Cruise Movie (2018)

This movie was near impossible to find and I stumbled across a trailer for it on youtube some years back, been looking for it ever since. I never was able to find it and the movie never made it to any theaters in my state. Often some independent films will be limited release to see how they do and from there decide if they should distribute. Also depending on music rights and so forth other things can jam them up down to even the time the movie is released. All that being said this one fell between the cracks and sadly wasn’t mainstream. Set in 1987 during a time those cars; like his mint Grand National, a vehicle still highly desired and fast to this day. Those cars filmed were fairly new to be owning in street drags at that time. They do a great job of finding mint stock basic Toyota’s and stuff in the background scenes. These actors are all B level and you won’t recognize anyone except maybe the main chick which some reviewers said she was a bad actor. I felt she nailed the part beautifully. The main character is a young teenage Italian kid but don’t worry this not another mob movie but does show how active the mafia was in the 80s during that time. Also it’s not another love story even though the guy does meet the girl and fall in love with the girl. The twists and turns to their love story isn’t clear which leaves you engaged. This is a drag race film but don’t expect fast & The Furious CGI and theatrics and cars jumping across the screen, no, this is too low budget even if they wanted it. These are realistic drag races that don’t last 5 mins to race down a quarter mile in slow motion mixed with fast motion. You feel like they actually raced and edited it. So you feel the heat when the cars take off. Although home boys Grand National has a cam’ed v8 motor sound dubbed over his real car sound as we all know Grand Nationals don’t sound like that. You don’t mind the fake engine noise if you are getting into the actual content of the moment. You then appreciate the noise towards the end when his National pulls off. Almost makes it beefier and sounds cooler whether fake or not. Also the type of ways these kids get money and car prowling felt real and raw New York Street kid shit. You knew some of it was theatrical for car theft but nothing you couldn’t look past to get the basic nature of the message the film maker was sending. The soundtrack is amazing and some 80’s classics you know and some you may not know from the B side of UK to just more non mainstream 80’s hits. They never miss on creating 80s background and the outfits were never over the top as some real 80’s folks just wore less bright clothing. Some 80’s folks just wore dull colored regular shit. So you don’t feel like it’s a remake but rather a movie that actually took place in the 80’s. That’s actually one the best art forms of the film is that it doesn’t look and feel like a remake rather it looks like an 80’s film you just never saw before. Released in 2018 however and with a strong story and believable plot this is one to really look for but unfortunately the one way to see it is to buy it through’ Youtube, HULU, Comcast and possibly amazon. Haven’t yet seen a way to own it as I like to collect movies.

Ja Rule & Ashanti Live @Showbox Sodo 2/18/19

The only blurry picture I have from this show at the Showbox Sodo. This venue is easy to get to downtown and is a large warehouse style venue with bar located in very front and to the north wall. You can pay extra for seating and designated waiter attached to the seat upgrade otherwise open room standing only. Which means get there kind of early to have a good spot or fight your way to the front near the stage. I enjoyed the show they are a classic duo with classics we all remember. I didn’t feel any negatives from the show and would consider seeing them again if at a venue likes this.

Bumbershoot Live @Seattle Center 8/31/19

If you aren’t familiar this is a music festival held in the Historical Seattle Center area which the area has various live music locations with different stage setups and musicians of all genres. Over the years the ticket sales have gone up and the artists seem to have lessened in popularity meaning they haven’t had really any super big names in their lineups in past years. Usually there is a about 20 or so artists at different time slots and different locations. This can be difficult if you are intending on seeing certain artists that come on at the same time in different spots. The venue is large and all ages so don’t be surprised seeing teenagers wearing rave-esq clothing walking around. This specific year I went to catch LP and Two feet. Both played amazing and I have another post about LP as she is a very great live performer. I was impressed with Two Feet as well, great delivery and you can choose the option of VIP tickets to have better areas to watch as well as no lines anywhere. I recommend this if you are choosing to do all 3 days of the festival just makes it easier to move about the areas without the need to push through larger crowds. This year I only went Saturday but I arrived shirtless which is frowned upon in the beer gardens. Some ask you to wear a shirt but I don’t take no fuckin shit so I threw on some electrical tape over my nipples I found at one of the bars and refused to wear a shirt. Why is it the nipples matter so much? As if the rest of my skin isn’t a problem but the small area of nipples changes things. I waiting for Jai Wolf to come on and a metal barricade fell on someone and they were seriously injured. The next day they honored a free entry to anyone who missed that show that got moved to the next day. I was also really impressed with H.E.R. as her music has a very deep R&B vibe but when she did a stellar Prince Cover rocking the guitar like she built the song herself I was really amazed. Overall I would say it’s worth going to any Bumbershoot if you are a music head since they have so many artists each day for 3 days you are bound to like someone performing. Also being centrally located in a historical spot in Seattle with views of the SpaceNeedle it makes it not only pleasing for the locals but also tourists.

