole Rihanna incident. The second verse belongs to rapper Tyga. 

Thought it was true love, but you know women lie
It's like I sent my love with a text two times
Call cause I care but I ain't get no reply
Tryna see eye to eye but it's like we both blind
Fuck it let's hit the club, I rarely sip but pour me some
Cause when it's all said and done,
I ain't gon be the one that she can always run to
I hate liars, fuck love I'm tired of trying
My heart big but it beat quiet

Looking at the lyrics for his verse, his is the best. That has nothing to do with Tyga's talent because he has no charisma whatsoever. However, if you know anything about what Tyga's relationship life is like, that actually hurts what I think otherwise could've been the one decent verse on the song. The third and final verse by Kevin McCall (who makes Tyga look like 2Pac) brings the awful right back into my mouth. 

Shorty full of drama like gangsta grizzles
I finally noticed it, it finally hit me
Like Tina did Ike in the limo, it finally hit me
I got a new chick, and she ain't you

So, that's a sample of "Deuces". I absolutely HATE this song.   

Zootopia

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Alright, no joking or bullshitting here. I LOVED this movie. I want to give a fair warning that there will be some minor spoilers ahead, so read on at your own risk. Zootopia manages to be stacked with a fantastic voice cast, all of fit their characters to perfection. For example, Idris Elba plays the stern police captain. Tommy Chong plays a hippie. Jason Bateman plays a fast-talking fox. When I watched this movie, I noticed something I found interesting. I heard a lot more laughs from the adults in the audience. I’m sure the young kids in the theater enjoyed the movie because of all the animals, but I don’t quite think they’ll get why all of the adults were laughing at the fact that the DMV was run by sloths, or why we thought it was so funny that the sheep in the yellow hazmat suit’s partners were named Walter and Jesse. I also have to praise the animation, as I love the attention to all the little details that went into this movie. There are some digs at Disney’s past work I really like too. Idris Elba’s police captain flat out says the words “Let it go” after telling protagonist Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) that life isn’t an animated musical where problems can just be whisked away.

10 / 10      

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot stars Tina Fey as a journalist who takes the offer to be a field reporter and war correspondent in Kabul, Afghanistan. This movie has the tricky job of balancing a comedy, drama, and suspenseful thriller all in one. In many ways, it does this well. However, the dramatic moments do drag on a little too much. This movie just under two hours, which is a little long for a comedy. I think some of the dramatic moments could’ve been shaved down a little bit. The comedic moments mostly work thanks to the great cast. Tina Fey has great chemistry with her romantic counterpart, played by Martin Freeman of Sherlock. For me, however, the standout has to be Margot Robbie, who I feel knocked it out of the park yet again. I’ve only seen a handful of her performances, but she’s already one of my favorite actresses. Despite some pacing issues, I genuinely liked this movie quite a bit, and I recommend the movie.

8 / 10 

Top 50 Favorite TV Shows (10 - 1)

#10: American Horror Story: I think it's safe to say that American Horror Story is the show that could really bring the anthology horror series back to the main-stream. The reason that it isn't higher for me is because, I've actually enjoyed the progressing seasons less and less, though never to the point I feel it has become bad or unwatchable.
    

#09: Freaks and Geeks: Freaks and Geeks is one of those shows that has had a lasting impact despite only eeking out one season from 1999 to 2000. Some of today's bigger stars really got their start here, including Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jason Segel. Part of what I liked about the show is that, to me, it legitimately felt like high school. By that, I mean they struck a pretty solid balance between dramatic moments and genuine laughs. All of these characters felt real, and I understood the problems they were all going through, either because I had gone through them myself or saw firsthand people I know go through them. 
  

#08: Batman: The Animated Series: Batman: The Animated Series came out in a time where it really needed to happen. What I mean by this is that with a couple of exceptions, the comic book movies of the time were represented by the likes of Spawn, Batman & Robin, Judge Dredd, and Steel. This animated children's show never pandered to its audience. It respected them, and in a lot of ways was geared towards adults. 

#07: South Park: Whenever I'm asked to describe South Park's humor, I always say the same thing. It's intelligent commentary disguised as toilet humor, and they always seem to know what to tackle and how to tackle. That's why I think it is one of the few shows that has stayed consistent despite being on the air for 15 to 20 years. 
  

#06: Scooby-Doo: Where Are You: Scooby-Doo's nostalgic charm has lasted so many years thanks to its simplicity and repetition. However the simplicity and repetition work in the show's favor, and was always a favorite of mine. Every episode offers a monster the gang unmasks by the end of the 30 minutes. No matter what, I will always love this show, and its characters (save for Fred).
   

#05: Dexter: Dexter is about a man who works for the Miami Metro Homicide Department by day, and by night, he works to clean up the streets of Miami, one serial killer at a time. Dexter's backstory is that he witnessed his mother's murder at a very young age, and because of this, his adoptive cop father found a way to help him harness his darkness for good, and there's something about that backstory that just fascinates me.

