"ABDC" New Season - "Quest" is Back !

After being cancelled in 2012 due to poor ratings, "America's Best Dance Crew" has been revived and revamped! This will be the 8th season of "ABDC", and it's going to be totally different from the previous Randy Jackson seasons. This is a special "On the road to the VMA's" season of "ABDC", it only has six episodes and six crews competing, and the finale will air LIVE just before the "2015 Mtv Video Music Awards" on August 30th.

"Quest" is back on "ABDC"! They're competing against previous season champions like, "SuperCrew", "IamMe", "We Are Heroes", "Elektrolytes", and "Kinjaz" (Which is basically just a new version of "Jabbawokeez"- they even wear masks) It's a brilliant idea, but it's hardly a competition; some of these crews are nowhere near as talented as the others. I can't wait to see "Quest" battle it out with "SuperCrew",  both crews are equally talented in their own ways. I also can't wait to see more from "Kinjaz". Those are the three strongest teams competing against crews like "We Are Heroes" and "Elektrolytes". They will be the first dance crews eliminated  when this new season airs on July 29 !

For this season, "Quest" members that will be competing are: Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido, Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval, Steve Terada, Brian Hirano, Ryan Feng (unfortunately), and the two new members; Rudy "RU" Reynon & Joe Lee (they're both great additions to the team).

I have followed "Quest's" career and posted videos of them since they won the season 3 championship in 2007. They've suffered through major injuries, they've lost and added members over time, and they've improved and evolved so much since the last time they performed on that stage. They have brand new material, brand new members, new and perfected tricks, and of course, Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval is back in the crew after being a judge for the show the last 2 seasons it was on air.

There are three brand new judges for this special, short season of "ABDC". Including, T-Pain, Teyana Taylor, and Frankie Grande (only one Iv'e heard of is T-Pain) "ABDC: Season 8 - Road to The VMA's" starts tonight, the 29th !!

Steve Terada - "SLO-MO.Stance" Tricks

In this video, you see famous b-boy & extreme martial artist, Steve Terada showcase several slow motion martial arts tricks along with the name of each particular move. Not only is he a member of "Quest" dance crew, he is also very well known throughout the martial arts and "tricking" community. He has competed and won several extreme martial arts contests. Extreme martial arts isn't about sparring or fighting an opponent, it's displaying flawless martial arts technique and accuracy while performing stunning kicks and flips / twists. Terada has even invented some brand new, innovative, signature 'Steve Terada tricks' that he names. He was involved with martial arts and "tricking" long before he started dancing. Some of the tricks even look just like breakdancing, so it was an easy transition for Terada.

His reputation in the "tricking" community landed him a spot on "Quest" b-boy crew as the most acrobatic member. They went on to win "America's Best Dance Crew" in 2007, and Steve was an integral part of that victory. He has been with "Quest" for about 10 years now and has even been featured in movies. Mostly small roles or a stunt man, he has also choreographed fight scenes for movies and music videos.

It's cool to see some of these moves in slow-mo so you can truly appreciate just how complex and difficult these tricks really are. I also like the background music by "Cream Collective".

"True Story" - Review

Normally, I don't really like watching drama genre movies like this. However, this film stars two of my favorite actors that are known for their popular comedy films, James Franco and Jonah Hill. Plus, the movie actually looked pretty interesting. I like films based on true stories and this movie is titled "True Story". But it should be titled "Boring Story". The only reason I continued to watch it after the first half, was because i was waiting for something big to happen. Unfortunately, it's a mundane film and incredibly slow and uninteresting. It's just an over-dramatic thriller and a transparent attempt by Jonah Hill and James Franco to be nominated for an award. Both actors have played serious, dramatic roles before, but this is the first time they have done a dramatic film together. Franco was featured on "Scrubs" and some soap operas and Hill actually won an Academy Award for his role in "Moneyball". Which is the only other serious drama film he has done, but he has starred in countless comedy films that never even got nominated.

Franco and Hill are showing they can do serious acting as well. It's interesting to see these two good friends in real life, act so serious and intense with each other. It's unusual to see them in a dramatic film like this together, instead of their usual comedy flicks. After watching this, I think they should stick to what they're good at.... It's a slow and boring movie, don't waste your time. I give "True Story" a  3/ 10.

