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Weekly Movie Reviews/Releases

Written by Kam Williams in film and arts at 8:23 am on Sep 24th, 10

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Case 39 (R for violence, terror and disturbing images) Renee Zellweger stars in this psychological thriller about a naïve social worker who rescues an abused 10 year-old (Jodelle Ferland) from her parents (Callum Keith Rennie and Kerry O’Malley) only to discover that the girl isn’t as innocent as she looks.

Hatchet II (Unrated) Revenge-fueled, fright sequel features scream queen Danielle Harris reprising her lead role of Marybeth with the survivor returning to the swamps of Louisiana assisted by an army of hunters in the search for the bayou butcher (Kane Hodder) behind the slaughter of her family. Cast includes Tony Todd, John Carl Buechler and Tom Holland.

Let Me In (Unrated) Remake of Let the Right One In, the Swedish horror flick about a bullied, 12 year-old boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who discovers that his new friend (Chloe Moretz) and her mute father (Richard Jenkins) are hiding a big secret. With Elias Koteas, Cara Buono and Seth Adkins.

The Social Network (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, and drug and alcohol use) David Fincher directs this bio-pic about billionaire Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the wunderkind who founded Facebook in 2004 while still a student at Harvard. Ensemble cast includes Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones, Max Minghella, Andrew Garfield, Brenda Song, Mara Rooney and Joseph Mazzello.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Barry Munday (R for sexuality and profanity) Castration comedy about a wannabe ladies man (Patrick Wilson) who awakens in a hospital with his testicles missing after being attacked in a movie theater. To add insult to injury, the newly-neutered eunuch learns he’s being sued for paternity by a woman (Judy Greer) he can’t even remember sleeping with. Cast includes Chloe Sevigny, Billy Dee Williams, Cybill Shepherd, Malcolm McDowell and Colin Hanks.

Chain Letter (R for profanity, brief nudity and pervasive sadistic violence) Gruesome horror flick about six teenagers being stalked by a sicko (Michael Bailey Smith) threatening to kill those who refuse to forward his chilling text and email messages. With Nikki Reed, Keith David, Brad Dourif, Bai Ling, Matt Cohen, Noah Segan and Brian Tee.

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On the Q.T. with T.I. – Takers Interview

Written by Kam Williams in interviews at 10:13 am on Aug 25th, 10

T.I.

Tip “T.I.” Harris is one of his generation’s most captivating speakers and one of the biggest hip-hop artists of all time. Whether they see him conversing with a room full of young people about staying in school and following their dreams, or moving tens of thousands at one of his concerts, audiences are always engrossed by the words of the “King of the South.” In 2008, T.I. delivered his most potent and important LP to date, “Paper Trail,” and his highly-anticipated, seventh studio album, “King Uncaged,” is set to be released this Fall.

T.I.’s second professional love is acting in films, and in this arena he has taken major steps forward in recent years. He made his motion picture debut in 2006 in the Warner Bros. film A.T.L. He also appeared in the hit Universal film American Gangster opposite Denzel Washington, and guest-starred on HBO’s hit series “Entourage” in 2008. T.I. recently signed a three-picture deal with Screen Gems that will have him both acting in and producing movies.

Music and movies are just the leading edge of T.I.’s entertainment conglomerate. He’s also expanding into comedy tours, the nightclub and restaurant scene, talent management, and record producing. Plus, he has launched his own fashion line, Akoo.

Here, he talks about his new movie, Takers, a crime caper abut a gang of bank robbers who decide to pull off one last heist before retiring. The film co-stars Zoe Saldana, Chris Brown, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Michael Ealy and Hayden Christensen.

Kam Williams: Hey, T.I., thanks for the time.

TI: No problem, how you doing?

KW: I’m great. The last time we spoke was for the premiere of ATL. So, a lot has happened for you since then.

TI: Yeah, right.

KW: First of all, congratulations on your wedding last month. You finally made an honest woman of Tameka. Children’s book author Irene Smalls says congrats and wants to know how being married has changed you.

TI: [Chuckles] Man, please, we’re here to talk about the movie. It would be wonderful to just talk about the movie.

KW: Well then, what interested you in Takers? It seems like you had a hand in every aspect of this project, from acting to the soundtrack to executive producing

TI: I was just producing, not executive producing. It was an outstanding experience. I had a phenomenal time, and I’m very, very proud of the outcome.

