Prep For the Qveen's Glorious Sound (Two Album Reviews)

EP4 - Qveen Herby

(Genre: Contemporary R&B/Hip Hop)

Glory Sound Prep - Jon Bellion

(Genre: Pop/Hip Hop)

BlipMasta5's The Catch Up (Too Many Short Reviews)

The Catch Up (Nov 2018 Edition)

Genre: Rap/Hip Hop/Pop/Jazz/Funk/Soul/R&B

Here's to hoping I don't have to do something similar to this for a looooong time. I cover Ariana Grande, Denzel Curry, Dyme-A-Duzin, Ella Jet, Esperanza Spalding, Lil' Wayne, Logic, Lupe Fiasco, Mac Miller, Masego, Nicki Minaj, Phony Ppl, Post Malone, Russell, Tori Kelly, T-Pain, & Travis Scott. Hope you enjoy me rambling my way through them all! 

This is NOT a Tutorial - It's an Update Part 2

Guess That Anime Round 2

V-log: My Most Viewed & Disliked Video

This is NOT a Tutorial - It's an Update Part 1

First Impressions: Happy Sugar Life

Friendly Mail with Love 2

Ophelia's Favorite Witches and Wizards: Part 1

In the spirit of my favorite time of year, I decided to put together a few supernaturally themed lists and reviews for our faithful readers. Anyone who knows me personally has more than passing knowledge that October goes well beyond just the usual pumpkins and fall festivities. My love of all things spooky, vampy and witchy is endless. Gather your familiar and prepare to be spelled by my top 10 witches and wizards.

BlipMasta5's August & September 2018 Favorites

Favorite Viral Video

Mooo! - Doja Cat

I've slowly become familiar with Doja Cat this month and it started with a break down of her song, "Go To Town". I soon realized that she has a fun personality who is open with her sexuality and presents it with wit. Yet, this viral video is what made me do the deep dive. If you haven't seen it yet, this really puts her carefree nature on display! It's pure fun with a bit of smart humor. As I dug deeper into her catalog, she uses that skill to talk about love, sex, and fun in a number of ways musically. If you're not offended by "crass" talk, I'd advise giving her album, Amala, a listen.

Book Review: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King | Published: 2015

As I was reading this collection, I kept thinking to myself I thought I liked Stephen King’s shorts. Is that because I read them when I was young and impressionable and didn’t realize there were such things as badly written books? It’s true I hadn’t read King in a while. Ever since I tried to read Under the Dome right after World War Z (which turned out to be my favorite book, oddly enough), any illusions I had that King’s novels were good were shattered. I did like his short stories, however. Nice little tasty bits of horror. Long enough for a good plot, but short enough to not get too invested in doomed characters. I’ve read so many of his short story collections growing up and I remember them fondly.

It was my plan to read this on my breaks at work and the first chance I got, I nestled into a comfy chair, lit up my kindle and…

Why aren’t these good? Don’t I love his short stories?

We start off with a story about a boy, but it’s really about an alien car that eats people. It goes from the boy to the car in a very meandering way. Once we get to the car, it becomes a very redundant death march. Good Samaritan pulls over to help car. Good Samaritan is eaten by car. Second Good Samaritan sees two cars (which, I mean, I would assume the situation is being taken care of at that point and not stop, but whatevs) and decides they should help too and promptly are eaten. Third Good Samaritan…(good gravy! Is this story just going to end with a long line of empty cars and an alien car full of Good Samaritans?!?) It doesn’t but the end is not very satisfying.

And that’s how we start off this book. However, a month after reading this, my brain has sorted out the Meh stories and remembers the Better stories with a rosy hue. I did like the story about the women driving with their kids, but I think I only like it because the idea was interesting, not because King executed the story well. I also liked the one about the Kindle but again, because the idea of having a Kindle with access to parallel universes is a cool idea, not exactly because the story was good.

But then there was a story about baseball. A long story about baseball. A long, uninteresting, not scary, play-by-play-of-the-game story about baseball. Unforgivable. I can’t believe King tricked me into reading a boring story about baseball with my own face eyes.

I almost gave this book three stars because it ends on a high note. I like me some end-of-the-world stories and I was digging it, but then I realized it was just On the Beach but set in New England with a dog instead of a baby (so not nearly as tragic). Also, I just can’t get over the fact that I read a novella about baseball. This gets two stars from me.