"Focus" - Review

This movie review has been sitting in my drafts for a lil while because I wasn't sure if it was worth reviewing. I liked the movie, but I feel indifferent about this film, it wasn't a great movie, but it wasn't bad either. It was pretty entertaining from start to finish actually. The beginning scene was funny, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. His father shoots and almost kills him at the end just to sell the con and to make it believable. He's working for the enemy, but secretly pulling a con  with his son; "Nicky", played by Will Smith. He plays a charming, successful, veteran con artist. He works with a crew of equally talented con-artists and pick pockets in New Orleans. They all work together, using slight of hand and team work in large crowds at big events. They can walk through a crowd of people and steal 50 pieces of jewelry & wallets within 5 minutes, and no one notices or feels a thing while being robbed.

"Nicky" runs a successful operation of different hustles and employs dozens of people. His team of con artists consist of 2 main guys; "Farhad", played by Adrian Martinez and "Horst", played by Brennan Brown. Then he takes the gorgeous, rookie con artist; "Jess" under his wing (played by Margot Robbie). He teaches her new tricks and hustles, then tests her before letting her join his crew.

Of course, they develop a romantic relationship before he abandons her and she eventually uses all the skills he taught her against him. This movie reminds me of "Oceans 11" the way they pull off these elaborate scams with such precision. I liked that aspect of the film the most, plus I pretty much enjoy EVERY movie Will Smith has done during his long & illustrious career. I give "Focus" a  5/ 10 (I would've rated it higher if not for the ending).

Grouplove - "Shark Attack" (NEW Music Video)

This is the latest single and music video from Grouplove's new album, "Spreading Rumors". It's a fantastic song called "Shark Attack", featuring actor John Hawkes. I like that their music videos show the band actually performing the song. I also like that there are two different singers that help balance their specific sound and harmonize together. Hannah Hooper is the only female band member; she sings and plays keyboard. Christian Zucconi is the other singer, as well as one of the guitarists for the band. There have been rumors and talk about a romance between these two vocalists & founding members but it hasn't been confirmed.

Their first album, "Never Trust a Happy Song" went platinum and this album is almost just as good. So I would expect even more awesome singles and music videos to be released from this record. This is not the first time I've blogged about this amazing band, Grouplove is taking over the indie rock scene in America right now.

"Unfinished Business" - Review

"Unfinished Business" is the latest Vince Vaughn movie, starring alongside Dave Franco and Tom Wilkinson - the three of them make an odd team on and off the screen. Wilkinson is the old, unpredictable, seasoned businessman, Franco plays the naive, possibly mentally challenged intern / assistant, and Vince Vaughn plays a relentless business owner and fellow businessman leading these guys on a trip to remember.

His company is almost broke, but if they can close this deal - they can save their jobs. So these 3 guys travel halfway across the world and get into all sorts of shenanigans and "explurs" lol (exploits) in their free time. This film also has other little funny touches, like the "AmericanBusinessMan42" thing, the "wheel barrel" confusion, the sex maid, getting tear-gassed, doing business naked in a sauna and also through a glory hole, and "Gugleshlagen".

Vaughn's character, "Dan Trunkman" is willing to do whatever it takes to seal the deal and get "the handshake" as he calls it. He also has a side story; he has a family in St. Louis that he has to deal with during his business trip through "FaceTime" conversations. He not only feels responsible for taking care of his family back home, but he also feels responsible for his two business partners. "Timothy McWinters", played by Tom Wilkinson; he is a cool, older gentleman and a veteran businessman. He seems more interested in getting away from his wife and letting loose while on this trip and having fun. He has that in common with Dave Franco's character, "Mike Pancake". His last name is an ongoing joke throughout the whole movie, He's a young, innocent, inexperienced salesman and this is his first business trip ever. He is focused on having fun and enjoying the trip, he lives in a home for people who don't know how to take care of themselves...? The film kind of skims over that, so I don't know what's wrong with him, but he has the best lines in the movie. He gets stuck in a life-size hamster ball with an Asian man, and he loses his virginity (twice) during the trip. He's a lovable character.