You Can’t buy me love (1987)

Brilliant movie and I like the part where she has Patrick Dempsey’s back says he sits in the visitor seating to fuck with the other team , it’s physiological warfare. This movie is 80s but so extremely 80s but most of these actors never make a big break anywhere else. A film about superficial lives to the fullest and his younger brother is a G cooler than him. Also the scene where he jumps into the clean ass white VW rabbit. No half jump either. What a believable nerd that rises to popularity and the story takes place in AZ which is different from most California teen movies. Also most every teen movie the guy likes the girl he cant get her but this one the girl cant get the guy even though she usually gets whatever she wants. Very different idea. They two even have a pretend break up but he doesn’t realize he took it way too far in public. The girls like him for being an asshole for it which is also kind of a different theme to show on film so openly. Very dark version of most teen era movies. Dark but not bad just in real form. When he comes in to school pretending to be the new kick ass guy the scene is over the top but with NO entrance music as he walks in. That just gives you the Independent film feel which makes scenes feel so unique like it really happened not a theatrical movie. Brilliant work! After he is deemed “cool” for paying the popular girl to pretend to date him he can finally take girls out in his weird-dads car that gets flipped into a cool shag’n wagon to his peers. Extra 80’s arcades that look like more actual footage than a movie. Now he is suddenly hangin with the popular people, the jocks, and pretty girls. Even to the point where the girls are open to sharing him something never seen in a breakfast club movie or 16 Candles. Again how a darker real high school movie goes. Every TV in the movie is old but really small giving you a different cinematic look at the 80s because it wasn’t a remake but actually filmed in the 80s. The actors are so unknown so they are more believable. Also the younger brother is hell bent on figuring out why his brother is now the cool kid all of a sudden. At the school dance they have a live music singer which at the time was a far out cool school dance for it’s time. Watching B style movies like this you just couldn’t place who they were or who they could have become. Dempsey drinks for seemingly the first time spiking the punch bowling something always known and talked about but rarely shown on film. The girls laughing thinking he was in special ED dancing like an idiot but then they try to make him feel better by mimicking his dance moves. However as they do it, soon it literally turns into a cool dance sequence. Very artistic dance scene with super funky music playing in the background. The entire soundtrack is amazing with Paul Mccartney singing the opening soundtrack theme song. Alantac star , living in a box and cutting crew but more of the B side songs in my opinion. Comedy you have never heard or scene making it all fresh and new. This movie plays between serious drama teen soap opera to Fast times & Richmond high comedy. PERFECT BLEND. It exploits rich communities but interestingly it shows richer people within rich neighborhoods and how their dynamics clash into social layers. Genius script in my opinion. The clever comebacks and witty remarks shine through the entire film. She later walks into new designed Ronnie who is no longer Ronald in the bathroom kissing some girl which would never been shown in that way for mainstream teen movies, too real for the time of 1987. also the movie taking place during new years as opposed to most movies displaying summer time and good weather was different. The scene with the longest speech ever by Amanda Peterson revealing the lie her and Dempsey had seemed really authentic like it was based on a true story. What will he do next you think. This is actually a real drama but also a comedy, dramatic, dark but unforgiving about its content or delivery. Makes you love it more. Probably the best ending a teen movie could have giving you everything you anticipated for all into great visuals. Petersen lived a troubled life in her real life ultimately to her death. Many of the others besides Dempsey did not go on to do many other films. Check this one out if you loved all the classic high school movies.