B.A.P Live on Earth Dallas 2014

BlipMasta5's June & July 2018 Favorites

Favorite Cover

What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life - Brail Watson

This song is a classic! Cool thing about this song, though, is its significance to Brail himself. He was requested to sing this to his professor and his wife and this later became the song Brail serenaded his now wife when they got engaged. This rendition really shows off the incredible versatility of Brail's voice when you compare it to his past work along with the fantastic talents of guitarist Pearce Odegard. Play this one time and try not to be swept away by these breezy performance. I'm sure you'll fail!

After Convention Review: Deviant Behavior

Guess That Anime Round 1

First Impressions: Insatiable

V-log: How I Learned How to Edit

Unboxing: CDJapan Haul 3

BlipMasta5's April & May 2018 Favorites

Favorite Dance Video
Filthy - Ian Eastwood & The Young Lions

Being 100% honest, I had to choose between 3 dance videos this month to share with you guys. This ended up being the one I wanted to go with due to the execution of the concept. I already love the song and since the original music video had a whole futuristic robot vibe, I love how they took that into idea behind this routine. They try to start off robotic, doing a lot of the popular moves of the times for the sake of popularity until it flourishes into more intricate choreography. It's so amazing to watch them tackle this beat with a bit of groove and precision, so I had to pick this one this time. Hope you enjoy!

Quick Movie Review

I Feel Pretty (2018, USA) | Rating: 4/5
Say what you will about Amy Schumer's stand-up, she's pretty enjoyable in feature films...at least what I've seen so far. I think for those who want to enjoy Schumer's humor without too much crass comedy, going the movie route seems like the best option. Then again, I haven't fully delved into the stand-up side of this comic. Anyway, I remember enjoying her in Trainwreck and I wasn't originally going to check this one out, but I heard some good things from my co-workers. They weren't wrong in their positive opinions. I really enjoyed this one. It was like a semi-reverse version of Jack Black's Shallow Hal, where the supposed love interest unattractive (read as: fat *rolls eyes*) woman looks like your stereotypical super modelesque beauty, but this time our main character is that beautiful person. One thing I was surprised about the "transformation" is that we never see what Schumer's character sees, which proves the whole point of the movie, especially when you hear the inspiring speech, or a-ha moment, of the movie. So far, Schumer has been 2 for 2 for me in the movie department as I really enjoyed this one and it even gave me some words to think about in my own life.



Hallows Eve (2016, UK) | Rating: 2.5/5
That moment when your movies are about expire on Hulu and you have to force yourself to watch them right away. Yeah, that's what happened with this movie and 2 others I will review later. Honestly, I don't remember if I even read the description when adding this movie to my watch list. While watching, I gradually thought to myself that maybe I added this based on the cover and expected it to be some mischievous Halloween themed movie of horror...and probably fun. Well, this wasn't the Halloween movie that I thought it would be and it's barely a horror movie, which isn't a bad thing. What I got was a turf war gone over the top; where vengence fuels the feud. While some aspects of the story and characters were interesting, I feel like there's something missing to fully pull me into this almost one-sided battle of the gangs. By the time the "twist" came around, I felt like the motivation reveal was rushed...unless I missed some sort of detail at the beginning half. Nonetheless, I don't think this one movie I would remember for Halloween or even just a normal day, but it definitely wasn't a bad one. I thought it was entertaining take on gang wars and families with a smidge of horror.



Tully (2018, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5
I've seen the preview to this movie a few times from other DVDs I've rented and it looked really interesting. Kind of a semi-reimagining of "Mary Poppins" without the magic and music. It's interesting seeing the usually fabulous and badass Charlize Theron as your typical mother figure who's simply overwhelmed. The story was rather intriguing as she deals with her trying to her two children and newborn for the most part by herself while her husband works, but he's no dead weight or anything. Although reluctant, she does eventually hire a nanny to alleviate her situation and ultimately enjoy herself as an individual. One thing I can say is that I didn't expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did, especially when Theron's character Marlo's relationship with the nanny Tully grows so deeply. I will admit that there are some dramatics toward the end, but it did add a very sweet ending to this story.



Pop Aye (2017, Singapore) | Rating: 4/5
*whines about being bad about watching foreign movies with subtitles* I have never heard of this movie before, but it sounded interesting. Once I popped it in my PS2, I was ready for whatever adventure I was being taken on with Thana and his childhood companion Pop Aye. This is definitely one of those stories of being tired of being overlooked, taken advantage of, and just living your childhood drama to the fullest...or as full as possible. This movie was very charming; think Pee Wee's Big Adventure. You get attached to your main character and want him to succeed with his goal, but the most important part is the journey, not the destination. That's the beauty of this film! I don't think I've seen a lot of movies from Singapore, but this one left a very good impression on me.



