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The Night Life of the Gods

Thorne Smith

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Book

Thorne Smith's rapid-fire dialogue, brilliant sense of the absurd, and literary aplomb put him in...

Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight

Jay Barbree

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Book

To date, everything written about Armstong's life and flights has been written from the outside...

Tim Booth recommended Discreet Music by Brian Eno in Music (curated)

Discreet Music by Brian Eno

1975 | Rock

(0 Ratings)

Album Favorite

"I could have chosen a number of his ambient records, from Apollo – Atmosphere & Soundtracks or Ambient 1 (Music For Airports) to Discreet Music. He, along with maybe one or two others, invented ambient music, which is now the background to a lot of different music, but back then was a revolution. Eno was slagged by the press at every turn. I remember a quote in the NME saying his music was like ""watching paint dry"". If something got that bad a review, I had to check it out and Brian got the worst reviews for a number of years. Discreet Music was the record that I listened to when it came out and I am still listening to it now. Strangely enough, I find it the most incredible music to make love to, because its stillness strips you down to a nakedness that, for me, lovemaking always demands. That's opposed to drunken lovemaking, which is a completely different thing and only part of what is on offer. Discreet Music puts me in the mood to really find out who I am and to be vulnerable with another person. Therefore, it has become one of my favourite lovemaking albums, and I don't think many people could say that."

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Kudos

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Creed II (2018) in Movies

Dec 7, 2018

Creed II (2018)

2018 | Action, Drama, Sport

7.4

(42 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Good Enough

By my count, this is the 8th time that Sylvester Stallone has put on the character of Rocky Balboa. This time it comes after the resurgence of this character (and franchise) with the introduction of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and a script that allowed Stallone to explore the character in a way that he had not previously been able to - and garnered him a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his efforts.

In CREED II we are back to an above average by-the-numbers boxing picture with Jordan's Adonis Creed character starting the picture on top, losing it all when he loses himself (and stops listening to Rocky) in his success only to go on a journey of redemption (by following Rocky's advice) at the end. This is, in essence, a regurgitation of ROCKY III and I was somewhat bored by it.

That is, until the final bout, then (gosh darnnit) I was drawn right into the melodrama, pomp and pageantry of the fight and was cheering along with the rest of the audience at all the appropriate moments.

In Creed II, Apollo Creed's son battles Ivan Drago's son. For those of you not up on your Rocky history, Drago (Dolph Lundgren, reprising his role) was the boxer that killed Apollo Creed (Adonis' father) in the ring all those years ago.

Jordan is properly cocky, arrogant, stubborn, shell-shocked, morose, repentant and cocky (again) as the script would indicate. Tessa Thompson (as his wife) deserves better material than what she is given as does Stallone, who falls back to "being Rocky" without anything really new here. Surprisingly, Dolph Lundgren does a nice job as the washed-up boxer who's life was "ruined" when he lost to Rocky at the end of Rocky IV (not a spoiler). Finally, Russel Horsnby (as the "I just want to earn money" promoter of the fight) and Phylicia Rashad (as Adonis' mother/Apollo's wife) are both really good in roles that deserved to be much bigger - and more fleshed out - than they were.

My biggest disappointment from this film is the ommision of Director Ryan Coogler. He brought a visceral attitude to the series in the first CREED film and I felt that this spark of energy was just missing throughout this film with Steven Caple, Jr at the helm. It seemed, to me, that this series is quickly devolving into "paycheck" movies for Stallone and that really saddens me.

All-in-all a rather above average "by-the-numbers" boxing flick with a really good fight at the end of the film that is well worth sticking around for.

Letter Grade: B

7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)

Kudos

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Parachute - Single by Jaclyn Manfredi in Music

Jun 18, 2019

Jaclyn Manfredi is a singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York. Not too long ago, she released a grungy contemporary R&B tune, entitled, “Parachute”.

“We’re five thousand feet in the air. But it feels like you couldn’t care. I can see right through your blank stare. And I know it’s time for me to prepare.” – lyrics

‘Parachute’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who feels cold whenever she’s by her significant other’s side.

Every day, thoughts about their relationship being a mistake filter into her mind, and her frustration about her partner’s missteps has multiply sky high.

Later, she admits that they’re running out of time, and the air in their relationship is running thin.

‘Parachute’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-comforting vocals, and groovy instrumentation flavored with retro-soul, R&B, and funk elements.

“‘Parachute’ is a song about a toxic relationship that you can’t wait to get out of and the feeling of having a weight lifted off your shoulders.” – Jaclyn Manfredi

At the age of seventeen, Jaclyn Manfredi performed at the acclaimed Apollo Theatre and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Shortly afterward, she won the IMTA national singing talent competition in 2017.

Her musical influences include Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and the contemporary funk of Bruno Mars.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/jaclyn-manfredi-parachute/