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DJ Muggs recommended Ultimate Run DMC by Run-DMC in Music (curated)

 
Ultimate Run DMC by Run-DMC
Ultimate Run DMC by Run-DMC
2003 | Rap
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Run-D.M.C came out and it was like some serious gangster shit: bomber jackets and Kangols [laughs]. They were just some serious hood shit and they pushed the limits as far as they possibly could at that time. They laid the building blocks for everything that was to come in that era and for everything where we are right now. It felt so special being able to see that for the first time: I was there at the birth of it and I was watching the first round of this shit build up and up. Their live performances also helped Cypress Hill. We got confidence on stage by originally going to local shows in New York City – Run-D.M.C and the like. All the really big shows too – we'd see 'Ministry' and learn from them as well as all the local acts in the city. I saw bands like Ministry and Run-D.M.C on stage very early on in the game and I drew inspiration [and confidence] from a lot of their live shows and these undoubtedly helped our own future live performances. It was very exciting to be a part of this scene at that time and to see Run-D.M.C with such unbelievable raw power at that time."

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City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)
Cassandra Clare | 2009 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.0 (38 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

Ok so it was a decent read! Lots of action the baddie getting his ass kicked ! The truth being revealed (which I think most people would have worked out in the first book)! Poor little Max! But my god Jace and Clary do my bloody head in! I just want to snack both of them! Overall it was a good book!
  
Good Riddance
Good Riddance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Daphne has just inherited her mother's yearbook from the class of 1968 at Pickering High School in New Hampshire. That year her mother was not only the English teacher, but also the yearbook advisor. Mrs. Maritch has gone to every reunion and each year she has added notations to the yearbook to all of the students. Daphne has no need or room for the yearbook in her small New York City apartment, so she puts it in the recycling. A neighbor who is also a budding documentarian finds the yearbook, and is determined to make a movie with her findings. When Daphne finds out a dark secret at the 50th reunion they attend, she will stop at nothing to make sure the yearbook is not made public. With family secrets around each corner, Daphne will try her best to keep her mother's legacy in tact and her father's heart from being broken.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I remember the thrill of getting my yearbook from middle school all through high school and having all of my friends sign it. I don't think that I ever had or even wanted any of my teachers to sign it though. And I've been to one or two of my reunions and I surely didn't go back and makes notes on what everyone is up to now.

This was a quirky story that had quite a few different elements in it. A little bit of romance, some mystery, and an annoying neighbor. Daphne is newly divorced and trying to find her way in New York City. Her apartment is small and there isn't any room for much more than her. She is going to school to be a chocolatier, but that's not really working out. She tries going back to teaching at Montessori school which she did before she was married. But with the contents of the yearbook and rumors about her mother maybe reaching the public Daphne's plate seems to be overflowing. Can she keep her mom's legacy alive and keep herself from going crazy at the same time?
  
Men in Black (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
1997 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Visually Brilliant and Gorgeous
A New York police officer gets thrown into a crazy world when he stumbles upon a special group trying to stop intergalactic threats.

Acting: 10
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have to be one my most favorite duos of all time. Playing Agent J and Agent K respectively, their partnership is one of new blood versus old head. I love how each of them took on their respective role, Smith with air of cockiness and bravado and Jones with the nature of one who has been there and done that too many times before. And I haven’t even dove into the fun performances of actors like Rip Torn and Tony Shalhoub. Very well casted movie.

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10
J and K are magnificent to watch, but it’s the broad scope of aliens for me that take the cake. There’s Jeebs whose head can explode and grow back. Then there’s Edgar who eventually becomes a massive bug wearing an “Edgar Suit” played by the amazing Vincent D’Onofrio. Those are only to name a couple from a large list of enriching characters that shed a fun new light on the underground of New York.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 10
The first ten minutes of the movie gives you a taste of what the action is going to be like. That dives right into the next scene and the next. Great action with high stakes that races across the city of New York. I appreciate the high level of conflict that kept me engaged.

Entertainment Value: 7

Memorability: 7

Pace: 10
Ninety-eight minutes goes by quick in Men In Black. It’s one of those movies that you almost don’t want to end but you know it has to. It races through its story, but just quickly enough so that you don’t miss any important details. I love when movies can move at a pace like this without ruining with exposition.