KW: How did you manage to assemble such an accomplished cast? There’s not only Oscar-nominees Matt Dillon and Marianne-Jean Baptiste, but Zoe Saldana, Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba, Chris Brown, Paul Walker and Jay Hernandez as well.

...

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Bouncing With Bow Wow Lottery Ticket Interview

Written by Kam Williams in interviews at 5:33 am on Aug 19th, 10

Bouncing with Bow Wow

Born Shad Gregory Moss in Columbus, Ohio on March 9, 1987. Bow Wow was a precocious kid who started rhyming as a toddler, and first appeared on stage at the age of 5. His showbiz career was launched just a year later when he made the most of an opportunity to open for Snoop Dogg on the Chronic Tour.

At 13, Bow Wow released his first solo CD, “Beware of Dog,” which sold over 3 million copies. A hit single from that debut album, “Bounce with Me,” reached #1 on both the Rap and R&B charts. That achievement earned him recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest solo rapper to hit #1. He now has a half-dozen CDs to his name, with a new one in the works.

In 2002, the versatile canine expanded his repertoire, making an impressive foray into film playing the lead in Like Mike. He has since made All About the Benjamins, Johnson Family Vacation, Roll Bounce and The Fast and the Furious 3. On TV, he’s appeared on everything from Moesha to All That to Smallville to, most recently, Entourage.
Here, he talks about his new film, Lottery Ticket, an ensemble comedy where he stars as a guy who has to survive a weekend in the ‘hood before he can cash in a winning lotto ticket worth hundreds of millions.

Kam Williams: Hey Bow Wow, how you been? I don’t think we’ve spoken since Like Mike.

Bow Wow: Wow, that’s years. I’m a grown man now.

KW: What’s life been like for you since then?

BW: It’s been crazy, man, one heck of a ride. I’ve done six more arena tours since then, five more movies, and I’ve switched labels. I’m now at Cash Money Records, so I’ve got a lot of great things going on. I’m just trying to soak it all in slowly, at my own pace, even though everything’s moving kinda’ fast. But so far, so good.

KW: What interested you in Lottery Ticket?

BW: The fact that it had a great story behind it. When I signed on, we didn’t have all the cast together, but I believed in the project. And once I committed to the role, then Cube committed, and after that it was like a domino effect. What really sold me on it was the chance to work with such a great cast.

KW: Yeah, a lot of veteran actors like Keith David, Loretta Devine and Terry Crews, and seasoned standup comics like Mike Epps, Charlie Murphy and Bill Bellamy, and some talented newcomers like Naturi Naughton and Brandon T. Jackson. I loved the movie. It’s one of those roller coaster rides that keeps you laughing and on the edge of your seat every step of the way.

BW: Thank you very much, I appreciate that.

KW: I have some questions for you from my readers. Harriet Pakula Teweles asks, do you play the lottery?

BW: Do I actually buy lottery tickets? Truthfully, no, although in this situation the safe answer would probably have been, “Yes I do,” because of the movie’s title. [Laughs] But, nah, I don’t.

KW: Harriet also asks, would you rather have your fans buy your new album or on lottery tickets?

BW: The album isn’t about to drop just yet, and I’d rather they spend the money on the movie, Lottery Ticket, than on lottery tickets.

KW: I thought you’re new album was coming out soon.

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Lottery Ticket [Film Review]

Written by Kam Williams in film and arts at 5:18 am on Aug 19th, 10

Laughs Galore as Lotto-Winner Tries to Keep Low Profile in the ‘Hood

Kevin Carson (Bow Wow) wasn’t even thinking about buying a lottery ticket that fateful Friday the jackpot had reached $370 million, even though folks on the long line were already talking about how they planned to spend the money on everything from a Versace suit to a mail order bride. After all, he considered Lotto a diabolical scheme designed “to keep poor people poor by selling them false dreams.”

But then a couple of events transpire which you might call divine intervention. First, his grandmother (Loretta Devine) asks him to play the numbers that had come to her when Jesus appeared to her in a dream. Then, he’s fired on the spot when recently-paroled Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe) raises a ruckus at Foot Locker under the mistaken belief that Kevin was the snitch who put him behind bars.