Extinction (2018, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5
A co-worker and I were exchanging movie recommendations and at first, he told me to watch The Invasion, which was the wrong movie. I did watch it and I might do a short review for it. When he realized his error, I watched the correct movie...this one. This futuristic movie starring Michael Pena, who I just saw in Deadpool 2, ended up being just as interesting as the "mistake" recommendation. The way my co-worker described it really made a huge impression on him and he was quite shocked by the turn of events. So, that set a somewhat high bar for me. I was supposed to be expecting something that would blow my mind and...it didn't. Well, I mean it did successfully surprise me, but I wasn't as shocked as he was. Going back to certain scenes, since I fell asleep in areas, I noticed how this all tied up into the neat little package that it is. If I gave the movie my full attention, maybe I would've been less passively surprised by the conclusion. The movie isn't a bad one in the least. It has a really good premise with lots of action and interesting enough characters. Although I didn't know much about the movie's main family, I did want them to survive this spontaneous ordeal they had to face. I will admit that this movie isn't perfect and I've seen this sort of concept done a little better, I do believe that it is well worth a watch or two.

After Theater Review: The Darkest Minds (feat. Angeline!)

Quick Anime Review

Occultic;Nine (2016) | Rating: 3/5
Since I started this whole "semicolon series", I feel obligated to just keep moving ahead on watching whatever else comes out with it. You can check out my quick reviews for Steins;Gate and Robotics;Notes. Unfortunately, I didn't review Chaos;Head, but I did see it and I heard it was one of the least popular in the alternate universe series. Anyway, I started this series when it was fresh and new, but lost track due to trying to keep up with other series. Obviously, I'm terrible at juggling. When I finally had time to finish where I left off, I was on and off interested in what was going. Sometimes it felt like a lot of things were going on, but the story wasn't moving forward. It did have some interesting elements and twists to it, but I felt like I couldn't fully immerse myself like Steins;Gate or even Robotics;Notes. One of my biggest complaints was the dialogue had the same fast pace speed as Durarara!!. It was hard trying to process everything I was reading and then forcibly digest it to understand the characters' reactions to whatever news they discovered. Also, Ryoutasu's uh...bosoms are very distracting. In the end, I did enjoy it enough to get to the end and now I've started Chaos;Child.



The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow (2014) | Rating: 3/5
This was a different experience for me from South Korea. I know I've seen a couple or so animated features from the country, but I believe this is my first venture with a full length animated movie. I went into this movie blind and only heard of it when a patron turned it in at my job. Sadly, I don't keep up with all these anime movies, so when I do see them on the shelf or in the catalog, I check them out whenever I can. This was...interesting to say the least. I decided to watch this in its native language and it took a long adjustment. The story was a bit scattered in places on what it wanted to do in the beginning, mostly because it jumped you right into the action of our main character Ko Gyeong-cheon singing then turning into a Milk Cow all of a sudden. Also, my introduction to Il-ho the Satellite was kinda odd. As time went on, I felt the story slowly adjust to what it wanted to do with itself...as strange as the conclusion is. I did find myself enjoying this odd, comedic romance, even though it had a rough start.



Netsuzou Trap (2017) | Rating: 2/5
I heard a lot of people were excited about this shoujo ai/yuri story to be adapted into a series, especially with Citrus on the way. I've never heard of it before, but I'd figure I'd check it out. To everyone's surprise, the show ended up being 9 minute tease fest of infidelity, blackmail, and confusion, which I wasn't expecting. I think it's safe to say that NTR fans were disappointed with their approach. Sure, it was still interesting for me, but I feel like there could've been more. I'm not sure how it compares to the source material, but 3 out of the 4 main characters were very dislikable. Takeda, you deserve so much better for yourself! There is so much manipulation and sexual misconduct going on in this show that it can be borderline problematic. Then again, it does keep the story interesting and moving along for our two leading ladies Hotaru and Yuma. Compared to Citrus, this isn't the best yuri option and it's a shame that they decided to make each episode 9 minutes long. Although, they effectively gave you the emotions you're supposed to feel, but I feel like they could do so much with the story.