Plot: 7

Resolution: 8
I wanted a little more from the ending but it was satisfactory for the most part. Definitely leaves room for the obvious sequel that follows it. Decent way to wrap things up.

Overall: 89
From the beginning, I had no doubt that I was going to like Men In Black. It wraps solid sci-fi action into a nice gift with quick pacing and a solid story for a bow. Director Barry Sonnenfeld masterfully captures the “aliens among us” idea and makes it inventive. Definitely a necessary piece of sci-fi movie history.
  
Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum
Edward T. O'Donnell | 2003 | History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Timely Tale
This was a good book about a little known tragedy. The General Slocum was a steamer that traveled on the rivers that surrounded New York City. Often these ships were used by groups for excursions to the shore or picnic areas up river. On June 15, 1904 a German church group had booked passage. It was mainly women and children.

As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.

The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
  
The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything
Rona Jaffe | 1958 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This has to be one of the most enthralling and honest felt books I've read in a long time. I was surprised to see that some things really don't change. I found myself rereading lines (and pages) in this book because they seem to resonate strong emotions that I've felt in the past or have actually felt currently. This book is filled with laugh out loud moments, shocking moments, moments that made me hate these girls (because they seem make the silliest mistakes that I may or may not admit to having done myself), and several moments that bring up those bittersweet memories of past loves. I would recommend this to anyone who has felt like they have made a mistakes in the past that can never be fixed, anyone living in (or has ever lived in) New York City, anyone with ambition, and all the single girls kicking arse and trying to make it on their own.
  
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LoSchussler (3 KP) rated Sweet Thing in Books

Jun 22, 2018  
ST
Sweet Thing
Renee Carlino | 2013 | Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions—for him, for music—but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.
  
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Lenard (726 KP) rated Shaft (2019) in Movies

Jun 23, 2019  
Shaft (2019)
Shaft (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime
Samuel L Jackson in the role he is most suited for. Jackson plays John Shaft, an unfiltered New York City detective turned private investigator. Shaft works the mean streets of Harlem although not the gentrified nouveau riche version that exists today. In this sequel to the 2000 remake/continuation of the 70s classics, the booksmart JJ, John Shaft Jr, hires Shaft to help him investigate the "suicide" of his best friend, an Afghan War vet and former heroin junkie. Using his special set of streetwise skills, Shaft shows his son that he may not know as much as he thinks he does especially when it comes to women. Together, the Shafts uncover the conspiracy that the Supertroopers found 18 years ago but in Harlem with a major Latinx drug dealer who tried to destroy Shaft's life 20 years ago. While not great, this film at least is entertaining in ways most of the films this summer is not.
  
Hudson's Kill
Hudson's Kill
Paddy Hirsch | 2019 | Crime, History & Politics, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hudson's Kill
If you have seen Gangs of New York then you know the period this novel is set. This book is completely immersive, Hirsch has done an incredible amount of research, to the language used, the the style of buildings. I often felt myself drawn into the period, even dreaming about the city in my sleep, his descriptions become so vivid. Hudson's Kill has pretty much got a bit of everything for everyone. It's a thriller, it's a murder mystery, it's a political and corruption rollercoaster, it's full of action, it has heroes , villains and enough in every page to keep you turning. All this and written in a way that is very easy and absorbing. Hirsch is a master and it is very hard to believe this is only his second novel. Hudson's Kill deserves to be celebrated and loved, a rare book that will delight so many and deserves to be read. 4/5
  
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
1997 | Action, Drama, Mystery
7
6.1 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Theory of Conspiracies
Conspiracy Theory- is a good movie, a little long and dated but its still a good movie. Both Mel Gibson and Juila Roberts do a good job and Partick Stewart as the villian, was cool to see. Cause he doesn't play alot of villian roles, so it was nice to see him play as the villian.

The plot: New York City cabbie Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is an expert on paranoid conspiracy theories. He is also infatuated with government lawyer Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts), who permits his attention because he once rescued her from a mugging. However, when Jerry is captured and put through psychotic tests by Dr. Jonas (Patrick Stewart), he realizes there is an actual conspiracy. After escaping, Jerry enlists Alice's help, but she wonders whether he has uncovered a real threat or is just insane.

Its has good drama, suspense, thrills and some action, but its still a good movie.