Los Angeles police officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal)
and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) have everything to live for. They love their jobs, and have racked up a
number of commendations in their still young careers. They’ve also formed an unbreakable bond with
each other that transcends mere friendship.
Things go horribly bad when a traffic stop turns up a cache of exotic
weaponry and drug loot. The bust brings
Taylor and Zavala even more glory, but also puts them on the radar of a vicious
Mexican drug cartel. When the cartel
places a green light on them, they find themselves on the front lines as never
before.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Movie Review: Dredd
In the not too distant future, the United States of America
has been ravaged by nuclear war. A vast megalopolis
known as Mega-City One now encompasses the entire east coast. Due to its immense size and population
density, the massive city-stat is a veritable cesspool of crime. Instead of sitting on bench with a gavel,
Judges are given heavy artillery and charged with policing city streets. The most notorious of these is Judge Joseph
Dredd (Karl Urban), as relentless a lawman as has ever existed.
Labels:
Action Film,
Action/Adventure,
Comic Adaptation,
Comic Book,
Comics,
Dredd,
Judge Dredd,
Karl Urban,
Lena Headley,
Movie Review,
Science Fiction
Thursday, September 20, 2012
16 Stunning New Images From ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’
At this point, it surely cannot be possible to tease The Man with the Iron Fists any more
than it’s already been teased. Fans had
to wait an excruciatingly long time for a single trailer to finally surface. According to Shadow and Act, there have been
a few test screenings, but reports from these secret viewings have been
scarce. Hopes are high for this film, and
expectations are getting more unrealistic by the day. Alas, November 20th is still two
months away. Universal Pictures will not
doubt continue to build anticipation during the interim. In furtherance of that purpose, 16 new images
from the film have been released.
Labels:
Action Film,
Chang Cheh,
Images,
Lucy Liu,
Martial Arts,
Pictures,
Russell Crowe,
Shaw Brothers,
The Man With The Iron Fists,
The Rza
Sean Price Gets Brolic On The Cover Art for ‘Mic Tyson’
While some rappers prefer to be
superheroes, Sean Price would rather be super villain. He’s more Darkseid than Superman, which I
imagine suits him just fine. Hip-Hop
doesn’t have much regard for overgrown Boy Scouts, but it does have an undying
love for overgrown bullies. Sean knows
that damn well, hence the title of his upcoming third (and possibly final) solo
album, Mic Tyson. As if that weren’t menacing enough, the newly
released cover art for his junior set perfectly embodies the sentiments of that
title.
Labels:
Cover Art,
Duck Down,
East Coast Hip-Hop,
Hip-Hop,
I See,
Mic Tyson,
Music Video,
Quelle Chris,
Rome York,
Sean Price
Robocop Gets An Upgrade While G.O.O.D Music Endures A "Cruel Summer" On This Week's Scottscope Podcast!
On this week’s Scottscope
podcast, the roundtable discusses G.O.O.D Music’s compilation album Cruel Summer. Does it live up to the hype, or is it less
than the sum of its parts? Is the G.O.O.D
music collective a Hip-Hop force to be reckoned with, or just another overblown
vanity project? Did the GOOD Fridays series of music giveaways
spoil the best songs on the album? Who
had the single best verse on the album?
Who emerges as the MVP of the G.O.O.D music collective? Should Kanye rebuild the G.O.O.D music roster
from the ground up?
Labels:
Cruel Summer,
G.O.O.D Music,
Kanye West,
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,
Podcast,
Raekwon,
Re-release,
Remake/Reboot,
Robocop,
Scottscope,
The Purple Tape,
The Rowdy One,
Vashawn Quinones,
Wu-Tang Clan
'The 50th Law' Now Immortalized In Comic Book Form
When it comes to diversifying his brand, 50 Cent is no
slouch. Though his star no longer shines
nearly as brightly as it once did, he keeps pushing boldly into new
territory. Now, he’s looking to conquer
yet another medium: comic books. That
would seem to be an easy fit given his larger than life persona and superhero
physique. However, his first venture
into the world of primary colors will not be the usual capes and tights
fare. Instead, it will be an adaptation
of 50’s 2009 novel with Robert Greene, The
50th Law.
Labels:
50 Cent,
Books,
Comic Adaptation,
Comic Book,
Hip-Hop,
Official Trailer,
Robert Greene,
SmartComics,
The 50th Law
Saturday, September 15, 2012
A Slaughter Deferred: Artwork Surfaces from an Unpublished ‘Wu-Massacre’ Comic
Over the last three years, some pretty good albums have carried
the iconic Wu-Tang symbol. 2010’s Wu Massacre was not one of them. The heavily hyped album grouped Ghostface,
Raekwon, and Method Man into a trio not unlike Bell Biv DeVoe. While the final product left much to be
desired, it did have one hugely redeeming feature. Famed comic artist Chris Bachalo and inker
Tim Townsend designed a triad of cover portraits, each of which envisioned a
particular group member as a comic book character. The artwork was truly inspired, and really
spoke to the possibilities of an ongoing series featuring the Clan. As it turns out, just such a series was
planned but never published.
