Only Adding To Our Legend

Flicks: The Dark Knight Rises

So, yesterday after putting on my vest and find a seat by the nearest exit I finally saw this summer's blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises. Starring Chritian Bale, Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway, TDKR concludes direcor's Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy.

After some initial worries I can say that this film both lived up to expectations and disappointed. At 165 minutes it is Nolan's longest Batman film, but the length serves a purpose. There is a lot of story here, and at times too much. Nolan also focuses the story more around the development of Bruce Wayne and the decline of Batman. The first look at Wayne is eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, where he has become nothing more than a recluse shacked up in his mansion (I think I was the only person in the theater under fifty who caught the Howard Hughes reference). That serves as the theme for the rest of the movie; does Batman have to die for Bruce Wayne to live? From then on, Bane steals the show. Now, myself personally loved and hated Bane. Tom Hardy played one of the best villains ever put on screen (I don't think a lot of people realize how hard it is to act just using your eyes). Created using Nolan's lust for realism, Bane is transformed from his comic book freak show look to a menacing criminal mastermind. Although it is hard to fully buy into Bane's new look, you can't deny Hardy's talent as an actor. By putting emphasis on his intellect rather than his physicality, Hardy has crafted one of the darkest villains in any Batman film.

As great as TDKR is, it also feels rushed and jammed-packed at times. Through the many story lines and abundance of characters, there are many moments in the film where there is too much going on. It looks like Nolan tried to combine the heavy storyline of Batman Begins with all the action sequences of The Dark Knight, which results in a overly produced movie going in too many different directions. Nolan also strays away from the original comic too much in this movie way more than in his previous. From Bane's look, to the multiple different names given to some characters, it's like Nolan just created his own Batman universe, which is hard to grasp for those who grew up on Batman. With all this said, the biggest disappointment is the most obvious one; Heath Ledger. Ledger was the best and worst thing to happen to the Batman franchise. After his award winning performance as The Joker in TDK, a conclusion to a trilogy without him just isn't right. In fact, there is no mention of The Joker at all in this film, which shows how Ledger is gone, and took The Joker with him.

The Dark Knight Rises was a great film to end the Chris Nolan era of Batman films. For the man who resurrected the franchise after the disastrous Joel Schumacher titles in the 90s, Nolan has set the bar for not only future Batman films, but all superhero films in general. I highly recommend you go see TDKR, but watch it with an open mind. Nolan's realism and dark themes work perfectly in ending this chapter for Batman.

In The Tapedeck: Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

You don't know how much you matter until you're all alone ~ Frank Ocean

I imagine that's how Frank Ocean must have felt in the days leading to the early release of his debut album channel ORANGE. With the recent news that Ocean was a bisexual, many critics didn't know how the announcement would affect reaction of his album. It seems like the controversy only helped promote the album, which is on pace to sell over 125,000 copies in the first week, despite being released a week early and exclusively sold through iTunes. While the numbers don't lie, public opinion about if the album lived up to expectation, and it definitely did.

Now, let me start off by saying that if you are not a fan of true, traditional music composition you might want to save your $10 and keep this off the iPod. This is the type of music you play at the top of a penthouse suite on a Friday night in Las Vegas with a bottle of champagne on ice by the mini bar. With one of the most unique musical directions I heard in a long time, Ocean's debut has a vintage feel with a new age perspective.

When listening, there's an obvious focus on songwriting and Ocean's voice. With features limited to fellow Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt, John Mayer, and ~~Outkast,~~ the rest of the project solely relies on Ocean himself. While the production on the album helps propel songs likes "Lost", "Monks", and the ten minute single "Pyramids", it's Ocean's vocals on the slower tracks that really show his strength as a musician. Songs like "Sierra Leone" and "Pilot Jones" display Ocean at his best; stripped down instrumentals that allow Frankie's raw emotions to come out through his lyrics. Nothing shows this better than the standout track of the album "Pink Matter", featuring Andre 3000. Over a quiet string section and a crying guitar, the song showcases nothing more than a man and his music.

When I finished listening to Nostalgia, Ultra for the first time I thought nothing more than Ocean being a promising up and coming R&B singer that seemed to have a talent for songwriting. By the end (and I mean literally "End") of channel ORANGE I felt like I could not even compare him to an R&B singer anymore. Frank Ocean has discovered the art of musical improvisation, similar to the way a jazz singer does. When listening to the vocals they are rarely, if ever, doubled. When singing, there are no ad-libs recorded on separate takes. Ocean simply follows where the music takes him. In the same way as Billie Holiday, Ocean lets the melody guide his voice, which only makes his records that more authentic. Now, I'm not saying that this is Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite or Baduizm, but as far as debut albums go this is more than a solid effort. While it might not be a classic, Frank Ocean has made a debut that can be enjoyed by music fans of all genres. With it's authentic feel to it, channel ORANGE delivers in terms of debut solo projects. I recommend you pick this up, even if it's your only purchase of the summer. With music this honest, the replay value is endless, and should be in every music lover's collection.

You can purchase on iTunes here.

Songs For (Women)...

Who the hell knows what Purple Rain is and am I standing in it? - Frank Ocean

A few days ago after a BBC Radio listening session for Frank Ocean's upcoming LP Channel Orange, many began to believe that some of the lyrics may have been hinting at Ocean being bisexual. While it was strictly rumors and speculation when first mentioned, it was confirmed by Frankie himself when he published this letter on his Tumblr. In the letter he admits that he had an encounter with a man four years ago, and that he is indeed bisexual.

Now, I myself had no idea that all this time Frank Ocean was gay (even though now that I look back he left clues, such as in the Odd Future song Oldie with the line "Hi and I'm bi, wait I mean I'm straight...?"). The question Ocean faces is not how will coming out affect his life. In this generation is seems that homosexuality is becoming more and more acceptable. Just recently, popular talk show host and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper made the announcement that he's always been gay. The question that looms over Frank Ocean is how will it affect his career? From a women's perspective one of the newest rising sex symbols is off the market. While it's true that there are real female fans out there, a part of that fan base is just there for the visuals. I mean, do women really go to Chris Brown concerts to listen to him sing? On the contrary, he might have lost his male fan base all together. Our worst fear has come true, that maybe the slow jam we sang to our girlfriends late at night was originally written to a man. In a society where men, especially black men, are brought up to be homophobic coming out might have already caused irreversible damage; but only time will tell.

In the bigger picture outside of music, maybe Frank Ocean coming out will do more for others keeping the same secret. I personally believe that the entertainment industry has a slew of artists who are living in the closet that just don't want to commit career suicide. Fat Joe shared my feelings when he said in a DJ Vlad interview that the "gay mafia" was infiltrating hip hop. You even see how artists tests the waters about their sexuality, such as Miguel's mysterious transformation from having a suspect look to a more masculine and womanizing image seemingly over night.

As this whole thing unfolds I really hope it doesn't affect his career negatively. I've always believed that business is business, and what you do in your personal life should not influence business. So, as for me I still plan to listen to Frank Ocean because he makes good music. It will be a shame if his music isn't enjoyed because of his sexually preference, and hopefully critics won't go out of their way to not support him (besides, it always seems like the most homophobic people are always the most concerned with what gay folks are doing). So in the mean time, put Nostalgia, Ultra on for another spin while you wait for Channel Orange to drop on July 17th. Ocean is making timeless music, and it would be tragic if you don't find the time to listen.

Flicks: The Dark Knight Rises

In The Tapedeck: Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

Songs For (Women)...

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