Unexpectedly unemployed, Kevin impulsively decides to buy himself a lottery ticket, too, when he stops at the local bodega to get his grandma’s. And that evening he gets the shock of his life while watching the drawing on TV when all of his numbers pop up one after the other.

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Inception [Film Review]

Written by Kam Williams in film and arts at 5:36 am on Jul 20th, 10

Mediocre Multi-Layered Mindbender Not Nolan’s Best

I can count on one hand the number of directors who’ve had four of their films land on my annual Top Ten List. In the case of Christopher Nolan, there’s Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005) as well as The Dark Night (2008), which was my #1 pick a couple years ago. So, naturally, I eagerly-anticipated the release of his latest offering, a multi-layered sci-fi thriller about mind control starring Leonardo Di Caprio.

Unfortunately, Inception fails to measure up to this critic’s high expectations, although it is an amusing enough diversion to remain recommended. That being said, the film’s flaws are considerable, starting with its unwarranted length of 148 minutes. For, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, it’s easy to see how about an hour’s worth of its premise-establishing celluloid is actually inconsequential filler that should have hit the cutting room floor.

The second problem is the amount of mental gymnastics necessary to follow a hopelessly-convoluted plot desperate to be way too clever for its own good. Sorry, I happen to resent it when a summer blockbuster feels more like an SAT test than relaxing escapist entertainment.

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Pharrell’s Philosophy

Written by admin in interviews at 11:11 am on Jul 7th, 10

Pharrell was born on April 5, 1973 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the eldest of three sons to bless the union of Carolyn and Pharoah Williams, a schoolteacher and handyman, respectively. At the age of just 12, the aspiring musician started playing with Chad Hugo, a kid he met over summer vacation at band camp.

They formed a group called The Neptunes which was discovered while still in high school by the legendary Teddy Riley who signed the pair soon after graduation.

Since then, Pharrell has embarked on an enviable career, both as a member of The Neptunes, Child Rebel Soldier and NERD and as a solo

Pharrell

artist. Furthermore, the triple Grammy-winner’s singing, performing and/or producing services have been sought for recordings by everyone Beyonce’ to Jay-Z to Ludacris to Madonna to Mystikal to Lupe Fiasco to Snoop Dogg to Shakira to The Game to J-Lo to Britney Spears to Babyface to Usher to Busta Rhymes Gwen Stefani to Nelly to P. Diddy to NSYNC to Fabolous.

As busy as he’s been kept by the entertainment industry, Pharrell still found time to launch the Billionaire Boys Club, a luxury fashion line of clothes and accessories. Here, the versatile talent talks about his latest venture, branching into cinema by scoring the soundtrack of Despicable Me, a 3-D animated adventure revolving around a diabolical villain determined to steal the moon.

Kam Williams: Hey, thanks for the time, Pharrell.

Pharrell: Thank you.

KW: Let me start off with a question from FSU grad Laz Lyles who would like to know what it was like creating the score for this animated feature?

P: I can’t remember the last time that I was doing something creatively that I hadn’t mastered yet, in the sense of familiarity. Mastering, meaning understanding the concept of how it worked. This was something that was brand new, that I’d never done before. This was so new to me, it was like “Whoa!” It was like the next level.

KW: Laz wants to know what's been the most unusual sonic inspiration or everyday sound that you’ve incorporated into your music?

P: That’s the thing, I like to use a lot of everyday sounds in my music.

KW: Nick Antoine asks, what struggles have you had to deal with in your career?

P: I don’t know that there were any struggles. I’m too thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to complain about anything.

KW: Nick also asks, what are some of the tools that you would attribute to your success?

P: Education, first and foremost.

KW: You’re a person that a lot of people turn to for help producing their projects. Who is it you rely on when you need support?
P: I look to my family for support.

KW: Are you interested in pursuing further film work?

P: Sure! I’ve learned a lot from it, and it’s made me happier as a person.

KW: Which fellow hip-hop producers are you really into right now?

...

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Weekly Movie Reviews/Releases

On the Q.T. with T.I. – Takers Interview

Bouncing With Bow Wow Lottery Ticket Interview

Lottery Ticket [Film Review]

Inception [Film Review]

Pharrell’s Philosophy

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