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Jason Williamson recommended Illmatic by Nas in Music (curated)

 
Illmatic by Nas
Illmatic by Nas
1994 | Rock
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I got into that around 2008. That again was all about hopelessness, there was some positivity in there, but I think he had a lot to say on this album. He never bettered it. That second track, the line, ""Cuz you never know when you're going to go!"" Chilling, really. I haven't listened to it for a long time, but you have the sense of a cold afternoon in the projects, an afternoon spent doing nothing, walking up the stairs to your apartment, the hopelessness of being a young black kid. He wasn't really a funny guy, Nas. But brutal. He must have been educating himself. Books are a great source, aren't they. Some literature was held in some circles, myths about certain books, what I tend to find with a lot of rappers is this religious connection, even though some won't admit it, black culture is very connected to religion, more so than white people. It's kind of that as well, the fear of the wrath of god."

Source
  
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
1987 | Horror
8
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
John Carpenter is rightly considered a master of his craft, especially in the horror genre, and Prince of Darkness is yet another prime example of why.

The overall tone of PoD is one of constant dread, thanks in no small part to Carpenters' fantastic score work (probably my favourite film music of his), and also his directing style. It's a portfolio of wonderful shots, plenty of them are creepy as hell, and there's an air of mystery to compliment it all. The narrative is never clear cut, even by then end. The viewer has a solid idea of what if happening, but it's not a handled in a hand holding way, and leaves a load of questions in its wake, well still being satisfying in its conclusion.

It has a decent cast headed by Halloween alumni Donald Pleasence, and features the talents of Lisa Blout and era fixture Victor Wong, and an engaging screenplay. The dialogue is plentiful here, but none of it comes across like dead weight, and the finished product is a competent and unsettling religious horror.
  
    La Vita Nuova

    La Vita Nuova

    Dante

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    Book

    Vita Nuova (1292-94) is the first of Dante's major writings. It is a supreme work of love;...