#04: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Well, let's talk a little bit about a man named Joss Whedon. He is one of my favorite filmmakers working today, as both a writer and a director. Buffy really is one of those shows that showcased Joss's talent early on, and his ability to make strong, relatable characters (especially females). All of the characters have personality and dimension to them. Do I necessarily think every single episode lands? No, but most of them do, and I can't fault that. 
  

#03: Darkwing Duck: As a kid, I was mostly fascinated by the fact that this was a colorful show about a talking duck superhero. I wasn't until I was older that I really understood that Darkwing was selfish, egotistical, and in the superhero business for all of the wrong reasons. As I got older, I was really able to fully understand the relationship between Darkwing and his adoptive daughter, Gosalyn. 
  

#02: Game of Thrones: Game of Thrones is one of those shows where I started watching it, and was immediately hooked. This show has really been able to ramp itself up. This is a show where every episode, I'm nervous. One of the show's main features is the understanding that any of the main characters could die at any point, and I love that because it means that I'm always on edge.
  

#01: Firefly: It might seem strange that I would choose a show that didn't even get a full season as my personal favorite show. Here's the thing, I love Joss Whedon's work. I love the characters. They are all well rounded and well-defined. The science fiction, action, adventure, and comedy all blend together perfectly. I have seen every single episode multiple times and each time it still feels fresh.

Jane Got a Gun

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 Jane Got a Gun faced a lot of production troubles. It was originally supposed to come out in 2014, but was pushed back to 2015, and was then pushed back again to 2016, when it finally came out. At points, the production troubles do manifest, and they are noticeable. For example, the first ten minutes or so feel very rushed before the movie actually does settle into a slower, more comprehensible pace, even if I do think it drags a touch at points. Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, and Ewan McGregor do the best they possibly can with what they are given to work with. McGregor’s villain, named John Bishop, feels underwritten. So, the fact that he is as good as he is really should say something. I will also admit that while Portman and Edgerton do have decent chemistry together, it could be stronger. This is mostly because these two characters are the most developed and the most interesting and because Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton are good actors. The character of Bill Hammond probably could have been in the movie a lot less, and went on to have less and less need and bearing on the plot. I want to make it clear, I actually did like the movie, even though it was deeply, deeply, flawed. This is a movie I would recommend seeing at rental price, instead of seeing it theatrically.

7 / 10 

Here's to Flint

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Here's to Flint is a documentary put together by the people of Flint, designed to hopefully get their stories out there, and get a story out there beyond Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, though Snyder does play a part. They make it known that they are not happy with him. Some of the officials they talk to are rude, and seem like they are trying to save face. The production value isn't the strongest, but that doesn't bother me because I think the story they are trying to tell is very strong. These are people who have a voice, and their voice really comes through. Some might say this would come off as one-sided. To that, I would like to say I’ve been in Flint since the water crisis started, and a lot of these people are suffering thanks to the poor decision-making of the local and state governments. As I said, some issues with production values aside, I really feel that this is a solid documentary telling a story from its beginning to where we are now, and the people who were most responsible for putting this movie together have stated that “this story is not over yet.” 

7 / 10 

A Video I Kind of Want to Talk About

This is a video I watched that brought me a lot of joy. Basically, it talks about a bunch of R-rated movies from the 70s to the 90s that were marketed towards kids for some reason.

Top 10 Mature Movies With Merchandise For Kids

I'm curious to hear opinions on this one.

High Tension (2003)

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High Tension is about a young woman who is trying to save her best friend, who has been taken hostage by a sadistic serial killer. The first I would like to say about this movie is that the cinematography is actually quite beautiful. It's also nice to see a brutal, violent 80s-style slasher flick in the middle of the 21st century, where, with the exception of a few outliers, the sub-genre is mostly remakes and reboots. Director Alexandre Aja should also be commended for his direction. The movie gave me an unflinching feeling of unease. Much of the first half of the movie takes place at a house in rural France. Because the house is essentially in the middle of nowhere, it adds a fantastic isolated feeling that I feel is essential to a slasher flick. I will admit that at first, I thought the acting was very iffy. However, as the film went on, the acting did improve. Lead actress Cécile de France's performance in particular really grew on me, and I feel she became the movie's standout performer. I saw the unrated American version of the film. After doing a bit of research, I learned that it was dubbed over, and not very well for the most part, which is honestly why I probably thought the acting near the beginning was a bit lacking. High Tension earns its title in almost every way possible. The writing, directing, cinematography, and musical score keep you on edge throughout the movie. The house that much of the first half of the movie is set in looks incredible. The movie's twist ending was something I honestly did not see coming, and in my opinion, helps separate this movie from a good deal of its ilk. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the movie. Despite a couple of minor flaws, I genuinely enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to any fans of the slasher genre.

8 / 10