The Iceman Movie (2013)

Take a look into the most dangerous one man army maybe of all time. Ruthless contract killer who worked for the Mafia by sort of falling into it. His name was Richard Kuklinski and he was not Italian he was Polish. This is a true story with every highlight covered in the movie so don’t think they left much out. Michael Shannon does an excellent performance playing the part and if you want proof wait till after you watched the movie then look up the real life interviews of “The Iceman” talking to psychologists detailing the zero remorse for the killings he did. The film also has great stars like Ray Liotta playing Roy DeMeo who was head of the Gambino crime family in that time which later was run by John Gotti as many already know. M.Shannon plays a mellow killer who shows no feelings for his business, chopping them up, killing people whether in broad daylight or not. He also was known for freezing the bodies to make it difficult to tell time of death, he used poisons, guns, knives, crossbows, rope to choke people and you name it he did it. If Iceman wanted you he would get you. He also had a specific moment in the film which was a true story that a man begged for god to be saved from being killed by Iceman. So Iceman sat down and said he would give him a few mins to pray to god and if anything changes or interferes he would let the man go. After the time was up Iceman said (paraphrased) “you called for god and maybe he was busy, now you die” and shot the guy in the head. After this movie check out his comments about that day in the real life interview. Though he cared about his family he would kiss his kids goodnight then tell mafia soldiers death-goodnights all in the same week. This guy was deadly, standing 6’5″ almost 300lbs and not to be fucked with. Terrible childhood and upbringing lead him to the emotions he was lacking. When you watch the documentary/interviews you can see how on point the acting was so watch it after. The Iceman died in prison serving a life sentence and showed zero emotion admitting he was a killer and it was his time to die. The Iceman, look for it.

A Scanner Darkly Movie (2006)

One of the greatest movies of all time that didn’t get bad reviews but also wasn’t all over every headline. I first seen this years ago and enjoyed it with the same medium view point you can find online. I re-watched it now in 2019 and it shows me all new meaning. For one it was filmed in Rotoscoping which is where the movie is filmed then traced over with digitally digitizing each frame of pictures which also gives the director the chance to manipulate scenes. Manipulate reality more or less because it’s now digital but not like a cartoon. Yet this style has been around since the early 1900s this was one the first to have the ENTIRE film in rotoscoping as opposed to just scenes in other films. Not to mention the films message about a drug epidemic and how it can be as simple as a pill. Which over a decade ago was not as prominent as it is now. Now you hear about adderal or Xanax, percocets,fentanyl even along side traditional cocaine. People have this vast fascination over drugs and how quickly things can get them high. I have never used a hard drug in my life so maybe I am bias but I really don’t see the point in taking things to the level you could lose your life over being high . Which then makes this movie was ahead of it’s time coming out back in 2006. Not to mention the movie plot is that the government is secretly doing it to our own country. Which Keanu goes deep deep cover to the point where he gets addicted to the drug himself to eventually be checked into a care facility that makes the actual drug addicts who are half brain dead harvest and crop the illegal death drug for the government. Basically a conveyor belt of getting their own country of people high and addicted then using them to create massive farms to harvest move of the drug. A crazy concept that really doesn’t seem that far fetched with the way over-the-counter drugs have been being sold the past decade with little restraints on providing limits tot he public. Robert Downey Jr plays a guy addicted to the drug yet he is seemingly very smart using $5 dollar words with every sentence as if he is an a astute professor. Woody Harleson is whacked out high energy when he is on the drug while Roy Cocrane plays the weirdest of them all never sitting still thinking bugs are on him all the time. Keanu plays a lost individual overly calm and distant. Get all these guys together in a room and watch them argue the logic, reason and physics of a bicycles gears and how many they should have and if missing any gears they are orphan bicycle gears. The amount of trippy brain twists they have in each scene is unreal having you feeling like you are high as a kite watching it. Keanu must get inside and infiltrate the government rehab facility to reveal the governments diabolical plot but how can he snap out of the brain damage from the drug to carry out his mission? That’s the best part of the whole movie so pay attention.

