Reverb: The Official UTF Blog

I started my 2007 movie season off with 300. It is a film based on the epic tale of the Battle of Thermopylae told by graphic novelist Frank Miller. In a nutshell, 300 Spartan soldiers led by King Leonidas battle against Xerxes’ larger Persian army. In 60 seconds, here’s my impressions about the film:

1. The cinematography and look of 300 were gorgeous. This is a new standard for film making that I’m sure we will see more of in the future.
2. The film did have some historical inaccuracies, so don’t treat it as the gospel truth.
3. I was glad that Xerxes’ Persian army had many races – Asian, Middle Eastern (Persians at the time), and African. This is historically accurate since his army consisted of many races from different regions.
4. Xerxes wore too much makeup and was over exaggerated in his appearance, but this worked considering the film was based on a graphic novel.
5. Women will love the chiseled and very good looking Spartan army. Men will love the battle scenes and special effects.
6. You should definitely experience 300 on the big screen, preferably an IMAX theater.

Overall, I enjoyed 300 and think this was a very good start for my 2007 movie-going season. Check it out. Read more

This is a glimpse of what American Idol stars Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson remind me of when they sing. Fantasia and Hudson both have a gospel sound when it comes to their vocals. American Idols they might be, but they don’t match gospel’s idols vocally. These sisters – all four of them – are amazing every time they sing and only get better with time. With some growth and experience, maybe Fantasia and Hudson can get to this level one day.

Link: The Clark Sisters “You Brought the Sunshine”

Over the past few years, there has been a pandemic rash of remakes by Hollywood. To give you an example, here’s a sample list:

• War of the Worlds
• The Hills Have Eyes
• The Hills Have Eyes II (upcoming sequel for the original film)
• When a Stranger Calls
• The Amytiville Horror
• Hairspray (upcoming remake)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Ring (remake of original Japanese version)
• The Grudge (remake of original Japanese version)
• The Stepford Wives
• Darkwater
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

If Hollywood isn’t busy remaking prior films, they’re finding ways to squeeze out as much money as they can from existing film franchises by making pointless prequels/sequels. It’s a disturbing trend, and it appears that the studios are seeking out an easy profit rather than buying/developing new (good) scripts to make movies that haven’t been made before. Oh, I’m not against remakes – if the original film was of poor quality. But, did we really need an Americanized version of the terrible Godzilla film from 1998?

P.S.

Someone please explain how Godzilla bypassed the entire continental United States – without wrecking any city – and landed in New York to lay eggs in Madison Square Garden? Okay, I just spoiled the movie, but you weren’t missing anything anyway.

His talent is truly undeniable.

Link: SRV – Voodoo Child

Music has been a very central part of my life from an early age. As a small child, my dad played records by artists who were true musicians, singers, and artists. My dad’s record collection consisted mostly of R&B, Soul, and Funk music. I grew up listening to Prince, Luther Vandross, the Gap Band, Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament Funkadelic and yes, the Acid Queen herself: Tina Turner. I loved the sounds flowing through my dad’s speakers and was curious about the different instruments that made those sounds. While curious, I admit that the thought never occurred that I should play one of those instruments.

My dad played electric guitar and tenor/baritone sax when he was younger. Surprisingly, he stopped playing once he married his high school sweetheart (my mother) after graduating high school. Now, my mother never played any instruments but always wanted to take up piano. Unfortunately for me, she decided to live her dreams vicariously through me when I got older. I was “forced” to take up piano lessons after school; I hated them. I had trouble reading sheet music for piano, and I hated the (boring) material my piano teacher had me play. I probably wouldn’t have played or taken lessons as long as I did (for 5 years), but my mother discovered that I had the gift for playing by ear. When I was around age 9 or 10, I played bits of a Prince tune on my paternal great grandmother’s piano, and my mom heard it. From that point forward, she strongly encouraged me to continue taking the lessons. Now, while I hated the lessons, I didn’t entirely hate the piano. I liked playing cool things I heard on the radio on my keyboard at home, but the music my piano teacher had me play was extremely boring and unsatisfying. However, I did find that I liked to perform live. I sometimes played a tune, here or there, at Sunday church services with my god sister; she also took the lessons with me. For someone who was/is shy, it probably sounds odd that I liked playing live, but I got a high off of it and enjoyed the applause. While playing at Sunday church services was exhilarating, I was ready to move on to a more exciting instrument. Read more