The film is directed by Ken Scott, who also directed Vince Vaughn in "Delivery Man", which I thought was a lame movie, but they got it right this time around. The three main characters make an unlikely trio, but they still get the job done! It's a feel-good comedy the whole family can enjoy! I give "Unfinished Business" a   7/ 10.  

"Fantastic Four" | 2015 - Trailer

This is the newest trailer for the upcoming movie, "Fantastic Four", set to release on August 7, 2015. This is a complete relaunch of the MARVEL team, "Fantastic Four" and we get our first look at the new "Dr. Doom" in this preview, and he looks much more realistic and scary. "Fantastic Four" first started as a terrible quality TV series in the late 60's and again in the 90's as a cartoon. That's when they became one of MARVEL's most popular super hero teams. Then, in 2005, "Fantastic Four" was released during a time in which other MARVEL movies like "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" were first released and were incredibly successful films.

However, "Fantastic Four" was an exception.The movie bombed and was only appealing to small children. It's such a terrible movie, I wouldn't know where to start! It's perhaps the worst MARVEL movie ever released. It was created / directed by Tim story, who is a black director known for exclusively releasing 'black films', like "Think Like a Man" and "Think Like a Man Too". "Ride Along" and "Ride Along 2", "Barbershop", and "Taxi" (starring Queen Latifah). "Fantastic Four" has no business being on that list, which is probably why the movie was so terrible. Tim Story is also responsible for the sequel, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"  released in 2007 and it was also a lame movie that almost ruined "Silver Surfer" (who is actually awesome),

So I certainly don't have high hopes for this new movie, even though it's a completely different, revamped version of the "Fantastic Four". This new film is directed by the relatively unknown writer / director, Josh Trank. The only other film he even directed was, "Chronicle" in 2012. There was a lot of marketing leading up to the release of that movie, which was a big-budget film and had a lot of special effects, but it turned out to be a big disappointment.

So unfortunately, I think this version of "Fantastic Four" will be just as terrible & lame as the previous movies... I wouldn't hold my breath,

How "Jurassic World" Should Have Ended

This latest "HISHE" clip is about "Jurassic World". This hilarious video lists all the fail-safes they should've implemented at a Dinosaur theme-park, including fail-safes the park had in place, but just didn't use for some reason....? It also shows how they could've avoided the whole situation if they were smarter and tracked the dinosaur before going into the cage. Why was the door for the cage large enough for a T-Rex to fit through? Why didn't they activate the shock collars on all the escaped dinosaurs instead of letting all those pterodactyls attack the park visitors?

This "HISHE" clip lists a bunch of 'Do's' and 'Don'ts' when operating a dangerous live dinosaur theme-park.The movie is full of bad decisions and stupid mistakes. What was their plan to get the raptors back into their cages after releasing them? It's a super funny "HISHE" video that ends with some silly puns (so make sure to watch the entire clip).

"Jurassic World" - Review

"Jurassic World" is an extension of the "Jurassic Park" trilogy from back in the 90's. This movie picks up years after the "Jurassic Park" killings happened, and now they've come even further in dinosaur evolution. The first film, released in 1993, scientists were able to create dinosaurs using blood found in a mosquito that was frozen in sap for centuries. They caged the dinosaurs and made a theme park out of it so people could come see real dinosaurs. This new movie is basically the same thing, even the dinosaur theme-park is located on the same island as"Jurassic Park" (They just re-built it).

Now, paleontologists can just create dinosaurs using gene splicing and crossing their DNA with other dinosaurs or reptiles to create new species of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, they make something that's not quite a dinosaur... it looks like a regular T-Rex, but it's actually much smarter and stronger. It's called an "Endominous Rex", and of course, it escapes and runs loose on the island, killing other dinosaurs while two young, spoiled brothers are exploring the island alone and unaware that there is a dinosaur loose. It's not before long that the brothers end up in dangerous situations.