Redline (2009) | Rating: 3/5
I've been wanting to watch this movie for a very long time. I remember seeing screenshots and gifs of this colorful, vibrant feature and hearing some pretty positive comments about it. While doing public streams to promote the blog's Patreon [insert shameless plug here], I decided to get this one out of the way and hope the other people would be interested in checking it out as well. This high adrenaline race for the ages reminded me of the Wachowski's Speed Racer. It was just as insane as that Speed Racer when it came to the racing portions that I don't think I could properly explain what happened in the movie easily. I enjoy the action, the animation, and even some the characters, especially the main two characters, but I have no idea what was going on in the story whatsoever. Fun movie, but weak story. Of course, there's a small part of me that feels like I need to rewatch it as I think I missed some special aspect in the story to truly appreciate the film through and through.



SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation (2014) | Rating: 2.5/5
I've seen Sonico quite a lot, especially at anime conventions, and I've always wondered if she's some mascot for something or if she's actually from a series. When I saw the DVD set at my job, I had to check out what the hype was over this character...excluding the obvious visual appeal. So...the show wasn't all that impressive. I mean, it was alright seeing this idol in her daily life, interacting with her friends, and working, but there's not a lot of substance to the "story". According a friend that's a fan of Sonico (it's one of her waifus), she said that the anime didn't give Sonico justice and it wasn't that good. Although, I can say that it built more of a personality dimension in my head and made me interested in her best friends and bandmates. I might investigate further and see if there are other ways to figure out Sonico's full appeal, but for now, I just have this fun little series that wasn't terrible, but seriously didn't give me much to work with.


If there's something you want me to review, check out Muddy Cult's Patreon on how to submit requests.

BlipMasta5's February & March 2018 Favorites

Favorite Rap Song
44 More - Logic

After the heavy concepts tackled in Logic's last album, hearing this song as his next project teaser has me along with others to believe that a Bobby Tarantino 2 seems like it's around the corner. He has already released a music video for another single, "Overnight", but "44 More" captivates me much more. This song shows Logic's ability to deliver an impressive flow along with his positive message and disregard toward what a popular rapper is supposed to prioritize. Do you think this is a proper successor to "44 Bars" from Bobby Tarantino like I do?

Unboxing: Rarezhut Haul

Quick Anime Review

Evil or Live (2017) | Rating: 2/5
Brought to you by the studio of the incoherent flops Duan Nao (Die Now) and Bloodivores, we now have another potentially entertaining show that partially reflects the real life internet addiction in China. Similar to Bloodivores, the story was once again incoherent and just a mess. It started off with some promise with a sprinkle of comedy here and there to break up the tense moments, but it gradually became more and more confusing with its cliques and struggles against authority. I think this could’ve been something if they maybe worked on its characters and their interactions better. Perhaps there was a little too much involved and underdeveloped. Hopefully, I won’t come across anymore half-baked ideas from Haoliners Animation League.



Juuni Taisen (2017)| Rating: 3.5/5
Blah blah blah Miko loves survival games blah blah. Yeah, you’ve heard this spiel before, so it’s no surprise that I jumped onto this particular anime when it came out in the fall of 2017. This time it’s between the 12 warriors of the zodiac fighting for the chance to grant any wish they want. While on the surface this show is wildly entertaining with its strategy and action, if you delve deeper there may be some problems with its story. For me, I loved learning about our opponents, picking favorites, and also being tricked from the beginning ala Scream tactic. While a couple or so of my favorites unfortunately didn’t get the backstory treatment, the ending offered a moment of discussion among viewers on what really happened to the winner. I definitely had a fun time with this series and mostly tried not to think too deeply on its flaws.



Ousama Game The Animation (2017) | Rating: 3.5/5
Oh, look another survival game! I’ve heard about this one from The Anime Man of YouTube and how he wanted to see an anime of this manga series. Ta-da! Here it is~ Around the time I saw this video of The Anime Man, I believe I was in the midst of finishing Judge and jumping into Tohyo Game: One Black Ballot to You which are both voting base survival games. This show falls into this category in a way, minus the voting. There is no “battle royale”, but simply a task sent to each student for them to complete in a certain amount of time with the end result of one ultimate winner...if you really want to call them that. The mysterious king gives the students a task through text messages that they must obey. If they fail to complete the task in a certain amount of time, they will suffer the consequences. As ridiculous as this concept is, I easily got into this "game" and its characters. Although, I must admit while some of the characters were trying to figure out who the mysterious king is and how to stop the game, it did become a bit out of control. Of course, I went along with the insanity and the silliness and ended up being quite entertained. It's not a perfect show, but I got what I wanted from it ultimately.



Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (2017) | Rating: 4/5
When I added this series to my watch list, I expected a gloomy, post-apocalyptic series with a similar melancholy feeling of Grave of the Fireflies. What I got was a couple moe blob characters learning about the world and its lost concepts such as photographs, airplanes, and alcohol. At first, I was kinda put off by the character designs and was unsure about the plot, but the more I watched the more I got into their adventures of the day. The Anime Man explained this theoretically impossible concept's appeal by describing the depth of these characters' explorations and differences to the world we live in now. I don't think the show is for everyone as I think it would take some time for regular viewers to really get into such a seemingly minimalistic story, but I urge people to definitely give these series a chance. The characters are very likable and listening to them describe things and get through obstacles is simply fascinating.



Tsukipro The Animation (2017) | Rating: 3/5
I have been unintentionally procrastinating on comparing these two new-ish idol anime series, B-Project: Kodou*Ambitious and Tsukiuta.: The Animation, but I honestly thought this series was a crossover between the two. What a missed opportunity! This series follows SOARA, Growth, SolidS, and QUELL under Tsukino Entertainment Productions (a.k.a Tsukipro). The show does feature some of the groups' seniors from Tsukiuta.: The Animation, but it's not necessary to watch it to get into this show. It's another slice of life idol show, but with more characters. The music remains enjoyable and the characters are interesting, but I didn't get into it as much as "Tsukiuta". It took me a while to really get into the daily lives of these idols, but I think it was because I had to keep up with so many pretty boys at once. Despite enjoying what I watched, I feel like they could've been an easier way to organize each groups' episodes or give me more time to learn about them as well as their individual styles. Honestly, you're not missing out if you skip this one nor are you wasting your time watching as it is enjoyable overall.


If there's something you want me to review, check out my Patreon on how to submit requests.

BlipMasta5 at MetroCon 2018

Just wanted to share a bit of my experience at my first all anime con. I recap some of the things I did as well as show some footage of the performances I saw. Hope you enjoy it and look forward to joining me next year!!

July/August 2018 Updates

Fair Shake Review: GOOD Music Friday 2018 (Nas & Teyana Taylor)

Nasir - Nas

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

K.T.S.E. - Teyana Taylor

(Genre: R&B)

Muddy Cult Monthly Favorites - November 2017

BlipMasta5's Favorites

Favorite EP

Cavviar - Cavviar

Wax is an artist that I've been following for a long time, so to hear he was doing a throwback 80's project got me excited. This whole EP was a blast to listen to and easy to jam out to as well. It really captured the style and the music video for the opening number grasped some of the humor behind the music also. If you check out the project, you'll be treated to no duds and my favorite of the five tracks, "Temptress in Gold". Honestly out of the three projects I've heard Wax on in a month's time, this has to be my favorite of them all.

Liberation of 2 Qveens (Christina Aguilera & Qveen Herby Reviews)

Liberation - Christina Aguilera

(Genre: Pop/Contemporary R&B)

EP 3 - Qveen Herby

(Genre: Contemporary R&B/Hip Hop)

Everything is Love Until a Scorpion Strikes (The Carters & Drake)

Everything is Love - The Carters

(Genre: Rap/Contemporary R&B)

Scorpion - Drake

(Genre: Rap/Contemporary R&B)

Unboxing: Friendly Mail with Love

Miko Reacts to Drake's "I'm Upset"

Unboxing: Chaotic Harmony Imports 2

Review: Fragments of Horror

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito | Published: 2015

When I was a kid living in Japan, I learned that scary stories were for summer. It made so much more sense to me. Of course you want something, anything, to give you goosebumps when the temperature is hitting triple digits outside. Why would you want to give yourself chills during the dark frosty months?

Japanese horror is also great in that it doesn't follow the rules of western horror (why would it?). When imbibing myself with some American horror, I know what lines won't be crossed which puts me in a sort of comfort zone I don't have with J-horror. Junji Ito takes me out of my comfort zone.

The first of Ito’s works that I read was The Enigma of Amigara Fault. I came across it in the Something Awful Forums and they had a link and everything. 20 minutes later I had forgotten that it was July in Texas and I was in a house without central air. My arms and legs were covered in goosebumps and I immediately looked up this Ito person to see what else he had. I was hooked and within a week I had read Uzumaki, Gyo, and Tomie. The artwork is intricate and distressing. The plots are vague and surreal. When I saw a friend on Goodreads was currently reading his most recent anthology, I knew I had to partake as well so I got a copy from the library.