$uicideBoy$ Live @WAMU Theater 7/24/19

This was another youtube accidental discovery where you are looking for one thing and stumble across another. I searched a few of their songs online and liked the clash of rock/rap/hip hop style to them in my opinion. These New Orleans white boys, yep, the whole race thing is becoming a thing of the past in rap music now and even genre’s can now clash together without much criticism. Anyway, I digress, these white boys all tattooed one of which across his face which means no office employment for that young man…have some great talent. The WAMU venue is one the worst Seattle venues we have, every show I have been to there has terrible sound quality, crowded places for viewing unless you want to get trampled in the front or fight your way to the front. This time they had a beer garden towards the back of the show but you are still very far away from the action. Good for them to fill a large venue like they did but they sacrifice some quality in sound for large venues. Also don’t think about trying to park at WAMU theater located near the Seattle stadiums, you just need to take an uber there. The show was good, the crowd chanted lyrics and the SucideBoys kept the energy rapid with loud vocals and lights streaming across the audience. Several “what’s up Seattle” moments between songs. However, I am almost to a point where I will never see another show at WAMU theater.

Czon Live @Street Fair 7/13/19

Screenshot of an IG video I uploaded. I was walking into Street Fair located in West Seattle, WA and specifically in the WS Junction which is like Downtown to WS. They shut down the street once a year for the whole weekend and include trinket kiosks, beer gardens, food and novelty stores etc and live bands at the far end of the street. I spotted this MC just with a microphone hooked up to a speaker and it seemed most of the passing people didn’t notice what he was doing. I did. He was rhyming and flowing completely freestyle to everything he saw. If you walked by he would uplift you with lyrics to what you were wearing or doing. Completely positive and very talented. He made some references to my tattoos and red shoes but kept going with his flow into other things about Seattle and where he was at. I was very impressed and took a card from him,dropped some cash, dapped knuckles and kept walking. Then I looked him up on youtube and he had a few really cool music videos with his son. His son only 5yrs old raps with him and they duel the mic together, not only is it moving to see them together its equally impressive to see this child with such talent. Also not many if possibly No One is MC’ing with their kid like this making Czon potentially the first ever in the streets of Seattle. Nice guy, well talented and you can find more of his videos on IG: @czondeluna / @niccodeluna or youtube Czon Delunatic. Check them out!

Springbreakers Movie (2012)

Wow….this movie…before you go judging the idiotic DVD cover looking like a Bikini Barista stand crashed into Malibu’s Most wanted. No sir…open your fucking mind to something real. Remember when Scarface first came out? No! Of course not because most of my generation were shitting in their diapers when it was a brand new box office film. Now it’s considered a classic and we all know and love and quote every scene. People have posters all over their walls of the great Tony Montana waving an M16. Check this out though…there is actually those muthafuckers over in Miami Florida right now. Not even fake and live by no rules. Cops are bought and the news stays out of it. The main character in this film is based on a real guy from Miami. Forget celeb status Franco’s name understand that this character he is playing is of a real person. Not even fictional by one bit. In fact there is a gangster ass full white guy with dread locks in Miami tattoo’ed up even drops the “N” word and no one says shit to him because hes well respected and crazy as fuck. Not to mention thats the only culture he knows as if someone got pregnant and then threw him down a hood ass street in Miami…only to let him raise himself into a full blood money making gangster in an African american neighborhood exactly how we seen Tony Montana or how Griselda blanco did it in real life. If you really know your shit! See now, Blanco was a real life rich Columbian drug lord who was really doing everything Scarface portrayed. Then in this film Franco is playing a real deal white drug lord with a house full of M16s and Lamborghini’s in his driveway. Only difference is this character is really alive still to this day. Right now. In this movie they walk around doing what they want when they want to do. 4 young girls meet a guy well connected in Miami, they all have a connection. Next he figures out how Crazy these 4 girls are and how they are down to kill for fun just like him. Literally. 2 of the girls drop off and decide it isn’t fun anymore but leaving the last 2 who loved the thrill of danger and you sort of could tell were the crazier of the group. You knew the remaining 2 were the female versions of the Scarface Film. You at first question if the girls really care about this white chocolate eccentric gangster who looks like the biggest dofus you have ever seen. However you would only say that if you never knew him in person. Because out in real life, in Miami he is heavy like steel and well respected by those who matter. Once you get that through your thick skull that this guy is based off a real character you will realize this shit is just some now era millennial war lord Scarface-esq shit. Once that is in your mind you will see this is some current war lord shit you can say damn I was right there when that movie came out. That’s the point, like saying you saw opening day of James Dean films but on that same level you were here for this. The way it is filmed is art, it does long scenes, so each scene lasts much longer than typical movies. Next there is loud noises and gun cocking sounds between the scenes to wake the audience back up that they are i,still n outlaw town. You see just how fierce the 3 of them are together and how if they kill the rival war lords they will rule Miami. They go up in a boat with M16s showing how bout-it they really are. They have a shoot out similar to the Scarface ending shoot out but in this film Franco dies instantly. The girls shoot on and kill all of the rival henchmen without ever blinking an eye that their seem-to-be boyfriend Franco was shot dead. They push on not looking back killing all of them up to the last boss. It;s at this point you can’t deny that these aren’t helpless broads, they are true ass bitches who can kill if they flip the switch. The roll through the end like a couple of Banderas’s from the Dusk till down-movieMusic plays in the background as the boss lips something of an arrogant composure at them as they shoot him in slow-motion killing him and trumping his cockiness with their might. Next the 2 girls are all thats remaining of the movie and their initial squad is not seen in the ending credits…yet they are rolling out in a Lamborghini comfortable as fuck with their hair blowing in the winds like Victoria Secret models. In the background during their shoot out killing an entire drug mob you can hear a seemingly voice message to their parents of how great the summer is and how proper and “good” they were being on their Spring Break. Giving you the impression these girls could shoot an entire army then go home to kiss their Grandmother and bake cookies wearing pink. That being said as they drive off with zero mercy and no care -but the color of their sparkle lip gloss….it cuts to a brief ending scene of them both kissing Franco’s dead body before they left the mansion massacre they made. This romantically proving they loved Franco just as much as he truly loved them. Making those woman also seem human mixed major fierceness. The baddest bitches on the Miami block and even though the girls part of this actual film is fictional, remember Franco’s character is actually as real as can be. You can enjoy both aspects but one last reminder that this white dude Franco is acting is crazy on point to this real deal Lamborghini driving and 2002 outfit/gear wearing, loony. Just a real deal one and that has so much money he doesn’t have to care what you think about him. He handed the girls bouquets of 100’s to show he loved them not flowers. This is a cult classic and probably one of the greatest movies of all times because its a real story we just never cared to notice.