Chris Pratt is the main character and he plays a "raptor trainer" at the theme park (which is ridiculous). Somehow, he is the lead character and has to go save the brothers using his 'dinosaur-expertise'. There's not a lot of gore and killings in this installment, it seems better suited for younger kids.The graphics are phenomenal, but it's a PG movie... I seem to remember a lot more dinosaur attacks and people getting bitten in half and eaten alive in the "Jurassic Park" trilogy. Those films seemed so real and scary to me at the time, so perhaps this new movie is just as scary & intense for kids of this generation. Overall, I give "Jurassic World" a  6 /10 

"Key & Peele" is Back !!

Season 5 of "Key & Peele" just started on  Comedy Central! The  first 4 seasons were incredibly successful and got more and more funny as the seasons continued, so Iv'e been eagerly awaiting some new material & a 5th season. Season 5 just debuted on July 9th, so only one episode has been released so far, and the video above is just one of their new sketches from this new episode.

"Masterminds" - Trailer

This movie is packed with some well known, comedy heavy hitters such as, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Zach Galifinakis, Jason Sudekis, and Ken Marino. The combination of these actors almost guarantees this is going to be a funny movie, or at least worth watching once. Just this trailer for the movie had me laughing - it's hilarious! The movie looks fantastic and totally original. I like how it's based somewhere in the south, and all the characters are dimwitted and/or inexperienced. These actors have each respectively starred in so many different successful comedy films.

However, this movie is directed by Jared Hess, who directed the indie comedy, "Gentlemen Broncos". Jared Hess' only box office hit was "Napoleon Dynamite" back in 2004. So I'm on the fence about this movie, because it's a cast of A-list actors being directed by the guy responsible for "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre", which almost ruined Jack Black's acting career. SO it's kind of a toss up...this director hasn't released a successful comedy in over a decade, but based on the trailer above, I think this will actually be a super funny movie and I'm definitely going to see it after it releases on October 9th, 2015.

"Accidental Love" - Review

This is a surprisingly good movie for a silly, off-beat comedy. It reminded me of David Wain's movies, like "Wet Hot American Summer" & "They Came Together". Mainly because "Accidental Love" has that exact same ridiculous & random humor, but it's actually directed by David Russell - the guy that brought us "I Heart Huckabees" and "American Hustle". That makes even more sense, because this movie reminds me most of "I Heart Huckabees". Both films main characters had a struggle or a cause, as strange as it may be. Also, both films are small indie comedies starring some big names. So David Russell's style of comedy is very similar to film-maker, David Wain. However, there is a much stronger focus on character development and the story line itself in David Russell's films. Not to mention, his films go a little deeper and can be complicated at times.Whereas, David Wain's films are much simpler, and easier to digest. His films seem more focused on the stupid and hilarious things that happen to the characters in the movie. They're mostly light-hearted comedies watched by stoners... because they're just a little more ridiculous and fun. BOTH directors/producers are amazing and I'm a fan of both "Davids"!

David Russel was also the executive producer for the "Anchorman" sequel, "The Legend Continues". "Accidental Love" stars the beautiful Jessica Biel, and her character gets a nail stuck in her skull due to a freak accident. She doesn't have health insurance, so the hospital won't treat her. So, she goes to her local congressman for help, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, (first time Iv'e seen him in a comedy) and he did a great job playing this role. I don't know why there wasn't more marketing behind this film's release, considering it features some very famous actors like; Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden, Bill Hader, Tracy Morgan, and even Kristie Alley. It's a really funny & silly romantic comedy, I give "Accidental Love" a 7 /10

"Straight Outta Compton" | The N.W.A Story - Trailer

I remember getting in trouble when i was younger for listening to a N.W.A record. It was quickly labeled "violent music" and "gang-related", and people like myself were banned from listening to it. Mainly, because their music was so explicit and they emerged in a time when hip-hop music & culture was just getting started and people were shocked by the graphic nature of this new rap music and all the cursing. (which goes completely unnoticed these days)

You have to remember, N.W.A. debuted in the late 80's / early 90's,  when people were listening to music like Michael Jackson, Madonna and other pop stars like Whitney Houston. It was  the end of the rock n' roll era and there was nothing like "gangsta rap" back then, so this California crew's music quickly became controversial and was even  banned from playing on mainstream radio stations. Regardless, N.W.A. still sold over 10 million records in the US alone.