Labels:
Alex Haldi,
Chris Bachalo,
Comics,
Def Jam,
Ghostface,
Ghostface Killah,
Hip-Hop,
Method Man,
Raekwon,
Superhero,
Tim Townsend,
Wu-Disciples,
Wu-Massacre,
Wu-Tang Clan
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
New Music: Pusha T featuring Raekwon and Joell Ortiz – Tick, Tock
The Wu-Tang Clan has always used its
martial arts motif as a metaphor for survival, whether it be in the rap game,
the drug game, or life in general. Their
approach will likely never change, even when their music is being used in
service of an actual martial arts film. Though
the milieu of The Man with the Iron Fists
is ancient China instead of crack era Staten Island, the modus operandi remains
the same. The clan will never deviate
from course. Neither will Pusha T, who
happens to be the main feature of the latest offering from the Iron Fists soundtrack “Tick, Tock.”
Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge To Come Up With ‘12 Reasons To Die’ In Time For Thanksgiving
The RZA has been a very busy man over the last few years. Most recently, he’s been preparing his directorial
debut, The Man with the Iron Fists,
for release. The film now seems poised
to be the focal point of a full on Wu-Tang revival. Its soundtrack will certainly provide ample
opportunity for both core members and longtime affiliates to shine. However, the most irrepressible clansman will
have his very own showcase aside from appearing on that compilation. This fall, the incomparable Tony Starks will
be teaming up with producer/musician Adrian Younge for a collaborative effort
titled 12 Reasons To Die. As with the
soundtrack for The Man with the Iron
Fists, it will be released on The RZA’s new Soul Temple Records imprint. RZA
will be serving as executive producer.
There will also be a coinciding comic book from Black Mask.
Labels:
12 Reasons To Die,
Adrian Younge,
Black Dynamite,
Ghostface,
Ghostface Killah,
Hip-Hop,
Rap Music,
Rza,
Soul Temple Records,
The Man With The Iron Fists,
The Rza,
Wu-Tang Clan
Monday, September 10, 2012
Blood in the Water: My Personal Path To ‘Jaws’
On August 14th, Jaws
made its debut on Blu-ray. Its arrival
has truly been a long time coming. Included
in the supplemental materials is a brand new documentary titled The Shark is Still Working: The Impact &
Legacy of Jaws. It chronicles the history
of Jaws as a cultural
phenomenon. Though I have been affected
by that phenomenon, I was a late comer to the party. Jaws
was released two years before I was born.
I wouldn’t “discover” the film until a good many years later. However, once I finally did, I became a
believer.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The First Annual Scottscope Summer Recap!
On this week’s edition of Scottscope, the roundtable does its first annual post Labor Day
summer recap! We’ll be discussing the
very best in movies and Hip-Hop, as well as the very worst. Triumphs will be celebrated. Failures will be mourned and admonished in
equal measure. Both the winners and the
losers will be given their just do. What
was the best superhero movie? What was
the best action film? Who had the better
album, Rick Ross or Nas? We’ll give
listeners the complete rundown of the past three months.
Labels:
Blockbuster,
Chris Lighty,
God Forgives I Don't,
Hip-Hop,
Life is Good,
Movies,
Nas,
Podcast,
Prometheus,
Rap Music,
Rick Ross,
Scottscope,
The Avengers,
The Dark Knight Rises
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Animated Short: Batman of Shanghai
The year is 1930. The
setting is Shanghai, China. Within the
comfort of his personal chambers, a crime boss is presented with a most
wondrous gift: The fabled Scroll of Destiny.
The Scroll can grant its owner with limitless power, and complete
dominion over any given territory.
Before “The Boss” can take possession of it, a colorful thief known as
Catwoman bursts into his domicile. She steals
the scroll and disappears into the alleyways of Shanghai. The Boss’s minions give chase. A rickshaw runner, who also has designs on the
scroll, joins the pursuit, but not before transforming into a hulking behemoth
known as Bane. Before long, yet another
combatant enters the fray: A mysterious apparition known as Batman, who seeks
to protect the scroll from all who would misuse it.
Labels:
Animated Short,
Animation,
Bane,
Batman,
Batman of Shanghai,
Catwoman,
Martial Arts,
Wolf Smoke Animation Studio
Music Video: Nas - Bye Baby
Life Is Good is Nas’
most transcendent album to date. It’s a
mature and accomplished work that ends on a note of clarity and acceptance.* That
ending comes courtesy of the open farewell letter to Kelis, “Bye Baby.” The
song’s straightforward storytelling and vivid imagery make it ideal for the
music video treatment. Filmmaker
Aristotle has been charged with bringing that potential to fruition. Thankfully, he is able to deliver in spades.
Labels:
Aaron Hall,
Aristotle,
Bye Baby,
Divorce,
East Coast Hip-Hop,
Guy,
Hip-Hop,
Life is Good,
Music Video,
Nas,
New Jack Swing
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