Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The guy who chooses to do everything right is usually the most boring. I mean, there's a reason Cyclops got such short shrift in the X-Men movies. He follows all the rules, he's got a stick up his ass, and he's too stand up of a guy to be exciting. Same with Superman. And comic book Captain America has similar issues. What's thrilling about a super patriotic soldier?The movie wisely sidesteps the issue by giving us Steve Rogers as the ultimate...

Buh Bye Borders

You know where I'm going this weekend right? To Borders to scoop up some discount books! Actually that probably won't happen because I'm traveling super light these days and try to cart around only three books at once -- that's my new rule. I'm looking hard into the Kindle versus Nook option and until I choose, I won't be buying any books yet.With Borders closing down, the question turns to how Barnes & Noble is faring. This article talks...

And The Wheels Keep Turning

Listening to: The Blow, "Hey Boy."How is it possible I've never talked about Aaron Cometbus before? I wish I was more into the zine scene but there's at least one that I'm a loyal fan of. I wandered into Cometbus' world a few years ago and have been buying and collecting his work whenever I see it. As any Cometbus reader already knows: Aaron is an amazing writer.If I could create just one piece of work as great as any of his zines, I could retire...

Movie Three Pack

I saw Buzz Aldrin twice in the past week. Once in Transformers 3 and then again on a rerun of 30 Rock. Looking over his IMDB page, I guess I'm surprised I've never seen him before. For example, in 2009 he was at the MTV Movie Awards, in 2010 he was on Top Chef, etc. And here he is doing a Funny or Die video with Talib Kweli and Snoop Dog. It's good to be the second human on the moon I guess. With NASA having shut down their shuttle flights,...

Is That Yo Chick?

Watching the Behind the Music episode for Missy Elliot while snarfing down my dinner, I was struck by how many huge hits she has. How can there not be a Best Of album for her? Actually there was one released in 2006, titled Respect M.E., but that was only available overseas. I decided I needed to rectify this oversight and make my own greatest hits for Misdemeanor. It took me an hour or two while I'm supposed to be writing but here it is for...

Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011)

Listening to: DJ M-Rock's Best of Tribe mix.If you're a Tribe fan, this film is above a must-see; what I'm curious is about what non-Tribe people will think of the movie. Without the emotional and historical connection to Q-Tip, Phife, and Ali, is there something that still resonates? My guess is "yes," because Michael Rapaport's assured direction takes the movie beyond a generic behind the music documentary. He highlights the impact ATCQ had...