N.W.A stands for "Niggas With Attitude", which in itself, caused controversy. Not to mention, their hit single was titled, "F*ck The Police" which gained a lot of popularity, while also gaining more negative attention. Since the group started, they have changed members several times between 1986 - 1991. This movie is about the original crew: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella.They are the founding members and most of them went on to have phenomenal solo careers.

Ice Cube, who is considered to be the foundation of the crew and wrote most of their songs, was the first member to leave N.W.A and started his own company as a solo artist. He quickly became one of the biggest names in rap culture, and it wasn't before long, he was in movies like, "Boys-n-the-hood" released in 1990, and "Friday", released in 1995. The remaining crew members were unhappy with Ice Cube quitting, and they released several tracks that disrespected Ice Cube and the first "rap-feud" developed between them. Next, Dr. Dre left N.W.A for Death Row Records, and joined Snoop Dogg and Tupac to become the new face of west coast rap. Original members, MC Ren and DJ Yella also went on to become solo artists but didn't go far. Eazy E unfortunately died from AIDS in 1995, just as he was beginning his solo career too.

These guys are legends and pioneers of rap music, they opened doors for so many other rap/ hip-hop artists to get a chance to share their music. Look where we are today, it's 2015 and rap / hip-hop music is still incredibly popular. I think it's official, hip-hop /rap music & culture is NOT a "fad" and it's certainly not going away anytime soon.

"Southpaw" - Trailer

This is why Jake Gyllenhaal is gaining so much popularity right now; he started picking better movies and projects to participate in. I don't usually watch dramas, but this movie looks wildly intense and centered mostly around his boxing career. Apparently "50 Cent" is going to be in the movie, which takes a little credibility away from the film. These are the type of movies Gyllenhaal seems to prefer, he's always playing dramatic roles and that's why he is so successful.

He has come a long way since "Donnie Darko" back in 2001, but he still has that same ability to bring that specific level of intensity to any role he plays. For example, "Zodiac" was a very intense movie, but it's only Gyllenhaal's performance in that film that made it so intense. Released in 2007; "Zodiac" was an otherwise, boring movie and a box office flop. Not ALL of his movies are good... there were some misfires along the way, including "Bubble Boy" in 2001, which is a horrendous piece of garbage. Then he was a gay cowboy in "Broke Back Mountain" in 2005, and he starred in the awful, big-budget movie, "The Day After Tomorrow" in 2004.

In fact, the only good movie Jake Gyllenhaal released between 2004 and 2010 was "Jarhead". He did a great job playing the part of an army soldier during the war and the movie received many accolades. Besides that, he starred in several indie drama films and  he actually got back into theater during that time period. Now that he is getting older, he is eligible for older roles and much bigger / better movies. For instance, he starred in "Source Code" in 2011 and "End of Watch" in 2012. Both are gut-wrenching, dramatic action movies, and have earned Gyllenhaal Academy Award nominations.

In 2014, Jake starred in the thriller, "Nightcrawler", which is arguably his best movie. He's nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his amazing performance in that film, bringing this charming, sociopathic character to life. This new movie, "Southpaw" could very well be his best performance, we'll have to wait until it's released om July 24, 2015. I look forward to seeing Gyllenhaal in this movie, and more big productions in the future.

"Key & Peele" Version of 'Les Mis' Musical

This is another one of my all-time favorite sketches from "Key & Peele". They're both actually very good singers, which makes this video even better. This is a parody of the famous play, Les Mis, which is performed by pretty much every High school or College. It's a famous musical play based on the novel, Les Miserables, written in 1862 by Victor Hugo. I've never actually seen the play or read the book.... but this video is STILL hilarious!

It's also well put together, with supporting cast / extras and many other great singers, they created a pretty awesome song. "One at a time" and the theatrics were surprisingly detailed for a parody sketch. It's a funny song and a cool video. Afterall, this is "Key & Peele" - MUST WATCH