Fragments of Horror contains several short stories with a variety of themes. My favorites were Gentle Goodbye and Whispering Woman. The former hit a bit close to home and had me reaching for the tissues. Others had more zany plots, like the woman with a sexual interest in houses and a transvestite writer looking for a new tic. Overall, I loved it and it was great to revisit Ito. I only wish it had been longer but that’s just me being a glutton.

I highly recommend pretty much all of his works, especially with the peak of summer upon us. Stay cool out there!

BlipMasta5's May & June 2017 Favorites

Favorite Anime Parody

TeamFourStar's DBZ Abridged Episode 58

TeamFourStar has never failed to tickle my funny bone. Yet, it's always a pleasure to see them also take the action scenes to the next level. It's finally the first match of the Cell Games with Cell and Goku taking center stage. Watch as TFS add their own flair to one of the iconic battles of the series!

Friday Night Labor on Jewell Ave (Fuelo & Stik Figa Review)

Friday Night - Fuelo

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

Jewell Ave John - Stik Figa x Miles Bonny

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

Labor - Stik Figa

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

My YouTube Story

BlipMasta5's Favorites From March & April 2017

All of us here are Muddy Cult have been quite busy for a while and with a packed schedule of life's little curve balls and time being the enemy, we have quite the back log of content sitting around. For the next few days, we'll be mixing up the content here with some things that missed the deadline in our latest addition of Monthly Favorites. Please enjoy!

Favorite Remix
I Don't Wanna Leave - Snow Tha Product

I LOVE Snow Tha Product soooo much and to see how Warner Bros barely pushed her last EP and practically shelved the second half was frustrating. Yet, that doesn't hold Snow back and this video is the proof. She's been continuing her tour life and came back with a fiery remix along with some more self-produced music videos to keep her fans happy. This particular joint right here, though, made me flip out!!! Watch and see for yourself...

Unboxing: Jrock Vault - Kaya Edition

Fair Shake Review: GOOD Music Friday 2018 (Daytona, Ye, Kids See Ghosts)

 Daytona - Pusha T

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

Ye - Kanye West

(Genre: Rap/Hip Hop)

Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts

(Genre: Rap/Alternative Hip Hop)

Muddy Cult Survey

Muddy Cult has almost hit the 10 year milestone and we want to know what you think of our work here. BlipMasta5, Buonaventura, Ophelia, and myself (Miko) look forward to your answers to help us improve and grow!

Anime Matsuri 2014: A Nightmarish Report

Fair Shake Review: Russell - RUSSELL!

Russell - RUSSELL!

(Genre: Hip Hop/Trap Rap)

Watch these lovely links so they aren't lonely:

The Walls! (Music Video)

Strawberry Shortcake (Music Video)

Feed the Family (Music Video)

Album First Reaction/Review (NICK's take)

The Walls! Reaction (ThatsBvnktv's review)

[FINAL] Dear White People Season 2 LiveStream (2-Day Event)

For 3 months, I will be doing public livestreams to get a chance to interact with my followers (readers/viewers) and to give a glimpse of all the awesome things I offer on my Patreon. This is the final livestream I planned and soon it'll be your turn to decide on what we watch on Patreon!

When: Tuesday, June 5 at 7:30 pm CST and Friday, June 8 at 7:30 pm CST
Where: Rabb.it via mikosuzahiru18

Click the dates to RSVP via Rabb.it!

Quick Movie Review

Power Rangers (2017, USA) | Rating: 3/5
Let’s all have a collective millennial groan for Hollywood trying to revive and capitalize on our nostalgia. I’m sure I could go on and on about Hollywood running out of original ideas, but that’s a whole separate post for another time. I wasn’t up in arms about this movie like a lot of hardcore Rangers fans, but I totally understand the annoyance of it, since the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was a big chunk of my childhood. I didn’t rush to the theaters to see it, but I heard some alright comments towards it. I think my only big concern about the movie was Rita Repulsa being played by Elizabeth Banks. I was skeptical with her new look as I remember Rita having a big personality and really being a stand out villain. In short, I wasn’t offended in this movie at all. It was fun and the updates to it made it palatable for new fans who want a sleek origin story with a hint of cheesiness we had in the 90s. It doesn’t take away from the original Rangers, because they even have a cameo in the movie, but it might intrigue newer fans and a younger generation to check out the older shows and movie.



