Entertainment

  • Gran Torino
  • Bride Wars
  • Brutha CD Review
  • iSouljaboytellem Review
  • Air Jamz and Pep Rally Collage
  • Guess Who

Gran Torino

By Jeffery Liu

When legendary actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood takes on another film, movie fans are sure to follow. This brings us to Gran Torino. The 78 year old filmmaker has executed another incredible performance and Gran Torino does not disappoint. In his latest movie, Clintwood plays the role of a caustic, antisocial, and grouchy Korean War veteran called Walt Kowalski. The movie features a large cast of Hmong Americans as well.

With a menacing demeanor, Kowalski is disgusted with his insincere family and the changes going on in his neighborhood. The racist veteran endures the funeral of his late wife and the new Hmong immigrants (refugees from Southeast Asia who helped the Americans during the Vietnam War) who have moved next door. With the death of his wife, Kowalski is also peeved by one of the church’s clergyman who was entrusted to look after the old man.

As the new Hmong family settles, more gang violence arises in Kowalski's neighborhood. One of the boys, Thao, is pressured by the Hmong gang to join them. In order to do so, he must steal Kowalski's prized 1972 Gran Torino. When he fails to complete the task, the gang attempts to drag Thao from his home. Kowalski stops them when he steps out with his old Army rifle and inadvertently saves Thao. From that point on, the Hmong family has Thao work for the old veteran to make amends. Kowalski teaches him how to be a man and begins to see his neighbors as more than just racial stereotypes. However this closeness and period of relative bliss is finite; once past this point, more serious themes of life, death, and vengeance arise.

            The film is dominated by the warm feelings of a boy and his mentor as they undergo changes while spending time together. Kowalski and Thao deal with the surprises around every corner on their block, whether it is the Hmong gang terrorizing the neighborhood or the veteran making the boy work on various tasks for the residents in the community.

Gran Torino is not merely a film about an old man taking on the ruthless Hmong posse; the true heart of the movie is about the transformation of a juvenile child to a mature adult. This movie is recommended for a more mature audience, who can tolerate the R-rated language and the violence in which Eastwood's character fights off the gang members. Whenever Eastwood undertakes a film project, movie fans are sure to know that the final product will be an epic work. Overall, this movie was classic Eastwood on the screen once more with a dominating performance.

 

 

Brutha CD Review

By Kim Keener

Coming out of Atlanta, Georgia, the band Brutha has recently become the neophyte group to watch in the music industry.  First landing a record contract with Island Def Jam/Goodfellas Entertainment, the band then created a BET reality show called "Brother to Brutha". The show depicts struggles within their family and difficulties involved in making it in the industry. The relationship between the band members is described as being unbreakable. Brutha's determination to achieve success in the music industry has not faltered either; the boys get up as early as 6 o'clock and workout their muscles and their vocal cords by dancing and singing.  They have also recently released an official album on December 23, making the group's music officially available for purchase in stores as well as on iTunes.  Their sound is described as being similar to bands such as Jackson 5, New Edition, and Boys II Men.  The five brothers come from a family of thirteen children. No, they’re not from one of those TV shows on discovery channel, such as "17 kids and counting" with John and Michelle Duggar, but the Harrell family nonetheless has the workings of a large and close family raised with a passion for music. They listened to bands such as; The Temptations, New Edition, and Sam Cooke.  The Brutha brothers range from the ages of 19, being the youngest and 25 being the eldest. 
            The band's single, "I can't hear the music" has harsh rapping in the beginning with some explicit content which takes away from the band's true style they express throughout the song.  Some of the lyrics are not exactly original consisting of those like, "you're an angel on the dancefloor" which is good but still does not really say anything about the band personally that the listening public has not already heard elsewhere.  Yet, the lyrics are the only part of this song, which seem to be lacking in some original character.  The truth is, audiences want to hear something that they have not ever heard before, which they can relate to and connect with, which they can mostly find in Brutha's music.  Their voices work very well together and produce a nice methodical sound when they sing together which is nice to listen to.  Their music also has the tendency of making people want to move. 
 Overall, I would recommend Brutha to anyone who enjoys R&B music, because their voices work together and sound very smooth.  Even if you do not like R&B music, their music is very easy to listen to, so try something new and buy their CD or try one of their songs on iTunes for a dollar.  Or check them out on their reality TV show, "Brother to Brutha" on Tuesdays at 10:30.  Brutha is definitely a talented group to keep an eye on. 

iSouljaBoyTellem: The Pinnacle of Modern Music

By Michael Munch


Soulja Boy Tell 'Em released a new album on December 16, 2008 titled "iSouljaBoyTellEm."  With lyrics like "Ain't feelin bezzy wat wat they do that at watch looking freezy ye-yellow diamond rain,” this album is a shoe-in to go platinum and deserves every one of it’s two stars on the iTunes review.

From the opening song "Bird Walk," one can tell that this is clearly a promising album. Also, one can tell how awesome Soulja Boy Tell 'Em is because he demeans women with his songs. Everyone knows, the more you disrespect women, the more of a man you are. With songs like "Booty Got Swag," he secures his spot in history as a man every child can look up to.

Not only is he manly, but Soulja Boy Tell 'Em is very eloquent, as shown in the song "Hey You There." With lines like "you think this is funny I think you’re a dummy I have alotta money So hey hey hey hey." He apparently has a lot of money too, and yet he carries this with modesty.

A master of the English language, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em lavishes us with his commanding imagery and skillful use of…words, if they can be called that. Lines like "Step up on the scene now you no who it be Fresh yums wit da hat cant get like me I’m yellin’ I got my swag back pull up to the club seen clean in a Cadilac Yums wit da gucci grip" only work to prove his grasp of the English Language.

In an interview, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em says he would like to own a business so he can have his name on a skyscraper. Obviously, a billboard just will not do it for this aspiring young “musician,” and making a ridiculous dance proves that he would be a wonderful business owner. After all, if he can make a dance that millions of mindless drones have learned, he can run a business, right? Part of this enterprise involves Soulja Boy Tell 'Em planning to star in an animated series. One can only imagine that this series would tell of the adventures of an animated Soulja Boy “Superman-ing” his female consorts. Thank you Soulja Boy for finding another outlet in which you can corrupt youth.

In his new album, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em asks “I got a question why they hatin’ on me I aint did nuthin’ to ‘em, but count this money.” I have an answer, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em; It is because you are an embarrassment to humanity as a whole, you have more grammatical errors than money, and you are not in the slightest bit modest. You should stop making “music” and “cranking dat,” put on some clothes that fit, take off those ridiculous glasses, get an education, and become an asset to the world. Oh yeah, your dance is stupid. 

Air Jamz/Pep Rally

By Cora Chong

 

 

 

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