Thursday, 14 June 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 12:08


So the (hopefully) final installment of this trilogy has appeared before salivating audiences acrosss the globe. Featuring an ensemble cast including Johnny Depp, Kiera Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy, Geoffrey Rush, Chow Yun-Fat and in a cameo appearance Keith "I snorted my father's ashes" Richards. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film could have been amazing. Instead, it cashes in on the name of the previous two.

But, you cry, what did you expect? It was always going to be a limited in the plot department! And I accept that, but they could have dug deeper into the pot of creativity and written something that would have broken from the mold. But it does not. The visual effects, whilst good, do not whet my appetite. With the release of visual effects-rich films such as Spiderman 3, the current audience expects more. However, all this is even before I start on the acting.

With the addition of Chow Yun-Fat, the cast seemed, on paper at least, to have more depth. Alas! The acting skills are lacking. Although Johnny Depp is his usual, dependable and hilarious-self, with some brilliant one liners and an incredibly convincing performance, the entire film is let down by the woodeness of Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley. Bloom seems to have an emotional range of a brick, and is either distraught or angry, with little else inbetween. He is a true letdown, but, in all fairness, he never lives up to his hype, and it bothers me that he is in two of the highest-grossing films of all time, as opposed to a more talented actor.

Knightley is another story entirely. She is worse, if possible. Again, like Bloom, she is either angry, screaming, or sad. Thats it. This from an actress with an Academy Award nomination. The chemistry between the two is a re-hash of Knightley's performance in Pride & Prejudice-absolutely none at all. How are these two in love at all? It never shows. It seems that she is only in the film due to her looks.

Chow Yun-Fat plays a stereotypical Chinese pirate, who gets very little play. He is a brilliant actor, probably the best Chinese leading man. Here, he failed to shine.

The most disappointing film of 2007 thus far? I guess so. In fact, anything else will have to try pretty hard to beat it. The whole thing was just a massive dose of deja vu, and had nothing new to offer. Although it moves at breakneck speed, it is too difficult to follow the convaluted storyline, and the action sequences appear exactly the same of any in the first two films. From a promising start, in the first scene of the first film in which Depp steps off the mast and onto the dock, the series has just fizzled out.


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Saturday, 9 June 2007

5 Albums To Buy In 2007...

Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 10:08

Ok, so it may be a bit too late in the year to post a topic such as this, but I've heard some new artists and have decided THE list of which CDs/albums to buy this year.

1) Collie Buddz July 3, 2007

Why am I so obsessed with this artist? For me, most of the current crop of dancehall artists made their start long before I started listening to them. With Collie, its different as I've followed him since the first single Come Around dropped in Bermuda before it hit charts worldwide.

Thus far, remixes have featured Ray Cash, Cypress Hill, Shaggy, Aztek, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and Beyonce. Production work by Tony Kelly

2) Saigon-The Greatest Story Never Told July 31, 2007

Every once in awhile, music genres get a new burst of enery, a Red Bull of creativity if you will. Well, for the New York rap scene, Saigon is that burst. With a flow that is unmatched, this young artist is sure to break the bank with his major label debut. This artist is sure to be the name on every rap fan's lips in 2007.

Production by Just Blaze, The Alchemist, Kanye West and DJ Cocoa Chanelle. Artists include Trey Songz, Cham, Fatman Scoop, Jay-Z and Tre Williams.


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Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 10:07

3) Common-Finding Forever July 31, 2007

With Kanye West revitalizing Common's career with Be in 2005, this album is sure to be incredible. 4 Grammy nominations, and 3 stunning singles and one of my favorite albums means that the follow-up can only be good. This socially-conscious, stylistic rapper is finally getting the credit he deserves, and I only hope that continues into 2007.

Production from Kanye West, the late J Dilla, will.i.am, and Devo Springsteen, and a possible appearance from Dr. Dre. Artists include will.i.am, Kanye West, Dwele, Lily Allen and Bilal.

4) Three6Mafia-Last 2 Walk July 3rd, 2007

Winning an Academy Award in 2006 was the single most important moment in the history of Memphis, Tennessee group Three6Mafia. With this win and the premiere of their reality Adventures in Hollyhood, the group has become hot property, and has since scored songs for various films, all showcasing their talent. The album should also be a true club-banger, especially with the ensemble of featuring artists.

Production comes from Juicy J and DJ Paul of Three6Mafia. Artists include Lyfe Jennings, Paul Wall, 8Ball & MJG, Akon, Young Jeezy, Good Charlotte, Young Buck, Project Pat, Lil' Jon, Lil' Wayne, The Game.


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Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 10:06

5) T.I.-T.I. vs. T.I.P. July 3, 2007

The release of the hit single What You Know in 2006, and its eventual win at the Grammy awards for "Best Rap Solo Performance" propelled T.I. into stardom. Moguls such as Jay-Z have tipped T.I. to be the next mogul and superstar in the rap world. We can pretty much guarantee that now T.I. has found his sound, the next album will be even better.

Production from Grand Hustle, Eminem, Mannie Fresh, Danja, The Runners, Just Blaze and Wyclef Jean. Artists include P$C, Eminem, Andre 3000, Nelly, Young Jeezy, B.G., Lil' Wayne, Justin Timberlake and Tweet


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Wednesday, 6 June 2007

New Collie Buddz Mixtape-Finally the mixtape come around...

Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 02:33


Ladies and gentleman, we've been waiting with bated breath for the first official release from Mr. Colin Harper out of Bermuda. And we shall wait no longer! Harper Digital and Moliza Management have released the first Collie Buddz mixtape entitled 420 Mixtape. It includes numerous freestyles, along with short edits of some of his material from his upcoming eponymous album Collie Buddz, which is being released in mid-July.

This mixtape is available for download at Datpiff.com , but you must be a member to download. Enjoy!


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Monday, 4 June 2007

Saigon-salute to the Yardfather

Posted by Tom Gutteridge at 11:12


To fans of HBO's hit series Entourage the name Saigon will not be new. To fans of underground rap, particularily the New York scene, it will not be new either. Appearing on various mixtapes, including those by DJ Green Latern, he has already featured on tracks with underground legends such as dead prez, and Immortal Technique, he is sure to be the next sensation in the rap world. This is evidenced in Blender.com's "25 Reasons to Love 2007", where he was placed number 24.


With a debut album entitled The Greatest Story Never Told, produced by the legendary New Jersey native, Just Blaze, 2007 is sure to be Saigon's year. However, his first single Pain In My Life featuring Trey Songz is disappointing, and doesn't demonstrates Saigon's flow and lyrical control like his mixtape material, where he discusses his past on the streets, and being a growing up in "the system", as he spent the majority of his youth in prison.

Sai's redeeming feature, however, is not always his lyrical content. His flow is seamless and it is unmatched in the current slew of platinum rapppers. He is matched in the underground by artists such as Talib Kweli, although he doesn't quite cover the same subject material.

For Saigon, his debut album has every hope of taking this New York native to the top. With the help of super-producer Just Blaze, you can expect to see his name on a top 10 list pretty soon.
Two of Saigon's songs stand out:


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