The LEGO Batman Movie (2017, USA) | Rating: 4/5
After seeing The Lego Movie and loving it, I had high hopes that this would be pretty entertaining as well. Since the debut of Batfleck, some people wanted to say that this is the best Batman we've had in a while and...I kinda want to agree. Ben Affleck is an alright Batman, but this one is just too true to the comical parts of the source. The movie is very aware of its silliness and the amusing parts of the Cape Crusader. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but isn't too silly that it loses its purpose. Yes, there's a story and it works for fans of the Batman franchise as we get a glimpse of a wide variety of villains in the Batman universe. Of course, one of the shining parts of the movie is super enthusiastic Robin! If you enjoyed The Lego Movie and want a more colorful, less broody Batman, this movie is for you.



War for the Planet of the Apes (2017, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5
I’ve really enjoyed this prequel trilogy quite a bit to the point that its increased my interest in checking out the original Planet of the Apes. This installment challenges our group of apes (and other primates) against not only humans, but each other at times once more. A lot is at stake and apparently, a disease is spreading among the humans which further bridges the gap between the new and old movies. Once again, I really enjoyed the character development and the bond between each being. The visuals match the mood of serious, somber, triumph, and fury. One complaint that I can agree on from the masses is the lack of “war” happening. Sure, there is a climax of physical conflict, but it’s far from a war, which is disappointing. A possible unpopular opinion, but I kinda want one more prequel before jumping into the storyline of Planet of the Apes.



The Boss Baby (2017, USA) | Rating: 3/5
When I first saw the previews for this movie, all I could see was Trump Baby. That’s it. It doesn’t help that Alec Baldwin voices him and does impressions of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live either. In the beginning, it was hard to separate the man in the White House from the character, but as the movie went on, I saw less and less of Trump. The movie ended up being quite amusing, a little cute, and true to life for an only child dealing with this mysterious and odd baby. Sure, the story was nothing new, but the jokes were fresh and timely, especially the whole part about people wanting puppies over babies. This is a good animated movie for both kids and adults with less Trumpisms than I expected.



A Girl Like Grace (2015, USA) | Rating: 3/5
Reading the back of the DVD cover, I saw an interesting premise about a young girl trying to navigate through life after the loss of her best friend. Sure, this story has been told before, but this stood out to me because it featured an all black cast. Obviously, we follow a girl name Grace as she copes with loss and trying to figure out her identity. While the movie could provide some good representation for those who are struggling in the stereotypical “bad neighbor” or just stereotypical “bad situations”, especially for lgbt+ teens, the movie’s plot does strangely stray from the story when Grace decides to turn to the wild nightlife of alcohol and parties. It really throws off the whole point of the movie. Aside from that, I think this movie has some good ideas.

After Theater Review: Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

Black★Rock Shooter OVA LiveStream

For 3 months, I will be doing public livestreams to get a chance to interact with my followers (readers/viewers) and to give a glimpse of all the awesome things I offer on my Patreon. There's only 2 more livestreams planned and soon it'll be your turn to decide on what we watch on Patreon!

When: Tuesday, May 29 at 8:00 pm CST
Where: Rabb.it via mikosuzahiru18

Click the movie titles to RSVP via Rabb.it!

Fair Shake Review: Zephyr - NIKI

Zephyr - NIKI

(Genre: Contemporary R&B)

Let the zephyr whisk you:

Vintage (Music Video)

Say My Name (Music Video)

I Like U (Choreography to the first song I heard)

Sindhen Interview (The first one I've seen)

Oceans and Engines (Back in the Nicole Zefanya days)

Patreon Upgrades & Updates

Fair Shake Review: Book of Ryan - Royce Da 5'9"

Book of Ryan - Royce Da 5'9"

(Genre: Hip Hop/Rap)

Bookmarks of Ryan:

Caterpillar (Music Video)

Boblo Boat (Music Video)

HipHopDX Interview (Soulful Sundays)

Caterpillar Reaction (Shawn Cee)

Shawn Cee Review (Some differing views)

Rain's The Squall Live in Hong Kong LiveStream

For 3 months, I will be doing public livestreams to get a chance to interact with my followers (readers/viewers) and to give a glimpse of all the awesome things I offer on my Patreon. There's only 3 more streams left and then it'll be your turn to decide what we watch next!

When: Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 pm CST
Where: Rabb.it via mikosuzahiru18

Click the banner to RSVP via Rabb.it!

