Ink

A $250,000 budget (the Hollywood average lies near the $80 million price point), multi-tasking producers (Janin Winans wrote, directed, edited, and composed the soundtrack while Kiowa Winans produced and lead the art, costume, and sound design sections), and no big company push definitely didn't paint a pretty picture for this movie's success. Yet, after being shown around in multiple film festivals, it became one of the top (if not THE top) movie downloads amongst torrent sites for a time. This, in turn, got it to a much larger audience and influenced sales for the dvd/blu-ray release positively.

The story travels between the conscious and sub-conscious realm while a struggle between good and evil takes place. The power each force possesses is represented by dreams and nightmares. The centerpiece for the movie is the brittle relationship between a father, John, and his daughter, Emma. The evil force decides to exploit the title character, Ink, in order to capture the daughter's mind while simultaneously attacking the father's subconscious. The pacing is sporadic to say the least. It begins well with a good showing for both sides of the struggle, but the middle-to-late portions hit a couple speed bumps. Thank goodness the final act does not disappoint. The hospital battle will be a scene you never forget.

Verdict: There are many more things I could speak towards concerning the plot of this story, but I've already said too much. The rest is simply to be experienced. Highly recommended.

Mad Detective

I totally watched this on a complete whim. Browsing through the Netflix "Instant Stream" library, I came upon this foreign film with its interesting premise. It follows a cop who employs the assistance of the title's "Mad Detective", Detective Bun, for a murder case involving two cops. The interesting part is that Bun can see any person's inner personality and, within the cop who's suspected of murder, he witnesses seven different personalities. Throughout the film, you see how Bun deciphers the purpose of each personality and each one's role in the possible murder. You also see him deal with his own personal demons. The director does an amazing job shifting between the world in the physical and what Bun sees. The ending doesn't disappoint either, but don't expect the typical Hollywood gift-wrap-on-a-silver-platter type deal. 

Verdict: This is one of the better films I've seen as of late and its convinced me to continue with my romp through Netflix's more unknown territory. I recommend this one most definitely.

Mood Muzik 4 (Mixtape Review)

The hip-hop interwebz are flooded with hundreds of mixtapes on a daily basis. A collection of random new songs by a particular artist, homage to an artist or label’s history with a track list spanning years of music, and maybe even random groups of tracks thrown together by some dj-slash-iTunes-playlist-jockey. Every now and then, though, you come across a free collection of music with so much time put into it, you wonder what you’ve done to receive such a gift. Mood Muzik 4 is one such gift. This collection could have been released as a retail album and easily warranted a $10-$15 purchase, yet we receive this free of charge.

“Success breeds change, but so does the lack of it.”

I’ll be honest; Joe Budden is a hard artist to push. Not everyone is hip to the quality of music that misses the mainstream spotlight. Sadly, most fans only know what’s played on TV and Radio. So, the second the name “Joe Budden” leaves my mouth, most immediately rewind back to “Pump It Up” and I have to swiftly correct them. Joe Budden has seen much evolution since then, personally and, as a result, lyrically. I’ve missed out on a couple of his releases, but I like to think this particular one is a crowning achievement.

"How can fans thinks us rappers are invincible? Can’t find anything about that logic that’s sensible. I’m thinking they should know better off of principle. To them we're action heroes. To labels we're expendables."

In my opinion, Joe Budden stands within an under populated bracket of artists exuding a higher level of honesty and passion in their craft. Few artist put emotion into music as efficiently as Budden. Each bar shines light on internal and external struggles and leaves listeners with a new understanding. You can't help but be drawn into his story. Even the songs with heavyweight features, like “Dessert For Thought” or “Remember The Titans” are filled with quotables. Each song represents another branch in his journey and I’m enjoying the trip thus far.

“Prideful, I don’t even succumb when defeated. All that do is get me mad, and I’m comfortable heated.”

I’ve read a couple reviews where Budden’s beat selection in past projects was seen as questionable and I was definitely inclined to agree. Lyrics are a higher focus for me, so it was an issue that didn’t bother me as much as most, but it definitely stuck out. It may possibly have been one of the only things holding him back from an even greater following. I think it was only a matter of finding a balance with a good producer; someone that could reflect the emotion of the words accurately in the music.

Verdict: This mixtape is probably the best of the year. Followed closely only by Wale’s More About Nothing. It’s definitely worth the listen. It’ll only take a couple of clicks to get you in the mood. Get to it.