Stunt Bikes & Booties DVD (2015)

Many of you may not know the history of the motorcycle street bike/stunt life. You’ve seen people do wheelies or tricks but in the 80’s it was just a standard wheelie, then on through the early 2000’s you had to at least scrape the tail and stoppie, maybe occasional burnout. Now in the current era you better scrape on the freeway, do 100s of feet long in stoppies, circle wheelie, drift and jump everywhere on the bike while you wheelie for miles. Well that is if you want to be noticed on the internet and social media zones. See because back before 2005 youTube didn’t even exist home boy, and even when it did people just got started. Back then video devices were only in handheld camcorders or maybe digital cameras thru the 2000s. Now a days we have GoPros and camera phones at every disposal. Even drones! The most likely started out with very old tapes used in the old school big cameras. You can tell in the editing that they were limited which gives the DVD a much more intensely real feel. The music they probably have zero rights for but it all works well in the background. The ending even has 10 mins of completely dead screen as the music plays which makes you feel like you stumbled across a rare artifact of stunt bike history that was never finished. Anyway back then it was stock bikes too, factory made un-modified OEM bikes doing stunts similar to know but not as intensely smooth with safety nets or crash bars or 3rd Hand brake control. Not to say the skill hasn’t increased greatly it’s just to say the OG’s did it when it was all or nothing to learn and forcing stock bikes to be manipulated into tricks. In this video I 100% feel these guys, Ruthless Tactics str8 out of New Jersey, straight out of the hood! No bullshit, no helmets no verbally or visual fucks given. The bikes might even be borrowed in some cases, ha! and the cops are ignored throughout the rides. The amount of Skill these guys have is way ahead of the stunt-game time. Circle wheelies using just the factory foot brake where is now there are sold hand levers to compile with your foot lever for added control. Back then if they dropped the bike that could mean serious damage. Not in the now where there are specialized cages on the internet to protect everything after years & years of research. Not to mention bike parts and replacements pieces all on the internet now. This DVD is the Boyz in The Hood version of every freestyle motorcycle “street” stunt video. Basically the Scarface of biker stunt era videos. Enjoy the culture we grew up in, enjoy the intense raw fury of fighting the street on motorcycles.