Quick Movie Review

Catfight (2016, USA) | Rating: 2/5
I haven't heard too much about this movie, but I like Sandra Oh, despite not seeing too much of her work. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into by the box cover and the description is what made me give it chance. I suppose this is some sort of dark comedy of a movie that has to deal with two women that share a long time grudge from high school and they just constantly fight. It’s quite brutal! The whole story is kinda bizarre and over the top with its execution as the conclusion just seems so unbelievable with what has happened between our two main characters. It’s a little tempting to watch this again to see if there’s something I’m missing, but I feel like one viewing was enough for me.



John Wick Chapter 2 (2017, USA) | Rating: 2/5
Why would I watch the sequel when I didn’t care for the first movie? Simply curiosity I suppose. Something about this John Wick fellow just really gets people excited. Yes, I enjoyed the visuals and the action, but the story was weak. So, I hoped maybe this sequel would change my mind. From what I heard, fans of the first movie didn’t care for this one too much, so it didn’t really change my opinion either. Sure, there was just a little more story, but not enough for me to completely invest myself in Mr. Wick. Visuals and action still remained pleasing, but I couldn’t tell you anything about his motivations.



Detour (2016, USA) | Rating: 3.5/5
While Baby Driver was being promoted, I saw the previews to this one on one of the DVDs I rented. It stars Tye Sheridan, not to be confused with Ed Sheeran or Ansel Elgort, but he has that look about him that confuses my mom sometimes, especially when they both have obviously interesting names. Yes, there’s fast cars, death, and some good action, but I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie. I was pleasantly surprised by all the various twists and turns that this movie did provide after revenge was taken or anger was freed. There’s plenty of action and suspense that kept me interested in seeing this story to the end.



I Am Heath Ledger (2017, USA) | Rating: 4.5/5
There are moments in my life that I wish I was a bigger fan of Heath Ledger. One moment was when I watched 10 Things I Hate About You for the first time and another moment was when I watched this semi-autobiographical documentary. From what I read, the footage you see is from various recordings from Mr. Ledger himself. I found this perspective fascinating and different from your usual talking heads type of documentary. I learned a lot about this talented actor through his eyes and those who were close to him. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about him and it made me want to check out more of his work. If you’re fan of Heath Ledger or want to know more about him, this is a great documentary to watch and reminiscent over.



Sleepless (2017, USA) | Rating: 1.5/5
When I saw the previews to this movie, it had a lot of promise. I enjoy Jamie Foxx and the work I have seen from him and I figured this action movie would be in good hands with him as well as a few other talented actors on the list. After watching it and skimming some of the comments on IMDb, the general agreement was that this action movie ran a little too slow for us and the story was very weak and generic. Sometimes generic premises can be saved by talented actors, but this one was no match for Mr. Foxx and the gang. I found myself bored between action scenes and unimpressed when they did happen. This was such a waste for such a talented cast, which made it kinda disappointing for me.

Review: Castlevania (2017)

Cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Graham McTavish, Tony Amendola
Written by: Warren Ellis
Directed by: Sam Deats
Based on: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Synopsis: When Lisa Tepes, beloved wife of Vlad Tepes is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake by an overzealous bishop, Dracula declares war on the people of Wallachia and unleashes an army of murderous demonic creatures from hell. Luckily, Trevor Belmont, last survivor of the Belmont clan, a disgraced family known for hunting all kinds of monsters, is still in town and agrees to take the fight to the lord of vampires.

Video game adaptations are usually more miss than hit. There is one very large reason why this happens. Some production companies forget that there is a dedicated fanbase for these games that will pick apart any little or huge flaw. These are passionate, loyal supporters who devour every little item related to the source material. No matter how good intentioned, these adaptations bring out the inner critic in those very same fans. They will know if any certain item hasn't been treated with the most care.

Warren Ellis, Adi Shankar, and Netflix have luckily created one of the best video game adaptations that I have ever seen. The choice to make Castlevania into an anime was a very good one. Anime works well for the dark fantasy premise. The visuals are action-packed and would have required quite a lot of CGI if it had been live action. The monsters certainly work better with the animation than it would have with all that computer-generated gunk added. 

The voice casting is spot on for me. Trevor Belmont is given life by Richard Armitage's vocal delivery. Graham McTavish also brings a lot to the story with how he portrays Dracula's anguish and wrath. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that both actors were involved in this after their work in The Hobbit among other projects. 

My only real complaint is that there are only four episodes in season one. I was very disappointed that it was over so soon. There should have been so much more. Don't fret! Netflix has already greenlit season two which has begun production. The second season will be expanded to eight episodes. I'm excited to see where this goes and how much better it gets.

Rating: 5/5